#damn this length

[kafkaoftherubble]

芥见下下你这熊孩子，这星期葫芦里卖的到底是什么药？！ 

Note: MANGA SPOILER for JUJUTSU KAISEN. The length of this ramble should also spot a warning. 

--- 

---

Two things happened this week within the same damn hour on that very storied Wednesday.  

One, my Tumblr account got terminated for no fucking reason. It just happened. Shits that had been on it--saved for those archived by reblogs--were gone. One could almost say my blog got an off-screen death.  

Two, Gojo Satoru got terminated, not for no-fucking-reason, but done in such a contrived way it was bordering on a colonoscopy procedure. All the build-ups from previous chapters seem to be for nothing. One could definitely say it's an off-screen death.  

Now that I'm making a new account (because I really need an outlet for my garrulous ass; I think the people in my physical vicinity are getting sick of me), the first entry in this new garden is gonna be about my opinion on Chapter 236, based on the unofficial fan-translated chapter.  

Look, I get it. Satoru needs to be taken out one way or another so that the rest of the cast, especially Yuji, "has something to do." I completely support having Satoru out of the game for the good of the story and its characters, and yes, death is one of the ways to take him out... and many other ways, you know? Fatigue. Grievous injuries. Complete Curse Energy exhaustion. Side-effects of his risky plays. Gets suckerpunched by Yorozu's gift. Suckerpunched by Sukuna's hidden technique(s). Kenjaku's intervention. Completion of the merger ("Ahaha! That battle was me using Sukuna to stall your time, after all, Gojo Satoru!" said Kenjaku calmly). The ways to do it are just so, so plenty.  

And even if death is the one you want, there are many ways to execute it. Begin Round 3 of the battle and have Sukuna deliver pressure to Satoru again. Show Sukuna gradually testing out his new epiphany once or twice while masking it with his "real techniques" (there isn't any real indication that Cleave and Dismantle are not his "real" techniques; his possessing other techniques aside from those two is a very reasonable bet though). At the same time, Satoru realizes this is some new and very dangerous shit he might not have any counter for. Have Satoru scrambling for a new plan to counter Sukuna's "real techniques" or even Yorozu's gift. Then, at that moment, POW! Sucker-punch Satoru with a successful execution of Nuh-Uh Take This Space-Slicing Cut, Bitch! technique. 

You can even slice him on his waist again! "I didn't know I would be successful this time, or I would have aimed for the head!" said Sukuna calmly.  

That was just me cooking... And I can't cook shit. I suck at it. But if there's any meager understanding I have regarding story-writing, it's this: you do not show a guy as "the strongest," with quick reflexes and thinking, incredible battle intelligence and creativity, and a purpose larger than himself--just to unceremoniously kill him off-screen and regal us with an "afterlife" dream that is also riddled with unsatisfaction (more on that later), and then tell us "yep no Sukuna is better all along."

You don't create a character shown with a plethora of jujutsu tour de force, who has an important connection to many of its characters and events, plus an outsized, established significance to the setting of your story like "modern jujutsu society's honored one" and "his birth forced the world to change"... just to execute his end like he was a side-character who has a day in the limelight for a fight that is ultimately "just filler," because not much has been achieved after all. 

.-. . … -

Many have already pointed out the power-scaling issues. There's this glaring problem of how Sukuna—greatly weakened and significantly punished—managed to one-shot Satoru, whose stats were basically refreshed from his consecutive Black Flash + possessing an insane ocular gift in the form of the Six Eyes.

If Sukuna's coup de grace was a fucking reality cut (he would have cut our manga pages and bitch-slap us if he could) such that not even the space-manipulating ability of Neutral Limitless could win, then how is anyone else going to do anything? How are they gonna jujutsu their kaisen?

Previously, we could at least point to Sukuna being significantly weakened by Satoru as a boon for the rest of the cast. Perhaps the only way to win this is a battle of attrition, gradually wearing Sukuna down or even forcing him to reveal his cards until it was Yuji who faced him. But how can "a weakened Sukuna" even be a gained advantage, if Sukuna still managed to kill Satoru (with refreshed stats!) in that very state? It means Nuh-Uh Take This Space-Slicing Cut, Bitch! technique is neither dependent on Sukuna's stats nor Sukuna's bodily fatigue. It means a 6 Eyes user as adept as Satoru can't even avoid that cut. It means even with refreshed stats and displayed insane reflexes, Satoru couldn't dodge this shit.

This isn't just OP—it's story-breaking.  

Side note: Yes, its OPness is comparable to Neutral Limitless, where no one can get close to Satoru physically. The thing that marks the difference, though, is that pre-awakened Satoru could get progressively worn out when he activated it without rest. Post-awakened Satoru no longer suffers from that because he learned how to keep his brain fresh with Reversed Curse Technique, 24/7. That's a gained skill and one he practiced after his awakening (albeit the manga did not show us a training montage). Sukuna's Nuh-Uh Take This Space-Slicing Cut, Bitch! existed between Chapter 235 and Chapter 236. The next time we come back to the fight, he's already executed it successfully and killed Satoru off-screen.

.-. . … -

Oh, but power-scaling isn't the one I wanted to talk about the most. All the other brains who give a damn about these things have articulated and explained their puzzlement and displeasure in more clarity and detail than I could ever, and I'm sure more are to come unless Gege's next chapter retroactively makes CH236 make sense (I'm doubtful on this one; Kashimo is already flying in for the fight).

