#it surprises me too occasionally......

[blooky8]

i knew that they would notice eventually😭

[ikemenomegas]

good-ending!kakashi and itachi need to have a little former traumatized geniuses cooking club where they get comfortable with making little "mistakes" and putting imperfect dishes on the table and improvising without needing to explain themselves like it's life or death

[naranjapetrificada]

Consider this your opportunity to be an Astrology Bitch and go off about Leo Stede!

(signed, a Virgo sun, Cancer moon, Capricorn rising who simultaneously is and is not an Astrology Bitch, more of a Tarot Bitch tbh)

Okay! You asked for it lol.

I should start by saying that I'm an August Leo sun. Stede is a July Leo, as confirmed by the show:

July Leos are...different somehow? It's not a bad thing and it's not their fault, and if anybody else comes for them we August Leo's will throw down for our siblings, but there's something about the vibes! Maybe it's the Cancer proximity, idk. If anything my anecdata suggests that they're more well adjusted than the rest of us. 🦁❤️🦁

Anyway, I immediately sat up and noticed when they cut to the gravestones because it's second nature for me as an Astrology Gay. Obviously I didn't know Stede at the time and I don't actually know what went down as the character was developed, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if I learned that at least one person in the writers room was a fellow Astrology Gay.

So I completely forgot about his birthdate because a) ADHD and b) swooniest romance I'd ever seen, but I started thinking about it again when I showed up like a year late to the fandom and saw people talk about whether they were Ed coded or Stede coded. I am heavily, heavily Stede coded for neurodivergent reasons, but he also exhibits certain Very Leo traits that I recognized immediately.

Leo stereotypes:

Let's get the stereotypes out of the way because while they do apply sometimes (especially for Stede), there's no need to rehash them in detail.

Leadership, which he struggles with at first but a) takes up the mantle of it anyway and b) improves enough that by the end of the season the crew that wanted to mutiny saves his life.

Good hair. Nuff said.

The man has an auxiliary wardrobe for fucks sake.

His "theatrical instincts are finely honed" and while Izzy says it to encourage the fuckery, it's not a lie.

The Revenge

If an 18th century Leo was going to custom build a pirate ship and money was no object, they would 1000% build the Revenge. I could see arguing that a Taurus might build something similar, but honestly I'm not sure a Taurus would become a pirate by choice. Maybe a Taurus might build like, a pleasure yacht or something. A Libra might build a ship that's as good-looking as the Revenge but sharing expensive tastes isn't enough to convince me either. Stede's money allowed him to build and decorate luxuriously, but plenty of rich people used to comfort didn't have ships like the Revenge. As Nigel says during his tour, it's just so incredibly him.

Now for some feelings stuff:

Leos love it when other people are happy, and when we can be involved in fostering that at all for people we care about we are ON IT. Stede wants to create space for others to get what they need to make that happen. Literally in the first episode he talks about the Revenge as somewhere for his crew to work on their trauma and communicate their feelings.

The above is also an extension of Stede's instinctive generosity. Canon doesn't tell us where Ed got his clothes for the French boat party in episode 5, but given that Stede has an auxiliary wardrobe (which he shared with Ed almost immediately) the most likely scenario seems like he loaned (or maybe even gave!) it to Ed. Another possibility is that it was on the ship where Frenchie found his and Oluwande's outfits, but the purple jacket in particular seems very extra in a way that says "Stede" to me.

Speaking of episode 5, let's talk about the party game. Obviously the main takeaway is that Stede has enough of a handle on passive aggression to make the French assholes tear each other apart, but it's not just the passive aggression, it's in the delivery. With sufficient motivation (Ed's hurt feelings, if not his own) we see Stede command the room with confidence. He chooses his targets well. He knows just what to say to get them to agree to play the game at all. The fire wasn't part of the original plan but it shows just how powerful those hard-won skills are when he wants to apply them. (This doesn't feel like it merits its own bullet point but Leos are protective, ride-or-die friends, something else we see in this episode.)

Stede's love language, imo, is quality time. There are arguments for others (there's also a really good meta about his love language causing miscommunication with our touchy-feely boy Ed, if I can find the link I'll edit) but quality time seems the most appropriate to me. Another part of the whole generosity of spirit thing is that he seems to enjoy what a friend of mine called "engineering experiences" for people i.e. crafting activities and jam sessions for the crew. The most obvious of these is the treasure hunt for Ed, which of course comes out of his fear of Ed leaving, but it's also a way for them to spend time together. I'm not at all surprised that a lonely, bullied kid would grow up to value quality time.

I would also extend this to the clearly routine (but still extravagant) breakfast for two that we see Calico Jack crashing in episode 8. Not to mention the first breakfast he and Ed ever share up on the maintop in episode 4. It's not fancy, but he wakes Ed up to share in that moment because he's enjoying the sunrise and the marmalade, and I can't think of anything more Leo than enjoying something then immediately wanting to share it because someone else might enjoy it too.

