#is it bad to say that love is a sacrifice? and that the whole point of sacrifice is that it hurts?

[turtleblogatlast]

[ cw: death mention / strangulation mention / stabbing mention / blood mention / self-sacrifice / codependency mention in tags / ]

I think a lot about how common it is for Raph to be the one to have direct focus put on him when Leo gets into all his near death experiences.

Like, when Leo is thrown off a building, it’s Raph who’s right there jumping after him, not even thinking about the consequences to himself when he does. When Leo almost gets skewered by the Krang, Raph’s right there to take the blow and send Leo to safety without a second thought. When Leo’s being strangled to near death, it’s a Krangified Raph doing the job, doing exactly what Raph would never, ever want to do. When Leo is telling Casey Jr to close the portal, it’s Raph who tries desperately to convince Leo otherwise.

Likewise, Leo is consistently very single minded when Raph gets forcibly separated from them. Both when in the sewers and by the Krang, Leo is dead set on finding Raph first and foremost.

I also think it’s interesting that during each of Leo’s near death experiences, the lightheartedness of his words during them goes directly hand in hand with both how close Raph is to him physically and how much danger Raph is also in in that moment. From a literal “I told you so” as Leo’s falling away from Raph to a soft joke about how “hero moves” are Raph’s style - both of these are on the more morbidly carefree side and both of these notably take Leo farther away from Raph and, in turn, have Raph not in immediate danger.

On the other side of things is the apology from Leo, heedless of the danger he himself is in as he seriously and genuinely speaks to a Krangified Raph face to face. Then there’s Leo’s freezing and desperation as Raph takes a hit meant for him and sends just Leo to safety, leaving Raph himself behind. Both of these involve much closer proximity and Raph being directly harmed - these together make Leo much more vulnerable in his words and actions, something not even the threat of death can make him.

These two care about each other so much, and they’re way too much alike for their own good.

[fujii-draws]

OKAY! Chatot rant in tags below! Read at your own discretion.

[5-htagonist]

if i head the words "jesus" "sacrifice" and "himself" in a sentence again ill scream.

[anotheruntitledsong]

i did like the hidden palace but (SPOILER if anyone hasn't read it?) i'm genuinely so annoyed at how Arbeely is handled like... I wish i could be sad but i'm just fucking irritated. I was overly invested in him and that's def why but i just feel like they did him dirty

[soldier--poet--queen]

what came first, the body dysphoria flare up or the internet deciding now was a fantastsic time to show me transmasc content

[hey-must-be-a-devilbetween-us]

Just been thinking about how when Aziraphale said that 'Nothing Lasts Forever' and Crowley immediately took that in a totally different way than Aziraphale intended.

The look of surprise and confusion that quickly becomes desperation that takes over Aziraphale face as Crowley walks away, he calls out to him, begs him to come back to him, and quickly covers it up with 'to heaven.'

he didn't mean them, he would never mean them.

(a lot more under the cut)

the places would change, the circumstances would change, the people and the play and the drama would change, they have always had different seasons of their relationship.

but them, together, as always been as constant as the tides and the phases of the moon, even if they get separated for a month or a decade or a century, they always come back together.

Also been thinking about how Crowley doesn't have faith in a lot of things (for obvious reasons), but the most heart breaking is how he has no faith that underneath it all, no matter what, Aziraphale loves him and wants to be with him, even though he has a mountain of evidence of it.

Its been pointed out that Aziraphale this whole season has seemed to be trying to get closer emotionally to Crowley, 'shooting his shot.'

'Its our car, its our bookshop, its our plan to save Gabriel, take my hand lets dance while you tell me what's wrong my dear boy.'

More than just an arrangement, more than fraternizing, more then just friendly banter over drinks and food, it always was more, but now they can act like it, Aziraphale is going for it in his own way.

and Aziraphale is so obviously frustrated during the fight that Crowley doesn't see that.

but come on, you can't blame Crowley at this point, Aziraphale is effectively asking Crowley to change literally everything about themselves and forget a millennia of trauma and anger and guilt and self-loathing.

It sure makes it seem like Aziraphales love is now suddenly conditional on them changing.

I don't think Aziraphale sees it that way though right?

He doesn't see it as 'I will love Crowley more if they are an angel.' he sees it as 'Crowley will be happier as an angel surely? They will also be safer with that designation.' and 'any sacrifice will be worth it if it means we'll finally be able to be safe and together.'

See, I don't think Aziraphale even wants Crowley to be an angel again.

I think he's trying to convince himself that he wants that, which is what makes the Metatron offering that in the first place so damn insidious.

I think in his heart of hearts, appointing Crowley to be an angel again is just as much of a sacrifice to him as leaving his beloved bookshop, leaving earth with all its wonderful music and color and life and stories and people, but what does that say about him as an angel?

Everyone can sneer and look down on him for having affections for a demon but there is some plausible deniability that its just bad circumstances, Crowley just happens to be a demon but he's really very lovely once you get to know him, in spite of it all.

But like...giving Aziraphale the opportunity to make Crowley an angel again and he doesn't want to take it because...he loves Crowley exactly the way he is? That he may have had a crush on the angel he was, but it was truly The Demon Crowley that he fell in love with.

I think Aziraphale is gonna need some time to get brave enough to say that with his whole chest (but dear lord will it be wonderful when he does.)

And the Metatron knows this, and he knows Crowley is exactly who he is supposed to be, and so The Metatron knows that Crowley could never ever say yes to going back, it goes against his very nature, he knew that Crowley would take it exactly the way he did.

(Ergo more evidence that splitting them up is the whole goal because they're just too powerful together.)

So, Aziraphale is stuck in the worst way I can imagine.

He's given the opportunity to have everything he should want, so he's trying to make the best of it even though it decidedly isn't what he wants, because its evident that the meddling from Heaven and Hell isn't going away, the Metatron is giving him the path of least resistance, isn't that going along with Heaven as far as he can?

Every word he says to Crowley about how wonderful it will be and how this is an amazing opportunity and we'll be together and we'll make better choices, we'll make a difference.

Its trying to convince himself just as much.

I think Aziraphale is terrified of going back to heaven by himself, but what other choice does he have? He's terrified about what will happen if he doesn't, and not because of any explicit threat by the Metatron, but what it would imply about him, if they knew exactly how he felt about Crowley, what might they do to them both?

and that's why the Kiss™ is so horrible and beautiful at the same time, its harsh and it looks like it hurts when their teeth bump together and it is so desperate, but Aziraphale still clings to Crowley, trembling and whimpering (jesus christ sheen...)

More than an expression of romantic love (because by God herself have they expressed it in so many ways for thousands of years,) its a plea to stay, choose this, choose us.

And Aziraphale wants to, but he can't, and its agony, but how could he explain that to Crowley when he barely understands it himself, he doesn't recognize what the Metatron has done.

That's why Aziraphale seems just as angry at the kiss as he is fucking devastated, its not a 'how dare you kiss me,' its an 'how dare you kiss me right now, in this moment, when if it had came earlier everything might have been different."

