#yes he's there to teach and protect them but they're still their own people and sometimes they have to make their own mistakes and learn

[doctorbrown]

Raising a young infant Jules was arguably one of the most difficult things Doc had ever done in his life. By the time Verne was born about two and a half years later, Doc and Clara knew and understood more about establishing a routine that would work for them (the second one's always easier they say), but with Jules and especially for Doc who had resigned himself to a life and death as a single bachelor, it was a struggle.

When it was confirmed that Clara was pregnant with Jules, Doc was simultaneously overjoyed and terrified. What was he supposed to do? Sure, now he was in very good health after his future rejuvenations, thirty to forty years younger, but all his worries and uncertainties had come out against his will and at times, he was far more nervous than Clara. Would he even be a good father? Could he do this? How was he supposed to do it?

Doc simply didn't know what to do to care for a child. It was an incredibly steep learning curve, one that often got so steep he'd trip and fall multiple times along the way. Clara had known much more about raising/dealing with children due to her upbringing and her expected position in society in the late 1800s, but that was a philosophy far outdated by Doc's time and he'd never subscribed to the notion that only she should/could be responsible for caring for Jules. If they were to struggle, they would do it together, in shifts or waves or whatever worked, switching on and off so one could get some much needed rest when they could.

The problem was, it was difficult and frustrating trying to figure out what children needed when they couldn't communicate. At such a young age, they had no concept of language and neither understood what was being spoken to them nor were able to communicate effectively what they needed. His closest experience to raising a kid was training Copernicus, Edison, and Einie from when they were puppies, but even training the dogs was a far simpler task in the long run than a child. There were times it felt overwhelming in the beginning.

But as time went on and with Clara's help, he learned.

No matter how tough and stressful it was at times, he never regretted it, not even when he and Clara were up for days on end sometimes, walking at the end of their respective ropes.

#doc's family is everything to him; he loves them *so* much #but MAN did he struggle that first time around with jules #&; a great idea can change the world 「 hc 」 #doc and clara aren't the kind who would yell at and discipline/punish their kids severely #they were very fair and they also treated them with the respect they felt they deserved and allowed them a good degree of autonomy without #babying them. like of course they need to be taught and protected but #much like the way he never patronises marty or looks down upon him for being so young - it's a similar thing with his kids #yes he's there to teach and protect them but they're still their own people and sometimes they have to make their own mistakes and learn

[lowkeyrobin]

can i ask for qsmp reacting to new member reader who is russian??

yes of course!! I love this request sm, hopefully I got everyone you're looking for! sorry if these are a little ooc, I'm learning a lot and watching a lot about the qsmp still so hopefully this is good lol. kind of a mix of q! selves and cc! selves so 💀

QSMP ; meeting a russian creator

includes ; tubbo, quackity, cellbit, jaiden, roier, wilbur, foolish, slimecicle, tina, and nihachu

warnings ; language, probably ooc 💀💀

masterlist

TUBBO

"oh, hi! are you the new member???"

he's really nice, helps you build a house and stuff to get started and whatnot

you, him & sunny spend a lot of time together, especially because quackity gave you your own child too

sunny & your egg absolutely love each other, and perfectly balance one another out

tubbo teaches you all about his machines and factories and whatnot

welcomes you with open arms to the town of fobo

talks to you about the federation and whatnot, how they're basically the government and to just avoid them at all costs

even with a language barrier (if you don't speak English as well) you guys are so tight

always fucking around together somehow

he adds you into his lore as well

QUACKITY

welcomes you with kindness and open arms

introduces you to your own egg 😭🫶

he's got a lot of energy and is very chaotic, literally sprints around the whole smp showing you everything and catching you up into lore stuff

if he fucks up a first impression, he repeatedly tries to make it up and corrects himself and whatnot

doing dumb shit with him and richarlyson is a must

you guys become really good friends and make some great lore ideas together

if you speak a little/lot of English, you guys will just have chitter-chatter streams together and build a little tree house for the eggs

CELLBIT

"hello!!"

you teach him a little Russian and he teaches you a little French

even if you have a language barrier he's really nice to you

very selfless, if you need something, hes got you

if you get kidnapped, good lord is he holding a grudge

has a protective type of personality, makes sure to keep you and your egg safe if you two come across some federation funny business together

starts to learn Russian because he thinks it's a cool language

surprises you one day with a phrase in Russian and you're just like "???? hello cellbit?"

"was that a good pronunciation? I'm still learning"

puzzles >>>>

used to be a rlly good pvper so he teaches you some outdated tricks lol

JAIDEN

"Oh my God, hi!!"

teaches you all about how the smp works and tells you all about her adventures

also takes you on adventures with her when you stream together

through the language barrier, you still get along really well and enjoy each other's humor and company

building together >>>

such great inputs from each side

in lore, she's kind of just off to herself, and alone

she can't really trust other people whatsoever now

but when you come around, she's a bit more open but obviously wants to be left alone

teaches you all about her pets

she rubbed off her love for vocaloid on you

ROIER

welcomes you with a smile

teaches you all about lore and whatnot

mentions his and cellbits wedding at least 3 times

gives you a little referral to therapy

he's currently a rat in lore so uh

he kinda just uses you as a pedestal for now

"y/n, tell them that im the superior rat, please"

you repeat the phrase in russian to any other russian creators you joined the server with

becomes a co-parent to your egg

very level-headed, somehow always has a plan

"Oh, yeah, the federation kidnaps people, just stay away from them"

"Dude what"

everyday is his birthday

you play into the bit by singing happy birthday in russian and giving him some sort of food

WILBUR SOOT

very formal first impression

introduces you to tallulah

tallulah is kinda iffy about you and your egg at first but she warms up to you guys

if you're the building type, he'll do the dirty work to get you the stuff you need to make a house, or anything you wanna build

on top of learning french, dutch, and spanish, you get him invested in russian as well

in lore, he believes that most problems can be solved by love, and you just kinda go with it because he's nice enough and whatnot

teaches you some stuff about music

you guys do a lot of yap streams while grinding up some resources on the island to make some new locations and whatnot

"the pattern you're doing looks like upside down dicks"

"wh- wilbur, why would you say that?"

if you're still learning English, and it's kinda broken when you speak or you say something wrong, he kindly corrects you and teaches you correct pronunciations

becomes a co-parent to your egg as well

you teach the eggs the "scary fight like a badass" stuff and he's the "be nice, children" parent

FOOLISH GAMERS

you're immediately introduced to his laugh

kind of reckless, but pretty laid back

pretty playful as well, likes to joke around with you

he doesn't have a reason to not trust you yk

you're very overprotective of your egg and anxious that you'll let something bad happen, but if he becomes a co-parent, he releases your egg from the little plastic box you have them in when you aren't around

does the whole Batman bit with you on your first stream on the qsmp

holy shit the amount of laughter

he wants to leave a good impression on you, thinks you're really cool lol

you've mutually decided that he builds exteriors, you design interiors

SLIMECICLE

probably wasn't even aware new people were joining

"who the hell is that???"

like you're trying to let quackity teach you the basics and he's staring from a distance like he's gonna plot to kill you

tries to joke around and say hello in russian but ends up saying some random phrase that didn't make sense

"You just said your toes taste like cheese"

"Wait, what?"

makes you a bitch wife/husband asap

makes you curse people out in russian when he gets slightly offended

definition of the uwu cat boy and tall angry bully gay stereotype

in lore he's got some serious psychological problems but it's okay!! you can deal with it

quackity tells you about the whole gegg think and you sit there like "okay wtf"

TINA KITTEN

you guys just kinda run into each other one day and you ask her for help on something

something clicked man, yall are such an iconic duo

you guys build a whole mansion near the sea together for the eggs

in lore, she's pretty reserved and isolates herself, and you become one of the many tk worry about her and try and give her advice

secrets are safe with her 💳💥💥💥

you guys own a little farm together too

Em and your egg get along so well

she has a little proud mom moment

tetris competitions.

she likes to draw and she loves drawing you and your egg together it's so cute

NIKI NIHACHU

she's kind of shy but your personalities balance each other out

she's sworn to protect everyone, and you and your egg are quickly added to that list

baking with her>>

you work with her at empanadas bakery

she talks to you all about psychology and how it fascinates her and stuff

you learn a lot from her

lots of compliments whether it be builds or even outfits you're showing off to you're stream

she easily becomes a co-parent of your egg lol

#lowkeyrobin #mcyt preferences #mcyt x reader #wilbur soot x reader #mcyt oneshot #quackity x reader #nihachu x reader #tubbo x reader #qsmp #qsmp x reader #qsmp tubbo #qsmp cellbit #qsmp roier #qsmp jaiden #qsmp tina #qsmp niki

[greyskyflowers]

The idea of Ace and Luffy being wild, feral things makes my own heart happy.

