#this makes no sense but i promise it does actually

[iteratedextras]

This is going to be a quick and rough post...

They're still trying to exploit this for leverage against men, and for some reason, for leverage on race. "Look at how sucky and oppressive they are!"

Briefly, people who post that stuff may think that they're socially adept, but what it usually means is that they don't understand men, and thereby how to inspire them, lead them, and convince them to invest in personal growth and development.

It's basically nagging, and in general, men want to avoid nagging.

Sometimes the nagging gets very extreme, such as "kill all incels" or whatever, but no amount of nagging will actually convince men that it's worth the effort of becoming attractive, or tell them how to become attractive.

It's important to realize that nagging in this context does not represent social skill and understanding, but rather a lack of social skill and understanding. It's possible to use inspirational charm, and it's also possible to use inviting and disarming charm, but this nagging is neither.

Nagging's method of action (again, very rough and quick post) is being annoying, and then gaining leverage by implicitly promising to take that annoyance away in exchange for compliance. Thus nagging is only well-positioned to work on someone who is already close in the social graph. If someone is not on the social graph, then they'll just avoid or rebuke nagging people.

From what I've seen, men tend to seek higher-risk professions with more hours, while women tend to seek lower-risk professions with more work-life balance. This is not because either men or women are evil, or suck, or whatever. Each has practical reasons why their approach makes sense. ...and this is a generalization. Individuals vary.

I believe this is another case of the empty space at work.

It isn't that they're deliberately not being charming. They don't know how. It isn't that they're deliberately performing actions that make it less likely for men to try to become someone they want. They don't realize that's what they're doing.

Many straight men and women both take a customer rather than a creator/cultivator perspective towards the opposite sex. Someone else was supposed to produce a desirable partner and they're very mad that this mysterious manufacturer has not been putting the right product out on the market!

This lack of understanding offers a potential opportunity for someone who can teach charm and inspire others.

As for the universities, if male enrollment is collapsing, that's not a good sign for them.

For the record, if I heard a woman was a veterinarian, I'd have more respect for her than I would for a GP. Vets know all sorts of things, and they do surgery (I think)! However, I think that a lot of men think that if they're in the same career as a woman, and earn less or hold a less prestigious position, the woman will not respect them and will resent them. (That's not "being intimidated," that's "not wanting to deal with the risk of." Usually, "being intimidated" is just a "men suck" framing.)

Why aren't we talking about the real reason male college enrollment is dropping? (Celeste Davis, Oct 6 2024)

"White flight is a term that describes how white people move out of neighborhoods when more people of color move in.

White flight is especially common when minority populations become the majority. That neighborhood then declines in value.

Male flight describes a similar phenomenon when large numbers of females enter a profession, group, hobby or industry—the men leave. That industry is then devalued.

Take veterinary school for example:

In 1969 almost all veterinary students were male at 89%.

By 1987, male enrollment was equal to female at 50%.

By 2009, male enrollment in veterinary schools had plummeted to 22.4%

A sociologist studying gender in veterinary schools, Dr. Anne Lincoln says that in an attempt to describe this drastic drop in male enrollment, many keep pointing to financial reasons like the debt-to-income ratio or the high cost of schooling.

But Lincoln’s research found that “men and women are equally affected by tuition and salaries.”

Her research shows that the reason fewer men are enrolling in veterinary school boils down to one factor: the number of women in the classroom.

For every 1% increase in the proportion of women in the student body, 1.7 fewer men applied.

One more woman applying was a greater deterrent than $1000 in extra tuition! (…)

Since males had dominated these professions for centuries, you would think they would leave slowly, hesitantly or maybe linger at 40%, 35%, 30%, but that’s not what happens.

Once the tipping point reaches majority female- the men flee. And boy do they flee!

It’s a slippery slope. When the number of women hits 60% the men who are there make a swift exit and other men stop joining.

Morty Schapiro, economist and former president of Northwestern University has noticed this trend when studying college enrollment numbers across universities:

“There’s a cliff you fall off once you become 60/40 female/male. It then becomes exponentially more difficult to recruit men.”

Now we’ve reached that 60% point of no return for colleges.

As we’ve seen with teachers, nurses and interior design, once an institution is majority female, the public perception of its value plummets.

Scanning through Reddit and Quora threads, many men seem to be in agreement - college is stupid and unnecessary.

A waste of time and money. You’re much better off going into the trades, a tech boot camp or becoming an entrepreneur. No need for college. (…)

When mostly men went to college? Prestigious. Aspirational. Important.

Now that mostly women go to college? Unnecessary. De-valued. A bad choice. (…)

School is now feminine. College is feminine. And rule #1 if you want to safely navigate this world as a man? Avoid the feminine.

But we don’t seem to want to talk about that."

[peppermintquartz]

not like that (but I can pretend)

Tommy isn't sure he's doing the right thing, but too many tequilas and not enough sense get him to Evan's loft, where he knocks on the door, head resting against the surface and humming to himself.

When the door opens he topples inwards, right into Evan's arms.

"Hey," he says. Evan looks so beautiful, he thinks. Soft and glowing and warm and too fucking beautiful. He can't possibly have all of this in his life. It'll be too much good for any single human to possess and the world would be imbalanced and then the Earth will spiral out of orbit.

"I think the Earth is plenty safe, Tommy." Evan looks worried. "How much did you have to drink?"

"Not enough," Tommy says. "Not enough to forget." Tears well up in his eyes. "I've tried to. I can't. You're in every neutron. In my brain."

"I think you mean neuron," Evan offers as he sits Tommy on the couch and pulls off his shoes.

"That too."

Reclined on the couch, Tommy watches Evan move about the kitchen. The scene is golden, like it's out of a movie. Evan with his curls and his blue hoodie in a golden space. Like an angel.

Tommy reaches up to cradle Evan's face. It's prickly. "Angel," Tommy whispers.

"Actually, I'm Evan," Evan says, as if Tommy doesn't know that. As if Tommy doesn't murmur the name every night when he thinks about them together. As if Tommy can erase it from his mind at all.

Evan helps him open a bottle of water and makes him drink at least a third of it. "You know where the bathroom is," he says. "I'll get you a change of clothes."

"Don't leave me," Tommy blurts out, grabbing Evan's hand.

"I'll just be upstairs, Tommy."

"No, no please. Don't leave me," Tommy begs. He feels the tears again and lets them fall this time. He's had nightmares like this. Evan going upstairs and he finds the person he loves and he leaves Tommy down in the dark forever and ever and ever and ever.

