#crepe analysis and thoughts

[monards]

I don't know if it's the symbiosis lore influencing my perception of Rhine and Albedo; but a little part of me realllyyyy hopes Albedo was right when he thought Rhine wanted him to live a good life.

Because it's like, when you remember stuff; typically you remember it how you saw it at the time. Like when you saw a math problem in the 3rd grade and didn't understand it; you may learn how to do it, but you still don't understand that scenario's math problem because that's the impression in your head. And a tiny part of me is praying that's how Albedo is imagining Rhine.

He had no life experience when he was with her, so it's not like he knew how to fully judge Rhine correctly. Like, if your mom- who disappeared suddenly- was being cold and just mean before leaving, no duh you'd still call her cold and mean years later. That's how you felt in the moment, so that's how you'd continue to judge her now because it's not like you have any other experiences to go off of.

But now Albedo DOES have life experience to go off of. He's seen other mothers and parents. Like Alice; she's a good mother to Klee in many ways-- she does everything to make her happy, dotes over her, makes sure she can always have someone to look up to; but she's still not the best mother by a VERY long shot. She still left Klee in mond all alone with only Albedo and the knights, and she's definitely neglectful by letting her play with bombs. But in the end, that doesn't mean she's a completely horrible mother. And it's like, when you put that logic up to Rhine; it checks out. Because even if he hasn't seen Rhine since she left him with Alice; he can still look back at those experiences beforehand with a different lense.

Rhine obviously realized by now that kindness has done nothing for anyone she's cared for in life. Elynas & Durin-- who literally gush over her being a good mother, and who she wanted to have good lives and see all of humanity (or at least she says she did), were both very brutally murdered and their bodies are literally only considered apart of the terrain now; no respect, no love, and most certainly no happy ending. But other's like the riftwolves, who she didn't give a second glance to, thrived. The riftwolves literally have an entire ISLAND they just sorta live on in peace; waiting for her. So obviously; at the point of Albedo, she probably in some very messed up way thought, 'hey. maybe if i'm a horrible person, albedo will also not end up being absolutely hammered for whatever reason.' and, hey; that's EXACTLY what happened, AND IT WORKED!!! Rhinedottir did love Albedo (albeit in a VERY skewed way) and she did what she thought was best for him; even if it definitely wasn't.

Albedo was made to be human, and to experience the world and all it had; and in her eyes, the best way for him to achieve that was without her.

(I'm so tired. I don't think this makes any sense but I can't go to bed unless i post it.)

[crepegosette]

btw i'm really sorry for those who asked for elaborated answers about certain topics. it's not because i don't want to answer them, i'm just really bad writing texts

[mentally-gone002]

surprise coffee kisses

(collage made by moi)

summary: literally the title ^^^

————————————————————————

paper bag in one hand, a coffee cup in the other and a visitor badge clipped onto my shirt accompanied me up to the floor in which spencer worked on in the FBI’s headquarters in quantico. 

i’d been in the building lots of times which meant finding my way around was no problem at this point whenever i’d visit. 

on this occasion my appearance was secret. spencer had left his badge at our apartment on his nightstand and by the unseen bowl in my sink i had a feeling he hadn’t had breakfast before he left, so i’d taken the liberty of running by his favorite cafe on my way to him. 

once i had stepped out of the elevator and strode through the large glass doors with the FBI symbol and the printed title of the unit “behavioral analysis unit” on them, i made a beeline directly to his desk where he was seated. his back was arched over and he seemed to be writing. 

i smiled, slowing my strides as i got closer until i stopped. the paper bag holding his breakfast and his coffee cup was placed quietly on his desk prior to my gentle arms wrapping around the front of his shoulders from behind his desk chair. “hey, handsome.” i kept my voice low so as to not startle him. my lips quickly stamped a kiss to his cheek. 

spencer leaned his head back until it met my shoulder. his brown eyes fell over what of my face he could memorize for the millionth time. “hey, what’re you doing here?” he was gentle with asking and didn’t mean it in a rude way, he was just curious of my sudden presence in his place of work. it made him instantly forget about what he was doing.

i hummed. “you forgot your badge at home, and i brought you breakfast.” my eyes flicked to the items i’d brought for him so that he knew where they were. “and i didn’t get to see you before you left.”

he smiled lovingly as i told him about my reason for being there. he never had to worry about the feelings i felt for him because i expressed them every chance that i got. “thank you, so much.” he beamed up at me as i unwound her arms from around his shoulders. he almost frowned at the absence of my touch but he hid his disappointment. he knew his coworkers would teas him later after i’d left. 

“you’re welcome.” i leaned against spencer’s desk facing him. “what’re you working on?” my hands reached blindly into my sweater pocket to retrieve spencer’s badge as i stared down at the open file on his desk. 

he shrugged. “just some paperwork i didn’t finish last night.” he wheeled his chair to the side and stopped in front of me. “what’re you gonna do today?” 

i sighed, looking up at the ceiling as i thought. “probably run a few errands. we need a few things food wise, and then i might clean the apartment.” i answered him with a soft smile. “when do you think you’ll be home?” 

spencer looked at his watch and then at a stack of files in a paper basket at the end of his desk. “maybe… five thirty. i’ll see if i can leave earlier though, if you need any help cooking.”

i smiled at his consideration but shook my head. “i’m gonna have it all done by the time you get home, if that’s okay. i’m trying something new and don’t want you to have to see me angry if i end up ruining it.” 

“oh you mean like the time you tried to make crepes at one in the morning?” he laughed quietly while i sighed with closed eyes. “you woke me up because you started cussing at inanimate objects.”

i laughed at the remembrance even though i wanted to stay serious. “you scared the hell out of me when you walked into the room to try and calm me down.” 

spencer nodded, leaning forwards in his chair and slid his hand up onto my knee. “they turned out pretty good though.” 

i nodded as i also leaned forward. our faces were inches apart. “they did, didn’t they?” 

we silently stared at each other, eyes just wandering over one another’s faces while the buzz of the bullpen filled the space of our ended conversation. spencer looked at my lips a few times so i decided to lean in and kiss him once, since i didn’t get the chance to this morning. 

as i was pulling away i whispered, “i should get going so you can work.” 

he frowned immediately but nodded. “okay.” he kissed me again before wheeling his chair back to where it was before i had gotten there. “thank you again.” 

i nodded, squeezing my hand over his shoulder. “of course.” my lips were continuously pinned in a smile when i was with him. “i’ll see you at home, okay?”

spencer nodded. “okay. i love you.” 

“i love you.” i smiled, waving as i walked backwards towards the glass doors. 

“you’re in love with that girl.” morgan said across the bullpen to spencer, earning a few nods of approval from their coworkers to which spencer replied with just a roll of his eyes as he went back to work.

morgan was right, as much as he hated to admit, he was right.

spencer was undeniably in love with me.

[ccapdis]

It's good that @crepes-suzette-373 made this post because I've been wanting to voice my thoughts on this topic for a while. Iti's nothing new, but I personally find the concept of 恋/koi within the story very interesting, as I think it's the word chosen to convey Sanji's feelings for Nami deliberately. I don't think it's a topic up for debate as there's no much depth in it, but anyway, I want to post my ramblings on Sanji, how he feels about Nami and women and the perception others have for that.

恋/koi (love) as a concept is significant, and I think it will gain weight later in the story. After all, it has been heavily present from the beginning, since Sanji first mentioned it in Arlong Park, going to Hancock and Gloriosa referring to a famous East Blue's poem (Hancock's love for Luffy reminisced Gloriosa to the same love that former Amazon Lily's empresses developed), and even going through Chopper on SBS.

It's a concept that I doubt will fall on deaf ears, as in this post, I believe too that it will potentially have a significant role in the future, be it for Hancock or Sanji's side (or both).

And when it comes to Sanji, it's always been in relation to Nami (except for that one time in Dressrossa, but it was the time he fell for Viola's lies when she still pretended to be Violet).

Indeed, 恋 is exclusively romantic, and in fact I have seen some translators choose to translate it as “true love". Furthermore, it connotes “desire, longing, wanting” and refers specifically to the “falling in love” part of it.

But all of this, the part in which the author 'lets us know' that this is how Sanji feels for Nami and that's when he brings up this 'East Blue poem', that hasn't been worded by Sanji, at least yet.

Bear with me. Back in Punk Hazard, Sanji used ホレち/horechi (from verb 惚れる/horeru) which means “to fall in love”. And then, in WCI, as we already know, he does indeed use the verb 好き/suki when Nami hugs him. Compared to 恋/koi or 愛/ai, it is a much more relaxed and informal verb.

Funnily, much, much later in the story, in chapter 1005 during the Wano arc, when confronted to Black Maria, he says "I want to love all the ladies" and he uses the verb 愛したい/aishitai ('I want to love', literally). And then, in the most recent chapters, when he fights S-Shark to protect Nami, he says 愛の力/ai no chikara (the power of love). What's different from 恋/koi? Well, 恋 is used only for romantic feelings, while 愛 (which he used to refer to all the ladies) is not necessarily romantic. In fact, it refers to a kind of pure and selfless love.

So, maybe, maybe Sanji still has to have some development to know truly what kind of feelings he truly harbors, and learn what he really wants.

Further in the analysis (and I'm aware this is already a pretty cheesy post) I went on to know how others perceive Sanji's relationship with Nami.

In Thriller Bark, Absalom said 妙 に 執着/myō ni shūchaku (deep concern and attachment) to how the Penguin zombie, with Sanji's shadow, felt for Nami (that “he was strangely obsessed over her”). Later on, he says that Nami is "the woman he wanted to protect"/守りたかった.

In Gyojin Island, 過剰 に 反応/kajō ni hannō is said by Hody's pirates, which referred to him overreacting to attacks on Nami.

Robin brings attention to the topic in chapter 1078 by saying "if Nami screams, someone is gonna rush in instantly".

And let's not forget the most famous:

This is part of my reasoning and why I believe that Sanji, despite him being the one in love with Nami throughout all the story and it being an idea very present in the manga and the characters in it, might not have yet figured out how he feels and what he wants when it comes to women and love.

[cupcakestreets]

Kinda wanna make a character analysis post on Clotted Cream Cookie

Like I feel like this fandom actually misconshrewd or out right mischaraterize Clotted Cream Cookie.

Like I already find it rude that people out right post slander in the clotted cream tags. Like imagine me talking badly about your all time favorite character and I tag it and while you’re browsing through that tag you see my “hot take” while you’re trying to enjoy your favorite character. Like it’s not a big deal in my opinion but it is so annoying.

But anyway people outright ignore that Clotted Cream Cookie is good with kids? Like he’s never shown to be uneasy around them, and he talks to them like people? I saw a chart that put Clotted Cream on “kicking a kid within reason”. And I was like “so you just did not pay attention to Clotted Cream talking to both Strawberry Crepe and Custard Cookie III..." It was a shit post so aint taking it too seriously.

Someond also had a take that was Clotted Cream Cookie is Affogato but %100 worse?? Like i can see where they're coming from but i would argue its the opposite. Unless they were calling him a bitch then no. They're just influential politicians who have issues with the political climate they live/lived in.

I just thought about that Dark Cacao analysis post and just remembered how elated I was that someone else got it and i wanna do that with Clotted Cream Cookie. Because he definitely is not bad. He's done bad things, but the bad things that he's done were more like risk-taking. Like he will disregard someone's word if it hinders his progress . Ex. Outting White Lily. It was necessary to continue the meeting. But most people call him a dick head because they pissed off Dark Cacao... Which just because he hurt your favorite cookie's fee fees does not make him a dickhead completely.

But yeah if i write out my "In defense of Clotted Cream" post you can tell i was sick and tired of the slander of I was just in a mood to talk about clotted cream. I love him. I love his character

[hopefulgardenshark]

I was destroyed for 24 hours after the finale of Good Omens 2. Then I channelled my internal Crowley and started asking QUESTIONS. And that thought process alone got me in a much, much better state 😊

Rejection… ough, it’s complicated

You can read about my take on the stage of the relationship the angels are here. To be clear, I read them as a long-term, post-pheromones companionship, something waiting to move towards whatever it is after at least ten years of relationship in human terms.

Aziraphale gets his "job offer." I must make a caveat that, as most of us have already deduced, this was the choice between Coffee and Death. What does it mean for the couple? From Aziraphale's point of view, he is in a long-term loving relationship. He has been threatened with the utter obliteration, what means not only that he would have never existed but also that this act would leave a black hole in the life of his precious companion. This fragile demon hates loneliness and craves companionship as much as the angel craves crepes. And he also KNOWS how much the demon loves him, to the point that they can kill anyone who threatens him. And that can turn out very nasty for them.

So we get the whole messy scene that, on the surface, makes no sense. And this is the first time they suck at communicating with each other in all 11.5 episodes.

Aziraphale SAYS  he wants one thing totally out of character, and Crowley KNOWS it is (the series established that he recognized his angel tone of voice). Aziraphale's goal is to save Crowley from himself (see here why the plot analysis tells us so), which I dare to say Crowley suspects. Crowley, on the other hand, wants something totally IN THE CHARACTER (both times he was rejected, he wanted the same thing), and Aziraphale KNOWS it. Crowley's goal is to get into a "we" of a relationship SOMEWHERE, leaving to the stars together. We know that he loves the stars, which was established in S1 and again in S2. He does not say, "I love you"; he says, "I would like to spend my existence with you." He also says "we've spent our entire existence pretending that we aren't". He does not mean it as in "we pretend to each other." Pretending to Heaven and Hell.

