#when you dont have to do that. the ship speaks for itself. the will reveal. the well situation. the sniper arc. like ALL OF THAT means smth

[acourtofthought]

Forgive me, I'm back to rant about a few things I just dont get how elriels miss, in terms of big picture. And even subtle contrast between elains behavior around Az and Lucien in terms of character reveals and behaviors telling of endgame couples. NOT the in between, I mean the "you need to read between the lines" context to get it and see the bigger picture vs taking things for face value and not critically thinking.

For example, ACOWAR, when Azriel helps Feyre rescue Elain, which Elriels romantize like their ship depended on it, a few things.

Azriel didn't volunteer to save her first. It was only after Cassian offered that he spoke up. Cassian was hurt. We as readers by now should know Azriel has a hero complex, so really not surprising he put his life on the line for Cassian and Feyre, and yes, even Elain, she is who they are saving after all, but Azriel stepped up for more reasons than just Elain.

When they find Elain. It is NOT specificed whether Elain is speaking to Feyre or Azriel, when she says you came for me, could it have been both, sure? Could this moment have been when Elain saw Azriel in a different light, maybe. I see the appeal, a handsome male carried you back to safety, but its just almost too perfect. SJM, to date has never written an endgame couple in which the LI is the one saving the heroine.. They stand back, let their heroine shine. Rhys, Cassian. Rowan, Chaol, Dorian, Hunt, all stood by and watched their mates/endgame save themselves and others. This is why I firmly believe it wasn't Lucien who saved her. SJM made a very conscious decision, because if Lucien is Elains endgame, he isn't going to treat her like a damsel in distress. He can't be the one "saving her" when he's going to be the one building her up. She even has gone as far as explaning why she doesn't always give her heroines mates a role in their final showdown (when she said she needed to give Cassian something to do when Nesta was in the rite). It's very clear that it is important to Sarah that her heroines are independent and can save themselves, they don't NEED man saving her in the literal terms. I think we will see Elain in another situation where SHE will outwit and come out triumphant in the end because of her own strength. Not because of Azriel or Lucien. So my point is, I do think it was dilebrate it wasn't Lucien, aside from the obvious, he wasn't there. He'd already taken off to the continent to find help.

But it does bring me to my next point, when Lucien returns. at the end of ACOWAR, she shows concern for Lucien. He responds that the blood isn't his. Which, for someone who is underestimated, proves he is as capable of handling himself on a battle field. But the point is, Elain doesn't search for Azriel, isn't by his side. On page, she shows no concern for him in the end and this is a book, if it didn't happen on page, it didn't happen. She gives Lucien a soft smile. He is the first to acknowledge she stabbed Hybern. This is kinda big, as it is a huge telling and such a  parallel to the way SJM has her male characters see the strength and bravery in their mates before others do. Rhys saw it first UTM in Feyre. Cassian with Nesta, Hunt with Bryce, etc. Lucien doesn't fuss or worry, he is proud of her. Whereas, Azriel in ACOSF, still doesn't believe in Elain enough to go after the trove, elriels claim it's because he cares, sure maybe he does, but again that's not how SJM writes her couples. That in itself is telling. Imagine Rhys, Cassian, Hunt, Lorcan, Chaol, all telling their significant others they can't do x,y,z and see how that goes down. Actually, we can, we have enough textual evidence it doesn't go down well. Azriel holding Elain back, behind her back, even after he saw what she was capable off in ACOWAR, is not a good sign. But, in a turn of events, who is Azriel supportive off ? Gwyn. Elriels love to say it's because he doesn't care but, given SJMs  parallels, they are in for a rude awakening.

Lastly, sunshine. I can't believe how obvious this is. Anytime Sarah reveals something that is close and important to a character that ties another is telling. Example, Elide and Lorcan both were guided by gods who are lovers, Rhys and Feyre both look up to the stars and dreamt before knowing one another. The way Azriels shadows behave around Gwyn, which is unquestionably unique only to HER, per canon, no matter how much elriels deny it......:. Elain telling the readers she needs sunshine, and Lucien who is literally the sun personified is significant. I mean, yes, we know they are mates, what more proof do we need? They may not be together right now, but SJM has given us enough buildup for their story.

I went back over the scene to see how it all played out and I do get why E/riels make a fuss over it.

"She shook her head, devouring the sight of him as if not quite believing it. “You came for me.” The shadowsinger only inclined his head.

"devouring the sight of him" is a pretty intense way of phrasing it.

And taken as a single line, of course it looks like something.

But this is what happened before and after:

When you look at everything together, how romantic is it?

Cassian was the first one to speak up about saving Elain.

Az sat there observing Nesta's distress and her telling Cassian he can't go in injured so after "some unspoken debate" with himself he speaks up.

Nesta tells him he'll die but Az is cocky as hell and has a hero complex so of course he thinks he'll be fine. It's not that he's willing to die for Elain, it's that he doesn't think there's a chance of that happening (there is canon evidence of Az wanting to run head first into dangerous situations even when Feyre and Rhys tell him not to).

Feyre says with his shadows he might stand a chance, probably the exact same thing Az has convinced himself of.

Elain's eyes went wide over both Az and Feyre entering the tent because Feyre looked like Ianthe.

Then Feyre, after changing her appearance back tried to free Elain from the chains first using her powers from Helion.

Az only scooped up Elain because he said they didn't have time to wait for Feyre to figure it out.

Then they land and Az is barely able to stand but only Rhys is worried about his injuries. Elain gives the guy who's about to pass out a "thank you" kiss on the cheek then goes to her sister where she shows real emotion when she throws her arms around her.

Elucien's and E/riels can go back and forth all day on how they interpret these scenes. To me it seems clear that whatever hint of romance there was is always followed by something that shows why nothing between E/riel was ever going to be lasting.

But even without the back and forth debates, and leaving out how compatible Elain and Lucien are written to be, the one thing that trumps it all is that Lucien was the one who met Elain's father and spent time getting to know him. Lucien is the one who was with Elain after the sisters said goodbye to their father, Lucien is the one who offered his condolences.

Lucien will always be the one who holds this connection to Elain, with the first man she ever loved. It cannot be denied that what Elain shared with him was special and I think it was extremely intentional that SJM wrote it so her Mate developed a relationship with him before his death.

There is such poetry in that and all those shallow "cute" moments between E and A will never compare.

And as far as Gwynriel and his shadows are concerned, it's ridiculous to think there's not pretty major hints for them ending up together when we have the following in the bonus chapter:

Az's shadows will always be a part of him.

Az's shadows disappear around Elain.

Az's shadows are playful with Gwyn and she's the only character to treat them independent of Az.

[shindidnothingwrong]

Im gonna say what nobody else got the balls to say.

Warning: Anti KawaSumi post, dont like dont read.

KawaSumi didnt grow in popularity because it had any basis or development or even a bond or good chemistry, despite what this fandom wants you to believe because unfortunately this side of the fandom has many silent voices and only a few brave handful of us actually speak up and speak out, despite what they wanna brainwash you to believe KawaSumi really doesnt have a leg to stand on and nobody genuinely joined the ship because there was actually any basis for it, the real reason ppl started pushing this pathetic keep away ship was because of big biased exposure.

1 SP is no stranger to making their biases known, nor do they make it any secret which ships and characters they favor more than others, for example the studio clearly has a great dislike for Sakura, Sasuke, and SasuSaku and clearly favored Naruto and Hinata, for a long while it was clear the studio REALLY wanted NaruSaku endgame up till a certain point they realized NaruHina was most likely endgame they started clearly showing excessive favoritism to Hinata and NH and suddenly pretending as if they never supported NaruSaku even tho it was revealed many of them did and were upset it didnt happen.

Long story short, history is repeating itself with now SP clearly having a strong bias for BoruSara, lets just not even pretend their not highkey pushing the ship cuz they are, that doesnt mean it’ll be canon tho but they ARE showing a clear bias towards it. Honda, a writer at the studio, is notorious for some of the worst written episodes in the franchise minus 2 episodes that were actually done well, hes known for writing things based on ‘his interpretations’ rather than whats established in canon, as such it often leads to horrible characterizations, inconsistencies, and just terrible writing altogether.

These details are important for this first point, KawaSumi growing in popularity due to biased exposure.

To sum it up, the first and arguably the biggest thing to kickstart this mess was SPs bias, rather than sticking to what was established in the manga they created a whole nother timeline and course of events which for some unusually convenient reason featured Sumire being the first person to care about and reach out to Kawaki before Naruto and Sarada, to be the first to see and understand and relate to his pain before Naruto and Sarada.

Keep in mind, put shipping aside for a moment, Naruto was Kawakis FIRST bond, the FIRST to care about him, the FIRST to understand and see his pain and relate to him and see HIMSELF in him, that is what made his and Narutos bond so special.

Even though nothing Sumire said mattered or got through to him at all, that didnt matter to that fanbase tho, the seeds were planted and now till this day ppl say that SUMIRE is his first bond, the first to care, the first to understand, the first to relate and see herself in him, his first friend etc. Guess who was the writer for those episodes? Honda of course, nuff said.

Those two episodes single handedly undercut Naruto and Sarada’s bond with Kawaki entirely, it put Sumire on this pedestal while Naruto and Sarada are beneath her, the fact that Sumire had to BEG Naruto to hear Kawaki out and give him a chance when in the manga Naruto instantly ignored everybody and already had his mind made up regardless of how they felt about it just made it that much worse, SP knew EXACTLY what they were doing with this, whether it had any impact on Kawaki or not is irrelevant, its the impact on the fandom that was the problem.

To put this into perspective I’ll give another quick example of another one of Honda’s ‘interpretations’ dividing the fandom when they otherwise shouldnt have been, in the episode where Kurama dies Naruto essentially says that he and Sasuke arent brothers and that Sasuke already has a great brother in Itachi, which completely contradicts what Kishimoto himself established for 15 fkin years, regardless the SNS fandom of course took that and ran with it as proof that Naruto and Sasuke arent brothers despite Kishimoto himself literally writing this from Narutos literal point of view how he sees Sasuke from beginning to now.

Naruto, from Kishimotos own words and writing, says blood ties dont matter and that there are stronger links than that, that love is all you need, that it doesnt matter if your family is real or fake as long as you CARE for them, so the fact that Honda’s words are given more validity than Kishimoto the creator himself is truly mind boggling but thats just how easily SP, Honda especially, can quickly and easily divide the fandom on certain subjects that have long been established for years by simply changing it on a whim and ppl just running with it.

So this situation with Sumire was no different, it didnt matter what was established in the manga, Honda rewrote otherwise and thats what ppl ran with, that was strike 1.

2 Biased news articles, thats right, after those episodes aired you even had journalists pushing the idea of the ship out there, implying that it was already being set in motion and making WAY more out of it than it actually was, it wasnt long before if you searched ‘Kawakis crush’ or ‘who does Kawaki like’ that would be the top result, which is something this fandom also use as evidence despite it being an unofficial source and entirely speculatory and opinion based, again the damage was already done, the seed was planted, thats all thats needed.

This CBR article says it all on its own, implying a love triangle that doesnt exist, claiming that Kawaki likes her and that shes his ‘light’ when neither such things have ever been confirmed by any official source nor shown anywhere in canon, despite that, this article paints this false picture of a love triangle that doesnt exist, at the moment there is simply one semi canon ship and that is BoruSumi, there is no love triangle confirmed at this point in time, Sumire is the only character whos feelings have been confirmed by official sources, nobody else.

3 Big youtubers and big twitter accs, youtubers especially, one in particular that REALLY kicked the ship into high gear was Naruto Explained, I shit you not, ppl actually took a youtubers words as law and evidence for why the ship is totally endgame, there were literal discussions being had that these ppl would bring up his videos as evidence, some random guy on youtube opinion is somehow a valid argument for the ship but not the manga itself or the many official sources that contradicts it.

He said he was gonna make videos for all the ships which he did but lets be real, he only made one video about InoSara and KawaSara while he made multiple videos about BoruSara and KawaSumi, there was an obvious agenda being pushed. Not assuming his ship preference because I dont know and I dont care, but its clear which fanbase he was pandering to, same goes for SP and Honda specifically.

These 3 things combined is what got the ship started, a key thing to note is that all 3 of these dont just push KawaSumi but push BoruSara as well, coincidence? I think not.

So whenever anyone tells you that ppl like/ship KawaSumi because its ‘obvious’ or that theres ‘chemistry’ or whatever other bs they claim between them that doesnt exist anywhere in canon, just know the only reason this ship is even known by ppl is because if got alot of biased support and push from high places, not because the ship itself was any good and ppl genuinely liked it for what it was, but because they were brainwashed into believing theres something there that really isnt.

KawaSara grew from a genuine like of the ship and the build up it got in the manga that drew ppl to it who genuinely liked what their relationship was and developing into, even without the Nue arc BoruSumi became semi canon in the manga first in chapter 19 when Sumire confessed, so with or without the anime BoruSumi had basis for fans to ship them since one side of it HAS confirmed romantic feelings for the other, neither KawaSara nor BoruSumi needed a boost from outside biased sources brainwashing them with lies, those ships thrived just fine with just what was established in the manga alone, the anime/novels was just a bonus, but the ships already had their own merits and basis on their own.

Of course I already know there will be ppl who’ll say Im just downplaying the ship cuz Im biased or jealous etc etc but really Im just tellin the truth, you cannot tell me at any point prior to 190-191 where KawaSumi had any significant amount of support, it was a crackship at most, it wasnt until the ripple effect from another one of Honda’s brilliant ‘interpretations’ that got this bullshit started and everything else just started falling into place from there. It was NOT because people actual saw a genuine appeal for the ship, but because of what they were lead to believe. 

If you look at the novels/manga its very apparent they are hinting BoruSumi and that they have a deep & special bond between them, Sumires love for Boruto is clear and visible, in the anime after 190-191 however they not only cut BOTH her confessions from the manga but they also make her feelings uncertain rather than being straightforward like the manga. 

If you look purely at how their relationship is in the manga its extremely distant, Kawaki gives no special treatment/care towards Sumire than he does anyone else, and Sumire gives no special treatment or care towards him than she does anyone else either, Kawaki is indifferent towards her and Sumire is just a kind and caring person concerned for someone she sees going through a hard time, theres nothing special or significant between them to justify ppl calling it the ‘obvious’ endgame already just for Sumire doing the bare minimum as his caretaker and Kawaki allowing her to because well, thats her job, she works with Katasuke and he allows him to work on him so why would he reject Sumire? again Im speaking manga only to make the point of the nonexistent basis for this ship. 

SP/Honda literally gave a horrible ship a false sense of weight that was so unnecessary that did way more harm than good for not just them but so many other characters by extension. They created a domino effect that fueled these few ppls fanon perceptions so much they perceive these ‘fanon’ interpretations as canon because big sources support it right? so it must be endgame, even the studios lowkey pushing for it so that must mean its canon. 

You may think its harmless ship teasing for now or that its no big deal but trust me, the same way SP had a huge influence on the perception of NaruSaku as the potential endgame ship and peoples reaction to it not happening, the same will happen with KawaSumi and BoruSara and I’d argue its gonna be worse this time around than in OG because back then atleast you could argue all the extra NS stuff was filler and non canon anyway, meanwhile you cant say the same for Boruto since its claimed to be ‘all’ canon even if it diverts from the manga/novels, so when and if their not endgame after all the bullshit false hope they were bein fed its gonna be hard to argue why they shouldnt be outraged, after all it WAS all canon so what was the point of all that if the endings something totally different? thats what happens when you divert off course from the source material and do your own thing based on your own ‘interpretations’ that contradict it, when the ACTUAL OFFICIAL canon happens ppl are left confused wondering how this happened when all this other stuff happened that seemed to be leading to somethin else. 

Even though objectively, personal bias aside, I see nothing that says BoruSara and KawaSumi are endgame and see far more in favor of BoruSumi and KawaSara becoming canon in the end, even if not KawaSara BoruSumi is definitely endgame atp based on whats been setup and established so far, even though I dont see anything to suggest Bsa and Ksu endgame I can understand WHY others get the impression that they are, its very clear their being pandered to and to be fair its understandable to a degree why’d they fall for it. Be that as it may, anyone taking a moment to look at everything objectively and critically would quickly see all the flaws and holes in these ships potential canonicity, KawaSumi especially. 

But unfortunately much of this fandom functions on whatever the biggest names say is right, doesnt matter if their an official source or not, if your someone big like a big youtuber, a big twitter acc, or a biased anime studio, then their right and everything and everyone else is wrong, which unfortunately means when the opposite happens they wont be able to accept it and claim there was some sort of foul play 🤦‍♀️ I’ve seen this happen many times...its always the same.

So no, Im not downplaying the ship out of bias, I dont even ship BoruSumi nor like Sumire, Im just calling it how I literally witnessed it all go down in real time. This ship is a friggin joke yet because of all that mess Honda and everything else after that caused it now has ppl believing in something THEY made up.

