#my personal answer is both

[pikatrainer99]

Trolls fans of Tumblr! Got a poll for ya!

Also another question for you guys is: if you picked the music...do you also sing? I'm asking 'cause I do (just a hobby though) and I'm curious if there's any fellow singers in the fandom (my answer to the poll is "both" though) 😅

Also please feel free to tell me about why you love this franchise in more detail in the comments below! I'd love to interact with you guys!

[nhura]

QUICK NO ONE'S LOOKING

(See readmore for thoughts, cope, bonus, etc.)

Anyone else up thinking about Ratio's big, strong, secure arms and how warm and all-consuming they could be in a hug or embrace. :/ Anyway

I just wanted to draw them being cute and seizing a sliver of a moment where they could have some PDA silly time without actually having any eyes on them. They're public figures and working adults with very clear boundaries between public persona and private life (to varying degrees of "in a sad way"), so while it may be in Aventurine's nature to constantly blur lines for various agendas and self-preservation (read: play "the flirt" without an aligned goal), I believe that in an actual relationship they'd be fairly private.

It's kind of fun to break your own rules, though! Ratio would be more upset about the consequences, though. He's a little bit of a hypocrite, which is devastating for someone of such discipline, but nobody's perfect.

I'm of the mentality of, "If you're tired of working on it, then just post it!", so here are some fun peripherals that I didn't feel like adding:

Some staff in the background sweeping up to evoke a blended sense of fragile privacy and liminal time.

A laptop on the aquarium/bar/counter because there's something fascinating about seeing people on their work laptops in public.

The rest of their clothes (casual friday)

[mccromy]

Shang Qinghua: "I could fix him" this "I could make him worse" that.

Shang Qinghua: well I made him, I crafted him to be an ASSHOLE with trust issues and it makes me so hard my brain shrivels up when I see him cause all the blood shoots straight up to my dick so fast it HURTS. do NOT try to change him he's perfect <3

Shang Qinghua: I want to kill him so bad sometimes ngl lol what a prick. Spoiled brat. I'm this 🤏🏻 close to unionizing. He might kill me for trying lol so I'm not gonna

[canisalbus]

I realize youre probably more of a dog person, but can i offer fuzzy kitty tummy in these trying times?

(Wall-E sends his love <3)

.

[navree]

Incorrect, the fact that Biden has dropped out and a candidate with history of supporting medicare for all and being more receptive to a ceasefire in the I/P conflict has made me go from "I cannot morally support the Democratic nominee" to "I am voting for the Democratic nominee despite the fact she isn't perfect in every respect." I'm really happy this played out. The Dems for the most part abandoned the old Obama platform and it feels like its possible an actual progressive agenda could come to pass in my lifetime.

Kamala 2024!

If you weren't going to vote Democratic in this election before Biden dropped out you're a dorkass loser who does not care about any of the issues you're yammering about here and also a fundamentally bad person, and I hope you get run over by a bus.

But you got one thing right in all of this gibberish, Kamala 2024.

[bixels]

I'm not getting into The Giving Tree discourse...

[glassedplanets]

a few months ago giffy was like "haha hear me out, what if tattoo au" and then we blacked out and talked about nothing else for like three weeks

[aardvaark]

im so glad that we never get a clear picture of sophie’s background in leverage & i hope we never do. however i also really like making up various, often conflicting backstories for her in my head. perhaps they’re all backstories for an alias of hers, ones she laid to rest back in season two.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

When discussing or analyzing Dazai, one thing I hope you will keep in mind when reading anything I write about him is that from my perspective, he is always, always both.

What do I mean by this? Well, I find there tends to be a general split among people who hold the opinion that "he's a manipulator and will always be manipulative" and "he's doing his best to be good and helpful and live up to Oda's last wishes for him", of which, neither is completely right - because he is both. But even among the people who hold to this dual-nature interpretation, I find that his individual actions and motivations still tend to be thought of in a dichotomous manner - is it manipulative, or genuine?

Again, I think it's always both.

Dazai has a very pragmatic view on a lot of things - he is always looking for the usefulness of things and people so that the situation turns out in his favour. He's incredibly adept at this, and his prediction and placement and careful reveals are all manipulation tactics to get his allies and enemies doing exactly what he needs them to. I don't think anyone can contest this since we see it over and over in the series.

