#this probably a conversation for the GC

[soldierandawar]

Really, the issue is that people cannot hold two conflicting thoughts in their heads at the same time. That's why arguments online are so frustrating. Most of the time, it's like, "Yes! Both of these things are true!" But no one wants to hear that. Everyone has to be right. We have to prove ourselves as better than others, so we start using identifiers, "Oh, so you're a <insert term here>." to separate ourselves, and it's exhausting.

If you lack conflict management skills and refuse to look inward, how can you create community?

[thats-a-lot-of-cortisol]

My mom just sent a message to the family group chat suggesting that my siblings download the 'For the Strength of Youth' magazine on their Gospel Library app and talked about how much the youth magazines helped her testimony growing up and like, cool. Fine. Don't know why the 'sending random spiritual thoughts in the gc' thing started out of nowhere when it hadn't been a thing for a decade but this is just another one of those, and you're ofc allowed to talk about things that are significant in your life.

I don't think sending the 'What I Did When Someone Close to Me Challenged My Faith' article right afterwards was strictly necessary though 🙃

[phagodyke]

i keep getting irrationally miffed at ppl 😐😐

[ink-and-stars]

is it flirting when someone offers to make a sword for you??

[th3-cr4zy-v4r1g0-sh1pp3r]

Stupid conversation

Very unhinged conversation I had. Was mostly talking. But I fount out the demonyms for where I live. (I didn't mean sound I meant looks too similar)

Then how I said I was a loiner- used to be

[angelpuns]

Kid Leo Au: "Just Follow the Plan"

Part 8!

I tried to add a few more panels to this one since it is mostly just the text convo, but there's a lot going on in that conversation so :/

The text bits were surprisingly hard to do, so forgive me for not having the grey speech bubbles visible. They got exploded by the glow layer I did for the screen glow smh. And I am frankly too lazy to redo all of that.

Anyway, these are just about the cutest Mikeys I have ever drawn. Also their groupchat name is 'The Heavyside Lair', like in reference to cats. They probably change it every time a new meme happens :)

My current gc name is 'Communal Bong' so them changing the name all the time is just from experience.

NEXT TIME ON KID LEO...I WONDER WHO COULD POSSIBLY BE KNOCKING?

Kid Leo AU Masterpost | First | Prev | Next

[earlgreylatte]

Spideytorch anon here with some of my thoughts (⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)

Spidey would definitely be the type to hold you down while Johnny went down on you, very playfully coddling while you wreathe in their grasp. I just know Johnny is a munch 🙌

Johnny would probably be into just watching on occasion, and definitely isn't opposed to coming home from a long day to see you and Peter going at it (he'll join eventually, can't miss out on the action for too long). Along with that, he's into being watched too, so if it's not all three and possible, he wants the other to watch (if he's with Peter he wants you to watch, if he's with you he wants Peter to watch).

They both are definitely the type to send random nudes or horny messages during the day- or even night. And they're not at all opposed to receiving, there's probably a separate group chat just for horny sending so regular conversations aren't interrupted in the main one you guys have.

Everyone say thank you to SpideyTorch anon, like I’m actually giving them a gold metal for this one 🥇

Like yes, the most frustrating thing about Johnny is that he can actually back up his cockiness, bro is annoyingly good at oral, like you and Peter need a support group because it’s not fair!! An actual head fiend!

And I can definitely see one holding you done while the other thrusts into you, like Peter is hammering into you and then Johnny presses his hand against your stomach to see if he can feel Peter’s monster dick…

Both Johnny and Peter are definitely willing to take a step back and watch things unfold instead, lazily stroking themself. In fact, I can see Peter playing a more dominant role while observing, instructing you and Johnny on which position to take, setting the pace, and more. Neither of you are allowed to cum until Peter says you can—

I feel like if Johnny is being particularly frisky, trying to rile Peter up in public, then the latter will just web him up and force him to watch you two have all the fun while he can’t even touch himself.

Horny gc?? Yes, and I think the rest of the Fantastic Four are somewhat aware of it after Johnny melted his phone when Sue asked to borrow it for a second.

And speaking of fire powers, Johnny very obviously raises the temperature of any given room, so you and Peter wear less layers.

Yes, you three have definitely filmed a sex tape. Pray that it doesn’t get leaked—

Also, there are tabloids concerned about who Johnny is dating, with the biggest contenders being you, Peter Parker, and Spider-Man…

[puckinghischier]

Can you imagine dating one of the Hughes and being in a gc with all of them? I’m cackling at the thought of all the out of pocket shit that would be said

see this is my dream

my brain isn’t working enough right now to try and come up with all the funny shit that could be said, but i just know it would be a very jack heavy gc. like if you were quinn’s girl, quinn would only pop in to tell jack to shut up, tell luke to respond, or send a thumbs up at something you said or plans. because he would do all of his talking to you in person.

if you were jack’s girl, he would text a response directed towards you if you were sitting right next to him. he’d constantly be telling you he was gonna send some risqué text in the gc just to get a rise out of quinn and luke. or he’d steal your phone and text the gc some sappy thing praising himself only to go to his phone and respond back, basically having a conversation with himself until you took your phone back or quinn or luke told him to shut up.

if you were luke’s girl, you would probably be as silent as him in the gc, only really popping in when addressed. luke would dare jack or quinn to say anything to scare you off, knowing how his brothers can be, especially since he’s the youngest. they’d still poke fun at him all the time. sending things like “damn, what are y’all doing that you can’t reply? come up for air at some point, yeah?” or “luke, your libido must be crazy, considering you two are always soooo busy you can’t respond to us.” the comments would always make you blush and slightly embarrassed, so luke would yell at his brothers to act like adults and quit being so immature, to which you’d receive separate apologies from each of his older brothers. and the next time they poke fun at him in the gc? they make sure to add “(respectfully, y/n)”.

