#what can i say its about your family never outright showing love

[teas-of-trin]

When i want to dig through my emotional trauma regarding my mom —> sharp objects ( book or series because both together slaughter me so beautifully. Something something our mother is our carver and grave digger something something we never escape the house we grew up in, the house we lost everything in; always being afraid to become who hurt us—tangling ourselves in the line between the kindness in ourselves and the sickness in our parents)

When i want to dig through my emotional trauma regarding my dad —> succession (there is nothing for me to say here, i watch a dad kick his children and watch them come back to him no matter what circumstance because they want his love; dangling the legacy, the opportunity of a lifetime in front of your kids and then drowning them when they get to close; wanting your kids to be killer, but them never doing it because they want your love too much; fear vs love)

When i want to dig through both my maternal and paternal issues and also the fact that love is carnal —> hannibal (i mean surrogate parents; manipulation at the highest form, obsession for understanding; layers upon layers of desire unfurling themselves under each other; trying to find parents in the people who took the most from you; having someone affect your life so deeply there is a before and after with them in the middle)

[fandomfuntimem]

Dp x Dc or just Dp things I (personally) want to see more of.

Just some stuff I've seen and really liked but never see enough of.

Danny is very casually a genius and/or skilled (engineering, gymnastics, really any skill you pick):

There isn't enough of it tbh. I dont think people realise just how smart and skilled he is. Being a ghost probably made him very flexible and gave him extra abilities the average human may not have. Also he comes from a family of scientists, yeah maybe up against them he doesn't seem smart, but being "smart" comes in different forms. More often than not the ability to be smart comes from your ability to pick up on things, retain information, understand information, and use that information accordingly. Danny does that, especially with his villains. He even finds outside the box ways to defeat his villains. Like tricking Freakshow into becoming a ghost.

I just think its under utilized. A lot of Teen heros are geniuses but no one ecknowledges it. Hell, you can make it that Danny doesn't even realise just how smart he is. He doubts it and often thinks he's one of the dumber people in the room. But when sleep deprived and running on a cup of coffee he can solve a problem he hasn't even seen before the konk out for an hour.

Danny has BEEF with the JL or isn't outright a fan:

In a lot of fics the JL (especially Batman) are huge hypocrites. Like they'll barge into Amity trying to solve problems that don't even effect them, screw things up more, then offer Danny more training. Hello????? You guys being there caused the problem???? Then, in other things Batman preaches about territory and Danny will get threatened or treated with suspicion for even stepping foot NEAR Gothem, but then barges into his territory like its his buisness.

Let Danny call them out. Let him point out that everything has been fine untill they showed up. Let him get MAD. This is HIS territory, HIS haunt, HIS people. These guys have done nothing for him! Why should he accept their help when their help only makes things worse? In fics where they help him because he needed it and ended up in Gotham let him be suspicious and careful. He doesn't need to be vivasected or hurt to be warry of the crime fighting furries he just met.

Mans has the experience to know you can't trust anyone untill they prove you can.

Danny should be casually overpowered and spooky:

This isn't even he has to be experienced. He is so used to his powers he doesn't realise how scary it is. He will casually stop a punch from superman, laugh, quipe, then punch back.

He accidentally breaks stuff, walks through things, glows, its so normal for him. He apologizes and does it again because he forgot. He genuinly has no idea how strong he is, he just knows he needs to be soft on humans.

Danny and Phantom are very different personalities:

I'm not saying they're two different people. They have the same mind same person. But the way they act is so different. Danny is grumpy, quiet, whimpy. Danny is a loser, and everyone knows it. Phantom, on the other hand, is confident, he jokes, smiles, makes a game out of his struggles, he's strong. Phantom is just a good guy. Everyone (minus others) loves him!

This happens because Danny is more comfortable as Phantom or Vise Versa. Sertant trates carry over, they're nerds, they're smart, they enjoy a good pun, they're sassy. But because Danny is a loser everyone sees it as lame, but with Phantom its endearing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

None of this means you need to get rid of silly nerdy Danny. You can have that but all these other things ad depth to his character. Hes smart but not confident, he's kind but not naive, he's powerful but not violent, and he finds comfort in the fact no one knows him.

Idk. I'm not a big fanfic writer so i thought i would just share and see what others do with it.

[wolven91]

Drought vs Flood

Cat calls.

Being called 'cute' or showered with compliments.

Paul had never really considered these an annoyance before. Hell, if he though back to his time on Earth, he couldn't remember the last time when he'd ever received a compliment from a stranger before.

No, that was a lie he realised.

Many years before, an older lady once stopped him to compliment him on a jovial Christmas jumper he'd worn. She said she liked it and that he was handsome in it too. He vividly remembered having a great day that day, despite having to deal with a queue of irate customers throughout the afternoon.

That compliment had kept the man sated for years!

As a man, Paul had never really understood the frustrations of women when they bemoaned the fact that they received compliments and manners from random strangers every day. The man would always hasten to add that he understood them from a logical point of view, but there was always a part of him that had wanted a taste of that life for a while.

Sure, maybe getting them every day might have gotten old, but after over a decade of surviving off one compliment? The man didn't *understand* the frustration. The isolation had to be worse right?

That was until the Earth was destroyed and Paul ended up like a few of his fellow humans, lost amongst the stars as a human, alone in the void.

At first, Paul thrived. He'd lived alone for seven years and with his friends moving away, getting families, or just losing touch; there had been times in his life where he'd gone whole weeks without saying a single word out loud.

After that initial period of learning the ropes, figuring out where he could get a job, food, even the stuff that wasn't quite 'legal' like a drink, Paul settled into what he expected would be a quiet life.

Only, every time he spent time out in public, like when he went to sit in the tiny bar that would serve him under the counter, it wasn't that quiet.

"I just love your fur; can I touch it?" Asked the bull-like alien as they had already begun reaching out and touching thick leather pads to the crop of hair atop Paul's head. The man shoved the alien's wrist away from him.

"No, thank you." He grunted, still hunched at the bar, uncomfortable about the two aliens that stood either side of him. Both were, alien, they had the heads of bulls but bodies that he would have given his left arm for back home. But regardless of their physical attraction, this was week three of not being able to have a single moment's peace outside of his own quarters.

"Oh come on, I read you love it when someone pets you?" Smarmed the second, quoting some bullshit, pardon the pun, text that Paul himself had read. Apparently, a few of the survivors had let slip that they were touch starved, so now every alien and their mother was quoting this as if gospel.

If Paul ever got his hands on the moron that uttered those...

"Not all humans are the same." He growled back, gripping his drink.

"Well, what if I showed you a gun? You like guns, right?" Offered the first taurian, briefly turning their hip and displaying a holster.

"I repeat, not all humans are the same." Paul was British, he thought guns were a tool and nothing more. No more exciting than a pen or a pair of expensive scissors. More than a handful of Americans made it out and had made a huge scene when they found out guns were illegal to humans. Yet more misinformation chumming the water.

"Aww come on, we're just being friendly. It's okay! I also read that your society said you had to be prudes; it's not true, you can relax." The alien explained as if she wasn't taking a big dump on the entire human civilisation and its history.

Paul sneered at the fact that he mildly agreed. The odd concepts that were considered fact back home were outright frowned on up here. With all the fur and lack of breasts on those without; clothes were almost optional by those not actively working. Granted Paul wasn't a nudist and didn't have the body to want to flaunt it, but it was a breath of fresh air to not be so gummed down with social rules.

"I was relaxed," Paul sniped, but the jab went well over the two female taurian's horns. "I just want a quiet drink." He reiterated, breathing deep and remaining calm. The sluggat barkeep watched him carefully, his eye stalks watching the taurians and the human independently. He was hanging around by the bar's emergency distress button.

"We can drink with you." Offered one of them, Paul didn't even bother looking now, instead attempting to drill a hole in the opposite wall with his eyes.

"I don't want company." He explained clearly.

"Why not?" They prodded.

"Because I said so."

"That ain't a real answer, just let us-"

"Can you actually fuck off?!" Paul snapped, turning his body to the last one to speak. "I don't want company, I don't want a drink from you, I want to be left alone!"

"Alright, fuck us, right? We were being nice and now you're acting like we're attacking you. We're the nice ones, but I guess you'll only learn that when you meet the other kind."

Paul just rolled his eyes as the pair stepped away from the bar and, as one walked past, clipped the leg of the stool Paul was sat on, jangling his already on edge nerves.

They grunted something as they passed that the translators flagged as an insult.