If you dont believe it just look at the arguments, whenever ppl talk of KawaSara they mostly speak of manga content, adding on anime content is just a bonus but most of KawaSaras development HAPPENED in the manga, however whenever ppl talk of KawaSumi they ALWAYS bring up 190-191, the only thing from the manga they bring up is Kawaki allowing her to give him a needle and calling her by name instead of class rep and Sumire just literally doing her job...couldnt make this up if I tried. Thats because most of KawaSumi’s ‘development’ happened in the anime, their relationship in the manga has been stagnant, it went from him rejecting her giving him a needle to accepting it, thats it, and Sumire is no more or less concerned for Kawaki now than she was when she first appeared with him, their just stagnant, meanwhile Kawaki has made significant progress with just about everyone BUT her. 

Its crazy, but ppl will really insist that their the obvious endgame and KawaSara/BoruSumi fans are the ones who’s delusional. I both look forward and dread canon day because thats gonna be one hell of a shit storm I can already see it comin.

[kakiwrites]

Hi! Can I please request prince Akaasshi falling in love with a sorceress/witch and him just choosing her over the throne and living the life with her? Its ok if u dont want to :) have a great day!

the not-so-perfect prince

Genre: fluff

A keiji akaashi x reader

Synopsis: A time where elves, fairies, dragons, and other wonderful creatures live in harmony, how would you choose to live? On a pirate ship? Making potions? Who do you stumble upon along the journey? A soldier, a poet, a king? Well, that’s for you to decide.

(masterlist is under navigation!)

A/n: hey guys! Been a while since I've written for this series but I'm back! I wanted to try something different and actually write for something I have inspiration for out of the list and this was what I was up to do! Hope you guys enjoy!

Akaashi was always known as the perfect prince.

He was an amazing leader, can use his sword with accuracy and precision, and can sweep girls off of their feet with just a small smile.

But akaashi was more than what they see him for.

He was always overworked and doesn't like to weigh people down. He wants to be on top without disappointing anyone, which was near impossible. Seeing someone upset with him always struck a nerve with him and in turn, made him overthink his decisions.

He was never perfect in his own eyes.

And he was scared people will start to see him the same way he sees himself.

Imperfect.

"May I be excused?" Akaashi asked his advisor, kenma who was staring down at his clipboard for the next thing they have to do. Kenma only nodded at him before walking off to who knows where. Kenma knew more than anyone, how bad the prince's thoughts could get. He needed the fresh air to clear his head.

He walked around the castle gardens to admire the scenery before him, just wanting to clear his thoughts. He then spotted a figure crouched down by the castle wall, caressing a fully bloomed rose. Akaashi walked closer, his footsteps startling the hooded maiden, causing her to stand up, the quick motion causing the hood to slide off her head, revealing her identity.

"oh, I apologize for the intrusion, your highness." you said, plucking the rose and adding it to the assortment of flowers in your other hand. "your roses just looked lovely. I couldn't resist." you added, smiling at the male softly, getting ready to leave him alone.

"wait," Akaashi called out to you, making you turn back to him. He seemed very confused, his thoughts running all over the place. "who are you?" he asked, taking another step forward.

You let out a sigh before you fully turned back toward him. "since you already saw my face, I guess… it wouldn't hurt." you muttered. You stopped in front of the prince, only mere inches separating the two of you. You lent a hand out for him to shake. "I'm (y/n), a sorceress. You must be the famous perfect prince akaashi." you said. Your words made shivers shot up his spine. You see him just the same as the others.

The perfect prince.

But he wasn't at all perfect.

Usually, he would let that little nickname go but this time, his mouth moved before his mind could catch up. "I am definitely not perfect." the prince blurted. He covered his mouth in disbelief. Stupid. You were a stranger. He knew you could care less about what he thought of himself. Still, when he collected his thoughts and finally looked back at you, he saw that you were gazing back at him curiously, your brow arched, your mouth forming a small 'o', silently telling him that you were listening.

"I am far from perfect, (y/n). I'm not the tall, confident man the kingdom knows me for." he ranted, plopping himself down on the cut grass. "but I doubt that you would care to listen to-" he was going to say dejectedly when you chose to sit beside him, looking down at the small bundle of flowers.

"oh please, I have time to listen to your woes. So go on, speak." you interrupted, nudging him with your forearm. Akaashi felt a sense of comfort just being in your presence. So despite his very reserved nature. He decided to tell you all about himself and all of his raging thoughts.

Since then, it's become a regular thing.

You would come into his gardens at the same time, Akaashi would hand you a bouquet he picked from the garden himself and he would talk to you about all of his problems. It started with the small inconveniences to larger problems a mere villager shouldn't know about.

Then it started to go beyond his problems and more about small memories and anecdotes you've experienced as children. It then became about each other's love life and eventually, deepest void of conversation topics, life itself.

"Sometimes, I feel like I should just run away." he said as he watched you sprinkle in the last of your rose petals into the small vial you brought with you.

"then you should," you replied, swirling the mixture around before looking down at the book on your lap. Akaashi's eyes widened. He was never really needed in the kingdom, they were a peaceful land after all. He learned more about you in the past few weeks and now a desire to just… be with you bloomed in his heart. And ever since he heard that you were single from one of your previous chats, the prince wanted to open this topic even more.

You were muttering under your breath, your hands moving as the pinkish water in the vial started to rise and glow an ethereal shade. "then run away with me." he said.

His words shocked you to the point that you almost lost your grip on the vial. You dropped your hand, the water going back to its bland color. You dropped your hand then let out a nervous laugh. "y-you can't be serious-"

"I am 100 percent certain." he cut you off, he placed his hand on your chin then made you look straight into his eyes. "you've been there for me. I'll be there for you. I'll make sure to keep you safe. We can actually see the world and be free… together." he said, capping the vial in your fingers before placing it in the groove of your book. He then took both of your hand in his and kissed them, making your face heat up in disbelief.

The prince you grew to love with each word he spoke was having the same thoughts as you?

"and you really want this? To be together?" you asked just to make sure he was actually telling the truth. The prince nodded his head before he pulled you in and placed a chaste kiss on your lips.

"I'm more than sure."

As soon as he said that, you two of you started to plan out the grand plan to run away with the once perfect prince.

But that's a story for another time.

And that's all for today! Sorry anon for halving the story but if you want a part 2, I'll be happy to make one for you! Requests are open so please don't be shy to leave anything in my ask box! Love you guys 💖💕❤️

General taglist (don’t be shy to comment your tumblr @ below): @tokyoghoose @macaronnv @reogou @midnightangelfox @wumboho @seiijixcia

series taglist (don’t be shy to comment your tumblr @ below!): @astrxrism @kurookinnie @isentsworld @inkumistuki @booksandhoneymilktea

[zombryz]

★ needy ★ a Frieza story pt.4

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

TW - mentions of lemon 

Please enjoy ⍟ sorry it took me forever to upload this pls dont hate me

The next morning felt different, not just because you woke up to an alien's arms wrapped around you but still you couldn’t quite put your finger on it. You were still lying comfortably in the position you had fallen asleep in the night before. Frieza held you close to his chest, your leg wrapped over his lower abdomen and his tail clung itself to your lower waist. You didn’t want to move, you were so at peace. As you became more awake you noticed your surroundings. The air had shifted slightly and the sun was peering through the window, not like before where the sun seemed distant in the starry filled sky. You heard birds chirping beautifully in the background as you finally fluttered your eyes open. Birds? Wait a minute, you were on Earth! 

The realization caused you to jump up in excitement. As you sat up in bed you found yourself trapped in by Frieza’s tail, you had almost forgotten that you were still a prisoner. There was no way Frieza was just going to let you go, last night didn’t matter to him. His words echoed in the back of your mind, “I will only breed with you this once.” You sighed, melting back down in bed, upset at the world and upset with Frieza. 

“Good morning, my little human companion,” Frieza shifted comfortably and let the grip of his tail tighten around you as he yawned himself awake. You’d be lying to yourself if you said he wasn’t adorable. You grew more annoyed at your situation, wishing you could just take him back to your apartment and keep him there forever. He pulled you away from your thoughts by pulling you into his arms and into a tight embrace. His chin was resting on your forehead. Damn you, Frieza.

“Hello, my Lord,” you smiled at him up at him, unsure if you actually enjoyed calling him that or if you were just trying to mock him. 

“You may have noticed that my ship is docked on your home planet, are you excited to see your friends again?” 

This had to be a test, he’s trying to see where your loyalties lie. You thought to yourself, where do your loyalties lie? Obviously with your friends, last night doesn’t change anything. It can’t change anything. Right? You decided to have the upper hand here, you climbed on top of Frieza straddling him once again. The gesture was sweet unlike last night which was pure sex. 

“I would rather lay here with you for all of eternity,” you leaned down to kiss him. The kiss was brief but pleasant and he didn’t pull away. After a moment you were the one to pull away slowly leaving him wanting more. You played it smart, if Frieza was here with you then he wouldn’t be a threat to your friends. If Goku and Vegeta weren’t back yet then the others wouldn’t stand a chance. Frieza looked you up and down and fixed his eyes on your lips. He was trying to read you to see if you were telling the truth. Luckily, it wasn’t a full lie. You definitely did want to lay with Frieza forever, you could die happy laying here with him getting fucked by him over and over again. 

Frieza’s evil, shameful smile had returned. He brought his pointer finger to your face and shook it up and down, “Ah, tsk, tsk Y/N. I warned you and you should have listened.” His hand formed into an open palm as he held it over your forehead. This was a familiar motion and unfortunately, you knew what was to come next. Your eyes felt heavy and started to close involuntarily. He had drained your energy and you had fallen into a deep sleep. 

                                             -----------------------

You were very uncomfortable, there was a sudden gust of wind that hit your face waking you from your slumber. You had no idea how long you were out. From what you could tell you were outside now, the sun was shining brightly through your closed eyelids. You attempted to open them but the sun's rays were blinding causing you to pull your hand to your face to shield the sunlight. When you finally adjusted to the brightness you removed your hand from above your head and placed it back down near your knees as you sat up on them. You were on a floating metal platform. Your collar was still around your neck and you felt a chain connected to your hands and feet. You were locked onto the platform, when you looked to your right you saw Frieza’s tail hanging out of what looked like a hover pod. He was hovering just slightly higher than you so you were unable to see his face. There were soldiers surrounding you and looked to be guarding Frieza. You looked down on the hill where the soldiers were facing, you saw all of your friends. Bulma, Whis, and Beerus were standing with Goten and Trunks. Gohan looked injured and was standing over Piccolo, it was hard to see but he looked very injured as well. Krillin was leaning over him with a worried look plastered all over his face. Standing in front of everyone was a very angry Vegeta and Goku, you sighed with relief seeing that the others were in good hands now that they were here. The realization of the situation finally set in, Frieza actually went through with his attack. You weren’t sure what you expected but you had hoped he’d have a change of heart. You were a fool to think that. There wasn’t much you could do so you stared at your friends until one of them noticed you. Goku looked up at you, his eyes meeting yours. His angry face breaking, giving you a slight smile.

“She’s awake, She’s okay!” Goku yelled out for all of the others to hear. The worry in his voice was quickly replaced with relief. You smiled down at him, it was so good to see him again. “Don’t worry Y/N, I’ll be right there to get you!” he added speaking directly to you this time. Vegeta had now fixed his eyes on you also, his eyebrows lifted slightly after seeing that you were okay.

“Monkeys, sadly I do not believe your beloved Y/N is in need of being saved. In fact, I believe you’ll find that she has grown very fond of being with me.”

You looked up at Frieza to see he had left his hover pod. He was now flying on his own and heading towards Goku. You sat up on your palms nervous for what was about to happen.

“Oh yeah? Then why is she tied up against her will?” Goku furrowed his brows at Frieza, he didn’t believe his lies. He began flying up towards Frieza to meet him halfway. This was going to be bad.

They were too high up for you to hear their conversation, it was brief but you could feel its intensity. A few moments later they backed off and began to trade blows. They were clashing at insane speeds and you were no longer able to see their attacks. Vegeta looked very impatient and irritated. He flew up to both of them and Frieza and Goku paused to listen to Vegeta. You were still unable to hear what they were saying to each other. They must’ve come to a conclusion because Vegeta let Goku continue fighting Frieza, this time Goku turned Super Saiyan Blue. You were growing concerned for Frieza, unsure if he was powerful enough to fight Goku. Suddenly it became very bright, it looked like Frieza was also powering up. There was a bright orange aura surrounding him, blinding you and everyone else in the sky. When his aura dimmed he revealed a new form, he was Golden. He was absolutely stunning to say the least, even Goku looked surprised. It didn’t take long for them to begin fighting again. Your eyes tried to follow their dances across the sky and you bit your bottom lip in fear. From what you could tell Goku was losing. Just like that, Goku fell out of the sky returning to his base form. Oh no, you thought. Your heart was racing. Frieza hovered over Goku’s body and it looked like he was preparing to kill him once and for all, you screamed out Frieza’s name with tears in your eyes. Frieza hesitated at the sound of your voice but still sent out a ki blast. His hesitation bought Vegeta time to jump in front of Goku.

Vegeta deflected Frieza’s ki beam sending it into a nearby mountain top. Vegeta powered up to Super Saiyan Blue and began to throw punches at Frieza. He fought with more anger than Goku, knowing the history between them you understood why. They both took off to the air and you lost track of their movements. Goku was returned to the rest of your friends on the hilltop and given a senzu bean. Everyone focused on the fight, even Whis and Beerus who seemed to be unfazed and enjoying something Bulma had brought them to snack on. Within a few moments Goku was up and he must’ve used instant transmission to appear in front of Vegeta and Frieza’s fight which looked to be coming to an end. You had just noticed that Frieza’s men that were surrounding you were no longer there, you were floating alone in the sky. Frieza was on his knees in front of Vegeta who was holding his palm over his exhausted body. Goku was behind them preparing his ultimate kamehameha and you felt your heart shatter in your chest. Goku was going to kill him. You had to do something. You let out a gut wrenching scream calling Goku’s name. The saiyans had never heard so much pain come from you. Vegeta, Goku, and Frieza all turned their heads towards you. Tears were falling down your face, your throat dry and raspy. You were shaking, pulling at your shackles trying to break yourself free.

“STOP! PLEASE!” You yelled, trying your hardest for your voice to reach them. “DON’T KILL HIM!” you cried.

Goku swept in front of Vegeta and grabbed Frieza before he could escape. They had both let their guards down and Goku knew Frieza would have used that against them but he didn’t. Frieza was beat up and was back in his base form, he was in Goku’s grasp and he stared at you slightly confused as to why you were pleading for his life. The three of them flew over to you, Frieza still being held at the shoulder by Goku.

“What is it, Y/N? Are you hurt?” Goku questioned as he got in close enough proximity to you. 

“No, I-I just... Please don’t kill him.” you begged. 

“I don’t understand. Do you even understand who he is, woman?” Vegeta chimed in spitting anger through gritted teeth, fuming that Frieza wasn’t already dead. 

“I know, it's just that,” you paused, unsure how to exactly say the next part, “I care about him.” you said softly, your head dropping low because you couldn’t look them in the eyes. Frieza was their sworn enemy. Vegeta was once his slave. They wouldn’t not kill him just because you care about him, it wasn’t good enough. You allowed yourself to care about Frieza, you gave yourself to him. What would they do if they found out? They would never forgive you. They would see you as their enemy too. There was a long pause before Goku finally decided to speak.

“I don’t know what happened to you up there, Y/N, but I know that no one has ever cared about Frieza. We’ll let him go this time but if he tries anything we will not hesitate to put him back in the ground that he crawled out of” 

Vegeta looked upset with the outcome, he huffed and puffed. “Kakarot, what the -” 

“Oh come on Vegeta, if Frieza trained up to get this strong then we can keep sparring with him and get even stronger.” 

You weren’t really listening to them anymore, your eyes were on Frieza’s. He stared back at you with a look you hadn’t seen before. It was with adoration. No one had ever cared about him before, you were becoming special to him. He may not have a heart but with you he hesitates and he doesn’t understand why. He finally saw what the ‘Monkey’s’ saw in you. It was as if his revenge didn’t matter anymore, you gave him a purpose. Once everyone accepted his fate they escorted him back to Capsule Corp where he was told he had to stay under your watch on probation. If anything got out of hand Goku would be there to stop it. He was also going to be under Vegeta’s roof. You could get used to having Frieza around, this time he’d be the one in a collar. You smirked at the thought.

[shirtlessfelix]

hi hi hi, could i get a drabble on felix and david being childhood friends (or rivals 👀) who end up meeting again in the fog and end up developing feelings for each other after a while of felix being there? (sorry if this isnt specific enough btw sshgnhsn i dont usually rq things like this)

Yes, this is so cute!! I lowkey love this ship ngl, thank you for requesting it! <3

To Fancy an Old Friend

Slow Burn | 1306 words

Those eyes.

Felix knew them too well even after all the years during which he hadn’t seen them. Dark and morose, they stared back into his own, the mouth just under them with parted lips as shallow breaths left them. This first encounter was rather painful for Felix, who hadn’t been subjected to that glare since he was a child; since David King was taken away to a private school with stronger disciplinary measures.