But that's not all there is to it. He's not solely manipulative and he does, to some extent, sympathize with others - I think there are several instances of this in the series, but I want to stress that this has been apparent since Chapter 1!

For context, Dazai is recalling what Atsushi said to him a few minutes earlier, but it's very interesting that it should be this specific part of the conversation. He could've flashed back to the part where Atsushi said he had nowhere to go; no money, no food - he is about to trick him into joining, after all, and this is the key piece he uses to basically force Atsushi into the Agency. But instead it's Atsushi's self-deprecation that catches his attention, and it really does, because even during the conversation, he turns to look at him after he says this with an odd expression.

You could say that this makes Atsushi easier to manipulate, if that's your angle, but that can't be solely it, because in the later conversation with Hirotsu, we know Dazai was planning to bring Atsushi into the Agency and set him up as one half of the new Double Black the moment he met him. The panel shown there is the riverbank, set much earlier in the day than this scene. He was already planning to pair him with Akutagawa since he figured out he was the tiger, so what's with this reaction?

Well. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the best.

He manipulated Atsushi into joining with the intention of utilizing him in his future plans. He also helped him and gave him a place to belong, and importantly, he likes this kid! It's both.

I think much of it might be that his brain just kinda works way too fast - he's such a natural at crafting these elaborate plots and seeing how things connect and gathering useful people like resources that it's practically automatic - though this is not a great means when you're trying to be a kinder person. There's an omake, I believe, that has him saying "I like using my head for justice", i.e. using these underhanded means to act for the better. Not great, but those are the kind of gifts he has. He's way more suited to exploitation, but is choosing to use these tactics to save people now, which is quite reminiscent of what he tells Kyouka. Kyouka's talents lie in killing people - when what you're good at isn't who you want to be, what do you do? Well, I expect you use what you have, even if it's not ideal.

Now, about the current situation with Sigma - I think he definitely likes him, and is intrigued by him and his situation. We did get a little thought bubble where the guy amusedly compares him to Atsushi, and you can't tell me he doesn't care about Atsushi (listen to the onsen drama cd, or read 55 Minutes if you somehow don't believe me). But also, it's undeniable that Sigma is in a very vulnerable position of being homeless and having had no one be genuinely kind to him before. His trust is very easy to earn, and with the latest chapter, Dazai has now saved his life multiple times. There is, as always, a practical purpose he needs him for. And I have to be somewhat amused because Dazai is quite literally telling Sigma everything he ever wanted and needed to hear. It's a brilliant means of quickly endearing himself to Sigma - but I don't think that's all it is.

Look. The most honest moments we get in this series from Dazai are, interestingly for an expert manipulator, when people are at their most vulnerable. In spite of every pointlessly cruel act he inflicted on Akutagawa, his first meeting with him was open and transparent; much like the orphanage director, it seems he thought this treatment would make him strong and adaptable (he's wrong but that's not the point of this). He cuts Kyouka off in irritation and says "don't give me that" when she implies that she would fail the entrance exam. He tells Atsushi it's normal to cry after losing a father figure and to feel however you feel, even if that person caused you nothing but incredible pain and cannot be forgiven. He refuses to entertain Sigma's assumptions that Dazai sees himself as a superior being to him.

Selective honesty can also be utilized to great effect; Mori does this, and undoubtedly it serves this purpose for Dazai too. But I want to stress that I do sincerely believe this is all still honesty from him. Manipulation, or genuine?

Both. It's both.

[drawnfamiliarfaces]

How do the girls get along

Pretty great actually!

Jenny and Kim are very good/close friends, since they met relatively early compared to others (they actually met each other first out of everyone, then others at one point and another) and had a shared adventure sometime after the ends of their respective shows (wink wonk).

But, their first meeting was not actually very um, positive. There was some conflict, but after it was resolved both of them gained a very solid friend for life!

Jenny, was glad to meet someone else (beside Brad) who treated her like a person/normal teenager (instead of an 8th wonder of the world or a freaky robot) and not to mention she got a fellow superheroine girl friend! After Misty, she kind of missed having someone like that to kick butt with (considering that like, 70% of her friends are dudes) or just hang out.