[modcroissant]

Did a little something

Our cheese queen✨

So, I had a little au in mind. It's where Golden Cheese went to Beast Yeast for whatever reason you think that dragged her there, and upon meeting Burning Spice. . . She isn't too thrilled about founding out about not just them but the rest of the beasts.

Due to Burning Spice being the beast of destruction, it is like that they'll destroy everything that is dear to Golden Cheese to make her hand over the soul Jam.

But oh boy, they were dead wrong. Instead, Golden Cheese practically snapped and straight up battle them head on without hesitation- and what do you know? GC won.

Golden Cheese later took the soul jam From Burning Spice and made it whole once more, taking the soul jam for herself. (Because the soul jam is attached to Burning Spice's chest, you can imagine the mess GC caused just to rip it out-)

Later on, she becomes the Virtue of Change, making her more powerful then before. She even surpasses her fellow ancients in the power department-

Oh, and the horns on GC? Yeah, let's say she just thinks Burning Spice doesn't deserved them.

The conversation probably went like:

"Golden Cheese, did you change your look?"

"Sort of, yeah. What about my looks?"

"Since when?"

"Since yesterday."

"How?"

"Defeated a beast, it was a piece of cake if I have to be honest!"

. . .

"WHAT?!"

"Oh come on! Don't tell me you all think it was impossible!"

[thewertsearch]

I guess everyone is reacting to their parents' deaths in this arc. Dave's relationship with Bro has always been a little... complicated, so this should be a very interesting conversation.

TG: oh my fucking god […] TG: we just got done talking and agreed it would be awesome if you didnt bother me for a while […] GC: OH GC: TH4TS R1GHT GC: 1 FORGOT! TG: it was five seconds ago

Girl, get your damn timelines in order!

GC: D1D YOU LOV3 H1M D4V3? TG: no

I believe you.

There's something about the Strider brothers which I noticed a while ago, but haven't had the opportunity to talk about. This is the perfect moment to discuss it, though, because it explains a lot about why Dave is the way he is.

So - let's talk about the Strife fights.

When John first attacked his father with a hammer, I decided to roll with the assumption that this fight was symbolic, rather than literal. John loves his dad, and it can be safely assumed that he doesn't want to kill the guy.

Instead, this scene serves as a stand in for the familial strife between father and son. John finds his father's parenting style to be mildly frustrating, and their interactions sometimes feel like a fight to him.

Likewise, Rose (probably) isn’t actually going for Mom with those needles. Instead, their fight represents Mom’s 'ironic' negligence, and the gifts that Rose refuses to believe are from the heart. The Lalonde relationship is clearly more fraught than the Egbert one, but I don't think Rose actually wants to skewer Ms Lalonde.

Jade doesn't really fight her Grandpa, but their Strife clearly demonstrated how deeply in-denial she is - not about his death, but about the fact that her life isn't normal. She's desperately trying to have the same childhood that John and Rose are describing, but she can't, because she doesn't have a parent to bicker with.

Now, I'm sure you've guessed where I'm going with this. What, exactly, did Dave's Strife scenes represent?

Well...

...first of all, it's worth noting that Dave is the only Player to explicitly describe the events of his Strife to a third party. We've never heard John reminiscing about bludgeoning Dad, but Dave's constantly complaining about getting beaten up by puppets.

And - rather more worryingly - Dave is the only Player to retain his Strife injuries, even after this ostensibly 'metaphorical' fight is over.

In fact, one of those Strife injuries still marks him to this day.

The point I am obviously dancing around is that I don't think Dave's Strife was a metaphor at all. Unlike his friends, there's no pretense to these fights. They're literal. Dave's brother routinely attacked him.

Odds are, this was Bro's way of 'preparing' Dave for the game he surely knew was coming - but you don't need me to tell you that he took it way too far. The guy might have been Dave's assigned Guardian, but he really shouldn't have been raising anyone.