The two didn’t dare speak to each other, not even now that they were adults and past all of that childish anger. Felix had heard terrible things about David growing up from his parents; the last thing he’d expected was to see him again, and to be stuck with him in the same place he’d hoped his father was.

Felix didn’t recognize anyone else, but they all stared at him just like the kids in his primary school. He was the only foreigner then, and he stuck out terribly when he spoke, no less when David would mock him for it and make the other children laugh. Even here, even now, Felix was hesitant to speak.

“No fuckin’ chance you’re the Richter boy,” David said before anybody else. He was shorter but much more stocky than Felix, and he still came off quite threateningly. The Richter boy stayed quiet and let his old Mancunian rival figure it out for himself. “It’s you, innit?”

“You know this guy?” interjected a girl who was standing by, and Felix was relieved when he heard her accent. She was Nordic.

David nodded, licking his lips as he recalled his past with the blond boy who sat in front of him in class, desperately trying to focus on his schoolwork while enduring his childish means of torture. He’d never laid a hand on Felix even once, but the words he spat along with little paper balls were enough to make him shudder.

“Probably wishes he didn’t know me.” Felix stood back and watched as David stood up from his seat on the log. “This is Nea. I’m sorry you’re here.”

---

While he learned the ropes from the others, David left Felix alone, not assuming he'd want to talk with him even though it had been years since they'd seen each other last. It was inevitable that they would end up in a trial together, but even then, he paid Felix no mind until he was in trouble with the Wraith invisible at his heels. He didn't know where to turn.

David jumped out behind Felix when the killer revealed himself once again, swinging out in front of him and expecting the newbie to fall into his hands. Felix gasped when David grunted instead, letting himself be injured for his sake and yelling, "Go, Felix, run!" So he did.

A flick of his bell, and the Wraith had vanished once again, but David could tell that he was going after Felix again, and that was something he just wouldn't have. He followed the billowy shadow through the trees and once again got in his way, but tumbled forward to waste even more of the killer's time on him. Felix had been able to get away.

Later, David hadn't acknowledged the selflessness that made Felix wonder how much he'd really changed, and instead he disappeared off somewhere else. Felix wanted to talk to him, to ask what happened on the first day when he didn't have him to rag on. Where did you go? he wondered. Why are you here?

---

The time for conversation finally came when neither of them were stuck in the confines of a killer's territory, where they were safe from all that for a while and could confront the years of tension that was left unresolved. Felix approached David as he whittled a stick down to dust, sitting next to him on his spot by the campfire.

"I know we were kids then," Felix told him, and David noticed how much his accent had gone away. It made him laugh inwardly, how something so small made him so upset as a child. Felix must have stayed in England, he thought. "Thank you for helping me before."

"It's nothin'. Gotta look out for each other down here, y'know." David wiped the sawdust from his hands and sat back, looking at Felix in the moonlight. He asked him, "So, what brings you?" and for a long time, they talked about their lives after they'd left each other's. The Richters' involvement with "a cult or something" that Felix hardly bothered with, and how David had simply thought he'd gotten so drunk he started hallucinating.

They reminisced on the short time they'd had together in their past, Felix not blaming David for not having liked his accent. "Well, that's not true," David told him. "I did like it; that was the problem," he laughed. "I liked it so much, I hated you. Stupid kid things, I guess."

And then, the conversation had taken a turn. It swerved and slowed down to a halt when Felix told David how much he'd admired his strength back then, and his bravery at any given moment. That much about him hadn't changed, it seemed. Felix still swooned over it.

"I took German in secondary school," David admitted. "I had a lot of regrets that I wanted to make up to you somehow. Some part of me hoped that I'd see you again."

Felix chuckled. "Well, here we are."

---

As the two of them spent more time together, David teaching Felix more and more how to survive this place, and Felix helping David brush up on his German, they grew closer than they'd ever thought possible. David even may have been ready to admit why he'd really loathed Felix all that time ago, and why his utter perfection even as a child made him so, excruciatingly jealous.

"Oh, you think you were jealous," Felix laughed. They were laying deep in the woods together, looking up through the trees and eating from a basket of berries that Jake and Claudette had picked earlier.

"You had everything, Felix, of course I was." David brought his hands up behind his head and clasped them together.

"Not your strength," Felix said. "Not your courage, not your ability to never give a shit what anyone thought about you. I had pretty buildings to look at."

"Do you care what I think about you now?" David asked with a smirk tugging on his lips. Felix laughed and looked away. "What do you think about me?"

"I think... you've turned out all right. Strong, good-looking... I mean--" By then, his face had turned the faintest shade pinker, and David's had too. "Well, you know what I mean."

"Do I, now?"

"I'd hope so."

"Are you calling me handsome, Richter boy?" His face had gone red. "I'll call you handsome, then, how's that?" Felix smiled sheepishly and shook his head, to tell David that he was being ridiculous, how dare you play with me like that.

What was all fun and games turned into a softer stare-down between them.

Those eyes.

They didn't glare at Felix like they used to, but they looked at him with a longing hat had been there the whole time. He dared to lean over and let his lips connect with David's in the most hesitant kiss he'd ever kissed, one surrounding him with comfort as David's arm laid itself over his waist. It left Felix wanting more, to kiss him even just once more, but maybe another time.

For now, this was okay, and certainly more than he'd bargained for when he found himself with David King in his life again. Maybe it wasn't quite life they were living, but it was something, and they were together. And Felix didn't mind at all.

[i-love-ninjago-kai]

I'm watching s7 and was very excited to see Skylor again even if it was only for that little bit. I didn't ship Kailor the first time around but now I really do! If you dont mind, what are your thoughts on their relationship at that point? Both in general and specifically how they help each other with their issues. like Kai coming to her for advice about thinking his dad is evil. Love your analysis of kai so much <3

Hi friend, thank you so much! You’re such a sweetie :)

Let’s see... This is a bit hard to put into words. Kailor, if we wanna be basic, is in essence, the “hot couple” in the group, they’re both pretty, and they know it.

At least they would be... If they were actually together. 

Skylor and Kai have this thing where they flirt, and give eachother bedroom eyes almost constantly, and they know that they like each other... They’re just too afraid/awkward to actually like, do anything about it. 

The two of them both have insane intimacy issues, 

 Kai having trust issues that run so deep he has trouble making actually meaningful relationships. He loves attention, sure, after losing his parents at such a young age, he’ll take any he can get. But actually letting someone in? In a romantic sense, being willing to be vulnerable? Kai doesn’t know if it’s possible, and that terrifies him, because Kai does, honest to FSM, love Skylor.

But Kai has been hurt by people, over and over again, he’s been betrayed even by himself, when he allowed himself to be corrupted by the staff. And he’s reminded of that every day, because that corruption still lives inside him, like a virus.

All he’s ever wanted to do was protect, and if he fails to protect Skylor, if he truely acknowledges how deeply he feels for her, and then something happens to her? He wouldn’t know what to do, a part of him would die with her, and it would never come back.

Sky has her own inner demons as well. Sure... She runs a multimillion dollar restaurant chain, and could buy pretty much anything she wants... But her dad also tried to massacre ninjago by turning his employees and his own daughter into a snake. 

And she went along with it. Did she want to? No, somehow along the way Skylor managed to develop a conscience, and never liked doing what her dad wanted, but her fear crippled her, and she did whatever he wanted despite her own morals. And that in itself scares Skylor, because she doesn’t want to think that she’s capable of that amount of evil, but deep down she knows she is. 

She hasn’t full realized who she is, partly because she also has no idea who her mother was, either, did she actually like her father? Or was it some kind of forced marriage? Sky doesn’t like either option, but the thought that both of her parents could have been malicious, terrible people, keeps her up at night. 

Her father didn’t start out insane, it had to grow over time, and Skylor is terrified that over time, it will grow in her. And it’s selfish, but her first thought, her first fear, is if she’ll hurt Kai. 

Because Kai is different from anyone she’s ever met. He saw her, even after she betrayed and saw him chained to the floor to have his fire stolen from him, he saw her heart. When she had neuro’s element, she looked into his mind, it’s an invasion of privacy, but Sky’s moral compass when it comes to minding her own business is kinda broken. 

She saw everything, felt what he felt for her, and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t whipped for him.

So... They love eachother... Like, a lot, but they’re both dancing around actually being together. 

At this point, they are each other’s lifelines, they can talk to eachother about anything, and this is shown in s7 especially. Kai desperately needs to open up to someone, and while he adores the ninja, even his sister... He’s not very good at being open with them either. But with her... With her he can be real, because she doesn’t see the big tough firecracker front he puts up, she sees Kai, big brother who had to raise his younger sister and had to grow up too soon. Because she had to grow up too.

Sure, at the time, he went to her because she was the daughter of an evil figure... But he didn’t need to come to her, Lloyd is right there and would have been happy to be a sounding board, But Lloyd isn’t Skylor. He loves him and would to literally anything to protect him, but being with Skylor... It’s freeing.

She listens intently, never judging how he feels, never trying to fix everything. Her red hair framing her face as she gives him the most caring and attentive face he’s ever seen, proving that she is listening to him, totally any completely.

It’s the same way for Skylor, she feels light as a feather listening to his dulcet voice, and watching his hair bounce when he talks. Kai is the only person to make her blush. No, really... She’s flirted with tons of guys, done tons of things with guys, (Although really, it was always some scheme to get something from them for her father.) and none of them make her feel the way he does when she flirts.

She goes red and speechless for a second, blinking away trying to make it less obvious that she is completely and utterly enamored with this guy.

They are all of these things, feel all of these things... And They’re still terrified to make the next move. They yearn to touch each other, be closer in a way that’s more than just sitting across eachother in a booth, or walking in a park. They wanna kiss and hold hands, do other things and just be together, always.

But fear.. Fear is stopping them, and the only thing that would work to get them to finally get their head’s out of the clouds is if one of them gets hurt.

Revealing the possibility that they could lose each other... Now that would do it, and once they go in for it, they go all in. They’d be engaged by like three months in.

All of this drives the Ninja crazy, because they waited so freakin long.

Speaking of long... This is really long, sorry about that. I kinda cut it off at the end because of it, but I hope this is what you wanted! Thanks again love.

[goldentournesol]

📺 rock creek park :)

alrighttt, rock creek park let’s gooo! i’ll be documenting all my thoughts so i will be putting a read more lol (long post)

- i love how immediately we know what the victim was doing last purely because of a phone call, cm tends to do that a lot, they use the “phone call” to let the audience know what the victims were doing last

-OH MY LORD SPENCER LOOKS SO GOOD i’m 40 secs in and he’s literally gorgeous??? he looks good in blue

- so just because her husband’s a congressman, she’s VIP....okay...tell that to the hundreds of prostitutes who go missing without anyone noticing

-kate playing devil’s advocate “what if she left on her own accord” MHM

-Hotch in short sleeves??? YES PLEASE

-hahaha he’s a white congressman with a white, blonde wife no wonder they’re VIP

-ahhh so they weren’t sure it was an abduction BUT GET THIS the last voicemail proves it was, i love when TV mimics reality :)

-hehehe spencer read the opening quote

-ANDERSOONNNNN!!!

-ahh yes casually mentioning shipping missiles to syria 

-LMAO ROSSI JUST SAID 1-800-THUG, comedic genius

-i love the satchel clutch™ SO MUCH

-”yeah i’m spencer!! i don’t really shake han-” ICONIC

-I DONT SPEAK RUSSIAN--but he sounds good. also the subtle stare before telling her not to worry, he does {speak russian} that was hot, sir.

-NOT THE SECOND HAND EMBARRASSMENT FROM HIM SPOILING THE BOOK FOR HER AHHHHH im cringing

-UGH I REMEMBER THE MOTHER SHE PISSED ME OFF SO MUCH

-the successful brother and struggling brother trope, media loves it

- THE FAMOUS GIFS OF HIM BY THE WINDOW, i’m melting

-the fact that he can understand a western nigerian language???? his brain amazes me

-”coffee is a language in itself” CUTIEPIE

-why is the reporter so rude AHAH

-JJ LOOKS EXQUISITE!!!!!

-20 MILLION DOLLARS?? 20 MILLION DOLLARS COULD FEED 20 MILLION PEOPLE what a stupid price to ask for, ask for something realistic (not me telling criminals how to do their jobs)

- rossi going “Someone could be trying to hurt you, but who is the 20 million dollar question?” SOMEONE TAKE THIS MAN’S SCRIPT AWAY

-I LOVE WHEN JJ TALKS TO THE REPORTERS

-hehehehe those drawings were ALL matthew not spencer

-what an impersonal personal question, what did we do after our first date?? what about something you’d only share with your wife? but they went to rock creek park, i get it

-I’M SORRY, MORGAN IN BURGUNDY IS VERY DISTRACTING, he KISSED garcia’s cheeeekkkkk eeeeeeeeeee!!!

- if JJ and MOrgan interrogated me i would be shivering in a corner

-i love how SWAT people are in full gear and the BAU is in kevlar vests aahaha

-SHIIIII THE EARRR that is gory af, the reveal was awesome though

-oooo hotch intimidating the congressman and the intern ratting him outtt (i dont remember what happens lol it’s like i’m watching this for the first time)

-does everyone just readily threaten with suicide? do people really do that as often as tv makes it seem?

-another man incapable of taking no for an answer smh

-aww spencer caring about the woman 🥺🥺

-i’m sorry, it’s who’s responsibility is to use protection???

-i cannotttt get over how good mgg looks in this episode!!

-AHHH THE PLOT TWIST, i really thought they were gonna kill her

-Hotch’s condescending tone is making me act upppp

-it got political yyoooo

-oh man when they saved her 🥺🥺

-”speaking of pretty boys, where’s reid?” YOU KNOW WHAT YOU RIGHT

-HE;S SO POLITE SO CUTE

-WE COULD HAVE HAD SOMETHING

-UGHHHHH THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN SO CUTE

-BUT THE WRITERS ROBBED US AGAIN

-HE shook her hand 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

-politics are one big joke, sorry

-the last 30 seconds are what really ties the whole ep together tbh

[popculturebuffet]

Jake Reviews Stuff: Star Vs: Friendenemies

Happy pride all. I’m getting ahead of this one for a number of reasons:  1) It’s pride month and this episode is one of the most shiptastic things i’ve seen with two male characters since Robochris from bravest warriors. I mean it dosen’t quite reach “Creating a skull robot of your best friend because he won’t touch you a lot to make him jealous enough to do that” levels of romantic tension but it tries. 

2) My good friend @jess-the-vampire��� is a tomco shipper, and with things being rough for her I figure she could use this sooner rather than later. 3) Shows are actually coming back with Amphibia emerging from it’s year long odinsleep the same week Close Enough finally escapes from it’s dumpster after 10,000 years to conquer earth before it gets put back in there then escapes again and marries lord zedd.. I lost the metaphor the point is I want to keep Tom train, and other star arcs I have planned, moving at a steady clip. 

So with all of that yeah, i’m ready to go. No real exposition to dump again, come on let’s go after the cut!

We open with Marco at his laptop nervous about something and Star coming into his room tangled in christmas lights... so normal day at Casa Diaz.  Anyways Marco can’t help star out of her latest self made prison because he’s preording tickets to a Mackie Hand Film Festival. Mackie Hand is Marco’s faviorite martial artist and movie star, who died performing a stunt on himself.. accidentally.. did he give himself a death punch? Is this the same universe as regular show.. please say yes.  Anyway as is natural for Marco in the first two seasons as god apparently hates him, the tickets sell out instantly and he dosen’t get them, banging his head against his laptop as Star TRIES to comfort him , saying he might still be able to get them. Marco also says “Good things don’t happen to me”

I mean just look at Season 3. Anyways tom comes in licking a rainbow snowcone for no explained reason other than they wanted to make it obvious this was the Tomco episode. Tom asks to hang out and after Star, understandably at this point given you know, the horrible date where he tried to murder her best friend and the gaslighting a few weeks back, tells him a million times no, Tom explains he’s not here for her.. he’s here for Marco. Marco, given tom’s threatned to kill him twice now and tried to at least once, isn’t biting. Tom naturally has tickets to the festival as a trump card, and assumes that time he kidnapped marco and played him in ping pong for his freedom counts as a friend hang out, and geuinely apologizes for his behavior promising not to get angry. Really while as you probalby know we DO get the reveal later he was partly doing this whole thing to finish his anger managment... I do get the sense this apology, and a lot of this is GENUINE. We’ll get more into the why in a bit, but he does seem to genuinely want to bury the hatchet.  Marco pulls star aside and, given the last two times he saw Tom, the boy had some horrible scheme up his ripped sleeves, he understandably, and as it turns out correctly, thinks Tom is once again up to some sort of scheme, star is fully on board. I have. mixed feelings about this. On the one hand STar did forgive tom for the previous episodes mess and Ponyhead for much worse and it does set up the tiny plot curnel of corn that would grow into an entire corn field of her still having some friendly feelings toward tom. But it just feels weird, even with how cahotic star can be to have her flip flop from “Stop calling me” To “You should totlaly go on a date with the guy who harassed me and tried to kill you twice now. “. Especially since next time she has an episode with Tom, She’s fully resentful of him and a bit snarky and spends and episode, in part thanks to aformentioned magical severed ponyhead, suspicious of him playing games with her head again. We’ll get there soon obviously, i’m just saying it feels mildly off. 