Honestly though, I picture them having a lot in common with animals.

Strong teeth, strong bones, tough skin, quick reflexes. The instincts that come from growing up wild.

An ability eat lot of things that other people maybe wouldn't or can't. Meat that's a little more rare than advisable and snapping bones to get to the marrow inside.

They walk quiet, soundless when they want to be, using shadows and blind spots to become basically invisible. They don't do it often because they both have terrible attention spans but they can sit still and silent for long periods of time if needed, waiting like predators for their prey.

Staring, the way animals stare and wait for the other one to back down, making themselves look bigger and baring teeth. They snarl and snap their teeth, flexing their hands like claws when they're not making fists, a low grumble in their chests that sounds like a odd growl.

How it's instinct to cover the throat and belly of themselves and their crews, vulnerable spots that must be protected.

Ace being one of the shorter of the Whitebeard crew, so he does that thing where he eases himself in front of the others to cover their throats and bellies. Curling his lip back to show teeth and keeping eye contact with anyone stupid enough to try.

Licking their wounds, literally.

I imagine them being incredible trackers, able to use their senses a little more than the average person. Ears a little sharper, scents being considered, eyes taking in all the little details. Maybe they're not aware of it, but I like to think they take it all in deeper than they possibly realize.

A sense for something wrong, like how some animals can pick up on the energy people give off, possible sicknesses, coming storms, being watched, etc.

Sleeping all tangled together, the way animals sleep together for safety and warmth in cooler times. Luffy and Ace are big cuddlers.

Not necessarily in the normal cuddle ways either, they like to either be sprawled out on top or covered by someone. They're either being protected or they're protecting.

Head butts and cheek rubs when happy. That extra emphasis on crew, like packs and herds. Crew.

A lot of touching. Playing with someone's hair or nuzzling into their neck or side, a lack of boundaries because animals don't have shame or concerns like that.

And everyone who regularly interacts with Ace or Luffy wants to know how two feral cats got trapped in human bodies.

Am I always down for poly crews? Yes

Platonic or otherwise? Yes

Do I think everyone is a little in love with Luffy? Yes

Do I think everyone is a little in love with Ace? Yes

The crews love their wild ones and spoil them rotten when they can and know how to.

And since this is already AU let's just roll with it.

♠️ Ace ♠️

Ace just despises Teach right off the bat. As soon as the ink has settled in his skin and he's got a claim on him that he's never had before, he's completely standoffish with Teach. No matter how much the others tell him that's his brother now and assure him, he's all teeth and fire when Teach is around.

The man makes the fine hairs on the back of his neck rise and the instincts pacing at the back of his mind spit out a hiss.

Threatthreatthreat

His teeth grind together in anger, muscles tense under his skin, and it's a vicious thing in his chest he hasn't felt so strongly since Sabo and Luffy were his.

It causes some tension. People torn between supporting Teach, who's been their own for awhile, or supporting Ace, who has a good sense for this type of thing and is so welcoming to everyone else. They don't know how Ace can be so sweet and well loved by everyone but does a complete 180 with Teach.

It's instincts that have gotten Ace this far in life though and one night, it's only those instinct that save Thatch.

Ace darting out of the shadows and landing like the wrath of a god in front of Thatch, the knife that would have gone into the man's back instead finds a home in Ace's shoulder.

A rumbling growl that gets louder and nastier as the seconds tick by, blood running down a bare chest before flames lick up a wound that only found flesh because letting it pass meant the possibility of it hitting someone else. Sharp teeth shining in the growing glow of the fire and the ends of his hair burning like the edge of paper.

The flames don't burn Thatch when the older turns around. His flames would never burn crew.

Thatch wraps an arm around his waist like he's going to pull him away, but it just stays there, heavy around him. Ace takes a moment to find comfort in the warm and very alive presence pressed up behind him, bigger than him and Thatch's own protective fury catching fire.

Marco is less restrained in his fury. As are most of the others when they rush to investigate. The only reasons it's not quick is because they want it to hurt.

Ace is a coiled threat the whole time, body tense but staying where he is because the original threat was to Thatch and he hasn't quite lowered his hackles from that yet. Still on his toes and ready to spring forward at a moments notice.

He gives a small warning growl to Marco when he gets close, who looks at him in both worry and fond exasperation.

The blood from the blade is black where it burned against his skin and the flesh is unmarked, but it doesn't stop everyone from fluttering nervously around him.

♠️

Ace is attractive, arguably pretty in a way most pirates aren't. Although this young generation is changing that quickly, have you seen some of these rookies?

He draws attention easily, everyone drawn in by his charming personality or freckled cheeks.

He's a flirt but he doesn't often let other people actually touch him. Leaning away from eager fingers or gracefully dodging arms, excusing himself when he feels to cornered. He doesn't want the feel of strangers on his skin, he just wants the crew. And Luffy of course, his heart giving a lonely pang for his brother.

Sometimes people don't get the hint though, and sometimes they do and they don't care.

Drugs don't effect Ace like they would someone who wasn't a devil fruit user but they still make him dizzy and weak before he burns through it.

It only takes once, outside a bar with someone's hands on his skin when they didn't belong there, on his lower stomach and the other up by his neck. He doesn't even get a chance to try to shake off the drug enough to do anything before the man is gone.

Familiar hands, Marco, running over his skin quick and firm like it could wipe away the foreign touch before he processed it was there. Like if he replaced the unknown touch with his own quick enough it will wipe away the lingering disgust and discomfort of the stranger.

The whole time he keeps Ace hidden between his larger body and the wall behind them. Ace's heart aches almost as much as his head with how thoughtful it was. How safe and grounding it was.

The only arms he lets grab him, the only hands that he presses in to, are crew.

♠️

Ace has a habit of sneaking into everyone's bed, they don't talk about how they all know it's on the nights where he can't sleep or has nightmares. He burrows between them and the mattress, until he's under them enough to feel covered, safe and protected.

Ace isn't a small guy but he's lean, always had a hard time bulking up with his metabolism being so high and his natural build. He feels small with them, especially the commanders like Jozu and Vista who completely cover him. Even Thatch and Marco are decently larger than him though, Izo and Haruta being the exceptions but they're large in everything that they are.

They all welcome him. He's warm and sweet, plus it's nice to know he's sleeping somewhere safe instead of falling asleep in strange places through the day.

Marco is usually his favorite though because he doesn't pretend to be asleep. He just props himself up enough so Ace can wiggle under him before settling back down, his chest to Ace's back.

Some nights when the pressure is too much and he's restless in a way that feels like it's deep in his bones, he paces the ship. He's coiled and tight, usually not sleeping for a few days before it catches up to him and he slinks away somewhere dark and hidden to finally rest.

Usually one of the other commanders can coax him into resting, all of them getting the hang of how to best help their wild, little one.