Kim was fascinated by Jenny, not because she is a robot (tho she does think its pretty cool) but because it kind of gave her a contrast to her own life in a weird way? Like, Kim was a normal teenager who got into superheroing on accident and just went with it, while Jenny was created with a goal of being Earth's defender but rebeled to have some sort of normal life. And now they both live those weird semi-normal lives, that led them to meeting each other.

Jun is around 5-6 years their junior and while they met each other much later on, when Jun was a little older (like not 11-12 age of the show), she still kind of looked up to them and both Jenny and Kim felt an instant kinship with the girl.

Before she met Jenny and Kim, Jun only knew a couple other guys as fellow heroes/magical protectors (guess who ;D lol), and while she had plenty of female role models (Ama/Jasmine being the most prominent) and friends, she kind of enjoyed meeting some cool older superheroines to bond with! It also helped that despite the age difference, both Jenny and Kim never looked down at her when it came to superheroing/fighting, but respected her abilities and expertise (considering that Jun was practically an apprentice to her Ama since at least 8-9ish of age, when her powers first awakened, she has a lot of experience).

They both are kind of like cool older cousins to her, who travel a lot for their work and come visit to hang out often and tell/share stories about their adventures. Their and her lines of work while similar, also run in completely different circles (human/interplanetary vs magical/supernatural), so its always a treat to hear about the things they do.

(And yes sometimes she feels jealous about the fact that both of them get to travel all over the world, and despite the developments, more often than not she has to stay town locked and limit her excursions to magical realms.)

Silly thing, but Jun absolutely adores Jenny, for one simple fact that she can travel to space just like that (she and Danny, fellow astronaut/space fans, share that, despite the fact that Danny kinda can travel to space just like that too.)

[mysteryampharos]

my friends came over so i made both of them take the pmd personality test

You can find the quizz i used with them here!

[tathrin]

The Extremely Serious and Scientific Legolas Fandom Hair Colour Poll:

What colour hair do you picture in your head for your personal mental image of Legolas of the Woodland Realm? (Not necessarily which one you think is more or less "canonical"; rather just what you see in your head when you're reading something.)

Ideally, you can also share when and how you were first exposed to Lord of the Rings in the tags or reblogs, and what you think most influenced your mental image.

No I'm not procrastinating from writing stuff, go away.

[maegalkarven]

I just thought of the most hilarious next protagonist of Baldur's Gate saga.

(Note what most of the outcomes used as background info here come from the characters' "good" endings. Proceed with caution.)

A child of Durge and Gortash, killed inside their parent's womb when Durge denied Bhaal, resurrected alongside them by Jergal.

A child any of The Dead Three can lay a claim on because they are:

A child of previous chosen of Bane

A child of Bhaalspawn, a bhaalspawn themselves, albeit striped of that when Bhaal took his essence from Durge, killing them instantly.

DIED before even being born, so clearly Myrkul's subject.

Resurrected by Jergal, so there's ties to that as well.

Can be compelled to follow any of The Dead Three paths, or try to play them and set them against each other, or follow Jergal, or forge their own path.

Essentially a child with no fate.

Can look either as Durge (and be any race Durge presented as) or as Gortash.

The last possibility bringing unique encounters and dialogues and character never knowing they can use being Lord Gortash's child to their advantage or ppl they meet were their father's enemies and they need to dash.

Having ties to different fractions depending on who Durge romanced or if Durge not romanced anyone.

Being raised in Underdark if their parent ended up with Minthara.

Same with unascended Astarion, + lots of acquainted spawns in the Underdark.

Being raised in Hell if their parent went to Avernus with Karlach.

Being raised either in Waterdeep if Gale is their stepfather or with Duke freaking Ravengard as a step- grandfather.

Having ties with Selunites if Shadowheart is a woman they call mother.

Being raised in the nature and having Druids call them their own if Durge and Halsin were involved.

Being raised amongst githianki revolution if Lae'zel was their parent's choice of heart. Having their mother leading a rebellion against a god.

Having lots of unique content regarding that.

