#i have also conquered after effects. are u proud of me

[kazehita]

I made some character adopts for fun/to help keep me afloat. Raffle is up on TH, and I'm looking for offers above $75 for the other two! Both sold <3 Thank you! Follow the link or message to offer!

[mimik-u]

“Homeworld Bound” Thoughts:

I wasn’t going to watch this one today, but then I realized that I really missed the Diamonds and wanted to consume novel content, so!

OOH, good on the show for taking us directly to the aftermath of “Fragments” instead of putting space between the episodes. That’s just... a really good choice narrative wise.

Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl’s expressions are so distressing here. He’s been gone for three days; they must’ve been so worried.

Jasper steps aside to reveal an absolutely ruined Steven.

He just technically killed a gem and then resurrected her. How intensely will that forever lie on his psyche? Oh my g od

NO, NOT JASPER PASSIVELY MAKING THE DIAMOND SIGN IN THE BACKGROUND AUGH

“You can’t just disappear for days without telling us!”

Steven silent walking up to the Observatory as the Gems continue to freak the fuck out is harrowing. And Dee Dee Magno Hall is killing it with her voice acting here. The simultaneous fear and anger and horror in her voice. Oh my g d

“You guys... I love you, but you can’t help me anymore. I’ve been avoiding the only people in the entire universe who can.” 🥺 This is sad, but I’m also, like, problematic grandmas time!!!!!

“Find something better to do with your life.” God, Jasper’s look of disbelief and sadness here. I didn’t really delve into this during my “Fragments” watch because I was just roridoodwrjfkrkeke reeling, but her reaction to being accidentally shattered is psychologically devastating???? I’d wager that she simultaneously respects the fact that she’s been subjugated by a being more powerful than her, that she’s grateful to Steven for being both subjugator and savior, and likely, she’s conflating this new loyalty with her former loyalty for Pink. This is a really complex psyche (a tragic one most of all).

Garnet: “Steven, remember, we’ll always be your family.” I’m so fucki n emo

AWHWHWH, HOMEWORLD IS SO BRIGHT AND COLORFUL NOW!!!

YO!! Homeworld has a democracy now!! The Zircons!!!!!!!

THE WALL GEM IS MOVING??????? KWOEOEIDJDKSJS

Can u imagine being a wall cursed with sentience. that is so funny on so many levels

But it’s also really interesting, too. If the Wall Gem is a gem in the way say Topazes are gems, which, judging by her mobility, she is—then her explicit purpose in Era 1-2, as molded by presumably Yellow, was to b a wall omg. (Or, arguably, I think it can be argued that the inanimate object Gems, like Comby, were probably accidental sentient creations, made in relationship to their proximity to the Diamonds during their various secretion rituals!!)

Anyway, I love thinking about Homeworld worldbuilding. It’s fascinating.

SQUARE PERIDOT

SPIIIIIINELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

Her heart eyes!! She looks so happy!

Steven, angry af: “Spinel, what is wrong with you?” / Spinel: Oh, you know—the usual.” KEKDSKDK

Also, Steven really wanted to say fuck there. NEKDDKKSSKKS

“I was such a wreck then, but I am so much better now.” We stan character growth 😭😭

One thing I have loved the Crewniverse so much for doing is never taking away the physical signs of gems’ mental distress, even after they’ve gotten better: Blue’s eye bags, Volleyball’s eye, Spinel’s running mascara. That is so important.

YELLOW SITTING AT HER LIL VANITY!!

IT’S LIGHT INSIDE HER ROOM! THERE R FLOWERS! THRIVE, QUEEN, THRIVE.

YELLOW REVERSING HER GEM EXPERIMENTS OH MY G D

FUCKING QUEEN!!!!!!

(I’m sorry in advance. The rest of the live blog is just going to be screaming about the Diamonds.)

“I can permanently alter any physical form!” She’s so proud of herself. 😭😭😭 I fuckin’ love her.

Yellow laying down on the ground like that is SENDING ME SKSKSJSJ.

Ugh, and her being such a good mom to Spinel. I’m cry in f

“If anything’s out of proportion, it’s your temper. You can be big if you want to, or you can be small if you want to, but if you’re going to be upset no matter what, then this problem isn’t physical—it’s emotional. Go see Blue.”

I really like her advice here because it’s advice that comments so clearly on her own character arc. At her lowest, she was quick to anger, aggressive, and temperamental, which she diagnoses in Steven here. Additionally, she was the Diamond who was concerned largely with physical actions. She coped by maintaining the Empire through conquering planets and maintaining the minutiae of leadership; she thought the only way to receive justice for Pink was through the physical act of destruction. And in doing so, she pushed her own emotions deep, deep down until they manifested in anger, aggressiveness, and temperamental outbursts. This hurt the people she cared about, and it hurt herself most of all.

Also, “Go see Blue. That is her department.” Ejdoiddjdjjsjdjdks, “go see ur other grandma.”

BLUE FLOATING ON A CLOUD!!!!!

“Your powers have been causing you dramatic mood swings? That seems awfully troubling Steven.” God I love her

“You don’t seem troubled.” This is a really interesting line because it comments on how Blue’s emotions, especially her negatively charged ones, used to be so visible all over her; indeed, she both wittingly and actively used to project them on other Gems, forcing them to feel her suffering, too.

OH, SHE GOES ON TO SAY THE EXACT SAME THING EOEODODISSJJS. LISTEN, I REALLY VIBE WITH BLUE.

“Back before you came into my life, Steven, I wanted every one to feel the pain I felt. I realized I must make up for my awful behavior by bringing joy to others.”

Another thing I’ve appreciated about the writing in this episode: So far, both Blue and Yellow have used the adjective awful to describe their former actions. It’s the self-awareness and the refusal to try to excuse themselves that powerfully shows how much they’ve grown. And it’s their continuous endeavors to keep moving forward, to help the Gems that they’ve hurt, that indicates that they’re willing to constantly keep growing and atoning.

NFOFOFDKSSKSKSK, THESE CLOUDS ARE JUST HER VAPORIZED TEARS HELP.

Sick vape clouds, Blue

I’VE HEARD THE SONG BEFORE, BUT EVERY TIME SHE SINGS, I LOSE MY SHI T

LISA HANNNNIGAAAAAAAN

This is such a pretty line: “Cold palace walls, and endless empty halls, haunted by echoes of laughter.”

BLUE ASCENDING THROUGH THE CLOUDS AUSHAHHSHD

BLUE MAKING HEART CLOUDS FOR SPINEL!!

BLUE CALLING SPINEL N STEVEN HER LITTLE REASONS WHY.

“I’LL NEVER MAKE YOU CRY.” This line is particularly lovely because I think it plays well with Steven’s line to her in “CYM:” “How many times did you make her cry?”

BDJDJDJSJDJ, BLUE LAYING ON HER CLOUD LIKE YELLOW LAID ON THE FLOOR.

The way she sings the last “loving you.” 😭😭😭😭 I’m gonna weep. I love her so fucking much.

“I found happiness. If that's not something you think you deserve, then I suspect this is an issue of self worth. I suggest you go to White for assistance with such matters.” 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 And like Yellow did, Blue gets to the heart of her arc cleanly.

Before Steven and before her own emotional reckoning, she didn’t think it was her place to be happy: “I know my purpose isn’t to be happy.” But in learning to love others, Blue has found true, inner happiness, which she literally shares with others. Wow.

And I think there’s something powerful in her distinction between true happiness and self-worth. You can’t find one without espousing the other.

White’s room is so pretty. 🥺

THE FLASHING STROBE LIGJTS DDNJDFJDJDNF.

SPINEL WHITE DIAMOND?!/!:$;8;83&:&:

SHE FUCKING LETS OTHER GEMS CONTROL HE R HELP.

SPINEL MAKING WHITE TAP DANCE FICODODOFODJDNDJSJDJDJJDDJDJ

Steven’s horrified expression omg

“I’m scared I’m gonna hurt people; I guess I already have.” God.

And that’s another thing that this episode has called to mind. Blue, Yellow, and White alike once used their insane powers to hurt other Gems and to hurt themselves, and here, throughout this series, we see Steven discovering that same capacity for destruction and self-destruction. Along with the systematic oppressions they facilitated, a big part of the Diamonds’ modus operandi was that their powers were directly correlated to their mental states and their various inabilities to confront their own selves and effect inner change. The corrective wasn’t necessarily Steven; the corrective was him helping them to do that initial act of introspection and looking inwards. And so, too, will Steven have to do the same by the end of this series. But I presume that his family, all the people and gems who have loved and cared for him, will in effect be his Steven, just as he has always been for them.

“Half a Diamond, half a creature of Earth—in all the universe there's no one else that could know what you’re going through, so maybe it's time you talked to yourself.” This is so viscerally sad. White hits the nail on the head here. Steven’s human friends/family and his gem family and even the Diamonds, who come the closest to matching his own strength, can never fully understand him. It’s the tension that underscores a lot, if not the entire show.

White briefly touches Steven with her nail, and you can viscerally see the trauma on his face; he hasn’t forgotten her act above all, wrenching his gem out, nearly killing him.

“I’m... I’m a Diamond.” Steven, in looking at White Diamond, realizes that she’s a mirror of himself. Holy fucking shit

“I don’t want to be you! I don’t want to be anything like you!” HOLY FUCKING SHIT

“Don’t hurt me! She can’t hurt me! I’m controlling her...” And here, Steven doesn’t light upon the essential thing... in making White punch the wall, nearly knocking a huge rock into him, he’s the one hurting himself.

This show, oh my g o d

“She’s the one who should be afraid.” STEVEN?!!!!????!??!

“No, stop it! I don’t like this!” / “Please, you’re scaring me.” OH MY GO D

HE FUCKING MADE HER SLAM HER GEM AGAINST A PILLAR HOLY HE LL

“What... what was that?” Christine’s delivery here. Holy shit. 😭😭 And both of them are surrounded in the carnage of Steven’s wrath. Holy fucking shit.

This act is fundamentally different than him accidentally shattering Jasper in “Fragments”; this was an intentional attempt to hurt White, to crack her, to break her. Holy fucking shit

Spinel, Blue, and Yellow waiting for Steven outside of White’s door has my heart a little and a lot tender 🥺🥺🥺🥺

SPINEL SINGING I CAN MAKE A CHANGE SO DRAMATICALLY DJDIDJDJDJDJD. (But yeah, lmao, this will absolutely be the conclusion of Steven’s arc at the end of Future.)

“Steven! Let us help you, Steven!” The Diamonds are so concerned (mirroring the Gems back at home, too). 😭😭

He leaves a flip flop behind like Cinderella lmao

“Steven, let us help you!” / “We’re your family!” 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

And just as he implored the CGs, he tells the Diamonds not to follow him either.

