#you cannot possibly tell me this does not have

[mountainsoftreatos]

Just having some thoughts/feels I had to share about Charles’ reaction to Edwin’s confession on the steps of Hell –

People-pleasing Charles – who only feels like a ‘good person’ when he is keeping spirits up and protecting the people he cares about, Edwin most of all – can’t bring himself to respond to Edwin’s confession directly. Initially, Charles cannot bring himself to say “I don’t share those feelings,” because he knows it would hurt Edwin. And hurting Edwin is so antithetical to who he is and wants to be as a person, especially in this moment when Edwin is so vulnerable, when Charles has just seen, for the first time, the torture he had to endure in Hell.

So he compares them to Orpheus and Eurydice. He is trying, in this very stressful moment, to get Edwin to understand, “I love you as much as Orpheus loves Eurydice. I love you enough to risk my entire existence to come down to Hell to get you. No one and nothing could stop me. That is how much I love you.”

And I love Edwin’s response!! Because Charles just compared them to romantic couple, but that doesn’t matter to Edwin if they don’t get out of Hell together. He was serious when he told Charles that he didn’t have to feel the same way. Not being with Charles is the worst possible outcome to Edwin and that is what he focuses on – not the romantic comparison – but the tragic ending.

Charles again tries to avoid addressing Edwin’s confession. When he says he never finished the story, he has this little smile and I’m not actually sure if he is being truthful, or if he does know the story and is trying to make a little joke, but either way, he is trying to tell Edwin, “The important part of the comparison is the strength of love in the story, not how the story ended.”

But Edwin seems even more upset by his answer, his little joke. (I do wonder if it was Crystal pointing out that Charles hides his pain behind a smile that made Edwin push Charles to give him an actual response, or if he would have done it anyways). “I’m being quite serious,” he tells Charles.

And I think Charles realizes that his non-answer is hurting Edwin anyways. He realizes that Edwin needs to know how Charles feels, even if it risks letting Edwin down. And I love Charles’ response:

You, Edwin Payne, are my best mate. That will never change. You are the most important person in the world to me. There’s no one else, no one else, that I would go to Hell for. And we’ve got, and we’ve got literally forever to figure out what the rest means.

These are all very strong, very certain words. He is basically certain about three things:

Edwin is and will always be his best friend.

Charles would risk everything to save Edwin. No one else, just Edwin.

They will be together forever.

Compare that to his line, “And I can’t really say that, like, I’m in love with you back.” There’s uncertainty there! The words “really” and “like” are used as qualifiers, which are words that limit the meaning of another word/phrase. He is softening his words. And telling Edwin “I can’t really say…” is not the same as “I’m not...”, right? “I’m not in love with you back” says,“ I know what I’m feeling and it’s not romantic love.” But “I can’t really say,” communicates, “I do feel something, and in this moment I’m labeling that feeling as not ‘in love’ but that label might not be accurate.” As Jayden Revri said, he leaves it open.

Then he ends by saying they have forever to figure out what the rest means, as long as they get out of Hell – bringing his reassurance back to what Edwin had been concerned about – that they escape Hell together and will be together forever. Okay, lots of thoughts – just had to share!

Ahhhhhh, I just love Charles.

[thewistlingbadger]

Yes Silco hates Vi for what she did to Jinx and for being a dangerous threat to him that is outside of his control and out of fear that he'll lose Jinx to Vi but I also think he hates her because she doesn't fit the narrative he has constructed.

The entire basis of Silco's relationship with Jinx is that they are one in the same. He doesn't take her in because she had nobody, he doesn't take her in because he knows her, he doesn't take her in because he pities her, he takes her in for one reason and one reason alone:

"She left me. She is NOT my sister anymore!"

After she says this Silco looks down at her, looks up at Vander's corpse, and then diverts his attention back to Jinx. Silco takes comforts Jinx, takes her in, and raises her as his own daughter because he used to be her. Her pain over Vi is his pain over Vander. She is the first and only person he has ever met who could possibly understand and relate to his past with his brother.

This huge similarity between them is CRITICAL to their bond and is the foundation for everything when it comes to the two of them as a duo. Silco gives Jinx advice based on his own experiences and traumas. He tells her to let the past die and reinvent herself because it's what HE did after Vander betrayed him. He teaches her to be feared by others because it was what HE did after Vander betrayed him. These two examples were effective for both of them but also toxic. The show draws many visual and narrative parallels between Silco and Jinx to cement their kinship AND they have Silco just flat out say it several times throughout the show.

"Everyone betrays us, Jinx! Vander- HER! They will never understand. It's only us."

Life is entirely subjective and based off your own experiences and interpretations. Constructing a narrative is often a coping device humans will use to try to explain things that they do not truly grasp or understand. For example: If your partner cheats on you, you might construct the narrative that they never loved you in the first place, because you cannot reconcile the nature of your relationship with the fact that they ultimately treated you as disposable.

We see characters in arcane construct narratives to save themselves from heartache all the time. Young Viktor constructs the narrative that Singed is a bad and twisted man because he doesn't understand why Singed would go to the lengths he did to keep Rio alive. Vi constructs the narrative that Silco is keeping Jinx captive because she doesn't understand how else the two of them could be connected and simultaneously alive. Silco constructs the narrative that he was once a weak man because he cannot understand why Vander would mistreat him so harshly and how Silco didn't see it coming.

Silco is of the partial belief that he was betrayed because he was weak and had he not been weak, he wouldn't have been betrayed. At bare minimum he would have been able to defend himself from Vander's attack. Remember, Silco went about a decade without speaking to Vander. He never got his note. He doesn't know the true reason why Vander attacked him and he never gets a true apology either, even after he is finally reunited with Vander. Having to deal with something so painful without being given an explanation or stance of reasoning has resulted in Silco becoming a twisted man, who says shit like "the only way to defeat a superior enemy is to stop at nothing" and "I hated you but you kept my respect."