The one I want to talk about is how this poor execution has fumbled the character—this specific dissatisfaction is less addressed at the time of this writing.  

.-. . … -

I didn't like Gojo at first. I thought he was as shallow and cocky as the memes made him out to be. I thought he was beloved because he's gorgeous, has a VA with known fanbase, and he's the OP motherfucker setting the ceiling. I love watching people simp for him because it's fun, but I thought he just wasn't someone I wanted to pay attention to. I gleefully partook in Gojo Slanders, especially since I always thought it's fun to riff on characters who are cocky as fuck.  

What changed my perception was two things:  

I rewatched JJK with my non-anime-watching best friend this March. She needed someone to explain things to her (since she has no prior anime knowledge and trope to help her, and JJK can be a bit hard to get sometimes), so I did. As I explained, I noticed and understood more about the story and Gojo himself, and my tone likely changed without my own awareness. It was noticeable enough that she asked, nonplussed, "Why the hell do you hate Gojo so much? You two share similar beliefs and even some traits!" 

Satoru vs Sukuna in the manga. I got into the manga side once I heard he's been released from the Prison Realm; I was soon treated with THIS. And Satoru was just... amazing. The things he pulled off were so cool and shrewd and clever and fun, that it didn't matter when Gege sometimes fumbled and Picasso'd his good looks--he just looked better and better in my eyes. 

Both these things combined made me look at him differently. I started reading up on his character analyses—which delighted me because there are so many Gojo analysts out there—and everything I know about him just made me like him more. Just like that, he became my favorite character in JJK, overtaking even Yuta and Nobara and Megumi and Yuji.

I've become completely invested in this motherfucker's character arc and the themes he represented. Most of all, though, I adore him the most when he's acting human. I have a glaring weakness against the Human Alien (the other white-haired character very high on my adoration meter would be To Your Eternity's Fushi), especially when their humanity is one of the focal points.

This means CH236 should have appealed to me. And it really could have. Satoru is being human! He's being vulnerable to his friends! He's even deprecating himself, which is (reasonably) decried as a massive case of OOC—and yet I didn't hate that at all. I always suspect that Satoru is wiser than he pretends to be and that he knows himself better than we were let on. He's cocky because he knows himself that well--and because he knows himself that well, he's secretly not cocky. He knows he always loses at the most important battles. He knows his strength doesn't translate to his goals being met, or his things going his way.

I think Satoru tries to do things he's not expected to do—teach as an educator; save folks, be it sorcerers or normies; protect the weak (one example: look at what he did prior to being sealed. Glorious!); try to be a reformist instead of just leading a coup; tries not to kill anyone who disagrees with him (he let those higher-ups live for quite a while)—because all the things he went through allowed him to know himself, including how little him being good at fighting can achieve. If he doesn't, then he really had no reason to do anything other than fight for the kick of it, right? He would have believed he could achieve anything via pure strength. So him doubting himself? I find it believable. It's nice to see Satoru finally letting his hair down and freely admitting this. It's... well, endearing. Cute, even. /...slaps my own face 

Him doubting himself after all the demonstrated feats against Sukuna?!  Get the fuck out of here. The fuck is he saying?! Sukuna was the one under pressure the moment they both lost the ability to perform Domain Expansion. Sure, he was banking on Ten Shadows to help him and so he employed risky tactics. Doesn't negate Satoru's tour de force in the slightest, though!

Had it been written more like an uphill battle—instead of Satoru delivering Sukuna's ass so hard the dude had to be denigrated into King of Frauds with Malefunctioning Shrine who repeats the "Mahoraga come oonnnnnnnnn!" tactic for weeks—then few of us other than the most stubborn stans would dispute Satoru for saying something like this. But that wasn't the case. Satoru's "voltage kept rising" even when he felt nervous at one point. If Sukuna had been holding back, and that was why he was so constantly on the verge of defeat, then all it really means is that these two really were equal. NOT one of them being "weaker" than the other. Why would someone who's shown to be enlightened on both his strengths and weaknesses, and is known for being a good judge of character and skills, suddenly be this wrong?

.-. . … -

Then there's the implication, mentioned by Haibara, that Satoru never had any loftier goal than to fight for kicks. Nani the fuck is that?! If that's really all he wanted, then man really went all that unnecessary steps just to do the simplest shit. The fuck is he wasting his time as a teacher? Why did he give a damn about saving normal folks back in Shibuya, instead of just going Unlimited Void and killing all of them, cursed spirits, transfigured humans, and normal people alike? Why did he set his duel with Sukuna at a later date and follow that schedule, instead of, you know—jumping at him right away when Sukuna was only at 15 fingers' strength? Why the need for an unknown-but-months-long preparation?  

And of course, why did he call the Principal out in his "afterlife"? Because the latter once mentioned how jujutsu sorcerers all die with regrets? Is Satoru implying that he had no regrets? 'Cause I find it hard to buy.

Is the failure to save Megumi, your adopted son in all but name, NOT a regret?

Is the inability to properly bury Suguru and mourn him NOT a regret?

Is the inability to witness your students becoming stronger and better-than-the-old NOT a regret?

Is the inability to see a reformed jujutsu society—or a world—that has drastically progressed beyond the shadow of the traditionalist and conservative establishment, NOT a regret?

Is the fact that you're leaving an unbeatable monster, who now learned how to cut reality (gee, thanks, Gojo sensei), in the world where your students and surviving colleagues + friends are, NOT a regret? 