Steven is completely and utterly alone.

Not by necessity.

But God, by choice.

Okay, this is my new favorite Future episode.

[sanchoyo]

danny phantom, season 3 episodes 3-6 thoughts!

see prev episode thoughts in this tag <3

-johnny was actually pretty civil with danny and left when he asked! thats nice. also, SKULKER?? HAD A FRAMED PICTURE OF EMBER?? oooo fuck wait had they established they were a Thing Before?? I dont think so. thats weird. its like that country boy/goth girl meme lmfao. I think i am going to choose to ignore this new info and pretend I didnt hear it. 100% unrelated to the jazz/ember fanart I already drew and posted....😳

-LADIES NIGHT EPISODE THIS IS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT. wish it didnt really center around the guys or them being pissed at them, but. willing to bet this was written by men lol

-THEY ERASED ALL THE MEN??? meanwhile, jack and danny are fishing at. silent hill or something. im glad jack is trying to read a parenting book and making an Attempt. (theyre at lake erie, but, they made it actually eerie...thats fun)

-the girls alt outfits...cute. EMBER MADE A NEW SONG TOO!!! kinda. jazz being one of the backup singers and being AWFUL. NOOOO

-'how are we going to get kitty to blow a kiss?' 'she'll have to think there are still some males in town!' ...i dont know how to break it to you, but I dont know that a 100% het girl would wish for all men to Begone. I think. I mean im not a het or a girl so I dont really know for sure. she Is probably Bi tho. esp having the other ladies in town chanting NO MEN!!! excitedly............(then again, the kiss is to get Rid of men, so, she probably would have blown it at the ladies only if they were actively trying to attack/stop them, so...I MEAN. THE DRESSING LIKE DANNY BIT WAS SO EXTRA)

-I feel like an all female cast ep couldve been way way way way cooler than that was. like. why was it still somehow all about Men. ...anyway. (where was valerie...)

-next ep opens with the observants, and, way way more of them than I expected...existed? I mean I guess them being a council/jury of some kind is what I expected from their first appearance (bc at that time they were basically TELLING clockwork to kill danny, not asking,, so I figured they had SOME kind of authority) but. there were so many. anyway, here goes vlad! letting his own hubris go brrrr. releasing a weather ghost for political gain! #justvladthings

-okay say what you will about him (he IS an asshole) but having an umbrella with his own face on it and more prepared to share is SUPER FUNNY. and him being fanned by huge wads of money by his bodyguards. SO ineffective but so Dramatic. He UNDERSTANDS that if youre rich you need to be. you know. obnoxious and kinda eccentric about it! fuckign hate when rich people are boring about it. I would trust vlad with nothing except to not be a boring rich asshole who wears...fucking khaki or some shit. man knows his Presentation Skills. and that 'V' chair in his mayoral office. is that fucking embroidered?

-maddie get your MAN PLEEEEASSSE. IM SO EMBARRASSED FOR HER. the way jack stays simping for this man. in FRONT OF HIS WIFE!!!! ...my god its like a love triangle. jack clearly loves vlad, who loves maddie, who loves jack. jack fenton is at the very least bi, right................. this is an OBSESSION . 'THE V MAN COMETH'???? i...my god. (also, on a serious note, to have a friend THIS SUPPORTIVE...and still be SUCH A DICK TO HIM (TRYING TO KILL HIM AND STEAL HIS WIFE??) NOT COOL VLAD. JACK IS YOUR 1 AND /ONLY/ HYPE MAN. if someone loved and supported me THIS HARD...LIKE. CMON DUDE.

-STOMP the fucking GAS, JACK

-this would make a great shirt design, looks like a metal band design! we love The Maelstrom

-oh, so vlad did in fact get a mansion in amity park. and its purple! good color choice! not as flashy as a CASTLE or MURDER CABIN, but still pretty eccentric, which I appreciate.

-...vlad knows the difference between picasso and da vinci? in the ep last post where we were watching him fail at conquering every historical time ever he didnt seem to know history well enough to like. be effective...was vlad taking art history at college?? (was he an art MAJOR??? we never DID KNOW WHAT HE WENT TO SCHOOL FOR. I kinda assumed business because in the masters of time ep he was still rich without ghost powers so he had to have..known something about business or something, right...but also, art and or theater FITS HIS PERSONALITY. possibly also something science-y, I guess, but I always felt like he got roped into that, esp how pessimistic he was about the ghost portal in the flashbacks to college, like, i felt like he was just there for maddie and was uninterested/un-invested at the time...)

-THIS GHOST JUST ELECTROCUTED MADDIE (THE CAT) BITCH!! THATS MY FAVORITE MADDIE!!! vlad going after vortex and being ~shocked~ .....WHEN. WHEN WILL YOU LEARN. THAT YOUR ACTIONS. HAVE CONSEQUENCES!!!

-the way this random man with a camera sees the mayor laying in an alley covered in TRASH AND DECIDES TO TAKE A PICTURE HAHAH

*snap* this ones going in my cringe compilation!

-vlad 'if we're going to defeat vortex, we're going to have to do it together!' *immediately dips after dropping danny off in front of vortex* JKASDFHKJHJKN

-DANNY CAN DUPLICATE!!! ...he couldnt even attack with it, but he DID IT!!! INTO (4) OF HIMSELF!!! SO PROUD!!!!!!!!!!

-'THE ROLLER COASTER EMOTIONS OF A TEENAGER THREATEN MY PLANS!' ...0 self awareness of his own dramatic moodiness. incredible, how dumb this man is. its very close to circling around to endearing, if he was less of an asshole. at least its very very funny to see danny shooting him with tiny lightning bolts anytime he's even slightly irritated! vlad you should be nice to danny anyway. this is what you GET

-...making sandwiches and ice cream and playing video games with your nephew is a totally normal thing. WHY is vlad acting like this is the end of the world. if you were a GOOD UNCLE YOU WOULD ALREADY BE DOING THESE THINGS!!! bitch I make my nephew food all the time and dont forget what he does and doesnt like. if u didnt know danny didnt want tomatoes, thats on u. if u, a grown adult, are gonna piss of the 14 yr old by not letting him win, u deserve to have to pay for the arcade machines he ruins because he now has uncontrollable storm powers because YOU THREW HIM INTO A FIGHT WITH THE STORM GHOST. fuck u vlad. paypal me $400,000 while ur at it tho. (also, gamer vlad confirmed)

-VLAD CAN COOK THOUGH???! I assumed he had...people working for him that did that. I mean. billionaires usually dont do that. then again, we've only seen those vultures working for him (and I guess the dairy king was AT his old mansion, but it was never really clarified if he worked there...I think he probably just Hung Out and they Enjoyed Cheeses Together. thats what I think, I dont think a KING would be working for anyone and also the dairy king was nice <3) but then again he would be a private person and we cant have anyone accidentally finding Ghostly Things, so...still, that's hilarious. pour one out for that really cute banana split that got ruined 2 seconds later

-vlad just fucking picking danny up and THROWING HIM AT VORTEX TWICE WITHIN LIKE A MINUTE. JUST ABSOLUTELY LAUNCHING HIM. BITCH THATS MY SON BE CAREFUL!!! HES GOT ORGANS AND THINGS!!!!

-danny seeing those animal commercials and feeling sad is the biggest 2000s throwback so far. i legitimately had to change the channel or walk out of the room when those came on bc id CRY AND BE SAD ABOUT THEM FOR DAYS AFTER. fuck those commercials and fuck that IN THE ARMMMS OF AN ANGELLLL song 😭

-'vlads ego almost got the town destroyed!' yes danny thats the entire episode. the entire series anytime vlad shows up honestly. this episode was just him being really embarrassing the entire time, and, me laughing about it. 10/10 would laugh at him again

-NEXT EP WE HAVE A SHAPESHIFTING GHOST?? I've said it before but shapeshifting is the power I would want when asked those 'what superpower do you want' questions...its the Best power! this guy looks like a homestuck character. ive never read homestuck but thats the vibe

-I love every time we see tuckers family, they are by far the most functional family. and dash has a lil chihuahua!!! named pookie!!! i am crying (I've had 3 chihuahuas, so I am very biased, but...) AND HE WATCHES THE ROMANCE CHANNEL WITH POOKIE. POOKIE I WILL DIE FOR YOU YOU SWEET LITTLE BABY.

-danny can lift a bus! I shouldn't be surprised, but i am proud of my son. hes got lil kid fans. i am going to cry about this

-JAZZ KEEPS A SCRAPBOOK WITH DANNY'S LIL HEROICS AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS!!! we've actually seen it on her floor before, but I didnt realize it was a scrapbook!! thats sooo cute.

-...and danny has to stand there listening to his parents saying danny phantom sucks and is a 'filthy ghost' and calling him egotistical...i am once again stealing their kids!

-THIS GHOST RIPPING JAZZ'S SCRAPBOOK!!! ILL KILL YOU. SHE WORKED HARD ON THAT!!! BITCH

-yes, maddie, the one with red eyes is For Sure Actually Your Son. ignore the, red eyes... (CLEARLY she hasnt watched the other 2 eps where danny has been evil, she doesnt know red eyes= evil!!!)

-'billy fenton'.......................

-danny being stuck as phantom in his own house, no way out is a fucking NIGHTMARE. his parents pointing giant weapons against him and SHOOTING AT HIM. THIS IS A HORROR MOVIE.

-NINE INCH NAILS POSTER.

-this is the most screenshot of all time

-amorpho turning into mr. lancer because hes 'someone no one will want to be around' BUT HES WRONG, I WOULD BEFRIEND AND HANG OUT WITH MR LANCER SO FAST.

-tucker dressing as danny, now I have the full Tucker set of him being sam and also being danny. also saying 'the ghost...uh...RIPPED MY FACE OFF.' and then running. SMOOTH. NOT AT ALL CONCERNING TO ANY PARENTS.

-sam accepts the toast from jack. and then 2 seconds later is like 'why am i eating this.' THIS SHOWS HUMOR IS SO UNEXPECTED SOMETIMES ITS REALLY GOOD. and then the scene after, mr lancer running into his ghost doppelganger and being like 'YOURE GORGOUS' THEN FAINTING. I AM CRYING. AND DASH FAINTING TOO.