Paul rubbed a hand over his face as he sighed and tried to relax. The sluggat slithered over and asked if he was all right.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm fine." The man replied absently, using a thumb to wick the moisture off the side of his glass.

A drought, versus a flood.

That was how Paul now considered the perspective from before. How he would explain the difference of perspectives to a younger self.

How could the drowning woman understand the dying man in the desert?

It was great to be the centre of attention for a week or two, but the way they got handsy? If he didn't actively stop them, and make it clear he wasn't 'playing hard to get' that they'd start groping him?  The way they didn't give him space or even listen when he said 'no'?

Even when they were weird... and smelt bad... Not all the creatures up here were attractive.

"Fuck." The man drew the word out with a breath he only realised was shaking as his voice shuddered. With a guilty grimace, the man reached into his pocket and retrieved the data slate. He scrolled through the minimal contacts and selected his guardian.

It rang once before being answered by a near frantic voice that was obviously being kept neutral.

"Paul?"

"Hey Shu'ba. I fucked up... Can you... Can you come get me please?" The man asked humbly.

"Is everything alright?!"

"It's fine, nothing's happened, but I'd feel safer if you were near."

"I got your location, I'm two minutes away."

"Thanks, Shu'ba."

"Don't think anything of it."

"I'm sorry."

The voice of the ssypno sighed through the speaker.

"I get it's hard to have a babysitter, but we're here for a reason. It's okay, I'm almost there."

Paul stayed on the line, even though he and the sluggat were the only patrons of the bar, but when the neon green scales of his guardian slithered into the room, a wave of relief washed over him.

Perhaps it was time to stop giving the serpent the slip?

[r/WolvensStories]

[Ko-Fi]

[marragurl]

Saxaphone player Gallagher has not left my mind since the jazz night art dropped AND THEN Robin saying Halovian’s innately have good voices and Sunday used to hum lullabies to her as kids happened in the 2.2 special program, and I’m sure you guys can see where my unfortunate Galladay heart is going with this.

Whoever decided to make this art, I love you. I hope your pillow is cool every night, you’re never stuck in traffic, and your water is refreshing with every sip.

Also the art of Sunday with the White Gentlemen drink in the S.P.A.R.K.L.E jazz night event has also spiraled into me delusionally thinking that’s his go to drink. Which is hilarious since Robin has hinted before that he seems to have a massive sweet tooth in her letters.

(Sunday how do you even make holding a drink menacing, Sunday please get some therapy-)

So imagine this:

Pre 2.0 Galladay, where they’re both wary and suspicious of each other but didn’t do anything outright. Sunday slowly began to visit Gallagher’s bar whenever he had time to observe the Hound, initially on the down low just to get a sense of what he was working with and what to keep an eye on. He always gravitated to that one corner booth that every bar had with the most privacy, and just stalked there for a few hours before leaving. (Smol menacing birb in a tree vibes)

Gallagher obviously knew that Sunday was doing this (even though everyone else seemed to somehow completely miss him, Gallagher wouldn’t be surprised if Sunday was doing some weird Harmony mind tricks), and after the first few “stakeouts,” he bit the bullet and actually approached the table to engage with Sunday, on the off chance this was some weird “test of loyalty” by the Halovian to see if the Hound would swallow his pride to serve his so-called masters.

Nothing terrible happened, but he remained passive-aggressively polite when serving him, and Sunday remained passive-aggressively cool-headed in response. There was some snark of what dear “sweet-toothed” Sunday would want at a bar, and an icy reply of “aren’t you the master drink smith? Why don’t you show me those skills you boasted about?” which led to Gallagher being petty and giving Sunday the White Gentlemen drink, both for the story behind it being such a metaphor for Sunday, and because it was on the more bitter side of alcoholic drinks.

Sunday wasn’t too against the drink; it wasn’t something he would have ordered if it had been his choice, but it wasn’t a bad drink by any means. He couldn’t help but continue to drink it even after Gallagher left his little hidey booth to go back to the main bar, but he’d never stoop so low as to complement the Hound. Of course, he never ordered anything else from then on, only White Gentleman. In fact, over time it seemed to slowly get better, the flavors grew on him, and he couldn't help but look forward to it during difficult nights in the Dreamscape.

If Gallagher tried to needle him into a different drink, Sunday just bit back a “oh? Admitting defeat? I thought this was your best drink for me?” with a little smirk while Gallagher had to use every bit of self-control to not punch him in the face.

As time went on, the bar slowly became a place Sunday frequented to not quite relax, but to get away from the hustle and bustle of Penacony and his duties as one of its main faces. The stresses slowly started piling up, especially with the Charmony fast approaching in a few months and all that came with it.

Gallagher didn’t seem to loosen up regarding his attitude with Sunday, but he did get better at shoving down the visceral hatred he had for everything to do with The Family and Sunday as time went on. He didn’t get soft with Sunday per se, but he definitely kept an eye out for him, and definitely knew when to cut off his drinks on days where it seemed that Sunday wasn’t all that there for their usual veiled comments towards one another when he went to serve him his drink.

It started small, with Sunday staying later and later until sometimes he was the last one to leave the bar to return to reality. Gallagher wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, still wasn’t quite sure this wasn’t some weird long-term test Sunday was devising, especially since he still seemed to be the same ruthless Family member, the same Head of the Oak Family, when Gallagher was working as a Bloodhound outside the bar. For some reason though, within the enclosed space of this strange sanctuary, it was almost peaceful between the two.

One night, there was something wrong when Sunday entered the bar during Gallagher’s shift. He saw a bit of a crowd near the small stage that was within eyesight of his little hidey booth, it seemed some of the musicians of the live band were arguing? He watched as Gallagher came over, seemed to try to speak with the group before honing in on one of the musicians who had been making the most noise and seemed to be about to get physical with the rest. Sunday watched as Gallagher picked up the musician by the scruff of their suit with one hand and carried them towards the doors and lightly tossed them out.

(It was the first time Sunday had actually seen Gallagher perform anything resembling the actual duty of a Bloodhound. It only hit him that he’d only ever seen the other when giving reports, orders, or at the bar. Why was this so shocking to him, he’d seen the man’s arms before, hard not to with his slovenly dress and messy clothing style, as if he couldn’t bother to hide away his imperfections from the world, not like Sunday who refused to be seen by the world, to dare to show one thing off about himself despite his countless failings- he’s getting far too distracted by one meager showing of strength, focus Sunday)

There had always been a live music segment. Sunday was curious to see what would happen with the band missing a member, but was distracted by Gallagher placing his usual White Gentlemen in front of him before heading back to the musicians without a single word to him. Gallagher took a moment to speak with the rest of the band, who seemed to be coming out of their shock and took on worried looks. Sunday could only watch in muted shock as Gallagher went behind the bar and came back with a case, opening it to reveal a saxophone. He then went on stage with the rest of the group, positioned himself further to the side and in the back amongst the shadows within Sunday’s line of sight, and played with the band for the rest of the night.

Sunday couldn’t look away.

He was frozen as he watched Gallagher seamlessly transition from song to song, taking only small breaks to continue serving the other patrons before heading back in. Sunday only remembered about his own drink when his gloves began to get wet from the ice melting into condensation on his glass.

Something felt off within Sunday, and for the first time since Robin’s debut, he couldn't help humming to the music of the band, music that wasn’t of his own sister’s making. He couldn’t help but remember those little concerts the two would have, taking care of his little sister, his only world. He would do anything to keep the Harmony, to keep their family going. When was the last time they truly spent time together? Before he became the Head of the Oak Family? Before he couldn't recognize his own smile?

He was so lost in his thoughts, in memories he thought he buried, that he didn’t realize that it was once again closing time, and he was once again the last one left. He only snapped out of it when Gallagher came by to grab his empty glass, only quirking a questioning brow at him before heading back to the bar.

Gallagher had been keeping a quiet eye on the Halovian that night from the back of the band, in the shadows he felt the most comfort in when in the Dreamscape of Penacony. He had watched Sunday’s eyes glaze over, and the only reason he hadn’t felt offended by the seeming disinterest was the look in the other man’s eyes reminding him of his own when he looked in the mirror. The same look of shame, regret, loss, longing, of the wishes to regain everything he had lost. The same look he strove to hide under every bit of the facade he had crafted of this new self, but came back all too often with every reference of the Family found within his prison in the Dreamscape.