So Marco decides, much like bart simpson that getting where he’s going’s worth it even if he has to ride with the devil himself and reluctantly agrees. We see the inside of Tom’s carriage for the first time, and see my good personal friend dead horse again on the outside, and it’s really nice.. lit by torches because mood lighting, but similar to his room it’s plushly decorated and even has two serious speakers and according to Tom 6 flatscreens. Damn I wish I had one of those.. that and I wouldn’t have to drive since I can’t due to my anxiety. Plus who wouldn’t want a firey horse skelton sidekick? Anyways Tom offers Marco cold cereal and Marco is frank with tom, pointing out he’s suddenly being nice to Marco after never being nice to him before and understandably isn’t sure he’s even a mackie hand fan but a bit of banter and trivia shows Marco that no, Tom really seems to be telling the truth.  Tom then confides in marco that he gets why Marco didn’t belivie him: Most people dont’ get past their preconcived perceptions of him. And here the series does flesh tom out a bit: Tom admits to not having many friends.. which frames the previous two episodes in a diffrent light. Sure his actions to Star are still very much not okay... but you at least see WHY he was so obessive about her: She was probably the first real friend he had that wasn’t a casual aquantince, his own family member, or a pet. Most Mewman kids his age probably weren’t too keen to hang out with what to them was a monster, rich or not, little raicst shits. And in the underworld most people probably just did whatever he asked because they were afraid of his temper or his parents fury, even if his parents are the nicest people in the underworld. So when he lost her, Tom didn’t know how to properly react and while his first attempt to win star back was genuine, it was marred by his refusal to adress his anger or control issues that likely lead to Star dumping him in the first place. While Star’s forgivness HERE is a bit werid, her willingness to give him another shot wasn’t: Tom was SEEMINGLY genuinely trying. He was in therapy, he’d been anger free for several days and most glowingly, when a stranger karate chopped his hand off in a misguided attempt to protect star.. he got upset but instnatlly went into his coping mechanisms.  The problem was as I covered in that review.. Tom didn’t WANT to change. That’s the thing about changing: you need to both know there is a problem and WANT to fix it. And even then, as we’ll see sometimes i’ts hard. I know, i’ve had my own personal issues i’ve had to change up as years went on. It’s a slippery slope you have to constnatly climb up. And BMB era tom.. just didn’t WANT to change he just wanted to do what he thought star wanted that would get her to take him back, and couldn’t understnad why she wouldn’t just listen to him and obey, two things not in star’s vocabulary for anyone much less her ex. 

So , much like I did, rather than blame himself for screwing things up, he just saw it as Marco being in the way and tried to fix that. And so he sunk to rock bottom.. but it didn’t fix their relationship and it took Marco having an honest conversation, as someone who was also very close to her and knew her well, to get him to see that Star wasn’t going to take him back unless she wanted it.. what he was doing was selfish and self destructive.. and Tom probably realized in that moment he had to stop. He let her go, and thus as I put al ot of emphasis on last time, made his first step to being better.  And to me that’s why this makes sense as his next step: While it’s partly to fufill a checklist... you get the sense he really DOES like marco on some level. They hung out, which I do feel tom did genuinely feel was like friends hanging out instead of you know the second highest stakes game of ping pong i’ve ever seen. 

The first if your curious. So while part of this is Tom just wanting to get through anger managment for likely his parent’s sake, part of it is also him genuinely wanting to be somebody’s buddy, anybody but a bumbling butler. It’s just being Tom, he dosen’t know HOW to make friends or get them to see past who he is surface wise; a spoiled angry boy and see the inside, a nice kid who just has no idea how to talk to people beyond a surface level or understand them and we’ll see that more both in this episode and as we go. Speaking of going back in the episode proper, two bros drive up and insult Tom’s carriage also wondering if he’s going to his grandpa’s funeral. Fuck you both.. both on general principal and becaause his grandpapapapapapaaaaaaaaaaaa is alive and magnificent. 

Satan bless you Relicor. Anyways, Tom is naturally pissed at this and Marco challenges them to a race.. but eases tom off actually following them as, since this isn’t a fast and the furious movie, the police immidelty arest them and we get the blessed image above. Let’s see that again.

NOGODWHY

Not right but it’ll have to do I fear what may happen if I try again.  ONE BALLON DICK GIRAFFE LATER, our boys are on a high, as Tom finds there are things more fun than obletarating people. #tomhaskilledmultiplepeopleandisstillthebestboy. Marco is reminded of a song from his faviorite band Love Sentence, and Tom, suprisingy given his My Chemical Romance with a splash of metal astetic, is not only a huge fan but has a giant Helga Patiaki esque shrine to them complete with a cd player with shuffle. Fancy. 

We then get a wonderful, shiptastic montage of the two just hanging out, hanging out with a white tiger. Having themselves a party. And given the song itself, sung by 98 Degrees and horrible realtiy show Newleywed’s alumnus Nick Lachey, even says “we used to be enimies but now we have chemistry” yeah I think this is intentional and they are a good ship. Are they my prefered ships for the characters? No tha’ts kelly and flame princess... the last one was recent and I love a good crossover ship sue me. But I do headcanon both as still Bi and still find the ship great, it’s just not my main one. 

However the good times can’t last as it is film time... but Tom refuses to let marco leave befor eblowing his top off... dude that’s not how you build a suppportive relationship, you know this by now. Turns out the white tiger I haven’t mentioned to now is actually Brian, vocied my boy Stephen Root who apparently just.. lives at DIsney’s animation studios now as he has a tendency to show up in every other animated disney show. You may know him from Gravity Falls as Bud Gleeful, THe Mayor from Amphibia, or , in non disney voice work, Bill Dautrive. Turns out as I haven’t even tried to hide, Tom was in the final stage of his anger managment class and to get out of it had had to spend 3 hours with the person he hated most. As I said I do think part of it was GENUINE on tom’s part, that he was trying to be what he thought friends were... it’s just he didn’t get that Marco, if grumblinignly, probably STILL would’ve agreed if he were honest.  However.. it’s still a step up. While i’ts still a scheme, and his LAST on the show.. it’s more benign after the last two; Instead of being harmful his scheme this time is just “Bribe my worst enemy into hanging out with me and get out of anger managment” it’s still not quite right, but compared to the things he’s done with star, it’s an improvment and a sign he is changing despite himself. He could’ve just kidnapped marco again and forced him to spend the three hours.. granted this might’ve just been Brian saying, obviously no tha tdosen’t count, but still, instead he tried being nice and giving an apology. Even if it was for personal gain on some level, Marco’s words clearly got to him and he’s now trying genuinely unselfish tactics. It’s also notable since he spent the three hours with marco, and at least half an hour of awkarndess before it got all fun, WITHOUT getting angry or falling back on old stratgies and only beefing it at the end because, as i’ve established, he dosen’t get people.  So naturally tom gets mad.. while it is a sign he’s getting better he dosen’t do his trademark horrifying demonic EXPLOSION of rage... he’s still being petulant and sore over his failure is mad at marco for pritoritzing the tickets nad destroys them. Marco naturally calls him out, angry over him manipulating him to get some badge , as he puts it, calls him a jerk and a liar, accurate and the worst part to marco? “I WAS DUMB ENOUGH TO FALL FOR IT”

Credit where it’s due while I may not LIKE adam mcarthur as a person...as a voice actor he is excellent and his delivery here is perfect as you do get the pain in Marco’s voice as he genuinely ahd grown to care for tom. Wethere it was friendship or wanting to make out... probably wanting to make out, you get the pain in his voice. Tom admits the love sentence hting wasn’t a lie.. but too little too late.. whcih is marco’s second faviorite love sentence song and leads to another moment of shippy goodness. Seriously I see why this ship exploded in popularity after this. Also I will say both Adam and Rider have damn pretty voices.  So Tom does what any romantic lead faced with a third act breakup would do.. say a demonic chant and bring Mackie Hand back from the dead. This is also the first time we see just how fucking powerful tom is. Before we’ve seen him summon his carriage and immolate some stuff and easily reattach a hand.. but this is the first time that we see he’s every pit as powerful as star, who probably could raise the dead she just dosen’t want to. Granted I don’t know why this sort of undead stuff hasn’t been used on say, Moons assitnated mother, but presumibly anti-monster stigma combined with the fact that we don’t know HOW she died or how much was left, and are probably better off that way solve that. It goes a long way to explain why Tom’s family are allies instead of the conquered like most monsters: They have equal , if far diffrent and spookier, magic power and are the only kingdom with this trump card besides the butterfly kingdom. 

So as we close Marco tries to use Mackie to get in, the usher dosen’t buy it and a fight insues, but Marco and Tom patch things up, Tom becoming a fan of Mackie now he’s seen what the guy can do and Marco forgiving tom since, evne if his actions were still a bit greasy, he immidetly did his best to try and fix what he broke. The two are friends again despite them both saying they hate each other... but they clearly mean it playfully. The End.  Final Thoughts: After the Slog that was last episode this one is a fan faviorite for a reason... well okay 2 reasons. One...

And two.. it’s excellent. I feel bad it took me years to see this one, but it’s one of season 2′s finest. It’s funny, has great character stuff for both boys, introduces a new ship that’s fantastic and a great new dynamic between Tom and Marco that would carry for the rest of the show. It also beliviebly advances Tom’s character arc: He’s TRYING a bit but he’s still got a bit of the scheming and selfishness that defined his earlier outings, but it’s telling that after this episode, and hurting marco, he stops. This episode REALLY gets him to change that and for the better.  Sadly Tom would only make one more apperance this season in Naysaya, an episode I will cover when I cover Jackie and Marco at some point, but has him show up for a cameo when it turns out the episodes antagonist, a curse that takes the form of a sentient head that spills the target’s worst secrets and insecurities when they try to ask someone they like out, is Tom’s fault from back when he was a baddie, and Tom genuinely apologizes and tells him how to vanquish it, if ribs marco a bit since he cast that curse presumibly sometime between BMB and MCC and is delighed and suprised that Marco seriously hadn’t asked anyone out in that time. But it’s a nice bit that shows their not only still friends but Tom is genuinely sorry for some of his earlier behavior. We’ll see more of that as we go and more of tom trying to be better.. he’s made up with Marco, next time we come back to tomtrospective, we’ll see how it goes with Star. 

Coming up besides the obvious, as Pride Winds down I’ll have my first steven unvierse coverage, one of the first openly gay couples in western animation, and some asexula pride as we take our first look at Bojack Horseman..’s loveable rommate todd. Until we meet again, stay safe, black lives matter and later days. 

[vitamx]

the iron door: chapter 1

[ Also read on AO3! ]

---

 grian had made quite the first impression when he had entered the hermitcraft server.

 carrying a body bag that clanked whenever it moved in the slightest- some hermits even said it moved by itself- it was obvious as to why that was.

when xisuma had asked, he had simply grinned and laughed, saying it was an incomplete project he couldn't possibly leave behind.

 what kind of project? a redstone one.

so that bag is filled with redstone parts? not exactly.

then what is in the bag? i told you- an incomplete project. nothing dangerous, don't worry...

there might have been a day or two of suspicion, but the minute that body bag disappeared somewhere unknown, no one really seemed to question it.

especially not when he had started a chain of events that led to a chaotic game of tag, a pickle shop with no exit, and after that came prank after prank after prank... and after that, there was the prank war, and the architechs, and sahara, and the build-off...

 needless to say, with such a chaotic server, it was easy to forget something as minuscule as a large bag with, most likely, iron and redstone parts in it.

however, one fateful, chilly afternoon mumbo had received a flurry of messages from his good friend grian.

  grianmc: do you remember the bag i brought with me into the world?

 mumbojumbo is typing...

 mumbojumbo: why yes, i do!

mumbojumbo: you said it was an "unfinished project" right?

grianmc: yes yes

grianmc: this may sound a bit odd but can you,

grianmc: keep an eye on it while im away for the week? like... just some regular maintenance checks

grianmc: nothing too difficult, promise

  curious as to whatever (likely horrid and broken) contraption grian had been working on over the season, mumbo agreed without much thought.

  mumbojumbo: sure i can!

mumbojumbo: where are you going?

 grianmc is typing...

 grianmc: just to an old server. to check up on things

grianmc: and thanks. i mean it

grianmc: i also made some recordings and stuff to help, uh

grianmc: guide you through the maintenance checks and stuff

 grianmc is typing...

 grianmc is typing...

 grianmc: the, project, is in the sunken ship- the one that was my starter base.

 grian mc is typing...

 grianmc: dont freak out when you see it

  the last message made mumbo pause, his fingers hesitating over the keypad of the communicator as he typed out his own response to it.

  mumbojumbo: why would i freak out?

  > grian has left the world.

 mumbojumbo: grian?

  ---

  that night, mumbo had flown over to the sunken ship-in-a-bottle, as grian had instructed.

although his clothes got quite damp from the trip down, which left him in a sour mood, the comforting, almost rustic atmosphere calmed him down greatly and nearly instantaneously.

 the plain, simple garden in front of the ship was also still well taken care of, even after nearly a year and a half of the season starting.

 wringing out his tie and hair, mumbo quickly shook the water off of himself, hugging himself to warm up as best he could.

 as he entered the actual shipwreck itself, a strong scent of wood filled the room. although it was cramped and rather small, was very cozy and welcoming.

entering the next room over, mumbo's eyes landed on a sign that was placed above an iron trapdoor- on the wooden floor in front of it was a stone button.

  mumbo

(or whoever might have come here instead):

push the button and go down the ladder

to check on the project

 placing his foot on the button, mumbo pressed down and quickly climbed down the ladder, which seemed to go on for quite a long while. the pathway down was dark and cold, unlit and chilling to the bone.

by the time he had reached the end, he could see void particles rising through the floor and felt the familiar, faint tug of the void.

  in front of him was an iron door.

  the iron door's windows were blocked with stone, and there seemed to be no button or lever to open it.

 the room he himself was in was hardly decorated and was made entirely of stone and gravel and dirt.

the only light source was a redstone torch placed in the corner of the room- how there were no mobs that had spawned, mumbo did not know.

 but as he stepped closer to the iron door, he began to hear a faint noise.

ignoring the unease he felt, mumbo pressed his ear against the door...

  and he heard breathing.

  whirred, raspy, and heavy breathing, pressed against the other side of the iron door.

the breathing came out in near gasps, the breathing seemed desperate and hysterical.

 mumbo quickly stepped back, uncertainty swallowing him whole and leaving him with nothing but dread and unrelenting unease.

 stumbling backwards, mumbo nearly tripped over a small device that lay clattered against the floor.

upon closer inspection, he saw the faint outline of a communicator, a dim red light overlaying the screen.

upon the darkened screen was a simple audio file, titled "MCHECK_01.mp3".

 with only a few seconds of hesitance, mumbo opened the file, and turned the volume up.

  "um... hello, hello? is this thing on?"

  grian's voice echoed throughout the empty room.

  "ah, good! so, erm... hello! this is grian, though i hope that's obvious. thanks for taking on the job, um- whoever it is that accepted."

  mumbo slowly sat himself on the cold ground, gaze unwavering as he stared at the iron door.

  "now, i know it's super dark and all down here, but... think of this as rule #1. DO NOT! i repeat do NOT! put any more light sources in here than there already is. he- i, i mean it doesn't like bright lights. at least not in this state."

"its just a simple NPC, so it shouldn't be too dangerous to maintain. if you go through the door, which, uh, you'll have to make your own button or lever- two of them actually, it should be slumped against the corner all broken-machiney like."

  mumbo paused the recording, slowly pulling out a button from his inventory.

 grian said it wouldn't be dangerous- plus, what were the chances that grian would make some sort of dangerous machine that would harm him? close to none, he'd say.

he firmly pressed the button aside the door until it was fully mounted on the wall, and held the palm of his hand over it, reluctant to press it.

  he pressed his ear against the iron door once more, hand slipping away from the button on the wall.

  the breathing was gone; the room was dead silent.

  letting out a breath he was unaware to have been holding, mumbo picked up the communicator on the ground and firmly pressed the button, stepping inside of the other room.

 the door shut with a clink, and once again he was met with a dark room with a single redstone torch in the corner.

the only difference he could see was that the room was made of spruce wood and logs, and was much more narrow than the previous opening.

  the floor creaked beneath him as he reached out to grab onto the redstone torch propped on the wall.

  so far, he did not see any machine- though it was more likely that said machine was just in the other corner, which had no light reflected onto it.

bringing the torch closer to the other side of the wooden room, mumbo stalked forward with caution, squinting his eyes to try and make out any outline of a machine.

  what he stumbled across was more complex than any redstone contraption he'd ever seen.

what he came upon was a disturbing sight that sent shivers up his spine.

  collapsed in the corner of the room was a replica of grian.

  the side of its face was sprawled open, revealing its internal metal skeleton, and oil and redstone were bubbling down the side of that skeleton's mouth, staining its iron teeth.

 its eyes were cast downward, dull and black, and the bottom half of its shirt was torn off, revealing an iron ribcage with missing bolts and cut wires, burn marks and scratches.

 its right leg up to its knee was missing entirely, red and blue uneven wires sprawling out across the floor. its hands were missing a few fingers.

  it was hard to look at an NPC replica of your close friend and call it an... well, "it".

especially in the condition it was in.

  shakily leaning down and placing the torch upon the floor, never looking away from the machine, mumbo pulled out the communicator and continued playing the audio file.

