#these were mostly all from memory so there may be better quotes for some

[yume-fanfare]

also my future masterpiece for when im done with it

[holyprincenerd]

yes yes rigged this cha cha that but please let’s not ignore this right now:

https://www.aftonbladet.se/podcasts/ab/episode/355975 Swedish “eurovision expert” Tobbe Ek (for those of you who aren’t Swedish, this is the same guy who accused Måneskin of doing coke on live tv back in 2021) and his posse of minions decided that it was time to spread some absolutely hateful rhetoric against the people of Finland by calling them shitty, idiotic, telling them they should be ashamed of not voting for Sweden (??? literally what???) etc etc, while also dragging in other contestants like Lord of the Lost and insulting them as a means of questioning why the Finnish public voted for them but not for Sweden. (You know. Because it totally doesn’t make any sense at all that a country known for having the most metal bands per capita in the world would vote for Lord of the Lost. Not at all.) 

As the cherry on top of this xenophobic shit cake, they started to go on about how “There’s no way there were ten contestants who were better than Sweden this year.” (Again. Not only disrespecting the other contestants, but them pretending not to grasp the concept of a country known for preferring heavier music choosing to vote mostly for bands this year... Yeah... Couldn’t be their preferences...)

Again, this man is considered a Eurovision expert here in Sweden, yet this is the type of behaviour he and his coworkers display over a nonissue like the Finnish public not voting for Sweden this year. If there’s something shameful here, it’s this.

To reiterate: These are three grown-ass well past 40-year old people having a genuine meltdown over one (1) singular country not voting for them.

Why are we giving Tobbe Ek (and his irrelevant coworkers) a platform, again?

EDIT:

Hoo boy, there’s more. Because of course there is.

ALRIGHT here’s an article from one of our tabloids using quite suspiciously colonialistic sounding rhetoric about Finland being “the kingdom’s previous eastern half”.

https://www.expressen.se/noje/finska-sveket-mot-sverige-gav-noll-poang-efter-uppmaningen-rosta-taktiskt/

The specific quote in Swedish: “Tv-tittarna i tidigare östra rikshalvan gav nämligen Sverige noll(!) poäng under Eurovisionfinalen på lördagen.”

Translation: “TV viewers in [our] kingdom’s previous eastern half gave namely zero(!) points to Sweden during the Eurovision finale on Saturday.”

Yeah, Johan Bratell (the writer of the article) is technically not wrong about Finland having been a part of Sweden. But why bring this up now? This was so clearly meant as a condescending insult.

The article also talks about a throwaway comment that the Finnish commentator Mikko Silvennoinen made about tactical voting (or more specifically, an anonymous comment he read out loud about tactical voting). From my understanding this was a joke reference to the previous elections which took place recently in Finland and forced a portion of the Finnish public to vote tactically as an attempt to block a far-right party from getting into the parliament. It’s embarrassing how much these people are reaching.

And even if they were voting tactically, so what? Sweden won. Why are we so focused on the public vote of one (1) country, Jesus Christ this is embarrassing.

EDIT 2: WHY THIS MATTERS. A LOT.

For those of you who are not in the know about Swedish politics, these statements are reflecting some far-right political views that have their roots all the way back in the times when Sweden ruled over Finland. In recent memory, our far-right political party Sverigedemokraterna claimed that the Swedish minority group Tornedalians are not Swedish, because they may speak local dialects that blend Finnish into Swedish, or speak the minority language Meänkieli. Coincidentally, Meänkieli just so happens to be a minority language that blends Finnish and Swedish, as it is mostly spoken by people who live by the Torneå river, i.e. the Finnish-Swedish border. Here’s an article about this controversy (however you may not be able to read it unless you’re subscribed to said newspaper): https://www.dn.se/asikt/orimligt-att-tornedalingar-inte-skulle-vara-svenskar/?fbclid=IwAR33K_UVRhXlJhyPd3gY7GDXN_lotUdrtM1AeL-nRzWE26Tmq5BFE0lIUzw

Sverigedemokraterna also believe that the Swedish minority group of Sweden Finns should essentially cut their ties to their Finnish roots and that they should not be able to be citizens of both Finland and Sweden. https://aip.nu/sverigedemokraterna-och-de-dubbla-medborgarskapen/

This sort of rhetoric is ridiculously common here, and in situations like the ones that have occurred in light of the ESC, they almost never get called out. Because it’s common. Because it’s okay to call Finnish people names and to use colonial rhetoric against all Finns, both those who live in Finland and those who live in Sweden. Because this is “friendly banter.” Mind you, as someone who technically belongs to both of the aforementioned minority groups I’m completely fine with the actually friendly banter and piss taking that we usually partake in, because it is just that. Friendly. But this is not it. This is actually harmful. I have never seen so many Swedish people attacking Finns on social media as I’ve seen these past few days. The usual colonialistic and fennophobic insults have started to rear their ugly heads: People have started to insult the Finnish language (a fennophobic sentiment that goes way back to the days when Finland was under Swedish rule and the Swedish tried to get rid of the language), they have started to insult the way Finns look (goes back to fennophobic rhetoric of Finns essentially not being “white enough”), etcetera. For more information on how the Swedish government treated the Sweden Finns and Tornedalians (the fact that they tried to abolish both the Meänkieli language and the Finnish language from Sweden and have even done skull measurements as an attempt to prove that these minority groups are not equal to Swedes), here’s another article: https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/norrbotten/regeringen-tillsatter-sanningskommission

For those of you who speak Finnish and are interested in the topic, the book Kansankodin pimeämpi puoli by Tapio Tamminen goes into both issues, with photographic evidence of skull measurement incidents among other things. Meanwhile, the Finnish media is mostly just reporting on the tomfoolery of these “journalists.” Sure, there are a lot of Finns who are acting out as well and spreading hateful rhetoric against Swedes, but the difference here is that one group is punching up, while the other is punching down.

Whether Tobbe Ek, Jenny Ågren, Markus Larsson and Johan Bratell meant to cause this does not matter. They’ve still done it, in the case of the former group, they’ve even dragged other Europeans (and Australians!) into this mess.

They’ve gone ahead and spread fennophobic rhetoric on huge platforms: Sweden’s biggest national tabloids. They should be held accountable for this.

To reiterate: ALL THIS OVER THE FINNISH PUBLIC “NOT VOTING FOR SWEDEN” DURING THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST OF 2023.

Edit 3: Just in case we need a bit of clarification:

I know this whole post may come across quite negatively. So let me make this clear: There is an issue with the Swedish culture and its normalisation of fennophobia, however, that doesn’t mean every Swede is maliciously fennophobic. It’s literally just so normalised here, that sometimes people don’t even notice when they’re partaking in it, and because of said normalisation, for many these fennophobic and colonialist insults have become a sort of knee jerk reaction to when there’s “actual beef” with Finland. (Which, obviously, is a fucking problem, because look who has to bear the brunt of that.) 

Moreover, many Swedes aren’t even familiar with their shared history with Finland, and the discrimination Finland was put through during the Swedish rule (not to mention the discrimination the Sweden Finns and Tornedalians have had to face and still face). That part of our shared history simply isn’t taught in schools here, so a regular person would have to know to go out and look for the information. Heck, the only reason I’m aware of this is because at the end of the day, despite having been born and raised in Sweden, I am ethnically Finnish, and grew up by the border with very strong ties to the Finnish culture because of it. But less about me, and more about this issue. Most Swedes (and Swedish journalists who have any sort of sense in them and who work for respectable publications) have expressed their dissatisfaction with this years results as well. There’s a reason Cha Cha Cha is charting so well on Swedish Spotify. There’s a reason for why the Swedish jury and the public gave Finland 12 points.

So, Tl;dr:

1. Swedish tabloids are trash.

2. We have an undeniable problem with how normalised fennophobia is here, and it’s absolutely bizarre that this is how it’s getting exposed.

3. Most regular Swedes aren’t happy with this either, and are in fact not Finland’s and the Finnish people’s greatest haters in the world.

4. Tobbe Ek should get fired. At the bare minimun, he and his coworkers should probably issue some sort of apology for spreading this, seeing how it is actually hurting a lot of people.

Anyway, please don’t hate on the Swedes because of this lol, think about what Jere from Vantaa would think about that. 💚

[w1ld-wr1t3r]

Started writing this. Had a breakdown (not really). Bon appetit.

I've seen people judge Lando's behavior and call him various things. And I won't deny that he's had moments of questionable behavior. But who on the grid hasn't? I think a lot of people who are criticising Lando are conveniently forgetting about things that their favorite driver has said or done in the past. Between the fast-paced nature and high emotions in the sport, I'd be shocked if there was even a single driver who hasn't done something in front of a camera that came back to bite them in the ass. Lando is not the first driver to say something that led to backlash, and he won't be the last. And that's not even taking into account that when the quote that started all of this first started making the rounds, it was being taken out of context instead of being quoted in full. If more people heard the entire quote the first time around, I think this wave of hate would have, at the very least, been a lot less severe. So I blame this both on journalists looking for drama and fans who don't want to bother digging deeper for answers.

And (I swear I mean this in the nicest way possible) . . . everyone in this sport is super rich and highly skilled at what they do. What behavior were you expecting from them? For them to not think a little highly of themselves? Personally, considering that they're all one of twenty drivers in the entire world who do this, I totally understand if that achievement goes to their head a little. It would be nice if it didn't, but I try to be realistic and admit that it probably does in most cases. That doesn't change the fact that they are people, and while they will make mistakes or say things you disagree with, they are also capable of being decent individuals. Judging them based on cherry-picked moments rather than looking at who they are in general is what leads to problems.

I think some people are so determined to believe that their driver is the best in every way that as soon as they hear something bad about another driver, they don't dig any deeper and just run with it, because it makes them feel better about their driver (I will shamefully admit that I have fallen prey to this once or twice, but I don't broadcast that on the internet. I keep it to myself, because it doesn't concern anyone else. If you're a fan of someone I'm not a fan of, I may privately question your tastes, but I'm not gonna go out of my way to be mean about it. What would I gain from that?). And once they do, they don't want to admit they were wrong or hasty and just double down instead. They don't want to admit that their narrative is wrong.

