#so like. genuinely. I'm sorry if i made anyone feel bad about what they ship

[prismatoxic]

you know, I was joking about the m/f thing, because it's my burden to bear--if those ships make me uncomfortable, I need to make sure to block their tags and not engage with the content, bc there's nothing morally wrong with it or the people who enjoy it. the times I've brought it up are me venting about my own annoying feelings, but I don't want to give the wrong impression. if you ship m/f of ANY kind, dunmeshi or otherwise, I support you! I hope you're having a fun!

and the reason I felt compelled to say this is that I have now seen the absolute horseshit "there's too much yaoi in this fandom" take cross my dash and I do not want anyone thinking I'm perpetuating that bullshit mentality.

maybe the op was a joke, but the people in the tags were not joking. like calling m/m ships "heteronormative" or boring or whatever. being rude about shippers. that is the sort of toxic garbage I want to avoid, and I'm sorry if I only contributed to it by joking about my own tastes, bc I feel like I kind of did.

if you think some ships are inherently better than others, or that some shippers are stupid or unimaginative or, heaven forbid, less queer for shipping certain things, get the fuck out! I want nothing to do with you. you're wrong and you make fandom a bad place.

I have weird hangups about m/f with my fave characters in a lot of fandoms, and those issues are personal in nature and unrelated to the quality of the ship. I'm begging more people to recognize the same thing within themselves. people shipping more m/m than whatever your fave is are not fucking hurting you, and whatever your issues are, they're YOURS to deal with. same for any other dynamic, or headcanon, or whatever. stop resenting other fans for enjoying the series differently than you do.

[froggywritesstuff]

compromise | yandere!j.d

ship/pairing: yan!jd x g/n!willing!reader

request: anon: helloo, could you do a yan jd but with a willing reader? like they really don't give a shit about anything and ignore all the red flags. thank you and have a good day!!

warnings: yandere themes, manipulation, toxic relationships, death threats (both implied and explicit), minor character death, not proofread

A/N: this is like the anti 'I Say No'. ty for requesting this, it was a bit difficult to write as i've never written this kind of concept and i've been going through some major writers block, but i hope you like it, sorry if it doesn't make sense. i do not in any way support yandere behaviour, please know that this writing is purely fictional, and should not ever be reenacted in real life

The sound of the phone ringing made you stand up quickly, already knowing who was calling.

"Jesus, Y/N, again? This is like the fifth time he's called." your friend groaned in annoyance. They were never a fan of your boyfriend, especially after he kept interrupting their time to hang out with you.

You sent Parker an apologetic smile, "I know, I'm sorry, he just gets annoyed if I ignore him."

Rushing to answer the phone, you couldn't see Parker's look of concern as you said that.

"JD, you know I'm fine, right?" you said, grinning as you spoke.

"You never know, Y/N. Anything can happen when you invite a stranger into your home."

"Parker's not a stranger, babe. You have nothing to worry about," you were practically pleading with him, though you knew he wouldn't drop the subject easily.

"Oh, so I'm not allowed to worry about you anymore?" he retorted, laughing to hide the harsh tone in his words.

That wasn't what you said at all, but why argue over it? You'd never win.

"Of course you are," you responded sweetly, "But I know Parker's annoyed you're interrupting our sleepover." you said it as a joke, not thinking enough to know JD would take offence.

"Well would Parker rather me do what I have every right to do and talk to you, or wake up with a bullet in their head."

You whipped your head around to face Parker, checking that they weren't close enough to hear before turning back, "The first option." you said, rolling your eyes, feeling a smile tug on your lips. You knew it was bad he made threats like that, especially when you never knew if those threats were just threats, or if he'd follow through with them, but you knew there was no use in fighting him. Over time you had become desensitised to his toxic behaviour. It was just easier to let him try to control your life, especially when you knew he could end it with ease.

"I thought so." you could practically hear his smirk over the phone. The two of you continued talking for a few minutes, much to Parker's disappointment, before JD finally let you hang up. You turned to face Parker, frowning when they left the room. You walked out the door and called out their name, which was followed by Parker responding in a rather annoyed tone, "I'm in the kitchen."

You walked to the kitchen, smiling as you saw Parker, "Sorry that took so long, I know it's annoying, he's just really protective."

Parker took a sip from the glass of water in their hands, "Does he think I'm an axe murderer or something? He calls you non-stop every time we hang out, what's his deal?"

You sighed, thinking carefully about what to say, "He... he just doesn't trust a lot of people around me."

Parker shook their head in disbelief, "I've known you for years, Y/N. Longer than he's known you." You were grateful for that fact. If JD had met you before Parker, you would've never been friends. He drove away anyone who tried to get close to you. You let JD do a lot of things, but you never let him drive Parker away. Of course, you had to beg him not to hurt them.

"I know, he just..." you trailed off. You genuinely didn't know how to defend him.

Parker sighed, "Y/N, I'm happy you have a boyfriend, I think it's great. But you have to understand that JD is not a good boyfriend."

"Yes he is, he's just a lot sometimes."

Parker rolled their eyes, "I don't understand why you're still with him, he's such a dick." noticing your hurt expression, Parker set their glass of water down, and moved closer to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulder, "I'm sorry... I know you love him, he just..."

You smiled at them, "Let's just not talk about him tonight." 

As much as you loved Parker, you knew if they continued talking about JD like that, you'd both end up saying something you'd regret.

Like you said, JD wasn't brought up for the rest of the night. Luckily, he decided to stop calling you as well. The rest of the sleepover carried on like normal sleepovers would, you and Parker talking for nearly the entire night, until the sun eventually came up, and in what felt like no time at all, Parker went back home.

You sat in your room, thinking of ways to entertain yourself, when you heard a knock at the window. You jumped in fear, calming yourself when you saw your boyfriend smiling from the other side. You stood up, opening up the window and pulling your boyfriend inside and embracing him into a hug.

"I missed you," he mumbled, pressing a kiss on your head.

You laughed against his chest, "I know Jason."

He pulled away from the hug, kissed your lips, before he spoke, "About last night..." your heart dropped as he pulled out some polaroid pictures from his coat pocket. Whenever he killed someone he always took pictures and showed them to you. And you knew he was more than capable of killing Parker.

"I know you don't want me hurting Parker," you mentally braced for the news, "So I found a compromise."

You stared at him in confusion, "A compromise."

He nodded, grinning wide as he handed you the pictures.

"Is this..." you trailed off, staring up at your boyfriend, lips turning upward into a smile.

"Billy Jameson, Johnson?" 

"Billy Jackson," you finished, "from my english class."

He smiled at your excitement, "He's the dickhead in your class, right?"

You nodded, a part of you was scared that he forgot his reason for killing someone, but there was no use in bringing that up, "Yeah, he fucking sucks." you said, staring at the pictures of Billy's hanging corpse.

"Don't worry, I didn't just knock him out and hang him," he began, "I fucked him up a bit beforehand."

You smiled, pulling him into another hug, "Thank you Jason."

He quickly returned the hug, wrapping his arms tightly around your body, "Anything for you, darling."

buy me a coffee <3

[olderthannetfic]

Apparently my fanfic helped someone in my readership realize he's agender because reading about a character who has zero attachment to the concept of gender, does not feel like any gender, doesn't care about pronouns being used for them and wants to dress any way they want without anyone gendering it really resonated with him and he did some soul-searching afterwards. And I love that for him, truly, I do. But what surprised me is that he really thought that "everybody but trans people" didn't like being associated with a gender, didn't feel like any gender, didn't care about pronouns and didn't have any attachment to the idea of gender. He thought we were all just going along with it because it's just what you do in society and everyone actually felt roughly the same as he did about it.

I was surprised, because although I'm neurodivergent, I had inferred fairly early on in life that people are pretty attached to these things on a genuine level. So I asked him how he arrived at that conclusion and he said that the way his very conservative, Republican family - which is mostly men, he was raised by his dad and grandfather, alongside his brothers - talked about being a man made it sound like an awful, arduous task that you have shoved onto you and can't escape but being a woman also sucked in similar ways according to them. Thus he arrived at the conclusion that nobody actually likes being a gender, you just have to put up with being one. And the fact that he had to put up with it was immensely depressing to him because he hated both of what he perceived as the available options.

Somehow my dinky little Reader POV fanfic where I made the Reader Character agender because I dislike how many Reader fics portray being an AFAB person who identifies as a woman... that little fanfic, without any ships in it, without any deep lore dives, without the things that this fandom usually likes, managed to plunge this reader into total gender euphoria because it made him pluck up the courage to wear something pink, let him know you don't have to be a man or a woman, and told him you're not a bad NB if you use any pronouns and you're AMAB.

And like... I know fandom is a shitty, hostile place a lot of the time. Especially in my fandom, it's a disaster. But reading the mountain of text he posted about how in the two weeks since he realized he's agender, his depression has lessened so much and he hasn't thought about suicide once... I think I remember why I got into writing in the first place, now. It's not just to tell fun stories. It's to tell fun stories about people that don't conform to the white cishetallo culturally Christian secular middle class able-bodied cookie-cutter bullshit that media is still drowning in. Because sometimes somebody is drowning and they think it's mandatory and fiction can tell them, "It's not, actually."

Nobody I know IRL likes the idea of fanfic because why write if you're not going to make money from it? But honestly I feel like this kind of moment has a value money can't really produce.

Sorry, I know I'm rambling. I just thought I'd briefly provide a small break from the sea of negativity in your inbox to share how fanfic and fandom can be good, instead of always being bad, as is so often the way fandom gets framed these days.

--

[snootlestheangel]

If someone hasn't asked yet Pricegravesnik for that ship thing :D

Ooohhh a challenge! Let's see where this goes lol

They're all married for this btw

If anyone wants to submit another ship, please do so! If you actually have other ideas for the questions "Like who takes the hottest showers?" then I'd love to hear them!

