#then I personally believe it grew into more after but

[velaryoncoffee]

There's something so interesting about the timing of Book!Helaegon's children's birth that says so much with so little.

They had Jaehaera and Jaehaerys within a year of their wedding. This means they were very sexually active together around this time! You could argue it's done out of duty, sure, but Aegon reads like someone very prone to his whims and emotions, much like in the show. This might mean they were/grew passionate for each other around this time or maybe before?

Perhaps the anticipation of their wedding made them spend more time with each other, initially out of obligation, and later from fondness. Or maybe the interest they had in each other compounded over the years, like a subtle slow burn that erupted on their wedding as they realised they were bonded for life, not only in blood but also by the law of the land.

However, my favourite detail has to be the timing of Maegor's birth.

You're telling me that Helaena gave birth 9 months after Jace asked to dance with her at Viserys's family dinner? The one that had Aegon so pissed?

The possessiveness is real. You know the sex that night was wild.

Aegon will not share his beloved sister with anyone. And he'll fuck a son into her womb on their marriage bed for all to see.

If Helaena's defense of Aegon's seat on the Throne is anything to go by, she might be defensive and fond of him just the same. She doesn't come off as someone with any sense of political ambition to ascend as the Queen whatsoever; if anything she asked Blood and Cheese to take her life instead of her children's. From where I stand all she wanted was to live happily with her family, and her husband having his birth right (as contentious as it may be) was included in that vision.

Again, you could interpret any of this in many ways, in bad faith especially. Aegon could be misusing his power as a husband to impose himself on her, and her sense of responsibility, passivity and sensitive nature could have led her to go along with whichever wishes he could have had.

However I personally don't believe that was GRRM's thought process as he wrote those pages. The show depicted Aegon doing many terrible things and it tainted his already flawed character beyond even what the show writers intended. Also Alicent would never allow any harm to come to her little girl. Of that, I am 100% sure.

[velocesainz]

Seb n his F1 rival(from karting days) realise thru friends that they do love eachother thru their actions whether they admit or not

Unknowing love

F1 Masterlist | Main Masterlist | Taglist

Summary: Seb and reader have been rivals since their karting days and after years of rivalry and reaching formula one realise they’ve loved eachother throughout this time

Pairing: Rbr Seb x f1!driver!reader ft. Mark Webber

Warnings: a light bit of angst

Reader pov:

Me and Seb have been feuding for as long as we’ve known eachother which is over 20 years at this point when we met during my first karting race

Sebastian was this adorable boy who after the race had some rather rude words to say. It was really a shame, I really would’ve liked to be his friend.

After that day for the next year after every race he would have some rude or sexist comments to say to me which I ignored for the most part

After a while I started reciprocating these words to him as well and our rivalry grew even more intense

We were now in formula one, the pinnacle of motorsport and we still hadn’t grown out of our silly bickering

We were currently in imola and had just started the race being a few laps in when a red flag was raised and I was asked to return to the pits

“Who crashed? That’s quite the wreckage” I asked my engineer as to who crashed as I approached the crash site

“I believe that was the red bull of Vettel that went into the barriers there” my engineer replied

My heart dropped. Was he alright? That looked like a really bad crash

I didn’t think, I stopped my car by the side of the track and ran to check on Seb

Knocking on his helmet I invoked no response. My mind was spiralling. I helped the marshals get his body out of the car and was forced to return to my pitbox and not Seb who was being taken to the hospital.

The race resumed but all that clouded my mind was Seb. How was he? Did he sustain any serious injuries? Was he going to be ok?

I could barely focus and my team noticed too and asked me to keep focusing and told me they would update me on his condition which made me incredibly grateful

I finished the race on the second step of the podium but I didn’t care for the press or the celebrations and rushed through all of them

I was pacing around the paddock waiting for mark to go visit Seb at the hospital

“About time you guys realise that you care for eachother” he said as he approached me

“What are you talking about Mark? Also what do you mean about time? I’ve hated him forever. I’m just looking out for a fellow driver” I retorted.