[causenessus]

cold kisses

part 0.1. SCARY GUARD DOG PRIVILEGES

PLAYING FROM KODZUKEN'S STREAM . . . what are you so afraid of by videoclub

prev. | m.list | next

extras <3

tsukishima 🤝 kageyama not knowing what sin they committed in a past life that got them in their respective gcs

tsukki: "i am very calm, collected, and rational."

also tsukki: "allow me to pick a fight with the first person i see."

suna and y/n traded bad pictures of their friends to set as their pfps

y/n and kenma we're sitting on the sidelines during practice and we was cuddled up next to her just like he said watching her type up responses to the questions of his homework

they've also spent spent many nights cuddled on the couch watching his lectures so she's serious when she says she could probably be double majoring in it lol since she's doing all of kenma's work anyway

kenma's talked about it with y/n before bc kenma didn't want her to feel like he was using her or anything but she said it was actually pretty fun to do and if she has the time she doesn't mind doing it

not sure why we're already in therapy hours in the first chapter but at least everyone's a good friend

y/n and kenma have a cat named goldfish

they've also literally been avoiding any kind of "what are we" conversation since high school. they just slowly found that the other was okay chilling in the others' room which eventually evolved to laying on each other and lots of affectionate hugs

taglist: @rinheartshyunlix @kettlepop @eggyrocks @cr4yolaas @httpakkeiji @keioover @does-directions @calx-bdo @staygoldsquatchling02 @cherrypieyourface @iluv-ace @kitty-m30w @h3xi2g0n3 @mylahrins @thechaosoflonging @momoriii-i @localgaytrainwreck @a-pastel-edgelord @bugglesboop @polish-cereal (form to be added to taglist! <3)

[deadhands69]

cursing each other over and over again [2/3]

MDNI

Toge Inumaki x cursed speech reader (not quite the same as his)

Super fluffy, mildly angsty but it gets smutty in the next one. Warnings/content/etc: Toge Inumaki x reader, fem-bodied/no pronouns, unestablished relationship, swearing, light violence (slapping), kissing, slightly suggestive conversation, mentions of dub con, cursed speech use. AU: Jujutsu University, all characters over 18

part 1 - this is part 2 - part 3

Text key:

🖤 You 🤍 Toge

Even after clearing things up with Toge, you still felt weird about going to class in the morning. Sure, you talked things through with him but didn’t know what to expect from everyone else.

In addition to this, you're exhausted. You spent most of the night laying in bed regretting a chunk of the texts you’d sent him instead of sleeping. You particularly regret telling your crush you have no game and can’t even manage to talk to him. How embarrassing is that?

He seemed to understand though. He has to, right? Dating with cursed speech of any kind isn’t easy. You can’t just walk up and strike up a conversation with someone you like. There’s also the weird dynamic shift when they realize you can control their actions. When you inadvertently force them to kiss you and you’re awkwardly trying to get out of it, knowing it’s not what they want, traumatizing you both in the process. Or worse, you could accidentally hurt them. That’s probably even worse for him. Maybe he gets it?

Anyways, what does two cursed speech users dating look like, you’d be cursing each other back and forth constantly. He probably doesn’t want that.

Stopping yourself, you can’t think about this all day.

On the walk across campus, you started trying some breathing exercises Gojo gave you when you first arrived. In addition to the usual homework, he also tasked you with learning to control your emotions. Fair. So far, you’ve found it easier some times than others. This morning wasn’t too bad until, in your distraction, you collided with Toge where two sidewalks intersect.

He says “kelp”, his eyes smiling. You wave and smile back.

Your heart is racing, but at least it’s no weirder than when you first met him. You walk together silently until you reach the classroom.

Immediately, Panda high-fives him as Maki smacks him in the back of the head. You take your seat as she continues to berate him. Yuta sits next to you asking about your evening. It would be nice, but you can tell he’s just pushing to see how things went with his friend. He moves seats as soon as Inumaki approaches.

Just before class is scheduled to start (okay, you have an extra five minutes every day because Gojo is consistently at least five minutes late) your phone buzzes.

🤍 [sorry if that was weird for you] 🤍 [i actually didn’t tell anyone we hung out] 🤍 [maki told the gc you left my room at midnight after i left everyone on read]

You look up to see Toge waiting to see how you'll react. 

🖤 [haha i mean it's fine] 🖤 [technically that’s true] 🖤 [but] 🖤 [there’s a solid implication there] 🖤 [at least rumor me is getting laid]

You look at him rolling your eyes to make it clear that was sarcasm, you’d correct people later. He laughs.

The rest of the week passes quickly. Lots of homework to catch up on and even more to learn. Wednesday, you got to go on a mission with Maki. Who, you are pleased to learn, is a lot more caring than she lets on. The two of you were able to take out a few grade 2 curses together fairly quickly. It felt great being able to use your technique for more than destruction. After, you got sushi and talked for a while. You talked about jujutsu sorcery, life, pretty much everything. Toge came up once but since that was nearly all anyone in your class had asked you about since you arrived, she didn’t drag the subject out.

By the time Friday arrives, you realize you haven’t had time to fully unpack and set your room up. You also hadn’t talked to Toge much more than in passing. 

Pulling your folded clothes out of boxes and hanging them in the closet, your mind wanders. He asked to hang out first, does he want you to reach out next? Is he just busy? Or did you scare him off? You only hung out once, just because you have a huge crush on him doesn’t mean he feels the same after spending some small amount of time with you. He still seems to want to be friends, at least. So it wouldn’t be too weird to ask to hang out this weekend. That’s not so bad. Looking down at empty boxes, you realize you’ve been spiraling longer than you thought. Maybe you should just text him.

Pulling your phone out, you hear a commotion down the hall. The clang of pots and pans on the ground, Panda’s oversized footsteps thumping down the hallway, Maki yelling and Toge screaming “CAVIAR!”

Or, maybe you should text him later. He sounds busy.