He passes this way of thinking down to Jinx because to him, they are one in the same. To him she is going to benefit from his advice because he knows what he's talking about. To him the betrayal of their siblings is what binds them and Jinx is the only close bond silco has in his life. Even before Vi's "betrayal" Silco saw the way she was like Vander. So to him those two have also been one in the same for a long time.

But when Vi comes back, she does not behave like Vander. When Vi is reunited with Jinx, the first thing she does is apologize for leaving Jinx. Vander never apologized to Silco for his betrayal, not even when he was given the chance later in life. All he said was that he had never forgiven himself for what he did. Vi continuously fights for Jinx throughout season one. Vander never fought for Silco at all, he completely gave up on him and even when Silco presented him with the opportunity to fight on the same side again, to be brothers again, Vander rejected him. Vi tells Jinx she's willing to walk away from everything as long as she has Jinx with her. Vander couldn't even muster up the courage to fight for his own people. Vi blames herself for what happened to Jinx and tries her best to make amends. Vander never took responsibility for his actions and didn't attempt reconciliation.

Jinx is supposed to be Silco and Vi is supposed to be Vander, but Vi is not Vander. She's a way better sibling and person than Vander ever was and Silco cannot reconcile with this. Because if Jinx is him, and he knows she is, then why did she get to have her sibling back and not Silco? Why did she get the one thing he desperately wanted for the longest of times? Why could Vi forgive Jinx but Vander couldn't forgive Silco? VI is supposed to be the bad, disgraced sibling but she is not. Everything she does post time skip in season 1 is about redeeming herself and putting in the effort to recover a lost relationship.

[marq-lynch]

When I say I literally cannot keep up with writing this comprehensive StrickPage Bible fast enough to keep up with what is going on with them right now I mean I stopped writing to sleep for six hours and missed love letters so here's the TL;DR: beats on what's going on with them right now JUST post All-Out and why the English Ivy Post means LOVE WINS (for now):

Having finally gotten through most of the anger, heartbreak, & miscommunication over the bad breakup from their ongoing secret affair in March that led to Hangman's marriage ending but Swerve NOT taking him back to be baby gay's first rebound, Swerve starts reaching out on social media with a softer 'baby I just wanna talk' vibe by the end of Sept 2024

Swerve feels that they're too toxic to ever have a real relationship and it will only lead to suffering, but he can't stand the idea of not being bound to Hangman and helping him flourish, so he wants to turn him (Wrestledream, vampires on ancestral soil, etc)

They seem to have some back and forth on this, Swerve has a lot of his own baggage on being a Maker/Father, being the person Hangman thinks he is vs who he really is, etc. Anyways gotta have one last night right? 10/23/24 Dynamite last time. Out of the system. ...possibly they drag it out a bit until...

Hangman gets turned 10/28. Yes they did it on Halloween because Swerve is a romantic nerd. Also why we got Vampire Hangman on Fright Night posters & suddenly Hangman is talking about how there's no redemption for him either. Oh sorry I had to skip past some stuff he's been working through a religious crisis since he started cheating with Swerve in late 2023.

Swerve meanwhile has his mojo back, wins at Fright Night, but has been getting more and more morose posting song lyrics about how 'damn baby all these bitches suck ass shame we couldn't ever work out either'

Swerve debuts his new tattoo which is a picture of giant heart locket over his Adam's Apple that could be an easy target to be ripped out, and says he calls it "SPEAK FROM THE HEART". The same day Hangman suddenly starts a Bsky account and demands the work account Swerve follows post Cardinal Flowers. Another term for these are Lobelia Cardinalis, which have an interesting conflicting set of meanings. Lobelia was 'rejected advances' and even 'malevolence' in Victorian era flower language, but in the modern day stand for love & friendship, passion, and a time of healing.

Perhaps less cryptic? The next post is Beautyberries. Also known as French Mulberry. Purple strains of French Mulberry are very clear: Devotedness, I Shall Not Survive You, Sadness.

The next posts from Hangman are 4 am posts. "If sowing bee-balm seeds is a midlife crisis I will die at 66. Dynamite tonight. Will my death be bee related or balm related?" Monarda, aka Bee-Balm: Irresistible; Your Whims are Unbearable. It's the first show they've been on together in the whole Two Weeks since Hangman has been turned. God they're both bad at this. The next day Swerve joins Bsky.

Newsflash dumbass, (dead) leaves is plants, and therefore have meaning in floriology. It's sadness. Congrats. You've all been torturing him with a meme about a post he made trying to tell Swerve he hurt him with the mixed signals. From Hangman's playlist and the leaves post we can confirm they backslid for ANOTHER weekend. Oof. And he woke up alone on the anniversary of the deathmatch too. Probably to an empty bed and Swerve insta posting about it.

November 24 Hangman posts a southern yeehaw mouth funky foot frog and look there's a LOT of layers of themes they've built here for months but trust me when I say he's gone from a scared lil pollywog to proud lil bisexual funky foot frog and Swerve is so proud from his parallel post.

Hangman does a Good Thing and cuts off contact. He's doing what Swerve did after they broke up and focusing on the championship. He's moving past Swerve properly and for good. He's posting hot girl shit about being in a good place. Swerve is posting tired looking photos with bags under his eyes and unlit cigarettes and songs about how he doesn't know where to go from here or what to do now starting over sounds exhausting.

December 10th Hangman makes a drunk Google images ripped booty call of a post about his coneflower, Christmas miracle, not dead. Of course the other name for Echinacea is 'Bachelor's Buttons' but either way the language is the same: celibacy, devotion, hope in love.