“Any person not deeply in love wouldn’t care this much dear. Look at the rest of us. We care sure, but not so much that we drop everything and go visit him” Mark explained

Albeit it was a weirdly rude explanation I realised he was right.

We reached the hospital and let Mark go in first as he was his teammate after all

Mark pov:

Entering Sebs room I placed the flowers y/n has got for him insisting that I give to him in a vase.

“How did you know I love sunflowers?” Seb asked looking at the flowers

“ That’s because I didn’t, y/n got them and wanted me to give them to you” I said

“She’s here?”

“Indeed she is. She was worried as soon as she saw the crash site”

“Whatever not like I care she’s my mortal enemy”

“Aw don’t be like that, I know you have the most massive crush on her”

Seb started at me wide eyed with a red hue tinting his cheeks

“I’ll send her in, she’s waiting outside”

I left and sent y/n in who was relieved to hear that he was ok

Seb pov:

I saw y/n enter the room and looking at the immense concern etched into her face I asked myself why I decided to create such an enemity with this beautiful soul

I knew I had to confess soon as her potential suitors were getting harder to drive away.

“Hey”

“Hey”

“How are you feeling now?”

“I’m better now that you’re here”

I watched as her face heated up turning her into the cutest tomato

“I love you”

“Seb..”

“I love you y/n. I have since the day we met”

“I love you too Seb. Always have”

With that we connected our pups in the most magical kiss ever.

We broke apart to the sound of Mark Webber cheering for us from outside

Chuckling we embraced.

I couldn’t have asked for a better ending.

A/n: hello lovelies! I’m sorry it took me this long to complete I’m sorry but I’m much more free now and I’ll start posting more. I’m getting the catalogue ready and would love for any suggestions about what the theme could be! Let me know your thoughts. Kissies ✨

Taglist:

@grantaires-waistcoat

@tellybearryyyy

[bones4thecats]

➸ Death v. Life; Eliza / Idia Shroud × S/O

Character: Eliza and Idia Shroud (separate, but in same part) A/N: The ending was kind of rushed, but I hope it's a good read for you Idia Shroud simps! Disclaimer(s): In this timeline, Eliza kidnaps the Reader and not Idia. This means she 'loves' the Reader and not our favorite flame-headed introvert. Btw; Reader's Outfit and Brooch

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗

╚═════ Eliza vs. Idia Shroud ═══════════════════════╝

💍🎮 You walked around the campus with your headphones blaring the playlist that Yuu had made you the day prior. It was very energetic, which you appreciated

💍🎮 The announcement of a Ghost Bride coming by was shown to everyone in the vicinity, but you believed you would be far from her taste. You were far from the average person, from a young age you got intro trouble, which became to much for your body to handle

💍🎮 You had run through the nearby forest when you were young and ended up getting your body extremely injured during your little 'quest'. Thankfully, a passerby found you and brought you to the hospital where they had to give you multiple surgeries to amputate the right arm, both legs, and left eye of yours replaced or enhanced

💍🎮 Because of the enhancements made, you had a full tech-based pair of legs, single arm, and parts of it inside of your eye. Growing up was hard after that, as you grew fearful of the outside world and became a recluse, but you were growing out of your shell since you met Yuu and they began helping you talk to others again

💍🎮 You adored the magic-less human, while many found him annoying and a waste of space at the school, you thought they fit in perfectly. After all, what human of no value could handle things like overblots multiple times without dying?

💍🎮 As your mind raced with the thoughts of your human companion and his cat, Grim, you failed to hear the sounds of movement behind you. Only when you felt something rush past you that you took your headphones off and readied your magic wand, veins starting to glow as your magical energy charged for a spell

"Who's there? Reveal yourself!" You ordered, looking at the nearby bushes.