"How dare you kiss me now to just let me know everything I'm giving up, and not just because you wanted to."

"How dare you make this our first kiss."

Aziraphale doesn't see the Kiss™ as the Hail Mary that it is, he sees it as a spiteful bitter thing, something that he has been yearning for forever being twisted into something to hurt him, but I think he can see the sadness and fear in it too, so he forgives Crowley for it.

And of course, Crowley takes that to mean, "I forgive you for kissing me when you know that's not how I feel, for trying to manipulate me." or something to that effect, either way its enough for him to leave the conversation, nothing more to say.

I think Aziraphales next arc is going to be all about being open and honest and brave, which is in exact juxtaposition to the traits that made him grow closer to Crowley in the first place and that's what really fucking gets me.

From giving away the flaming sword, the entire damn arrangement, trying to thwart the apocalypse, to the very fact that he loves Crowley.

"I'm a fallen angel! I lied! To thwart the will of God!"

"Yeah, ya did, but I'm not gonna tell anybody, are you?"

"Then nothing has to change."

Except it did, and it does, if they are to get their happy ending in their cottage in the south downs.

anyway, yeah that's all i wanted to say i think, how was your guys week so far?

gif credit:

@starklystar @raggedy-spaceman @spooks-ez

(if i missed anyone or miscredited pls lmk!)

cont in reply (i like what i wrote here so i'm trying to keep track lol)

[alijuan]

Ascended Astarion is true unlike Spawn Astarion who pretends to be good for Tav

If i see that opinion again i will explode🫠

It's funny because Astarion will only approves if you persuade him not to perform the ritual.

A lot of people don't understand the concept of grey morality and it shows. Many people justify him but this type of AA fan thinks worse of him than he really is. He needs the ritual not because he's a power-hungry villain, but because he needs safety for himself and his lover. Depending on Tav/Durge's actions, he either stays with the feeling of fear (AA is still afraid deep inside, the game files confirm this) or he fights against it and becomes truly free of Cazador and fear (spawn ending). The dialogue with Durge about not being afraid is wonderful and shows difference between SA and AA.

Astarion: This little adventure of ours has taught me that we can't let our lives be ruled by fear. Or else we never really live. Astarion: I'm not afraid. Not of you, not of your darkness, and not of our future.

The point of the spawn ending is that Tav/Durge saw him as more than just an outward image of a power-hungry killer incapable of becoming a better person. But if you can't see beyond that image, he will think that he has no choice but to continue living in the world that Cazador has built for him. If you think that AA is his best ending because he is evil then you have failed to understand his whole personality.

I feel safe with you. Seen.

Despite of his love of killing (he is a vampire after all), he repeatedly showed compassion and guilt for luring people. Before the ritual, he literally convinced himself that he should kill spawn for power. Astarion rationalises this to protect his psyche, because he’s clearly not the type of guy who can sacrifice thousands of people to the devil and not feel anything about it.

Durge/Tav: This isn’t you, Astarion. Not really. Astarion: It should be.

I really like that the player technically makes the insight check and that there’s an advantage when they're romancing Astarion. Tav/Durge could see through the image Astarion was trying to create. They saw an elf whose fear prevented him from seeing all the possibilities.

Astarion: When I look at my future, anything and everything feels possible now.

Just as Astarion saw Durge not just as serial killer, but as someone who could defeat Urge and become a better person.

Durge: I am myself at last. You don't need to fear anything from me ever again. Astarion: I knew you had that sweat heart all along. I was alarmed by you sometimes, scandalised even, but somehow by your side, I still only ever saw you.

AA fans also often ignore the fact that the game has good and bad endings in the companion stories. And it's not about morality. All companion quests are literally about how the desired and obvious path leads to a bad ending. And Astarion is no exception. In a good ending, he gets the chance to heal and finally acceptes himself and his vampire nature, in a bad ending, he gives up and regresses as a person.

Spawn Astarion knows what he wants and says it. SA is ready for a relationship and sex. Ascended Astarion can’t answer the question of what he wants, so he acts as a vampire lord should. AA is literally back to the state of the first act and has started manipulating Tav/Durge through sex again (even repeating the same phrases). This is why he doesn’t really want sex (he approves if you choose the no sex option and he definitely dissociated during the sex scene) unlike Spawn Astarion who initiated it.

Spawn Astarion is the same Astarion who enjoys “murder and terror” and you can see that clearly in his “hero” ending (more like “antihero”). And this is the ending without romance, he chose it himself. And the whole idea of him pretending to be good for Tav is actually meaningless without romance.

Ascended Astarion is the same Astarion, but stuck in a black and white world of fear and domination.

SA scene ends with hope music (instrumental version of I want to live) AA scene ends with chains.

And there’s so much more. Larian specifically showed the difference between good and bad endings in the dialogues, scenes after ritual, recent updates and even the interview so people would definitely understand, but they didn't🙃 Some AA fans (especially on youtube and larian forum) are on a new level of delusion.

[shadebloopnik]

HAZBIN SPOILERS SORTA?

I love how its sort of major agreement that Alastor would betray the whole cast. Kinda wanna see him create an exchange that would be sorta seen as unforgivable, make sacrifices just to free himself, but ALSO wrestle with the realization that he's slowly grown to care about them.

This is gonna sound so off base but

Okay, picture this, Lilith as the big bad(or at least some villain) and she's holding Alastor's leash. Imagine them facing off, and Alastor finally uses his deal with Charlie. He said she wouldn't have to harm anyone, and he doesn't own her soul, so how could he use it perhaps? Imagine he tells her to stay still.

To just. Stay still.

No matter what happens, that she'd be glued to the spot, unable to move of her own volition.

And she's frozen, he's behind her, a claw at her throat, tendrils pointing at her, threatening to rip her apart.

And he's staring Lilith right in the eye, daring her, daring her.

He offers to let Charlie live i exchange for his freedom, to unclip his wings lest she wants her daughter dead.

Imagine she speaks, after a long moment of silence, and just goes.

"Go ahead."

He freezes, claws tightening around Charlie's throat, not daring to look at the tears he can feel drip down his hand.

"What's taking so long? How bout I do it myself." Lilith would say, charging at him, aiming her weapon to stab both of them at once.

And Alastor moves to the side....

....carrying Charlie with him.

Imagine him taking a few seconds realizing what he's done, frozen on the spot, Charlie curling up in his arms.

Imagine the agonizing, sickening, disgusting, horrifying realization that he just...he can't. He cant kill her. He won't.

Imagine him looking up maybe to see the rest of the cast. Imagine him meeting Husk's eyes, seeing the cat's face of disbelief and shock at reading the Radio Demon's eyes.

Imagine realizing he can't just kill any of them, not without hurting himself too.

You know

Just

Imagine

[nymph-ette111]

Hello!

Could you do how Jeff, EJ, Toby and Ben (all separated) would react to Y/N being uncomfortable because of stretch marks on the thighs (or other parts of the body)?? Like what would they do or say about it

Sorry if it was a very long request or something ❤

That's it, have a great day/night!!

