#The post itself was funny with the punch line

[katt-sports]

How it feels to have a different headcanon to the rest of Miiblr:

Featuring Tootsie (@itsokjunii) as the Takumi x joking fem reader post inspired this and I wanted to make a comedic response as someone who can see Takumi with a woman.

[welcometothejianghu]

Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 少年歌行/The Blood of Youth

The Blood of Youth is a 2022 live-action adaptation of the tale of a deposed, disabled, and incredibly cunty prince who's on his way back to settle the score with his asshole father, and the rag-tag band of weirdos he accumulates along the way, including Spear Girl, Bad Monk, and Fire Puppy (pictured above).

I hope you like shounen anime, because this is the most shounen anime something is allowed to be without actually being based on something running weekly in Shounen Jump. What if Nirvana in Fire were also Naruto? It would be the Blood of Youth.

This show is an underrated gem of action-packed fun that not nearly enough people in English-speaking fandom have seen. In an attempt to correct that -- and ahead of an announced second season and prequel in progress -- I'm here with five reasons you should try it out.

1. Zero thoughts head empty

You do not have to pay an enormous amount of attention to this show to understand what's going on. The show itself does not always know what's going on. It got distracted by a shiny object over there, and now we're all gearing up to go punch the shiny object. We'll get back to the main plot when we're done with the punching.

It has a million billion plot threads going on at any given moment. Bad guys roll in from sects you've never heard of before, using superpowers with stupid names, only to get kicked into next week. There's approximately eleventy thousand characters -- so many, in fact, that I ran into problems several times while making this rec post, because there aren't readily available photos of everyone I want to talk about. Just look at the DramaWiki cast list. See how it goes on for like fifty screens? That's a little what the show feels like.

Except I'm not saying that like it's a bad thing, because the show knows it's doing this, and it acts accordingly. It telegraphs pretty well who's important and who isn't (and then it goes out of its way to color-code the latter, which is handy). What you're left with is absolutely a manga-style plot, complete with training arcs and semi-relevant sidequests, all working up to the final boss match.

It is an extremely self-aware show. On multiple occasions, something would happen, I would crack a joke about it, and then a beat later the show itself would make the exact same joke. I wouldn't call it an outright comedy, but it's still very funny, and on purpose. It has no illusions about being some kind of profound, meaningful epic. Mostly it's just here for a good time.

Yet this lightheartedness is what makes the powerful emotional parts really powerful by contrast. The show is not stupid; it's just goofing around most of the time. When it knuckles down, it can be devastating. And you know what? It does wind up being profound and meaningful about some stuff. How about that.

So yeah, if you're up for something that bops merrily right along and only occasionally rips your heart out, here you go!

2. Putting the poly in polycule

Bisexuals, rejoice! It's representin' time!

Here you go, I made a relationship chart of about 40% of the show's potential and canonical ships. I could have included so many more, but I only had so much space on the image, so I had to leave out some amazing ones, like the sword hedgehog who's real into this one cougar who could easily wipe the floor with him, or the rich nerd who thinks he has a chance with the aforementioned hot butch, or the fancy MILF who cheated on the emperor with a dreamy jianghu man and is trying not to cheat on him again with a different, slightly less dreamy jianghu man. See? There's just so much.

I would also say these are not exclusive ships. They are extremely inclusive ships. I am a fan of most (though admittedly not all) of the pairings listed here, and in fact of many of the three-and-more-somes indicated by these lines. They're such a cuddle puddle of shared intense feelings that it's hard to imagine anyone getting more than mildly jealous. Moreover, the potential for romance does not get in the way of hetero friendships; a boy and a girl who are each dating other people can go do adventures together, and (mostly) nobody gets weird about it, which is nice. If anything, what makes the overall dynamic so polycule-like is how equally friends and love interests get treated, meaning that it's not difficult to see a lot of crossover potential between those two categories.

If you're like me, you're hesitant about canonical romance, especially when it's straight, mostly because so many straight love stories wind up being tiresome, gross, and/or skull-poundingly boring. You will then be pleasantly surprised by how the canon pairings with members of the main cast are not like this at all!

Xiao Se and Sikong Qianluo are the main textual romance, and golly gee, they're just cute as heck. As the chart above indicates, I like interpreting them as two Kinsey 6's who have found their single exceptions, Mulder-and-Scully-style. Maybe one of the best things about their relationship is that it gets sidelined all the time for the plot. They're not so busy being in love that they forget to get shit done. Then they get a bit of downtime and get to go on a date, and you're like, aww, those sweet gay disaster babies are gonna do a little bit of heterosexuality. Just precious.

Tang Lian and Fairy Rui are right up there with the cuteness. She's a sex-positive dancing beauty who wants to ride that pretty boy like she stole him, and he's a shy sword boy so tightly bottled up that he'll explode if he sees a bare ankle. Avoiding spoilers, I will simply say that this is a pairing of two relatively soft people, until a bad thing happens to one of them and the other hardens up about it. If that's your jam, they're here for you.

Lei Wujie and Ye Ruoye are probably the most magical and the most practical of the bunch. They have a beautiful, super-dreamy, really horny sword-dance meet-cute, complete with its own pop song ... and then that's it, they're basically just together. She likes him, he likes her, good for them. In-laws aside, it's a refreshingly low-drama situation. Besides, I always love it when the hypercompetent woman gets the sweet, devoted himbo who'd do anything for her. Ruoye's had a hard life, and she deserves someone who can dick her down good at night and make her a nourishing breakfast the next morning.

And then there is, of course, The Ship:

Xiao Se and Wuxin are canonical, textual soulmates. The show treats their dynamic as more important than any other. It's so important, in fact, that the show has to sideline Wuxin for huge parts of the drama, lest everything get too damn gay. They each get a boyfriend catch on the other. They both do fairly reckless things when the other is in trouble. They are the secret hidden happy ending to the series. They share the kind of ride-or-die relationship built on mutually being the hugest bitches in any given room. Whether or not you think this is romance, it is extremely romantic, and the series agrees as much as it can, all things considered.

And if none of those flavors of love float your boat? Well, have you considered ... eunuchs?

3. She likes e4e

So I'm on record as being real into eunuch characters, right? Well, if you're with me on that, you are in for a treat here, because these are some absolutely buck-wild eunuchs.

There's five main ones, and I can't even begin to scratch the surface of what's going there. Like, really, I don't even think I understood all of what was happening with them. They're kind of the bad guys, but then they're kind of the good guys, but then some of them are the bad guys, but then they're just working for the bad guys, but then they screw over the bad guys, and ... it's just a lot, okay? It's a lot, and it's all happening with this bunch of catty bitches.

Also, you would not believe the difficult time I had finding any images for this section. I guess for some reason, fandom isn't way into a bunch of canonically dickless color-coordinated middle-aged men in weird hats? Whatever, man, they are missing out. If, however, you have the good sense to be into the intense and complicated (semi-romantic??) relationships among colleagues who also professionally just happen to be missing their external genitalia, buddy, strap in (and maybe strap on, depending).

Don't let me oversell how much these guys are in the show. They're not. They're vaguely important at points throughout, and they become incredibly important near the end, but they're hardly main characters. They're mostly back at the palace, doing their various schemes and looking absolutely fantastic.

So if they're such a minor part of the story, why do they get their own selling point? Well, I think their presence is a good example of two specific things about the show:

Specific thing the first: It's so queer -- not gay, but queer. Thinking back to my last selling point, you will notice how many of those straight pairings may look normie on the outside, but once you get down to it are not playing by cishet rules. (For instance, I've seen a lot of people read Tang Lian's resistance to sexual advances as asexuality, which, sure!) Likewise, there are lots of incredibly important, intimate relationships that don't conform to standard romantic pair dynamics. Add to that a lot of bodies with unusual characteristics and conditions, and you've got the makings of plenty of delightful non-normative love stories.

Specific thing the second: There are so many things going on with so many side characters that there's a kink here for everyone. Don't care for eunuchs? How about slinky villains with mind-control powers? Devoted servants who would do anything for their masters? Former bad guys who owe life-debts to the good guys who saved them? Bonded pairs traipsing around the jianghu together? Sons nursing legitimate grudges against the men who killed their fathers? Alcoholic widowers with incredibly slutty necklines? Mysterious cross-dressers with unconvincing moustaches? Vengeful brides? Martial siblings? Murderous royals? Guilt-ridden half-siblings? Boring star-crossed lovers? All these and more! It's a smorgasbord of rarepair fuel!

Also, I just love these toxic drama queens. It's like if RuPaul's Drag Race had the authority to have you executed.

4. The most intriguing outfits I've ever seen in anything (and yes, I'm including Winter Begonia)

Time for a fashion show!

The asymmetrical fits, the detailed embroidery on everything, the brilliant colors -- everybody just looks so good. And yet everything still looks ... eh, I don't know if "practical" is the word I want, but at least wearable. Nobody's dragging ten-foot trains of fabric behind them or wrapped in eighty floofy layers of gauze (except Rui, but she's special). Their outfits are strange and elaborate, but they don't defy physics.

What's truly stunning is how often they get new outfits. Xiao Se alone changes clothes about once every other episode, and more if he's getting a flashback. He is the fashion plate of the whole series, and every look he serves is pitch-perfect.