A strange expression passes over Evan's beautiful face and he kneels down on the floor, next to the couch. "I'm not going to leave you here forever, Tommy. I promise."

"Don't go," Tommy whines. "I'll change. I'll be whoever you need me to be. I'm not... I'm not confident or comfortable or admirable. I'm really not. I'm a fucking mess. But I can pretend. I promise I can. Just don't leave me behind."

With a soft murmur of reassurance, Evan hugs him. It's a strong hug and Tommy returns it, fingers clutching the soft hoodie. He thinks he's begging again, or maybe he's just crying, or he is begging and crying and it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter at all.

Evan is holding him.

The world is going to spin out of its axis and hurtle into the sun and Tommy doesn't care, he does not care, he gets to have Evan in his arms and that's all he wants.

He feels soft kisses on his temple, on his cheek, and once more on his lips. Evan smiles at him. "Come on, finish that water and go to the bathroom. Then we'll go upstairs together."

"You won't leave me alone?"

"No, baby." Evan brushes his thumbs under Tommy's eyes. "And you won't have to pretend, okay? Not one bit."

[redpill-tfs]

Red Wave

January 1st, 2025

Yo, so I started this Red Wave trial thing today. The docs said it’s supposed to, like, make your brain work better or something. Was told to track my thoughts in this journal thing. Honestly, I’m just here for the cash. I’m not buying into any of their science-y shit. Took the first pill this morning. Feel normal so far. Guess we’ll see if this stuff actually does anything.

Since I was told to describe myself a bit, I guess I might as well if I want that cash they promised. Name's Blake. I'm 26 and work at a local manufacturing company in the finance department. It's a pretty chill gig. Don't gotta wear a suit either which is good. Didn't even wear one to my graduation and I don't plan on starting now.

Anyway bro, I'm also a proud atheist. Never got into politics, but I guess I'm more liberal. I mean, just let people do what they want, right?

February 10th, 2025

Alright, not gonna lie, I’ve been feeling kinda sharp lately. Like, my head’s clearer, and I’m getting more stuff done at work. My boss Emily even said my presentation didn’t totally suck, which is rare. Oh, and I actually ironed my shirt today before work. Don’t know why—just felt like I should look decent. Weird, right? Maybe these pills aren’t total BS. I don't know why, but I've been thinking of wearing a tie to work...

March 12th, 2025

So get this, man: I bought a suit over the weekend. A whole grownup suit and a tie to go with it. I dunno know why, but I just felt like stepping up my game for my presentation at work today. And man did I look good. I got so many compliments on my fit. It honestly felt really good. My bros thought it was weird and so do I, but now that I have it I guess I'll use it at another presentation in the future.

April 15th, 2025

Something weird is going on. I heard some chick at work talking about her church today. Instead of scoffing and rolling my eyes, it made me, like, think a little. Like I got curious about it. I don't know what's going on, but I might have to check it out sometime.

Speaking of work, I've been wearing a tie more and more. It feels... right. People seem to notice too. I get so many compliments about them. I went back to the store and pick out a whole bunch of different colors. I may be the only guy in the department wearing one, but standing out isn't a bad thing I guess.

May 18th, 2025

Alright, so… I went to church today. Yeah, me. Blake, the proud atheist. Walked past St. Mark’s on the way to grab Starbuck's, and something just made me stop and go in. The music was kind of awesome, and the pastor’s talk about purpose hit me harder than I expected. I don’t even know what’s happening to me, but I’m starting to think there’s more to life than what I’ve been living. I might go back next week to see what I've been missing, but I'm not sure yet.

June 30th, 2025

This morning, I prayed. Like, actually prayed to God. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it, but it felt… good. I’ve also started reading bits of the Bible over the past week. There’s some deep stuff in there. Work’s going great, too. I’ve been mentoring one of the new guys, and Emily says she’s impressed with my leadership. Suits are now my everyday thing. Who knew dressing sharp could feel so right?

July 23rd, 2025

I’ve been pulling away from my old friends. Their whole sarcastic, edgy vibe just doesn’t sit right with me anymore. Instead, I’ve been hanging out with people from church who share my interest in self-improvement and faith. I’m even thinking about joining a volunteer group at the church. Life feels more meaningful now. My mind still feels so clear too. I don't know what this pill is doing to me, but it's working.

August 11th, 2025

I’ve been reflecting on some big ideas lately: responsibility, tradition, family values. They make so much sense now. I’ve also started watching a few commentators online who align with these views. Their logic is compelling. Honestly, I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. It’s like a veil has been lifted. Why should abortion be legal? Why should we violate the second amendment with gun control laws? Why do gays think thy can decide how the rest of us live our lives? So many questions I'm learning the answers to. I never paid much attention to politics, but maybe I should.

September 7th, 2025

Sunday service has become the cornerstone of my week. I’ve officially joined St. Mark’s and volunteered for their community outreach. Pastor Williams’s guidance has been invaluable. I’m entirely committed to this new path. My wardrobe, my habits, even my worldview have all transformed. I’m proud of the man I’ve become. I've said this a million times already, but it just feels right.

October 20th, 2025

Today is my birthday, and reflecting on this past year astounds me. My former self seems like a stranger. I’ve embraced faith, order, and purpose, and it just feels right. I got my hair cut to be a lot shorter than I once had it as a special birthday gift to myself. It feels more appropriate for my new image.

I had some friends from bible study over for a small party. I wore my best suit for the occasion. We played games, ate good food, and prayed of course. There was a riveting debate on the role of faith in politics. All in all, it was a good time. I can't believe how much my life has changed just in 10 months.

November 30th, 2025

Today was the final day of the trial. The scientist leading the study asked me all sorts of questions, from my conservative views to my faith in God and my new sense of style. I'm not sure what it all has to do with a mental focus pill, but I didn't feel like asking questions. I'm sure they know what they're doing. Anyways, I better get going. St. Mark's is having an event today to celebrate God and all of His glory. I wouldn't miss it for the world.

December 1st, 2025

The Red Wave trial has concluded with a 100% conversion rate among participants. Subjects exhibited profound and permanent shifts in personality, behavior, and worldview. Pre-trial skepticism and liberal inclinations were entirely replaced with conservative, faith-based identities. This case highlights the pill's efficacy in aligning individuals with structured, traditional conservative values. Further research will examine long-term societal impacts of widespread application. More subjects needed.

