#while also admitting they're already not doing great mentally

[sionnach-uaine]

The official Sun Haven Discord server is exploding rn over v1.5. Mostly over portrait updates (a minor and poorly done one that was retracted the same day as well as potential completely new ones) and the fact the game has been out fully for over a year and still has no credits at all.

I've seen several people ask for the game to have credits added (myself included, multiple times) and I can't recall ever seeing any response to the requests. Granted, that could just be me personally having missed any.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

what meaningful plenaration does "sane" add to "safe sane and consensual"? safe and consensual are both pretty intuitive as to what is and isn't and why they're important, but what is the aspect of this nebulous hypothetical insane sex (this would work better as a phrase if insane sex wasn't already a thing people said about good sex. much to think about) which is uniquely best to avoid but not already covered by safe or consensual?

i've been thinking about that one thing i saw a while ago about reevaluating ssc in the face of increased awareness of like, mad liberation and the ways that mentally disabled people are barred from sexual agency by ableism & the psych system and i genuinely can't come up with a reason why sane was in there in the first place

great question! let's talk about it!

but first: hey. what on earth does plenaration mean. I absolutely understand the question that you're asking but I don't know that word (unusual for me, if I may flex a little!) and google is giving me NOTHING.

anyway, moving on!

SSC was initially popularized by in 1983 by the New York group Gay Male S/M [Sadism/Masochism] Activists, and particularly activist David Stein. let's take a look at their full statement:

GMSMA is a not-for-profit organization of gay males in the New York City area who are seriously interested in safe, sane, and consensual S/M. Our purpose is to help create a more supportive S/M community for gay males, whether they desire a total lifestyle or an occasional adventure, whether they are just coming out into S/M or are long experienced. Our regular meetings and other activities attempt to build a sense of community by exploring common feelings and concerns. We aim to raise awareness about issues of safety and responsibility, to recover elements of our tradition, and to disseminate the best available medical and technical information about S/M practices. We seek to establish a recognized political presence in the wider gay community in order to combat the prevailing stereotypes and misconceptions about S/M while working with others for the common goals of gay liberation. (x)

GMSMA was founded three years prior in 1981, which is only important because that was also the year the first AIDS patients were identified. I don't know if you're familiar with a little thing called The AIDS Crisis, but suffice to say that during the 80s the public perception of gay male sexuality Was Not Good, particularly something double deviant like sex that was gay and also kinky. in a later essay reflecting on (and criticizing!) the mainstreaming of the term, Stein said he wanted to SSC framework to distinguish mutually consensual sadomasochism from "the criminally abusive or neurotically self-destructive behaviour popularly associated with the term 'sadomasochism'."

in other words: while I can't tell you everything that lay in the heart of David Stein when he first used the phrase, it's very clear that the GMSMA seemed invested in improving the public image of kink by separating it as much as possible from the notion that it was something only practiced by crazed degenerates - you know, something queer people have been forced to do for pretty much all queer sex throughout history? in the same 2000 essay linked above, Stein reflects on how many people took SSC as "a welcome validation for a type of sexuality still considered "sick" or "crazy" by much of our society."

is there still ableism baked into that narrative re: the notion that mental illness is a bad thing to be affiliated with? yeah, absolutely, and we'll get to that! spoilers: it's been a source of much criticism, which is why many people now prefer RACK over SSC. but give me a second to get there!

in the essay I've been pulling from, Stein freely admits that GMSMA never attempted to offer concrete definitions of SSC, particularly not the latter two: "We left "sane" and "consensual" much vaguer, "sane" because it's pretty vague to begin with once you get past the obvious meaning - able to distinguish fantasy from reality - and "consensual" because we didn't realize how tricky it is."

the idea of "sane" meaning a person is meaningfully able to distinguish fantasy from reality was echoed by Gil Kessler, a longtime kink educator and board member of GMSMA. rope enthusiast Tammad Rimilia defined it differently, saying that sane kink referred to a situation where "all parties are engaging in this activity by direct intention and can judge the effects of their actions." you can see that echoed in Stein's earlier statement about differentiating the kind of sex that GMSMA encouraged from "self-destructive behavior."

tl;dr, the "sane" is mostly there to specifically draw attention to the fact that some people engage in sex in ways that may be a form of self-harm and/or may want to engage in sex when they are experiencing reality in a way that prevents them from making rational, fully-informed choices, such as psychosis or manic episodes. per their own statement, it seems the GMSMA would discourage having sex with people in this category.

obviously that may already fall under the purview of safe and consensual, but show me an organization that's never gotten a little redundant in its mission statement and I'll eat my shirt.

now, back to that criticism! as Stein notes in the essay I've referenced heavily in this answer, understandings of safety, sanity, and consent have come a long way since 1983! the risk-aware consensual kink model (RACK) has gained popularity for many reasons, with much of the conversation centered on both the inherent ableism of SSC and concerns about the promise of "safe" and the unhelpful and unrealistic expectations it may set. hell, even notions of consent are constantly growing and evolving. and that's wonderful! SSC comes from a very specific time and place in the history of kink and may no longer be the pinnacle of best practices for everyone, but there's still plenty to be learned from its origins.

[tanoraqui]

I love your world building! Your name ideas are awesome. Love the idea of Indis being a true prophetic mother name

-@outofangband

Belated thank you! Also, sharing my thought process on that one because it's a very classic Silmarillion headcanon origin: it bothers me that Indis's name means "bride." I hate how it reduces her to a feminine trope - at "best", only here to have a troubled marriage; if you're a staunch Fëanorian, a femme fatale homewrecker. I immensely dislike how this is, in fact, an fairly accurate description of her role in the story...

Which is deliberate on Tolkien's part! The "canonically correct" way to ameliorate this misogyny (though neither erase nor excuse it) is to remember that this whole text is a mixture of history, legend and myth passed through multiple storytellers over thousands of years, translated and re-translated and interpreted through the eyes of elves and men and hobbits and men again, until even if this person ever actually existed in the history of Middle Earth - IF! - "Indis" probably wasn't even her epessë, much less her commonly used name. Probably her name got ink blotted on it at some point, or mixed up with someone else's name, and the next Númenorean scholar to rewrite the text followed the Archetypal School of historical interpretation and decided to name her "Indis" because of her role in the story...

But this, too, bothers me. Because I love the framing device of these various books, I love the historian-given dubious canonicity of literally every detail of The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and especially of The Silmarillion. But! We need some solid canon upon which to hang all our headcanons, so it's imperative to retain a delicate mental balance of knowing everything could be made up (more than it already is by being fiction!) while also adhering to as much as possible as something that Really Did Happen - and names are pretty solidly in the latter category. I mean, everyone has multiple and for those who don't, we tend to make more up, but a belief in the basic premise of the text is necessary in order to function in any fandom, and "names of characters" is pretty "basic premise."

So it's impossible to ignore that her name is Indis; and it's impossible to ignore that the name "Indis" is closely connected to her place in the narrative, more than most characters, and that said place is uncomfortably non-feminist - you can round out her character all you like, but you have to admit that her role in the story is to be the Second Wife and Mother whose acts of being a wife and mother cause trouble! That's a fact! And it's not great! And the name "Indis" isn't helping because if she was named anything but her literal narrative role, that would be characterization! She could be noble like Artanis, she could be of the sea like Eärwen, but she's not! She's just "bride"!

...so, I redeem this by making this definition of her life deliberate within the text - and not just by a future Númenorean scholar, but by Indis's mother. (Female! O! Cs!) Furthermore, names of prophecy are implicitly grand (even if they're not necessarily either good or bad). It makes being a bride itself feel more active - and why not! Do Indis's acts of love and marriage not change the fate of the world just as much as Lúthien's? Consider that Indis's act of marriage is so important that it echoes back through the Great Music to be known by her mother as she held the future bride as a babe in arms. Consider a mother holding her child under stars beside a lake and going, "damn, this kid is gonna have ripple effects. I should add a bragging warning label."

Also, if you accept the headcanons that

a) most Elvish languages treat "sex" (physical) and "marriage" (soul-bonding) as basically synonymous; and

b) Indis spends thousands of years in the Second/Third ages patiently and stubbornly figuring out how to Make It Work between herself, Finwë and Miriel, such that all three of them can marry with genuine all-around mutual love unto the end of days, for peace among the still-troubled Noldor but mostly for happiness for herself and those she loves most (also an act of bride-ship worthy of prophecy, note) -

then you can with a straight face imagine Indis saying, "I fucked my way into this mess and I'm going to fuck my way out of it."

Feminist critique + consideration of canonical historicity + elaborate headcanon web = sex joke! Now that's good fandom!

[beauty-and-passion]

No pressure as always, but I’m curious if you saw Thomas’ Year in Review. He talks a lot about his struggles with Sanders Sides and why the creative process has taken so long (at least, he gives his own take on the situation.)

If you saw it, I’m very curious about your thoughts! Because I honestly don’t believe that this video discredits any criticism, especially your criticism, but I’m curious if any of your opinions changed after watching it regardless. And no judgement either way, I just love hearing your thoughts ^.^

My dear, it's always a pleasure to reply to your asks! It might take me some time, but in the end, the answer will always come.

Thank you very much for telling me about the video because, if it wasn't for you, I would've probably never watched it and missed out a lot. Extra kudos for that.

So I watched it. And I read your post about it too (HERE because more people need to read it): it was very well made and I agree with you wholeheartedly.

However, I also took a lot of notes while watching Mr Sanders' video and there are a lot of other things I want to say in addition to the ones you already said. So I will gladly expand my thoughts and feelings here.

(It might be longer than expected, so I'll put it under a "read more")

Accepting criticism

Thomas admitted he easily internalizes negative criticism

He said that people are allowed to write everything/to criticize and that he doesn't want others to get mad over SaSi criticism

First of all, I am proud of him for showing this self-awareness. From what I saw of him, Thomas looks like a very prideful person, so it probably took him a lot of time and courage to admit his faulty behaviour.

But in the end, he did it. He showed some of the maturity I've always wanted to see coming from him and he deserves recognition for that: good job, Thomas. I know it wasn't easy because it sucks to admit we're not good at something, but it was a great proof of adulthood coming from you.

