#so unless it's their idea it's dumb and i'm lying or making it up

[ourceliumnetwork]

oh *now* she wants me to see a doctor about my joints doing things joints don't normally do.

bit late ma.

[webslingingslasher]

thinking about nerdy!peter getting reader a gift for national girlfriend day and feeling shy bc he doesn't know how to give it to her or if she'll like what he got her🥹🥵

it was a dumb gift and a dumb idea. it sounded better in his head, but knowing you were minutes away he was sent into a panic and told himself the flowers would be enough. and they were. you thought they were beautiful.

three days later and you're drumming pencils against his desk. peter let out a groan of your name, you had no regard for his desperate attempt to finish his tiny bit of homework.

'nope, don't care. you promised me ten minutes, twenty minutes ago.'

peter scoffed, your attempts won't work on him. 'the one time i encourage you to go on a deep dive of youtube shorts, you suddenly hate your phone.'

you drum out a solo, peter's clenching his jaw at the god awful wacks. 'i love my phone, i just love annoying you more.' he allows it for another minute, then it starts to hurt his ears.

'baby, please.' it's his 'i'm being nice, but i'm done playing' voice. you drop the pencils in a second, choosing to blow horse breaths and spin slowly in his chair.

you mumble out a song stuck in your head, your spins come to a stop. hidden, underneath the tiny shelf of his desk, a wrapped box. the hiding space is so uniuque you wouldn't have seen it unless you were in this circumstance, bored and looking for something to do.

your head tilts, you assume peter had forgotten about it too. your socks glide over his floor as you scooch in closer, it's a skinny box and only about five inches long.

'oh, c'mon. i was really enjoying your rendition of billie jean.'

you grab the box, it's light. it's not as dusty as you expected, it looked newly placed. you spin towards him, 'what's this?'

peter slowly looks up from his textbook, his eyes stare at the box in your hand. he's quiet for a bit too long, 'um, a gift.' you break into a smile, 'for who? for you?' you shove it out, 'open it!'

he looks at it like it's poison, but carefully grabs it and sets it next to him on the other side of his leg. your shoulders drop, 'open it, petey!' peter shakes his head, 'i will later, let me finish this first.'

you boo at him, 'c'mon, nerd. you can spare two minutes, i'm curious!' peter ignores you and it doesn't sit right, 'who's it from?' suddenly you're thinking it's from someone he doesn't want you to know about.

'no one.' you don't like how he's brushing you off, or lying.

'really? you got yourself a gift, wrapped it and hid it? from yourself?'

your boyfriend shuts his textbook and looks at you carefully. peter grabs the gift box and runs his thumbs across a seam.

'it's for you.'

your eyes soften. 'i got it for national girlfriend's day but it's dumb so i didn't give it to you.' your heart melts for him, 'why do you think it's dumb?'

he shrugs, you hate when peter's unconfident. 'i don't know. i just don't want you to not like it so, i guess i took away that option.' it hurts to know he thinks you wouldn't like a gift from him. it's not about what it was, it was the thought that mattered most.

'well,' you rest into the back of the chair. 'if you don't want to give it to me that's fine, just make sure you get your money back.' it was too understanding for peter's comfort.

'i want to give it to you, i just don't want you to hate it.'

you frown at him, 'why would i hate it?' he could explain it to you, or you could just see for yourself. peter hands over the box, you take it with caution to make sure he could stop the transaction at any moment.

'open it.'

you're weary, you don't want to force him. 'are you sure?'

peter seems more confident, 'it's for you.' you slowly start to unwrap it, before you can get far you stop and look back up. 'if i don't like it do you want me to be honest?'

'i don't think you'd be able to hide it.'

you tear open the paper, a gift box stops you. when you peer up, peter looks away, you pull the top off and gaze at the gift. your chest swells, you can't do anything but gasp.

'peter, oh my god.' you can't speak, it's beautiful, you have no idea how he could think you'd hate it. you've always wanted something like it, you think you've mentioned it to him before too.

your lower lip wobbles, 'i love it, thank you.' peter stills, 'really?' you nod, you can feel tears blot at your eyes, they're nothing but admiration for the boy in front of you.

'i told you i wanted one.' you cry because you feel seen.

peter smiles in relief, 'you did.' you take a sharp inhale, 'and you listened.' he laughs, he doesn't know why he was so scared, 'i did.'

you peer at the box again, a silver necklace with a pendant. It had a 'P' engraved. you hide your face, you feel like sobbing. you've never had anything so nice.

you hear peter move around, then he's hugging you. you jump up and wrap your hands around his neck, keeping a tight hold on the necklace. 'i love it. i love you.'

peter's warm and soft, 'i love you, too.' you push him away to wipe your nose, before handing him the box of understandment.

'put it on me?' 

[alexanderwales]

Save the Cat is a snappy read, and only 8 chapters, so I'm just doing a liveblog of them unless I get bored or distracted.

Chapter one is about the pitch, the logline, the title, what you put on a poster and how you sell it. It doesn't necessarily come first, but I get the sense that for Snyder this would be his preferred way of doing it. (A logline is just the one-sentence "what is it about" that you use to sell people on the idea.)

Snyder says that writing loglines is awful, soul-crushing work, and I agree there. I'm awful at it. But Snyder also says that if you don't have a good logline, maybe there's something wrong with your movie, and that I don't agree with.

I think there's a fairly wide set of stories that have good, snappy, easy loglines, and are also good stories. But I think there are other stories that are good stories and don't have a great way to pitch them. The lack of a good pitch can exist for a lot of reasons, and sometimes it's just that it's more complex than can be summed up in a single sentence, or even a handful of sentences. I think in practice writers will often dumb down the story for the logline, lying about what's contained within, just to make sure that it will sell, that people will want to know what's inside.

One of the other main points of the chapter is that a good logline has irony to it, a twist inherent in the title, some kind of thematic tension, and I disagree with that too, maybe not from the standpoint of selling a script, but from the standpoint of storytelling.

Why does everything have to have an irony to it? Why does everything have to have a twist? Why can't we have stories that are just well-told explorations of conflict and character? It's like at some point people decided that they only wanted Distinct Pieces of Media, so if you wanted to tell a story that's been told before, something with its own unique texture, you're just shit out of luck.

I find this all the more irritating because often the twist/irony/idea/pitch is good, and then the execution is shit, and then people don't want that idea again. It's not like you can say "like that thing that flopped, but good".

Blake Snyder is trying to tell good stories, but he's also trying to sell stories, and this is a good thing for authors to know how to do. I accept this. I just don't like it.

So as a writing exercise, here are some loglines for things I've written, without the amount of care and polish and revision that a good logline needs:

Worth the Candle - A teenaged dungeonmaster gets thrust into the worlds he's created, where his recently deceased friend is a historical figure. (This is bad, not short and snappy enough.)

This Used to be About Dungeons - Five young adults team up to delve dungeons and bake pies. (I don't know man, I said I was bad at this.)

Thresholder - A man travels through portals to different worlds and genres, gathering powers and skills as he fights other people just like him.

Shadows of the Limelight - In a world where fame gives you power, a fanboy saves the life of the world's greatest hero in full view of the public.

The Dark Wizard of Donkerk - An orphan raised by two dark wizards adventures north with a wayward princess.

Millennial Scarlet - A gig-economy demon hunter grapples with the death of his mother and the plans she set up before she passed.

Alright, I found that less soul-sucking than usual, but I don't think that these are the oiled, muscular, perfectly toned and smiling loglines that are necessary to sell, just to be clear. The marketing unit of written fiction is not really the logline, though that helps, it's the blurb, and I am equally awful at writing those. I just don't agree with Blake Snyder that a blurb or logline coming poorly is a sign that you don't know the story.

[sturniololuv08]

Case In Point

This morning Chris was terrifyingly silent. He stayed behind at the hospital last night with Nick. I was having too much anxiety being there and needed to come back to the house for my medicine. Chris came home early and refused to acknowledge me. He was still upset with me but I wasn't entirely sure what the reason was. I couldn't help anything that happened leading Nick to this point. He might just be mad at himself for not being there and he was taking it out on me. We were getting ready to go get Nick from the hospital and bring him back home. They called Chris and told him all of Nick's imaging tests were perfect. I'm not sure what Chris said but no cops were called or involved so he was able to lie his way around authority.

"Let's go!" I slipped on some black and gold sneakers. I didn't care too much about what I was seen wearing and dressed down.

"Coming!" I grabbed a zip hoodie off my small dresser and ran out to the garage. The car ride was just more silence from Chris. It wasn't until we were in the room with Nick that Chris started speaking again.

"Ready to come home?" He flopped on the bed and Nick shuttered a little.

"Very." He stuck his hand out to emphasize his emotions.

"Let's go then." Chris shot back up. "I know Elmer wants to come over and see you. I was thinking about just having a welcome home party."

"Is that really necessary?" I rolled my eyes. Maybe Chris was just irritated with me because I challenged every dumb idea he had.

"Nick was shot and almost died; he deserves a party." Chris' intentions were there but not entirely thought out.

"Something small wouldn't hurt." Nick smiled softly at me. I knew then he was just doing the big brother thing by keeping Chris happy.

"Yeah!" He rejoiced in his win and shook Nick a little. His face contorted with the onset of pain.

"A party is fine but being touched isn't." He smacked Chris off of him.

"Got it." The nurse came in with a wheelchair.

"No." Nick said. His face was completely flat. He looked between all of us and said 'no' one more time. 

The nurse smiled softly and said, "I know it's annoying but it's protocol and we can't have you walk out. You have to be wheeled to the car. If you fell and got hurt again you could sue us." Nick sighed heavily and stood up from the bed his face was like a stone as if he was trying to prove he wasn't in any pain.

"See, I'm fine." He said.

"I think we could just forget about protocol just this one time." Chris advocated for him. She thought.