[sailorscout93]

Scout watches Cynthia and Ariana’s Wicked commentary part 4! Starts right after Popular up until Elphie gets the letter from the Wizard. Warning, I go on tangents again in this one. I info dump one of my favorite shipping headcanons and I infodump about one of the 10 deleted scenes that we get 😂

1. I love that Cynthia requested the hairstyle for this part being “something that Galinda would’ve given Elphaba to do!” Such a cute little Easter egg!

2. “WOOWWWW okay Fiyero! You didn’t have to say it like that! I don’t like it.” 😂😂😂 Ari being Galinda again

3. “Do you want a lolly?” omg they would have snacks while doing this

3. I don’t know which of them said “He’s so good.” Talking about Johnny Bailey’s Fiyero in the forest scene but at first I heard “He’s so gay” and I was like “I mean… true, but odd thing to say?” Listen…. I have auditory processing issues because of my autism so it takes me a little longer to process what I’ve heard 😂

4. The way they both agree that Galinda is jealous that Elphie took Fiyero with to rescue the cub instead of her but it wouldn’t have even crossed Galinda’s mind that something could have happened between Elphaba and Fiyero at that moment. Galinda being Elphie’s jealous GF, not Fiyero’s confirmed!

5. And then Immediately confirmed that Elphie ALSO didn’t think of anything happening between her and Fiyero, but Fiyero might have….. Fiyero holds the brain cell of the poly Thropple also confirmed! (Yes I primarily ship Gelphie, but I do also ship the trio as a polycule) Specifically I ship it in the sense of Act II Glinda and Fiyero being in a ‘lavender marriage’ (where one or both partners in a straight appearing relationship is actually gay and the public “relationship” between them is a cover up for the gay person, usually for political/social reasons) but they both agree that they’re missing Elphaba. Fiyero eventually leaves to go find Elphie, brings her back through some means, they defeat the wizard and Morrible, the events of the Wizard of Oz never necessarily happen maybe? Idk. I’d have to write more details if I wanted to flesh it out. One thing leads to another (as it so often does) and they end up as a trio with Lesbian Glinda with her Elphie and in a QPR with Fiyero because he’s like her best friend but she doesn’t want him like that (maybe she’s also a little ace-spec? Am I projecting? Maybe!) and Elphie and Fiyero are also together. Okay moving on….. lol

6. I should’ve kept a tally of how many times Ariana fangirls over Cynthia’s singing 😂

7. OMG they’re mentioning the Elphaba’s Promise deleted scene and how they get why it was deleted. Okay I’m gonna go on a tangent of info dumping again lol so I saw an interview of Jon Chu where he explained WHY he ultimately chose not to put that scene in the final movie and as much as I WISH that scene was in the film, his reasoning makes sense. It gets the story a little ahead of itself and kinda gives continuity issues with Elphaba asking Glinda to come with her to the Emerald City if before they find out about her going to meet the Wizard she tells Glinda “I won’t leave you behind again.” Then it sets up this narrative that we would EXPECT Glinda to go to the Emerald City with her and it kinda jumbles up the “come with me!” At the train station. That’s why it was left out in the end.

8. Last one for now: The Easter egg of Elphie’s hair getting looser and less uptight over the course of the movie as she grows into who she is…. 😭 and then they fangirl over each other’s outfit again!

I’ll be back for part 5 soon! Idk if it’ll be the last one but we are within less than an hour left of the movie!!!

[lullabyalikpoptarot]

Jungkook's Career Reading

Now time for the last member for BTS' career reading. I would leave it to Jungkook to give me some intensity here, so some promising cards, but there is some darkness here too.

So, we start with the Pluto energy. I was surprised to get this, but I really shouldn't be though. This card usually just gives me that there is some old stuck, murky energy that needs to be released. The color is very murky, can't think of anything else. So, he may need to remove some dark energy or toxicity out of his life regarding his career. There is a lot of dark shadows around him when it comes to his career. I am hearing Come Clean by Hilary Duff. He's got to work on clearing this energy.

Now, we got to the 5 of Pentacles, the first word that I noticed was the Darkside of money. I feel this may relate to him somehow and if you read his perspective reading. You may know what I am referring to, because I am being pulled to that reading. He may also feel neglected, left out, not sure he feels he has much support when it comes to his career or maybe this is how he feels right now that he is in the Military. He might be in a doom and gloom energy right now. But the 5 of Pentacles isn't about emotions. It is about maybe not feeling safe and comfortable at the moment, and he may now feel that way regarding his career as well.

Now, with this Angel card. I can see this as he does have a lot of angelic support and guidance around him. I also see this as him being a gentle soul and very caring towards others and wanting to support and protect others, maybe this is others in the industry.

With this Addict card, the imagery here speaks to me. He wants to push away any negativity that may come from the industry and try to fight and resist temptation, not sure what that is, but that popped up. I am not sure if he has any addictions, but he tries not to fall prey to it, or any patterns this industry tries to cultivate in him.

Now, I see promising things for him with the Tarot cards. I can see the world card as he does have global appeal, and he can impact the world with his art and music. I can still see him doing that once he is out. I feel there is a lot of music he wants to create. He wants to explore and try new things and expand himself. I see an adventurous and rebellious nature to him as well. I see that in his music already, so there will be more of that. I see him trying to visualize what he plans to do.

I do see a lot of stress, worries and sleepless nights with him. I wonder if there is some sort of bullying with him. There is a sense he could be taunted by others or just taunted by the past. I am not sure if this is the Miliary or the industry, but I am asking about his career, but current energy sometimes seeps through my readings.

Now, it is interesting that the devil card was exactly behind this 6 of Wands when I pulled the card out, which gives me there is something darker and more sinister to his success and rise to fame that is hiding behind all the glitz and glam, not liking that, but this goes along with my perspective reading. There are chains that comes with success for him. It isn't all that it seems.

I am not really understanding this false assumption card here. This card is urging him to let go of a need to be right and making false assumptions. Now, maybe he is prone to do that and maybe he is making things worse than what it is, but I don't get that impression from the cards or his energy. I was looking at the cards for some answer to this and the keyword on one of the cards says, "a sense of lack in life." I think that could be it. He may feel he has nothing in life, but he actually has an abundance of things. If he starts to look at what he has rather than what he doesn't have. He may start to feel better about himself and his situation. He may just focus on the downsides, which can lead him into misery.

Now, to the final cards, Peacock spirit, one of my favorite cards in this oracle. It is time to let himself shine and show his true colors. To allow his talents to flourish. To use the spotlight in a beneficial way, that can help him and others. Once he gets out of the Military. I feel this is something he may or should do. He also has the ability of communicating to the masses and shedding light on some things as well, not sure what that is exactly, just go with the messages I get.