However, I would like to point out that he doesn't internalize just negative criticism. What the ts critics noticed (and you can find several proofs in the #ts_criticism tag), is that Thomas tends to reply with a lot of passive-aggressiveness not just to people offending him, but also to simple and harmless questions like "Hey, where is the SaSi finale?". Which are not negative, not criticism and even less negative criticism.

So it's not that he just internalizes bad criticism: he internalizes every single question regarding the SaSi finale which is not a compliment towards him or a "take your time, bro". And he internalizes it as something bad, which is not great, nor fair.

With this video, he took a step in the right direction and showed some self-awareness, which is very good. But now he needs to learn how to distinguish between different kinds of criticism - as well as recognizing that asking him questions isn’t criticism. It’s just asking questions.

(I also hope that some people won’t follow his mentality of “saying anything that isn’t a compliment = criticism”, because this can lead to a dangerous, distorted vision of the world.)

And since we’re talking about criticism, I wish that by saying "please do not get angry over criticism" Thomas finally put an end to the stupid idea that “people are not allowed to criticize”.

I know some people don't like to hear this, but criticism is inherent to the nature of every single work. Everything that exists in this world is allowed to be criticized. Heck, it's exactly because these creations are criticized, that they exist. Do you know what work isn't criticized? The one people don't talk about.

And no, despite what the opposers of criticism think, when people criticize something it's not because they hate the product: it's because they care a lot about said product. It's because they saw something good in it and they're disappointed the product wasn't as good as it promised. It's because they are so invested, that every mistake frustrates them.

In the end, it's not criticism that kills a product: it's indifference. It's not talking about it anymore. When you don't care, the product is dead.

So the opponents of criticism should be happy people are talking about SaSi with such passion, throwing ideas, suggestions and calling Thomas out. It's because, despite the empty promises, they still give a fuck about this project and want to see it succeed.

Maybe, thanks to Thomas' works, more people will not ban every criticism as "bad" Because Yes. Heck, they might even read a couple of posts and find out that the criticism tag isn't made of hateful people: just of people who care like them.

And maybe this will also discourage pathetic losers like the anon @softestvirgil mentioned in their last post. An anon who is so strong and brave, to say they would hire a hitman to kill another person just because they criticize something the anon likes. Very mature, very clever and very bold, coming from a coward who doesn't even have the balls to show their face, while saying this.

_______________________

The difficulty of writing

Thomas said he got overwhelmed by the public's reaction to SaSi "in the most wonderful and intimidating way"

When Joan left, Thomas felt the overwhelming weight of the series all on himself. He couldn't see himself doing SaSi without Joan

Roleslaying was a breath of fresh air, since it was a series with no stakes

Thomas realized he was doing his best with videos that didn't require him to write

Thomas said there have been moments when he despised everything he was writing. He spent whole days on a single interaction between two characters, only to hate everything and wonder how Joan would write them/what the viewers would think.

As always, I am a prophet. What did I say in these last years?

Thomas doesn't know how to handle this series? He admitted he couldn't see himself doing it without Joan.

Thomas prefers Roleslaying and shorter, more carefree videos because they're easier and they don't require him to write? He admitted he did his best with videos that didn't require him to write.

Thomas isn't able to write the series? He had struggles and hated what he was writing.

So, what was the result, if not Thomas postponing and focusing on other projects - thus ending up with characterization errors, mistakes and things he completely forgot? Just like I said?

But even if I'm right, I am glad Thomas FINALLY talked about it. One thing is deduce what's going on, one thing is the author himself admitting it.

So yes, I really, really appreciate him doing it. Again, it was probably very hard for him to say it out loud, but he did and deserves recognition for that.

I particularly felt for him, when he said he spent days on a single interaction, only to hate everything he was writing. I empathize with him a lot because that's exactly what I felt while writing the prologue of my story, multiple times. I spent days writing the same two paragraphs, over and over, trying to find the right way to do it, the right rhythm, the right words. And I ended up deleting everything, only to start again and try again and delete everything again, over and over in a neverending loop.

I know it must've been hard for Thomas, because it is hard. Because you feel like shit. Because you ask yourself how can you not write this right, what are you doing wrong? Maybe you did everything wrong from the start, maybe the entire thing is wrong, maybe you're just too stupid to do it - and you see other stories and other writings and they're all so good and you suck so much and you feel like an even bigger loser.

And now you may ask: how can you break this loop? How can you move forward?

We will talk about Thomas' solution in a bit.

_______________________

The lack of an outline

Thomas admitted he lost connection with his characters

He said he was feeling bad for letting people down

He said he's writing the outline of the season finale by referring to notes left by Joan

He finished 3 drafts out of 4 parts. And they're still reviewed

Wow, it looks like the lack of a proper, full outline leads to characterization errors, forgetting things and taking a lot of time. Jeez, I wonder who said all of this since like, idk, forever?

As I imagined, there is still no outline at all and Thomas isn't even working on a full outline for season 3: he's working on an outline for the season 2 finale. Which means season 3 is still stuck in a limbo.

And yes, I know they're not great news, but at least they're real news. Real fucking news about the finale, not just "finished draft 3" or "worked for 8 hours" or "it will come out this year maybe yes maybe not". We finally have real news and we know how much Thomas did and what he's currently working on and how much is still left to do. So, again, he deserves recognition for finally talking about it.

Does that mean the writing is good now? Heck no, this isn't a proper way to write and my previous post still stands: the writing is still taking too long, the lack of an outline is still a problem, part 4 and the review will probably take another two years minimum and a competent writer would've helped A LOT to make the writing smoother and faster.

However, I better understand now why Thomas didn't hire one: he probably wanted to do everything by himself to not disappoint everyone and was too prideful to ask for help - considering he didn't tell anyone about his struggles either.

But what did it lead to? The outline is still missing (with all the expected consequences) and Thomas suffered for the huge weight of expectation he put on himself.

_______________________

The importance of not escaping criticism

Thomas' resolutions for this year are:

to be more open and honest about his struggles

to stay away from criticism (he doesn't even want to be tagged in it)

Those are great resolutions, especially the first one. Considering he kept everything by himself and didn't tell anyone about his struggles, being more open and honest about them is a very good decision.

And staying away from negative criticism is good too, considering that 1) it's good for mental health in general and 2) he just admitted he internalizes criticism, so staying away from it can only be helpful.

However, as said before, Thomas sees as “negative criticism" everything, including people asking him about the finale. So if he escapes from all kinds of criticism, he will also escape from harmless fans who just want an update from him.

Besides, it’s never good to escape from all kinds of criticism. Criticism is essential for writing, especially constructive criticism. Sure, you might find the 12-year-old who says "You stink and your work sucks because my headcanon is not here!", but you may also find the expert who will explain some technicalities of writing. Or just someone who can offer a deeper insight into a character. Or just an interesting idea to develop into a plot point.

Also, considering how Thomas tends to label every little critic as "negative", people who want to show their love might end up feeling "forced" to use just compliments, in hopes that Thomas will notice them/know they love SaSi. Which isn’t good either, because... well, people would be forced to censor themselves and suffocate their rightful questions just to make him happy.

_______________________

How to escape the neverending loop of hate-writing

Thomas said he wants to rediscover his joy in writing by working on more Asides/other projects to "stretch his brain"

He also expressed his love for short-form creation

Thomas' solution is a good one. Doing other things, focusing on other stuff, letting SaSi in the back to write different stories: this is all good and valid, I’m sure it will help Thomas’ mental health a lot.

However, writing small stuff with no stakes is also what Thomas wrote for most of his life. So by doing that, he basically reverts to something he’s already used to. And of course he loves it, it’s his comfort zone: it’s very understandable he feels at ease inside it.

Still, this is not a bad thing: it’s good to do it once in a while and it's even necessary for your wellbeing. But you can understand by yourself that this doesn’t help solve the problem. This just postpones the problem. Maybe it won’t come back now, maybe not today or tomorrow or during the season 2 finale. But the problem will eventually come back.

Why? Because SaSi still lacks an outline. Because the story should still move in a more mature, complex direction. Because there are still a lot of threads to develop and close. Because the characters still need mature development.

How do I think Thomas can solve the problem? Sure, detaching himself from it is good for a while, but he cannot do just that and escape into his comfort zone. He needs to face the problem and he can do it only by learning how to write.

And if it’s hard to do (because it is), then the best solution would be to hire a competent writer. Not because the writer will replace him, not at all. The writer will help Thomas to learn and understand the technicalities of writing especially for a project as big as SaSi: like how to develop an outline, how to connect all threads, how to move from a simple to a more complex plot, how to keep a continuative plot throughout several episodes without destroying the stakes. The writer will be an assistant for the writing of SaSi and a teacher from whom Thomas can learn everything he needs.

So, if Thomas really wants to give himself some grace this year as he said, I suggest he shares his writing responsibilities with someone competent and bias-free. A real writer from whom he can learn not just for SaSi, but for his future projects too. Not only this will benefit him in the long run, but it will also give him a more humble and mature approach to writing in general, by recognizing and accepting his limits and doing actual work to improve himself.

But this is just my suggestion. If he wants, Thomas can keep doing what he’s doing now, i.e. working on smaller stuff into his comfort zone and stepping out a little bit when he feels more confident.

Again, this isn’t a bad solution, but the problem is that it takes a lot of time. But, like, A LOT. You need to regain confidence from inside your comfort zone, then step out again to face a bigger problem - a problem you still don’t know how to face, because you don’t know how to write and you don’t even have an outline or a plan to tackle it. And what if you lose confidence again? Will you come back into your comfort zone and wait again to gain enough confidence to step out once more?

I know you will never read this post, Thomas, but let me tell you this: I also lost the spark with my characters several times in the past. The first time, it was because I still didn’t know how to write, so I was frustrated by the writing itself and how everything was dull. Then I lost my spark because the plot kept getting stuck and I had no idea how to improve it.

Both times, I left the project in the back and focused on other smaller stories, smaller projects and books to read.

After the first time, it took me a couple of years to get back on this project. But do you know how long it took me the second time? This year, it will be 8 years. The last time I wrote that project was 2016. And only now, after 8 years, I think I found the solution I was searching for.I could do that, because I never showed this story to anyone. It has always been my personal, secret project. But can you do the same? Can you really afford to spend 8+ years, doing everything by yourself? As I said in my previous post, unfortunately Sanders Sides has your face. And you cannot revert the biological clock forever.

