#street smarts vs book smarts

[storeecbrcod]

I need some more highly intuitive Soap. This man has so much shit going through his head constantly, but I can guarantee half of it is just his mind breaking down how things are made, what he could use from certain substances to make totally new products (that may or may not combust).

We, as a fandom, have established that as much as we make fun of Soap’s little quirky characterisations, that at the character’s heart, he is incredibly smart. Chemistry, technology, engineering, math… this man is a himbo in STEM. He might not be able to tell you what he ate for breakfast, but you know damn well that if a recruit asked him how soap works as a stupid joke, this guy would go on a whole rant about saponification and how fricken cool it is. The blank stares from the recruits don’t ever concern him.

He’s got all kinds of things flying through his little noggin. You know how when you or someone you know buys a new car, and suddenly you see that car everywhere around you? Soap experiences the same thing, except it’s just chemical and mathematical theories. He can’t just exist in the world, his mind is in constant hyperdrive to perceive.

That’s why he’s so good at his job (and pool). His constant heightened sense of awareness allows him to soak up information like a sponge when he finally manages to turn the constant perception off, like out field. Instead of the molecular structure of different plastics, or the force needed to crush a can theoretically, he is able to manage and monitor multiple things at once; his position, his team’s position, the enemy, the direction of bullets, and sometimes even how many seconds it takes for the cease of gunfire from one weapon on the opposite side of the grounds to start up again, notifying a reload.

Ghost made the mistake of opening one of Soap’s chemistry textbooks, once. Once. Soap found him practically tweaking, just staring at the hexagons and lines and graphs and abbreviations, all making his head throb. Soap simply sighed with a smile, plucking the book from skeleton gloves and placing it down, leading the Lieutenant away.

“Don’t hurt yerself, Lt.”

“Careful, Sergeant.”

“You’re tellin’ me, yer eye’s twitchin’ like you’ve been rummagin’ through the contraband stores.”

Extra Ghoap Bonus!

Sometimes, Soap gets so overwhelmingly exhausted from not being able to turn his mind off. (Un)Surprisingly, science is everywhere, and he can’t help but think about it. When he feels a migraine coming on, neck and jaw straining after trying to rein in his overactive brain, he goes straight to Ghost.

Something about Ghost’s dry humour and blunt conversation helps ground him; he doesn’t have to worry about subtext, or necessarily work-related chat. Just silly (read: flirty) banter and bad, clear-cut jokes. Ghost allows his mind to focus on one thing while he occupies his hands. A journal, playful taps on Ghost, a Rubix Cube, fiddling.

Eventually, he manages to calm his thoughts enough to doze off, lying haphazardly across couches, a mattress, on the bench seats of the cargo planes, or even on the floor. Many soldiers could attest to seeing Ghost gently cradling the man’s head, moving him into a comfortable position, even once or twice carrying him to his barracks. Could, if a certain skull-faced soldier didn’t pierce them with a very clear warning glare at the memory, as if he could tell they were thinking about it.

[theultimatekamehamehavoc]

Not a crazy thought or idea but I like to believe that Byakuya's ambidextrous (either just by birth or that he had to learn it), knows several types of sign language alongside being multilingual. Not that he's a multilingual pro or nor a sign language guru or anything but I feel he's pretty good in plenty of languages. The heir learning all of this would specifically be for business purposes such as any foreign relations with other companies or like other factions of the Togami Conglomerate (which I've heard it be called a corporation and a conglomerate but I believe that the Togami's go a bit world wide due to the amount of money they have) Aside from the business angle though, it'd also be for just in case anything were to happen to the heir physically. Not that he was prepped for ANYTHING of course. The guy still had the believe that "food is made by chefs" well into his late teens/early adulthood. I doubt Byakuya has any crazy survival skills if one were to dump him on an island with zero resources and a dream. Not that he couldn't survive long but he'd at least fumble for a bit on certain tasks due to believing they're beneath him or something as well as for the inexperience. However, he'd probably be able to handle a good amount of it due to his reading addiction. Speaking of reading, I also feel he knows how to read some braille too for that physical preparation angle. After all, Byakuya isn't exactly known for his good eyesight with those glasses. At the same time though, I find it funny if his main motivation for learning the majority of this stuff which is mostly just the new languages was specifically so he could get his pesky hands on more stuff to read. Also, the image of a young Byakuya hyping himself with learning all these different languages with the prospect of books is just a bit too cute to not pass up.

[risetherivermoon]

ok, ok, lets get this settled for a moment...

James is a himbo in both the socia awarenessl way & the academic way, however hes really fucking good at pranking, and at quidditch

Sirius is a himbo in the social awareness way, but he doesn't even have to try at his school work,

Peter is mediocre w/ academics, but lacks socially quite a bit, but in a more of a shy type of way, (like hes very quiet abt it but its pretty obvious if he doesn't understand smth)

Remus is smart as fuck bc he studies instead of sleeping, and hes shit at picking up on social ques but hes so awkward abt it that he pretends he knows whats happening all the time, (nod and smile type thing)

Lily is smart as hell in the same way Remus is, and is good socially as well,

Marlene is a bimbo in both ways, she's incredibly similar to james, they share a braincell (but marly uses it most of the time,)

Mary is mediocre w/ academics but is very smart socially,

Regulus is very smart bc he works hard for it, but he lacks social awareness a lot, but a lot like remus he covers it up but in a more of a grumpy intimidating way (like someone will think hes being an ass but he actually has no idea what the person means)

Pandora is smart asf and she does not have to try, however my girl is the least socially aware person in the world,

Dorcas is smart socially & academically and thats cuz my girl tries, and she has to be the one out of the skittles to be like 'maybe we shouldnt set this classroom on fire' but in the way that shes only saying it cuz there's witnesses

Barty is a himbo socially, but the man is a fucking prodigy, hes the smartest guy ever, but he DOES NOT give off that vibe whatsoever,

Evan is a himbo in all aspects, but hes great at quidditch, and hes a lot less bubbly himbo and a lot more 'violence is the answer'

[heroesspirit]

Ok! After the ask, I am curious. How would all your links rank out academically if they went to some sort of fantasy high school together (or in a modern high school au, everyone's favorite au setting)?? Who's the valedictorian and who has to take summer classes to avoid failing out?

Heck yeah, excited for this one! Going to go in order from lowest to highest and throw in a few extra bits.

Time: Homeschooled. And it shows.

Lorule: didn’t even go to high school. Goes to the mall instead.