-sam disguising herself as danny again to help tucker run from the fentons. but leaving him shirtless in the streets. incredible. 'plEASE DOnt NOTice MY FACELessNESS I MUST LIVE IN EXILE' this episode is destroying me the humor in this show is exactly my brand of corny and cheesy

-the impromtu story made up by danny and amorpho to explain stuff to the fentons. my god they are both such bad liars. but amorpho is a good egg. wish danny wouldnt have said he didnt wanna see him in town again!! I want him to be reoccurring. not that thats gonna matter since I'm almost done with the series, but the idea of this being the Only Time We See him is :(

-NEXT EP SAYS STARRING MARK HAMILL??????!!! hello ! mr . joker....mr. star wars.... I feel like I should be. idk. taking off a hat im not wearing in respect. I shouldnt be surprised tho bc hes in a lot of cartoons as a very good voice actor, and dp has already had a lot of talented ones so I've been looking out for ones I might know, but....mr. hamill....

-sam has her own greenhouse, names all the plants, and says thank you to them (in the languages from where the plants are from) whenever she harvests from them. thats SO cute. and her lil gothy lunch box...

-and danny's lil red fuzzy lined jacket!!! ive said it before but every time the characters get alt outfits im like :D

-danny has ice powers now!!! THATS WHAT FROSTBITE MEANT. HE KNEW SOMEHOW WAY BACK THEN

-THIS SHOW NEVER LETS YOU FORGET VLAD IS A BILLIONAIRE, HUH.

-danny's lil 'holy hibiscus!' first off the 50s batman swearing is hilarious. 2nd. my username is from the flower sanchoyo hibiscus, so, shoutout to ME this ep. hi :)

-EURGH UNDERGROWTH MAKING EVERYONE PLANT ZOMBIES. HIVEMIND PLOTS SCARE THE SHIT OUT OF ME. and this dude made the city SO overtaken so quickly like how long was danny asleep?? oh god

-evil fucked up sam! now the whole trio has gone evil at some point! the voice actress did a really, really good job with making her sound like a zombie...

-frostbite's paws are so so so big compared to danny. oh my god. i want to hug the snow dog...

-the far frozen has an advanced medical stuff!!! very cool. very smart snow dogs

-im so glad danny has a friendly ghost snow dad to explain this new power and teach him!!! this is so sweet. DANNY'S GHOST SENSE WAS A PART OF HIS ICE POWER?? OOOH. COOL. we love a training montage!!!

-danny saying if he cant defeat overgrowth, that he'd want to stay with frostbite...oh my god...do you think this is the first real supportive adult figure in his life (I am NOT counting his parents because they threaten him on the daily even if they dont realize it.) I mean mr lancer is a Teacher, but he was also nice but this is different, but this is a GHOST WHO IS WILLING TO HELP HIM with his powers and also will help him when hes injured and is so so nice and comparatively so much more mature than 90% of the adults in this show!!!! god. dad frostbite is my everything.

-the framing and lighting this episode, and all the angles...they went all OUT and it looks really really good. this is my nightmare scenario, tho. like, FUCK zombies and dead city zones and hivemind shit. and using the humans as 'nutrients for the children' i am going to THROW UP.

-MALEFICENT VIBES WITH THE HORNS AND GREEN EYES! this costume kicks so much ass. sam is now mark hamills daughter, I guess.

-danny's ice powers making his eyes blue!!! thats neat. and him going for the roots underground was SO SMART. i will not stand for danny ever thinking hes stupid, hes SO smart.

almost done with the show... :"( thats a sad thought!!!

[spacebatisluvd]

LUVD

Summary: Adora can read the First Ones’ language. Hordak cannot. (Entrapta has some explaining to do.)

CW: This is fluff with hurt/comfort elements, featuring Hordak’s self-esteem issues, panic attacks, and rage.

A/N: Probably the last drabble I can manage before the final season drops. See you guys on the other side. (Again, I’m sorry for the readmore. I tried. The mobile app is garbage, but I wrote the drabble on my phone, so what are you gonna do?)

-

[[MORE]]

The alliance had, reluctantly, asked Hordak to come to Bright Moon. An issue had arisen amongst the clones that had decided to settle there—and wasn’t that a wonder? they had decided—and apparently, neither the Queen nor her princesses were able to resolve it, and Swift Wind had, somehow, made the matter worse. Hordak had been somewhat reluctant, as he and Entrapta were in the middle of a time-sensitive experiment, but he had an obligation to go. He was the clones’ ‘cultural ambassador’—or some such nonsense; he hadn’t paid much attention to the title itself—and fulfilling that role was part of his reparations to Etheria. It was hard to go alone, but Entrapta didn’t really need him for the experiment, and she promised to record the whole thing for him to review when he returned.

So he went. While he worked with the clones—who had begun to collectively call themselves ‘Kin’ rather than ‘Horde’—he stayed in Bright Moon’s castle. The Queen insisted it was to honor his status. Hordak was fairly sure it was so they could keep a close eye on him. He was also fairly sure that’s why they had invited the She-Ra—or, rather, her avatar—as well.

He didn’t mind working with Adora. She was intelligent and efficient—and if a small part of him was proud of her conditioning, he certainly wasn’t going to mention that to anyone—but he really didn’t enjoy the way she looked at him at times. Or, rather, the way she looked at the crystal that powered his armor. He often caught her staring at it, and his hand frequently lifted to cover it on its own, before he was conscious of the action. He then felt obliged to clear his throat and do something else with his hand because this was ridiculous and he was making it worse.

He didn’t even know why she was staring, until he was nearly done with his work with the Kin. She was pretending to be busy, while in reality, she was minding him, and Hordak was actually busy, looking over the contested village plans. He sighed, crossing something out and re-writing it elsewhere. “So, how’s it going?” she asked.

He snorted in disgust. “While I am glad that my kindred are starting to form their own personalities and are becoming comfortable seeking out the things they want for themselves, I am afraid they are also going to have to come to understand that the nature of compromise means that they can’t all get what they want all the time. This should not have been as complicated as they made it out to be.”

She laughed a little, the sound shy and unsure. He ignored it; he hadn’t been joking, and he didn’t understand why she thought that was funny. “Yeah. I guess so.” She rocked on her toes a little, and suddenly, she was sidling over, invading his space. He straightened, perturbed by her proximity. She was looking at his crystal again. He clenched his hand to keep from covering it protectively. “How about you? You and Entrapta are...getting pretty close? Right?”

He narrowed his eyes. “I fail to see why that is any of your business. Move—you’re in my light.”

“Oh, sorry.” She stepped aside, though not very far. He gave her another suspicious glare before returning to the plans. “Uh, did Entrapta tell you I could read the First Ones’ language?”

He sighed. He did not engage in ‘small talk’. He didn’t see the point of it, but Entrapta had asked him to be nice, so he would answer the avatar’s vapid questions. “No, she did not. I do not believe she thought it would be relevant.” He said the last word very pointedly, hoping she might take the hint.

She did not. “Oh. Well. I can.” She looked at him very deliberately as she said it. His ears twitched before he returned his attention to the plans.

“How nice for you,” he said, taking care to keep his tone neutral and polite.

“Ugh! Hordak, I can read what your crystal says, okay?!”

Unable to stop himself, he cupped his hand over it. “I have no idea what you mean—it doesn’t say anything.”

Her eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed a deep scarlet. “Oh. She didn’t...tell you...?” She swallowed. “Never mind! My mistake—you’re right, it doesn’t say anything!”

He caught her arm as she tried to leave. “What does it say?” he demanded, looming over her.

“Well. Um. It’s not really a word? It’s letters that sound like a word.” His ears flattened.

“What. Does. It. Say?”

She swallowed. “L-U-V-D.” He narrowed his eyes. “Loved—it says ‘loved’. She really never told you?”

It felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“Hordak?”

He pushed her away, hearing the pounding of his hearts echo in his ears. “You’re mistaken.”

“Uh? No? I’m really not. Look, it’s a She-Ra thing; I can—“

“I don’t care!” he snarled, the writing stylus snapping between his fingers. “You are mistaken! It is either an unfortunate acronym or merely a coincidence. Regardless, it doesn’t mean ‘loved’—it doesn’t mean anything!” He straightened, trying to steady his breathing. “And I expect you to keep your ridiculous suspicions to yourself. Do you realize how badly you could damage Entrapta’s reputation by implying—?” He exhaled hard and leveled a hard look at her. “She does not need you wrecking everything she has built.”

The avatar stared back at him with wide eyes. “Have you talked to Entrapta about this?” she asked after a moment.

“There is nothing to talk about.”

“Hordak—“

With a snarl, he dodged her outstretched hand and stormed off. “We’re done.”

“Hordak, wait! Can we just—“

“I said we’re done!”

He returned to the castle, too frazzled to continue his work. He paced in his assigned room, hissing at Imp when he gave a curious chirp. Imp left with an abundance of angry chattering as he sought out more pleasant company. Hordak couldn’t blame him—he knew he wasn’t at his best when he was like this. He’d been working on controlling his temper, but the urge to start breaking things was strong.

He shut his eyes, trying to breathe through the rage. How dare she? How dare she?! Did she realize what such rumors would do to Entrapta? To Dryl? They weren’t some isolated nation—they were at best a city-state and heavily reliant on their trade agreements with their neighbors. Neighbors he had attacked and conquered!

Was this their revenge, then? To use Hordak to ruin Entrapta’s reputation, to destroy her small country’s economy? To play with his emotions, taunting him with—?

One of his vambraces started to spark, shocking him. He ripped it off with a roar and tossed it across the room, his breathing rapid and ragged.

Just then, his communicator started beeping. Entrapta. Something like relief wrapped him. Of course! He should have contacted her immediately! He turned on the monitor, barely waiting for her features to resolve when he said, “Good; we have something to discuss.”

“Oh. Yeah. Adora called me and—“

“I think we can get ahead of the rumors if we—“

“—said she told you about—“

“—form a plan. We’ll need to re-affirm your trade agreements—“

“Wait. Trade agreements?”

He nodded, glad she was listening. He started to pace as he laid out his plan. “Yes! You need to ratify your agreements, strengthen the bonds with your closest allies.” He beat one fist against his unarmored palm. “We have some inventions that might be useful to the others as well, things that other kingdoms can use. If we produce blueprints, show them how to—“

“Hordak.”

“—make them, we can endear ourselves to some of the kingdoms that—“

“Hordak.”

“—would be particularly upset by these rumors.” He hesitated. “You ought to...start seeing suitors.” It felt like his chest was being compressed. “That would certainly quell any rumors of—“

“Hordak.”

“—of impropriety.”

“Hordak!”

He looked at the monitor. “What?”

“Will you take a breath?” He blinked. “Just. A deep breath. Like this—“ She inhaled. Through pursed lips, as if trying to keep the air in, she said, “And hold it.”

Not sure why she’d ask this of him but trusting her nonetheless, he filled his lungs and held his breath. Entrapta nodded. “Good. That’s good. Now exhale real slow—like this.” She demonstrated, and he mimicked her.

“What was the purpose of that?”