你满足个锤子啊你 What's there to be satisfied about？！

The reason why I couldn't love the afterlife fluff, despite how appealing Satoru's humanization is to me, is because so many little things in it go against what I know about this character and his progress. What is being said is clashing with what has been shown to us. I just can't wrap my head around it. Suddenly all of those things I thought I knew were wrong or didn't matter. I suddenly find many of the story beats and themes JJK presents transfigured, and I no longer recognize or understand what's being explored here.

Have I been admiring a Gojo Satoru that never existed? Or is CH236's Gojo Satoru the pretender? Is this the sort of effect Mahito's transfiguration inspires in his victims? Because I think I know how it feels now.  

--- 

If I were allowed to cook...

Yuki's dream comes to fruition, and Curse Energy is no more. Satoru's personal ending would be him losing all of his Cursed Energy and techniques along with everyone else. He can keep his eyes, but they sparkle no more.

He can no longer keep things and people at a distance from himself, but it also means that the gap between him and other people has never been smaller.  He has experienced being insufficient when it comes to fulfilling his goals, but now he experiences the actual weakness of being "a normal guy". What then is his strength? What will he be good at? Spinning pens? Becoming an idol? Does he already know what his strengths—apart from his now-gone-jujutsu—really are? Or is this the self-deprecating moment he's supposed to have? "Ya know, now that I'm not the strongest, maybe I've got nothin' after all. Heh!" 

And it will be up to us readers to judge if he's right.

...

......

...Well, good thing I'm not the cook, because I don't think I did a good job at all, haha! But hey! This isn't my job or my story. 

And that's why I'm not hating on Gege. 

Maybe the next chapter justifies this chapter. Maybe the future chapters retroactively make this chapter a step in the right direction. Maybe Satoru isn't even dead—maybe he's just temporarily taken out (oh, I've got a lot of copium). Maybe we're gonna witness another Satoru awakening, which I'll enjoy yes, but! Maybe it's Yuta's awakening! Or Yuji's awakening! Why wouldn't it be? These are two of the most selfless characters in JJK. And dude, these two awakenings will be so dope. Wouldn't it be cool if Yuta were the one who awakened so hard he healed his sensei from being 2.5jo Satoru back to 5jo Satoru? Wouldn't it be cool if Yuji awakened so hard that he... became the King of Black Flashes! 

And even if Gege did none of that and the whole story moved on from the death of Gojo like it's just another Wednesday or something, and even if JJK just kinda nosedive from there... It's still his story. He can fuck things up in the end and it still won't change the fact that he was the one who created Satoru and those characters we care a shit ton about. I had a lot of fun and brain farts from this series for years, which is even why CH236 is capable of making me feel genuinely disappointed. I'm pretty damn grateful that Gege created this story in the first place! 

But that is that, and this is this. I don't want to defend terrible execution in story-writing, and I don't want to rationalize shit as having more depth than it really is. I don't wanna partake in any "why this subversion of expectation is actually genius and you're just too stupid to get it" change-the-narrative campaign. I really don't like how it was executed. 

It's not that the character I like died. It's the way it happened.

Thank you for reading my ramble.  

[sexymikayla2]

[coffeeghoulie]

Mushy May Day 19: Confessions

Aether doesn't know much about fire or water courtship rituals. Ifrit's there to knock some sense into his head.

Thank you to @forlorn-crows for putting Mushy May together, and thank you to @ghuleh-recs for the divider

this one is a doozy, I wrote this in pretty much one sitting yesterday and it's like four pages? turns out i have a lot of dewther feelings. Contains some (resolved) miscommunication, water/fire hybrid Dew, the first time I've ever written Ifrit, and some of my fire ghoul lore

Aether is, admittedly, not used to other ghouls. Quintessence packs run small, a tight-knit family group at the largest. But this is something else. Ghouls of every element, even some hybrids, all of them mostly cooperating and coexisting as a larger pack than Aether's ever known. He spends a lot of his first few months close to Omega's side, seeking comfort in his fellow quintessence ghoul.

There's one ghoul, however, who's intrigued him from the moment he was pulled from the summoning circle. Quite literally too. There had been hands on his wrists, pulling. One had been Omega, hands that felt familiar even as a stranger. But then the other wrist, fingers almost dainty, barely able to wrap all the way around.

He had looked up, and if the summoning had knocked the breath from his now-corporeal lungs, Aether found it impossible to breathe.

There was a water ghoul standing above him, silver, pin-straight hair falling over his shoulders, almost obscuring the teal gills that line his neck. He's slight, and was staring with wide, bright blue eyes down at him, a hazy lavender coloring his cheeks.

Aether had swallowed hard, tried to shut his mouth because he knew he was staring. But the water ghoul was staring too, and Aether was helped to his feet by the others. Omega had asked his name, draped a purple, starry blanket around his wide shoulders, and with one more glance at the water ghoul, had lead him from the summoning chambers.

He sees him around the pack den, standing alongside a water ghoulette and a fire ghoul who's almost as broad as Aether himself. He learns his name is Dewdrop, that Mist is teaching him bass so he can go along with the Ghost Project to support the third Emeritus brother when they leave on tour again. He watches the way Dew's fingers fly over the fretboard, the way steam curls from his gills when he's stuck on something frustrating. Dew's beautiful, and Aether feels eyes on his back when he's pretending not to stare himself.

They dance around each other for weeks, sharing glances and brushed touches between the den and the practice room, the uniform fittings and Masses.