They're not outright color-coded, but the main characters do have certain colors associated with them -- which is extra-fun when you watch those colors bleeding into their friends' clothes as their relationships get stronger. I also think -- and I'm willing to be proven wrong on this point, but I think I'm right -- that they recycle some characters' outfits into parts of other characters' outfits. On more than one occasion, I'd swear that Lei Wujie shows up wearing the left half of something Xiao Se was wearing a few episodes back (tailored to fit him, of course, because that dumb ponytail boy is tall).

Where I think the costume design gets massive points, though, is that the costumes are themselves adaptations.

Before the live-action series, there was a 2018 3D animated donghua. I have never watched the latter, but apparently the drama is intensely faithful to the animated visuals, to the point where some fights are shot-for-shot remakes.

Of course, you can do a lot more with unreal clothing and bodies in animation -- and you can show a lot more skin, at least according to Chinese content laws. The live-action costumers chose to preserve about as many of the appearance beats from the donghua as they could manage, while still accepting the limitations of real-life bodies and materials. You can see some side-by-side comparisons here. The live-action outfits manage to be instantly recognizable without being slavishly devoted recreating to their inspirations.

So if you're sick and tired of dreary, ill-lit shows with bland palettes, this vibrant, colorful drama may be just the thing for you. It's a rainbow from start to finish.

5. Actually a good central plot?

Despite all the wacky delightful shounen nonsense that this show has -- and it has a lot -- the core of the whole narrative, which is Xiao Se's story, is surprisingly great and cohesive.

The short version is this: Xiao Se used to be Xiao Chuhe, sixth prince and somewhat heir apparent. Then he and his jerk-ass dad had a falling-out that resulted in the prince's having his martial arts abilities all but taken from him. He's been living the life of a very well-dressed innkeeper for several years, trying to avoid all of that palace garbage. But now his jerk-ass dad is dying, which means that a lot of horrible decisions are finally having unfortunate consequences for everyone, and Xiao Se's got to get back in there to make sure everything does not go to shit and land someone terrible on the throne -- even if it has to mean taking it himself.

His central conflict is between what he used to be and what he's become. Does he miss being Xiao Chuhe, high-ranked martial artist and future emperor? Or is he happier being Xiao Se, long-suffering nobody who can barely run a business, much less hold his own in a fight? What would he be willing to do to get back what he's lost? What are his obligations to himself versus his obligations to everyone else? How much is he responsible for his father's bullshit? And why has he wound up having to babysit this stupid Fire Puppy?

It's okay, they're best friends now. Lei Wujie decided.

No spoilers, but I liked Xiao Se's ending a lot. I feel it's very true to the character and shows a real understanding of who he is and what he values. And really, at the end of the day, sometimes all you need for a happy ending is your girlfriend, your girlfriend's girlfriend, your girlfriend's girlfriend's boyfriend who's also your boyfriend, your other boyfriend, his girlfriend, and your long-distance for-real soulmate.

Feel like giving the youths a try?

You can find them on YouTube or on Viki. But be absolutely sure that no matter where you watch it, you make sure to go watch the epilogue as well. (And if you get real into the story, well, here's a link to information about all the other adaptations.)

You are also welcome for how I did not spend this post going off for five hundred years on how much I love Wuxin and his funky relationship to Buddhism. I figured that's way too niche of a selling point for most people, and might indeed have even been counterproductive. But know that I could have.

Also, I'm very happy about the announcement of a second season, because that's going to mean Liu Xueyi has to shave his head again, and he looks unbearably good with a shaved head.

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention the whole motorcycle photoshoot?

In case you hadn't noticed, the whole cast is stupidly hot. Hachi machi.

[its-time-to-write]

Hi,

Just discovered your page and I am obsessed! I was wondering if you could do something about Jamie getting hurt and the reader meeting him in the treatment room and comforting him? Or something along those lines, I trust you!

Thanks!

Dang, you’re putting my angst skills to the test! I wrote this instead of doing homework. Probs won’t post again till the weekend, but who knows? Not me, that’s for sure. Thanks for requesting!

feeling fragile, can’t you tell

Football matches are always tense. It’s all about squeezing Keeley’s hand when Richmond gets the ball, booing when they miss and screaming when they score. You never know how they’re going to end until they’re done, and god it kills you. Especially when Jamie has the ball. You feel like you can’t breathe until you see it swoosh into the net, after which your chest loosens up.

You love it. Mostly.

The part you don’t love is the part that results in the medics being called onto the field. Some injuries are accidental, some are on purpose. You hate those. You’ve watched more players kick, shove, and punch each other than you would care to count. Your least favorite injury so far was when a burly player broke Sam’s foot “on accident.” You thought Roy and Isaac were going to commit murder.

Jamie told you the next morning that the whole team egged the man’s house that night. That’s why he had been late coming over. He wouldn’t tell you who’s idea it was, but you have a vague recollection of Jamie telling childhood stories about egging houses with his friends.

Injuries are truly awful.

Which is why you’re standing stock-still in the owner’s box, clutching Keeley’s arm and willing Jamie to get up.

He’d done this thing where he kicked the ball away from the opposing team, but landed on his back funny. Rebecca whispers, “Oh god, it’s Roy all over again,” and you remember being told about Roy’s injury. The one that took him out of the game for good.

Jamie’s only twenty-five, you reason to yourself, he has to be ok. 

He still hasn’t gotten up. The medical team are rushing onto the field, and you’re pushing past Rebecca, running downstairs to go find him.

Keeley is hot on your heels, running as best she can in her heels which, honestly, is actually pretty good.

You’re not quite sure where you’re going, feeling blinded by worry. Keeley grabs your arm and tugs you toward the treatment room.

You burst through the doors right behind Keeley, who has almost run smack into Roy. He looks grim, more grim than usual.

“What’s wrong with him?” you whisper, mindful of the atmosphere in the treatment room. Jamie is on a table on his back, face white.

“Passed out,” Roy responds gruffly. “Fucked his leg and back pretty bad, but doesn’t explain why he’s fucking unconscious.”

Tears are beginning to form, and Keeley wraps her arms around your waist. 

You move out of the doorway so the medics can pick up Jamie in a stretcher and move him to the ambulance.

You get a closer look at him as he passes by, features slack.

You feel like you’re choking.

—

The ride to the hospital is a blur. You’re not even sure how you ended up in Roy’s car, but you’re there, sitting in the back seat with Keeley’s comforting presence the only thing keeping you loosely tethered to reality.

Your mind is running through every possible scenario as to why he passed out. None of them are good. He’s messed up his back and leg before, but never to this point. And his face.

You can’t stop thinking about his face.

To be honest, he looked dead.

Panic starts to hit again, and it takes every ounce of control you have to force yourself to breathe.

—

You’re outside Jamie’s hospital room now. His doctor said he pulled some muscles, and passed out from a combination of too little water, food, and sleep. The pain must have been enough to trigger his body into finally catching up with itself. 

You sigh, and push open the door, Roy and Keeley promising to wait for you outside.

Jamie is propped up in the bed, IVs in his arms for hydration.

At the sight of you, he says a soft, “hey, babe.”

He’s still so pale, and the tears you’d been holding in start streaming out.

“What happened, Jamie?” you ask, sitting on the chair next to his bed. You take his hand in yours. “How did I not know you weren’t eating?”

Jamie’s quiet for a moment, and you can see a glimmer of a tear in his left eye.

“I dunno,” he replies softly.

He doesn’t say anything after that, so you’re just left sitting there, hand-in-hand, in silence. He’s staring at the end of his bed, you’re staring at his face.

When it becomes clear he has no intention of speaking up you say, “Jamie.”

He turns to you, eyes hollow. “Saw me dad last week.”

You blink. 

Oh.

“Oh,” you say out loud.

Jamie is silent for a beat, then says, “Didn’t tell ya because I didn’t want you to worry. He’s a piece of shit and my fuckin problem, not yours.”

You shake your head and bring his hand up to your lips. “Jaim. I’m so sorry. I am so, so sorry,” because you know exactly what he’s saying.

You had assumed you hadn’t seen Jamie due to all his extra training. 

You had assumed that he was taking care of himself in preparation for the game, like he always did.

You had assumed too much, because his dad was an unknown variable that threw a wrench in every place he found himself in. 

The last time his dad had shown up, Jamie had tried to stop eating. You say tried because you basically force-fed him after the first day. He also couldn’t sleep. You could feel him tossing and turning, getting up to pace around, just restless. You’d rub his shoulders, hold him close, but nothing worked. He didn’t sleep well for two weeks when he was finally so tired that his body pretty much just shut down.

So. His passing out makes sense now.

Jamie is gripping your hand, knuckles white, tears beginning to roll down his face. His face, which he is trying to keep stoic, and is beginning to return to its normal color.

“Jamie,” you say. “Jamie, you don’t have to keep all this in.”

He shrugs. 

“No, I’m serious,” you continue, “You shouldn’t keep this all in. We’re a team, you know? We’re supposed to share this kind of thing with each other, and if you think I don’t want to hear it or can’t handle it, then that’s a problem.”

Jamie whips his head around from his blank stare at the wall to your face. He whispers, “Are we breaking up?” fear evident in his expression.

“No,” you reply. “No. We’re just- we’re just figuring it out. I don’t want you to feel like you have to keep things from me.”

You’re beginning to lose feeling in your hand. Jamie is looking somewhat relieved, but still not great. 

“How long are you in here?” you ask.

“Doctor wants to keep me overnight. Make sure I’m hydrated or some shit.”

You hesitate. “Do you- do you want me to stay with you? I don’t have to, if you want to be alone I can just-” 

“Yes.” 