  "...so, you probably saw it, and freaked out a little bit, am i right? well. i guess it's pretty normal to do that- sorry for the scare. i guess we can just move along with the maintenance check ASAP, huh?"

  the head of the machine creaked ever so slightly, turning to look at mumbo the minute his eyes looked downward.

  "for now, you can just push any parts of its body that have... popped out, so to speak. sometimes it's its face, sometimes it's its arm... i think its locks are kind of broken. all you gotta do is push it back into place until it clicks. after that, just make sure it's powered down all the way- the power button is on the back of its neck. if it's green, press and hold until it turns red."

  the recording ended; the communicator shutting off by itself.

 looking up at the NPC, he froze up, eyes locking instantly with black and empty eyes.

hadn't it been facing towards the ground...?

  no, no, he must have just been imagining things, there's no way the broken down and tattered machine in front of him could have moved.

it was as still as a stone, unmoving and unwavering.

  swallowing a lump in his throat, mumbo reached his hand forward, pressing against one of the three sections of the NPC's face, and clicked it back into place.

reaching both hands out this time, he swiftly pushed the other pieces of its face back, retreating his hands the minute the pieces clicked into place.

 why was he so nervous? there was nothing to be nervous about.

it was just a broken machine, nothing more and nothing less.

 pushing its head forward, mumbo peered behind the NPC, a chill running down his spine as he saw a bright green button on the backside of its neck.

recalling grian's instructions, mumbo quickly pressed the button, holding it down for one second, two seconds, three seconds, and finally-

  "HELLO, MY NAME IS NPC GRI-AN- NPC GR- NP- N- N- N- N-N-N-N-N-"

  jumping back with a scream, mumbo fell onto the floor, scrambling away from the NPC fearfully, its voice screeching loudly and its body twitching sporadically.

his heart beating loudly in his chest, and he locked eyes with the reddened irises of the machine before him.

 after a few more seconds of jittering and glitchy screaming, the NPC seemed to shut down completely, its eyes flickering back into nothingness.

  mumbo heaved, stumbling up to his feet once more. after quickly and skittishly checking to see if the power button was red (which it was), he quickly ran to the iron door, slamming a button down and opening the iron door immediately.

elytra equipped and rockets in hand, mumbo flew upwards and out of the sunken ship as fast as he possibly could.

  even as he reached his base, he could feel his heart racing still.

 ---

[gringolet]

OMG your art! Its so nice! 👌❤️🔥🤩💖 You have a wonderful talent! You make me ship gawain x lancelot. Pls tell me more about this pair

!!!! ANON YOU ARE A SAINT

god, god where do i start. theyre the two best knights in the world according to the vulgate (dont look at la morte malory was on hating gawain juice when he wrote it) and theyre best friends. 

They have this fun buddy cop dynamic in a lot of stuff but especially knight of the cart, where gawain is the more experienced but slightly slutty sidekick to the young and generally feral lancelot on a quest to rescue guinevere, and half the plot is them getting seperated and trying to find each other again. AT one point lancelot gets locked in a tower and gives a whole speech about how hes worried gawain hasnt come to rescue him bc he doesnt love him, which i am not even a tiny bit exaggerating

theyre both wierldy pro murder and its. funny. like theyre feral but in completely different ways. gawain is smart and polite and probably knows the difference between the 14 different types of fork while lancelot was raised in a lake and gets cursed from drinking out of a haunted puddle he found in the woods and maybe doesnt even know what a fork is at all, and keeps doing murder on accident, while gawain keeps doing murder on purpose.

theres this. like i tried to chart the back and forth and lost track but theyre whole dynamic is just basically taking turns rescuing each other. gawain stops lancelot from falling out a window, lancelot rescues gawain from carados, gawain goes after lancelot when he wanders into the woods after the white stag and almost dies, then rescues him again from the marriage he accidentally agreed to, lancelot rescues him from prison, et cetera

but god. jesus god the ending. god. idk how much of the plot of the fall of camelot you know but the jist thats relevent here is that 2 of gawains younger brothers (gawains brothers are. uniquivically the most importnt thing in the world to him) reveal guineveres adultery and arthur sets them and gawains other brothers to guard guineveres burning at the stage to punish gawain for objecting to said burning and lancelot accidentally kills them in rescuing guinevere, and gawain uh. loses his mind 

and is like well. time to cut off lancelots head! (hes not actually trying to kill lancelot, hes trying to get lancelot to kill him because he cant live with his grief) but lancelot refuses to. and. this quote speaks for itself

“it is certainly remarkable of you,” said King Bors, “ to love him so deeply when he hates you mortally.”

“find it remarkable if you wish,” replied Lancelot, “ but he will never be able to hate me so much that I stop loving him.”

THEY JUST LOVE EACH OTHER OOKAY OKAY OKAY+

anyway gawain forgives lancelot on his deathbed after successfully getting  wounded enough to die and writes him a deeply gay letter

[sanami-love]

Slow and Steady

Alright, so I decided to write a Sanji x Nami fanfiction. If you guys like it I’ll continue the story. As the name suggests, this is gonna be a slow burn kind of story. However, it will likely eventually turn into smut lol I hope you guys like it! Im open to contructive criticism. I haven’t written anything in 7 years. They also might be a bit OOC. The last fanfic I wrote was when I was 16 for a completely different fandom. I may also change the title later on, and I’ll be uploading this to fanfiction.net later. Anyways, here you go! 

Waves crashed loudly against the bow of the Sunny. It was a starry cold night out on the seas of the Grand Line. Nami, being on watch for the night, sat wistfully peering over the seemingly black abyss of the sea, only illuminated by the moonlight.

She leaned over the crows nest, arms crossed and eyes half lidded, reflecting back on their time in Whole Cake. How they barely managed to escape with their lives intact, and just how much sheer luck played into their escape.

She had no idea how they managed to get out of there. The Yonko were no joke, clearly. Not as if any of their adventures had ever been easy, but this one was clearly took the cake for barely making it out alive.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a faint creaking of a door opening and dim light pouring in from behind her. She peered over to see none other than the curly cook himself, carrying a platter of various fruits along with a fancy glass full of juice, adorned with tangerines on the edges.

"Nami-San~" he mouthed to her, waving and smiling. He couldn't call out to her, given it was so late into the night.

Nami smiled, waving back at him. Knowing that the fruit and juice were clearly meant for her. "He really can be such a sweetheart." She thought to herself. "Not that I'd ever tell him that." She mused, knowing full well how it would send him into full-blown tornado mode.

Sanji made his way up the ladder, balancing the plate and glass ever so diligently on top of his head as he climbed. Nami stifled a giggle, seeing how goofy he looked.

Finally reaching the nest, he took the plate and glass from his head and bowed to her, hand over his heart and eyes closed with a big grin.

"A late night snack, for our beautiful navigator." He stated suavely.

Nami smiled and rolled her eyes, taking the glass. Sanji placed the plate on top of stool.

"Thank you, Sanji-Kun." she said, taking a delighted sip of her juice. Freshly squeezed Mikan, straight from her tangerine trees. A taste she would never get tired of.

He smiled, always so happy to see her enjoying the confections he makes.

Looking closer at his face, she could tell he was rather worn out. Heavy lines beneath his eyes. Who could blame him after everything that went down in the past few days?

"If you'll excuse me, Nami-San." He stated, turning around to climb back down the ladder.

"Wait, Sanji-Kun." Nami stated. He peered back, a curious look in his eye.

"Would you like to stay for a while?" She asked, careful how she worded her request.

Sanji blinked, and then grinned. Little hearts starting to form out of the billowing smoke of his cigarette.

"I would love to accompany you, my lovely beautiful Nami-San!" Sanji exclaimed, still careful not to be too loud. Not that anyone could hear them from that high up, plus the sounds of the waves.

"Drop the flattery already." Nami said sternly. Still, she felt a warm pang in her heart as he said it.

"Alright, alright." He chuckled, leaning over the nests railing with her.

"If you dont mind me asking Nami-San, what's on your mind?" He asked, taking out his custom lighter and another cigarette.

She glanced over to him, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" She asked. Had he been able to read her that easily?

"Well, you're leaned over staring off into the distance with a far-away look in your eyes. Somethings gotta be on your mind, right?" Sanji asked, lifting the cigarette to his lips and inhaling as the tiny flame touched the paper.

Nami sighed, fog lifting from the heat of her breath.  Of course he would notice. Observation Haki and all.

"We barely made it off of whole cake alive. It just bothers me to think that if even one small thing went wrong, we would all be at the mercy of a Yonko." She revealed, exasperation lining every word.

Sanji listened, opting not to interrupt her and fixating on her face as she spoke.

"And then there was how we almost lost you." Nami said, sorrow in her voice. Her lips tightened as she clenched her teeth slightly.

Sanji looked down, seeing the pained look on her face. "There it is again. The guilt.." He thought, chastising himself for the thousandth time that day for making his friends all worry and risk their lives to save him.

"Nami-San...I'm Sor-"

"Sanji-Kun, you dont need to apologize." Nami reiterated.  "I know you didn't really have a choice in the matter. We all know. All of us would've done the same thing you did had we been in your position." She stated.

Sanji cast his sight downward. He knew she was right. Hell, they already had a few friends try to sacrifice themselves to protect the rest of the crew. And she was one of them.

Sanji let out a huff of air, smiling weakly.

"I guess we're in the same boat, huh Nami-San?" he said, beginning to stare off into the distance just as she had.

"Well yeah, where do you think we are?" She joked, stretching her arms to gesture the entire ship.

Sanji laughed, breaking from his previous daze. "Oh yeah! I forgot! My bad." he joked.

They laughed together for a moment, and looked back out to sea. Not saying anything to each other for a few minutes. Just listening to the sounds of the waves.

Sanji stole glances at Nami, noting how she looked especially beautiful that night. Her hair glowing in the moonlight, how her eyes reflected their surroundings, how her breath left her lips and floated away into the chilly night air.

At this point, he was just gazing at her. Unable to keep a smile from forming on his lips. He couldn't bring himself to look away even if he tried.

Nami glanced over to him, noticing how he was practically looking into her soul. She felt her heart skip a beat as their eyes met. She managed to look away after a few seconds.

He felt as though his heart melted in those few seconds.

"...Hey, Sanji-Kun. Can I ask you a question?" Nami requested.

Sanji snapped out of his daze. "Y-yes Nami-san?" he managed to stutter out.

"When you were going to be married off to Pudding, we heard you turned her down because you still had adventures with us to go on. Is that true?" she probed.

Sanji raised an eyebrow. "Well, I didn't tell her that at all." he stated.  "But she's not entirely wrong."

Nami glared at him, just ever so slightly. "So does that mean that you did want to marry her?" she continued to probe.

Sanji huffed. "No, not in the slightest. Don't get me wrong, she was pretty and all, but I'd never want to marry anyone that I barely know." He asserted. "Especially if it's not even my own choice."

"So do you ever want to get married?" Nami inquired.

"Where is all this coming from?  Nami isn't normally the type to discuss anything like this." Sanji thought. Was she secretely a romantic just like him?

Taking in another lung-full of smoke, he exhaled.

"At some point, I do want to get married. But right now isn't the time. We still have way too many adventures to go on. Maybe some time after I find All Blue." Sanji said tiredly, trying not to think too hard on it.

Nami looked somewhat confused at the cook. What with all his proclamations of love, she'd assumed he'd be willing to tye the knot at any time. Only to find out they share common ground in that area as well.

"Well, I guess we really are in the same boat." she reiterated.

"Making the same joke twice, are we?" Sanji said, a smug look plastered on his face.

"Yeah, so what?" Nami retorted, playfully snatching his cigarette from his lips and taking in a lung-full of the smoke, looking him dead in the eye as she did so.

"N-Nami-San?!" Sanji exclaimed. His brain felt like it was malfunctioning.

He was somewhere between being worried for her health, and finding her smoking the cigarette he just had between his lips the sexiest thing he had ever seen.

Sanji gulped. "Its like an i-indirect k-kiss" he thought. With that realization, he clenched his nose between his thumb and index finger as hard as he could to keep most of his blood intact. Still not being able to keep some of it from leaking out.

Nami giggled watching him lose his mind over something so small. "You gonna be alright over there?" She teased at him, taking the stick from her lips to pop a tangerine slice into her mouth.

Sanji took a few deep breaths before he could speak again. "Nami-Saaan...Are you trying to kill me?" He whined. He could be sent into orbit via nosebleed if she kept this up.

"Hey, it's you're own fault for being such a pervert." Nami said bluntly.

Sanji sighed. "Oi. For one, I've been like this for as long as I can remember. Two, if you wanted a cigarette you could've just asked." He said taking out another to replace the one she stole.

"Now that I think of it, his brother's were the exact same way. Maybe it really isn't entirely his fault" Nami thought. She wasn't about to give him any slack though.

She turns to face him and points the stick towards him.

"You know I can't just ask for things. I have to steal them. I am a thief afterall." She stated.

"That's our Nami-San" Sanji said, smiling as he lit up his third cigarette. "So uh, what exactly compelled you to try smoking?" He asked, still puzzled as to why she wanted to wreck her lungs as he had.

Nami smiled as a memory of Bellmere-San etched itself into her mind. She didn't normally speak so freely about her feelings, but she supposed she was feeling generous tonight. Either that, or it was just because of him.

"My mom used to be a chain smoker." She said, pausing as she wondered if she should continue. "Whenever I smell cigarette smoke, I get this calm feeling washing over me. It's not a good thing to be nostalgic over, but I dont care. It almost makes me feel as though she's still her with me." Nami said, a small smile on her face. "Other than that, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about." She finished.

Sanji studied her features as she spoke. He'd expected her to look more sad, however she wore a content smile. "Does that mean she feels relaxed around me?" A warm feeling spread through his chest at the thought.

"So, what do you think?" He inquired.

In response to his question she took another drag, wanting to be sure of her thoughts on it.

"Well, it tastes pretty terrible. But the taste of the fruit is sorta helping. Other than that, it feels very relaxing." She said, blowing more smoke out into the air.

"God she looks so beautiful.." He thought, admiring the way her lips pursed outward as she exhaled. He so badly wanted to tell her how gorgeous it made her look, abstaining only out of fear that she would send him away.

"Try not to start, alright? We don't need Chopper hounding both of us about it. Besides, if he sees you smoking I'll be the first one he comes after." Sanji stated, the image of a very angry Chopper towering over him in his "Heavy Point" form.

He made a good point. She recalled how Chopper would endlessly berate him for smoking during each physical.

"Yeah, it's definitely not worth it." She agreed, putting out the nearly finished cigarette.

"Definitely. Trust me, I wish I hadn't started but I'm already too far gone." Sanji said, remembering how he started smoking as a kid to try to look more mature. "I was such a dumb kid."

Nami glanced over his way, trying not to look too hard. He really was very handsome. He changed quite a bit in the two years they were separated. He was much more muscular, his jawline was more defined and his hair had gotten longer.

And his lips looked so soft.

She quickly realized she had been looking a little too long, as Sanji clearly noticed. A faint blush spread across her cheeks. She quickly looked away, but realized she had already been caught.

Sanji felt his breath hitch as he caught her eyes on him. With a look of what was clearly, unmistakably desire in her eyes.

Sanji was no idiot. He had always been extremely perceptive of other people's emotions. Changes in breathing, eye movement, muscle movement. He was able to read all of it with pinpoint accuracy. Even before honing his observation haki, his ability to read people and situations were always exceptional.

"At this point, I dont care if she hits me, or sends me off. It's my turn to tease her." He thought, approaching her with his newfound confidence.

He leaned over close to her ear, whispering in the sexiest tone he could muster:

"You know, Nami-San... I don't mind if you look. I enjoy having your eyes on me."

His voice set something off inside her. His breath tickled against her ear, feeling as if electricity had run down her spine. The faint pink blush she wore only a few seconds prior immediately turned scarlet.

She'd halfway had the urge to turn around and pretend like she hadn't been looking at all. But she knew that wouldn't work. Her reaction had been way too noticeable.

Nami turned towards him and looked into his deep blue eyes.

Sanji returned her stare. He quickly realized how close their faces were and felt his heartbeat speed up exponentially.

"Sanji-Kun...I need to ask you something." Nami said, still staring deeply into his soul.

"Y-Yes, Nami-San?" Sanji uttered, swallowing hard after. He could feel heat spreading across his own face.

She stayed silent for a moment, attempting to garner the confidence to ask.

"Do you think....you could ever love just one woman?" Nami asked, crossing her arms against herself.  She'd often found herself enjoying Sanji's advances, but didn't want to act on her desire up until recently.