And then things start to change. Dew actually starts approaching him, asking to practice together, rhythm guitar and bass. Aether's a little too quick to agree, anything to spend a little more time with the little ghoul he's way too infatuated with.

Aether still remembers the first time Dew cornered him after practice, grabbing his hand and unfurling his fingers, intense eye contact as he pressed something hard and smooth into his palm, closing his fingers around it before darting off after Mist. The ghoulette had glanced between the two of them, a smile that was a little too smug and knowing for Aether's taste on her lips.

He looked down into his palm, finding a pretty piece of stone, so dark it's almost black, glittering with quartz all throughout, worn down smooth by water. Aether furrowed his brow, turning the pebble over in his fingers, before taking it back to his room, setting it on a shelf above his desk.

The pebble quickly became part of a collection, various colors and shapes decorating just about every surface in his bedroom. They're all beautiful, and Aether finds himself turning them over in his hands, wondering why Dew's only giving them to him, not sharing them with the rest of the pack.

This continues, even as the Ghost Project sets out to tour. Dew keeps giving him little gifts, pressing them into his hand. The first time they get to stay overnight at a hotel, instead of cramming themselves into tiny bunks on the bus, he and Dew are assigned together. Or maybe, Dew bat his lashes at Terzo and got him to reassign keys. If he did, Dew will never tell. Regardless, they head up the elevator together, bags slung over their shoulders.

Aether slips the keycard into the lock, pushing open the door to a room with two queen beds. Altogether, not a bad hotel room, but he's nearly dead on his feet after that night's Ritual.

"May I make you a nest, Aether?" Dew asks, setting his bag down on the hotel dresser, beginning to rifle through it for a clean set of clothes.

Aether yawns, jaw popping with the force of it. "That sounds great," he says earnestly. "How about I strip my bed and we use both sets of bedding? Make it extra comfortable."

Aether just barely catches the way Dew's eyes light up like neon signs at his words, and the little ghoul nods eagerly. "Go shower, and I'll get it taken care of."

"Thank you, waterlily," Aether says, unable to stop himself from tucking a strand of silver hair behind Dew's finned ear, watching fascinated as that lavender blush spills over the ridge of his nose, the sharp lines of his cheeks.

Aether rushes through his shower, exhaustion bone-deep. He doesn't know how Omega did it for so long. His body aches to flop down into a nest, and he's honestly excited to not have to sleep alone.

He gets out of the shower, roughly toweling off and changing in his haste. Aether steps out of the bathroom, the mirror foggy with steam, and watches curiously as Dew weaves sheets and blankets and pillows together methodically. Eventually, Dew seems satisfied with his work, curling up in the pile of bedding, patting the mattress next to him.

"Come on, big guy, get in here," he demands, but his finned tail is wagging behind him, mussing up the blankets.

He chuckles, climbing into the nest next to Dew, who's quick to curl up against his side, purring like a storm. It's very comfortable, and Aether's happy to have an armful of ghoul, the two of them quickly succumbing to sleep.

The habit keeps, Dew worming his way into Aether's bunk on the bus, insisting they're roomed together for each hotel night.

Dew gets clingier after they start sharing a bed. Aether's not complaining, not by any means, but Dew's always been a little aloof, a stoic little thing. He's close physically, but Aether can feel the way his friend is beginning to drift away mentally, even as they sleep pressed together from torso to tailtip.

It takes a couple of weeks before Ifrit raises an eyebrow as he takes note of their sleeping arrangements, the way Dew's plastered to Aether's side for what feels like every waking moment, every unconscious one too.

He pulls Aether aside backstage one night, and Aether goes willingly. "What's up, big guy?" he asks.

Ifrit scratches at his undercut, his shoulder length hair tied back so he can shove it into the balaclava later tonight. "Aeth. Aether. What do you know about fire ghoul courting rituals?"

Aether's brow furrows hard, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's a little out of nowhere," he sputters. "I mean, nothing, really. I mean, are you asking?"

Ifrit throws his head back in a laugh. "No, I'm not asking for myself, if that's what you're putting down. Me and Zeph are good, not looking for a third quite yet," he chuckles, clapping Aether's shoulder before his expression turns serious, a rare occurrence for the fire ghoul. "Okay, how about this. What do you know about water ghoul courting?"

"Courting?" He can feel the blush spilling across his cheeks as a face flashes in his mind out of his control. Silver hair, teal fins, bright blue eyes. Aether swallows hard, meeting Ifrit's expectant gaze. "Nothing. I barely met any water ghouls in the Pit, wasn't really in a position to learn that part of their culture."

Ifrit nods to himself, taking a deep breath through his nose. He settles both of his hands on Aether's shoulders, leveling him with a look. "Aether, I'm gonna be blunt and I need you not to freak out on me. Dew thinks you're courting him, and he's trying to court you back."

Aether's heart stops, trying to form words but just sputtering. "I didn't- I'm not- How?"

"He's not just water. He's a fire hybrid. I don't know too much about the water courting, but I'd be willing to bet he's been giving you stones?"

Aether blinks dumbly at him. "Yeah, he has. They're all over my room in the den."

"Yep, that'll be it, I think. But the part I know more about are fire rituals. Did he offer to make you a hearth?"

"Dew's never mentioned anything about a hearth, Frit," Aether says, feeling the warmth of his palms as they hold his shoulders still. "I don't know what that is."

"It's a courting nest, Aeth," Ifrit sighs again. "Did Dew offer to make you a nest?"