So, yeah, I do see some downsides here, but I can also see some positive things happening for him as well. Once he is able to transform all that negative energy to something far greater and more positive in his life. It is time for him to leave that negative energy behind him. I am wishing him all the best. Another interesting reading from him. Now time to get to their love readings after this. It was a fun journey regarding all their career readings.

I also find it interesting that I don't feel anything with his energy, like no blockers/protections or anything with the type of messaging he gives me, but for others I do, and I don't see their readings as dark as his. That confuses me sometimes, like why some and not others, not sure how that works. Anyway, always enjoy getting to know more of his story from my interpretation. No facts. I find his story interesting.

[dragonfromthewoodlands]

Sonic Movie 3: It's Not About Shadow

I am probably going to catch hate anons for this, but I've promised a few different people that I'll post one. So, here's your spoiler warning for Sonic Movie 3, and also a warning that this is going to be Long.

Getting my personal feelings about this movie out of the way first- it feels like a dramatized AU someone wrote. It had fun moments, and it had scenes that were done very well! But even if I take a look at the movie from that perspective, ignoring the canon from the game it supposedly drew so much inspiration from, ignoring the games that came after and Shadow's canonical lore, the movie has plot holes in its own canon. My personal views are that the movie did Shadow's entire story and supporting cast wrong. The only good part about it was Maria's innocence, and even she had her story nuked. I'll get into that later.

Let's start where the movie does, with comparing Sonic and Shadow. Sonic states that he doesn't know where he'd be without his family, and the movie cuts to Shadow waking up from stasis. This is a part that I both really liked and at the same time feel iffy about.

The cinematic choice of doing a flashback to Maria playing the baseline of Live & Learn as Shadow wakes up was perfect. The song's message about learning from what happened and living on anyway was essential to Shadow's character arc in Sonic Adventure 2, essential to closing out a story in which a character that is always hunting the truth realizes that what he thought was the truth was actually a lie. The Sonic Adventure games' final boss themes, both Open Your Heart and Live & Learn felt like they were messages from Sonic to the respective characters of Chaos and Shadow. Chaos opened his heart and it was alright. Shadow may never find his way, but he lives and he learns.

At the same time, Sonic isn't that kind of character. He's a kind person that never opted for revenge until it was his only choice in the world, and even then he would never take that route. The movie addressed this in the end, but it drew a dynamic that just... isn't there. The comics, whether it was Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog both before the Sega Genesis Wave and after, or if it's IDW's Sonic the Hedgehog comics, have had multiple instances where other characters press Sonic to kill Eggman. They bring up the traumas he's gone through and the crimes Eggman has done, the fact that Eggman killed people- and Sonic always, without fail, says that there has to be another way. Not just Eggman, either- Sonic does this for everyone. Emerl. Shadow. Merlina. Silver. Metal Sonic. It's been beaten into our heads time and time again that Sonic doesn't take revenge.

Shadow escapes from Prison Island, and here's another beat that I actually really liked about the movie. Shadow moves like a speed skater. I've had my issues with the updated way Shadow skates and how cartoony it is, and usually when I play the other games I preferentially look for mods that make Shadow skate like he did in SA2 because the little scoot scoot is so silly. SA2's animation looked fluid and natural in comparison.

Skipping ahead a little bit, another beat that was on-point for Shadow's characterization was when Sonic's team and Shadow meet for the first time. Shadow doesn't attack until he is pushed. That's not who he is. He just wants to be left alone and to process for a minute.

That is accurate. Without a driving force (Maria's promise, Rouge hunting for treasure, Eggman messing around with Emerl, the Black Arms invasion), Shadow spent his first few games just trying to process. We like to make fun of him and call it brooding, but when he's standing there with his arms crossed he's thinking. When Shadow gets a moment of peace- on board the ARK after saving Rouge, on the ship up to the ARK with Sonic- Shadow is going through the information in his mind and trying to make sense of it. He won't take an attack lying down, but he isn't going to just beat someone up for standing there.

And that's where Sonic Movie 3 stops feeling like it cares about Shadow as a character or his dynamic with Sonic. To explain that, I have to talk about Gerald Robotnik and Maria.

Stepping back for a moment, I spoke with someone who did not know the "deep" lore or anything really about the characters' backstory. They loved the movie and said it was enjoyable, and I agree that it was enjoyable. There were a lot of funny ha ha moments and witty lines. They also said that they agreed with my complains, but it didn't affect them as much because they weren't a die-hard Sonic fan.

I have a problem with that statement.

I try to avoid using the term "ableist" as much as possible, since I am not physically disabled and have no claims outside of mental health problems, but the simple truth is that the movie erased Maria's illness. Maria Robotnik was terminally ill. That's why Shadow was created in the first place. He wasn't a government project or an alien from space, he was something created as a medical cure.

This isn't something small in part for Shadow's backstory, it's a major point to his character. It's as major a part for Shadow as it is for Amy to admire Sonic, or for Knuckles to protect the Master Emerald. It's part of the entire plot of Sonic Adventure 2. Shadow would do anything for Maria, and her dying wish is his driving force in the subsequent games. He fully believes that the reason he has to destroy the planet is because Maria wished it. The only reason he stops the ARK from crashing into the planet is because the truth is that Maria didn't wish for that.

Sonic Movie 3 erases that critical aspect of Maria, of her being so kind that she would sacrifice herself for the sake of the very thing that was supposed to save her. It erases her disability. And it erases her dying wish. She just dies.

(By the way, you can find most of this out from the Wiki pages. I don't feel like this is about me being a die-hard Sonic fan so much as it is that the creators of the movie made a conscious choice to remove these critical aspects in favor of Ivo's story. You could argue that Sonic has also had many, many different versions of his backstory, including the one that movieverse has, but I will also reply to you that not in the universe in which Sonic was a ghostly force of good erased the presence of someone's disability.)

The lack of Maria's wish would normally be interesting to me, since Shadow now would have no direction to go off of, but the distinct shift in Gerald's character and the alteration of Shadow's backstory had me struggling throughout the movie. There's nothing of Gerald's original character present. The only similarities between Gerald Robotnik from the games and the Gerald Robotnik in the movie are the name and the fact that he was a scientist.