Jamie’s color is really coming back now, and he looks like someone’s removed a huge weight from his chest. “Yes, I would really fucking like it if you stayed. I can move over so you don’t have to sleep on that fucking shitty plastic couch.”

You crack a smile at that as he gingerly scoots over. You climb into the bed, mindful of his leg and the IVs. He throws an arm around you with less care than you think he should have, but you’re not going to worry about that right now so you just snuggle into his side. He’s warm, and you didn’t realize how cold you were until this exact moment.

There’s a knock on the door, and Keeley pokes her head in. 

“Everything alright, babes?” she asks.

“All good here, Keels,” Jamie responds. You give her a small smile, which she returns.

“Alright then, Roy and I are gonna go. We’ll be back to pick you up tomorrow, yeah?” She points to you. “Text me if you need anything. Won’t be getting much sleep tonight.”

You’re not sure if she means she isn’t sleeping due to the excitement of the night or because she’s going home with Roy, but she’s gone before you can ask.

You sigh and put your head on Jamie’s shoulder.

You say, “Don’t ever fucking do that again, ok?” but it comes out as a plea, voice on the edge of breaking.

He replies, “I won’t,” in such a soft, sincere tone that you believe him. 

You breath deeply for the first time that night, just glad that he’s ok and you’re together. You are a team, after all.

[luckyladylily]

Explaining the joke does not ruin the joke, that is just what became popular in place of two actual points of humor: belaboring the point ruins the joke, and explaining an unfunny joke wont save it. When explaining the joke it is very easy to accidentally do both of these. So people will say "don't explain the joke, it ruins it" when that is actually a lie. What you don't want to do is tell a joke, get a negative reaction, and then try again but worse by ruining the timing with explanatory bits.

It doesn't help that comedians, especially bad ones, hide behind "don't explain the joke" when people call them unfunny, which perpetuates the "rule".

However, explaining a good joke to someone who didn't get some key part of it will save their enjoyment of the joke. Perhaps even more key, being the only one who doesn't get to participate in the group humor is really isolating. Explaining your jokes when necessary is good, just do it right. They key is knowing how and when to explain a joke. For example, when someone asks you to, or in the tags of your post.

Also when the very premise of the joke assumes that people who read it understand something vital and unique about the joke itself or very esoteric knowledge related to the punch line. Goncharev is actually the perfect example of this, you have to know it is fake to even understand a joke is being made. Explaining the joke does not ruin it, it makes the joke possible. (on a side note, insisting the joke not be explained in this and similar cases is not funny, it just makes you an asshole.)

Most important of all, the explanation is not part of the joke and is delivered straight, not as part of the bit. Which is why explaining jokes in the tags works so well, it separates it from the bit.

So stop being assholes and explain jokes when ND people ask you to.

[mixelation]

do you recommend yugioh? i saw a screencap of the guy who's like "no more white wine spritzers before bed" or something and it kinda made me want to watch the show. but some shows (cough naruto cough) are like. i wouldnt recommend this to anybody even though i liked it. i'd tell them to watch specific episodes or fights but forget the whole show yk

oh boy. would i recommend it........ hmm. definitely i would recommend looking up an episode list/guide and skipping filler if you do decide to watch it. but for the rest.... depends on what you are looking for in a show!!

first, do not let my blog fool you. yugioh is about playing a card game. all conflict is solved with card games. all of it. every once in a while someone throws a punch or they have to escape a burning building, but usually somehow these events will also involve card games. somehow. there is ancient dark magic, but it doesn't come up nearly as much as just playing a card game. there are compelling characters and friendships, but most of their shonen-style friendship bonds are forged through the card game. you need to accept this in order to enjoy the series.

(the first few volumes of the manga use a variety of games and challenges instead of focusing on the main card game. the chapters are mostly episodic with a few longer arcs, and the focus is on yugi's friendships. also the ghost possessing him sets at least two people on fire. if you're dubious of the card game aspect but interested in getting to know the main cast, this might be up your alley.)

for the anime, a lot of the zanier lines you see in screen caps are from the english dub, which has nostalgic "call the rice ball a donut" and "give this character a ridiculous accent for no reason" vibes. sometimes the dub is genuinely funny. sometimes it's annoying. if you want an entertaining and over-the-top old school-ish anime, you might enjoy the dub.

the original Japanese is slightly more serious. for example, in the dub, Yugi does a magical girl transformation every time he uses the puzzle. this doesn't happen in the original. there's fewer bizarre ad-libbed lines (like the wine spritzer joke). in some ways it makes the show less fun? but also some of the zanier situations get a little more fun if, for example, the buzzsaws set to chop off your legs if you lose a card game aren't edited out. it is still VERY firmly a show about playing card games, but it takes itself more seriously.

honestly, if i did a rewatch, i'd probably watch the dub for duelist kingdom (the first arc) for the nostalgia and then switch to the japanese for the rest. my recollection is that post duelist kingdom is when the weird voice acting choices started to get grating, and also bizarre editing choices got worse (like changing buzzsaws to.... glowing disks that send you to the shadow realm. or something)

OR you can try YuGiOh the Abridges series, which is housed entirely on youtube and leans fully into how ridiculous YGO is as a concept. I've only seen a few rando episodes of it, but it's very well-loved. (also a warning that apparently it's very "of its time" so there might be some jokes that.... would not be acceptable in 2024.)

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

Has anyone written a guide on

How to write New York AAVE - for Miles & Miles!42

?? If so let me reblog it but if not I might write something. I don't really read for them but there are a lot of New York specific terms I can drop if anyone wants. Some of them I use in my posts (like saying 'I'm weak' in place of 'I'm laughing really hard).

Follow up question:

Do you notice any AAVE in my posts? Do any of my sayings or terms confuse you? I'm so curious cause EVERYONE IRL around me speaks fluent AAVE 24/7 unless they're in an office setting.

Every person in my school spoke it. Because it's our default way of speaking and we switch out of it, I don't notice the large differences sometimes.

[One time I was overseas and I was speaking and a British dude (granted drunkness was happening) was like 'OH you're from Texas right :) I can hear the twang' and I was like ?????????????? Absolutely not my friend now take it back ??????????

The Midwestern girls next to me was like 'ummmm he sounds extremely New Yorker, like it's not even funny'

I realized he probably thought I was Texan because I say 'y'all' A LOT. I use it 100% of the time. Saying 'you guys' here is seen as really formal. But at the time because I didn't realize I was saying y'all and speaking AAVE in front of foreigners, and since it isn't really spoken in movies or on TV - it sounded foreign and very very thick in front of them]

That's why I try to write in AAVE when I can. It's quicker, has a lot of fun sayings, and it's a legitimate writing and speech pattern with it's own words, some words having changed meanings in AAVE (like feigning or scary), and lots of other small things.

But if someone has already written it let me share it cause I wanna read

BUT IF I DO WRITE THE POST I WOULD LIKE TO DO A SOCIAL EXPERIMENT -

[It takes less than five minutes of your time and involves listening to a song]

If you've read this far and you wanna see the post, I'd love to try a little experient.

I'm really curious how knowledgeable everyone is in AAVE, and how much if it is completely lost in translation. So idea:

Act Up by City Girls is a popular rap song written completely in New York AAVE.

It's 2:30 minutes long. Can you do me a favor and go listen to it? (If English is your second language, I'd love to hear your thoughts too!) And just notice:

How much you do understand their accent, as in are you making words out of it, even if the sentences sound confusing?

How much of the lines you feel like you comprehend or get the joke?

And for fun, are there any words you either don't know at all, or words you know being used in a weird way?

WARNING: THE SONG IS VERY SEXUALLY EXPLICIT AND THEY BE CURSIN

FOR EXAMPLE of AAVE -

Like in the song Yung Miami - her name itself being AAVE for 'Young' Miami - says the lyric

'Hood bitch, good pussy

I ain't average

He can't come around with that cabbage

Pop a pussy bitch quick like a bubble gum'

Did you understand that the first time she meant a literal pussy, and the second she meant it as 'someone who isn't about their word'. Meaning she'll punch the hell out of a girl who she thinks is asking for it.

Or that cabbage is supposed to mean money?

These are just some of the lighter lines. But if you have the time, like 3-4 minutes, please check out the song and let me know your thoughts!

Also do you already know the song or City Girls?

I'm just really curious about how much AAVE people know and how in depth to go if I do write it. I'm SO SO CURIOUS.

Bye.