“To calm you down. You were panicking.”

“I do not panic!”

“Why don’t you take another deeeep breath?”

“I DO NOT NEED TO BREATHE!” She raised a brow, and his words caught up to him. “Perhaps, you aren’t...incorrect.”

“You think?” He shot her a look, but let her walk him through some more breathing exercises. Finally, it felt like the band of steel wrapping his chest had loosened. Smiling fondly, Entrapta said, “Okay. Why don’t we try this again? Adora called me. She said she told you what the crystal says.”

“Yes. I’m concerned. Our...working relationship is bound to spark rumors, regardless of whether or not the She-Ra’s keeps her suspicions to herself. It’s something we should have considered before, as it will likely have broader effects on your kingdom.”

She started to play with her hair. “O-oh. So. You...don’t...? You don’t mind that it says ‘LUVD’? You aren’t...? Confused? Or...?”

He waved that off. “Entrapta, I know it doesn’t mean anything. It’s not as if you wrote it—“

“I did.”

“You?”

“Wrote it.”

“Oh. Well. I’m sure you didn’t mean—“

“I did.”

He blinked. It felt like he was drifting. Like his body was no longer tethered by gravity. “‘Loved’? You meant? That?”

She nodded, then smiled weakly. “Um. Yeah.”

“Oh.” He sat heavily on the bed. “I.” He touched the crystal.

“I didn’t really mean for you to find out. Definitely not like this. I figured that maybe if....” She lowered her welding mask.

“If?”

“I would have told you. If I thought you returned my feelings.” Her hair rubbed at her upper arm.

“I—“ His tongue felt thick. Cumbersome. His breathing was shallow and too fast. “What if. I did?”

She lifted her mask, eyeing him. “Is this just a thought experiment? Or...?”

He swallowed. “I have. Reason to be invested in your answer. What if I returned your feelings?” He couldn’t believe what he was saying, couldn’t believe he was allowing himself to entertain the idea that Entrapta.

Loved.

Him.

“Well.” She rolled the word around, tasting it. Her mouth quirked in a small smile. “We’d probably need to implement some of your ideas to keep our trade agreements in place. And.” She held onto her hair, combing one lock with her fingers. “Maybe go on a date?”

He just stared at the screen. Stunned. He swallowed, ears lowered. “I think I will ask if they can manage the rest without me. I would like to return home and continue this conversation in person.” He looked down. “I believe I will also offer an apology to the She-Ra.”

“Yeah. I think I might owe her a thank you.”

Entrapta smiled at him, and he nodded his agreement, rendered mute by the weight of his feelings.

His fingers traced over the crystal af his throat.

LUVD.

He was.

Loved.

(And he loved in return.)

[blacknovelist]

CLAUDE VON RIEGAN for the character meme pls?

BWOP HEADCANON MEME

C L A U D E V O N R I _ G _ _

C: Can they swim well?

Hm..... At first I thought yes, but keeping in mind upbringing.... I think he knows how to swim, and thusly can. He isn't like, captain of the swim meet but he ain't gonna be drowning anytime soon. So... yes?

L: What is their favourite board game?

Claude loves games like Betrayal at House on the Hill, which always change when you play them, along with more strategic ones such as Dominion. Between them though, I think he'd enjoy Dominion the most (though it's more like a card game than a board game, so maybe these two and Settlers of Catan can tie for fave).

A: What are/were this character’s best subjects in school?

Chemistry! Also, he'd totally be great at social studies and sociology classes u can't change my mind.

U: What’s their voice like?

Pre-skip, Claude tends to talk fast and hard. His every day voice is like a wall, see -- he uses them like shields painted with faces and puts them smack dab between him and others, tries to convince them that what comes out is what's inside. Worry reigns in him at how others see him and to speak is the best way to affect that, so he must speak quick. 

Even when he's getting down deep he talks with a little hardness, but that one's because he isn't sure of himself, quite yet, still unsettled as a person. Still, when he gets more genuine, his speech slows. He sets them down from his heart, which must work to dredge these words up, as opposed to his mind, which whirls at top speed all the time. 

Post skip, Claude's manner changes. With leading the Alliance comes the assurance of a leader -- his hardness and speed are unneeded, now, though they still yet come by sometimes. But he no longer needs words to form impressions for him. Claude had learned to do that with physical presence, with fewer words. There is no more worry or confusion on his goals, where he is going, what he will be. This Claude is a Claude who understands: that who he is now is the Leader of the Alliance; that he can love his people and be angry at their blindnesses both, that he can have the power to change that; that his teacher(s) are people he can trust, without fail, to be who they've always been. 

D: How they react to being flirted with?

I know everyone portrays him as being smooth, and that's not wrong, but... I feel like Claude also has not considered being flirted with before. Given the difficulties he grew up with -- constantly attacked and hated seemingly without reason and certainly without his deserving it -- it wouldn't be a surprise to me if Claude even struggles with the idea of people genuinely liking him for who he is and how he presents himself. He'd hardly have been told he looks great by the very people who grew up despising his mixed blood. 

So I think that if he's flirted with, while he will do his best to roll with it, his knee-jerk reactions and the feelings he will maintain in his heart is that of confusion and flustered-ness. Pre-skip especially. Post skip he'd be more used to it, seeing as everyone views him primarily positively at that time, but there's something about people genuinely flirting with him that, once it passes the Wary Anti-Betrayal part of his brain, kind of makes him go "hey hold on what????"

E: How are they with children?

I think he's okay with them! He'd be surprised at how much energy it takes to keep up with them, perhaps, and be caught off guard there -- and he takes a minute to get to know them, to get into the swing of caring about them. But he'd get there, and then I think he does well.

V: What’s the easiest way to annoy them?

Canon facts Claude gets "annoyed" with characters like Judith, who share positions of power, appear unflappable, and who always seem just as prepared as he is. Continually, in GD route, Judith is the one person that can get under his skin, though he still clearly cares and thinks very highly of her. They verbally spar a lot!

So the best way to annoy Claude is to pester. Ironic, considering his method for gaining secrets is "relentless nagging" in his own words lmao. But tbh Claude is... less of a verbal nagger and more just sneaky and good with words. So like, he's way less of a nag than he might think. 

When people undermine him -- his plans, or his words, or his thoughts -- in any way, minor or not, he tends to get frustrated, even if grateful for it. He's listed as disliking illogical arguments. Someone pestering him, or someone continually one upping in a way he can't argue with -- both these things would irritate him after a while. 

O: What would it take to break them, inside and out?

Claude's whole thing is built up on like... plans. Contingencies on contingencies. Out-thinking the enemy, figuring out the beats to their tactics so he can slip through the cracks. He accepts he is not the best but he puts pride into his skill at winning fights with minimal losses, at out-thinking the foe to the point of even trying to avoid fights, the point of ending what he can before it begins and in keeping the advantage when it can't be prevented.

So I think to break him would be someone using this penchant against him to kill his people, back him into a corner and conquer his lands. Turn his pride into the reason for death, in his eyes at least. Damned if you do and damned if you don't, see? But slowly. It has to be slow -- it can't be losses 24/7, it's gotta be a majority. He has to know he's being played with and that the hope exists so he can eventually lose even that.

He might lose his mind before he falls that far.

N: What do they usually eat for breakfast?

I imagine he usually eats fruit or granola bars -- easy to pick up and go!

R: What are their hands like?

Calloused and scarred but only a little, and especially in the fingers and palms. The backs of his hands probably have some old chemical scars, his fingers flecked with nicks from arrows and plants-of-ill-effect, palms leathery after all the bows shot (AND axes swung, come post skip). 

They're warm when one takes them, and steady as the earth. Deft still, in spite of everything. 

I: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do they love themselves?

Claude, pre skip, hovered solidly in the 4-6 range. Fact, he's aware the people who attacked him as a child were wrong. Fact, being surrounded by people who hate and scorn you, even while beloved by family, affects you. This academy Claude is a Claude still learning, a Claude still coming into himself. He has faith in his abilities, yes, but that is not the same as self love.

Post skip, I think he's made the arduous journey into the 6-8 range. He's more assured, he spent years growing and training and waiting and you know what? He's allowed to be proud, to be happy, to be sure of himself now. And it's difficult to be -- he still dips, as we all do -- but he tries. 

G: How do they flirt?

Claude strikes me as one to flirt more with actions and indirect statements than anything. A flower in one's hands, a cup of tea shared, a difficult admission of trust or emotion where he'd have hidden before. It's a lot of little moments until the time comes that he is ready to confess or confront about it, or until the target of his affection notices and confronts first. 

He wouldn't flirt with someone he does not want to flirt with -- on a related note, he wouldn't flirt with someone he isn't sure he can put faith in. 

[coolksaposts]

Psalm 18 1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

18 1 This Psalm is the first beginning of his gratulation, and thanksgiving in the entering into his kingdom, wherein he extolleth and praiseth most highly the marvelous mercies and grace of God, who hath thus preserved and defended him. 32 Also he setteth forth the image of Christ’s kingdom, that the faithful may be assured that Christ shall always conquer and overcome by the unspeakable power of his Father, though all the whole world should strive there against.

To him that excelleth. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, which spake unto the Lord the words of this song (in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul) and said,

1 I will love thee dearly, O Lord my strength.

2 [a]The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and he that delivereth me, my God and my strength: in him will I trust, my shield, the horn also of my salvation, and my refuge.

3 I will call upon the Lord, which is worthy to be [b]praised: so shall I be safe from mine enemies.

4 [c]The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of wickedness made me afraid.

5 The [d]sorrows of the grave have compassed me about: the snares of death overtook me.

6 But in my trouble did I call upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his Temple, and my cry did come before him, eveninto his ears.

7 [e]Then the earth trembled and quaked: the foundations also of the mountains moved and shook, because he was angry.

8 Smoke went out at his nostrils, and a [f]consuming fire out of his mouth: coals were kindled thereat.

9 He bowed the heavens also and came down, and [g]darkness was under his feet.

10 And he rode upon [h]Cherub, and did fly, and he came flying upon the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his [i]secret place, and his pavilion round about him, even darkness of waters, and clouds of the air.

12 At the brightness of his presence his clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.

13 The Lord also thundered in the heaven, and the Highest gave [j]his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.

14 Then he sent out [k]his arrows and scattered them, and he increased lightnings and destroyed them.

15 And the channels of waters were seen, and the [l]foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuking, O Lord, at the blasting of the breath of thy nostrils.

16 He hath sent down from above and taken me: he hath drawn me out of many [m]waters.

17 He hath delivered me from my [n]strong enemy, and from them which hate me: for they were [o]too strong for me.

18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay.