Almost losing him made her realize just how much she felt for him. And it bothered her to no end. Sanji would swoon and fawn over every pretty woman he'd seen. She really didn't know if he could just love only one.

Sanji found himself floored at her question. He wondered if this was just another cruel dream he would eventually wake up from.

Still, dream or not, he still had to try.

"Nami-San...before I answer your question, I feel that I should clarify something to you." He said, looking into her eyes with hard conviction.

"I do swoon over women. However, I don't "love" them. It's just my way of showing my appreciation and respect for them, despite how ridiculous I may look. That aspect of me will never change" He explained. "But...when the woman I love returns my feelings, and accepts me as I am, then yes, I would devote myself to her." Sanji finished, never letting his gaze leave hers.

Nami saw not even a hint of dishonesty in his eyes, and felt nothing but relief wash over her.

"Now, Nami-San....I need to tell you something." Sanji said, breaking their gaze and taking a deep breath before taking her hand in his own and rejoining her gaze.

"Nami-San...I have feelings for you. No woman that I've met so far has made me feel the way that I do about you. So I need to know..if you return those same feelings for me?" Sanji asked, feeling his confidence begin to waver.

There it is again. That warm feeling beginning to spread across her body. Never had she felt this way about anyone in her life. All she knew was that it made her feel content.

"Sanji-Kun...the events that occured over the past few days made me realize something. When you left, I thought I'd never get to see you again. I was devastated at the thought that you might die, and all I could think about was all the times we spent together. The way I was so broken up about you being gone even though you said you'd return, made me realize I care about you so much more than just as a crewmate or friend." Nami said, looking away as her face began to turn scarlet once more.

"Every time you would bring me food, every time you would ask me if I loved you, I would feel something warm in my heart. Something that would make me feel happy. I guess what I'm trying to say is that...I also have feelings for you." Nami finished, being far too flustered to make eye contact.

Sanji's eyes widened at her confession. There was nothing in the world that could ruin the overwhelming joy that came over him. She actually returned the love he felt for her. If this was a dream he prayed that he never wake up.

Sanji wrapped her arms around her, leaving his hands to rest at the small of her back.

"Nami-San, you've made me the happiest man in the world right now." He said, feeling as though he'd never be able to quit smiling.

"Would you be willing to give me a chance to make you happy, Nami-San?" Sanji asked, not sure if she would even be willing to be in a relationship right now. After all, they did still have adventures to go on.

Nami rested her head against his chest, enjoying the scent of his cologne and the feeling of his hardened muscle against her.

"I think...I would like that. But, I wanna take things slow." Nami said, knowing that if they went too fast Sanji would probably die.

"We'll take things as slow as you need, Nami-San." Sanji said, resting his head against hers, enjoying the feel and scent of her light orange hair. He so badly wanted to kiss her, but knew that a nosebleed would probably ruin the moment.

The two embraced for what seemed like hours, relishing in the feeling of each other arms.

Orange light began to peer over the seas, illuminating the blue seas. Sanji felt like cursing time itself for ending their embrace.

"Well, it seems that I'm late for work. Get some sleep Nami-San. I'll be sure to bring you something wonderful to eat later." Sanji said, brushing away her bangs and kissing her forehead.

"Sounds like a good idea. You better hurry, before Luffy wak-"

"Saaannjjiii! Where's the fooood?!?" Sanji heard his captain yell out from the kitchen. Sanji sighed.

"Give me a few minutes, alright?" Sanji yelled back, climbing back down and running into the kitchen before Luffy decided to help himself to whatever was in the kitchen.

Nami laughed, and yawned while climbing down as well. Smiling all the while.

[thelowlysatsuma]

Ramble in whatever form you choose. I won’t be able to be active all the time so if you want to be able to do it whenever you want I’d say text posts but I’ll also try to occasionally ask you about them so there’s some variety

!!! okay! well i think i’ll choose a couple from the list that i haven’t made many posts about before (aka no ts or go) and ramble on here!

oof under the cut bc idk how long this will get

steven universe

oh hon don’t even get me STARTED on su like that shit? that shit is so good? okay first of all i love the cast so much? gosh they’re just all so sweet and cool and sometimes they collab w/ thomas sanders and i love rebecca sugar and im gonna cry they’re so sweet im so soft

okay SECONDLY the show itself oof

okay okay im just? god im so soft?? like the music is so good, i can (and do) watch it w/ my parents, GOD do i wanna cosplay pearl’s new outfit (and rainbow 2.0, if i can pull it off), im in love with the concept and all the fusions and the story and the worldbuilding and god, this made me realize my utter love and adoration of COLOURS like they’re so PRETTY im in LOVE oh my gOD and just

god it has such a good message and such a good plot and such good characters i wanna be steven’s friend i wanna be all of their friends oh man i just can’t wait until my baby cousins are old enough for me to show this to them because i’m going to enjoy that experience so much

ducktales

oh jfc where the fuck do i even start with ducktales okay david tennant as scrooge mcduck makes my fucking life literally he’sthe best goddamn charaacter in the show – well, best besides the triplets (my BOYS), webby (!!! my KID), f e n t o n (god i love that nerd), mark beaks (what an asshole), mrs beakley (i wanna be her when i grow up), launchpad (!!! he!!), and so many others??? this is like serious every character in the show erasure but hot damn duck tales says gay rights and it does so in style (oh yeah also i love lena della donald oh webby’s new friend whose name i forget uhhh herules oh the inventor guy fenton’s boss that dipshit love him uhhh gandra dee who’s voiced by jameela jamil if im not mistaken??????) and yeah it’s a hilarious show but it’s also just a really good one for me to watch whenever i start to like. feel empty inside?? but then like i’ll put on ducktales and i’ll feel better

gravity falls

this show. this show RUINED ME. i started watching it like four years late (aka last year lmao) but GOD, im so in love with it. def another one i wanna show my cousins.

like?? just??? the ciphers and mysteries appeal so much to me and my love of mystery and crime novels, the characters are all amazing, alex hirsch himself is just such a g?? and like. it’s so good. it hurts me so much but then it’s all okay in the end and it’s just. it’s so good.

yeah i sobbed my eyes out when i watched that series finale.

camp camp, which somehow i forgot on my other list

god, is this show hilarious. like, fuck is it funny. it’s so good. it’s so fucking good. i was a little shocked when i saw the first episode but i’m so into it now, and i’m so attatched to all the characters bc they’re just dumbasses trying their best (or worst, in a few cases) and i love them for it. that’s peak fool energy right there and it speaks to me

orphan black

okay okay okay veering now into a much darker type of television, orphan black is??? phenominal???

okay so my best friend @fuck-me-gently-with-a-slurpee got me into it when i was like 14 or 15 i think and i honestly cannot thank her enough because this show is incredible. the plot’s super engaging, i literally cannot say anything about it without giving away spoilers, and the main character has quite possibly the best actor i’ve ever seen playing her

like. you think thomas sanders is good? he ain’t got SHIT on tatianna maslany

mythbusters

you guys. you guys. mythbusters was my childhood. like seriously, i watched that show religiously.

it’s what first got me into science, and it’s what kept me interested in explosions. it’s light and funny and ridiculous and scientifically accurate in the dumbest ways possible. i swear to god the main cast nearly dies once an episode

these guys are my idols. like, i seriously cannot overstate how much i love the mythbusters. adam and jamie, tori, kari, and grant.

when i was a kid, i wanted to be a mythbuster when i grew up, and god damnit, i still do. they mean that much to me

bill nye

fun fact! i actually had no fuckin clue who bill nye was until seventh grade, when i had to watch an episode of his show for homework because i missed a day of class. it was the episode on static electricity, and i remember sitting at my dining room table in the dim winter afternoon light, squinting at my computer, and thinking “what the FUCK am i WATCHING?”

needless to say, i’ve seen more since then, but that initial what the fuckery is still present and i love it.

not only is bill nye the science guy a flippin fantstic show, but bill nye himself? the coolest guy alive. god, i love him. what a g.

various comedians including but not limited to john mulaney,john oliver, and hasan minhaj

okay, as a gay, i am legally required to love john mulaney, but seriously that guy is so. fuckin. funny that i can’t help myself. his timing is priceless, the way he moves onstage is hysterical, just. god i love his stuff.

literally his comedic timing and style is half the reason people find me funny. i just phrase my sentences the way he would because, you know, i’m good at stealing things, and people laugh, and i go “hey. that actually worked”. and then i keep doing it

next, john oliver. okay, so while i don’t watch his show religiously, i do watch it when my parents do every now and again, and fuck is his stuff funny. like. just. shit.

finally, hasan minhaj’s patriot act is just. one of my favourite current events comedy shows out there. it’s in a similar vein to john oliver’s stuff, just more international, and shit, is he good at what he does. i lvoe it.

hoodwinked the movie (i am dead serious)

okay, while i haven’t seen it in over four years, this is still my favourite movie of all time. it also has one of my favourite villain songs of all times, and some of the best character exchanges just. ever. especially with wolf and twitchy

...god, i love twitchy. also the goat. i’m probably gonna be the goat when i grow up, let’s be honest

one day at a time

i just.

there’s so much to say about odaat. like. it’s so funny. it makes me nearly cry every episode (and makes my mother actually cry every episode). the characters, god, the characters

like. alex is such a cute dumb kid (who’s smarter than he looks), penelope is so salty constantly and i love her but she’s genuinely so cool and such a good mom and i cry??? elena is so amazing like god she’s such a fuckin nerd but she’s also so salty (takes after her mom) and is literally the best????

and then there’s abuelita, whom i adore. like, god, rita moreno is SO cool and SUCH a great actress and has SUCH an amazing sense of comedic timing and GOD, i LOVE HER

can’t forget about syd and doc berkowitz, which like. okay first off the good doc. just. god i love the doc. he’s so sweet and such a genuinely good dude and he’s a bit of a coward at heart but that’s okay because he genuinely cares and does his best and god he’s just such an amazing character im !!!!! and then syd is such a dork and i love them and elena and god, it made me so happy to see not only an actual enby character on a big sitcom, but also just?? like??? it’s not forced but it’s still there??? like there’s one episode where one of the plots is just syd and elena trying to figure out what elena should call them, since neither of them are comfy using “girlfriend” for syd since they’re not a girl, and they finally agree on “significant other” and schneider imMEDIATELY says “dont you mean, SYDnificant other?” and then they use that for the REST OF THE SHOW IT”S SO CUTE OKAY

and finally, schneider. he might be my favourite character in the entire show (which is a damn hard list to pick from!!!), but he’s just. he’s so sweet, he and penelope have one of the absolute best male/female friendships i’ve ever seen (which! never! turns! romantic! ever!!!), he’s actually got surprising depths but he’s also like such a nice goofball that when they get revealed, it hurts, and he’s just this canadian dumbass (heyyyyy repreSENT) with the worst goddamn canadian accent sometimes and he’s a hipster and The Dumb Friend and the weird uncle all rolled into one and GOD, i love him so much

the good place and brooklyn 99

okay, i love these two both so, so much, but i’m lumping them together because a) they’re both mike schur shows with a similar sense of humour, that say gay rights, and with characters who’d definitely love each other if they met and b) my hand is getting tired from all this typing but i still have so much  love to go around!!!!

okay so so SO! they’re both so good. they’re so fucking funny and amazing and i was immediately hooked on both of their pilots. their characters are all so genuine and flawed and fucking hysterical to watch, and the ships and friendships are all so amazing and pure and good and soft and they have their problems and they WORK THEM OUT HEALTHILY AND IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY OKAY!!!

god, i literally cannot overstate how much i adore these two shows. mike schur, you’re a wonderful, wonderful dude. thank you so much

many musicals (top faves include BOM, hamilton, legally blonde, chicago, matilda, and more!)

i’m putting the musicals together because while i do adore each and every one of them individually, i also just have great big deep-seated love of the art of musical theatre itself in general, ya feel?

like, as someone who’s been both performing and viewing them from a very young age, the sheer sense of utter joy they bring is almost unparalleled

not to be That Bitch who quotes musicals, but “and that hop in our hearts as the overture starts lets us know how lucky we are” might be the closest i’ve ever gotten to finding words to fit the feeling when the lights go down and the show begins. it’s simply phenomenal

the others series by anne bishop

okay, OKAY, if you haven’t read this series (first book called written in red – they have terrible titles but god, they’re worth it), then what are you doing with your life? like, not only is there the perfect logicality au to them (just sayin’), but god, it’s such an incredible series

the worldbbuilding is so cool and the characters are all great and god the ships are the damn hill i die on it’s got literally such a good “sort of enemies mostly just dislike each other to reluctant acquaintances to friends to lovers” ship and it deals with some serious issues rlly well and it’s got baby puppies!!!

like, they’re wolf puppies, but still, they are b a b e y

and finally (for now, at least), the mysterious benedict society, by trenton lee stewart

this book series was my childhood. i mean, there are so many other books i could be talking about right now that i utterly adore (the artemis fowl series springs to mind), but gosh, MBS just brings me such absolute joy to read that i just had to have it on here.

i’m not thinking straight at this point in the evening, but i just wanna say that i will never, not ever forget about reynie. about kate. about sticky. about constance. about rhonda and number two and milligan and miss perumal and my absolute son sq pedalian and, of course, i will never, never forget about mr benedict

it’s bright, and it’s bittersweet, and it’s beautiful.

and it’s good. simply, utterly, wonderfully good.

thank you for the ask, anon.

thank you.

[sieben9]

“the song in your heart” impressions

{Quick request to anyone reading: I’m watching OUaT for the first time, and I want to avoid spoilers. So, if you want to discuss something spoilery, I’d be grateful if you could start a new post for that. Thank you!}

OK.

So.

…

You sure kept that one quiet, huh?

I just… :: gestures:: Wow. That was a lot. Also, I may have checked the episode two or three times while writing this, because I kept thinking that maybe I made all of this up. And nope! It’s still there.

Alright, I’ll just go to straight under the cut because I’m in a paragraph kind of mood.

So, this one is an odd one (surprise), and I’m really glad I’m not writing “review” at the top of these, because for the life of me, I wouldn’t know how to review this. I cannot tell if it was good. It very probably wasn’t, objectively speaking, but I just… can’t care. I had too much fun.

I mean look at them

And when all is said and done, I’m not sure what else I would expect from the one musical episode in a semi-serious TV drama. I think the placement hurt it, because this close to the finale, they had to combine the singing with at least some semblance of finale-level plot, but more on that later.

I wasn't incredibly impressed with any of the songs, but they were decent (and I still have that stupid pirate chorus stuck in my head; get out of there, guys, there's really not enough room as it is!) and so were the performances. Basically, none of the technical stuff was bad enough to take me out of the story, except for That Dress. Dear lord what happened there. (I mean, I got a very nice and comprehensive list of posts outlining what exactly went wrong, so I don't have to speculate, but still. Damn.)

As plot excuses go, the wish was... honestly, on par with what I've seen from other musical episodes. That’s the thing about putting a musical episode in something that usually has no singing—you kind of do need a plot excuse. (Unlike actual musicals, where the singing should only be acknowledged in the case of farcical comedy. Yes, I’m looking at you, Galavant.) Again, it was nothing to write home about, but enough of a handwave that it didn't take me out of the moment.

And the moment was fun!

I think what helped (most of) the episode was that for once, it didn’t take itself very seriously. Especially Regina’s whole introductory scene was “OK, this is ridiculous, but why not have fun with it”, which… is a good mindset to be in for this whole thing.

Also, the choreography was pure gold.

special mention goes to Granny's "wtf?" face

I won’t go through all of the songs individually, so here’s my highlight reel:

“curses, potions, or beans” Just… that line. I nearly suffocated from laughing too hard

also holy crap, Josh can sing

that damn pirate song is still stuck in my head!

as is Regina’s dramatic rock-piano thing. my head is a jukebox, don’t worry about it

also, Hook, have you considered just asking Rumple out on a date?

That ending song makes no sense, but I loved the chorus part and am therefore willing to forgive it for that

The weak link, as it were, seems to be the present-day plot. I mean, I get it. You have to string those 19 minutes(!) of music together somehow, but I can’t help but feel that a less… intense plotline might have been helpful. I mean, Emma deciding to give up her life so her friends and family can live is some heavy stuff, and squeezing it in between the singing extravaganza did it no favours.

Intellectually, I know that serious drama went down, but all my emotional space is occupied by chasing that damn pirate song out of my brain.

Same goes for the whole “Oh no, treachery dark and deadly!” reveal of Rumple working with the Black Fairy

Gotta say… that bit looked bad. What, pray tell, is your endgame here? Do you want her to cast the curse? Why? Is there any way you’re better off with that happening than without? Guh. Rumple. Talk to us.

And, just because it’s a bit too much of an event to just ignore…

the greenscreen is strong in this one... what happened, didn’t you find a large enough roof?

::sigh:: OK, you know I don’t exactly love this ship, so I’m just going to skip over all of that. But I’m also not a fan of this wedding in general. This didn’t look like something either of these characters would do. OK, maybe one exception: Emma having her family there. That’s something that I absolutely believe would have been important to her. But everything else seemed just deeply generic. Don’t get me wrong, having your family there is pretty generic, too, but at least that’s something any wedding of Emma’s should have contained, so I felt the need to point it out.