A scuffle of footsteps make their way closer to your cracked door. Maki pokes her head in, she’s covered in half cooked rice. 

As mockingly sweet as she can muster, “hey [y/n], getting set up?” 

You nod, pretending you didn’t just hear the chaos. 

“Need help with those shelves?” she says gesturing to a box you’d thus far neglected.

“Yeah, I -” 

“Perfect! Here, take this” she shoves a disheveled Toge through the door and slams it.

“I was just about to text you. But you sounded, uh, busy.”

You lean into the doorway to look him up and down, amused. He laughs and pulls a grain of rice out of his hair.

Hanging shelves goes fast with the two of you, he holds them level while you screw them in. And since you’re concentrating, you almost don’t notice how close the two of you are standing together. Almost.

You’re on the last one above your bed, it’s the biggest and it’s heavy. He shifts so his hands are on both sides of the shelf above his head, pressing you between the wall and him. This shouldn’t be weird, you tell yourself. It’s not like there’s a better way to hold it. No, this is how you have to do this. Telling yourself that doesn’t change that you can feel his chest pressing into you and breath against your neck. Nevermind that you were on the floor of his room rolling around before he bit you Monday, this felt. Different.

Distracted, you pause for a second to take it all in. The feel of his warm body pushing into you with every inhale. His arms flexing above you. He’s so strong to hold something so heavy. Oh, shit. Back to work.

With some fumbling, the last screw goes in and you’re done. You spin around to mouth “thanks” but Toge stays in place. Smiling down at you, his arms drop slightly from the shelf to the wall, still pressing you back. His smokey violet eyes connect with yours. You glance at the circles on his cheeks, visible since he took his jacket off shortly after arriving. Sliding his hands down further, he gently grabs your wrists and pulls you down to sit with him. Keeping the closeness: you’re still up against the wall with him leaning in. He smiles and you forget how to breathe. His hand brushes the hair from your forehead, sliding it behind one of your now flushed ears. Your heart is pounding out of your chest as he moves in closer.

BANG. BANG. BANG. 

“Inumaki!?” 

Wide eyed, he freezes: still leaning into you with one hand on the wall near your head and the other at your side. 

BANG.

“Panda cleaned my kitchen. If you’re done hanging shelves, come help me with the extra laundry you made!” you hear Maki yell.

“Salmon!” he grumbles, not fast enough. Another bang and your door cracks open, giving Panda and Maki a direct view of the two of you on your bed. In the background, you see a pretending-to-be-nonchalant Gojo passing by then double-taking back to look over their shoulders. 

Well, so much for dispelling rumors.

He begrudgingly stands up and walks to the door. 

You slump into your bed in both embarrassment and disappointment. You were so close. You glance back at them.

Holding one finger up for the three of them to wait for something, Toge shoos the other three away and closes the door. 

Returning to your bed, he crawls back to you, pressing his hand back to its spot on the wall behind you while bringing the other behind your head. Leaning in, without hesitation, he presses his lips onto yours kissing you feverishly. Your face melts into his and you completely forget about the group standing outside your door listening. He pulls back, pecks your lips once more, and smiles before grabbing his jacket and walking out. You lay there, too stunned to move. Your hand slides over your comforter and - wait, is that a grain of rice?

9:58pm - Friday

🤍 [not to ‘you up’ you but you up?] 🖤 [kiss me once and you’re looking for a bootycall now?] 🤍 [you know it] 🖤 [pshhh] 🤍 [nah] 🤍 [fr tho i need to talk to you] 🤍 [i wanted to earlier but Maki just set me free 20 minutes ago] 🤍 [and i had to wash the rice out of my hair] 🤍 [can i come by?] 🖤 [you’re not making the rumors any better, Toge…]

You’re pretty tired from getting your room set-up and finishing all of your homework but you know you definitely won’t get any sleep putting this conversation off. Hopefully he doesn’t think kissing you was a mistake. You don't think you used your cursed energy on him?

🖤 [but yeah] 🖤 [of course you can]

Quickly, you jump out of bed to change into something cuter. Still gym shorts and a t-shirt but at least these ones aren’t ripped or stained. You fix your hair before running to the knock on the door.

Toge walks in, looking around in awe of your room. The shelves the two of you put up earlier are now covered in books, plants, and color changing lights in the shapes of your favorite anime characters. He gestures at them and smiles. The dim lighting glows in a rainbow of colors that dance on his face. Taking a massive breath, he begins typing. Pausing, he erases what he wrote, puts his phone away, and unzips his jacket. Biting his lip, he turns to you. Is he about to say something?

Extending one finger, he slowly points at you then at himself. Still biting his lip, he shrugs his shoulders in a question. His eyes dig into yours, begging you to understand.

“together” you whisper-yell, this time feeling your cursed energy pull him to you. A twinge of guilt hits the back of your mind at accidentally using your power on him, but it’s quickly pushed aside by the familiarity of him smashing his lips into yours. He kisses you with even more passion than earlier, gripping your waist like he can’t pull you close enough. You run your hands through his damp hair. He pulls his face away momentarily to nod yes, before smiling and squeezing you back into him. 

Your curse has completely faded and he’s still here.