I will admit that Lando is probably not as perfect as I think he is. I will probably disagree with what he says sometimes. But no one is perfect. Everyone has said something they regret, or spoken without thinking, or said something controversial. Celebrities aren't magically immune to that. And unless Lando gives me a genuine reason to dislike him, I will continue to come to his defense.

I'm comforting myself through this period of extreme Lando hate by reminding myself that people have short memories. The hate appeared quickly, and it'll disappear just as quickly once people have something else to latch onto. By Vegas, I think (hope) that this will be mostly old news. This, too, shall pass.

[goodqueenaly]

Hello, thank you for your previous answers. I've got another one for you. Are there any reasons (Doyalist or Watsonian) that Oberyn only has (or claims?) daughters?

Number one, this detail underlines some of Dorne's unique cultural qualities compared to the rest of (continental) Westeros. In Dorne, as Maester Yandel writes, "[t]hey [i.e. Dornish people] are not greatly concerned if a child is born in wedlock or out of it, especially if the child is born to a paramour". Likewise, Dorne is a land of (mostly) equal primogeniture, where Princess Nymeria is a revered foundational figure and (again, to quote Yandel) "[g]reat ladies and famous princesses abound, and are the subject of songs and tales as much as the great knights and princes". Oberyn's daughters were never considered the heirs to Sunspear, of course, but their existence as specifically female bastards who are nevertheless publicly acknowledged and raised by their highborn father reflects these aspects of their native culture. Indeed, when Obara's (nameless!) mother attempted to use Obara's gender in part to dissuade Oberyn from taking their daughter, Oberyn refuted the suggestion that as a mere girl she would not be wanted, declaring that "[g]irl or boy, we fight our battles ... but the gods let us choose our weapons" and confirming his paternal ownership of Obara through the latter's choice.

Number two, and related to that first point, it emphasizes Oberyn's own exotic strangeness, especially as he is first introduced through Tyrion's eyes while the latter was welcoming him to King's Landing. Oberyn's reputation did not just proceed him, it portrayed him as, to borrow a turn of phrase, mad, bad, and dangerous to know, someone who defied convention and thrived on blood and scandal. For a man who had supposedly murdered Lord Yronwood with a poisoned sword, "learn[ed] the poisoner’s trade and perhaps arts darker still, "soldiered in the Disputed Lands across the narrow sea", "bedded men and women both" and "crippled the heir to Highgarden”, fathering and raising exclusively female bastards might seem simply another aspect of Oberyn's unorthodox life and personality (again, especially in the view of non-Dornish Westerosi). Where for Tyrion, the note that Oberyn had fathered no sons is an intriguing detail amid the rest of that unusual life, and where elsewhere in Westeros such a fact might be taken as a slur on one's masculine virility (compare, say, the sniping comment made by Tytos Blackwood against Jonos Bracken, that Jaime would have to take one of Bracken's daughters as a hostage because "[f]or all his [i.e. Bracken's] rutting, he has not proved man enough to father sons"), for Oberyn there is no shame in the gender of his offspring.

Number three, it characterizes Oberyn as a man who genuinely cares about his female relations - an extremely relevant point when considering Oberyn's larger personal and political motivations. Oberyn makes no secret of the fact that he still vehemently blames the Lannisters for the murder of his beloved sister, and that he seeks vengeance for those murders. Oberyn is most certainly not the man to abandon the memory of the sister he loved, any more than he is to leave his daughters as unacknowledged bastards (which, again, as a highborn Westerosi male he might have been well within social expectations to do). These girls and women are as close and important to him as his brother or, more to the point, any son he might have had. (Indeed, Oberyn himself strengthened this familial connection by naming his eldest daughter by Ellaria "Elia", explicitly after the sister to whom he was so close.)

Number four, it provides a contrast between Arianne Martell and her cousins in their respective positions. The Sand Snakes may be bastard born, but they are publicly acknowledged as both the daughters and, for lack of a better term, spiritual successors of their father: Oberyn took them from (at least some of) their mothers, he raised them as his own, and he gave them the tools to live the sort of independent life he enjoyed. They were given paternal acknowledgment, trust, and the freedom to make their own decisions (especially in their choice of husband, at least theoretically since none have actually wed). Arianne, by contrast, might be the legitimately born daughter and heiress of the Prince of Dorne, but she believes (and not entirely unjustifiably) that Doran did not want her as his heir (and specifically that he was disappointed in her gender), does not trust her with any but the most superfluous tasks in that position, and would marry her against her will to the first available non-threatening aristocrat, the better to remove her from the succession. That the Sand Snakes are exclusively female assists in this direct comparison: Arianne can see young women of an age with herself and consider how she believes she has been treated by her Martell princely father compared to how they have been treated by a father of nearly equal dynastic standing.

[starlene]

Titanic: the Artifact Exhibition thoughts:

Let me start by saying that I have some... let's say, ethical qualms about the whole artifact exhibition thing. Obviously, they're not severe enough to prevent me from seeing the touring exhibition (and to be clear, I have seen different iterations of it in four different countries now.) But even so – I just don't think it's super cool that these historical artifacts are owned by a company who thinks Las Vegas is a proper permanent home for them. There is something very sideshow-esque about the whole thing. While it's cool that some of the artifacts tour the world for many people to see, if I got to decide, their permanent home would be in a well-established museum in a location that figures in the story of the RMS Titanic somehow. But I don't get to decide that, so whatever, I guess!

Mostly, the exhibition is both respectful and informative, but there are some little problems. The most notable one is that they haven't updated all their info plaques and their audio guide, so there are issues like two plaques right next to each other having contradictory info (say, how much the tickets cost in today's money.)

I also don't think it's, hmm, super great how you walk by the names of everybody that died – straight into a souvenir shop stand of teddy bears dressed as captains. I mean, sure, they need to make their money somehow, and I did buy a bunch of postcards and stuff myself... but apart from a handful of replica newspapers, cups and such, the shop really has the most tasteless selection of Titanic merch known to man. The only things missing are the "Titanic Swim Team 1912" shirts and the ice cube trays.

To make it clear: I'm not saying you're a horrible person if you wear a Titanic Swim Team tee or whatever (tbh, I would buy a Vasa Swim Team 1628 one in a heartbeat myself) – these days, the sinking of the Titanic is a part of popular culture just as much as it's a historical event, so it's just natural there are joke-y products around. I just think the contrast of a memorial wall for the actual victims and the captain teddies is rather gruesome.

Also, speaking of Titanic in popular culture and the public consciousness, I don't think it's super great how the exhibition strengthens certain Titanic myths that don't really have much truth to them, or are less black-and-white than the usual story goes.

They make a big deal of the Titanic (and the Titanic alone) being "unsinkable", to the point of lifting Captain Smith's "modern shipbuilding" quote¹ out of context, which of course makes guests assume he said that about the Titanic specifically. They also claim Captain Smith was about to retire after the Titanic's maiden voyage, though there isn't really any evidence to prove that. And of course, they keep mentioning how the Titanic was the largest ship ever built – which is technically true, sure, but I think it's worth mentioning that in practice, she and the Olympic were twin sisters.

I even spotted a new piece of nonsense in the exhibition that I've never heard before: they claim that Thomas Andrews was not supposed to be on the maiden voyage at all, but he had to travel in place of Lord Pirrie when he fell ill. I believe Thomas Andrews was always meant to lead the guarantee group, like he had done on previous maiden voyages, and I have never heard anything to the contrary before. But what do I know?

Props to the exhibition for not demonising J. Bruce Ismay, though! On the contrary, they mention he helped passengers board the lifeboats before leaving on the last lifeboat to be properly launched.

Anyway!! I think I have been negative enough here. I may have a lot of nitpicks, but even so, as a whole, I think the exhibition is a good introduction to the story of the Titanic, and it's interesting and touching to nerds like me, too. I like the interactive parts such as the changing soundscapes. I feel the sound design has gotten better since the last time I saw the exhibition, I especially enjoyed the soundscape near the 3rd class cabin reproduction that demostrated how you could hear the engines all the time in those cabins. The touch the iceberg thing is good and very sobering too, it really helps you to understand how hypothermia was only a matter of minutes on a night as cold as April 15th, 1912.

And of course, there are the artifacts themselves! I assume they keep most of the flashier ones in Vegas, but there were some good ones. My favourite was a golden chain with three lucky charms: a clover, a star, and a lucky pig. The lucky pig obviously didn't make it, but I do wish its owner did. I also liked the Extra Moist Cherry Toothpaste jar just because that sounds so silly. There were reproductions of that in the souvenir shop, but I couldn't justify buying one – maybe I would have if it came with some of that moist paste, but nope!

ETA: Something I found interesting was that pretty much every single artifact that was a part of the ship's decor, from dishes to lamp holders, was stamped with the White Star Line logo, even the fancy first class tableware. Was that all about boosting their brand recognition, or were they that worried about things being stolen? Or did they want to show off that everything was custom-made just for them, no off-the-shelf items from any generic manufacturer? Maybe it was a little bit of each?

I also think it's interesting to think about the weird journey the artifacts have made. Someone put them in their luggage to cross the Atlantic, they sunk along with the ship and spent about 80 years in the darkness... and then someone else came along with an underwater robot that has little hands and picked them up. The people who originally owned them could never have imagined the journey their everyday items would go on – or, if they briefly saw a vision of their trousers ending up in a glass case in a Swedish mall with some Finnish nerd staring at them, they probably thought they're just about to lose their mind.

All in all, Titanic: the Artifact Exhibition in Täby, Sweden, was a thought-provoking experience for me in many ways. I'm glad I got the chance to go.

¹ "I cannot imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. I cannot conceive of any vital disaster happening to this vessel. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that." (Said by Smith after the RMS Adriatic's maiden voyage in 1907)

[roosterbox]

Random Inception Headcanon Time!