WARNINGS; MENTIONS OF UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS/JEFFREY BEING AN ACTUAL DICK, MENTIONS OF STRETCH MARKS

AUTHOR'S NOTE; not very proud of this tbh... anyways I didn't really get the "uncomfortable" part so I wrote it as in "insecure" I hope this is what you had in mind :( ALSO I DON'T HAVE A CHARACTER LIMIT GUYS YOU CAN ASK FOR AS MANY AS YOU'D LIKE IN ONE REQUEST!!

JEFFREY;

-not even going to attempt and sugarcoat this section... or any future headcanons that include Jeff because this man is genuinely the biggest asshole to have ever assholed on the planet.

-he doesn't even care if you're his partner, bro is actually ruthless.

-he's made you cry countless of times before.

-i mean... everyone agrees he isn't the greatest boyfriend, especially in terms of just... caring for his lover. like this man can't even do the bare minimum in a relationship.

-if he ever catches you staring at your body in the mirror for long periods of time, he'll straight up ask you.

"the fuck is wrong with you?"

-Jeff is still an intelligent man, he catches on quite quickly.

-he knew you were insecure about something, you wouldn't just sulk at the mirror for like 15 minutes straight for no reason.

-once you tell him what's wrong he kind of just... belittles you?

-that sounds wrong I KNOW. LET ME EXPLAIN.

-it's just that he doesn't understand why you're insecure about some stretch marks on your body.

-he acts like insecurities are useless bullshit as if he doesn't fake his own confidence.

-okay you fucking hypocrite.

-yeah anyways in terms of "comforting" you, said in quotation marks because Jeffrey Woods and comfort in the same sentence is actually diabolical. basically his way of making you feel better about it even if he thinks it's stupid, he forces you to show them to everyone.

-yep. usually when your partner is upset about something physically, you try to make them view said thing in a positive light, and THEN you try to encourage them to try and show it off and be confident about it. right?

-no, Jeff goes straight to the point whether you agree or not. stretch marks on your thighs and legs? you WILL be wearing that short dress. stretch marks on your arms? WEAR that short sleeve top. stretch marks on your stomach? WEAR THAT TANK TO—

-he intends good I swear he's just very mean about it.

-also when other creeps hit on you (specifically BEN) he gets mad like he wasn't the one who threw away half of your closet and forced you to wear something revealing...

-if you sit him down for a serious talk about how this doesn't help with anything and it only makes you even more uncomfortable he might mellow shit down and stop with this whole showing off your body to feel less insecure situation.

-he'll understand but don't expect him to do anything else after that because he claims that "it's not my fuckin' problem... deal with that shit yourself then"

-he is a little pissy about it because he thought he was genuinely helping you.

-having the audacity to get mad when an insufficient way of overcoming your insecurities doesn't work? okay bro.

-anyways I love him guys please request more for this goober.

EYELESS JACK;

-like mentioned in the previous post, Jack never judges others for the way they look physically.

-even when he was normal, he never saw the point in it. that's just the way your body is. why should he make you feel bad about it when you can't do anything to change it? even towards himself. before specific events took place, when he was just a normal college student he saw himself as average looking and didn't have a problem with it and never made an effort to try and "look better"

-but after the whole... failed cult sacrifice it earned him this villain complex mindset.

-he sees himself as an unlovable monstrosity, the fact that you were willing to be near this guy at all is mind-blowing to him.

-naturally, Jack views you as way out of his league. he believes that he doesn't deserve you.

-so, seeing you? the one who changed his life and dragged him out of the hell hole that is his mind, unsatisfied with the way your body looks because of some stretch marks?

-bro is genuinely offended. you're fucking ethereal, you're an angel from above, why can't you see that?

-but seeing you view that part of your body as something bad, he can't help but feel like you're disgusted with his too.

-for context, Jack also has stretch marks scattered all over his body. you don't like yours equals you don't like his. that's his logic.

-he wouldn't say it out loud though, of course not. he knows that it's wrong. his thoughts are just a way to bring him down and make him even more miserable, he just can't help but find any opportunity to convince his brain that he is unlovable.

-i think it's best to not talk about it Infront of him.

-he still thinks you're beautiful though, he's just overthinking :(

TOBY;

-quite similar to Jack, doesn't understand why you view them in such a negative light. he is genuinely borderline obsessed with you. everything... I mean EVERYTHING is perfect in his eyes. yes, including the stretch marks. yes, including the freckle on your left thigh because he is just that observant.

-this man is DETERMINED to make you feel better, he'd do anything to make you see yourself the way he does. quite aggressive with it too. you ARE pretty. stretch marks or not.

-all of the sudden, every single time you stop by a mirror to over-analyse your stretch marks, you're dragged away by Toby to talk about the nice weather outside (anyone who dares to step a foot outside will have to face the consequences of a fucking heatstroke)

-all of the sudden, he starts littering more gentle, almost ghost-like kisses all over your thighs once you two are in the safety of your rooms. it wasn't some out of the ordinary with Toby, he's always had a thing for showing his affection towards you physically. it just stepped up a notch, and the kisses are now directed towards those specific areas.

-he'll do anything to prove to you that your stretch marks are simply a part of you and your body. and he fucking loves it.

-if you don't start loving your stretch marks after all that treatment Toby is giving... the problem is you. mans is actually dedicated.

BEN;

-was never good with comforting people, especially someone he cares about. he is used to always brushing his feelings away, never really confronting himself about shit. but unlike Jeff, he actually tries for you.

-I'll be honest... he probably never knew stretch marks even existed.

-once you told him what you were so upset about, he legitimately went "the fuck is that?"

-he actually has no filter, this guy speaks before he thinks.

-bet you he was typing away on his keyboard too, barely paying any attention to your little rant.

-when you realize his half-assed responses were because he wasn't even listening, you genuinely consider plugging off that ancient ass computer just to get some of his attention.

-he feels bad after that though, he'd attempt, keyword attempt to try and make you feel better.

-it probably doesn't work but you sort of let it him off the hook for it. he doesn't even know what a stretch mark looks like, he is basically trying to convince you that something he doesn't even know and has never seen in his life before is beautiful.

-the attempt is appreciated though, it's genuine enough.

[kazzsk2]

Info dumping about resurrected sacrifice au but it's from my text last night to someone who was willing to listen to my ramblings 😌

(Also these are the major outfits the lamb wears in this au)

Anyways, in the au (specifically the resurrection on) it's separated into three parts right. And the story actually starts before the initial seven resurrections it to bring lamb back and make them stay. It's starts right at the time of the lamb's execution and I saw this one post about another person's au saying that the lamb would be executed in their wedding clothes so I kinda took that idea as well to a certain extent.

So basically lamb was executed in wedding attire which narinder took a certain way (kind of considered a miscommunication) and that kind of fueled the desire to resurrect lamb.

This was only heightened with seeing the last remnants of the lamb begin to dissappear like the followers that personally connected with the lamb dying from old age, the statues of them being dirty and covered in overgrown plants, and new decorations for narinder beginning to overtake the old ones. Narinder began to grow quiet and started to wear the viel around this time.