January 1st, 2025. Swerve gets attacked by Ricochet. He posts love songs with a new tone: Please. Help me. I know it will end badly. But it has to be worth it. I can't live like this. Please come home. I give in.

Oh right remember how Hangman is a vampire now? Well that makes the tone of this 1/7/2025 post a little different: "Plants are just like animals... Except for the ways in which they are not."

A few days later Hangman gives that Truly Excellent promo where he talks about his last year, He was ashamed for a long time and it broke him, he would rather live a violent bloody life than be the husk of a man that he was- there's too much there point is he's telling Swerve he's gonna start drinking and he's ready to come out but that the ways that Swerve and he snuck around last year? Felt like shit and he won't live like that now.

Swerve is watching and going 'oh damn my baby BITING' and posting more heartfelt 'let's try for real even if it doesn't work' songs. And then we get yesterday/today:

Swerve posts "Someone say my name" which is a reference to a recurring motif of 'at least you won't forget my name' between them and refusing to say the other's real name as a power tactic, but also a line from the song 'Clean Up on Aisle 5 which was a REAL DOWNER to fall asleep on:

But baby we're SO BACK because Hangman is posting about 'dumbass english Ivy, resisting his attempts at eradication': immortality, commitment, marriage, devotion, evergreen through drought (cannot overstate the importance of both water and fire symbolism to them) Though Ivy can also choke out light and wrap so tightly around things it kills the plants it holds it is not naturally parasitic, just often dangerous.

This has been your brief update on the Secret StrickPage Plot as of the last 4 months. I can cite my sources and I will this is the TL;DR I'm making the Bible for AO3 as you can see Tumblr cannot contain them.

[michanvalentine]

This post is going to be a bit heavy and boring. I'll talk about Astarion, but also about real life, so if you're not interested, scroll away without hesitation!

So, lately, I've been pretty pissed off. I feel like I'm being made fun of by certain comments I see around regarding Astarion's redemption arc—how I supposedly have some kind of "Florence Nightingale syndrome" that makes me want to "fix" him with the power of my love (a syndrome that, in real life, would obviously put my own life at risk) and how I’m supposedly willing to justify anything he does just because he's traumatized. Seriously? So I must be some kind of idiot, a lovestruck teenager who knows nothing about how the world works, who's never stepped outside her house, who's never had a healthy relationship, and so on. And that pisses me off. Because maybe, just maybe, I know something more, not less.

And that’s exactly why I read between the lines, why I don’t judge instantly, and why I don’t delude myself into believing in the power of love as some kind of absolute force that magically fixes everything just because. Maybe the love we're talking about here has nothing to do with romanticizing (butterflies in the stomach, kisses and cuddles, "I’m the only one for him, and for me he’ll do this or that") a horrific situation—one where a man has been mentally and physically broken, one that comes with a whole range of possible unhealthy behaviors that could be dangerous to himself and others.

Maybe we’re talking about something more real, about lived experiences, about how people can support and help each other crawl out of the darkness. About how love simply means being there, without necessarily doing anything. In both good times and bad, because healing isn’t a straight line. There are ups and downs. Love means being aware of the struggles and working hard on them, it means listening, accepting, waiting, being patient. It means pushing back when necessary, confronting the person you love, and stopping them from hurting themselves. It also means giving up, running away, screaming at the sky, and then coming back more determined than before—even knowing you might have to start the process all over again.

Are the people who love this hard just idiots who think they can "fix" their loved ones with the power of love? And what if it were your child? Fuck no, I won’t accept that! That’s a message that cannot and must not spread, not when there are people out there fighting this battle every single day.

Sure, there are plenty of lost causes in this world, and yes, real danger exists. But the key is being able to recognize them. No one wants to be a martyr, but there will always be someone worth fighting for. Because yes, loving someone who struggles—with depression, personality disorders, eating disorders, anxiety, PTSD, etc.—is a fight. But that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve love.

And Spawn Astarion is not a lost cause. He comes from a background of every kind of abuse imaginable. He’s an asshole because he has to be (and he’s also a fucking vampire!), but then—something changes. Possibilities open up before him. And immediately, he shows he can adapt, that he can learn, that he wants to change.

And when that internal drive is there (that inner force of the individual himself, which makes all the difference in the world), you can’t and shouldn’t ignore it—even in real life.

It’s not about "fixing" someone. It’s about helping them feel better, about helping them achieve their goals (yes, their goals—even when they can’t quite articulate them), about changing in a healthier way, about healing. Because Spawn Astarion wants to live more than anything else. And he wants to do so fully, not as a broken man.

That’s why he approves when Tav/Durge tells him he just needs to find a place for himself, that he can find so many people willing to care for him if only he is willing to care for them. That’s why he approves when Tav/Durge reminds him—despite his fear, despite the intoxicating scent of blood—that maybe, just maybe, ascension isn’t what he truly wants. He approves. There’s no room for misinterpretation here—this is as sincere as it gets.

And in both cases, these situations are directly opposed to his obsession with taking Cazador’s place.

But, going back to the point—thinking that the power of love can magically fix everything is stupid. But we also cannot allow the message to spread that, in real life, a person who struggles due to trauma (and hell, it doesn’t even have to be torture in a dark dungeon—it could be something as "simple" as a profound loss) is incapable of healing or being loved, despite the difficulties. It’s not easy, but there are men and women in this world with immense strength and hearts big enough to do this and more.

If this isn't for you, fine. No one is forcing you. But make room for these heroes instead of spouting nonsense.

Now, fortunately, BG3 is a fantasy game where you can do literally anything, freely, even recklessly, without any real risk. And that’s fine—let’s have fun experimenting, living out our fantasies, being heroes (after all, we’re not actually picking up swords and charging into hordes of pissed-off goblins), becoming ultimate villains, bringing the world to its knees, killing anyone who gets in our way.

