#this rivalry is so important to me

[slythereen]

discovering charles brought a professional tennis player to padel with max oh he is UNHINGED??

[shushmal]

Robin has a love-hate relationship with Steve-and-Eddie. Love, because those are her best friends and her best friends are in love with each other and they never leave her out of anything. Hate, because sometimes she wishes they would because she keeps accidentally third-wheeling herself.

She doesn't hate it that much though, if she's honest. It's just fun to complain, especially because it riles the both of them up.

But right now, she's being quiet so she can witness one of her secretly-favorite Steve-and-Eddie rituals—of which there are many, but this one is silly and endearing.

It starts like this:

The waitress sets down their drinks, lemonade for Robin, coca-cola for Steve, and a cherry soda for Eddie.

"Don't you dare," Eddie says, even as Steve reaches for Eddie's drink, slipping his straw in next to Eddie's and slurping obnoxiously. Eddie doesn't even pretend to stop him anymore. "Unbelievable."

"I just want to taste it!"

"You could just get a whole glass of it! All for yourself!!"

"It's too sweet, I don't want a whole glass."

"What, so you think you can just help yourself to mine?"

Steve's grin is far too smug, even for Robin, even when Steve slides it to her so she can take a sip. Steve is right, it is really too sweet and she wrinkles her nose, but it's worth it for the offended gasp Eddie makes when she slides it back to him.

The diner is their favorite, because everyone who works there has given up on understanding their weird dynamic: Robin and Steve squished into on side of the booth while Eddie's spread out on the other, Robin making gagging noises whenever Steve brushes against her, even though they never sit in any other configuration. The staff has long since stopped asking which of them was her boyfriend, and that's perfect for her.

Besides, she knows that under the table, Steve and Eddie have their ankles locked together like the disgusting love-sick dorks that they are.

The Steve-and-Eddie show continues when their meals come out. Chicken fingers and fries for Steve because he's an actual child, and breakfast for dinner for Eddie because he likes to be contrary. And then the real performance begins.

They "fight" over the ketchup bottle, which really means that Eddie picks it up and Steve snatches it out of his hands—only for Steve to spread it over Eddie's scrambled eggs (gross) for him before he adds a disgusting amount to his own basket.

Eddie makes a game of stealing Steve's fries when he thinks he isn't looking (Steve is, he's tallying each one up in his head, Robin knows this because she's doing it too), and when he finally "catches" Eddie in the act, he steals Eddie's last piece of bacon—the one that's sat untouched for the last five minutes for this very reason.

Then, Eddie's "forcing" Steve to try his grits, like he does every time, and game eats a spoonful of it, every time, and then complains at length how much he hates it (and he actually does hate it, the texture is just not for him, Robin knows because it's the same for her too).

And then they do the worst, most disgusting thing ever: they split the pancake in half. Without fail. Without argument. Every time.

Robin, slurping on her strawberry milk shake that she will NEVER share with anyone ever, thinks that stupid pancake is like the symbol of their love or something. Sh's sure if they weren't in public, they'd be feeding it to each other.

"What?" They say it in unison, and Robin hates when they do that to her.

(Eddie complains about it right back at her, because she and Steve do the same thing to him all the time. They should blame Steve, since he's the common denominator, but he just looks so pleased about them both that they can't rag on him for it, so Eddie remains Robin's sworn enemy and vice versa.)

"What what?" she sneers at them, voice quiet. "You two are disgusting, it's like you're making out right in front of me right now."

"What are you, homophobic?" Eddie hisses back, just as quiet. "I'm in love with your best friend, Buckley. I'm making out with him in front of you for the rest of your life."

"Ugh! I hate you so much."

"Right back at you."

And then they start kicking at each other beneath the table, no doubt catching Steve's ankles in the crossfire. He doesn't tell them to stop though, and Robin can see that pleased, sappy smile on his stupid face out of the corner of her eye, so she lands an exceptionally harsh blow to Eddie's shin in retaliation for making her best friend so happy. He digs his heel into her toes in return.

[demonadelem]

The games will never let me forget that one of Miles Edgeworth's defining features is the mutual obsession with Pheonix and him.