This is not a moment of a big confession about love or feelings. This moment is an infliction point, all about what we want from this relationship from now on. And the moment of loss and realization of loss. Crowley got what Aziraphale wanted for five episodes, only to see his angel inexplicably change his desires. The whole mumbling about Heaven and Crowley as an angel doesn't make sense to Crowley because HE KNOWS his angel wanted a nest., It reminds me of all the tropes most recently explored in "Marriage Story." It is not an outcome two loving partners wish for, but sometimes people want different things WHILE STILL LOVING EACH OTHER. The" nothing lasts forever" has many meanings and can be read in different ways. On one level, it is a marker of changing desires and aspirations. On another level, the facial expression of Aziraphale, when looking at Crowley, full of absolute caring love, tells us that Crowley may not last forever, and he is just making sure he does. There is no rage in that scene, only mutual love and hurt. People part ways even if they still have a lot of love for each other. Sometimes, they find each other again.

And then the kiss. The kiss is mutual (you can see it when you play the scene very slowly), not romantic but desperate. They both hurt, but Crowley initiates this absolutely in character: the one who has always initiated a deep dive into the earthly sensations (it is first established in the Petronius oysters' scene). Then, he is forgiven because Aziraphale must say something that hurts (maybe someone is eavesdropping? At the end, the Bentley plays the Song. The way Aziraphale looks at Crowley and Bentley makes me think he asked the car to play it as a coded message.)

Crowley behaves differently from TWO other rejections he experienced in Season 1. The other two were very early on in their courtship. He felt them as personal back then: "I don't even like you, you are the demon" and "It is over." Sort of stuff we yell at our SOs when pheromones are high. Crowley does not take it well; he loves himself enough to know his dignity and has no problem leaving. In Season 2, this is more complicated. The long-term bonds of "precious existence" are stronger because KNOWING THE OTHER is on a deeper level. And he knows something is very, very wrong. Why is he staying there, waiting? He does not feel rejected as himself; he does not feel his love was rejected; he only understood his Alpha Centauri will not happen for reasons he does not truly understand. Right now, he probably thinks precisely what he said: Aziraphale is an idiot talking nonsense. Crowley hopes he will return to his senses. Because deep down, Crowley is an optimist. And he has what other demons do not: imagination. So don't cry for him, he will be OK. And remember the last Jane Austen novel on Aziraphale's shelf: Persuasion. Not to mention the only book Crowley probably has read: "The Crow Road"…

__

I realized I wrote this from the point of view of Crowley. But Aziraphale had also his heart rejected. He cried I NEED YOU and he got silence, because his stubborn husband refused to follow. That rejection also hurts.

---

Another thought: The ending is our human equivalent of one partner deciding to accept that well-paying job half-way across the globe, while the other wants to stay put. The one who leaves, temporarily, thinks about the opportunity: the money earned to finally pay that mortgage, pay student loan... to be finally free and get on with their life. The one who stays does not see it this way. Who is right... we'll see.

[epicmiscellaneousponderings]

Miscellaneous Media Moment

Alright so I'm watching the anime The Way of the Househusband on Netflix and writing my thoughts as I watch. This might be a tad unhinged, but here we go. As always if you liked this content feel free to be me a coffee. Also, yes, I do know that there a multiple episodes in each episode but I'm going to number them by how they're contained and labeled through Netflix as that's how I'm watching it :)

Episode one

The intro music is not what I was expecting. Very metal

The tattooed back, wow detail work

the interaction between him and wife, cute

Him taking pics of the food

The entire interaction between him and the cops, subtle/not subtle info drop, the fact he got pulled over on a bicycle, the coupon

Have I caught you at a bad time? No I was just carving something up? Blades. You going to show me the goods then? (This entire dialog and visual sequence was such hilarious and good writing in showing his cooking skills)

Being excited over the cabbage

The recycling of the bottles, I had such a flashback to all the times I've done it myself

Turf = Family

LOL the slapping

The black and white target acquired, such a cut from the last scene

The juxtaposition between the violence/serious noir vibe and sweet/silly moments!!

Oh he's trying so hard for his wife and she's just like wha? Also the fact she can match his intensity and smack him out the window is hilarious and good showing of their relationship dynamic

The end of the episode with the cat POV, is an interesting choice. Cat and bugs.

Episode Two

The metal intro is going to be the off putting thing for me isn't it. I get it suits the character backstory but my ears say ouch.

The intense bursts of music and the cut to the roomba, lol

Obligatory Ceremony (Wedding) GASP

Destruction via cat and roomba ending in bloody disaster

The flatline noise for the policure thingie

Everybody makes mistakes and it matters how you handle it afterwards paired with six feet under is great

Again with the slapping, lol

Nothing like getting hit by a 2 by 4. (Whoever wrote the dialog for this series did so well!)

The hula hooping, is that a smile?, strike a pose, This the [insert dark past] pose, the dedication to his wife and the pic of wife using the hula hoop is so cute

the good white powder = flour, the yes ma'am, the fact that she is so not intimidated by him at all and can outmatch that energy in his POV is adorable

Ok, so the ending with a cat adventure is going to be a running thing. Neat. Cat with dog.

Episode Three

Yay, Netflix allows me to skip intro!

The Tiger vs Dragon rivalry, the househusband vs crepe slinger cook off, the food commentary, the photo shoot and winning by one like lol

differing car standards, room for putting a person in the trunk, driving defensively, what did I just watch O...O

Again with the slapping, the chemistry lesson, the hardware store line, the differing stains and intense cleaning, cut to the calming laundry line

Him learning more skills... peak character moment

Street Vender = Rip Off, simple items interpreted with dark intentions

Patio garden, air pumping the bicycle wheels, the cops staking him out to begin with and them seeing this as criminal behavior, busting into the birthday party is such a moment, the line "you're one feminine felon" (Seriously as someone who hates to write dialog this shows one lines are so satisfying and hilarious)

Cat adventure with other cat and litter box.

Episode Four

The slow-mo for the volley ball, the volleyball face-off and how into it each team go into it, the handshake of good game and the group pic afterwards

The wife following along her husband's day is cute, the dog plushie reward

THE FOOD ALONE DESERVES AN ANALYSIS POST!!!

The x = y subtitles as sub context is hilarious and, also the back flashes being used to add story depth without info dumping

He is such a drama king, equally matched by his wife's antics. The entire cockroach sequence showing this. The wife's poor aim!

Intense and Scary Santa, delivering extreme food. That's not a sleigh. the running gag of him being pulled over on a bicycle by the cops is perfect!

Oh, no cat adventure, interesting break of pattern

Alright well thanks for coming to this Miscellaneous Media Moment where I do unhinged and most likely nonsensical rambling of what I watched is a thing. I will most likely continue at some point, so stay tuned and please let me know if this is a format that you liked. Along with any comments on the show that you have.

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 227

Episode: Yes! Precure 5 Go Go! 29 - “Tennis with a Hot Guy in the Highlands!?” Date watched: 25 October 2022 Original air date: 31 August 2008 Screenshots Precure Metamorphose Gallery | Sky Rose Translate Gallery Project info and master list of posts

Hello. I’m the villain.

Note: I am still experimenting with the automatic screenshots. I wasn’t satisfied with taking them every 10 seconds so I changed it to every 5 seconds and added a few custom shots. The gallery is larger than normal as a result of this, but I think it gives a better overview of the episode without as many major gaps as the 10 second rule.

Summer vacation continues with the long-awaited getaway to Karen’s mountain villa! There the girls engage in a variety of activities such as tennis, and tennis, with some tennis for good measure. But not all is as it seems when a mysterious man shows up...

The Plot

The girls travel to Karen’s villa, which is every bit as sprawling and fancy as her private island resort.

Jiiya promises to make a big meal for everyone that night, so Nozomi declares they should get hungry by playing sports.

A new villain named Mucardia shows up at Eternal. Anacondy is much friendlier to him than to Bunbee, and she dispatches him to get the Rose Pact.

Nozomi wants to play on the villa’s tennis courts. Rin points out Nozomi doesn't even play tennis, but she’s gung ho for it anyway, as are the others.

Mucardia appears in the sky and decides to spy on the girls for a while.

The girls aren't very good at tennis but seem to have fun anyway. Then Rin and Karen play a match and it's much more intense.

The fairies watch from a balcony. Kurumi turns to Milk and begins feverishly writing a postcard to Palmier. Nuts sees her working hard nonstop and wants to find a way to help her that doesn't inconvenience her. He begins drafting a new toy.

Mucardia shows up to the tennis court under the name Momoi Kyousuke, claiming to have gotten lost. He takes on Rin and Karen in a doubles tennis match. Meanwhile, Nozomi Urara, and Komachi go after a Palmin.

Kyousuke smooth talks R&K with a magic trick and some flowers before leaving. He secretly turns the whole forest into a Hoshiina. His plan is to take out Rin and Karen (the brains and brawn of the team) and the rest will fall in short order.

When everyone gathers, they complain that the Hoshiina is too big and strong. Dream applies what she learned in tennis and tells them to watch its movements and strike back.

The fight consists mostly of the girls deflecting blows from the monster and landing a few hits on it until Coco helps them perform Rainbow Rose Explosion.

Mucardia remarks that the other cures aren’t so bad, but his real victory is getting close to the team.

After the battle, Nozomi, Urara, and Komachi compliment the flowers that Rin and Karen received before they all go to eat Jiiya’s dinner. The episode closes with a shot of the two flowers in vases against a backdrop of the mountain at sunset.

The Analysis

What I Liked

The girls relaxing (kind of) and having fun playing tennis, in a very slife-of-life moe setting, was so fun. I don’t always like this (my thoughts on Smile will come eventually) but here it works.

Related, the contrast between how Rin and Karen play tennis compared to the others is great. Obviously R&K are experienced players while the rest are amateurs, but everyone has fun with it in their way.

Urara has good form (not technique) despite never actually playing. She says she portrayed a tennis player for a show once, and that might be my favorite joke in the episode.

Compared to the last episode, Princess Crepe is barely in this and has maybe 3 lines of dialog. That’s a win in my book.

Mucardia deciding to scout out the girls and get friendly with them rather than revealing his identity is a good strategy we’ve seen used before by Kiriya, Michiru, and Kaoru. It won’t play out in a redemption arc, but I enjoy it for now.

What I Didn’t Like

When Milk begins writing her letter to Palmier, Syrup complains that he needs a rest. The response to this is odd, with Milk saying she has to keep the citizens of Palmier informed of what’s going on as she’s a caregiver. This is fine as it’s her prerogative but it does nothing to address Syrup’s complaint that he’s being overworked. A practical solution would be for him to just wait and make the delivery the next day or something but this is not discussed.

Once the Hoshiina shows up, the episode drops in quality drastically. Mucardia’s plan was supposedly to take out Rin and Karen individually but he doesn’t even come close.

Normally, in a divide and conquer plot, one of two things will happen: either the singled out group will individually overcome the villain, or they will be pushed to their limit and rescued at the last minute by the rest of the team. In this instance, though, neither happens. Rouge and Aqua aren’t faring well against the monster but the other girls join the fray quickly with a half-hearted “strategy” from Dream

The above issue makes the monster, and Mucardia himself, seem like less of a threat. Anacondy holds him in high regard, and everything about him reads “formidable opponent” and then he underperforms in his debut fight. If it’s intentional, it’s not showcased well.

If a stranger showed up on a huge private resort claiming he got lost while sweet talking some teenagers, I’d be asking a lot more questions than Karen does, and he’d get an escort to the exit rather than just a point in the right direction.

Miscellaneous

Milk appears in her fairy form for the third episode in a row.

The Cures use Rainbow Rose Explosion as their finisher for the second episode in a row.

In the preview of this episode from the last one, Rin is implied by her mannerisms to be infatuated with Momoi Kyousuke. That does not carry over to the actual episode, where both she and Karen agree he was nice and appreciate the flowers he gave them, but nothing more than that.

The girls get some cute athletic clothes during the tennis scene.

Nuts is shown drawing artwork of what will become the Milky Note.

This is the final episode to use “Holding Hands Also Links our Hearts!!” as the ending theme. Next episode it will change to Ganbalance de Dance for the third and final time.

Conclusion

The fight scenes are a staple of this franchise, but I don’t remember feeling this disconnected between the plot and battle scene in a while. It feels obligatory, the monster design is underwhelming and unintimidating, and you could remove the fight entirely and not lose anything from the episode. It peaked at the girls just having fun at the resort, and Mucardia infiltrating to see how they act was a good idea. It might have been better left as a routine monster fight rather than Mucardia trying to divide and conquer right out of the gate. The episode also starts Nuts’s story arc as he struggles with his sense of worth, leading to a new toy. The plot calls back to episode 26 of the previous series, when they went on a summer vacation to Karen’s island resort. It’s a very middle of the road episode compared to the last two which were very good and very bad respectively. I just wanted a litle more substance, even if that substance was pure fluff.

Next time, on Precure Daily, Kurumi and Nozomi have a fight. Look forward to it!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 1 kettei!

[pika-ace]

Do you think that Dark Choco would be mistaken as the parent/guardian of the group because he’s the only one that looks like an adult while Gingerbrave and co are the kids he seemingly adopted/is taking care of with Chili Pepper being the older sibling? That’s gotta be awkward when someone asks

(Sorry for the late reply, Christmas, you know?)