♠️

The crew getting used to Ace just crawling into their laps and making himself at home. He is also fond of appearing just long enough to rub his face into someone's neck or against their cheek before taking off again.

♠️

Ace sneaking off to literally lick his wounds in peace when he gets hurt, especially when he was still finding his place. Someone always having to go track him down because he stays curled away like an injured animal until he feels better if they don't.

Licking at his arm one time when he manages to get caught with seastone, blood staining his teeth and tongue rust colored. Marco trying to grab him and in full lecture mode as Ace tries to dig out the lingering seastone with his teeth.

♠️

An extra one to hurt just a little ♥️

Ace is wild. Already a problem before you factor in his devil fruit and raw power. He's got a reputation of biting, taking off fingers and catching throats between sharp teeth.

It seems like someone did their research though because the muzzle they wrangle him into has seastone. Everyone has finally caught on to the fact that he doesn't need his flames to bite.

It's a sharp, nasty thing. Probably thrown together quick in a desperate attempt to get him under control. The straps dig into his skin hard enough to draw blood and Ace can already picture Marco talking about infections.

It hurts and goes from a deep, dull discomfort to a sharp, active pain. The muzzle settles into his skin and rub the skin raw where it doesn't outright cut into it. He's been captured for a few days, the wounds clotting and trying to heal only to be ripped back open when moving a certain way.

It was only a matter of time until they came for him and when the guards start getting fidgety he wishes he could show his teeth in a grin. Everyone knows what happens to those stupid enough to mess with the Whitebeard pirates.

He always knew they'd find him, even when the guards whispered in his ear cruel taunts about being forgotten. Unloved.

His heart still goes heavy with affection when he hears the first sounds of death coming for his captors.

#one piece #portgas d. ace #luffy #marco the phoenix #whitebeard crew #marace #marcoace #izo one piece #haruta one piece #thatch one piece #diamond jozu #speed jiru #one piece vista #whitebeard pirates #ace x everyone tbh #*old lady voice* back in my day you got dropped off to be raised by some bandits and grew up wild as hell in a forest #op #setting sail with greyskyflowers

[yandere-wishes]

Okay so not an ask more of a Headcanon based on observation and the character he is based on, but I see Honest Fellow as someone who would both idolize/emulate and resent the rich. By his design his clothes, while they pay homage to Honest John with the patchwork pantleg and the misding pinky tip on his one glove seem very well-kempt, on top of that his hat and cane are practically emaculate that cane alone couldn't have been cheap though I wouldn't put it passed the sly fox man to have either swindled someone out of it or stole it from them outright. Point is I'm getting wants to be a rich man but hates the rich people vibes.

All of that is set-up for my headcanon that if he ever had a S/O you can bet he would get them jewelry and expensive clothes. Basically just adorn them in finery he had acquired through whatever means (cough, likely stolen or purchased with dirty money, cough) and proudly have them stand by his side. The thought to use them as a pretty little lure to catch even bigger fish might cross his mind, but I doubt he'd ever use them like that. Personally, I feel like he'd be to possessive to do that even if his darling wanted to help like that, after all what if he let's them go off alone and someone tries to take advantage of his poor darling? He doesn't think they're weak or foolish per say but who could protect them better than him? I think he'd have a difficult time even leaving them alone with Gidelle (only 90 percent sure I got that right), of course he trusts Gidelle, well as much as he can truly trust anyone anyway, but he's the brains of the outfit and unless he's personally by his darlings side he won't ever be truly assured something won't go wrong.

Let's say that darling isn't quite so understanding or compliant, his possessive side would certainly get worse. He can't leave them alone for one second qhat if they try and sneak off. Perhaps to save his pride he'd be a bit delusional, they're just a sweet little naive skittish thing that doesn't know any better, possibly they've never known a love as deep and unshakable as his, it's only natural there would be a learning curve for them and who better than he to teach them? I highly doubt he'd ever use physical punishments on his darling, probably doesnt like punishing them as he thinks they are just still learning, but that doesn't mean he won't find other ways to punish them if necessary. I do think if they actively tried to run he wouldn't waste a minute getting something along the lines of a necklace with a chain, something fashionable but functional as a reminder while they're learning, if that reminder isn't enough though he might go for a bejeweled pet collar and leash. If all else fails isolation in a secure location with him as their only source of human, or well beastman, contact would certainly allow them to see how much they needed each other. Whatever he has to do to make them understand it'll all be worth it later once they're settled and he can spoil them like they deserve.

TLDR: Honest Fellow would love to lavish his S/O in (possibly ill-gotten) finery and would actively and proudly show them off on his arm. Everyone can look and admire, but only he is allowed to touch.

This has got to be the most effort anyone has ever put into something they sent in my ask box!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

Okay so right off the bat let me say that YES!! This is canon I don't care what anyone says.

I can see him as "wanting what they have" but "not wanting to be them". Essentially he wants the ability to give his darling the best of everything. Yet still ultimately preserving his own "personality". Like you said Fellow hates the rich. They're insufferable, self-absorbed and loathsome, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't crave the glitz and glammer.

Now I can kinda see Fellow only really interacting with his darling at first to use her as bait. Winning her over with expensive gifts and pretty cloths (all from dirty money ofc) and sure darling does start to fall for his tricks. But here's the thing, the moment his darling begins to show the tinest interest in him Fellow FALLS HARDER!! All of a sudden he doesn't want ANYONE near his darling! Just him only him. Sooner or later his darling will start to feel suffocated, she'll be desperate to get away from him. Forsaking the pretty presents and charming "boyfriend" for just a moment of freedom. But Fellow's a sly fox, always one step ahead. He knows how to ensnare his darling before she's even run away.

Overall Fellow will lavish you, treat you like a queen, getting you anything you desire (through underhanded means) but you'll never be allowed to leave him. Forever trapped by his side on the island of pleasure…

Quick question is Fellow meant to be the same age as the third years or is he older??

#fellow honest #fellow honest twisted wonderland #fellow honest x reader #fellow honest x you #yandere fellow honest #twisted wonderland #twst #twst halloween #yandere x reader #yancore #yandere x you #yandere aesthetic #yandere twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland headcanons #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland x you #yandere twst #twst x reader #twst fellow honest

[decolonize-the-left]

Okay, I'm also a little on the confused train. I vote third party and independent in my local elections when their policies (as they often are) are better than the local democrats. I vote for some local democrats when they, as in my community they happen to be, black activists who organized the entire of the blm movement in my city and then moved to campaigning for city council and stuff. I participate in mutual aid, I use my free time to bake bread for, and then deliver the bread and naltrexone to unhoused encampments. I advocate for every school in my area to teach actual native history. I distribute land back and esims for gaza pamphlets all over my city. I volunteer at soup kitchens a couple times a month, ect. I "donate" monthly "rent" to the tribes on whos land i live. I am currently at the least protest voting uncommitted in my states primary.

But like, I do bump up against... I don't want to vote for Biden. But if Trump wins, he's states he's going to put his everything into not only the genocide in Palestine, but hella racist internal policies beyond what we already have, stripping voting rights, stripping any existing social safety nets, removing anit hate crime protections, ect

So like. Yes. I am thinking about how indigenous communities would be impacted, at least in the short term. Among many others.

My final vote isn't decided yet

Do you really think it will prevent harm to vulnerable people to risk another trump term?

Not trying to be an asshole, asking you bc I respect you

*scare quotes are to imply that I think that language is shallow and not useful but I don't know what else to say

Please don't block me I'm being completely sincere about being deeply empathetic to your anger and share in it, but also confused and scared about the right course of action and the reasoning behind it

My opinions stem from my own organizing and activism.

I think it's going over a lot of heads that the same way we organize for landback or BLM and leave zines around to have progress in dismantling those, we ALSO need to be organizing behind 3rd party candidates to dismantle the 2 party system.

Like how helpful would it be to Any of those causes if someone said that instead of organizing for landback or donating or helping houseless people you should just vote for Biden?