[howlsnteeth]

hi, just wanted you to know that if you ever wanted to like. interest-dump about cotl and your thoughts about the lore/storyline and stuff as ive seen you show in your art, id read PARAGRAPHS. im so curious and love to hear about people's interest in game/story/media lore and the interpersonal relationships within the universe!!! - from an autistic system who has loved your art since like. forever. (u can call us moss)

okay hi moss :3

i'm kind of due for an infodump on my cotl headcanons, so! i'll try be somewhat concise because this is going to be a long post anyway rip. i drew some pictures :D

(i can't really think of any warnings to give outside of usual cotl themes/killed race/dying/blood/etc but let me know)

obviously watching the destruction of your entire race is traumatic as fuck, also because it likely took a few weeks or months to achieve. so they died pretty underweight/weak bodied/pretty shut down. the bishops are gone by the time lamb is revived by toww, and their body hadn't quite made it to a 'body pit' (or food pit). still, they get Their Bell from another of their race on the way out. probably weren't thinking about it too hard and just desperately wanted to grab something while their eyes burned in their sockets and this red crown fit like molded clay in their hand. my lamb has a little notch out of their left ear which was caused while escaping, which ends up never healing because of a few reasons but mostly because i like it.

over the course of the game/story they start to slowly physically change. after revival it takes scars a Long time to fade, considering lamb is technically a walking corpse, and also because of their affiliation with Death (narinder, who has similar i'll mention later). they get dark marked lines under their eyes from that classic 'bleeding eyes' action during rituals/etc. their ears but especially horns get longer and sharper. their way of coping is similar to most lambs, jokes and pulled punches.

by the end of the 'main game/toww fight,' they've already made their choice, and start flexing their control/communication with the red crown itself. it gets harder for toww to view through it, and lamb gets somewhat intoxicated with the idea of an ultimate revenge, having killed all the other bishops. they've done everything they can to stop their cult members noticing signs of weakness, but as things get more stressful this kind of rubberbands around to them seeming extremely unstable. by the time they go to fight toww they're muttering nonstop, barely aware, and also they let their wool get longer and basically end up with a mullet. <3 because it's funny to me

they obviously beat toww and for them it's like a smashing of clarity, like a gripped handle let go, standing up from the river of blood. it's freeing but also the most pain they've ever been in. and instead of killing toww this pit in their stomach spares him. lamb went from a corpse to a god and now, in some sick way, they want to watch a god turn into a living corpse, just like them. because with every other sheep dead, narinder is the only one with a connection to that genocide, the cause of the other bishops doing it.

narinder hates their fucking guts. obvs. he thinks, or knows, that lamb is doing it on purpose. but narinder's body hasn't been normal for far, far too long. even before he was made death (as in artworks i've done with him), his body turned skeletal and rotted away. lacerations open all over his body, but especially down his front torso. when he's first brought to the cult, lamb gives him red robes, also because of this 'problem'. but narinder does every single thing he can against them. he gets white robes and lets them turn bloodied and disturbing to everyone around him.

even washing them stops working, and lamb does resign slightly to letting him sit in his dirty stupid robes. it's the pettiest shit. narinder also keeps his veil, and lamb can't bother with a reason to take it away. let that dumbass keep his yuck robes and veil. you can only stick him the stockade for a week before your other followers get too concerned.

over time, they do end up getting closer, but it comes from a place from both being touched and changed by Death, the red crown, and the choices of the other bishops. it takes a really long time and only after all the other bishops have been recruited (another whole thing). both of them catch themselves enjoying little things, and then having moments of all the pain bleeding through. an example is over time narinder does end up wearing darker robes, but it's fairly gradual. in this piece, it's lamb getting too deep in the countless lives that were taken from their race, triggered by blood (a whole little story thing), and narinder does make the (semi subconscious) choice to wear dark robes.

anyway you're probably looking at that giant shadow in the picture huh. it takes a long time but lamb Does end up truly becoming a bishop.

not 100% done with this design, but it has the basics. their main horns end up breaking off (thinking of a story behind that still). the main thing with them that i really like is they have multiple strings of bells on them. so everyone starts associating the sound of ringing bells as Death. so if you hear them, they're coming for you. that being said, they also have the ability to move completely silently, despite being covered in bells. which adds to the scaring-the-fuck-out-of-everyone factor.

there's a ton more i could get into with the other bishops, ratau, the duck siblings, the crowns themselves, more aym and baal, but i'm probably gonna do more artworks with them so i can talk more then :3 this is already too long lmao

thanks for the ask though!! it's nice knowing people are interested in my stuff :D (it's also worth mentioning that i am also a system and have alters of lamb, narinder, and aym and baal, who all contribute to this stuff)

[shigayokagayama]

"oh hm i think this chapter might end up being really long based on what i have outlined" i said 12k words ago.

thanks everyone for reading! going to be cutting a bunch of stupid doodles i did with annotations under the cut

handful of doodles i did when i was still just conceptualizing this + hadnt figured out their designs + hadnt figured out how to draw people

speaks for itself

old doodles from a slightly different version of chapter 40 before i realized making terumob a pre established couple BEFORE this moment would make it stronger. they still kind of work but are slightly less funny than they were in the version where this was the moment teru confessed.

drew this shortly after finishing chapter 18, which i wrote WAY out of order from everything else. i think i started it around when i started chapter 5 and finished it around when i was working on chapter 10

toichiro said npc + chapter 27

the first time i saw this post i went "smtwo teru and takenaka" and at some point i just started referring to takenaka as "puzzlemaster". teru and takenakas dynamic was one of my favorite things to write because like. if you build your entire persona off building a false image of yourself youre not gonna be a big fan of someone who can immediately see past that

saw this post and couldnt stop thinking of chapter 35

ok now in the realm of "doodles that started as jokes in dms" me and @teruthecreator were talking about that video where jerma fucks up pancakes in nancy drew and the idea of teru giving toichiro an absolutely dogshit unreadable pancake recipe while hes at claw that he fucks up and burns the building down

ok so this is the beginning of what came to be known as the "double date dimension" or "dinner date dimension". i shared a screencap of me adding the line about ritsu suggesting that he and shou have a double date with whoever asked mob out and the Knowers (a groupchat i started with two of my friends i made as mentally ill as me about this fic) went "this would be the most uncomfortable dinner ever can you imagine" and just kept expanding it until it sort of turned into a sitcom universe version of smtwo. dont be surprised if you see this fanfiction at some point in the future

more from the double date dimension where mob invites ritsu to a halloween party without telling him its a claw company halloween party. teru and mob go in matching costumes as the flying dead pig and the pigeon whos eyes the movie is told from (i snuck in a reference to this bc its too funny to me). takenaka goes as "book accurate frankenstein" because hes too lazy to make a costume. mob gets unbelievably wasted on jungle juice because no one told him the punch was spiked.

another from the double date dimension where they host a white elephant and teru buys a really nice gift specifically for mob and tries to get mob to steal it but mob doesnt really understand the aim of the game and ends up with a boxset of the big bang theory (dubbed) and teru gets so overcome with despair he develops a fever and is unable to speak or move from his spot on the couch as mob puts on big bang theory for him (this is based on a true story)

[yandere-daydreams]

Taking the invitation to convince you to watch the Horny Demon Shows and running with it.

I can see the argument of the humor being a little immature, especially for Helluva Boss, because it is true. That being said, in my opinion at least, Hazbin Hotel isn't nearly as horny.

There are some characters where that's their whole schtick right off the bat, but without spoiling too much they end up going into why they are the way that they are and that things need to be that way for their own sanity.

The music absolutely does slap, and there are bits of foreshadowing and lines of dialogue sprinkled throughout that you don't think much about until later on when more is revealed in the show. A moment that was funny earlier can turn absolutely gut-punching when the layers are peeled back, and honestly, it's divine.

There's only 6 episodes out at the moment for Hazbin, and only two more to come, but I definitely think it's worth a shot.

i do think i'll try to binge hazbin after the entire season's out (and after i manage to find it on a platform that does not put money in j*ff b*zo's pocket), if only because i have not been able to escape that fucking dad song since it came out and i am nothing if not curious about why the dilfs are fighting. helluva boss might take a little longer because it is just so,,, relentlessly horny, but tbf i think that makes sense for the kind of edgy, hot topic adjacent vibe they're going for so i can't really blame the show for, like, being itself. don't be hold your breath or anything but also none of you get to be surprised when i start posting about some guy who looks like he should be on a t-shirt a tween would buy then be too embarrassed to wear.

[lisasmind]

Why Apple Cider by Beabadoobee is a hiccstrid anthem!!

Pre-dating hiccstrid specifically.

So essentially the song is about having a crush and wanting to give the relationship a try.

The way i view it, first verse is astrid and second verse is hiccup.

now let's break down the lyrics:

"We both like apple cider

But your hair be smelling like fruit punch

And I don't even like you that much

Wait, I do, fuck"

The first verse is rather short (literally two lines) but like this is so Astrid.

Bea, the singer, is pointing out their differences and then later realizing she actually has a crush on this person.

Not really gonna add anything more to this cause it's pretty straight forward.

(side note: this is making me realize we never had a proper moment where astrid realized she has a crush on hiccup. I mean I guess you can count the first movie when she kissed him on the cheek, but whatever. ITS FINE ITS FINE).

Skipping the chorus cause it's basically just "let's get together and see how this goes."

NOW! This is where the REAL dots connect!

It's actually crazy how on the nose verse two is like wow.

anyway let's break this down:

"You said you liked my hair

So go ahead and touch it"

Now this is Hiccup. As we all know, Astrid likes to make little braids on Hiccup's hair.

also WE WERE ROBBED!!! Hiccup has had those braids since RTTE! The only person in this entire franchise who makes those braids IS ASTRID! And it wasn't Hiccup cause he apparently doesn't like them but keeps them on anyway cause ASTRID MADE THEM (I don't remember the source of where this came from but trust, it exists!)

I wanted to see a moment so bad of astrid asking to braid his hair for the first time or at least a little mention. That would've been so cute.

But ANYWAY sorry I got off track. These lines are Hiccup talking about how Astrid likes his hair and is giving her permission to touch it.

"You said you liked the jumper I wore

So I always wore it"

This wasn't really confirmed by anyone who worked on the franchise (at least to my knowledge) but it was more of a little gag in the fandom back when dawn of the dragon racers and rtte were released.

In dotdr, Astrid made a comment about red being Hiccup's color only for her to reveal she was actually talking to toothless.