Who was the one to propose? Actually I want to say Price when he proposed to Nik. I want to say neither were willing to commit to marrying each other for a couple years until something happened and Price realized it's never a guarantee to keep the good things in life, so might as well keep them close while you can. Nik's the one that started the flirting with Graves and wanted to propose to him, but Graves beat him to it. (my tired brain made me read that as Graves proposed to himself, which honestly? He would. He'd do it just to mess with them and go "Sorry, I'm already engaged")

Who stressed more over wedding planning? I genuinely see Nik as the one that was flipping out the whole time. Graves was surprisingly the least stressed (he was recruiting his Shadows for help shhhhh) and Price was experiencing about the normal level of stress you'd expect for a wedding.

Who decorated the house? Graves. In truth, it was a mostly group effort; Price's favorite recliner is there, Nik's very nice, suspiciously acquired liquor cabinet, a few things they've both received from Laswell, Farah, Alex, and the 141 boys. But Graves is the true decorator. Granted, most of this stuff is gifts from the Shadows when they heard he was getting married.

Who does the cooking? I, again, want to say Graves's Southern ass does, but like... I feel like Price knows his way around a kitchen, ya know? Nik is banished from kitchens.

Who is more organized? None of them are necessarily organized per say. Graves is the best at keeping the appearance of being organized but in reality it's Price. Graves's planners are always neat, his desk is always neat, but that doesn't mean shit. Price's office always looks like Nik landed a copter too close but he knows exactly where everything is and he's the most on top of schedules/appointments/important dates.

Who suggested kids first? Nik. Like as a serious suggestion. He's seen the way both his husbands are, and he just knows they'd be wonderful dads. Desperately wants to be a girl dad.

Who's the cuddler? Nik is the cuddliest, but Graves is a close second. Price just wants some fucking peace and quiet.

Who is big spoon/little spoon? Graves always ends up the little spoon of at least one of them. As much as he tries his best to be a big spoon and big spoon only, he always ends up in the middle of them with one wrapped around behind him. Nik is always a big spoon though, and somehow Price ends up being the little spoon. (Graves is not complaining, he's got two bears for husbands so you know ending up in the middle of that is hella nice. And he should be thankful) *I am extremely jealous of Graves now but I have no one to blame but myself and maybe @midnight193 for submitting this ship*

What's their favorite non-sexual activity? Probably something quiet, but at the same time they're all so chaotic it'd never stay quiet long, so I almost want to say something like *mind blanks* Um.... Honestly? Bowling. Don't ask me why, it just popped in there and now I can't get that mental image out of my head. That or axe-throwing cause they're each such show-offs. Graves gets a +2 strength bonus when the Shadows are around

Who comes home drunk at 3am? Nik. Is there really any other answer? It's not often, it's still a rarity, but still. That! Or it's Graves after a party with his Shadows. He's always absolutely blasted after social engagements involving alcohol with his Shadows

Who kills the spiders? Price. None of them are afraid, but Graves did have one really bad allergic reaction once and ever since then Price is the one to kill the spiders. Nik tried using fire once. It did not work. He is no longer allowed to kill spiders, even though he promises to never do it again

Who falls asleep first? Hot take? Graves. He's going 100 all day and just crashes once it's bedtime. Sometimes, if Nik and Price are coming home late, they walk in to see Graves just sprawled out on the bed, having not even bothered taking his jeans off and he is out cold. (of course they always gently get him into bed proper and that's how he ends up in the middle)

A head-canon? Nik is a human furnace, which is partly why he has to be one of the ends when they cuddle/sleep. There have been times where he's ended up in the middle and Price is just on the floor cause HOT. Graves, a true Texan (he's Texan right? *I am having an existential crisis over this for some reason??*) is used to the heat, and is secretly sometimes reminded of home with it, so he's okay with being swarmed by human heater Nik. Price, a fucking Brit, can't stand it when he's too warm for comfort. He'd rather kill his back sleeping on the floor or their really shitty couch than be trapped with that. A second one because why not? Price always ends up being the "victim" of sexual jokes/blatant nasty flirting from Graves and Nik. He can be chilling, minding his business, and suddenly one of them says something really dirty to the other and Price, the poor thing, it's not his fault he gets so easily flustered!

Do they have any rituals? Graves has so many rituals when it's Shadow Olympics week. There's too many to count but they're all vital for his team winning, and even some of them to ensure none of his Shadows are harmed/all have fun. Nik constantly teases him for being a dad, which ends up in Graves calling himself Daddy and making Price snort his tea. Price has incredible oral hygiene, and the other two have pretty normal routines for that sort of thing. Nik's only "ritual" is the series of stretches he does before flying. It took a while for Graves to be able to witness it, so Price once recorded it and sent it to him.

Who has the most patience? Nik, a thousand times over. Price has to deal with Soap, Ghost, and Gaz on a constant basis. And those boys are so needy they can't just leave him alone during leave, either! Graves can be pretty patient, but after a long day of dealing with hyperactive Shadows and a giant techie with chronic anxiety, he gets a little snippy. Nik on the other hand? Totally chilled out like 90% of the time. He's had a couple of bad days where he'll scowl at someone annoying him and the very rare occasions that he does lose his cool. Ghost has witnessed this once, and the rant Nik was on wasn't even directed at him, but he's still traumatized by it (@cod-dump has an incorrect quotes that definitely inspired this. In fact! Mike is the fucking reason I'm obsessed with Graves now! So *angrily stomps but it's more like a cute puppy* damn you! This is your fault!)

Gif that sums up their relationship?

I dunno I tried. I searched too long and this is all I could come up with

[oh-cramity-its-amity]

Hello!!! :D Hope you've been having a nice day so far! 💖

For whe writers truth & dare ask game: 🍓🥤🦷🏜️🥐

hi!!!! you too!!!!! it's been pretty uneventful for me lol.

thanks for the ask!!

heres the ask game if anyone wants to see it.

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction?

It was elementary school. 5th grade or so, but I was deeply invested in TMNT 2012 with a few of my friends. We would all talk about it, and at one point I wrote a little story in my notebook by hand without knowing what it was called about the show (its long since lost in a flood that happened years ago rip) but I found ff.net months later because I had two infatuations. TMNT 2012 and the original teen titans. I even remember reading fanfic on deviantart. I was really big into April and Donnie and Beast Boy and Raven. I didn't start posting anything until my Wattpad days around 14-16. That was about bandom, Pitch Perfect, then Citrus (I have made bad choices and I meme on myself now but I was JUST THAT STARVED for wlw ships.) Anyway wattpad account got deleted and there was a whole thing where my email got hacked and everything just is gone. (its really soulcrushing to lose work like that). But yeah!! I got back into fanfic during 2020 and the pandemic because I had watched a movie and just decided to write for it. I don't recommend reading anything of that era because it's cringe and just... no.

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

SHOUT OUT TO MY FRIEND GHOST!!!! @localowlhousefanatic. THEIR WORK IS AWESOME AND THEY WRITE SOME AMAZING VEESHA STUFF. ALSO SHOUT OUT TO @witch128chick!!!

Can I give multiple fanfics I love though?? I can't add everyone due to time but I'll give a couple.

TOH:

1.) learning how to be (with you by my side) by uniqueusernamegenerator (<- THIS is my favorite toh fanfic) 2.) I’ll Catch You by Black_Cat_Autumn 3.) all i got is my heart (and my pride) 4.) warm coffee, summer blues by uniqueusernamegenerator 5.) "I love you," ain't that the worst thing you ever heard? by kfaerie 6.) The Rest is History by amityadmirer for Shannon_shannon_shannon 7.) No Tip Necessary by Rohad 8.) i want you to be here (but please don’t come near) by stongrays 9.) Tallmity and Petite Luz future au by the_Shan_yousee 10.) You're My Rainbow in the Dark (HAITUS) by Underw0rld

Arcane: 1.)the oldest game by thehaakun 2.) the heart is a bullet by thehaakun 3.) The World Ends, Or Doesn't by Misthios 4.) how big, how blue (how beautiful) by panglosian

🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

Story sprints are a godsend. Also plotting helps alongside voice memos. I don't really have someone to bounce ideas off of but it helps me to verbalize what I'm thinking if I'm stuck so sometimes I talk through what I'm thinking aloud. Also making playlists or mood boards/collages of character outfits. Just giving you a more visual aspect of what you want to write.

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

Just genuine praise of my work feels nice. I don't get comments often. Sometimes they give me anxiety too. Maybe if you have any pointers of my fic to say something like that??

🥐 ⇢ name one internet reference that will always make you laugh

FOG HORN SOUND EFFECT. SORRY BUT IT CRACKS ME UP.

[bookofmirth]

The thing I want to ask is not related to hofas because I haven't read any spoiler till now (THANK GOD). My question is about ACOTAR5.

I read the books a year ago so I've never been in the fandom when sjm released a book and I wonder if people already knew that the next book is for Nessian. Like she didn't just say it's for Nesta and we had to wait and see who is her love interest.

I have this fear that she only would say who's the next book is about and not mentioning any love interest. Cause I'm genuinely tired lmao

I know y'all been here longer than me and I can't imagine how you survived I already feel burned out and exhausted by this whole ship-war and I wished sjm would've made it clear long ago so anyone who might not enjoy an specific thing, just move on and never look back...

This fandom is the only one I've been in and I've seen people have blogs to hate on the series? Like you waist your time to read a whole series that you know you hate from early on and you kept reading and not only stop there but create an account to hate the series and shame others for liking it?

So yeah I love this series even tho it's so flawed but the characters talked to me and that's the only reason I love it and I love to talk about it with others but I always have to be cautious so I don't have someone to send me death threats and bullying me... (I was naive the first few months so it was the worst experience)

I'm so sorry you've had a bad experience right away 😭 People come to fandom because they loved something a lot, and the way the acotar fandom is, a lot of them do not give a shit and are ready to tell you why you're wrong and deserve horrible things because of it.