"I guess since there are three of you; the two of you," she pointed between Chris and I, "could help him walk out." She again smiled signaling she was on our side. We each shuffled to be underneath one of Nick's arms. It was a little awkward but we made it work and carefully started walking him down the hall. Once outside he shoved us out from underneath him and walked to the car the rest of the way by himself. 

On the car ride back to the house, Chris was thumbing away on his phone, inviting everyone to the welcome home party. I stared out the window in silence. I didn't want to be around people right now. With the current events that happened I was starting to question my loyalty to the gang. I didn't like that Chris and Nick often put themselves in this kind of danger. And for what? It felt like we gave everything up for Elmer's gang "project" only to receive very little in return. Our house was shitty and falling apart we didn't see profits often just enough to survive and live off of and now one of us almost lost our life entirely. It didn't seem worth it anymore. At least, not to me.

I consistently play that drop repeatedly in my head wondering what happened. I still feel like the first shot was fired from our side but that wouldn't make sense unless we truly did short them. And if that was the case, then Elmer was putting all of us in danger and lying to our faces about it. I don't want to be involved with someone like that. When we pulled up to the house Chris was immediately trying to help Nick. Nick was shutting down every attempt. I stayed in the background just watching everything happen. I was stuck in my head. I was stuck in my thoughts.

"So what time is everybody coming over?" Nick asked. I assume he was wondering because he wanted to try and rest before he was the center of attention.

"I told everybody to meet at Elmer's around 10:00. I wanted to try and give you time to rest." Chris was finally sounding considerate. "Oh, and we're having it at Elmer's instead of here because it's a little bit nicer and Elmer feels bad. He wants to contribute." Chris interjected before turning the corner out of the room. He came back with a water for Nick.

My phone started ringing in my pocket I took it out and looked at it. 2:30. It was my alarm to go and see her. I looked up to see both of them staring at me.

"It's almost 3:00," I whispered more to myself. I immediately regretted it because their faces changed to curiosity.

"So when do we get to know what your three o'clock plans are?" Nick asked. 

"Never," I replied.

"You know sooner or later you're just going to have to tell us otherwise we're just going to follow you to see what you do." Chris was always the person to take it too far. Nothing could be a joke for long with him. It was very contrast to who he used to be before all of this. He used to be loving and kind; everything was a joke to him. And now he's serious, and focused, and nothing is fun anymore. I secretly missed the old Chris.

"I guess one day you're just going to have to follow me and find out." I was still playing coy because I did not ever want them to know where I went or why I went there. I went into my bedroom to change into something a little less comfy and a little more casual. 

Once I was dressed I walked out into the living room Nick was asleep on the couch. Chris was playing Rocket League on the TV. 

"He's fine. I just gave him a sleeping pill so he didn't risk opening up his stitches."

"Can I ask you something?" I asked Chris. He paused the game, sat down the controller, and looked at me. His eyes stared right at me but I could tell he didn't see me.

"Why are you mad?" His face changed a little to show he was thinking about my question. I felt like if he had to think about his answer then it was probably a stupid reason.

"Honestly, Matt I'm not mad. I'm frustrated. Everything we do is dangerous. Everything we do puts us in harm's way and I'm frustrated because you just seem like you don't get it. You don't take it seriously or care. I can't tell which but I feel like you don't take it seriously enough and don't realize that there could be consequences around the corner because of it. I know you are not like Nick and I. Not in the slightest, but you could at least try a little harder and I can't help but feel if you had tried a little harder Nick wouldn't have gotten shot that night."

I was speechless I was well aware that I was not of the same caliber as Nick or Chris but what I wasn't aware of was that it bothered him. I didn't realize that he cared so much about me laying low and hanging back instead of being involved in everything.

"I have to go." I couldn't address what he just unloaded on me.

"Case in point." He mumbled grabbing the controller. I grabbed the car keys and drove back into town. At Grinds it was the same routine I was comfortable with. We both order. She was on her computer and phone by herself and I was watching her. You would think since I have spoken to her twice now I would be able to talk to her with ease but it actually made it worse. I wondered if she thought about 'the guy from the party' or ' the guy from the coffee shop'. She was always in her little world typing away so she didn't notice or recognize me today after running into me yesterday. She didn't stay as long today. She packed up and I watched her get into an Uber. I sighed dreading going home. I was glad Nick was back but I couldn't face Chris after what he said to me.

[st4rrygrl]

The blatant lies in plagues (@/blood.plagues) "explanation" and more allegations. (Part 2)

Welcome back to the series of us sharing what we love about plague /sar. In the time period between this post and the one before it, we've found out more things that are either insane or just questionable.

1) Ableism.

This made me laugh when I first saw it as literally one simple google search and maybe 15 minutes of research could easily disprove this. According to this article by Mclean Hospital,

"BPD is a personality disorder that has historically been diagnosed in adults. However, despite the common misconception that BPD does not occur in those younger than 18, a significant body of evidence suggests it is possible for children and adolescents to begin to develop BPD before age 18.

Neither the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) nor the older versions of the DSM prohibit the diagnosis of BPD in young people.

According to BPD expert Blaise Aguirre, MD, “It is outrageous to think a clinician would not diagnose BPD when a person is seventeen years and 364 days old and then diagnose it the next day when the teen turns eighteen.”

Because teen personalities are still forming, young people may undergo many changes before they’re considered an adult. Mood swings, instability, and other symptoms may be a sign of hormonal fluctuations, stress, or anxiety.

Those who are experiencing symptoms of borderline personality disorder need help—don’t wait to seek care in the hopes that a behavior is “just a phase” or “they’ll grow out of it.”"

And that's just the first thing that comes up on google. Even if plague didn't know about this, it's reckless behaviour to fake claim someone who you aren't even in contact with, and double down on it when a simple google search would've told you that getting a diagnosis at 12 is in fact, possible.

This screenshot is even more disturbing than the last ones, he's straight-up mocking someone with down syndrome for literally no reason. There is no way to justify this, and the only way you could try to is if he was "ignorant" which would be a disgusting excuse, and mean nothing at the same time.

He cannot keep blaming everything on his "ignorance", his "dark and sexual humor", or the fact that he asked for permission. These need ACTUAL explanations describing exactly what was going on through his head while saying these. It doesn't matter if these were private conversations either-- it's still sickening to look at. Again, there's literally no way you could explain or defend this screenshot, it's actually heinous.

2) Plague's ignorance/Our statements.

In response to the screenshot of plague saying a slur he cannot reclaim, @/twproxy made a post addressing it. In the post, they shared this screenshot:

And I just wanted to offer my thoughts on this since this seems to be a very common pattern with Plague.

Even if these were private dms and that according to @/twproxy, people (lesbians) can't feel offended (even if the slur is offensive) because it wasn't directed at them, it's still reckless behaviour. Just the idea that he said a slur and had to be educated by people a decade younger than him is ridiculous. He's not a kid, he should know better. He could easily blame all of these screenshots, and this ENTIRE situation on him being ignorant, but we all know that's not true.

The slur was clearly said in a manner that meant it to be derogatory, anyone who can critically think can see that. Also like... it's clearly referring to lesbians (meaning that bisexual people can't reclaim it). Unless he's actually dumb and dense, he would realize that "hey! maybe that's a slur, let me search it up first to make sure!" but no, instead, he called a minor a slur that he cannot reclaim. What I'm trying to say is that he could easily be lying about this and just say "that he didn't know" to get them off of his back.

I'm not involved with this situation, nor do I know anyone who is, so maybe, just maybe there is in fact context I am missing. Maybe they said that he can call them slurs, which would be fine I guess. But to a regular person, this entire situation is just insane. From calling a 15 year old a derogatory slur he cannot reclaim, to pretending that he didn't know what it meant.

I wanted to talk about this in the post about him replying to his racism allegations, but I let Laila handle that one first. What I wanted to mention was how absurd it was that Plague saw a video of someone crying their eyes out about racism, and saw how clearly it affected them personally, and instead of apologizing like a normal person, he decided to "defend" himself by lying through his teeth.

I can't even find a word to describe that behaviour other than UNREAL. You SAW how your words affected people. and you wanted to double down on it and defend yourself instead of just admitting that you made a mistake and apologizing????

3) Plague using minors to defend himself.

It's also ridiculous how plague has minors writing posts defending him on tumblr instead of just addressing the allegations himself. It's pathetic and predatory to have minors do your dirty work. We won't share the screenshots unless we absolutely need to, to keep the people involved safe; but we were sent a pretty alarming piece of information. Plague has allegedly repeatedly asked one of his moderators to make a video about the situation to defend him.

I'll state it again, this is predatory behaviour. Minors shouldn't be fighting his battles and deal with the backlash. The longer Plague stays silent about this, the worse it's gonna get.

[fountainpenguin]

Been bingeing T.U.F.F. Puppy and Bunsen Is a Beast while I've been sick. Here's a liveblog of highlights I enjoyed:

Every line of dialogue in these shows is fantastic...

- "You don't need to breathe- You just need to obey my every command." - "In the interest of our friendship, which is way more important to me than anything in the world... I'm taking the speedboat. Think about it- You don't want the hassle of owning a speedboat!" - "I've been nice this year. And by 'Nice,' I mean I've kept my more sinister acts on the downlow through deception, deceit, and occasionally framing others." - "This is the greatest moment of my brief life!" - "Anywho, Santa... You're looking buff! Have you been hitting the gym~?" / "Are we seriously doing this?" - "To protect my standing on the nice list, can you please refer to me as Marsha during this particular evil mission?" - "You guys have to save Christmas! ... I would, but I'm in a box and I'm 5." - "You don't need to know the laws when you're a criminal. Or a baby! Just a little fun fact I thought I'd throw out there." - "I know you are lying to me... Your status says I'm lying to The Chameleon." - "You voluntarily touched me in an affectionate way!" - "I love our new crib! It was an impulse buy. (Gasp)- We should steal a baby to put in it!" - "If I'm so dumb, how come I've been getting away with slowly poisoning you?" - "You're going down for armed robbery!" / "They're not armed." / "Are you kidding me? Have you seen this man's guns?" - "Let me leave! I'm not even helpful!" / "I'm never helpful and I'm still here." - Okay... Such good animatic redraw material.