Maybe it was the shared nostalgia within his own heart, that little bit of his true self that he thought died when the Family tore out everything that made him who he was, that made him return behind the bar and begin making Sunday another White Gentlemen, giving Sunday a small nod to beckon him over. He wasn’t expecting anything from it, and he masked his own surprise when Sunday actually left his little shelter to come and take a seat in front of him at the bar. Even while out of it, Gallagher made note of the quiet confidence the other still carried himself. Nothing seemed wrong to anyone else looking at him, only for the lost look in his eyes.

The first time in the many months that they’ve been skirting around each other, and finally they seemed to be face to face.

It was quiet as Gallagher made Sunday his usual drink, a drink he had been slowly changing over the months to be sweeter and sweeter that Sunday never quite seemed to notice, or if he did, he never said anything, only seeming to savor it more each subsequent night. Maybe not even Gallagher noticed his own changes to the drink, subtle as they were.

It was quiet as Sunday took the finished drink, and it was quiet as his eyes slid over the bartop to see the saxophone case laying open with the instrument inside. It was quiet as Gallagher followed his eyes, as he came out from behind the bartop to take the saxophone out and take a seat in a chair only one seat down from Sunday’s. It was quiet as Gallagher began to play to his audience of one.

It was quiet as Sunday quietly hummed along.

It was quiet as they both knew that it would not last.

OK yea so this was all because I heard ‘La vie en rose’ at the end of the Jazz night event and went “Damn I wish that’s Gallagher playing on his Sax” and then we spiraled.

Uh. Idk what it is with me having a small ship moment which then spirals into a full blown writing session. My mind blanked out and as I came to I find out that I made a whole ass little one shot over here then completely forgot about it WHOOPS

So yea, hope my fellow Galladay enjoyers… enjoyed! I think I’ve slowly begun to crave… not domestic or fluff per se from these two, but after every AO3 fic being super dark between them (which I get! They are the toxic yaoi kings of Penacony as of writing this, no one is denying that!) I think I want to see them be explored in a more melancholic sense. Not quite the “forbidden” love angle, but in the “damn we kinda have some parallels, and maybe in another life we could have gotten along but there’s too much baggage and anger, both historically and currently to really even try anything”

I have this feeling this may not be the last time I write about these two… is Galladay going to be the ship that gets me to actually use my AO3 account?

[bulbabutt]

if i can be corny for a second i wanna talk about the greatest strengths of the 2003 tmnt series and why it speaks to me (esp as a queer person)

so i might have alluded to this before, but let me say it outright: each show is definitely a product of its time, and the ideals of whatever generation its from. whether talking about the humour, the story, the dialogue etc, its always important to remember that these shows will always come off in a way due to the generation theyre from. and thats not a bad thing! it just means its important to think about them from that perspective.

2003 is a show of my generation growing up, and a thing about that era that maybe some people younger than me wont understand is there is so much more language commonly available to describe yourself now than there was then. you can take this in any context; mental health, sexuality, gender identity, or even just the ability to describe your relationships with more (idk if this will be the right word) therapist language.

in 03 we have a family unit of splinter and his sons, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. we have a splinter who hasnt opened up to his sons about the trauma hes experienced, but not in a way of shutting them out, simply because it isnt their responsibility to know as they are teenagers. he tells them of the mutagen that created them, but not of his past with his master yoshi, who he calls father when by himself, but never around his sons which is just an interesting concept to think about.

(i do not intent this next sentence as ragging on the two shows after this when i say it, simply from a character standpoint) this is the splinter who completely doesnt make his problems his sons problems, but he also is very willing to tell them the truth when he knows they're ready. this is is the most idyllic version of splitner out of all of them, even when comparing to his mirage counterpart (who hes the most based on) due to that splinter raising them to be ninja specifically to make them fight shredder. this one is just their father who loves them and wants to keep them safe the best way he can, and he was never a human in the first place to even know how to be that. so this whole family dynamic starts with him, and the way he raised his sons reflects his parenting.

so, the setting and year this show is made is 2003. something very relatable here is how there isnt a lot of language for the personality quirks of the turtles. there's so much evidence here for mikey having adhd, his brothers will say things like "why doesnt mikey have to help?" and the answer is "well, he'd be bored. and whats worse, mikey not helping or mikey being bored?" its this beautiful moment of, "hey, we know its not fair, but thats how mikey is, and its better for everyone if we just respect that thats how he is" mikey cant keep his hands off stuff, they know this they dont yell at him for behaving that way, they just stop him. this coding feels the most specific, but like i said. its 2003. we dont have the words to describe what this is yet, and if we do its not common knowledge.

another example is in the classic episode where raphael meets casey jones. raphael is sparring with mikey, and he lashes out and nearly kills mikey. everyone reacts to this by getting him to stop, and no one is more upset than raphael himself. they all tell him to go get some air, which he does. theres no moment of any of them screaming at him for losing his temper, its very clear that they all know he's going to do that himself. and he does go get some air. they all know thats what he needs. he goes and meets casey jones, another hot head, and raph has to help coach this hot head on his anger. when he comes back at the end of the episode after having let out that aggression, he apologizes and no one is upset with him. there's a very clear understanding among his family that he cannot help it, but the best thing they can do is give him his space when he needs it. watching this from a 2023 perspective (20 years later) im sure we could analyze this as a few things going on with raph, my mind comes to autism but at the end of the day it doesnt matter why he behaves like this, the point is that he does and the best thing his family does is just...help him. which they do. and they never hold it against him.

when leo is going through his ptsd arc hes at his closest to raph as a character, the show draws a lot of parallels (like having him go let out some aggression with casey) and we get to see the dynamic in reverse. in "i, monster" (the rat king episode) leo is losing it, taking on rat king alone and not wanting to let up. raphael is actively holding his brothers back when they say "we shouldnt leave him to fight alone", raphael says "if leo gets in trouble i'm the first one in there, but right now it looks like leo's got more than one monster to work out of his system" raph doesn't exactly know what leos going through, but he recognizes it. he knows he needs to fight alone, so raph lets him. its only when the building collapses and leo is no longer in a safe position that he says "leo lets go", which leo wordlessly agrees with and actually listens.

this is what i think is the best part of these guys, the unconditional understanding they have for the way they are. we still have our "raphs a big hot head" "mikeys annoying" jokes, but they feel like genuine good natured sibling ribbing because they know each other on that level.

and to go back to the fact that this show is set in 2003, there's something so specific about the way mikey constantly makes references to liking women's clothing, to being fine with feminine language, and to being open about being the pretty turtle who "has that effect on minds of men" speaks to me as a queer person. this could easily be intended as homophobic jokes and probably is, because again.... its the mid 2000s, thats very much what media was like, thats what the jokes were. especially with the girly screams mikey does being one of the first jokes of this nature.

but theres something that happens in season 4, where an alien is attacking mikey, and donnie rushes in and says "hey, thats my sibling" that sticks out. and it happens again in fast forward. when talking to the dark turtles leo says "you and your brothers" "me and my siblings"

because of the way this family unit just understands each other without ever having a conversation about things, it feels like its not a joke. theres some kind of affirmation happening here. even if it seems like i could be reading into it too much, its specific! and it keeps happening!

and by the end of the show, when mikey says he wants to be maid of honour, even if that line in the media itself was intended to be a joke, no one in their family treats it like one. of course mikey is the maid of honour, he asked to be one! the only real offence taken is when april says bride's maid, to which he is offended because hes so much more important than that!

so from a story standpoint, this show doesnt have the intricate complexities and butting heads of latter iterations, there isnt much relationship growth to be had (in fact once we get to around season 5 the flanderization of the characters kind of begins and it loses some of the more complexities) but thats because its just not the focus of the story! the story is more about what they go through together, and thats fine! thats what our shows kind of were at the time. not saying there isnt any relationship growth, but its very much not the focus because these turtles? they already understand each other in a healthy way.

so to me, these guys are kind of the most wholesome family unit

[luvhughes43]

I need to know the Hughes fams thoughts on vivienne

this has been sitting in my drafts for so long so i’m just going to post it even though it doesn’t feel complete (to me)

the hughes had seen how jack was with you. how comfortable he was, how much he liked not being some sort of commodity.

vivienne was entirely different. not even in a bad way, but she was always focused on being the picture-perfect couple.