But when we bring real life into the discussion to make a point or compare it to the game, let’s do so with a little more thought and tact. Kindness is a virtue, not a flaw.

And to end on a lighter note—hell no, I don’t approve of everything Astarion says or does! I try to understand him, to grasp the many whys behind his actions, but if I had him in front of me, I’d straight-up say, "Oi, what the fuck are you doing?! Asshole!" I’d argue with him, I’d get mad at him—just like I did in my playthroughs.

And for the record, I never had to step off my heroic path to gain his approval. I simply disagreed with him when I felt it was right and treated him kindly when he needed it.

Honestly, earning his approval in this game is the easiest thing in the world—let him drink your blood, trust him (defend him from the other companions’ suspicions), let him decide how to handle his diet (which, honestly, is a fair compromise), tell the devil to go to hell (xP), and do something ridiculously stupid like giving him the necromancy book, interrupting the two ogres having sex, licking a goblin’s boots, and getting whipped a little—voilà! Suddenly, you have Astarion in your arms, and you haven’t even had time to save the druid grove yet.

In my very first playthrough, with my super-good Selûne cleric who was always helping the needy, I was actually trying to romance Shadowheart—when I somehow found myself magically in a relationship with Astarion just because I told him, "I care about you" (the same reason I didn’t let him bite the pervy drow). Lol.

Ok, I'll try not to make any more heavy posts like this. I feel a bit like a broken record, singing the same song over and over—sorry about that. And of course, have a great day, everyone! <3

[hxrsheykisses]

Omgg you write based on ur fic right? If so could u do the club boys x a reader in their club that does school cheer and allstar? Like going to her comps or games, seeing her uniform, and watching her become like a totally different person from her normally shy self?😭 I think it would be cute!! Love love loveee ur fic keep up the good work😽

THIS IS SO FIRE🔥🔥🔥🔥 YOU ARE AN ABSOLUTE GENIUS FOR THIS REQUEST!!!!

OH. MY. GOD????

Okay, you CANNOT be the same girl who joined their club cause what???

Now, they were wondering why you haven’t been coming to the club meets on Fridays hardly and on this particular day, they were gonna give you some shit for it. Bill specifically because he’s the “leader” so of course he’s gonna ask why you haven’t been showing up.

So, the four of them waited on your front porch for a good hour…they were VERY impatient but they wanted to catch you at the right moment to pester you about where you have been going, completely unaware that nearly every Friday their school had a football, basketball, or even a soccer game to host. This is what they get for not sticking around and not caring about what events are happening but it still doesn’t excuse you being missing!

After an hour of them sitting there on your porch, they saw car lights pulling up in your driveway and they perked up. They were going to confront you ONCE and for ALL—let’s hope you don’t possibly be kicked from the club due to your shutout attendance.

… “WHAT THE FUCK?” -Bill, who’s standing there with his mouth agape as he stared at you. The other three had the exact same expression as they watched you—who was also looking like a deer in headlights as you held your cheer bag tightly.

It was just some silent staring that the five of you were doing until your mom broke it with asking you if you told the boys that you got into Cheerleading now. You hadn’t told them.

Were they mad? Nah. Were they still upset about you not telling them? Yes. But did you look hot in that cheer uniform? Hell yeah. Sooooo what could they say?

They were confused. They didn’t understand why or how you found yourself involving in such a competitive and social sport like Cheerleading. It went out of your character gradually so it was a surprise for them.

They were cool with it—cause I mean you’re still their crush- I mean friend, right? The only thing that’s an issue is how are you supposed to tend club meetings now? Even worse, will you be able to hang out with them as much as you did before getting into Cheerleading? It was a wreck because they NEEDED to see you. They HAD to see you. It was like a drug for them that they never did wish to have a hangover from. Crazy comparison, but it’s the genuine truth, the whole truth!

“Why not just go see her games or competitions?” -Jerry.

Oh. Oh Jerry. You dumb FUCK. Why would they drop everything to go see the girl of their dreams, do some backflips and cartwheels alongside her clown ass teammates, look at sweaty jocks, and their school lose this seasons game? Are we deadass?

Yes. Yes we are deadass. Cause guess what? The next game, they sat on those bleachers and cheered you on like no other. Even if y’all’s school did lose, they cheered like batshit crazy. They received so many weird ass stares from people beside them while they stuffed theirselves full with snacks from the concessions. It was a whole THING with them.

Would yall believe me if I told you Jerry let out the girliest scream when he saw you do a backflip while one of your cheer buddies were holding you up. Luckily, you landed on the other girl’s hand, ultimately ending up okay in the end but that was scary!

Don’t invite them to your cheer comps. Dont do it.

Cause one time, your team didn’t win the competition—it was the hardest one yet and you all worked very hard on it. The judges were pretty biased and what not—it was very obvious that they were and it got under your skin. So that sensitivity inside of you boiled over as you cried because that’s so frustrating. Your teammates were trying to comfort you and all of this other stuff but it will NEVER beat how bad the boys acted.

They cussed the judges out and everything cause are we FOR REAL? How did you not AT LEAST get third place? The shit is rigged! It ended up in them getting escorted out while you followed after them. Did they get the spot you deserved? No. But was it sweetly chaotic about what they did? Yes.

They saw that you have came out of your bubble SO MUCH and it genuinely makes them proud because they never saw that side of you. It really showed that you changed—and not in a bad way either. The five of you still hang out a lot, they see you every Friday for games, they cheer you on. The list grows!

It makes them even more happy when you tell them that they were one of the main reasons why you started to open up.