Today’s Episode: Cooking! Baking! Who came out the womb with measuring spoons and who is a regular at their local takeout places? Who is the supreme chef and who regularly burns salad?

(inspired by the Inception discord)

Dom isn’t exactly a “good” cook. He can make most simple meals, and has occasionally branched out into more complex dishes, but only when he has a specific recipe to follow - his improvised cooking leaves much to be desired (Arthur will never let him live down the time he gave the entire team food poisoning). But the things he does know how to make… to quote a fic from one of my other fandoms, “he wasn’t the best chef, but everything he made tasted like home.” And if you were to ask James and Philippa, they’d say nobody cooks better than their dad.

Arthur lived mostly on takeout for a number of years before discovering a love of baking. And, turns out, he’s damn good at it. The art of cooking in general still eludes him (Eames learned fairly quickly that, if he didn’t want to subsist on crunchy pasta, he’d need to take over most of the kitchen duties), but for once, he doesn’t really care. To Arthur, food is food, and if it still fills you up, who cares, right? Don’t tell Eames that though - he may actually cry.

Eames loves improvising new recipes and dishes, and everything he makes has its own flair and fun. And, most importantly, it’s always delicious. In fact his love of cooking directly inspired Arthur to try his hand at baking. He’s not above getting some fast food when the situation calls for it, though. Such as the time when he was sick with the flu, and Arthur’s offers to make him some homemade chicken soup caused his life to flash before his eyes. (Which was 100% intentional on Arthur’s part - he has no illusions about his own cooking prowess.)

Ariadne loves trying new things, but her results are often… less successful than Eames’. He’s offered to “teach her the ways,” but the way he says it always makes it sound like a sex thing, and Ari isn’t down with that. She’s getting better though; she made dinner (her own original recipe!) for the Cobbs one night, and the kids really seemed to like it. So all she needs to do is keep practicing.

Yusuf is the sort of person who could totally make it onto a Food Network program if he wanted. But he doesn’t go around blabbing about his cooking skills, unlike some people (damn it, Eames). He sticks to old favorites 99% of the time, but prefers going out to eat if a friend comes over - gotta keep those skills on the DL, after all. He can also almost match Robert for sheer spice immunity. Almost.

Saito has personal chefs. Has had them for as far back as he can remember. Even his wives never really cooked for him. That being said, he has fond memories of dishes his mother used to make, and he may or may not have attempted cooking them himself when his staff’s versions didn’t quite live up to his expectations. Turns out, recreating a dish from a treasured memory isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Robert cooks for the artistry of it all. If he was on Chopped, every judging round would start with the judges waxing poetic about how fucking flawless his presentation was. The taste, however… Robert has a problem with spice. That problem being that he can’t taste it for shit. Five alarm chili? Wings with the Carolina Reaper sauce? Six Star Curry? Not even the slightest issue for him. Unfortunately, that means he also can’t tell if he’s adding too much to his own food. He also makes his desserts with wayyyyy too much sugar. He has a sweet tooth, so sue him.

[taocastleprincess]

i’m speaking specifically about anonymous adult-child interactions/relationships on social media sites. i’m a licensed literacy interventionist and i currently work in education policy— i know that not every adult is a predator and that some of us function as mentors, teachers, and even first friends to children/teens. so i won’t comment on real-world interactions because that was not what i was referring to. my professional and personal success is, in part, due to the overwhelming support and love of adults, irl and online, in my life. however, i don’t have any problem putting aside my personal experience to recognize an objective problem.

that being said, there is very little reason for adults to knowingly seek out children on the internet for casual conversation and intervention. can there be good that comes out of these interactions? i know from personal experience on internet forums in the early 00s that this is possible and some of my favorite memories are being helped by and cared for by adult mods and even regular adult users. but, again, these adults were not seeking me out and they very rarely left their usual (forum) haunts to engage with users they knew were children.

i’ve also worked at a non-profit that specifically works with teens in under-served areas and gives them a recreational space to connect with teens from similar backgrounds and grants them job/internship opportunities in their preferred field of study… the unfortunate amount of teens who have come to us having admitted to being groomed or interacted with inappropriately in some way by an anonymous adult online is concerning. the last part of my tag— the 80% comment— was hyperbole and was made offhandedly while watching tv but like i said, the general statement stands.

there are few reasons for adults online to seek and/or form relationships with anonymous minors online that are not sinister or creepy in some way, shape, or form. that is the behavior i’m referring to based on what i read in the tags and quotes— not adults offering one-time advice/care in passing online.

my comment was sincere, i’m glad your experiences online as minors interacting w adults was mostly positive. that doesn’t change what the data tells us, though. will never forget going to training for a youth-focused program and reading that almost 50% of minors report having uncomfortable interactions with anonymous adult users across major social media platforms (twitter/snapchat/instagram/etc.) this was based on data collected by leading researchers. i wish i could remember the source so it doesn’t just sound like i’m talking out of my ass but it is what it is.

the internet landscape is changing all the time and while those figures may have fluctuated (either positively or negatively) since then, adults should always err on the side of caution when interacting online with minors and even people who are secretive about their age online. the average adult doesn’t really have any business engaging in a relationship of any kind with an anonymous minor. we can discuss extreme exceptions and positive influences but even if we’re being generous, even smaller-scale studies are telling us that that is not the case a lot of the time.

im not interested in going back-and-forth, this is the most i’ve written on tumblr in several years, i just wanted to clarify my thoughts and defend my position. if we want we can amend my hyperbolic statement to “50% of the time,” if that makes you feel better.

yes, children do need caring and loving adults to succeed in this life. i’m sure that most people are not running around screaming “adults can never interact with minors ever at all” and the few who do are probably aware there are exceptions. the exceptions aren’t the rule tho, unfortunately, and too many adults are already using the guise of mentorship and taking advantage of children’s situations to prey on them (whether that’s emotional, sexual, spiritual, or otherwise.)

Sometimes when people on the Internet are like "ADULTS CAN NEVER INTERACT WITH MINORS IT'S CREEPY" I remember how, at 12, back in 1997, I was on the Witchvox forums with people ranging from me to people in at least their 50s, and no one there was ever a creep to me, no one ever made me feel uncomfortable or asked for my personal info, and when I finally broke down after a particularly brutal day of bullying at school and posted about it they were the first adults I'd ever met in my entire life who told me the bullies were the problem and it was okay to be angry about it.

Kids need to interact with adults who will listen to them.

[persistence-and-adaption]

"Climb your scars like a rock wall, so for each one you gain, you can reach a little higher."

What did I mean, when I wrote this? Did I mean to harm yourself to feel better? In fact, that could not be more incorrect.

“Climb your scars,” is how the quote begins. Scars don’t show until after the damage is done and mostly healed. They grace the skin of the survivors, despite how they may try to hide them. There, where someone might see them. But while they may ache and pull, they are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign the person survived the wound which caused it.

“Climb your scars like a rock wall” Rock walls are barriers. You can’t go under, can’t go around. The only way is up to the top. If it were smooth, it would be nearly unscalable. But those experiences you’ve suffered and healed from create the imperfections you need to climb.

“So for each one you gain,” They build up through life. It is inevitable you will face painful experiences and have to deal with them. Some are miniscule, some haunt you for years. And from them, you will heal and another scar will form. “You can reach a little higher.” Instead of letting all these scars wear you down, use them to build you up. They are your reasons. Your motivations for becoming who you are today, for your caution and sometimes your strength. Scars don’t always build you up on their own. They can even limit you. It is up to you to look at them. To sit with those memories and find the faults within yourself, and instead of shaming yourself for those faults, to grow from them. Pain can make you kinder, more empathetic. It can make you a better listener. A better creator of boundaries, which creates the foundation for only allowing the good people to remain in your life. It can also destroy you if you only ever run and hide from it. You can not run from something which is a part of yourself. So don’t. That is the hardest part, but it is possible. Use your experiences to help shape yourself into the best person you can be. if this message does not resonate with you, that is okay. Everyone is different, and this may not be something which helps your individual path to healing. It helped me understand what I was already doing, and I shared it in hopes it may also help others.

[rooklinensinker]

My Work Space

One of my friends helped me finally work today so I thought I could show my working space. I'm really proud of how it turned out and since I'm moving out when my semester ends, I thought it helpful to keep a memory of it somewhere.

I know my pictures aren't the most aesthetically pleasing to look at, but I just wanted to keep a record as best as I could.

This is all I make a point of having in my workstation:

My computer and it's accessories. I got one of those mechanical ones that make sounds every time I'm working (bonus points for the colour model being called "chocolate"). Gives me an incentive to type more. I also got a mouse because my laptop's doesn't work very well. And whenever I draw, I can use my drawing tablet instead. Also a microphone because my laptop is absolutely shitting itself going through multiple organ failures and I'm surprised a senior like it still works well. I love my baby 🥰

My Laptop Stand™ by me because I made it out of a cardboard box and decorated it to look pretty. I may have a problem with aesthetics... But! It was essentially free and it does the job well. I also keep notepads, my pencil case, and fidget toys under there.

Pens in a handy spot. Selected to go with the colour scheme because, again, I have a problem. They're all in an old candle cup I filled with fake leaves because recycling is good and I may be a hoarder too but don't quote me on that. I try to keep a variety although I've been mostly using the same orange and gold glitter pens.

Water and drinks in general. I might show a full room tour later but one of the things that made my life 100x easier was having a hot chocolate/ oatmeal station in my room. For those days where it's hard to eat but I still need to take my meds. I just have a nice small portable kettle, some cups, a bowl and spoons that I sometimes have to force myself to wash downstairs because for some reason my brain thinks walking out my bedroom door is not a valid option. Also I like drinking hot chocolate while I work so that's a plus.

Google Speaker. It wakes me up and a̶n̶n̶o̶y̶s̶ ̶m̶e̶ helps me stay on track. I usually just play music in the background and put a video essay playing alongside it so I can feel less bored. I taught it to help me with routines, pomodoro timers, and getting ready to go out and time tracking when I dissociate. Some times are more effective than others but I like to hear the Family Bell jingles. And whenever I get random thoughts, instead of browsing on my phone and getting lost in the scrolling hell, I ask and it sometimes gives me my answer.