_______________________

In conclusion

Do I appreciate Thomas a little more after this video? Definitely. He still didn't apologize for his lack of organization and his take on criticism is a bit questionable, but he's improving. He showed more maturity than he did in the past three years and I appreciate that. He has my respect for doing it, for admitting his mistakes and for opening up.

Does that mean he can take forever for the finale? Heck no. I still want to see the finale before the end of time and I still want to get more frequent, honest updates coming from him. And, no that doesn’t mean he has to do 20-minute-long videos every time: even just a simple, clear tweet is enough. Just to let us know how the work is going.

I also hope he will develop better communication with his team, improve the organization and, most importantly, hire a competent writer from whom he can learn more about writing in general (and regarding SaSi).

While for the fandom, I wish we would be nicer too. It doesn't make sense for us to fight over a simple series, when there are bigger problems out there. Let's enjoy our time together instead, let's criticize if we want to, let's do fanart and write fanfictions and let's fight over silly stuff only, like which ship is the best and which Orange is the best Orange. Even if the second doesn’t even need a debate, because we all know pirate!Orange is the best ;P

[sleeplesssmoll]

Reverse1999 Anon Response

Anon inspired me with some great questions so I wrote an essay. Love doing this stuff!

1. I’m not sure I understand Vertin’s goal in the prologue. She wanted to see if her suitcase would save Regulus, but wasn’t that a huge gamble that could have cost Regulus her life if it didn’t work? Wouldn’t it have been safer to let Sonetto take her back to the Foundation, which would guarantee her safety? I just can’t see Vertin risking someone’s life like that.

This is a very good question that made me think too! It also gave me a chance to analyze my beloved Timekeeper again so I appreciate it. The simplest answer would be Vertin believes in living rather than just surviving. Now for the essay because I can't help myself.

We can see this with her speech to Druvis during dinner with Manus Vindictae where she challenges if the rowan branch is truly alive. With that in mind, her speech with Arcana sheds more light into why Vertin would take such a risk. When Arcana asks about the wellbeing of the arcanists Vertin rescued, Vertin admits that they're suffering. They end up in asylums. They desert the Foundation and she doesn't see many of them again. Some take their own lives. Those who are alive live in misery and stagnation. Like Druvis's rowan branch, are they truly alive? Going back further, Baby Vertin believed there was more to life than simply living back then too. She was the bellwether who led the break away event because of her ambition.

Vertin has tried to save people from this fate numerous times. She doesn't want to lose her friends to the Storm nor does she want them to lose their freedom under the Foundations control. She's seen time and time again the suffering caused by watching eras disappear. These arcanists lose everything and then they lose their freedom or their minds once they are shackled by the Foundation.

This brings us to Regulus. We can assume she's had her eye on Regulus for some time but the pirate is very hard to track down as we can see from all her adventures. She mentions listening to Regulus on the radio when she mentions the “two moons” thing. Regulus is not only a rebellious arcanist, she's a larger than life soul who wants to live her life to the fullest. In a way, she and Vertin are of like minds. I think Vertin already planned on confronting Regulus before the Storm. It might be why she was summoned when Sonetto screwed up the ritual in the beginning. She was already nearby. She mentions that she was looking for Regulus at one point too. If Manus Vindictae didn't blow up her ship and the Foundation wasn't hot on her heels, maybe Regulus would have met Vertin under different circumstances.

Nonetheless, Vertin took advantage of the confusion to speak with Regulus.

Regulus is exactly the type of person who'd make the perfect candidate because she refuses to be bound by rules and is an arcanist. She has both the mentality and capability Vertin needs. She did try to inform Regulus of her plan but the puppy appeared! This is important because from what we've seen, Vertin usually informs people about her thought process and ideas (like with Druvis and Schneider). However, in this instance she didn't get the proper chance.

Now this part is sneaky but I understand her where she's coming from even if I don't agree. There was enough time (roughly 10 min or so) to make it one of the Foundation's buildings which are immune to the Storm. Sonetto made it to the buildings. At this moment, Vertin decides to take Regulus into the Suitcase instead of sending her off with Sonetto. She did in fact risk Regulus's life. Perhaps in her mind Regulus would either be lost like the others she “rescued”, or reversed. However, there is a chance for the pirate captain to be free if her theory works. I don't think it's right that she made that choice for Regulus, however she does come clean and explains in entirety why she did it. She thanks Regulus for helping her in her “experiment.”

While we know now Regulus would probably make that choice herself if she knew everything she does now since she is the “live freely or not at all” type, it doesn't make it right. We can try to rationalize it by saying things like “Regulus would run away from Sonetto again and get reversed anyway” or “She didn't have time to explain”. But the fact remains that Vertin chose to take a bigger chance with her experiment than she doesn't know will work. The Foundation is proven protection from Reversa which is why it is the safer option.

Vertin is not perfect and even she gets desperate. Throughout the rest of the chapters we do see her explaining everything from her thought process to how she feels about situations. That being said, I 100% believe Vertin has conflicting feelings about it. Just because she made that choice and everything worked out, doesn't mean it's right. I think most people have done something knowing that it's not a great choice for various reasons. For example, out of fear, anger, or hurt. Btw, if you want to read something interesting, check out this impression on the Venomous Psychube. It is a frog. If my theory about Psychubes being reflections of Vertin's thought process is accurate, this makes the impression hurt more lol:

The dark night peeks through itself, leading to a secret delight. Along with scream and whine, the familiar death arrives as it has foretold, bringing a swamp of corpses.

2. Speaking of which, how did Sonetto get back safely without a floppy disc? She must have been quite far from the Foundation?

I briefly touched on this but I think they were relatively close to the building. Vertin is the one who made the call to take the risk with Regulus rather than send her off with Sonetto and into the Foundation's hands.

3. What do you think Vertin thinks of Sonetto post chapter 4?

In chapter 1 Vertin helping Sonetto felt like she did it out of a sense of duty and because she wanted to enlist Regulus in her experiment. After Sonetto gets assigned to her and experiences the Storm, Vertin gets much softer. You can see she genuinely feels responsible for Sonetto and then that extends to the others she invites into her Suitcase.

I think the two will be closer. Sonetto fought for not only her in chapter 4, but for those lost in the Storm. She challenged the Foundation. She made the people who turned down Schneider and many others face justice. Sonetto is coming into her own and while she can't turn her back on those who raised her, she will not give up her future because of them. Idk if this counts, but if you raise the bond with Sonetto you see she gets more comfortable asking for things or bringing up things she wants to do. For Vertin who likes to share experiences with others since she was a kid, I think that would be a nice change from her watching people vanish and leaving her alone to do it all again. She has a constant and curious puppy now. I'm only half-joking when I call Sonetto the emotional support puppy. I think we will see her have more effect on Vertin as the story goes.

These questions have motivated me to take a look at the different influences Sonetto and Schneieder have on Vertin. Its something I noticed while back tracking. Thank you for sending these questions!

[salty-an-disco]

CONTRAHERO HEADCANONS GO:

Who is the big spoon and who is the little spoon, or do they switch depending on how they feel?

In general, or any particular storyline/AU you want to talk about, which of them do you think kisses the other first?

Who among the others would either of them go to if they wanted advice on relationship stuff or just to talk about nervousness or worries or even happiness with someone other than the other person?

Who among the others was just waiting for those two to get together already, who suspects they are together before they get together/admit they're together, and who was just 100% totally oblivious until it's either blatantly obvious or they straight-up get told?

What are their favorite kinds of dates?

Answer any, all, or none of these, however you are feeling :D

YEEESSSSSSSS, THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!

- Contra’s often the big spoon. They like holding Hero, and Hero likes being held, so it works out great for them. They’ll switch it up too tho, especially when Contra’s feeling down or is just tired, and being held by Hero is the best recharger there is.

- When I imagine their first kiss, it’s often Hero who kisses them first. Contrarian is too avoidant and afraid of intimacy to be the one to kiss first (unless they can pass it off as a bit, or it’s just really obvious Hero wants them to kiss him right now), while Hero is a pretty straightforward guy and will go for it if the chance presents itself.

- Ohohohohoh, that’s a good one. Hmmmmm. If Contrarian ended up talking/venting about relationships to someone, I feel like it’d be broken (Cold is their bestie, but c’mon, its Cold, his approach to feelings is the I Do Not See It emojis), they’re not very gossipy or judgemental, and can be very sympathetic, so I feel like, out of everyone, Contrarian would feel safest leaning on them. They would consider Smitten for a moment, get embarrassed about what they think he might say, then go Nope.

Hero wouldn’t actively seek out someone to ask advice/just talk about it (he doesn’t feel like he needs to bother others with his dilemmas), but if prodded in the right moment, by the right person, he’d spill his guts out. And that person would be Smitten. He’d get Hero to spill out all of his hopeless romantic fantasies and how much he’s been enjoying spending time with Contrarian, and listen to it patiently, all the while grinning delighted. I also think he’d give great advice about how the transition from strictly platonic to romantic doesn’t have to be a big deal, or change all that much, if you don’t want to (what I think would be Hero’s biggest fear, together with scaring away Contra). He’d also make many corny comments that makes Hero go beet red (does he do it on purpose? Does he not? Who knows!!!).

(too bad Contra dismissed Smitty’s advice straight away)

- Hunted and Smitten absolutely notice it before they even get together. Hunted already sees them as mated, Smitten is waiting with bated breath for them to get together

Cheated jokingly says ‘are those two gonna kiss, or what?’ once, then goes, ‘wait–’

Cold knows there’s Something going on, but his alexithymic brain can’t quite figure it out for a while until it becomes obvious. Skeptic is in a similar spot

Paranoid would catch on eventually, after they get together, but before they start telling others, I feel like. Maybe she confronts them about it, and that’s what inspires them to just tell the others

Stubborn and Opportunist are the ones who really didn’t saw it coming, but while Stubborn just shrugs and goes ‘good for you’, Oppy is absolutely stupified (that’s not what his mental relationship chart looks like!)

Broken just always assumed they were already together

- I’m terrible at thinking about dates concepts aaaaaaahhhhhh– while Hero would absolutely touch on his hopeless romantic side and take Contrarian to candlelit dinners or a picnic in the park on occasion, I feel like they enjoy simple hang-outs a lot more. Just the two of them watching some shitty movies on TV together, roasting it while cuddling on the couch.