You just have to find your group of people and learn how to block the users and tags that are taking the joy away from you. It sucks that it has to be that way, but at least we have the tools to do so.

People did know that Nesta's book would be her and Cassian! I don't think anyone really ever questioned their ship since the bonus chapter in acomaf, though. Not the way they debate the three possibilities for acotar5. The blurb for acosf mentions Cassian by name, so I'd love to think that we will have such clarity for acotar5. It's not outside the realm of possibility, considering the fact that she said the following books focus on a romantic couple each, getting together. And normally, you know going into a romance exactly who is going to end up together.

If people could quit moving the goalposts, that would help a lot. I have a lot to say about that, but I am also tired haha. Suffice to say that people have been arguing against Az ever getting a book of his own for a reason, and if he is announced as the next MC, people who aren't in complete denial will know exactly what that means - even if his LI isn't mentioned.

[abloomingsunflower]

Unpopular opinions.. :,)

[TW!! Mentions of pedophilia, abuse and rape]

1- Honestly? I absolutely despise Crescent x Palette. This is the one thing I really hate about Crest, him showing romantic love towards a FUCKING MINOR- Otherwise he's a pretty great guy, but did he really have to catch feelings for Palette? He's freaking 25 for fucks sake.

"God did say, love is love.."

"And jail is jail."

I fucking ADORE Lux for saying that! <3 Though she is the villain in this story, she did the right thing for once and stood up against this. What in the world would possibly make pedophilia okay?!

The fact Palette reciprocates though..And even ended up dating him in another timeline.

I'm sorry, it's just- ew.. I'm glad he stops hanging out with Crescent but I hate the fact he still does like the priest. Crescent should honestly put his morals before his desires and get rid of his feelings for Palette.

I know I made this ship happen in the Good Ending of Sunflower AU, but it was only for lore purposes for this ending's future arc. Imagine it like a choice in a videogame, that leads to a certain route: Palette chooses Crescent, thus Arti becomes queen and ends up catching the Hanahaki disease, out of her love for Palette. And now Crescent has left too and she can't handle all the stress of being all by herself. And this is where Neon steps in to save Artemis.

Other than that, I absolutely hate this ship and it makes me super uncomfortable. Also one of the reasons why the Good Ending isn't canon.

I feel terrible for making it canon in the good ending but I need that future arc lore man- Or, yk, might change stuff. That seems like the better option.

2-Believe it or not, I actually started to like Killer.

She's portrayed pretty well, and her reactions to trauma seem very realistic to me.

I would react that way if I was tricked that my son was a monster that killed my other son. I would be in shambles mentally and always on guard if I experienced the same traumas Killer did.

While indeed, I don't find her mean comments pleasant, can I really blame her? She never asked to be put in this situation and she was already mentally unstable before Cor.Nightmare suddenly fell for her and forced his way into her.

She's trying to be a good mother to kids that remind her too much of her abuser. (-Merciless I guess.)

Like..damn. This woman has gone through a lot already, she deserves some peace and hope.

Hehe..get it?

:,)

3-Sometimes I wish Cross and Cor.Nightmare didn't do such huge fuck-ups.

I..honestly don't know what to think of them. I shouldn't like them. They've both done the most unforgiving stuff ever and I fucking hate them for that.

I feel bad for Cor.Nightmare due to what he endured in the past, he reminds me so much of Mateo from that Homesick webtoon. I just- have mixed feelings towards Corrupted. I HATE ITTTT..-

And Cross? If it weren't for the fact that he genuinely seems like that one uncle who's fucked up BADLY and was kicked out of the family but somewhat does regret everything he's done, and that in The Sunflower AU I ship him with Albedo/Wicked, he'd be dead to me-

I feel like a horrible person for SORT OF tolerating these two..UGHHH-

4- This isn't really an opinion, more like a question- I've always wondered, WHY is Lux so mad at Palette that she wants him dead? Like- what is going on, what did he do that did so much damage?

Passive definitely has part in this mess, that's for sure. And I know Palette was a bratty kid at the time who always spouted bad words unknowingly, because that's how small his brain was back then- Was the situation THAT bad..?- Like- Damn-

5-And finally, I want to express my genuine opinion on Drop's crush on Merciless..

WHO IS TEACHING HER THESE STUFF- Istfg if it is Goth encouraging her I won't be surprised- I am sending the nuclear bombs on that white-haired Karen-looking bitch

I am in my silly goofy mood right now and I feel like DESTROYING-

Someone, anyone, for the love of god, please, she's precious, but fucking get these stuff out of the 10 year old's brain-

Merciless, Ink, Dream, Hope, PALETTE, I am looking at you, tell her this is wrong- Don't let her become like her future self in E.L.A's good ending- Please- SOBS-

Anywho, yes I wish Drop didn't like Merciless romantically and try to get his attention like that..- But she's just a kid, maybe she'll learn in the Surprise Ending..-

E.L.A and all it's characters belong to @anotherrosesthatfell

I was in my silly goofy mood, Rose- I don't mean to insult, just pointing out some stuff I don't like in E.L.A. Other than these, I think the AU and characters are pretty well-written.

[raveneira]

Hi, I'm sorry in advance if my English is too bad. Can we talk about ksu? Because it seems so wrong and disgusting to me, this ship is just a sidekick for Borusara, which is created by their hatred of Sumire and hate her love Boruto

Nah your english is fine, atleast well enough for me to understand you.

But yea lets talk about Ksu, because its the most disigenuous ship of the entire new gen out done ONLY by KawaAda, which is purely out of hatred for Kawaki but we'll just talk about Ksu for now.

Ksu was seen coming a mile away as soon as it was revealed she would be his caretaker, hell just from the leaks dropping of that panel of her tending to him with Katasuke we already knew the agenda was gonna start, why? not because of the usual ppl shipping things as soon as theres interaction but because they saw a perfect opportunity to keep Kawaki and Sumire away from BoruSara, it worked out perfectly because they get to kill two birds with one stone, keep Sumire away from Boruto and Kawaki away from Sarada, and what better way to do that than to shove them together? it was so obvious.

Lemme tell you I watched in REAL TIME an instagram acc that made OCs of the new gens kids and one was an KawaHima child alongside BoruSara, but as SOON as that panel dropped all the content with the KawaHima kid disappeared and all of a sudden was replaced with a KawaSumi kid instead. It was so so obvious what the agenda was and I can tell you as an eye witness just how fake they all are when it comes to Kawaki ships that they try to pretend is 'genuine' when its really playing keep away.

I saw in real time ppl start shipping MitsuSumi to keep Sumire away from Boruto, but when their interactions became scarce and they saw Kawaki building somewhat of a bond with Hima they jumped ship to KawaHima instead to keep him away from Sarada, but when their relationship became heavily sibling like they got quiet but still lowkey pushed it until they saw that panel of Kawaki and Sumire and thats when they finally found the perfect keep away ship that gets rid of them both at the same time and they've been clingin to that ship with their lives ever since because for once FINALLY they found a keep away ship that has a decent amount of interactions to 'possibly' have a chance unlike the others.

But dont get it twisted because they dont have total faith in KawaSumi either, the reason being because they themselves know that when girls fall inlove in the Narutoverse they STAY inlove and dont move on, and because Sumire loves Boruto they know odds are she'll keep being an obstacle for BoruSara, thats where KawaAda comes in, because since Sumire isnt a 100% garuntee to keep Kawaki away their backup plan is Ada who actually DOES like him and isnt movin on anytime soon.

So on the 50/50 chance Sumire doesnt move on to Kawaki, they have Ada to fall back on atleast to remove Kawaki.

They have tried to lie about these facts whenever anyone called them out on it and claimed 'oh its not keep away ships we just can see the obvious endgame ships being set up unlike yall' and of course their usual deflection 'yall only ship KawaSara because you hate Boruto' which is really just projecting because they only ship KawaSumi/KawaAda because they hate Kawaki, some Sumire too, but they claim its the other way around to try to take the spotlight off of them because they KNOW their the ones really hate shipping.

Lets not forget how they play down Sumire's feelings as 'just a crush' but paint Sarada's as 'true love' even though only one of them have confirmed romantic feelings and it isnt Sarada, Sumire's love is described with the same kanji as Sakura's for Sasuke, and unless you gonna try and argue Sakura's feelings were also just a crush then your either in denial or just a complete dumbass.

People WANT her feelings to be just a crush because then they can push the agenda that she'll move on like Ino, who was the only girl who actually only had a crush on Sasuke and not actual love and had feelings for another guy as well. However ALL the girls who loved ONE guy and ONLY one guy and were NEVER shown to have feelings or interest in anyone else all stayed devoted to the ONE man they loved whether their feelings were returned or not or even if they died, they STAYED inlove with that one man and one man only.

This is why they need to deny Sumire's feelings so hard because its the only way to keep their ship safe, because acknowledging her feelings are genuine and real means she's never movin on which is what they want and what they NEED to feel secure in their shit ship that they fear to death of having any competition because despite being 5+ years, 200+ episodes, and 85+ chapters in they STILL havent gotten ANY confirmation of romantic feelings on either side and that scared tf outta them.

Meanwhile Sumire's feelings are crystal clear and reinforced multiple times to everyone who matters, Sarada, Kawaki, Katasuke, and Amado, all people a part of Boruto and Kawaki's inner circle. The fact that Sarada and Kawaki knows this really gets under their skin because that adds less of a possibility of either of them making a move, Kawaki doesnt care one way or another but even if there were a chance he'd consider it Sumire already killed it before it even had a chance to start which from then on made Kawaki not even think of it because he knows she likes Boruto, it'd be pointless to even look at her that way since he knows she'll never want him anyway and is literally only around him just to hear more about Boruto anyway which is an even bigger turn off from the idea, not that he ever considered it in the first place, but if he WERE to possibly consider it she nipped it in the bud before it could even happen by admitting to him right away that she liked Boruto.