But yeah, I could TOTALLY see that happening, like while they’re building their own kingdom and coming across all the cookies in the roster.

At first, some younger ones think that he’s somehow their biological dad, but the older ones assume adoption right away cause these tykes’ dough isn’t NEARLY as chocolate-y as Dark Choco’s or Dark Cacao’s. And after seeing them in action, how can you not assume that they’re family?

They see this giant, menacing cookie pretty much soften whenever these kids talk to him, see him go ABSOLUTELY FERAL if one or all of them are in danger (Strawberry Crepe tried to take Strawberry for analysis and nearly DIED from DC’s glare alone), and vice-versa for the kids if Dark Choco gets hurt (Pomegranate put that memory spell on him and the kids just LOST IT and breezed through her magic to beat her), and see these kids get all worried for him as well…c’mon, even if you don’t see the family vibes, it’s clear that they’ve grown VERY close

But the best part is that everyone has a different reaction to it. ‘Is Dark Choco Cookie like…your dad?’

Brave: Huh…I never thought about it that way :/c I guess he kinda IS like a dad! XD

Strawberry: *blushes and hides in her hood* Um…Uh…

Wizard: *blushing* ABSOLUTELY NOT!!

Custard: I already have a dad, but I suppose there’s nothing wrong with having another one! :)

Chili Pepper: *slightly blushing* Wha- no way! I don’t need a dad, I’m not a stupid kid! I do what I want!

Dark Choco: Hm. *confused and flattered internal screaming*

…Basically, they’re all secretly cool with it because c’mon, going on a dangerous adventure to fight the forces of darkness to revive ancient fallen kingdoms is the BEST way to create memories and bonds.

(However we all know the truth: Dark Choco didn’t adopt these kids, THEY adopted HIM.)

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

cool video essays I watched this weekend

hi exactly NO ONE asked for more youtube recs but I have them

anyway this first one immediately makes the title a lie, because I actually watched Philosophy Tube's "Food, Beauty, Mind" a while ago, but it's an interesting video and I wanted to include it. I've never watched a Philosophy Tube video before, because I am nothing if not a fake and terrible leftist, but her thoughts about the shame so many women associate with food and the ways we learn to rigidly police our relationship with eating really spoke to me. this video was also the third essay/video essay to cite Heather Widdows' book "Perfect Me: Beauty as an Ethical Ideal" in a very short time period, which is absolutely why I'm currently reading it (and having THOUGHTS).

with her newest video, "How Do We Criticize Our Own?," Melina Pendulum, aa Princess Weekes, continues her streak of being right about pretty much everything. this is an interesting analysis of Being A Critic While Marginalized, and all the pressures that come from a.) the presumption that you are only qualified to speak on your own identity and b.) the presumption that you can speak for everyone of your identity (in Weekes' case, being Black and queer). also: what do you do when the bad faith attacks come from within your own community?

Khadija Mbowe's "Who's afraid of Lil Nas X?" is an excellent video for anyone who, like me, is all about anything and everything that Lil Nas X sees fit to give us (except for that NFT nonsese. I simply do not see it). Mbowe brings several Black men into their discussion to analyze what about Lil Nas X is so threatening to the brand of Black masculinity that has historically dominated hip hop and unpack what about his unflinching queerness elicits such a strong response from so many of his peers. I don't play favorites, but if I had to pick my favorite thing I watched this weekend it's definitely this.

Mina Le's 2020 video "100+ Years of Halloween Costumes" offers a quick dive into the origins of modern Halloween celebrations, tracking the custom of costumes from pagan rituals to Victorian parties to 20th century innovations like crepe paper costumes and latex masks. this is one of my favorite kind of Le videos, focusing not only on fashion and style but on the changing social trends that influenced them.

I don't know about y'all, but I fucking love Chinese food. and yes, I do obviously mean the extremely Americanized version of Chinese food, which is the only kind I've ever had access to, and which I recognize is very different than what's actually eaten in China. in their video "Why American Chinese Food Deserves Respect," Xiran Jay Zhao offers a brief history of American Chinese food trends and argues that it's as "authentic" as native Chinese food and a worthwhile addition to the culture.

okay, listen. I wasn't initially going to include this, because while the topic is intriguing (and Shanspeare's whole Look is phenomenal) I found the actual analysis in "Daddy Issues, Misogyny, and the Pinnacle of Male Privilege" to be a little lacking. there is a pretty solid recap on the Oedipus myth, and some discussion of Freud, but initially I wasn't super blown away. but then the night after I watched this I had a long and staggeringly vivid dream about my own estranged bastard father, so maybe Shanspeare was onto something after all. either way, not including it after having that kind of fucked up dream omen feels like tempting fate.

[monards]

everytime i think about the parrllels/similarities between rhine and the shade of life i convulse

In "Before Sun and Moon" we see the shade of life first mentioned when talking about the creation of the earth. "The Primordial One and one of its shades created the birds of the air, the beasts of the earth, and the fish of the sea. Together, they also created flowers, grass, and trees, before finally creating humans — our ancestors, numerous as the stars in the sky, uncountable as the sand on the shore." and the thing is that everything rhine has done has been a (albeit a crude) imitation of this. 'Birds of the air,' can be accounted to Durin; 'Beasts of the earth' can be accounted to the rift wolves and many of Rhine's other little mess ups; 'Fish of the sea' obviously represents Elynas. Plus, her title "A flower that is not of this world" accounts for the whole vegetation idea. And obviously, albedo (and by extension subject two/dorian, if you want to count him,) would represent the 'humans'. Almost all of these parallels though are, very obviously, warbled verisons of what the shade of life did. Durin is a dragon, and by no means a bird (sorry durin); The riftwolves are definitely not what they meant when implying 'beasts' ; Elynas is a serpent,, and decidedly not a fish. And Albedo isn't technically 'human'. The better part of this is that each of these directly aim to hurt whatever it be they're imitating. Durin would obviously harm the birds. Elynas likely obliterated the fish population in Fontaine. The riftwolves have obviously kill many land animals. And Albedo has the imminent issue of destroying mondstadt, and its humans.

and this is all without even MENTIONING the concept of hearts and its associations. In the new fontaine wings (Wings of Merciful, Wrathful Waters) we see it describe, "When that first heart was removed, the envoy of Celestia, the leader upon whose shoulders lay the duty to create life, came to the great primeval sea, and there she created another heart. That heart had like nobility unto a dragon, but lacked its outer form, and had the majesty of a god, yet was bereft any divine duty. And though it was created by a ruler of humans, its substance and essence were all original matter from this world, entirely without outside elements." And just reading it-- its just like. Wow. Okay. We're REALLY going with this now Rhine was (as we can assume) someone who was relied on in Khaneri'ah to use to art of khemia to create life. Khaneri'ahs underground, so they obviously wouldn't have the resources for normal agriculture. Hence that duty to "create life" being hoisted onto Rhine. Plus, the idea of hearts is literally one of the key points of every majorly important rhine-creation (I.E the still-beating hearts of elynas and durin,) -- but the things is that hearts in rhine's circumstance, directly oppose what we see established by the shade of life. "its substance and essence were all original matter from this world, entirely without outside elements." implies the shade of life made them out of only things from this world; but obviously. Rhine most certainly didn't follow that path, like. at all. We know Durin, Elynas, and likely most of (if not all) of her other creations are from 'cosmic darkness' that was enough to deem them not from this world.

the most important thing about all this though is what i feel like this means for the heart of Naberius. we know, by law of assumption; Naberius is more or less likely the descender who got chopped the bits and recycled into the gnosis. And its more or less likely that Rhine having imitated every the step the Shade of life had taken in the steps of creating teyvat; Rhine's end goal is to obtain her ultimate form of perfection this way, or the 'truth'. Descenders are the only ones not bound by teyvat's laws and fate. And if we can assume Rhine has some goal to change or alter fate; considering the heavy idea of prophecies and fate around both her, the hexenzirkel, and khaneri'ah. And even then; if its ultimately to learn the truth, Naberius would be unaffected by irminsuil. And since they're far older than most other entities in teyvat, Rhine has to be chasing after something that only someone like them would know. What that is? no clue. I'm too tired to figure that out right now okay guys.

// Anyways this isnt even beginning to mention how at the end of the wings description it adds: "Humans desire judgment because they feel guilty. Humans want, and so they want to give things up — humans always desire a god." because holy shit that's one big can of worms to be opening up at 11:35 on a Tuesday night.

[celestialmarks]

“I’m not the bad one here”: Muu Analysis and Interpretation

here is my personal muu analysis and interpretation. i'm really wondering: does muu really believe herself to be justified? is this a front she's presenting because her apologies remained unheard to the bitter end? is she really vindictive and somewhat indifferent deep down, or is she really pretending to protect herself? somewhat a bit of both? this is what i'll be trying to answer. i'm going to be using : - her official character intro in the character intros MV - her intro voice lines (from the official website) - her interview questions - her drama CD content basically every piece of muu extra content we've got, aside from minimal interactions from the app. AS WELL AS - her MV, After Pain, which i'm going to be deciphering based on the color coding! i don't think anyone has done this in full yet (if anyone did, i apologize)

(general TW for discussions & depiction of severe bullying)

as a general disclaimer,

i'm not going to reiterate points that have already been made. if you've looked at youtube comments of previously made analysis, it should be enough to determine what's going on. i'm interested in exploring why muu may feel justified in her actions and what the "darker" side of her is, is all.

there have been no hints as to the fact that she was a bully in the past or something. it could still come out that she was, or that her behavior was awful in whatever way (which i really wouldn't like bcse it reinforces the notion that bullied people "have to had deserved it" which is gross) and it still WOULD NOT change my opinion of her bcse she's still been through all that and pushed to the limit. at the end of the day, there's no way she lied about or downplayed this. she WAS horribly bullied and she almost died from it.

muu has her flaws, clearly. i'm just pointing out what they are here, her mentality and how it might allude to her being shown in a less sympathetic light next round, but that's it.

first, where does the "muu feeling justified" even come from?

to begin with, it's been stated in her intro "she can have a attitude at some times." it's also confirmed by the insults on the blackboard, transcribed in eng and edited onto the MV's visuals here (TW suicide baiting, self-harm baiting).

"So arrogant" as well as "are you looking down on us?" are written on the first blackboard, "eww poor people" on the second.

in her drama CD, muu also appears to be :

overly blunt at times 

spoiled. used to being treated well, since she's rich

quite manipulative, even if she's straightforward about it

i suggest u read the whole thing to get a sense of what she's like, if you haven't yet!

once again and at the risk of repeating myself... she still doesn't deserve any of what happened even if she was condescending or flaunted her wealth. which i don't even think might be the case (it's not like the bullies are objective, they're just using it as a way to justify their treatment of her. and in the MV she says herself "There's no special meaning / I just got the short end of the stick"). she's kind of naive about her wealth (see the crepe incident dfdghjd) she doesn't appear to do it to annoy others or look down on them. she's just used to a life of comfort.

moreover, it's been implied she may have been taken advantage of initially because of her wealth (see the chat on her phone and the picture of her with the three other girls, which i'll call Girl A, Girl B and Girl C for convenience's sake and also bcse the ref to dr is funny). probably her bluntness and occasional attitude caused her more problems, but i'll come back to what triggered the bullying later.

regarding her manipulative behavior, it's because she's used to getting her way (crepe incident, her telling Es she'll just make him like her : "All I have to do is gain your favour, right?"). "my sorry spells must be wearing off" in After Pain alludes to this. since she was previously quite privileged, she had never been treated like this before. even when she made mistakes she was forgiven, so she may have been a bit of an entitled brat, once again. when she starts being bullied, her world REALLY turns upside down. she's so used to getting her way that she even THREATENS Es at the end of the drama CD. we're past manipulative here. no way to know if she has done this in the past though. this might just be due to her desperation, really, but the fact that she does it right after another attempt at sweet talk does make me raise a brow

also the way she turns the tables on Es. "i won't forgive you" when she's supposed to be the one who's forgiven or not? she's rejecting the fault onto Es, just like, ALL the way through her drama CD, she's been saying she wasn't in the wrong. that's her way of justifying herself when/if she causes harm. literally she will not stop saying it : 

"I’m not the bad one here!" "I did kill them. But, they’re to blame! They made it to the point where I had to kill them… I… I had such a tough time." "Sure, I might’ve killed them, but… If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to escape. The cruel things they did to me were far worse!" "If you’re gonna say that I shouldn’t have killed them, then… Are you saying that I should’ve continued suffering forever?" "Even though I’m not the one in the wrong, they want to sentence me to penal servitude… That’s so messed-up." "It wasn’t a bad thing to do, right?" "What should I do then? What should I do in order for you to forgive me, prison guard? I’ll do anything! Um… Anything painful or embarrassing is out of the question though… And, I don’t wanna do anything scary either…"

muu is DESPERATE to be proven innocent. she'll do almost anything, though she's reluctant to put herself in any situation that might be triggering for her (understandable after what she's been through so i wouldn't say she's whining here.) in one of her intro voice lines on the website she says pretty much the same thing:

That’s right. I killed someone. But I couldn’t help it! If I didn’t, there’d be no way to escape. I’m… not the bad one.

in addition, here is what we get from her intro in the character intros MV:

"Fufu... it's your fault for doing horrible things to me." → Lack of remorse ?

from her interview questions:

"The person who did something wrong should apologize first." → Waiting for others to acknowledge their faults first, bcse she doesn't want her apologies to be ignored again... and to just be mistreated again, as a result?

maybe she wants to be declared innocent so that she can finally feel like she's heard, acknowledged. so that she can feel that her pain has reached people, and she might start apologizing outwardly then too, bcse part of her's sorry. but a part of her genuinely believes she had no other choice and as such should be treated as innocent. it's kind of a complex mentality.

what i'm focusing on is that she has this belief she is justified still.

something caught my eyes in relation to that : the "thinks she's the hero" on the second blackboard. muu has a self-righteous side like futa, even if it were (partially?) a front.

also, the quote behind every inmate : "every saint has a past and every sinner has a future." muu "saved" herself by killing someone else and now has a future, so she's her own hero? perhaps. perhaps that's what is helping her cope with the crushing guilt, and that's why she's outwardly so insistent on it.

but then again, something doesn't click: why would muu be saved from killing someone? the bullying has just gotten worse. why does she seem so relieved in that situation? is it because people at least don't touch her now, because they're scared of her? she is literally getting suicide baited though... well, i have an idea. but first let's decode After Pain properly.

more substance to her feeling justified: the color coding and hidden messages in After Pain

so, here goes. on the official site, people who got the innocent verdict are shown to have green eyes, while people who got the guilty verdict have red eyes. so from this, we can deduce that innocent = green and guilty = red.

well... muu's MV is coded like that all the way through. we have a theme of greens (cold colors) VS oranges (warm colors). to represent her thoughts in relation to her actions, and others'. they’re complementary colors, so it’s rather clear cut (black and white?) the color that's inbetween is the yellow from the screen with the handwriting writing that keeps coming back as well as... yup... the yellow from the box cutter she used to kill Girl A, her crush (presumably). and the yellow that is muu's character color! so very significant. i'll analyse After Pain sequence by sequence so u can see what i mean in detail. beginning of the MV : she's sitting in the classroom alone. the first thing we see is the green hourglass = i'm innocent! and we see the orange glow of the sunset. the light isn't hitting her directly, as u can see: she's left in the shadows = blameless, the victim here. it's hitting the blackboard with all the insults, however.

together with the lyrics this scene is basically everything about muu screaming "SEE? IT'S THEIR FAULT, LOOK WHAT THEY DID. I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING." and then of course we have the first instance of the screen with writing in yellow! this one says "ねえなんで" ("say, why?") nothing surprising there so far.

then BOOM the hourglass. very very clearly depicting her pain, her suffocating and being cut from the world. and thus proving her "innocence" bcse she's trapped, in danger of choking, and helpless.

it of course covers her (more of her basically telling you she's innocent). and then it cuts to a pinker, more orange-y scene with the bullies (they're guilty!)

and WAIT A MINUTE? WHAT IS THAT? yep... the box cutter. and what color is it in this scene? orange. it was orange here.

clearly she's saying that the others are much more at fault here. when she wields it, the box cutter is of a lighter color--still a warm color, since it's yellow. but a yellow that's very close to the lime green of her hourglass, isn't it? for now let's say it represents something in between, ambivalent feelings. the writing in yellow comes back and so does the chorus (look at how much i tried to apologize and make them stop). it feels to me like that's muu taking back the mic like HEY, listen up, you saw this right. in conclusion. here it is again: look at how innocent i am! look at how much i've suffered! and thus naturally it cuts to a hourglass scene immediately after.

nonetheless, the writing in yellow says... "でもたぶん" ("but maybe...") which is intriguing.

haven't mentioned this before but obviously muu herself is a mix of warm and cold colors, aka pink (her uniforms highlights, the sleeves and tie + her hair) and green (her eyes, with a highlight of lime/yellow...) then we're back in the classroom and once again the orange light = guilt isn't hitting her directly.

and the colors picked in the LINE chat with the others areee.... naturally, green for her, pink for the others... yellow for the whole background, just as yellow encompasses the entire MV as her true feelings on the matter.

title screen in yellow then flashes yet again, followed AGAIN by the hourglass scene (muu repeating, just like in her drama CD: "yeah, here's my whole story, and i'm innocent!")

the writing in yellow says "ねえもしも" ("hey, tell me...")

the writing in yellow flashes for the FOURTH TIME and this is the most interesting instance: "それなのに" ("even so...")

this shot is doused in orange/warmer yellow on the bullies' side and in the background too. super self-explanatory really

the orange light of guilty is still not hitting muu. meanwhile on her lap...

on the left, the bullies' stockings are blue, but they have a orange hue to them. the rest of the objects here in cold tones are all related to muu or touching her. the picture on her phone is split between yellow and blue. like the blame and innocence was, back then, even/balanced in the sense of peace and quiet, or perhaps just hidden in the background before it jumped out?

she's hit by the orange light here and please look at how the bucket is not blue at all and the floor below her is more yellow. Girl A is the one to open the door, so i think this might show Girl A's POV in relation to muu. not perceiving her innocence.

Girl A's eyes here are green and yellow, so to some extent innocent but guilty in a way that is justified in muu's mind? which is why muu reaches out to her. thus here's my theory on what happened with her : muu confessed, yes. however, the girl didn't out her. especially bcse the blackboard doesn't have any mention of muu liking girls (going by the TL previously shared at least). she just started avoiding muu. given the lyrics here: Girl A used muu's attitude concerning other matters as justification for avoiding her, which kickstarted the bullying. hence "the stabbing of the little devil's voice" which references something Girl A said about her attitude, prompting the rest of their friend group to see muu in a negative light so as to side with her. (since muu's planned counterattack to what Girl A said is a suicide note, it can only be Girl A that's the "devil". the cause.)

also please note how the light is only HALF hitting the background. she's to blame, but not entirely. not yet. besides her eyes are a different shade of green than muu's: darker, far from lime. clearly just green + yellow highlight, without the blatant "innocent" of the lighter lime. entirely ambivalent!

in this shot, the light is deserting muu's eyes. no lime green or yellow here. she just has dead eyes, resembling Girl A's eyes at the end of the video. this is muu telling us that this was her last chance not to become a corpse.

then muu reaches out to the one person she could ask for help. the one person who could have cleared any misunderstanding and possibly stopped this. she's running and everything is soooo yellow and orange. EXCEPT for the bushes which are green, a firm line (literal lines!) that allude to the possibility that Girl A might change her behavior. "perhaps she'll realized she crossed the line/know where the line is and walk off this path."

however, muu steps into the light here. she's been hit by the window's light even if we can't see it, as seen by her shadow. hence, she's already guilty, it's just out of frame (she doesn't realize/know it yet.) still, note that the light hitting her is not orange but ONLY YELLOW. less guilty than the others! but the school? orange. guilty place. guilty people

Girl A is still framed by green stuff. she has a possibility of being innocent, of being forgiven by muu, but the path she's walking is orange, clearly.

we see a tiny hourglass fall off, a timid reminder from muu "i know what you're about to see, just remember i'm not to blame." and then muu reaches Girl A and the background is just SO yellow and orange for the both of them. but notice something? on muu's side the background is more yellow. on Girl A's side it gets darker, more orange.

Girl A doesn't respond for a moment and her eyes are still green and yellow! muu has hope that she might still change for the better and forgive her! see that muu's innocent!

but nope! she rejects muu! and we get this deep orange!!! NOTHING like the yellow in the background earlier! this is the last straw for muu!

contrasting with the green of muu's hourglass breaking as she hits her limit:

yellow, vengeful fire burning next to muu. it's practically shimmering as she stabs Girl A. it's so light it's almost white.

Girl A's eyes have turned orange bcse in that moment in muu's mind SHE is the guilty one. she deserves this.

while in contrast, even if the background behind muu's very orange... her eyes are glowing lime/yellow.

i hit picture limit so this is part 1! (reblogging this to add more. here is the full post with part 2 as well)

[sunxeii]

I love reading your tags and was wonder what your interpretation on the Lip x Lip pocky edition is? Also, more similarities between Ken and Aizou's types because I want them to have some common ground they have so they can try to talk to each other and reconnect again.

Aww, I’m glad you love reading my tags~ Thank you sm!! <33 it makes me happy knowing people like my rambles and opinion on things,,

Are you talking about that pocky scene in the new MV where Yuujirou and Aizou are at the store together and had their own pockys in their hands? Or are you referring to their pocky flavors? :O pls let me know~

As for the analysis between Ken and Aizou’s types…

(I ended up talking A LOT so you can read more under the cut ahsjs)

I know you probably meant their physical similarities (like hairstyle, etc) but I kinda delved more into their characters??

Compared to the Shibasaki brothers who, in a sense, are more modern… Yuujirou and Arisa have different family backgrounds than most people. Arisa’s family owns a shrine, meanwhile, the Someya family has a kabuki legacy and many of them (especially his stepdad and brother) are very strict about beauty + a good performance. Arisa is sometimes seen in shrine maiden clothing while Yuujirou is sometimes seen in traditional clothing. Arisa’s grandfather is a Shinto shrine priest and Yuujirou’s stepdad/brother and other people in his personal life are kabuki actors.

Both of them know how to dance like some of their family members and they definitely practice.

Here, Ken is watching her perform and blushing. Aizou has also canonically seen Yuujirou perform kabuki. LOOK HOW GOOD THEY LOOK and their eyes omg (granted, arisa obviously looks happier but yeah) BUT YEAH,, look at these two images and tell me you don’t find the similarities.

Also, both Yuujirou and Arisa sometimes do the :3 face

Arisa had put her hair up in high twintails after being inspired by Sena, and she even moved forward in life as she tried to be more outgoing and friendly. Since Yuujirou’s application has him with long bangs and he came to the audition with short bangs, I’m assuming he may have cut them himself. He has also tried being more kind and cool to the public eye (fans, classmates, etc.)

So they both directly changed their hairstyles and acted friendlier. They’re moving forward aww

Arisa and Yuujirou don’t consider Ken and Aizou as perfect, even from the start. Arisa found Ken’s way of living too “my-pace” and even boring. Meanwhile, Yuujiou bickered with Aizou on their first meeting.

Both Arisa and Yuujirou had problems making friends when they were younger. Yuujirou kept himself busy with Kabuki practice whenever he was invited to hang out so he never rlly formed any actual friendships, and Arisa tended to “poke her nose into other people’s affairs and had unintentionally spoken harshly during elementary school, which ended up with her often being left out by her peers,” according to her novel.

Both Arisa and Yuujirou had problems making friends when they were younger. Yuujirou kept himself busy with Kabuki practice whenever he was invited to hang out so he never rlly formed any actual friendships, and Arisa tended to “poke her nose into other people’s affairs and had unintentionally spoken harshly during elementary school, which ended up with her often being left out by her peers,” according to her novel.

Aizou is technically Yuujirou’s first friend, since it was revealed that Yuujirou’s childhood lacked any friendships and he pushed everyone away because he felt like there wasn’t a point in making friends. However, Aizou kept talking to him and involving him in things despite their arguments. In Arisa’s case, Ken noticed her from afar and told his friend to keep an eye on her ( for him to act like her friend or smth.) This helped her get situated and it made her feel happy.

We know that the Shibasaki brothers have a certain way they portray themselves on the outside. They are seen as sociable, friendly, and outgoing by the public eye (aizou with his fans and classmates.) But on the inside, despite their popularity and interactions, they’re lonely people. Other people like them but they can’t see who they truly are, at least 100%. Both Yuujirou and Arisa can. The brothers talk to their partners and involve them in stuff, even when the other doesn’t seem to want to comply or ignore them. Arisa defends/defended people and Yuujirou has actually defended Aizou and even made him cheer up and laugh by doing a particular face when his idol partner was visibly upset about something. So, the both of them help the boys better themselves and the Shibasaki brothers know they can rely on their partners. Lonely Persons imply that Yuujirou and Arisa are the only people that can understand Aizou and Ken, even when the other doesn’t properly say it in words or tell anyone else. It’s like words aren’t even needed and their bonds are deeper than that.

Both the cat versions of their types look at the brothers and arisa is within arms reach, fairly close to ken because she’s there for him and they’re dating. Aizou feels like Yuujirou is there for him but he’s also afraid of losing him and that they aren’t as close as he may think— obviously that’s not true because yuujirou appears with a smile and looks at him softly. // psttt just shoot ur shoot aizou// Both Arisa and Yuujirou are holding their cat versions (kuro and the random cat lmao) close to their chests too, with one hand over the cats’ backs.

Between Aiyuu and Shibarisa, arisa and yuujirou are seen as the more “chill” or “quiet” ones (even though, of course, yuujirou is quite sneaky and arisa is outgoing in a way)

Arisa seems to like the crepes on their date and Yuujirou, with his sweet tooth, would DEFINITELY love crepes. i demand a crepe date for aiyuu,, i demand us seeing aiyuu eating cake on xmas.

By the way, this is just a fun observation but both Ken and Aizou definitely think about texting Arisa and Yuujirou the most during literally anything. In “Naimaki Honey”, Ken looks happy while he stares at his phone and he’s def on LINE a lot for arisa— i bet he texts her goodmorning and goodnight + little things. Aizou literally texted Yuujirou at 2 am over some BEEF ROAST he made. like it was his first thought after he finished and yuujirou read it immediately (but didn’t reply lmao) I’m assuming arisa and yuujirou don’t text with the same energy as their partner most times.

Also, we already know how they’ve been compared to or represented by cats. And the Shibasaki brothers own a cat, plus aizou likes cats more.

