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bestworstcase · 3 months

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"There is no victory in strength."

"And Yang was strength."

I wonder if this is some "subtle" foreshadowing for something later?

oh i have some THOUGHTS about this

first: see this post regarding salem's V1 monologue. the key point to keep in mind for this discussion is that she begins by naming several qualities of mankind—strength, wisdom, resourcefulness, passion, and ingenuity—so her concluding statement implies its own inverse:

"mankind was strong, wise, and resourceful, but he was born into an unforgiving world […] in time, man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds […] but take heed: there will be no victory in strength," i.e. "victory lies in these other four qualities."

so what does this have to do with yang?

in V2: yang gets slapped by the paladin prototype, and when blake calls out to her in a panic, ruby stops her: "don't worry! with each hit she gets stronger, and she uses that energy to fight back. that's what makes her special."

in V3: after her disqualification from the tournament, qrow passes on raven's message to yang ("she saved you once, but you shouldn't expect that kindness again") after she tells him she saw her mom ("i- i was in a lot of trouble, took a pretty hard hit"), then follows up with "you're a tough egg, kiddo; shouldn't let this tournament thing get you down."

in V4: tai tells yang that she, like raven, "act[s] like the easiest way to tackle an obstacle is through it: that strength is all that matters in a fight," which he implies is the fatal flaw of raven's that "tore our team apart and […] did a real number on our family," even though "raven was great in so many ways: her strength, her ambition, her dedication."

in V5: blake describes yang to sun as "[the embodiment of] strength."

also in V5: yang confronts raven in the vault under haven academy and, when raven calls herself strong, snaps back: "oh, shut up! you don't know the first thing about strength! you turn your back on people, you run away when things get hard, you put others in harms way instead of yourself! you might be powerful, but you're not strong."

in V6: blake reassures yang by telling her "adam's strong, but his real power comes from control."

also in V6: adam taunts yang: "moment of truth, yang! do you think you're faster than you were at beacon? …heh. me neither," and after catching his weapon she retorts, "i may not be faster, but i'm smarter." (<- put a pin in this one, it's important.)

in V8: yang falls, blake fails to catch her, and it's the hit she can't come back from—it doesn't make her stronger, it just plunges her into the void to her apparent death.

in V9: when they catch up with yang, she's performing strength ("i said i wasn't done with you yet!") but in reality she's exhausted, barely able to stand. later, blake describes her like this: "you're an extraordinary person. you're always the first to lighten a situation; you act bravely when you're afraid; you do what you say."

ok.

there are a few threads to unwind here.

first let's unpin what adam says to yang during their final duel: "do you think you're faster than you were at beacon?" not "stronger." not "tougher." faster.

ruby tells blake that strength is what makes yang special. qrow tells yang she's too tough to let one "slip-up" bring her down. her father thinks she relies too much on her strength. before their reunion, blake sees yang as the living personification of strength.

but just as a younger blake was wrong about adam being "justice" or "passion," she's wrong about yang being "strength," and adam is actually—ironically enough—the first character besides yang herself to notice that strength is not what yang is about. he taunts her for not being fast enough.

speed. agility. not just in the sense that yang is a very nimble combatant, but she's emotionally agile—look at how she handles herself and her feelings during fraught confrontations with blake in V2 or raven in V5. she's a self-described thrill-seeker, but she also worries about being too rootless. her biggest setbacks all come from rushing—and her big wins all come from outmaneuvering her opponents, whether physically or emotionally. she's strong, but strength is not what she is.

keeping that in mind, the second thread to follow is the difference between strength and power. yang tells raven "you might be powerful, but you're not strong." blake tells yang that adam is "strong, but his real power comes from control," from getting into people's heads and making them feel small. when ruby and tai and blake talk about yang's strength (and when blake talks about adam being strong), they mean raw physical strength—but that's not what yang means when she talks about strength. in yang's terms, raw physical strength is just power. her semblance makes her powerful; it doesn't make her strong.

yang defines strength as the choice to put others ahead of oneself, even and especially when it's hard.

in the ever after, blake says that yang uplifts others (always the first to lighten a situation), that she's brave, that she has integrity. between V5 and V9, after reconciling with yang and going through the harrowing experience of of fighting adam with her, blake sees the vulnerability behind the brave mask yang puts on for her loved ones. her perception of yang at beacon was colored both by her adam trauma and by the way ruby saw yang as invulnerable, unshakable. since then she's come to see yang as she truly is: caring, brave, and honest. she sees and loves the kind of strength that yang values.

third thread: the really crucial piece is what kind of strength is salem referring to?

and the answer is that she's talking about power, explicitly in contrast to what she sees as humanity's true strengths: wisdom, resourcefulness, passion, ingenuity, and hope. in V1, salem credits hope as the reason mankind was not wiped out (again) by the grimm and names "passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity" as the qualities that allowed them to find a way to survive against the odds. then, "nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life."

in this story salem tells about the beginning of the world, strength is one of the fruits of mankind's triumph, something that could only develop after the darkness had been beaten and pushed back. when she gives her warning—"there will be no victory in strength"—she names "your guardians" and "your monuments" explicitly.

to be precise, she is talking about the maidens ("a guardian is a symbol of comfort"), amity coliseum("it was decided that the tournament would need a stage equal in greatness to that of its competitors. amity coliseum was the culmination of four kingdom's efforts: a technological marvel and a shining symbol of harmony, capable of making the journey to all the kingdoms of remnant"—but note that menagerie is excluded from the vytal festival), and atlas ("the people of mantle needed a sign of a brighter future, and that sign was atlas; a city in the clouds is as bright as it gets").

those things represent ozpin's definition of strength: technological marvels, shining symbols of harmony and comfort, a girl who is "strong, caring, and intelligent" enough to make the people feel safe. and of course outside of these soliloquies, the word salem uses is power—and she warns cinder, twice, in no uncertain terms that power will not make her strong: "it is because of the maiden's power. […] your newfound strength brings with it a crippling weakness" and "you will have the power i promised you, but remember that it comes with a cost."

now back to yang: she and salem share this mindset, this clear delineation between true strength and mere power. salem tries to impress it upon cinder; yang's power blinds her family to her true strength, which blake learns to see clearly as they become partners, and she is placed in juxtaposition with adam, raven, and cinder—all of whom are powerful but not strong.

and, like salem, the way yang is perceived (that her power is what makes her special, and she thinks physical strength is all that matters in a fight) does not align with how yang sees herself or what she values: yang takes pride in being able to face her fears, speak the truth, put others before herself, and outwit her foes; she likes that blake has never been intimidated by her, and she admires blake's dedication and willingness to forgive.

salem values wisdom, i.e. experiential knowledge—yang tells her past self that her losses and failures "more than anything are what have shaped me into who i am, showed me how i need to grow." salem values passion—yang is passionate in everything she does and likewise admires the passion she sees in blake. "you know what matters to you." salem values resourcefulness and ingenuity—yang revels in outsmarting people who underestimate her, as they often do, and flat out tells adam that she may not be faster than him, but she is smarter, then throws his weapon to bait him into running right into blake's punch.

yang values courage—salem fomented rebellion against the fucking gods and vowed to keep fighting even after they crushed her like an ant, and rewards cinder for defying her, and disdains lionheart for being a coward. yang values honesty—salem explodes when people lie to her and loathes ozma for his deceit. yang values compassion—salem built her whole rebellion on the premise that no one else should have to suffer as she did. yang values cleverness—salem cultivates spies and meticulously prepares to stack the deck in her favor before making a move.

"the ability to derive strength from hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest asset," says salem. "even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change."

"look, blind optimism isn't great, but no optimism means we've already lost; we need hope. we need to take risks," says yang.

aside from blake, all of team rwby repeat salem in some way: weiss is the girl who frees herself from her tower, ruby the idealist who sees how broken the world is and takes it upon herself to fix it, inspiring the world to strive with her. (blake repeats ozma: the warrior who fights for justice, but her journey is the inverse of his: her ideals are corrupted by adam's spite in the beginning and she leaves him behind in pursuit of true justice.) but yang is salem's heart.

(<- the reversal in how blake sees yang before/after they reunite at haven and defeat adam together is a fractal-ozlem thing, by the way: the inflection point occurs in 6.5 when yang opens up about her flashbacks and blake sees her hands shaking. the maiden's tears restore her prince's sight—yang allows blake to see how scared she is, and blake recognizes how badly yang needs blake to be there for her, to stay.)

WHICH IS HYSTERICAL BECAUSE,

"all this endless death, because something bad happened to you once upon a time? no one gets a fairytale ending! everything i've lost, every person i've lost, is because of you!"

yang is being deliberately provocative here. her intention is to redirect salem's boiling fury from oscar to herself, to protect oscar. she is trying to piss salem off, and while she succeeds in distracting salem from oscar, she completely fails to make salem angry—instead, salem calms down.

why?

the anger and scorn yang throws in salem's face here are completely genuine, but as i said before, yang's emotional agility—her control over her emotions—is unparalleled. she does not "lose her temper" (and on the rare occasion she snaps without meaning to, she reins it in lightning fast). she lets it out. so in this scene, yang makes a calculated choice to yell at salem. to get angry.

now, we've seen her do this once before—and by "this" i mean specifically the choice to get mad enough to verbally explode at somebody—and that was during her last confrontation with raven.

"oh, shut up! you don't know the first thing about strength! you turn your back on people, you run away when things get hard, you put others in harm's way instead of yourself! you might be powerful, but you're not strong."

i think yang is not quite as in control of her feelings in this scene with raven, because the wounds are very personal and very raw, but nevertheless she is making a deliberate choice to let her anger come out because—again—she's trying to make raven mad. if raven decides she's leaving with the lamp, yang can't actually stop her. she knows that. she also knows raven isn't going to listen to an appeal to join them, so her only real option is to upset raven enough to make her abandon the lamp (and yang) (…again).

so that's what she does! yang asks questions and needles raven on her answers until raven starts to react emotionally ("i survived because i'm strong enough to do what others won't!"), and yang pounces on that. shut up, you don't know the first thing about strength. she goes right for the throat, attacks the thing at the center of all raven's rationalizations. and raven fucking shatters.

this is what yang tries to do to salem. "why do you keep coming back?" -> "why do YOU!?"—raven says "i'm strong," yang goes "shut up, that's bullshit, no you're not." salem says "why do you keep coming back," yang hears salem playing the victim and goes "shut up, that's bullshit, your suffering isn't special" because she guesses—based on what she's been told about salem, and what she just heard salem say to ozma—that salem has built her sense of self around victimhood in the same way that raven built hers around "being strong."

only. it doesn't work this time.

because salem is just like yang.

just like yang, salem prizes courage and conviction and abhors liars. she makes the same distinction between genuine strength and mere power, and values power not at all.

she also, just like yang, keeps her anger firmly in check. when salem yells and slams her hands down or flips a table to intimidate someone, or threatens cinder with the hound, or tortured oscar, that is a choice she is making to let her anger out. the one time salem actually loses her temper, she sends everyone else out of the room, waits for the door to close, makes what appears to be a herculean effort to hold it in (<- the air boils), and then explodes all the windows.

this tactic of yang's depends on her opponent not having her level of emotional control. but that isn't the only reason she completely fails to get a rise out of salem; look at salem's reaction:

<- "why do you keep coming back?"—this is genuine fury. teeth bared, crushing oscar's head with her nails digging in behind his ears.

<- "because something bad happened to you once upon a time?"—she's nonplussed. it's not even that salem's too in control of her anger for yang to provoke her, salem is legitimately thrown for a loop by this line of attack. yang misses the mark by such a wide margin that it knocks salem out of her anger altogether. she was seething about ozma sacrificing children for the god to whom he debases himself in blind obedience, why is this child yelling about fairytales. what.

it's telling, i think, that salem does not, in any way, dispute the premise that her own suffering does not justify the suffering she causes or that she is personally responsible for yang's losses. neither of those ideas challenge or threaten salem's self-identity, and in fact the only response she does make is to ask who she took from yang. (<- implicitly conceding that she is responsible for ruining yang's life, or at least that she might be.)

she and yang are Very Alike.

(this is also why yang has such pronounced paralleling with cinder. by the way. two halves of salem's psyche. fire as hope, fire as wrath.)

anyway

the point of yang vis-a-vis "there will be no victory in strength" is to clarify and articulate the distinction salem makes between power (which neither character values) and strength (which they do, and define as the sum of many virtues). both of them are positioned in counterpoint to ozpin, who trusted only in power and symbols of power (the maidens, amity, atlas), and ruby, who mistakes power for strength and is on a journey that puts both her power (silver eyes) and her strength (hope) to the test.