Twilight: 1.98 Does just enough school work to stay out of trouble. Prioritizes taking care of the ranch and his adoptive younger siblings, so he often skips school for that. He is a member of the FFA, can usually be found in a shop class, he and does a lot of extracurricular charity work. His grades aren’t great, but he is seen as a sweet boy, he’s always the first to offer help to his teachers when they needed to wheel in ye old projector into the classroom.

Wind: 2.0 he’s doing his best. Joined band class in the drumline and rocked at it though! Stays after school a lot to speak to his teachers, even though his grades aren’t the best, he’s a charming little guy and they adore him.

Hyrule: 2.2 They’re very spacey and have troubles focusing. Excelled in home ec and they were a part of the tennis team. They’re one of those kids where you never hear them speak, and when they do it’s one of the wildest things you’ve ever heard.

Picori: 2.5 Also doing his best. He’s just out here vibing, he’s into biology but he doesn’t get most of it, he just really likes insects. Definitely in nature club.

Eras: 2.8 May come as a surprise, but he’s not particularly school smart. He’s on the lacrosse team and he’s an extremely active member of the gardening club.

Legend: 3.0 Does just enough to keep his grades above a 3.0 Could do better but they’d much rather sacrifice a higher grade in favor of not being stressed the hell out. On the track team and is really damned good at it.

Wild: 3.2 Has a lot of pressure to do well. Would love to join extracurriculars but is barred from joining until he gets a 4.0. That’s not to say he doesn’t stay after school under the guise of studying, but he’s actually hanging out with his friends at their clubs/sport practices.

Sky: 3.9. Had just *one* teacher who was harsh with grading and he’s still very salty about it. It was math btw. He’s the type who has an entire study plan and forms study groups. He’s in both orchestra and band where he plays the strings and piano.

Four: 4.0 Cheated. Joined anime club and started a coup against the club leaders, doesn’t even like anime.

Spirit: 4.0 very smart boy! Valedictorian, even he’s not sure how he got here. To others’ dismay, he doesn’t really have to study, his memory works in his favor. Loves robotics and machine classes/clubs. Also in band as a flute player. He’s not allowed to be in sports, but he watches his friends play at every game/competition.

[tritoch]

I wish people were willing to have a slightly broader or more expansive understanding of FFXIV's women because I think there's so much there in terms of easily-unearthed subtext that no one really thinks about! And I don't mean this in a "people need to re-evaluate their response to the women of Stormblood" way (though I do think that's largely true), I mean I think fandom's understanding even of the women it mostly likes is pretty weak. And you can say that's because the women are underwritten, and I won't argue that they couldn't use more attention from the writing, but that doesn't prevent you from analyzing them the way you can any character in fiction.

Like everyone's always like, oh, Y'shtola and Krile are like your snarky wine aunts, haha. But...Sharlayan is a pretty ossified and patriarchal society from what we see of it in Endwalker and places like the AST quests. Can we open ourselves to the possibility that it means something that almost every young Sharlayan woman we meet, almost all young women in academia, tends to be a little sharp and quick on the retort? The arch and snarky ways in which those two carry themselves reflect in some sense the facts that Krile is almost literally a nepo baby woman in STEM who is barely older than her students, while Y'shtola learned her behaviors from her much older female mentor, a woman who hated Sharlayan academic culture so much she literally abandoned it to go live in a cave.

Or like, Alisaie! Fan jokes and meta frequently buy into her tendency to characterize the dynamic between her and Alphinaud as a jock/nerd, street savvy extrovert vs book smart introvert thing. Except, tragically, Alphinaud's highest stat is 100% Charisma and he absolutely pulled in his student days. All his greatest achievements are diplomatic, and he very easily develops strong friendships with people in every culture you learn about. Alisaie is the determined, sensitive genius who revolutionizes Eorzea by proving the tempered can be healed. She's just permanently carrying a chip on her shoulder that while she and her brother are remembered as the youngest students in Studium history, actually he got in six months before her, a fact pretty much no one else ever brings up once. She's constantly fuming over the fact that he was marginally better than her in certain specific ways in high school, and looking to differentiate them in ways that actually fail to credit her own obvious strengths and accomplishments. I think that's so fun! It's so juicy, and it's equally good for comedy or serious character studies.

Venat is a genuinely benevolent hero who has no compunction sacrificing lives for the greater good. Minfilia is kind and compassionate and clearly on some level actually buys into the narrative of her own unique moral authority. Ysayle is a revolutionary firebrand with almost no concern for the common man, whose death reflects her Javert-like inability to reconcile her own romantic belief in justice with the tragic ways her blinkered worldview (born largely of trauma) let her be easily co-opted by a violent system. But even people who like these characters rarely move past surface-level reads (people who think Venat is just an all-loving mommy figure make me want to fucking die). The fandom is allergic to drawing connections the game doesn't draw, and fails to recognize that FFXIV is a game where characters voice understandings of themselves and others that are wrong about as often as they're right.

You can already see the ways that women like Wuk Lamat and Cahciua and Sphene are getting flattened or losing their shading in fan reception and it's boring. Like I'm not even saying this because you should take female characters more seriously or something (though you should), I'm literally just bored to tears sometimes and if you guys turn Wuk Lamat into another Hot Dumb Jock Lady, I will combust.

[fanaticsnail]

Snail important question;

Of any line-up of characters of your choice-

Who do you think is attracted to competency,

Who is attracted to stupidity,

Who can go either way,

And who is attracted to both at the same time (imagine;

Reader: sorry I'm late I had to fight off two different ships

Them: is that how you got that bruise on your face?

Reader: oh... Actually, I wasn't looking and pulled a push door off its' hinges into my face

Them, kicking off their pants: god you're so fucking stupid, sit on my face

)

Also, I feel like there are different versions of competency and stupidity. Street smarts vs social obliviousness. Book smarts vs functionally illiterate. Strategic/battle smarts vs what-do-you-mean-flashing-the-enemy-isn't-a-valid-distraction?

(Zoro is completely math smart and dumb in every other way)

I could imagine Luffy would be attracted to hyper specific competency. If you're really into a specific thing and good at it and it's your dream he would absolutely love it even if it sounds like you're speaking gibberish to him. He wouldn't even think of it as weird - I mean, no more weird than any other dream he doesn't personally understand - he's certainly not the type to judge based on societal norms. You could talk his ear off about the reproductive habits of different animals and he wouldn't get why everyone else doesn't like to hear it when they're eating but hey more food for him.