OK WOO— i’m done HSJS. So sorry that it was a long read !!! I tried to compile some stuff and then I accidentally exited out and lost everything SHDJS

[genork-the-fandork]

As an add on to the playlists I created for this particular day, I also wanted to do some writing for the 01 kids as well.

For those who don’t know, I love the Digimon Adventure tri. character songs. (I even did a full blown analysis of the lyrics.) So I decided to do some short one shots featuring a lyric from each kid’s character song.

You can find the songs here in case you haven’t heard them. I found the English translations on Wikimon.

I hope you enjoy! <3

Tai

"If you get lost, I want you to hold my two hands"

Agumon hadn't made it home yet. Tai was starting to get worried about the little Digimon, so he grabbed his coat and went to look for him.

As he looked in the usual places (namely, food stands and shops), he was reminded of a time when he and Kari were little. They'd gone to play hide and seek in the park, and Kari had hidden so well Tai had been looking for her for over an hour. By the time he'd found her, she was crying because she had gotten herself lost and didn't know how to get back to him. He'd had to hold both of her hands and lead her back to where their mom was waiting.

Not that he expected Agumon to be sobbing, but he hoped he would at least find him before he got hurt.

It didn't take long. In the same park Tai had once found Kari in, he found Agumon, kicking his feet back and forth as he sat on a bench. "What took you so long, Tai?" he said, the long-forgotten wrappers of crepes and candies resting beside him.

"There was no telling where you were, buddy," Tai shot back, gently rubbing his knuckles into Agumon's head. 

The Digimon laughed and hopped off the bench, gathering up his trash to throw out. "I got lost, but I knew you'd find me, Tai. You always do."

Tai smiled. "I guess I do."

Even though he didn't need it, Agumon held Tai's hand all the way home.

Matt

"The seasons continue to change and we become adults"

"When did we become adults?" Tai complained, his legs draped over the back of the couch.

"About the same time we started college, I'm pretty sure," Matt quipped from where he sat on the carpet, staring out the window. He glanced over at his best friend, who looked put out by this answer. "Has it gotten through your thick skull yet?"

"You're one to talk," Tai muttered, folding his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. "I can't accept it if I refuse to believe it."

"Yeah, yeah." Matt shifted his gaze to stare out at the sunset. His hand lifted and aimlessly searched for Gabumon's head. He'd taken to petting the Digimon's head like this whenever he was deep in thought. The contact kept him grounded; he had no fear of flying away whenever he did this.

"I think it was that summer," Matt finally said, his hand stilling on Gabumon's head. Gabumon looked over at him, immediately understanding his meaning.

"Which summer?" Tai asked. "In case you forgot, there have been many. Nearly ten now."

Matt chuckled wryly. "That summer. Ordinemon."

He didn't have to look to see Tai's eyes turn sad. Matt made it a general rule not to mention Ordinemon in front of his best friend, if only because it reminded him of Nishijima. But he could tell by Tai's silence that he agreed.

Matt murmured, "The seasons kept changing, but we'd already grown up."

They both kind of hated how right the sentiment was.

Sora

"It's alright, my feelings for you will last forever"

Sora sighed at the mess before her. "Biyomon…"

"Sorry, Sora," her partner said meekly, almost shrinking into herself as she refused to meet Sora's eyes.

It was hard to be mad at a Digimon who looked so adorable when remorseful. Sora's mouth quirked up on one side as she crouched down and patted the top of Biyomon's head. "How about you help me clean this up?"

"Okay!" the bird Digimon agreed.

They worked together to clean up the mess Biyomon had accidentally made, humming along to some song they couldn't name as they did so. Despite her occasional clumsiness, Biyomon was quite adept at cleaning up messes. It made Sora thankful to have her around; an extra pair of hands—er, wings—came in handy.

When they were finished, Sora collapsed on a chair. She was suddenly exhausted, and she couldn't really pinpoint why. Maybe she was a tad overwhelmed from all the cleaning she'd done all day, and all the cleaning she had a feeling she'd be doing the rest of the day. Whatever it was, she just needed a moment to sit.

Concerned, Biyomon nervously approached her. "Sora," she began, "you're not mad at me… are you?"

Sora's eyes opened to meet those of her Digimon partner, so wide with worry. "Of course not. What would make you think that?"

"Well… you've just been so tired lately. I thought maybe you'd be mad that I made a mess again…"

"Oh, Biyomon," Sora sighed, folding her Digimon into her arms. "I hope you know I could never stay mad at you. I love you too much."

There was a relieved chirp in her voice as Biyomon said, "And I love you, too, Sora!"

Those three words lifted a good part of the exhaustion from Sora's shoulder.

Izzy

"That fragment of memory I made has disappeared"

Izzy frowned. He lightly placed his fingers on his temple and forehead, trying to pinpoint the sinking feeling in his stomach and the uneasy feeling in his heart. It wasn't a headache, surely, despite him holding his head. And he was fairly sure he didn't have a cold. So what was so wrong?

"What's wrong, Izzy?"

The words weren't coming to him to explain to Tentomon what was wrong. His Digimon buzzed his head, asking him rapid fire questions about his health. He didn't answer any of them, so focused was he on figuring out what was wrong.

"I… forgot."

"Forgot what?" the Digimon asked in surprise.

Looking up at Tentomon, Izzy murmured, "I forgot the first joke of yours I laughed at."

Tentomon landed on the ground and placed a gentle claw on Izzy's lap. "That's it?"

There were tears on his face now, and Izzy had no recollection of shedding them. "It was one of my favorite memories of the time we met."

"Oh, Izzy," Tentomon said fondly, reaching up to pat his cheek. "I'll tell you all the jokes you want."

"I'm sorry," Izzy whispered, leaning forward to wrap his arms around the Digimon. "I didn't want to forget any of that."

"We'll make new memories for as long as we're together," Tentomon reassured him. "That's a promise from Digimon to human."

"Thank you."

Tentomon held Izzy until the pain of losing such a fond memory has faded along with the tears.

Mimi

"I do not want to forget that it happened"

Mimi hummed to herself as she finished stringing the beads on the cord on her desk. Three similar bracelets sat on the right corner of the desk, their beads glinting in the faint sunlight streaming through the window.

"Whatcha doing, Mimi?" Palmon's voice asked from behind her.

"Making bracelets to honor our friends," Mimi declared, sticking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth as she finished the knot to tie the bracelet together. "There. Wizardmon, Pixiemon, Whamon, and Chuumon are done. Leomon is next."

"But Mimi," Palmon asked, peeking her head over the desk. "Why are you making them?"

"Because they sacrificed themselves to help us, all those years ago. I wasn't sure how to honor them until now."

Palmon blinked, still not understanding. "But… many of them were reborn, Mimi."

Her hands stilled for a moment. Her determined face melted into a sad one. "I know, Palmon." She turned to her Digimon partner and gave her a weak smile. "But I don't want to forget what they did for us just because they got a second chance."

"Oh, Mimi," Palmon sighed, wrapping her arms around Mimi's middle. "You have such a big heart."

"It's not much," Mimi admitted, stroking Palmon's flower. "But I want to keep their memory alive somehow. It's the least I can do."

"Then let me help you," Palmon decided, and Mimi smiled and nodded.

By the time they were done, Mimi had an entire rainbow of bracelets dedicated to their fallen comrades.

Joe

"I sincerely want the strength to protect you, too"

Joe woke up once again to a breakfast tray sitting on his nightstand. Gomamon had surely left it for him, as he had been doing for the past week. He'd been pulling constant all-nighters and late study sessions to cram for his exams again. If his Digimon partner hadn't looked so happy to help, he would've felt bad for constantly putting the little guy out.

It was one of those days where he realized just how much he loved his Digimon.

Yawning, Joe ate the breakfast Gomamon had gotten for him, wondering what was the best way to thank him. That was when he heard the crash in the kitchen.

"Gomamon?" he called, racing out of his room to see what the noise was all about.

The seal-like Digimon crawled out from behind the kitchen counter, favoring one flipper-like paw. "I'm alright, Joe. You have studying to do, right?" he asked, trying, and failing, to mask the pain in his voice.

"Let me see," Joe insisted, holding out his hand.

With a sigh, Gomamon handed him his paw, and Joe's face fell when he saw the cut. "Hold on." From the bathroom, he fetched gauze and some medical tape to wrap the wound. "Oh, Gomamon, I'm so sorry. This wouldn't have happened if I wasn't so tired—"

"Joe, stop, this isn't your fault," Gomamon interrupted, staring up at his human partner and meeting Joe's desperate gaze. "I was clumsy. That's not your fault."

"I know, but…" Joe paused in wrapping Gomamon's paw. He whispered, "But I want to be helpful to you, too. Just like you are to me."

"Hey," Gomamon said, and Joe looked down at him again. The Digimon was grinning. "What are partners for, Joe? Is it so wrong for me to take care of you?"

"Only if I never get to return the favor," Joe teased, pulling Gomamon into a hug. "You better not scare me again like that, okay?"

"Sure thing, Joe," Gomamon laughed.

For the rest of the day, Joe carried Gomamon on his back so he wouldn't strain his paw. Gomamon told him it was very "doctorly" of him to do so.

T.K.

"What is important to me is right here"

"T.K.?"

"Hm?" T.K. looked up from his book to Patamon, who was flapping nervously above his head. "What's up, Patamon?"

"Don't you have a date today?" the little Digimon asked, looking very concerned about the shift in what was usually a very hectic social schedule.

A smile spread across T.K.'s face. "I canceled it. I didn't feel like going today."

"Is that okay?"' Patamon landed on the couch beside T.K., placing his front paws on his lap and staring up at him. "Are you sure she won't be mad?"

"I told her I had something more important to do," T.K. said cryptically, looking back down at his book.

"Oh? And what's that?"

Patamon yelped as T.K. suddenly wrapped him up in his arms, pressing his face into the Digimon's back.

"You silly," T.K. laughed good-naturedly. "Spending time with you is more important."

The Digimon blushed a tiny bit. "R-really?"

"Of course. You're my best friend," T.K. said, hugging him tighter. "Now, how about I read to you?"

"Or we can go get ice cream!"

T.K. laughed out loud. "Sure thing, Patamon," he said. "Anything for you."

Later, T.K. would remark that he had much more fun with Patamon than he would have had with anyone else that day.

Kari

"A shadow of the tears you've shed remains"

Gatomon had been silent all day. Kari was used to this from her by now. Some days they would sit in comfortable silence, staring out the window at nothing in particular or watching something nonsensical on the television. It was par for the course at this point in their lives, but that didn't mean that Kari was sometimes concerned about how sad Gatomon would look on these silent days.

To others, the cat Digimon didn't look any different. But Kari could tell from the look in her eyes, from the way she brushed one paw over the other, from the way her tail swished in a particular fashion, that she was sad. And she had a feeling she knew what it was about.

Today had been one of the more silent days. Gatomon had barely acknowledged Kari's presence all day. That's how Kari knew it was one of the bad ones. Normally, she would have left Gatomon alone to not disturb her. 

But there were tears running down her partner's face, and she couldn't let them stay there.

Without warning, Kari scooped Gatomon into her arms and embraced her, cradling her as she would the family cat, waiting until the sniffles and warm tears stopped falling onto her shoulder. "Wizardmon," Gatomon mewled at one point, and Kari felt her own eyes prick with tears. Of course. Neither of them had ever truly gotten over it.

"It's okay," Kari murmured, pressing her face into Gatomon's fur. "I'm here."

Yes, it was certainly one of those days. One of those days where they mourned together for the friend who'd given himself for them. A friend who had been there for Gatomon where Kari hadn't yet been.

Yet, as Kari had assured Gatomon multiple times since that day, in the middle of the night after a shared nightmare, she wasn't going anywhere. And she never would, so long as they were together.

[consultingmadhatter]

Compilation of Doom Days Lyrics that Relate to Good Omens

I started writing this shortly after the series and the album came out, so please forgive that this is really late to the party, any inconsistencies due to working on this over a long period of time, the fact that I haven’t watched the series in over a year so some of this is written when the show isn’t fresh in my mind, and if anything in the fandom or my personal stances have changed since I started writing this.

*Most of this will be about Crowley and Aziraphale. My personal view on the two of them is that they definitely love each other, but whether they are romantically attracted to each other is entirely dependent on whether an angel and a demon (who have been around humans for 6000 years) are capable of feeling them human sensations of romance and if so whether it would be something they would have to consciously choose to feel or whether it would be automatic and involuntary like it is with humans. I can see it either way, so this analysis will probably be a mixture.

*The lyrics for each will be out of order and will instead be in the sequence that I deem easiest for presenting my analyst

*I worked on the songs out of order so there might be places where I only briefly touch upon something and act as if it is just of another example of something I don’t actually end up talking about until a later track. Apologies for any confusion that may cause.

This ended up being way longer than I thought it would so I’m going to start with the Bad Decisions analysis as a sample and put the rest under the cut. The rest are in album order; I didn’t have much for Quarter Past Midnight, so I thought Bad Decisions would be a better example. (Another Place is the most shippy one if that is what you are looking for).

Bad Decisions:

“You said that maybe this is where it ends Take a bow for the bad decisions that we made Bad decisions that we made And if we're going down in flames Take a bow for the bad decisions that we made Bad decisions that we made”

Armageddon has arrived; the world is ending. Aziraphale and Crowley have always made bad decisions both in their acts of stupidity (looking at you Azi, wandering over to France during a revolution just for some crepes dressed as conspicuously as possible) and their decisions to “fraternize” with the enemy and to question and mildly disobey heaven and hell. Arguably, they weren’t the wrong decisions, but as doomsday approaches they will have to reckon with opposing the cosmic forces at work (”take a bow”).