His siblings began to take notice of this, especially shamura. Shamura was the one to actually suggest the whole resurrection thing and though he meant well, this actually kinda ruined narinder's mental health

He began to obess over the possibility of bring the lamb back to the point he had to do the resurrections in secret to avoid his siblings from stopping him. Then, after the several resurrections, he gets the lamb to stay by a five year agreement and does his best over the first part of the story to get them to agree to stay after five years.

During this time, I wanted to make it very comedic but at the same time like super sad undertones. Like totally funny way of doing something but when you really pay attention to the words it's actually sad.

Nearing the end of this first arc is when narinder and lamb have an argument and lamb is like "why don't you beg for me to stay, since you're desperate for your dear vessel back" as more of a (idk the word) snag at narinder, not actually expecting him to do so. But he literally does so and that's when lamb is like "bro I think this is like seriously screwed up and we should talk through this like normal people" this is also the first time narinder vocally speaks as throughout the whole first part, he is mute besides sign language & when he does sermons/rituals for the cult.

This is when lamb & narinder talk and get their biggest insecurities and worries out in the air. The lamb's biggest one being that he's the last of his kind and death was the only way to be connected back with those he lost. Narinder's biggest was how he treated lamb like an object and without the love they deserved. His second being that it felt as though he always bought harm upon the lamb no matter how badly he tried to fix it.

This leads into the second part of the story which is the turn in the two's relationship (& where the lamb starts catching feelings). I want to use the trope where like one falls first but the other falls the hardest with like lamb and narinder with narinder falling first but lamb falling hardest. As they work through their problems and find ways around the ones they cannot fix that easily, the lamb begins to get the feelings & at first hates himself for it. He has a whole inner dilemma of fighting that he wouldn't stay for the 5 years, that narinder had been willing to kill him so easily for power what's stopping him from doing it again, and the fact that falling in love with narinder would be falling in love with the brother of those who murdered their kind.

They managed to (also totally random but I use the headcanon that lamb goes by they/he just in case cuz I keep switching it up) work through their thoughts tho and accept the fact that they have fallen for narinder and it isn't exactly a bad thing.

Most of this part is just the start of their relationship and working it all out like how any semi normal relationship between two people with deep pasts and hidden issues hidden in their bones work. The first half is all the nitty gritty and then the second half is pure fluff

& then the last part is just domestic life epilogue 😌 nothing really serious besides introducing the shitten (hehehe shit-ten).

Ok that's all

[r--kt]

Where actually was this betrayal line for Obito that Kakashi had crossed?

about the whole "anyone got Kakashi, but not Obito" thing that @komihoyinsblog said. I remembered where the culmination of this theme was. no, like, this whole topic is real!

let's talk about the scene after when Jubito was defeated. here I will analyse kkobkk relationships and Obito's arc specifically.

contents | context · meaning of the scene · where's a mistake and where's a betrayal

CH. 655

Context

during the battle with the shinobi alliance, Obito came face to face with a deeply repressed desire for another life, which he did not realize due to his position as the only one who can fulfill the tsukuyomi plan. the battle itself as well as the conversation with Naruto reminds Obito of the aspirations and values dear to him that he had to sacrifice. all this has noticeably hit Obito and now he is disarmed and stripped of his armor, which is metaphorically reflected in his half-naked body (and cuz fans love men's boobs).

CH. 652. god, look how happy he is, I'm sobbing. love the way he never regrets about his scars, they're with him even in his imagination, that's a reminder of his core values.

structurally, in Obito's arc, this scene is the Collapse point and the end of the second act. here, the previous methods (the tsukuyomi plan) have shown their inconsistency, and the goal (peace for everyone and for him, too) has not been achieved, and he must find a new way to achieve this goal. at the beginning of the scene, he is confused, defeated and not ready to face the consequences.

why isn't he ready? he's lying there, seemingly resigned. yeah, not exactly. here, he accepted the impending death, and it's even not bad to die by Kakashi's hand to some extent. another question is, is he ready to talk to him, is he ready to accept the defeat and find the strength to continue the journey?

Meaning of the scene

once again, it is important that the battle with the alliance and the conversation with Naruto influenced Obito, but did not convince him. it was Kakashi who did it.

in fact, this conversation with Kakashi is a crucial reason for Obito to return to his ideals. before that, he was in doubt (the second act is a reflection of the character, as if hesitating from one side to the other), and after that he takes the side of the alliance. what did Kakashi say that made Obito come back?

three questions Obito is asking.

how can you be sure that Naruto won't fail on his way, unlike me? [pic 2, above]

why are you so attached to Naruto, what's the difference between him and me? [pic below]

why are you willing to help him (and not me)? [pic below]

they don't talk about different paths here. Kakashi emphasizes that Obito's path is not exactly wrong, so that's not the deal. it's about Obito and Naruto as people, and, more, about Kakashi's opinion on Obito.

finding out why he is not the one whose path Kakashi is ready to defend is essential for Obito. he wants to understand why Naruto (aka Obito's previous self, too) is closer to him, why Kakashi does not support the actual one for whom he grieved so much. why, even recognizing the possible correctness of tsukuyomi, Kakashi refuses to support Obito in this, prefers to go the same way. and also look at how damn emotional he is at this moment, his feelings go from anger to anxiety in a couple of frames. that's what happened when the central conflict "I'm never good enough to be loved" is raised.

Obito's questions are a subconscious appeal to Kakashi — "why don't you choose me? I could make you happy. what's wrong with me again?!" he thinks that the reason Kakashi doesn't take his side is not because of the correctness of his path, but because of Obito himself. subconsciously, he thinks that it's because of Kakashi's personal dislike of this "new" Obito, and he is very afraid of this might be true. just look at his face at the bottom of the page, he's really worried about hearing Kakashi's answer. oh, and it's actually the same meaning as "I thought, maybe you could love me like you used to, even though I'm different" [ Jinx's quote from Arcane, yes, I like to compare these two sometimes ].

what Kakashi says in this situation means "let me help you." Kakashi said he would be ready to help Obito if he let him in, if he allowed him. this is literally the only condition (which is important to mention here) under which Obito did not pass, because of his desire to reject Kakashi's help, believing that he must put his life on tsukuyomi plan and cut off all ties. but this does not mean that he wanted Kakashi to cut off this tie in return.

Obito was an individualist, and he only scoffed or got angry at Kakashi's offer to help/sympathize. now they're in a situation when Obito finally hear that Kakashi said "you've made mistakes, but that's okay. I can be with you, if you need me to, and I'm okay with you continuing your life and reaching peace. I accept you and I believe in you." and I want you to appreciate that this is the tipping point of Obito's arc.

so, that's why Obito changes his way of acting. Kakashi shows that he accepts Obito the way he is, and thus significantly reduces Obito's need to prove his worth through his own hardships and overcoming difficulties. yes, Kakashi had already said similar things before, and it didn't work, but here this line is resolved precisely because of this deep conversation they had.