Candles. I need candles. It's one of those things that make me feel cozy no matter the weather. And I may have too many I collect so I better use them. My favourite smells are pumpkin spice and apple and very autumnal sweet ones because they remind me of the holiday season. I also tried cake scented but those just make me hungry and craving food I don't have. I have wax melts but restrict myself to only one candle so I make sure to economise their use. Also they make great lights!

Last but not least: Lights! I used to work during the night when quarantine struck and I found my optimal work times were from 4am to 9am. Which meant, coloured lights helped my brain suddenly decide to focus. Too bad I have to stick to a functional routine now. I still try to wake up at least at 6am but it's not the same. Though the sunrise is good enough to watch.

Other things that I add for fun are decorations like vines and leaves. Also practically stuff like a coaster for the hot drinks and a kitchen rag that I use to both elevate my keyboard but also to cover it so it doesn't get any mess when I eat.

Other than that I'm not sure what else. Hopefully future me gets to decorate their own place with knick-knacks and pretty shiny things too. And if you're reading this from that future, know that I'm proud we got this far. We can do it!✨

[dungeonsandblorbos]

Campaign Intros: Grovington College

Grovington College is another short and sweet campaign that only lasted about 5 sessions from my freshman year of college. this one was done in the Demon Hunters: A Comedy of Terrors system, though, which a Powered by the Apocalypse-based system. it's the other one where Indie was my PC, and my notes are a little bit better, but still absolute trash. so, i will just copy/paste this disclaimer from the last campaign intro:

did i memorialize some funny out of context quotes and snapshot moments? you betcha! did i manage to write down enough info to reconstruct the basic monsters we hunted? yeah, barely. did i bother writing down anything about my fellow PCs? actually, i did this time! and yet i still managed to leave out some crucial details! did i bother noting where the college actually is or anything about its layout or the nearby town? only the barest most plot relevant details! did i do anything to help me remember who NPCs were or what they looked like? nah!

my memory isn't very good in general, but between the effect of time and bad notes, my memory of this campaign is very minimal. any story times from Grovington College will be very brief and won't have a lot of context because i probably don't know either

so ~anyway~

the setting

Grovington College is a school in the sleepy college town of Grovington, Massachusetts, USA. its mascot is the Gecko, for some reason. as the town is home to a disproportionate amount of supernatural activity, the college also hosts a chapter of the Brotherhood of the Celestial Torch, a sort of secret demon-hunting organization. notable clubs at Grovington College include the Grovington College Cryptid Club and Rocks for Jocks

the town of Grovington is also home to the Harpsburg Museum of Natural History and an amusement park called Harper's Holiday Fun Land (or maybe that's in the neighboring town of Pleasantdale?)! there's also a bar/club called the Country Porch, a restaurant called Ernie's Waffle Shack, and an annual slasher movie festival downtown

Chapter ΦΧΧ (Phi Chi Chi) PCs

Indigo Sullivan: my PC! you know him, you met him at this post here. he's an ambidextrous psychic smartass whose wardrobe is mostly hideous dad sweaters and hawaiian shirts. yes he is queer how could you tell? at this point in time, he's a sophomore majoring in psychology and minoring in stats

Professor Edward Bellwether Germory III: a professor of comparative philosophy and art history. eccentric and obnoxious about being rich. he has a butler who does all his texting for him. supposedly somewhat handsome but dresses like a seventy-year-old man. cannot drive

Wesley: a were-dog! and a lesbian, obviously. likes stealing stuff. good with kids. once dressed up as a man to trick a succubus into trying to eat her, because Indie refused to be the bait

Cider: they/them. a Brotherhood patented android called a Cypher. good with cats, and toads. hates Bobby Flay

Important NPCs

Japes, the butler: Edward's butler and sometimes chauffeur. usually the one who drives our Brotherhood taco truck (like a spy van, but a taco truck! it's bigger on the inside). texts exclusively in emojis

Clementine: Cider's cat friend. she has a tag on her collar that reads "i’m not lost; i just wander around campus." may or may not be a shapeshifter in disguise

?: a mysterious old Korean woman who runs Chapter ΦΧΧ. you don’t know her secrets. she doesn’t know or care about yours

Juan: a were-dog whose animal form is a scotty dog. associated with the Brotherhood. has a Funko Pop Snoopy keychain, and a locket with a picture of him and his husband, Owen. his music collection includes: Ladies of the 80s, Duran Duran, and the Hamilton soundtrack, somehow on a tape that only plays backwards. he has a custom miniature chainsaw that's optimized for use as a scotty dog. at one point, he asks Indie and Cider if they, quote, "wanna surf on the car like Teen Wolf?" clearly a very responsible adult

Kelsey Sugarman: president of the Cryptid Club and a genuine believer. wears poodle skirts and has a cryptid radar she tries to use on everyone at a combined Cryptid Club/Rocks for Jocks hike

Mitch: a himbo in the Rocks for Jocks club (he's a geology major). he's awkwardly attractive and has an iconic green faux letterman jacket. he randomly gives Indie his number at a party (it's on a card) and they start dating soon afterwards. Kelsey's cryptid meter went off on him (or, at least, the dog hair on his clothes), so he may or may not be some sort of supernatural being himself--we didn't get far enough into the story to find out, unfortunately

Paleontology Paul: he's back! only this time he works at the museum. just as dorky and knowledgeable about dinosaurs as he was in the last campaign. dresses as Alan Grant from Jurassic Park for Halloween, because of course he does. must be ordained because he blesses some weapons for us at one point, and afterwards they make various animal noises and do extra damage to evil things

Wren: a seven-year-old half-demon child we babysat and took trick-or-treating on Halloween. likes dinosaurs and is kept on a kiddie leash. absolutely adores Wesley, who gives her piggyback rides. may or may not be the anti-christ?

the plot

there isn't one. it's more of an episodic campaign, like North Pines Camp was

[winter-soldier-vibes]

I wasn’t there

Bucky x reader

Word count: 2510

Warnings: self harm/self harm scars, little bit of angst, mostly comfort, tears

Summary: Reader self harms and Bucky sees her scars one day on a mission by accident. He feels guilty and wants to help her as much as he can now that he knows. 

Based on the quotes: "Show me your scars, I want to see how many times you needed me and I wasn't there"

A/N: Thank you SO MUCH to the anon who sent this in! Not going to lie I was bawling writing this, I love it so much. This deals with heavy topics and mental health so as always, if you feel that reading this will be harmful to your journey in any way, please feel free to skip it. As always, I am here to talk about anything you guys may need. 

A/N 2: Ok there’s a part at the end that I don’t think is technically canon but it’s rumored and has been talked about before in regards to some of Bucky’s scarring on his left arm. I know it’s not a confirmed canon thing but it honestly works so well and I believe it’s true, please don’t come at me for that. <3

Tags: @buckys2thicc @thatfangirl42 @mardema @stucky-on-spiderman @barnesplums @peggycarter-steverogers @abitgryffindorky @buckfics  @freigeistundanderes  

Main Masterlist 

------------------------------

You trudged back to your room in the compound, exhaustion taking over your body. You had just gotten back from a mission that had taken the life out of you, more so than any others on the team. You had the power to control elements, but whenever you did it drained the energy out of you. At one point you had been surrounded, forcing you to lift the ground around you to knock everyone back. 

It was more than you had ever done at once, and nearly made you pass out. 

You were able to finish the mission, but you were absolutely exhausted, the worried eyes of Steve, Bucky, Bruce, and Natasha looking over at you. Nat was flying the quinjet, but still glanced back at you from time to time. Bruce was there mainly for medical help, as there wasn’t need for a code green. Steve was just Steve, being worried about you as your Captain. And as the friend of your boyfriend.

Bucky meanwhile would not leave your side. He was concerned, even after Bruce had determined you were nothing more than completely exhausted. He insisted on you lying down and him staying next to you. It was nice to know that he cared about you so much, he would do anything to protect you.

Which is what made your heart ache when you saw his face drop when you had said you were fine, and walked off to your room when you had arrived home.

It wasn’t that you wanted to be around him, not at all. It was just that you wanted to take a shower and wash the sweat and grime off of you, and you didn’t want him to see. Not yet, you hadn’t told him yet.

When you closed the door to your room, you peeled off your uniform, exposing your skin littered with scars varying in depth and age. You turned the water on and leaned against the countertop as you took in yourself. 

God, you hated them. 

You had struggled with self harm for a while now, but it was better than it had been before. It had been really bad before you had started dating Bucky. It’s not like it magically went away when you did, not at all, but just being around him made it easier. Him telling you how much he loved you, spending time with you, you helping him feel more secure. You weren’t alone in your head as much, 

He helped and he didn’t even know it. 

You traced your fingers over the most recent ones on your wrist from a few days ago. They had scabbed over by now, but the memory was still fresh in your mind. It was a panic attack in the middle of the night, and you didn’t want to wake anyone. You knew this would help you and it did. It grounded you back to the moment, calming you down as you focused on the stinging sensation rather than the panic. 

You looked down at all the other marks you had made. Most of them were on your thighs, because they were the easiest to hide. It was easier to wear pants in the summer than long sleeves. But you were running out of room, moving to your arms instead, trying to stay away from your wrists. But a few days ago you couldn’t even think about it through your panic attack. Sometimes you couldn’t think about it, being so overwhelmed that you weren’t quite aware of what you were doing until you saw the blood.

 You remembered making every single one of them. They all had a story, a reason. And all of them were different. 

You wanted to tell Bucky, you knew you would have to eventually. The two of you had avoided intimacy up until now, and slept in different rooms unless either of you was having a rough night and asked the other to stay. It wasn’t that you didn't want to be intimate with him, you had been together for months. But you had to tell him about this first

And you couldn’t find a way to quite yet.