[I’m so proud of him, I didn’t really think Toge had game, but somehow writing him this way made sense. Good for him.]

part 3

m.list

[braidlottie]

the yellowjackets taking care of you after your wisdom teeth removal

im getting my wisdom teeth out in 2 weeks but i am experiencing the teeniest amount of pain so im taking my mind off of it by writing this (^^)

LOTTIE

whether you’re emotional or just a straight up yapper, she’s always engaged in your conversation and trying to cheer you up/calm you down

you pass by a chick-fil-a on the way home and you beg lottie for a milkshake, but she tells you the doctor said you can’t have it immediately after surgery

and you’re very upset at this, probably ending up in another crying fit

“my sweet baby, i’ll get you a milkshake tomorrow, mkay? we don’t want to hurt your mouth even more.”

literally spoon feeds you soup at home because it’s the only thing you can eat 😭

SHAUNA

she leaves you in the bedroom to rest for a little bit, but you keep leaving to come and find her in the kitchen :(

holding you in her lap to ice your mouth because she knows you hate and you try to take the ice pack off any chance you get

she changes your gauze eventually and you make it SO hard for her 😭😭😭😭

“hey, hey. hold still. and stop touching your mouth, honey. i know you can’t feel your lips, honey- no, they’re not gone-”

she’s literally bribing you with treats and cuddles to behave

NAT

he would actually film you LMAO and send it to the yj gc when you’re conscious

he’s feeding into the silly things that you tell the doctor because you’re high as a kite 😭

forgot how to change your gauze the minute you got to the motel and had to call your doctor for a over the phone tutorial

“nooo, you can’t be eating from the vending machine right now. you want some ice cream from the corner store?”

scared to leave you unattended for so long so he runs down the street and buys the ice cream and by the time he comes back, you’re sprawled out sleeping on the bed 😭

TAISSA

she’s so bossy when it comes to your health and you actually kinda like it…

when she changes your gauze, you try to whine and pull away from her but she sit sits you right back up in her lap

sends you upstairs because she can tell the meds are making you sleepy

“you’re gonna go to sleep and rest, okay? take a little nap.”

she takes your phone because she doesn’t want you to be distracted or trying to fight sleep, but you ask her to stay with you until you fall asleep and of course she says yes :( she gives into you begging for her to turn on your favorite show too :3

VAN

van is the complete opposite of taissa here LMAO

making dad jokes and telling you about the strange plots of his favorite sandra bullock movies just to get your mind off the pain

chuckling at your groan when he tells you all his shitty jokes

“yeah, i was watching the news this morning, and you know the energizer bunny, right? well, he got arrested for battery…”

cooks you up a fresh can of campbells soup (he can’t cook it from scratch to save his life)

MISTY

she's there for you on hand and foot, getting you painkillers, more blankets, whatever you needed

you get so surprised when she brings in your favorite movies and makes your (she remembers all of your personal interests, even if they’re minor)

she will talk your ear off while you’re trying to rest from the anesthesia, but you don’t know how to ask her to stop 😭😭

“but caligula refrused to leave his cage today. but i think he’s just getting older and moodier- oh you’re trying to sleep? ᵃᵐ ᶦ ᵇᵉᶦⁿᵍ ᵗᵒᵒ ˡᵒᵘᵈ?”

she starts whispering instead, petting your head until you fall asleep in her lap

[homestuckreplay]

How Does Dave See John?

TG: dont talk to john anymore hes an impressionable doofus (p.1657)

Ever since reading Davesprite’s conversation with gallowsCalibrator where he chastises her for getting John killed, I’ve struggled to get it off my mind. There’s a few passing references in early acts, but Act 4 is the first time we’ve seen Dave talk extensively about John, with John not around – and he paints an interesting picture.

GC: SO JOHN 4CTU4LLY D1D WH4T 1 S41D? TG: yeah TG: im telling you TG: huge pushover TG: he will do what you say TG: unless it happens to be for his own good TG: then all a sudden hes a tough nut to crack go figure (p.1657)

In this chatlog, Dave hasn’t spoken to John for four months – before that, they likely spoke every day for years. That’s a big hole in Dave’s life, so of course he’s furious with the person who caused that. It makes sense, as well, that Dave’s opinions of John are overshadowed by that important final interaction, not by their day to day mutual teasing and goofing off.

Here, Davesprite sees John as someone he has to defend, and as someone who’s easily manipulated and not really capable of making his own decisions. Whether or not that’s actually true, it makes sense coming from someone who’s spent four grueling months mastering time travel and personal independence under life or death conditions, and pre-sprite future Dave expresses something similar when talking to Rose.

TG: i go back and tell john not to be an idiot and get trolled like such a gullible stooge (p.1643)

It’d be a fair interpretation to say that Davesprite’s hero complex is about wanting to save the whole timeline, all of his friends and maybe even the future of humanity, and John just happens to be the specific person who needs saving to accomplish that. However, I personally think this is about Dave’s feelings towards John specifically, and I have three different angles I want to briefly discuss this from: Dave’s birthday note, gender, and fan interpretations.

Dave’s Note.