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cattonicdragon · 1 year

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could you do mantis, tigress, viper, po, shen, tai lung, kai x a white peacock reader that can manipulate all forms of physics? For reference, the White Peacock Reader has the ability to manipulate all forms of physics regardless of laws. Other have sent you this type of question, so I am sending you this type of question. And I love your stuff too.

mantis,tigress,viper,po,shen,tai lung and kai x white peacock reader who can manipulate all forms of physics

I'm glad you like my stuff! And of course I can

Not been proof read yet I just wanted to post it 😭

Mantis

He finds you beauty and grace very admirable

You fight with such ferocity and grace it's almost unbelievable

He thinks that your powers are really cool but also really scary since they dont abide to any of the laws

Meaning you can do things that shouldn't physically be possible

Thinks that your some kind of God or something,maybe you've just been blessed by the gods

Not to much sparing,he fears that hell be crushed before he can even move

He asks to trace the patterns on your feathers(if you have any patterns)

He wonders if your tail can get in the way when fighting

Your fighting style is literally drop dead gorgeous

Saw you phase through a wall once,cant unsee it

Scary for in battle but very useful as an ally

He asks if you know why your white instead of the usually colours

Very curious about you

Your very mysterious

Tigress

She finds your beauty breath taking but remembers during battle not to be distracted

Shes curious of how you got your powers,did you learn them?,if so who was your master?,were you born with them?,does it run in your family?

Lots of questions

Training constantly

You've bested her more times then she cares to admit

She'll say that you cheated

Shes not saying that because she thinks you incapable,shes just saying that to try and mend her wounded pride

Her leg has phased through you and she lost the match because her brain practically stopped working for a minute or so

She likes to stay on your good side,mainly because she genuinely fears your powers

She believes that you can control them well but the things you can do,shouldn't be humanly/animaly possible

She likes to help clean your tail if you allow her

She wonders how you can fight with such a big tail

She fears fears what people will say when she tells them she lost a match to you,so you tell her that she can say you lost sometimes

She finds it scary and impressiv how much you can do,you can control things like the weather,solid matter etc.

She asks about your origins and if there may have been a particular reason as to why you were born as a white peacock with such immense power

Viper

brought to you by the same gif,again

As a previous ribbon dancer she likes to see the art in different peopls kung fu/fighting style,which meand she loved the way you fight

Such precision and beauty

She thinks your way to overpowerd

Like if you wanted to you could legit just walk on water

Dont like cold noodles?,ok lemme just,heat that up for u rq

She likes to stay relatively on your good side

She will ask to put flowers in your feathers,if you allow her to she will be ecstatic

Such a sweet heart

If you give her a feather as a gift of luck she may just pass out

If you have any patterns on your feathers she likes to trance them with her tail or just look at it

Shes scared to get priced by your sharp talons in battle/sparing

Loves your feathers

Shes curious to your feather colour being white but wont dig or think to deep about it

She just puts it down as being an unique quality of yours

Your tail can get annoying every so often

She likes how you input your tail into your fighting style

Your white feathers give him a tad bit of PTSD

He find the way you fight majestical,almost as if hes watching a play

He likes your feather and asks how you keep them so clean

He would be very hesitant with you sometimes due to the fact you remind him of someone

He thinks white suits you

Hes very surprised,fascinated and intrigued apon finding out about your powers

Your powers are like nothing hes ever seen before and he loves it

He likes to have long training sessions with you to try find a weakspot

He wants you to try teach him

Even if you tell him it's your genes and not taught he will still ask,there no hurt in trying

Liked your tail but it is very big

He likes making noodles for you both and sitting under a tree on a rainy day,knowing that your the reason your both not drenched in water

He wonders how you obtained such power and wonders what It would be like going all on out dragon warrior against you

He gets distracted by your feather alot

If you were to ever give him a feather hed treat it like a treasure that needs to be protected at any cost

Likes to watch your methods of fighting because he wants to try doing it himself

Shen

Hes rather shocked apon learning that there another white peacock

And your very powerful

In some ways hes happy that theres another peacock since he wont feel as lonely being the only white one but then again he in some ways feels like that was a huge part of his character

Apon first meeting you he gets extremely defensive and accuses you of being an imposter,even though you never said a single thing

Has alot of curiosity about your powers

Shen will try test your limits and see if you just unleash your powers out of pure emotion,he has morbid curiosity

He likes to spar ALOT

He likes to talk to you about how he created the cannons aswell as what he did to get the result

Hes very clingy and will often hang around you

Should anyone speak bad about you if you dont handle it,he will gladly

He finds a sick kind of pleasure from having so powerfull by his side

He throws firework shows for you

If you are good with close combat he will get a custom commissioned weapon of your choice for you

Tai lung

Although he finds your white feathers beautiful he also feels threatened

The pure reason for this is power

Hes been a star student for so long,the best of the best and you show up and have more power than him

Hes very stand off ish at first

He warms up to you eventually,its just a case of him getting there

He comes to find the brutality and accuracy of your fighting method

He trains with you at any given chance,hes not afraid to fight someone stronger than him and he will most likely go in blind,refusing to learn anything from his opponent

He asks if your methods can be taught and is a bit sulky if it cant

Hes not going to underestimate you by a long shot,hes more likely to overestimate you

He finds you feathers pretty and can momentarily find himself losing focus in training

If you gave him a feather he'd treat it as if it were his life sorce

He believes that when he achieves the dragon scroll you two will finally be even

Kai

Other than oogway he hasnt seen such powerful chi before

Nor has he seen the types of power you weild

Your a mystery at first,a mysterious white peacock shows up one day and has practically limitless power?

Hes going to be after your chi,no doubts

After awhile it's much like having a frenemy

"Still havnt given up your chi,(name)?""still havnt defeated oogway,kai?"

Its can go back and forth like this for a very long time,which it usually ends with you slipping through solid matter to escape

It gets to the point whether hes unsure if he still wants to take your chi

It would give him so much raw power but hes grown...fond of you

Which he hates to admit and probally wont

Once you become acquaintances tho it will turn into sparring seasons often

He brings his jombies out every so often to spice things up

He likes how smoothly you execute your kung fu moves/attacks

However in the end he still technically got what he wanted,just differently

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grassbreads · 1 year

Text

What Tai Sui is and Why Everyone Should Read It

So if you follow me, over the past couple weeks, you've probably noticed me obsessively screenshotting and posting about a book called Tai Sui. And now that I've finished it, I'd like to try and convince y'all to give it a chance.

What Is Tai Sui?

Tai Sui is a chinese web novel—a relatively unpopular work by the very popular author Priest (author of Guardian and Sha Po Lang, among others). Unlike a lot of the most popular web novels on tumblr, it's not a danmei. It's in fact rather important to the plot and themes that there is almost entirely no romance, but I promise you, it is absolutely worth it regardless.

What is Tai Sui About?

Tai Sui is a steampunk xianxia cultivation story. For those unfamiliar with xianxia and cultivation, this is a particular genre of Chinese historical fantasy.

The official summary of Tai Sui reads as follows:

“If I had a choice, I would only want to be a little insect in the mundane dust, born in confusion, dying in mediocrity, never seeing the light of day beneath the fog of Jinping City.

Better than taking this wrong road to heaven.”

You may have noticed that this summary is not in fact really a summary. It gives you a glimpse into the story's themes, mood, and destination, but it doesn't exactly tell you what happens in it.

That's because Tai Sui is one of those works that's incredibly hard to summarize. The story is incredibly wide in scope and changes massively over its course, to the point that any summary that encapsulates the whole thing is going to feel like a spoiler. However, I can try my best to add a little detail without giving too much away.

Tai Sui is the story of Xi Ping—an obnoxious, trouble-making rich boy with no interest in cultivation—who gets unwittingly involved in a plot to resurrect the "evil god" Tai Sui. This plot pulls him into the cultivation world against his will and, over time, threatens to rewrite everything he is.

Tai Sui is the end of immortality.

Why Should You Read Tai Sui?

Tai Sui is one of the most compelling stories I have ever read. It is a love letter to the power and promise of the whole world and its many mundane people. It also has some of the best worldbuilding I have ever seen.

Tai Sui is written in omniscient perspective, and though Xi Ping is very much the main character, as the story progresses, we spend more and more time alongside characters that aren't him. By the time the novel ends, his entire continent is at stake, and we the audience know that continent and its troubles inside and out from countless angles. Everyone from the immortal demigods of the cultivation world to the most wretched, miserable paupers is given a grand sense of emphasis.

Tai Sui is a deconstruction of the cultivation genre. It establishes a magic/cultivation system and its history, lets the main character live in that system for a while, and then dives deep into that system's depths. It looks at the cultivation genre, at the idea of people who leave behind their status as mortals for greater things, and asks "How does this really work?" and "Is this how the world should be?"

Tai Sui is the story of countless people who were never supposed to be powerful coming together to make the world a better place. It's well written (and very well translated), exciting, heartbreaking, and incredibly beautiful. It's also funny as hell.

I cannot recommend this story enough.

Warnings/Caveats

As I said before, Tai Sui is a deconstruction of the cultivation genre. If you're unfamiliar with this genre, while the book is certainly readable, you are going to be thrown head first into the deep end with the tropes and terminology at play. It's absolutely worth the learning curve, but it will be kind of a lot. Maybe do some light googling about what a cultivator is before you pick it up. (Or just ask a fan. I think most of us would happily explain anything that would win a new reader).

There are portrayals of people/cultures in Tai Sui that are heavily inspired by minority cultures in real-world China, and some of these portrayals play into pretty harmful stereotypes. It's not SPL "Barbarian" or TGCF Banyue levels of racist, but it's something to be aware of and careful about. I'd really recommend reading from the perspectives of those from the cultures in question (including but not limited to the post I linked) for more about the issues I'm talking about.

Tai Sui's English translation is 930,000 words long. I believe this is a strength, since its length is what allows it such an incredible scope. It is also a fucking daunting commitment, and I acknowledge that.

Finally, while Tai Sui doesn't need too many trigger warnings, it does contain some pretty viscerally upsetting depictions of inequality and mistreatment, as well as a few instances of violence toward children. You can't uplift without first seeing what the people need uplifting from, and hooboy. They need it.

There's also some scenes that are technically rather violent, but the goriness is not presented as gore, if that makes sense. It never feels intensely or overly violent in the way some fantasy novels do.

Links

If all my gushing and propagandizing has convinced you to give it a try, you can find the original Chinese version (where you can buy chapters to support the author) on JJWXC.

The complete English translation is free on the website of E. Danglars, who does a truly incredible job with the translating.

Happy reading :).

#my desperate shot at propagandizing now that my followers have sat through months of on and off obsessive tai sui posting #besties it is genuinely so good #it made me cry. and that is a fcking feat.#tai sui #priest #cnovel #webnovel #long post #I'm not putting a readmore on this bc I want to force y'all to look at it #sorry #book rec #invasion of the frogs

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soleilnomoon · 10 months

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hey miss kaia 😼 I wasn’t sure if I should message you or send it this way butttt I’d love a strawberry-mango mai tai (crocodile or shanks) w/ songs 12, 15, and 23 from the playlist 👩🏾‍💻

hiiiii bb 🥰️ ty for requesting! i am so so sorry this took so long, but it’s here at last. also this was my first time writing crocodile, so i was v excited and wrote more than necessary but lbr i’m a long-winded mfer ok, that’s just how it is there’s no cure unfortunately; anyway i like how it turned out and if i kept writing we’d be here forever ପ(๑•ᴗ•๑)ଓ ♡

2.1k words (don’t look at me), fem reader, nsfw, 18+ mdni; fluff if you count him not choking her as fluff & smut (and angst that u didn’t ask for but i gave it to u bc i’m unwell like that 😊; feat. post-time skip crocodile in denial (he’s king of it clearly), reader who is (rightfully) in her feelings abt everything, smoking, established relationship, exes 2 lovers bc that’s my jam, a lil bit of miscommunication, crocodile is bad at emotions and reader is too emotional — they’re perfect for each other obvy — rough sex, is it considered knife play if he has a hook (asking 4 a friend), a lot of kissing (hello romance), probably other stuff but idr. crocodile comes w. his own damn warning tbqh. reader sippin that clown girl juice like a champ, i’m proud <3

(if u see spelling/grammar mistakes no u didn’t 💕)

it’s late at night when he arrives at your doorstep; you’re in the middle of flipping through a magazine, the ceiling fan silent and slow, the heat a little more than tolerable as you sip a cool drink. you have no intention of entertaining anyone, but when you recognize the heaviness behind the loud knocks, you make an exception.

of course, you do, there’s no other choice but to do so.

sir crocodile is a man that takes, and takes, and takes without remorse; there’s an insatiable greed — hunger, rather — that he can’t seem to satisfy. or maybe it’s that he’s been denying himself for years and it’s finally become too much for him. a small, quiet buzz infiltrates your body when you yank open the door. you half expect to find someone else there, so you stare openly, disbelief and shock holding you in place.

he peers down at you when you stand there and don’t bother to invite him inside. he knows his presence is probably more than you can handle, but he’s a selfish man and his time is very limited right now. with a subtle nod of his head, almost as if he’s telling — no, commanding — you to let him in; he’s always been like that, wordless commands that he expects to be followed without question.

if you had more sense, you’d slam the door in his face. but sadly, you don’t.

you try not to appear too affected, but as crocodile walks inside, dark eyes taking a sweeping glance around your modest living space, you suddenly remember how to speak.