You just couldn’t find the right time or words. You didn’t want to scare him off, and you didn’t want him to look at you in the sad, concerned way that people usually do with this sort of thing. You didn’t want to put this on him. And you for sure didn’t want him to blame himself.

You sighed, tearing your gaze from the mirror. You stepped into the shower, letting the warm water wash over you. You stood there like that for a few minutes before you moved to wash your body, taking your time. You had no plans tonight other than going to sleep. 

Bucky had watched you walk slowly back into the tower, wanting to follow you but also wanting to respect your boundaries and space. You were exhausted, but he wanted nothing more than to comfort you the entire night. But you didn’t want him too, and he wanted to respect that.

Still, it broke his heart to watch you limp away. He felt helpless. 

He couldn’t help but wonder if something was wrong with you. The way that the two of you had been together for as long as you had without some form of intimacy. He was patient, he would never want to push you, but he wondered why. Whenever the two of you had a conversation you had seemed to stiffen slightly and get uncomfortable. 

He never pressed it. Just dropped it and hugged you, telling you it was fine to wait. 

But the more time passed, the more helpless he felt. He felt like you were hiding something from it. He just wished he knew what it was so he could better help you. But in a way he understood. Everything that he had gone through - forcing someone to open up usually unintentionally makes them shut down. 

Even so, as he went back to his room he couldn’t stop thinking of you. He took his own quick shower, putting on sweats and a T-shirt before he came to check on you. He just wanted to make sure you were alright.

You had gotten out of the shower yourself, slowly drying yourself off before going back to your dresser to find something comfortable to wear. It was brutally hot and you were exhausted, pulling on a tank top and shorts. You were about to go back to lie down when you heard a soft knock on the door.

You sighed in frustration, closing your eyes for a moment. “Yeh, just a minute,” you said, exhausted, grabbing a pair of sweatpants and a loose sweatshirt to pull over yourself. You walked over to the door and opened it slightly, giving the man in front of you a tired smile.

“Hey Bucky.”

Bucky’s face softened, a small smile spreading on his face. “Hey doll. I - I know you said you wanted some time to yourself but I just wanted to check on you.”

You smirked at him slightly. “I’m just about the same as when we walked off the quinjet Bucky.” You shrugged, tugging your sleeves down - nervous habit. “I’ll be fine, I’m just really tired.”

Bucky looked you up and down quickly. “You sure?”

You hesitated a moment longer than you should’ve, quickly bringing yourself out of it. “Yeah.”

“You don’t sound sure,” he said gently. “Can I stay with you tonight?”

“Look I’m fine, I just want to go to sleep. I’m exhausted.”

“Please? Let me take care of you, it’s been a long day,” he said.

“You don’t have to Bucky,” you started, shaking your head lightly.

“I want to,” he assured you.

Sighing, you opened the door more to let him in. it wasn’t that you didn’t want him to stay, you did in a way. You always slept better with him there. You just really wanted to take off the sweats. But that would mean having a conversation that you weren’t ready for.

Sweat was better than tears.

You climbed into bed and Bucky laid down beside you, wrapping his arm around you. He kissed the temple of your head as you relaxed back against his chest. “Try to get some rest sweetheart.”

You hummed, already feeling exhaustion overtake you as you closed your eyes, drifting off to sleep faster than you ever had.

-----------

You woke the next morning feeling much better than the night before. You shifted slightly, feeling Bucky’s arms still around you. 

“Good morning sleeping beauty.”

“What? What time is it?” you asked sleepily.

Bucky chuckled behind you. “It is almost noon.”

Your eyes widened as you started to sit up. “What? I slept that long? How long have you been awake, I’m sorry -”

“Hey, sweetheart, don’t worry about it. I've been awake for a while but it’s no problem. You needed the rest and I’m glad you got it.”

You hummed again in acknowledgement, reaching your hands up to rub your eyes. What you hadn’t realized was that while you were asleep, your sleeves had ridden up slightly. You never had to worry about your wrists because you had never gone down that low on your arms. 

“Angel, what’s that?” Bucky asked, grabbing your arm gently to get a better look. You took your arm away quickly, tugging your sleeve down. You shook your head and crossed your arms as you stood up. “It’s nothing, really. I’m gonna go shower.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing,” Bucky said, standing and walking over to you. You tensed, and he noticed. “Did someone hurt you?”

“Please drop it Bucky,” you pleaded, still unable to meet his eyes. 

“Y/n I swear if someone hurt you -”

“I did it.” you blurted out, surprising you both. You took a shaky breath, and Bucky felt his heart drop, praying he had heard you wrong. 

“What?” he asked, barely audible. The only noise was your heart hammering in your ears. You swallowed, looking down at the ground and fiddling with your sleeves again. 

“I hurt myself sometimes,” you said with a small shrug. “It helps.”

“With what?” he asked, carefully. 

You met his eyes, tears pricking your own. “Everything.”

Silence. Bucky walked towards you slowly, pulling you into a hug, as you closed your eyes, silent tears falling. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t know how to.” you said simply. “I was embarrassed and ashamed, and I didn’t want you to blame yourself.”

He held you tightly, rubbing a hand up and down your back as more tears fell despite you trying to hold them back. “Can I see?”

You pulled back and tensed up, looking at him. “What?”

“Show me your scars,” he said.

You shook your head slightly, confused. “Why?”

“Because I want to see how many times you needed me and I wasn’t there,” he whispered.

You looked at him for a moment. “Bucky, I can’t do that, I -”

“Please y/n,” he whispered. “It’s just me.”

You studied him for a moment before nodding. With shaky hands, you pulled the sweatshirt over your head, dropping it on the floor and resisting the urge to cross your arms. You stepped out of your sweatpants next, keeping your eyes downcast. You heard a sharp intake of breath from Bucky, but you weren’t able to look at him yet.

Bucky felt his heart shatter at the scars littered across your arms. There were so many marks, he didn’t want to even think about how many there were. He felt tears prick his eyes but he knew he had to be strong right now. It pained him how much you were hurting and how oblivious he was. He took your hands in his, you still unable to look at him.

 “I’m so sorry it took me this long to be there for you.”

You shook your head, looking at him. “Don’t do that to yourself, please, it’s not your fault Bucky. You’re the reason it’s not worse.” You turned around and crossed your arms. “ I’m sorry, Bucky, I didn’t know how to tell you. They’re ugly, they’re disgusting. I’m disgusting. Who’s so fucked up that they have to slice open their skin to make themselves feel better? I hate myself more than anyone I’ve ever known. How pathetic is that?” 

“Y/n, can you look at me?”

Trying to blink back tears, you met his gaze again, his eyes glassy. “Your fight is our fight. None of this is your fault, don’t apologize for how you had to fight on your own. I’m here now, okay?” His hand ghosted over your scars. “These scars right here are your battle scars. They tell your story of how strong you are. Never be afraid or ashamed of that, okay?” 

You looked down, still embarrassed. 

“Hey, y/n. It’s okay.”

Before you could respond, Bucky took off his own shirt, something he had never done in front of you. Your eyes found the scars where metal met skin, most of them faded but had obviously been deep. You reached your hand out to trace over his scars.

“When they gave me this arm and they were starting to tortue me I would scratch at it. Whenever I had been out of cryo for long enough I would start to remember and claw at it too, before they wiped me again. I thought I was a monster.”

You shook your head. “No, Bucky that wasn’t your fault, you didn’t ask for Hydra to do all those things to you.”

“You didn’t ask for your mental struggles either. So why are you ashamed?”

“You didn’t ask for the metal arm, you wanted to get rid of it. It wasn’t in your control. This, what I do, I choose to do it every time. It doesn’t feel like a choice but I still pick up the knife.”

“But I bet if you could you would choose to put it down, yeah?” he brushed a piece of hair out of your eyes. “It’s okay y/n. Don’t be ashamed of how you helped yourself survive.”

You nodded, taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head and pulled you into another hug. “Don’t apologize for letting me be a part of your story.”

[nixcwen]

baby now that i've found you | playlist (s.)

Tsukishima Kei

||

You wanted to prepare for a quiz on the subject you're having a hard time on so you chose to stay at the library after classes. You asked your now-boyfriend, Tsukishima if he would like to study with you. Of course, he threw you some salty remarks which he always does, but he agreed, nonetheless.

You are now walking side by side with him to the library. There were a few people left after the classes have ended, but you don't have the guts to hold his hand so you resorted to a casual conversation about how was his day today.

"You made fun of Hinata again? That cute bean? You're so mean, Tsukki!" You said as you playfully punched him on his arms.

"Ha, there you go again. Go to that 'cute bean' of yours then." He retorted as he used the quote-unquote gesture partnered with the roll of his eyes.

You looked at him, head tilted to the side as if considering the idea. "Should I?"

"Are you clinically insane or just incredibly annoying?"

"I don't know, probably both."

As mean as Tsukishima can be, you can also stretch your patience, or just like how you usually do, you make comebacks from his remarks. That's Y/N for you!

Earlier in your relationship, you saw him as a challenge, but you realized later on that it wasn’t about changing him, it was about compromise. You got to know him on a deeper level. People may find fault with Tsukishima, but it’s not like he was all flaws, and it was him who saw all your faults and loved you nevertheless, not the other people.

You sure thought that bantering with him is all fun, however, when you just want his warmth to surround you and feel his affection, you're in a dilemma. Obviously, Tsukishima isn’t the type to have PDA.

That's why after you were settled at the farthest seat of the library, you grabbed the chance when Tsukishima brought out his phone and shared his earphones with you to listen to the playlist you guys made.

Your memories resurfaced once again, as the song plays your mind traveled back in time when you first met him. It was just the two of you in your little but comfortable bubble. You thought at that moment, as the sun sets behind Tsukishima with cheeks a little red than usual, everything was... close to perfect. Just one more thing.

Finally, with the sweet melody that only the two of you hear, you gently laid your head on his side. Just a few seconds after your action, you felt him move a little to look at you, clearing his throat before speaking.

"Oi." He nudged you. "I thought we were going study? You even asked to."