"jacky!" vivienne cooed, pressing her check against jacks in greeting. jack smiled at her, wrapping his arm around vivienne as she got comfortable on his lap.

luke and quinn shared a look, trevor outright rolling his eyes at the sight of the couple. trevor wouldn't openly admit it, because if you asked him he was all for whatever his friend wanted, but he was team y/n.

if jack noticed the looks, he didn't pay them any mind. he knew how much his family had grown to like you, and with time... maybe vivienne would grow on them too. that wasn't the case.

⋆ ★

"sweetie, can you help me with the salad?" ellen asked, gesturing to all the uncut vegetables sitting on the island. vivienne looks over, raises her brows, and then looks back at her phone.

"hmmm.. i just got my nails done" vivienne replies in a grating voice. she flashes her nails in Ellen’s direction, and then turns back to her phone again.

"i'll help you mom" luke speaks up, shooting out of his chair and walking over to the island. "she's rude, isn't she?" luke whispers to his mom who purses her lips and nods.

"shes... different" is all ellen says before she turns to the oven.

luke rolls his eyes before whispering back, "you can admit that you dont like her. its okay"

ellen sighs. "jack had a rough time after the break up. if hes happy with vivienne, then hes happy. we barely know her. maybe shes really great"

when jack walks into the kitchen, vivienne stands up from her seat at the table. "jack! lets help your mom and set the table, yeah?" vivienne says, completely forgetting about her manicure that, well... hindered her abilities to help when asked.

"mom..."

"luke, enough."

⋆ ★

"we gotta debrief this," luke sighs as he shuts the door to quinns room.

quinn looks up from his ipad and his brows furrow. "what?"

"vivienne and jack, obviously" luke speaks easily. he sprawls himself across his older brothers bed and waits for quinns opinions.

when they didn't come, he continued. "you dont think she's a little..."

"okay yeah shes annoying, but what's that have to do with me?"

"nothing. this is about restoring the balance of-"

"you watch too many movies" quinn laughs, interrupting whatever luke was about to say.

"you know what, trevor would love to talk about this with me" luke grumbles. he stands up from the bed, and quinn is quick to pull him back down again.

"okay, no. we can talk about it" quinn responds, pausing his show and setting his ipad on his side table.

"their relationship just feels... fake ... like, i dont know. like remember when jack brought y/n here last summer?" quinn nods, urging his brother to continue. "i've never seen him so happy. he genuinely liked her,"

"i mean, i think he likes vivienne" quinn adds.

"well sure but its different"

"i think... i think jack loved y/n. thats why its different with vivienne. they dont have the same dynamic" quinn shares his thoughts and luke thinks it over.

"yeah..." the boys both sit in silence for a minute.

"that really sucks" luke finally responds.

"and maybe youre being too hard on vivienne? i know you really liked y/n but its not your relationship. maybe she'll grow on you?"

"hey! lets not act like you like vivienne! i see the looks you give me!" luke defends, not wanting to get into his own feelings (aside from not liking vivienne) dissected by his older brother.

⋆ ★

essentially, none of them really liked vivienne but nobody wanted to admit it (aside from luke) to jack. they just want him to be happy after the breakup even if it means putting up with vivienne.

[thefourchimes]

okay, just gonna say this now before i start this post: i have absolutely no problems with alternate universes, go ham with them, go wild, you can have fun, etcetc, they're called alternate universes for a reason, after all

however. HOWEVER.

i have a problem when people say something should have happened in canon, when canon itself disproves or goes against whatever these people want

the reason why im bringing this up?

the whole thing with how some people keep saying mirabel should have [insert the usual things people say here, hate, slap, punch, left, get revenge, etc, take your pick, there's unfortunately a lot to choose from] the family. in the canon movie.

again, i have no problem with alternate universes and seeing them in fanfics or whatever, you do you, could be interesting to see even

but when you start saying this should have happened in canon, its just. no. no.

god, it just frustrates me so much whenever i see these posts and comments, the ones that said she should have gone evil or villain or hate the family and all that stuff

because mirabel herself loves her family. she literally said it outright in the movie!!! its not in her personality and character to just go against them and hate them and want revenge. there will be hurt and hesitance and some resentment after everything she'd gone through, yes, but outright hate to the point where she'll hurt them?? absolutely not.

not with her character, her love and empathy and understanding, the traits we see her show in the movie.

like my friend once said: mirabel "he loved this family. i love this family. we all love this family" would NEVER hurt her family

say it louder for the people at the back!!

and thats not all i want to rant about tbh...the real kicker on this one?

whenever this statement is added on top of it all: "if i were mirabel—"

well, news flash people who keep saying these things, mirabel isnt you. mirabel is her own character who has her own experiences and her own feelings. maybe you'll be able to relate to her, especially with similar experiences, but that doesn't mean you can just copy and paste your own feelings onto her and say this is what she should have done in canon because thats what i would have done!!

we all project onto our favorite characters in various ways, which is completely fine, go at it and definitely not surprising for a story about family issues, but when you start to project so much that you throw away the character's actual personality and characterization in favor of said projection? yeah...no.

thats not mirabel madrigal anymore, that's a completely new character...or dare i say, a self-insert for some people... 💀:////

yeah, im just so frustrated with this AAAAAAA 😭

but anyway yes.

thats it, really. again, AUs are absolutely fine but if someone starts yapping about how canon should have [insert whatever those people keep saying here] instead while disregarding actual canon and proper characters and personalities, im going to become violent

anywho...thats my thoughts on this, went on a bit of a tangent but

yeah

anyway bye—

[doverstar]

Even 1991's Hook showed that Jack and Peter fell for the allure of Neverland while Maggie never forgot and just wanted to go home. Implying, the way 2003's Peter Pan outright said, girls are much too clever. Disney is stomping all over this story.

Listen to me, Hook is a genius Peter Pan adaptation/reimagining. In so many ways. I know as a film, it apparently had its disappointments, but just speaking as a Peter Pan fan (of the book and the play), whatever Jim Hart/Nick Castle were doing when they were making story decisions for that movie, it worked. I could gush.

I'm going to gush. This is going to be long. If you like Peter Pan, keep reading.

Disney is stomping all over the story with their new movie in so many ways. And Peter Pan 2003 is an almost one-to-one, 108% accurate adaptation of the original book/play, so I'm gonna talk about that in regards to Hook- First of all, yes, the whole Maggie thing is SO smart and SO accurate to how Barrie chose to portray women in general in the original story. All the major female characters have their silly, petty, foolish moments like real women of all ages do, yes, but when Barrie portrays what's naturally good about good women, he knocks it out of the park. Wendy is selfless and compassionate, Tink dies for someone she loves, Mrs. Darling is a graceful nurturer and her husband's rock. Like, when Barrie uses Peter to say "girls are too clever to fall out of their prams", that's not just Peter being manipulative, that's the kind of thing Barrie really thought about females. It's in all of his plays and all of his books. He doesn't ignore women's general faults, but he does love to showcase why it's not good for man to be alone. In the original story, when you're in the Neverland, the longer you stay there, the less you remember of your life on the mainland. John and Michael just totally forget they ever had real parents and start acting like Wendy, who is playing pretend, is their only mother figure. Wendy is realizing she's forgetting real life too, and makes it a nightly thing to tell all the boys the same story - of how they got to Neverland and how they're eventually gonna go back, and why, and how their real mother specifically will always be waiting for them and she has no doubt about that because that's real love. And that's what Hook is about, second of all. Peter forgets who he used to be as a child, and it's actually normal for Peter to forget important things - finite memory in an infinite existence - but this is him forgetting who he is. And that's a big deal because he forgets not only what it was like to be young and what he personally was missing (parents, a family, the gaping hole in his magical life that created a lack of consistent real love), but he forgets what made him as a character the hero of the story. As sword-fighting leader of the Lost Boys, Peter Pan was confident, honorable, and unafraid.