A few pages after GC and Davesprite’s conversation, we see the note Dave included with John’s birthday package – most likely written in early April of 2009, a week or so before the kids play Sburb. Here’s about 2/3 of the note quoted in full.

i would suggest you put it somewhere and display it ironically but i know youre dead serious about this ridiculous shit so youll probably sleep with the damn thing and nibble its ear and stuff but the weird thing is thats whats cool about you. youre this naive guy like pinocchio tumbled ass backwards off the turnip truck and started liking ghostbusters. then the fairy godmother kissed your nose or some shit and you turned out to be not made of wood and also pretty cool to talk to. one day your gooberish ways are gonna land you in a jam and i know im going to have to get you off the hook but its cool i got your back bro. then we'll meet and hug bump and get each others filthy wife beaters that much filthier so yeah (p.1662)

Here’s the key points I’m getting from this.

Dave defines John by the differences between them.

The way Dave sees John is almost infantilizing; he definitely thinks John is more innocent than he is and less capable of taking care of himself.

Dave loves John so, so much, and he can’t help but express that, even when it contradicts his usual persona.

Irony versus sincerity is a big theme in John and Dave’s conversations dating back to Act 1, as is their respective opinions on pieces of media – usually things John likes and Dave doesn’t, with GameBro Magazine as a notable exception (p.26). Another theme is Dave’s ‘expertise’, with him often positioning himself as knowing more than John and flaunting his superior knowledge, like with their conversations about John’s sylladex and strife specibus (p.35).

In truth, Dave probably has more life experience than John. Bro certainly isn’t trying to keep him sheltered from anything, and Dave is constantly in dangerous situations and surrounded by adult content. He lives in a city, gets into fights, has partly raised himself, and probably hangs out in some weird corners of the internet. John’s life is hard in different ways – he’s a lot more sheltered, and he’s been allowed to have a longer childhood. Even their shared gifts reflect this. John gives Dave a gift that hides his face, makes him look older, shields him from a tough world, and was worn by an adult in a movie. Dave gives John a gift that’s typically given to a young child (Casey is around seven in Con Air) and represents vulnerability, softness, and a need for comfort.

Even if he doesn’t admit it, Dave might wish he’d had a childhood more like John’s. He wants John to have what he couldn’t, which might be why he tries to hide the weirdest things Bro does (and his own discomfort with them) from John. And he wants to use the combat skills he’s learning from Bro to protect someone, instead of hurt them. The love between them is defining and specific, and I actually do think that Dave would go further to protect John than he would to protect Rose or Jade, even though he cares about them a lot too. It’s difficult to find hard evidence for this – it’s really more of a feeling - but the closest I’ve got is that he sends Jade a signed Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff poster for her birthday, which isn’t even in the same league as the Con Air bunny.

There are definitely examples of Dave being naive and oblivious to the world, like when he’s telling himself he loves puppets and is totally chill with Cal, and there are examples of John being smart and intuitive, like when he starts to realize WV is controlling him and fights back. Those things are true of them as individuals, and are even visible in a fair few of their conversations (see p.287 for a great example) but when Dave talks about John, he leans really hard into their experienced/naive dichotomy. I think it’d be so interesting if, when they meet in person one day, they’re forced to confront these other sides of each other and put into a situation where John gets to be the one to take care of Dave and demonstrate his own capabilities.

--

Gender.

ok so that was all based on the text, now let’s talk headcanons and wild speculation: I think these kids might be transgender.

John, in Act 1 and 2, is characterized by detachment from his life, discomfort in his relationship with his father, and a strict, by the numbers understanding of certain trappings of ‘normal’ life. Dad leaves a piece of paper taped behind his safe, addressing John as ‘son’ and focusing on John’s strength and manliness (p.546). Dad himself is extremely strong, able to lift anything Jack Noir uses to keep him contained and fight the strongest Derse agents, and these are clearly the qualities he prizes in his son too. John also thinks that a ‘proper gentleman’ needs a monocle (p.27) and that a father needs a pipe (p.74), both of which are pretty weird and outdated ideas about masculinity which definitely come from old movies, not from actual deeply held beliefs.

John is also 100% capable of repressing very obvious parts of himself for a very long time, like with the clown graffiti on his walls (p.1001). So, distancing himself from being a man combined with obliviousness towards parts of his own mind makes it possible that John is a trans woman, and hasn’t figured this out yet. Worth mentioning also that John is the only kid to change his Pesterchum handle within the timeline of the story, and John later changing his name would be a very cool resonance.

Dave is more complex, and in a vacuum I think it’s possible to read his gender a few different ways – but it’s most interesting to me if he’s a trans man who came out and socially transitioned when he was a young child. It explains why he spends so much time online (it’s the place he can guarantee being stealth) and why he works SO hard to consciously construct his ironic persona, and works even harder to make it look effortless. Dave has always struck me as this person who’s constantly working twice as hard to keep up with what comes easily and naturally to others, and still not always getting it right. That applies to coolness, which he fails at because wearing sunglasses indoors isn’t actually cool, it applies to fighting, which he fails at when Bro kicks his ass every time even after years of training, and it applies to masculinity, where he’s constantly fighting against hitting puberty and how others perceive him when other boys around him don’t have to deal with any of that. And because he’s working so hard to pass and be accepted, Dave has definitely internalized some gender roles which aren’t that great, and leans way too hard into the ‘asshole teenage boy’ stereotype – like in his first conversation with adiosToreador (p.1099). It’s shitty for sure, but he also doesn’t have someone like John’s dad to be a better example of masculinity.