19 He brought me forth also into a large place: [p]he delivered me because he favored me.

20 The Lord rewarded me according to my [q]righteousness: according to the pureness of mine hand he recompensed me:

21 Because I kept the ways of the Lord, and did not wickedly against my God.

22 For all his laws were before me, and I did not cast away his [r]commandments from me.

23 I was upright also with him, and have kept me from my [s]wickedness.

24 Therefore the Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness, andaccording to the pureness of mine hands in his sight.

25 With the [t]godly thou wilt show thyself godly: with the upright man thou wilt show thyself upright.

26 With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure, and with the froward thou wilt show thyself froward.

27 Thus thou wilt save the poor people, and wilt [u]cast down to proud looks.

28 Surely thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will lighten my darkness.

29 For by thee I have [v]broken through an host, and by my God I have leaped over a wall.

30 The way of God is uncorrupt: the [w]word of the Lord is tried in the fire: he is a shield to all that trust in him. 31 For who is God besides the Lord? and who is mighty save our God? 32 God girdeth me with strength, and maketh my [x]way upright.

33 He maketh my feet like hind’s feet, and setteth me upon mine [y]high places.

34 He teacheth mine hands to fight: so that a bow of [z]brass is broken with mine arms.

35 Thou hast also given me the [aa]shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand hath stayed me, and thy [ab]lovingkindness hath caused me to increase.

36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, and my heels have not slid.

37 [ac]I have pursued mine enemies, and taken them, and have not turned again till I had consumed them.

38 I have wounded them, that they were not able to rise, they are fallen under my feet.

39 For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose against me, thou hast subdued under me.

40 And thou hast [ad]given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.

41 They [ae]cried, but there was none to save them, even unto the Lord, but he answered them not.

42 Then I did beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did tread them flat as the clay in the streets.

43 Thou hast delivered me from the contentions of the people: thou hast made me the head of the [af]heathen, a people, whom I have not [ag]known, shall serve me.

44 As soon as they hear they shall obey me: the strangers shall [ah]be in subjection to me.

45 Strangers shall [ai]shrink away, and fear in their pure chambers.

46 Let the Lord live, and blessed be my strength, and the God of my salvation be exalted.

47 It is God that giveth me power to avenge me, and subdued the people under me.

48 O my deliverer from mine enemies, even thou hast set me up from those that rose against me; thou hast delivered me from the [aj]cruel man.

49 Therefore [ak]I will praise thee, O Lord, among the nations, and will sing unto thy Name.

50 Great deliverances giveth he unto his king, and showeth mercy to his anointed, even to David, and to his [al]seed forever.

Footnotes:

Psalm 18:2 He useth this diversity of names, to show that as the wicked have many means to hurt, so God hath many ways to help.

Psalm 18:3 For none can obtain their requests of God, that join not his glory with their petition.

Psalm 18:4 He speaketh of the dangers and malice of his enemies from the which God had delivered him.

Psalm 18:5 Or, cords, or, cables

Psalm 18:7 A description of the wrath of God against his enemies, after he had heard his prayers.

Psalm 18:8 He showeth how horrible God’s judgments shall be to the wicked.

Psalm 18:9 Darkness signifieth the wrath of God as the clear light signifieth God’s favor.

Psalm 18:10 This is described at large, Ps. 104.

Psalm 18:11 As a king angry with the people, will not show himself unto them.

Psalm 18:13 Thundered, lightninged and hailed.

Psalm 18:14 His lightnings.

Psalm 18:15 That is, the deep bottoms were seen when the red sea was divided.

Psalm 18:16 Out of sundry and great dangers.

Psalm 18:17 To wit, Saul.

Psalm 18:17 Therefore God sent me succor.

Psalm 18:19 The cause of God’s deliverance is his only favor and love to us.

Psalm 18:20 David was sure of his righteous cause, and good behavior toward Saul and his enemies, and therefore was assured of God’s favor and deliverance.

Psalm 18:22 For all his dangers he exercised himself in the Law of God.

Psalm 18:23 I neither gave place to their wicked tentations, nor to mine own affections.

Psalm 18:25 Here he speaketh of God according to our capacity, who showeth mercy to his and punisheth the wicked, as is said also, Lev. 26:21, 24.

Psalm 18:27 When their sin is come to the full measure.

Psalm 18:29 He attributeth it to God that he both got the victory in the field, and also destroyed the cities of his enemies.

Psalm 18:30 Be the dangers never so many or great, yet God’s promise must take effect.

Psalm 18:32 He giveth good success to all mine enterprises.

Psalm 18:33 As towers and forts, which he took out of the hands of God’s enemies.

Psalm 18:34 Or, steel.

Psalm 18:35 To defend me from dangers.

Psalm 18:35 He attributed the beginning, continuance and increase in well doing only to God’s favor.

Psalm 18:37 David declareth that he did nothing besides his vocation, but was stirred up by God’s Spirit to execute his judgments.

Psalm 18:40 Thou hast given them into mine hands to be slain.

Psalm 18:41 They that reject the cry of the afflicted, God will also reject them, when they cry for help: for either pain or fear cause those hypocrites to cry.

Psalm 18:43 Which dwell round about me.

Psalm 18:43 The kingdom of Christ is in David’s kingdom prefigured, who by the preaching of his word bringeth all to his subjection.

Psalm 18:44 Or, lie: signifying a subjection constrained and not voluntary.

Psalm 18:45 Fear shall cause them to be afraid and come forth of their secret holes and holds to seek pardon.

Psalm 18:48 That is, Saul, who of malice persecuted him.

Psalm 18:49 This prophecy appertaineth to the kingdom of Christ and vocation of the Gentiles, as Rom. 15:9.

Psalm 18:50 This did not properly appertain to Solomon, but to Jesus Christ.

1599 Geneva Bible

(GNV)

Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcast

clipart from HG DEsigns....my composition

[taejinchronicles]

BV2EP3 | Taejin theory masterpost: U ok Tae?

So it was highly requested by you pretty cupcakes (tks for the asks and messages!!!) the continuation of my Bon Voyage 2 Taejin masterposts with analysis, pix and my two cents on the Taejin cause. Let me tell ya, this will be a huge masterpost, so grab yourself some snacks and lets do this!!!

Even upset, VV looks like the most gorgeous creation in the universe:

If you read my Ep2 masterpost, Taehyung was really annoyed about the Namj*n bromance day and decided to go full possessive mode with Jin. We have been left wondering what would happen since our boy was clearly sad and jealous of Jin’s day with RM and about the exchange of gifs between them. The sculpted turtle that RM gave to Jin was something symbolic to V cause he and Jin went on a beach date by themselves on day 1 and saw the turtle. Perhaps this is why the turtle gift was so upsetting to V, he knew that this moment was stolen from him because to the grand public the turtle thing would automatically become a Namj*n thing. I put myself in VV’s shoes, and knowing his history with being overshadowed by Namj*n I understand why Day 3 was mostly about him sulking, avoiding Jin, sulking, possessive about Jin, sulking, annoyed with Namj*n and so on...

1. Matching red hats + close watch on Namj*n: BTS’s first commitment was the hike to the waterfall. V was wearing a red cap to match the red hat he gave to Jin cause ya know how Taejin has a thing for couple’s outfits right. And also V was legit breathing on Namj*n’s neck during the hike.

2. The Namj*n pas de deux: Poor V was jamming violently to Spine Breaker while being exposed to Namj*n’s happy dorky pas de deux.

3. Namj*n pose & jealous V: Taehyung's torture continues as Jin and RM pose really close and cutely on the waterfall group pic. When the pic is taken the camera focus on V who looks straight at Namj*n with THAT FACE...a picture worths more than a thousand words.

4. ETS and V sulking: BTS decides what to eat and VV is sitting far away. V was tired and distant. And also kinda sad. On some moments it almost felt like he was about to doze off or cry. 

5. Taejin, together but apart: At the van Taejin was sitting next to each other as they often do, but not engaging any physical or verbal contact. As RM continued talking about the Namj*n friendship day, V blocked Jin and everyone else by wearing headphones. Meanwhile Jin was staring pensively at the landscape.

6. RM’s Bon Voyage reaction: it was Joonie’s turn to do the Bon Voyage thing so everyone’s reaction to RM’s cutesy hat flip was enjoyment but V gave that “not so amused” look, esp after Jin’s spontaneous compliment to RM.

7. Taehyung love sick over Jin: I had to gif this cause, come on, that’s just so freaking cute. The way V looks at Jin! His love sick expression, eyes dancing from Jin’s face to his “south area” than up to his face again. Taehyung’s bedroom eyes, sorry but that’s not bromance, that is not complimenting Jin’s looks, that is not even a boy crush. Grab that info, take into consideration.

8. V’s territory: As BTS walked towards their picnic spot, V obviously placed himself between Namj*n (yeah, that is a trend my people) making everything possible with his body movements to make sure there was plenty of space between Jin and RM. 

9. V’s territory part 2: At the picnic table of course V sat in between Jin and RM. With an effective angular body language, V expressed the desire to create a clear barrier separating his territory.

10. Happy meal together: Meal is ready and Eat Jin is celebrated with his expertise on the yummy food. V is happier being closer to Jin and, for the first time on the day, exchanges words with the object of his angst and affection.

11. Taejin’s domestic bliss: At the grocery store RM, Suga, Jimin, V and Jin got their food cash to spend. Soon as they enter Jin goes domestic mode and starts to talk just to Taehyung about the huge american apples. RM and Jimin go their own separate ways leaving Taejin alone.

12. Side by side: it’s no biggie but I find it extremely cute how Taejin always walk side by side or close to each other. When there is no fixed formation predefined by management, you can see that they are naturally drawn to each other like it’s their second nature. The couple matching outfit makes it even cutter!

13. Visual duo doing their visual thing: on that group pic, Jin was holding V’s shoulders so lovingly. And the way their heads lean towards each other, awww so cute how the body speaks. Ahhh, one romantic scenery can mend a jealous heart.

14. Jin is taking care of V: Remember last year on BV1 that iconic moment when V was so moody texting and sulking and Jin was carefully watching him from a distance only to back hug him for centuries? There is this season’s version of it. VV is again sulking, texting and turning his back to Jin, attentive loving gorgeous Jin is watching our angsty boy’s every move, his entire body facing V and even if he is speaking to J-Hope, his eyes don’t leave him. Wasn’t that the perfect moment and scenario for an iconic Taejin back hug?

15. Third wheeling Cupid Jimin: when BTS discuss their goals Jin says he wants to perfect his guitar technique. Our official third wheel angel Jimin said Jin sent him a video of his guitar practice. Although the rest of BTS was totally unaware of the video of Jin’s evolution on guitar, V promptly said (the video or Jin playing guitar) was so cool. Lovely Jinnie was flustered by Vmin’s double love.