This is who Peter Pan is. He's selfish and arrogant and kind of a butt sometimes (like little boys often are) but the thing that makes him special isn't that he can fly or never age (though those things are cool). The other Lost Boys can fly and don't age, either, in the original story. Peter is a born leader. Peter protects the Lost Boys. Peter doesn't kill a pirate while he's sleeping; he waits for the guy to wake up. Peter won't strike Hook while he's unarmed and tries to help him up onto solid ground in the middle of a fight before continuing the duel because that's the right thing. Peter won't keep a girl in Neverland against her will. Peter lets the kite take Wendy to safety and sits wounded on a rock alone, waiting to die without being scared. Peter Pan is a hero. Peter Banning forgot all of that. Peter Banning doesn't remember what it's like to be young, or to want parents, or to crave real love. He doesn't remember that to die will be an awfully big adventure. He's terrified of death. He's terrified of heights. He's scared of everything. He doesn't protect his kids or care about their interests or watch when they're putting on a play or attend a single baseball game or spend any time with them at all. The one thing Peter Pan had to be forever barred from, Peter Banning got to have - a family - and he forgets what it feels like not to have that and neglects them. So Jack gets to Neverland and is scared (and manipulated by pirates, the thing his great-grandmother before him went through and never fell for), and he's spent his young life craving the attention and affection of his workaholic Peter Banning dad and never gets it, literally watches Peter give up on saving him and Maggie because he's too scared (Peter Pan never gave up) and that hurts, so of course he starts forgetting who he is and where he came from because that's easier and he's his father's son. But Maggie!! is Wendy's great-granddaughter!!! and like the other women in the Peter Pan canon, she doesn't forget for one second who she is or where they came from or what's important, and she knows the pirates are bad and Peter is good, and she knows her family loves her, and she knows her dad loves her, and even though she watched Peter give up too, she begs Jack not to forget and tries actively to remind him of the truth. She rejects the pirate life. She never loses faith. She's just a little kid but she's polite and she's a good girl and she won't do what mommy said not to even in Neverland. Wendy wrote "dirty pig" on the greasy windows of the Jolly Roger because she wasn't scared of pirates and she was disgusted that grown men never took care of business on that ship and it was filthy. Maggie is cut of the same cloth, just much younger on her first trip to Neverland.

LisTEN. There are no girls in the Lost Boys because GIRLS in the Peter Pan canon have something that little boys don't right away, because girls are different from boys. Girls are naturally more in touch with emotions. Girls are often (not always) more mature. They understand things little boys sometimes (not always) don't understand. Girls are sometimes (not always) smarter than boys in certain areas. Girls are much too clever to fall out of their prams, and girls don't forget what's important and that they must grow up someday, and girls - mothers - will always keep the window open for their children. There are no girls in the Lost Boys! DEAL WITH IT. It's OKAY.

Hook is amazing. It takes little details in the margins and paragraphs of Barrie's story and incorporates them in this one zany film. It takes some of the clearest messages and themes in the book and yells it through a megaphone. "Don't forget the great things about being a child! Don't forget what true love is! Don't forget why it's necessary to grow up! Don't forget what's bad about staying a kid forever! Grow up, but keep the childlike faith and the childlike confidence and remember what kids need, and give those things to your own children!"

Hook says this stuff with Tootles. It says it with Rufio. It says it with Jack and with Maggie in two different outcomes. It says it most of all with Peter. 

I LOVE HOOK. I watch it all the time, especially on rainy days. I will die on this hill. Go watch it. It's on HBO Max and you can watch it free right here with no ads you're welcome, and I myself own two copies of it on DVD just in case. 

Thank you for listening and drop me a line with your own thoughts if you have any; I don't want to be rambling in a vacuum XD

[podcastenthusiast]

Reflections on family (Or: I gave Astarion even more father issues which says nothing about me personally nope)

--

They are not unkind, the Ancunins, your still-living family. Stilted, formal, like you're strangers--which you suppose you are at this point, yes. But they invite you into their home knowing full well that you could not enter if they so wished it. A show of trust for which you are grateful.

If this were a bard's tale, they would lead you to a musty room unchanged for two centuries, a lovingly kept shrine to a past you barely recall, the promising young man you once were. You would unearth artifacts of yourself. They would embrace you as you are now, public reputation be dammed, because you were missed and you are valued.

But this is not that story, so instead you are taken to the parlor--with its faded carpet that reminds you unpleasantly of your former home--where you pretend to sip tea across from your aged father and younger brother. Conversation is awkward and strained. You can charm people almost effortlessly, but being here is like talking to a chasm; the silence fills an unbridgeable gap in time.

You're told your mother died fifty years ago of a weak heart. You saw her portrait in the foyer. Apparently you used to have her eyes. You get the sinking sense that they're relieved she did not live to see your monstrous return from the dead.

Your brother is the one to finally ask. How it happened. Where you were all those years you didn't come home.

You tell them about Cazador.

"This calls for something stronger than tea, I think," your father says.

"Please," you agree.

They struggle to look at you. Their expressions remain a careful mask of polite neutrality except for occasional flickers of sadness, fear, guilt, anger. Disgust.

Well, if they want to play it like that, fine. You can wear a mask better than anyone.

Your family are not warm. They are not outright cold toward you, either. Never cruel or pitying. You almost wish they were. The familiarity would at least make it sting less.

Two hundred years lost. How can there be so little to say to each other?

You don't blame them, of course. To lose a son or brother violently, to grieve him, must be an unspeakable tragedy. To gain a vampire spawn, well... that is nothing other than an ill omen to add to the family's already waning fortune.

It is exactly what you'd come to expect of the dark place Cazador showed you the world could be. All you thought possible before you saw the sun again and dared to hope for more.

You leave the manor feeling quite like an unwanted ghost exorcised from their lives. It's closure of a sort for them, you suppose. You are just an untended grave in their eyes. Never mind that you had been hoping for a new beginning.

You regret making this journey alone.

Soon, though, you return to the arms of your dearest love.

"How did it go?" she asks.

"It was..."

You think about your darling who saved you. You think about your handful of tadpole-forged friendships--Karlach, and Wyll, Lae'zel, even Gale. You think about your siblings, the other spawn, bonded through shared blood none of you chose.

"Astarion?"

"It doesn't matter," you say dismissively. "I didn't find my family there."

"Hmm."

She's writing something, a while later.

"Composing another ballad?" you wonder.

"No. I'm writing a letter to Dalyria."

"What? Why?"

You had no idea they even correspond.

"Because I think you need a hug from your sister."

Perhaps she isn't wrong, but still, it seems like a lot of effort to go through just for that. For you.

"She's very busy," you protest.

"Then she'll make time. That's what family does."

You don't know what to say. Something in your chest uncoils; you're filled with warmth like fresh blood, an emotion akin to gratitude. Something you haven't felt so strongly in a very long time.

You feel wanted. Loved.

[time-is-restored]

okay like listen i know a lot of people have been talking abt this specific aspect of 3x3 already but. im just having a bit of a moment w the amount of lgbt ppl who saw trent's expression at the end there, and like. Knew.

like to be clear i am aware that at this point trent being gay is, at best, subtext + fanon. its incredibly beloved subtext, but its entirely possible that it could get blown out of the water in the coming episodes. but within the reading of trent being a gay man, seeing colin in that terrifying moment of exposure + vulnerability... that look says So much. its fear, its worry, its an instinctive protective response. its helplessness, its shame from feeling powerlessness, its the grim certainty that comes from knowing just how much is at stake.

(cw: discussion of homophobia + discrimination below. its long. i very much rambled.)

bc the thing that i personally keep coming back to is like. everyone on the team is colin's friend - his family, even, according to the themes of the show. the show is literally about the team + staff working together to break down their toxic/unhealthy behaviours and build up a culture of trust + respect. that's why i think it's so significant that while isaac is the one to use the word gay pejoratively, he's also the one checking in on colin when he gets moved to the bench. he's arguably colin's closest friend at the club! and that's not enough. the fact that the richmond club is made up of demonstrably good and well-intentioned people isn't enough.

don't get me wrong, its fucking terrifying + awful being closeted around ppl who are ACTIVELY bigoted and cruel and who u KNOW would be nothing less than awful to if u were out. but the uncertainty of being around people you love, and not knowing what would happen if you told them? of never truly being sure of your place in the dynamic, since there's always that risk hanging over your head? its exhausting, and terrifying.

because what if they aren't accepting? even avoiding the worst case scenario where his bosses (the coaches, higgins, rebecca - hell, even keely) don't outright cut his career short, he's obviously extremely aware of how being on the outs with the team could lead to his life being made miserable. he was harassing nate himself! and, again, putting aside the (very real! he's a football player! he spends half of his time in a locker room!!!) threat of physical violence, we JUST saw how quickly a member of the team can be shunned + labelled as an outsider (and in the context of this arc, i rlly don't think its a coincedence that trent, specifically, was the one to experience that treatment). and that's without even getting STARTED on the absolute nightmare britain's press + papparazi would be if they put a target on his back (the show has spared no gory detail for their treatment of rebecca + ted, after all).

this is the type of weight colin's been carrying around for the past three seasons. and trent, in that split second before he looked away and continued walking, must've felt it all right along with him. colin works for the fucking premier league in fucking britain. it's harder to think of a workplace LESS hospitable to anything other than the most cishetero, toxic, hyper conformist displays of masculinity.