“So we'll make the same mistakes 'Til the morning breaks So we'll make the same mistakes 'Til the morning breaks”

But they are not going to back down. They are going to continue to make the same “mistake” of working together and trying to stop Armageddon until the very end.

“London's burning”-The M25 catches fire; London is literally burning. “If the world is ending, let's stay up all night”- They are spending every moment they can trying to stop Armageddon and when it looks like they will fail they are still being kept “up all night” by their separate crises. (Yes, I know this line is meant to be more along the lines of “let’s make the most of the time we have left by having a good time” but I’m changing it for the Good Omens context)

“Now we find ourselves lying right here Always find ourselves lying right here Can we make the same mistakes (Ooh) 'Til the morning breaks”

“Do you remember what you said to me? 'Cause we lost track of time Yeah, we lost track of time”

These lyrics remind me of how they always find themselves drawn together. Their decision to stop the ending of the world is built on 6000 years of trust and friendship and history together. (I don’t really have a more specific interpretation but I hope it’s clear what I’m saying and I’m sure a more fleshed out explanation could be made). Also, though they went through some rough patches, when it comes right down to it, they would never want to stop making the “same mistakes” of working together and being friends, and they always come back to each other.

“Love me, leave me”- Throughout their relationship there have been a lot of instances of them meeting up and then going their separate ways for years. Over time their love for each other has grown. When Crowley asks for holy water, Aziraphale cares for him to much to give him a suicide pill; they have an argument and end up not speaking to each other for decades. Then Crowley shows up at the church during WWII to get his angel out of a sticky situation, demonstrates his love by saving the books, and then he’s away again. Later, in the Bentley, Aziraphale can’t stand seeing Crowley risking his life, so he delivers the holy water himself. But Aziraphale is not yet in a place where he can give in to his feelings for Crowley and ends up leaving him again. When it looks like they won’t be able to stop Armageddon, Crowley offers for them to run away to runaway together, but still Aziraphale can’t bring himself to say yes and he leaves him again.

“You always let me down so tenderly”- Each time Aziraphale rejects Crowley, it may hurt both of them, but he’s never saying “I don’t love you;” he’s saying “I can’t let myself love you.” Even when he says he doesn’t even like Crowley, they both know it’s a lie. He’s just in a difficult position being torn between his identity as an angel and his feelings for Crowley. Decades earlier he had left it open ended with the “You go to fast for me” and the suggestion of a picnic or dining at the Ritz.

“So live fast and die young and stay forever numb”- For me this one is less about what is in the actual show but rather some of the head cannons going around. These include the ones about Crowley’s presence in the nightlife culture of the 60′s and 70′s and how that coincides with Aziraphale’s “You go to fast for me, Crowley” line. Also theories that Crowley is depressed and self destructive which is why Aziraphale is worried about Crowley using the holy water on himself. In the show you can see he is suffering when he talks about how he hadn’t meant to fall and when he pleads with God about testing humanity to destruction. It could then be argued that in his 6000 years on earth Crowley spent some time trying to distract himself from this pain by acting in the demon/angel equivalent to “living fast, dying young.”

Quarter Past Midnight:

*This is the one that I have the least for. I almost put it at the end because I didn’t think i could connect it enough to Good Omens to leave it among the other songs. Some of the other songs might also have few direct connections, but I feel the essence of the songs in those cases still match better to the series than Quarter Past Midnight does. So please bear with me here.

“Help me piece it all together, darling Before it falls apart oh”

The world itself is about to fall apart. Crowley and Aziraphale are trying to piece together what they know to find the antichrist and in general they work together to try to stop the end of the world.

“And you said we'd leave this place in dust”-Crowley asks Aziraphale to run away with him.

“And fall from heaven straight through hell”

Crowley has already fallen (or sauntered). Aziraphale, throughout, is worried about falling from heaven’s grace.

“We never know what we have We never knew what we had”

I believe Aziraphale struggled to understand what he truly had with his relationship with Crowley. Crowley was the one who recognized their bond in the beginning, and he was the one who actively pursued establishing a friendship. Even later on, in the church during WWII, Aziraphale truly believed their friendship was over; he hadn’t seen Crowley in nearly a hundred years, yet he still showed up to rescue him.

“Why are we always chasing after something Like we trying to throw our lives away”

Some general angsting about the risk of them getting punished for “fraternizing” and Aziraphale being concerned that hell would actually destroy Crowley. “Chasing after something,” perhaps chasing after their relationship.

“We keep on running Running through a red light Like we're trying to burn the night away”

Crowley’s driving. The Bentley being on fire.

The Waves:

“Staring down the barrel of a hundred tons”- They are up against very formidable opponents: all of heaven and hell, the four horsemen, and finally Satan himself.

“It might be getting older, but the night's still young”- As Armageddon approaches they are rapidly running out of time, but dooms day is still young and the whole crew pull off a lot in a very little time.

“We never, never give up on the lost boy life”- Crowley and Aziraphale never grow out of the theoretical naivety of working and being friends with someone from the other side

“So here we are, escaping from the world outside”- Crowley suggests literally escaping and running away together. They have also tended to avoid and escape the political dynamics of heaven and hell and their opposition to each other. In the end they even escape their punishments.

“Oh, what would your mother say if she could see what we're doing now? Oh, what would your mother say if she could hear what we talk about?”

In a way God is their mother wondering what she would say about Crowley and Aziraphale’s plans and actions aligns with the question of whether they were going against God’s will or whether their actions were actually part of her bigger plans.

“The waves are crashing down on you and me again, again, again The waves are crashing down on you and me I'll see you on the other side Get carried, get carried away, oh-oh-oh-oh Caught up in, caught up in the wave”

Both heaven and hell and all the events of Armageddon are crashing down on them. The get caught up in this struggle between the sides and it threatens to sweep them away. There are moments like when Crowley and Aziraphale promise to meet up in Tadfield after Crowley finds out that Aziraphale is still alive and when they are captured for their punishments that they just have to hope that they will see each other on the other side.

“So tie a ribbon 'round my arm and throw me in”

During the entire mess they are each other’s life line. Even when they get separated, they are able to find each other again and make it through the chaos.

“We sink or swim”

They are in it together and either they will succeed, stopping the apocalypse and surviving the wrath of heaven and hell, or they will fail and it is all over for them.

“Is it an apocalypse or nihilism on your lips?”

I’ve been trying to come up with something really profound and clever to say about this but I haven’t been able to come up with something. Obviously the apocalypse is in there. Crowley and eventually Aziraphale do certainly reject the institutions of heaven and hell and point out that many of the morals heaven imposes are arbitrary, but they definitely don’t go as far as saying that all morals are arbitrary/baseless or that life is meaningless or that knowledge is impossible. If I had to place this line to a specific moment in the series, I would probably associate with the scene in the first episode where Crowley is convincing Aziraphale that they should try to stop Armageddon since there is some element of accepting the apocalypse or deciding that the supposed agenda of the higher power is meaningless.

“Suddenly we're fallin' through the twilight zone”- A lot of weird stuff happens when Adam comes into his powers

“Watch the party playing out in slow motion” - they stop time during that final confrontation with Satan to give Adam a pep-talk

Divide:

“Roll the window down, let the air blow 'round you A sadness in the breeze as the night divides us”

They had several scenes in the Bentley together, but that second line brings it back to that night in 1967, saturated in sad tones, as Aziraphale leaves him again.

“In these darker days, I push the limit to the love you offer There's a riot in my head, demanding we do this forever”

Darker days can be both the the final days as Armageddon approaches and that period when their relationship was strained and Aziraphale was pushing Crowley out of his life. In both cases Aziraphale was pushing the limits of Crowley’s love. During Armageddon he rejected Crowley’s multiple offers to run away together and during that stretch 1862-1967 his responses ranged from what was essentially a “wait for me” to that heated declaration of not needing him. With the next line, Aziraphale is torn between Crowley and heaven, and he wishes that he didn’t have to chose, that they could continue toeing the line with their friendship without getting in trouble. However, he knows that Crowley wants more, and eventually Aziraphale will have to give something up.

“So roll the window down, won't let you go like this Go like this, go like this Roll the window down, won't let you go like this Go like this, go like this”

Crowley won’t give up on Aziraphale. Even after declaring he will run off with out him, he still comes back to find Aziraphale, even running into a burning bookshop for him.

“Why would we divide when we could come together? Just bodies that collide, lost and found each other So don't, don't leave me alone Don't leave me alone, don't leave me alone Why would we divide when we could come together?”

In the beginning, their arrangement was defined as “Why fight each other when we could work together and still reach the same effect.” Over time their relationship evolved. Aziraphale still believes there is an inherent divide between them, saying they are on opposite sides. However, Crowley argues they are really on their own side and that they should not just work together, but runoff together. “Just bodies that collide,” again, they are like celestial bodies that have crossed paths and now they are pulled together. “Lost and found each other,” when Aziraphale gets discorporated in the book shop, Crowley truly believes he has lost his best friend, and even Aziraphale has a moment of panic that he won’t be able to return to earth. They are reunited again at the bar and in-person at the airbase. Crowley never wants to lose Aziraphale. When it looks like they won’t be able to save the world, Crowley begs Aziraphale to head to the stars with him. When he thought he lost Aziraphale, he was devastated and was having a break down. Earlier, he ran into a church to save Aziraphale from some Nazis. Crowley is desperate for Aziraphale not to leave him.

“Looking back around, glamorize the chaos Don't let summer nights destroy everything before us”

Everything is in complete chaos during those days leading up to Armageddon. Each night that passed was leading closer to the end. Everything would have been destroyed on that fateful summer day. Perhaps when it was all over, Crowley and Aziraphale reminisced about what happened because, even though it was a disaster, it led to them becoming free.

Million Pieces:

“No one is loving, it's not a drill Don't look outside, the world is ending (Faster, faster, faster, faster, fast)”

It is not a drill, Armageddon is starting. The time they have to stop it is running out. It goes from 11 years to less than a week to mere hours. And well heaven and hell never liked each other, the period where they would tolerate/look other way as two of their agents “love thy enemy” is over. It is time to cut ties with the other side.

“The king's a clown”- the leadership in Heaven and Hell are definitely clowns

“We're too far gone Nothing I say will mean anything”

That point where both Crowley and Aziraphale believe it is too late to stop it. Aziraphale realizes nothing that he can say to his side will make them change their mind. Throughout the series Aziraphale struggles with going against heaven’s wishes, but Crowley points out that if world does end that they will be stuck in their respective awful eternities as well as that they are on “our side” so in a way it doesn’t matter if they say (or do) things that go against their sides’ orders.

“Just drink, fuck, dance right through disaster” -While they don’t really “drink, fuck, dance” through disaster, Crowley does offer for them to run away together while everything else turns into a “burning puddle of goo,” which has a similar feeling of escapism.

“The echoes of that news ring loud (The echoes, the echoes) No sound can ever drown it out (The echoes)”

For Aziraphale that news was probably when God’s representative told him that they were going to go ahead with war instead of avoiding it. You can see on his face that that is the point that he lost all hope in his side doing the right thing and finally decides to abandon them completely. For Crowley it would be when the book shop burns down and he thinks he lost Aziraphale for good.

“Don't speak, 'cause it's like a bitter pill”

This goes along with the two moments I was talking about above, but it also fits with every time that Aziraphale rejected Crowley in some way. Probably also when Crowley asked for the holy water and Aziraphale thought that Crowley was thinking about killing himself.

“It breaks my heart It breaks my heart into a million pieces, oh It breaks my heart into a million pieces If it's gonna break me, won't you let me go? Leave it 'til the morning, I don't wanna know Breaks my heart Breaks my heart into a million pieces”

Again, the moments I was talking about directly above. In general, when the characters are at their bleakest, no-hope, desperate moments.  

Doom Days:

“When I watch the world burn All I think about is you When I watch the world burn All I think about is you”

As the world is ending, all Crowley and Aziraphale are thinking about is each other. After finding out that Aziraphale is still alive, Crowley is determined enough to hold his Bentley together as he drives through the inferno of the M-25.

“Cruising through the doom days”

This, in general, conjures images of anytime Crowley is driving way too fast as he tries to find a way to stop the end of the world, but the scene on the M-25 is particularly fitting.

“God knows what is real and what is fake”

Adam has been altering reality, doing and creating things that defy the logic of the real world. When it is all over and he puts everything back to the way it was, people still remember what happened and are left in a confusion of whether any of it was real.

“Last couple years have been a mad trip”

During the eleven year lead up to Armageddon, everything is a little crazy. Heaven and hell are now focused on making sure it all goes to plan and Crowley and Aziraphale are trying their hardest to stop it. After years of trying to influence Warlock, they learn that they have the wrong boy and all that effort was for nothing. From that point on everything descends into even greater chaos.

“We fucked this house up like the planet We were running riot Crazy that some people still deny it”

Climate change and humanity’s effects on the earth are touched upon in the series. It is mentioned more in the books as Adam takes action to address issues such as deforestation and the dying whales, but it shows up in the TV show too. The aliens even try to give earth a ticket for it.