[blusical]

Problematic Players and You

(PT: Problematic Players and You)

Trigger Warning: This post discusses several triggering or otherwise sensitive topics, including, but not limited to, abuse sexual assault, bigotry, and violence. Reader discretion is advised. Additional Disclaimer: This is not a post defending the actions of athletes mentioned *nor* is it an attack on said athletes (or their fans!). This is about dealing with serious events involving players as a whole.

Have you ever woke up one day and found out that your favorite race car driver said some not-so savory things? Have you ever checked the news one day and found out a hockey player you love was accused of rape? Are you a new sports fan who did research on an athlete you like only to find out they're a straight up creep? And have you ever asked yourself: “Where the hell do I go from here?” when it comes to merch you’ve already bought or the amount of gifsets you’ve made for them? Well, you’ve come to the right post! Because let’s face it, we’ve (probably) all been there, done that and got the t-shirt (Err, jersey). 

First off, what defines a problematic player?

Well... there's not really a set definition. Everyone has a different idea of what's 'problematic' and what isn't. However, there are some deeds that athletes do that are... kind of ick, so any of the following could make them be considered very problematic:

-Bigotry (ex. Racism, homophobia). -Cheating (as in cheating on your spouses. Not cheating as in using PEDs even though that too is also kinda trashy). -Abuse, sexual assault, etc. -Questionable/not so great political opinions.

And then there’s athletes who’ve been involved in so many off-ice controversies and allegations that it’s reached a point where regardless of how many are true or not, and no matter how much new information is revealed, they won’t be well liked by fans (Patrick Kane, anyone?). Okay, but why do athletes do this crap in the first place?

Well... there's a couple theories on why some do these things.

Sometimes mental and environmental factors can influence an athlete’s decision making. Say, if an athlete was abused by a coach when they were young, that might factor into any actions, good or bad, a player makes in the future. In cases of bigoted opinions, athletes are raised to have such opinions.

Age can also play a factor into a player’s actions. The younger they are, the more likely they’re going to do stupid shit (Or so I've noticed, please correct me if I'm wrong lmfao). Again. The theories are limitless. However most of the time athletes do these things because... they chose to do that. And a part of that is being because sports culture. Yeah. Sports culture sucks. Who would've known?

So do problematic athletes... stay problematic forever?

Well, yes and no.

As much as our first instinct is to “cancel” said athletes and pressure them to take accountability, we should also give them a chance to grow when they do take accountability instead of pushing the issue further.

However, that also depends on if they chose to grow. Hell, it depends if they even admit to making a mistake or admitting to guilt at all (which is, unfortunately, very impressive in a society like this). If they don’t.. Well, that’s their choice. Best we can do as fans beyond that point is just spread awareness. Remember: 99% of the time celebs won't listen to their fans. Some will. But do not expect your favorite to do the right thing. You will be disappointed. Another thing to keep in mind is that even if changes to character are made, people (us included) will still probably continue to view them differently for a while. As much as we’d like to put the past behind us, that just isn’t easy. (And besides, in the long term this is probably a good thing, since as fans it’s not our place to forgive; that’s up to the people affected). Actually while we’re at it..

Help! What should I do when an athlete (including my favorite) gets into controversy?

It’s always stressful (and sad) when an athlete you’ve admired and looked up to is eventually outed as a terrible person. It’s even more stressful when you’re a newer fan to sports and you just find out about said problematic deeds.

Well, first thing's first: process your emotions, and feelings. And once you're done crying, screaming, whatever action you're doing to process your feelings, spread awareness if you feel comfortable enough doing so. When spreading awareness though: DO RESEARCH AND ONLY SHARE RELIABLE SOURCES. Unfortunately serious allegations almost always have misinformation popping out. Hell, sometimes "allegations" may just be someone causing trouble on the internet (Corey Perry situation, anyone?). If the source is from a random Twitter user (that doesn't work in journalism), or the source is from a site like Deadspin and/or TMZ or any other site that has a history of clickbait, odds are, it's best to take it with a grain of salt. Team fansites (like RMNB, a Caps site) are also not always reliable, so take caution when reading through them as well.

It's better to stick with actually known sources like ESPN, Bleacher Report or a journalist like Elliotte Friedman. Rick Westhead and Katie Strang are really good journalists when it comes to issues relating to hockey. Additionally, do not expect to know *all* the information. Do not demand all information to come out. Sometimes not everything can be shared for legal reasons. Be patient and wait for everything to come out. And even then, don't expect it to be everything that happened (because again, legal reasons). Also, don't expect other people to talk about the incident in question! Do not guilt others into discussing it, do not force others to post about it. Focus on what you can do before focusing on what others can do! After most information (if not all of it), it's up to you to come to your own conclusions. Lastly, regardless of what your decision is, whether you decide to stop supporting them or you choose to believe they did nothing wrong (for any reason), but you're stuck on what to do anyway... Well... and this is probably anticlimactic I know, what to do is... up to you!

Internet wise, your internet space is your space! Your Tumblr blog is your blog! If you wanna stop posting about that player and also delete every single mention of said player outside of spreading awareness? Great! That’s your choice! Wanna keep said posts up but tag them and/or add a disclaimer! Also great! Wanna keep posting them or writing fics about them? Completely fine! Just tag it accordingly and keep in mind why these folks may not like said players. And *please* continue to be critical of said players when they do something wrong. Your favorite is not immune to criticism.

(In other words, yes Hawks fans, you’re allowed to post your Kane gifs and 1988 fics. Just tag it accordingly. And just know that people *will* probably judge you for it).

One thing you should not do however: DO NOT CENSOR NAMES. This fucks with filters and screenreaders (More in-depth post on this here!).

And because apparently this still needs to be said, don’t wish injury or death on the players and for the love of Wayne Gretzky don’t fucking send harassment to their families (seriously why do people do this fucking garbage holy fuck).

Secondly, don’t buy their jerseys or other merchandise from official sites! They will profit off that. If you've already brought it, don't just throw it out. Instead, leave it in storage, sell it or, if you're good at tailoring, try making something new out of it! Additionally (especially in cases of rape, violence, etc), SUPPORT THE VICTIMS INVOLVED. They need it the most.

What about the folks that continue to support said athletes?

If someone continues to post an athlete that’s done not great things, it’s tempting to educate them and tell them (which, if you’re going to do so, please tell them gently and not yell at them, especially if they’re a newer or younger fan who has zero clue what’s going on) But if they already know (which odds are they probably do unless they’re a newer fan), and/or they refuse to stop posting about them after being told, the best plan of action is to just… leave them alone. Just leave them be. Do not bother them further. Do not harass them. Do not send them threats. And for goodness gracious don’t make a callout post or blocklist of every single supporter of said athlete.

(Seriously attempting to make a long blocklist never ends well, especially since half the time the users on said blocklist turn out to be literal children).

That said though, if your friends/mutuals are actively defending bigoted comments and/or making statements that borderline towards abuse apologism, it’s not a bad idea to hold them accountable in a private setting. Yes I said private setting because most drama can be avoided with a private DM. But other than that... someone still writes 1988 fic? Leave them be! Someone still makes gifsets of Alex Ovechkin? Leave them be! Hell, someone still talks about the Staals? Just leave them be! The best course of action is to… just use the block button and/or filter posts accordingly. That’s literally it lmfao.

But why do people continue to support these athletes anyway?

Well it all comes down to the following: A. They have trouble grappling with the fact that they are, in fact, problematic. B. They’re Neurodivergent (especially autistic or individuals with ADHD), or struggling IRL, and kinda rely on those people to function or get through the day. 

C. Detaching yourself from a problematic figure is… really easier said than done. It is not easy at all lmfao. D. They're refuse to listen to info. E. They genuinely have no clue what's going on. Either way. Don't judge too harshly. Not everyone can just stop supporting a person/media and guess what? It's not as easy as 99% of Tumblr dot com thinks. Not everyone can just stop enjoying/liking something. And guess what? That's actually O-KAY. Last thing to know.

Lastly, you, yourself, *could* probably be supporting a problematic player right now! And you would never know until much later! At the end of the day, 99% of athletes have done problematic things one way or another. And honestly, if we tried to get rid of every problematic person... there probably wouldn't be any people left on Earth at all. Yeah, some actions are more shittier than ever, but trying to make everything "unproblematic"... is never going to work no matter how you look at it, and that is OKAY.

Remember the most important rule (stolen from someone on discord with the second edited by me!):

Now get out there and cheer for whatever player you'd like.

(Special thanks to @hard4softthings @saucerfulofsins @tapejob @youneedtolookatthis @restingbuchface @bedardconnor and a bunch of other folks for providing most of the advice/info/tips for this post!)

[foreveralwaysanauthor]

I know you said in your comments on my last post that I didn't need to make you anything as congratulations, but girl, I've been concocting this thing in my head for the better part of a month and finally had the time to work it all together the last day or so. You're getting this thing one way or another! It's not perfect, but I've been watching edits for all sorts of fandoms with this song on TikTok for a while now, and it was too great of an opportunity to miss. Plus, this trend came about with perfect timing, so it works for both a mental plot eraser and a graduation gift all in one!

Now, although I'm sure you can piece it together yourself as it comes from your idea of what I've been calling The Playhouse Playoffs, I'm going to kind of explain how I thought things would go down/why I used the clips I did. However, first, please take a minute and fourish seconds to watch this thing that's been festering in my head for the last... I don't even know how long, honestly. Also, Tumblr screwed up the timing a bit in certain parts if you're watching it on a computer, but if you're watching it on your phone, it should be fine.

My take on the little story within the clips:

Part 1 - The camp is the gun.

If they're not riding together to camp, Riven and Vivien have a yearly race to the grounds to not only see who can get there first, but also who can be the one to claim Lakeside. Lakeside isn't a first come, first serve type of deal as their group (friends and family) always stays there, and Grandpa George and Nonna Dawn know this, but the person who claims it first gets to pick out group activities outside of planned events. Riven has beaten her almost every year, even when they were just riding down from Hill House on their bikes. In this case, Riven gets there first and is quick to see Nonna to claim Lakeside, but Vivien is more concerned with getting there with her friends for once and doesn't really care until he begins teasing her about it. Given her already rough start to the summer (as you saw in my preview of the first chapter), she finds it hard to take his light teasing as light.