"I did, to my classmate Tsukishima-" you hugged his arm, looked at him, and did your best to put on a cute pleading face- "but I also want my Boyfriend, Kei. Can I ask for five minutes with you?"

He stared back at you for about a minute, you were slowly getting eaten by your shyness, but mostly by your thoughts. Am I too much? You asked yourself.

Even so, when he slowly dropped a feather-light kiss on your forehead, pulled your hand to rest on his lap with his on top of yours, and said:

"Just 5 minutes."

Everything became truly perfect.

||

word count: 578

This is actually the second imagine that I've written, but I revised it, and now that it's better than before, I posted it. What do you think about our Tsukki~ here? 🤭

Sincerely, Nixxy ♡

P.S - Join this little celebration for you!

[nightlight-firelight]

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait! Art block (Or writing block?) is the worst and I’ve been busy. I’m also trying to make this a gender neutral story and I’m not too experienced on this so hopefully I’m doing ok so far! Now with that out of the way, on to chapter 2!

“Falling (in love) So Fast That I Can’t Even Think!”

Chapter 2

You take a second to realize that he was holding you a bit tight around the waist, and the silence of the tension began to build every second that neither of you moved.

“Hi?” You ask him. You mentally smacked yourself in the head for that comment. At this point of view, you can see that the, now real and very handsome doctor, eyes were a shade of blue that could take your breath away and-

“Oh, um,” Eggman studdered out a bit softer and less confident the what you have seen him in the show. “Hi.” He finally decided to look around at his predicament and examined your room.

“Where am I?” Eggman finally pulled you back onto the bed, creaking slightly from the unexpected new weight. Your mind finally snaps back into reality as the warmth from his hands fades from your hips, already missing the connection he had. You need to relax, and not freak out the poor man sitting on your bed.

“You’re in my room.” You finally managed to push the words out of your lips. His face turns to confusion and worries at all of the merchandise of not just his universe, but the main Sonic series as well. His mind mostly likely wandered into a ‘crazy fan’ mode and tried to back up. You perk up and lean back slightly, making sure to not fall off the bed this time, but also give him some space to relax. Ivo’s movements began to quicken as he still backs up, almost falling off the other side of the bed. He catches himself and looks at you with a face of slight panic and worry.

“What’s all this? Who are you and what-” You cut him off with a hand slightly raised, signaling to calm down and to relax. “Breath, please. I won’t hurt you.” You promised him as you instruct him through a breathing exercise. After a small bit of confusion between the two of you, you lead the poor man into your living room, hesitantly on his part, and led him down on your couch. Just walking into your kitchen to grab two white ceramic mugs, you hear him clear his throat.

“So, what’s going on?” You can feel his gaze on you as the first mug is filled with hot liquid, the steam coming from the filling mug as your brain thinks of what you should do. You switch mugs, taking out his mug for yours. You take a breath.

You’re in my house, and not in your multiverse.” Finally giving him some type of answer as his, at this point, huge bear paw-like hands, envelope the mug and took a small sip. You went to grab your mug as he commented on the choice of beverage you had given him.

“Hot Cocoa?” The question you as you at on the opposite side of the couch, holding what you liked to think, that at this moment was your liquid courage. You take a small sip and taste the liquid pooling into your body. You almost blush as you remembered the ‘CowBot’ episode where Eggman offered Sonic and Tails hot coco and messed with them, waiting for his machine to arrive.

“I thought you might like it.” You confess as he stairs back into his cup, pondering on his whole situation. He takes a breath and looks at you.

“Can you explain to me how I may have gotten here?” All you could do is nod as you start the long trek into the explanation of who is and on all of your knowledge on how he may have gotten here.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

The next few hours were, as you expected, emotional. You had to start with who you were, where he was, and leading him into the conversation that may or may not have caused way too much emotion for the both of you.

“So the main series follows Sonic and his friends, but mostly Sonic, throughout his adventures fighting his version of the doctor. There in the form of games.” He takes a sec and has a look that tells you to keep going. You explain all the story of how the franchise came to be from the nineties till the game you were kinda worried about. Sonic Adventure 2. You tell him the basic plot points and slowly explain how the Main Univers Doc’s Grandfather died along with his grandchild, Maira. He winces when you explain this and see that he’s shaking whenever the two popped up. When you explained that Shadow was made by his Grandfather, his mood perked up and he getting giddy and you have to admit, his cute squeal of figuring out that somewhere he could be related to one of the most powerful people on his island. You smile and after his cute reaction, keeps the conversation going with more information about the franchise. By the time you had reached the current point of the history of the franchise, the man had a lot of questions.

“So let me get this straight,” Eggman’s posture was lax as he was leaned back into the couch, making himself more at home for the time being. “You’re telling me that the main version of me has released a water monster god, a prototype of Shadow, that is a giant lizard, a god within the earth that’s made of darkness, and tried to play with time and space like it was a toy?” He questioned as he took another sip of his now lukewarm cup of cocoa, stroking his mustache pensively, looking at you for a reasonable answer on why he would do so. “Well the BioLizard thing wasn’t truly his fault, but the rest were planed. And I’m saying ‘planned’ with quotes because I don’t think for a second that he thought a few of those through.” You chuckle at the main Doc’s decisions. While you did think his plans were really good, sometimes you think he may have never really thought things through before going to start his plans. Doc downs the rest of his drink as you realized that your cup is still half full. He sets it on the counter in front of the two of you and leans back into your couch. You smile at the thought that he’s finally warming up to you. In all reality, he could take you down with a swing of his fist and run anytime, but having him trust you this much to serve him a drink and have a nice conversation did bring up some fuzzy feelings you have been trying to push down withing the last few hours.

“So I’m still confused, how did I get here?” Doc asks as he cracks his spin a bit to relax better. You take another sip of your dink and set your cup down. You look him in the eye with a bit of confusion. “I’m not sure. I just watch the DVD and you were the one to start seeing me, after the ending of your battle with Sonic and Tails, that white light appeared and you grabbed me before I fell off my bed.” You look towards him and blush a bit, your face now warm from the memory of the save. “Thank you for catching me, I don’t think a concussion would have helped the situation now, would it?” You try and make the small joke appealing to make it less awkward. He blushes and nods, a small ‘no problem’ slips from his lips as you can see he’s trying to not make eye contact and his cheeks, just slightly visible under his mustache, a small bit of warmth wraps around his cheeks. Your brain gets hit with a moment of clarity and you jump up from the couch and take a second to grab your DVD player from your room, bringing it back to him to study. “I’m not sure if this would help you get back home,” You start, “ But it’s a start.” You also hand him the note that came with the box along with the Sonic figure. He takes the figure first and rolls it over a bit, looking at the detail.

“So this figure and the note came along in the box with the DVDs?” He asked as he set the figure down as he grabbed the note. You blush and remember that wasn’t the only thing in the box. You almost had forgotten the figure of the living breathing man in front of you. You ask him to give you a second and hurry back to your room. Searching the room, you almost give up on finding the figure, until you spot it halfway under the bed. You bend over and grab the figure and examine it. It’s still the same figure, but less detailed now. It actually looks like how one of the box set figures is. Cheaply made and having a missing paint splotch here and there. It still was a good-looking figure though, just not as best made. You start your very slow pace back to the living room, taking a small bit of time to think about something. The Sonic figure was still the same as it was before the doctor arrived, why did the doctor change-. You stop mid-way in your hallway to finally piece a big puzzle together. The figure of the doctor was some type of catalyst for his arrival. Like a gateway to get here. ‘And now that the figure is back to normal, does that mean that the Sonic one-’ You didn’t finish that thought as you hurry back to the living room, the doctor just putting the not back onto the counter. He looks up as grabs the DVD player and sets it onto his lap. He smiles as you enter the room.

“ Hey, you ok?” He asks you as you sit back down next to him, gently grab the Sonic figure, cradling it with some care.

“I’m ok,” You answer with some melancholy in your voice. “It’s just that I’ve been thinking of something that just came to me.” You look over to him, Doc staring back, patiently waiting for you to continue. You take a breath and look him in the eyes. “The box set also came with a figure of you as well.” You explain as you gave him the small toy, his face going into a slight pout over the quality as he looks it over.

“I’m much more handsome than this.” He sulks over the craftsmanship of his figure compared to the one in your hand. You pat him on the back with your free hand, feeling him tense for a sec and then relax. You giggle at the line, remembering it from the 30th-anniversary comic. Your mood lightening up a bit at his reaction. “It was actually just as well made before you appeared in my room.” You explained as you rub your thumber gingerly over Sonic’s quills. Your mood dampens a bit. “I’m really thinking that the figure was the way-”

And a giant flash of white engulfed both of your eyesight. You scream as you feel a sense of weightlessness as you clutch the figure closer to you. Opening your eyes after that flashbang of light, as see that you’re in. You blink and take a look around. You try and gain a scene of where you were as you feel like you were falling down. You see Eggman trying his best not to scream as he is also in the same predicament as you. You look at this ‘tube’ as you decided to call it and take a look a the warping walls. They move with colors that remind you of the goop In Super Mario Sunshine. The colors of yellow, magenta, and white mixing together and making the whole experience feel like a trippy dip around a pipe. The tube had some slight aura to it as it was some type of fuzzy feeling in the back of your spine, not good but not unpleasant either. You look down past your now slightly screaming partner in crime to see a large warp ring that looked something right of the Sonic movie, looking to land right over some type of woods. You realized from the rate your accelerating from and the height from the ring to the ground would lead to more than a few broken bones.

Holding your breath and snaping your eyes closed as you wait for the pain to hit, the now cool air of the new land you arrived on pools into your skin as you want to feel at least a bit of joy knowing that right at the end, you feel cool. You never did feel the ground but instead a pair of arms holding you and the sensation of rocketing back up. Opening your eyes, you see Doc holding you again, having been lifted from the ground by two sleek black jetpack type of wings protruding from the back of his jacket. He looks down at you with a smirk and chuckles a bit.