Stede's not perfect of course, despite all those seemingly positive things I just said. In the way of some Leos he is frequently thoughtless, up to and including when he didn't make to the dock. I can't speak for every Leo but I have definitely accidentally flirted with/been read as flirting with people before, whether I was attracted to them or not. And yeah his quarters are nice but he could have used some of that space for more crew quarters, right? And how could a Leo possibly misread "what makes Ed happy is you" as badly as he did?

Well I may be an Astrology Binch but I mostly like it (and anything else that puts personalities into discrete groups) as an analysis tool. It's just a fun lens to examine behaviors through, IRL and with fictional characters. Also, the show is clearly trying to examine things like trauma and self-loathing in ways that are gonna inform character behavior way more than a hypothetical astrology enthusiast in the (admittedly pretty queer) writers room. But the vibes? The vibes are so there.

[lightblueminecraftorchid]

Ways I get fruits n veggies in me:

- putting oranges and peppers on the counter where it’s easy to snack on while I make other food

- buying frozen strawberries for cheap to make smoothies which are cold on a hot day

- buying 100% fruit juices or 100% fruit popsicles so I have cold juice to drink on a hot day

Ways I do not get fruits n veggies in me:

- buying frozen veggies I don’t really want to eat because I think they’re healthy

- buying fruits I don’t really like because I think they’re healthy

- buying fruits or veggies which require prep time to eat in a way I like

- getting upset at myself for not eating enough fruits n veggies

Notice how the ways I eat the fruits and veggies have a built in incentive to eat them?

- peppers n oranges on the counter are easy to eat and require no prep time. If I want a meal, or I’m just I the kitchen, they’re easy to grab and munch on.

- I get bored and distracted when I cook. Having something to do with my hands, like peeling an orange, keeps me busy while keeping me in the kitchen near my food. And then I peeled the orange so I might as well eat it.

- smoothies and cold juice/popsicles work because the weather is hot and I already want to cool down. The incentive exists naturally because I like how they taste and I’m already looking for something cold.

- smoothies/juice/popsicles also have a consistent texture, which unprocessed fruit and veggies do not have. Texture is a big driver of what I eat or don’t, so having a pleasant/consistent texture makes me more likely to choose something.

If u prep ur own food and are worried ur not eating enough fruits n veggies, it might be time to go through how you usually choose what to eat and what’s blocking the fruit and veggie choices. Usually there is something that makes the alternate choice you make more appealing (including not eating anything, that is a choice that you make too).

Does having to cut/peel an orange take too long, so you pick the easily openable chips? That’s great! You have chips! But if you want fruit too, maybe get something you can just pick up and eat, like an apple or pear.

Does having fresh veggies sound great, but they’re not warm and you’re already freezing, so you pick the warm tater tots you can make in the oven? That’s great! You have tater tots! But if you want veggies too, maybe make some warm vegetable soup, or get a microwave pack of steamed green beans or broccoli.

Do you feel like you want to add more vitamins to your diet, but you don’t like the taste of vegetables or fruit, so you just stare in the cabinet and then don’t pick anything? Get something that has what you need that tastes different. Maybe that’s a supplement (talk to your doctor first, those still can interact with other meds or general health), maybe that’s a protein bar you like, maybe it’s chopping veggies up real tiny and putting them in your pasta sauce. It’s okay if it’s not the most “economical” or “healthy” solution; if it results in you actually eating more of what you’re trying to eat, it’s worth it.

This applies to other foods too; I need more protein in my diet, so I buy protein bars and oven-bakeable orange chicken, even if there are “healthier” more protein dense foods. I don’t like kale or beans, eggs and I are frenemies, and steak (my beloved) takes a lot of time and attention to cook properly. I need to drink more water, so I buy powdered lemonade and sparkling water. Maybe you hate chicken and protein bars and sparkling water and lemonade. You’re not me. What do you like? What do you need? What makes your needs more likeable? Go buy/make/do that.

[waywardsalt]

there is undeniable opportunity to make bellum x linebeck fucked up but i dont have it in me. im a sucker for it just being fine with a side of like. light nautical crimes against nature but i cant make it toxic or w/e after a certain point. theyre chilling

[dare-g]

We've been watching JoJo for the first time 8 episodes in and idk I feel pretty indifferent about it?

[shoechoe]

the "why are you (x) and on tumblr this is the (something contradictory to x) website" thing really annoys me as a phrase most of the time. this website isn't locked to specific groups i think you can find a community of literally any type of person here. though i suppose this is the social bubble website...

[waugh-bao]

[saline-coelacanth]

What are you most excited for season 2 part 2? Theorywise and what you heard or seen so far?