As for Sarada shes even LESS likely to make any moves because Sumire is her friend, she came to her as a friend and asked her how she felt about Boruto and Sarada told her she didnt like him that way which is when Sumire felt comfortable telling Sarada about her feelings then since she wasnt a threat, so how grimey would it be for Sarada to be revealed to have lied when Sumire was trying to be open and honest with her as a friend, Sarada lies to her while secretly liking Boruto behind her back, and even worse, she continues getting closer and closer to him right infront of her face? and now even hugging him infront of her knowing how much shes loved and missed Boruto too? it'd be just like Kishimoto said about Sakura in the Pain arc, that if she suddenly fell for Naruto now after he became the hero of the village she'd look like a terrible woman.

Well the same applies to Sarada, for her to have lied and pretended not to like Boruto all this time after Sumire trusted her to of told her the truth, only to then stab her in the back by still getting closer and closer to him and then rubbing it in her face hugging him infront of her and being hugged back, and to add extra salt to the wound SHES the only one who gets credit for saving and remembering him because Boruto never knew Sumire was unaffected and on his side too, is nothing short of scummy.

Im not saying the hug is romantic or that Sumire is petty enough to be upset over a friend hugging her friend she aint seen in 3 years, Im talking about the PERCEPTION of it. Like Sakura could very well have moved on to Naruto after the Pain arc, especially with the events that happened at the 5 kage summit it would've been more than justified for her to give up on Sasuke and love the guy thats always been there for her since day one and loved her sincerely, but the PERCEPTION looks terrible because like I said she only loved him after he became a hero and then to make matters worse she completely gave up on Sasuke who she swore to help save and to have loved sincerely yet now she moves onto Naruto just cuz hes nice to her and Sasuke isnt, and the biggest issue being she KNOWS Hinata is inlove with Naruto since day one, thats her friend, so it would be beyond despicable for her to just step on Hinata and only think about herself.

Well the same applies to Sarada here, there isnt anything inherently wrong with her liking Boruto and trying to be with him despite Sumire also liking him but its the HOW thats grimey. If Sarada was upfront with Sumire when she asked and said yea I like Boruto and then Sumire was like ok well I like him too so lets both do our best and no hard feelings, then it wouldnt be an issue cuz their both on the same page and support eachother.

But that is not what happened, what happened is, lets for arguments sake say Sarada does love him, then she blatantly lied to Sumire and never told her the truth after learning how she felt, she kept her feelings secret from her which alone is foul play, but she doesnt even try to help or support Sumire in her feelings for him which yea she isnt obligated to do but again her keeping her feelings secret and then not even supporting Sumire just looks hella grimey like she doesnt want them to get closer and is glad shes the one who gets to spend the most time with him having the advantage over her.

To make it even uglier all their interactions up till that point take on a whole new shady meaning if you look at it with the assumption that Sarada loves him and lied to Sumire about it. Her running off to save Boruto because she 'cant stand back and do nothing' comes off like a sly jab at Sumire for being logical and staying behind, like 'you dont care for him like I do'.

Another scene that has an ugly meaning now is when she asks her dad to save Boruto, she takes in ALL this info from Sumire and yet doesnt relay any of it to Sasuke or mentions Sumire to him, she makes it seem as if this is all her figuring out and that he should 'just trust her' and save him, it literally wouldnt have taken up any extra time for her to say that Sumire thinks Ada caused some huge mass brainwashing to make Boruto everyones target instead of Kawaki, but now it just looks like she wanted all the credit for herself and purposefully left Sumire out.

Then comes the timeskip and its revealed that Sarada has just been bitching at Shikamaru and co for these past 3 years straight, 'fighting' for Borutos innocence and even comparing herself to Naruto who she couldnt be further from btw, the audacity to even compare her and Boruto with the Naruto and Sasuke situation is laughable. But whats ugly about this is that she's acting like 'ugh why wont anyone believe me?' and Sumire is just forced to be the level headed one and supress her feelings because Sarada can only think to talk about hers, so far we only see Sumire reaching out to HER more so than Sarada consulting her about anything.

Sumire is the one who plays along with Ada when Sarada nearly blows their cover being so insistent, and Sumire is the one who questions Amado to guage just how much he knows and reports to Sarada what she learned, but you dont see that same teamwork given back from Sarada.

Again none of this is inherently bad on its own, but if your gonna argue Sarada has been inlove with Boruto this whole time and has been lying to Sumire about it, then it makes all these scenes ugly because Sumire trusts her entirely and has been open and honest with her while Sarada has been deceitful. Sumire has been fighting just as hard for Boruto in her own way but from the looks of it only Sarada is gonna get credit for it given how Shikamaru overheard what Amado said and is probably thinking about how Sarada has been saying the same for 3 years straight.

That is just plain shitty and unfair to Sumire's character and all her efforts over the years as well, just because she remained calm and level headed doesnt mean she didnt care about Boruto just as much, and it danm sure doesnt mean she shouldnt get credit just because she hasnt been pointlessly screaming the same things over and over for 3 years straight and instead opted to do something productive instead, yet the only one who will get any credit for Boruto starting to be believed is gonna be Sarada, the same way only Sarada got thanked for saving his life even though she never would've budged if not for Sumire pushing her to act.

But thankfully Sarada isnt that kind of grimey character so none of that ugliness applies to her, so like I said, Sarada knowing about Sumire's feelings makes Sarada even MORE unlikely to consider a relationship because thats her friend who trusted her to be telling the truth, so how grimey would it be for her to still make moves knowing how Sumire feels? Sarada is a good person like her mother, she would NEVER see her friend truly inlove with someone and pursue them anyway behind their back, thats just not who they are.

This is why Kawaki and Sarada knowing Sumire's feelings scares them to death because they know that makes it less likely for them to stand in her way, Kawaki has 0 self worth already so theres no way he would try to snag a girl from his brother when he doesnt even feel he deserves love in the first place and places Boruto on a way higher pedastal than himself so he'd never try to interfere in his romance. Sarada is good friends with Sumire so she'd never lie and go behind her back knowing how she feels about Boruto, Sarada would sooner sacrifice her own feelings than to hurt Sumire like that when she sees how much she truly loves him.

The part that scares them the most about this is that Kawaki doesnt have this same knowledge about Sarada, unlike Sumire who he does know likes Boruto, Kawaki has never noticed any signs of Sarada liking him so from his perspective the two of them are just friends/teammates, which is a huge problem for KawaSara antis because theres nothing holding them back from developing romantic feelings for eachother like there is for Sumire. From Kawaki's perspective Sarada doesnt have anyone she likes, so theres no reason for him to stop himself from falling for her, same way from Sarada's perspective Kawaki doesnt have anyone he likes either, so theres no reason for her to hold back developing feelings for him either. That fact scares them more than you'll ever know cuz they'll never say it but they dont have to, their actions and arguments speak for themselves.

This applies to Boruto too btw, because by him not knowing anyone elses feelings and having no confirmed feelings of his own yet, that leaves him open for anyone atp, as long as hes unaware of anyones feelings then theres nothing holding him back from falling for either girl or someone else entirely.

This is why they NEED Sumire to move on, its the only way they can truly feel safe from any threat she could possibly pose, especially since after chapter 5 Boruto is finally about to find out Sumire is unaffected too and theres no telling how their reunions gonna go which probably has them on edge too not knowing how Boruto is going to react to knowing shes been on his side too all this time.

What scared them even more is that we still dont know how her relationship with Kawaki is atp, they were hoping that Sumire 'pretended' to like Kawaki all this time to keep them being unaffected a secret, but once it was revealed Sarada and Sumire did NOT keep their cover now their just hoping that the two of them got closer over the years as shes been taking care of him this whole time even tho Kawaki only sees her at the lab for a quick routine checkup and then leaves immediately because he cant stand Amado, Sumire never once has gone after or approach Kawaki outside of the lab so why would that change now? especially knowing what hes done to Boruto? but they NEED that to be the case so they can continue to push the 'Kawaki treats her better than any other girl' agenda and that they had positive 'development' while KawaSara's is negative and that Boruto and Sumire dont interact enough for there to really be a bond, even though NH only had 38 pages of interaction, SaiIno only had 2 interactions/moments in the entire manga, and ChoKarui had 0, this is the most laziest and desperate argument they use against BoruSumi as if ships havent happened with far less in this series, now all of a sudden Boruto has 'standards' and only goes with the ships with the most interactions rather than the ships with actual romantic development and confirmation.

BoruSara and KawaSumi are blatantly and completely platonic, there is nothing romantic from either side for either ship, period, ship bait scenes like Sumire, Ada, and Mitsuki asking Sarada how she feels about Boruto is not confirmation if she seriously denies it or doesnt respond at all, its not the same as Kawaki asking Sumire how she feels about Boruto and Sumire confirming she infact does, there is absolutely NO reason for Sarada to be asked 3 times and not a single one does she admit that yea she likes him. It doesnt matter if her and Sumire are both confirmed to like Boruto because its still up to Boruto in the end who he chooses, it doesnt ruin the suspense because the same was done with Sakura and Karin and NOTHING changed because it was up to SASUKE who he chose to be with in the end. So there is literally NO excuse for why Sarada's feelings havent been confirmed in 85+ chapters yet UNLESS she just doesnt have feelings for him, point blank.

So yea bottom like KawaSumi is a disgusting pathetic excuse for a keep away ship that thrives purely off headcanon rather than actual canon material. Just because she's his caretaker doesnt mean shes gonna develop feelings for him, nor that the two are gonna develop a bond, their relationship is purely business as Kawaki stated himself that he doesnt care how she feels as long as she does her job and refers to her as Katasuke's assistant. People make a big deal about him being the only one to call her by name despite it literally making no sense for him to call her anything else because she was never his class rep, so its stupid to even use that as some sort of proof of closeness or whatever.