(just wanted to add this photo cause of his little pout HICCUP NOOO 😭)

Nonetheless, Hiccup still went on to change his wardrobe from green to red and the fandom's little gag was that Hiccup started wearing red cause of Astrid.

Again, ITS NOT OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED, it's just funny.

Hiccup wasn't wearing red yet but yk it still matches the lyrics. "You said you like this color on me so I always wore it"

The rest of the song speaks for itself with having lyrics like:

"It's really nice to talk to you

It's really nice to hold your hand"

"And even if we're just friends

We could be more than that"

They both enjoy each other's company and even though they're just friends, they both have feelings for each other and want to be in a romantic relationship with the other.

besides the lyrics matching up to their relationship, the song itself is really cute! it was really popular on tik tok and the editing community so I hope it isn't too overplayed for y'all.

Just a cute, fun, energetic song about having a crush.

I actually told my friends a while back that I am going to make it my mission to have apple cider be hiccstrid's song so I really hope this post helped y'all see what I see 🥹

[lonelychicago]

ficlet? 👀 for the office chair one or the liked an old insta post one 👀❤️

we work in the same office and you have a goddamn squeaky chair and you wONT FUCKING STOP SQUEAKING IT BECAUSE YOU KNOW IT ANNOYS ME

this is sort of a different first time meeting where they both work ar dispatch &lt;3

Eddie will admit that working as a 9-1-1 operator can be stressful. You only have your voice to save someone's life and on most occasions your mind has to focus on a million little things at the same time you calm someone down from the edge and call backup to arrive at the scene. 

It can be overwhelming and a lot to deal with. But he figured, well he's an ex-army medic and he'd worked on literal warzones with bullets coming at him. 

How hard could this be? 

As it turns out, he never saw Evan Buckley coming.

The man is gorgeous, sure, and he's funny and charming and he knows how to get the good kind of coffee around here and not whatever shit show they have in the break-room. 

And Eddie might have had a tiny crush when he first started working there. Just a little bit.

But Buck is also annoying as hell. 

Being a 9-1-1 operator is stressful on itself— but even more when Evan Buckley sits on the desk next to yours. 

They're at a pretty safe distance that their calls don't overlap and they can hear the people on the other side of the line just fine without having to yell or ask the other one to shut up. 

But. 

Buck's chair squeaks. Like, really loud and obnoxious and the man has the habit of moving around a lot. 

Eddie is half sure he's doing it on purpose at this point. 

Buck doesn't squeak the chair while on calls or anything, but when they have a few moments of peace and quiet and Eddie is taking a deep breath to center himself— 

Squeak. 

"Buckley, I swear to God, if you squeak that chair one more time—" Eddie snaps, taking his headset off. 

Squeak. Squeak. 

Buck slides his chair with his foot until he's just a few centimeters away from Eddie's desk and throws him an amused, infuriatingly charming, smirk. "It's not my fault the chair squeaks, Eds." He squeaks it again and Eddie fixes him with a stare. 

"You could, you know, not do it on purpose." 

"Mhmm, I could." Buck tilts his head to the side and squints like he's genuinely considering that option, and grins at him— boyish and beautiful and Eddie hates his guts so much, jesus. "But then where's the fun in that?" 

Eddie purses his lips, making sure there's no incoming calls when he turns around to face Buck completely. 

"What do I have to do for you to stop squeaking that damn chair?" 

And at that, Buck straightens in his seat and lights up— brighter than the sun, brighter than any star in the sky that Eddie has ever seen. "Go on a date with me?" Buck asks, eyes suddenly devoid of any amusement or snugness and instead glinting with hope and uncertainty, a smidge of insecurity in Buck's usually cocky smile. "I mean, if you're really that annoyed I'll fix it anyway and I'll stop. You don't really have to go on a date with me if you don't really want to—"

"I do." Eddie cuts the man off before he can spiral further. He clears his throat and looks up at Buck with a shy, hopeful smile himself. "I'll go on a date with you." 

"Sweet!" Buck almost punches the air in a fit of enthusiasm and Eddie can't help but chuckle. "I, uh, should go back to work. Save lives and all that, but —"

"Let's have dinner after shift? I know a place nearby that makes the best enchiladas in L.A after my Abuela, of course." 

Buck looks like a kid on Christmas morning, smiling so wide and cheeks flushed. "It's a date." 

He takes his squeaky chair back to his desk and Eddie turns around, putting his headset back on and pressing the answer button on an upcoming call. "9-1-1, what's your emergency?" He says, and he puts his mind back to the task at hand. His heart is fluttering in his chest, though, and he can't help but look forward to the end of shift.

Maybe that stupid squeaky chair wasn't as bad after all. 

[sighonaraa]

All of your wips sound AMAZING. If you are up to sharing anything about it, perhaps you could share something about the ‘jamie gets hugged several ways to sunday’ fic?

you are the SWEETEST TO MEEEE. the thing about me is i love talking on and on about my fics and i am particularly excited about the 'jamie gets hugged several ways to sunday' fic SO.

post-wembley, jamie's grappling with the aftermath, and he's grappling with it alone. at the same time, he's beginning to realize that perhaps he is Just A Tad touch-starved. these two things coincide during the worst possible period of his life and as a result he has some breakdowns in front of his friends and then gets HUGGED and CUDDLED and LOVED about it. FOREVER!!!!!!

but first! here! have a Sad!

“…No,” Jamie says, again, though on repeat it sounds more like a question. He’s not sure where this conversation is going, and that frightens him. Makes the back of his neck prickle. His fingers close into fists unbidden, the dullness of his nails pressing against the rough, calloused stretch of his palms. An ache shoots up his arm, his right arm; the same arm he’d pulled back and then allowed to hurtle forward, arcing in an unwavering line, making impact with his Da’s cheek in a white-hot flare of magnificent pain. The punch itself hadn’t hurt, honestly. But the fear of what would happen next had surged through Jamie’s entire body like he’d touched an electrical socket; like he’d been standing out in the middle of an open field and lightning had cleaved down his spine and split him in half. That’s how it had felt. Like he’d been split in half. A before to which he could never return, and an after in which he was now trapped. Animal in a cage. He’s been rattling at the bars for weeks and he can’t find a way out, and he’s stuck in a lightless room and he knows there’s someone in the next room over, he knows because he can hear them sharpening their knives, and he also knows it’s only a matter of time till they return to carve him to pieces. He blinks, casting a veil across the image. The air sears his lungs. It ain’t cold, but he’s breathing kinda funny, and his chest is refusing to open up enough to let the air in properly. Roy’s frowning. “Jamie?” “Yeah?” Jamie manages, faint. Spots dance at the corners of his vision. “M’fine.”

[jordyn-degas]

Characters: Portgas D. Ace x fem! reader

Warnings: 1. most important - !spoilers! fic based on the events of Marineford - if you have not watched/read that part, I'd recommend you skip over this fic. 2. angst; bit of fluff to help; emotions from top to bottom; under the cut is literally me trying to process the events

Author’s note: NEVER planned on actually posting this but @uchihabbynic truly loved it. it gave me the confidence boost i needed to not throw it somewhere into the void - thank you once again for being such a supportive bestie 💕 especially since this is my first time writing for One Piece. Closed my eyes and pressed “Post.”

Amber ashes were swiftly, quietly, carried by the wind of a change that was yet to come in the mere few minutes left of a world that feared itself, of a world through which the harsh reality drew a line, separating two very distinct entities clashing against each other since the dawn of time. Drought, bearing the semblance of a Summer too long to bear through without the sea, ravaged mercilessly past your strained vocal chords, grasping the sensitivity of a throat that has not known water since the beginning of an unexpected end has graced a land where life and death are judged, decided and ordered around as mere tokens of a ruthless powerhouse – Marineford.

Chanting, screaming, cheering and threats were all that your being could comprehend at the moment, unable to sense the pungent smell of gunpowder, unable to feel the viciousness of the world grasping what was left of your battered skin, unable to see what was happening into the epicenter of what was going to change every single life that dared to breathe in the blood coated air of the Marine Headquarters. A wall of fire circled around you, serving as a protector in the face of a brewing fight that had suddenly been cut off, its blazing heat being all too familiar, all too soothing, pinching your senses with nothing but the calm feeling of home. Blood coated teeth peeked from under a pair of lips that curved upwards into a fond smile, slowly melting into a quiet laugh, right palm raised to ghost over the flaming wall in front of you before fingers returned to brush softly over the letters carefully etched under the left collarbone. A sign of the times that went with ease while into the grasp of the man you so feverishly loved, a sign of the times that were yet to come into the arms of the person you called home.

“Alright!” laughter slipped past chapped lips, arms stretching out as their bones cracked softly. “This is enough already! Let me out so I can break some legs!”

Words falling on deaf ears – crushing voice powering through the wall of fire, ruthless and unwavering in its mission to tear through the thick skins you all have built along the years, aiming to diminish and destroy the victory you all have recently acquired. Foul words, disgraceful behavior of a tongue laced with nothing but pure hatred punched through the cracks to unveil a rage that had settled inside of your heart.

“Akainu ..” whisper of a name that slashed across your tongue bloomed inside the fiery confinement.

“Ace!” Luffy’s voice tore through the flames, battling between concern and warning, heartbeats picking up in their pace recognizing the tonality in an instant.

“Let me out. This is not funny.” your voice called steadily, one step being taken further as if trying to approach whatever was going on outside.