He blinks up at Ifrit, realization beginning to dawn on him. "He did."

"And you offered your bedding in response, didn't you?"

"I- I did. I offered to strip the other hotel bed to make a nest with," he says, suddenly finding the skin around his glamoured nails incredibly interesting.

"Aether, listen to me," Ifrit says, tipping Aether's chin up to make him make eye contact. "You need to talk to Dew. Tonight. Clear this all up. He's upset because, to him, you reciprocated his intent and now you're giving him the cold shoulder."

Aether opens his mouth to reply, but then there's a call of a half an hour until places. They glance at each other, nowhere near ready, panic filling both of their eyes. "Talk to him," Ifrit stresses as they part, scrambling to the dressing room.

The Ritual, all things considered, goes fine. Aether knows that Dew knows he's looking at him, sees the glint of blue eyes behind the silver mask that obscures the rest of his features. He can't look away. Aether hits his marks, plays his part, but he's staring at Dew, with everything Ifrit told him swirling though his mind like his quintessence.

They step off stage, the ghouls all filing back to the dressing room, sweaty and exhausted. "Dew," Aether says, just loud enough to be heard. The water ghoul whips back, eyes shining through his mask.

"Aether?"

He takes a deep breath through his nose, trying to steel himself. It smells like metal, the mask humid with his breath even through the balaclava. "I need to talk to you. Could we find somewhere quiet?"

Dew blinks, the rest of his expression hidden, but Aether, in tune with these kinds of things, can almost smell the apprehension. "Sure. What about?"

"Just-" Aether stops himself. "Not here, come with me?" He holds out his hand, still so strange looking under human skin. Dew's chest heaves as he breathes, considering, before placing his hand in Aether's.

Aether finds an empty room, dark and quiet, herding Dew inside before shutting the door behind them. He finds the light switch, old fluorescents flickering to life. Aether reaches up, grabbing the chin of his mask and pulling it up and off of his head, shoving his balaclava down.

Dew's quick to follow, and once his face is revealed, Aether gets a good look at the almost nervous expression written there, on the most beautiful ghoul he's ever seen, even soaking wet and ruffled. Locks of silver hair stick to his forehead with sweat, and he aches to reach out to tuck them back in place. "Aether?"

His shoulders rise and fall as he takes a deep breath, stepping heavily into Dew's space, guiding him to stumble quickly backward until his back hits the wall. Dew's expression hardens, but Aether can taste the undercurrent of fear of being cornered by a much bigger ghoul, caged in by his big arms.

"Hey, Dewdrop," he whispers, voice as gentle as he can make it. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Dew's brow furrows, staring up at him. "You didn't know wh- umph!"

He gets cut off by Aether's mouth on his, the bigger ghoul lunging down to catch Dew's lips in a desperate, hungry kiss. The smaller ghoul squawks in surprise, before melting completely into it. His arms come up and wrap around his neck, clinging to him, human nails digging into his shoulders even through the cassock.

They part, vessels aching for air, eyes wide as they stare at each other. Dew starts laughing incredulously, narrow chest heaving. "You're fucking kidding, Aether, thought you were leading me on."

Aether leans in, pressing his forehead to Dew's. "I didn't know you were trying to court me. I didn't know I had accepted a hearth."

"I mean," Dew stammers, that lilac blush flooding his cheeks again. "If you didn't actually want me to court you, you can forget it happened, I can-"

"Dewdrop," Aether whispers, taking the point of his chin carefully in his fingers, making him meet his gaze. "What about the last five minutes says I don't want this?"

He shrugs, still pinned to the wall. Instead of answering, Dew tangles his spindly fingers in his mohawk, pulling him down into another kiss. And Aether is happy to indulge him.

[useragarfield]

9KMAKE ME CHOOSE:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ @rebecca-weltons ASKED: Kate's Season 6 Extensions or Season 8 Wig?

On thinking back I was momentarily distracted by your dizzying array of hairstyles over the years.

[dustykneed]

post-the search for spock but it's a yuri slice of life comic <333 nothing as good a bonding activity as lovingly combing out your vulcan wife's hair as you fondly bitch about your other wife 🩵💙💛

[manchesterau]

harry and his dangly earring on the x factor uk in 2013

[autisticaradiamegido]

day 226

team charge got me feeling emotions

[buwheal]

alright gang what we thinkin Ive been doing this without a reference this entire damn time and its KILLING my consistency.... sigh... me when i have to follow the properties of a character to draw them correctly.... (bwomp)... /j

is he fucked up enough

[ineedyoutotellmeyouloveme]

The tritter arc is really just: how much is wilson willing to lie to the cops for dick he isn’t even getting

[wackachewbacca]

Finding out the Lore Keeper of Critical Role has written smut and has also won an award for writing really good smut too Dani Carr you are a verifiable wonder and treasure to this community

[sexymikayla2]

[thychesters]

the more i watch the more i realize the adventures of the straw hats are basically a bunch of people going “will this give me fall damage?” before they jump off of something

[molinaesque]

On the topic of Raphael and him "being bad in bed".

Okay I'm only ever going to talk about this at length once and then never again. I've been avoiding talking about it until now because bringing it up always just seems to keep this topic in circles and it becomes an endless pit of nothing.

First of all, I know most of the time (like maybe 70% of the time) it's for the lolz. I get it. Hell, Raphael fans will be the FIRST to quip about this.

BUT

For those taking it seriously one way or another... It becomes such old hat VERY fast.