Snail. Your asks always know how to get the better of me. Have a series of little drabbles, dear.

Competency, Stupidity, Duality

Masterlist here

Word Count: 410+, 510+, 580+

Synopsis: They can't help what attracted them to you. No matter what you did, they simply couldn't get enough of you. Their emotions finally catch up with them, and they confess their adoration for you.

Themes: variety x gn!reader, feelings, injury, mentions of battles, finally giving in, all different 'reader' inserts, confessions of love, kid x reader, zoro x reader, killer x reader, angst, fluff, sweetness.

Notes: I wasn't expecting to write this today, but I've been thinking about the big boys lately and I needed to give them some love. Something about trios lately.

Tag List: @sordidmusings @nerium-lil @feral-artistry @since-im-already-here @writingmysanity @indydonuts @gingernut1314 @i-am-vita @carrotsunshine @mfreedomstuff @daydreamer-in-training

Competency: Eustass Kid

When Eustass Kid noticed how quick and sharp you were to react in life or death circumstances, he was immediately smitten with you. Being a Straw-Hat, your ambitions and dreams were fostered by your playful captain as you sailed aboard the Thousand Sunny. Your ability to interact flawlessly by balancing the combined efforts of the three crews had him intrigued by your charisma. 

Fighting by your side was something he didn’t expect to affect him so much. The way you researched the strengths and weaknesses of all three crews sailing and fighting together was admirable. Asserting yourself by asking Law to push and pull you closer to the fight with the Ope-Ope no Mi ability, while fighting side-by-side with Massacre Soldier Killer in close quarters, had him left wordless.

After the battle finishes, he watched as you hastily aided your crew of their injuries while disregarding your own; putting others first while adding pressure to your hand-gash, hovering it over your head to slow the bleeding. He couldn’t get enough of you. 

He needed you to know how he felt about you, but being in the presence of Luffy and Law always seemed to bring out the more juvenile side of attitude. His simple attraction and infatuation with you had to be revealed to you in due time, but he couldn’t risk sounding like an idiot in front of you. He would have to simply wait until you were alone and unoccupied before he made his move to take care of you after taking care of others. 

Slowly approaching you as you sat down against the tangerine grove aboard the Thousand Sunny, his shadow shrouded your form and prompted you to gaze up into his scarred, sheepish face. Your smile caused his heart to beat harder and his head to swirl with a variety of "what-ifs". Gulping back his insecurities, he knelt down in front of you.

“Let me take care of that for you,” he offered with a soft smirk, “You’ve done so much for others, and I think your hand needs some seeing to.” 

“If you say so, Captain Kid,” you shrug, offering your injured hand delicately to him and listening to his every instruction as he treats you, “I wasn’t aware you had any medical training.” He straps your hand in a bandage, placing down the final ties before holding your injured hand in his.

“I don’t,” he shrugged with a smile atop his painted lips, “But I’ve lost an arm before, and I don’t want to see that happen to you.” 

“You’re-...” he stuttered over his words, gazing at your hand before softly drifting his tired eyes up, “...-You amaze me. Truly, amaze me.” You place your other hand on his, never once removing your eyes from his face as he offers you such kindness. 

“Thank you, sir,” you nod to him with a soft smile, “You amaze me, too.”

Stupidity: Roronoa Zoro

“Why would you do that?” Zoro roared at you, hovering his body over yours and caging your face-down body within a shield of his own. The gashes on your back were deep, your body weeping out the red essence and staining your clothes with it.

“C-Couldn’t risk yours,” you stuttered out with a soft smile, “H’was gonna g-get yours. Didn’t want you to wear the shame.” His eyes widened, filling with a steam of glossy tears that threatened to spill over the moment you stuttered out your confession. “That’s what you said, wasn’t it? Mark on the back is a swordsman’s greatest shame?” 

Drip. 

Drip.

Drip.

One after one, soft tears spilt down his cheeks and mixed with the fluids pooling at your back. He leaned down towards you, the heat of battle dying down with the swift, flaming kick of the blonde cook and giggling chuckles of your captain, Luffy. 

“You’re a fucking idiot,” he sniffed his sobs back as he leaned down to cage you, “Can’t you see? None of that fucking matters without you here.” He softly, tenderly moved you from your position on the floor to not disturb your wounds. He sat you up, cradling you against his broad chest and openly sobbed for you. 

“When you get better,” he growled into your shoulder, “I will repay you for this. I will pay my debt to you.” His sobs got more desperate, not halting in the slightest when Trafalgar D Water-Law approached the two of you in your embrace. 

“Let me get ‘em to the infirmary,” Law offered, gesturing for Bepo to ready the aid kit, “I’ll treat the wounds there-.” 

“-I won’t leave them,” Zoro barked over your shoulder, your soft smile tugging at your cheeks in your hazy daze. “Let me go with you, Traffy. I won’t say a damn word to distract you, on my honor.” Law nods, raising his hand and spreading his fingers and offers the two words to switch positions within the infirmary: “Room, Shambles.” 

As you drifted in and out of consciousness, you laughed each time Zoro chastised you for your stupidity. Echos of: “There were so many other things you could’ve done instead,” and “You stumbled into that blade like a moron and took that hit for me, idiot.” You giggled through the pain, barely feeling it as Law worked to stitch you together again. 

Upon regaining consciousness, you looked to your moss-haired crewmate and offered out your hand to his bicep. His head was bowed, arms crossed over his chest, and was assumed to be napping by your bedside. Feeling your touch, he was roused from his sleep and immediately leaned forward to bring his face beside yours. 

“You’re a fucking moron,” he huffed, smiling in a melancholy grin. You laughed at his insult, squeezing his muscle before retracting your hand. As you nearly drew it away to your side, he caught your hand and brought your palm up to his lips. 

“My fucking moron,” he confirmed, placing a soft kiss to your palm before using it to cup his face. “I love you.”

Duality: Massacre Soldier Killer

Staring up into your face while remaining silent, resting his masked face on the heel of his palm, he listened to your recount of a very specific childhood injury that left you with an interesting scar on your thigh. Killer’s eyes never left your face, his cheeks beginning to glow warm and vibrant beneath the shroud of his mask.

“So, let me get this straight,” Captain Eustass Kid held his hand in front of his face and gave it a gentle wave to halt your words, “That sick-looking scar wasn’t from any time you served with Luffy, but because you set off a fucking harpoon and speared yourself in the leg with it?” 

Killer felt himself swoon at the melody your laugh thrust into the atmosphere. He was ever thankful his blue and white mask disguised how much he was smiling beneath the shroud. 