💍🎮 The next thing you knew, you were seeing nothing but the darkness that matched the halls of Ignihyde before passing out cold and being wrapped in a sack

══✿══╡

💍🎮 Groaning as your eyes slowly opened, you were shocked to see you being bound by your wrists as a ghost busied himself with your hair, styling the long-locks into a long ponytail with a lace-braid. You furrowed your eyebrows as you tried focusing on your surroundings

"Where... ugh... where am I?" You asked.

"In your dressing room, Lord/Lady L/N." He answered, adding a tiny brooch on the lapel of the suit jacket.

💍🎮 The ghost then floated to the door and nodded at two ghost knights, causing them to come inside and begin dragging you out of the room and down the halls. You yelled, trying to get out of their grasp, but you kept failing. Despite being dead, they were extremely strong with their grip

"Let me go, you sick assholes!"

"I recommend you stay silent unless you wish to disrespect your future wife."

"My future what?!"

══✿══╡

🎮 Ortho rushed through the halls at full-speed. Ignihyde dorm members were all balled up in their rooms while he dashed by, they all knew that it was the little robot who was going by, but they could care less about the entire issue at the moment

🎮 As he approached his brother's room, he checked the Night Raven College's camera footage and his eyes widened even more as he saw you being practically dragged down the aisle to where that ghost bride stood, awaiting your presence across from her

"Big brother! Y/N needs help!" He yelled.

🎮 Idia jumped and screamed, clinging onto a nearby blanket as his heart pounded quickly in fear. He then stood up with a small shake as he asked what was going on with Ortho

"Y/N needs help, Idia!"

"What do you mean? Did their arms or something start glitching? They've fixed it before..."

"No, big brother... you remember the announcement about the Ghost Bride?"

"...yeah?"

"She has Y/N! They're all dressed up and everything so the bride can marry them!"

"WHAT?!" He yelled, hair going from a calm, almost ocean-like blue, to a vibrant orange and red, matching the fire it looked like.

🎮 Ortho nodded and began to recant everything he heard from the other first years. As the third-year listened to the boys telling him everything that happened, from being kicked out for trying to save you from your dressing room to making their plan to get back inside to get you back safe

"Idia, you need to help save them."

"Do I need too?"

"YES."

"...fine."

══✿══╡

💍 Eliza smiled as you were walked down the aisle to where you would stand across from her. She always wanted this, the perfect spouse. She always believed she was to marry a prince that fit her description down to the dot, but now she wanted you, not that old dream instilled in her

💍 You kept struggling against the guards as the other NRC students watched with slight fear and guilt for you being in this situation. Everyone knew you had some issues with being forced in things, but this was a whole other level

"My future spouse, you look amazing." Eliza said as you stood across from her, arms still bound behind your back.

"Please... let me go." You said.

"I'm sorry, but no. You'll understand after a while."

💍 As the Minister opened his book to speak the whole story to you both, the doors were slammed open and there revealed Ortho, eyes overwhelmed with anger, the other first years (including Yuu and Grim), with matching expressions, and Idia, who's hair was erupted in complete rage

"Let Y/N go."

"Yeah! They asked nicely more times than necessary!" Yuu yelled.

💍🎮 The Ghost Bride narrowed her eyes in anger as she began yelling about how inconsiderate they were of her special day

"I'll give you one last warning, you blue brat. Let my S/O go, or I'll open the gates of the Underworld and throw you from your neck back to the pits where you deserve to be!"

💍🎮 Eliza flinched and screamed, sending her many guards after the group while everyone else watched in shock. You began to struggle again, making a guard look at you and grab your arm, twisting it backwards more to hurt you

"Sucks for you, buddy. My right arm isn't even real." You said, sending your head back to bash him backwards.

💍🎮 The guard when flying as the other boys saw you fight back with your arms pulled backwards. You then heard Epel yell your name, he ran up and pulled out a knife. How he had that without Vil knowing, you really could care less, if it got you out, it got you out

"Thanks, Epel." You said, taking your body and throwing it to get some of the guards down.