- So many silly characters, many of whom look like cinnamon rolls but would actually kill you. I love them. I should finish my 'fic WIPs. Dudley's later flanderization-characterization still makes me sad... He cared so much about working in Season 1 that he couldn't settle down on vacation. He'd explore, he'd volunteer for things, he obsessed about paperwork... That's who he is... He was good at his job. I miss him.

- Who do you think has the higher kill count: Chameleon eating [confirmed sentient] bugs his whole life, or Keswick wiping out his home dimension? ... I guess it would HAVE to be Keswick because he would've killed the bugs too, huh?

- I really love the worldbuilding vibe of "You're allowed to kill other creatures, but if the ambulance is called, everyone is treated equally." Yeah, we sell flea collars and body spray. Yes, the Chief got incredibly sick when Dudley wore a flea collar into work; that is a thing that happened.

- Making one of the main characters a flea was pretty fantastic in itself, let's be honest. How many anthro shows have a bug main character (unless the show is all about bugs), and how many of them have a special mobility aid thing that magnifies their appearance, keeps them off the floor, gives them extra strength, etc... It's great.

- I love the Chief's monitor cart:

Why does it sit in chairs? How can he use the hands? Outrageous.

- It's heavily implied that even the creatures that look and act feral are actually sentient, which just makes Kitty bringing the Chief dead mice as a form of affection so much darker...

[cnt'd]

- How on earth did The Chameleon get invited to career day to speak to little kids about being a super villain? Whose idea was that?

- I love "Guard Dog"- It's probably my favorite episode. So many good quotes, such a goofy set-up, you get to travel outside Petropolis, it delves into some of the in-universe witness protection lore... It's great.

- I love Chameleon snuggling with Dudley because they're handcuffed together and he's cold-blooded. I like the end when Kitty is handcuffed to 5 people at once, but Dudley leaving her that way feels justified because she left him for the entire ride to Petsburg.

- I particularly enjoy Kitty only having 4 limbs, so Larry and Francesco are both chained to the same leg. I feel like they could very easily rip that off, especially with how often Francesco tries to eat stuff.

- I wanna talk about Chameleon's side hustle of going on dates with people who ask him to shapeshift into their dream person.

- Wannabee was forced out of the auditorium halfway through his evil scheme so the students could have play rehearsal.

- I will never be over Wannabee gushing over how cool he thinks it is that he can make honey and that he will outright tell you he makes it mouth to mouth. They could've given us bees passing the honey by hand, but no... No, we get to see them do it mouth to mouth and Wannabee brags about it. Hilarious.

- My adoration for Birdbrain is also growing. What do you mean he's lonely and cloning himself to save his species? What do you mean he can just walk into T.U.F.F. headquarters and shred their files for his nest material because he's endangered and they can't hurt him? That's hilarious.

- I think I said this years ago, but I really like how there's no romance between Birdbrain and Zippy. He hates her equally to all his other henchmen. Everyone he works with is useless, so he leaves them in the car with the window cracked instead of bringing them to heists. Man wants a partner and kids so bad, he puts up with the most annoying people you've ever seen... He hates them so much...

I can't stop thinking about the B-plot in "Pup In the Air" of Birdbrain trying to keep his deposit on the house he rented, but his henchmen just keep making terrible choices-

- Every time I think about how Owl's name is Terry, it just cracks me up. I don't think Birdbrain knows Owl and Bat have first names because the only two things they ever say are "Who?" and "Where?" so they can't communicate who they are as people.

- Also, shout-out to the commitment to Bat being blind. Unclear if he uses echolocation... He just kinda runs around. Why on earth does he have a gun?

Bonus screenshot to highlight Bat's gorgeous wing design:

- Why don't Owl and Birdbrain get feathered wings? DO they have feathered wings? I assume they don't, because Owl flies like this:

And we know Birdbrain can't fly, but his arms don't become wings either:

- Obsessed with Snaptrap having the power to erase minds and the only time he uses it is when wiping the minds of critics who were mean to his dancing clone.

- Some of these hero-villain relationships are so good... Dudley broke The Chameleon out of the holding cell so they can enter a two-person contest. Dudley pretends he's been poisoned and The Chameleon just goes along with it because it makes him look like a cool villain. Kitty gets dance lessons from Snaptrap... Dudley and Snaptrap were roommates... Snaptrap dated Dudley's mom... Dudley dated Birdbrain... They are so goofy.

- Speaking of Dudley dating Birdbrain, that episode cracks me up for many reasons, but one of them is definitely "Dudley getting in the way and being a pain even when he's trying to do his best job being sweet and helpful." "I'm blowing kisses~ And now they're hitting you~" /starts jabbing his fingers all over Birdbrain while Birdbrain's driving

- Can't stop thinking about how much I love Larry. Him and the evil crew he pulled by being a silly brother-in-law <3 I wish they would've delved into the Larry & Snaptrap are brothers-in-law thing in-show (It was only confirmed in outside trivia iirc), but... them.

He sit:

This would make a great "Draw the squad" meme, actually.

Oh, I just looked it up to see if I could find a source (because it was years ago that I read this fact and I suddenly worried it wasn't real). No direct source link, but here's what I found on the Wiki:

I've always assumed that means he's married to Pat since she's the only confirmed sister Snaptrap has-

But like, I think about this all the time... The Snaptraps are canonically a crime family, so did Larry know what he was getting into? Are they on good terms? They're not divorced. Is it a forbidden love? I still want a huge rivalry between the rats and the shrews... It would be so funny...

We know Snaptrap and Francesco share a bunk bed (or at minimum, a room with bunkbeds in it). I assume Larry goes home to see his wife, right? We know she's an actual successful criminal who thinks her brother is a failure, so, like... why does she let her husband hang out there where he's being tormented daily?

I watched the episode where Snaptrap gripes that Larry's face scares off girls, but like... that's so funny. Is it because he's married? Some of the other members of D.O.O.M. - like Ollie - are sad that girls don't talk to them, but Larry doesn't, like... ever discuss that. I wish he would've bragged about being married. I think it would drive Snaptrap up the wall. Maybe he does. I really wish we would've seen Larry at the Snaptrap family reunion. Larry, your wife...

I doodled Larry with his Murray hair because it's cute when he ties it back :)

- It will never not be funny that when Larry defected and founded his own league of villains, he broke the entire crimefighting system by refusing to call in advance to tell T.U.F.F. what he was about to steal. Overnight sensation. Everybody hates him for that.

- Once upon a time, I joked that Larry probably worked with his brother-in-law instead of his wife because Snaptrap's crimes are smaller, so Larry probably gets out of jail sooner and can spend more time with the kids, house, etc. Knowing what we know about what a meticulous planner he is when he takes over, I think that sounds about right. It's all one big, elaborate thing... That's very Larry.

- There are so many little moments of the Snaptrap-Larry hatred I enjoy, like how they play word games together and Larry just gets in his face about it. Larry rarely communicates directly with T.U.F.F. (barring the episode he's his own villain), but in "Girlfriend or Foe," he jumps on the call just to brag about how he's beating Snaptrap in the game and I think that's fantastic. Even back in "Share-a-Lair," they were playing word games.

- In the truth syrup episode, Snaptrap admits he doesn't actually hate Larry, but he's hard on him because he thinks Larry has the most potential to be evil... but Larry straight-up confirms that he's been putting black widows in Snaptrap's gym bag. It's so funny to me... Snaptrap is mean in predictable ways, but do not mess with Larry. He'll get you back.

- I like how they went on a gameshow where Snaptrap had to guess Larry's secret desire, and it was-

The reason they lost out on their free vacation to Maui was because Larry stuck a rattlesnake in Snaptrap's pants at the airport and they couldn't get on the plane. He just can't help himself... He hates him so much. I just love them. He sit...

Why does Larry just have access to rattlesnakes and cobras? What does he do in his spare time?

- I like when Snaptrap breaks out of the holding cell to get snacks and then he goes back. That's always great.

- I love how committed Mikey is to being president of the Beast welcoming community. He has ONE JOB and he's going to do it. He loves his gift baskets. What do you mean Muckledunk's biggest export is silent whistles and they sell 9 per year? What.

- Everything Mikey says is fascinating to me. Also, within the first ~60 seconds of knowing him as a character in Episode 1, you get so much... He's an extravert, he does his research, he knows his town history, he plans ahead, he gets excited when he doesn't mess up his prepared speech, he's savage for no reason... It's great. Flawless character introduction.

- Like... Just the entire dynamic of "Bunsen is the first Beast to come to human school - and he's a member of a species known for eating humans - and it's on Mikey to make him feel welcome, not just as a fellow student but as an authority figure" is really interesting to me. Most of Bunsen's friends throughout the series are Beasts, which makes sense- Bunsen's actually pretty shy. Like... you wouldn't guess it by looking at him and his role as comic relief, but he's definitely less social than Mikey.

This screenshot just tells you the whole series dynamic:

It's Mikey and Amanda at each other's throats and Bunsen anxious in the background. SO funny. I also watched "My Gym Partner's a Monkey" years ago (and a little bit of "Squirrel Boy"), and both those shows lean into the "human is the comedic straight man and the non-human is the wild one" vibes.

But no... not Bunsen Is a Beast. It's Mikey who's the energetic, off-the-wall wild card. Bunsen just lives here. He's straight-up just a nerd who got sent to human school. Love that for him. Mikey's driving this car, but Bunsen keeps him from plowing into buildings and lakes.