Part 2 - The playhouse is the gun.

As the only two senior staff members who actually enjoy anything related to theatre (sadly, Carrie doesn't count as it's only her second year working there), Riven and Vivien are tasked with figuring out what show to put on. When neither can come to a clear choice in their meeting, Nonna suggests they do both - a battle of sorts to see who could take seniority for the next year based on ticket sales. Vivien, in a desperate attempt to prove herself capable so that her grandparents know the camp is in good hands when they eventually hand it off to her, agrees despite dreading how hard she knows she's just made her summer when she wanted nothing more than to enjoy her time with her friends.

Part 3 - Carrie is the gun.

As you've established (and I love), Riven steals Carrie away before Vivien has the chance to. Frankly pissed off by her lack of opportunity, she takes out her frustration on Riven, who reminds her that she had the chance to snatch Carrie up early, but was too caught up with everything else to even try. Despite her reluctance to admit it, she knows he's right and backs down, but the stress of everything is mounting, and she refuses to return to Lakeside that night as she knows Riven will have his show's crew over for a script-reading party, resigning to watching from afar.

Part 4 - The shows are the guns.

In my opinion, a lot will have happened between the initial reading party and the actual shows - apart from the obvious passage of time, I mean. While Riven’s been gliding through things without much stress due to having Carrie and a few stragglers from Vivien’s group on his side, Vivien’s been struggling with making things as perfect as possible. On top of this, things have been rocky in her personal life. She-who-must-not-be-named has been poking her nose where it doesn’t belong, rumors have been spread like wildfire, and the people she cares about have been keeping so many secrets that she feels like she’s drowning. Now, two days before the weekend their shows are set to perform, she finds all of the handmade costumes she and her group have worked so hard on sitting torn to shreds in a mud puddle after a particularly rough storm. The only person other than herself who has access to the locked area of the playhouse where they're keeping the costumes is Riven, making her believe that he must have had something to do with it despite his claims that he had no idea. Things get fiery between them as Vivien unleashes all of her previously withheld thoughts and emotions, and Riven argues that if she thinks he had anything to do with her show crashing and burning like the literal fire in the script, she must not know him at all. Riven walks away to pour his feelings into making his show great while Vivien picks up the pieces of the mess she's created and tries to figure out a way to get things back on track.

Part 5 - The actual performances are the guns, and it's not just the two of them reaching this time. The casts are reaching too.

After everything blows up between their directors and neither returns to the cabin that night, the two casts join forces the next morning to fix things without their directors' knowledge. They find ways to repair the damages done while Butchy and Miles try to talk Vivien out of her lockdown at the Hill House, and Carrie works on prying Riven out of his basement. Butchy convinces Vivien to at least try talking to Riven after his show's final rehearsal and, despite herself, she allows them to drag her back to the camp and waits out back for the cast to leave before slipping inside to talk with him. They've never really had a falling out before, and it takes a while to work through things with Vivien on the brink of an emotional breakdown and Riven sitting there, stonefaced, but they talk nonetheless and decide to work everything out as much as possible before the weekend so that they can comfortably enjoy each other's shows and go back to something resembling the "normal" they're used to.

I'll leave it at that for now, but just know that I have a lot of ideas for that storyline and really needed to get them all written down so they wouldn't bounce around in my head for the foreseeable future. I hope you enjoyed my little video and the thoughts behind each part, but honestly, El, I love this idea for Camp Wanamaker and am so excited to finally be able to post something for it!

[nanomooselet]

Episode Four: Hungry!

Full disclosure, it took me a while to warm up to Wolfwood.

I hadn't read the manga or watched the older adaptation. Didn’t know anything about him except his ridiculous gun and that he was a priest (hence the ridiculous gun, because anime). I couldn't figure out why he was present in the narrative, except... because he was in the manga and older adaption. It seemed a little indulgent; I wanted more time with Meryl. He wasn’t even a priest. Obviously Nick has plenty of homoerotic tension with Vash, but all due respect and sympathy to Vash/Wolfwood shippers, m/m pairings have always left me cold (to be fair, pairings generally do that irrespective of gender. Desire unfulfilled is more my speed).

Sad to say that I still don't ship Vash/Wolfwood, but I did definitely come to understand why people do and why they like the guy. Though am I the only one baffled that Vash gets cast as the virginal princess so often? After this look?

Whew. No wonder Wolfwood looks like he got hit with a two-by-four. Ahem.

This is a very necessary episode that feels maybe too "necessary", like they realised they needed to introduce everything it introduces and didn't leave enough time to integrate it all naturally. It's too tight, and Stampede is already a show so tight it squeaks. Still, I think blowing Wolfwood's cover before the day was out was, if not the only right decision, not a wrong one. Almost immediately this guy comes across as sketchy, half from that he's barely trying to act like he's not (which absolutely sends me; he really hates his job) and half that he's just... an awkward dude, angry and obviously hurt in a way he won’t admit to. And while we know there's more to Vash than his façade, it's hard to tell just how smart he really is, how perceptive, because this is Vash. Meryl is the type to show off her knowledge, because she's young and eager to prove herself. Vash is a creature of endless masks and insurmountable walls. He refuses to, as he sees it, burden anyone else with his thoughts.

So we do exactly what Zazie does in this episode: show Vash something wounded and vulnerable because he'd tear off his own skin if it would make things easier for someone else. Except instead Wolfwood is the one who feels a little too exposed, of course. It's so funny to me how obviously he didn't expect this? And how frustrated when he realises he'll have to drag this self-sacrificial lunatic all the way to July alive without becoming attached. I honestly think he failed in that latter part before they even got shot out of the Worm. Vash is just so loving, and so loveable.

Also, the Worm guys (as I mentally call them) might be my favourite minor characters next to Rosa and her offsiders. They're a hilarious audience to the madness. I’m glad they got so many dinners in one go.

And Zazie - what a great character, one I genuinely think is an improvement over prior incarnations rather than just being different from them. Nail game on point, entirely free of fucks given, and a sterling addition to the cast. I'll talk more about our buggy friend later, and I have more to say about Wolfwood besides that hitting him with the trailer forced me to pause the video until I stopped cackling.

Finally, the closing scene chills me in hindsight for a number of reasons, but what gets me the most is that it's a bookend. At the episode's start, Vash refused to eat. Wolfwood had to convince him to. And it's not that he can't use his Gate, it's that he's decided to keep it closed, so something will have to make him decide to lay bare his power once more.

And somehow, I can't imagine Knives asking nicely.

[stormyoceans]

vv brainrot continuation:

and again the hangover pill is a hangover karbonak

you're deeply and passionately in love (dude, did you lose your twin puen at birth?)

august’s interview reminded me so much of puen’s interview in ep12

day and talay "i don’t think anything about him, but i’ll come to him with a guitar to sing love songs to say how important he is to me" (day doesn’t have a guitar yet, but he behaves in such a way that he’ll now start singing love by paradox)

in all universes, seat belts are a source of great tension.

puen’s methods of influencing day and talay are the same (you don’t run with me bcs you think about me differently. who were you thinking about when i directed the scenes? about a guy named tun?)

bed scene (fandee na talay)

why are you smiling mork? (talay is your smile)

can you tell me about rung (p'peng, you can tell me about the life of tun)

smells (we've discussed this many times, but why not say it again)

cover your ears (idk it just reminded me of the childhood fuss of puentalay when they were filming a video message to joob)

you're doing this bcs of the car (the theme is “falling in pretend love to return to your universe”)

we're bf now (at least they didn't have to kiss 40 times before they verbally admitted it)

wedding (leave your drinking yogurt and bring a bag of chips or it's not canon). soft pink balloons (i'm already crying) i'm beaten out like a dusty carpet. how are you doing with brainrot, monica?

PINKYBRAAAAAIIIIIIIIIINNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD IM SO HAPPY TO HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN!!!!!!!!!! BUT WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT YOU SENT ME THE BRAINROT FOR EP 6 AND I DIDN'T GET THE MESSAGE 😭😭😭 TUMBLR MEET ME IN THE PIT IM GONNA FIGHT YOU

i may have gotten a little bit worried ;;;;;; im so glad you're okay tho!!!!!!! and i know it's really annoying to write down something all-over again but if you ever felt like rewatching ep 6 and trying to send me a new brainrot, i'd love to read it!!!!! (but no pressure, of course!!!!)

ANYWAY. BACK TO THE CURRENT BRAINROT. 'BEATEN OUT LIKE A DUSTY CARPET' IS ACTUALLY A PERFECT DESCRIPTION OF HOW I FEEL ON A PSYCHOLOGICAL EMOTIONAL SPIRITUAL MENTAL AND PHYSICAL LEVEL AFTER THIS EPISODE. ESPECIALLY WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE PUENTALAY PARALLELS LIKE CAN YOU BELIEVE WE REALLY GOT A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL ONE???????? INSANITY DERANGEMENT LUNACY MADNESS THEY'RE DOING IT ON PURPOSE AND NOT EVEN P'AOF HIMSELF COULD CHANGE MY MIND

my brainrot pretty much looks like yours tbh, however the cover your ears scene immediately made me think about puentalay pinching each other's cheeks in ep 4

I JUST LOVE OUR SILLIES SO MUCH

also!!!!! kind of a reach, but the way the almost kiss at the end of this episode was framed reminded me very strongly of the puentalay one in ep 5

and both of them were interrupted, one by a phone call and one by. Pain.............

but honestly the dynamic between mork and day in this entire episode was so puentalay coded to me like the way mork was pursuing day while day played hard to get but you could still tell he was enjoying every second of it is just. it's puentalay. like idk what else to say it's THEM

THE PARALLEL UNIVERSE THEORY HAS NEVER BEEN MORE REAL

[terresdebrume]

for the OTP ask meme: 14 and 51 for Webgott (or whichever ship where that's an interesting question/whichever you want lol)

[Ask me about my OTPs]

Thanks for the ask :D I love the questions you picked, they're difficult but in a great way :3

14: How do their personalities compliment each other? How do they clash?