“Yep,” you popped the ‘P’ afterwards, nodding in confirmation as you sat beside Usopp and drew your tankard up to your lips, “But I learnt from it, and it hasn’t happened since.” Killer sighed, his voice almost coming out in a soft moan to reveal his growing infatuation for you. Kid barked out a harsh gaggle of laughter, clapping you on the shoulder with his right hand and gestured for you to reveal it to them.

“Let me see it again, go on,” he chuckled, removing his hand and sitting back on his seat, “Use Killer’s thigh as a prop so we can see it properly. You don’t mind do you, big guy?” Killer absentmindedly and slowly shook his head, tapping his thigh twice with his hand for you to reveal your injury to the captain of the Victoria Punk, himself and your crewmate beside you. 

“Alright,” you shrugged, standing beside Usopp and Killer and gently placed your foot atop Killer’s thigh and began hiking up your shorts to your hip, “Feast your eyes, Captain.” Sure enough, an interesting looking scar was revealed on your inner thigh, clear as day and sure as the sea is salty. 

“Oh, fucking hells!” Kid gave you a hearty laugh, “You seeing this, big guy?” Kid turned his attention to his first mate, his smile only growing as he noticed the angle of Killer’s mask never left your face. Surprise was immediately thrust into Kid’s eyes, noticing the unwavering resolve in Killer’s posture. 

You turned your attention down to the silent and broody first-mate, your face puzzled and eyes searching his mask for any further thought or action. He slowly drew his hands up to clasp around your ankle and calf, holding it firmly as he leaned forward. 

“You’re perfect,” he offered in a breathy whisper, stroking your leg and gazing lovingly into your face, “Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.” 

Your face flushed with a warmth at his words, eyes widening and looking down at his large hands as they held you so tenderly and delicately within his grasp. Smiling, you leaned forwards and placed your hand over his scarred left forearm with mischief in your eyes, asking him a simple question with a suggestive tone. 

“Like what you see then, big guy?” At your question, Usopp nearly choked on his drink. You had never been this bold before, and this came as a shock to your crew’s skilled sniper. He covered his choking with a soft cough, turning away with a downturned smile and stifling his growing laugh. 

“So much,” Killer confirmed, gently caressing your calf and looking up at you through half-hooded blonde lashes beneath his mask, “So, so much.”

[linddzz]

Thinking about your ‘Piltover does not know what the FUCK Jayvik is doing’ post, and imagining a scenario where Vi walks into Piltover, immediately turns to Cait and annonces to the city at large that they’re definitely fucking and/or together.

Because Zaun doesn’t have a social/courting language the way Piltover does, but they way Jayce constantly has his arm on Viktor’s back, and Viktor keeps touching Jayce’s arm/neck? Universal sign of ‘this is mine, no touching.’ The stance they both do when someone insults the other (which is somehow more intimidating from Viktor) would start a fistfight in Zaun. Viktor does it because h e grew up there, and Jayce does it because he’d follow Viktor into hell before questioning him.

The two are so used to Piltovian society not noticing anything that when a Zaunite walks into the room, the vibes are so strong that it’s impossible to not realise the two are together.

hhhhhhhhhh man I am not usually into speculative readings on Zaun vs Piltover courting types (no real reason for it i guess it just doesnt snag my brain??) but this is so funny. Because even OUTSIDE of seeing it as different courting methods/languages it just works in a hilarious Book Smart/Street Smart way. Piltover has Ways Of Doing Things and those two are over there just. being Like That. having their Whatever the Fuck Their Deal Is relationship. Not officially announcing anything. Refusing to clarify or not even seeming to UNDERSTAND how to respond to people going "ok but when you say partner like...what do you mean?" about them. They are not hitting the social markers of an official romantic couple but they are obviously Fucking Weird About Each Other. (Especially if you factor in how behind the scenes and non public Viktor prefers to be. It THEN becomes this buzz around who tf is that guy, why is he always around. Oh hes in the hextech lab? what's he doing there?? Jayce's partner? Wait who knew there were two hextech guys??? Wait what...what kind of partner and also...HIM??? Who Is He.) Then it takes one look from Vi. and the nature of the undercity means the lines around relationship definitions are way more nebulous and self made and so don't rely on social convention as much as non-verbal cues. And she takes one look and is like. Oh they FUCKIN. bonus BONUS points if they, in actuality, are NOT yet fuckin but the Weird About Each Other vibes are so off the chart that it scrambles social cues for BOTH cities.

[sparklingcid3r]

Do you have thoughts on Darry's pov about Pony getting jumped

If you guys ever want to just have a terrible night, go back and reread the way Pony describes Darry in the first chapter. It’s actually brutal and I can’t believe he let Darry read it😭🙏 He wanted that A bad

Because I swear, yall don’t need my thoughts on Darry’s pov because Pony is pretty much gifting to us, it’s just that it’s muddied by his own personal bias/narration that you miss just how much characterization Darry gets. If you take out Pony’s internal thoughts, you’d think Darry was the tamest/most thoughtful of the bunch through actions alone, even if he comes off a little heated.

I’m gonna go ahead and do it here anyway to show you what I mean. We’ll go in order from Darry’s first appearance to the end of the chapter, but I’m only giving you his actions and his dialogue. Toss up a prayer now bc Darry is done FILTHYYYY

(ignore my highlights, i j started annotating lol)

Immediately we’re introduced to Darry as the person who’s literally getting Pony back on his feet. He’s shaking Pony by the shoulders to get him to respond because he doesn’t always realize his own strength compared to Pony’s. This is probably the relationship he has with most of the gang since he’s most likely the one working out the most consistently of them all, what with his job and gym runs.

But when Pony tells Darry to stop, it’s not like Darry glares at him and says “I’m just checking on you.” Instantly, he recognizes he’s being too rough and apologizes.

This is a few lines later, after the description of Darry and their father, but Darry’s still the only one talking at this point. I thought it was interesting that he jams his fists into his pockets, and my thoughts are that he’s physically restraining himself from Pony as to not hurt him worse, especially since he’s asking Pony how badly he’s just been hurt.

This is Darry’s reaction to Soda calling Pony an okay kid and Pony grinning in response and calling Soda crazy. It’s the most sibling thing I’ve ever seen idk, especially when Darry just grins at Soda’s teasing and lets it go. It’s literally Darry being a softie in front of Pony, but it just doesn’t click for Pony yet give him a minute he’ll get there🙏 in two hundred more pages

I was pretty surprised when I went back and read the book. For some reason I misremembered Darry as being completely hypocritical whenever talking to Pony about school smarts vs street smarts, but he’s pretty much going out of his way to compliment Pony here.