Those who use it as a jab towards Raphael havers are... Kinda dumb. Because it's like... Okay, and? You act as if somehow negates the entirety of his character somehow just because "HAR HAR HANDSOME DEVIL MAN IS BAD AT SEX" and it's so... vapid and boring? Also it seems a lot of people keep thinking "bad at sex" = JUST that he finishes too fast and nothing else but they seem to forget that the player character came up with that insult on the spot (rather than seeing it as a commentary about his pure selfishness and where it stems from). Haarlep is also a bias source. There's a semblance of resentment from them AND they're a damn incubus. EVERYONE'S terrible in bed in comparison (have you seen Tav? Little shit just lays there like a sack of potatoes during the Haarlep scene). This isn't me saying "Oh it means Raphael is terrific in bed because Haarlep's word cannot be trusted". HELL, no. Quite the opposite, actually. I'm saying "okay... What can I glean from that set of information?"

I feel like this goes for Raphael havers too who have this conversation. I feel like many tend to fall into this trap of odd desparity when they realise that "oh no our magnificent hot man is bad at sex" and somehow treat it as if it's forever a caveat and somehow negates the ENTIRETY of Raphael as a complex character. My first reaction when I got this information during House of Hope was laughing and then going "mmm that's so interesting and adds such a great layer to this already amazing character. Where else can I take this to". In fact, House of Hope as a quest does SO much in adding all these tidbits that make Raphael not just another boring, all knowing, god like, ineffible character. It made me love and appreciate his character even MORE. instead of going in circles and lamenting in how this is somehow "the worst thing ever", I think it's way more fun to explore it and delve into where the root of his narcissism and self esteem issues come from. The dichotomy and complexes of his character. There's SO much to talk about there and yet we're still just stuck on "haha devil man is a bottom and bad in bed" (which is another ridiculous thing btw because people seem to misconstrue bottoms as JUST being submissive. Y'all need to be more open minded 😂).

Apologies if this came off as ranty/condescending maybe. But it's coming from someone who's just minding her own business but have to see a variation of that line CONSTANTLY in the notes/tags on my art/gif posts and as I said... It gets so old REALLY fast. Like please be more imaginative than this, I beg of you. 😭

[queer-reader-07]

coffee theory and the disparaging of aziraphale’s character

ok y’all buckle up, we’re finally talking about why coffee theory not only disparages aziraphale’s character but would cheapen the story.

this is a meta i’ve been trying to write for ages now because i know i have Thoughts but trying to communicate them in a coherent and not passive aggressive way is… difficult to say the least.

i have a few main points i’m gonna touch on in this post:

1) why coffee theory disparages aziraphale’s character and removes him of his agency

2) why it would cheapen the story

3) how it underestimates neil’s talent as a writer

4) why the implications of it irk me

ok. let’s get into this.

firstly, a run down of coffee theory for anyone who’s managed to miss it. coffee theory basically states that the metatron drugged/manipulated the coffee he gave aziraphale such that the coffee was what led to aziraphale making the decision to go to heaven. (i.e. he wasn’t himself, he was under the influence and that’s why he did what he did)

why coffee theory disparages aziraphale’s character and removes him of his agency

look. i understand that aziraphale’s decision to go to heaven and take up the position of supreme archangel hurt. i understand that a lot of y’all were angry at him, and many of y’all still are angry with his decision. that is so totally valid and i’m not saying you’re wrong for being upset.

but what i do have to say is this: you can be angry at him while simultaneously acknowledging that his decision makes sense in the context of his character. those two truths can coexist without contradiction.

i think that a lot of people (myself included) have this unconscious tendency to view characters through our own warped perceptions of them rather than their actual character. like we all have our own headcanons about the characters and media we enjoy, but sometimes they get away from us and we start projecting complete headcanon onto real actual canon plot.

so let’s talk canon for a minute. the show has shown us time and time again that aziraphale fundamentally believes Heaven is good. he knows the angels are mean or bad sometimes but he thinks that capital H Heaven is good. that God’s plan is good. he believes that being an angel makes you good.

“i know the angel you were.” “you’re a demon you lied.” “you’re the bad guys.” “we’re hereditary enemies” “there is no our side”. aziraphale believes that being an angel and being on the side of Heaven is what makes you good. yes he knows crowley is good but aziraphale thinks it’s because of his past status as an angel. that it’s in spite of his demonic nature.

aziraphale believes that with the help of someone good (properly good, not pretend-y good) Heaven can be perfect and good and share that goodness with humanity. and he’s been given the opportunity to do that, alongside crowley no less!

aziraphale doesn’t fully understand how corrupt Heaven truly is. and nobody can get that across to him. not even crowley. miscommunication is an issue between them, yes. but it’s not the only issue. aziraphale fundamentally believes in Heaven, and crowley does not.

so of course aziraphale chose going to Heaven and being in charge because now he can truly enact change. his decision makes so. much. sense.

and coffee theory? coffee theory would strip aziraphale of all his depth and complexity as a character. it would say “yeah he has this long history of being hurt by this institution but his faith in it is so strong that he was willing to leave the one being he loved most in the universe behind if it meant fixing the institution and creating a safe future for him and his lover. but actually he just got drugged lol.” like. how utterly disappointing would that be? it strips him of his agency, it strips him of his complexity, it makes him boring. and boring is one of the worst things a character can be.