“h-how did you find me?” your voice is much too soft and timid, something he clicks his tongue at, annoyance slightly bubbling underneath his skin. maybe it’s because he hasn’t seen you in so long, or maybe it’s because he’s much too taken by your beauty — something he tried to forget but was wholly unsuccessful.

he doesn’t spare you another glance as he hangs up his coat, doesn’t bother asking for permission before he rummages through the cabinets in your kitchen to pour himself a drink, and doesn’t think anything of his overly familiar actions in a home that doesn’t belong to him when he makes himself comfortable on one of the plush armchairs in the living room.

you scurry after him, steps soft and hurried, the smoke from his cigar wafting towards you the closer you get. he tilts his head back and exhales deeply, eyes closed as he blows smoke above him — a heady, intoxicating scent that triggers memories of the nights you spent with him before.

not that it matters, but crocodile’s nerves got the best of him before he arrived; he hasn’t seen you in two and a half years, and he always wondered if someone finally snatched you up. he told himself, a long time ago, that he would wreck whatever relationship you found yourself in anyway, but the uncertainty still lingered.

do you still care for him like you claimed you always would?

it’s a question he refuses to ask you because he’s convinced that the answer will ruin his plans no matter what your response is.

when you finally snap out of that momentary stupor, you stand in front of him, eyes glossy, as if you’re holding back years’ worth of tears. but somehow, you both fall back into the same routine you swore you’d never go back to — you straddle his lap, shorts riding up your plush thighs, his golden hook cold as he uses it to lift your chin up.

you remind yourself to keep focused, to not fall for his charm again. you don’t tell him that you’ve stayed single this whole time, mostly because everyone who came into your life after him didn’t compare.

“i hate the smell of smoke,” you declare boldly, voice strained, and maybe a little needy — even though you closely press yourself to him, even though you’re shamelessly rubbing yourself against him with slow, deliberate rolls of your hips. an inescapable, irritating heat passes through him, threatening to burn him alive; already his cock gets stiff when you move on him like that. if he had a bit more sense in him, he’d just leave right now.

but old habits die hard, and for some reason, your presence alone throws him off completely.

in a good way. even though he claims otherwise.

he reminds himself that he’s only here to talk as he runs his large hand along your thigh, admiring the smoothness of your skin — the sensation oddly calming to him. the feel of his rings along the back of your thigh triggers a vivid memory that makes you inhale sharply — you remember that the last time you saw him, you were on your knees and gagging on his cock. that night he fucked you like he knew he’d never see you again; you remember how you felt like melting into him every time he buried his cock deeply in your cunt.

you want to hate him all over and never think about him again.

except you can’t, can you?

there’s a brief pause before he takes another drag from his cigar; and when he lets the silence hang for longer than necessary, you find it hard to breathe.

“and i hate liars,” crocodile says finally, conveniently forgetting that he’s a notorious liar himself. you blush and turn your face at the hidden meaning behind his words — a poor attempt to deny it — but when you look back at him, he blows smoke above your head and fixes you with a pointed look.

an absurd thought occurs, making you curl your fingers as you tug on his shirt and finally question his reappearance. jealousy coils itself tightly around your legs, making your movements sluggish and ineffective. unbecoming, utterly childish, and unavoidable — but you know he won’t listen to that sort of rhetoric. not after being away from you for so long.

you lick your lips and muster enough courage to say, “i wrote to you.” several times, in fact. you figured he was either dead or didn’t want to speak to you. a part of him wants to ask if you’re serious, but from your demure demeanor, he already knows the answer.

crocodile lets out a humorless, pitying laugh.

“it must be nice to live in delusion,” he says bitterly. you look at him, confusion evident in the way you press your lips together as your brows slope down slowly — so he just sighs, defeated by your genuine naivety that he finds terribly charming. when he drags the curve of his golden hook along your jaw, your starts beating faster than necessary, the noise so loud you can barely think straight.

he knows that when he talks to you, he has to… mind how he phrases things, and while it annoys him, he does it anyway. “do you think impel down just allows former warlords the luxury of personal mail?” it’s a rhetorical question, but you shake your head no anyway, teeth sinking into your bottom lip as you grab onto his shirt again.

guilt has a nasty habit of making him more considerate than he’d care to be, especially if that guilt comes from you. it has him putting out his cigar and tossing it onto the floor; he’s not sure who kisses who first, but his lips slant against yours and move with familiarity.

your soft whimpers are a honeyed, melodic experience; they wrap around him possessively, driving him to tear through your clothes with his hook, shredding the fabric into large, unusable pieces that languidly slide off your body. a flush settles on your skin, making you feel lightheaded — each kiss more electrifying than the last as he licks inside of your mouth, tongue stroking against yours hotly.

crocodile pulls away suddenly, already feeling like the control he’s kept is practically nonexistent because your mouth is much sweeter than he remembers. your fingers tremble slightly and a breathy moan tumbles out of you when he slaps your ass hard.

the impact is a surprise — one that has you whine pitifully, arousal dripping from your slit in a way that should be embarrassing, but you’re too far gone to care. a lust-induced haze circles around him, nearly clouding his vision as you unbutton his shirt, fingers roaming against his stomach, exploring the dips and grooves between his abs. your touch is much too gentle for a man like him; he knows you deserve better, but he’s too selfish to tell you that. his cock is stiff and heavy in his pants; you relieve that ache as soon as you tug his zipper down and wrap your soft hands around him.

he watches you, amused at your focus and determination when you stroke him faster; and while he’d like to take his time with you, he doesn’t have that luxury tonight. he grabs onto your wrist, halting your movements quickly before biting your lower lip and kissing you greedily; it’s all-consuming, scalding, and possessive.

you should ask him why he’s kissing you like that when he has no intention of staying, but you know it would be an unfair question given his circumstances.

still, your curiosity eats you alive, although not for long.

he lifts you with ease and you sink down onto his thick cock, pussy tight and warm. part of what kept him sane while he was in prison was thinking of you and how much he missed being with you like this — another truth he refuses to reveal, deciding to suffer through the consequences of another failed confession on his part.

you scratch at the skin on the back of his neck the moment he bucks his hips against yours, burying most of his cock inside of you. his thrusts are quick and brutal; you do your best to match his movements, moaning loudly as he wraps an arm around you. he kisses down the length of your neck, teeth grazing your skin roughly as he bites and sucks on your skin harshly. you know there’ll be bruises and marks in the morning, but you don’t care.

all you care about is enjoying this moment with him, one that you’ll commit to memory forever.

his name comes out of your mouth sweetly, like a rhythmic and lyrical poem you crafted for him specifically. he shouldn’t care about any of that, but he can’t stop himself; and maybe he’s just tired of denying it. he tells himself that when he fucks you harder, breasts bouncing and rubbing against his hard chest; he tells himself that when he angles his hips, thrusts frenzied and powerful.

sweat glides down your skin and the heat threatens to suffocate you, both of you are panting and moaning in between kisses. you doubt your poor little heart can take much more of this, but you power through anyway. and maybe it’s because you’re tugging on his hair roughly, almost impatiently, but he takes that as a challenge, holding you steady as his cock bullies into your wet cunt. between the lewd, squelching sounds coming from your pussy and the way he simply can’t stop kissing you — like there’s a thirst he can’t seem to quench, no matter how many times he fucks you — a warmth spreads through your chest.

unbeknownst to you, though, he’s going through something similar; he realizes, belatedly, that he might not be able to let you go after this. impossible thoughts pummel through his mind, ones that he desperately tries to shove aside. intimacy and vulnerability are deadly, in his opinion, but he decides to make an exception for you — and only you.

you cum unexpectedly, hips bucking against his wildly, pussy clenching around his thick girth without remorse. you actually feel your heart skip a beat, like you’re in some romance novel, when he calls out your name — his own orgasm finding him shortly after, thrusts slowing, his cum thick and hot as it spills inside of you.

your legs turn to jelly, making it impossible to move right away, so you slump against him weakly and take deep breaths to calm yourself. he closes his eyes briefly and runs his hand up and down your back; here’s another opportune moment to say something, to say anything, but he swallows back the words, instead opting to kiss your forehead softly.

“you’re an impossible man,” you say with a sigh, blinking as you look up at him; he raises a brow at that, but doesn’t offer a rebuttal. “don’t break my heart.” you jab a finger at his chest, but your features soften when he chuckles at your demand.

another long silence follows, before crocodile speaks again, voice low, but certain as he says, “alright, i won’t.”

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princessprettyprivilege · 1 year

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pretty privilege tips?

Pretty Privilege Tips 101

Acknowledging your pretty privilege is simply not acknowledging it. Your pretty privilege is as natural as breathing.

Acknowledge pretty privilege is ALL about your appearance. Only your appearance because that’s what people see first. I call it the Cinderella and evil stepsisters factor. I’m excused more often, tipped, receive better treatment, etc. due to my looks.

Cultivate your pretty privilege efficiently to gain more pretty privileged perks. I could always say “eat healthy & exercise!!” as a blanket statement, but that’s SO easy to say with anonymity and an oxymoron since I have a box of Ritz bits in my lap.

Eat when you can & what you crave in moderation, find a fun exercise regimen and hobby to practice, start enjoying your life.

I found my new method of exercising by gardening since it doesn’t feel like exercise! I dug my first hole in the ground for an apple tree a couple of months ago, and I really enjoyed it, so I dug 3 more.

Appearance-wise, make your own challenges for your face and body such as creating themed shower days such as mango mai tai Mondays, Old Hollywood Wednesdays or New Jeans cookie (I have a speaker for my bath) scrub. For my facial care, I always visualize myself preparing for an event, because I am an event.

You are your own goddess.

Stop acknowledging opinions about pretty privilege that hold no weight to you. “It’s all about pleasing the patriarchy, you’re only a pretty face, men use you and you don’t even know, once you gain weight you’re just like us,” blah, blah, blah.

If you’re in denial about your pretty privilege, suck it up. Far too many people waste their time concerned about what they do and don’t have.

Prepare for the benefits and consequences you may face being pretty.

“A man being rich is like a girl being pretty!”

In contrast to the feminine energy posts you may read, you need to man up and put in your dental guard. It is more difficult being pretty privileged if you equate it to being aligned in your femininity.

Find out your tricks and trades. Are you a walking siren? To find out your natural disposition, you don’t need to search too hard. If you’re having trouble, you could be hiding your true beliefs due to the opinions of other people or denying your disposition since an article or test said it’s “uncommon”.

Your seesaw is on top. In any situation, your benefit is the priority.

Own your pretty. You can feel yourself resisting what you really want to do because of judgment from society. Let the inner woman out!

Flirting should be casual conversation to you, but with your eyes and less words. Many women think flirting with someone they barely like means they share the same attraction with them when I view it as a king of the hill game. Flirt for sport and with yourself!

Flaunt your attractiveness. Being an apex predator is leaving out weaknesses and self-doubt. If I know I’m the most attractive person I’ve seen, everyone else knows I need a worthy opponent to challenge me.

You need to be on top of situations to gauge your options. A realistic proportion I have is for every 2 things that go right, 1 thing can be wrong and so on. You shouldn’t overwork yourself to project perfection since it doesn’t exist.

Actually have fun.

Most people know how to look like they’ve had fun instead of having fun. Fun is when you don’t care what anyone thinks at the moment or looking back.

Peacock. Wear your feathers vividly and without shame. Bitter & jealous people want you to paint your feathers to match theirs. Don’t!

Be Luxury, Live Luxury.

#femininity #high maintenance #pretty privilege #high standards #expensive taste #black femininity #high value woman #femininity tips #level up #princesskhalyiah

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yooniesim · 4 months

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So, I may be a day late, but I still want to make a little post for Simblr Gratitude Day 💜

To start off, my memory is pretty bad, so I just know I'm gonna miss tagging people... and honestly, there's way more people on here I'm grateful for than tumblr's limit of 50! So I'm starting out addressing everyone.

To everybody that likes or reblogs my posts, sends comments or asks, shares their sims with me, or uses my cc: I love you. Yes, you! I may be bad at answering back sometimes, but I cherish every interaction I get- a lot of the times they have me kicking my feet and giggling, or sometimes I'm barking and scaring my cat. Asks really make my day and even when I don't reply so fast, they warm my heart. Asks I've gotten on here have genuinely helped me in my dark times, and renewed my faith in this community as a whole, because some of you are just so freaking amazing and kind. Especially now with everything I've been going through, sims and being here has remained a comfort for me because of you all. Even if there's speed bumps from time to time, I truly believe there's more good here than bad, and y'all should be proud of yourselves and your capacity for endless kindness. Thank you!