[kirkwallguy]

dai companion quests: i need you to find me an Object on the Map. no pressure though nothing happens if you don't do this i just want the Object.

da2 companion quests: i need you to come witness the third most traumatic moment of my life and if you fuck it up something terrible might happen. you can refuse but i will still go alone and hold it against you.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

You ever think about how in spite of knowing their exact locations, the game never gives any indication that templar Carver has reported his mage sibling, Merril (a blood mage) or Anders (an abomination) to his superiors?

I do think about that a lot, even though I tend to ignore the Templar Carver route because I know Warden Carver to be true in my heart and soul... but I totally get the appeal of Templar Carver within DA2's narrative, y'know?

It's so fascinating, really. I've never played a run with Templar Carver, I just can't bring myself to do it, so I know I'm missing out on smaller details of it. From what I do know, this drives me crazy in the best way possible.

Deciding whether to bring him or not to the Deep Roads is such an important choice, not only because it affects his fate, but how it affects his relationship to Hawke. He tells you that he wants to go, he makes it very clear that it's important to him that he goes, too... and Hawke can just leave him behind and it hurts him. I don't think that registers enough with some people just because of how Carver is, like it doesn't matter what Hawke's motivations are [staying behind for his safety, not wanting to bring him, thinking someone should stay with Leandra, etc] it still hurts him because it tells him that Hawke doesn't need him, and Carver wants to be needed.

And yes, there are other contributing factors to why he joins the templars, but it doesn't matter what your relationship is to him, it doesn't change the fact that he doesn't turn Hawke or his companions in.

Sure, the meta reason is it's a video game and you're playing the main character. You're never in any actual danger of being captured by templars, and you're not going to lose your companions to them that easy.

But if we look at it through the narrative and Carver's character, that's when it gets interesting. You can max out his rivalry and be an utter asshole to him [there's a point where you can call him a brat and mock him for being stuck in your shadow, like Hawke can be real cruel about it] but it doesn't matter, you're still his sibling. He even makes a remark about how you might not know what that means [referring to leaving him behind] but he does. He refuses to kill Hawke in the end when Meredith makes the order, too.

Which can I just point out that Hawke has the option to let Bethany die in the end if she's with the circle and they side with the templars? Just saying, Carver NEVER does that no matter what, but Hawke has the option to betray Bethany like that and it's fucked and interesting and it makes me want to eat my chair-

As for Merrill and Anders, I think he knows that if he turns either of them in, then the chances of Hawke being brought in as well skyrocket. They're all friends, they're in the same group... bring one in, and you'll probably get the other two.

I also think Carver just genuinely likes Merrill. Yes, I'm a Carver/Merrill shipper, so I have a bias, but even if you remove anything romantic from their dynamic I believe that's true. Of all the companions, Merrill is the only one who doesn't make fun of him, or find him annoying, in party banters. He never snaps back at her, like he's never defensive with her, he's just a little awkward and nice.

Like, HE'S SO NICE TO HER! He tries to find common ground with her! She asks him about "swording" and he's taken aback by her saying he's good at it, but you KNOW that if someone like Anders asked him the same question, he's be all, "shut up, you're stupid, stop talking to me >:["

Think back to that banter Carver can have with Aveline post-act 1 where they're talking about how the guard wasn't the right place for him [hard disagree with you there, Aveline] and Carver says he was a bit of a tit, wasn't he.... and every companion will agree except Merrill. She doesn't say anything, whereas other companions like Anders will be like "ugh maker YES" and if you have a purple Hawke, they'll go on to other ways Carver was a tit like?? I think Carver and Merrill got along and he doesn't want to turn her in because she was nice to him! And she's a blood mage! He knows what will happen to her if the templars get ahold of her! He doesn't want to see her made tranquil or killed!

At that point, he's witnessed what bad blood mages can do, assuming you've brought him along for those quests, but even so. He knows Merrill isn't like that and he likes her, so of course he's not going to turn her in despite that being his literal duty.