aziraphale is allowed to be a complex character. he’s allowed to make decisions you don’t like. in fact i think he should. that’s what happens in stories. especially in good ones. characters make decisions you don’t like all the time but what matters is if the decision makes sense. and aziraphale’s decision makes all the sense. no matter how upset it made you, it checks out.

why it would cheapen the story

look me in the eyes when i say this: most of y’all would probably hate coffee theory in practice because it is such a cop out plot twist.

coffee theory fundamentally disallows complexity to aziraphale’s decision to leave earth. it makes it a “oh no he was drugged!” situation instead of a “he has a lot of shit to work through and he’s hurting and the being he loves is hurting and the world is gonna end and he needs to work on himself before he can save the world properly.” situation.

coffee theory is bred out of the knee jerk instinct to say aziraphale was completely wrong and crowley was right and “i need to explain away aziraphale’s decision because he would never hurt crowley!!!”

y’all. i love aziraphale, do not get me wrong. but have we been watching the same show? aziraphale has hurt crowley, multiple times. he’s said many hurtful things. and it all comes back to the same reason: he believes Heaven and angels are good, and demons and Hell are bad.

it’s all connected. and i want to see the show acknowledge all of that. push it to the surface and let them confront it all. not brush away the hurt with some cheap “he was drugged!” plot twist. it’s boring and disappointing.

how it underestimates neil’s talent as a writer

neil is a good writer. i’m not gonna entertain arguments about this, if you like good omens you like neil’s writing. (and i highly suggest you read his other novels). and if there’s one thing i’ve found in my time reading neil’s books it’s that everything is intentional.

how much time does this fandom spend dissecting every single frame of the show because we know nothing is accidental? that is not a good omens specific thing, it’s in all of neil’s works (at least the ones i’ve read). neil is incredibly intentional in what he does, and in my experience he doesn’t rely on cheap plot twists.

he can plot twist the ever living daylights out of you but it will never be a cheap cop out like “he was drugged!” and acting like coffee theory is actually plausible is frankly an underestimation of what neil is capable of as a writer.

why the implications of it irk me

can we all just agree that the fandom likes crowley more? and that whenever aziraphale does anything slightly complex it’s often times either met with “oh nonono here’s this reason that doesn’t allow him any complexity” or “i hate him!!!! (also doesn’t allow complexity)”

you can adore crowley. i adore him too, i relate to him very deeply. but i love aziraphale too and i’m kind of tired of how frequent the aziraphale slander is.

and coffee theory, if i’m being honest, feels very much like y’all just can’t handle aziraphle being anything more than “silly little gay angel running the bookshop”. it feels like people just can’t handle the fact that he has his own motivations and feelings and that he truly thinks he’s doing the right thing.

and it’s to the point that you need to convince yourself he was DRUGGED so that you can accept his decisions?? y’all. did we watch the same show?

[i-drop-level-one-loot]

Burned the shit out of my arm trying to prevent my kitten from kamikaze throwing himself into my oven.

[ancientschampionau]

RealAgeAU Drabble - Parentalbond Horror

*grinning* I am baaaaaaaack!! @spotaus get over here :D

So. I had the difficult choice on which drabble i wanted to write so For now I settled on this one because I haven't had the chance to write a drabble with Horror's pov since a while and that is a crime.

First Drabble here Prev Drabble here Next Drabble here

As always we go in unbeta'ed and unedited.

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Horror checks the windows again before turning back to the couch and seeing Nightmare just staring at him.

Horror tils his skull "sleep will be easier if you actually lay down...." And he looks pointedly at the couch.

Nightmare gains that stubborn glint in his sockets again as he huffs "I am fine. Not tired at all." he looks at the pile of bags in the corner of the room wishfully.

Horror has to keep his chuckling inside as he answers "Shame then that it is bedtime for young skeletons." And adult skeletons. Horror glances at the other three. All KO on the other couch, all still dressed in their normal clothes and none of them actually finished their meals.

Horror will have to pack up the leftovers. Make sure nothing goes to waste. But he will let them sleep for now and just make them eat a big breakfast. But all three had been running themselves ragged lately. Especially after the last encounter they had had with the Stars.

It meant they have been making more jumps and teleports and not going out as much to collect things to make it easier for them.

Horror walks over to them and puts one of the blankets in this apartment over them, he doesn't bother to try and pull them away from one another. The four of them always had the habit of sleeping in a pile and that habit only got worse once they started searching for Nightmare and reclaimed him.

Horror checks Ngihtmare's plate and smiles "You finished it all today." No wonder he is grumpier and more active than usual.

Nightmare pulls a face and crosses his arms. Horror walks over and nudges him at his shoudler "Sleep time." and he waits.

Nightmare grumbles more as he pushes the blankets and pillows around. Horror just crosses his arms as he waits. Nightmare huffs but lays his skull down on the pillow and glares at him.

Horror knows he is grinning but he is proud to say he doesn't actually snort or laugh at the grumpy face Nightmare is pulling. instead he moves closer slowly, the first week of watching Nightmare flinch at every movement and sound had been horrible, and puts the blanket over him as well.

Nightmare doesnt complain about it. Most likely becuase he just saw Horror do the same for the other three.

Horror nods and sits by him "Time to sleep." it is his turn to keep watch and he plans on taking ti seriously.

Nightmare huffs but just turns his face further into the pillow. Tiny body starting to relax with the simple comforts.

Horror tries to not be obvious as he keeps an eye on Nightmare.

Horror knows of course what is going on and he is trying to not give in. At least one of them should not give into the adopting.