Now, I'm going to address a few specific precious people I'm grateful for.

@wastelandwhisperer - Moon, my precious mom friend, I adore you. The joy, comfort, and hilarious memories you give me can't be understated. You deserve all the love and light in the world.

@neverheresims - God's eepiest soldier, what would I do without you? Thank you for always being genuine, reliable, and a true friend.

Vi - Thank you my sheriff, my paggro detector, my master of copypastas, my right hand catboy. Even though you're untraceable, I couldn't leave you out. I love you!

@divinedionym - Thanks for always being straight with me and taking NO shit. I truly admire you and your attitude, friend.

@dyoreos - We may not both be active at the same time anymore, but I still think of you, friend! You've always had my back and I'll always have yours.

@nucrests - I'm so grateful to be your friend, and every time you share your beautiful content and gorgeous sims with me, it really makes my day. I adore you.

@cinamun - You probably don't know this, but in certain times when I was feeling low, your comments and kindness really lifted my spirits and made me feel like I belong. You're a lovely person and deserve all the love you receive, friend.

@woosteru - You won't see this bc you're retired so I can be sappy as I want, so there!!! I adore you, your sweet personality, and your sense of humor that matches just right with mine. (Nobody tell them)

@superflare - Lulu, you're an incredibly creative and intelligent person. I can tell you're going to go far in life and do great for the world. Be proud of yourself, always!

@fiftymilehighclub - Thank you for always being yourself, Manda! You're such a hardworking person that's kind but firm with your opinions and what matters to you. You're amazing.

@nicatnite88 - Tay, you're someone that's always empathetic, understanding and kind, yet hilarious at the same time. I look up to you as a person and admire your skills as a parent.

@pluto-sims - What do I say about Eli? Despite being unfortunately bri*ish, you've exceeded expectations in all other areas as a friend. I genuinely appreciate your presence and kindness in my life.

@bloody-soda - As one of my longest and dearest mutuals, peachy, my love for you can't be understated! I think of you whenever I see cute meme pics lol and you're so lovely as a person.

@wubblesgonefishin - Beautiful wubs, you're such a wonderful person with so much love to give! My day brightens every time I speak with you and I'm so glad you're back.

@toastie-sim - Meg! One of my few brain cells, I don't know what I'd do without you! You're so helpful all the time and unbelievably patient. I appreciate you.

...Phewph. Now that that's o- wait. You thought I was done??? Nuh uh, the king of long ass texts posts is not done that fast. Here's some more beautiful people I'm grateful for and love seeing grace my dash 💜

@simandy @void-imp @therichantsim @adelarsims @marsosims @shysimblr @1-800-cuupid @xldkx @xiuminuwu @hexcodesims @cassymblr @lotusplum @rebelangelsims @denzellion @strawberrylattesims @anachrosims @cowplant-snacks @fierce-trait @simanin @ghostwoohoo @llama-head @aghilasims @janjumjam @jellyfish-tea @bbdoll @puppycheesecake @mwvwv-sims

#ceci speaks #nonsims #text #simblr gratitude day #im telling u i missed ppl and im sorry #but just know i love u all!!!

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willgrahamsbecoming · 4 months

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Where do u think chilton would’ve gone if he had not pit stopped at Will fucking snitch grahams house and just hightailed it out of Baltimore to go watch all the drama from afar or whateva. Like do u think he genuinely could’ve been sipping Mai tais by the beach without a care in the world or would he be like holed up in stupid hiding place hyperventilating into a bag and hiding his identity w sunglasses and baseball cap when he needs to go buy psychiatrist gossip weekly issue #69 or like some secret third option you’ve fully imagined in ur brain already . I’m curious

i've been sitting on this ask for like a week because it's the funniest thing i've ever been sent and i didn't want to let it go but i think everyone else deserves to see it too

i like to think he'd make it to cuba and no one would hear from him until post-fall when our favourite cannibals show up and lots of lovely one-sided spy v spy shenanigans ensue. actually... none-sided. i want them to be avoiding each other at all costs yet repeatedly crossing paths against their wills. in the most cartoonish ways possible. at the grocery store. decked out for a swim at the beach. bonus points if hannibal smugly makes small talk as if they've never met while chilton tries not to freak the fuck out in the gourmet cheese aisle and will looks like he's about to start stabbing and goes mind fishing to calm down

realistically he'd probably get arrested in about 12 minutes at the gas station because he stopped to call his grandmother on a payphone

#thanks for the ask do visit my inbox again #ask #anonymous #frederick chilton #hannibal #nbc hannibal #willgrahamsbecoming #will graham #hannibal lecter #hannigram

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tumblingxelian · 7 months

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The Fraught Family Ties of the Rose-Xiao Long Household:

Sorry for the ramble, I wanted to share something born of a discussion I had with someone regarding the canonical relationship on the Rose-Xiao Long sisters & their father figures.

So, I often find Tai (& Qrow) propped up as good father figures who maybe just had some moments of weakness but either got better long before canon or during the show and who are super close with Ruby & Yang with very healthy relationships.

Given possibly my most popular post, (Yang & Ruby's childhood) I don't think this is a universal stance, certainly not these days, and I don't think its well supported in canon either.

This doesn't mean that love isn't there, but love and resentment can live in the same house and the Rose-Xiao Long household is far more complex than I think people give it credit for.

Now, some will probably highlight positive tones and references in the early volumes, but here's the thing. A child growing up around something can get used to a lot. Ruby & Yang are clearly very used to Qrow stumbling home utterly wasted, even carried by strangers and needing to take care of him. This is normal to them and neither show any resentment towards it until on their last nerve.

That is to say, Ruby and Yang are fine with Qrow's drinking and smile through it, riiiight up until they themselves are on the edge of snapping real hard over things such as in V6.

Neither of them express their trauma like say, Jaune does, who tends to be quite open with his resentment and prone to lashing out. The sisters smile through it, they may express frustration or anger at other things, but not their loved one's, which makes it easy to pretend everything is cool and normal.

Hell, keeping things light with humor is explicitly noted to be how Yang copes and Ruby is shown consistently beginning to show sadness before quickly bottling it up up. This is just how they handle negative emotions they cant comfortably express.

Thus, while Ruby expressing frustration at Yang giving Tai like advice in V1 doesn't indicate hostility, nor does her being all smiles around his presence in V3's opening indicate everything is super awesome.

After all, things are good at that moment, but let's take a look at the end of V3.

Tai is clearly worrying and trying to fuss over Ruby. But she is very neutral on the whole thing, mostly just trying to get intel on what the fuck happened from him and not being remotely upset when Qrow makes him leave. She show's a bit more vulnerability around Qrow, but is still very focused on the practical questions of what happened.

Its only when she's alone with Yang, that Ruby really becomes expressive with her emotions and more to the point, shows outright uncertainty in what to do. This leads her to being shocked when Yang is in no fit state t provide her with the guidance and support she clearly craves and expected.

Ruby also specifically addresses her letters to Yang and broadly speaking doesn't really seem to think about Tai all that much. Again I don't think she dislikes him, but given she openly acknowledges Yang as the one who raised her & Yang herself noted she had to keep the family together...

Well, I think that Ruby doesn't really perceive Tai as a parent, strictly speaking. In the sense that I don't believe she views Tai as someone to go to for comfort or advice or guidance.

He's her dad and she loves him, but he's less of an adult to her than Yang was. In that same vein Qrow is a Huntsmen, her mentor and uncle yes, but the former I think inform her behavior with him more than the latter.

Now, let's also compare Tai and Yang's relationship a little.

We know Tai taught her how to fight, but he doesn't show any real understanding of how her Semblance works or her fighting style given she has utilized plenty of blocks, dodges and clever strategies in the first three volumes. What's more him critiquing her for fighting that way and making it her fault when he taught her feels suspect to me.

(I would note it was Yang who realized Ruby needed CQC help before anyone else, so she clearly thought deeply on this stuff.)

But beyond that, we see Yang is heavily isolated, both from how the camera work frames her. But also because she us housed in a guest room and that Tai, while obviously unhappy about what happened overall seems far more focused on Ruby in terms of trying to provide some care. What's more, when she's clearly distressed he walks away and leaves her to stew.

Yang's shown still doing lots of work around the house, despite everything and his efforts to 'help' her are all about getting her back into the fight over worrying for her safety like he did Ruby.

This is a big thing for me, Tai was clearly deeply upset when Qrow wanted to speak to Ruby alone and terrified when she left.

Meanwhile when it comes to 'helping' Yang its all about getting back into the action and going after Ruby. He doesn't seem to mind the idea of sending her into danger.

Then there' show he hypocritically dismisses her trauma and depression while at the same time diminishing her maturity despite him having left her to raise Ruby and keep the family together.

He also makes his help for her conditional on her no longer "Moping" while its her teachers who barely know Yang that provide actually useful guidance on healing.

When alone he also frames 'caring for her' IE letting her live in the house and take care of herself, like its this heavy burden that is keeping him from Ruby.

This is despite the fact he ultimately does not go after Ruby.

You can claim its a budget thing the show we have is the show we have. Thus, he sends her off to parent Ruby instead of himself. Also Tai outright compares Yang to Raven despite them being radically different and honestly Ruby being a lot closer to even the positive traits he ascribed to Raven.

Thus I think there's an element of projection that leads to Ruby being preferences between the two but also Tai having come in too late to really be seen as the parent he wants to be perceived as.

Now, let's look at Qrow.

Both sisters are clearly used to him staggering or being carried home drunk and needing to take care of him, meaning they have been doing this since childhood.

This would have a hugely negative impact on their mental wellbeing and impact how they perceive him.

Beyond that, I am unsure how close he even is to Yang outside the superficial. Some of that may indeed be down to time, but there have been periods where they could have shown a deep bond and its not manifested.

When Yang is framed, her team, two of whom have only know her for a few months and have plenty of trauma that would make them rightly suspicious choose to believe her and sympathize with her.

Qrow meanwhile says she is either lying or crazy and does not express much in the way of real empathy or trust.

Rather than showing an interest in maybe trying to resolve the issue or help her through decides that maybe directing her to Raven might help. He obviously cares, but generally never shows much of the same concern or affection for Yang that he does for Ruby.

Granted even then Qrow requires caretaking from both his nieces.

What's more he often tethers Ruby to Summer. So while his mentorship of her does let her be a little more vulnerable with him than Tai its still an unbalanced relationship.

However outside of that, Qrow's generally fairly good with Ruby and her influence on him seemed to be the primary thing that stopped him drinking. He also shows a great deal of faith in her in general, though how much of that is projection likely varies.

But he mentored Ruby so its natural they are maybe a little closer.

Still, I think Ruby & Yang held Qrow in higher regard, at least as a Huntsmen than their father, there's a lot of baggage to the relationship at a minimum.

I also think Ruby & Yang's lack of communication seen in later volumes is sort of reflective of the families unhealthy dynamics evolving between them.

Yang being forced to raise a sister two years younger than her is already a heavy burden on both of them. Yang from having to step up and fill the roll of an adult as a child & Ruby because no matter how hard Yang tried it as never gonna be perfect but she couldn't exactly complain about it either.

So both just sort of smiled through the pain as they grew and came out fairly functional and happy if carrying a lot of baggage beneath the surface. This is why both respond to grief and trauma in a similar manner, pushing the issues down until they explode or collapse. It was how they got by.

They were also extremely close, for all that Yang talked of Ruby maybe trying to branch out onto other teams, she instantly tried to seek her out in the Emerald Forest, saved her a spot in the auditorium and generally tried to assist and advice her along with expressing great pride in her.

Ruby bore with with a mixed degree of playfulness and teen like annoyance, while still wanting to cling to Yang. She was also very comfortable early on with expressing her concerns around Yang, such as with Blake being so stressed and not knowing what to do about it & seemingly had total faith in Yang's ability to resolve things.

As previously outlined, when Ruby was seeking comfort and guidance after the Fall of Beacon she went to Yang and was shocked when Yang couldn't provide her what she needed and quickly began separating herself, clearly deeply impacted.

Yang remained the center of her homeward focus after that fact and when Yang returned she was able to express vulnerability with her.

Briefly.

However, Yang soon showed that her recovery was not as complete as she wanted to project and again Ruby was at a loss for what to do with a Yang who is upset.

Keep in mind she's entirely capable of comforting a drunk, hung over or otherwise very upset Qrow, but the prospect of comforting Yang leaves her shuffling nervously outside the door while Weiss helps her.

Ruby's perception of Yang seemed to have put her on something of a pedestal in the way a lot of children do their parents where its hard to start seeing them as a person.

& When Ruby did start seeing Yang as a person, her complexes regarding leadership caused her to see Yang as someone who needed protection.