Basic answer, but I REALLY wanna see Jay. I NEED to see him for more than just one scene or else I'm gonna go fully feral.

But in all seriousness, I am really excited to see what they do with Jay in part 2, it's the main thing I've been thinking about.

I haven't put too much thought into theories, the only one I've really thought about is potential Arin villain arc but I feel like that one is relatively unlikely. (I don't think Arin would become a full on villain like Morro, at the very least he might do some morally questionable things)

I'm definitely excited to see what the whole Tournament of Sources is about. But other than all the stuff I've mentioned, there's not too many specific things I'm super excited about. I'm just excited in general.

[didsomeonesayventus]

damn so how about the latest fe engage manga chapter (tw for talk of crucifixion under the cut not like. horrendously detailed at all but also hi most people may understandably not want to read about that w/ out a warning sjakghsdkgh)

I HATE TO SAY IT BUT LIKE. kinda giggling thinking about this you're telling me back when I was writing Black Tourmaline (which, for the uninformed, has Alear kidnapped by Fell Cult Leftovers a few years post canon that I finished like back in mid June you should check it out maybe) I could've included crucifixion as a means of torture* and it would've been confirmed a canon aspect of fell worship a matter of months later

damn i could've crucified al- (a comically large frying pan slams against my head, knocking me out instantly)

* tho also I will concede that, while swift intervention + lack of nailing (which I don't think there is any here *squinting*) means you could have a chance of survival, typically the goal of crucifixion is uh. execution. remember kids crucifixion is an obscenely nasty ass way to go and frankly im not surprised it would be involved in Fell worship given the kind of attitudes Sombron takes up of course he'd probably be chill with if not promote something that- if you're lucky -would still take hours of agony to kill you, if not days.

fuckhead sombron fuck you

[mariocki]

Donald Sutherland steals the show as a disarmingly charming bank robber (turned convict, turned escaped convict), as John Wood in The Saint: Escape Route (5.14, ITC, 1966)

[todayisafridaynight]

snap...whats a hobby you think daigo would have..*looks up from google docs* dont ask why...

i think bro LOVES to watch his fireplace

[lindwurmkai]

you know ... i've made a fool of myself on the internet quite a few times in my life. i've said some pretty bizarre things, some of which went way beyond simple "brain farts" and in fact may have been signs of serious mental issues.

to name some examples of shit my brain has done:

experienced something akin to age regression complete with temporarily lacking knowledge and skills i normally possess. sometimes the missing knowledge was replaced with alternate "facts" that were straight-up wrong, yet for the duration of this state (usually just one day), i was convinced i was making sense.

badly misinterpreted someone's words because they tripped a trauma trigger and i was only self-aware enough to recognise that my emotions were disproportionate, but not that my judgement was impaired.

leaps in logic and outlandish claims that seemed reasonable to me at the time, but a week or a month later, i began to feel like i must have been on the verge of psychosis to come up with such nonsense. (does anyone remember "people in the past didn't experience sexual attraction the way we do because they wore different clothes"?????)

and that's in addition to regular brain fog, sleep deprivation logic, taking things too literally because i'm autistic, or simply ... being wrong. for normal reasons.

but every time there is an "abnormal" reason, i find myself hoping that anyone who witnessed it understands i wasn't just being stupid. because even in this day and age, too many people still look down on stupidity as if it were a choice. for a while it got a little better on the internet, at least in my circles, but then we experienced a great renaissance of "focusing on language distracts from the real issues" logic and suddenly no one cared anymore. even though it was never about the exact language used, but about the underlying devaluation of people with low IQs and anyone else perceived as stupid.

so i catch myself thinking, "it wasn't stupidity. i was triggered. i hope they understand that and don't unfollow me for being stupid." but that's shitty of me, too, isn't it? i am not better than people with intellectual disabilities or brain damage because my "stupidity" is more transient. it's not an expression of my personal opinion though, it's an expression of what i fear other people may think. and i will never be able to shake that fear as long as people keep complaining about stupidity like it's a moral failing.

there is immense privilege in my ability to look back on these episodes and recognise them as temporary. is someone who would look down on people who are permanently like that really my friend, though?

if you can't handle me at my "making no fucking sense", you don't deserve me at my "flash of brilliance during hyperfocus" tbh.

[arrow-guy]

Every single time I think I've pushed my boyfriend's last button he says some shit like "I miss you dearly 💚💚💚" (direct quote) and I immediately calm down lmao

[ssaalexblake]

I was looking for a fun escape by watching something i’d never heard of before and i found The Glory and thought, perfect! revenge story! never heard of it before in my life! but the first ep was so Brutal that by the end of it i was so disturbed for this poor child that i was already buying shirts supporting her revenge mission and Too Into It for casual watching so like, it went badly. But i do enjoy the show. 

[umilily]

yorushika be hitting hard tonight.