💍🎮 A scream was the thing that burst everyone out of their fights. You looked backwards and saw Idia standing above the princess, anger ever so present on his face. He glared at her and gave her one of the most horrifying threats you ever heard leave his mouth

"If you touch my S/O again, I'll take my magic pen and make you fall so many times down into the Underworld that you'll wish you died a second time, got me?"

💍🎮 You sighed and ran up to them, pushing them farther apart. Idia snapped out of his anger and looked at you closer. He was shocked. You look absolutely amazing in your outfit. Those ghosts may have kidnapped you, but they knew how to dress you

"Idia, I'm fine now. Let the Ghost Bride lady go."

"Princess Eliza, are you alright?!" A guard yelled as he helped her up from the ground.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine."

💍🎮 Idia looked at you and sighed, hugging you. It was obvious that he blocked everyone else out and only saw you there at the moment, as he was being very bold at the moment

"Eliza, is it?" You asked.

"Yeah."

"Do you know what consent is?" You asked again, making her eyes slightly widen.

"What?"

"Do you know what consent is?"

"It's the permission to do something with someone, why?"

"Do you think you had my consent to do this wedding with me being the one betrothed to you?"

"...No."

"Then why would you proceed with this idea?"

"I don't... I don't know..."

"If you want love this badly, just look behind you. He obviously cares about you more than anyone I've ever seen. What guard looks at their princess with so much care that they would risk everything for them? Certainly not one that views them platonically, that's for sure."

💍🎮 Eliza looked at the guard, whom was named Puffy, with a shocked expression and they spoke. Confronting one another and their possible feelings and future

💍🎮 You just smiled as Puffy confessed and took your good arm and grabbed Idia's hand, pulling him gently away from the crowd to a more secluded area to speak by yourselves

"I can't believe you came in here with so much confidence. I always thought I'd only see you look like that by yourself playing a video game." You joked, making Idia fluster and look away.

"But. Thank you so much for doing this for me. I love you, Idia."

"I love you more, player two."

[zeravmeta]

ive talked abt it before but ive always wondered if there was some deeper dynamic between caesar and vegapunk. like, vegapunk very clearly moved on from the warcrimes he was doing in mads (well. he did them for the world govt and Then grew a conscious about it and focused on humanitarian efforts) but he also had caesar tag along with him to work for the marines and it was ultimately caesar making even deadlier weapons for the marines that made him dismiss caesar. knowing what we do now though with vegapunk being in league with the revolutionaries im pretty sure vegapunk was intentionally sabotaging the world govts might (as well as just not wanting another superweapon in the world since he def knows about the 3 ancient weapons by that point) but compared to how the marines looked like they were about to arrest caesar due to the potential danger, vegapunks response to just dismiss him seems pretty soft handed in comparison.

did some part of vegapunk believe caesar could be better? like setting aside his own past where he managed to become a better person ,caesar's one sided rivalry with him is completely out of pride in only being seen as second best, yet when presented with his death caesar is fully in denial about it and looks like hes about to cry, contrast to judge who isn't even relevant enough to get a reaction but ultimately looks like he doesn't even care.

mads was shown to be completely dysfunctional as a group before dissolving, but after said dissolution, vegapunk and caesar worked together for about 18-20 years between mads' dissolution and him being dismissed, 2 decades of just the two of them.

I feel like theres some hidden element to their dynamic that we just arent privy to yet, where they did care about each other more than it may initially seem to on the surface, which may be revealed with a proper caesar backstory + coming events in elbaf (which im 100% betting hes gonna be there for given how pivotal he was in giant research and the SMILE fruits)

[creatingblackcharacters]