They love you so fucking much, girl💔💔💔

[monosanimegenericzone]

Hunter x Hunter: Being bitched by a dude half your age

okay so can we talk about these two

and i cannot stop laughing how silva fucking zoldyck. in his prime at something like 42. getting his shit absolutely rocked by a "tee hee im not a teenager anymore" chrollo.

anyway. this is a breakapart analysis of how chrollo bitched him for a second time in the fight in yorknew.

side note: omg look its shalnark hiii

anyway

yap ahead. it got really long so proceed at your own risk

so the yorknew fight starts with the two zoldycks walking in on chrollo after tracking him down as fast as possible. and i mean as fast as possible. yes zeno probably could have used his 100m En to flash scan the whole building, but to parse out information from that- considering zeno has never met chrollo- would be pretty much impossible.

plus they had to deal with mafia grunts being idiots.

this is also a viable strategy. if chrollo was a pussy, he could have easily jumped out of a higher story window.

at this point neither the reader nor the zoldycks know what chrollo is doing in the building. they know the merchandise is intact and that they lost contact with 8 assassins so far, that's it.

we find out later that chrollo was playing for time, so if illumi was taking his sweet ass time taking out the 10 dons chrollo could have easily led the two zoldycks on a wild goose chase, but no, he's waiting for them.

getting into speculation territory. we don't know how long the fight actually lasted. the animated fight lasted like an episode and a half, but in hxh, time is irrelevant. the fight could have been 20 seconds tops.

minor point but- slightly relevant.

chrollo probably wanted to wipe out the assassins before making his next move and i cannot tell if he knew it was the zoldycks or not. again, him and zeno have never met, so even if zeno used En, chrollo would have no idea it's him.

point is. chrollo was waiting for the assassins to come to him. he wouldn't waste the time looking for them, so he wasn't even trying to hide as he just. casually meandered up the cemetery building.

but as soon as chrollo sees who it is his face does the iconic dark shadow. that- imma be honest- 2011 did him so dirty with.

for reference. he greets the other assassin like this

dawg is not playing

im giggling bcs its one of those "you can see the exact moment when he locked in" type things. its so funny

now this next part i will just present as a silly moment

but chrollo literally pulled a knife just to shank silva specifically. the grudge here is so real

how petty are you that you're trying to shank the guy and not his dad. this is so disrespectful

(satire)

anyway.

zeno earns chrollo's respect by being an actually seasoned fighter and able to break chrollo down for all he's worth.

those are eyes alright.

chrollo knows that silva is not going to attack him directly anymore, but he will have to keep silva in sight so that he never gets an opening.

chrollo is playing for time.

and- i did not notice this before-

ZENO FIGURED THAT OUT TOO.

THIS OLD MAN IS TOO OP. EXCUSE ME.

i can skip the rest of this fight otherwise i'll be here for 5 years glazing zeno for being the goat he is.

but chrollo's plan was to capture zeno alive. he can't secure abilities otherwise, and we assume fun fun cloth is inescapable once closed.

now picture this for a second. chrollo knows what silva's hatsu is most likely. and if he wanted to, he could have captured silva and gotten a hatsu out of him easily. silva is poisoned, slower than zeno, and the less obvious threat.

but no.

chrollo is more interested in zeno because silva is not worthy of his respect. even if silva had a really useful hatsu, i doubt chrollo would want anything to do with him. he won't even look at silva if he can help it.

also i realized that they were fighting in the basement. j'accuse.

but the really juicy part is what happens after the fight.

so i have a theory.

what if silva didn't know who illumi got a contract from. that would be the best troll ive ever seen out of chrollo in the history of ever

consider: chrollo knows about silva's warning to his kids. he and illumi have known each other for a long time, and because silva fought chrollo at least 3 years ago, i think it's reasonable to assume that chrollo and illumi already knew each other by then.

obviously we don't know for sure, but for my delusion let's go with that.

illumi is suddenly harder to reach, so chrollo tracks him down and illumi being illumi was just like "yeah dad said not to hang out with you anymore" so, chrollo, who knows illumi is a good asset, is like "bitch you aint going anywhere. imma pay you just to hang out. stick it to your old man"

so with that in mind. illumi ringing in asking for his client- who isn't zeno nor silva- and silva realizing in 0.2 seconds that it's chrollo. the immense fatherly sigh that woulda left his old ass man would have been fucking hilarious.

(based on textual evidence i dont think this is canon but its still too funny)

regardless, it's proof that illumi has either gone behind silva's back or got his reluctant permission. assuming the 'no phantom troupe' rule still applies at this time

"JUST BARELY"

SILVA BE FOR REAL I SWEAR TO GOD XDDDD

"JUST BARELY" ALIVE MY ASS.

anyway. real disrespect is chrollo only speaking to zeno. like zeno and chrollo are best buddies after going toe to toe for like 2 minutes and chrollo clearly respects zeno.

but here

right here

THIS RIGHT HERE. THE DISRESPECT IS ABSURD.

chrollo asked this question on purpose.

notice how silva isn't even in that question. SILVA IS NOT A THREAT TO CHROLLO.

AND WHAT'S WORSE.

ZENO CONFIRMED. INDIRECTLY. THAT CHROLLO COULD WIN THAT 1V1. IN FRONT OF HIS POMPOUS ASS CAT EYED SON.

LIKE LOOK AT HOW SILVA LOOKS AT CHROLLO.

HE'S SO MAD AND HE CAN DO FUCKING N O T H I N G

CHROLLO JUST BITCHED SILVA WITHOUT EVEN SAYING A WORD TO HIM, BY DEMONSTRATING THAT HE HAS CONNECTIONS TO AND CAN KILL EVERYONE SILVA RESPECTS IN THE FAMILY.

and chrollo is satisfied. he's done. he's out.

bro hit the deck waiting for his pals to show up.

and we know how pissed he was at the beginning of the fight. to be able to let it go like this- because chrollo's ass petty as hell-- he would not let it go-- means he KNOWS he made silva look like a bitch.