Literally your best defense against Mikey is that when he gets too excited, he faints. This happens in multiple episodes.

Bunsen has such incredible "Perfectionist, told he's mature for his age" vibes... In Episode 1 when he almost eats Mikey, he whimpers, "Sorry, Mikey... I failed to co-mingle..." Everything in Bunsen's plot line comes back to "If you screw up, we can kick your whole species underground again." That's so much for a little guy. Ugh. My heart. I think he'd get along fantastically with Hazel. Mikey would be a lot for her.

- Every time Mikey and Bunsen try to say something in sync, but fail to do so, it's funny to me...

Your honor, this is a show about friends and kindness...

- I totally forgot the person Amanda invited to school for the "someone you wouldn't normally hang out with" event was someone with a restraining order against her. That's objectively hilarious.

- Cracking up at Mikey asking Amanda for break-up advice. Also, Bunsen warned him that if he tried to have a break-up talk with Willa, she might just eat him, and Mikey did it anyway. There is one thing this boy will not compromise on and it is "I am not comfortable with this. Stop coming onto me." Love that for him.

- I forgot Mikey got invited to a dance by Bunsen's cousin and he was so terrified he stopped breathing.

- "Extremely horny rich girl" & "Guy who will lure her in with promises of kisses and then dodge at the last second so something horrible happens to her" is such a funny combo. Mikey-Amanda rivalry, you will always be famous to me... You cannot get Mikey to accept her flirtations... He would sooner chew his arm off, I think.

- I can't believe Mikey threw Amanda off Santa's sleigh. Flying above the city. Really high. On purpose. Of course he would.

- I always forget Bunsen's house was just, like... built in the middle of the decorative roundabout piece.

- Mikey sending his own clone to run his conspiracy club is still one of the funniest plot set-ups I've ever seen. I didn't see it coming because Mikey was bringing in clones for every club he's in, but... yep. I can see how this went wrong. Mikey is such a terrible dad to his clones; it's so funny. He just dunks on them every time he sees them.

- I like how Nerd Mikey is equally as unhinged as regular Mikey. Logically he would be - He's a clone - but what is going on inside his head... Sir, you can't just leave school property to go back in time...

- What do you mean Mikey is in the "Amanda Stares at Mikey and Makes Tiger Growl Sounds" club. I mean, by default he kind of has to be there, but that's so funny...

- Totally forgot Mikey wants to write a song called "Hey Mom- Get Out of My Room." His hatred for his clingy parents plagues him constantly.

- Amanda- "I'm going to watch Munroe change his shirt. Raowr." / Mikey, screaming- "I will DIE in this shirt!"

- It is SO funny that even if you ask him directly, Bunsen will avoid questions about whether he eats people, but his first instinct to smelling Mikey covered in barbecue sauce is to tell him he smells delicious, and his first response to his BFF Wolfie suggesting they eat Mikey on a plate of noodles is "That does sound good." Hey. what.

And Wolfie knows Bunsen's hesitant about it, because he blatantly calls Mikey delicious, removes Bunsen's eyes, and tries to eat Mikey while Bunsen's looking for his eyeballs. Later he actually does get him in his mouth. And Amanda. omfg Wolfie...

We literally get to see a health class short film that's like "Let's talk about people-eating urges and feelings of guilt that come with it!" omg. Bunsen, why is that in your house? Why was that already on your person? Do you wanna talk about it?

I wonder if BiaB would've done better if it had been played with Invader Zim vibes. These shows have similar energy, but Zim has the colors and music to match its dark vibe. BiaB also gets pretty dark, but the colors and music make it so peppy and cheery... I think that's silly. You can tell it's got FOP energy (Sweet on top, horrifying underneath).

- Bunsen has so much anxiety about following rules even when they're in direct conflict to his happiness... He is doing his best...

- Forgot Bunsen is personally offended to learn that humans don't give Santa gifts, because Beasts give gifts to their present-giver. He just has such a strong sense of personal justice and loyalty...

- I cannot get over Bob slowly fading from the timeline, but continuing to report the news anyway. He's flickering, gradually losing his legs, but he acts like nothing's wrong.

They brought him a stool because his legs got disintegrated... They throw things through his head..

- I can't believe Amanda almost put a kitten in a woodchipper.

- Mikey's parents are so overprotective, distant, and weird about him, they canonically have not given him The Talk about where babies come from. He doesn't know his middle name.

- I LOVE how Mikey's relationship with his parents is just, like... him screaming that he wants them to back off and let him grow up. They just spy on him with a drone. "Stalked by his parents" is such a silly thing to do with your main character.

- They leave him at home to fend for himself, but still micromanage what he's allowed to do (Ex: He can own a llama and a scary praying mantis, but not a dog). Heavily implied they avoid their son because germs. There is no doubt in my mind they will continue spying on him when he's an adult. That's rough, buddy.

- Is Mikey a kleptomaniac? He just steals things... Amanda's dog. A shopping cart. He took some guy's lamp for no reason. He just took it on his way out.

- It's not like "Mikey is a massive guilt-tripper" was new to me, but it's still SO funny to watch him blatantly take advantage of Cosmo and Wanda even after Timmy repeatedly asked him to stop wishing. Timmy gave him an inch and he fought for a mile.

- Perfect depiction of the Mikey-Timmy relationship:

Mikey, please stop running Cosmo and Wanda ragged- / I totally hear you. No <3

- Mikey is older, but Timmy is unquestionably the more sensible and responsible one of this duo. Which is horrifying.

iirc, the "Beast of Friends" crossover took place when Season 10 was airing, though it's probably pre-Chloe since she wasn't there. Consider: Timmy resisted Chloe as a godsister because Mikey had already turned him off to the idea of sharing fairies.

- I totally forgot Mikey got sent to the future once. I can use this...

- Timmy calls Mikey "kid who's older than me" because Mikey didn't like him just saying "kid"

- Mikey adored the crossover. I think Timmy's glad he didn't have to hang out with Mikey any longer than he did. Just in August, I scrapped my "Best. Day. Ever." prompt for the 130 which was about Mikey running Timmy ragged, but... I kinda want to bring it back. Mikey is exhausting. He will break you down.

- I like how Mikey was excited by everything Timmy showed him, but Timmy was uneasy about Bunsen's house; it's Timmy who took charge of trying to explain things as realistic to his confused dad. Mikey literally did not care if people were put off.

- I still think it would be funny if Mikey and Dev switched drones for a day. Also, you'll see this in my Dale character profile on the sideblog, but my headcanon is that Mikey grew up and went into security with a pinch of robotics on the side (taking after his parents), so he just, like... bothers Dale. They met as kids when Mikey tagged along on an installation trip for the Dimmadomes, playing into my long-time headcanon that all the rich people in Dimmsdale have wild security systems because of Mikey's parents. Dale does not like him. Mikey's been mailing Dale Waffle House coupons for 20 years. There are no Waffle Houses in California.

- Mikey would snap Peri like a toothpick. He's just a lot and I cannot imagine a world where Peri has the patience for him.

Anyway, thanks for reading my liveblog. Silly, silly...

[bestworstcase]

Hm. Yknow I was thinking about your Summer theory as well as Raven and I came to a conclusion that I think is Very interesting

So Summer would've told Raven the truth about Oz, right? The fact that he's preparing the world for divine judgement? What if Raven went to confront Oz about it? It'd be in character for her to do so, especially with something like THAT hanging over everyone's heads

But um. Backtracking real quick- Raven doesn't like Oz, but she doesn't seem to HATE him. She insults Tai and Qrow more than him, she mostly seems to hate how Oz does things. Which is completely fair, some of his actions deserve criticism (and I say this as an Oz fan lol). I think this Could give us insight into how Raven confronting Oz about the mandate could've gone

Basically Raven would've confronted Oz about it, and Oz, suspicious but still choosing to answer, would say that he hasn't worked towards that goal in millennia. Raven would call bullshit, until Oz offers to use the relic of knowledge underneath Haven.

Thing is, NO ONE besides Oz knows about the password. No one besides him COULD know, so I highly doubt Summer or someone else could've used it. And they go, Raven asks Jinn if Oz is lying- and she says that Oz isn't lying.

Raven would hate Oz a WHOOOOLE lot more if Oz was still working towards that goal and she knew about it. It'd be something I'm sure would've pushed her to even join Salem. But she... doesn't hate Oz. She doesn't LIKE him, obviously, and I don't think she ever will (her interacting with Oscar would be fun), but she doesn't seem to outright hate him. This theory would figure that out AND solve the "where did the first question go" AND be another tasty reveal.

I really don't think Oz is still working towards divine judgement. He absolutely USED to, but I think by now he's stopped completely. I have multiple reasons for this, such as him saying after The Four Seasons that magic should strictly stay in the realm of fantasy (doesn't sound like someone who wants magic or the gods back), that everything he's doing goes directly AGAINST what Light wants (in Fairytales of Remnant, he actively ENCOURAGES people to question everything they see or hear; Oz focuses on the importance of individuality; he actively makes the Gods look petty and bad, and probably more I'm forgetting). Oz isn't an idiot, nor is he delusional. He's made mistakes but that doesn't mean he's dumb.

You could argue he's still working towards unity, but by itself, unity isn't necessarily a BAD thing. And Light doesn't necessarily just want people to be united, he wants to, and I quote, "But if your kind is unchanged, if you demand our blessings while still fighting amongst yourselves, then man will be found irredeemable and your world will be wiped from existence." He wants people to not question him, to never ask for anything, to follow him blindly. Oz repeatedly directly opposes this idea, and even turns away when the option to actually fulfill this task is handed to him on a silver platter (everyone kneeling to him at the end of the Great War). The options are a) he's putting in the absolute BARE minimum of effort into his task b) he's a delusional idiot and c) he's not working towards this task anymore. I think it's far more likely he's not working towards it anymore.