I know, Ivo is also very different from game Ivo. Like Sonic, we've had many different iterations of Eggman. The old Eggman from SaTAM and Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog was called Julian Robotnik, or even just "Doctor Robotnik." There was even a period in the old Archie comics where Eggman died (issue #50) and had to be replaced with a Julian from another universe for the sake of balance. A lot of the changes over the years were due to either lawsuits (thanks, Penders) or continuity problems, but the comics generally tried to follow the game canon.

But, again, the movie's directors were trying to follow Sonic Adventure 2, so we have to take a deeper look at who Gerald was. And Gerald wasn't kooky from the get-go, nor was he kooky when he was hell-bent on revenge.

Gerald Robotnik wanted to help mankind. He was one of the greatest scientists known, which was why he was asked to lead Project Shadow, a project to discover means to immortality. He wanted to use this as an opportunity to cure Maria. His first attempt produced the Biolizard. He managed to make Shadow after the intervention of Black Doom offering his own DNA. He realized his mistake and recorded a video of himself to eventually help Shadow when the Black Arms came back, but he was always trying to help mankind. He even gave Shadow a "heart" and a "soul" modeled after Maria's in hopes that Shadow would never become a tool for mass destruction. It was Maria's death that changed his personality from a kind old man to bitter and vengeful. He even says in his diary that losing control of his mind scared him.

Movie Gerald is just Movie Ivo, but older. He's insane from the get-go. The man is shallow and emotionally manipulative, playing as a kind of Deadpool-like character as the actor makes blatant references to the fourth wall. We get no explanation of his relationship with Maria other than he "brings her everywhere" and him telling Ivo that he is "no Maria." The subtleties of how he went insane are lost and his brilliancy in creating life is thrown to the wind in favor of the script just telling us that he's smart and that he supposedly loved Maria so much he wants to destroy the world.

There's no Space Colony ARK- that Gerald designed- with the Eclipse Cannon that was designed to destroy the Black Comet. There's no Black Arms or illness at all in the movie- Shadow is just a creature from a "black comet" and the term "the Ultimate Lifeform" is just a throwaway comment. Gerald's devotion and brilliancy is undermined in favor of cheap jokes and a frankly really strange montage between an actor and himself.

Once again, Maria's character- and Shadow's backstory- are reduced. We get more time going into Ivo's feelings than we do about any of the nuance that was in the original work.

Which leads me to the title of this rant: Sonic Movie 3 was not about Shadow the Hedgehog, it was about Ivo Robotnik.

We've been watching Ivo's journey from movie 1. Ivo is working for the government as a brilliant man, but everyone else sees him as a "dumpster fire." He's crazy, he's got no respect for others, and he has a sidekick that he doesn't really treat as a person but still somehow has a very sexually tense relationship with.

(I don't care what you say, nobody straight pins themself to a wall with a gasp like Stone does.)

Ivo outright states that he got bullied in school. Nobody likes him, so he lashes out at the world. With no one to talk to at the end of the movie, he starts descending into madness, where he's at with movie 2. Neato, they gave his mustache a backstory. He's back purely for revenge in movie 2, because he's lost his home and his position now too. We start movie 3 with Ivo's paunch having backstory, because he's fallen into a depressive state. He has no money, no power, no fame, and all of one person that hasn't left his side, and on top of that, the cause of his downfall shows up in the one place he can stay, which has to have caused him no end of emotional rollercoasters.

The movie then leads us on a story beat for Ivo. Someone wants his technology, someone thinks it's useful. (Hang in there, Stone.) It's been stated multiple times over the past few movies that Ivo has no family, which makes the appearance of his grandfather a pretty poignant moment for him.

Or. It would be. If it wasn't so weirdly done. I know, I know, I'm harping on a movie made for kids. But they could have made it fun while keeping the intricacies, and for all the hype, I personally was disappointed.

Again, this removes a lot of Eggman's canon dynamics with his family. In Sonic Frontiers, Eggman's diary entries talk about how he felt about his grandfather and how he never knew his cousin Maria. Sonic Adventure 2's Eggman states that he used to look up to his grandfather, and his plan for the ARK and Project Shadow just made Gerald look even more brilliant to Eggman. He is canonically attention-starved from his own family.

After a montage of Ivo finally having a grandfather, someone who needs his genius and thinks he is smart, we see a story beat about a neglected person realizing their true friend was right beside them all along. Stone doesn't give up on him the entire movie even though Ivo throws him aside because his grandfather could do him no wrong. Then at the end he realizes how insane Gerald is, that he doesn't want the planet destroyed- which is canon to SA2- and chooses to save it, even if it costs him his life.

This is more set up than the entirety of Shadow's story. The actor's dynamic with himself is focused on quite a bit, and with the additional phenomenal sad puppy eyes of Agent Stone's actor we have the kicked aside supporting cast we need. Of all the character "deaths" in the movie, Ivo is also the only one mourned for.

I'm bitter about that. But my personal feelings are another rant.

This is why Sonic Movie 3 is not an adaptation of Sonic Adventure 2. It is not a story about Shadow, or a way to set him up as a man-made powerhouse to contrast against Sonic's force of nature. It's a story about the Ivo Robotnik of the movieverse and his emotional journey with family.

There's so much more I want to say. I want to complain about how they only used Live & Learn for about five seconds, about how the stars twinkled on the moon, about Shadow not being mourned at the end despite the unskippable cutscene after the Finalhazard fight in SA2, about Tails the sweet 8 year old child cheering as an old man gets launched into what's basically a nuclear reactor-

But that's another rant, and if you've made it this far you're probably tired of reading for the minute. I'm doing my best not to bash the movie as it is.

All in all, I am glad I went to see it. But it is not Sonic Adventure 2. And I'm currently coping by envisioning it as a dramatized AU.

I look forward to deleting the hate comments from my inbox.

[hellokittyboww]

Just so you know I did just rewatch the show but probably forgot a lot of details haha so if anything in the show contradicts my theory don’t be afraid to call me out haha

Honestly I have a crackpot theory (which idk if anybody else thought of?) and it’s that “Pappy” was their dad or (or their grandfather maybe?) but whoever their father was also the current court jester and their mother? Well I think it was the queen of Runic. Why? Well in “Forget You” Mephisto pulls a crown out of nowhere, specifically the crown of Runic which is either some evil black crystal artifact that helps turn people evil + gives them back crystal magic in the first place and that’s why Praxina returned to being evil OR it’s their family crown.

(Also to note the appearance of the crown. It has both Prax and Meps colors and a dark purple crystal like they have used in the past plus it kinda looks like Gramorrs mask? Hmmm intresting..?)