Where's a mistake and where's a betrayal

oh, maybe Rin's death was a thing Obito considered a betrayal from Kakashi's part? everything's much less trivial. would he offer to help Kakashi if he thought he was a traitor? and well, he offered.

CH. 630

no, look at his face on the bottom right, why would you say that with such a gentle face to someone you consider a traitor? what is it, a genuine smile? so something happened besides that.

the betrayal was that Kakashi preferred his other ties to the connection with Obito. here, betrayal is not about killing Rin, and not about breaking a promise — all these are mistakes that Obito is able to forgive.

all the moments when Obito says something like "you had the opportunity to kill me, but you didn't do it", "you can't deal with me because of guilt?", "still blaming yourself for the broken promises?" - all this is an attempt to increase his own value, to show the importance of Obito for Kakashi. and it's also a projection. Obito says, "you had so many opportunities to kill me, but you..." although he does the same. like, why would he leave Kakashi alive after the kamui battle? intentionally inflict a non-fatal wound on him and leave him in a dimension that only he and Obito have access to? "I don't care if he's alive or dead," but at every opportunity he chose the option "alive", even if it's less profitable for him. my baby loves to deceive himself so much.

all this time, Obito believed that he was striving for their common dream, and therefore the condemnation from Kakashi (there should be a couple more frames from the manga) feels like the most painful blow for him, especially when Kakashi says that Rin would not want it either. before that, Obito had compared himself and Kakashi a couple of times, put them on an equal footing, and after being rejected by him, that's where Obito feels really lonely.

the point of no return was precisely the fact that Kakashi shows with his own words that he does not accept the current Obito and everything he's been striving for years. all this, taken together, he considered a betrayal, as if he's not enough, as if he fucked everything up again.

therefore, their conflict is resolved by the acceptance of one person by another, this is in fact exactly what Obito's heart wanted — to hear that he could be accepted after all that had happened. the same thing happened after his death, when he finally met Rin, by the way.

hope the text is not that messy. oh, and! that kkob video I've made with mitski's song. this fits the topic so well. love these guys

[hollowingearth]

I'm sorry but the more I think about the Rebirth ending the more I love it actually like. The whole trilogy has been a meta commentary of sorts and, specially, Aerith's death is at the epicenter of it. She both dies and doesn't die exactly because us, as an audience, want both things to happen.

People have been clamoring to be able to save Aerith since 1997, there were fake hidden hacks, AU fictions, retellings, everything. Everyone has been at Squeenix's doorsteps begging them to let us save her. Like, it's at a point where the "Square will let us save Aerith if you pay for the DLC" joke is much more than a decade old.

On the other side, there's this very expressive unwant for any change whatsoever from the source material. It's not a feeling that is exclusive to FF7 either, there's this very clear pushback against any new remake/adaptation that deviates, even slightly, from it's original. People don't want new content, they want the old one they experienced when they were younger, but prettier, they want to both feel the nostalgia and experience everything as if for the first time again.

From that camp, I think the most prominent argument is that FF7 is about loss, right? And they're not wrong. Aerith's death is the crux of the story, it's the very thing that made FF7 as known as it is, there would be no actual weight to what it's trying to tell if the heroine doesn't die in the middle of it, an unexpected, hurtful, avoidable death. What's the point of a narrative about grief if you can just... avoid losing someone? Avoid having it be cruelly taken from you?

And yet, you see, if want someone to die, if you want something to be taken from you, are you really losing it? In the original, part of the impact was that no one could see it coming, it was a straight representation about how death is sudden and takes away opportunity from you. Aerith doesn't go into the sleeping forest willing to make a sacrifice for the greater good, she has barely started her adventure, she makes a promise to go on the highwind, the group is one location away from finding out more about her ancestry and her family.

That's not true for the remake, tho. Everyone knows about her fate, about what is going to happen to her. That's probably the most spoiled moment in video game history. I personally knew about her death before I truly understood what Final Fantasy even was. So now we have an audience that is extremely aware of what, when and how her death is going to happen. That's why the Confluence of Worlds is put at that moment, because it's the single most expected moment in the entire triology, it's the one moment that made the narrative resonate so well.

The impact is impossible to recreate now, even for newer fans of the series. People want a 1:1 retranslation but such a thing would always be a gimmicky shadow of it's original. It's why the focus shifts, now the most emotionally impactful scene is not the killing of her but of her goodbye, in the church after the dream date. "Thank you," Aerith echoes "It's been fun", a callback to her conclusion on Remake where she says "I'm grateful for all the words we shared. All the moments and the memories. You've made me more happy than you know."

So she dies and she doesn't, both at the same time. Effectively in limbo now, narratively explained by lifestream shenaningans. We put her there ourselves, by refusing to move on, refusing to accept her death but also refusing to change, allowing a different outcome. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, at least, Aerith's words sound like the very sincere feelings of the developers, who are grateful for all the love we all have powered into their work all these years.

I just love it so much, I could spend hours talking about it.

[janovavalen]

IT CANT BE OVER .°୭̥ ❁ ˎˊ˗ || carmen ‘carmy’ berzatto x fem!reader

summary: when carmy finds out the sacrifices y/n has made over the years of them dating, he can’t take anymore of himself ruining the possibilities of her life.

warnings: cursing, smoking, stress, braking up, a fight/argument (more on a important subject not a bad argument), angst, fluff.

w.c: 2,695

it had been a busy day and carmy was ready to go home and completely sink in the bed and his long term girlfriend, y/n. he had been thinking about her the whole day to keep him up on his feel instead of crashing out mid day.

sighing as he and his team continued to clean up the remaining left over foods, dishes, loose trashes and other discarded items. while he was in his office typing in his work he finally was done and he sighed.

placing a hand over his face while he groaned a bit he got a smooth vibration in his back pocket where his phone was. grabbing up as he stood up he say a text from you saying you couldn’t wait for him to come home and taste your new dessert you made just for him. he smiled with the warmth on his face growing.

sending back a text with a pink heart emoji as you sent a kissing one back and hearted his message. with a small smile on his face he placed his phone back into his pocket and made his way into the main kitchen where everyone had been having a small snack and chatting before they went home.

they happened to do this every time the day ended, mostly on a busy day or a stressful one.

‘cousin! you did good today’ his cousin, richie commented whine placing his hand out in front of him and giving him a quick snack as well. carmy took it with a smile and nodded.

‘yeah, you guys though? did amazing, thank you all for the work today, i mean it. thank you guys so much, enjoy the snacks, and i’ve gotta go—‘

‘whoa, whoa! where are you going?’ sugar asked while she sat up a bit from her once leaning position. richie laughed a bit while pointing at carmy who looked a bit confused.

‘probably to talk sweet nothings and make love to his beautiful, amazing, sweet sweetheart girlfriend’ he joked while they all laughed a bit at the small joke that only made carmen roll his eyes.

‘real fuckin’ funny’ he commented while looking at richie who placed a hand on his shoulder for forgiveness at his joke.