and that's what fucking GETS me abt the reading where trent is gay! because in the exact same moment where trent would be feeling such a sudden sense of connection + solidarity w colin (you are not alone!!! im here too! i see you! i know you!), there comes the crushing weight of wanting to protect him, and not knowing if you can. trent may be a notoriously incisive + unflinching reporter, but w/ all of his power + armour stripped away now that he's no longer with the independent, it's damningly obvious that trent doesn't have anything close to real power at richmond. if they wanted to make colin's life hell, what could he really do to stop them? again: they're fucking footballers. he's only even allowed at the club on ted's word, a word which could presumably be revoked at any time.

i just. the fear. the guilt. the shame. and above all, the desperate, heart aching need to keep another member of the community safe, even with the odds so blatantly stacked against you both.

and like. idk. to me that is the point of this scene. i think whether you've been in trent's position, or colin's, or neither, the vast majority of us went through a very similar emotional journey when we saw colin exposed like that. love -> fear -> protectiveness. and its an urge so strong, ppl are (lightheartedly, for the most part) threatening the Literal Writers of the show! like, the fact that rn there are SO many people out there tweeting + liveblogging and threatening trent, threatening isaac, threatening the WRITERS - threatening literally anyone and everyone over the CHANCE that any of them will hurt colin/out him/expose him to homophobia in any way? like, yes, colin isn't real. but i'd like to hope that that solidarity is.

and just to be clear, ted lasso is ultimately a comedy show. while it has never shied away from frankly portraying dark subject matter, i don't think this story will have an unhappy ending. but if this arc comes with any takeaway at all, i just really fucking hope that its about how that solidarity is what we all need to embrace + run towards, rather than try and stifle. and that colin is fully + unconditionally supported by his community, whoever that may be.

[beevean]

Actually the one thing that scares me sbout the thought of Casca being handled by them is the whole aspect of her character about rejecting her more feminine traits

Casca cuts her hair short and dresses in a very masculine way because she feels she'd otherwise not be taken seriously on the battlefield.

This would 100% get flattened to "Casca is genderfluid" or other stuff like that, which would kill the actual intent of the character in favor of tackling another social issue, which while important in its own right, should not supplement another one

Casca is an example of a woman who works in a male dominant field, who feels she can't allow herself to be who or what she wants to be because that wouldn't align to what her context wants out of her. People easily forget the ballroom scene where she wears a dress and flat out says to Guts that "she doesn't dress like a man because she likes it", even commenting on her insecurities regarding wearing such a feminine dress while having a more muscular physique

That's not to say that Casca ought to dress super stereotypically girly, she IS a tomboy by nature and likes to fight by her comrades. What she lacks is balance between these two conflicting aspects of herself

...you know that NFCV would flatten her to "WHAT!? I CAN'T DRESS LIKE THIS AND FIGHT ALONGSIDE ALL THE OTHERS JUST BECAUSE I'M A WOMAN!?"

Casca's whole life is entrenched in the misogyny that surrounds her.

She was sold as a sex slave at 12 by her family who saw her as expendable. She got frequently threatened with rape. Adon mocks her and believes she earned her position by sleeping with Griffith - that same day, she was dealing with a heavy period. Griffith himself asked her to sleep next to Guts to keep his body warm, something he'd never ask to any man.

Griffith giving her a sword and forcing her to kill that noble who bought her shaped her immensely. Not only she began to worship him that day, it was a clear message of "you have to fight like a man to free yourself of your womanly condition".

No wonder she has a complicated relationship with her womanhood. It reminds me of other characters in Japanese media that outright crossdress to escape gender pressure, like Naoto in Persona 4 who pretends to be a man because otherwise she wouldn't be accepted as a detective. (these stories tend to be interpreted very differently in the Western fandoms too.)

Funnily enough, there is a parallel with Farnese in the Holy Iron Chain Knights, as she was meant to be a metaphor for "office ladies", women hired only to look pretty and do menial tasks but whose skills are dismissed or ignored. She, too, got into that position because she was useless to her father as a girl. She had to find her own place, and she found happiness still in a feminine role (that of a caretaker), but one of her choosing and one where she could learn to be kind to others and herself.

I also personally feel Casca is a product of her time, that a modern Western writer would not quite understand, not because they're hacks lol but because the context is too divorced now. Her struggles with womanhood and self worth and love can't be reduced to "girlboss sticking it to the men by showing them women can do anything".

[oatmealaddiction]

It still blows my mind that people watch Steven Universe, and come away from it thinking it's a fascist narrative because it has the gall to say "bad people can change." Notice how these same people never once throw stones over at DC or Marvel who make a million movies a year with messages like "this one truly acceptable hero has the moral authority to blow up all the bad guys." Our media landscape right now is so fucking blood thirsty and full to the brim with villains who are acceptable to murder in various horrifying ways. We have a million stories where pacifists are dismissed as unrealistic and killing is automatically accepted as the correct and moral thing to do. We have over saturated the market with children's stories where pretty blue-eyed blonde boys murder hook-nosed witches or dark puppet master dictators in self defense, and one children's show says; "hey actually, I think even the very worst of people can still reduce their harm and be better if given the chance," and you guys called it fascism apologia. Steven Universe. A show that consistently presents morally grey situations and refuses to tell the audience how to feel about them. A show that has its protagonists be both truly awful to each other, while also being truly kind and loving. A show about how we cannot judge others on the surface level, where everyone is revealed to be way more complicated than what they present outwardly. A show that asks its viewers again and again, over and over, to sit with discomfort and ambiguity and to not judge everyone as either good or bad. A show that says even if you're a hero who saved the earth out of pure selfless love; that doesn't mean you're a good person. A show that says no matter how bad or awful you have been, you're never beyond changing for the better. A show that says outright, without a stutter, that no one deserves to die and everyone's life is worth saving. A show with a protagonist who literally wields a shield against colonizing invaders who call him an affront to nature. A protagonist who fights them over and over and tells them "I'm not your enemy, I'm your family."

That's the show you're going to call fascist?

[gemini-sensei]

hi gemini :(

i'm going through it rn. can you pls brew up any kind of fluffy miguel headcanons? i'd love to see your take on dad!miguel. <3

Hi! I'm sorry to hear that. if I may, I'd love to give you a hug, anon 💖 and present to you:

Dad!Miguel Headcanons

Non Gender Specific Reader, but pregnancy is mentioned ○ they/them/partner used

First of all, Miguel is so good with kids. Like, if he doesn't go into a career that has to do with working with children, I might be a lil upset. This is to say that Miggy likes kids.

So, with that being said, he'd be so excited to find out he's gonna be a dad! The overwhelming amount of joy and happiness oozing off of him will be alarming. His smile? cute and contagious. His energy? so high that it's over the moon. Immediately wants to tell Johnny the good news.

You can't convince me that he didn't have some baby fever throughout his relationship with his partner. If he so much as got to hold a baby, he was gushing about how cute that child was for days. He'd never outright admit that he had "baby fever" but he would admit to wanting "a kid or two eventually." (that's code for, "maybe sometime soon if you wanna.")

He cries when he holds his baby for the first time, wiping away his tears with the sleeve of his shirt so he's not crying on them. He holds them close to his chest so they can hear his heartbeat and so he can kiss their head. Swears to protect them by any means possible.

He built the whole nursery himself. Might as well have been from the ground up. Whether they raise a boy, girl or genderless child, he just wanted to make the room something they'd enjoy and it's something he's proud of. Over the years, as his child shows interest in certain media or hobbies, he switches things out or adds to the room so that they're happy all of the time. If they want to paint the walls, who is he to tell them their wall can't be sage green or striped?

Buys as many toys and cute/handsome/adorable clothes as possible. If he sees it at the store and thinks his baby will like it, he gets it. Sometimes he buys something they already have but in a different color and doesn't care. He'll go out of his way to find the super specific thing his baby wants and if he can't find it, he figures out how to get it or make it.

When it comes to his baby, he's one of those dads that won't make them walk if they don't want to. He lifts them up and carries them in his arms or on his shoulders so they don't have to walk, especially if they're tired. I just envision him carrying his kid on his shoulders until he physically can't or they don't want to anymore.

He waits until their kid is at least 1 year old before asking his partner if they can have another baby. He wants a big happy family.