The rest of my little theory is that basically during their childhood they were raised as royal children in Runic but were not treated as such by other people/nobles (I imagine Prax may have been bullied by other nobles/princesses for not being a “real princess” and they’d why she kinda hates the princesses). Since their mother the current princess/queen has them with the royal jester so they are kinda “illegitimate” children and their dad is a jester so ofc some people will laugh at them.

I imagine that Runic might have been a country/realm that sided with Gramorr and that’s why Mephisto and Praxina work for him or similarly so and this makes more sense for me that Gramorr conquered the kingdom instead of an alliance. Since Mephisto and Praxina were not treated well by the people of that kingdom (or other kingdoms even) they agreed to work with him + I doubt Gramorr actually harmed their parents since they don’t talk about them like they are deceased. (They also don’t show much of a grudge towards him, more like their boss they sometimes smack talk, mainly Mephisto but sometimes Praxina does too and they also did betray him once they had power/ don’t listen to him full and goof off so they don’t fully care for him)

As for the reward that Mephisto asked for in the season finale? Maybe they wanted to be recognized as more legitimate or something so Gramorr may have promised them something along those lines? Like how Praxina was obsessed with the Ephedians “bowing before them” so maybe recognition or this is just what she wants as revenge? (It’s kinda a weak reason but oh well)

As for Prax being a princess but not having a magical outfit? I think she may have not gotten one for some reason and that’s another reason why she got bullied. I think it’s related to the reason she’s more for the destruction/enslavement of Ephidia since I feel she would face more scrutiny from people for being illegitimate/not having a magical dress + the focus on this show is more on women being in power so she would probably be the target for more bullying (it also can added onto by how she says Mephisto is always in her “shadow”)

Mephisto may not have the same amount of hate towards the world because he wasn’t bullied as much/didn’t realize it too much + may have just not cared.

Them also being involved in the royal court makes sense for how Gramorr could find them in the first place since he was also in that circle of society.

Wow that turned out longer than I thought.

TLDR-

Mephisto and Praxina are semi-Illegitimate children of Runic. Their mama was the queen/princess and their papa was the court jester.

(MIGHT COMEBACK TO ADD MORE LATER SINCE IM REAL INVESTED IN THIS AND CAN STILL THINK OF THEORIESSS)

Pappy and The Staff: Thoughts on the Twins' Past

Following up on my previous post,

This scene in Lucky Star was super short and not that meaningful, but it was literally the ONLY time in the show where the twins mentioned something about their past or family (if you don't count the time Mephisto got hit in the head by a lobster crystal monster, and started asking "mommy" when they were going to the merry-go-round or whatever)

So they got a special powerful artifact in their family that is only passed down to the men. mmhh

Which could mean nothing, I know. Maybe it has nothing to do with misogyny, and it's simply a "harmless" family tradition. Maybe the female line in their family also has stuff they pass down, and this was just a regular Praxina moment because for once she couldn't have something her brother had. Which is a very sibling thing to do actually. Also, she was definetly jeaulous in this scene. And maybe a bit mad (hurt??) he didn't tell her about it.

Or maybe not. Who knows.

Plus, Mephisto rubbing salt in the wound, you gotta love him.

Still, this moment is definetly giving "Whoever Pappy was, he liked Mephisto better, and Prax is still bitter about it" vibes.

I think I heard somewhere that Pappy was their uncle (did he just visit sometimes?? did he live with them??? who knows) and if he has the staff, he's probably their mother's brother, or their father's older brother, who didn't have sons. That would make Mephisto the heir of the staff.

Totally unrelated to the original point of this post but that man was definetly the fun uncle (he was a court jester, c'mon) and he DEFINETLY preferred Mephisto over Praxina. Like, 1) the boy was gonna get the staff from him so it's obvious he would want to teach him and spend more time would him, 2) as a court jester, I'm assuming he preferred Mephisto's more bumbling personality, and 3) homegirl Praxina was not happy at all when Mephisto talked about the staff's origins, and she spoke about the man with a lot of disdain (mostly because of his position. which could also be her rejecting her family's "lower" or "unbecoming" status). also she was clearly jeaulous. So definetly not a big fan of him.

We know she's "always been an overachiever", as Mephisto put it in Home Pt1, while being yeeted into the stratosphere by Amaru, so i imagine she was already pretty good at magic when she was younger (good for her age, and better than Mephisto, at the time). And I headcanon she also wanted Pappy's approval at some point, and he... well- didn't care for her that much/as much as Mephisto.

To be fair, Praxina definetly strikes me as being that one child that works really hard to be impressive, but the adults around her are just like "Eh- that's nice. Anyways look at the other one who just did a cartweel and fell face flat into the concrete, omg awwwwww, so adorable and fun".

I don't think she was ever very "socially adept", I mean we saw Forget You!Praxina, and she was a social disaster. Maybe she didn't really know how to connect with people very well or people found her to be too abrasive or difficult to get along with, so she just- convinced herself she didn't need anyone else anyways.

Nothing too dramatic, but it can really shape a child.

And then Gramorr came along and their family went POOF somehow, and suddenly magical ability was all that mattered and not how "likable" or "sociable" you were, and it made her feel validated in a way. Maybe that's why she seems more interested in taking over Ephidea than Mephisto.

Maybe deep down she thinks that she's just naturally "unlikable", so it's easier to be "evil" on purpose, because then at least people have a reason to dislike her. She doesn't want to acknowledge the fear that if she did ever try to be nice, or to genuinely be herself without filters, she isn't sure she would ever good at it or accepted.

Or maybe this is just cause she gives me Azula vibes and I'm trying to project my Azula obssession onto her but whatever. MOMMY ISSUES. And UNCLE ISSUES. FUCK YEAH.

And the opposite goes for Mephisto, who Gramorr seems to have less patience for, despite him seemingly being at an even magical level with his sister.

Because while I think Praxina's struggles and insecurities come from a difficulty in forming connections, I think Mephisto's own issues also stem from comparing or being compared to her in terms of magical ability, cunning and ruthlessness. Which could've come from the parents (though we don't know anything about them or what the family dynamic was like while they were alive), or just one of them, or only started with Gramorr himself.

Honestly, the twins' backstory has got to be one of the most well kept secrets this show has.

Welp- that's it for today, i'm all out of brain power. Super interested to learn more about Ephidea and the twinss

[did-sm1-say-catfish]

dabi uses a flip phone. No, you wont be convincing me otherwise, and yes i will elaborate if you want.