Then there's Anders who Carver doesn't like. If you're in a romance with him, Carver will tell him that's why he doesn't turn him in but c'mon Carver, you know that's not the only reason. My theory is Carver may not like Anders and he knows the man's got a spirit of justice inside of him... but Anders also runs a free clinic. If he's ever taken in by templars, then so many people [including a LOT of Fereldan refugees] will be without free health care and will suffer for it. I think in Carver's eyes, Anders might be irritating but he doesn't more good than harm. Carver knows first hand how shitty refugees and poorer people are treated in Kirkwall. Anders' clinic is the one place they can go for help and actually get it, and he's not going to be the one to take that away because the templars say "magic bad."

So yeah, I'm not as informed about the Templar Carver route, but I do think about how if I did do that route, he wouldn't betray Hawke or their companions no matter what and what that says about him.

[t-u-i-t-c]

"You'll triumph someday, as long as you never yield. I'll take you on any time." "You never fail to piss me off, Geats."

[batsplat]

OT3: casey stoner/his neuroses/the concept of valentino rossi that mostly exists in casey’s head

y'know I have this casey stoner... idk what it is. thematic mind map (literal), let's say, that I like fiddling with and adding things to when the mood hits me. and it does always strike me just how many of his struggles during his careers and issues with the sport can in some way be linked back to the valentino rivalry

casey's sense of isolation? super valentino related. casey's feelings of cultural alienation in a paddock dominated by europeans? even when it's not really related to valentino, casey is the one linking those two things together. casey's issues with other riders not being respectful enough on track? very obviously repeatedly about valentino. casey's discomfort with the performance and entertainment-related aspects of the sport? more valentino. casey feeling treated unfairly by the manufacturers, the media, the marshals, the fans.... keeps coming back to valentino. casey's mystery illness really shouldn't be as relevant to the rivalry as it is, but somehow through this combination of public discourse and whatever comparisons casey's brain is cooking up at any moment in time... there valentino is again

one of the most charming things about valentino's feuds is that in each and every single one, both participants end up being deeply weird about each other? just keep knocking off these banger quotes about the other where you read them and go. hm. what's going on there then. I don't want to make it sound like I think casey is the worst offender with this (not when marc and valentino have their whole thing going on, bidirectionally)... but I do think he's the most susceptible to conflating his valentino issues with like... everything else that was going on in his career. to the extent where his alienation with the sport as a whole, his extreme disillusionment from everything related to motogp, really cannot be meaningfully disentangled from the valentino rivalry. at times it feels like, to casey, valentino literally is the sport. and that's the thing casey dedicated his whole life to!! which means you do inevitably end up regularly going 'wow there's a lot to unpack'. add in a dash of neuroticism...

and yeah you're so right anon!! the neuroses are what end up creating the version of valentino that mostly exists in casey's head, a version that casey is just a touch obsessed with. I always think it's interesting how aware casey is that he doesn't know valentino as a person - and to the extent casey does know him, he gets on pretty well with him... but valentino the person isn't all that relevant to him. it's valentino the character who matters - and can you even really know a character? in the end, all casey can do is rely on his own understanding of that character, as imperfect as it is. and, well, in a way casey is trapped with that character forevermore. if one man comes to embody a sport to such an extent and if that sport has been your life's work, how can you not be a little bit trapped? as he tries to make his peace with the sport and his experiences within it, so too has casey settled on a narrative of valentino that helps him make sense of it all... a very specific understanding of his rival that casey has shaped in his mind and still trots out now when he sells his own version of events to the media. casey learned from valentino, casey learned to be a little more like valentino, casey learned to fight valentino with his own tools, casey tells himself a story of that fight. he still continues to do so - and in the end he will never be entirely free of valentino

[every-sanji]

so the most recent post from you reminded me- you're not a zosan fan (neither am I tbh) so what DO you support for sanji (in terms of ships or HCs)

I had to sit on this for a bit since I got home but I do have a few ride or dies so we can start there.

SanUso numero um campeao del mundo!! I love love love sanuso so much.... they have a number of really good scenes together and I'm so tired or I'd try and pull them up but off the top of my head in Water 7 when Sanji worries about if Usopp will come back, and earlier in the arc with Enies Lobby calling Usopp their sniper and getting very excited to see him back...