That'd be ridiculous. Biden doesn't have any intention of significantly helping with any of those things and he's no substitute for the activism that's being done or still needed right?

So why are we as organizers accepting this logic when it comes to one of the most powerful positions in the world?

Why are we settling and saying he's the "realistic" choice and accepting it when we Know there are other options and avenues because we've Already worked in them?

I don't understand this and if You could shed some light I would in All Honesty appreciate it.

It's ACTUALLY confusing as hell to me that people I respect and work with and see as peers and comrades think that harm reduction is the best way to vote. It's confusing that instead of advocating for other avenues and educating people about other options or working for 3rd party campaigns or leaving educational zines around throughout election cycles and campaigns..... They say they're just gonna vote for Biden.

Yeah Trump sucks. I'd never deny that. I'd never deny he's dangerous. I just Also don't see how Blue Fascism is different from Red Fascism. It's all fascism and idk why we think Blue Fascism is an acceptable trade off when we literally Do Not have to keep making this trade.

The fact so many of us regularly feel like we don't have a choice is a testament to democracy already being dead, you know? Idk what we're saying 'yeah but the other fascists could be worse so let's just keep our heads down' as leftists.

I'm gonna be very real here, my concern is the future of humanity at this point. Point blank. White supremacy is an evil ideology that has harmed every person it touches while also making sure they help perpetuate it. In the last 5 years I've watched Nazis come back, several genocides, climate change and the death of winter, and police kill a man trying to protect a forest. Our president is more concerned with his campaign than the people he's killing or the families he's exploiting to do it.

Someone is going to have to risk something in order to stop a machine this big from killing all of us. The earth my child is going to inherit is going to be unrecognizable to me. She'll be lucky if she's never a climate refugee, just as it's Only luck that she's here in the first place after the USA tried to kill off the native Americans.

My concern is Everyone. And I know it seems backwards as hell to risk something so awful, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices to have something better.

I'd give anything to save my daughter from the future she's currently on track to inherit. And that doesn't mean that I don't love her. It's a testament to how much worse I genuinely believe things will get if we continue down this path accepting anything As Long As It's Not As Awful As It Could Be.

We would lie down and Vote to have robot dogs surveil our neighborhoods for immigrants and drag queens at this point "as long as it's not trump" and doesn't that terrify you more than he does?

It terrifies me.

There's no way that's harm reduction when we are NOT being harmed that way right now. That's Increasing the harm. A harm guarantee that you were tricked you into signing under threat of something worse.

#asked #answered #electoral politics #trump #leftist #socialist #anarchist #communist

[hopeswriting]

okay, breaking my silence on this i guess, so have one of my author’s notes from one of my stories. sorry not sorry, peace and love on planet earth <3

Listen to me, LISTEN TO ME. I know in canon it seems like the 10th gen wants to become mafia, or that they're okay with it at the very least, and that they don't care that Tsuna very much doesn't want to become mafia until the very end, but it's because they look at a different choice from Tsuna. For Tsuna, his options are to either become mafia and Vongola, which'd mean dragging all his friends into it too, or somehow manage to make Vongola give up on him so none of them will have to become part of the mafia. And so of course he tries his very best and his hardest to somehow achieve the latter, however unrealistic it is and how little power he has to do that, if at all, as Vongola is the strongest mafia family in the world. But he has to try anyway so none of them will become mafia, but first and foremost so none of his friends he loves so much will become mafia against their wishes, especially when it'd only happen because they happen to love him back, the last legitimate Vongola Decimo candidate.

But for the 10th gen, the choice in front of them is to whether turn their backs on Tsuna so to be free from the mafia, or keep standing by his side even if it means they become mafia. Do you get what I mean? For them, it's always about Tsuna first and foremost before it's ever about Vongola and if becoming mafia is something they want. They look at Tsuna and the life he's being dragged to, very much caring that he doesn't want any of it and yet doesn't have the power to stop them from dragging him closer to that life, and ask themselves: "Do I love Tsuna enough to let myself be dragged to that life too, so I can help him see it through and find as much happiness as possible from it?". And of course, of course the answer is yes and comes to them as naturally as breathing.

And so they give in because they must, because they don't have (yet) the power to fight back against it and win. Because should they not be willing enough, they might decide they wouldn't mind making them part of their world even if it means breaking them to make it happen, and they wouldn't have (yet) the power to stop it from happening. To stop it from happening to Tsuna.

And so they willingly let them teach them how to be a mafioso so they'll be able to stand their own in the world they're forcing them to become a part of. They willingly let them teach them how to be a powerful mafioso so they'll be strong enough to protect each other from and survive in the world they're forcing them to become a part of. And then maybe to even still be happy in that world. (And then maybe to even break free from that world.)

They're all doing it for each other despite none of them wanting any of it. Because they care about loving each other and doing justice to that love more than being able to do the things they want. Do you get it? Please tell me you get it!!!!

add-on:

i’m not saying their friendship is perfect in every way. i agree it isn’t and it’d be boring if it was anyway, but also it’s very much by design. because khr is all about growth, about being a better person than you were yesterday and doing better by the people around you than you did yesterday. it’s about this group of kids who were strangers and had many more reasons to not mesh well together than to get along, who came together anyway and built a bond so strong between them, it survived through and was the strength that allowed them to see through all the mafia bullshit thrown at them no kids should ever have to go through.

i AM saying that despite the... cracks on their friendship, the places where it comes together more loosely and superficially, the places where it doesn’t come together at all, they’re still genuinely friends. the 10th gen genuinely loves tsuna and cares about him and does care about the things he wants and the things he doesn’t want. like, is there room in canon to interpret all i said above in a less wholesome way that’d make their friendship less strong and genuine and organic? absolutely. is there room for interpretation in canon to extrapolate and explore how their friendship might not actually survive the test of time because they want and need different things from it? absolutely. and i mean that, because i myself am absolutely not against going down those routes and thinking about them and exploring them and reading about them (tho i do have yet to write about it haha). but canonically, whenever they look at all that sets them apart and at all that could break them apart, they always choose to overcome those things to come together anyway.

i’m also saying that it’s a little unfair to look at their friendship at the beginning of the manga, and base your opinion of it solely on it. because of course the early arcs, let alone the first one, is where their friendship was at the weakest and the least equal. it’s where they were the most and most often just not very good friends to each other. but that includes tsuna too. like yes arguably he was the one getting the short end of the stick giving and not receiving much back, but there’s a post on here saying he was (or is, i don’t remember) a bad friend to them, and like. yeah, he kinda was. because it’s literally his first shot at friendship, and then he doesn’t even get to try it in normal circumstances, far from it. it’s their first shot at friendship for all of them in their own ways and in less than normal circumstances, so of course they were clumsy and tactless and hurtful with it at times. but they put in the effort to learn to know each other so they could do right by each other, and it’s something you can’t possibly miss if you read the manga in good faith.

i mean, gokudera says this as early as the kokuyo arc, and entirely unprompted too:

[ID copied from alt text: Panels from the manga Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

Bianchi says, “Let’s go, Tsuna.”

Tsuna hesitates, saying “Eh... but...”

"Please go ahead, Boss,” Gokudera says. “Get Mukuro!"

"Yes, I know, but still..." Tsuna says, still looking unsure.

Gokudera grins wide and reassuringly. "Once this is over, we'll all have some fun together."

Tsuna smiles, looking relieved and pleasantly surprised. "...Ri...right. We'll do that."