This caused her to freeze Yang out of her issues, we see this with her rejecting Yang's efforts to comfort her in V8, responding instead with sullen silences or sharp emotional jabs to try and make Yang go away.

Yet at the same time, she didn't entirely try to keep the façade up, perhaps in part because she couldn't.

I also think there's a part of her that sort... Expected Yang to know what to do and to say for her even though Ruby has changed as a person and is no longer communicating clearly like she used to.

Which then causes her to resent Yang for not being able to say the right things and provide the right assistance like she did when they were kids. Even though Yang doesn't know how Ruby feels their relationship has changed and can't know with Ruby actively avoiding acting in a manner that would elicit her concern.

Basically, this is an extremely messy family.

It has four actual adults, the most competent of whom martyred herself. One of whom left because she couldn't handle it and two of whom failed when put to the test.

This left the role of grown up in the room to Yang who had to keep the family together and raise her sister. While Ruby had to basically become the least troubled child possible to make this easier on them all.

Raven cutting herself out of their lives and her ties to Yang, while Summer being a beloved martyr seems to have also rippled down to their kids.

With Yang almost being like the black sheep of the family. She's the one they expect to do something immoral or "crazy' and generally expected to take care of herself and Ruby without any kind of acknowledgement or significant assistance.

Meanwhile Ruby is regarded as a sort of proto Summer, this beacon of purity, which leaves Tai over protective but ultimately inactive leaving the task of helping her to Yang. With Qrow expecting the world from her which just applies more pressure.

I do think everyone of them love each other, but I also think there's also a lot of resentment, frustration and projection going on here, with many utter failures of parenting. These ultimately caused the families relationships to never developed into what they should be and are instead leaving them in an odd sort of limbo; with a lot left unsaid and unhealthy.

#RWBY #Ruby Rose #Yang Xiao Long #Tai & Qrow did not do a good job #Do not clown on this post #Family trauma #RWBY Analysis #Yang raised Ruby #Ruby had to be 'OK' all the time

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1nvad3rz1m · 7 months

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On recapkidd/ang

So news is getting around about ang's unfortunate fate as they're allegedly on EOL (end of life) care after being unable to access health insurance from being deprived industry jobs. It's true that zadr (p*rn) is what kick started these events but it was not just invader zim fans that did this. This was, based on the timeline and evidence, a calculated attack from a few of ang's previous friends and acquaintances

So here's a run down, you can make your own judgements but here is the best I can offer as a timeline of events. PLEASE BE AWARE i am linking some twitter accounts that may have nsfw content! I am only linking to specific tweets with nothing explicit in them but I cannot promise the accounts themselves are clean.

This document is directly from ang themself, and gives a pretty detailed timeline of when this started (~2020) and features the most prominent ringleaders (jeraspat, holly, kyle, tai). i'll abbreviate it regardless but i highly recommend you read it

Ang's response

Basically, BEFORE their account as reapkid they joined jera's friendgroup. This group, for reasons unrelated to ang but they joined in the moment of, fell apart. If you've ever been unlucky enough to experience this you know where this goes, Ang's addition was blamed as the reason it fell apart.

Eventually Ang separated from this group but due to the scapegoat status and Jera's idolization of them (which you can read about in the doc) it wasn't over. This point is when Ang started drawing zadr and we knew them as recapkid here on tumblr. Jera is the primary reason Ang was targeted for this because as we all know after florpus release there was uptick in anti-zadr sentiment. What happens next is a long process of callouts by multiple different users and eventual doxxing of ang.

There's some max v jera drama (jera's callout for max, any orange block out is ang's name) that drags ang in but that wasn't the killing blow. tai (toydrill on twit)'s call out is what dealt the most damage. This almost definitively drove everyone away from ang. if you want to read the tweets and replies here it is. it isn't full of receipts like a typical callout but it does lead into the subsequent events.

Something important to note is the people turning against ang have their own taboo aspects and i want to point those out. tai has an obsession with a character from venture bros that is a "redeemed pedophile", vince (former friend of ang who was lamenting in the comments of tais tweet) was allegedly into monster furry porn so egregious that it made others call him a zoophile. my point here is that these people who crucified ang had their own questionable fictional tastes but justified it for their own benefit, their own moral stance doesn't hold up. That is not me passing judgement, just an aspect of the behaviors exhibited to consider that most people learning about the issue don't know about.

what happens next is a domino effect of people responding again i urge you to read the doc, this is the point i think that people turned on ang BECAUSE of invader zim. More of jera's friends get dragged in to antagonize ang, something important to remember is this was deliberate attacking they did not leave ang alone.

It starts to cross over into reality with holly (creator of lemonhead and lollipup, if youre familiar) who makes a callout post tagging all of ang's real friends and employers. Holly exhibited some strange behaviors in their relationship with Ang which is all documented but again, I am just focusing on the callouts.

Something I want to stress as Ang does in the document is that while Holly did go after their irl support system they did not get them fired from any job at this point for any online behavior. This is however setting up the eventual blacklisting that Ang suffered from, preventing them from work because of the public spectacle. Holly's narrative that Ang claimed they were fired for this did however impact some of their relations specifically from spindlehorse who believed ang was using them as a scapegoat and eventually viv cut off communication with them.

Ang worked on the mighty magiswords show and the show creator, kyle carrozza, allegedly spread their private nsfw content with coworkers and DID fire them for that reason after the callouts. This is the first documented case that I'm aware of of Ang being fired for this specifically. Here is Ang's account of it.

I want to highlight holly's response and call to action here, as it proves that this was not done out of a genuine need to keep others safe (or that ang was ever dangerous to begin with) but because of petty reasons. especially considering the behavior documented.

What happens after is an inability to get and keep jobs and being cut off from their health insurance. No, invader zim fans didn't get ang killed (they were a rather big part of it but alone that is not the issue). According to their friend puppy on twitter it wasn't just social backlash, it was also the flaws of the US healthcare system. It was unfortunately interconnected, especially when it's an industry that hinges on connections.

You can have your opinions on ang's content. You can have your opinions on how they responded. You can believe ang is leaving out a lot of information (based on all the info provided in the document im hard pressed to believe that is the case, but i digress) and you can believe that the industry can choose what content they think is permissible to work with (though the industry has and still does protect active predators, and people pick and choose which individuals they want to blacklist. rebecca sugar, anyone?)

The bottom line is this didnt start out as a moral issue, it started as a personal issue between friends. morality and fiction were simply an easy selling point, buzzwords to get people to rally on their side. the fact remains it was a years long orchestrated attack on someone that ultimately impacted their health and later their life.

#this is a little disorganized but i tried my best #i cant find all the links unfortunately a lot of this is quite old and twitter is like. borderline unusable #if you have questions you can ask there is a lot more that i didnt wanna overload this post with

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day6source · 23 days

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hello my loves <33333333 happy spring! i hope you've all been enjoying it so far, and especially enjoying it with the new album hehe!!🫶 so! first things first:

the welcome to the show concert is next week! as always i'll be recording, and i've since figured out recording with firefox, so there should be 0 to little stuttering this time in the VOD! i apologize heavily for that, and i actually have a gift to make up for it, but stay with me until the end! second: since kcon was...virtually unwatchable to most of us, i went on a little hunt for it! you may or may not be able to find the meet & greet here and the performance cut of the boys here. not sure. you might just have to check out the links to double check ;)

third: masterpost for 'fourever' is basically all updated! you can find it here! i was...unaware of the link limit, so if you want the shopping and streaming and performance links, those'll be in the first read more, watching things and articles are in the second one (which is the one linked for ease)! promo is basically over (i say cautiously) minus the concert, so feel free dive in if you missed anything! speaking of masterposts!

fourth: i got to thinking about it, and i found it a little unfair to only include jae in the pinned, so you can now find links/some updated info about what junhyeok is doing! i figured if i'm gonna have one former member, i should also have the other, even if he was there for only a short amount of time. so if you've been wondering what he's been up to, check him out on youtube and streaming! i'll be keeping it...semi-updated in the way i do jae's part, checking in every like, three months to see if anything's changed. on the flip side, if none of you care to know what those two are up to, i might just take their sections out entirely, but for now i thought it'd be courteous to have them there at the very least!

and last but not least: so, you guys know that watching old concert content is...entirely impossible really, and i thought...that was pretty wack, actually. so! the other day i went on a little deep dive on some sites, and i found some old concerts including the youth tour, the streams from pilmography, an old fanmeet, and the final every day6 concert. this site is uhhh basically impossible to see without a vpn and...well i also thought that was super wack, especially granted this content is...impossible to find elsewhere, and you can't even buy it. so i...took the liberty of gathering it and maybe...just maybe...you can find it here along with all of the other shows of recent, including a better stream of the christmas show for you guys. this is just me personally, but i think especially in comparison to other fandoms, ours is...a bit smaller and older, so gatekeeping content is just...not cool, and i wanna make sure that if you guys wanna see things, i can bring them to you to watch! it's not everything probably by a long shot, but if it's somewhere, i want you guys to be able to see it, even if those people don't think so, and especially if we can't just go out and buy it somewhere! so please enjoy! it should all be uploading as of me typing this post up, but should be up within a couple of hours, but there's some things in there like the kcon stuff and some other shows already, so that should keep you busy in the meantime.

okay, that's it! i love you guys, and i hope you're all staying so so so healthy and so so so so happy and enjoying fourever! we're actually almost at 300 followers which is INSANE, especially because the blog is almost a year old!!!!! what!!!!!!!! time truly flies, and i have loved every second with you all, i've got some potential things planned, so...stay tuned ;) stay happy and healthy, study well, take long breaks when you need, enjoy the weather! i love you guys so much <33333 tay💕💕💕🫶🫶🫶

#[admin post]

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anthurak · 1 year

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An In-Depth Analysis of the Interpersonal Relationships of Team STRQ (and why Rosebird is DEFINITELY a thing)

So I’d like to do something of an analysis on the interpersonal relationships of Team STRQ. More specifically, analyzing Qrow’s, Taiyang’s, and Raven’s respective relationships with Summer, based on what the show has directly told, and shown us.

Starting with Qrow, as I think this analysis is the most straightforward. Now to get one thing out of the way, I think we can definitively say at this point that Qrow is NOT RUBY’S SECRET DAD. Beyond CRWBY thoroughly debunking the theory at this point, nothing we’ve seen or heard really paints Qrow as having been in any kind of romantic relationship with Summer. Or at least any that would supersede any romantic relationship with Raven and/or Tai in some ‘Poly-STRQ’ scenario.

To begin with what we’ve heard of Qrow’s relationship with Summer, we’ve actually heard quite a bit, relatively speaking. In terms of dialogue, we’ve heard more about Summer from Qrow than either Tai or Raven, which is helpful in getting a sense of what their relationship may have been like. From his conversations with Ruby in Volumes 3 and 7, we can say that Qrow views Summer with both admiration (“She was always the best of us…”) and fondness and affection (“Bit of a brat though. But hey, I like brats.”). But the detail I find most telling is the ease that Qrow has in talking about Summer, particularly in Volume 7. When Ruby asks him about Summer and her ‘last mission’, Qrow isn’t hesitant or all that uncomfortable with talking about his teammate. Which gives the impression that Qrow has actually coped with Summer’s (apparent) death fairly well.

Which in turn is notable because THE go-to narrative method of hinting that a character was romantically involved or had feelings for another character long missing/dead is to show them being clearly uncomfortable TALKING about that other character (something we’ll be revisiting in a little bit…). Something we don’t see from Qrow when he talks about Summer.

It’s also notable that while Qrow, along with almost all the other adults in the show, was something of an unreliable narrator in the early volumes, his talk with Ruby about Summer happened AFTER Volume 6 when Qrow opted to finally start being open with and trusting of his niece and protégé. Meaning that I think we can trust that Qrow is being genuine in his talk with Ruby in Volume 7.

And in terms of what the show has so far directly shown us about Qrow’s relationship with Summer, the answer is notably: Nothing. Because unlike Tai and Raven, Qrow was absent from the big important flashback giving us our first look at Summer. Which combined with what we’ve heard from Qrow, tells me that the narrative of RWBY considers Summer’s relationship with Qrow to be less dramatically important/significant than her relationships with Tai or Raven.

Moving on to Taiyang, what’s interesting is that Tai’s relationship with Summer is kind of in the inverse situation of what we see with Qrow’s. In that with Qrow we’ve heard some but seen nothing, with Tai we’ve seen some but heard almost nothing.