Also, he was an only child and doesn't want his kid to be on their own. Their kid will always have him and his partner, but he knows that sometimes you need a friend you can turn to and thinks that siblings who have each other's backs are wholesome. (No, he does not think about how that can turn against him once they actually become teenagers.)

When his partner gets pregnant again, he eases their first born into the idea of having a younger sibling. He'll sit with them and watch shows that feature siblings and eventually ask them if they'd like a little sibling. His heart will just melt if they communicate yes, even if it's just a nod of the head and big smile.

He loves Johnny, don't get him wrong, but he's never leaving his kids alone with him. He doesn't care how long its been, how much Johnny has grown, what the situation might be, he can't and won't have his babies running around calling people pussies. His mom has to be present.

Loves taking his kids outside, even if it's just their backyard. He'll have gotten them a play set for outside and eventually, maybe, a trampoline. He'll buy them bug collector kits and gardening tools because he wants to inspire them to explore.

He'll take them to the park or on little walking trails, too. It's good exercise for them all. Will make a fun little family trip out of it from time to time, bringing a picnic with them.

Won't teach his kids karate unless they show an interest in it, but who am I kidding? They're likely going to have an interest in karate because of their dad. So he'll happily teach them. His favorite thing would be taking them to the dojo and letting them practice with the big kids when they're doing drills. It makes them feel empowered to do anything they set their minds to.

Movie nights where everyone falls asleep on the couch or in the pillow fort they built, but this entails the kids laying on top of Miguel where he can't get up even if he wanted to. He just wraps his arms around his kids and falls asleep with them, even if it is gonna hurt his back in the morning.

[raayllum]

Hey, Rayllum. Noni here. I just read your post on Rayla and moonfam Coin plot line. It was really good. There's one thing that I'm worried about. It appears that Rayla's family will get some focus in this season. But I've seen a lot of extreme criticism about how the writers seemingly ignore the fact that all four parents caused Rayla so much hurt and loss.

I've seen some people say things such as "Rayla should never forgive them", "that she deserves better parents," demonizing and villainizing them as deadbeat parents. That they are undeserving of sympathy and unworthy of forgiveness.

While I understand and do admit that all four of Rayla's parents are big, massive screw ups who have horribly failed and massively disappointed Rayla as parents, I would imagine them constantly beating themselves up emotionally, enormously hurting and suffocating in their respective, albeit brutal punishments and in some way, paying the price for the actions and choices they've made. Having to suffer the consequences of how regretfully they let Rayla down.

Even if it takes them a very long time, I truly believe they will find a way of mending and repairing their relationship with their daughter. Which is why I believe they'll have an atonement/redemption arc with Rayla and show her how deeply important she is to each of them and how much they truly love her. Whether it's Rayla breaking these cycles on her own or all four parents realizing how their unintentionally hurtful actions, choices, and damaging patterns contributed to her losses and heartbreak thus committing themselves to showing Rayla how terribly wrong they are, I believe they would never waste that chance to make things right with their daughter.

In your honest opinion, what are your thoughts on this?

Love your analysis. Keep up the great work.👍

So this is perhaps my biggest hot take regarding the Moon Fam:

Lain and Tiadrin didn't do anything wrong.

Maybe this is just because I don't have kids, or don't want kids, but I really do not understand the expectation we put on parents (especially mothers) to not have any goals or obligations that are as important to themselves as their children. And parents IRL put things 'above' their children all the time. How often do parents uproot their entire kids' lives for job opportunities? Or, you could argue, even divorce (although that's its own can of worms).

Lain and Tiadrin could've split the time, but even that would be difficult travel and training wise, and they were both asked to come. Who would be their replacement while they were doing a two-week travel exchange back and forth? And while one would be with their daughter, they'd have effectively no time for their marriage. They could've stayed behind, but clearly felt like this was their life's calling - and it's clearly a good thing that they did, given that they were the Dragonguards that made a difference in the end. As Rayla says, "We're here and Zym is alive, all because of them." This is important particularly in the context of Lain and Tiadrin effectively being elite soldiers in a time of Cold, if not borderline outright, war, especially since timeline wise, they probably left 1-2 years after Queen Sarai's death (or less) when Viren, at the very least, was actively chomping at the bit to try and find a way to attack the Storm Spire and take revenge. So there was more than a solid reason to call them into duty to begin with, and reason for them to go, believing this was crucial in maintaining a world where their daughter could live in relative peace

Although it was undeniably difficult for Rayla and she missed them terribly, Lain and Tiadrin 1) maintained Rayla's usual environment in terms of place and culture, 2) in a space where she could be socialized and grow up normally and 3) with loving, caring parents who could devote time to her for an otherwise pretty stable upbringing, barring the initial Bloodmoon Huntress debacle (which - how was anyone supposed to see that coming?)

Then they 'die' doing their duty to the end. One of the reasons I always thought Rayla was so hurt at the thought of them abandoning their post (and while she says she wishes they were dead, she's also very happy to see Callum's drawing of them even before she knows the truth and still thinks they're cowards - the societal expectations and shaming cannot and does not erase her love for them) because it was like "You left me for this, and then you left this too, so how important was I really?" Then she sees it was Incredibly Important to them, and therefore so was she.

Runaan and Ethari meanwhile, are much more complicated.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I've dragged Runaan and Ethari through the mud for their respective choices (Runaan's behaviour on the battlements and his choice to train Rayla as an assassin in the first place, and Ethari for the Ghosting). I'm also sympathetic and understanding, I like to think, to why they made each decision and the nuance of their perspectives. Runaan, largely, falls into a similar camp that Viren-Claudia-Zubeia (arc 1) do, which is that a world without ongoing war is Unimaginable to him. He passed down his martyr complexes to Rayla, yes, but Bloodmoon Huntress (which makes that passing down explicit) also makes it exceedingly clear that Rayla was already like this. She hadn't had any training or any word from Runaan before her breakdown of "I wasn't strong enough, I wasn't fast enough" or her immense desire to help Suroh; those things, good and bad, were already innate, and led to her making her own choice of becoming an assassin. Runaan then agrees to train her, despite his own doubts concerning the profession for himself (which Ethari reassures him out of, and doesn't that bite all three of them in the ass later, huh?)

Like Rayla begins the show wanting to be an assassin just as badly as Runaan does, and for the exact same reasons, she's just very very bad at it, and quickly defects when she sees there's another way. But it's unsurprising to me that Runaan - who's older, who just got very harshly reminded of Rayla's youth and 'poor judgement' and knows he'll likely pay with his troupe's lives for it - refuses to really listen to her on it, at least as far as the princes go. Why would two humans want to help the son of the creature who killed their mother and is now threatening their father? It doesn't make any sense on paper and outside the context of the story, we, the audience consuming it, know is for children. Much the same way Callum understandably has reservations about Rayla in 1x06 and the boys don't know Rayla hasn't killed / spared Marcos until 1x08 at all in the first place.

Would also not be surprised if Ethari did the Ghosting spell (which, like Rayla, he revokes even before he knows there's a silver lining and that she didn't just seemingly run - which, we see in TTM and in S1 with her lying that Rayla does, routinely, run away from her problems under the guise of running after them) thinking that it was only a matter of time before Rayla's flower sunk, too. There were about 4-5 days in between the rest of the troupe's flowers sinking and then Runaan's, after all.

And again, all of this comes down to harm reduction. Yes, Lain and Tiadrin made imperfect choices in an imperfect world, and yes, Runaan made even worse choices in a decidedly more possibly perfect world, but that doesn't mean they deserve to Suffer in there forever (vs Aaravos whose going through the same isolation, but in a nice cushy prison with books and shit he can control with a wave of his hand). Like being coined is, according to Viren who loves to reduce consequences, canonically worse than death.

So yeah, I think they absolutely deserve to get out. What happens after that, and how much of a relationship they have with Rayla remains to be seen.

However, the idea that the writers are going to ignore how much repair this family needs to do is Absolutely Insane to me. Like just the worst, bad faith, willfully ignorant reading I could imagine. Not only is it judging something that is at least an entire season away (as I'm sure, if they are released in S5, what we'll see is the initial Happiness of the reunion and very little else of a longer aftermath) if not two (S6).