"'Course!" Gokudera says. /END ID]

he knows exactly what tsuna cares about and values the most: their peaceful and happy daily lives, and all of them being safe and having the freedom to enjoy life and each other’s company without worry. gokudera’s perfectly aware just why tsuna’s there and what he fights for: so they can go back to their peaceful and happy times safe and sound. so please don’t tell me gokudera actually doesn’t know tsuna and only cares about tenth/vongola decimo and the perfect version of tsuna in his mind he puts on a pedestal. (and i mean, don’t get me wrong because there is that too, but gokudera has always been able to see tsuna for who he truly is anyway, and it’s tsuna he’s always cared about first and foremost.)

now of course you still don’t have to agree with me by no means. you don’t have to think their friendship is all that deep or strong or equal or genuine and organic, if at all. it’s not that i don’t agree that both these takes are valid and based on canon, it’s not that i don’t see where these kinds of takes come from or that i don’t think there isn’t some truth in them, but if we’re talking strictly canon, if we’re trying to guess objectively and in good faith, independently of how we might feel about it, just what amano was getting at writing and portraying their dynamics the way she did, then you just have to agree that the intent was to show just how strong and resilient because of how loving and caring and trusting it is their bond is. i mean, it’s literally the heart of the story (that, plus tsuna’s and reborn’s bond). it’s those bonds that carry tsuna forwards, and so it’s the same bonds that carry the whole of the manga forwards. like i’m sorry, but you really just have to agree with me on this. (about how this is the take we’re most likely meant to take from the manga, that is, because again, whether it’s actually the way you, personally, receive it, or if you think amano managed to write it well and pull it off, etc, that’s of course for each of us to decide, and we’re not any less valid than each other no matter what our opinions are.)

so, yeah. idk how to finish this post lol. but i guess what i’m saying is that even tho i’m not gonna give examples here of the 10th gen caring about and loving tsuna and knowing who he is, and standing by his wants, wishes and needs, know that i very much could. so i guess this is also my “the 10th gen are genuine friends of tsuna who truly loves him and cares about him for simply being tsuna first and foremost, and their friendship is an equal one from both sides” propaganda post. which i actually already got to do once. and as long as we’re strictly talking canon, this is a hill i will die on.

#katekyo hitman reborn #khr #khr meta #sawada tsunayoshi #vongola tenth gen #gokudera hayato #yamamoto takeshi #khr lambo #lambo bovino #sasagawa ryohei #hibari kyoya #rokudo mukuro #chrome dokuro #a bit... apprehensive about how this post's going to be received ngl lol #well of course feel free to add to it but just remember to be respectful as i believe i was here #or i WILL block you <3 #image id

[lassieposting]

Oh fuck it's just occurred to me that like

1) The Little Palace was designed by a very old, very paranoid Grisha who's spent his entire life being hunted and persecuted for existing

2) The Little Palace was built with at least one secret passageway Alina didn't know about, which brings her out into the grounds somewhere. There are most likely dozens of these hidden tunnels - they're escape routes for when the otkazat'sya inevitably turn on the Grisha and Kirigan finds himself with a school full of kids to evacuate.

3) In S2 at the Spinning Wheel, Nadia says that the First Army raided the Little Palace, and Nikolai is sheltering the survivors. There's a decent number of them, by the looks of it. More than a handful. Probably all those who were close enough to an exit passageway.

4) Kirigan wasn't there to open up the tunnels and lead everyone out, and neither was Baghra. So the tunnels can't be truly secret. Enough Grisha knew about them to vanish under the First Army's noses and escape. I'm picturing that one scene from Ye Olde X-Men 2: most of them got out through tunnels that weren't on any of our schematics.

5) This means it's likely that the Little Palace has its own version of those fucked-up shooter drills they have to do in America. The procedure for something like that would have to be drummed into these kids from as early as possible, just like they train you to respond to the fire bell, because otherwise in the rush and the noise and the confusion, they'd just panic, and that would cause chaos. They all need to know where their closest emergency exit is, how to open it, where it leads, how to check for nearby soldiers before emerging, where to go next. So that when they need that knowledge, it's become second nature. Instinct. Like young prey animals - just as Baghra taught him.

And this is the kind of fear and constant hypervigilance Kirigan and Baghra have been living with their entire lives, without even the benefit of a relatively secure, long-term home literally built to protect them. It's no wonder the pre-Little Palace Grisha are so messed up.

And he's probably had older Little Palace Grisha over the years, people like Fedyor, questioning whether it's really necessary to still be making these kids think they're at risk like that. The Grisha have been at peace with the crown for over a century! This is a relic from a crueller time, surely. And he brushes it off every time, because at some point in his history, he learned better. He's learned from his failures.

6) After Anastas put a bounty on his ambitious General's head and named him heretic, the guards say, "Thought you [and Luda] could quietly train witches under our noses, did you?"

So he's already helping teach other Grisha, even then, and we know from Luda that the king is now having said Grisha rounded up. And there's nothing he can do. If he goes back, the king will have his head. So when he next aligns himself with the crown as his own descendant, he's learned that unless he puts safeguards in place, it will be the Grisha he's protecting who will suffer whenever he butts heads with the monarchy.

And he turns out to be right. Pyotr and Vasily have neither the balls nor the strength to meet him on the battlefield, so instead they target whatever Grisha they can get hold of - the half-trained students, the researchers, servants like Genya - and blame them for whatever treason they're accusing him of this time. The escape routes were still necessary. They've always been necessary.

It just? Really hit home how fucked up this world is for them, like. Even within the 'safety' of the Little Palace, the Grisha kids would never truly be able to avoid or forget the fear and hatred the world at large has for their kind, or the danger being Grisha might place them in if their protector falls out of favour with the royals. Ravka might not experiment on them or burn them alive, but they're not safe. They never really were. They've only ever been used.

Convenient weapons, or convenient scapegoats, and with no say in any of it.

#dont mind me that realisation just fucked me up for a moment there #sab meta #aleksander kirigan #baghra morozova #i have a lot of feelings about how they had to live and the trauma it left on them good god #and? how alina would never be able to understand because she didnt grow up grisha #it is a fucking miracle aleksander lasted as long as he did playing nice #sab

[r0-boat]

Some SFW headcannons if that's ok with you. Can we get some headcannons about Dad Submas with their kiddo (whether separate or a poly s/o au is both fine)?

Holy fuck yes sir(gender neutral) been waiting for this shit

Submas as the fathers of your child/children

Ingo

Ingo has always dreamed of having a family despite that permanent frown on his face being quite menacing to the children. He was pretty fond of kids. Always very gentle and patient. Holding his kid in his arms for the first time, he shakes, afraid he might hurt him or scare him. But who could ever be scared of that soft kitten smile? His heartwarming, when his child looks, sees him, and giggles.

His child is a precious treasure, and their happiness is Ingo's number one priority. Yes, Ingo may or may not have spoiled them a few times but seeing them so happy warms his heart every time.

Like any good parent, Ingo values his child's safety he's a Subway boss safety is part of the job; of course, safety is an important part of his parenting. And it is the same with Emmet. They both agree that their child must know about safety.

Ingo is a first-time father. He doesn't mean to be bad, but of course, some parents make their own mistakes. As their child grows older, Ingo seems to have a problem where he still sees his child as his sweet baby, and sometimes he gets a little protective because it's bittersweet when a parent sees their child grow up. Eventually, he does accept that his child is growing up, and sometimes he won't be there to protect them, but he'll make it known that he'll always be there for them.

I can already feel that poor kid's embarrassment when Ingo screams their names during assemblies every time they get a reward or their name called for one.

He's always having a conversation with his child, even if it's just babbling. He would be having a fake argument with his toddler.

Emmet

Emmet is the for-your-own-good type. He's a serious parent, but he is not unfair; rules are there for a reason and are very important, and he'll make sure that his child knows. He ensures that he teaches his child that actions have consequences; good behavior gets rewarded while bad behavior is punished. ( though not every situation is black and white like that.)

If his child ever asks why for anything, he will explain clearly and calmly. Rip for their belief in Santa when they inevitably ask their father.