“Don’t give in to his taunting!” another voice thundered, eyes blooming with horror — sensing, knowing, ears picking up faintly on a harsh turn of a pair of heels that suddenly were a stranger.

“Jimbei ..” you swallowed harder than ever, gathering all the power that was left under the skin of a fight you could no longer carry. “LET ME OUT! ACE LET ME OUT! PLEASE, PLEASE LET ME OUT!”

Indistinguishable shouting melted into the constant gunfire grazing the battlefield, screams of encouragement and pain lacing the sky above the flames. Skin began crawling with unleveled anxiety, foot slamming against the tiles, teeth pushing into the lower lip with such force another split carved the blood’s way out. Ragged breath crashed viciously on its way out of lungs that seemed to shrink with every passing second, quiet growls stumbling past teeth that felt as if belonging to another. For a woman that has never begged for a single thing since being old enough to sail on the unknown sea, it was now happening with a desperate need, wishing to have the ability to slip past the blazing fire without as much as a scratch.

“Fuck this!” rage bounced back off the wall, frown dipping into a threatening stance, teeth clashing against each other as the courage bubbled up to the surface. “I AM COMING OUT EVEN IF IT MEANS I’LL MELT TO DEATH!”

As if on a cue signaled by the highest of Gods overseeing a ruptured desperation, the infamous fire extinguished in the blink of an eye, leaving you bare and exposed to the cruelty of Marineford. Heavy smoke engulfed the surroundings that seemed to be unknown at the moment, eerie silence falling upon the battlefield, surprise twisting your angered features into confusion and wonder.

“When I’ll find you, I’ll ..” words filled with amusement tumbled back down a sore throat, gaze following what seemed to be a crystalized drop of blood rolling quietly at your feet.

Picking it up into your palm, head cocked from one side to the other while studying the unusual apparition, legs moving on their own accord in an attempt to find a way through the smoke. With each confused step, a friend or ally was revealed from within the intoxicating fog, peace and calmness entrapping your heart at the sudden feeling of being in between the ones that represented safety. Playing with the crystalized drop, eyes caught immediately on the all too familiar straw hat secured on Luffy’s back, noticing him kneeled and still, an arm draped over his shoulder, one you could so easily recognize even in between a thousand others.

“How long were you planning to hold me there, ha?” bright smile cutting through the smoke that began to clear up as each second passed by, ready to walk next to your person and out of this God forsaken place. “I know we agreed to protect each other but today I’m here to protect ..”

Brush of violent wind traveled across the battlefield, dragging along with it the cloud of heavy smoke that seemed to be endless, exposing the people surrounding you to light, unveiling a scene that caused cracks to appear into the smile you so carelessly threw around when feeling once again the sweet taste of freedom.

“ .. you.” broken voice laid out its glass pieces on the blood drenched ground, crashing abruptly against the harsh reality of what was to come.

 This cruel, hateful life you adored, oh, so much when with him, was drained instantaneously, pallor taking over the features of what was once pure happiness, fingers trapping into the palm the drop of blood that began cooling down. As if turned to stone for the remaining time the Earth was going to sustain its life, trapped into a present that shackled the remnants of your being, you could not do anything but be graced with the horror lunging forward to wrap its heavy hands around your throat.

“A-Ace?” lips allowed themselves to part, the name of the person you loved most gliding across a heavy tongue with an unrecognizable softness hiding the painful beginning of agony.

Adrenaline, shock and moments of a lifetime were carried along the reddish veins stretching across a pair of glassy eyes solely focused on the face that was not quite ready to become a memory. It was quite astonishing how only three mere steps separated Ace from you, yet paralyzed legs felt as if melting into the ground, incapable of moving even an inch. There was no more sound, perishing along with Luffy’s voice as it lost itself into an inhabited void, one in which the millions of shattered pieces of a broken heart fell.

Dust coated freckles were exchanged for the pair of lips that used to be the storyteller of great adventures, hiding in between them wit not many could handle, keeping for themselves the whispers shared under bright constellations, only the sea being the sole witness to two people tying themselves to each other and allowing for their hearts to be bound together. Now, the same lips that etched their mark on yours, were whispering into Luffy’s ear, a certain amount of words left up for chance.

“W-wait ..” shaky breath followed what seemed to be the pleading tonality you were unable to hold back, arm raised, begging for what was not within its grasp, fingers pinched with falling ashes. “Please ..”

Erratic heartbeats carved their way through the thickness of a rib cage that felt as if caving inwards under the pressure of fatality, shackles of shell shock breaking as your first step towards Ace was dragged across the ground. Why was he so close, yet feeling as if far away? It used to be different. It used to be about closeness in separation, him so far away, yet so unbelievably close, tucked into every single crevice of your aching heart.

The last of the steps attempting to be taken in its desire to reach what was now slipping slowly away from you, abruptly crashed against the ground, two pairs of eyes meeting in the middle of it all. All too familiar dark gaze pooled into yours, reaching as far as humanly possible to take into its grasp what was going to be the last remnants of a shattered soul. Trapped between the back and forth of a past melting into the horrific present, all of Luffy’s pleading to Ivankov in a desperate attempt at saving his brother, perishing into a mute background that encircled just the two of you as it always did — Ace and Y/N, a brief story to last a lifetime.

That was when you realized.

That was when you knew.

That was when you remembered.

Not all stories last a lifetime.

“Hm?” hum slipping quietly, teeth nipping softly at the bottom lip, a sign of an unwavering concentration as you expertly allowed for the quill to trace its patterns along the page.

“You didn’t hear a thing.” Ace’s chuckle fanning against your ear, arms tightening their grip around the middle of your warm body, tucking you even closer to him than possible.

Feet dangled off the edge of the ship, your favorite place to sit when the sea was calm and welcoming, Ace’s figure shielding you from any possible slip, muscles tensing with each sway of the waves, that might end in a saving attempt. He often found it amusing how much you hated to be saved, to be saved by him.

“Was it important?” cheeky smile tugging at the corners of your mouth while setting the quill on the edge next to you, head falling backwards to rest on his broad shoulder.

“Everything I say is.” defeated sigh stumbling past the pair of pink lips marked completely as yours and yours only, childish pout bringing forward the sun kissed freckles you adored more than he even knew.

“I forgot that whenever the mighty Fire Fist Ace speaks the world falls silent.” sarcasm dripped off your tongue while raising the recent drawing into the air, blocking the sunlight completely, shaky breath brushing across the sensitive skin of your cheek. “Mighty indeed.”

“That’s how you see me?” Ace’s voice faltering with each note, gaze snapping upwards to be met with an expression filled with nothing but pure shock, mouth agape and chin quivering. 

“What do you mean?” brows furrowed in confusion, not understanding where all of this was coming from as you drew him many times before. “Yes, this is how I see you.”

“It’s different from the rest.” he swallowed hard, the sound pinching your eardrums with a never heard before heaviness.

“It’s gonna sound so cheesy but ..” taking a deep breath, burning blush creeping upwards along the neck and settling on your cheeks, tucking the drawing into the chest as if afraid of losing it into the wind. “This is what I saw the moment I told you that I love you that night.”

Deafening silence.

Ace sucked in a breath, body tensing abruptly while erratic heartbeats thumped loudly against your back. Slight tremble was unleashed from the top of his fingertips that dug into your sides, rushing along the protruding veins scattered across the hands, sadness flashing into the eyes that captured your entire being since the moment you’ve met, mere teenagers with dreams bigger than life itself.

Undeserving, you thought while noticing the all too familiar signs Ace displayed whenever you proved that such words, full of a deeper meaning, were indeed meant for him and no one else. Lips pressed with care on the soft skin of his neck, pulsepoint feverishly throbbing at the most simple contact, before traveling upwards to brush against the ear of a pinkish tint.

“That’s how you look when you’re loved.” whispers carrying a sweetness you not so oftenly showed to others, except him. “Calm and clear like the night sky that holds its stars most dear.”

“Y/N ..” Ace rasped quietly, head leaning in for its ear to press against your lips.

“At peace. Like when the sea had finally set you free.” you continued, carving yet another path towards the heart of a man that could not comprehend how anyone was capable of loving him. “Beautiful. Just like the man I love.”

“You know .. who we are, what we do .. the dangers we live through ..” the deepest of breaths escaped the man many feared, many admired and many hunted. “Not all stories last a lifetime.”

“Hm, that so?” you smiled when being hit with his self-protecting stance – he loved you, there was absolutely no question about it, and that frightened even the Fire Fist. “Depends on how they’re told.”

“Come ‘ere.” Ace laughed quietly when being met with the classic “I’m having the last word” trait that was troublesome to an unimaginable extent, spinning you around with the ease of a feather taken by the wind – now face to face with the boyish grin you adored, lips meeting so briefly it felt as if they never touched before his bright features fell into an expression on which sadness, determination and seriousness battled. “I have something to tell you.”

“You found Teach.” a knowing smile stretched across your lips, knowing the man that was now tucked safely in between your legs, hips being squeezed gently, better than you knew yourself. “This is something you have to do on your own.”

“Yeah ..” Ace nodded slowly, eyes avoiding direct contact, focused on the tattoo etched under your left collarbone that beautifully spelled the three letters carrying his name. “It has to end.”

“Hey.” palms cupping his sun kissed cheeks, gaze instantaneously meeting yours in what seemed to be a silent apology he could not utter. “He has nothing on you and, before you know it, we’ll be back here again.”