16. I give Jinnie my stars: At the observatory V and Jin were together and V showed him the stars and planets. Only to Jin. He was so proud of his astronomy knowledge saying he studied it! My heart was touched by this moment cause we can see how important it is for him to please and surprise Jin, to make Jin proud of him, he was like a kid all excited to tell an adult he learned something at school. And Jin the sweetheart, the true gentleman showing genuine interest and excitement, making V’s planet naming sound as important as Galileu Galilei’s life work. Not to mention that Venus is the planet of LOVE…We see you Taehyung…we see you!

17. Taejin sleeps together funny drama feat. Hobi: at BTS’s lodge, the one filled with lizards, they were playing rock paper scissors (I swear the day BTS don’t play that game, catastrophe will fall upon us) for the beds and bedrooms. Jin was playing opposite J-Hope and won. V was the “MC” of the game and soon as he knew Jin would probably share a bedroom with Hobi or someone who was not him, he grew unease. Smiling but his body language touching the back of his neck, gave away his discomfort about the bedroom situation. When Hobi also wins and Jin celebrates him him, V’s instant reaction is to cover his mouth. In body language that means he cannot speak against awful news and his hands in begging position tries to reach for Jin, meaning he is begging Jin to come back to him. Notice that after Jin’s bedroom is decided the rest of the game with the other members runs smoothly and V doesn’t respond that way to the rest of BTS. The funny thing is that V ended up sleeping with RM! Well better sleep with RM than RM sleeping with Jinnie right Tae?!

That was it! What an episode that was!

V was obviously upset about something. Maybe it was just him being sleepy, tired or moody, but it feels very coincidental that the mood corroborates his behaviour towards Jin on the previous day. As I said on my last masterposts on Jealous V vs Namj*n, I don’t think this is about RM as a treat to his relationship, I don’t think he sees RM as a rival for Jin’s love. It is about his growing desire of Taejin being the stablished Jin love reality. He knows the ARMY ship Namj*n so add it to V’s constant need to express romantic affection for Jin versus Jin’s acceptance of the necessity for fan service ships then we have a recipe to Taehyung’s angst.

I think Taehyung wants to be as public as possible about Jin cause it is in his nature to be truthful, I don’t think he can perpetuate secrets. He’s not reckless and understands he’s an idol who cannot open up about everything, but there is this real sweet boy inside the idol facade that just desires to be proudly recognised by everyone he loves. His loyal friendship with Jimin, his admiration for RM and Suga and Hobi, his big brother protectiveness towards Kookie, his respect for his family, V wants all his emotional allegiances to be out there, so of course he wants his relationship with Jin to be seen and accepted. It’s still that same 4 years ago shy Taehyung who looked at Jin as he could not believe his luck to be living with the most handsome man he has ever seen. The same boy that everybody noticed from day one he had a crush on Jin. The same boy that has been crawling to Jin’s bed for years. The difference is that now he’s got hit by the intensity of conquered affection, he has won a place in Jin’s heart so it is upsetting for V to be contradictory to his heart just cause they are in public. I can imagine the frustration. It explains the mood changes, the introspection, the jealousy and possessiveness, his need to please Jin and praise/defend him to earn his love and respect and the passive aggressiveness when he feels that Jin denies him or promo another ship loudly in front of the cameras.

Because that adoration is so intense and he is so young, I think when it comes to Jin he even forgets BTS is their job and he’s got to separate what’s performance from what’s real. Someone as gentle and emotional as V is, really wants to wear his heart on the sleeve, he wants PDA, he needs to touch, hold, hug and confess to the four corners of the world that Jin makes him happy. So when he sees Jin being affectionate to RM, someone who is legit shipped with Jin by the fandom “stealing” his official role as Jin’s (visual BTS pair?, lover?, boyfriend?, partner?, platonic sleep together for years buddy? true ship?) number one interest, he snaps and shuts Jin out. It’s the same possessive-jealous pattern we saw on ISAC because of KenJin, Jin running around after V like a lost puppy while he ignored Jin like some sort of punishment. And we can notice that behaviour pattern only happens with Jin, he is not possessive with the other boys not even with his bestie Jimin.

Jin on the other hand loves to socialise with all the members (not only RM but also Kookie on this episode) and even talk to total strangers. He is comfortable in being social and he is aware of their roles as entertainers and how to separate business from personal life. Although he is not impulsive and explicit about it, he cares about V’s feelings more than anything even if that means the need to keep a safe distance to protect what they have. I feel like Jin tries constantly to shelter him, to create a safe haven when the innocent beautiful and delicate true Taehyung can be free and happy, even if the price is to have Taejin as a ship ignored by the fandom. It’s in Jin’s nature to protect and love all his boys but with V it’s like he is always walking on thin glass. There is deep affection but also Jin’s necessity for secrecy, not cause he is ashamed of V but cause he is protective of what they have.

Because the nature of their relationship in my perspective romantic, Jin doesn’t know how to behave in front of the cameras with him. Jin refrains himself to be engulfed by affection like on that iconic stage kiss or like when he shares too much information (we shower together, we sleep together and so on) so he prefers not to focus on V while on camera. Both Jin and V can’t quite behave bro-like around each other actually. Since the start there has always been awkwardness and tension between Taejin, it used to be polar opposites they were superglued platonic flirting or just pretending they didn’t exist. Although now things have changed and we don’t see that unrequited love tension anymore, I think both Jin and V go back to that pattern when things go a bit sour. They oscillate between “you are all I see" to "you don’t even exist" all the time, there is no in between “bro-like” Taejin. For a ship that legit doesn’t have promo at all (for instance there is never vlives with just Taejin like there is with jinmin, sope or jinkook) Taejin is the one pairing that despite of the lack of fan service push, do behave like two people who know each other intimately and really spend a lot of time together (notice that semi off-camera like on BV2 with their beach date, matching hats shopping, V picking Jin the shirts he wanted him to wear and off-camera like on their fancafe talks, secret dates, singing the same love songs of each other’s spotify playlists, sleeping together, matching outfits, walking around holding each other’s arms when they think nobody is watching, answering the same things about what they plan for their future...they act like well...like partners).

Jin being the business driven man he is, understands the responsibilities of being and entertainer, he gives his body and soul to BTS, he is professional about it and knows he is protecting V and the boys by keeping their thing (and all the boys personal relationships) private. With V’s emotional nature, RM’s introspection, Suga’s dedication to his craft, Jimin’s loyal heart and Jungkook’s innocence, Jin and J-Hope are the ones who really are conscious about the importance of protect their privacy, Jin being the entertainer one and J-Hope the practical one. This is why of all the members of BTS Jin is the one who really engages dynamic relationships with all the other boys constantly, regardless of the predefined ships and subunits management and the fandom has specified. He doesn’t exclude anybody and in a sense he is the heart of BTS, the loving glue that keeps them strong.

This is a study and analysis, I dunno the boys so situations can have a complete different meaning since no one knows what’s going on on their private lives. This is why rather focus on behaviour and body language, cause that is an unconscious way to express the truth and one’s emotions. So it doesn’t really matter the nature of Jin and V's intimate emotional bond, we can see that Jin doesn’t need his personal relationships to be publicly accepted therefore understands the need for privacy while Taehyung is keen to make his affection known therefore he is often jealous of sharing Jin with others either by insecurity or by fear of non-acceptance. This is a pattern that has been going on for quite sometime and I’m afraid it’s the pattern we will keep seeing in the near future. 

Oh boy that was one huge masterpost! This episode was a full angsty trip on jealousy, understanding the dynamics and differences between Jin and V and the dynamics between ships. Regarding the ships, I still have not done the masterposts on some subjects I often got messages about like comparing Taejin to Vmin or Namjin and Jinkook (send me msgs of what ship you want me talk about first) or the rest of BV2 (gonna do those...weekly I hope!!!), tks for the patience dear readers. You can also read the first episodes analysis here:

BV2EP1 | OH TAEJIN LOVE VOYAGE, OOPS, I MEAN BON VOYAGE 2 EP.1

BV2EP2 | TAE VS. NAMJ*N STRIKES AGAIN

Lots of love.

[fanfic-inator795]

WoY Twoshot: The Dadsome, Part 1

Plot: Awesome actually never held much resentment towards him, in fact he pretty much understood why he left. He also didn’t think he’d ever see the guy again… Funny how the universe sometimes works out.

((Part of the Awesome Arc. Enjoy!))

The sun had been blocked out slightly by the large Skullship floating in the sky, its tongue stretched out all the way to the ground, acting as the perfect path for dozens - maybe even hundreds of soldiers to walk down and onto the planet below. Even if they were tiny, their status made sure that everyone, tourists and locals alike, moved to the side and stayed out of their way. Still, the people of Bayroceon 8 couldn’t help but watch as the infamous Watchdog army marched along, not one of them daring to look away.

...Though, to be fair, this was more out of awe and curiosity than fear. And, not everyone stayed out of the way. Some people moved a bit closer just to get a good picture or video. Some even took a chance and asked a couple of the Watchdogs for a selfie with them or an autograph - and of course, the soldiers that were asked were more than happy to obliged. 

“Heh, looks like the grunts get to enjoy the ‘good guy’ rep too, huh?” Peepers rolled his eye slightly, though really he couldn’t blame the other Watchdogs too much. It was inevitable honestly, with all the fans the Hater Empire had gotten.

“At least only a few of them are actually stopping while the rest are staying focused,” the commander replied, marking a couple things off on his tablet checklist, “That’s better than usual. And, I suppose a stronger connection to the locals is beneficial in the long run.”

It had certainly helped so far. As soon as the mayor of Bayroceon 8 formed an alliance with the Hater Empire, the Watchdogs were ordered to help with the rebuilding process while others stayed behind, just as guards and lookouts for the planet. Today was no different. Mostly it was just checking up on the finished buildings, starting construction on new ones, making sure there were no problems and that their alliance was still in order, and of course picking up the Watchdogs that had been staying there for the past few months and replacing them with new ones. 

Basically, all standard ‘good guy’ conqueror stuff that, while not quite as exciting as conquering or causing chaos, did serve its purpose and earned them a few crates of the beach planet’s local resources. Although, while Hater had surprisingly fallen into the role of good guy galactic-ruler fairly well over the past several months with only a couple understandable bumps here and there, there was still one thing he planned to do on this planet - something much more important than checking up on construction or trade agreements...

“Alright, Captain Tim? You want the stick back? Huh, huh? You want this stick?! Okaaaay, here it comes agaiiiin~ GO GET IT!” 