Granted, I genuinely don't think Salem is aware of ANY of this. They haven't exactly been communicating. Just as Oz isn't aware of Salems true goals, Salem isn't aware that Ozpin gave up his goal. Honestly, if they talk and this comes up and Oz doesn't say "Is that truly what you think of me?" I'll buy a hat just to eat it <- thinks Oz parallels Darkness (delusional).

Anyways Raven would hate Oz way way more if Oz was still working towards that goal, unless she either doesn't know (unlikely, Summer would've told her) or he's not working towards it anymore and he proved it to her via relic (bc literally nothing else short of that would work).

the problem here though is that ozpin is still trying to fulfill his task, at least notionally. he doesn’t WANT to and he may not BELIEVE in it except insofar as he believes the final judgment is inevitable, but he locked down all four relics after establishing a united global order for a reason. however reluctantly, he’s still dragging himself forward along this path one painful inch at a time.

because it’s all he has left. because he’s punishing himself for what he sacrificed for the sake of this task. because he believes there is no other choice. because he fears that doing what he wants will doom the world to annihilation and is impossible besides.

as i’ve said before, beacon academy is a replica of her father’s castle and the headmaster’s office is at the top of her tower for a reason. in his telling, the girl “writes herself out of danger” by writing a fairytale about herself and throwing it to the winds; ozpin published an anthology of fairytales about her, about him, about all his sacrifices and all his regrets, pleading for forgiveness, and the last two stories are the girl in the tower (in his commentary he says the hero who saved her turned out a villain in the end, but hopefully the villain can become a hero too) and the gift of the moon (in his commentary he writes that humanity replaced a gift of the all-powerful god of light with something better).

throwing his stories and his plea for help to the wind, hoping against hope that somehow it’ll find its way into her hands, and she’ll understand and save him from all this.

we live in fear that we might fail/fear that we’ll succeed—he’s too afraid of the consequences if he fails to ever stop, but even greater than that fear is his terror of success, because this world still isn’t as dear to him without her and to save the world he would have to sacrifice her. do exactly the thing she mocks him for not doing: hold her up as a common enemy and rally the whole world against her, then summon the brothers to condemn her.

everything else—the paranoia the zealotry the deceit the passivity—is a distortion to hide this truth even from himself. he will choose her every time. and the fundament of his character is how much he fucking hates himself for that because he’s also convinced that his love dooms the world.

so like. no he would not tell raven jinn’s name, she might find out that he’s still in love with salem. that’s his deepest darkest horrible secret and his great and terrible shame.

i’m also not sure why you think raven would go to ozpin with the spring maiden’s blood on her hands and the awful truth that summer joined salem burning under her tongue, as if raven’s whole character isn’t that she runs away when she’s afraid. be serious.

raven talks about ozpin with the same mixture of disdain and fear she does salem. as far as she’s concerned they are exactly the same—both of them use and discard people, both of them lie, neither will rest until the world crumbles at their feet because no matter who wins in the end, the gods will return to crush or destroy everyone. raven doesn’t want anything to do with either of them; her disgust for tai and qrow is predicated on their trust in ozpin.

that doesn’t require an explanation.

“who asked the first question?” is also, frankly, on a level with “what happened to the stolen dust?” in that it’s an imaginary plot hole with a very obvious answer if you pay attention to the small details: ozpin used the staff of creation to raise atlas, then sealed the relic away in its vault; the staff gives you exactly what you ask for and therefore requires very thorough, precise instructions and ideally blueprints and examples; raising a city into the sky is a task with zero margin for error; ozma as the king of vale used the crown of choice in tandem with the sword of destruction to end the great war; ozpin is the only person who knows jinn’s name; ozpin used jinn’s first question to proof his specifications for the staff.

if raven “you need to question everything because the truth is hard to come by, stop blindly trusting oz” branwen knew how to use the lamp, she would have told yang how to do it before she left.

[loosesodamarble]

I'm new to your blog, and I know your request is closed, but I hope it's okay to still send in brain rots? If not, just reply to this with "No" or something of the sort. I wanted to share this so badly 😭

I'm just imagining a clingy and affectionate lover for Nacht who's ends up just clinging onto his back 24/7. Who's sleeping on his back? Oh. His lover. Why?... I don't know. If his lover feels that something is off. He gets headpats mid conversation or kiss on the cheek.

He's just talking down to someone being a menace that he is to the black bulls squad, and then they see a hand on his head casually petting him and a small voice that just says "No. Bad Nacht. Don't be mean." and he just falters.

Or he's at the meeting with the squad leaders, and he's showing off his demons. Suddenly, he gets a lot of kisses, and suddenly, all the intimidation just goes down the drain.

Does Nacht find it annoying at times? Yes. But. How can he say no when he gets affection?

Side note: The reason why his little baby clings onto him is because they're scared that he'll dissappear and never seen again due to how pessimistic he is towards himself.

Anon... Imagine I am ever so gently holding your shoulders while giving you a little peck on the forehead.

Nacht brainrot is always welcome here. My blog is where Nacht receives all the love and sweetness in the world~! 💖💖💖

I feel like Nacht really needs a clingy and openly affectionate lover. He closes himself off to others so having someone who is very open with their love for him would be a great help to him softening up and learning to love himself. Nacht deserves someone who seeks him out for comfort and wants to provide him comfort too. 🥰🥺💖👏

Gaaaahhhhh! The image of cuddling up against Nacht's back in bed is so cute!

As someone who’s like half a foot shorter than Nacht, the idea of giving Nacht headpats is a little goofy, since for me I’d first have to make him lean down a bit before I could reach the top of his head. 😆 That or we’d have to be sitting/lying down together so he’s already at my shorter level. But I truly would want to give Nacht headpats. He may not feels like it, but he’s a good man who has earned some pats.

Nacht being a menace to the Bulls. Ironic since he’d call the Bulls a menace to society. Look he’s just like a father telling the kids not to repeat his mistakes because his mistakes were suuuuuper dumb! And then his sweetheart partner comes along to shush them. “No need to scold them, honey.”

And let’s be real, after the third scolding from Nacht, the BB would’ve learned to tune him out and blankly stare into the distance until Nacht had finished his spiel.

The Bulls would be a mixture of baffled and jealous that Nacht has a partner that can put up with him. But they’d also be grateful that his partner is there to make him a more bearable person to be around. It they had to deal with grumpy Nacht 100% of the time and not just 70% of it, they would be less happy campers. 😂 The Bulls care for Nacht, they do, but they aren’t simps like me, that’s how I tolerate Nacht so well.

Also loving the idea that Nacht is trying to intimidate others with the devils. But his partner ruins his threatening aura very easily because they want to dote upon Nacht and show how cute the devils can be. 😂☺️

Nacht’s annoyance is at a good 90% but his anger is in the negatives because fhcjdkhhwochcid! He can’t say no to them. His lover has free reign to be lovey-dovey with him. (Unless his mood is really really bad. 😬 In which case his lover would probably know to give him space until he’s thought things through and calmed down. They want to love him but if even a “hello” sets Nacht off, they have to back away and let him stew a bit.) Nacht deserves every hug and kiss and soft word of affection!

Also heck yeah to a clingy lover because they don’t want him to leave!

Let the brainrot flow, dear Anon!

[mint-8]

Inescapable. No Rules, No Rescue - My version

I saw Viveros's video about this game (Inescapable Is The Worst Game I've Ever Played & I'm Making That Your Problem Now) and I started to brainstorm how this characters could shine or be more interesting, in my opinion.

I came up with these ideas for the characters.

Harrison Finn Tailor

- A British Bus Driver. He is socially awkward yet gentle and polite, something that wouldn't change much depending on the routes. As the days pass by and he interacts with others on the island, he'll get more out of his shell and form friendships with the other contestants.

- He joined the competition so he would be able to move from his shitty home in one of the worst neighborhoods in London.

Maria Strauss

- A German Programmer who works from home to take care of her little siblings. She is bubbly and sociable, the opposite of Harrison, and cares deeply for others as an older sister would.

- She joined the show so she would be able to move out of her abusive household with her little siblings.

Annika Eklund

- A Swedish House Maid. A kind, sweet yet somewhat dumb girl (Think Lindsay from Total Drama). She finds great pleasure in taking care of others and finds most household chores as entertaining and relaxing. She is very strong yet won't use her strength unless absolutely necessary.

- She joined Inescapable so she would have enough funds to sue one of her clients for sexual harassment.

Daan Zoetemelk

- A Dutch Professional Biker Athlete. On the outside, he is very outgoing and positive and somewhat dumb. However, he tends to be very cold and cruel when it comes to anyone standing in his way or interrupting his plans, often thinking of very harsh decisions or solutions to simple problems.

- He joined the competition so he would have enough money to settle a case in which he brutally and 'accidentally' broke both of his competitor's legs who won first place in the last race he was in.

Eva Tamm

- A Estonian Social Media Influencer. She became viral thanks to her meme and since then has been addicted to the spotlight that came with it. She loves being the center of attention (so she won't be 'forgotten'), and it's a complete social butterfly to everyone around her.

- She joined the show, so she'll have enough funds to start her new life as a professional social media influencer.

Francisca Carrasco

- A Portuguese Mechanic. She is a single mother who takes no shits from anybody and is very confident and proud of her job skills. She cares deeply for her family, especially her little daughter, and is fiercely protective of anyone she considers close.

- Joined Inescapable so she would have enough money to provide a better life for her child.

Giovanni Lombardi

- An Italian 'Businessman'. A devoted Catholic who has very progressive ideals and worldviews. He is a passionate feminist, LGBTQ+ ally, and a kind gentleman who would never dare to hurt a fly unless it was for self-defense. He is a loving father and husband to his nuclear family. However, his relationship with the rest of his family is very strained.