…now I want to write a thing. Which will have to wait, because Other Things have priority, but this is going in my idea folder, definitely ::cough::

To sum up: maybe this episode was an ill-conceived filler right before the finale of a season that didn’t advance the plot in any meaningful way. But frankly, if all it did was bring me, as a viewer, forty minutes of pure, uncomplicated fun, I don’t really feel like faulting it for that.

Mind you, it’s not what I’d want to see every week, because there’s other shows that do that better, so it’s quite nice that they all get horribly cursed at the end of this. Hopefully, the curse will also murder that dress.

…finale next time, huh? (Yes, we’ll be watching both episodes in one go)

[littlemisssquiggles]

RWBY Musings #65: A Tale of Love. A Squiggle Meister’s Views on the similarities between Oscar and Salem

Someone asked “ Now I love parallels too and I’ve noticed that you would like to see a rosegarden Ozma Salem hand hold. As cute as that sounds, it kinda scares me. Ozma and Salem ended in tragedy. What would happen to Ruby and Oscar 😞 “

Squiggles Answers:

I'd love to see the hand hold scene mirrored in Ruby and Oscar because it was done during a moment where Salem and Ozma reunited and re-established their love for one another.

While Salem and Ozma's romance ended in tragedy, I still adore their love story because before their whole involvement with the Gods respectfully, they both first and foremost were two young lovers who wanted more than anything just to be together forever and went above and beyond to do that even if it meant disobeying the Gods.

The true tragedy wasn't that Ozma and Salem wound up sworn enemies but mainly how much the God's intervention changed them into two people unrecognizable from who they used to be to the point where you wouldn't believe either loved the other to the point of defying both the Gods and death itself to be reunited.

The positive that I take away from the Tragic Lovers or Fairy Tale (I think that’s their ship name) romance is the unyielding devotion and strength of their love or at least what it used to be. How much Salem and Ozma were willing to go through just to be together. Salem approached the Gods to beg for Ozma to be brought back to life for her because she couldn’t stand living the rest of her days without him and Ozma only chose to return to Remnant because the God of Light told him that Salem was still alive in that world. Let’s not forget that Ozma initially refused his godly task because in his eyes, Remnant wasn’t the same or as dear to him without his beloved Salem.

This is why I like this ship so much. Before RWBY revealed Ozpin and Salem’s past together, I was gunning for them to be lovers from the get go. Hence my previous musings like this one, this one and this one. I knew their love was going to end in pain anyways but I was still banking on them being companions and lovers and what we got was even more bittersweet than what I envisioned. A brave knight who rescued a lonely maiden from her captivity and the two fell deeply in love ever after. Who wouldn’t eat that up? This squiggle meister surely would. I’m a sucker for those types of romance stories. It hurts when you think about what Ozma and Salem’s tale became in the end. But I still ship it though. Still loving that Fairy Tale.

That's what I'd love to see and can see for a potential romance between Ruby and Oscar. Not the tragedy part, of course, although let’s admit, it will be in there since time and fate will arrive to challenge the bond between these two smaller, more honest souls given one’s connection to a certain other character.

Nevertheless, what I mostly would love to see in a future RoseGarden love story (if it’s in the cards) is that that unyielding love. That strong devotion to one another’s well-being and protecting each other while fighting together for what they both believe in and the lives of the people they both care about. When I look at Ruby, her righteous heart and desire to help others actually reminds me a lot of Ozma. You would think it’d be Salem but nah. I can actually see similarities between Salem and Oscar. Oscar’s infatuation with Ruby and obvious admiration of her strength, courageousness and pure heart reminds me of how Salem used to revere Ozma. Well…at least in that one shot we got.

Another similarity between Oscar and Past Salem that I noticed is just as how Salem lived a sheltered life trapped in her lonely tower dreaming of freedom and a life beyond its uncharted walls, the same can be said for Oscar who seemingly lived a sheltered and quiet life as a farmhand back on his aunt's farm while still fantasizing of a life beyond his home in Mistral.

The key difference between Salem and Oscar is that Salem was more self-seeking; albeit as a result of her unknown upbringing and being forced to live a lonely life locked off from the rest of the world by the only family she had; whereas Oscar is selfless. While we still don’t know much more about Oscar’s past with his family beyond the few scrapings of details left from V4, one can safely assume that Oscar was well loved and taken care of by his family.

Though he was only seen to have his aunt for guardianship, from what I observed back in V4, Oscar still retained a good relationship with his Auntie Pine who took no problem in taking Oscar into his household, providing him a comfortable home where he could’ve had his own room for privacy and a warm plate of food on the table every evening for supper in exchange for Oscar working on the farm which he didn’t seem to mind. Overall, though he desired more from his life, Oscar was quite comfortable and content living with his aunt hence the reason why he wasn’t so keen on leaving at first after Ozpin’s unceremonious arrival into his life.

Unlike Salem, Oscar more or less knew and felt love before leaving his old life behind which I guess made it all the more easy for him to give it. One characteristic I’ve noticed about Salem’s personality that always shines through, even in her past self, is her selfishness---that nature about her that always puts her desires above anything else.

This is the complete opposite of Oscar. One thing I’ve noticed about Oscar’s personality is that he makes a habit of pushing aside his own feelings in place of doing what he feels is right or better, not particularly for himself but for others around him as a whole.

This is not an entirely bad trait to have. I myself, do the same thing from time to time to avoid conflict or tension with others because I don’t like conflict. Someone once asked me what I thought Oscar’s personality type might be and my first guess was a INFJ. Speaking as someone with that personality type, I see quite a few traits of an INFJ in Oscar. Although I’m still gathering as much as I can about his persona as provided in the series, I’m still sticking with my first choice of Oscar having an advocate/ counsellor type of personality because there are key examples from the show where he’s exhibited that trait. Specifically with Ruby.

Ironically, it’s Oscar’s moments with Ruby that help bring out that caring, compassionate and willing to do what he can to help others type of personality in Oscar the most. Oscar cares for others, particularly with those closest to him. Even when he’s literally backed against a wall, Oscar puts himself last in the scenario.

This is a boy who got shoved into a wall by one of his peers after being wrongfully accused in one scene and is then seen making this person and the others a hot meal after they went looking for him after he went missing in another. 

Y’know, I harped a lot on V6 C9 on how they handled Oscar coming to terms with his feelings. But…y’know what? Now that I’ve had more time to think about the episode in terms of Oscar’s character, I realized that the bit with Oscar is surprisingly the most relatable thing I’ve seen in the show…at least to me.

Blake said the group needed space and that’s exactly what Oscar did. He went off on his own, let out whatever negativity he needed to get off his chest in that moment doing who knows what, came back and by the time the group found him, he was fine. All things forgiven if there was anything to forgive. Whatever lingering discomfort that Oscar might have harboured for Jaune was easily washed away when Jaune apologized and Oscar could see and hear how genuinely remorseful Jaune felt for his actions.

Though I still would’ve liked the episode to have shown how Oscar came to terms with his emotions and getting over it, I can’t be 100% mad anymore at the Writers for choosing to have Oscar adopt that attitude after the events of V6 C8…cause if it were me, I probably would’ve reacted and resolved the same way as Oscar did. I would’ve been cussing Jaune’s face in my mind for how he treated me with a face as straight as a pin but I would have forgiven him all the same after seeing how hurt he was for the things said and done and would have chosen to move on from the problem with better resolve; just as Oscar did.

I saw myself in Oscar while rewatching this moment and for that, I can’t be too mad at the writing for C9. Still mad. But not too mad. Only 65% versus the original 101%.  Oscar Pine--- right in the relatability! That’s why he’s my favourite!  This scene showed me how mature Oscar is for his age in how he takes in problems and decides to address them despite being the youngest of the group. 

Basically what I’m saying is that Oscar is a good boy. He’s such a good boy. Too much of good boy. Sigh. Please don’t hurt my precious freckled baby boy too much CRWBY. I want him to grow up big and strong and devilishly handsome so that he can sweep Ruby off her feet and the rosebuds can get married in 5-10 years and live happily ever after on a farm or whatever plot of land they can afford wherever in New Remnant during a time when the Gods have returned, the kingdoms are at peace again, the Grimm are there but are no longer the monstrous threat they used to be so that Oscar and Ruby’s future string band of children can grow up in a world void of war and the threats of the former Salem who would have moved on to have her happy ending with Ozma at long last in the afterlife. The end.

Returning to my point on Oscar and Salem now. Just as how Ozma arrived to free Salem from her captivity, you can almost say that the same was done for Oscar when Ozpin's arrival sparked his departure from home to become a huntsman. In a way, Ozma’s presence in Salem and Oscar’s lives gave them the push they needed to take the first step towards the freedom and change they both desired.

But as I mentioned before. Though Oscar and Salem share parallels, the defining difference between them is how either values others over themselves. As much as Salem’s past with Ozma made me empathize with her as a villain, it doesn’t excuse the fact that Salem is a person who is mostly out to achieve her own desires above anyone else’s. As a matter of fact, the revelation of her past and involvement with the destruction of Remnant only affirms my point. In her past life, Salem was probably so used to looking out for herself due to her years of isolation that it sort of developed a warped sense of egocentrism (not the word I was looking for but I’ll roll with it) that later translated into her relationship with Ozma.

I'm not denying the fact that Salem loved Ozma nor am I trying to imply that her feelings for him weren’t genuine at all. On the contrary, Salem definitely loved Ozma proving that she is capable of compassion. This is one of the things that makes Salem a far more intriguing villain to me now. What I appreciate about Salem and essentially Ozpin-Ozma too is that despite that fact that both represent the sides of good and evil in show; neither are entirely what they’re supposed to represent. They actually very gray characters.

Though Ozpin is the hero and personifies light and the preservation of all life in Remnant, Ozpin has been noted to have done some shady things that otherwise painted him in a negative light as we saw most of all this volume.

The same can be said for Salem. Although she is our main villain, I’ve noted times where Salem has shown a softer, kinder, even motherly side to her to some degree. For example, her relationship with Cinder Fall in particular. Cinder is Salem’s apprentice and the way Salem treats Cinder is almost like a surrogate mother with her daughter.  

I mean, Salem could have easily had Cinder killed with a snap of her finger just as she did with Lionheart and have her Maiden magic extracted and given to someone else more worthy if she so desired. We all know she has the capability to do that. So then why not do it? What reason does Salem have to keep Cinder alive especially knowing fully well how she is?

I don’t know about you guys but it reminded me of a strict parent punishing their child but still going easy on them. Still keeping a close eye on them because they know their child so well that they have full confidence that they’ll ultimately come of their senses.

 That’s why Salem is leaving Cinder alone to quote, ‘toil in her isolation until she redeems herself’. She’s punishing her but at the time, Salem also knows that Cinder will come back stronger and far deadlier than she was before because of this experience and that’s what Salem wants. It’s what she expects of her perfect apprentice. Her successor.

But here’s the thing. Salem loved Ozma and in the end, she still put her own desires about even him. Even if Salem is capable of loving someone, her selfish nature always resurfaces to prevail in her endeavours.

Rather than honouring Ozma's life and allowing him to rest as the God of Light said, Salem challenged the Gods again and again until it resulted in her winding up immortal but alone; cursed to walk Remnant’s face until the world is either destroyed or Salem learnt the value of life as the God of Light had hoped she would.

Did she though? Well that fact that she’s trying to gather all Four Relics while simultaneously making plans to jumpstart a Second Great War within the kingdoms of Remnant which would throw the world into the perfect chaos to get it permanently destroyed by the Gods’ return speaks volumes of how much she still hasn’t learned her lesson yet.

Salem may have loved Ozma and the life they built together after he returned but even that was later upturned by Salem’s own selfishness. From the get go Salem has only catered more for herself and even after all these years, she still refuses to see the light of what the God of Light warned her about herself. Say what you will about the Gods. Though the Brothers are also pretty grey characters themselves, it doesn’t change the fact that there was justification behind their actions with Salem. A lesson to be learnt that’s unfortunately still being avoided.

Salem was cursed with immortality because she refused to let go of her selfishness after attempting to trick the Gods into granting her desired wish of being reunited with her lover. As the God of Light rightfully said, in the beginning, when Salem made her first attempt to revive Ozma, her motives were worth pitying. As a viewer, I felt for Salem the first time. However after her second failed attempt and watching the people of First Remnant get manipulated and killed because of her personal vendetta against the Gods, my sympathy well dried up as I started to see Salem become the antagonist I know her to be.

And what’s even more depressing and noteworthy is that even after causing all that death and chaos to Remnant, Salem still did not learn her lesson and she still hasn’t to this current timeline in RWBY. She still continues to pursue her own desires and see the lives of others as nothing more but tools to use in her pursuit of what she wants.

This brings me to the meat of my post and why I’ve been making parallels between Oscar and Salem.

I have this theory---one that I’ll delve deeper into in a future musing--- about Oscar becoming an immortal just like Salem. Hear me out on this one. What if… Oscar meets the God of Light in the Realm between Realms similar to Ozma and asks him to grant him immortality. Not because he wants to preserve his own life but for the selfless motive of him desiring to use his newfound immortality to protect the people Oscar cared about while taking on the full mantle of saving humanity from the plight of Salem and her forces without the need to force Ozma and any more unsuspecting souls after him with such a task.

Imagine if… Oscar willing sacrificed his own life to end it. End the cycle and let it start over with him alone.  

Imagine if…Oscar became the last Wizard of Light. The only Wizard and the cycle resets with him as he’s turned immortal.

As I said, I plan to go more in depth with this theory soon in another musing but it’s definitely something I think could be a potential twist with Oscar’s story. I don’t want to put it as an expectation but I would love to play around with the concept of it.

I’ve seen many Pineheads worrying over Oscar being taken over by Ozpin completely or losing himself to the Merge so to counter that, I raise this possibility of Oscar essentially becoming the last reincarnate---the Last Wizard of Light as he willingly choses to dedicate the rest of his existence to stopping Salem while Ozpin, Ozma and all the other past Wizards culminated inside him over the centuries can finally be laid to rest knowing that Oscar will be the likeminded successor to carry out their legacy and mission all on his own and of his own choice as himself going forward.

If you’ve read any of my Oscar-themed musings and theories before, y’know I’ve been singing this idea of Oscar being the end to the reincarnation cycle along with him being the true reincarnate of Ozma’s original form.

I still stand very firmly by those theories because the series has set up Oscar being special---completely different from the other Wizards. The lingering question brought up in this series is whether or not Oscar will be just another one of Ozma’s lives to live out and I don’t think he will be. I believe the very fact that Ozpin reincarnated within Oscar of all people at such a young age compared to the other lives and in such a short space of time between rebirths was the first sign of how different his journey was going to be.

In the Legend of Korra series, Korra technically became the last Avatar and first Avatar in the second book. Basically the Avatar cycle sort of reset itself with Korra.

So I’d like to think Oscar will follow a similar experience where the reincarnation cycle will change with him. Oscar could symbolize the end and beginning to a new cycle. That’s why I like the concept of him becoming immortal. Instead of Ozma’s soul being reborn in the minds of different men and those souls coming together to form who we know today as the Wizard, Oscar will be the last one so that the next time Oscar dies---either he’ll die for good (meaning the God of Light strips him entirely of the reincarnation curse) or Oscar won’t die and will be reborn as himself at the last point of death or perhaps he’ll get to stay fourteen years old forever until Salem is defeated. Who knows? Overall I really love the idea of Oscar becoming an immortal just like Salem.

I mean sure Ozma had his reincarnation curse but technically his immortality wasn’t the same as Salem’s. Jinn did allude to Salem, quote, ‘meeting her adversary in time’. Of course, at the moment of revelation, the obvious assumption to that for me was Ozma since he’s the one we know is Salem’s main opponent.

However…Ozma once shared a relationship with Salem. He had a past with her. He loved her and I’d like to think that love is still there buried deep within. I don’t want to say that Ozma’s love for Salem has been his crutch but that little titbit is starting to make me wonder that perhaps…the true adversary that Salem was supposed to have wasn’t Ozma or any of the Wizards after him. It was Oscar.

For all we know, what if…Ozma and the other incarnates were just another experiment conducted by the God of Light similar to how he said Remnant was an experiment for him and his brother to learn from.

Imagine if… Light basically used Ozma and the other Wizards as guinea pigs in his formation of the perfect adversary for Salem---one the Gods believed could truly achieve what his successors could not. Defeat Salem once and for all and undo their mistake of the past. That could be an intriguing twist too. It does paint the Gods in a very heartless light more so than the actual canon did unfortunately but still worth tossing out as a theory y’know.

But yeah, that’s the theory I’m working with for now.

Returning to the original point of this response post, I know I’m hoping for Ruby and Oscar’s love to parallel Ozma and Salem in some ways but not all parallels have to end the same. Just because Ozma and Salem’s love ended in tragedy doesn’t mean that the same will befall Ruby and Oscar for their potential love story.