Grinning as he threw the stick as hard as he could, Hater then watched as his pet screeched and ran after the stick, kicking up sand and leaving a trail of acid drool before leaping up and biting down on the stick, decimating it in seconds. Obviously proud of destroying his ‘prey’, Tim then decided to celebrate by rolling around in the sand a bit before letting out a screech and running back to his master.

Hater chuckled. “Tim-Tim just loves sand, doesn’t he~?” Sort of a weird thing to love, but still adorable!

“Yes Sir, he certainly does,” Peepers dryly agreed while he and Awesome - who had already finished his assigned construction work for the day - continued to watch with expressions of either amusement (Awesome) or slight annoyance (Peepers). Still, at least it was a nice day. “I guess we know why Lord Hater wanted to stop here personally...”

“Guess so,” Awesome shrugged, smiling a bit at the scene, “Can’t really blame a dude for wanting to have some fun with his pet. ...Even if his pet is pretty freaky.”

“Ha! ‘Freaky’ doesn’t even begin to describe that little monster...”

“Seriously?” He couldn’t help but roll his eyes a bit at the commander. “Come on, Peeps. C.T’s not that bad.” 

“You’re only able to say that because you actually have teeth to bite back with if it attacks you!” Peepers retorted. 

“That’s-! ...Okay yeah, that’s kinda true.” “Of course is it.” Awesome glanced back up at Hater. The skeletal lord had finally ran out of sticks and driftwood to throw, so he had resorted to throwing his robot arm, though he didn’t look any less happy about the game because of it. Such a dork... But, maybe dorks weren’t totally lame...

Awesome’s smile returned a bit as he stretched slightly, enjoying the warmth of the bright beach sun on his skin. “...But yeah, I can totes see why you guys decided to take this planet,” he mentioned, thinking it was best to change the subject, “It’s really not that bad of a place. Not the best or coolest beach planet I’ve ever seen-” His home planet, as well Seashoronicus 5 and Planet Ziziks, definitely took that title- “But still, it’s got some charm, and I’ve heard from Ted that apparently this place has some killer kebabs.”

Peepers hummed, nodding slightly. “Not only that, but the ores, glass and trees - or rather, their bark - that are created and grown here are quite strong, making for plenty of good and useful materials that have already been proven to be useful to the Empire.” He paused, rubbing the side of his head slightly. He glanced up, and immediately started to squint, even after he looked back down. “Ugh, but if you ask me, it’s a bit too sunny...”

“Heh, maybe you should trade that helmet of yours in for a sun hat while you’re here,” Awesome suggested with a small smirk. Peepers shot him a bit of a glare, and the shark held his hands up a bit, though his smirk didn’t fall. “Hey, I’m just trying to help, dude. And come on, a hat would look better on you than a visor.”

But the commander just scoffed. Honestly, both options sounded like they would look ridiculous on him. However- “I think I may have a better solution,” he told him as he started to walk away, knowing he wouldn’t really be missed as long as Hater was still focused on his and Tim’s game of fetch. Of course, being a bit curious now, Awesome followed. 

Unlike the other beach planets in the Galaxy, the boardwalk on this one had more stalls and stands with the occasional shop (which were usually small enough to only fit a couple people at a time) rather than a bunch of tacky yet still somehow appealing souvenir stores. 

Needless to say, it made for a fairly unique walk, not to mention all the sights and smells of the food and drinks that most of the stands were selling. Most of it was made with fish, some of it was fried, but all of it looked absolutely delicious - so much so that it actually distracted Awesome long enough for him to lose track of Peepers.

“Well, partially my fault, and partially his for being so short,” he told himself as he tore his gaze away from a vendor selling yakitori and started searching. Since it was after lunchtime, the boardwalk wasn’t too busy. So, even if it was fairly crowded, he could still easily walk around, and luckily after just a few minutes of looking, he managed to catch a glimpse of a sharp, plastic lightning bolt sticking out from the side of an umbrella stand. “Heh, gotcha, Peepsqueak.” 

A beach umbrella really wasn’t too bad of an idea. ...Even if some of the umbrellas that were being sold had a couple of small holes in them. Peepers must have noticed this too - even if he wasn’t close enough to understand, Awesome could still tell that the commander was starting to raise his voice a bit. Thankfully, the vendor must have been pretty calm, since he didn’t hear anyone yell back at him, even as he got closer to the stall. 

“Don’t you have any that are brand new? As in, still in the packaging? Or all these all used and resold items?” Peepers questioned, letting just a bit of an accusing tone slip into his voice.

The vendor, who was sitting relaxed under the huge umbrella that covered his whole ‘shop’ (obviously not for sale) and sipping a lukewarm ThunderBlazz, gave a small shrug. “Sorry, little man. There’s not much I can do for you if you want something completely new. Although...” He reached behind him, and after digging through a small box, he pulled out a light red parasol. Being a lot closer now, Awesome could start to see more of Peepers, as well as the fairly muscular arm that was handing him the accessory.

“This one is barely used,” he explained, “Bought and forgotten about until just recently.”

Peepers narrowed his eye a bit as he cautiously took the parasol. It took a bit of work to open it up, which he supposed made sense if it really was barely used, but it didn’t have any holes. “Hmm... I want a fifteen percent discount on it, otherwise I’m taking my business elsewhere.”

The vendor chuckled slightly. “Sure, I can do fifteen.” Peepers nodded, quickly getting out a handful of credits from his wallet. The exchange was quick and wordless, and Peepers walked away without so much as a thank you. Though, considering how chill the owner seemed, Awesome didn’t think he really minded.

“Huh, didn’t really take you as a parasol kind’a guy,” he admitted as the commander walked back towards him, “But hey, if it works, it works.” Even if they weren’t exactly cool, they were effective.

“Exactly,” Peepers replied, adjusting the angle he was holding his parasol at ever so slightly (for maximum shade), “Plus, if this thing really is barely used, I should be able to use it whenever I need to. So at least I didn’t buy it just to use it once.” There were plenty of sunny planets out there, and the more prepared he was for any environment out there, the better.

“Heh, yep. But I still say a hat would’ve worked just as well, and would look pretty good too. Heck, I would have even helped you-” Awesome saw something move just a few feet in front of him, and for a moment, this sudden movement made him look up - and as soon as he saw him, Awesome became totally silent. 

The umbrella vendor had stepped out of his shady oasis and was now adjusting the umbrellas and parasols that Peepers had moved during his search. He had a couple more under his arms as well, probably wanting to stock up (and add a few more no-holes ones to the selection). But that wasn’t what caught Awesome’s attention. No, far from it.

“...Awesome?” Peepers blinked, giving the shark-man a curious look. The guy was completely frozen... But, he didn’t look afraid or even nervous. Just sort of shocked... and, maybe a bit curious? “Awesome!” he said again, but rather than getting a reply, Awesome just started to walk forward and back towards the umbrella stand.

The vendor of course glanced up at him, flashing a casual smile. “Hey,” he greeted with a small nod, “You looking for something?”

“I, uh... Not really. Just, like, wanted to... you know...” He glanced away slightly as his words trailed off. Honestly, he just wasn’t sure how to end that sentence, especially since he still didn’t totally know for sure... But who else could it be?

After all, there weren’t too many other shark-people left their home planet.

The older shark-man stared at him for a moment, not really understanding but shrugging nonetheless. “Alright, well... Yeah.” He went back to restocking, and Awesome looked back up at him. 

The skin covering his head was grey, with just a bit of white near his mouth and under his chin. The rest of his body was fairly tan, though Awesome’s was definitely darker. His age definitely showed with the faint wrinkles under his eyes, but he wasn’t an old man either. If Awesome had to guess, the guy looked about forty-five, maybe fifty. Which would make sense...

His clothing was pretty casual too. Faded green, loose fitting swim-shorts, a dark grey tank-top, a bracelet on his left wrist that was made out of teeth (probably his own, considering how often shark-people had to deal with losing them) and no shoes. It didn’t look sloppy though, nor did Awesome suspect that it was the only thing he had to wear. 

All in all, the vendor really did seem like a nice, super chill dude... which was what allowed him enough nerve to speak up again.  “So uh,” Awesome started to say, getting the elder shark-man to glance back at him, “I actually did come over for a reason. I... I sorta thought that I recognized you from somewhere.”

“Oh?” He stood up straight, giving a curious look, “What? Do you and I know each other from way back or something?”

“Sorta... Your name is Makoto, right?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, “And what’s your name, kid?”

“Awesome.” He paused, and when he noticed the blank look on Makoto’s face, he held back a wince and added, “But uh, you probably remember me as Herschel.”

“Herschel...” Slowly, realization crept onto his face, his eyes widening. “No way... Seriously, Herschel?!” Makoto started to smile. “I can’t believe it...”

Unable to help himself, Awesome gave a small smile in return. “Heh, yeah... Guess it’s been some time, huh Dad?” “Yeah, no doubt about that...”

“...Wait, WHAT?!” 

Turning around, the two of them saw Hater and Peepers (as well as a very tuckered out Captain Tim snoozing in Hater’s arms) staring at them in shock. “He’s your dad?” Hater questioned while his commander could only stare (and wonder how he didn’t catch the resemblance before), “And he lives here?!”

“Yep, apparently,” Awesome replied, turning back to his father, “Dad, these are-” He paused. Rivals? Bosses? Bros? “-Just some cool guys that are letting me crash with them for a while. Lord Hatey- er, Hater, and Commander Peepers. Guys, this is my dad.”

“Call me Makoto,” the older shark-man added, smiling a bit at Hater, “Nice costume, by the way.”

Hater blinked. “What costume?”

“...Oh. Uh, nevermind.”

Peepers narrowed his eye a bit. There hadn’t been any malice in the comment, but even so... “You must have just arrived in this galaxy then if you don’t know who Lord Hater is,” he stated.

But in response, Makoto just shrugged. “Eh, more like I don’t check the Interplanetary news too often. Mostly I just tend to keep to my own business, you know? I’ll hear about the stuff that happens on the boardwalk or with my pals here, but that’s about it.”

“Hmph... Considering the situation, that’s not too surprising,” he mumbled barely being heard.

Awesome however did hear it and shot him a glare, but still managed to keep his cool. “Well, we could totally get you caught up on stuff if you want us to. I mean, a lot has happened in the last few months, and years...” So much so that it was still sort of hard to believe at times.

But Makoto waved the thought away. “Nah, what do I care about what happened to the rest of the Galaxy if it’s in the past anyway? Besides, I’m more curious about you, kiddo. For one, I never really expected you to join an army,” he said with a bit of an eyebrow raise, finally noticing that his son was wearing a uniform, “Or wear all that black.”