“We have got to stop doing this.” He’s sarcastic, and the potential way of flirting, way of teasing sends you a bit more than tomato red in the face as you wonder if it’s the altitude of the comment that making it hard to think right at the moment. You almost didn’t hear him as he starts to talk.

“It looks like we’re flying over Seaside Island Jungle.” He starts to explain. “I’m going to fly us back to my lair and we can figure out from there what’s going on.” You look over his shoulder for a brief second to see the portal closing and finally dusting away with a puff of gold sparks. Looking back and see a breathtaking view, seeing the full grand scale of the island from up in the clouds. You can even start making out at sever locations from both seasons. You only think of what’s going to happen next when you see golden sparks emulate from your closed hands and feel a heavyweight in your arms and Doc quickly getting down to the ground, getting to be just at the end of ‘Nameless village’ as your reflexes grab on tightly to what you were holding onto. You both look down and see a very unconscious Sonic the Hedgehog in our arms. You look him over and inspect the teenager and see that he’s breathing, and in an ok shape. You look back at Doc and even he’s surprised by this addition to the group.

“Is he ok?”You question him as he gives Sonic a once over. You getting used to finally landing on the ground, stretching your legs after that small adventure.

‘He’ll be fine after some rest, but he looks exhausted.” Eggman questions as you scoop Sonic back up into your arms, being careful of his quills, making sure you don’t end up looking like a human banana peel. You look over at Doc and he looks like he’s, and you have to look a bit more closely at his expression because he looks, jealous? You ponder on that thought that the man might be jealous of the unconscious blue blur as the both of you set off into town, wondering where to go from here.

“Hey!” You hear a cry from in front of the, three? of you. You look up and see four multi-colored anthropomorphic animals. “What did the two of you do to Sonic?” Cried the two-tailed Kitsune. You see all three, with the exception of Amy, who at this point is trying to stop the trio, of Sonic’s friends close in around you. You give a panicked look to Doc as it dawned on you that Doc and yourself were about to be attacked by Tails, Knuckles, and Sticks.

Shit.

[furiousgoldfish]

I hope life's been treating you well! This is an extremely helpful blog, but it's very important you take care of yourself too (and however you do that, I hope it's working for you, you deserve good things).

I have two main question topics if you're open to answering them.

First, what's the difference between a nightmare and a night terror? And if you have a dream that contains nightmare-content (gore, death, other really triggering stuff) but only makes you uncomfortable when you wake up, is that still a nightmare? Can you get used to having nightmares and your reaction to them "shut off" so to speak?

Secondly, (which is a bit more personal, which if you don't answer those sorts of things I understand. (TW for below)

I kind of realized the other day that one of my guardian's doesn't just use cult tactics but has a cult-like structure with some followers... and that I was raised within it. And under the guise of calling it "healing" they used many brainwashing and psychological abuse tactics and many many other things, including purposefully ignoring when other people tried to kill me (which happened multiple times). They adopted me when I was younger after fostering many other kids and used my extensive previous trauma to their advantage for their manipulation (but it's quite likely they're not doing anything that wrong and I'm overreacting). I won't dump anymore of that on you but I was wondering if you had any advice for getting out and/or integrating into the outer world?

(my guardians only surround themselves with people that approve of it so I don't have any outside people I can ask for help or talk to at all. Nor have I ever been allowed for a job, outside the house much, etc. Since school is online I have access to a computer, but no social media or phone calling)

You're under no obligation to answer, but thank you for any response you may (or may not) give. Even if it doesn't always feel like it, you're a great person doing something extremely helpful for so many people. Thank you :)

Thank you for thinking of me in your ask! I take care of myself whenever I can do it, and I make sure to only open the ask when I know I have the energy to give my attention to others.

For your first questions, I don't think I'm the right person to give you a good response, I've only ever had nightmares, and from what little googling I've done on this, it seems night terrors are a sleep disorder in which you suddenly wake up in a terrified state, and are mostly linked with children. They also happen in a different stage of sleep, quote: "Night terrors occur in deep sleep or NREM stage three. During night terrors, the front part of your brain that controls executive functioning and memory is asleep while the back part that controls motor movement is awake."

So you wouldn't remember what terrified you, and it doesn't say if they're linked with trauma, so I don't know.

I would call any dream that has those kind of images or anything causing distress and fear in you a nightmare. I don't know if one can get numb to them, I'm always distressed at least to some degree after a nightmare (unless it was a processing nightmare, in which case I feel awful all night but then I'm free of the fear in the morning, these are more rare tho).

I'm sorry I don't really know any details about nightmares, if anyone else can give a better response, please add it!

For the second question, I'm also going to write a tw for child abuse, it's extremely distressing that your guardian was able to ignore when others were trying to kill you, I can't imagine how threatened and abandoned this makes you feel. I agree with you that you need to get away for your own safety, and I think there has to be some resources online you could find, if you try googling 'escaping cults' in your own country and 'cult abuse resources', you might be able to contact someone to help get you a place you could safely stay in. It is incredibly difficult to escape when you're surrounded with people who are not only all in agreement against you, but also will try to kill you without repercussions.

I'm trying to google other people's plans of escape, but they're all as vague as 'pack lightly' and 'don't tell anyone what you're up to and don't take anyone with you', and I know this is not enough to go on with, you need to have somewhere to go, you need a connection on the outside, a person who will greet you and make sure you're settled and have a place to stay at. Integration in the outside world will start the second you're outside, because all of us people are incredibly adaptable to our new social environments, you'll be able to pick it up in no time, and you don't have to worry that you won't fit in or anything like that! Just seeing how other people live will easily give you ideas of what to do and how to find yourself in the new space.

Cults that frame abuse and control as 'healing' are very common and I'm so sorry you found yourself in one, it's a nightmare. I really admire your courage sending me this message and trying to get more information, I wish I had some more experience with this so I could give you more exact advice, if anyone reading this has this experience and information, please share it here.

[sirfrogsworth]

Yes, Elon is an Engineer.

There is a common trope that Elon just hires talented engineers to build his rockets and wasn't an engineer himself. Many believe his "Chief Engineer" status at SpaceX is not legitimate.

To be clear, I thought this too.

A lot of people think this.

If I'm being honest, I think I held on to that notion without verifying it for a long time because I kinda wanted it to be true.

So if you thought this, I am not shaming you or anything. But I would like to set the record straight so we can have accurate critiques of this awful manchild and not spread misinformation that could torpedo otherwise valid arguments against him and his practices.

The "he just pays people" thing is probably accurate when it comes to Tesla. Or it is these days. He has lost interest in everything except going to Mars and all of his side hustles are him trying to raise as much capital as possible so he can get to Mars as fast as possible. He is quite obsessed. If you look into his Las Vegas tunnel, he is literally scamming cities to raise money for rocket shit.

But when I went looking for evidence to prove he is just paying engineers to build his rockets and that his "Chief Engineer" title at SpaceX was ceremonial, I was surprised to find out it was not.

While there are some valid criticisms against the merits of reusable rockets & their value as well as valid criticisms with the operational decisions of SpaceX—Elon is very much the chief engineer and talented at that role. No, he doesn't do the grunt work of programming and CAD drawings, but reliable sources have said he is fully capable of that kind of work. Though, lead engineers rarely do that anyway.

So maybe some of his design *decisions* are flawed, but he is a proper rocket engineer regardless.

I am happy to criticize Elon because I think he is a shit person and treats his workforce poorly and he hoards wealth to the degree of supervillainy. But saying he isn't a talented rocket engineer would just not be true.

And frankly, I don't think I need it to be true to make an argument showing he is a shite person.

A few weeks ago I wanted to confirm what I and many others believed... that Elon was just paying top engineers to make his rockets like Bezos and Branson do. I wanted more ammunition to prove he wasn't a real-life Tony Stark.

And, I *was* right about that.

He's not Tony Stark.

Even if they did make this dumbass movie to fluff his ego.

He is not a once-in-a-generation mind. He is not the next Einstein. He isn't even all that innovative.

His rockets are mostly taking everything already known and applying modern technology to make things more up-to-date. If JPL or even another company were subsidized like SpaceX, they'd probably be designing rockets of similar or better quality.

So he's basically our generation's Thomas Edison. (Which is ironic considering the name of his electric car company.)

Taking other peoples' work, using his vast resources to take the next logical design steps to improve upon it, and then selling it as his own amazing invention. Elon isn't going to make the next breakthrough in space propulsion. He is only able to iterate, not innovate.

So, how did a computer programmer become a rocket engineer without a proper rocket-based education? It seems Elon has an eidetic memory and is able to memorize rocket textbooks in a very short period of time. He taught himself rocket science/engineering. Some may scoff at that, but there are plenty of self-taught folks in advanced fields. Hell, I would put my Photoshop knowledge against a lot of people who took graphic design in college. Not that Photoshop is an advanced field—I'm just saying there are other ways to learn complicated things.

From my research, I have every indication that Elon's Chief Engineer status is legit. Several of the rock stars of rocketry have said so. I found this very well-sourced Reddit post with quotes and references and links and I was unable to find anything refuting that information.

While Reddit bros love to praise their Elongated Muskrat as a God and it makes me a little barfy, the actual information in that post seems accurate. I would be happy to be proven wrong. But I was only able to find people saying he occasionally makes some silly design decisions and not that he is incapable of designing rockets.

I also watched Elon give a tour of SpaceX and some of it was just him going on endlessly about SpaceX minutia, but it seems clear he has an advanced understanding of pretty much every aspect of making rockets that goes into space.

To summarize, acclaimed experts have said he is as knowledgeable or even more knowledgeable about the design of rockets as they are. He is heavily involved in the design of SpaceX rockets and makes most of the final decisions. And, by all accounts, he makes the best and most affordable rockets available right now.

But it's kind of like the best-reviewed mop on Amazon. There are other mops that are almost as good. There are other people that can make good mops. And someone may make a better mop at some point. But the best-reviewed mop isn't hugely different from other mops. And it would not be the best-reviewed mop if people years ago had not innovated that mop technology.

Elon is not a special genius. He will not be innovating a warp drive. He just learned everything he needed to know that was already established and put that knowledge to use at SpaceX.