So I think Dave actively and intentionally buys into masculinity infinitely more than John does, and part of that is leaning into the ‘protector’ role when it comes to his friends. In this read, I don’t think either John or Dave consciously suspect anything about the other’s gender or trans status – but a real-world phenomenon that I and a lot of my friends have experienced is making queer friends while young and feeling a strong connection to them, despite not knowing each other is queer. Consciously, John and Dave think of each other as ‘best bros’ but there’s also an unconscious understanding that they share something deeper. Dave’s protectiveness of John extends to being ready to support and even physically defend John if and when he starts exploring gender, and John’s clear respect for Dave is partly because beneath the irony, Dave is taking the risk of expressing a very authentic part of himself in ways that John is currently not ready to.

As mentioned above, although they tease each other, a lot of their interactions are roughly built on this perceived dichotomy between John’s earnestness and whimsy versus Dave’s irony and impatience. So I think it’s interesting if the difference between them extends to being different genders, and is subverted by John being the one who’s actually putting up a front and Dave being the one who’s actually being himself. And, of course, their close friendship represents a shared trans solidarity.

--

Fan Interpretations.

I really like my interpretations here, but I’m not the only person reading this comic. On April 10, 2010, which of course is today, lots of people feel very differently. A lot of first-year Homestuck fans were also Problem Sleuth fans (or read it after catching up on Homestuck), and Problem Sleuth, plus a good number of other webcomics, don’t invite much complex character analysis. I’ve seen people shocked by the tone shift following ‘[S] Dave: Accelerate’, because they’ve never seen a webcomic kill two of its main characters, send two others to a dark timeline, and take those ideas seriously.

I have no way of knowing what’s discussed on the MSPA forums, but across multiple other forums, most people one-dimensionally see Dave as ‘cool’ and as someone to emulate, and John as ‘stupid’ and as someone to enjoy reading about but to feel superior to. In this way, they’re specifically leaning into Dave’s perceptions of both himself and John. Dave describes John as ‘gooberish’ in his note – a word that has never appeared in Homestuck before, but has definitely come up in forum discussions.

In sitcoms, it’s pretty common for characters to feel like real people in season one, but by season five, their most extreme and comedic traits are exaggerated while their more nuanced and human traits are suppressed. I think a lot of this comes from how viewers respond to these characters, and what becomes their ‘iconic’ moments in early seasons. That’s the case even with a lot of distance between writers and audience – in Homestuck, Hussie engages so much with fans and reads the MSPA forums in real time, so it’s likely that fan interpretations could influence in-comic characterization. This feels especially true now the cast of characters is expanding so much, which makes it harder to keep track of the complexities of each one.

Overall, I really love John and Dave’s existing dynamic, and how all the beta kids have been characterized so far. In all cases, there’s great groundwork for future character arcs. It’d be a real shame to see any of them become caricatures of themselves. And while I don’t think this is happening in a serious way yet, there are slight shifts in how they’ve been written over time. That could be their changing responses to situations in universe, or could be Hussie’s changing understandings of the characters, and either way I think it’s something to pay attention to. So despite the risk of ending this post on a negative note, I’m going to finish by putting these two interactions side by side.

EB: i do things ironically sometimes. EB: what about what i sent you for your birthday? TG: no those are awesome EB: what? no, they're stupid, which was the joke. the IRONIC joke. get it? EB: wait... EB: you're actually wearing them, aren't you? TG: im wearing them ironically TG: because theyre awesome TG: the fact that theyre ironic makes them awesome TG: and vice versa (p.110)

EB: yeah, of course! EB: there was no way i wasn't trying out this sweet ride. TG: god dammit what do i have to do to make you believe me TG: fist bump my future self til i got bloody knuckles and write you an even sappier bday note in my own blood TG: on a back to the future poster EB: relax, i'm not going through the gate! EB: i am just flying around, and having a good time in the sky. (p.1667)

[insomniasleeps]

GCS Shorts 2

Deleted scenes of my timkon au (they would have made the cut- well they still might this is just brainrot bc I'm tired of chapters that need logic)

Kon: I kind of like "Kon-El" ngl . Nice name he gave me, it could go as a nickname for Conner too.

Lex: I came up with Conner first. *Rolls eyes*

Lex: Superman is very unoriginal.

Kon: But Mercy told me you used a name generator-

~

Jason: Ok so I know you don't like me that much

Conner: Yeah.

Jason: It was my bad, that kryptonite bullet probably hurt-

Kon: HUh- no I'm not mad at you for shooting me

Jason: What.

Kon: I'm mad bc you got dirt stains on my couch when you broke in :(

~

Tim: *scowls* I don't like you. at all.