AND GOD DAMN. HE'S RIGHT.

thats my rant for the day. tata

[st-osmanthus]

Excuse me, my ZoLu brainworm has not left chapter 1136. And I wrote 1,500 words today, after a long month of unable to write anything, so I deserve to have this rant, dammit!

Ahem. Buckle in. It’s a long one. (Sorry not sorry)

Y’all, look at our precious idiot, scaring giants right out the gate with his bloodlust. Missing one eye, hair standing up like a demon, dressed to the nines like a rogue Viking, drinking some high-grade giant liquor without getting drunk — just living the outlaw life. This is the wild beast of the Straw Hat Pirates. He’s unpredictable. He’ll strike fear into your soul. He cannot be tamed.

Oh, wait, did someone say “Sun God”? Now he’s intrigued. That sounds familiar. The bloodlust is gone. He ain’t here to scare anyone. He’s just gonna sit still and listen like a good boy for the next five pages. Please. Tell him more…

Don’t mind the swordsman. He’s just drinking quietly in his corner, listening to the chatter, saying nothing for FIVE WHOLE PAGES. He’s a bit of a loner, after all. He’s too cool to participate in these antics. Too cool for school (probably never had a geography lesson in his life). Too cool to care.

Except.. did they say “Shanks”? Did Luffy hear them say “Shanks”? THE Shanks?! The man Luffy has idolized his entire life. The one name that can make Luffy’s eyes glow simply from hearing it being spoken. Shanks might have been here recently?

Oh, you bet our green-haired guard dog is sitting up and paying attention. And he’s got OPINIONS.

This page… ZoLu truthers can (and should) write entire essays on this page. These are just my immediate thoughts.

First, I gotta know. Did Zoro drag Luffy away from the party? Did they sneak away together after sharing a knowing glance? Did Luffy run off to make water and Zoro took the chance to corner him for this discussion?

Regardless of how, they’re alone now, and Zoro is doing his first mate thing, having clocked his captain’s unusual behavior, which of course has him concerned. He can’t let some random giant take advantage of his trusting and naive captain.

He’s gotta play the devil’s advocate, gotta present a different perspective on the matter even if it means popping Luffy’s bubble. What I want to know is, does the Japanese version have the exclamation marks?!? That’s three sentences in a row punctuated with exclamation marks. Stephen Paul is one of the best manga translators in the game, and he wouldn’t add them if the original text didn’t call for them. That means: Zoro is losing his cool. He knows of all people, Shanks would make the perfect lure to get Luffy on board for some crazy shit. He needs to caution Luffy against falling into a possible trap.

It worked. Luffy has a healthy dose of skepticism now: “You think Loki doesn’t even know?!” Luffy’s mad. Aww. He’s probably disappointed. ☹️

………….

And what do ya know? ZORO BACKPEDALS!!!

“I’m just basing it on his reputation… I didn’t see the guy.”

Y’all! This man sees how disappointed his captain got when he played devil’s advocate and he immediately backs off and tries to find a middle ground. “Hey, no worries, maybe Loki isn’t a liar. The fuck do I know, Luffy, I wasn’t even there!”

Absolute marshmallow pushover fake-ass tough guy.

(I adore him.)

The culmination of all this? Zoro’s gonna do everything possible to make his captain happy while keeping him safe. You see, he will get the keys to Loki’s cuffs, and then together, they will decide if Loki’s a liar or not. Zoro isn’t going to stop Luffy from finding out more info on Shanks, not if there’s even the slightest possibility Loki was telling the truth, but he is also not letting Luffy do this alone. He doesn’t trust anyone else’s judgment either. So it’ll be him and Luffy, sharing one brain cell against the world. (Until Nami caught them, which, like, thank goodness lol.)

—————

This chapter contains everything I love about ZoLu: Guard dog behavior from Zoro; complete trust in Zoro from Luffy; hot-headed captain teaming together with not-really-aloof first mate; Zoro inserting himself so that Luffy can still go on as his goofy self. I love that they didn’t say shit to the rest of their crew, that they wanted to just GO and do their own thing for a little bit.

It reminds me of their mad dash to the plateau on Dressrosa, or them standing side by side facing down Aqua Laguna, or Zoro going with Luffy to Roof Piece. These instances show again and again that out of the entire crew, Zoro is the closest to being Luffy’s equal. And every time, Luffy is grateful for the companionship. There’s really no other duo doing it like these two.

[prodixal]

“Oh you have, have you?” brows rise in question, and a frown is quick to mellow under a smile. “Now what could have possibly made me green with jealousy? I do not recall.” no shortage of things, truly, but he was curious which instances stuck out -- or if it was all spoken in jest. Sometimes it was difficult to tell where the jokes ended and the truth began. “Aye, you’re charming alright." he'll nudge her at that, looking away as he does. "Bit annoying really.” Rickon did not know how to feel, not entirely. He was happy, sure, but a part of him also knew that people often did the same things for entirely different reasons. And it made him uneasy -- the possibility of their reasons being so vastly different, of them meaning vastly different things. “I was hesitant.” he admits, then his eyes will find her a mere moment before they shift back to joint hands. “Most of my life I have been very good at - reading people. At...gauging the outcomes of things. The risks, the rewards..." his voice is quiet and even, as he's letting the words fall off a tired mind. "I cannot gauge you. It's funny I -- I tell myself I know you, but --" a beat "I don't know why you say the things you say or...offer the things you offer...I do not know if --" eyes find her again, narrowed in that thought. "-- 'why' really matters, or not." At the tap against his nose, a gentle grin will appear, and he'll catch her finger to place a kiss at its tip. Quick and sudden. “Good.” he says, letting go only to laugh at her following words. “You do not want to grant me such a permission. Believe me.” his heart is faster, only just, and his skin grows warm beneath her touch. “We will never reach Old Town, if you do.” throat clears. "We'll never leave this room." in a strange way, such a thought comforts him. He did not wish to ever leave this tavern, this room, this bed. Perhaps there was a universe, somewhere far, where they never do. Then a sudden laugh will leave his chest again, moving their joint hands along with the ribs beneath them. "Yes no I fully understand." he says through it and his head nods poorly against the pillow. "Last time I went jousting I almost kissed Ser Rodrick instead, quite embarrassing -- his wife and children were there." Once the jest of it mellows, and his mind shifts to the compliments at hand, he'll assume a common sort of shyness. "Your siblings and…cousins have Valyrian features and yet…" they were not her. They were not so beautiful he could recognise them blind. So beautiful he would choose the sight of them over that of northern lights across the winter sky. Over the sight of sun setting behind the horizon of white snow, painting it red and orange and purple as it settles home. There was beauty, and then there was her. And so he looks at her, letting his eyes absorb features in a manner he had denied them for much too long, and he thinks perhaps this is what eyes were made for. Perhaps it is why he had them all along. A smile will carve into his lips, knowing he could not well say all of that. It was his to feel, to think, to ponder. "I better keep my thoughts to myself."