Awesome could feel his face start to heat up slightly. “O-Oh, uh, well, yeah.” Ugh, flarpin’ uniforms! First Flex seeing him in it, and now his dad? Seriously?! “Well, like, it’s not a permanent thing but, like, basically Peeps and Hater are training me in combat and stuff while I crash with them, and in exchange I help them and their army out with stuff. But, yeah, totally not permanent - and trust me, I only wear this when I have to.”

“Heh, sounds like a pretty good deal,” Makoto nodded, giving his son a small, approving smile. And as he watched this, Peepers’ scowl reluctantly softened a bit... Even if the older shark-man still annoyed him on some level, Peepers had to admit that he wasn’t horrible. At least he sounded somewhat genuine and wasn’t obnoxious. Maybe Awesome just inherited that side of him from some other member of his family... “So, since being a soldier doesn’t have to be a full-time gig for you, I take it Odie actually ended up retiring and gave you the old kingdom?”

Awesome rolled his eyes. “Ugh, yeah, eventually. ...Wait, ‘Odie‘?”

“My nickname for her,” Makoto said simply, a playful smirk now on his lips, and his son couldn’t help but snicker at the thought. He couldn’t imagine anyone being allowed to call the stern and sophisticated Empress Odellia something like ‘Odie‘. 

“So wait,” Hater started to say, getting their attention again, “If Awesome’s mom is - or, was - a queen or emperor or whatever, then... What does that make you?” Peepers nodded, curious to know that as well as just why Makoto was there in the first place - why he had apparently been off his home planet for so long that he couldn’t even recognize his own son right away.

Both of the sharks’ smiles faltered a bit, though Makoto didn’t get too frazzled. “I guess since I married her, that technically makes me a royal but, I doubt Odie or anyone else considers me as such. So, I’m pretty much just a normal guy, enjoying the rays and this ocean and selling umbrellas and parasols to make a living.”

“Oh,” Hater nodded, satisfied by that - though Peepers certainly wasn’t. However, before he could try to prod him with any other questions, his communicator beeped, effectively pausing the conversation. 

“Ugh, what?” he answered, listening for a couple moments before nodding, his annoyance fading just a little. “Alright then...” Hanging up, Peepers then turned to his lord. “Well Sir, it looks like all the construction goals we’ve scheduled for today’s visit have been completed!” Awesome’s smile immediately fell. 

“And that was the last thing on the list, right?” Hater asked, if only to double check. He really had been getting better at remembering things and staying on task, even if he still occasionally got distracted or procrastinated on duties.

In response, Peepers could only give a proud smile. “Yes Sir! So, if you’re ready, we can start gathering up the Watchdogs and head out!”

“Hey, wait-” The commander looked back to Awesome, and was surprised at just how disappointed he looked. “Seriously? We have to go already? I mean-” He glanced over at his father before looking back at Peepers. “Like, can’t we just stay for like a couple more-”

“We have to keep on schedule,” Peepers retorted, though he held back on the sternness ever so slightly. To try and soften the blow a bit, he added, “And besides, we’ll return to Bayroceon 8 in four months so we can switch around the on-planet Watchdogs.” Of course, that didn’t do much to cheer Awesome up. Four months was way too long to wait! Thankfully though, there was one other possible solution...

“You know,” Makoto said, “I’m actually free for a few hours tonight, and I know a few great places that are worth swinging by. So, if you guys are able to, you could stay and hang, and you’d still be able to leave in the morning, so-”

“Yeah! Totally!” Awesome grinned, not even bothering to check with his comrades. Of course Peepers tried to object, but he was never even given a chance to. “Sounds like a great plan to me! I mean, what’s an extra few hours going to hurt, right?”

“Heh, yeah,” Makoto smiled, “I wouldn’t think that too many people would be opposed to spending more time on a beach, do you?” 

The two sharks-men chuckled and, knowing deep down that arguing and pulling rank would just cause more trouble than it was worth, Peepers just narrowed his eye again. “Speak for yourself...” he mumbled.

()()()()()()()()()

“Now you do realize that we’re only doing this because of irregular circumstances. Don’t expect us to postpone our galactic schedule every time you find a planet you like.”

“Yeah, I know,” Awesome nodded, glancing at the still-annoyed commander through the reflection.

“Good. ...And I expect you to complete an extra hour of training sometime tomorrow.” To some it might have sounded like a punishment, but honestly Peepers was just accounting for any damage done by possible drinking and partying.

The shark-man nodded again. “Got it,” he said before pursing his lips, carefully running a tube of dark purple over them.

“Alright then. ...And remember, our take-off time tomorrow is-”

“5:30 AM, I know! I’ve got it, Peeps! Grop!” Practically slamming the lipstick down, he turned to scowl at the commander. “You’ve told me that, like, five times now! What is your deal?!” Awesome had honestly thought that he would’ve loosened up just a little after the whole breakfast party thing, but it looked like he was wrong.

“I-!” “He’s got a point, Peepers, you are being really annoying,” Hater commented, not even glancing up from his portable game (and therefore blind to the glare Peepers was giving him).

The Watchdog held back a sigh. “I’m just making sure that you know,” he replied as calmly as he could, “Because I can tell you right now, if you’re late, we won’t be flying back to get you.”

Awesome scoffed, rolling his eyes a bit. After all the grief Peepers had been giving him the last few hours, being left behind honestly didn’t seem like that bad of an idea. 

“So, what are you and your dad going to be doing anyway?” Hater asked, deciding to change the subject - both to avoid another annoying argument, and just because he was curious. “I mean, what do parents even do with their kids when they’re all grown up?”

“Nag them, mostly,” Awesome replied, allowing a bit of bitterness to slip into his voice before his smile returned, “But that’s only what the lame or frustrating parents do. Nah, my dad’s probably just going to take the two of us to a few of the local clubs and bars he knows for some sweet drinks and some even sweeter beats~!” Maybe even to an awesome party too, since he did mention having a few friends on the planet.

“Of course,” Peepers muttered, shaking his head a bit. Awesome’s grin faltered, once again becoming a scowl.

“Uhhh, bro? Contrary to what you think, not everyone out there in the Galaxy hates having fun, alright?”

The commander started to fume. “I’ve got nothing against having fun, as long as it’s reasonable! ...And you know, it is possible for people to have too much fun and forget about the things they should be doing. Or even who they should be with...”

“...” Awesome clenched his fists, and in a second, he was standing up and towering over the little eyeball. Of course, once he noticed this, Hater sat up as well, giving his former enemy a glare that made him back off almost immediately. Still, the anger stayed. “...You just don’t get it,” he mumbled.

“Don’t get what?” Peepers questioned cautiously.

“Just, like-... It’s a totally normal thing for the families on my planet, you know? For dads to just leave and have their own lives.” He gave a small scoff. “Happens so much that when a dad does actually stick around, he’s the one people stare at, not the Mom-Only families.”

Peepers blinked, unable to really say anything to that. “Wait... So, the dads on your planet just leave and go to another planet? They don’t even visit at all?”

Awesome paused. “...Well, no. They don’t, like, leave leave. They’re still around, and I guess they visit every once in a while...” Every other kid usually got to see their father once or twice a year- “But they’ve still got their own lives and stuff, things to do and other people to see, and that’s totally fine!” 

His face then became a bit sterner as he shifted his gaze back down to his commander. “I know you don’t get it but... Just ‘cause he’s out here doesn’t make him a bad guy, alright? He had legit reasons for leaving, even if they don’t seem legit to you. He’s still my dad, and he wants to hang with me, so I’m going to hang with him.” At least for one night. One night would be enough, for now.

“...Right,” Peepers said finally, glancing away from the shark-man’s strong stare for just a moment before meeting it with a look of understanding. “That’s... That’s reasonable. And, I’m sorry if I disrespected you. ...Or him,” he added after a moment, though the last bit didn’t seem nearly as sincere as the rest.

Still, Awesome shrugged. “Whatevs. It’s cool, bro,” he said, his voice not exactly sounding forgiving, but at least it wasn’t angry.

“...We should probably get going, just so you can finish getting ready,” he said suddenly. 

Awesome didn’t usually ask for or even need privacy - he never felt like he had anything to really hide, at least not physically, but even so he didn’t try to stop them. Instead, he just gave a simple, “Yeah, see ya...” and with that, the two of them left the bedroom and started walking down the hall. 

“...I know you guys argue a lot but, geez,” Hater mumbled, scowling slightly. He hadn’t seen them go at it like that since Awesome’s first day - though he had seen a few smaller arguments afterwards, and they had still been just as aggravating to listen to. 

“I honestly wasn’t trying to start a fight,” Peepers replied quietly in an attempt to defend himself, though when he thought about it, perhaps he did go a bit too far... “I guess I was just... frustrated.”

“...” Hater glanced down at him, looking a bit curious now. “So, why do you hate his dad anyway? I mean, he doesn’t seem nearly as annoying as Awesome used to be. So what’s the big deal about him?”

Peepers looked away, clenching his fists. Whether or not the elder shark-man was annoying was the farthest thing from his mind...

Awesome had, admittedly, come a long way. Sure, Peepers was still frustrated with him and his various mannerisms and attitudes at times, and when the time finally came where he would leave the Skullship, Peepers couldn’t really imagine himself asking him to stay permanently. But even so, Awesome had made some remarkable progress. Much to Peepers’ surprise, he had ended up putting in the actual work required into getting stronger and more skillful combat-wise. 

He had become much more responsible in the last few months, hardly ever trying to skip sessions with most of his complaining stopping after his first mission. Even when they sometimes argued or tried to annoy each other, he’d still listen to Peepers’ instructions and advice on various fighting styles and weaponry rather than try to ignore it or claim that he didn’t need to learn anything. The fact that Awesome was a lot more respectful these days as well (save for the various nicknames) also helped raise Peepers’ opinion of him quite a bit, allowing him to give some respect right back. But, perhaps what pleased the commander the most though was just the fact that Awesome was no longer relying on hollow popularity or status or appearances. He was no longer claiming that he deserved success and respect just because of who he was and not because of any real accomplishment or power.

Simply put, maybe the shark-man still wasn’t his friend personally, but he had certainly grown into a worthy and competent ally, and maybe even a decent person. ...Which was why Peepers didn’t want all that hard work and progress to just be thrown away, all thanks to a guy who could very well end up being more of a temptation for Awesome than an actual parent...

The commander gave a light sigh. “Honestly, Sir... I’m more concerned about the possible influence he could give than the man himself...”

TO BE CONTINUED

((Kinda random but, I like to imagine Makoto with the voice of Steve Blum, just because that Spike Spiegel style of ‘subtle, chill yet still noticeable and admirable’ coolness works well for him, plus it makes for a good complimenting/contrasting element to Awesome’s ‘loud and bold’ style of coolness. But yeah, hope you all enjoyed this! Next chapter will be up soon! ^v^))