Im not acknowledging those terrible contradicting Ksu episodes because they completely contradict the manga entirely and its been more than proven atp that not everything in the anime is canon despite the lie that was told in the beginning, just take Sarada being a chunin with 2 tomoe for example while shes a genin with 3 tomoe in the manga since the Boro fight and now an MS. The fact that Ikemoto kept up with the anime every week yet only ever acknowledged Sumire and the mist arc says all you need to know about these so called 'anime canon' episodes.

There was a whole Mitsuki arc about Boruto and Sarada finding out he was a clone while in the manga Mitsuki just made an comment on it to Katasuke and thats how Boruto and Sarada found out, same goes for Kawaki being made an official genin and gone on several missions while in the manga Kawaki never became an official ninja, there are so many instances where the anime blatantly contradicts the manga that theres no way you can consider them both canon in its entirety.

If Ikemoto wanted to reference anything from the anime he would have like his did Sumire and the mist arc, and yet theres been radio silence for anything anime only related since then unless you wanna count Code's hair being red and Mugino getting more development in the anime so his death would have more weight, neither of which was any groundbreaking inclusions, not even getting more context on how Ao survived really mattered because the guy literally dies in the exact same arc hes revealed to be alive in so who gives af? why did we need context for him and some rando Mugino only introduced to die in that very same arc? what did we gain from that? nothing. The 'How you use it' lesson was already being taught through Katasuke and co, Ao was not needed for that lesson to be learned and if he was removed nothing would change, and Mugino in both the anime and manga really had no substantial impact other than some temporary sad feels and then moved on like he never existed, him having added 'depth' when he was doomed to die early on and forgotten was a complete and utter waste of time that again if you removed him nothing would change because nothing really came from his death or his inclusion.

So yea I dont count the entire anime as canon because theres way too many contradictions, and even the few things they expand on doesnt really add much or was pointless anyway because it leads to nothing, its all in the moment and then forgotten about, its nothing like the land of waves arc with Zabuza and Haku who had a long term substantial impact on both the story and team 7, Ao was forgettable and pointless whose death had no meaning, same for Mugino, and Shojoji, all forgettable pointless villains from mediocre arcs with minimal to no substantial impact on any of the characters or story, the most you can argue Shojoji did was foreshadow Kara, which didnt need him anyway since we were shown Kara having a conversation anyway, that was the forshadowing right there. What did we really need the Mujina bandits for? just for Boruto to have a pitiful Naruto and Konohamaru rip off? which btw the whole thing with Tento also was completely pointless because best believe he is NEVER appearing in the story again.

I could go on and on but you get the point, the anime is a clown show 99% of the time so I dont take half these arcs seriously and I danm sure dont take those Ksu episodes seriously either because they contradict EVERYTHING that happened in the manga.

Naruto was the first person to care about and vouch for Kawaki, not Sumire, nor did he need anyone to 'beg' and 'convince' him to have mercy on him

Naruto was the first person to greet Kawaki when he was brought back to the village and assured him that he was safe, not Kawaki waking up alone in a locked room with his hands binded and being knocked out with gas when he tried to escape, he also wasnt shot with fire multiple times by the police force or nearly had his arm bit off by Nue who till this day has YET to make a single appearance in the manga but sure go off SP

Naruto [and Kurama] was the ones who opened up and related to Kawaki about Narutos past and compared Kawaki to Naruto, not Sumire with her 'Hes just like me' bs that couldnt be further from the truth and never once been stated in the manga

Kawaki's fear of needles was showcased when he ACTUALLY first interacted with Sumire at the hospital where he rejected it, he does not get over that fear until much later after the Isshiki fight and much development with Naruto and team 7, but in the anime Kawaki gets over his fear of needles the same episode he rejects it

In the manga Boruto was pissed at Kawaki because he broke Himas vase accidentally when trying to escape, in the anime Boruto is pissed at him because he attacked Sumire and then stupidly changed Kawaki breaking the vase from being accidental while trying to escape, to being him just lashing out and smashing the table cuz Boruto pissed him off. All cuz they didnt allow Naruto to assert dominance to get Kawaki to stop running away and instead just made Boruto needlessly hostile towards Kawaki over Sumire [which again never happened in the manga] and then Kawaki breaking the vase cuz he just lashed out in anger rather than him trying to escape like in the manga.

Nobody else besides KawaSumi shippers acknowledges those episodes for obvious reasons, but the hilarious part about it is that SP realized they fked up when they saw the manga didnt support anything they set up and went a completely opposite direction so they just pretended those episodes didnt even exist and never happened and didnt let them interact again until they began adapting actual manga content again, which is hilarious because I cant tell you how many Ksu fans were hypin up how Sumire and Kawaki were gonna have way more development and that this or that arc was gonna include her etc and nothing happened lol

These are just a handful of their foolishness but you get the point, none of this came to fruition like they thought it would and yet they were all so cocky and calling other fandoms with sense enough to see their relationship was never gonna be anything more than caretaker and patient ended up getting slapped in the face.

That stupid ending of Kawaki and Sumire standing near bamboo lead to nothing, it was just random shots like one of the replies said because believe it or not, not every anime opening/ending is symbolic of anything canon or gonna happen, just look at that one ice monster opening with the sand trio that NEVER happened. Some openings/endings really are just visuals and have no other meaning beyond that, the bamboo thing was one prime example of that.

People clung to that bamboo symbolism with their lives because of her name forgetting her name isnt even really Kakei, she changed it to go undercover to attack the leaf, her real name is Shigaraki which essentially means death but you'll never see them acknowledge that fact cuz it pokes a hole in their whole ridiculous theory

Like they are actually deadass about the name thing even though its never a canon thing thats brought up anywhere. Sumire's primary symbolism is the flower shes named after, violet, which in hanakotoba means 'sincerity' which is a clear reference to her character and her love for Boruto as being 'sincere', blowing their whole 'its just a crush' argument out of the water.

Then theres the ridiculousness of making the connection between Kawaki's name meaning dry and Sumires surname meaning bamboo shoot like whats used to carry water which is just...just so stupid for so many reasons because again, the connection between Sumire and bamboo is never even addressed in any canon material, not only that but if they want to make the connection then they need to not half step and tell the whole true about the ACTUAL symbolism of bamboo.

Long story short, literally the meaning of her name they cling to so much is about SUMIRE'S character, nothing to do with Kawaki, even its connection to Kaguya-hime is a reference to Sumire's Gozu tennou and Nue being connected to Kaguya. The bamboo is symbolic of strength, simplicity and prosperity all of which apply to Sumire's character, it also meaning loyalty and steadfastness is even more reference to her character and feelings for Boruto, she is loyal and steadfast, she is strong and not easily moved no matter the situation and is able to stay calm and firm like the bamboo root during an earthquake.

It also being symbolic of purity and innocence goes along with her first name meaning sincerity, Sumire is a pure and sincere person, as are her feelings for Boruto.

So if we gonna use name symbolism as evidence then lets use ALL of it not just the surface level bs like 'her name means bamboo shoot which holds water and Kawakis name means dry so that means Sumire is gonna be the water he needs to heal his heart' yatta yatta yatta nonsense.

They try to make everything about Sumire some hidden connection to Kawaki which literally no other fandoms do but Ksu and Bsa for obvious reasons. These people wont even let Sumire be her own character even down to her name which as I've pointed out, has nothing to do with Kawaki but everything to do with Sumire herself as a character. Even her job they said was for Kawaki rather than her own ambition/goal for herself, they tried to make it about her being there for Kawaki only for it to be revealed its cuz shes suspicious of Amado and wants to hear more about Boruto, but then they even tried to twist that and say she wasnt concerned about Boruto at all and just Kawaki, but then when she says herself that shes worried about them both they defaulted back to she'll move on from Boruto as she gets closer to Kawaki and that Kawaki is jealous of Sumire's feelings for Boruto which...was yet another stupid agenda of theirs they tried to push. Everything she does at the science department is for Kawaki, and her suspicion and fear of Amado is for Kawaki, shes not a scientist because of her own goals and ambitions, and shes not suspicious and confronting Amado because hes a threat to her village and clearly up to no good, no its all about Kawaki.

They want her to be Kawaki centric the same way they want Sarada to be Boruto centric, only unfortunately Sarada is being turned into just that but thankfully Sumire hasnt been reduced to that as of yet and has her priorities in the right place and zero interest in Kawaki. Even in the recent chapter shes asking Amado about Boruto trying to see if he's still Amados target and is shocked when he confesses that he knows somethings up with his memories and have set his sights back on Kawaki who is his real target. Her immediate response was to go tell Sarada that Amado is not another person who sees through omnipotence, not to go warn Kawaki that Amado is now plotting on him again and to be careful. No, her primary focus is on reporting to Sarada that Amado knows somethings up and is no longer targeting Boruto.

I dunno how clearer it needs to be made that Sumire does NOT give af about Kawaki like that and vice versa, Sumire treats Kawaki no different than she would anyone else, and Kawaki treats her no different than he treats Katasuke, shes just doing her job, no more no less.

Sorry for the long rant and tbh even with this being as long as it is I STILL have more I could say about this shit ship that its fans have the audacity to say KawaSara is dead yet KawaSumi isnt which is beyond hilarious when the girl cant even stop sweating and staring at Kawaki in fear ever since she learned he killed Boruto and hasnt thought about him at all since is laughable that ANY of them fit their mouths to call anyones ship dead when their ship dont even talk outside of occassional short lab visits, but these same ppl wanna talk about other ships lacking meaningful interactions. Gtf outta here man.