- Joined Inescapable to get his family out of poverty after some of his failed 'business' ventures caused his family to fall into debt.

Valérie D'Orléans

- A French Heiress. She is the youngest child and the least possible heir to her family's business empire. Outshined by her talented sisters and brothers, she feels extremely inferior in her family full of geniuses and forces herself to appear confident and proud of her abilities in order to protect herself from other's scorn and ridicule.

- She joined the competition, so she'll become an independent entrepreneur to show her capabilities as a leader and prove to her family that she is a capable woman.

Sasha Smith

- A Hacker and Enginner from an unknown origin? It's difficult to tell whether their words are lies or the truth, for they mastered the art of lying to protect themselves.

- They joined the show to get a new identity after a nasty accident from their last 'gig'.

Lumi Ndiaye

- A Finnish Chemist. She is very introverted and somewhat emotionless. Some of it comes from horrible racism she suffered as a black woman. She is very close to her family and is a very passionate activist for equality of races.

- She joined Inescapable to create a charity to fight against discrimination in Finland.

Isak Ringvold

- A Norwegian Jeweler. Born into an affluent family of professional jewelers and with a natural talent for jewel crafting and design, Isak came to hate his gift due to the extreme pressures from his family and social circles to continue his family's traditions. It's been years since he ran away from his home to partake in his dream for acting in professional plays, for he loves the exaggerated and dramatic personalities he has observed on the very scarce free time he had before he fled.

- He joined the show so he would be able to fund his studies in acting and eventually debut as a professional actor.

[shinra-makonoid]

(cw dysphoria & sex life, wanted to ask some questions) You've posted in the past, that you're only into cis men and that you had relationships (and I also think you're a top). We're sorta in the same boat, while I'm bi, I'm more into men. I wanted to ask, how open are you with your partners? I'm afraid that any cis man who would date me would try to pressure me into PIV, because that's what nearly all FTM porn is about. And some T4T people online act so weird that I'm afraid to end up with a trans man who wouldn't act any better, but instead of "let me fuck your pussy", it'll be "pussy4pussy". And if I think further, it boils down to the same issue with hypothetically dating a woman. Some trans women also act weird about trans men, and cis women... either lesbian-leaning or I'll have to go to a bullshit circus called "het dating culture", though from this POV straight women who don't care much about natal penises feel the safest. Basically, I feel like most people who're open to dating trans men, only desire those parts of us that are "leftovers" or resemble our AGAB. I know it's my paranoia and dysphoria speaking, together with the experience of casual lying and manipulation/gaslighting, so I wanted to ask someone who seems to have more experience than me.

First of all, I don't think I have that much experience. I don't currently date anyone and I have no interest in pursuing anything in that regard because obviously I'm focusing on other stuff these months. I can't tell you anything about women either for obvious reasons.

I'm more ambivalent to trans men now as my thought process kinda changed. Like... I do think the T4T culture is often uncomfortable but it might also be a place where you feel safe, understood and secure. There aren't many cis people who are careful and/or who actually do the work themselves before dating you, so you will end up having to go about dumb stuff like the idea you can be a top. And like... Sure it can be done, but it's a hassle, and for my part it really makes me uncomfortable, which eliminates very quickly the person from the dating pool.

My last ex that I dated was a cis gay guy, who didn't ever think about dating a trans man before, and was shook when I told him I was one. He was a huge bottom so he was relieved when I told him I could top and all. But he was still a cis guy, and he told me he went to see porn to "see what it's like" and would talk about how he was okay/wanted to touch my parts and... Idk if it's dysphoria or if it's just him being awkward about it but that made me feel super uncomfortable because I do everything to not think about those parts of me and it's like everything about us was making me think of it. He didn't have any/much understanding or maturity in regards to what he would do/say would actually be harming me unless I specifically explained it to him and it was tiring. Is it a maturity issue or a cis issue exactly idk. But after that I reconsidered T4T mainly because these issues wouldn't arise, and in some way I'd be free of the pressure to perform at a "cis level".

I never got pressured to get PIV sex but I had one guy asking me several times if I'd be open to being pregnant at some point because he was gay but he was also a hardcore alt right and that was also uncomfortable. Usually cis people just assume you only have the PIV possibility and you have to do a whole explanation about how you can do it other ways and it's just boring. I hate that this is a subject, and I specifically hate this is the main subject everyone is worried about any time you discuss something a bit serious in terms of relationships. It is very superficial.

I'm super open about my desires (like being a top, a sadist, hearing the other guy moan etc) and what I don't want (being touched, pregnancy, piv etc), but it doesn't mean the cis partner actually understands it because it's often a bit too strange and most cis people are actually super vanilla.

Hope that it helps? Thanks anon for the ask.

[i-willstealyourtoes]

had an idea last night, may be my last request for a while so I don't overwhelm you but I'll be online!

So maybe jacket, Jimmy, Houston and hoxton with a non-heister S/O who's super innocent, like doesn't get dirty jokes, so on, who also really likes soft fluffy stuff? Cuz like that's cute

Your writing is fantastic btw! Keep up the great work ♡

Hi! Tysm I really appreciate it <33 Also my requests are open now so u can send all your prompts :> Oh and I'm sorry that these might be shorter; I've been losing my momentum recently... 😭

Jacket, Jimmy, Houston + Hoxton with innocent/cute/civie s/o

Jacket

- I think he finds your innocence really refreshing, bc he's used to working with.... well the heisters

- They're not as innocent, as you are probably aware of

- But yeah, he kind of enjoys just having a cute and innocent s/o

- He's glad you haven't seen the horrors of the world

- But at the same time he feels bad bc

- What if he ruins it???

- Even if he isn't actually Jacket (as in, HLM/HLM 2 not being canon), he's still done a lot of... morally questionable things

- You're so nice and cute, he doesn't want to ruin your beautiful view on the world

- But at the same time... he's absolutely addicted to you

- Like everytime he hears you giggle, smile, or be cute... he can't get enough

- You know how people game because they need an escape? That's low-key him with you

- You're his comfort everything

- After a long day of hurting others, he just wants to see you

- Sometimes he'll just observe you

- Like... when your waiting at a park for your date, he'll just look at you for a little while before actually coming up to you

- It doesn't matter how silly goofy you are, he likes just seeing you interact with the world, in your cute clothing and your cute smile

- When he first met you, he thought your innocent demeanour was a facade

- BECAUSE HOW DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THE SEX JOKE SHSHBSHSNS

- 'Eh? What does... the eggplant emoji imply if not veggies?'

- Jacket just looks at you like 👁️👄👁️ 'how do you not know it means someone's DI-'

- (He did not say that)

- But still, he assumed you were just pretending to be that innocent

- Once he hung out with you more, he realized you really are just that dumb innocent

- I don't think he likes inviting you to the safehouse

- I mean, safehouse raids happen whenever so...

- Also he's scared the others might scare you or ruin your innocence

- He doesn't trust the others with you, especially alone

- WHAT IF THEY TELL YOU ABOUT THE SEX AAAAAAA-

- If you do ever hang out with the others, they always tease Jacket about it

- Especially Houston

- 'No offense, but why did you choose chicken little over there? He's so-OW JACKET WAIT OW-'

- No he did not kill Houston... I think

- Jacket feels that Houston's right, why him???

- He thinks of himself of like... 4/10

- You? To him, you break the scale 😊

- (In a good way, not in a 'you're worse than 0' way)

- You probably have to keep reassuring him that he's a 10 (or more) in your eyes

- (He thinks you're lying)

- (We're not Jacket, you're cool)

- Still, he can't help but smile when you're hugging him on the couch, telling him how much you love him

- The combo of hugging your cute form, along with your gorgeous voice...

- Those moments make him feel like he can't get any better

- Like... he's made it, he's made it to heaven

- He would, in a heartbeat, give up everything for your sweet soul

- All you have to do is go 'Please...?' and he'd probably gut a guy for you

- (He definitely would, don't ask him unless you actually want him to)

- He can't help but become a little fluffier with you

- The snuggles... get him every single time

- He just wants to pick you up and just-

- AAAAAAAAAAA HE LOVE YOUUUUU

Jimmy

- Bro... he... he love you so much

- Like... EEEEEEEEEE-

- Idk if I headcanon him as neurodivergent (idk if I even can, as a neurotypical person)

- BUT HE JUST-

- STIMMING EEEEE

- Whenever you snuggle with him or wear really cute fluffy clothes

- Flapping hands or something idk

- He... 🥺

- He's like 'bro my s/o is literally everything'

- Yes you are his new addiction moving on-

- He does call you his 'angel' most likely

- Most likely meaning you have a 90% chance-

- 'Hello angel.'

- CAN YOU HEAR HIM ACTUALLY SAYING THAT??? BC I DO

- OH and if he doesn't call you that??

- The other 10% he calls you something like 'sweetheart'

- NAH BO YOU MAKING ME SIMP FOR HIM NOW

- (For context, I did not really until this-)

- Always has his hands on you

- Not in a bad way??? Like he just always has an arm around you, or holds your hand or a hand on your thigh/waist

- No, it is not sexual (unless you show those intentions to him)

- I genuinely think that when he's really out of it, he actually thinks you're not real 😭

- Like he'll squint his eyes and all 💀

- Man's is like 'no way you're real, there's no way I must be trippin HARD'

- He will pinch you or feel your face to make sure you are in the physical form 💀

- It's either that or he asks you if you've seen his partner (you)

- Like wth????

- 'Hhhhey excuse- excuse me? H-have you seen a person about ehh.... yay-high-?'

- THEN HE GESTURES TO ABOUT A FOOT TALL GREMLIN WTH-

- It does not matter if you're crazy tall, he'll still do that

- '-they're like... SUUUUUPER cute... Like-like CRAZY amounts of cuteness. The kind of... AAWWWWWW A PUPPY cute, you know???'