And I mean, these are pretty tame bites at Pony, overall he’s being pretty lighthearted with his words. I wasn’t reading this with an angry Darry in mind, just an exasperated one that wishes his brother thought about his own safety more often so Darry didn’t have to do it for him.

Y’all probably remember this from the movie lmao, I love Patrick Swayze’s portrayal of Darry, I think he nails the character completely. Darry’s so obviously not angry at Pony here, especially not when he’s laying off when Soda tells him to.

Dally is figuring out who’s going to the Nightly Double with him, and I was surprised by Darry’s reaction. Canonically he doesn’t even like movies, Pony literally said it a few pages ago, so he’s either faking his disappointment (lmao) or would have actually gone for Dally, which was wild to think about.

So this was also pretty interesting. Even when I was a kid, my parents let me go outside and play with the neighbors for hours at a time, pretty much until it got dark. Things were veryyy different in the 60s, where it was normal for parents to go to sleep with their kids out in the night and wake up with them home, weekends especially. When considering that their parents are yk, dead, Darry wanting Pony to keep his grades in check on the weekdays only and handing off the reins on the weekend is pretty cool of him imo lol

And this was just adorable

But that’s it, the rest of the chapter is Soda and Pony talking about Darry, and then Pony’s internal monologue about how much he doesn’t need Darry and doesn’t care about him, but that he knows he lying to himself :(

Their relationship is one of the single greatest things in the book and honestly, Hinton makes it clear from the beginning what Pony realizes later: that Darry never once “didn’t care” about Pony or thought of him as a burden. Maybe he’s overbearing sometimes, but for someone who has so much pressure on him nearly all the time, he does a pretty good job with what he’s given 🤷‍♀️

His biggest flaw is his inability to communicate how he’s actually feeling to Pony, who he should know by now doesn’t take well to visual cues. But other than that, gold star for Darry Curtis!⭐️

[bl-bracket]

#1 Himbo Semifinals: Porsche (Kinnporsche: The Series) vs Pat (Bad Buddy)

[Submitted Reasons Under Cut]

Porsche: "Porsche fits into the category of a himbo! He's definitely strong and can defend himself and those who he loves, he's not book smart (but I would argue there are some street smarts that he's picked up because of his context/background), and he is kind and caring."

Pat: "My man was in love with Pran for half his life but could not for the love of his own make sense of it until halfway through his emotional journey. I love him."

[enden-k]

(Sorry for the ramble but these 2 idiots have been stuck in my brain for days now)

Soo can we talk about the fact that after the meeting with Sunday, Ratio immediately asks if Aven is okay. Like my dude, you're still in the dream and are being watched, that's not how someone who just 'betrayed' another person  acts.

Also, Aven being the one who has to subtly correct Ratio (at least thats the interpretation im going with) reminding him that they still have to act like they hate each other. (They're both geniuses in completely different ways, textbook definition of book smarts vs streets smarts)

ALSO, dispite that slip up from Ratio, Aven still doubting whether Ratio was acting or not (someone get this man a hug and some therapy I swear)

Anyways, I love these 2 idiots, and I hope we get to see more of their dynamic, specifically outside Penacony, bc I suspect most of what we saw was an act to trick The Family, and their actual dynamic hasn't been shown that much

its in ratios nature to be so harsh and not filtering, its just ratio

to shorten it, hoyo literally made him a tsundere. he calls aventurine an idiot and cares about his wellbeing. HIS SHY FACE IS HIM LOOKING ANGRY AND AVERTING HIS EYES HHHHHDHHHH its all so obvious

my thoughts/short ramble abt their dynamic utc

while all that happened was aventurine and ratio acting and fooling everyone, i dont think much in their dynamic would change outside of it. ratio is harsh and sarcastic and angry and loud etcetc (not out of malice) but he does care at the same time so i see him keep up his usual ratio-typical behavior towards aventurine - altho softening, toning it down, especially when aventurine is clearly suffering/behaving differently than you usually see him (like when he asked him if hes okay or when he thought he offended him) but other times harsh as usual, maybe even more aggressive when aventurine does get under his skin what a tsundere

(also, when you pair him with aventurine, he says (in his usual harsh way) "take care of yourself, i dont need your concern" - i think this shows really nicely how his dynamic/feelings toward aventurine are - harsh and caring in the same breath, aventurine is self destructive after all)

anw yea ig i derailed a bit sorry. i think ratio raised his usual behavior by some lvls than he would usually treat aventurine to not raise suspicions, trying to come off like he doesnt care and like aventurine is an unpleasant annoyance

the cutscene where aventurine is about lie and sentence himself? the look ratio gives him?

when aventurine is about to open the box that will expose his lie and he looks up to catch ratios gaze before he turns away ?

maybe im thinking too much into it, theres also prob different ways to interpret this but their lingering gazes, like a silent exchange between them underneath that act and ratio turning away when he gets his answer-

and yea like u mentioned ratios acting, his behavior towards aventurine, being so good that even aventurine is doubting if its an act or his true feelings towards him (giving him that hug myself!!!!!!)

anw thats my (not organized) thoughts tho, maybe their dynamic does change to smth entirely different than what i babble abt here, who knows. anw cant wait to see them reunite and show more!!!

[fumifooms]

Marcille & Chilchuck contrasts & similarities

Yesterday in the Dunmeshi Discord we talked about narrative foils and I ended up writing a lot about my fave duo so. Informal character analysis time. I give some in-depth interpretations on aspects of Chilchuck’s character near the end as well, not just analyzing their characters in how they contrast each other

Marcille and Chil are so foils to me. "Has experienced loss through death and now clings onto the people around her and is overly interested in engaging in social gossip" vs "has experienced loss through rejection and now refuses to open up to anyone until socially starved", both are responding to their experience with loss in fully different ways, socializing and trying to learn all she can for the short time she has with others but trying to keep digestible enough that she’s not too attached if she loses them, vs refusing to socialize so the problem stops before it begins but eventually unable to resist the pull that comes with being a social creature. Like I guess what I’m trying to say is that Marcille engaging with social gossip could be a shallow way for her to vicariously experience social relationships if she feels like forming deep bonds is unsafe. Family is a core motivation and value for them but in different ways. Both want to keep the status quo but in different ways.