Anyway just wanna put it out here now to not go look for or harrass any of the ppl in these screenshots cuz that was not the point of me showing em, I only showed them to back up my claims about alot of the bs thats been said in defense of the ship, I do not condone harassing or going after ppl so I ask that everybody chill and leave them be.

These kinds of ppl cant be reasoned with anyway, they've really convinced themselves to believe their own delusions and are determined to stay there even when all canon signs says otherwise so its pointless to even engage anyway, let them stay deluded and let them keep talkin because thats exactly what NS and SK did and we all know what happened to them so theres no need for yall to argue with these ppl anyway, karma will strike in due time, just gotta be patient.

But yea those are my thoughts on Ksu, hopefully this wasnt too long of a read for you lol sorry.

[cloudbells]

How about 7, 8, and 16 for the grievances ask game?

Thank you for the ask! The game is here!

7) Without naming names what's something you've come across in a fic that made you genuinely uncomfortable/angry.

I happen to have a few answers to this, but I'll just list the first one that came to mind! Gonna be as vague as possible.

There was this one poly fic that I loooooovvvvveeeeeeeedddddd reading. Like when I say I was seated everyday, for every available hour, reading this fic. I MEAN it. Steve was the addition to the ship, I won't say the other two because it's a bit more identifiable. Anyways, the ship was great, the development of the characters was enjoyable and included some interesting headcanons for the other two in the ship that I haven't considered. And it seemed like the author was spending a certain amount of chapters per character to explore their psyche a bit more, yeah? So I was sitting around and waiting for Steve's turn.

When I tell you, I got a migraine from the amount of anger and frustration I experienced when we finally got to Steve's section. Like I'm getting a headache right now as I'm typing this because it irritates me so bad. They dropped the fucking ball SO hard, there's probably a new ground zero directly below their keyboard or something. I can't say exactly what happened because I think it might be too on the nose, but let's just say it has to do with Bucky. God, I was so angry. I still have them muted on ao3 to this day😭I had such a strong emotional reaction because I LOVED the fic and I ADORED the pairing so much! It's not super common of me to be all in like that. I learned my lesson! If you wanna know what it was, feel free to DM me though - I wish I could give more details, but I just don't wanna put anyone on blast in public.

Despite all this, I still finished the fic though. #NOTAQUITTER

The amount of Steve poly fics that have caused me to almost burst a blood vessel is about 3, but that's 3 too many. I'm fragile.

8) What kind of content tends to cross your dash that you dislike the most?

This happens a lot more on my main, but I do not care about antishippers as much as everyone else seems to. I just genuinely cannot muster up any kind of genuine upsetness that other people on my side of the fandom has. And I admit, I do get annoyed seeing people go blue in the face cause someone said a ship or kink or trope is nasty or whatever - I don't care! But I don't talk about it much because I don't want to hurt people's feelings who do care. I recognize that insults and shaming like that slides right off of me in a way it doesn't other people and well, I don't like to speak on things I can't sympathize with. It would be way too easy for my tone to come off as mean and I don't want that!

16) Name a canonical aspect of [insert 2 or more characters]'s relationship that you think is problematic/not mentioned enough.

I don't know who to talk about hm. I keep coming back to this question and for some reason I'm drawing a blank?? Trying to think about things I haven't complained about before. Damn, I talk too much LMAO.

I mean, I mentioned the thing about Tony and Pepper on discord before, but I don't consider it bad. In fact, I like this aspect of their relationship (I am a Pepperony shipper :>). But the way people get mad at Pepper for...whatever they get mad at Pepper for when the amount of stress she's put through in that relationship, specifically IM3 is ridiculous. Now, I like IM3. I know a lot of people hate it, but I like it for various reasons. And I have to say, I genuinely would not have blamed her if she noped out the second Tony told a terrorist coming to kill him where they lived 😭But she's a resilient woman and stuck beside her man iktr!

The answer I gave this feels lackluster so feel free to trade in another or choose a specific ship. Sorry!! <3

[lestappenforever]

Hello gorgeous! It’s timefor my brainrots:

So, you probably don’t know that, but here in Brazil most of f1 fans HATE max. Interlagos is a nice race but the environment is so TOXIC for Max and his fans, mostly because of Hamilton’s fanbase. Charles’ fans around here started to spread hate towards max too and they blatantly lie about Max and Charles’ relationship. They refuse to believe that max is a good person who doesn’t have a real heat with anyone on the grid (including Hamilton, Russell and ocon). They assume Charles despise max because he’s such a “despicable” man, awful driver and so on. I’m glad that he’ll clinch the title before my home race, I can’t stand the booing, the swearing, it’s so saddening.

More lap dance fics should be written in ao3, just read a carlando one and 🫣🫣🫣 really fucking good.

I’ve made an orange money piece in my hair. My best friend, fiancé and a few friends loved it, so I grew fond of it too. Pic to illustrate at the bottom 🫡

Anyways, I’ve caught a nasty cold and I’m annoyed because I keep sneezing. It’s so hot in here and that’s fucking annoying too. I’m on my pms so EVERYTHING IS ANNOYING!!! I want burgers.

Hope you have a nice day, I love you and you’re so special 🖤🖤

My goth girl look 🫣

Beautiful Evie, my love, my light, my universe. ❤️

I'm unfortunately aware of the hate Max tends to receive in Brazil, and I just find the whole thing so sad. It's so tragic that other drivers' fanbases can possess and express that amount of hate towards aother driver. But there seems to be a consensus among every Max hater out there, no matter who their favorite driver is, that they will do whatever they can to paint him as a bad guy even if they have no legitimate reason to believe that he is. It's especially bad with Charles fans and Max haters, because Lestappen is such a massively popular ship in the F1 fandom, and that part of the fandom are just desperate to create a narrative that doesn't exist in a desperate attempt to put distance between their favorite driver and their favorite driver to hate.

I just find the whole thing so sad, because what kind of life do you lead if you're that obsessed with trying to convince yourself and others that two people who clearly like each other, who genuinely respect and admire each other, actually can't stand each other? It's just really sad to watch, and kind of pathetic, if I'm being honest.

I agree with the lapdance fics, because there aren't nearly enough of them out there.

And Evie. Babe. Love of my life. Your hair (and you) looks absolutely beautiful! The color suits you so well, and you look stunning. 💕

I'm so sorry to hear about your cold, and that it crashes with your PMS. That and the heat is just a terrible combination. I hope you recover quickly and feel much better soon!

I love you, you're wonderful, and I hope you'll have a lovely weekend. 🤍

[archaic-grey]

an apology? kind of?

okay . wow. so! i recently made a post asking why a lot of jasico shippers were adults and it kind of . blew up in my face. a bit. and a lot of people made some very good points!! so i am going to address all of it cause i'd feel bad just. ignoring it? and also to explain a bit of my internal thoughts relating to . all of it. just for more clarity.

so. i think the biggest issue people had with what i was saying was that i was uncomfortable with adults shipping minor characters. that has not changed. that is still something that is a bit weird to me. however, that wasn't me trying to outright imply they were pedos????? that is. a very serious accusation and not something i would throw around lightly, especially in this context. like. i get why you would think that. but that was in no way what i was trying to say there. its just something that is weird to me. & im sorry that i wasn't clear enough while expressing that.

i am a minor, which is probably evident by now, and adults in fandom spaces are FINE. i will always support their right to interact with the fans of medias they enjoy. while i personally don't really feel comfortable with them interacting with me, esp in the context of shipping, i am fine with their existence. they can do whatever they want within reason obviously.

also, my intent with my original post was in NO WAY to start discourse or arguments or make anyone feel attacked or uncomfortable. it was just a phenomenon i had noticed and wanted to make like . a bit of a joke about. i seriously did not expect this many people to see it & react the way they did. however i get why you all got defensive, i would have felt the same if i was in your place.

some people seemed almost confused as to why i thought all jasico shippers were adults. um . again that phrasing was mostly a joke. but clearly i do not interact with you guys that much & most of the jasico shippers i have interacted with have been adults . so yk. i generalized you guys a bit. which was entirely my fault & has to do with my own flaws and issues that i am working on. and i am sorry !!!!!!!

to continue on with how my own flaws & issues have impacted this whole . situation: i like having reasons for things. i like it when people can explain their reasoning behind things and i like to be able to explain why i feel a certain way or had a certain opinion so like . idk i guess part of why i cant let myself just not like jasico is because of that. cause nothing is Wrong with jasico. and i know that, so i don't understand why i don't like it??? so like . im trying to find reasons and stuff to explain it to myself and others. if that makes sense??? its like . a really shitty explanation but i am genuinely sorry that my own issues resulted in this whole mess.

anyways . hope that sufficiently gave a bit of explanation for this whole thing? i would like to politely ask that anyone who wishes to continue discussing this either send me an ask or pm me, i don't really want to start any more drama or anything in my reblogs haha.

and once again, i'm really sorry. i'll be deleting my original posts in a couple hours just because this is stressing me out a bit & i don't want them to continue to be a breeding ground for discourse.

thank you all!

(will be tagging everyone who has reblogged or commented here just so they can see this. apologies if you are uncomfortable with being tagged in discourse.)

@paddooo @i-am-triple-a @elvirie @evergardenwall @iamonlyatiger @via-rant @my-apollo-gies (love your username btw) @hammyletto @seulgishaku @jinxed-lemon @decemebercircus @yonemurishiroku

[witchthewriter]

tag game: stranger things edition

Thank you @maniac-maniac-maniac for tagging me!

Btw anyone can play if they want to! Don't feel like you have to wait to be tagged 🦋

Ride or die ship (your otp)

I- I don't really have one... I don't like Mike and El; she's on another level. I think I have to ship a couple, it would be Argle and Jonathan?? Or Robin and Vickie. Oh! Robin and Nancy!