“I’m not worried about him!” Ace jumped as if burned, even the slightest implication that he could be afraid turning him into a king no mere person could reach, appalled expression taking over before settling with a sigh. “It’s just that it might take some time and I can’t tell you how long it’ll ..”

“Here, take this.” abruptly cutting the sentence off before falling into the endless void of missing him before he even left, quickly pressing the drawing against his chest. “Not all stories last a lifetime but this one will.”

Staring at each other as if meeting for the first time in your lives, sadness melting into an overflowing love not many could consider themselves lucky to have encountered, hot fingertips pressed into the chin, pulling you forward to be once again blessed with the kiss capable of twisting your heart in breathtaking motions. Souls hummed in a perfect harmony as the words either of you did not utter were silently spoken through the ardent clash of feverish lips. Arms tightly wrapped around the neck of the man you loved beyond anyone's capacity of understanding, pulling him into you under the hidden fear of losing the person that was your comfort, your home, your endless lifeline.

Waves sang as they crashed against the ship, witnesses to the story of meant to be, laughter erupting into the air as Ace placed his signature hat on your head with a boyish grin that split across his face, flicking playfully at your forehead. Fingers ran through his dark locks, memorizing the softness in which you tangled them every single night when asleep next to him. 

“Robin?!” surprise captured your expression, completely stunlocked at the person standing outside the door of your childhood home.

Ocean blue eyes flickered with a hidden enthusiasm, matching the melancholy curving the woman’s lips into one of the softest smiles anyone has ever offered after that dreadful day. Another long, lost friend through the threads of a time placed under lock and key, tucked safely as far as possible into the depths of a mind that did not belong anymore to the person you had become.

Oh, the scent Robin was engulfed with! That of the sea and its welcoming waves, of freshly grown oranges from an orchard you knew too well, and of unknown adventures. Each pinch of the nostrils pulling yet another thread from a time written in the little diary hidden under the floorboards of the bedroom in which you have been sleeping on your own.

“Luffy said that ..” Robin’s soft, soothing voice uttered the name of another person you held most dear, a name that shut your jaw in a tight, painful clench. “.. it’s time.”

Erratic heartbeats bloomed into the chest the moment she held out two fingers in front of your eyes, a neatly folded piece of paper residing in between them. Instinctually, a choked out gasp slipped past the lips, right hand darting upwards to clutch at your collarbone, Ace’s name burning deeply etched into the skin, heart threatening to carve its way out. Fear began spreading the same way a wildfire ravages everything in its path, tears pooling into your eyes as their focus was solely set on the meaningful piece of paper.

Return to Marineford – the place where you parted ways with Ace’s brother, Luffy, in the aftermath of the death of the man you loved more than life itself. Still did, a raging pain nestled into the deep crevices of a heart that was never going to be able to heal. Unable to look into the eyes of the boy whose brother you could not protect, as always sworn and promised, the decision to disappear for the remaining days of your life being taken while he grinned from one ear to the other.

“Luffy, don’t.” quiet, pleading voice cracked when met with the challenge of hearing Ace’s last words meant solely for you, the words he couldn’t bear uttering directly while the last breath was given, entrusting them to the only person capable of getting through to you. “Please ..”

“I’m coming back for you.” Luffy’s certainty shocking you back to a cruel, painful reality that you did not wanted to live anymore – the determination gracing his voice unlocking a wave of burning tears, grazing mercilessly the cheeks that used to hold one of the brightest smiles, one that perished along with the love of your life. “When I do, join my crew!”

“There’s no reason for you to.” an unintentional hiss stumbling past teeth that kept clashing against each other with an anger that seemed to not disappear anytime soon – already knowing that you wanted nothing more than to help Luffy achieve his goal.

“Ace’s last words.” the boy claiming that he will become The King of Pirates opened his palm to reveal a neatly folded piece of paper, signature grin not faltering for a single second before his palm closed, hiding inside the words you wished to hear at least once more — from a voice that lost itself into a grief stricken heart, unable to speak anymore. “When the time’s right.”

Droplets rolled down the cheeks, two year memory vanishing into thin air, eyes darting back and forth in between Robin and the paper, teeth nipping at the bottom lip in an attempt to conceal a suffocating fear. Trembling hand reached for it slowly, carefully, afraid of touching the last piece of him, afraid of unlocking that part of yourself that represented nothing but him.

“Is Luffy here?” words tumbling out shaky, unsure, fearful even, as Robin nodded slowly.

“No one but him knows what is written in there.” she carefully moved the paper closer to you, nothing but the truth present in her eyes. “Luffy knows that you would never refuse him anything if asked. That is why I am the one giving this to you and not him. He said that Ace’s last words are the answer you have been looking for.”

“Ace ..” the name you have not uttered in two years brushed past your tear stained lips, releasing with it a wave of memories that carved their way out of the crevices in which they have been hidden.

“The past and the present are not two separate pieces of a life.” Robin’s melodic voice dripped with the same kindness that matched the smile still etched on her face, offering a safety not felt for the longest time. “One can’t live without the other.”

As the piece of paper slipped in between your fingers, Robin’s eyes closed, deep breath being taken as she took a step backwards before turning on her heels, leaving a dear old friend with the last words of a half that was never going to become a whole again.

Holding in your grasp the last piece of Ace’s heart, shaky fingers began unfolding the paper Luffy has been holding for the past two years, with the same love and care you once used to show the man haunting each dream that dared to grace the lonely nights. When the contents of the message were revealed, knees caved, hitting the floor with a pain you were no longer able to feel, uncontrollable tears overflowing past the point of no return, recognizing right away the lines etched into the paper. One hand held it while the other caressed the surface, touching the passing of time that rested upon it, two years of living locked in a single point in time, shackled by nothing but grief and the all too consuming feeling of losing what you had for not enough time. 

“You finally got to have the last word.” happiness laced your voice, head shaking slowly remembering how crazy you used to drive Ace with your ability to always have the last word in front of him.

Without even realizing, laughter bubbled into your throat, allowing it to finally be set free after being held down and forced to not exist if Ace did not. All the pain, anger, loneliness and guilt melted slowly into that pure love you thought was lost two years ago, on the grounds of Marineford, that love you always believed could only be felt if shared with him and no one else. Message pressed against the chest, head tilted upwards, allowing yourself to look at the sky and let the sun caress your face, taking away the pain it witnessed, bright smile spreading across the lips and getting accustomed to them once again.

“Luffy said that it’s time.”

Running as if your life depended on it, which was not far from the truth, crossing across the green planes of the small island on which you grew up, with nothing but a backpack and Ace’s message tightly clasped between the fingers trembling with an excitement that has not been felt in years. The sea was absolutely mesmerizing, quiet waves crashing against the shore in a rhythm only the ones that had set out to sail could understand it fully. It was calling for you, whispers of a story not many knew, about two people whose love was born across the deep blue of a mysterious world.

“LUFFY!” lungs powering through a shout that brought back to life a person you used to know, a person that you missed terribly – the person you used to be when with him. “EVERYONE!”

Cheering ensued in a split second, arms raised to wave, distinguishing Chopper jumping up and down with an intoxicating excitement. Aboard the Thousand Sunny waited the Straw Hats, the people that were about to become the family ready to follow you, to follow each other, to the end of the world.

Stopping next to the ship, silence fell upon the crew as Luffy stood tall on the edge, arms crossed against the chest while looking down at you with a small smile and eyes filled with a pride that had your chest bloom with happiness.

“Ready?” his steady voice hiding behind an excitement that was about to explode at any given moment.

Head lowered, hand raised slightly for your eyes to see the message that gave you back yourself and the answer to all the questions that used to torment every single second of a lonely life.

There it was – Ace’s favorite drawing, the one you quietly finished into his arms, the one in which he was able to see the way you saw him through your own eyes, the one in which the first “I love you” was said on a night where the only witnesses were the stars and the sea you both held dear. 

“I’m ready.” gaze shifted to meet Luffy’s, both childishly grinning from one ear to the other, matching in the exact same way him and Ace used to, the Straw Hats returning with their own smiles filled with a sense of accomplishment that could easily be felt into the air.

On the corner of the drawing, Luffy’s clumsy handwriting captured the last words Portgas D. Ace had for the first and only woman he had truly and undeniably loved:

Not all stories last a lifetime. Ours will.

✨ Reblogs & comments would be much appreciated ✨

© jordyn-degas — work to NOT be copied, posted or translated anywhere else

[lurkinglurkerwholurks]

Why Should a Star, a Star Ever Be Afraid of the Dark

First posted: May 17, 2019

Focuses on: Peter Parker and Morgan Stark (MCU)

Tier: Low, so low, so unappreciated

This is my “behind the scenes” series where I indulge myself horribly by annotating my fics. Link to the fic itself above. Thoughts below the cut.

Ah, another unexpected MCU fic that burst out of my chest through the force of my post-Endgame emotions. Since it's not my primary fandom and I posted in a time where much much larger writers were also saying things, it got next to no attention, then or now. That's okay. I'm still glad I wrote it.

Peter bit his bottom lip as he traced the metal leg of the Imperial Walker, extending the line of grey from the box shape of the body down to where the snow would be. Maybe he shouldn’t have picked the Battle of Hoth as his muse. A snow battle on white paper was boring. He paused, frowned, and set the paper aside.