As those thoughts gather once more to ground him in the moment, her shrug and offer find him both amused at the lips, and sort of confused at the eyes. “How could I possibly ask more of you?” his question is genuine and sweet, they could not truly get any physically closer. And yet, he had wanted it all the same. Whatever 'it' was. “What kind of a friend would I be?” he will take a hold of her braid, moving it back over her shoulder as she lifts her chin to look at him. "I have been much too greedy with you as is." When she speaks again, it is her tone which holds more weight than the words themselves. It helps him understand better, in a way, though it was still not quite enough. “Pity and help…help out of pity -- much like jousting and kissing it is difficult to tell the difference.” smile does not fade, but it does mellow as he says, “I understand though. I think.” he'll sink deeper into her arms, as her fingers brush against his scalp and his body relaxes enough for his words to quiet. “Only -- I do not want you to do...or offer things solely for my benefit. They must benefit you too in, in some way.” Rickon did not much enjoy feeling like he simply took things, with no consideration for the wants of others. Not in general, but especially not with her. Permanency was a concept he seldom spoke of, and yet as she questions him he cannot quite decipher her understanding of the matter which he spoke. “In which way?” he asks, but as he waits for her response he'll move up gently to face her, and his eyes will soften as his fingers sink into the hair braided away behind her ear. “Is that…alright with you?” Her gentleness is soothing, and her words while soft and quiet, do travel deeper than he was prepared for. She had known him, it seemed, known him enough to notice certain patterns, to speak them. His heart warms again at the thought, that she could see him and still want him around. “I wish I was more like you...in that sense." he says finally, frown just as soft, words just as quiet as her own. "I never learnt how to live, not really.” all he knew was to worry, or dream. “It helps, when things are bad, you know?" eyes search for her quick before his head rests back down against her. "Knowing they won’t stay that way. Time changes all things it is...inevitable. There is comfort to be had...in knowing that." a gentle and tired sigh escapes him, as he closes his eyes. "But when things are good…” the same applies. And it becomes harder to absorb the moment, even if such a knowledge makes the moment itself so much...sweeter. If only he could enjoy its sweetness more, and mourn its passing less. “You help, though..." his head sinks then, into the space between her neck and her shoulder, chin rested at the collar bone as his arm wraps around her waist. He can feel the exhaustion overcoming, the sensation of her fingers like a lullaby within his hair, and the words are slow now, slower than before. "I meant what I said, before --" a breath in is quiet and drawn out. "You help me forget...myself."

" I HAVE SEEN YOU JEALOUS ." daeny replies with an arch of her brow , the ghost of a smile still on her lips even as she playfully reaches for his jaw with her free hand . " i've witnessed you absolutely green with it too ." she teases lightly as she gives his jaw a shake , her eyes twinkling to see an expression so similar to her own on his face . " also , nothing is unbecoming on me , i am incredibly charming ." she jests with a huff , even if she cannot truthfully say that anything is unbecoming on him either . but still . it is the principle of the thing . she blinks in surprise at the declaration , allowing him to move in closer without protest as she runs a finger over one of the lines of his palm . she meets his widened eyes with a softening of her own , and she nods . " i would have ." she shrugs with the words , playfully raising her chin as she looks to their joint hands to honestly say , " i was planning to offer downstairs but you seemed as if you would be opposed so i decided against it ." her eyes soften further as he places that kiss to her hand , and despite herself daenya finds her lips twitching . " ... well , i did not say i minded the theft ." daenya emphasizes , and despite the lightness of the words she meets rickon's eyes with them . " i am only jesting ." she joins him in gazing upon their hands , humming lightly . " but it is good to know i am permitted whenever i wish ." a beat before she meets his eyes again , before she's pulling one of her fingers from where it is interwoven with his to tap a finger to his nose . " you are also permitted if that isn't clear ." a smile twists over her lips at the sound of his laughter , her grin almost impish as she nods to his words . " they are very , very similar , i fear . entirely too similar !" she japes lightly , her eyes sparkling before she sighs and says , " i near got confused and pulled out a javelin earlier . it is all so very bewildering ." daenya's cheeks go a bit warm with the compliment . it was one thing for her to joke about such things and another entirely for rickon to say them with such sincerity . " well , valyrian features are a rarity ." daenya replies even as she shifts enough to lay half on top of him , her chin resting on his sternum and her free palm over his heart . her brows arch as he continues , her eyes meeting his as she says , " you wish for more of me even now ?" the question is coloured in an amused sort of surprise as daeny scans his face . it is after a beat of consideration that she simply says , " i would give it you , you know ." a shrug . " if you asked ." daeny pouts a bit at his next words , huffing even as she says , " such questions will mislead !" in truth there is no bite to the words , and no true frustration behind her eyes . in fact , all that is reflected there is the slightest sheepishness as rickon continues , combined with a surprise that provokes a defense of , " it was not pity ! i wished to help you !" this at the very least must be vocalized . for such a line of thought simply could not stand . " besides , i did think that you longed for the fingers of another ." daeny reminds him with an arch of her brows . " i didn't realize that i was apparently permanent ." her eye twinkle the slightest bit with the words , with a playfulness that fades quickly into something softer . " at least not ... in that way ." her fingers are still rubbing gently into his scalp , her eyes meeting his with words that hold silent question . " ... but you are saying i am ." daeny could say she has to wrap her mind around such permanence but that would be a lie . it was supposed to be her and rickon truly . it was at least the way she'd always planned it , and daeny truly planned very little . she simply knew within her that they would orbit each other forever , no matter the circumstances . no matter distance or marriage or what have you . that they would survive it all .