Divorcee who avoids love wether it be in the people around him or thinking about his own (past?) romance vs hopeless romantic that idealizes love without herself having been in a relationship or even in love herself as far as we know. Middle child vs only child. Emotional constipation vs emotional intelligence. Streets savvy vs prestigious academic, field experience vs book smarts. Crass vs prim. Overbearingly social vs private to a fault. Never externalizes his feelings and to a degree represses them vs wears her heart on her sleeve and her feelings on her face. They start out underestimating each other in different ways, one by assuming his age and the other by undermining her skills, experience and willpower. Both seeing each other’s motives as somewhat skewed (money and research of shady magic respectively) but growing to respect them.

They also both seek approval and validation from others, unlike Senshi and even Laios who don’t seem to care about outside perception as much, Marcille worries early on that she’s not helpful enough and slowing the party down meanwhile Chilchuck is almost always trying to prove a point early on that he’s capable and mature. Coincidentally enough, Chilchuck’s approval was both the catalyst and the key to resolving her arc about it in the mandrake chapter, meanwhile besides Senshi Marcille is the one whose perception of Chilchuck gets the most changed over the course of the whole manga. Something else notable is how they deal differently with their races being judged, while Chilchuck reaffirms himself as a proud half-foot, Marcille hides her half-elf nature and is embarrassed of it when it’s revealed. Something subtle yet interesting is also how they both are shown to prefer lying in a way that makes them look bad rather than admitting ignorance on something. Chilchuck says that he cheated on his wife and that’s why she left rather than just saying that he doesn’t know why she did. Marcille in the mandrake chapter says that she has used a dog to harvest mandrakes (thus killing it) before while in truth she never has, and everyone including herself is like "That’s horrible… The poor dog!"

Their dad dies. Chil is like "Hm. Cool. Anyways he died doing smth he loved right so haha lemme drink myself into an early death bed too yolo 🔥🤟" vs "He died and it shattered my world and I must devote all my life to wiping death out of existence".

"I am going to knowingly shorten my lifestyle through unhealthy habits actually."

Problem solving approaches

One thing I love about them is how they have complete opposite approaches to problem solving. Besides striving for workers’ rights and job stability for halflings with an union, he’s very "laissez-faire". He won’t do the righteous thing just because it’s the right thing if he doesn’t have an incentive or a safety net, like going to save Falin. He doesn’t chase after his wife to talk it out and make amends, he gives her space and either hopes she’ll talk when she’s ready or figures that he shouldn’t try to do anything about it. He doesn’t mention the mimic he noticed to the others to not make a big deal out of it and hopefully it won’t come up again. He’s a "if the glass is half-full that’s fine enough for me, I don’t need things to be as good as they could be" type, a "leave it alone until it figures itself out" type.

Marcille? Marcille is idealistic and in-your-face. If there is an issue you better believe Marcille will address it and try her hardest to fix it, will talk it out and attempt to understand & strive to make things as best possible for everyone involved. She will FORCE you to talk about your FEELINGS wether you like it or NOT. Leaving it alone? Keeping things as just okay when they could be great instead? No no no no no, that’s not right, she’s going to try and fix it now. She will make you stand up and fight for the best that your life could be, to be honest when something bothers you and do something about it, will make you stop suppressing yourself because you’re scared of things getting worse.

Which, you know, both methods certainly have their pros and cons, but they’re very complimentary in that way. He grounds her into a more down to earth mindset and teaches by example that it’s okay if things don’t necessarily work out and moving on is possible and not necessarily miserable, while she encourages him to not give up so fast or stay quiet on things that bother so much. He soothes and she emboldens 🔥 Funny, because you could have thought it would’ve been the contrary, which is not untrue either, but he’s the "has experienced the harshness of life and has settled for something comfortable but modest" while she’s the "wants to make the world better and goes to great lengths to change it while still trying to find herself & uncomfortable with some aspects of life like loss".

One overly focuses on dealing with issues by changing things around her while the other overly focuses on only changing himself.

——

Chilchuck leaves things alone if he thinks they’re best left unaddressed or thinks they’ll work itself out. Like the mimic he didn’t tell the group about but it backfired later. Like how he didn’t chase after his wife or seemingly tried to contact her at all. Like how he prefers not to dig into people’s personal issues in parties and be left alone to deal with his stuff on his own as well.

Meanwhile Marcille is overbearingly in-your-face and loud and "if there’s a problem we’re dishing it out right here right now. Your wife left you?? And you didn’t try to get her back?? I am going to write out a script and a plan for you to apologize and please bring these piles of presents."

She’s secretive about her fair share of things as well but she’s very proactive. While she seeks to research something that’s a core motivation and life goal to her + save someone she deeply cares for Chil is there for his job and to get money and "hey if something happens I’ll have done my part. I took you guys here now you guys figure out the rest and fight the monsters or something". They both like to have a say in the strategy, Chilchuck moreso as time goes on, but Marcille involves herself much more into almost everything.

Espescially early on, they’re always sticking by each other judging Senshi & Laios together and being like "Am I seeing this shit right. They’re crazy right? Tell me I’m not the only one here with common sense" and forming a 🤝 relationship over it and considering that, it sometimes feel… Contradicting? How they also have a lot of conflict together over time about how different they truly are. But it’s interesting and nice to see how even though they do have arguments it always gets resolved pretty promptly, like they’re truly hashing it out as equals and then when that’s done they’re back to being on the same wavelength. The exception would be Marcille taking a long time to come around on Chil being old, but arguments and debates like the one on dark magic and if it’s okay or wrong to use it, which was pretty serious and not just banter? They came to find a middle ground or at least understanding, and it didn’t seem to lower the respect they hold for another afterwards.

Chilchuck’s repressing habit

I do think Chilchuck has a repressed thing where he doesn’t WANT to think about it about his feelings sometimes, like with his wife- and maybe with his father? But the way he was so casual and nonchalant about his father dying has always struck me. I’m not sure if this is a "my feelings on my father were mixed and complicated at best" thing or a "I just don’t want to spend time thinking about it" thing or something else, but it gives food for thought.