I mean, consider for a moment that prior to the tenth episode of the NINTH volume of the series, EVERYTHING we knew about Taiyang’s relationship with Summer Rose came to us second-hand from Yang in ONE conversation with Blake back in Volume Two! I’ve spoken before in other posts that if feels quite curious that while the overlying text of the story claims that Summer’s relationship with Tai should be very important, given that they are supposed to be Ruby’s PARENTS, yet we have heard effectively NOTHING about it. Other than a simple claim that ‘it existed’. I mean, forget how we’ve heard more about Summer from Qrow than we have from Tai; we’ve heard more about Summer from RAVEN than we have from Tai (more on THAT in a little bit XD)

Now of course, unlike with Qrow, as of the finale of Volume 9, we have actually SEEN a look at Tai’s relationship with Summer. Albeit a brief look, but enough to get something of a sense of it. What I find interesting is that despite this being our first look at Summer’s relationship with Tai, this scene/vision doesn’t really tell us, or Ruby, anything she/we didn’t already know about these two. That Summer and Tai were really close… and that’s pretty much it.

And what I find even more interesting is a curious amount of ambiguity towards the nature of Summer’s and Tai’s relationship in this scene. Despite the text of the show claiming that these two were lovers, this scene is notably lacking the kind of overt romantic gestures we might expect, such as a kiss or long held gaze. Yes, Summer and Tai have a very close hug, but let’s not forget that RWBY has used close, intimate hugs like this as a gesture of platonic or familial love/affection just as much if not MORE times than as a gesture of romantic love. Just look at Ren’s hugs with Jaune, or Jaune’s hug with Ruby, or even that time Ironwood hugged Qrow. Simply put, I don’t think that hug tells us nearly as much about Summer’s and Tai’s relationship as people might think.

Finally, we come to Raven. And funny enough, unlike Qrow and Tai, I would argue that we have both heard AND seen QUITE a bit about Summer’s relationship with Raven.

When it comes to what we’ve heard, it’s not just what we have heard from Raven about Summer that’s important, but what we HAVEN’T heard as well. Across Volumes 4 and 5, we see Raven all too happy to mock, criticize and generally smack-talk just about everyone from her old life, from Ozpin, Qrow, Taiyang and even Yang.

But not Summer.

For some reason, Raven NEVER has anything bad to say about SUMMER.

And the ONE time Raven does mention Summer, it is during a talk with Ruby, Summer’s daughter. Not only that, but rather than criticizing or mocking Summer’s memory, Raven’s line of “You sound like your mother,” is at worst neutral and might even have an undercurrent of respect.

Finally, Raven’s tone and demeanor when she says this line come off as very guarded and restrained. Combined with how she never mentions her outside of this scene, one thing becomes quite clear:

Raven does not like to talk about Summer.

Remember what I said back in the Qrow section about characters having difficulty/resistance to talking about another long-missing/dead character as an easy way to hint at a prior romance or romantic feelings?

Yeah, this is EXACTLY what I was talking about.

And then we come to the flashback/vision in Volume 9’s finale. The scene which, while also brief, showed us a LOT about Summer’s relationship with Raven.

Whereas Summer’s scene with Tai merely showed us things we already knew from Yang, her scene with Raven is a MAJOR reveal that establishes a whole new dynamic that both Ruby, and much of the audience had NO idea about.

That Summer and Raven were actually quite a bit closer than anyone ever realized. That Summer apparently trusted Raven more than ANYONE else to help on her secret mission while also having apparently taken Raven leaving Yang, Ruby and herself rather personally. And that Raven herself was actually quite a bit more upbeat and joking around Summer than we see her in the present, while also specifically showing a joking, awkward and even bashful side around Summer that has a lot of curious similarities to how Yang has acted around BLAKE.

And when we take this scene in conjunction with what we see of Raven in the present, a surprisingly consistent and complete picture emerges of Raven’s relationship with Summer.

In Volume 5, Yang notes that Raven is different from the woman she heard about from Tai and Qrow. Introducing the question that something changed Raven from the driven, determined and loyal woman Qrow and Tai knew to the bitter, angry and fearful woman we see at present. Well now we know almost for certain WHAT that something was:

Raven lost SUMMER.

Taking these two elements together, we can see that Raven CARED about Summer. Cared about her so much that loosing Summer almost certainly BROKE Raven. Whatever happened during that mission turned Raven from this…

…to this.

We also know that Summer encountered Salem during her last mission, and whatever happened during that encounter seems to have inspired Salem to begin her grimm-hybridization experiments. And now that we know that Raven was with Summer on that mission, it becomes pretty easy to guess why Raven is so convinced Salem cannot be killed, and is so utterly TERRIFIED at the prospect of facing her again:

Because Salem took Summer away from her.

Raven’s refusal to smack-talk Summer and the great difficulty she has in even mentioning her, Raven’s utter terror of the woman who did SOMETHING to Summer, that we now know Raven was almost certainly present to witness, and Raven being both quite friendly and awkward and willing to help Summer with her secret mission in the past.

All of it adds up to Raven having cared about Summer a GREAT deal. Likely cared about her the most out of her teammates. Given how she’s clearly taken Summer’s loss far harder than Qrow or Tai.

And when we add in Summer’s clear trust in Raven, that she trusted Raven above anyone else to help in her secret mission and even her clear resentment of Raven leaving Yang, Ruby and herself, we get a sense of just how close these were.

Summer and Raven were in all likelihood closer with each other than they were with anyone else. Sure, Summer certainly cared about Tai and Qrow, but it is Raven whom she TRUSTED above all others. And despite whatever caused Raven to leave her team, she still came back to help Summer with clearly no hesitation or reservation.

The funny thing is, with this scene we now know, or at least can reliably infer, more about Summer’s relationship with RAVEN, than we do about her relationships with either Qrow OR Tai.

And the thing is, this makes perfect sense when you consider the story arc going forward that this scene is almost certainly setting up:

That Raven is now THE pivotal figure in the mystery of what happened to Summer Rose. Because it is now clear to both the audience and to Ruby that Raven must KNOW what happened to Summer. Going forward, it is Raven whom Ruby and her team and family must pursue for the answers of what happened to Summer.

With this scene, the relationship between Raven and Summer just became THE most consequential among those of Team STRQ for the story going forward.

It’s one of the big reasons why Rosebird as a pairing just feels so fitting for these two. It’s why it suddenly makes sense we don’t hear all that much about Summer from Tai or Qrow, and why neither of them know what happened to her; because the story of who Summer was and WHAT happened to her isn’t theirs to tell.

That story is RAVEN’s. And of course, Summer herself once we find out she’s not actually dead.

And the crazy thing is, even Raven turning out to be Ruby’s father feels like a natural extension of this: The relationship between Summer and Raven is now established as this very significant and consequential element, and now Ruby will almost certainly be driven to seek Raven out for answers as to what happened to her mother.

(Note that I say RUBY specifically. Because while Yang will certainly be involved and invested in this search as well, it is ultimately Ruby and only Ruby who saw the vision. Thusly, SHE is the one ultimately driving this arc.)

So we now have Ruby on a quest to find Raven to find out what happened to Summer. The young girl seeking out the older woman whom she bares a curious resemblance to in order to find out what happened to her mother, whom this other woman was actually quite close with.

The writers might not have confirmed or directly hinted at Raven being Ruby’s secret dad, but they sure as hell put us on a narrative path the could absolutely lead to such a reveal.

#rwby #rwby analysis #rwby theory #rwby character analysis #Team STRQ #Summer Rose #Qrow Branwen #Taiyang Xiao Long #Raven Branwen #Ruby Rose #Yang Xiao Long #rosebird #rosebird parents #rosebird parents theory #possibly reading a BIT too deep into things

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bestworstcase · 22 days

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hello! In your Yang-is-the-Salem-in-Bees post you mention yang and cinder paralleling each other. Could you talk more about that? 👀

the obvious place to start is the semblances. bc it isn’t just “fire powers,” it’s:

burn: every time she gets hit, it makes her stronger; yang takes the damage, feels the pain, and then hurls it back in bursts of fiery power. the harder she’s pushed, the more ferociously she can push back.

scorching caress: to superheat a liquid, you heat it to a temperature under conditions which prevent it from boiling. specifically, undisturbed water in a very clean container with no nucleation sites. this is an effect of surface tension, which suppresses the formation of bubbles. superheated liquid is in a metastable state and will instantly boil—often explosively—as soon as it’s jostled or otherwise disturbed. in other words, superheating is about heat under pressure. scorching caress isn’t truly superheating in the strict sense, but it IS a metaphorical representation of the concept; heat under intense pressure, pushed beyond the brink of what can be endured, the deceptive calm and the violent explosion that follows. that’s cinder through and through, and that’s scorching caress.

see how they rhyme? one burns, the other boils. fire versus heat. combustion versus surface tension. both of them, in contrasting ways, are empowered by pressure and pain.

this similarity and contrast is also carried through into their relationships with anger:

yang has a fierce temper that she keeps in almost perfect balance; she’s in tune with it and confident in her mastery over it, comfortable letting it out when she needs it and quick to rein it in when it’s not helpful. on the rare occasion she snaps without meaning to, she checks herself instantly. the perception of others that burn is connected to her anger at all is an illusion created by the correlation between moments when yang uses her semblance and when she uses her anger—to protect herself or to protect others she loves.

cinder is angry literally all the time. her anger is sharp and venomous and hungry and she holds it pressed down into a tight little ball underneath the masks she wears because she doesn’t know how to exist without it. like superheated water, her moments of calm or confidence are always one fleeting disturbance away from erupting into unchecked fury. even her fear has an edge that can twist into anger if she’s pushed far enough.

it’s the difference between a controlled bonfire and a subterranean peat fire. one is safe; the other may smolder for years and explode into wildfire if it’s exposed to air. both yang and cinder are, arguably, defined by their anger—there is nothing else that so wholly expresses who yang is than how self-possessed and controlled she is when she chooses to get angry, and likewise that tightly-compressed core of unspeakable rage is the essence of cinder’s character.

both of these characters lose an arm the night beacon falls; yang because she’s furiously leaping to blake’s defense, cinder because she murders a child to soothe her temper.

their recovery arcs in v4 are paralleled, as are their relationships with their parental figures; tai and salem are emotionally disconnected from yang and cinder in contrasting ways, with tai well-meaning but unfamiliar with who yang is and salem in tension between needing cinder to be her tool/weapon but wanting her to be free and safe, as well as not being able to see through cinder’s masks.

(sometimes the tai+yang vs salem+cinder mirroring gets very direct, like

they can’t keep getting away with it!)

the general thrust of tai’s advice to yang is about holding back: he thinks she’s “predictable” and “a little boneheaded” and reads into her use of her semblance in the vytal tournament an over-reliance on brute strength. he tells yang to find ways around obstacles, instead of through.

salem, in contrast, snaps at cinder to stop holding back. the slow pace of this training, cinder’s struggle to achieve mastery over the grimm arm and timidity with her new magic, frustrates her—because she doesn’t understand where it’s coming from—and she becomes impatient. and then, in v8, she implicitly recants that impatience (“here i am holding you back.”)

[whether tai will have a similar moment of reconsidering yang remains to be seen. but on the strength of the paralleling, i bet he will.]

there is something about yang painting her arm yellow and the growth of the grimm arm to cinder’s shoulder as she begins to handle it like her arm rather than a weapon itches in the back of my mind constantly.

there is also a certain rhyming between yang’s feelings of rootlessness and cinder’s intense fear of destiny and desperation to fight what she believes is her fate to be enslaved and hunted; the unease with having no clear purpose vs the pain and terror of being used.

#and through summer ruby and yang are cinder’s evil stepsisters of course #the one who maimed her (she’s forbidden to retaliate) and the one who would die to protect the other #which isn’t a parallel per se but it’s fun

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ohgaylor · 1 year

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Pt. 2 of That’s Gay Tay — a list of 🌈 lyrics Taylor has written (that are either queer-coded, implicit, or otherwise explicitly gay)

*disclaimer — this is a massively long post but that’s precisely the point. I hope you enjoy the richness of her music through this lens as much as I enjoyed compiling it. And be sure to click Keep Reading for the full, thorough, beautiful list. (ps. it may glitch and not show the full list, but it should end with Daylight) ☀️

Wonderland — “Too in love to think straight”

I Wish You Would — “We’re a crooked love in a straight line down”

Love Story (original) — “This love is different, but it's real”

Welcome To New York — “Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats”

Me! — “But one of these things is not like the others, like a rainbow with all of the colors."

The Very First Night — “We broke the status quo”

Better Off — “We don't have to do things their way”

Forever Winter — “It’s not just a phase I’m in”

invisible string — “Time, wondrous time gave me the blues and then purple-pink skies”

Welcome To New York — “And you can want who you want, boys and boys and girls and girls."