Most annoying ship

Mike and El... I hate how she feels as if she isn't good enough for him while she is literally the main character? And I can't have El being insecure because my girl is BITCHIN' 👏👏👏

Second favourite ship

Me and Eddie <3 <;3 <3

Favourite platonic relationship

STEVE AND ROBIN! They are platonic SOULMATES! Absolutely amazing chemistry by the actors.

Underrated ship

Joyce and Jim; they were already Mother ™ and Father ™ even before going on their date at Enzos.

Overrated ship

Mike and El, AND Steve and Nancy. I mean I do like the trope of Female Character Has Big Ambitions with Boyfriend Who Has None. But Steve and Nancy are too dissimilar. As well as Nancy and Jonathan - there is no chemistry there.

One thing I would change in canon

Eddie's death duh.

Something canon did right

... Introduce Eddie, I'm SORRY I'm being annoying but c'mon he is the best thing about the goddamn show. It was boring for me before.

A thing i'm proud of creating for the fandom PLEASE BRAG ABOUT YOURSELF I WANT TO SEE/READ YOUR ART

It's so old, but my Vampire!Eddie Boyfriend headcanons. Looking back it could do with a lot of editing, but the idea that Eddie was actually turned into a vampire because of the bat bites was brilliant (credit to whoever came up with that first).

A character who is perfect to me (wouldn't change a thing)

I got TWO, season 1-3 Hopper, because I really loved his whole punch first ask questions later. And his weight, I loved his weight. I think his weightloss in season 4 wasn't just for Stranger Things, I think he genuinely wanted to be skinnier. Which ... I mean his body his rules, but I loved him more when he was heavier tbh.

And OBVIOUSLY EDDIE. HOW DID THEY COME UP WITH THE PERFECT CHARACTER?! They could have made him a one, maybe even two sided drug dealer who couldn't graduate high school. But no, he has so much heart and SOFTNESS. I actually fell in love with him after the cafeteria scene, when he was with Chrissy. He just became this caring, open, kind guy who also had a LUNCHBOX full of fcking DRUGS.

The character I relate to the most and why

You already hate me by now because I've spoken about Eddie so much, but yeah ... Eddie. It's one of the reasons why he's so well-loved. The outsider, the one everyone thinks is weird - I think all can relate on one level or another. Especially growing up ... not so well off. Seeing Eddie live in a trailer but he's still so popular; it gives a lot of gratification (if that's the right word?)

Character(-s) I hate the most and why

Mr Wheeler - he is literally such a shITTY DAD. WTF. In his daily life he doesn't care about his family, or show any interest in them.

STEVE'S PARENTS - WHERE ARE THEY? WHAT ARE THEY DOING? I mean they could be travelling for work but that's still neglect.

Billy - if he wasn't a good looking character no one would like him. In the original script he was actually supposed to called Lucas the n-word because he's racist. And in the scenes with Lucas, there are underlying motifs that show his racism. So, yeah, I hate racists.

Martin Brenner aka Papa. Motherf*cking asshole.

Something I've learned from the fandom

Um... that the majority of us really love big-haired, soft-hearted, drug dealers? I mean okay, I don't really get into fandoms anymore because of bad past experiences. I guess what I've learnt then, is that everyone has their own opinion - doesn't mean yours is wrong or any less valid.

Three tags i seek out on ao3

I don't go on Ao3 a lot, but Hopper, basically just Hopper omg ahahha. Or soulmate AU.

A song I strongly associate with my otp/favourite character

I gots no songs I associate with my otp but I do for Eddie - The Sails of Chiron by Scorpions. It's a bit of rock but also ... really sensual?? I found it because Eddie made me fall in love with 80s heavy rock.

No pressure tagging: @sardonic-the-writer.

[aqua-dan]

I’m sorry for like constantly filling up your inbox with question but I’ve figured out what Roy and Garth’s little misunderstandings were so you don’t have to answer that ask.

I also would like to admit that I think that I’m kind of a Roy.

Bare with me…

I often trash on my friends at any given opportunity. Any opening for a snide remark, any mean comment I could possibly think of in two seconds. If it’s clever and witty then I’ll squeeze it in and for any other person what I’m doing is seen as mean and for a while… they also considered me as rude.

I never really realized that I was actually overstepping someone’s boundaries. This is more geared to one specific person and I felt like really bad about it… because… the whole reason I was being like that in the first place is because I like them and I want to be close to them…

Like I considered them different from everyone else - I felt like I related to them and I felt like they could understand me - like they could understand the worst parts of me and if they over time got conditioned to being around me even when I’m like that then they could be the type of person who I can show all my ugly to as well.

It’s like weird - I don’t know how to describe it. In my head I seriously think that what I’m doing is like extremely and so obviously affectionate and caring. It’s like me insulting them is actually the most hilarious thing in the world because me thinking low of them would be the biggest joke to end all jokes… because I don’t think low of them - I really like them and I thought that was obvious.

I guess it’s easier to show that in a special little game made for them then it is to do it in a normal way because if I do that I’ll be showing my ass because if I was affectionate in a normal way and they didn’t like me then it’d kind of crush me and if I do it this way and they still like me than perhaps it’s mutual.

God, to think when they communicated to me that they didn’t think we were close enough for that then I felt like a damn idiot because I felt closer to them than literally anyone else. :(

It’s very twisted but my POINT is that lowkey Roy probably really likes Garth if my situation at all resembles that.

Ah, classic preschool bs, if he’s mean to you for no reason than it means he likes you but it is very true.

I think that people don’t understand RoyGarth because they refuse to see the implications. It’s not a bad or confusing ship at all. It’s misunderstandings and if they truly hated each other’s guts its not like that will ever effectively take away from the quality of the ship.

What Roy does for Garth is almost inherently affectionate and almost romantic seen through the right lenses.

Sorry for the tangent. This isn’t me venting AT ALL by the way - I’m just trying to connect Roy’s behavior to something and I know myself better than anyone so!

Hey! No worries, anon! I actually LOVE getting asks, and I'm always super appreciative for every one I get! I'm sorry also that I'm so slow to answer them. I get so nervous answering things sometimes because I don't want to say the wrong thing. I've been known to go and re-read whole series just in case so I can give the best response I can. But that does mean that sometimes asks sit around for a bit... oops. This ain't about me though, so!

Thank you genuinely for sending this! I think it's a really interesting take on this whole thing from someone who has clearly analyzed their own actions/feelings, and gives us a perspective that we may not otherwise see.

I do think it's really intriguing, both in real life and in fiction, how differently two people can view something and how actions can be interpreted/misinterpreted.

Again, thank you for being willing to share this! (And as a side note, I still am planning on answering your other ask anyway, but maybe as a comprehensive look at Roy and Garth's interactions)

[m00dysunflower]

Testimone di Gangster vs Purple Haze Feedback

Just came fresh off of reading the new Squatizi light novel (which I LOVED) and decided to ruminate on why I loved one and hated the other so much.

I want to preface that if anyone is nasty in replies or tags about my views and opinions of PHF, I'll block you, I don't have time to fight over a non canon Fugo centric light novel. And I think it's valid to compare the 2 stories because they're both based around part 5 and in light novel format that supposedly expands upon the part. If you find my thoughts valid and insightful, cool, if you don't, move along, you're not going to convince me to change my mind sadly.

Also this isn't going to have too bad of spoilers. I'm kinda more vague when it comes to talking about the Squatizi story.

............................................................................

Purple Haze Feedback:

I respect that people needed more Fugo content and it was a genuinely good premise. An aftermath story of Fugo returning to Passione under Giorno and Mista? Yeah I would have loved a story about that. But if you need to warp characters' personalities and throw in a bunch of forgettable stands and their users to do it... I honestly can't bother to care.

If it was much shorter then I could tolerate it, but it wasn't, so here I am. I'll be going point by point with PHF just to organize my thoughts better for such a chaotic story.

1. It warped the pre-established characters.

Mista I think was done the most dirty with that opening scene, but to insinuate that Abbacchio and Fugo killed kids behind Bruno's back felt like absolute whiplash. Also Abbacchio is bisexual obviously, he would have slept with men too, not just women lol.

I don't like that they made Trish become a pop star. Maybe she would have been better as a model, but regardless, not so soon after part 5 when she needed her time to be normal and heal, or at least be under Giorno and Mista's protection.

The whole "Fugio" moment also felt off-putting to me and is part of the reason I don't like the ship. Look, it was absolutely no rain scene or "The only time I feel at ease", let's not try to compare it.

Fugo was okay, but he was just boring and I feel that's not good... you know, considering he's the protagonist of this story. He got better near the end, sure, but by the time I got to the end I was so tired and done with the story. A better writer would have done him and the story more justice.

2. Uninteresting supporting cast and villains

Cannolo was a fine addition, but I never understood what his stand actually did, same with all of the villains' stands. I think that's just poor writing if people walk away not understanding what just happened. I had to reread scenes and I still didn't get most of what happened. Voodoo Child was a cool stand, reminded me a bit of Moody Blues, but I didn't like Sheila as a character. And I'm sorry, who let's a 14 girl in a skimpy ass outfit be the Don of Mafia's bodyguard? Sheila's whole design was so hyper-sexualized and gave me the ick, especially if she was allegedly supposed to be indigenous coded. I've only seen speculation though so I won't go into it further.

Volpe and Manic Depression are the only villain names I remember. I couldn't even tell you the names and stands of the others or what Manic Depression even did as a stand. None of them felt like an actual threat.

3. Felt like a poorly written fanfic

The random mention of Tonio from DIU as Volpe's brother was also a whiplash "where the fuck did that come from" moment, because it was so unnecessary and felt like a cheap tie in for something that was formally published in a book. It really helped give it an average fanfic feel (and I write cheesy, overly dramatic fanfiction!). I think that was also when I was nearing my breaking point.

I once had someone try to mansplain to me that PHF was a "more realistic look of the mafia"... it is not, I promise you that lol. Mafia had rules about women and children and all other kinds of shit that Passione definitely does not abide by. Real life Mafia has so much more to it. This is camp fictional media, no one should ever take it so seriously.