When it comes to alcohol there’s this saying where an alcoholic parent will have 2 kids and one will grow to be alcoholic too while the other will never even touch a drop of alcohol and both when asked why will say "I watched my father". Chilchuck is def the first I think. He gives the vibe of "An alcoholic parent puts a strain on familial relationships?? Pshh, my father was and look at me! I turned out great!" Which is something I’ve heard irl lol which always makes you go like 👀 yes indeed you’re perfectly well-adjusted and haven’t been affected by your father’s alcoholism at all it’s clear as day. On that topic, Chilchuck’s family, both currently and when he was a kid, are very interesting topics to theorize about with the hints and cues we have, how his wife truly felt and what happened for her to feel unappreciated enough to leave, how distant is he from his daughters if they haven’t seen each other in the same year either and Flertom was the only one to send him a letter? But that’s a topic for another day

Chilchuck probably has such a complex…. Of like not being… Like allowed to take space I guess? And he does wish to affirm that right, he takes space and asks for it so very overtly, he formed a half-foot guild to demand better working conditions as one of the biggest examples of that. He grew up poor and undermined but he knows that he’s capable and someone worthy of respect and demands it, and takes every opportunity to prove himself. But on the other end, he doesn’t seem to want to keep his hopes up in general, like asking for something to be better is bound to fail, that it’d be too good to be true. He tries to keep out of where his job doesn’t need him, from a sense of efficiency that cuts down on unnecessary stops but also because he just thinks it isn’t his place to do so. It strikes me that it’s hinted that like… He doesn’t even really consider the possibility of going to his wife and trying to mend the relationship. Like it’s either she’ll decide to take him back on her own or he’ll be left out in the cold waiting, never knowing just where he’s truly at with her and if things are over for good. Like… Shooting his shot and making his case doesn’t even register as an option? Like he’s not worth fighting for, like whatever he did wouldn’t change her opinion anyways?

He def has a "life isn’t like a fairytale where everything goes well" philosophy where sometimes it feels like he just gives up on how things maybe could be better, especially interpersonally. Maybe it’s why he focuses on simple joys like alcohol instead of trying to keep up with relationships which can be complex and very fickle, in his own words. Something like alcohol is predictable, always there to fall back on, safe, gives him sensations without other emotional/social risks attached. Ironic for someone whose job is all about risks, but understandable

He contradicts even himself… Bro yes you’re capable, yes you’re great, yes you matter, now maybe speak about your feelings maybe??? Or do you not think your emotional issues deserve to get fixed and have closure???? Are you so used to being dismissed, overlooked and undermined that you think no one will listen even if you speak up?? And this recontextualize his "I’m not even gonna try and talk this issue out because I know (assume) that it won’t solve anything anyways" approach, doesn’t it.

"I must break my party members’ stuff or lie to them because if I just tell them my opinion and my feelings that I don’t want them to die they won’t care anyways and keep going"

In a way everyone is the glue of the party in different ways, Laios giving the group a direction and a plan, Senshi keeping them fed and grounded, Marcille making everyone more social and encouraging bonds to form, and for Chilchuck he’s the one most focused on actually keeping everyone alive I think.

Conclusion

Idk I’m not gonna repeat every point but have this as a parting contrast:

Guy with shortest lifespan possible who doesn’t mind knowingly shortening his own with an unhealthy habit, here for a good time not a long time, VS girl with longest lifespan possible who wants to lengthen everyone’s life, who focuses on how long she can keep something or someone rather than how happy her time with it has made her already. They’re both loud in their own way, and both are still insecure despite appearances. In a way, both of them focus on taking care of others while overlooking their own demons.

[isekai-crow]

Dungeon Meshi Ep 2

The beautiful bouncy animation is soooooo good. So much sakuga and love has been put into this anime is so apparent from the very first scene.

ALSO MAN. THE FOOD and also FAT APPRECIATION IN THIS SHOW.

Not only are there characters of all sizes and body weights, with no body shaming to be found whatsoever, the fact that the wiki has everyone's BMI recorded, and there is a strong light shining on needing to eat full meals to function, and that your cravings mean your body is lacking something and you should listen are all great and important things, and I love that this show is highlighting all that.

And then there's fucking Laios.

Bless this man.

This is a lovely episode about book smarts vs street smarts, and both having their place, and that we are always learning new things.

And also lots of screaming.

Episode Spoilers Below the Cut

First off, good on y'all for fighting against the Basilisk, that was very cool teamwork with Senshi and Laios. Makes for some cool screen shots.

But Also.. This man is DYING of poison. And Senshi has the remedy, looks this man in the eye and is like, yah, nah, I'm using this for dinner.

Thankfully dinner is the cure. BUT FOR FUCKS SAKE.

Y'all PLUCK and ROAST a whole ass chicken that's the size and probably the weight of a roast pig... That's at least 10 hours of cooking, I'm sorry, that man dead lmao

lawl SUPER DEAD.

Next is Marci's experiment.

She's a little bookworm who trusts what she's learned in her classes and has to do things by the book! I love that she's not all talk though. She takes her time to set up and plan it, and executes it perfectly! She's just fine!

Juuuuuuuuust fine.

This whole after scene is delightful. I LOVE THIS SHOW. They're such a lovely little found family. Marcille being forced to be honest with her partners because she's been brain fried is good for a Tsundere, and them being reassuring to her is such a.. TTwTT lovely relationship.

THE CHICKEN IS THE TAIL. WHAT IS THIS SHOW I LOVE IT.

The other shining stars of this episode are Chilchuck and Senshi.

Poor Chilchuk, he's just a stressed out little halfling guy trying to keep his friends from dying, and not having to eat Roast Dwarf.

Senshi is full "I Will Cause Problems On Purpose" and "This Is Fine" all in one.

Capybara was like THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE!!! When Senshi just.. straight up had his finger in the boiling hot oil. Dwarves -> Forges -> Hot things are fine (・ω・)

perfect temperature reading. my brain often tells me to do this and I'm so glad I don't.

I love the ingenuity of using the traps to cook! Sasuga Senshi for the idea and Sasuga Chilchuck for making it a reality!!

I also appreciate that I will NEVER BE COOKING ROAST GIANT BAT, but that I'm getting a "Kewpie 5 Minute Cooking Style" recipe walk through.

Throwing in a screenshot here cause Capybara noticed how sweet it was that the Chilchuck's burnt kakiage was also lovingly drawn into the presented plate.

THE ENDING LINE QwQ

Bread can't replace meat. Nor can meat replace bread. But when they're together, they're more delicious. Both Food and People remain the same. Dungeon Meshi.

A lovely quote to wrap up the episode. The final bit could be taken a bit ominously (people are also dungeon food) but for now I'll take it with a grain of salt. (badumtsss)

[winterinvelaris]

Opposites attract vs. Like calls to like

Feyre and Rhysand have very different personalities. One is introverted, half-wild, and combative, while the other is charming, refined, and persuasive. This creates an interesting dynamic. However, they have the same inherent beliefs and motivations. Self-sacrifice, reaching back for the less fortunate, and resisting corrupt tradition are core parts of their characters. This creates compatibility.