So, talented... not special.

Intelligence is hard to quantify and IQ tests are only useful in the extremes. A good memory does not make one a "genius" but it can often give people the false impression that a person is a genius. I think Elon has a narrow intelligence and is able to apply his good memory to certain things.

He is missing the artistry that is needed for genius.

Many people have higher IQs than Einstein. Many people can do the math that Einstein did. But being able to dream up the concepts and ideas that led to that math in the first place—that is where genius lies. The ability to start from scratch and make something new. That is what would make a Tony Stark.

STEAM over STEM.

The bottom line is... him being a talented rocket designer does not change any of the problems I have with him. Honestly, believing that was more of a cherry on top of all of my arguments.

But I don't want to spread inaccurate information. Misinformation might be the biggest problem we face right now. It is impeding us from solving all of the problems next in line. It's why we are unable to vaccinate the population. It's why we stagnate with Climate Change. It's why Trump was able to rise to power. People were told bad information, they believed it, and he was able to fan the flames of that misinformation into a detrimental 4 years.

While this information isn't nearly as dangerous, I would still prefer not to let it continue on.

I would like us to move forward using the truth to expose Elon.

Because the truth is all we need.

[gates-keeper]

Part 1: “Words of Affirmation” Destiel Quotes & Parallels

I’m sure someone’s done this before me and done it better, but I’m compiling a huge Destiel evidence docket for no reason. Anyone got any quotes to add?

Comments From Outside Characters

To Dean

Uriel: “He has this weakness. He likes you.” (4x10)

Balthazar: “You have me confused with the other angel. You know, the one in the dirty trench coat who’s in love with you.” (6x17)

Hester: “The first time Castiel laid a hand on you in Hell, he was lost.” (7x21)

Meg: “He was your boyfriend first.” (7x23)

Charlie: “What about Castiel? He seems helpful. And dreamy.” (8x20)

Marie: “Although we do explore the nature of Destiel in Act 2.” (10x5)

Sam: “Shouldn’t it be Deastiel?” He then goes on to tease Dean with “Sastiel” which Dean takes negatively. (10x5)

Dean: “This Cas is looking at me weird.” Sam: “So like the real Cas then.” (15x14) 

To Castiel

Hannah: “We gave you our trust. Don’t lose it over one man.” (9x22)

Metatron: “His true weakness is revealed. He’s in love…with humanity.” (9x22)

Metatron: “Oh, that’s right. To save Dean Winchester. That was your goal, right? I mean, you draped yourself in the flag of heaven, but, ultimately, it was about saving one human, right?” (9x23)

Ishim: “I’m going to cure you of your human weakness [i.e. Dean]” (12x10)

The Empty: “I have tiptoed through all your little tulips. Your memories, your little feelings, yes. I know what you hate. I know who you love…There is nothing for you back there.” (13x4)

Demon: “I thought you were joined at the… (looks down) everything.” (14x01)

There are also several instances where other characters try to poke at insecurities regarding their relationship.

Naomi: “You're hoping Castiel will return to you. I admire your loyalty. I only wish he felt the same way.” (8x19)

Casifer: “There comes a time when every relationship has run its course.” (11x18)

Michael!Dean: “You only tolerate the angel because you think you owe him, because he ‘gripped you tight and raised you from Perdition.’ Or whatever.” (14x10)

Comments From Dean

To Cas

“There are two things I know for certain. One, Bert and Ernie are gay. And two, you are not going to die a virgin.” (5x03) 

“So what? I’m Thelma and you’re Louise and we’re just going to hold hands and sail off this cliff together?” (5x03)

“You know what? Blow me, Cas.” (5x18)

“Cas, not for nothing, but the last time someone looked at me like that, I got laid.” (5x18)

“Look, I don’t need to feel like hell for failing you, okay? For failing you like I’ve failed every other godforsaken thing that I care about! I don’t need it!” (8x07)

“We need you. I need you.” 

For more on this quote see the “We vs. I” section.

To Other Characters

Bobby: “I think maybe it’s time you made a call.” Dean: “Why does it always gotta be me that makes the call, huh? It’s not like Cas lives in my ass. The dude’s busy.” (Cas appears) Dean: “Get out of my ass.” Cas: “I was never in your… (head tilt)” (6x19)

“On my car…. He showed up naked… covered in bees.” (7x23)

While Cas suffered from some mental issues at the time, it seems somewhat significant that he sought Dean out under the circumstances, not Sam, etc.

“There’s things… people… feelings that I want to experience differently than I have before, or maybe even for the first time.” (10x16)

“My shy but devastatingly handsome friend here” (12x12)

“He came into my room and he played me.” (12x19)

“Let’s see. Crowley’s dead, Kelly’s dead, Cas is—Mom’s gone.” (13x01)

Dean’s inability to list Cas’s death singles him out as the most devastating of the losses.

“We’ve lost everything. And now you’re gonna bring him back.” (13x01)

While some people have heard this as “bring ‘em back”, the Netflix captions and transcripts I have been able to find say “him.”

“And Cas bought it. And you know what it got him? It got him dead! Now you may be able to forget about that, but I can't!” (13x03)

“I have a family.” (In response to John Winchester lamenting Dean doesn’t have a wife and kids) (14x13)

Comments From Cas

To Dean

“I was getting too close to the humans in my charge. You. They feel I've begun to express emotions. The doorways to doubt.” (4x16)

“I’m hunted. I rebelled. And I did it—all of it—for you.” (5x02)

“I gave everything for you. And this is what you give to me.” (5x18)

“I do everything that you ask. I always come when you call.” (6x21)

“So you will bow down and profess your love unto me, your Lord.” (6x22)

Before taking on the role of God, Cas seemed very concerned with Dean’s forgiveness/acceptance/love. It is interesting that, as God, that was the first thing he asked for, turning from Sam (who had just stabbed him) to Dean to ask for love.

“Sam, and everyone you know, everyone you love, they could be long dead. Everyone except me.” (10x22)

“I love you. I love all of you.” (Arguably to the group, but the first “I love you” can be seen as Dean-specific, especially since it cuts to Dean after being said.) (12x12)

“You mean too much to me. To everything.” (12x9) (To Mary, Sam, and Dean. However, the camera immediately cuts to Dean specifically, even though he is in the back of the group).

“I’m your Huckleberry.” (13x06)

Cas love confession (15x18)

To Other Characters

“Dean and I do share a more profound bond.” (6x03)

“I won’t hurt Dean.” (8x17)

This is said as Castiel is breaking away from Naomi’s mind control—mind control she fostered specifically by having Cas kill a thousand versions of Dean. This implies she knows that Cas’s strongest loyalty is to Dean, not Sam, or humans in general.

“The point is that they [Dean & Sam] were here at all and you got to know them, you -- When they're gone, it will hurt, but that hurt will remind you of how much you loved them.” (14x14)

“You know, Dean, he... he feels things more acutely than any human I've ever known.” (15x13)

Other Comments

Reaper: “How do I start looking for this... Castiel?” Bartholomew: “I got one word for you. Winchester.”

Rowena: “An Angel of the Lord, shattered at the altar of Winchester.”

Use of We vs. I

In the crypt scene in Season 8, Dean tells Cas, “We need you.” This is not enough to stop Cas’s actions. When the language switches to “I need you,” Cas drops the angel blade.

We can clearly see that Dean tries to put up barriers about how he really feels about Cas in his use of “We.” For example, after showing the audience many scenes of Dean, not Sam, frantically trying to call Cas, we get the following lines:

“So not only were you ditching us, but you were also ignoring us?”

“With everything that's going on, you can't just go dark like that. We didn't know what happened to you. We were worried. That's not okay.”

It’s clear that these “we’s” are really “I’s”

In the alternate future presented in 15x9, Sam asks Dean, “What’s happened to you Dean… ever since…?” to which Dean responds, “Ever since what? We lost pretty much everyone we’ve ever cared about? Ever since the Mark made Cas go crazy and I had to bury him in a Malak box… ever since then?” While he acknowledges Sam’s losses as well, his switch to “I” in reference to Cas implies that Cas’s loss belongs especially to him.

(Mostly) Verbal Parallels to Other Couples

In 1x01 (start at 2:27), Dean pulls Sam away from a dead Jess in a direct parallel to how Sam pulls Dean away from Cas in 12x23

Following Jessica’s death, Sam keeps seeing glimpses of her as he and Dean travel around in the Impala. Dean does the same in Season 8 following his return from Purgatory without Cas.

David from “Bloodlines” (9x20) tells his love interest, “I was there. Where were you?” which is the same thing Dean says to Cas in “The Man Who Would Be King” (6x20)

When asking Dean whether he’s in love with Cassie, Dean gives a similar response to what he will say in 10x5 when asked about Destiel.

Destiel is paralleled with their counterparts from the Supernatural play who are “a couple in real life” (10x5)

Cain compares himself to Dean in Season 10. He describes the significant kills of his life (The Knights of Hell, his wife Collette, and his brother Abel) and tells Dean that he will follow his same pattern by killing the King of Hell Crowley, Castiel, then Sam. It is also mentioned that all Collette asked of Cain was “to stop,” which is the same language Cas uses with Dean in 10x22.

Dean explains how his parents fell in love to prove his identity to Mary in 12x1, “He was cute and he knew the words to every Zeppelin song, so when he asked you for your number, you gave it to him, even though you knew your dad would be pissed.” Later in this same season (12x19), Dean gives Cas a homemade mixtape of his favorite Zeppelin songs.

Ishim fell in love with a human named Lily Sunder who ultimately left him for someone else. When trying to recruit Castiel, he compares Dean to her.

Dean questions how much of their life has been controlled by God. Cas states, “You asked, ‘What about all of this is real?’ We are.” (15x02) Later, they find out that God has been using Eileen to spy on the Winchesters. She says, “After what happened, I don’t know what’s real anymore.” Sam kisses her, stating “I know that was real.” (15x09)

PART 2 “Physical Touch” Now Finished