Emmet takes safety very seriously, and Emmet can be a little bit of a mother hen. He just doesn't want anything to happen to his child as their parent and a Subway boss; it is their job to protect them.

No parent is perfect; Emmet struggles with personal space and privacy issues. He's always had this. He himself is not really a private person. He says what he says, and he means what he says. It might sound mean, but he'll say it anyway. And the lousy habit is from expecting everyone else to be like that, especially people who are closer to him. He wants his child to be open and honest with him at all times, and he wants to know what's happening in their day-to-day life even though they don't want to tell him. And I can see him getting a little antsy when someone won't tell him or they are hiding something from him. It's something that he always struggled with.

If his child ever gives him a logical argument on why he's wrong when he says no to something he will just freeze and think about it for a few seconds then just say "Ok, verrry fair... carry on."

Emmett gets obsessed with little baby onesies and baby clothes "look!! a little Joltik Halloween costume ah! So verrry cute!"

Ingo x parent!reader x Emmet

( the brothers are sharing one love interest no incest)

Usually, they're pretty good at getting along when it comes to Parenting, but sometimes their different parenting methods clash between two. Usually, they would ask you for advice after that or come to a fair agreement.

If they have twins, they can't be happier. Ingo would bring it up constantly, and Emmet would immediately start picking one color for each twin.

When they come home from Gear Station is usually your time off. They make sure you get plenty of rest because they know how tired you would be after taking care of your children all day.

Emmet would let his child hold a Joltik for the first time.

Ingo would give them a Litwick night light.

When the twins are together, they will always be excited to take their children for hikes or go places to have fun, like parks. We're walking around the amusement park or just seeing Aunt Elesa while you take a rest.

The first thing they do when they realize they are becoming fathers, is cram their minds with as much parenting knowledge as possible they're both excited and scared and praying they'll be prepared enough to deal with a kid.

Soon enough, you'll find them both asleep on top of a pile of notes next to another pile of parenting 101 books.

#pokemon submas #pokemon ingo #pokemon emmet #ingo x reader #emmet #subway boss emmet #submas ingo #submas #pokemon subway bosses #submas x reader #ingo x reader x emmet #emmet x reader #pokemon x reader

[void-ink-studios]

Even More Parenting Nonsense

I talked at length about Scarab and his whole deal with parenthood. Seems only fair that I give my thoughts about Prismo, so here we go.

Also, y'all might've tempted me into writing something. Hope your happy with yourselves.

Prismo, despite being "Everybody's Pal" comes across to me as a very isolated being. His only company is superficial, except for Cosmic Owl, at least until Jake and later Scarab. He only interacts with other gods and the briefest of moments with mortals. So Prismo has almost... no experience with children. He understands the concept and theory, and would like to interact with kids, but it's only under very dire circumstances that a kid would ever be the one to find the Time Room. So, the prospect of parenthood is equal parts very exciting for him, and also completely terrifying.

He talks to Life about it. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. He probably tries to talk to Simon as well. But both sources had their own strangeness that makes their advice hard to apply. It mostly just leaves him feeling more lost and confused than before, but he's at least assured that kids know when/if their parents love them, and that goes a long way. It's the little bit of reassurance he needs because, despite whatever mistakes they might make, he knows that they'll both love this kid, and try their absolute best.

Prismo tries his best to stay calm when their kid is a grub in the burrow, because Scarab keeps assuring him that they'll be fine until they emerge, but it doesn't help much. He just knows that babies are fragile, their baby is alone in a hole, and that a lot of things could go wrong. He's kind of relieved when they emerge from the burrow early so he can hold them and be reassured that they're safe and sound.

I think Prismo is, above everything else, afraid. He's afraid of losing more people he loves, especially when this one is so tiny and reliant on him. He's afraid especially of Nightmo. He knows that Nightmo is a defense mechanism that only emerges during extreme negative emotion, but Nightmo is unpredictable. Yes, it did emerge when he wanted to protect Scarab, but then the Nightmare attacked the thing he was trying to protect because it does not recognize friend from foe. Prismo is terrifying Nightmo might do something terrible if it ever emerged around their child, and that Scarab would never forgive him for it.

Compared to Scarab, Prismo is a lot quicker to intervene if bad decisions are about to be made. While Scarab operates under the idea that 'experience is the best teacher', Prismo tries to more directly teach why something might be a good or bad idea. He's a lot more likely to explain the why, and a bit more directly involved in how things might play out.

Honestly, Scarab and Prismo together cover a lot of each other's weaknesses. Scarab is orderly and structured, able to place down rules to curb initial impulses. Prismo then intervenes if the kid still wants to do the thing against the rules. And if they go through with it anyway, Scarab is there to watch the consequences play out and basically ask "What did we learn from this?"

#prohibitedwish #scarab x prismo #scarab the god auditor #prismo the wishmaster #prohibitedwish fanfic #fanfic prompt #fan child #prohibitedwish fankid

[waitmyturtles]

THE MORNING AFTER: ONLY FRIENDS, EPISODE 5 ("CH-CH-CH-CHANGES / TURN AND FACE THE STRANGE") EDITION

Well, well, FUCKING well. Man, I am REELING. THAT. Was a HELL of an episode of a drama. Jojo and his team need to applaud themselves.

Let me set this up by sharing with y’all a tweet that really stuck with me after episode 4, but I think it’s pertinent to episode 5:

Now, yes -- this is a touch of a generalization (many of my queer friends are straight-edge-and-or-early-to-bed-while-living-in-cities folx), but I want to note something important in this tweet.

Before I got started on episode 5 last night, after having seen a lot of the meta and reactions on my dash throughout the day, I shot a note to dear @ranchthoughts that I thought I'd have to get a little #oldmom on this episode. Speaking to chibi's note above: toxicity happens to be a common human trait. Seeing that there was QUITE a bit of surprise for Boston's "outing" of Ray to Sand on my dash actually surprised me.

From my lawyer friends, I learned about the following concept, and I just cracked the fuck up the first time I heard it, because it rang really true once I got my head around it: a lawyer friend once told me that when he started out at a typical major American law firm, his orientation included hearing a presentation from an older managing partner about the idea of the "equal opportunity asshole." Meaning: there's workplace harassment against protected classes, like race-based or sex-based harassment. But: can you get sued if you treat EVERYONE AROUND YOU like shit? And, he didn't mean on a personal level, not on an attacking level. Just on an abrupt, aggressive level. A bossy level. A very direct-toned level.

That kind of interaction -- an interaction with an equal opportunity asshole -- we know those kinds of people, right? These kinds of folks are...titchy. They might jump to conclusions. They're rooted in their worldview ONE HUNDRED PERCENT. They lack empathy. They make you feel unsettled. They are emotionally disconnected from you. They have NO interest in being emotionally connected WITH YOU.

When I dove into episode 5, I really thought I'd be writing about Boston as the equal opportunity asshole, and I think that this theory still holds to a great extent, but -- there's a but, a slight and fascinating-to-me but, that I'll get to in a second.

@ranchthoughts did the thing once more of covering EVERYTHING in her episode 5 ephemerality breakdown, so dear Ranch, I'm just gonna repeat some stuff you said in my own words, if you don't mind. First off, a couple of gushes:

1) That blind dining scene had me swooning. "Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you're gonna get," was what I was hearing when I was watching that. These lovely idiots are blind to what's happening in front of them, and what that means to them -- BUT THAT'S OKAY, BECAUSE THEY ARE YOUNG. YOUNG AND INEXPERIENCED. The blind dining metaphor, oh gawd -- using your senses to come to realizations about how you're truly feeling, and how to connect better with WHAT you're feeling? Slamming my hands on the table! BRILLIANT. Mew is SO clueless (OR IS HE?!?!??!).

1.5) And -- remember (all you young folks out there!). Youth is fleeting (cc the Ephemerality Squad). What we're watching of this cohort of "friends" is their building their bases of life experiences NOW, that will TEACH them how they will live more EXPERIENCED lives in their futures. Will their lives be better? Who the fuck knows. But their FUTURE LIVES will be shaped by what they're experiencing NOW.