(This is a little messy as I still have things to flesh out and also don’t want to give you an insane amount to read through. How is he looking as a Black character?) Darryl Carter Michaels Darryl is a young Black man with a flair for the theatrical and a never ending curiosity. He has a love for fantasy, musicals, and fiction in general. While he is a capable singer and actor, having been in theater throughout his school years, he tends to prefer working behind the scenes. He enjoys making the magic happen and seeing how things work. Having lost his birth parents to a car accident when he was just shy of two years old, he was raised by a well off mixed race couple who believed they could not conceive. His father, a Black man, and mother, a white woman, loved him just as they would their own flesh and blood. They showered him in love, attention, and any material good he could ever want. When Darryl was five years old, his parents were shocked to learn they had conceived. His parents made sure to thoroughly explain the situation to their son and give him lots of love and encouragement to be a big brother. Even so, the preparations did take away some of their attention that would usually go to Darryl. When his twin sisters arrived, he was both excited and jealous. While his father was certain to give Darryl the love and attention he needed, his mother was more wrapped up in her new babies than anyone or anything else. While the mother did give Darryl more attention as the girls aged and could better handle themselves, things were never quite the same between them. It felt more like he was a nephew of hers, rather than her son. His father, on the other hand, was just as loving as he always was, sharing his love equally between his son and two daughters. The twin girls loved Darryl and Darryl was loving and protective of them. He takes pride in being their older brother. As Darryl grew up, he tried to win his mother’s love the way it used to be, excelling in school, performing as an actor, and being the best person he could possibly be. When he got older, he realized it was a futile task and seemed to settle for what he had; a loving father, fantastic sisters, and a mostly loving mother. During his time in college, his perspective changed. He met his best friend, Joyce, a Black trans woman who taught him to see the value in himself and realize it was his mother who was in the wrong. After graduation, Darryl decided to confront his mother about her behavior and not put up with it any longer. He moved to another city (a bit over an hour away) and is now trying to find himself without judging his value based on his mother. He still keeps in contact with his father and sisters, still visiting on occasion, but has a tenuous relationship with his mother. She wants to rekindle what they once had, but knows it will take time and a great effort on her part. Meanwhile, Darryl met Audrey Davis, the woman who will one day be his wife. Between her, Joyce, his father, his sisters, and Audrey’s family, he has more love than he could ever know what to do with.

Hell of a story, especially as someone with Value of Mother™ issues. I hope she does right by him, he deserves it. Sounds good to me 👍🏾

[dapperrokyuu]

While I do wish we can see more about the Anakt quartet's relationships, it was incredibly funny for me to be, like, "*Round 2 just got released* Oh, Till doesnt even KNOW or has ever talked to Mizi, hes just projecting and obsessed and heteronormative-" to "*experienced all the official art and Round 3 and 6* Oh, they were, like, actually friends to an extent and the meaning Mizi has to Till is very sweet even if its born of and is a reflection of just how desolate his lived experience just Is Constantly, ultimately a guy with a cute crush made buckwild due to- *gestures vaguely* -and hes heteronormative."

[crossbackpoke-check]

Why I Am Not Coming In To Work Today [abridged], Jess Zimmerman

part one | part two

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[fleetsonourgecentral]

So how do you think Scourge would handle the events of the fugitive arc of STCO?

To give context, some guy (a wolf named Kane) starts tearing down him in the media by bringing up stuff like "he created Robotnik, he transforms into Super Sonic, he's a bit of a dick (even if everyone already knows that so people don't pay attention to this part)" which makes almost everyone in Mobius but his friends hate him, then after a while there's some mega mack bombings across the zones and Sonic tries to figure out who it was but gets knocked out by a sneak attack and his friends get attacked too and then the attacker reveals itself to be "Sonic", Sonic tries to stop one of the missiles but they set him up and cut off the Kintobor computer while he was helping him disarm it so it explodes, he's arrested and when his friends (Amy, Knuckles and Tails) come to bust him out "Sonic" attacks the and left them to die (though they survive obviously) and escapes, later it's revealed he's the the Metallix Mark IV (basically the Neo Metal Sonic of the Metallix) who framed Sonic for all those crimes and swapped him after they run all kind tests in him to confirm it is him so everyone does think Sonic did all that, Sonic manages to escape the volcano he trapped him in and gets Metallix destroyed by the Lava, then right after that Grimer appears as an hologram (because he is in another dimension were Sonic can't get to him) and tells him he's behind all of it because he drove Robotnik crazy, so he seeked revenge and made Sonic despised by everyone to the point he had to leave the planet.