- 'Babe, that's me-'

- 'WOAH I LITERALLY JUST TALKED ABOUT MY S/O HOW DARE YOU-'

- Bro he trippin-

- Please help him through these times okay he just took a little too much of the illicit pharmaceuticals

- When he snaps out of it, he has no embarrassment about it

- (Idk how, if I were him I would've dug my own grave after)

- OH RIGHT YEAH ABOUT YOUR LACK OF SEX JOKE KNOWLEDGE

- He does make sex jokes now and then, so he finds it kind of funny when you don't get them???

- Like 'haha your so stupid and cute I love you please marry me'

- (He has probably said this at one point in your relationship)

- Jimmy trying to explain 'adult jokes' to you is literally my source of comedy

- 'You see, it's funny because it looks like a PENI-'

- LMAO I AM CACKLING AT THIS-

- The idea of him explaining those kind of jokes while you're like '...?' to him so such a funny concept I love it

- 'What do you mean if it's rock hard you will be too? OH-'

- (Reference to this video)

- Anyways, he likes how cute and innocent you are, though unlike Jacket he'll probably have no issue telling you about funny innuendos-

Houston

- I think he didn't get it at first either????

- Like how... how do you not get the joke

- You're of legal age, HOW-

- He finds it kind of amusing though so he doesn't mind

- It's low-key his source of entertainment I'm ngl

- He's probably shown you funny sex jokes and asked you to explain

- 'Uh.... the eggplant emoji... is it like... a veggie joke?'

- Bruh.... what is with you and the eggplant smh

- Anyway, he finds it really funny and sort of cute???

- I think at first he found it a little annoying since he'd have to explain it?

- But now he just thinks it's comical

- As for you being cute???

- Bro.... he.... he loves you

- The cute fluffy vibes really got him

- I feel like he might prefer cuter s/os anyway?

- It's just.... the hugs omg

- He might act tough when you hug him

- BUT ON THE INSIDE HE IS... AAAAAA-

- The little smooches you give him

- Bro thinks he's blessed by the gods fr

- He does get a little red if you give him enough attention bc ofc he do

- 🍅 <- him rn

- Like he

- He...

- Girl (gender-neutral) I don't even know fr he's just down BAD

- Idk how to explain it... it's just he actually feels addicted to your existence

- The idea of him sitting down after successfully hitting a bank, with you snuggling into him

- Bros moved to tears at the thought (/jk)

- Also I feel like he'd brag about you

- AAAAAAALLLL THE TIME

- 'Yeah, you might have got more heads, but I'm the one with the angel here. So fuck you.'

- Bro just likes bragging oml

- ESPECIALLY with Hoxton because ofc he has to one up him all the time oml

- If he runs out of comebacks, he just picks you up and is like 'Well do you have this? No, you don't.'

- If you're up for it, he loves you more

- IF YOU BLOW RASPBERRIES AT HOX HOUSTON WILL FIND IT SO FUNNY LMAO

- 'Yeah, you tell it him babe.'

- If you'll allow it, he'd like to pick you up and help you with everything? He likes to feel like a big strong guy with his damsel/Prince so...

- If you don't like it, it'll take every fiber of his being not to help you so much

- He... he can't help it, he just wants to be there for you

- Maybe a little too much

- He loves you alot okay....

- If you're small too? He's gonna help you anyway whether you want his help or not

Hoxton

- EEEEEEE-

- Him when you're cute: :]

- He really likes to keep a hand on you like Jimmy?

- Hand on the waist or shoulder for him is a go to :>

- He will not hesitate to pick you up when you ask

- 'Alright, up we go-' or 'There, prince(ss).'

- He really enjoys doing this because he just.... it's just so fun okay-

- (Pick me up Hox I want to go uppys)

- Like Houston, he will probably also brag

- 'Hey wanker, look at this-' (then he just picks you up and kisses you, giving a middle finger to Houston)

- If you blow raspberries at Houston he will also gain +100 love for you

- Which is sort of impossible considering how he loves you infinity amounts already

- He LIVES for the cute fits you do bc like...

- Duh???? You slay???

- If you wear anything fluffy/with skirts he love you :>

- Wearing stuff like that gets you an extra chance at being picked up

- BC LOOK AT YOU

- VHHBSJSNSJSNSN-

- Anyway, he likes how innocent you are too bc????

- The fact you don't get some of these jokes are so funny to him

- Like... how do you not get them lmao

- 'Wait... so the eggplant emoji... isn't just indicating the vegetable???'

- (Nahhh not you with the eggplant omd)

- 'Ye-(is laughing) Yes babe, the eggplant emoji is not just a vegetable. What do you think it could be?'

- It doesn't matter if you understand it now, he'll still make fun of you for it

- Like he'll be shopping for groceries with you or something

- And if he finds an eggplant?

- 'Hey babe, what's this?'

- (Smh Hox stop the bullying)

- He really likes showing off all his achievements to you, knowing that you'll do the cute face (🥺/🤩)

- 'Yeah, then he took a shotgun to the face! The Dozer was fucked to begin with, anyway...choosing to fight me, of all people. What a dumbass cop....'

- Yes he likes to flex his muscles a little too okay

- If you marvel at them too? HSJSNSJAJJSHSHSHSJSJDJDJSJ-

- He... AAAAAAAAA-

- I think he has never loved anyone more than you

- Maybe money

- Okay maybe not money

- He thinks you're cuter :>

- I feel as if he would kind of... well not baby you, but definitely treat you like an deer that needs help 💀

- Like, if someone (probably Houston) broke their leg, he'd literally not care at all-

- 'Walk it off, bitch-boy.'

- If you bruised your leg? He's taking care of that first

- Both bc he knows you're a civ, but also bc he doesn't want his fluffy ball of sunshine to be hurt at all :'/

- 'Alright, you just sit here, I'll get something to treat that. HOUSTON MOVE OUT THE FUCKING WAY-'

- I swear, he's just here to love you, and hate Houston 😭

[amethystunarmed]

F, L, M, and O for the fic ask meme?

Ahh!!! Hi Mary! Thank you for asking!!!!

Fanfic Ask Game

F: Share a snippet from one of your favourite dialogue scenes you've written and explain why you're proud of it.

Ooh this was a hard one!

I went through so many of my fics but decided to share a bit from a future scene in the "Would You Like to Add Another Member to Your Party?" series, because it has taken over my whole brain. This is set in an AU of season 3, where Eddie gets captured by the Russians with Steve and Robin.

~~~

“You laugh. Why?” The Russian asks.

Eddie snorts again. He smirks. Cocky, confident, like he is too dumb to know this just eggs the bullies on. “It’s just... You really think he knows anything?”

“He seems like the leader of your little group, no?”

Eddie makes himself laugh again, even as heart pounds in his ears. “Sailor hat over there? Please. He barely graduated. He’ll be lucky to keep a minimum wage job for the rest of his life.” There’s a wounded noise from the floor and a part of Eddie wishes that one of the guards hit Steve again if only so that Eddie isn’t the one who pulled that noise from him. But he knows better.

I’m sorry, Steve, I’m so sorry.

He doesn’t have time to think more. The general is smirking. 

Take the bait, you dumb motherfucker.

“So...” He drawls, like he is smart. Like he is the one playing Eddie here and not the other way around. “You would be the better choice?”

Gotcha.

~~~

This scene was fun to write because I love writing a character with an angle, who is just blatantly lying, while also making it so the other side would believe the lie. Eddie has to betray Steve as well, act like he doesn't care about him, in order to protect him. It's a lot of emotions to balance!

This was definitely one of those scenes that possessed me and I wrote the whole thing in one night!

L: How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

Never enough! I get too excited to share it! I usually look it over as I'm going and then force myself to read over it, have a beta look over it, force myself to look over it again, then post.

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you'd care to share?

Hmmmm I definitely have been firmly back on my stranger things bullshit.

Add Another Member to Your Party has grown so much more massive than I expected but...

I was thinking about ways to involve Eddie even earlier, so he could be involved in seasons 1 and 2. So Tommy Hagan inviting Eddie over to replenish his stash. Steve is afraid Nancy will bolt if drugs are involved so he banishes him to the backyard where he talks to Barb Holland. She moves off the diving board just as a monster lunges out to get her. Now she, Eddie, and Jonathan Byers, who was watching from the woods, have to convince the others of what they saw, before it comes back...

Idea two is a Julie and the Phantoms au. Corroded Coffin is a metal band that has a tragic accident in the 80s. Their ghosts show up Steve Harrington's garage in the present day. And he is the only one who can see them, unless they're performing on stage. Can they teach Steve to reject the status quo of his high school crown and help him love music again? Inspired by Joe Keary's singing voice and the inherent angst of the Unsaid Emily scene with Uncle Wayne

O: How do you begin a story—with the plot, or the characters?

Honestly, I usually start with dialogue. I tend to write a back and forth between a couple characters and just build it from there! So i guess both? I put two characters in a situation and then it tends to evolve from there.

This got very long! Thank you so much for letting me talk about this stuff.

[fandom1213]

Chap 1;

It was Spring Break for South Park and our boys were now in their last year of high school!! Which as exciting as that is, it also will give one this feeling that you need to expiate for something even if you don't what that quite is yet.

While one may think of past experiences with zip lining, manbearpig, the urinal incident, stealing a boat and breaking a dam, or the multiple cases of breaking and entering one would think that allowing Stan (or Cartman.. Or anyone associated with that group) would know to say No when someone would say something along the lines of “Oh hey let's do this” or “You know what sounds like a good idea?” but apparently, the lack of intelligence leads to Kyle and Stan waiting in the formers car in his driveway waiting on Kenny while the fat man refused to in his own words “wait with the gays” Instead he leaned against the driver's door where Kyle was lounging back listening to Stans music, he turned it down.