Also Tim: *Obsessively checks Kon's entire year's worth of digital footprint* *hides evidence of Kon not being a regular person* *defends Stray from insults on the internet* *hacks into Gotham U's cameras bc he's 'just checking in'* *proceeds to triple seal the still-existing records of Kon's past and doesn't even tell Kon he knows about the pre-Elle Hades behavior*

Kon: I like you. you're nice. *thinks Tim is (pretty) neat*

Tim: *dies of embarrassment bc why tf did he say that TIM IS BI PANICKING*

Jason: fucking gay losers *goes to read his romance mystery novel that has doomed gays*

~ Jason and Tim arguing

Jason: Fuck you, you little fuck-

Tim: That's grammatically incorrect. For all the classical literature you read you sure-

Cass: *Watching them with a raised brow as she stretches for ballet because their body language says they're about to fight*

Cass: Jason. Put the gun away. *Frowns disapprovingly- they can throw hands outside of her practice room*

Jason: *Groans and puts it away, turning to leave*

Cass: Tim. I saw your staff. Turn the taser off.

Tim: *sighs but repockets it and goes back to doing WE work on his laptop*

~

Damian: I hate Drake.

Dick: but you guys get ice cream together after ditching us at Galas all the time?

Damian: We are... on amicable terms despite my distaste towards him.

Damian: He also can hold a decent conversation regarding the behaviors of cats *in Damian terms this means talking about cute cat shenanigans*

Damian: He is also good with Cats. Alfred is a stellar example.

Dick: Oh my god my little brothers are adorable *cries*

*somewhere else*

Tim: *suffering as he coughs- he patted an alley cat that Damian found and his spleenless ass got sick*

Kon: *frowns* Are you ok???

Tim: Yeah, but I might need to be hospitalized

Kon: What?! why

Tim: I don't have a spleen

Kon: *immediately understands bc of the info programmed into him* you don't have an immune system!? TIM THIS IS GOTHAM

Tim: *passes out randomly *

~ Thug 1: ??? why is it so bright rn it's cloudy

Thug 2: *turns around* FUCK ITS THE SIGNAL- AND THE STRAY

Duke: You again *Immediately makes so much light it's as blinding as being close to the sun*

Thug 2: *screaming in pain due to the permanent damage being done to his retinas*

Duke: *realizes someone else is on the job with him and panics to check on his partner (usually works w bats so he's concerned about using his powers despite Kon being a meta)* STRAY ARE YOU OKAY

Kon: *feeling refreshed from the false sunlight* yeah *thumbs up* I feel great wow

Duke: I keep forgetting you're the spawn of Superman, dude *relieved*

Thug 1&2: *blinded but able to hear* HES WHAT-

*Gotham thugs are never the same. What the fuck do you mean the former alley-scruffer-turned-arkham-breakout-fighter- slash-bat-associate is the SON of SUPERMAN the REALLY STRONG ALIEN HERO. They're supposed to fight him??? He can literally turn them into squash on the concrete that he used to wrap around them because OF COURSE if he wasnt already insane this motherfucker has telekinesis*

*But when one of them voices that he interrupts and goes "Well, actually, it's called tactile telekinesis where you-" he proceeds to explain all the things he could do with it, and their horror is growing because what does he mean by "peel your skin off and have it slide right back"- what the fuck- WHY THE FUCK HASNT BATMAN KICKED HIM OUT HES KILLING PEOPLE BY GIVING THEM HEART ATTACKS FROM RISING BLOOD PRESSURE.*

~

*mob boss using a MACHINE GUN on the bats (Robin and Red Robin let's say) while they're knocked out from the gas that spread*

mob boss: why the fuck are they bulletproof what the fuck

*mud monster appearing out of nowhere and covering the bats to take them away while not even dirtying them*

mob boss: *sees it as a demonic creature taking away its masters as he gets knocked on his ass by the concrete and then it wraps around to hold him in place until Batman comes*

mob boss: fucking Gotham is out to get me THE CITY AND THE PEOPLE I JUST GOT BEAT BY CONCRETE

*Batman comes, sees Stray sitting in a corner trying to do his calculus homework on his cellphone*

mob boss: BATMAN- WHOS CHILD WAS SACRIFICED TO SUMMON YOUR FAMILY YOU DEMONS- *gets knocked out by air (Kon)*

Batman: *dry and disappointed but slightly amused* you could have also stopped Red Robin and Robin from inhaling the gas.

Kon: *shrugging as he's working on hw* I was told to stay out because they needed to see who could brave the gas the longest. They were both knocked out at the same time.

[x-reader-things]

2 am thoughts rn am very tired lmao-

Imagine readers actually very bad at flirting but it comes off as endearing-

They’re panicking internally cause sometimes they can’t tell whether what they said is wrong or not when they’re actively trying to do that instead of passively doing the usual banter [journalist with social anxiety fr]

Boss is like ‘keep doing what you’re doing you’re doing great’-

Ekko and Hobie are just thriving off of the chaos and banter-

Reader is not thriving in these conditions [but at least Ekko and Hobie make them comfortable enough to relax though]-

And the fandom is in absolute shambles-

Imagine there was already a ship of Ekko and Hobie in the depths of AO3 before you showed up and created 3 new tags on the site because of a single interview. (about actor!Ekko and rockstar!Hobie and journalist!Reader)

Lol for a second there I thought you were talking aby irl 😂 I was about to say that there's def fics for that ship if you dig for it

Hobie screenshots it and puts it in his story and everyone goes wild for it ("they're like what are u doing on ao3 sir???")and Ekko reposts it and now it's all over socmed 😂 r wakes up to thousands of notifs and thinks they're getting cancelled for a sec 😂