And Sonic does try to leave after not finding anything to prove his innocence, but Robotnik comes back so he decides to stay and help, but has to do it while being a fugitive hated by everyone with the exception of Tails...

Kay sorry for the wall of text, I tried to get the important bits (or what I think are the important bits), it's hard to explain it to people who haven't read it.

Oh man oh man. So like. I know it would be really sweet and whatever to believe Scourge would believe in Sonic no matter what, but honestly? I think he'd fall for it. Scourge is used to betrayal, he grew up around it. Betrayal was expected on Moebius, the only way to ensure loyalty is through fear, and Scourge has to actively work to trust people won't betray him at the slightest convenience. It doesn't come easily to him. Trusting Sonic is a choice he makes every day, built on the foundation that Sonic has - somehow, against all odds - proved he has no interest in betraying Scourge. It helps a little that Sonic is upfront about it when he doesn't like someone - Scourge is used to people being rude or cruel, and Sonic is so, so fucking rude, which, to Scourge, is a symbol of honesty - but it still isn't easy. It still takes work. And as nice as it would be to believe Scourge would believe in Sonic's innocence against all odds, in reality, I feel like his predisposition to be prepared for betrayal would actually just make the situation hit even harder. He doesn't, and never will, have the endless faith and trust in his friends that other Sonics have. Letting his guard down is a conscious choice, and one he'll revoke at any time if he feels threatened

So as for the fugitive arc? I think it would hit Scourge, and hit Scourge hard. The initial stuff wouldn't bother him - what does he care if Sonic created Robotnik? If he can turn into Super? And the whole reason Scourge likes him at all is because he's a dick. Being attacked would make him hesitate, but it's not the first time someone has impersonated Sonic to ruin his reputation, so he cautiously holds out hope. But after all the tests "confirm" it really is him? Any hope he has shatters. He doesn't care about what happens to Mobius, but he does care about their relationship. To hear Sonic never actually cared about him, that he was being played for a fool (which, from what you described, I imagine is the angle the Metallix would go for during the whole "attacks them and leaves them to die" thing) would be a deep, deep wound. He trusts Sonic more than he's ever trusted anyone, and this is how he's repaid? Stupid. He should have known this Sonic would be no different than all the rest. He should have known better. He never should have let his guard down

Needless to say, he wouldn't take it well. He'd lash out. Yell at Tails for being an idiot for continuing to believe in Sonic's innocence. By this point he's probably developed enough of a relationship with the rest of the freedom fighters to still consider them... if not friends, then at least allies. They were attacked too, after all, and they're angry, just like him. But he'd pull back from them, become a little harsher, more on guard around them in case they betray him, too. Maybe he'd even take over the position of leadership, although I'm sure he would butt heads with Amy over that whenever they disagree on something, and those disagreements would be far worse than her disagreements with Sonic, because Scourge is hurting and is, at all times, two steps away from completely revoking his trust in everyone, so any disagreement from Amy feels like a personal attack and a potential warning sign to him

He'd probably try to hunt Sonic down. Idk what the priorities of the rest of the freedom fighters are - probably trying to un-fuck the world - but his priority is definitely getting revenge. It's probably one of the biggest reasons he clashes with Amy when they don't agree on how to lead the rest of the freedom fighters, and could even lead to him going off on his own if he's challenged one too many times by her. Scourge the Hedgehog doesn't take betrayal lying down. He gets his revenge no matter what

(It's made worse by the fact his anger and hurt don't erase the fact he still loves Sonic. Loving Sonic is habit, and those feelings don't go away so easily. Betrayal isn't enough to erase them, and the fact that they still exist makes him feel like his feelings are betraying him, too. He's hoping that getting revenge and being angry will crush the feelings he has for someone who no longer deserves them. It's why he can't slow down, can't stop, can't control his anger like everyone is asking him to. If he does that, he'll keep loving Sonic, and he doesn't want to do that after Sonic hurt him so badly)

TLDR: he wouldn't handle the events of the fugitive arc at all

[mcybree]

Random limlife Scott rant, GO!