If Oda wasn't a coward post ts or at least post wci Sanji would be fat. Fatness and weight gain as healing is so important and thematically fits for Sanji as a character especially with all of his backstory but alas.

In terms of gender/sexuality I'm pretty fluid on what I headcanon for him. As long as it makes sense for the scenario I don't care all that much. I know bisexual is really common as a hc for him which is great! I also see him as tentatively genderfluid but I don't think he really knows how to articulate it. Probably with weird food and cooking metaphors.

And the last thing I'm going to say because I'm me and its impossible for me to talk about anything without mentioning Enstars but I think he and Niki share similar worldviews when it comes to food, especially when it comes to feeding the needy, what with Sanji giving Gin the food in Baratie despite being enemies and Niki taking in a strange teenage Rinne he found on the street because he looked hungry and both Gin and Rinne feel indebted to their chefs and saviors. I would love to see a One Piece and Ensemble Stars collab with them specifically someday and not just because they're my favorites from each franchise....

[hamiltonsf1]

zo’s saturday

[simply-m-a-d]

they mean the world to me your honor

[yourstrullyme]

so i know ive talked about kit x elora before bc of the tension and that last scene that can be read romantic (to me its honestly just a good ole crack ship or maybe the posibility for a throuple but yeh, nothing can get between tanthamore. but thats for another post), but to be honest i just really want to take a moment to recognize it as a friendship because it is just so rare to find a female friendship, more so at the center of a show, and even more so a fantasy show - fantasy being a genre were most of the characters are always male and, if you get a woman, its usually just someone's love interest.

but in this show we got two women whose friendship is so powerful they manage to complete the quest and find airk because of it. and they still have their rivarly!! but its not a petty catfight!! and its not over some boy!!! and even beyond that theyre both so complex, they have other struggles aside from their rivalry and their trauma, they even have love interests of their own!! like, honestly, this show is so amazing in so many ways (interracial wlw relationship being respected and developed and given a place in all of it without either of the women being reduced to just a love interest???) but i just think we should take a moment to apreciate the realness of these women, and the platonic relationship thats built between them, between kit and elora, and how they overcame everything, together, to become pivotal to the plot. without the trust they develop between them, without elora coming into herself and persisting in her helping kit, and kit letting go of her resentment and jealousy to believe in her, the whole crew would have never found the immemorial city and would have probably ended up dead in the shattered sea trying to find a way back

i just- female friendships, man. theyre so good and powerful and important

[silverselfshippingchaos]

sometimes I remember that all my fankids are technically half-indian and I start imagining them doing shit like this together

[kirnet]

im not sure of piff will send gale to godhood now in her next run bc on one hand. fuck mystra. on the other. SHE wants godhood actually.

[bolithesenate]

one for five!

Well I'm certainly not going to be the one to tell them.

"Well I'm certainly not going to be the one to tell them."

"What," Tholme mocked, "You don't want to point out the giant, armed and very angry trandoshans that the 'once in a lifetime archeological find' they are protecting so fiercely is in fact a cheap souvenir from Scarif that gets mass produced and must have somehow gotten dropped into the mud here? I can't possibly imagine why."

Dooku scowled, "Your Master dropped the thing, so you get to be the bearer of bad news."

"He's also your Master now," the Shadow Padawan pointed out, smirking just like Thame.

"Only temporary."

[astranauticus]

kinda out of good art ideas at the moment (used up all my Flashes of Genius for the next month pretty much) so the next time i get really bored i might tryna draw the rwd crew as arknights characters with similar vibes bc VR-LA as ebenholz (sass, tragic backstory involves the death of a close friend with very gay undertones, magic comes from a very powerful magical entity they've... bonded with one way or another, funny dps capabilities) and dani as nian (genius artificer vs genius craftsman, Ship MenaceTM, deep down very scared of losing their (found) families) are like... screaming at me. also i think VR-LA deserves an absolutely massive cape and dani deserves some really short shorts

[ribbonpinky-art]

12'6" is not actually Lady's "default" height, disregard that pls :3