#their friends will be in for a treat

[screwzara]

"You've been doing this since you were younger than me, haven't you abang?"

Only years of fighting literal aliens in battle kept Boboiboy from flinching. He turned around to come face to face with one of his oldest friends, well turned his head down. Ali was at least 15cm shorter, a fact that he forever loved to tease the younger boy about.

"Doing what?" Boboiboy asked sarcastically. They've know each other for more than half their lives-he knows Ali well enough to know that the conversation they're about to have is going to be emotionally taxing. Even if it's unhealthy or unproductive (Yaya's words not his) there's a part of him that wants to delay it as much as possible.

But Ali, strong, brave, stubborn-far too much like him Ali bin Ghazali doesn't let that happen. "Being a hero," Ali's voice is hard in a way that reminds him too much of the way his Dad's would shake after waking up screaming in the night, while speaking in hushed voices with his Mom and Mechabot when they think he's sleeping. The walls of their house were never that thick.

"Why," he asks, and stupidly he feels his eyes burn and throat tighten, "Why would you do this? It's not a game, Ali. You could get hurt."

"Of course I know it's not a game," Ali declares, voice cracking in the middle like boys on the cusp of puberty do, the same way his voice did just a few years ago, "I'm not a little kid, okay? Abang please I'm not stupid, you know I'm not. I know what you do is just as dangerous and scary. How do you think I felt whenever you got hurt? Don't ask, don't tell. We promised each other that after Mama died, but I feel like we should break it."

Boboiboy feel his heart break even more when he sees the tears building in the younger boys eyes. They did promise each other that. If you won't tell, I won't ask. It was unconventional with every other adult preaching honesty is the best policy, but they both knew somethings were just too awful to speak about. With parents that were the space version of ambassadors/soldiers, and a newly widowed dad and Uncle pulling away farther and farther each year. They both needed to talk about things that weren't stressful.

It would be hypocritical to be angry at Ali for doing the same thing he did when he was even younger. Didn't mean he almost didn't go into heart failure at the thought of his adik fighting with bloody weapons.

"If you're going to do this," Boboiboy says, voice somehow both resigned and hopeful, "Just promise me something, okay?"

Ali eyes are wide and shining while he nods, but not without the same weight his hold. He looks so young that it makes finding out he's a spy-a child soldier even more heartbreaking. But what can he say when he is but the same just doing it in space, with superpowers.

He can only hope Ali stays safer than him.

"Promise me," Boboiboy says, voice taut with the fact he knows Ali can't keep this promise, no matter how much he wants him too, "You won't die before me." A tear falls down his pale face as he says it.

Ali rears back, shocked. Before a sad look appears on his too young to be fighting, to be killing face. "You know I can't, abang."

He knows, God he knows. Just like he couldn’t promise Ali that he wouldn't get hurt while on his "job". He's not naive enough to think simple words from a mildly traumatised teenager can keep someone safe, as if casting a protective spell over them.

But....

Boboiboy crosses the barely 1m distance between him and Ali in barely a minute. Then engulfs him in a hug only the hecking apocalypse could tear apart. Ali holds just as tight.

"I can still dream, adik."

*sobs into my arms* omg omg omg-

This is.. i... i can't.. *screams*

I can just hear the pain in their voices as they have this conversation(and i see what you did there, taking full advantage of my mention of them seeing each other as their brothers)

I'm loving these, thank you *cries my heart out as i reread it*

[bacchuschucklefuck]

couldnt draw my thang for mid-autumn so treated myself to a calne redesign instead

[tempo-takoyaki]

Listen, I love the "XL helps HC to see how beautiful he is" scenario as much as the next person... But I also see it like this.

[the-meme-monarch]

was thinking abt how anya sleeps by the polle statue. which is motion activated to start talking.

+ i like drawing polle as a Character

[aroace-ed]

i will never understand the emphasis society places on romantic relationships. why is the ideal future always portrayed as living with your significant other in a happy, committed, romantic relationship? why is there a whole holiday dedicated towards romantic love? i've heard so many people i know say that they're so lonely because they aren't in a romantic relationship, and i can't help but wonder how are they lonely with so many friends around them? so many things have become romanticized to the point where people no longer think it's socially acceptable to do them with friends. maybe people would feel less lonely then if it was normal to hold hands with people, to give them your sweaters, to lay together on the couch while watching a show. human connection is so so so important. i will never understand how is it that in a world full of love, we only seem to idolize one part of it.

[patchkin]

Uzi feels like an energy drink fiend. Chugs that shit like water. N & V though...

[arrgh-whatever]

[veggiemist]

hoooo

Their “man-dates” end in them kissing

Alternatively…

[missmisnomer]

it's always a good day to wake up and choose violence

More Rise silliness [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ]

[koiposting]

"i love pages tim!! i love pages!!"

"jay i dont think you should be saying that out loud"

[homoquartz]

what's so cool about "kevin can fuck himself" is the way it forces you to reframe what are otherwise painted as harmless sitcom antics. it makes you really think about it.

for example, the sarcastic asides typical of a sitcom are actually cruel and abusive when rooted in reality. while you're watching the scene, set up in saturated colors and a laugh track, you have to force yourself not to slip into the banter.

it's a depiction of how abusers manipulate perceptions and get everyone else to go along with it. how it's normalized as "harmless" and laughed away.

it's a really good show.

[vurelly]

life trying to force me to take a break by shutting down my laptop while i'm in the middle of work, as if i'm not going to just turn it back on and go right back to what i was doing

[frascospecimen]

Please hold transgender women dear in your heart this international women’s day. Love and respect the trans women around you please.

[valtsv]

the thing about "callout/cancel culture" that convinced me it's rotten to the core is the dehumanisation you face once you become the subject of a campaign like that. a lot of criticisms of callout/cancellation attempts appeal to the humanity of the subject, pointing out that it's unfair and unproductive to treat a person, a fellow human being, regardless of how much harm they've caused and how genuinely unlikable they are, like that. but unfortunately the reality of being the target of a mob mentality often means facing the very isolating and traumatising experience of realising that you've ceased to exist as a person in their eyes. you're a representation of your transgressions, an embodiment of harm that needs to be erased like a blemish, a spectacle for entertainment, a means of earning social approval by publicly condemning and humiliating you in what quickly becomes a competition to see who can strike the blow that knocks you down so you never get up again. nobody cares about who you are outside of what you did. people make mistakes and hurt one another, but there is always the capacity for change, for regret and reparations. you are an irredeemable monster. you can't change. the only way to make sure you can't cause harm ever again is to neutralise you entirely. to drive you off and hurt you so badly that you never consider coming back. and it often succeeds. but it doesn't make the world a better or safer place. it just tells everyone that certain behaviours will be punished, so you should conceal them, and harshly condemn them in others so that everyone knows where you stand; nobody will stand up for you if you're accused and brought out for judgement, so you shouldn't trust anyone, and always be on the lookout to take them down before they can do the same to you. you're not creating a safe, welcoming community. you're creating a panopticon built on fear and punishment.

[redinthesea]

Stop putting him through situations!!!!!!! Think of his blood pressure!!! Everyone stop being mean to him real quick and start clapping or I'll blow this whole building up.