So to me, the way David is portrayed in the series makes him seem like a guy that's even-tempered enough people may wonder if anything actually gets to him, who can definitely be oblivious to how things and people work (I mean, the guy is out of a war for 4 months, comes back, and it apparently doesn't occur to him that the guys he doesn't see right away might be injured or dead? Come on.) In my headcanon, part of this even-tempered-ness exists because he got lucky and is just like, emotionally solid, so to speak, but another part of it is also that I headcanon him as someone who doesn't always realize he has Feelings about Stuff, until they bubble up and he finds himself snapping about it.

(Full disclosure: my headcanon of Web is a little bit autistic-leaning, but I think his spot on the spectrum would be one where he'd go under the radar until and unless something made it impossible for him to arrange his life in a way that accomodates his needs)

Meanwhile, Joe definitely knows when he feels things, he's just generally not happy about feeling them and has a tendency to make it everyone else's problem. (Or Web's, once they get together.) I think, in a way, the reason he ribs Web constantly (seemingly especially after he comes back from the hospital?) is because he can't wrap his head around the concept of a guy who's been living the same shit Joe has and seems to be as affected by that as a a dog is affected by the theory of relativity. I think it just doesn't compute, and at least his earlier niggling is partially a scientific experiment to see if he can Make This Guy Emote.

Which of course, to Web (who is oblivious and doesn't realize his apparent mental stability in the face of Everything is odd) probably feels like gratuitous targeted harrassment until he figures out how to read Joe and realize that actually this is just an elaborate form of pigtails-pulling (or at least it becomes that after a while)

So, like. Overall I think Web and Lieb compliment each other in the same places they clash: Web doesn't know what he feels most of the time but has no issues talking about it when he does, which Joe finds both fascinating and frustrating because who the fuck rolls over on their back and bares their chest like that on a regular basis, am I right? He thinks it's breathtakingly brave stupid.

Meanwhile, Joe will bite your head off before he admits that he like strawberry cake over chocolate, actually, but because Web is already used to having to retroengineer his emotions from context clues (and he's trying to figure out why Joe hates him specifically) he ends up accidentally figuring out a whole lot about Joe that other people don't, which then gives him the necessary insight to respond to what Joe is externalizing rather than what he's saying which in turn makes him possibly the best person for Joe to hang out with.

51: What’s a non verbal way they say I love you?

Honestly? All the ways. As in, I think they probably go like, ten or twenty years without ever actually using the words, mostly because again, Joe is allergic, and by the time Web realizes it he's already been showing it for a while anyway.

I would say the most deliberate way Web says this to Joe is to get him food, especially greasy or sweet food on a semi-regular basis. Forget flowers: David knows that as far as Lieb is concerned, love is stored in the butter.

For Joe, I think when he actually tries to show affection he does it by seeking out activities that are relevant to David's interests (though not without complaining, of course). This ranges from spontaneously giving David his gracious permission to drag him to the sea so thay can go sailing, to saving for three months so they can drive up to that conference about sharks two states over.

[every-character-ever-poll]

DONATO PORPORA - Tokyo Ghoul

PROPAGANDA (UNDER THE CUT):

He's a dad, real sadistic and violent and he's god and king themed (he's a priest, his hunting limb is covered in crosses and he loves to crucify his opponents, he has a god complex, his Clown nickname is Crown,).

He is SO smart, like he should by all means have been disposed of already (he's a ghoul and in jail. they never last long) but he's so damn smart that he survived Cochlea (said jail) for 15 fucking years /all the while mentally tormenting the investigators that came to ask him questions/ (yeah he's Hannibal coded), like. Legendary, we stan. And there's the fact that he cares? So so much about his son? The way Amon's (his son) entire world view revolves around what he's lived with him and despite all that cannot help but love him? The way Donato knows how his son loves him, how he tries to get him to admit it to himself, all going "my beloved son" whenever they meet? The way, as Amon was falling injured and he thought about Donato, /we get a panel of Donato praying alone in his cell/?? Losing my mind. And he's somehow?? friends with Haise (an alter of the protagonist)? Donato has only been seen caring about 1 (one) person before that and hhhhhhhhh like he even apologizes to him. Legit mind-blowing moment, I haven't been the same since. And he tries to help him. He's the only one who truly realizes how terrible is what Haise is living (an amnesiac ghoul working as a ghoul investigator, with a special rule to treat him as human, unless…). Probably cause he's a professional liar himself and the way he probably wasn't that far when 240 (an alter of the protagonist) was losing his mind but. You know. And then we learn he's a clown (an extremely feared group of ghouls that are extremely powerful even by themselves and thrive on chaos)? Like, I already loved the Clowns, they're my favorite group, they're depressed misfit assholes they are SO great. Anyway yeah Souta (a Clown member and the antagonist) was like "hello want to kill my shitbag family?" and the Clowns went hell yeah buddy and all went ride or die for him, including mister self proclaimed "not sentimental" (Donato) Also the way Donato says that to Uta (a Clown) right after he flips out on Urie because his father took his son from him? The way it's mayhaps also linked to the way Urie treated Amon on Rushima? The absolute banger of a line: "Taste how it feels. How I feel. How cruel it is. Cruel to be one of those who only but watch over others" like nnngh I am biting through concrete He cares SO MUCH, despite himself! Just like his son!! They can't help it! And they try to take it back or play it off any way they can, but they can't they can't, it's too real for them, after all they stopped playing when Amon saw.. God… Like, at the end? When they fight? Donato doesn't do shit. We know what he's capable of. He could wipe the floor with Amon. He doesn't do shit. He scares him off a bit, and lets his son beat the shit out of his clones. It's the only way for him to keep him there away from the taxidermied owl where he could get injured. No, Donato's barely fighting. He sent a clone and let his son destroy it. Becsuse he can't bear to hurt his son. AND THEN. As I said, he tries to take it all back. "I'm a monster and I never cared." and now. Now finally after all that time, Amon is /honest/ and admits he loves him like. Ouch my heart. They can't both be honest. There's always gotta be one liar. That's so fucking tragic.. So beautiful…

Also he's super mega powerful like HELLO??? dude is double S, I mean /real/ double S, unlike?? Hinami? What's she doing there. (investigators rate ghouls on their strength, going from C (barely a threat) to double S) Anyway yeah.. God. He's so so powerful, he fights so efficiently and ruthlessly, his makes no superfluous movements to the point it surprised Urie with his Quinx senses, like he took out Higemaru before they could even register Donato was even there like hhhhh and he's so precise with kagune, too, on top of being quick? Plus he can detach his kagune to make traps? AND HE CAN CLONE HIMSELF like hotdamn. He can make multiple clones at once and good lord he can control another person's kagune /while/ making a bunch of clones of himself. ALL THAT WITHOUT CANNIBALIZING. HE'S SO GODDAMN COOL. (cannibalizing enables, if you don't lose your mind, to unlock a special state of ghouls where they have a, huh, monstersona basically. There's a secret triple S ranking but only 2 kakuja ghouls have gotten it, and I say it's cheating)

[egg-emperor]

You think eggman and Bowser make out secretly while they were in London?

YES of course, I can imagine Eggman thinking of the trip of sightseeing around London with Bowser as a date in the back of his mind the whole time because it was nice and casual and fun, just like how he prefers his actual dates and it's a great time. But he slowly realizes it feels like something is suddenly different between them now, like they're a couple. He thinks about how strangers might even wonder if they are but he doesn't let it worry him, he's more fascinated by the what if of it being true.

Eggman has been into Bowser for a while but hasn't revealed it or even fully admitted it to himself as he was still trying to figure out his feelings. But with him always having a thing for big scary monstrous beings like the eldritch horrors he tries to awaken and harness and the interesting thrill he gets from it, meeting a monstrous beastly guy like Bowser who can actually speak to him for the first time, relate in some ways, and get along decently with made it hard not to have a thing for him.

While he enjoys the sights in London, he also spends time looking at Bowser instead with feelings of desire. And while he's enjoying the fun conversation they have about how they'd take over and repurpose the landmarks they sightsee, he also keeps thinking about Bowser in interesting ways, like he'd already been doing uncontrollably now and then when watching him doing training and partaking in events in the Olympics too, as seeing a big beastly guy show off his strength and abilities excites him.

They end the fun trip by going for some drinks and when Eggman becomes a bit tipsy, he just keeps focusing on Bowser and thinking about him even more and more unfiltered. He keeps getting lost in his eyes and losing focus of everything else as he finds himself thinking about how attractive he finds him. Bowser starts to notice as Eggman starts to struggle to pay attention but he's just confused by it as he doesn't seem like he's bored and he was super immersed in the conversation a minute ago.

Eggman is slowly getting closer to him as they talk while looking at the view from the balcony they were hanging out on. Bowser makes a comment about how the view is beautiful and the trip was fun, and the slightly drunk Eggman finally blurts his thoughts out like "you are too, and I really enjoyed our date" and cuddles up to him. Bowser is like "what???" and Eggman blushes and laughs as he realized what he just said but then decides to take initiative and finally admit his interest in him.

Bowser isn't sure how to react and feel about Eggman describing the ways he'd been feeling for a while and what he finds attractive about him but he had been feeling something between them for some time too, like some sort of tension but he was a lot more oblivious to it than Eggman all along, as he was still focusing on Peach the most, as usual. But he also finds himself feeling quite flattered by his confession and starts seeing his new pal in a different light to know that he's secretly been into him like this.

He suddenly starts to entertain the idea of them getting together and blushes hard at the thought as he realizes he doesn't hate it. He also thinks about how, whenever Peach wasn't around, he did find his eyes going to Eggman and spending a good few minutes looking at his body and a few times he's mentally noted that he's nicely shaped both front and back (them peaches catch his eye) but he'd think of it as just being fascinated by his interesting shape that his name draws attention to.

But it was clearly more than that and now he finds himself taking that further as he thinks about how he wouldn't mind putting his hands on that body and feeling it up. He manages to say he thinks Eggman is quite handsome too, which surprises himself to say and delights Eggman, who doesn't hold back any more and goes in for the kiss at last. It's sloppy because they're both a little bit drunk but they both feel a spark just from the first quick smooch on the lips and everything changes from there.

When they pull away Eggman giggles and smiles so wide, sighing dreamily after how long he'd been wanting that. But Bowser starts to feel a little conflicted as his mind goes to Peach. Just as he begins to say "wait I can't, what about P-" Eggman puts a finger to his lips to hush him. He says that he should stop fretting about Peach for a while and just focus on the now, he's constantly been stressing about seeing her around and he wants him to just relax and have fun and he can help.