I got this ask and decided that I’d give it my best shot but got so mad on my skim through some of the moments I remembered that I gave up.

[moonilit]

having so much emotions over Jote and Joshua I can’t even articulate, like

[bibiana112]

Girl are you okay? Cause you've been looking through the "My lesbian experience with loneliness" tag again

Well the short answer is no :D

[impossible-rat-babies]

i wanna take 14’s paladin and stick it ishgard and make them weird about halone

[thatdemiboymess]

"Generally phobic" oh God just say you hate mentally ill people and go. Using a mental illness synonymous with "Bad" says it all

That line in my bio refers to things like being xenophobic, queerphobic, homophobic, acephobic, arophobic, transphobic, biphobic, panphobic, enbyphobic, intersexist, ableist, psychophobic, ageist, antisemitismect, islamophobic, misogynistic, sexist, ect. Not...not legit phobias. I do admit I could have worded it better but I figured, at the time of writing it, that with the general context of the rest of the statement that would be clear.

I'm not not gonna mock or block someone for a legit phobia (i.e. arachnophobia, agoraphobia, acrophobia, et cetera). That was intended as a quick "don't be an asshole in my notes or inbox" line because my bio was getting too long as was. That does not change that this was an oversight on my part of the potential ableist or sanest connotations of the phrase, and I do thank you for bringing that to my attention. Do you have any suggestions for a way I could word it that would be clearer and also wouldn't be potentially stigmatizing?

EDIT: I do believe I have fixed the issue with the wording on my own but if anyone believes it to still be worded in a stigmatizing way, please do tell me! ☺️👍✨

[bixels]

Learning that fans hated Applejack and called her "boring" is crazyyy to me because I genuinely, unironically believe AJ's the most complex character in the main six.

Backstory-wise, she was born into a family of famers/blue collar workers who helped found the town she lives in. She grew up a habitual liar until she had the bad habit traumatized outta her. She lost both her parents and was orphaned at a young age, having to step up as her baby sister's mother figure. She's the only person in the main gang who's experienced this level of loss and grief (A Royal Problem reveals that AJ dreams about memories of being held by her parents as a baby). She moved to Manhattan to live with her wealthy family members, only to realize she'll never fit in or be accepted, even amongst her own family. The earlier seasons imply she and her family had money problems too (In The Ticket Master, AJ wants to go to the gala to earn money to buy new farm equipment and afford hip surgery for her grandma).

Personality-wise, she's a total people-pleaser/steamroller (with an occasional savior complex) who places her self worth on her independence and usefulness for other people, causing her to become a complete workaholic. In Applebuck Season, AJ stops taking care of herself because of her obsessive responsibilities for others and becomes completely dysfunctional. In Apple Family Reunion, AJ has a tearful breakdown because in she thinks she dishonored her family and tarnished her reputation as a potential leader –– an expectation and anxiety that's directly tied to her deceased parents, as shown in the episode's ending scene. In The Last Roundup, AJ abandons her family and friends out of shame because believes she failed them by not earning 1st place in a rodeo competition. She completely spirals emotionally when she isn't able to fulfill her duties toward others. Her need to be the best manifests in intense pride and competitiveness when others challenge her. And when her pride's broken, she cowers and physically hides herself.

Moreover, it's strongly implied that AJ has a deep-seated anger. The comics explore her ranting outbursts more. EQG also obviously has AJ yelling at and insulting Rarity in a jealous fit just to hurt her feelings (with a line that I could write a whole dissection on). And I'm certain I read in a post somewhere that in a Gameloft event, AJ's negative traits are listed as anger.