ME! — “And you're the kinda guy the ladies want (And there's a lotta cool chicks out there)”

long story short — “The knife cuts both ways”

Vigilante Shit — “I don’t dress for women, I don’t dress for men”

Out Of The Woods — “The rest of the world was black and white. But we were in screaming color”

illicit affairs — “You showed me colors you know I can’t see with anyone else... You taught me a secret language I can't speak with anyone else”

Daylight — “I once believed love would be black and white, but it's golden“

Crazier — “You showed me somethin' that I couldn't see, you opened my eyes, and you made me believe”

Question…? — “We had one thing goin' on I swear that it was somethin' cause I don't remember who I was before you painted all my nights a color I've searched for since”

State of Grace — “So you were never a saint, and I loved in shades of wrong. We learn to live with the pain, mosaic broken hearts. But this love is brave and wild”

A Place In This World — “Trying to see through the rain coming down even though I'm not the only one who feels the way I do”

Holy Ground — “Yeah, you skip the conversation when you already know”

cowboy like me — “Takes one to know one, you’re a cowboy like me”

So It Goes… — “'Cause, baby, I know what you know. We can feel it”

Message In A Bottle — “I know that you like me and it's kinda frightenin' standin' here waitin', waitin'”

Crazier — “I'd never gone with the wind, just let it flow, let it take me where it wants to go 'til you open the door, there's so much more I'd never seen it before. I was tryin' to fly but I couldn't find wings, but you came along and you changed everything”

Treacherous — “Forever going with the flow But you're friction”

the 1 — “We never painted by the numbers, baby, but we were making it count”

The Other Side of the Door — “All I need is on the other side of the door”

invisible string — “And it's cool, baby, with me”

Don’t Blame Me — “Something happened for the first time”

Holy Ground — “We had this big wide city all to ourselves. We blocked the noise with the sound of, "I need you" and for the first time, I had something to lose”

Cruel Summer — “And it's new, the shape of your body”

You’re On Your Own Kid — “I picked the petals, he loves me not. Something different bloomed”

Hits Different — “Movin' on was always easy for me to do. It hits different, it hits different 'cause it's you”

ivy — “I wish to know the fatal flaw that makes you long to be magnificently cursed”

Getaway Car — “I knew it from the first Old Fashioned, we were cursed”

ivy — “Tarnished but so grand”

Don’t Blame Me — “For you, I would cross the line”

Don’t Blame Me — “I would fall from grace just to touch your face”

Question…? — “Do you wish you could still touch her? … Did you realize, out of time, she was on your mind”

cardigan — “But I knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss I knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs”

Labyrinth — “I'll be gettin' over you my whole life”

Bigger Than The Whole Sky — “And I've got a lot to pine about. I've got a lot to live without”

ivy — “I just sit here and wait, grieving for the living”

the 1 — “It would've been fun If you would've been the one”

Hits Different — “And I felt you and I held you for a while”

‘tis the damn season — “And the road not taken looks real good now, and it always leads to you and my hometown“

Midnight Rain — “So I peered through a window, a deep portal, time travel, all the love we unravel”

The Great War — “I drew curtains closed, drank my poison all alone”

Death By A Thousand Cuts — “I look through the windows of this love, even though we boarded them up. Chandelier's still flickering here”

illicit affairs — “And you know damn well, for you, I would ruin myself a million little times”

dress — “Inescapable, I'm not even gonna try and if I get burned, at least we were electrified”

I Did Something Bad — “They say I did something bad. Then why's it feel so good?”

Treacherous — “This hope is treacherous, this daydream is dangerous”

gold rush — “I can't dare to dream about you anymore”

Mastermind — “Once upon a time, the planets and the fates and all the stars aligned. You and I ended up in the same room, at the same time”

King of My Heart — “And all at once, you are the one I have been waiting for”

The Archer — “Combat, I'm ready for combat. I say I don't want that, but what if I do?”

22 — “You look like bad news I gotta have you”

gold rush — “Walk past, quick brush I don't like slow motion, double vision in rose blush”

I Know Places — “It's a scene and we're out here in plain sight I can hear them whisper as we pass by... Something happens when everybody finds out. See the vultures circling, dark clouds”

Cornelia Street — “You hold my hand on the street”

All Of The Girls — “We’re sneakin’ out into town, holding hands, just killing time”

Wonderland — “Haven't you heard what becomes of curious minds?”

Sparks Fly — “And you stood there in front of me, just close enough to touch”

Enchanted — “The lingering question kept me up 2AM, who do you love?”

the 1 — “I persist and resist the temptation to ask you if one thing had been different, would everything be different today?”

Treacherous — “Put your lips close to mine, as long as they don’t touch... And I'll do anything you say if you say it with your hands”

Untouchable — “Untouchable like a distant diamond sky. I'm reaching out and I just can't tell you why I'm caught up in you”

Message In A Bottle — “I'm reachin' for you, terrified”

The Great War — “My hand was the one you reached for”

Delicate — “Sometimes, when I look into your eyes, I pretend you're mine all the damn time”

Gorgeous — “There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have”

You Belong With Me — “Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find that what you're looking for has been here the whole time”

Angelina — “He’s got everything you’d wanna be... Watch him run across to Angelina, But I won’t cause I have always been a bit reckless”

ivy — “My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand, taking mine, but it's been promised to another”

august — “Your back beneath the sun, wishin' I could write my name on it”

Gorgeous — “You've ruined my life by not being mine”

willow — “Lost in your current like a priceless wine”

ivy — “Oh, I can't stop you putting roots in my dreamland. My house of stone, your ivy grows and now I'm covered”

You All Over Me — “I've still got you all over me”

Maroon — “And I wake with your memory over me”

Delicate — “Is it cool that I said all that? Is it too soon to do this yet? ‘cause I know that it's delicate”

Cruel Summer — “And I scream, ‘For whatever it's worth, I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?’”

Snow On The Beach — “You wanting me, tonight feels impossible”

The Other Side of the Door — “All I really want is you To stand outside my window throwin' pebbles, screamin', "I'm in love with you"

Glitch — “We were supposed to be just friends… I think there’s been a glitch”

Welcome Distraction — “I can’t win, so I give in. The more I fight, it just gets stronger. You’re an inconvenient kind of satisfaction, welcome distraction”

The Very First Night — “And so it was, we never saw it coming. Not trying to fall in love but we did like children running”

You Are In Love — “Pauses, then says ‘You’re my best friend’”

Paper Rings — “I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this”

Maroon — “Laughing with my feet in your lap Like you were my closest friend”

Dress — “Say my name and everything just stops. I don't want you like a best friend. Only bought this dress so you could take it off”

Dress — “All of this silence and patience, pining and anticipation. My hands are shaking from holding back from you.”

Don’t Blame Me — “Shaking, pacin', I just need you”

illicit affairs — “clandestine meetings and longing stares”

ivy — “How's one to know? I'd meet you where the spirit meets the bones In a faith-forgotten land”

Delicate — “Come here, you can meet me in the back”

willow — “Wait for the signal, and I'll meet you after dark”

Lavender Haze — “Meet me at midnight”

You Are In Love — “One look, dark room, meant just for you”

So It Goes… — “See you in the dark, all eyes on you, my magician”

We Were Happy — “No one could touch the way we laughed in the dark”

Gorgeous — “And you should think about the consequence of you touching my hand in a darkened room”

ivy — “Your touch brought forth an incandescent glow”

Mastermind — “And the touch of a hand lit the fuse”

It’s Nice To Have A Friend — “Something gave you the nerve to touch my hand”

Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve — “If you never touched me, I would've gone along with the righteous. if I never blushed, then they could've never whispered about this”

willow — “I'm begging for you to take my hand, wreck my plans”

Death By A Thousand Cuts — “Quiet my fears with the touch of your hand”

…Ready for It? — “In the middle of the night, in my dreams, I know I'm gonna be with you, so I take my time”

gold rush — “I don't like anticipatin' my face in a red flush”

Dress — “Our secret moments in a crowded room, they got no idea about me and you”

Dress — “Everyone thinks that they know us, but they know nothin'”

Hits Different — “I slur your name 'til someone puts me in a car”

Cruel Summer — “I'm drunk in the back of the car And I cried like a baby coming home from the bar. Said, "I'm fine, " but it wasn't true. I don’t wanna keep secrets just to keep you”

Invisible — “We could be a beautiful miracle, unbelievable, instead of just invisible”

Crazier — “Baby, you showed me what livin' is for, I don't wanna hide anymore”

King of My Heart — “Your love is a secret I’m hoping, dreaming, dying to keep”

Dear Reader — “Dear reader, the greatest of luxuries is your secrets”

All Of The Girls — “Secret jokes all alone”

Dancing With Our Hands Tied — “I, I loved you in secret, first sight, yeah, we love without reason”

…Ready For It — “Lights down low, no one has to know”

Wildest Dreams — “I said, ‘No one has to know what we do’”

I Can See You — “What would you do if they never found us out? What would you do if we never made a sound?”

The Very First Night — “No one knows about the words that we whisper, no one knows how much I miss you”

Last Kiss — “The words that you whispered for just us to know”

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things — “I'm laughing with my lover, makin' forts under covers”

Paris — “Privacy sign on the door and on my page and on the whole world. Romance is not dead if you keep it just yours”

You Are In Love — “You can hear it in the silence, you can feel it on the way home.”

peace — “Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other”

Dear Reader — “I prefer hiding in plain sight”

Don’t Blame Me — “In the darkest little paradise”

happiness — “Showed you all of my hiding spots”

The Archer — “Who could ever leave me, darling? But who could stay?”

Cruel Summer — “And I snuck in through the garden gate, every night that summer just to seal my fate”

Love Story — “So I sneak out to the garden to see you. We keep quiet, 'cause we're dead if they knew, so close your eyes. Escape this town for a little while”

Question...? — “Did you lеave her house in the middle of the night?”

You’re On Your Own Kid — “I see the great escape, so long, Daisy May”

Our Song — “Sneakin' out late, tapping on your window”

willow — “Head on the pillow, I could feel you sneakin' in, as if you were a mythical thing”

Daylight — “Back and forth from New York (Sneaking in your bed)”

All Too Well — “And there we are again when nobody had to know… you kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath”

Cornelia Street — “Sacred new beginnings that became my religion”

False God — “The altar is my hips, even if it's a false god, we'd still worship this love”

So It Goes… — “And wear you like a necklace”

I Know Places — “I know places we won't be found, and they'll be chasing their tails trying to track us down, I know places we can hide”

cardigan — “But I knew you, playing hide-and-seek and giving me your weekends”

‘tis the damn season — “You could call me "babe" for the weekend“

King Of My Heart — “You try on callin' me "baby" like tryin' on clothes”

peace — “All these people think love’s for show but I would die for you in secret”

hoax — “Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in”

ivy — “I'd live and die for moments that we stole on begged and borrowed time”

Wildest Dreams — “Let's get out of this town, drive out of the city, away from the crowds”

gold rush — “And the coastal town we wandered 'round had nеver seen a love as pure as it”

Hits Different — “Freedom felt like summеr then on the coast”

Getaway Car — “It was the great escape, the prison break, the light of freedom on my face”

Run — “Darling, let's run, run from it all. we can go where our eyes can take us, go where no one else is”

Love Story — “Take me somewhere we can be alone. I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run”

Just South Of Knowing Why — “She looked at her keys and found a reason to run”

Call It What You Want — “You don't need to save me, but would you run away with me?"

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince — “Voted most likely to run away with you”

Better Man — “I know the bravest thing I ever did was run”

Blank Space — “Love’s a game, wanna play?”

…Ready For It — “Baby, let the games begin”

This Is Why We Cant Have Nice Things — “I want to wear his initial on a chain 'round my neck, because he owns me, but 'cause he really knows me, which is more than they can say”

King of My Heart — “'Cause all the boys and their expensive cars, with their Range Rovers and their Jaguars, never took me quite where you do”

The Lucky One — “And your lover in the foyer doesn't even know you”

Cruel Summer — “Bad, bad boy, Shiny toy with a price. You know that I bought it”

exile — “I can see you starin', honey, like he's just your understudy, like you'd get your knuckles bloody for me”

right where you left me — “Wages earned and lessons learned”

All Of The Girls — “Fake love out on the town”

You’re On Your Own Kid — “The jokes weren’t funny, I took the money, my friends from home don’t know what to say”

Midnight Rain — “He wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain. He wanted a bride, I was making my own name, chasing that fame”

Hits Different — “I used to switch out these Kens, I'd just ghost”

Better Than Revenge — “Soon she's gonna find stealing other people's toys on the playground won't make you many friends”

Blank Space — “Got a long list of ex-lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane. But I've got a blank space, baby and I'll write your name”

Getaway Car — “I wanted to leave him, I needed a reason”

Don’t Blame Me — “Toyin' with them older guys, just playthings for me to use.”