But it's like... the Entire Point of S4, and indeed the arc many characters embark on, is that anger, pain, and hurt are long lasting emotions that don't just go away. Especially when one of the biggest critiques of S4 was that "Rayla left for nothing" when yeah, she did, that was the Point, and she did it - quite clearly if you look at Any of her family dynamics just in the first three seasons - because of her parents. Rayla being able to recognize, more than just "they failed their duty" but that they failed her, that they hurt her, that she's Hurting from everything she's been through since the show started, is crucial in being able to deal with her self worth issues. Like it is the core of her character and absolutely the crux of her development going forward in future seasons. So yeah, pretending otherwise when it comes to her parents is just... Inane and non sensical to me, tbh

Rayla's entire arc going forward, in order to address her emotional needs, is going to be reaffirming that she can make mistakes and be flawed (and fail, like anyone else) and still be worthy of love, protection, and forgiveness. It is the perfect issue and arc to also develop alongside her learning how to adjust and rely on her family again, and in tandem with seeing them change for her in ways they weren't willing or were unable to do so before.

TLDR; the show addressing the Moon fam's failings and personal flaws is something that is crucial to properly addressing Rayla's, which has been confirmed in interviews multiple times by multiple writers to be a plot point in future seasons. Ezran's speech also spells this out to the audience directly to the point it's so on the nose even babies can't miss it: "But… It’s not that easy or simple. Because people are still hurting and they are still angry. We can’t ignore that, or pretend it will go away. Somehow, we have to hold it all in our hearts at the same time. We have to acknowledge the weight of the pain and loss, but open up our eyes and allow ourselves to hope and maybe forgive and love again."

Like it's not subtle. It's happening, lmao

[theblogtini]

I agree with your take on her comments as well. I think its why I'm so interested in the reaction thus far to his book. She's been so so quiet, much more than she has during really any other important time frame since she's been married. So to me, it begs the question, was it planned or is it a reaction to the reaction? Looking back, i think its fair to say that the leaks about pushing things back are her not necessarily him. (I don't think he was unaware of the leaks happening, but based on his book I think he justified it in his head as tit for tat with his family) I also think Harry was fully committed to this where as meghan saw the signs that things may not go to plan. So if meghan did "wake up" after the queen passed does she think that the queen gave them the most protection? and now that Charles was in charge it would be much harder for things to go back? Were those leaks trying to gain sympathy for harry before he blew it up? (she must have read the book and watched the show). I'm not yet at the divorce theory simply because i think the latest round of "leaks" is her reaction to THE reaction. Meaning she didn't anticipate even this level of kick back and running jokes. It also doesn't seem as though harry really cares about the coronation in the same way meghan does. Charles put out their publicly that harry won't have the same role as meghan, that had to have pissed off harry. So why go?

Honestly, I think she realized they messed up back in June during the Jubilee. They were relegated to watching everything from a window. The entire family attended the concert together and they were nowhere to be found. And during the jubilee (as with any big royal moment) the popularity of the entire family was soaring WITHOUT the Sussexes.

Meghan had been looking at the rankings since she entered the family as "look, everyone loves ME, I'm the one keeping them afloat" and when she realized that not only did she have no positive impact on it, but that it was doing better without her AND that her personal rankings were plummeting on both sides of the pond I think she realized how badly she had miscalculated.

I also genuinely believe that part of the silence and the backtracking is that they have no deals coming in. Without more deals to sign they're going to eventually run out of money... she NEVER anticipated that. I'm pretty sure that she thought that no matter what happened they'd at least have speaking engagements that they could charge millions of dollars for to fall back on - but that never happened. I think the biggest one they signed was for $400k and it was right at the VERY beginning.

They thought that they would be absolutely fine without the royal family - better off without it, even - and at the time of the Jubilee they (or at least she) realized that unless they can get back in the family's good graces they are fucked.

And she knew that with the docuseries and book coming up there was NO WAY they'd be back in their good graces. That's why she started backtracking with The Cut interview and then the "year of reconciliation" leaks. Those came from Scobie which means we could all bet good money that it was DIRECTLY from Meghan. And that's why Harry kept saying in his interviews (even though its sounded FUCKING ABSURD due to the content of the book) that he wanted to reconcile with his family, that he loved them, that he had no intention of hurting them... he was basically publicly apologizing and asking them to take him back without straight up saying "I'm sorry, please take us back" on international TV.

The silence now isn't a reaction to the book reaction - it's a reaction to the jubilee, to the funeral, to the docuseries, and to the book. Silence is the ONLY recourse she has right now because saying or doing anything (barring an outright public apology) is going to dig them further into a hole and they literally, financially, probably can't afford that.

[sociopath-analysis]

Sociopath Profile: Makima

From the manga series Chainsaw Man (2018-present*) and its 2022 anime adaptation Voiced by Tomori Kusunoki (JP) and Suzie Yeung (EN) *Valid as of late February 2023*

I feel that she needs no introduction, but I'll still do my best. Makima is the head of the Public Safety Devil Hunters Bureau Division 4. I don't think it's much of a spoiler to mention that she is a sociopath considering how many red flags she sets off from the beginning. Her presence already comes off as very domineering in a subtle way. However, the extent to which she fits certainly will be a bit more surprising for those just starting out the series.

[SPOILERS FOR PART 1 BELOW]

To get this out of the way now for those who likely have read the series, she is later revealed to be the Control Devil. Which really does explain a lot about her sociopathic tendencies. Sociopaths tend to have a need to control others, so it explains a lot about Makima's thought processes and disposition. She can control anyone she believes is inferior to her and that seems to be most individuals in her mind.

The only way she can connect with other individuals is through manipulating them. While it is part of her nature as the Control Devil, the treatment she got from the Japanese government to be trained as a weapon forced her to develop relationships based on manipulation. This can range from subtle wording and threats to outright commanding people with her powers. She is very versatile in how she does this. Her treatment of Denji may be the biggest manipulation of Part 1 with her stringing him along with a happy life only to rip it away from him for a chance of obtaining the power of the Chainsaw Devil.

"Any source of happiness you [Denji] experience? I'll be the one to create and destroy it all. You helped me kill Power. There might have been a way for you to save Hayakawa, but you killed him too. You even murdered your own father. Someone like you has no right to wish for a normal life, do they?"

As mentioned before, her main concern is herself. She may say that she wants to use Pochita for improving the world, but it's only her vision of what she wants the world to be. She sees herself as a necessary evil to keep everyone safe by ridding the world of things like war, hunger, and death. However, Denji exposes how selfish she is when he asks her if her new world would still have crappy movies. When she says the world would be better off without them, that's when he knows she can't succeed if she just decides what trivial things she deems unnecessary. When she tells Kishibe that her goal is to make a world that is safe from Devils after he suspects her of setting up the attack on Division 4, his response is quite succinct and accurate:

"You're full of shit."

Makima displays flat affect since she rarely changes expressions from the calm stoic front. Whether she is brutally murdering people or having a casual conversation, she never changes. There have only been two times where she has shown any actual emotions. One is when she watches a movie with Denji and cries when she sees a happy family. Likely because she knows she can't ever have that for herself. The second is when she cruelly reveals that she was the grand architect of his happy life as well as its gradual destruction, revealing how sadistic she can be.

Even with her lofty goals, Makima can engage in some pointless cruelty. When she recruited Angel, she made him kill the tribe he was living with simply to see how his powers work. With his recruitment into Public Safety, she repressed his memories to make sure he only had loyalty for her and never thought about his loved ones ever again. And of course, she definitely makes a show of ruining Denji. As said before, her laughing in his face about how distraught he was is one of the only moments of genuine emotion from her in the series. And what it says about her is that while she will destroy everything you love in the name of the greater good, she'll still enjoy it all the same.

All of this leads to the primary trait, a lack of empathy. She doesn't see other individuals as beings worth acknowledging beyond being tools for her manipulations or obstacles to overcome to reach her goals. She says she has affection for humans, but she has no respect for them and only cares because they love her. Aki and Denji both respect and revere her as well as have a romantic attraction to her. Despite this, she never returns any of it. Denji specifically is an example since she can so casually build up his happy life for the purpose of ruining it and driving him to despair. Never once did she see him as a person and only wanted him for the Chainsaw Devil which was trapped inside of him. Even Pochita, who she essentially worships, is seen as a potential tool to be used for her own gain.

Makima is an example who shows how the effects of both nature and nurture came together to end up making her what we see her as in the series. With her growing up under government supervision, she never got the chance to figure out how to see people as anything else. While part of it comes from her inherent nature as the Control Devil, the lack of nurturing plays a part in how she turned out. This is why her reincarnation in Nayuta is hoped to turn out better under Denji's care. An early intervention to prevent her worst traits from manifesting.

Female Sociopath List