but perhaps rickon has been thinking of that permanence differently . daeny finds herself toying with such an idea in her mind as she watches him seemingly become melancholic before her very eyes . her frown is soft . " ... you are still in it and you already thinking of forgetting it ." daeny says softly as her fingers continue to play with his curls with a gentleness that is laced within her words . her brows knit ever so slightly together . " if you always mourn before death i don't believe there's much room to live , rickon ."

[coldtortelloni]

doomed yuri.....

[silusvesuius]

nnnnnnnnnnnnno maa'am

[novantinuum]

continually annoyed by how every single post i've seen supporting the notion that "the journal pages in BoB were fakes" just feels like thinly veiled anti material

[swaglet]

i'm gonna be so real with everybody. i think it should be completely illegal for these to be sold. there's no benefit to them at all. they don't actually make you smell good. putting any harsh chemicals, especially fragrances and detergents, anywhere NEAR your vagina disrupts its pH balance, which in turn disrupts its ability to clean itself (yes it really is a self cleaning organ which we all are aware of but apparently the majority of the world is not for some reason) and increases the risk for yeast infections and UTIs. i'm fairly convinced that one of the reasons so many women get frequent UTIs could be related to how they handle vaginal hygiene and what products they use, specifically ones with fragrances and detergents.

just use mild, unscented soap!!!! or even just water and a clean washcloth!!! i promise you you don't need anything else, you are clean down there if you are using water and washing it, it does a large part of the work for you. that's what your discharge is for. just wipe your vulva with a washcloth and wash it off with water (and mild unscented soap if you're particularly worried) and you are good to go, squeaky clean. whatever smell comes out of you is, with 99% certainty, most likely meant to come out of you. first of all, it's an organ. second, it sits very snugly between your thighs and both of your buttcheeks all day long while you go about your business. you're probably going to sweat at some point throughout the day, you could be on your period, you are going to get discharge. all of those are normal things that happen and come together to make smells that aren't going to be the most pleasant thing on earth, but they came from the body of a living animal that secretes waste while she does her thing. a man in your same situation (who doesn't even menstruate, by the way) probably took a shit and didn't completely wipe his ass and also took a piss and left a little droplet of it in his underwear when he pulled his pants back up and didn't give a shit. and you're worried about YOU being gross. ok. men literally leave piss in their underwear and shit flakes in their ass hair but i have never seen an aisle full of male hygiene products like we have for women. at most, i see dude wipes for poopy sweaty asscrack hair and monkeybutt powder for sweaty nutsacks. AND MOST OF THEM DON'T EVEN USE THAT STUFF THEY JUST DON'T GAF.

i cannot preach to you just how NATURAL the smells coming out of you are. and i cannot tell you just how much nobody cares. matter of fact is, you are worried about it in your own head, but most other people most likely can't smell it at all. i have had friends tell me "omfg i need to go to the bathroom right now do you have a wet wipe i'm so scared my coochie stinks" and i'm like "? i smell nothing how could anyone even smell that unless they were directly looking for it" and my friends would always get kind of upset at my for saying that but I'm being so honest how could anyone even smell that. i've never been in a situation where i've smelled someone's vagina odor unless she was pantsless and her crotch was in my face

and if you DO have a smell coming from your vagina that is worrying you, please do not be embarrassed to call a (FEMALE, IF POSSIBLE) gyno and ask her about it!!! you may have some kind of infection that can easily be treated by prescription medication, NOT harsh fragrant chemicals from the drug store 😡 PLEASE TREAT YOUR PUSSIES KINDLY 🫶🏻 THEY LOVE YOU

i'm mostly talking about these things, like soaps and wipes and deodorants specifically designed, labelled, and packaged to be used on your vulva and inside your vagina.

please reblog for the largest sample size possible i Want answers. why is that aisle even in the store

[teyrnacousland]

I have no idea why but when my other Rooks smile they look sweet and happy and precious, and when Asha smiles she looks like an alien trying out a human face for the first time

And when she's not doing that, she looks like this:

My Rook was assigned Resting Bitch Face by the character creator

[yellllowstar]

slowly I'm recovering the beauty of discovery

(creature by half•alive)

(textless + timelapse below cut)

[sokovianfortune]

elsa yelling at jack that she doesn’t care about his systems is so funny to me. like ohhhh girl you will though. you’re going to care so much.

[hopeinthebox]

tagged by the fabulous @cordiallyfuturedwight and @jimin-gaon <33 here's the december list

apologies for being late again new year same me: @aprylynn @jiminsproof @pauls-mccharmly @thvinyl @visionsofgideontheninth @btsbs @kimchokejin @jihopesjoint @eoieopda @monismochi 💜 and anyone else who feels so inclined MWAH p.s. please do tag me anyway if you've already done it