Horror can admit he had been surprised that Dust was the first one to actually soul adopt Nightmare. Especially after only a week. It had been so fast and the transition between the before and after state had been so smoothly that Horror had honestly thought that Dust had done it on purpose and planned.

It would have made sense. Dust had been the one to find the book first and been the one to actually manage to get Nightmare back to them.

Only for it to become obvious that Dust had no idea what he had just done.

Soul adoption is a rather normal thing for monsters to do. Though in most universes they rarely happened as monsters don't tend to abandon children.

But well, Horror's AU had been one with starvation and a lot of fighting. People lost their lives in multiple ways. That meant quite a few orphans.

Soul adoption happened when an adult monster willingly took the role as caretaker for a younger monster who doesn't have a caretaker. There are a few more factors obviously but Horror doesn't know all of them of the top of his skull, especially not now with that hole in it.

What it comes down to? Nightmare is an orphan and has no one he could go to that could take care of them, and all of them know this. Dust found out first and surprisingly his soul was open enough to the idea to accept Nightmare as... well... his.

There are more hurdles in this situation of course. The fact that they Nightmare they knew was an adult, which is what Horror thinks is tripping up Cross. But Dust had been very quick with accepting that Nightmare is now a child and so immediantly treated him as one.

Killer took a bit longer but quickly fell into step as well. Calling Nightmare tiny boss and going from his right-hand-man to his babysitter, Killer's words not Horror's.

Horror is however a bit surprised that Killer also soul adopted Nightmare. In theory it shouldn't have happened as Nightmare at this time already had Dust as his caretaker and so technically didn't need one anymore.

Seems like Killer's soul didn't agree with that.

Horror can't say a lot about it though, seeing as he can feel it happening with himself as well. And he has no doubt that Cross is very close to giving into his own instincts and feelings concerning this as well.

The whole thing with their last interaction with the Stars is a very big give away. Even if Cross felt very embarresed by his own reaction.

At least Nightmare is no truly convinced that they won't harm him and will help him. Horror is happy they managed to get there and with it having only been a month since they took him with them. Horror can say they did a good job.

Nightmare has falled asleep.

Horror move slowly and silently and puts two fingers to the the side of his small belly and feels.

Horror may not have a lot of magic himself but his AU was left him with a very useful skill. Wiht how little food there was available and how little magic there was there came issues. One of the issues was that after a while the magic monsters had wasn't strong enough anymore to digest the food that the mosnters did manage to eat. meaning that even if the monster ate food they would not get any energy or new magic from it.

Meaing that even if they ate they would continue to starve.

Wiht how difficult it had been for Nightmare at first to eat or even remember to eat Horror had worried something simular may have happened. That being in the goop form had caused his own magic to grow too weak to be able to function fully.

But all Horror feels is the soft and quiet purr of NIghtmare's magic working hard to use the offered food to rebuild the babybones' small reserves.

Horror sighs a sigh or relieve and just watches Nightmare for a moment. Nightmare, having noticed the pressure on him, makes an unhappy sound and his socket flutters open to give him a sour look.

Horror chuckles as he whispers "I apologise." Horror is unsure how clear his answer is as Horror himself is purring like a loud law mower at this point.

Nightmare blinks at him, still looking like the tiniest little grumpy skeleton this multiverse has ever known, before closing his sockets again and turning on his side. surprisingly not away from the touch and light hold.

Horror watches the other. It is strange. They are all different yet Nightmare still has them all completely under his control. Yet it is in a completely different way and Ngihtmare now doesn't even seem to realise it.

Horror leans on the couch and watches their tiny charge just sleep. Horror had managed to keep the need to complete an adoption at bay by reminding himself that Nightmare already had a caretaker- well two and a half now, Horror is sure that all Cross still needs to complete the soul adoption is a tiny nudge. Horror thinks that Cross is jsut thinking too much about it and doubting his own instincts and feelings.

But that still leaves Horror, and what he wants to do. He figured that it would be better to at least keep one of them unbiased in this nature, just in case that Nightmare suddenly turns into an adult again. But the longer this went on the less likely it seemed to Horror.

Not to forget. Horror doesn't even think Nightmare wants to be an adult again. Not now that he is a child but doens't have to vigilent every moment of every day.

Does he technically already have caretakers? Yes. Does Horror still want to count himself as one? Yes.

So. He just picks for himself.

Horror moves slowly and quietly as he picks Nightmare up. Nightmare grumbles in his sleep at being moved but calms when his magic recognises Horror.

Horror gets comfortable on the couch and lays Nightmare on his sternum. He can still feel the tiny soul beat and pulse fast even through two shirts.

Horror pulls the blanket back over Nightmare and waits.

It doesn't take long as Horror can feel the slight pull on his magic and energy. Hardly noticable and Horror doubts that if he wasn't so paranoid about his own levels he would have noticed.

It is something tiny monsters do. To help stabalise and sharp their own magic they try to take tiny bits of their parents, or caretakers in this case, to help guide them. It all happens naturally.

Horror just holds the tiny babybones closer and feesl Ngihtmare's soul slowly start to match Horror's own soulbeat and he feels all the calmer.

Now it is pretty much done. Horror will have to probably deal with this decision one day but for now he is happy. Their tiny babybones is comfortable and everyone is resting. Tomorrow they will have to worry about getting supplies and where they can go and eventually where they will sleep that night.

But right now? Right now he doesn't have to worry about that. and all he ahs to worry about is that their babybones is comfortable and healing.

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