Subtextually, a lot of these flaws and anxieties can be (retroactively) linked to her parents' death, forcing her to grow up too quickly to become the adult/caregiver of the family (especially after her big brother becomes semiverbal). Notice how throughout the series, she's constantly acting as the "mom friend" of the group (despite everything, she manages to be the most emotionally mature of the bunch). Notice how AJ'll switch to a quieter, calmer tone when her friends are panicking and use soothing prompts and questions to talk them through their emotions/problems; something she'd definitely pick up while raising a child. Same with her stoicism and reluctance at crying or releasing emotions (something Pinkie explicitly points out). She also had a childhood relationship with Rara (which, if you were to give a queer reading, could easy be interpreted as her first 'aha' crush), who eventually left her life. (Interestingly enough, AJ also has an angry outburst with Rara for the same exact reasons as with EQG Rarity; jealous, upset that someone else is using and changing her). It's not hard to imagine an AJ with separation anxiety stemming from her mother and childhood friend/crush leaving. I'm also not above reading into AJ's relationship with her little sister (Y'all ever think about how AB never got to know her parents, even though she shares her father's colors and her mother's curly hair?).

AJ's stubbornness is a symptom of growing up too quickly as well. Who else to play with your baby sister when your brother goes nonverbal (not to discount Big Mac's role in raising AB)? Who else to wake up in the middle of the night to care for your crying baby sister when your grandma needs her rest? When you need to be 100% all the time for your family, you tend to become hard-stuck with a sense of moral superiority. You know what's best because you have to be your best because if you're aren't your best, then everything'll inevitably fall apart and it'll be your fault. And if you don't know what's best –– if you've been wrong the whole time –– that means you haven't been your best, which means you've failed the people who rely on you, which means you can't fulfill your role in the family/society, which makes you worthless . We've seen time and time again how this compulsive need to be right for the sake of others becomes self-destructive (Apple Family Reunion, Sound of Silence, all competitions against RD). We've seen in The Last Roundup how, when no longer at her best, AJ would rather remove herself from her community than confront them because she no longer feels of use to them.

But I guess it is kinda weird that AJ has "masculine" traits and isn't interested in men at all. It's totally justified that an aggressively straight, misogynistic male fandom would characterize her as a "boring background character." /s

At the time of writing this, it's 4:46AM.

[thymechaos]

i just can't believe that oda fucking create sanji, a stereotypical ladies man who simps to an embarrassing degree for women while having his hackles comically raised around everyone he perceives as a man - and most notably butting heads with the more obvious ~manly man~ of the crew. haha, classic anime running gag, the kind that gets obnoxious at times but still makes you laugh.

AND THEN, like a billion chapters later, motherfucker steeples his fingers and goes "soooooooo... what makes a person Like That?"

and the answer is that he grew up in fucking Toxic Masculinity, The Kingdom. the answer is that he was always Different, in a way other guys instinctively perceived as weak, and that made him the target of visceral scorn and violence. the answer is that he was sensitive, sweet, caring, nurturing - feminine-coded traits which are only valued by patriarchy insofar that they're performed by women in service of men. the answer is that in a kingdom comprised almost entirely by violent men, the only ones who were ever kind to him, the only safety he ever had, were a girl and a woman.

so cooking is for women and servants, it makes you less of a man. only women will ever really value you for your passions and dreams. women are also actively hurt by the way the world works, they are unsafe unless they comply with men's violence, and you have to protect them.

(men will always know what you are, and they will hurt you if you let them.)

and even after he leaves... at baratie he is cherished and respected, but even that is an extremely masculine environment. we don't talk about our feelings, we don't let our guard down, the only love is tough love. when he tries to express his artistry and express himself through his cooking, rather than just filling orders and making money, he gets mocked.

so here is a man who will not raise a hand to a woman, because he rejects the masculinity he was raised with and refuses to become yet another man subjecting women to violence. he is desperate for women's attention and affection because it's SAFE, it's the only kind he can trust. other men are potential threats and must be treated as such. he must at all times be snarky, tough, Not Feminine, because to be perceived otherwise is to be powerless, to be hurt.

like y'all. the queer coding of it all? the overtly feminist themes? the active rejection of toxic masculinity and the way it's shown to be directly tied to imperialism? what the fuck.