Possible companions include:

Arabella

Mol

Yenna

That girl who was kidnapped and eaten by auntie Ethel.

Mayrina's child.

A child of lady Janneth and Oscar.

One or several of Jaheira's grandchildren.

[canisalbus]

i voted for goat machete and sheep vasco bc i think machete would have even More religious guilt if he were the one that was the animal associated with sin and the devil vs vasco’s innocence and virtue as a sheep. could be something there narratively !

.

[necrotic-nephilim]

I want you to know that before you I didn’t even consider Cass/Tim/Jay before and now I can’t stop thinking about them. They could have such a fucked up dynamic or such a deep bond and I need them so bad my teeth hurt. Also, pretty.

i'm HAPPY to spread the propaganda for any ship involving Cass-

it's such a *fascinating* dynamic bc we don't have a ton of canon for what a relationship between Cass and Jason would look like. and i think the fanon take of "oh Cass would hate Jason for being pro-murder" isn't necessarily true. bc while yes, the morality will always be a sticking point for these two, Cass is about Drive. she is of everyone, the most wholly dedicated to the Mission outside of Bruce. and Jason is *also* about drive. the two of them have it in common, how absolutely focused they get on their concepts of what justice should look like. and if nothing else, i think they could respect each other. i think a well written Jason *should* respect Cass and have respect for how she was raised and how she's grown past it. she's done the one thing that he struggles to do: moved on from her tragic backstory and started to look forward.

and of course, they both have nuanced relationships with Tim. Tim and Cass love each other so deeply, and Jason is already weirdly obsessed with Tim. i think it's within the realm of possibility (if DC didn't write her out of comics for so long lmao) for Jason to extend that weird obsession to Cass. in the same way he respects Tim, he would respect Cass. respect both what she is and what should *could* be, similar to Tim. i like the idea of the three of them together in a very fucked up way- though like you said it could also be a healthier, deeper devotion. but something about how Jason would crave to sink his teeth into either or both of them is so good.

especially if they're already together, it'd drive Jason up a wall. i think it's fun if he tries to make them jealous by paying attention. tries to make Cass jealous by showing a lot of attention to Tim and getting up in his business, *knowing* that Cass is a protective partner. or vice versa trying to make Tim jealous with comments like "what? worried about someone else around your girl?". they know what he's doing, and they're pissed that it's *working*. i think Cass deserves to be sickly fascinated with someone like Jason, obsessed with the soft side of him that she *knows* exists and wanting to try to save him, while also being drawn into his intensity. so Cass wants to save Jason, Jason wants to corrupt Cass, and Tim is stuck in the middle with feelings for both of them unsure if he can stop them from killing each other or fucking. tbh he wants to be there for both.

[mandiemegatron]

Okay but, Law angst based on "when I was your man" by Bruno mars

I can't handle the pain you enjoy putting me in😭😭😭😭😭😭

👀 you're not wrong though.

How about a taste of that? 😈

This is NOT part of an official part two for (you make me do) too much labour, but if you want to believe that it is, then go for it bc I am not sure if or when I'll get to writing it.

Enjoy, my lovely lil tangerines !!! I love you sm !!! 🤭💖💋

Written while listening to When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars.

It was like being punched in the gut.

With a knife.

That was on fire.

He hadn't even been looking for you this time, having been entirely focused on actually refueling the ship and making sure every crew member came back with what they were supposed to.

Shaking fingers held the clipboard that marked down the wares that came onto the ship. He'd first heard that ugly, unruly laughter from a certain redheaded, knowing that Eustass Kid must have also been refueling at the same port.

He lazily looked around and spotted him, not fifty feet away. He was talking to his masked crew mate, Law vaguely remembers his name is Killer, ironically enough, and goes back to his clipboard.

Law idly wondered if Eustass was following him.

But how?

He had no way of knowing which way the Heart Pirates were going next, unless-

Law froze in his spot when he heard another familiar laugh, and he couldn't fight the way his body immediately went into an anxious state, his wide eyes watching in utter shock as you came out from beside Kid's massive form.

His eye twitched as Kid leaned down and pulled you into a kiss, resentment and fury clinging to his entire body at the audacity you and Kid held.