“Let's pick the truth that we believe in Like a bad religion Tell me all your original sins So many questionable choices We love the sound that our voice makes Man, this echo chamber's getting loud”

This of course brings in the religious elements. Focusing on that context, these lines can relate to the questionable and morally ambiguous areas of the religious structure depicted in the show. Heaven has chosen to believe in “the truth” that violence and killing people are justified if it is part of the path to righteousness. Crowley questions Aziraphale about such choices during the flood scene, horrified that even the children would die. Many of the head angels and demons are so certain of themselves and the correctness of their actions that they seem smug about it. They appear to derive pleasure from hearing themselves speak, especially when it is to chastise others. Heaven and Hell echo each other on the matter of the war, and, no matter who Aziraphale or Crowley speak to, they say the same thing: the war is too be fought, not avoided.

From a Crowley and Aziraphale perspective, they choose for themselves what is right and what is wrong. They (mostly Crowley) question whether the “sins” others have committed are truly wrong and bad enough to warrant the punishments they received. This includes the original sin with the apple and Crowley himself falling just because he asked some questions and hung out with the wrong people. Each inhabits a grey area in their roles as a demon and an angel due to their questionable choices to bend the rules and will of their prospective sides.

In a more general interpretation, these lyrics describe the chaotic state humanity has reached, especially in the years leading up to the apocalypse. This divisive type of mindset can be used by the four horsemen to help spread the plights they represent.

“We'll be the proud remainers Here 'til the morning breaks us”

Crowley, Aziraphale, Anathema, Newton, and the Them (as well as Madame Tracy and Sergeant Shadwell to some extent) are the “proud remainers,” the ones who fight the apocalypse.

“We're gonna rabbit hole down, third act love now”

It is not until the third act, after the climax and resolution of Armageddon, that Crowley and Aziraphale can finally be together since they are finally on their own side. Their love story resolves itself on the bench as they wait for the bus and at the Ritz.

“We'll stay offline so no one gets hurt Hiding from the real world Just don't read the comments ever, ever”

“Think I'm addicted to my phone My scrolling horror show I'm live-streaming the final days of Rome One tab along, it's pornographic Everybody's at it No surprise we're so easily bored”

Technology isn’t mentioned that much in the show, and even less in the original book since it was released almost 30 years earlier. However, I do like all the fan theories and head canons about heaven and hell’s influence in the development of technology, especially Crowley’s role. Perhaps he had a hand in establishing humanity’s current cyber addiction. Maybe he orchestrated the entire thing, maybe he just helped out with a few aspects (developing certain apps, creating specific smart phone/social media features, etc), maybe he had nothing to do with it and just took credit for it, maybe he doesn’t really care about it at all. Either way, technology and social media are a major component of the current state of humanity.

Nocturnal Creatures:

“You put your arms around me Partners in crime in the dead of night”

Partners in crime definitely describes Crowley and Aziraphale, and, by the time the series ends, a gesture of intimacy such as putting their arms around each other doesn’t seem out of the question.

“We've only got ourselves to blame Again and again and again Again and again and again”

Crowley and Aziraphale are the ones to get themselves in trouble whether it is accidentally (Aziraphale in 1941, losing the antichrist) or a conscious choice (working together, trying to advert the war). They are both disobedient and incompetent.

“Let every night play out the same 'Cause I wouldn't, I wouldn't change a thing”

Another set of lyrics that describes how content they are when they are with each other and that they are happy just being together. Besides finally reaching a place where they don’t have to hide anymore, they wouldn’t change a thing.

“We're nocturnal creatures, we own the night And we don't need a reason if we want to lose our minds We're nocturnal creatures, drawn to the flame And the morning doesn't reach us Well, not until we want it to, want it to”

In the end, when Aziraphale and Crowley are a united force, they are unstoppable. This part of the song embodies the new confidence they have, especially after dealing with heaven and hell’s attempts at punishing them. They are reveling in their new found freedom which leads to the clip at the end of the song:

“We received the freedom but we were completely unaware what to do with this freedom It felt like the hungry people received the foods and we just ate everything” 

Unlike in this clip, they know what to do with their freedom. They are going to dine at the Ritz and start their new life together. They have been starved of being allowed to show each other their full level of affection for 6000 year, so if they get carried away and  “eat  everything” (*wink, wink*), who can blame them.

“No moon, no stars above us The orange sky says the night's alive This time with you's elastic We stretch these hours as far as we can make them go”

Holding on to their time together, whether it’s desperately clinging to the moments they share in secrecy during the first 6000 years, or enjoying those first days together when they don’t have to hide and that promise a beginning to hopeful future.

“It's our weekend religion A different chord but the same refrain”

Crowley has always had his own definitions of right and wrong. He asked questions and disapproved of punishing people indiscriminately, especially the children. Even in his role as a demon, he spreads evil differently, favoring free will and creating circumstances where the humans to do the bad things of their volition. Because of his relationship with Crowley, Aziraphale started questioning Heaven too. 

4AM:

“Tuesday'll be doom day, this got out of hand”

Technically doomsday occurs on Saturday in Good Omens, but this lyric has the same level of immediacy for the end of the world approaching. Things did get out of hand for Crowley and Aziraphale. They thought they might be able to advert the apocalypse if they raised the child to be normal, but, when the hell hound failed to show up, they realized they were in trouble, and things continued to spin out of control from there.

“Here, here, my family (Might be a walking disaster) You are my familiar, you are my familiar (Not much, but all I would ask for) Here, here, my friends and me (Might be a walking disaster) You are my familiar (Not much, but all I would ask for)”

Crowley and Aziraphale are friends, family, each other’s familiar, two halves of the same soul, and more. Being with each other is all they would ask for in the world. That’s why “or I’ll never speak to you again” is the greatest threat for them both. They are also both walking disasters (They spent eleven years trying to stop Armageddon and in the end they only played a minor part in what actually went down).

“Oh, there is nowhere I would rather be Never felt more comfortable, could never want for more when I'm here No, there is nowhere I would rather be, oh-oh Never felt more comfortable, could never want for more when you're near”

Again, they are happiest when they are with each other. They got their ideal ending when heaven and hell left them alone and allowed them to spend the rest of their lives together without having to hide it.

“I don't care if we're talking 'bout the same things I don't care if we're stuck in the familiar I don't care if we're going 'round in circles Again, again, again”

I feel like this describes how comfortable they are with each other that they would be content just talking about whatever and doing the same old things as long as they are with each other.

Another Place:

  *I started this one in another post, but I’m going to do the full explanation here. I’m probably just going to steal some bits directly from that post. (Also for this one to fit I’m using the full romantic interpretation of their relationship).

This song is the epitome of all those feelings Aziraphale has in his internal struggle with and conflicting feelings over loving Crowley and knowing his place as an angel. It also captures the longing they both feel.

“I am bound to you with a tie that we cannot break With a night that we can't replace I'm lost but found with you, in a bed that we'll never make It's a feeling we always chase”

Crowley and Aziraphale have had a connection for 6000 years. They are bound to each other and even if they tried to they could never truly escape that. Both Crowley and Aziraphale are lost: Crowley never meant to fall, all he did was ask questions and now Aziraphale is starting to question heaven too. When they are together, they don’t feel so lost. They have found themselves in each other, yet Crowley is the one who encouraged Aziraphale to become lost in the first place. And they can never truly be together because heaven and hell would never approve. Instead they have small moments of intimacy, chasing those feelings.

“Oh, in another place In another time, what could we have been?”

If they weren’t an angel and a demon, if they weren’t risking everything if they got caught, what could they have been.

“You go too fast for me, Crowley.” Maybe one day they could have a picnic or dine at the Ritz. Maybe one day they could be together if Aziraphale can come to terms with defying heaven and having his existence no longer being strictly defined by his role as an angel. But this is not that time.

“So lie to me tonight and pretend 'til the morning light And imagine that you are mine 'Cause when the sun will rise with the truth coming out your eyes We'll be good in another life”

When the apocalypse is averted and they no longer have a side, that’s when they can indulge those feelings. They are not in the clear yet; the wrath of heaven and hell will still be coming down upon them, but they don’t have to worry about that until the morning. Just for that one night they can pretend that everything is alright and spend the night at Crowley’s place and be together. If they survive tomorrow, they will finally be truly free. That “other life” will finally have arrived. They can dine at the Ritz and will no longer have to hide their love for each other.

“I could write a book about the things that you said to me on the pillow And the way you think, and how you make me feel You can fill my mind and move my body with the fiction, fantasies Just call this what it is, we don't pretend it's real”

The singing and the beat in this part of the song... I can’t quite describe it but it feels so intimate. It sounds like someone who is absolutely intoxicated by their feelings for the other person and being driven crazy by their need to be with them. Aziraphale and Crowley have come to know each other so well, and their connection to each other is stronger than that of any humans; they are bound to each other’s very existence. Therefore, I believe there must have been moments where they were completely overwhelmed by their love for the other, where it feels like all their thoughts and actions are being overtaken by their longing and desire to be with them. The orbit each other and gravitationally pulled together.

“Feels like something's special but it never felt like love Wonder what we could be living in another life Catch us in the mirror and it looks a lot like love Then you stop me talking as you kiss me from above”

Because Aziraphale has so much trouble coming to terms with the fact that he loves Crowley, I doubt he let himself consider for even one second that those feelings might go beyond on just loving Crowley in a fraternal way, but in a romantic way. Crowley too might have stopped short of thinking about showing his affection for Aziraphale in the traditional human ways of kissing and so on. But to many of the viewers, and maybe even the characters in the show, it does look like a romance, especially in that last scene at the Ritz when they are no longer holding back. Cue all the fanart and drabbles/fanfics of them kissing, dating, etc.

Those Nights:

“Those nights when your friends are gone When you're holding on for someone to leave with Those nights when you crave someone To be there at dawn, to wake with, 'cause aren't we all just Looking for a little bit of hope these days? Looking for somebody you can wake up with? Looking for a little bit of hope these days? We are, we are”

As the end of the world approaches, Crowley and Aziraphale both feel lost. They each have permanently cut ties to their respective side, so now all they have is each other. After the book shop burns, there is a stretch where they both believe they don’t even have each other. But they have always had each other. They found that person who would be there with them early on. It just took them awhile to realize/admit it.

When things are at their darkest, each is looking for some hope. Aziraphale goes to his higher ups, hoping they would be willing to advert the war, and, when that doesn’t work, he tries to contact God Herself; however, he receives the same answer there. Crowley too makes a plea to God to not test humanity to its destruction, but he knows that it is pointless. Crowley does, however, hope that Aziraphale will leave the planet with him, and he continues to hold out for that even after Azirphale rejects his offer.

“You'll never get to heaven on a night like this”

“You try to get to heaven on a night like this But you, you never get to heaven on a night like this”

“We'll never get to heaven”

Neither one will ever be forgiven by heaven or hell. They can never go back to what they were. However, by the end, both seem to have already happily accepted that.

“I can feel your eyes in the back of my head Burning, burning, burning Floating through the room as the hairs on my arms are Rising, rising, rising I'm chemically drawn closer to you Eyes wide, eyes wide open Will you be my future or just an escape? Love me, love me, love me”

“Pulling at my t-shirt, your hands everywhere Rising, rising, rising As you trip and fall, dragging me up the stairs What's your, what's your name, now?”

I’ll just leave these lyrics here for you all to picture since this crosses more into the world of fan fiction again.

Joy:

*This is the other one that I don’t have much for. The song describes a kind of specific moment that doesn’t really fit with the series, but the general idea of that one person who can always bring you joy does describe Crowley and Aziraphale. So again, bear with me. (Maybe this one is more of an epilogue of their life after the series ends).

“I'm your walking disaster, keep on dragging me From self-pity, poor me”

They are both walking disasters, but they are each other’s walking disaster. I’m not sure how much self-pity there is but maybe they help the other one pull themself together (or at least pull themselves from individual walking disasters into a collective walking disaster).

“Thought I'd never be waking on the kitchen floor But here I lie, not the first time Now my morning has broken, and it brings the fear My mind's falling, falling” “Take a walk through the wreckage, clearing out my head”

I feel like this would describe the morning after the world was saved. They survived the worst of it but they still are going to have to face the consequences of opposing heaven and hell.

“Then I feel my pulse quickening But regrets can't change anything”

“Then I feel my pulse quickening But I wouldn't change a thing”

Abandoning Heaven was a hard decision for Aziraphale and it probably took a little time to fully come to terms with (for example he was still thinking about what his side would think about him staying at Crowley’s place after everything was over). Of course he’s glad he made that choice, but maybe he regrets not fully joining Crowley sooner or those times in the past that he chose heaven over Crowley. But then again, everything turned out for the best and they still have their whole future together so he wouldn’t change anything even if he could.

“Oh Joy, when you call me I was giving up, oh, I was giving in Joy, set my mind free I was giving up, oh, I was giving in” “How'd you always know when I'm down?”

I feel like this is their reunion when Crowley realizes Aziraphale isn’t gone. But this could just also be their general dynamic for the rest of their lives together where they are each other’s rock and always know when the other is feeling down and how to cheer to cheer them up.

“I hear your eyes roll right down the phone” - You just know this happens often

“As the night dissolves into this final frame You're a sweet relief, you saved me from my brain”

As the series ends on that final moment of them dining at the Ritz, finally together and happy. They saved each other from a lot of inner turmoil and now they will always have each other.