2) Ranch nailed this already, but Sand is just as bad as Ray in living in the annals of time. (He's also naughty for another reason, which I'll get into in a postscript.) He's got the vintage tees, he wants to rewind to Woodstock, he's a fan of mostly classic Brit rock (....I will not call the Arctic Monkeys classic Brit rock, I will not, thus, "mostly," lol.) Dear friend @neuroticbookworm described this phenomenon of Sand's in the frame of Ray dabbling in a day of poverty tourism, as essentially what his day and night with Sand constituted. But I'd also add that Sand's living in a fantasy world of a couple levels to break the monotony of his everyday life. Those flashes of hope that he'll travel to world to festivals one day -- as he clocks 450 baht (around $12 USD) per bottle, as he sings, as he gets up and gets down -- yes, Ray is his fantasy, his non-existent 25th hour, Ray is the break from monotony that Sand needs as a thing to look forward too. Of course it comes crashing down.

3) But it'll come crashing down anyway, because I will posit the following: Sand's survival fantasies are necessary to keep him going by way of motivation, because Sand is going to be held back by others, and not just Ray. Sand is caught in a trap of filial piety. (OH SHIT! GIMME!) He's paying off his mom's debts.

We don't know how much the debts are. [We're seeing in Dangerous Romance that Sailom is getting his ass beat if he and his brother don't pay the debt collectors on time every month. Shit, the debt collectors are even trying to make Sailom an escort (which then turns into Kanghan buying off Sailom himself, but lemme leave that alone, WRONG SHOW)]. But even Sand's mom admits: Sand is solving a problem of MY OWN CREATION. How good is my son? He's a very good son. Drink up, honey.

Sand thought of Ray: wow, this guy might be into me, and shit, I'm into him. And I could use this right now! I could use this break. And that illusion came crashing down when Sand -- an intelligent dude! -- put two and two together real fast. And Sand, very rightly -- because he is FAST learning independence, in a totally different way than the main OF quartet -- pulls the hell away, and puts away the fantasy of Ray at Alone O'Clock.

3.5) I just want to note, real quick, that we now have TWO of my favorite-ist themes in this show: we have intergenerational trauma by way of Ray, and filial piety by way of Sand. THANK YOU, JOJO AND TEAM! *This* bitch is TRACKIN'.

4) Big ephemerality note here: I just, I SWOONED, GOD, I LOVED IT, WHEN RAY REVEALED HIS MOTHER WAS AN ACTRESS. And that she was bitter about getting pregnant and how that affected her career. Are you kidding me? JOJO. NINEW. ALL OF YOU. BRILLIANT. The ephemerality OF SHOWBIZ ITSELF.

Aren't all these actors risking their damn careers by potentially BLOWING UP THEIR SHIPS for the sake of this show? (I mean, that's actually a little far-fetched, as FirstKhao will be the first GMMTV pair to have an intercontinental fanmeet, BUT STILL.) God, the commentary on the FICKLENESS of showbiz was just CHEF'S KISS.

5) As Ranch noted, this was the episode where CHANNNNNGGGGEEEEE was the big bell ringing. Top needed something different than his sexual monotony -- so he goes after Mew, and shit, homes is bored AF. (@lurkingshan covered this perfectly here.) Mew contemplates changing for Top, the LASIK, the sex, all of it. Top seems to try a different kind of sex with Mew -- soft and romantic sex that ends with "I love you." Nick (oh, my bubby Nick), changes for Boston, becomes ripped, finds buttons and slacks. Boston contemplates whittling his list down. Ray wears secondhand (lol, it's called "vintage," asshole). Sand changes his routine to accommodate Ray.

And yet. I very, very often say in my posts that the process of behavioral change is INCREDIBLY difficult.

The five stages of behavioral change are: pre-contemplation, contemplation (Nick and the podcast), preparation, action (Nick at the gym), and maintenance.

The risk to this process, at any point in time, is: RELAPSE.

Think of how difficult it is to quit smoking. To go on a diet. To start an exercise routine. To stop biting your nails.

What is the thing that marks these processes more than anything else?

It's the RELAPSE into the old behavior, the old habits.

We really saw Boston trying to change...something. Trying to stick out...something with Nick. Trying on something new. Kinda like the way Ray tried on his secondhand shirt.

And then Boston experiences a familiar trigger: a trigger of jealousy when Mew calls him, innocently, to give Boston the heads-up that he's about ready to experience some cherry magic.

And that trigger, like all of our own triggers -- stress, a change of environment, a change of the people around you -- sent Boston back to a place.

Listen, I will, in no way, ever defend Boston's behavior. He was drunk and high AF, and he's generally toxic. Jojo is totally egging this on.

I would absolutely call Boston an equal opportunity asshole. He's only seeing the world from his own worldview, his own desires, his own desire to control whatever he can control around him.

But like I said before: toxicity is FAR more common that we'd like to believe. And toxicity within someone doesn't disappear very easily -- just like any of our habits, be they good or bad habits.

Boston was trying out a new life, for a few minutes (lol), of being a LITTLE LESS EPHEMERAL, a little less aloof -- a little less toxic. And a trigger brought him back to his bad place, and I think what we saw in that damn outburst was a relapse of the highest order.

Ray repeats to Nick what Top and Cheum have already said. This guy, Boston? He's nasty. Stay away. Boston's an asshole. Boston's still being stigmatized, and still living up to his label.

How would I summarize all of this? Throughout this ENTIRE episode, what was screaming within my head, as I said above, was: youth is fleeting. Youth itself is ephemeral. The experiences these young folks are going through at this moment in this show will build their experiences for how they will survive (or not) in their futures.

We may think that Boston, and Ray, and Mew, will not learn from their dumbass behavior, but -- they will. They will have no choice. Because their time being this young, and inexperienced, and idiotic, will flee. They'll graduate, and they will have to learn how to survive in a "real" world that may very well be far more brutal to them than their proximate friendships are to them right now. And man, if they have to experience lives that are MORE brutal than these proximate friendships they have, then good LUCK to them, because, well -- shit. It ain't pretty the way it is right now.

...

P.S. I just thought this whole scene was brilliant. Sand, honey, you're not as innocent as your meow feelings are letting on. I'm holding you accountable for what you're saying to Ray, too.

P.P.S. JENNIE.

(HAPPY SUNDAY, EPHEMERALITY SQUAD! @ranchthoughts @lurkingshan @neuroticbookworm @distant-screaming @slayerkitty @clara-maybe-ontheroad @twig-tea)

(HEY, SQUAD: if you tag me in things, and I forget to reblog, send me a DM! I'm on the last stages of this moving chapter of my life, and I don't wanna miss your meta!)

#only friends #only friends meta #only friends the series #only friends the series meta #firstkhao #first kanaphan #khaotung thanawat #sand x ray #ray x sand #forcebook #force jiratchapong #book kasidet #mew x top #top x mew #neomark #neo trai #mark pakin #nick x boston #boston x nick #jennie panhan #tee teeradej #i need more tee teeradej y'all #he fine #only friends the morning after

[gildeddlily]

needing a real backstory for kunikida

"he was a math teacher" it's the shadiest thing I've ever heard

saw a video with "christmas kids" by roar on my fyp, with basically traumatized ada and fukuzawa being the dad everybody headcanon him as, and all the comments were like "and then there's kunikida the ex math teacher"

... there are people out there who consider kunikida as the normal and non-mentally-ill detective? the "only normal one"? man's one of the less normal of the group, and the thing that helps making him so strange is his damned backstory

the non existing one, yeah

(and he wasn't really a math teacher, he dropped out of college and was a teacher like two days a week, it was just a side job)

he's the most passionate about protecting people and the one who most values their life (yes, the kids getting killed and bombed, yes. he is deeply traumatized, yes), and everyone thinks of him as the best person at the agency, Ranpo made it clear in season 3.