“Dude, where's Kenny?” the other two boys in question placed down their phones and looked toward the fiery redhead. Cartman leaned down placing his face in the window

“Relax jew he'll come, poor boy just has to walk his ass here instead of drive.” In a small town like south park having a license is not that big of a deal unless of course you're a 16-year-old who's itching to leave, but growing up there Kenny didn't have a license to drive but no cop thought the wiser when he was behind the wheel.

“Look dough boy Ken could drive circles around you he just needs a vehicle to test with...” While Stan was not going to let the argument get out of hand he'd be lying if he said that the back and forth didn't bring him an ounce of comfort. As he was about start scrolling on Coonstagram he saw someone bouncing in the distance he shot back up.

“Oh look Kens here!” Stan pointed out as he grabbed Kyles hand and pointed towards where Kenny was jogging up. Kyle's face lit up as Cartman grumpily pulled away from the window and moved closer to the door behind the driver's side as Kyle and stan hung their heads out the window their voices bouncing off into the empty street making Kenny light up and pick up his pace.

“Hey guys sorry I'm late!” Kyle smiles brightly as his head slips back in the car and popping the trunk as Cartman slips in feeling the breeze from the opened trunk “Stuart thought I worked today” he became muffled as he closed the trunk and shuffled behind the passenger side “then Karen not only forgot it was spring break but that I was heading to Vegas” every one in the car whooped as Kenny finished shutting the door and slipping on the seat belt since Kyle always would muttered “seat belt” once someone slipped in the car “so I had THAT plus l almost forgot the IDs” the car that Kyle was slowly backing out of near slammed to a halt leaving Kenny to chuckle as he dug in his pockets to toss the paraphernalia towards Stan “don’t worry I’m not that dumb” as a breath of fresh air return to the car they continued on their way to Vegas as Stan’s music was bumping.

[onlyalittleperverse]

Lying about what? Lol. Yes you asked what I thought your stance was, I don't think about your stance, as I stated I have no idea.

Yes gaslighting, so for instance you trying to tell me I'm throwing slurs at you could be gaslighting, making the claim of "obsessed over genitals" is absolutely a strawman attempt, but could also be a gaslighting If you then tried to claim that's not what you were doing. (Unless you're just to dumb to know)

Yes I'd come up with excuses for my lack of prowess as well if I was this bad with arguments. But you do you, however bad you are at it.

[thestobingirlie]

hey, you can totally ignore this if you want (obvi), but i just need to get this off my chest. there's such a problem in steddie fics where they're outed. the other characters will breeze past their boundaries like they're nothing, esp dustin. it bothers me so much. i've been outed and it was terrifying and violating. it's also so disrespectful. it's a complete dismissal of their thoughts and feelings. i just don't understand how people can be so comfortable writing characters who dismiss other people's boundaries. it's always played off as humorous or as if it's nothing, like it doesn't even matter. and that's just so fucked up to me. it's terrible to take the control of coming out, out of someone’s hands. it's taking away safety. people write it for other things besides coming out, but either way, the dismissal of it all can get into your head so easily and it's fucking degradin, along with disrespectful and scary. idk, maybe i'm overreacting, but i still think it's fucked up and a problem. anyways, have a good evening or whatever time it is for you 💕

first, i just want to say that i’m really sorry you’ve experienced being outed, and i can’t imagine how horrible it felt.

now, i haven’t run into this trope much (because i very heavily vet every single steddie fic i read lol), but it’s really disgusting that it’s being treated so lightly.

i feel like a lot of st fics end up treating being queer in the 80s like it’s no big deal, even if they’re not meaning to, or at least treat being queer through a modern view (like all queer characters are totally knowledgable and know every sexuality etc). and it always sucks me out of the story.

i obviously don’t know for sure, but i feel like the people writing these fics probably aren’t writing them from a place of malice, and it’s more just “these people might not come out in 80s because of homophobia, so i’ll have this other character tell everyone instead”. they’re trying to get away from homophobia, and end up just treating coming out as if it means nothing.

i also think this tendency to need every single queer character to come out, comes from this growing expectation that anyone queer should come out, and if they don’t they’re lying and not living their truth. which is just a really terrible, flawed way of thinking. i think most of the characters wouldn’t come out, at least not for a good few years. like, i can’t imagine robin sitting the party down and letting them know she’s a lesbian. they’re good kids! but she has no idea how they would react.

but anyway! i do think it’s ironic that in a show that does centre at least somewhat around homophobia, the fandom often just forgets about it and writes characters behaving in a homophobic way, even if they aren’t really aware that’s what they’re doing.

also, this is somewhat off the point, but i am seeing this growing trend in dustin where people write him as just totally not respecting steve’s boundaries, even for dumb stuff. like in most st fics i read, dustin tells everyone about the hairspray steve uses, which is small! but it’s a secret steve trusted dustin with and told him not to tell anyone, and it bothers me that no one feels like that boundary of steve’s should be respected. like, i’m aware it’s mostly a joke, but it always feels like a joke that’s being made at steve, and not with him.

but anyway, yeah, i think people are increasingly treating coming out and being queer as no big deal when it is very important to people and is a choice that only that person can make, and unless they’re actually writing that character suffering the consequences of their actions, i don’t advise having one character out another.

[knowlesian]

Hey! I really enjoy your meta and was wondering if you could share your thoughts on why Ed says "never left" in episode 8. Because that infuriated me! He did leave and wasn't planning on coming back before the English reveal. But I also am aware that I relate deeply to Stede in episode 8 (the way they had him wear the same outfit as when he was bullied as a child killed me) so I'm sure my view is skewed. But it read to me like let's just pretend that didn't happen which I understand could be a call back to the bathtub scene but it just rubs me wrong.

So can I have your thoughts about why Ed/the writers went with the iconic "never left" + wink reply?

i CAN, and buckle up because this one is something i have so many thoughts about but somehow have only briefly tackled.

so: ed is a really socially aware guy. he's good with reading people, he can do sarcasm just fine, but he doesn't know the rules of the social road in stede's world which means when stede does the 'my body language and whole vibe SCREAMS i don't like this, my words say yeah cool do it more, even! i'm fine with this' thing because he's used to that as a way to make life "easier" for everybody by just entirely avoiding open confrontation ever, ed is like ...okay, i am either supposed to call you a liar here or carry on? because in my world, when you want something to fuckin stop you say FUCKIN STOP and when you're being a real jerk on purpose, you want people to know it's because you hope they have a shitty day.

(i know ed the adult man not knowing the terms retirement and passive aggressive exist or what they mean has led to some real world logic application all, ed is dumb/doesn't know basic words and the like, but those are Theme Moments because this is a big gay play running on rule of cool. the text is saying: ed wants to stop but doesn't even know it's an option unless you die, and ed says what he means/expects everyone else to do the same.)

so in ed's world, what stede does as a mode of politeness/defense is just called lying. ed's not grounded in the world of books and social games; he's not looking for hidden purposeful meanings in the corners of everybody's words, which contributes to how he misses jack. (sidenote: i think stede is extra snippy because his spidey-sense for passive aggressive fuckery is going off endlessly and telling him something is not RIGHT here, and he needs to be on alert by the same token, but that's not super related. just wanted to say it!!! etc)

also, ed’s been introduced to the idea of passive aggression as a weapon; he hasn't been introduced to the niceties side. so when he leaves, it's with this funky vibe in the air where he feels like jack just came out to have a good time, stede's giving off the kind of mixed signals that are potentially scary, and it culminates in stede unfortunately framing his (very legit) annoyances as an issue with ed/his behavior vs issues with jack, and that only drives the wedge in deeper.

so when ed leaves, it's not because he wants to: it's this rolling avalanche of shitty things that all culminate in ed being like, if jack who represents my past and is just here to have a good time pisses stede off this much and makes him say he doesn't like me around jack, what happens when he decides i'm too much like jack to be borne a second longer and kicks me out, too?

theeeeen he finds out jack was there to fuck shit up on PURPOSE, and what stede had an issue with gets internally reframed. suddenly, stede is not judging ed by proxy, he's judging jack who is a lying dick and trying to cause trouble and drive them apart on purpose. this means even if stede's own issues were a large part of his reaction, stede actually read the room far better than ed. (just like he did at the party.)

the spin now emotionally is: stede tried to protect me. if i had listened and not trusted jack over stede's instincts, maybe none of this is happening. i have to go back and protect him.

which leads me into the actual line!!! stede's face is super key here, to set the stage. he's so, so fucking happy. like: incandescent. when he says 'you came back', he's so fucking relieved. they're about to get boarded by the fucking royal navy and stede looks happier than ever.

which tells ed: you never actually wanted me to leave. you are unconditionally glad to see me back, even though i fucked up and i should have listened to you. you're just glad i'm here, no matter what's going on.

and ed... ed so much wants anybody at all to see him for who he actually is, as he wants to be seen, and then be happy he's in the room.

so 'never left' is the moment he speaks stede's language for the first time, i think. the language of: what i am saying here is a cover for the deeper truth of what i mean. ed says never left, but he doesn't mean it like literally i was never gone or never intended to stay that way.

he means: i didn't want to go. and maybe, even better— emotionally, i was always still with you. my body left, the legend of blackbeard left, but ed was always right here. right where he wants to be.

and they're so thrilled to be together again, yes, but i think that's the crux of this scene and why their gazes stay tender and locked even as everything goes shit around them. why ed needs to reach out, and stede needs to lean back into that touch.

ed knows stede is just glad he's around; stede knows ed didn't ever want to leave him.

(and, after an episode of talking past each other, they are finally starting to work out the language to meet each other on even ground, where ed will give some and stede will give some and they will meet in the middle, neither of them having to exist entirely in the other's world or use the other's words to communicate.)