He says that he doesn't need to think about her right now because he's right here to give him a good time instead. Maybe if Bowser were totally sober and not all worked up and confused like this then he'd be a little more cross at Eggman for suggesting that Peach doesn't matter like that- but in this moment he's also tempted by Eggman offering himself to him like this, he's flattered because of how he never gets this kind of attention and willingness from Peach, it's nice to feel wanted.

Eggman's plan works and he continues to manage to seduce him further with his charm as he strokes his chin and says "so how about you stop worrying about her so me and you can have some fun together instead? ;)" Bowser hesitates a little more but slowly places his hands on Eggman's butt and loves how big and round it feels. They go in for another kiss, a deeper one with tongue this time. Eggman has a large tongue himself but Bowser's is much bigger and he enjoys how it feels in his mouth.

Bowser also squeezes Eggman's butt during it and they both love it and it gets them even more excited. They make out for a couple minutes, casually. They treat it like it's just like a couple of friends messing around and making out, who find each other really sexy but still, in a friend like way nonetheless lol. They're tipsy and it's messy but it feels good, they laugh and smile and can't help falling harder for each other. Eggman really likes this side of Bowser who has given into desire and wants fun just like he does.

Eggman likes how it feels scandalous and cheeky, making out on the balcony where anyone could look up and see them getting a bit naughty. While it's ideal to not get caught, he kind of likes the idea of people finding out that he's managed to seduce the guy who swore he'd get with a princess but currently has his tongue in another man's mouth and his hands on his butt. He's very excited by the thrill of that and proud of his charm successfully seducing another handsome guy to mess around with.

And when their fun little session ends, they go back to their hotel and Eggman insists on sharing his huge bed with him. He gets extra cuddly and flirty with him as it's finally his chance to really play it up now that they're somewhere quiet and alone. Bowser is worked up all over again but finds himself unable to resist pulling him in to feel him up and kiss him again. And they're so deep in it now with their minds are clouded with desire and tipsiness that they go all the way without even thinking too much 👀

But I can't get into all that here on my sfw lol

Eggman enjoys keeping it a secret, being cheeky with teasing him in public and tempting him until they get alone and Bowser finally snaps and does something to him immediately in private. He suddenly can't stop thinking about how much likes Eggman, maybe even more than Peach. :O Especially how whenever he does mope over her, Eggman cheers him up with his peaches hehe. They enjoy messing around and kissing and even get a bit dirty in slightly secluded areas in public places and love the thrill.

They have a lot of fun with their fling the whole time they're at London and when they reconnect for the next Olympics, they do it all again!

And that's the story of how Eggman GOT SOME from Bowser for the first time. Oops you just prompted me to drop a whole concept I've daydreamed about a lot, you're welcome XD 🥚💜🐢

[ciaossu-imagines]

Idk if you had this already but how would tsuna and the guardians behave at one of those really stuck up Mafia Galas (maybe a traditional one, from another family or who knowe maybe tsuna decided to run a charity gala). Would they hate it, woulr they show of their partner, try to sneak out? Would they prefer their partner disliking them or enjoying them? And what would they say about seeing their partners all dressed up?

I am sorry if this is too much

I've never had this question, my lovely anon, so no worries there and it definitely isn't too much! My inbox doesn't exactly get flooded like it used to so I appreciate every ask I get and I hope you'll enjoy!

Tsuna

Tsuna never has and never will like these kinds of events, even as he accepts leadership of the Vongola and his place as Vongola Decimo (though he'll never stop protesting and just sees what he does as protecting and caring for his precious friends). They make him feel uncomfortable, watched, judged and ill at ease. He's never been great socially and these are high pressure events with a lot of people wanting to talk to him. He'll never really get any better at mingling, either, the poor thing.

If he could avoid going to one of these types of events, or if he could sneak away from them, Tsuna would definitely want to and would try to do it. Unfortunately, as the head of the very powerful and influential Vongola family, there is always someone wanting to talk to him, someone wanting his attention and he'll never be able to sneak away. On top of that, even when Reborn isn't physically with him, even years and years into the future, it will always feel to Tsuna as if Reborn's eyes are on him, watching him, making sure he's behaving as the proper Vongola Decimo that Reborn raised him into.

Tsuna's partner is his source of strength at events like this. They're his safe place and his comfort person. While he would appreciate them understanding why he hates events like this and would be happy to know he wasn't alone in disliking them as much as he does, he'd also be happy if they enjoyed things like this. It would take some of the pressure off of him. Either way, he'll want them with him all night, not just to show them off, but because they make him feel calmer and, if they can't be with him - they have to leave to the washroom or someone whisks them away for a bit, Tsuna has to have another member of his family close or else he mentally gets overwhelmed and flustered and starts tripping over his words.

Now, there is one saving grace to these kinds of events, Tsuna will admit. While he hates the uncomfortable suits and the fancy dress shoes and such that he is forced to wear (they make him feel very constricted and kind of itchy), there is nothing better than seeing his partner all decked out. He'll get a little speechless every time he sees them all dolled up, no matter how many times it's happened, and he'll trip over his words telling them how good they look, but the admiration in his eyes will speak absolute volumes.

Gokudera

Gokudera's feelings towards these types of events are...complicated, to say the best. He gets really excited about them and does in some way really enjoy them. To him, they're a chance to show off the Vongola Decimo's family, to show off his beloved boss, and to prove their worth. In some way, it also gives him an odd feeling of having made it. All the scrapes and taunts and words from his childhood and everything he went through until he found the Vongola? They don't matter anymore when he gets to show up to one of these as Tsuna's right hand, as someone accepted and important. However, these types of events, because they do mean so much to Gokudera, are very, very stressful. To him and to everyone around him who he takes the stress out on. He worries about everything, tries to control everything, tries so hard to make everything perfect so that no shame is brought onto Tsuna and he'll run himself ragged, boss others around, and generally just be a little unbearable in the days leading up to the event and at the event itself, where he spends more time trying to keep his fellow Guardians in line and watch over the Tenth and make sure his partner is enjoying themselves but also not doing anything shameful, than he does enjoying the party.

Okay, but no matter how he felt at these types of events and no matter how much he disliked the people he was forced to be around, Gokudera would never, ever dream of not showing up or of skipping out. It would reflect badly on the Tenth, after all.

As mentioned above, Gokudera gets very overzealous about these types of events. He fully expects his partner to love these parties as much as he does and he'll get a little pissy if they don't, even if he'll later find their reasons for not doing so completely understandable. He gets a little bossy to his partner, nags them a bit about how they should make sure not to do anything to bring shame to Tsuna, about how they should behave, what they should wear, and what they should expect and how they need to help him with the others that night and honestly, it can get very tiring and annoying for his poor partner, even if they have the patience of a saint, and there can be quite a few fights in the relationship in the days leading up to the party. Once the night is over and everything has not fallen apart, Gokudera does relax a bit and does start to regret some of his words and actions and will definitely apologize very sincerely to his partner.

Honestly, seeing his partner dressed for one of these things, Gokudera's first thoughts are to evaluate their outfit and make sure it looks both beautiful and appropriate as a representative of the Vongola family. He probably, honestly, wanted preapproval over what they were wearing anyway so he would know what they were wearing and he'll fuss over hair being out of place, over loose threads, over this and that and completely forget to tell them how nice they look until they're both in bed later that evening after the party is over, when he'll sleepily mumble against their skin a simple 'you looked pretty tonight, by the way'.

Yamamoto

Yamamoto is a natural social butterfly. He enjoys social events like this and he's really good at them. He likes talking to people and meeting new people and tends to charm people easily. These kinds of parties are right up his alley and he always enjoys himself at them since Yamamoto is also someone bound to make every place he's in a happy place.

It would never occur to Yamamoto to not show up or to ever skip out. After all, he honestly does enjoy these things and is normally having a blast. However, if his partner really hated these types of events, he would try to be considerate by leaving maybe a bit earlier than he normally would to make them feel more comfortable or if he noticed his partner getting worn out by the party.

Yamamoto would prefer his partner to enjoy these parties alongside him but he's not going to be the least little bit upset at them if they don't. Honestly, if big social gatherings like these make his partner uncomfortable or anxious, he will always, always offer them a way out and tell them that, while he would love to have them by his side, he will not be upset and neither will anyone else if they just can't bring themselves to attend. However, if his partner does attend the party, he does his best to enjoy the night with them. He'll let them mingle on their own but always seems to circle back to them very frequently and makes sure they are introduced to anyone he really likes, makes sure they're included in every conversation they're present for, and while he won't make a big spectacle about it like some others, it's very obvious to anyone who sees Yamamoto and his partner that Yamamoto does deeply care for them and that he is subtly showing off this partner of his that he thinks is so amazing.

Seeing his partner all dressed up

Ryohei

Much like Yamamoto, Ryohei is a very social person. He has no shame and no lack of self-confidence and therefore has no issues with meeting new people, starting conversations, and mingling. However, his favourite part of events like this is always getting to see friends he doesn't see often, such as Lussuria and the Varia, Colonello, etc. and he'll spend a large majority of his night catching up with them instead of any true mingling.

Ryohei wouldn't think about sneaking out but he does know when he's just done with the evening. As much as he'll love it, at some point he's just ready to leave. He's a little unfair to his partner in this way because even if his partner isn't quite ready to leave yet, he is and they'll be leaving. He enjoys himself and leaves when he wants and that's just the way Ryohei works.

Okay, but those 'some other's' I mentioned in Yamamoto's bit? It's Ryohei, most definitely. He's just such a huge fan of his partner and will want everyone else to be as well. He's very loud and enthusiastic by nature and that extends to making sure his partner is introduced to everyone, that everyone knows all about any accomplishments his partner has recently achieved or any sweet things they've done for Ryohei lately. Honestly, he can sometimes get into oversharing territory and can embarrass his partner somewhat, though he'll never notice at the time. He will apologize once it is brought up to him what he did though and will genuinely mean it.

Ryohei makes such a big deal out of how good his partner looks. His praise for them will be loud and occur often throughout the night but honestly, he just constantly finds himself looking at them and being baffled by how just gorgeous they look and how he lucked out to the degree he did.