[mrbrightxside]

Stupid little Moral Orel comic with Orel and Reverend Putty to express something

[starcurtain]

Every time I see another post or fic describing Argenti "saving Aventurine from the Nihility," the cranky lore-bird that lives inside the cage of my body cockatoo-screams in unbridled despair.

Who can I pay to remind the entire fandom overnight that the "Primordial Dreamscape" and the shadow of Nihility are not the same place?

The Aventurine Cornerstone protected Aventurine to the bitter end and saw him--in apparently barely coherent and very poor condition, admittedly--free of IX's shadow. We have no evidence at this point that Argenti ever encountered IX. All he says is that he discovered Aventurine in a sorry state and helped him out; zero mention of, you know, an entire other aeon.

We know from Acheron that to encounter IX is essentially impossible without contact with a Nihility emanator or falling into an existential despair so deep that you cannot return from it on your own, because IX does not gaze on anyone. While I don't think that Argenti is actually a very happy person, there's also absolutely no indication that he would abandon all his sense of purpose and meaning in pursuing Idrila to surrender to Nihility.

It is extremely likely if not already confirmed that Argenti did not rescue Aventurine from the Nihility; he rescued him from the Primordial Dreamscape (aka Dreamflux Reef and its surrounding Sea of Memoria).

Please, please, who can I pay to not have to see "Argenti was in the Nihility" anymore?

[luck-of-the-drawings]

[<==PREV PAGES] [NEXT PAGE==>(not out yet.wait a year.or maybe more.imagine.]

saw alot of comments on prev pages; saying 'i HATE that mean teacher! im gonna FIGHT HIM!!' & i LOVE the energy!! it WOULD be nice. to have that catharsis. but the story of young tidestrider is Not one of catharsis. it is a story of being so small and so special and sucking so bad.

[moonsnqil]

trying to explain to my best friend that while aftg is a mafia book, the mafia isn't even the most prevalent theme and how really it's a love story at it's core but not in a fairytale way rather in the way horror movies are love stories

[daydreamerwonderkid]

Tim centric fics are fucking wild to me because it's a constant teeter totter between "woobified Timmy who has never known love and would somebody just take care of this poor little boy who never did anything wrong" and "If someone so much as gently suggests he should take a nap, Tim will go completely feral and bite the hand off of literally anyone who lifts a finger to help him."

[millaysmaeve]

i mean this as the nicest of the complements: this series feels like something it would have been made before 2017

[icewindandboringhorror]

I occasionally wish to reach out to old friends/acquaintances I haven't spoken to since high school/some other even earlier time in my life, but I have SOOO little social energy even for required tasks (like making dr phone calls or etc), I never have any leftover for extra ones, and it would be very odd to message someone I haven't spoken to in like 5 years out of the blue but then take 4 entire months to respond back lol.. My natural curiosity with nostalgia/collecting details of the past/etc. (literally if I were born a little earlier I would definitely do scrapbooking or something lol) is very strong, but, alas, not strong enough to beat out the Social Issues Demons apparently

[transvampireboyfriend]

There's discussion of ronance under the cut! so if that's not your thing maybe skip this and the next part :)

part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5 - part 6 - part 7 - part 8

The sunset finds Steve sitting on a log, methodically breaking apart graham crackers and chocolate bars on top of a cooler.

Jonathan and Argyle are rolling joints beside him, sitting on a separate log and making light conversation with him.

Eddie's building a fire in front of them, a few feet away, just out of earshot. Steve loses the thread of conversation every now and then because he keeps getting distracted by Eddie's arms.

Some crackers and chocolate bars are unevenly split too. It's Eddie's fault that they're all wonky.

The taller boy (he will not let Steve forget this) is splitting a few dry logs into smaller ones using the cabin's axe.

He found and donned some leather work gloves, his tattoos shift as his arms flex, there are flashes of armpit hair every couple of swings, and there's sweat slowly dripping down his forehead.

Steve's doing his absolute best not to stare but it's very difficult.

When Eddie swipes the sweat off his brow and strips the gloves to bring out his pocket knife, Steve gets a coughing fit that Argyle has to bring him out of by clapping his back.

"Whoa there man, are you okay?" Argyle asks him,

Steve just franticaly nods as Jonathan snickers beside them.

Just as Eddie settles down in a crouch and starts shaving wood off the sides of the smaller logs, the girls come back from their walk.

Nancy walks to Eddie, offers a handful of dry pinecones and sets about arranging the logs.

Jonathan and Argyle announce they need popcorn and go back to the cabin to make some.

Robin has something trapped inside her hands.

She walks towards Steve, stands behind him and leans down to place her arms around his neck. Her hands remain closed, so that whatever is between them is now right in front of Steve's face.

"Guess what I got" she says, leaning her chin on top of Steve's head.

"That better not be a skunk, Bobbie"

Robin giggles "Have your ever seen a skunk, dingus? My hands are tiny!"

"A baby skunk, then" Steve amends, tone whiny.

Robin snorts, "Shut up. Look,"

As she opens her hands a tiny light shines out of them. Steve gasps.

"Hi!" he says, waving his index finger at the firefly,

"His name's Harold," Robin supplies.

"What? That sucks" Steve accuses, trying to look up at her, but only jostling her head a bit.

Robin gasps, "It's a perfectly good name for a firefly!" she protests, digging her chin atop his head.

Steve ducks his head and half turns in her arms, gives her a look and then turns back.

"How are the wife and kids, Harold?" he asks the bug,

Robin doesn't miss a beat, "He's gay, Steve. You should know better",

Steve can't help but laugh loudly at that.

Robin rushes to close her hands back up,

"Stop! you're scaring him!" she accuses, though there's a smile on her face.

Steve sobers up and puts down the two cracker halves in his hands to pry Robin's hands open again,

"Harold, I sincerely apologize." he offers in a gravely tone.

The bug turns around in Robin's hands.

"I think that means I'm forgiven" Steve says, looking up at her.

Robin chuckles and gently places the bug on top of Steve's left knee, moving to sit beside him.

Steve smiles at Harold before looking at her from the side,

"You having fun?" Steve checks in,

Robin smiles at him, throws her right arm around him and leans her chin against his shoulder.

"I am!" she answers "How about you?" she asks in return, half hugging him.

Steve presses his cheek against her in appreciation, just for a moment before he answers,

"Yeah, I'm having fun too" he smiles,

"Good. I wasn't lying earlier, when I said that suits you" Robin points out, drawing back without letting go of him, to look up at Eddie's bandana still on his hair.