Nesta and Cassian have very different personalities. One is uptight, sharp, and book-smart while the other is laid back, humorous, and street-smart. This creates an interesting dynamic. However, they have the same inherent beliefs and symbolism. Loyalty, leadership, and self-blame are core parts of their characters. This creates compatibility.

Here's where it gets tricky... (and keep in mind this is all based on outsider POVs, and so the commentary will be less "deep")

Azriel and Elain have very similar personalities, post-cauldron. One has always been quiet, introverted, and prone to hiding his emotions, and the other has become that way as well. This creates relatability, and an assumption from our narrator (Feyre) that they would work well together. However, they have opposing inherent beliefs and motivations. Gentleness, mercy, and understanding for all are core parts of Elain's character. Competition, ruthlessness, and grudges are core parts of Azriel's character. Its gentle growth vs. viscous destruction. This creates conflict and resentment.

(Side note: This is not a dig at Azriel. He's not any morally worse than anyone else. His violent and icy traits are interesting and complex and vital to the story.)

On the other hand:

Elain and Lucien have very different personalities. One is proper, sweet, and polite, while the other is contrary, sharp-tongued, and sarcastic. This creates an interesting dynamic. However, they have the same inherent beliefs and motivations. Socialization, forgiveness, and the search for a true home are core parts of their characters. This creates compatibility.

Gwyn and Azriel have very different personalities. One is bubbly, irreverent, and confident, while the other is melancholy, stoic, and reserved. This creates an interesting dynamic. However, they have the same inherent beliefs and motivations. Competition, ambition, and defying expectations are core parts of their characters. This creates compatibility.

(Side note: This feels significant enough to mention. Note that Feyre and Rhysand are both heavily associated with night sky symbolism and matching colors like blue, black, and purple. Nesta and Cassian are both heavily associated with fire and steel symbolism and matching colors like red, black, and silver. Elain and Lucien are both heavily associated with sun symbolism and matching colors like pink, green, and orange. Gwyn and Azriel are both heavily associated with music symbolism and matching colors like blue and teal.)

[goatyuuji]

Gojo who is book smart vs Geto who is street smart

[dreamidoodles]

i have ZERO idea as to how aventurine was totally okay with a handcuffed ratio right there in front of him 🙏🙏i would've been all over him because I am NOT above the wants of man

this is so real op

it is one of their very first missions together, so they're not on that romantic tension mutually yet (more like smart tension... street smarts vs book smarts or whateves), so ofc aventurines not gonna do anything

...ʸᵉᵗ

[karlachismylife]

character thing with the pookie Gale, please and thank you luv

Yay, finally got my hands on this one, thank you for asking! Don't talk much about him here either, but that doesn't mean I don't love him dearly ^^

Here's Gale of Waterdeep, the autistic wizard that somehow has captured hearts of all lesbians I know. I'll get to the bottom of it one day, I swear.

favorite thing about them

Easy, it's Tara :D On the serious note, though, I think it's his sense of humour. I swear, I wanted to dislike him, but he's fucking hilarious, smart, snarky, sarcastic and sometimes so cleverly subtle. It is so easy to fall in love with peopl that make you laugh, and boy does Gale make me laugh a lot. I do think that it's his smarts and knowledge showing themselves through other means than just magic mastery and trivia knowledge. It takes brains to be that kind of funny. Also this makes him so human, how could that man ever think he can detach himself to the point of godhood?

least favorite thing about them

He seems to have a hard time of letting go of toxic things, and I'm not just talking about Mystra, but also his ambitions that showed several times that they don't always bring him the best. It's just frustrating to watch when you see such a smart person be so stupidly stubborn.

favorite line

"Stop licking the damn thing!"

He's got many great lines, but the delivery of this one is just. Impeccable.

brOTP

Gale x Karlach. They sure do roast each other, but perhaps the overall lack of sass and also her cinnamon roll friendliness help Gale showcase he isn't an unbearable ass all the time. Also I just always love a dynamic of two characters with some vivid gaps in erudition and knowledge (don't wanna say "intelligence", because they both are adorably dumb sometimes, but yeah). The book smarts VS street smarts, you know? I think they take great care of each other as friends.

OTP

Gale x Lae'zel. Hands down. They are so fucking different (apart from the fact that they're both potentially autistic, lol), and no one can understand how the fuck they ended up together, and that's the best part. Hell, even they do not understand. Even putting my absolute favourite "a strong woman that hides her cheering supportuve man behind her back as she slices through 200 enemies" dynamic aside, they have a lot to bond over (you know. awful exes. seeking your own path after leaving them.), plus a lot to learn from each other. She never stops being an exciting wonder and a source of strength to him, he never ceases to inspire her curiousity and appreciation for things outside her warrior path. And they're the weirdest, embarassing, most accepting parents ever. Their kiddo's gonna be teased, but will deliver the nastiest verbal and physical burns. They're so proud of their child.

Gale wants at least two more.

Also Lae'zel would think it's hot that he likes her musk :D

nOTP

Yada yada, I reject the concept of nOTPs, but toxic stuff upsets me, so Gale x Mystra and such won't do.

random headcanon

He has easily irritable skin, prone to rashes and acne, and sometimes forgets to take care of himself and suffers from that ouchie itching for days. Tara usually reminds him to use them herbal remedies and do some clay face masks twice a week :3 His hair, on the other hand, stays model perfect in any circumstances. Maybe there's some magic sprinkled in, hm...

unpopular opinion

Man, I don't even know... I guess it's not as much an opinion, but even despite the fact that he grew on me so fast and strong, he's still among my least preferred to romance companions? He's just a little too frustrating for me to be able to stay with him constantly, and the fact that he's monogamous and pretty clingy in general just is not the most attractive to me. So like. My unpopular opinion is that he's not that hot. I guess.

song i associate with them

Queen's "Princes of the Universe". I think it's between the whole universe/weave/stars imagery and Gale's clear ambition to be a god (which is kinda being a prince/king/ruler of the universe, right?). Also zap zap lightning bolts (in Highlander, I mean).

favorite picture of them

Hm. That's a tough one. He does look real good almost all the time. I guess I'll take the one scene where he first shares about the orb, it glows so beautiful... poor baby.

Thank you for asking about him :3 He's a good guy, I know that. He just needs to know that too.