Bejeweled — “And when I meet the band, they ask, ‘Do you have a man?’ I could still say, ‘I don’t remember’”

All Of The Girls — “Cryin’ in the bathroom for some dude whose name I cannot remember now”

Gorgeous — “And I got a boyfriend, he's older than us. He's in the club doin' I don't know what”

cowboy like me — “Now you hang from my lips like the Gardens of Babylon. With your boots beneath my bed, forever is the sweetest con”

cowboy like me — “I've got some tricks up my sleeve”

Dear Reader — “Dear reader, if it feels like a trap, you're already in one”

long story short — “Now I'm all about you I'm all about you”

I Did Something Bad — “I never trust a playboy, but they love me. So I fly 'em all around the world and I let them think they saved me”

I Think He Knows — “I am an architect, I'm drawing up the plans”

Mastermind — “What if I told you I'm a mastermind? And now you're mine. It was all by dеsign”

willow — “Every bait-and-switch was a work of art”

long story short — “And he’s passing by, rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky”

Snow On The Beach — “I saw flecks of what could've been lights, but it might just have been you”

cowboy like me — “And the ladies lunching have their stories about when you passed through town”

False God — “We might just get away with it”

cowboy like me — “Perched in the dark tellin’ all the rich folks anything they wanna hear like it could be love, I could be the way forward, only if they pay for it.”

Glitch — “I'd go back to wanting dudes who give nothing”

Lavender Haze — “No deal The 1950s shit they want from me I just wanna stay in that lavender haze”

Blank Space — “New money, suit and tie. I can read you like a magazine”

cowboy like me — “Never wanted love, just a fancy car”

Midnight Rain — “I guess sometimes we all get just what we wanted”

cardigan — “Chasin' shadows in the grocery line I knew you'd miss me once the thrill expired”

Lavender Haze — “Talk your talk and go viral I just need this love spiral. Get it off your chest, get it off my desk”

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things — “And here’s to my baby. He ain’t reading what they call me lately”

Blank Space — “You can tell me when it's over, mmm. If the high was worth the pain”

… Ready For It? — “I see nothing better, I keep him forever like a vendetta-ta”

long story short — “If the shoe fits walk in it ‘til your high heals break”

cowboy like me — “ And the old men that I've swindled really did believe I was the one”

Hits Different — “Rip the band-aid off and skip town likе an asshole outlaw”

Lavender Haze — “All they keep asking me iIs if I'm gonna be your bride. The only kinda girl they see is a one-night or a wife”

Dear Reader — “To a house, not a home, all alone 'cause nobody's there”

High Infidelity — “Storm coming, good husband, bad omen. Dragged my feet right down the aisle. At the house lonely, good money. I'd pay if you'd just know me. Seemed like the right thing at the time.”

Sweet Nothing — “All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothin'”

Out Of The Woods — “Are we out of the woods? Are we in the clear yet?”

You Are In Love — “You two are dancing in a snow globe, 'round and 'round”

I Know Places — “'Cause they got the cages, they got the boxes and guns They are the hunters, we are the foxes and we run”

So It Goes… — “Gold cage, hostage to my feelings”

Dancing With Our Hands Tied — “Picture of your face in an invisible locket”

Run — “And the note from the locket, you keep it in your pocket since I gave it to you”

cowboy like me — “And the skeletons in both our closets plotted hard to fuck this up”

seven — “And I think you should come live with me and we can be pirates. Then you won't have to cry or hide in the closet”

this is me trying — “They told me all of my cages were mental, so I got wasted like all my potential”

champagne problems — “Your hometown skeptics called it champagne problems”

Midnight Rain — “My town was a wasteland, full of cages, full of fences, pageant queens and big pretenders but for some, it was paradise”

dorothea — “skippin' the prom Just to piss off your mom and her pageant schemes”

New Romantics — “The rumors are terrible and cruel, But, honey, most of them are true."

End Game — “Reputation precedes me, in rumors, I'm knee-deep”

End Game — “Big reputation, big reputation. Ooh, you and me would be a big conversation”

Dancing With Our Hands Tied — “People started talking, putting us through our paces. I knew there was no one in the world who could take it”

Paris — “I want to transport you to somewhere the culture’s clever, confess my truth in swooping, sloping, cursive letters”

Run — “We shouldn't be in this town”

You’re On Your Own Kid — “I didn't choose this town, I dream of getting out”

the lakes — “I don’t belong and my beloved, neither do you”

the 1 — “You know the greatest films of all time were never made”

The Archer — “'Cause cruelty wins in the movies”

exile — “I think I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending”

The Archer — “And all of my heroes die all alone. Help me hold on to you”

Message In A Bottle — “'Cause you could be the one that I love, I could be the one that you dream of”

Dancing With Our Hands Tied — “I loved you in spite of deep fears that the world would divide us”

Better Off — “Somehow it feels like we're flying, don't want to come down. But they make it so tough cause everyone we know is trying to push us apart hide it down in our hearts”

Question...? — “Did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room and every single one of your friends was makin' fun of you? But fifteen seconds later, thеy were clappin' too?”

the lakes — “I'm not cut out for all these cynical clones these hunters with cell phones”

Run — “This thing was a shot in the dark. Say you'll never let 'em tear us apart”

tolerate it — “I know my love should be celebrated but you tolerate it”

ivy — “What would he do if he found us out?”

Ours — “Seems like there’s always someone who disapproves, they’ll judge it like they know about me and you”

New Romantics — “'Cause baby, I could build a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me”

ivy — “So yeah, it's a war. It's the goddamn fight of my life, and you started it.”

You Are In Love — “And you understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars, and why I've spent my whole life tryin' to put it into words”

Change — “Can you feel it now? These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down. This revolution, the time will come for us to finally win.”

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince — “And I'll never let you (go) 'cause I know this is a (fight) that someday we're gonna (win)”

Afterglow — “This ultraviolet morning light below tells me this love is worth the fight”

long story short — “When I dropped my sword I threw it in the bushes and knocked on your door. And we live in peace but if someone comes at us, this time, I'm ready”

dorothea — “Are you still the same soul I met under the bleachers?”

betty — “If I showed up at your party, would you have me, would you want me?”

Maroon — “The lips I used to call home, so scarlet, it was maroon”

So It Goes… — “Lipstick on your face”

Dancing With Our Hands Tied — “Could've spent forever with your hands in my pockets”

You All Over Me — “With your hands in your pockets and your "Don't you wish you had me?" grin. Well I did, so I smiled and I melted like a child”

champagne problems — “November flush and your flannel cure”

gold rush — “What must it be like to grow up that beautiful? With your hair falling into place like dominoes”

Style — “You got that long hair, slicked back, white t-shirt”

Gorgeous — “You’re so gorgeous, can’t say anything to your face, ‘cause look at your face”

Paris — “I'm so in love that I might stop breathing”

I’d Lie — “I'm holding every breath for you”

Crazier — “Feels like I'm fallin' and I am lost in your eyes”

gold rush — “Gleaming, twinkling, eyes like sinking ships on waters, so inviting, I almost jump in

Delicate — “Do the girls back home touch you like I do?”

Tear Drops on My Guitar — “I'll bet she's beautiful, that girl he talks about”

I’d Lie — “His sister's beautiful”

Me And Britney — “Me and Britney used to sit on the front porch drinking lemonade, talking 'bout things no one else was ever supposed to hear in the summer shade”

seven — “Cross your heart, won't tell no other, and though I can’t recall your face I still got love for you. Your braids like a pattern. Love you to the Moon and to Saturn”

Cross My Heart — “So I cross my heart and hope for you, knock on wood and rope the moon”

This Is What You Came For — “Lightning strikes every time she moves and everybody’s watching her but she’s looking at you”

Hits Different — “Dreams of your hair and your stare and sense of belief in the good in the world”

Angelina — “Angelina’s got a pretty face And really long brown hair”

dorothea — “It's never too late to come back to my side, the stars in your eyes shined brighter in Tupelo. And if you're ever tired of bеin' known for who you know, you know that you'll always know me”

I Know Places — “And you know for me, it's always you”

Hits Different — “You were the one that I loved”

ivy — “He wants what’s only yours”

Me and Britney — “That boy she ran off with, well, I thought he was crazy. Maybe I was just jealous that he'd come between me and Britney”

Vigilante Shit — “Now she gets the house, gets the kids, gets the pride Picture me thick as thieves with your ex-wife”

betty — “Slept next to her, but I dreamt of you all summer long”

Haunted — “And he just might make me smile but the whole time, I'm wishing he was you instead”

Just South of Knowing Why — “I could tell that her smile was only something to hide behind, she felt so out of touch, because she just felt too much”

‘tis the damn season — “And wonder about the only soul who can tell which smiles I'm fakin'“

The Way I Loved You — “He can't see the smile I'm faking and my heart's not breaking, ‘cause I'm not feeling anything at all”

Teardrops on My Guitar — “fake a smile so he won’t see”

Nothing New — “And my cheeks are growing tired from turning red and faking smiles”

exile — “I can see you standing, honey with his arms around your body, laughin', but the joke's not funny at all”

Mine — “I fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter. She is the best thing that's ever been mine”

King of My Heart — “Up on the roof with a school girl crush”

Karma — “Sweet like justice, karma is a queen”

How You Get The Girl — “And you were too afraid to tell her what you want... I would wait forever and ever And that's how it works. That's how you get the girl”

cardigan — “Chase two girls, lose the one”

Hits Different — “Bet I could still melt your world argumentative, antithetical dream girl”

The Man — “What's it like to brag about raking in dollars, and getting bitches and models?”

The Great War — “And maybe it was egos swinging, maybe it was her”

The Other Side of the Door — “With your face and the beautiful eyes, and the conversation with the little white lies, and the faded picture of a beautiful night. You carried me from your car up the stairs. And I broke down crying, was she worth this mess? After everything and that little black dress, after everything I must confess, I need you”

Our Song — “Man, I didn't kiss her, and I should have”

Tim McGraw — “I hope you think that little black dress, think of my head on your chest, and my old faded blue jeans”

evermore — “sending signals to be double-crossed”

Anti-Hero — “I should not be left to my own devices They come with prices and vices I end up in crisis”

exile — “I gave so many signs”

The Archer — “And I cut off my nose just to spite my face, then I hate my reflection for years and years”

Anti-Hero — “I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror. It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero”

Dear Reader — “Never take advice from someone who's falling apart”

coney island — “And do you miss the rogue Who coaxed you into paradise and left you there?“

mirrorball — “I'll show you every version of yourself tonight”

The Archer — “I’ve got a hundred thrown out speeches I almost said to you”

evermore — “I replay my footsteps on each stepping stone, trying to find the one where I went wrong. Writing letters addressed to the fire.”

The Archer — “The room is on fire, invisible smoke”

Clean — “I screamed so loud but no one heard a thing”

The Great War — “Sucker punching walls, cursed you as I sleep-talked, spineless in my tomb of silence”

long story short — “Misery Like the war of words I shouted in my sleep”

peace — “I never had the courage of my convictions, as long as danger is near”

Sweet Nothing — “And the voices that implore, "You should be doing more" to you, I can admit that I’m just too soft for all of it”

Dear Reader — “Dear reader, you don't have to answer just 'cause they asked you”

this is me trying — “And maybe I don't quite know what to say, but I'm here in your doorway”

Anti-Hero — “One day I'll watch as you're leaving ‘cause you got tired of my scheming, for the last time”

long story short — “I tried to pick my battles 'til the battle picked me”

coney island — “Sorry for not making you my centerfold”

High Infidelity — “You know there's many different ways that you can kill the one you love. The slowest way is never loving them enough”

coney island — “But when I walked up to the podium, I think that I forgot to say your name”

Dear Reader — “These desperate prayers of a cursed man spilling out to you for free, but darling, darling, please, you wouldn't take my word for it if you knew who was talking if you knew where I was walking”

Daylight — “There are so many lines that I've crossed unforgiven“

High Infidelity — “You said I was freeloading … I bent the truth too far tonight, I was dancing around, dancing around it”

coney island — “Will you forgive my soul when you're too wise to trust me and too old to care?”

this is me trying —“Pouring out my heart to a stranger, but I didn't pour the whiskey”

Picture To Burn — “So go and tell your friends that I'm obsessive and crazy. That's fine, I'll tell mine you're gay.”

High Infidelity — “Lock broken, slur spoken”

You Need To Calm Down — “Can you just not step on our gowns?”

You Need To Calm Down — “Why are you mad when you could be GLAAD?”

You Need To Calm Down — “Cause shade never made anybody less gay”

the 1 — “Rosé flowing with your chosen family”

Maroon — “And I chose you The one I was dancing with In New York”

peace — “Family that I chose, now that I see your brother as my brother”

right where you left me — “I swear you could hear a hair pin drop”

The Great War — “Your finger on my hairpin triggers”

willow — “They count me out time and time again”

Hey Stephen — “I'm waiting alone now, so come on and come out. And pull me near and shine, shine, shine”

Dear Reader — “You should find another guiding light, guiding light But I shine so bright”

Daylight — “I've been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night. And now I see daylight"

Daylight — “You gotta step into the daylight and let it go”

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