In that instance, everything fell into place for Law. Why he was suddenly always seeing Kid's ugly ship show its face everytime Law docked somewhere, why he felt like Kid was chasing him or following him -

It was you.

This whole time... it had been you.

"Boss! Did you see-"

"I saw."

Shachi and Penguin flinched at the venom dripping from Law's mouth, watching with worried expressions as their Captian burned holes into the back of your head.

For the first time in months, since you'd ran off from the Tang, you slowly turned and froze with wide eyes as you took in your ex-captain. You'd recognize that stupid, spotted hat anywhere.

Your gaze stuck with his, almost as if something was trying to pull you together. You could feel the anger, the sadness and the rage that fell off Law like a bitter waterfall, covering the entirety of your senses in a thick sludge.

It'd been the first time in months that you'd seen him.

You hated the way your heart ached to go to him.

"... Oi."

You broke your gaze from Law to stare back up at Kid, a set frown etched into his lipsticked mouth. There was uncertainty in his eyes as he nearly snarled out,

"... You're mine now. He can't have you back."

You flashed your lover a warm, loving grin and clung to him, holding his slightly larger face in your hands as you replied,

"I'm yours. I'm not going anywhere."

Kid's eyes softened slightly before he glared darkly at Law, the other captain suddenly standing a little taller at the challenge. They glared each other down until Kid looked away as you tugged on his opened shirt.

"Come on, let get out of here," you murmured, desperate to get away from this uncomfortable and fucked up situation.

You jumped slightly when Killer placed a warm, heavy hand on your shoulder, the other coming in front of you to give you a small bouquet of pretty weeds. A slight grin came over your face as you looked up at your masked lover and friend, the man giving you one in return that you couldn't see, but you knew was there.

He led you away by taking one of your hands into his, bringing the back of it up to his mask in a faux kiss as a sign of adoration, just as Eustass Kid turned back to Law, a wicked grin on his face as he mouthed something Law can't understand.

He points at Law, gives him the middle finger, then points at the sky before turning away with a loud cackle, following after his best friend and love.

Law then stiffens, knowing exactly what Kid meant.

"You... fucked... up."

Law turns away as Kid's loud voice echos over him, his heart gripped in a tight, metal hand as he hears Kid ask you,

"Apparently, they're throwin' a party here tonight... we gonna dance our asses off or what?!"

His heart breaks as he hears you reply happily,

"Ooh, you gunna take me dancing?! Thank you, baby!"

Law roughly slaps the clipboard into one of the crewmans stomachs, ignoring the over-exaggerated "Oof!" that Shachi gives. Law begins to turn, walking back towards the ship when Shachi suddenly calls out,

" ... How many times did she ask you to take her out?"

Law freezes in his spot, his eyes wide and dark as he stares down at his best friend and crewman.

"... what did you say...?"

"How many times... did she ask you to take her out? Or to bring her something that reminded you of her?"

Law's face contorts into one of raw fury, mouth snapping open to roar at Shachi's insolence when suddenly Ikkaku speaks up,

"All she wanted was you, Captain. And you made it clear that you didn't want her."

Law's head audibly snaps to the side, his dark gaze looming over Ikkaku as she continues,

"Just be happy for her. She's alive and clearly happier with them. Stop acting like the victim."

The anger and bitterness in Law grows as he snaps out,

"She's a traitor. She doesn't deserve to be happy with anyone!"

Ikkaku shouts back,

"Why?! Because she didn't want to keep having her heart broken by the man she loved?! Get OVER yourself!"

Law steps back slightly at her words, his chest heaving as pain and hurt take over the anger.

"I..."

Ikkaku cuts him off with a sharp, raised hand.

"You are not the victim here. Stop acting like your actions don't have consequences just because you're a pirate Captain."

Law falls silent, his face half covered by the wide rim of his hat. He hated that Ikkaku had a point, but he wouldn't tell her that.

"... make sure everyone gets back to the ship."

Shachi and Ikkaku give a tight salute, small frowns on both their faces as they watch their Captain walk back into the Tang.

They share a look with each other before going back to their duties, Shachi's shaded eyes watching you, Kid, and Killer until you were gone from his vision.