‘no, but guys, they're so cute! i mean it, the way they look at each other is adorable, really.’ sydney said while eating her snack and looking at carmy who smiled a bit at the thought of y/n.

‘see? see! he’s blushing right now!’ richie joked once more as carmy looked up in a quick motion—‘okay! dude, get the fuck off of me!’ he yelled out with a grin as richie practically jumped on him.

‘wow! i still can’t believe she has that bakery down the street, here i thought she’d be long gone by now’ richie commented whine taking a bite of his snack.

carmy looked at him in confusion while the rest of them looked down at their hands and the floor.

he took notice at how quiet the room got and how the tension seemed to build within. not feeling good about what he said he scrunched his eyebrows and asked—‘what—what do you mean by that? what do you mean long gone?’ he stammered a bit with his attention on his cousin.

richie turned his head as he looked confusingly at carmy—‘what do you mean? what she didn’t tell you she had that offer up in italy and new york a bit years back? she got another offer from italy again not to long ago, you didn’t know?’ richie asked with scrunched eyebrows.

carmy felt his whole world move slow. y/n had a offer up in separate places and she didn’t go? but why? she could’ve went he wouldn’t have minded—maybe most definitely would’ve missed her but he had no problem with flying to see her when he had the chances. why didn’t she tell him? why didn’t she go, she could’ve had a lot of things going for her in those areas and she chose to stay?

looking at the floor with his hands shaking a bit he looked around the room. sugar looked at richie and rolled her eyes while placing her hand on her head, sydney clearing her throat and turning her head away from the situation.

‘wait so…so what? when did she tell you this?’ carmy asked richie who seemed to pick up on the fact he just said what he wasn’t supposed to say.

‘oh…y’know what? i think i got the people mixed up—y’know my friend and her look crazy alike so i think i got them—‘

‘don’t fuck with me richie, don’t fucking fuck with me right now, when did she tell you?’ carmy demanded as his voice rose and echoed through the room.

richie looked at the girls for help as they rolled their eyes once more and turned—‘uhm…a year ago or so man…and the other last month…she didn’t want me to tell you—‘

‘so you don’t? what the fuck! you don’t hide this shit from me!—‘

‘she didn’t want me to tell you because of how your acting man! look at how mad you are right now! you know y/n can’t handle you when you're like this!’ richie added as carmy scoffed and placed his hand over his face.

‘fuck!’ he yelled before walking out of the restaurant and making a rush home.

sugar and sydney looked at richie who shrugged—‘what the fuck is wrong with you?’ sydney said as she decided it was time to go home for the night.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 🥘　˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

when he got home the apartment was dimly lit with the many candles y/n had bought, her salt rocks, and some other warm light items she got so that they could use anything but the big light. she claimed it made the house look nasty.

the smell of sweetness and vanilla filled the air around him as he placed his keys on the table next to their door. he couldn’t get what just happened and what he just was told out of his mind. he needed to talk to her, he needed to fix this.

‘carmy! hi, how was work?’ y/n came around the corner with a cup of wine in her hand and his shirt on as pajamas with no pants on. her slippers he got her a bit ago. giving him a warm hug as he wrapped his arms around her tightly, his arm wrapping around her with her arm wrapped around his upper body.

‘oh you feel all shaken up, what’s wrong?’ she noticed his quietness and his face, the way his hands didn’t know where else to go but her or his own hands. placing her wine cup down onto the island table he shook his head.

‘nothin’ it’s nothin’ baby, i just found something out and i don’t know what to do—‘ his breath shaky as she looked at him with her soft kind face, her eyebrows pulled up a bit while shaking her head slowly.

‘awh, it’s okay. we can sit on the couch and talk about whatever it is…come on.’ she reached down and placed his hand in her slightly smaller one as the warmth from his hand completely melted her cold ones.

he couldn’t help but feel his stomach turning in pain and feeling like he’d pass out in any second.

when the comfort of their couch, she laid both of her legs next to her as she held his hands. carmy sitting next to her as she pulled him closer to her. his head falling into the warm embrace between her neck and shoulder.

he could smell her recently used body wash and body oils she loved so much. she always commented about how she was scared of smelling bad but the truth is she never smelt anything but amazing since the first time they met.

her hand rubbing his back in a soft touch while she moved it up and down to comfort him she started to speak—‘what’s the matter? did something happen at work? was it about the restaurant again?’ she asked as he mumbled—‘no..no it’s something else, something worse’ he commented.

he could hear her heart beating slowly in her chest as his head didn’t move from her, she made her hands way up to the nape of his hair while she rubbed it slowly.

‘did you want to—‘

‘why didn’t it go?’ he finally asked. y/n was confused but immediately caught on and tired to play it off.

‘go where baby? where would i go? who said what to you?’ she asked. her eyebrows frowned while continuing to rub his hair.

sitting up from her slowly while he looked in her eyes he could tell she knew what he was talking about—‘y/n please…don’t play with me right now—‘

‘i’m not? i’m not carmy, where would i go?’ she asked again while her hand tried to make it’s way back to his own only for him to scoot back and shake his head—‘no, y/n please baby please, don’t do that…richie told me you had a offer to leave years ago and last month and you didn’t go—why didn’t you go? you could’ve been someone big, something important—‘

‘carmen i don’t have anything in italy or in new york so i don’t go? why are you upset at me for my choices?’ she asked in a bit of anger and confusion.

he knew what he had to do when it came to the two of them and this was the best thing—‘you deserve any and everything and i can’t give you half of it, what you could’ve had you just tossed it away for what?’

‘what do you mean for what?’ she asked while still seated on the couch.

‘you threw away any and everything you could’ve had for what!’

‘for you! i did it for you, carmen! why wouldn’t i? i didn’t have anything there but i have everything here! i have you and our friends, my family and my friends and i don’t regret what i did!’ she started to raise her voice as carmen placed his hands on his face.

‘no, no, y/n that’s bullshit and you know it! you don’t need to be here for me i could’ve went to you whenever i could and you chose to stay here for what? for me? for our friends, family? that’s fucking stupid—‘

‘don’t you fucking dare call my reasoning stupid!’ she stood up with her finger pointed at him in defense.

‘i will! i fucking will! you let yourself be set so far back for something so simple when you could’ve had it all? y/n i love you i really do, but what you did was so fuckin’ stupid!’ he yelled once more as she scoffed and rolled her eyes. her once calm demeanor gone and replaced with anger and frustration.

‘you shut the fuck up and stop telling me how i should feel on what i did! you don’t get to carmen—‘

‘we’re done’ he simple said as y/n stopped yelling completely while she looked at him. her eyes started to fill up quickly with tears as she scoffed and shook her head.

if she wouldn’t leave because of him, then he’d simply let her go.

‘what…’ she spoke but it barely came out from the break in her voice. the lump in both of their throats growing.