It's funny, writing fic with well-known characters, because you want to get them right. But there are so many ways to perceive a character, especially one that's been portrayed and analyzed so many different ways, so it often comes down less to what makes logical, concrete sense and more about what just feels right. Even this opening was a lot of mentally flipping through a bunch of different options until I found one that felt right for Peter. I also think Calvin and Hobbes did a similar joke with a drawing of a tiger hiding in snow or something. Call it an homage.

Peter was still getting used to Morgan, to everything like her that proved that life had gone on while he had been… away. One minute, he’d been a regular kid punching aliens in space, and the next, it was five years later. Five whole years. And there were people like Morgan who hadn’t existed when he’d closed his eyes but were suddenly here, sparkly princess tiara on her head and a tiny Ready to Rock t-shirt stained with what looked like a smear of goldfish crackers.

MCU really really failed when it came to the ramifications of the Snap. Such a travesty.

“See?” she had said, swinging her bare toes over the surface of the lake. “It’s better with your shoes off.” Peter had taken off his shoes, and they had sat there together, watching the air slowly thicken with gnats and then mosquitoes as the sun dipped lower and lower and turned the lake golden. She had been right about the shoes.

I forgot how much I liked this fic.

“Cheering,” Morgan said matter-of-factly. “That’s Mommy and Happy and Uncle Rhodey and you and Amanda and Maddox and Mr. Lu and Mrs. Iye and—“

It's fun naming incidental characters. Sometimes you get to slip friends in. Just for fun.

For every happy story about a family reunited, there was another about people returning only to find out that their loved ones had moved on or died. Weddings were still a thing after the Snap. So were babies. And car accidents and relocations and cancer and birthdays. Life went on. Death went on, too.

MCU BIT IT. JUST UTTERLY TANKED IT.

The crayon snapped in Peter’s hand, a tiny crack of Fern.

I had to google green crayon colors.

This was a good little fic. Next to no attention, but again, that's okay. I think I wrote a good kid Morgan who isn't too cutesy, a decent Peter, and a tolerable little look at grief. Yay me.

[ricksanchezsimpaccount]

ok thoughts on the new episode,

SPOILER WARNING obviously

although honestly I don't think I'll be saying anything that others haven't already said haaaaa

anyway finally, a chance for morty's new VA to shine, and GOD does he. I love the way Evil Morty talks, idk why but that bored "uh huh" when Rick tries shooting him several times is soooo funny to me. he killed it and so did ian cardoni (the way he screams "I'LL KILL YOU" after slow mobius' death OOOOOUUUU CHILLS)

i honestly did not expect to see Evil Morty again, and even though I'm kinda sad he didn't get the lasting peace away from Rick that he wanted, he is a DELIGHT to see in action!! i love his interactions w Rick, it's so interesting having a Morty that's on par/better than Rick. although I'll be honest....he kinda feels like a Rick himself, especially w the cybernetic augmentations he also has--at least to me. Wonder if that's going to be brought up again later down the line, something about becoming the monster you fight against i LOVE how we got to see his backstory finally, like others have said I'm really happy that he was just a "normal" Morty. his Rick wasn't anything special. he literally was just a Morty who finally got sick of Rick's shit. i loved the reveal too, bc they DID have me going for a sec there, I thought who we were seeing was OUR morty Indiana Jones Rick 💘💘💘😳😳😳😳😳💦 that's all I'm saying on that And ok, DO I think Rick Prime is dead? like ACTUALLY dead? Honestly...yes. At least I hope so. I think it'd be FAR more compelling for Rick to be like "...now what?" and for the show to actually explore and unpack that, over it being like HAHA SURPRISE RICK PRIME'S NOT ~REALLY~ DEAD you know?

Because yeah. He got his revenge, the revenge he's literally been chasing...basically his entire life, like...since his, what, 30s? And it didn't feel good. It didn't fix things, it didn't make him feel better. He feels as empty as he did before and NOW he doesn't even have a goal to strive towards anymore. There's nothing. And I feel like the ending of the episode did a REALLY good job of portraying that just numbness. He probably fantasized about this moment the WHOLE time and it absolutely didn't live up to it. It wasn't glorious or feel liberating, he just ends up covered in blood and feeling more hollow and broken than before. That's just...kinda how trauma is Morty at first hesitating to touch Rick but eventually hugging him anyway was so sweet ;_; Anyway as for the cinematography of the episode itself...absolutely stellar. Great fights, the SCOPE of everything, the backgrounds and settings, it's wild how much this show has popped off with its animation (it's honestly so funny seeing them stitch in clips from Season 1 in there bc the CONTRAST in animation quality is astounding. its like when artists on twitter do the "my art from 10 years ago vs now" comparisons LOL. LITERALLY, SEASON 1 WAS 10 YEARS AGO). The just dead silence as Rick punches Rick Prime to death (only sounds of course being rick talking and punching), the whole exchange that happened during it, how just downright BRUTAL it was, that entire scene was crafted so well, and others have pointed out the significance of Rick literally beating Prime to death with his bare fists instead of using his tech or weapons or anything, which i feel like was definitely on purpose, and i love man this post ended up longer than i anticipated I'M SORRY. THIS EPISODE DESTROYED ME EMOTIONALLY AND I LOVE WHEN THIS SHOW DOES THAT ✌✨ MY BRAIN'S BEEN BUZZING. IF YOU READ ALL THIS RAMBLING THANKS I GUESS HLFDKSJFH

[fancylala4]

I’m making this trend because this post on twitter was dumb and I’m sick of sailor moon manga stans trashing the 90s anime. It’s always because of the fact it doesn’t follow the manga at all and that it’s more popular than the manga ever was. Here we go:

Well, it’s definitely a anime from the 90s and it has a lot of things that didn’t age well at all. It was empowering at the time but it still had a lot of issues. I would say the same thing about the manga and other anime series from the 90s as well.

Wow, two teenage girls making fun of each other like they were close friends? Anti feminist! lol, this is such a dumb argument. This is a huge part of the rei and usagi’s relationship. They fight and make fun of each other but you can tell that they still care about each other. If they didn’t, rei wouldn’t have risked her own life for usagi in many occasions. This is how some relationship in real life works as well. In fact, rei makes fun of usagi in the manga too. Is it anti feminist there as well?

Yeah, you can tell here how much she hates the 90s anime here. Why is she whining about something that happens in the manga too? It’s the manga’s fault this storyline was in there in the first place. Also regarding the whole “at least in the manga she talk to momo about it” point here is that the issue isn’t resolved. Even after she talk to momo about it, she was still jealous of her own daughter! It was so much worse there as usagi was had to be told by makoto that momo cares about chibiusa because she was usagi’s daughter! In the 90s anime, usagi will always jump in and protect chibiusa. Also at least in the anime, chibiusa only had a childlike crush on momo and she only showed love to him to get under usagi’s skin. In the manga, she actually loved him, kissed him three times and was upset that she couldn’t be with him. It was so bad in the manga.

I’m agree that the break up thing in the 90s anime was awful. However, rei was supportive of usagi on many occasions in the anime. She used out of context scenes to prove her point that rei is being a bad friend. I can list many occasions in the manga that shows how usagi didn’t care at all about her friends too. But op will just deny it because she loves the manga no matter what.

This is so funny. The same old “naoko hated the anime and thought it was an insult to life itself” crap these manga stans use. Yeah, she did say that her manga was for girls but what girl wants to see the main character get sexually assaulted three times and a child kissing her own dad? In fact, if you tell anyone the manga has this weird stuff in it, no one would read it and just watch the 90s anime instead. I don’t really get what she means with makoto and minako being written in a male lens. I know what the “issue” with rei is with them and it’s the she is interested in guys while the only trait her manga counterpart is known for is her one line about hating men. Maybe that minako wasn’t really a leader in the 90s anime but that’s all I can think of. I think she’s just mad the girls had a life outside of being usagi’s protectors.

People were accusing Crystal of being anti feminist because all usagi cared about was momo and didn’t give a fuck about her friends. Remember in one episode where her friends were getting beaten up by villains on a tower and she was there with momo just watching on the sidelines? Her friends were in danger and she couldn’t be bothered to jump in to help them. It’s even worse when you see that it wasn’t like that in the manga at all. There’s also the fact they made the girls so much weaker in the show then they ever were in the manga and made momo much stronger. Take that cringey scene from the Zoisite fight where tuxedo mask punches him in the face and saves sailor moon while her friends were KO for the 50th time. Again, this never happened in the manga. This happened a lot in Crystal and it wasn’t a good look for a show that was about girl power.

I also kind of find it odd how she is defending Crystal for focusing mainly on a romance but hates the fact that the girls in the 90s anime were boy crazy. Once again showing that she just hates the 90s because it’s nothing like the manga.

lol that “it was written by a woman meaning that the book is feminist” thing. Some of the most misogynistic manga and books I’ve ever read were written by women. Heck, trash ass books like twilight and 50 shades of gray were written by woman. Guess what, those books were far from being feminist. It’s a dumb argument to say that a book or manga is feminist because the writer is a woman. Plus the manga had a bunch of weird things in it that didn’t age well.

This trend was so bad. Why couldn’t she used real examples of sexism in the 90s anime? Like the up skirt shots of teenagers, the awful dieting episode and the overly sexual transformation of chibiusa/ black lady. Whining over stupid stuff like how rei is into boys and a plot point that is actually taken from the manga isn’t helping her case at all. All she needed to say was that the manga is the very best, the 90s anime sucks because naoko hates it ( I’ve never actually seen her say this but these stans act like she did) and go.