If Oscar and Ruby were to fall in love, I’d love to believe their love will be different. It’ll probably have its own fair share of harsh challenges particularly the ones stirred by Salem but it will be a different story with a much better end. A happier ending than the Fairy Tale lovers.

Y’know what’s ironic and what would best summarize my answer to this post. It was Ozma and Salem’s love that admittedly brought about the end of humanity in a way when you think about it. All the more reason for me to believe that it’ll be the love between Oscar and Ruby that will save the world. The relationship to blossom between them, the love and devotion they’ll come to share for each other and the people they care about---that’s what’ll save both Remnant and Salem from damnation.

I know it sounds cheesy but I do love me a good plate of cheese in romance.

More Squiggles’ RWBY Content

 ~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

[whiparoundandcry]

Earbuds dump

someone wanted me to go through all the questions so //cracks knuckles

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

dunno what ‘this way’ specifically means, but I tried reenacting the way a lot of my fav fics have been, in way of word count per chapter, character interaction, plot balanced w/ the ship, ect

2: What scene did you first put down?

Maaan, it’s hard to remember what came first now. I have a doc thats like, 20 pages of just notes & me outlining the plot and world building. The first scene written on that doc is lloyd revealing his identity to the team, which actually happens about a year before the start of the story!

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

hmmmm, I’m a sucker for when the narration contradicts the dialogue- I just think it’s really funny, pfft. can’t think of any large scenes I do that in rn, but I also really like this bit, during the city hall meeting The woman sitting at the corner chair closest to the ninja shifted in her seat, and stared pointedly at Kai and Jay. Kai tried not to shift under her stare, but he could feel Jay stiffen next to him. “You two saved Satoshi the night King’s was attacked, right?” Kai’s mouth was immediately dry and his brain cut out. Her voice wasn’t loud, but compared to the silence before, she might as well have fired a gun. The question itself was straightforward enough, but Kai hesitated to answer - first, because Green ordered them not to speak, and second, he had no idea what she was talking about. I try to keep Kai a reliable narrator (aka I project a lot) and I feel like this part is funny for first-time readers, bc you get the feeling of “do I know who that is??? Did I forget?” then kai confirms it like “who tf”

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

Kai looked up from their hands to meet Jay’s eyes, all warmth and kindness. “I dunno. I’ve only know you for a month, but I still feel as close to you as I do any of them.”

ouch!!!! 

5: What part was hardest to write?

GOD ALL OF THE FIGHT SCENES,,, this fic was so ambitious oh my god. That’s part of why the final chapter is taking a lot longer than normal- big fight scene ;v; also the meeting with the mayor was difficult to write bc like, I dont know shit about how city government works. My search history for the time I was writing that scene looked like I was researching for an essay, christ. 

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

I’m finishing it :,3

7: Where did the title come from?

real honesty hours: I thre in the bit about Kai giving Jay his earbuds on impulse. I never planned for them to be a reoccurring symbolic plot device or for them to even exist but damn, here we are.

8: Did any real people or events inspire any part of it?

My relationship with my brother def inspires how I write Kai & Nya. I say that I project onto kai a lot, but I project all of my ‘trans younger sibling’ energy onto Nya. ngl, most everything I’ve done in this fic was inspired by batman tho

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

Yeah, I have around 3 scrapped scenes. I’ll probably never release them, bc they were scrapped for a reason :,3

10: Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story?

Kai & Jay are the most boring out of the four boys :, ) so I figure’d it’d be easiest to fit their charters into the plot I had in mind, I couldn’t think of any way to fit in the “zane’s a robot” or “cole literally died” plot into it without making the entire story about those things. If I was made out of time tho, you bet earbuds would be a polyninja story.

11: What do you like best about this fic?

I honestly just like that I’ve gotten as far as I have into it, and the perception that its gotten has been so incredible //sobs. Aside from that, my favorite parts about it are probably Kai & Nya/Lloyd’s relationship, and also that Nya is trans. I hadn’t seen any fics where she was trans before, and tbfh its my favorite headcanon. I’ll never write a cis nya in my life

12: What do you like least about this fic?

The relationship build up seems kinda... eh? I definitely should've put more into it, but at the same time I feel like I did as much as I could with it, just bc I’m so inexperienced with that stuff. I also with I could do a better job of conveying the vibe that I want this version of ninjago to give off (gritty, rough, gotham) but without being super edgy about it?  Also I’m really upset that Cole & Zane are getting shafted in Earbuds. I should’ve come up with more stuff to include them, but everything I came up with just felt forced, so they ended up just being background characters- which is was more than they deserve, bc they’re honestly my favorite boys on the team.

13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

Well, there’s always the 8tracks playlist I made a while back (should transfer that onto spotify sometime) but theres a couple songs that I think fit the characters super well that aren’t on the list • “Fresh Eyes” is a super great Kai&Jay song QwQ “so suddenly I’m in love with a stranger / I can’t believe she’s mine / now all I see is you with fresh eyes” From Kai’s pov @ jay??? hell • “Better days” was a song rec sent in by my good bud hedley-ramsay anon, and it’s perfect for Kai’s POV, as he’s trying to stay optimistic about all the shit thats happening around him “Guess I didn't break it, but I bent it / I know I didn't say it, but I meant it / I shoulda had a little more heart and soul” • “Miss Atomic Bomb” is very very good for Lloyd & Harumi. tbh its a good song for them in canon too, but the dark city vibe it gives off fits so well with the Earbuds AU. “I was new in town, the boy with the eager eyes / I never was a quitter, oblivious to schoolgirls' lies” • “Be Still” is also a super great song for lloyd, in this au and just in general. “Be still / wild and young / long may your innocence reign” DONT CALL ME OUT I REALLY LIKE THE KILLERS

14. Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

not... really? its a fanfiction about legos, I dunno if there’s any lesson to be learned from it. Be gay & do crimes

15. What did you learn from writing this fic?

writing fanfic is super rewarding & fun!! It’s a pretty pig time sink sometimes, but damn if yall don’t make it worth it. 

thanks so much for your continued support everyone!!! The last chapter has 2 scenes to go and is currently over 10k words 💪

[momestuck]

Epilogues: Meat ch 28-32 [Epilogue 5]

So now we’re in different hands.

chapter 28

We return to John, this time with alt-Calliope narrating about his alarmingly blunt teeth. Also on further thought I have no more reason to use ‘she’ pronouns for alt-Calliope than proper Calliope (alt-Calliope does not even seem to use the name Calliope in narration, just things like ‘the dead cherub’), so I will use they pronouns, and will edit the previous post to reflect that.

alt-Calliope declares that they are not going to be ‘inserting thoughts into peoples’ heads’, though they will be ‘truthfully’ reporting those thoughts with more clarity than the subject of narration is necessarily prepared to acknowledge.

john would be mortified with human embarrassment if he could understand the clarity and precision with which i am willing to telegraph his thoughts. but his embarrassment is irrelevant to me. as always, the truth is paramount.

This mortifying description of how John thinks of Terezi includes a reference to “gap moe”, because of f u c k i n g course it does.

John worries if this makes him like a creepy weeb who collects body pillows, but in dialogue dismisses this as something that would only make sense to a human. Unfortunately, Tegiri exists to disprove that sentiment!

Despite alt-Calliope’s avowed dedication to ‘truth’, there is obviously more to this than not contradicting the ‘truth’ of events or thoughts... she is deciding how to present the ‘true’ information, what to state and what to leave implicit and what to brush over. a story also concerns what’s ‘relevant’ and ‘essential’, as Rose said so long ago.

chapter 29

Jane, it seems, has been using the trickster-mode lollipop during her campaign. This leads to an argument with the narration about whether or not it’s “problematic” - neither Jane nor alt-Calliope think so, though neither can be considered someone presented in a 100% positive light at this point...

(Jane mostly argues in the in-universe political campaign situation, when of course the argument about ‘trickster mode’ was the whole ‘caucasian’ shitshow)

Anyway, despite her prior statements, alt-Calliope is not above interfering in the narration if it’s for the sake of cherub artefacts.

jane rubs her eyes under her glasses and groans. trickster mode is also quite exhausting. what a strange quirk of human biology that excess euphoria must necessarily be followed by crippling despair. she carelessly tosses the lollipop on the floor, lurches toward her desk...

no.

she turns around promptly, her body jolted by the surprise of her sudden reversal. she bends over, cradles the lollipop reverentially, and situates it carefully in a place signifying respect: atop the mantle, after clearing space for it by shoving several brittle, worthless objects to the floor.

alt-Calliope narrates that she’s totally got Dirk’s number - “he probably thinks he’s a very clever boy, my brother did too” - as Dirk works on a long red rifle in between other tasks designed to distract.

Jane wonders about trying to blackmail Jake by revealing that he’s been having sex with trolls. Dirk challenges this as xenophobic. There’s an odd exchange...

JANE: What ISN’T xenophobic?

DIRK: Well, for one thing, what you just said there?

DIRK: Probably also xenophobic.

JANE: WHAT?

DIRK: Sorry, that’s just how it is.

DIRK: You either gotta roll with the woke shit, or decide to commit laborious, symbolic, melodramatic suicide in the process of utterly giving up.

This may be referring to his suicide in the other branch, I guess? idefk what this is trying to say ><

chapter 30

Karkat and Dave are attempting to win over Jake. This involves a lot of jokes about “neoliberal austerity measures”, super pacs, and so on... and the two of them playing off each other. Dave has been presenting “visionary”, “avant-garde” campaign ads based on SBAHJ.

alt-Calliope notes that Jake has now been freed from Dirk’s indirect narrative control, able to make his own decisions. In tiny text, Dirk grumbles about this. Without his control, he declares, Jake is a purely reactive ‘dead bug’; with it, Jake is like an ant controlled by Cordyceps towards a “greater purpose” (i.e., reproducing Cordyceps ¬¬)

Anyway, Karkat ultimately makes a speech: he doesn’t say he’ll be the best president, but that whichever one wins, it will set a precedent on the matter of troll reproductive rights that will last for a very long time. Jane is, necessarily, far more concerned with nice appearances than doing right:

KARKAT: NO MATTER HOW NICE SHE WAS WHEN YOU WERE KIDS, HER DEDICATION TO THE APPEARANCE OF THAT “NICENESS” HAS ALREADY LED HER DOWN A PATH OF CORRUPTION AND DUPLICITY.

KARKAT: BECAUSE WHEN YOU LIVE INSIDE A SKIN THAT’S A LIE, YOU’LL EITHER GROW TO FIT IT, OR COLLAPSE UNDER THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF YOUR OWN SHIT-SPEWING COGNITIVE DISSONANCE.

KARKAT: TRUST ME, I FUCKING KNOW, BECAUSE I USED TO SPEW AN UNTOLD AMOUNT OF SHIT.

I think this is well put. I think it gets to the heart of a lot of things, that this story is talking about, apart from the free will/alternate possibilities stuff...

Anyway, that wins Jake over to their side.

chapter 31

Back to Terezi eating weird things in space. (Nice!)

Do god tiers need to eat? ...come to think of it, Terezi never actually went god tier.

Anyway, Terezi and John have a heart to heart. About the doomed timeline... and about Vriska. Terezi refers to the Remem8er flash, where she found a connection with the Terezi from the Game Over timeline.

TEREZI: TH4TS WHY 1M OUT H3R3

TEREZI: YOU S33...  

TEREZI: TH4T DOOM3D T3R3Z1 M1SS3D VR1SK4 *SO* MUCH, 1T W4S L1K3 4 HOL3 1N H3R H34RT

TEREZI: 1 R3M3MB3R TH3 W4Y SH3 F3LT, B3C4US3 ON3 T1M3, 4LL H3R M3MOR13S C4M3 FLOOD1NG B4CK

TEREZI: 1 3V3N GOT TO S33 WH4T H4PP3N3D WH3N SH3 D13D

TEREZI: SH3 4ND 4NOTH3R VR1SK4 GHOST F1N4LLY FOUND 34CH OTH3R

TEREZI: 1T M4D3 M3 SO H4PPY G3TT1NG TO F33L TH4T, 4S 1F 1T W4S ON3 OF MY OWN M3MOR13S

TEREZI: 1T JUST R31NFORC3D TH3 F33L1NG TH4T TH3R3 W4S SOM3TH1NG SP3C14L B3TW33N US

TEREZI: 4ND 1 JUST K3PT H4NG1NG ON TO TH4T B3L13F, R1GHT UP UNT1L...  

TEREZI: OH, 1 DONT KNOW

TEREZI: NOW???

TEREZI: 1V3 PR4CT1C4LLY D3VOT3D MY L1F3 TO C3RT41N M3MOR13S, TO TH3 1D34 TH4T TWO P3OPL3 C4N B3 M34NT TO B3 W1TH 34CH OTH3R ON SOM3 COSM1C L3V3L, 3V3N 1F TH3Y 4LW4YS S33M TO G3T 34CH OTH3R 1NTO TROUBL3

TEREZI: 4LL TH4T 1NV3STM3NT, 4LL TH4T S34RCH1NG...  

TEREZI: 4ND FOR *WH4T*?

TEREZI: OV3R 4 SW33P TOG3TH3R, 4ND SH3 JUST D1S4PP34RS 1NTO THE VO1D 4G41N?!

TEREZI: WH4T 4 HUG3 B1TCH

T_T

Anyway, this gets to the crux of the matter: Earth C may supposedly be paradise, but it doesn’t feel like it for either of them. To quote a certain book series, “perhaps some people just don’t have the knack of being happy”.

Anyway, Terezi can’t bear to part with John just yet - so she offers to take a look at his tooth wound. There’s a very funny moment where alt-Calliope narrates the blade drawing in a way so as to personally antagonise Dirk, who is pissed.

Terezi removes the poisonous tooth and then dresses John’s wound - I’ll be interested to hear from @drc4ble if her wound care is up to snuff. Then they have post-surgery makeouts.

Literally any even slightly intimate moment lol (or even a fight)... I miss feeling able to be that affectionate with people.

Although this is a het scene, it actually feels surprisingly... not het. idk. Not sure how to clarify that.

alt-Calliope, I guess, hasn’t lost her obsession with shipping and intimacy from when she was small. She claims she’s merely allowing John to perceive his “true” thoughts - and that’s why he’s being so bold. But that involves a decision, right, about which of his thoughts are “true”?

chapter 32

Apparently “proximity to a black hole”, a proxy for void, renders Roxy’s internal monologue perceptible to alt-Calliope, even though it wouldn’t normally be for those “on a higher textual plane”.

as for alt-Calliope, narrated as Jade:

looking beyond the wall she faces, and beyond everything past it, through the very fabric of narrative itself. they scan the ciliary veins of pacing, motivation, foreshadowing, irony—a continuum that has been upended by the prince’s interference. 

Dirk and alt-Calliope are back to arguing in the narration - about how diverse the crowds are, for example. Dirk dismisses alt-Calliope’s narration as “fake-woke”.

Anyway, despite Dirk’s needling in the narration, Roxy and Dave have a well-observed conversation about like, figuring out your gay/trans/nb/etc, coming out and so forth. Dave talks about like, various stages of more-or-less-ironic self-denial. Dirk gets increasingly irate at the discussion of gender and sexuality that doesn’t lead straightforwardly into like, clear-cut relationships.

Also he’s preparing to assassinate Jake. Unable to force his thoughts into narration, he just speaks out loud, and I guess alt-Calliope reports his words.

Dirk starts climbing the bell tower. Alt-Calliope tries various means to stop him: narrating that his feet feel heavy - he monologues that he has determination to get past this - dropping a bell on him - he monologues that he’s destroying the bell with his sword. Then they just dismiss him as boring...

Alt-Calliope resorts to warning Dave of the assassination attempt. This is turning into Death Note here... “ah, but what you didn’t realise is...” type shit stacking on top of each other. Dave stands in front of Jake, which would be a Heroic death, something Dirk isn’t willing to expose him to. But Dirk’s gun isn’t loaded with bullets, but with... tranq darts. But moreover, he was misleading us as to his intentions.

He wasn’t going to shoot Jake at all. He was going to shoot alt-Calliope/Jade... giving him back control over the narration!

That was interesting though. Cherubs are fuckin’ weird, I’ll totally concede. Still not sure what makes them tick. What they idealize, what they really want. It all comes across to me as a little cloying. Perfection to them is a sweetness beyond comprehension. Sugar so potent it’s poison to us. To our bodies, to our souls. Like the place she was operating from was a realm of self-construction. A bubble of pure, phantasmal confection.

Well, I for one have had enough of that goddamn toothache. I’m back in the protein saddle, motherfuckers. I’m clacking my tongs, and the charcoal is hot.

Now who’s hungry for meat?

Epilogue 5, in toto

So this is just a ludicrously meta version of Death Note now? ok, ok...

Dirk has essentially taken the role of Caliborn, in terms of representing one of two poles of what Homestuck is “about”. Where Caliborn was about tedious masculinity and over the top carnage, Dirk seems to want plots: plans unfolding, some kind of big elegant modernist [that may be incorrect] construction where everything is “in its proper place” according to an artistic vision.

alt-Calliope now seems to want to tell a story about the personal, about complex but ultimately happy relationships, and of course to let these characters fulfil ‘their own will’, somehow...