‘we can’t be together anymore y/n—‘

‘what are you talking about? don’t—no you can’t carmen…i let those opportunities go because i wanted to and if i wanted to go i would have—‘

‘no y/n you wouldn’t have and we both know it…we know if you really wanted to you’d go, fuck—you’ve mentioned how much you wanted to go to italy when we first met!’ he remembered how it was always one of her biggest dreams since she was a child and learned that her father wanted her to go.

shaking her head as he walked to the bathroom trying to convince her he was done she looked around the room and let the tears fall from her face before speaking—‘carmen please don’t—you don’t have to leave me for this? this is fucking stupid carmen, come on! think for a minute please?’ she said while going into their shared room to see him looking around with his hand on his face.

‘y/n…please, you have so much to give to others and i’m just me—baby, i'm just me, and your you—‘

‘what’s that have to do with anything?’ she cut him off while he shook his head.

‘carmen…listen to me on this please, please?’ seeing carmen look up at her with tears in his eyes she slowly walked over to him trying not to set off something that would involve him in walking away once more. he let her get close with his head hung low.

‘please?’ she whispered once more with her tears falling once more, standing in front of him he broke completely and placed his head against her stomach where she stood. she felt her heart drop when he did so she placed her hands along his head and planted her hands in his hair.

combining through it his shoulders shook as he let himself cry. y/n felt how her cheeks were wet with the tears she once cried while she held him—‘why didn’t you go?’

he asked once more while his face moved to the side, the left side of face pressed against her warm clothed body. she smiled softly down at him—‘what would i have? everything i need is here.’ she repeated her last statement leaving him to let a tear fall once more.

‘y/n you could’ve had it all—‘

‘you are my all, carmen. your all i’d ever want. what’s in italy and new york if you're here? i could always go with you, i don't want to go alone.’ she told him as she placed her hand on the sides of his face, he let her slowly move his face to look at her. her hands placed on each side of his face and he thumbs moving slowly over his washed tears.

smiling slowly at him he stood him, his hight a bit over her own leaving her to follow his eyes and watch him stand over her. his body pressed against her own as he placed his hands on both sides of her face and leaned in to kiss her sweetly.

the kiss was soft, loving, they moved in synch as she placed her arms over his shoulders, his own hands placed around her body to hold her slightly off the ground.

when they pulled away, carrmy shook his head slowly—‘i can’t believe you passed up italy twice.’ he said with disapproval. she smiled a bit while shaking her own head—‘i can’t believe you tried to break up with me over it.’

he looked to the side in a quick motion and hissed slightly in remembrance—‘i didn’t mean i just thought it would help you—let you? leave me? i didn’t mean it, i swear—‘

‘carmy! i know, it’s okay’ she said while placing her hand on his face again to pull him into a kiss. when they pulled apart once more he spoke—‘if i remember correctly, you had something ready for me?’ he said while his hands rested on her waist.

she hummed while nodding her head—‘yes i do, it’s waiting for you’ she smiled while placing her hand in his to take him to the kitchen.

‘mm, maybe after i could have another sweet thing?’ he asked me while looking her up and down—she turned around with genuine curiosity—‘what would you want?’ she asked, seeing if she could make him something else.

‘oh but what i want can’t be baked’ he commented. looking at him in confusion she finally caught on and laughed out with her hands over the mouth. he smiled at her embarrassed expression and made his way over to her with his hands meeting her waist once more and flooding. her with kisses

[bebx]

and if we get Henry Creel | Vecna redemption arc at the end of Stranger Things 5 where he sacrifices himself to save Eleven and then it’s this scene where Eleven is crying as she hugs Vecna’s corpse, I think I’ll be so mad I’ll most likely cry.

like… they kind of pulled the same stunt with Billy when he decided to save Eleven in the end. and with Papa when he freed Eleven from the collar after he was shot. I’m not giving my opinions on either of these characters (Billy and Papa), but these are the examples of this trope that was repeatedly used on characters who are portrayed as villains in the show; they (somewhat) redeemed themselves before they got killed off.

**doesn’t matter if you personally think Billy and/or Papa didn’t redeem themselves or if you think their redemption arcs were not good, the point is, the show intended to give them a somewhat redemption where they are “better”, Billy decided to do the right thing and saved Eleven, Papa decided to “let Eleven go” (I know that was because he was dying, but in the end he tried to help her), so the point of this isn’t “whether or not they had a decent redemption arc” but that “the show gave their antagonists — if we considered Billy an antagonist — a redemption arc before they were killed off”.

anyway, this post is about Henry. and I only just mentioned Billy and Papa as examples of the pattern that’s been going on in Stranger Things when it comes to characters who are bad guys.

also, this may be nothing, but the fact they chose to give us Henry’s childhood and how he was abused at the Lab, as well as how he genuinely cared about Eleven and how he genuinely wanted to help her escape before things went downhill, might be a soft hint that he’s not a psychopath. because he’s not. (all of his crimes, Henry committed them because, in his belief, he was doing the right thing/what had to be done, he never did any of these terrible things he did out of pleasure, and all these hatred he harbored towards humanity as a whole could also be the result of how he’s been treated his entire life, whether it be by his own parents or by Papa and the people at the Lab who literally abused him since he was a child.)

I know I’m kind of rambling here, but what I’m saying is: give Henry a decent redemption arc where he doesn’t die in the end. give him a happy ending where he gets to learn how to love and be loved, the one where he can heal from his trauma and be happy. I know this is probably a wishful thinking, but Henry deserves better and I will always, always stand by this.

anyway, I know @twihs-blog is going to be amazing the next season ♡

[thisapplepielife]

Written for the @steddieholidaydrabbles pop-up Spring challenge.

Sprung

Prompt: Spring | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | CW: None | Tags: Future Fic, Established Relationship, Struggling to Make Ends Meet, Light Angst, Sacrifice, Love, Making a Life Together

"Steve, please," Eddie says, and Steve stills.

"I thought you were asleep?" Steve whispers in the dark, and Eddie's not sure why Steve's trying to be quiet at this point. They're both awake now. Steve's made sure of that.

"I was," Eddie huffs out, annoyed, because he had been. But Steve's constant flopping around has ruined that. Steve's become the world's shittest sleeper lately, and that's not exactly ideal in a bed partner.

"Sorry," Steve says, stilling, "I'll try to stop moving around."

Eddie just mutters something that he hopes passes as a thanks, and rolls back over. He has to get up at six, and he fucking needs his four hours. That's not too much to ask for, goddamnit. 

Steve's still for a few minutes, but then rolls over in his sleep, again, and the whole bed shifts and shakes. Again. Eddie's had enough, and snags his pillow off the bed, padding down the hallway to crash on the couch. He's exhausted. He can't do this tonight. He can't.

He still wakes up tired, because it was too cold in the living room. Their shitty radiators either don't work, or boil you. No middle ground. Fucking shithole. But it's the best they can do for now, since they're barely keeping their heads above water, as is. Working just to live. It's been hard. Harder than Eddie expected, and he grew up with fucking hard. 

He'd hoped they'd be past that now, hoped he'd finally catch a goddamn break.

Of course not.

It's the Munson curse. 