*If you read all this or even just skimmed it, thank you so much! It means a lot. I did not expect this to take over a year to complete, yet here I am. I know neither the show nor the album is topical any more so some of that initial buzz/excitement/interest has died away. So it means even more to me if you still took the time to read this now!

[peteerrpaarkerr]

Day and Night (Peter Parker Soulmate AU) pt. 1

Summary: When Tony Stark first saw his newborn daughter’s soulmate marking, he was thrilled to know that she would get to experience a love like his and Pepper’s. However, 17 years later when Tony sees an identical tattoo on his daughter’s best friend/superhero protégé, Peter Parker, he vows to keep y/n safe by not allowing them to realize that their futures are intertwined.

Pairings: Peter Parker x y/n

Warnings: None at the moment, I will update each chapter accordingly

Author’s note: Hey guys! This is my first time writing a Peter Parker fic and I’m hoping it’ll turn out well! Please let me know if you want me to continue it or if you have any comments! Thanks!

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The day that Y/n Stark was born was the happiest day of Tony’s life. The second he laid eyes on Pepper cradling their newborn child, his heart burst from pride and love for his daughter.

He could not believe that he had helped create something so perfect… so innocent. He was full of admiration the second he knew Pepper was pregnant, but had no idea how important you would be in his life until he saw you for the first time.

From the way he was holding you, he got a glimpse of his soulmate marking that both Pepper and he had on their wrists: a compass. It signified that no matter how lost they were, they would always come back to each other. While it seemed like Tony was the only one that was lost, it perfectly summarized their relationship. It was one of the most beautiful things the universe had given Tony, besides now yourself.

He carefully lifted up your delicate wrist and saw no marking. He checked the other one and then your ankles looking for the tattoo. When he didn’t find one, his heart stopped beating for a second, assuming a terrible scenario where you might not have one. Before he could panic, Pepper tiredly told Tony, “There’s a small marking on her shoulder blade.”

Tony handed you over to Pepper and examined your back, noting the small, full moon that was printed on your skin. It was rather small, being no larger than a coin, but Tony was filled with joy. From seeing that moon, he knew there was someone for his daughter, someone who would take care of and love her forever. Someone who could protect her from the world’s darkest tragedies when she was older and who could be her closest companion.

“It’s perfect. She’s perfect.” Tony remarked, kissing Pepper’s and then your own forehead as the three of you shared your first moments alive.

——— 17 years later ———

“Y/n!”

You woke up to a frantic knock on your bedroom door. Lazily pushing back the covers, you opened your eyes and squinted at the golden light coming from your window. You sat there for a second, taking in the beauty of the skyline from the window in Avenger’s tower while the knocking became more persistent.

“Get upppp!” A voice dragged out while they begin wiggling the locked doorknob. “I know you’re in there!”

You smiled at the familiar voice and made your way out of bed towards the door. “Just meet me downstairs!” You yelled back, immediately turning around to get dressed for the day.

A loud groan could be heard from behind the door, but the person answered, “If you don’t hurry, I’m eating your crepes! And Thor made them, so they will probably be gone by the time you get there!” The person sprinted away from the door and you could hear their footsteps dwindle as they ran down the hallway.

You knew they were serious when they threatened to eat your crepes, so you quickly got ready for the day.

Approximately 4 minutes later, you ran in the kitchen and straight towards the counter, reaching for the last crepe, only for it to be pulled right out of your hand.

“Hey!” You exclaimed, “Not fair! It’s my-“

“Nope! I just had a training session, so it’s mine!” Natasha smirked, bringing the crepe towards her mouth before it was torn out of her hands by Clint.

“I’m named my son after you, so it’s my crepe. Nathaniel would agree.” Clint winked while walking away with the crepe, only to duck when the Mjolnir came flying at him, dropping the crepe into Thor’s waiting hands.

“I’m a god, it’s mine.” Thor remarked, still adorned in the chef’s hat and your old, child-sized, pink apron that read, “Mommy’s Favorite Helper”. Natasha and Clint started bickering with Thor over the crepe when Steve walked in, shook his head, and walked to the fridge to grab a glass of milk.

Suddenly, a metal contraption propelled through the kitchen, snatching the crepe and falling back into the hands of Tony Stark. He cheekily grinned as he stuffed the entire crepe into his mouth before anyone could have a say. “It’s mine because it’s my daughter’s birthday,” he uttered with his mouth full.

You frowned and added, “Hey, wait a minute… shouldn’t that be my reasoning to have the crepe?”

“Not a chance, Sunny Girl.” Your father winked, swallowing the rest of the crepe.

You rolled your eyes, but gave him a slight smile at the mention of your hidden soulmate tattoo. He thought it would be a funny inside joke to call you the opposite of what was on your shoulder blade since you were quite the opposite of him in your personality. There were a few similarities between Tony and you, like your love for science and your determination to help others, but you lacked in having his cocky and spontaneous tendencies. He considered you to be the perfect child and he would do anything to protect you from harm.

However, he apparently did not mind stealing the last crepe, leaving you without your favorite breakfast on your birthday.

“Hold up, y/n,” announced Peter, your best friend and the owner of the voice who had woken you up prior. “I saved you a stack of crepes!” You beamed when he presented you with a plate of crepes, strawberries and Nutella already in between the layers, just the way you liked it.

“Underoos, you spoiled the surprise! I was trying to make her think I was going to starve her on her birthday!” Tony stated sarcastically, nudging Peter a little when he walked past him towards the table.

“Aw, Pete,” you grinned at him, taking the plate and noting the Nutella on his chin, “I thought you said you weren’t going to save me any.”

“Of course I was! It’s your birthday… actually, I gotta admit, I ate one…” he trailed off, teasing you playfully as he handed you a fork.

You lightly laughed, reaching forward to wipe the Nutella off of his face. “I can see that, Parker.” You turned around to see your father and the other Avengers jokingly argue over who should have received the last crepe, not paying attention to you anymore. Wanting to eat your breakfast in a quieter environment, you tapped Peter’s shoulder and nodded your head towards the door, silently suggesting to leave the room. He nodded in response and you both headed off to your favorite place in the tower: your personal science lab.

When Tony learned that you enjoyed science as much as he did, he spared no expense into turning an entire floor into a space where you could explore experiments. As you grew older, it turned into more of an armor station for the Avenger’s, something you thoroughly enjoyed working with. You had an eye for knowing how to fix or enhance your dad’s creations, and you even began to build your own. You were fortunate enough to create some protective, yet fully-functioning armor for Stephen Strange and Bucky Barnes, which served well during daily missions. You hadn’t told anyone yet, but you were hoping to surprise Peter with a new suit and work with your dad to create a new line of health analysis systems for all of the team.

Peter waltzed into the room right behind you and sat in his usual rolling chair, pushing away on his feet towards the window. You sat on one of the desks, criss-crossing your legs, and began to eat your crepes.

“So,” Peter said, turning himself around to face you, “how does it feel to finally be 17?” You rolled your eyes at his question, knowing you were almost an entire year younger than him.

“I guess it’s alright, I don’t feel any older.” You shrugged, continuing to eat your crepes. “I’m excited because you finally can’t make fun of me anymore since we’re the same age,” you teased, sticking your tongue out at him.

“Yeah,” Peter scoffed, “for nine days. I’ll be 18 next Friday.” He chuckled as you threw a strawberry at him, hoping it would hit him in the face. To your dismay, his spidey senses quickly reacted and he caught it in his mouth.

You rolled your eyes again, something you found yourself doing more often than not around Peter since his antics were expected.

You and Peter had been best friends since your freshman year at Midtown School of Science and Technology. You may have been younger than Peter and your classmates, but your intelligence and maturity kept you in the top percentage of your class throughout all four years of high school. You and Peter were the proud co-salutatorians of Midtown, only 0.0002 in GPA-scale behind MJ, the valedictorian, and a good 0.008 ahead of Flash, who was still salty about “a couple of nobodies” beating him. What Flash didn’t know is that Peter and you managed to spend 85% of your time working on Avenger’s-related activities and rarely focused on your studies, which should have given him ample opportunity to beat you guys. That was one of the main things you and Peter laughed about throughout the past few weeks following graduation.

Peter knew you all the way from your favorite color to your dream job to your dreams in life. He knew you loved rainy days and chilly autumn seasons, and he knew your exact orders at all of the restaurants you would go to with him. As you grew closer, you confided in him with your greatest fears, being rejected and feeling alone. But he also knew that you were stronger than anyone he had ever known.

Despite you not fighting alongside the Avengers, he knew you put all of your energy into planning out the team’s strategies and suits. You worked harder than anyone on the team and he was beyond proud of you for it.

“Hey, y/n, did you turn in your class requests?” Peter asked, referring to your university schedule that would begin to consume your life in the next month.

“Yep, I submitted it last night before I started working on Nat’s tech boots.”

The two of you decided to attend Empire State University, both having full rides and not wanting to leave each other during college. Despite neither of you knowing your soulmates yet, you both knew that you wanted to be apart of each other’s lives for as long as you both lived. You were both so content with your friendship and living out your lives that you hadn’t discussed soulmates more than once the whole time you had been friends. You recalled that conversation when you were discussing where you both wanted to attend college.

Peter realized that he needed to stay in New York so that he could continue being Spider-Man while balancing his studies. He felt that he owed it to Tony after having been taken in by him as a team member and, after seeing the bond between you and Peter, a friend.

“Y/n, where do you think you’ll go to college?” Peter asked nervously, twiddling his thumbs in anticipation to your response. As much as it would pain him to watch you leave, he knew that going to another college might be the place where you find your career passion or even your soulmate. It could be detrimental to your future.

You looked up from your laptop, with open tabs for Carnegie Mellon and MIT, and shrugged. “I’m not sure yet, I guess I’ll decide when the financial offers come in.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Pffft, like you’re going to need them. You’ve got all the money in the world to pay for college.”

You giggled, shutting your laptop and giving your full attention to Peter. “Yes, I do, but you have to keep in mind that he will cover yours too.”

Peter turned bright red at the thought of Tony paying for his education; he wasn’t his son and Peter would feel awful taking advantage of Mr. Stark’s financial gain like that. “I-I could never, it would be wrong to use someone else’s money for my personal benefit.”

You smirked and opened back up your laptop. “See, that’s why I’m also trying to get offers. I don’t want to be someone else’s financial responsibility and I want to earn the degree myself.” You looked down to stare at the screen, scrolling through programs and tuition plans. “My dad has worked extremely hard for me my entire life and I feel that if I do this on my own that I’m, in a way, repaying him. I just want to make him proud.”

You were unaware of how Peter gazed at you in admiration. He was thinking how crazy it was that someone in such a great socioeconomic position could think in such a humble way. He loved that and so many other qualities about you, which is why he was thankful he was your best friend.

Deep inside of him, he knew that he felt a little more for you than being friends. However, he would never admit it due to the possibility of losing you as a friend and the fact that you both lived in a world full of soulmates.

Neither of you had seen the other’s soulmate tattoos nor asked about them because it secretly hurt you both to think that you could possibly lead separate lives someday. However, you both subconsciously decided to enjoy the time you had with each other, after all, you had the rest of your lives to be with your soulmate. There was only so much time available to pursue your friendship.

“Speaking of which, we need to go to fill out that paperwork,” Peter mentioned, beginning to toy with one of the potential models for more advanced web shooters on your desk.

“You mean the one for skipping some of our GE’s? We can’t fill that out until the week before classes begin.” You responded, taking the last bite of your crepes. Peter let out an “oh, right” before footsteps could be heard echoing in the corridor right outside the lab.

Tony walked in and pointed at Peter, motioning for him to leave the room with him. “Before you do whatever teens do on their birthdays, we need to finalize your suit adjustment.”

Peter jumped up at the word “suit”, still not being able to believe that Tony designed his armor, and followed him out of the room. “I’ll be right back!” Peter called out, leaving you in the lab.

—————

Peter stood on a metal platform, his arms raised in the air as he was being scanned for the body of the suit.

“I was thinking that you, y/n, and I should go get lunch in a couple of hours,” Tony mentioned, fiddling with a design on his tech surface. “Also, shirt off, Underoos. The scanner isn’t working. But yeah, doesn’t she like Thai food?”

Peter pulled off his shirt and allowed the robot to scan his figure for the suit’s size. “Yeah, she loves Thai food. How about Thai Pepper on 56th?”

“Yep, that’ll do,” Tony answered back, reviewing the data that was transmitted onto the computer. Peter began talking about y/n’s favorite dessert place that they should go to following lunch while Tony analyzed the image. However, Tony stopped paying attention to Peter when something small and unusual on Peter’s back caught his eye.

Being curious (and somewhat nosey), Tony zoomed in on Peter’s back and squinted at his shoulder blade. “What the…” Tony whispered.

He spotted a small, shaded sphere printed on Peter’s skin, which appeared to be very similar to one he had seen before.

Peter, still rambling about y/n’s favorite foods and unaware of Tony’s discovery, was surprised when Tony yanked his shoulders and turned him around. “Uh, Mr. Stark?”

The air trapped itself in Tony’s lungs, leaving him unable to form a sentence. He was astounded that he hadn’t noticed the marking earlier.

“Is something wrong?” Peter questioned.

Tony remained silent. He couldn’t believe that Peter had a detailed soulmate tattoo of a full moon. The exact same one that his daughter had been born with 17 years ago.

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Part Two: https://peteerrpaarkerr.tumblr.com/post/186089973589/day-and-night-peter-parker-soulmate-au-pt-2