Steve feels his cheeks start to burn.

"Shutup." he mutters defensively "he's-" Steve turns to look at Eddie, who's now fanning the flames of the fire he started and fanning himself every couple of seconds, making the few strands of hair that fell from his bun flap about wildly.

Steve can't help the smile on his face.

"Great. He's just great" he says honestly, feeling a little in awe of just how much he really likes Eddie.

Robin lets go of him only to jab her elbow in his ribs,

"See!" she says "I knew you had to make a move!"

"You were right." Steve concedes, "Not that I'm- I just mean he didn't seem put-off or anything when I tried flirting a little,"

"Of course he didn't! Steve!!" she protests,

"I know. I know," Steve says, reminded of the many times they've discussed his insecurities.

He relays his conversation with Jonathan then, and she listens, pointing out that putting it all together definitely makes it clear why Eddie hadn't made a move yet, and how Steve definitely has a chance.

"Yeah. I hope so," Steve says,

Robin rolls her eyes at his cautiousness and watches Harold finally fly away. Her eyes fall on Nancy, across from them.

Steve moves his eyes away to finish breaking off the last couple of crackers from the bunch.

Steve can admit he felt a pang of jealousy the first time he noticed his best friend laughing too hard at something Nancy said, but he quickly realized he was jealous of Nancy, he was worried she'd take Robin from him. An irrational fear that he also went through with Eddie, when he and Robin got close.

Whatever attempt Steve made at reviving the spark between him and Nancy in the upside down, got flipped right side up as soon as they were out of that hellish time.

Which was fortunate, because Nancy was still in a relationship back then, and Steve actually didn't feel like trying to woo the girl that broke his heart years ago.

Not to mention, they were different people now.

And he could admit now that he had freaked out. He'd seen the prettiest boy he'd ever known smirking at him and calling him metal and Steve had felt himself fall violently, far quicker than he was ready to.

So he'd grabbed on to whatever solid ground he could find, and he didn't have much of that.

It was just stupid. They hadn't really talked about it but Nancy had dropped by Eddie's room at the hospital a couple of times, she'd seen how devastated Steve was and she was never dumb. Steve could see the realization on her and luckily, the relief too.

Slowyly but surely they've arrived back to a place where Steve is glad to have her in his life again. He wouldn't hesitate to have dinner with her any day now, and every one of their friends know what they have is purely friendship.

So when he noticed her half-flirting with Robin at their job again, Steve tried to communicate to her that same understanding and relief with the same look.

And Nancy seemed like she got it.

Steve's fairly certain she and Robin would be good together, he's told Robin as much, but she disagrees, denied that she was attracted to their friend at first, and now refuses to give them a shot.

When he looks back up Robin's still looking at her, her cheeks on the verge of a smile.

Steve, done with his task, wipes his hands on his jeans.

"Are you sure there's nothing there?" Steve asks softly, for maybe the fifth time since Robin and Nancy met.

Looking back at that time now, with his own feelings out of the way, Steve can see clear as day, that Robin was into her from the start.

Robin looks at him now, and her face falls into the same caught look it always does when this comes up. She sighs,

"Are you sure you wanna ask me that?" she counters

"Robbie!"

"Dingus!"

"I want you to be happy," Steve tries,

"Even if it means I make a move on your ex?" she asks, her voice bitter,

"She's my friend too, Robs!" he protests,

"She broke your heart, Steve,"

"Years ago! And-"

"Not that many," Robin interrupts,

"And!" Steve emphasizes, "We're different people now,"

"You were practically offering her six babies not a year and a half ago," Robin points out,

"And you and I both agreed that that was a little bit crazy of me and a clear lapse in my judgement." Steve reminds her, "She doesn't want that. And I don't want that with her. I don't want anything with her beyond friendship and you know it,"

Robin doesn't look convinced.

"I don't care what you say. It would be weird." she says,

"Not for me, if that's what you're implying," Steve tells her,

"You've said that about other things when you did mind!" Robin accuses,

"And you've called me out on it!" Steve counters, "And I'm working on not doing that anymore. And it's not what I'm doing now!"

"I'm not gonna put my happiness before yours," Robin tells him,

Steve turns to her fully, straddling the log between them,

"I'm not asking you to do that, Robbie. I'm asking you not to put MY happiness before yours." he says, "Not even!" he amends, "I'm asking you not to put my comfort before your happiness."

Robin grimaces.

"What if you do mind? Down the line?" she asks,

"You can't base your decisions on hypotheticals." Steve protests, growing impatient, "And especially not on hypotheticals about my feelings, Rob!"

"Don't be an asshole. You're important to me!" she protests,

Steve sighs.

He reaches out and takes one of Robins hands in his own.

"And you're just as important to me," he tells her, "but i don't need you to protect me Robin. I'm not made of glass." he looks into her eyes as he goes on, "Yeah, maybe I'll be uncomfortable at some point, but I've been uncomfortable before and I'll be uncomfortable in the future,"

"I don't wanna be the cause of that," Robin says quietly, squeezing Steve's heart.

She moves to stradle the log too, facing Steve.

Steve offers her a soft smile.

"I know." he says, rubbing her knuckles in an attempt to reassure her, "You wouldn't be. Even if I saw you and Nance happy together and it made me uncomfortable, it wouldn't be because you decided to be with her, or because you're happy with her, Robs. It would be because she's my ex and she broke my heart. That's not on you,"

Robin looks like she wants to say something else but then changes her mind.

"It would be weird," she insists half-heartedly.

Steve understands what she doesn't say,  that she wants him to let it go.

"Okay." He concedes, taking her other hand and lacing their fingers. "Fine then. I won't bring it up again. I just ask that you don't- Don't think of me as this, this responsibility, okay? I don't wanna be that, I wanna be your best friend." he says, tugging on her hands a bit.

"Idiot." She calls him with a hesitant smile, clearly still awkward with displays of affection.

Steve chuckles. She tugs his hands towards her,

"I love you" she says.

It's not lost on Steve how this requires effort from her. He brings their hands to his lips and kisses the back of her palms, one and then the other, making her giggle.

"And I love you," Steve tells her, he untangles their hands and returns to his previous position, reaching for the big bag of marshmallows sitting next to the cooler.

"Now help me roast these," he requests, opening the bag, "this is as far as I came when I was little"

"Oh, did you have a maid that roasted your marshmallows growing up?"

"I hate youuuuuuu" Steve complains, and throws a marshmallow at her head.

part 6