And now Eddie's in a bad mood, even as Steve's pouring coffee into Wayne's old thermos for him, packing Eddie's metal lunchbox, to keep him going on the jobsite all day. 

"Thanks," Eddie says, taking it, and Steve just nods silently, clearly aware Eddie's in a mood this morning.

Eddie worries they're circling the drain, from circumstances alone. It's not a love problem, it's a life problem, and that makes it worse.

And before long, Eddie realizes he broke the seal, having introduced a new wedge between them. Now that the couch is in play, they aren't even sleeping in the same bed most nights anymore. Steve will go, or he will, and now they're sleeping apart more nights a week than they sleep together. Maybe they're getting more rest, but they're also growing even further apart. 

Today, Eddie's coffee and lunch are on the counter, but Steve's already in the shower, and their ten minutes together in the morning are gone.

Just like that.

Eddie grabs his work boots from the closet, flopping down on Steve's side of the bed to put them on, and he's suddenly assaulted, poked right in the ass by whatever Steve's left laying on the mattress. 

Standing up, he's sliding his hand over the bed in the dark to see what the fuck he sat on. Nothing. He yanks the sheets back, and there's still nothing, so he strips it further.

It's a spring. 

And it's threatening to fully poke through, probably right where Steve's back rests. Goddammit. No wonder Steve can't fucking hold still at night. He's being tortured, Eddie thinks, as he presses his hand against the spring, feeling it bite into his hand. 

A rogue mattress spring.

That's what's divided them, broke them down. 

Eddie sits back down, lets the spring dig into his ass, and holds his head in hands. He's not gonna cry. He doesn't have time. He has to go to work. But goddamn this. 

He's still sitting there when Steve comes in and is rifling through the closet, "You okay?"

"No," Eddie says.

Steve walks over and puts the back of his hand on Eddie's forehead and Eddie laughs, wetly. 

"You don't feel hot," Steve declares. 

"No, I don't," Eddie mutters, because damn, he fucking doesn't feel hot at all. He feels broken down and worn out. 

He reaches up and catches Steve's hand, bringing it to his mouth, kissing it. 

"I'm sorry about the mattress. I didn't know," Eddie says, looking up at him.

"It's okay, I'm used to it," Steve says, and he rubs his fingers against the top of Eddie's head.

"You shouldn't have to be," Eddie says, dejected. 

Steve Harrington chose him, loves him, and Eddie can't even give him a bed to sleep on that isn't trying to pierce his spleen every night.

They can't afford a new one, not right now, and Eddie hates that he can't fix this. 

"We'll flip it," Eddie offers.

"Then it'll have the crater on your side again," Steve says with a laugh. And yeah, Eddie'd forgotten they flipped it last year, after his side started breaking down. Sucking him inward, like a gate into the Upside Down.

That doesn't matter.

"Well, that's gotta be better than this," Eddie admits, bouncing a little. Anything would be better than this torture device.

Steve kneels between Eddie's open thighs, "It's okay, Eddie."

It's not. 

"I'm sorry I was being a jerk. I didn't know," Eddie says.

"I know you didn't," Steve answers, "I didn't want you to worry."

Eddie brushes Steve's hair off his forehead, "I'm still sorry. I love you. You know that, right?"

Steve grins, and it's blinding, "Always. Work now, worry about the mattress later."

Eddie nods, smiles, and when Steve moves from between his knees, Eddie leans over and laces up his boots. Ready to start another day.

That evening, when Eddie pulls into the driveway, Wayne's truck is parked behind Steve's car. Eddie hadn't realized Wayne was coming, and grins. This day just got way better.

Eddie plows into the house, and finds Steve in the bedroom, a pair of needle nose pliers dug into a small hole they've cut in the mattress, trying to bend the spring back into its original position. Wayne's standing there, talking Steve through the temporary fix, until they can afford something better.

It's gonna be okay, Eddie realizes. They're just a little bent out of shape right now. A little sprung. 

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddieholidaydrabbles and follow along with the fun!

If you want to see more of my entries into this month-long challenge, you can check them out in my Steddie Holiday Drabbles tag, right here!

[blacklegsanjiii]

How about an allsan au where almoat everyman he meets absolutely fumbles for him when they spend only 5 minutes with him, he ofcourse is oblivious (hes not even bi in denial he's just stupid)

It starts ofcourse with zoro seeing him hold up a marine by the throat, Gin and Luffy being given food out of kindness and nothing else, Ace, crocodile being impressed by the mr prince tricks and so on so on

Also lots of men flirt with him on island but are quickly chased away by a glare and a sword to the throat or a guy wrapping around the pretty boy demanding food (or the good old possessive hat placement)

You decide the end couple but the whole of blue fumble for Sanji fr fr

Give this man all the simps.

Zoro choking on his drink as watches Sanji lift a marine by the throat which makes Usopp and Nami giggle at him. Gin falling for him as he eats the best food he's ever had in his whole fucking life that's keeping him from starving to death. Luffy falls in love with the way he talks about the All Blue and cares about his job and others. He's so fucking kind.

Ace falls for the guy who takes care of the others and doesn't let guests work, who spoils the handful of a little brother he has. Sir Crocodile who thinks the blond is cute and clever, who set up chances for his captain to save the crew and then him. Koza who sees how well he's taken care of his princess and the help he's given to take back Alabasta. He still insists on helping to serve and cook and Cobra is giving Koza knowing looks that make him flush and avert his eyes from the king and the cook.

Maybe it's after the time skip, after Dressrosa when Barto is literally drooling over the 'ONLY ALIVE' poster that Law is flustered and asking Luffy and Zoro about the cook. They're staring at him as Robin is giggling to herself because they are possessive. Both of them. It's the Monster Trio. Sanji is oblivious. Both of them are grumbling about Sanji not seeing their obvious interest but it's Sanji. If someone doesn't hit him over the head with a four by four he's not going to take the hint. Ask all of Tashigi's men from Punk Hazard who were crying at the cook not taking their advances. Okay maybe he just needs to be beaten with said four by four. Pedro straight up sacrifices himself for Sanji and Sanji only feels bad he's dead and that his life ended coming to get him.

You got the rest of the North Blue Boys who are obsessing over Stealth Black and Law feels like throwing up if it wouldn't insult the cook, he's so fucking excited. Luffy is over the fucking moon to see it in action. Yamato looking at Sanji from across the party and Luffy asks him what's up and he's just like Law with the whole 'the cook' thing. MARCO KNOWS better, he knows how to make an impression so at one point he's just talking to Sanji and Sanji keeps looking between Marco and whatever he thinks he needs to be doing so Marco just lightly grabs Sanji's chin and says it's rude to not focus on the person you're talking with. Sanji is so red and stuttering as Luffy wraps a rubber arm around Sanji screaming for meat as Sanji is ripped from in front of Marco to like the other side of the room.

Maybe it would end with zolusan or whatever the ship is called. Zoro asks if they have to do what Marco did after all the flirting he and Luffy have been doing for all of their sailing together and Sanji just being confused at what they're talking about.