In short, I just think PHF had a lot of wasted potential and would have done better with an altered story. I just can't convince myself to blindly love it, no matter how much I tried to like it.

............................................................................

Testimone di Gangster

I read it last night so it's still so fresh in my mind, but this is how you expand upon a story in my humble opinion. This is also probably going to be shorter just because it was a shorter and more focused story with less characters. I also don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read it yet since it just came out in English.

First off, I think it was a such great idea to take two characters we knew so little about and expand upon them in a way that felt so much more natural. There's less room for warping characters when they didn't have such distinct personalities to begin with and also helps build the world up.

There was no overly complicated plot about drugs and stands and it gave more insight on how the crime world works in Jojo's version of Italy. It even had nods to other real life gangs and how Passione fit into this world with them. It even gave nods to the Cosa Nostra and a real life prosecutor (Falco) who dealt with a lot of gang business in Italy and I think that's just so cool. I love shit like that so much, I adore me some good worldbuilding in general that we didn't necessarily need, but it's just cool to see.

I'll admit, the story was bit hard to follow in the first chapter, but once I picked up that it was from Squalo's perspective, it was such an easy and fun read that didn't make me question what was going on every two paragraphs.

It really showed us how Tiziano is clever and calculating and can be such a useful stand user and teammate. It solidified why he and Squalo are partners (and most definitely in more than just crime for sure now ahaha). I also just love the idea of him being an attorney, especially with Talking Head as a stand, it was a fantastic concept.

The entire time I was just so entertained and caught up in the story, it was so much more engaging than I thought it was going to be. I was genuinely invested in the trial and how Tiziano was going to win the case for Passione. I'm almost sad that this story was so much shorter and would have loved more in between moments with Squalo and Tiziano, but maybe it was for the best not to drag things out.

The ending was a great nod back to their involvement in part 5 and this was in general a great insight into who they were before joining Diavolo's special guard. Plus it makes so much more sense and is amusing to know that he had a lawyer (Tiziano) apart of his elite team.

............................................................................

Now look, I don't think I necessarily have a bias because I do like Fugo just as much as I like Squalo and Tiziano. I also normally don't care for light novels when comes to anime/manga so I don't think it could be that either.

Maybe it was simply the Fugo/Fugio lovers had over-hyped and demanded that everyone read PHF that it just soured the novel before I even read it? I couldn't say for sure. All I know is I went into PHF was no expectations and was so dissatisfied where as I went into Testimone di Gangster with some expectations and was thoroughly entertained.

This is by no means a dig at Fugio shippers, like I said, PHF's ending and the hype around it made me personally more uncomfortable with the ship than I already was before reading it. Simple as that.

If I were to recommend additional Jojo content, especially for the part 5 lovers, Testimone di Gangster is the one I would urge people to read if they have an hour or two to spare. It's a short and sweet look at some great side characters and has more of part 5 spirit without getting caught up in a bunch of bland ocs.

[maddy-ferguson]

since we're having ship discourse, i have to say that i disliked joyce and hopper's relationship dynamic in s3. they were so annoyingly portrayed and were always fighting, i am not sure why people are saying mlvn having fights/problems are a special thing that only exists in mlvn's relationship issues. and this sort of 'we give couples problems and then resolve them' writing is a thing that exists in duffers' writing. s3 ships are literally an example of that. and i just don't see joyce and hopper as some sort of a subversion of the trope, hopper wanted to be with her in s3 and then expectedly he was given what he wanted. and yeah yeah, it took time for them to be a truly thing in s4, but is it really some sort of a 'subversion of tropes', if anything it seems more tropy and fits the standards of a relationship. jncy like you said is also an expected relationship. like sorry but a girl breaking up with a jock and getting together with the town's outcast freak is not a subversion... it's literally a textbook from 80's relationship and couple thing. the only relationship subversion is really lumx if we're being real. and if we count dustin and suzie to account, then their relationship is pretty much expected anyway, and no, suzie being a mormon doesn't really change that.

and controversial take but i think we are sometimes going way too reach-y when we say the duffers are great at subversion when they fall to many tropes and stereotypes and expected things in their writing. just bc they sometimes subvert doesnt mean ST is a representation of subversion of tropes.

nooo don't use the d word...

i'm season 3 jpper and s3 hopper's biggest hater. in a season that has russians under a mall he's what i hate the most. and yes, i feel like if you're someone who thinks the duffers are all about subverting tropes and are aware of bsy then surely you must know that jncy is the most cliché trope-fitting relationship they could've possibly come up with?

i feel like there's evidence that they like subverting expectations and tropes (robin being a lesbian when they made you think she was gonna be with steve, the straight person getting rejected by the gay person instead of the other way around, eden and argyle's little "love at first sight" moment that makes fun of the concept, a main character who's had a female love interest for four seasons being in a love triangle where one of the option's a boy) but at the same time the reason why harmful tropes or just boring tropes become tropes over time is just that the people writing the stories...aren't aware of what they're doing necessarily? and the example i'm gonna use isn't a trope per se, but you know how in season 1 lucas is suspicious of el and doesn't like her? they had their ONE black character make the little white girl (who had a blonde wig on when he gets real mad lol) whose story we know and who we're made to empathize with sad. people (adults!) were literally racist to caleb over it. very predictable but they're also white people who didn't see it coming. things like that are why even though jncy is the most expected 80s sci-fi couple ever, i'm like...are they doing it on purpose and are gonna end the show with them broken up or are they just the men who wrote jonathan taking pictures of his future girlfriend taking her shirt off and then used it as a plot point and made us feel bad for jonathan when steve broke his camera over it because he's poor and couldn't afford a new one. like idk. i'm giving them the benefit of the doubt (not saying that if jonathan and nancy end up together i'm gonna throw a fit or anything i'll just be genuinely surprised) but i really just don't know. and jncy being too expected isn't the reason why i started thinking they were breaking them up but if you sent this to me i'm assuming you read my other answer on the subject! it's just kind of the icing on the cake. same with mlvn and bsy i don't think that's anyone's main argument but i just feel like expecting them to subvert bsy and then not expecting them to subvert whatever trope jncy is doesn't make sense. because that trope is like THE trope.

and yeah the fighting is definitely not exclusive to mlvn especially not in season 3, but i guess for joyce and hopper you could say they're fighting because they're not together? which is different from fighting because of their relationship? but yeah. it's just that with mlvn there's a million other things.

[abnerkrill]

77 for the Spotify Wrapped ficlets but I couldn’t choose a ship so dealer’s choice!

you got holy (til you let me go) by rina sawayama and WHO ELSE could i write this for but steve/eddie!!

fluffy with a little bit of emotional hurt/comfort. tw period typical homophobia mentions. got a little bit away from meeee but that's life <3

-

"uh, they all think i'm evil, but it's fine," is what eddie says, only half flippant, when steve asks him if everything's cool with him.

which—is not maybe what he should've said. normally he brushes it off because he enjoys playing devil-may-care for a shocked crowd of onlookers. because it's satisfying to get a rise out of them. because shock is usually an adequate substitute for, dunno, actually feeling like he belongs?

with steve, though, eddie wants him to understand—somehow, if it's even possible—that there are things that can puncture even his thick skin. case in point: for the hundredth time since the town's satanic panic kick started, parents have hid their kids and rapidly left when he entered the library. even the library, which used to be such a sanctuary—! the world's fucked up, he knows this, the world hates freaks like him, but can't he have anything?

"i'm sorry," steve says quietly. then, after a moment, a little awkwardly: "is there anything i can do?"

"can you rewrite two thousand years of history?" he snaps. it's a little quick and mean, which he didn't intend but is kind of his default state. prickly, like a cactus, so he doesn't get fucking eaten. he flops down on the couch next to steve.

very tentatively—since this thing between them is very new and fragile—steve reaches for him, brushes his arm at first before settling it on him. "hey," steve says, with such genuine kindness that eddie's suddenly torn between getting more mad because he's so darn nice, and just melting.

he goes with melting, because it's easier and he doesn't wanna be mean to steve, and closes his eyes and settles into his—well, he can't really say boyfriend if they haven't really talked about it, but maybe later, once they actually do? yeah. once they actually talk.

"you're not evil, babe," steve says, affection suffusing his voice, "i swear, you're nicer than all the kids i grew up with even if they were raised right or whatever. you cared enough to do the right thing when so many people wouldn't have wanted to. i'm so glad i got to meet you."

eddie squirms a little under the scrutiny. and the babe. "oh, stop it," he says, half-drawling, trying to be funny to throw harrington off his scent. "i'm guilty of plenty."

"not of anything actually bad," steve says softly, dropping his hand to eddie's. "not of anything that matters. not of anything—" here he takes in a shallow breath—"anything i haven't done too, or nearly."

eddie cracks his eyes open at steve. "you sure about that?" he asks dubiously.

steve shrugs, half-grinning. "i mean, all the underage drinking and smoking and stuff, i did it too. and um—" he twines their fingers together purposefully. "if this is wrong, we're both wrong. or if it's right, we're both right. so if you're to blame for anything, i am too." he pauses before adding: "i have even played dungeons and dragons with you, so i guess if you're a satanist i'm some... acolyte or whatever."

eddie laughs, delighted that at least one dungeons and dragons term has made its way into steve's vocabulary. "my acolyte?" he teases.

steve blushes a little. "that's a... dungeons and dragons thing, right?"

"sure," eddie says, "it's a thing," and yanks steve into a semi-aggressive hug before he can pause to think too much about it, burying his face in his neck. he's done feeling sorry for himself today. he's decided that he will make out with steve and feel great about it, to hell with anyone who thinks this is wrong. it's steve and him. it's amazing. if he knows anything, he knows he's happy here, and that's more than enough.