Lambo

Lambo loves these parties. Why? Two reasons, one kind of sweet and one very dumb...kind of like most things about Lambo, to be honest. On the sweet side, he really likes these parties because they make him feel included, important, and like he's really caught up to the world of his big brother Tsuna and all Tsuna's friends that Lambo has always admired. They make him feel like he belongs with the rest of the family. On the stupid side...honestly, these types of events always have the best food and Lambo will spend most of the night by the refreshment tables with his partner and maybe I-Pin, just enjoying the night with them or maybe the other Guardians a bit and stuffing his face with delicacies.

If the food is gone or things get boring, yeah, Lambo sneaks out. He hates boring things and honestly, it's kind of fun to make a game or an adventure out of sneaking out with his partner and maybe a friend. Most of the time, it's actually one of the best, most amusing parts of the night to him.

Much like Ryohei, Lambo likes to show off his partner. He firmly believes they are the most gorgeous person in the room, other than maybe himself, and he feels like he's the luckiest person to have them on his arm. He wants everyone to see them and be jealous of Lambo for having them and he can actually be a little obnoxious and a little overboard in making sure his partner is properly shown off.

Lambo thinks he has the smoothest lines and he will use every single horrible one he has on his partner throughout the night as he tries to express just what seeing them all fancied up does to him. Honestly though, he didn't need the word. His mouth dropping open and the way he keeps looking at them throughout the night, like a deity to be worshipped, speaks so much louder.

Hibari

Let's be real here. There's no way in hell Hibari attends. If his partner wants to go in his place, they can take Kusakabe with them and go have fun but Hibari just plain out won't go.

Mukuro Rokudo

Much like Hibari, Mukuro wouldn't go. He will never fully get over his hatred of the Mafia and, honestly, he wouldn't have been invited probably. He'd prefer his partner not want to attend either but, since he sends Chrome in his stead (and she was honestly likely the one invited anyway), he'll put up with it, very sulkily, if his partner tags along with Chrome.

Chrome Dokuro

Chrome doesn't like crowds. Or people. Or crowds of people. Events like this are her worst nightmare and something she'd much rather avoid, though she will go if it is an order. She'll feel so uncomfortable at them, no matter who is with her, and she'll keep her appearances as brief as possible.

Chrome definitely sneaks out. She does her duty and Mukuro's wishes by showing up but at some point in the night, she (and her partner and Mukuro's partner if they went with her) just cannot be found. Where they went, how they left, when they left? Nobody knows. They just are gone and, much to Chrome's delight, quite far away from the party.

If Chrome is lucky enough to have her partner with her at one of these parties, she will cling to them. She doesn't leave their side because honestly, they are the only thing helping her get through it and the only thing making her feel at all safe. She'll also worry about her partner at an event like this as well though, being a Mafia event, and having her partner close by does ease that worry. All in all, she just wants the evening to be done and over with so that she can be back with the gang and her partner in the safe little world they all inhabit.

Chrome doesn't actually get too overwhelmed by seeing her partner dressed up. To her, it just looks odd and is a reminder of the evening. She much prefers her partner in their normal clothes, comfortable and looking like themselves rather than this fancy, upscale version of themselves.

[pokemon-ash-aus]

I also had the soft nice thought of obviously later after graduating with degrees ect Peach gets her own Iab maybe with prof oak help and invites her friend over to see and also cause well lore time she supposes, so Peach shows her her lab and the friend is just so thrilled for her like "Oh my Arceus....Peachyy this is brilliant!! You absolutely deserve this wow" just hell YEA friend is doing well! Friend is getting good things!! She's just really happy for Peach and knows Peach absolutely deserves all these good things without a shadow of a doubt like dang you really earned this bestie

And Peach is just lmao letting her friend admire the equipment and space ect before confessing that there's something else she wants to show her and the friend is just oh there's more?? You got a basement? Did you get your fossil ressurection license already??? Do you have the machine??

Just being a bit of a nerd and Peach laughs lightly telling her to settle down ya great nerd as if they both aren't nerds before dropping Transform and revealing her mewtwo form and friend is *buffering processing dial up noise* before kinda just "wow you're beautiful" because brain empty but friend be pretty!!! Cause she's probably always loved Peach in a bestie way absolutely gassed her up a lot lmao cause she thought she was wonderful and pretty and a kind caring soul. Before being like "ah sorry that was probably rude! Thank you for showing me for sharing?" like how the fuck does one respond to this internally like 'thank you for sharing?? What with the class?? Is this kindergarten or something silly bitch?' just mentally regretting sentence while also her science brain is running a thousand miles a minute cause what does this mean?? Before like emotional brain hits it with a stick because that's our FRIEND we don't have to understand!! She's shown us and we're grateful

Peach can probably half see the smoke of her friends brain being confused but she can hear her thoughts basically saying doesn't matter is friend and she was probably already pretty comfortable if she shared this.

Then the friend proceeds to lmao ask zero follow up questions at all about it like welp this is how it is now XD and Peach is probably kind of amused because she's always been pretty dang respectful in that way probably playfully bumps into her like "you're really curious and you wanna know more don't you?"

And she's just "ahhh I'm sorry I dooooo but you're my friend and that'd be really rude to do thatttt" and Peach just laughs and gives her permission to ask

I think at one point the friend asks like where Peach's lisp and stutter went because she'd have swapped to telepathy and Peach explains and friend is kinda like oh makes sense, while missing her actual spoken voice but not saying because she respects Peach chose to switch cause she must prefer telepathy so shes in no right to like bring it up last thing she wants to do is make Peach uncomfortable or self conscious or anything

If in an alternative had seen two Pepper before seeing two Peach she would be like OH THINGS MAKE A LOT MORE SENSE NOW.

But lmao since she hasn't seen two Pepper yet things make LESS sense like where did the child come from then??? Though the random electric shocks she got folding Peach's laundry on laundry day makes sense now!! And the Psychic stuff

Peach probably vaguely admits that yes her brothers are like her but doesn't say more as well not her place to tell and they're probably visiting later so friend can see for herself and honestly she's probably honestly really touched by the gesture that Peach is letting her into her world for a second time and is just like really appreciative, probably awkwardly jokes like "I should've gotten you a plant" and Peach just snorts because what is it with you and getting fucking plants for people's houses oh my god. But it's a good tension breaker and shows they're really still on the same page

It DEFO takes a long time for Peach to even remotely drop her disguise around friends. It took her almost 9 years before she dropped it around Daisy. So more than likely the friend would know more about Ash and Indigo before Peach was okay enough to drop her disguise!

BUT! She would let her know (Hey Im a Pokemon, and i just use transform) before switching over to mimicked Telepathy.

[brandwhorestarscream]

Which Megatron do you think would be the best mom? I'm leaning towards Earthspark. I'm sad to admit that I don't think my fav, tfp, would make a good mom. I feel like he'd either be very overbearing or extremely distant.

Hmmmm that's a good question. Earthspark Megatron definitely has the most in-youe-face canon evidence saying he'd be a good parent. He's already a (grand)parental figure to the terrans, and he's doing pretty good with him. He'd definitely be a doting carrier to his own newborn sparkling

However! Don't be too quick to write of Aligned Megatron. I genuinely think anyone can be a good parent if they're willing to work hard at it and recognize that their children are individual people with people needs. And Megatron, for all his flaws, doesn't do anything half-assed. He'd definitely be a very busy parent, seeing as he's got an entire army to command, but I don't think he'd be constantly distant and pushing them away. I mean, he made the choice to carry them to term and bring them into the world (assuming it wasn't a stealth pregnancy or smthn, which could be a very interesting topic to explore 🤔). He'd do his best for them, and while I do think he'd initially struggle to balance his time spent with them and his time spent lording over the decepticons, I think he'd find a rhythm that worked for them. He's too stubborn not to

In public he'd likely be a very cold parent, but behind closed doors he's able to more freely express the love he feels for them. TFP does a great job of making him seem just. Irredeemably evil all the time, someone that doesn't experience positive emotions, but that's simply not the case. He's every bit as capable of love and happiness as every other cybertronian. Just because we aren't shown that doesn't make it any less true. Think about it, every time Megatron is on screen, it's when he's in full warlord mode. Everyone else gets individual depth, scenes wherein they're more than just a soldier or medic. Like Knockout enjoying his racing hobbies, Starscream being an adept scientist, Bulkhead working with construction. Not Megatron. We only ever see him fighting and giving orders and having to be perfectly present in the war effort, but realistically that's not how he spends every waking hour of every single day. I do think, when he's alone with his sparkling, he could be tender with them, give them the affection and love and guidance they need to grow up healthy.

Would he be a perfect parent? No. Such a thing doesn't exist. But I don't think he'd be terrible or abusive, either.

EDIT BECAUSE I REALIZED I DIDNT ANSWER THE ACTUAL QUESTION 💀

I'm actually kinda leaning toward animated Megatron. While yes, earthspark Megatron is very nice, he's also still got a lot of issues he's working through, and I don't think him working with GHOST--of his own free will or not--would be very healthy for his child. I don't think, given he's constantly rounding up the "bad decepticons" he'd be an optimal role model. With the terrans, he's not their primary caregiver. People can make great babysitters but not great parents, yk? He's in an unstable place rn, constantly butting heads with Optimus, unhappy with his current position in life, and I don't think he's in a proper mental state to consistently be caring for a needy baby. Maybe after GHOST is dealt with and the imprisonment of decepticons stops, but not right now.

TFA Megatron, on the other hand, has his shit together. Though they live in exile he's still got a good handle on the decepticons, and they're surviving well. He's all not quite as prideful and stubborn as previous Megatron's--my favorite way that's demonstrated is with the Supremes at the end of season 3. When it's pointed out to him that he isn't actually the ideal candidate, that there could be disastrous infighting and they might not obey him, he doesn't get angry. That's a fair, accurate critique of his character, and he gracefully takes it in stride. He then pivots to someone else who's a better fit, prioritizing their success over his own hubris. Most other Megatron's would get mad and blow up and let it cloud their judgement, but not him. He's also demonstrated to be an incredibly patient person, able to play the long game and focus on the outcome even if the means aren't as quick as he'd like them to be. He knows when to draw back, he makes good choices, and he's generally a pretty calm person, all things considered. I actually think, if Sumdaac's bitch ass hadn't stolen his embryo and they had been allowed to develop and be born properly, he would be a pretty great mother