(his morals are... even if you don't like the concept of morals, he's a little fucked up like anyone else. he's the one who was ready to leave a homeless 18ys orphan on the streets cause he could have caused troubles to the agency (at the end he did but he deserved all the love in the world so nothing against him) and proceeded to attacked said orphan in a restaurant and in front of everyone when atsushi said he knew something about one of their cases. So yeah, just the way he's always screaming ab "the agency reputation" is kinda suspicious, especially when he doesn't consider asl something dangerous for their reputation tackling a teenager on the floor. he cares about the agency's reputation, but in his own personal way)

(he's about to break atsushi's arm like it's a spaghetto. even if he just wanted it to be an... incentive to talk, it was mad man. dazai osamu had to stop him)

(or the oh so famous mischaracterization where he's the most polite person in the world? he's there talking shit about dazai every two panels, and ends up being rude to almost everyone)

or just his relationship with dazai.

he hates the way dazai always tries new suicide methods and talks abou it while they're working (we all know he hates it cause he cares but let him think we believe he does it just "for the agency reputation") but he doesn't hate Dazai. one thing I hate is fanfictions where Kunikida is a fucking asshole who treats Dazai badly for no reason (the "stop nagging me" trend cause he tells dazai to work? that's literally the most normal thing ever happened in this story).

He respects him and recognise his intellect and EVIDENTLY trusts him. just this part up here, it's the first chapter and he has that look that just tells "im gonna trust for this" (we know you care for him stoop) (not comparing them to soukoku, that's another thing. stop talking shit about one of the two partnership just because you ignore the bond both chuuya and kunikida share with that lucky man) (wish I was him)

(and Dazai definitely has some sort of respect for him. Kunikida has been exposed, like everyone else, to some real atrocities and still respects his ideals in every way he can, and from Dazai perception he's the definition of human, just like Chuuya. I like to think that the years spent with Chuuya teached him a lot of things like this, and him more than anyone else would respect the strength Kunikida has. he probably still think of him as a little naive, but is our man really so innocent? he knows that his ideals cannot always be respected. he doesn't believe in a stupid utopia where the world he wish for is real, and he makes compromises with this truth)

(love the duo)

his respect for Fukuzawa is the thing (with his ability) that messes everything up even more. he hates authority (gonna kin him rn) and is something almost foregone, since he values so much human's life. it's impossible for him to enjoy something like politics and politicians with the way he lives, and at the same time he respects so deeply Fukuzawa, that is in fact authority to him.

so

some could say it's because Fukuzawa trained him so they know each other but than how did fukuzawa starts training a college student? how the hell did these two met?

I refuse to think it was something normal like idk, Kunikida was interested in martial arts and met him and they drank something together. and even if it was something "innocent", fukuzawa's history with dealing with teenagers (kunikida joined the agency before he was twenty) is "you're traumatized, I am too, let's become a family and heal each other" (not really but almost just trust me) so yes, he saw something in kunikida so he wasn't just a nobody who ended up here like nothing

maybe Fukuzawa knew that he was what the Agency needed, someone so strong and human, ready to die for what he believed in, working with people who all had a twisted sense of morality

he's so silly

and his ability.

just

yeah he has the "poor growing up" vibes (and I say it as someone who is definitely not rich and has had their bad months) and I believe in the "abilities generated from trauma" theory, so someone who can create small and daily things out of paper definitely had a problem having them in other ways, and used his ability to survive. so stop saying he's not traumatized, everybody in this manga is so shut up

(we need the real backstory) (we're not gonna get it cause Asagiri at the end of fifteen wrote a paragraph talking ab how he loves to see fans making headcanons. so yeah gonna headcanon his childhood till I'm dead)

(his relationship with Katai is suspicious, I'm not talking about our man obvious homosexuality but the bond itself. gotta work more ab them) (I'm joking) (or am I)

#kunikida my beloved #we stan the number one male wife #kunikida doppo #bsd kunikida #character analysis #or just random thoughts ab him #we stan this king #bungou stray dogs #always the one with the fucked up people #we're reaally not so different after aaaaaal #dazai osamu #fukuzawa yukichi #finally spring holidays #about to give up

[solar-wing]

Rant #1 – ATLA: S2:10 The Library...WHY DIDN'T THEY JUST TELL THE TRUTH!

I'm currently re-watching the series and am on season 2 as you can probably guess by this post's title.

And, while watching Sokka and the Gang lie to Wan Shi Tong, one thought went through my head...WHY THE FUCK DID THEY LIE?!

I get their nervousness and reluctance in sharing the full truth with the Owl Spirit due to his blunt and seemingly unchanging opinion of humans and their use of knowledge for violence and conquest. But, that's just it. Why didn't they explain that to him in a way he could understand!

If Wan Shi Tong is a spirit of knowledge and prefers things getting solved with peace rather than violence, they had a perfect reason to explain to him why they needed to look through the library!

Let's start with Professor Zei, he was a lover of knowledge and books. All he wanted was to learn and expand his own knowledge of different subjects and cultures. If anyone had a perfectly legitimate reason to be there and not invoke the spirit's wrath, it was him!

But, since he's only a side character in this, his background and story don't hold much weight compared to the Gang.

Like Sokka and Katara, for example, who've suffered their entire lives at the hands of the Fire Nation since they were born due to their war and quest for conquest over the entire world. Wan Shi Tong is about peace and sees humans as obstructers of that peace and thinks low of them because of this.

And let's be honest; he ain't wrong. Humans are very prone to solving matters with violence. In fiction AND reality. But, the Southern Water Tribe siblings know of violence and tragedy at the hands of humans, because they've been subjected to it their entire lives.

If Wan Shi Tong is about peace and being a spirit of knowledge, using said knowledge to solve one's problems, wouldn't it be obvious that would be a perfect reason to explain to him why they're seeking information from his library? They're striving to protect the peace and balance of the world, and that means that have to find a way to stop the Fire Nation. Yes, it is through a means of violence, but sometimes, that's what it takes to protect peace.

They're fighting to protect themselves, their families, and all the innocent people who have suffered for so long from this war. That's easily good reason #1 they could have given to the owl spirit as a reason to let them browse his library. But let's say that didn't work and he was still apprehensive, they've literally got an even more perfect angle to come at him with: KNOWLEDGE!

If Wan Shi Tong is a spirit of knowledge and dedicates himself to collecting information, books, and tomes from all different parts of the world, wouldn't that automatically mean he wants to do his best to protect knowledge as much as he can.

This war from the Firebenders has wiped out homes, villages, and an entire nation of people along with their culture, leaving one lone survivor. Aang literally has the best reason to ask Wan Shi Tong to use his library.

Imagine, as a spirit of knowledge, learning that an entire civilization and its culture had been destroyed and burned to the ground. Taking with them all their customs, rituals, knowledge and wisdom, their teachings and practices, so much information that could have been added to your library's collection.

Again, going back to Katara and Sokka, whose tribe was harassed and stripped of all their water benders, minus Katara, as a means of preventing any kind of pushback or revolution. Katara had to travel halfway across the world just to find an authentic water-bending scroll before finding a master to teach her.

Aang lost his entire nation and people in this war. His entire culture was stripped from the world to the point that no one really remembered or knew anything about Air Benders or the Nomads until he returned to the world.

That alone is a perfect reason to give Wan Shi Tong why they need information on the Fire Nation. They're working to prevent the same thing that happened to Aang's people and Sokka and Katara's Tribe along with others from happening again somewhere else.

As a spirit of knowledge, I imagine the destruction and loss of other pieces of knowledge and information would strongly upset him and push him to want to allow those seeking to defend it access to his library, despite his reservations about violence.

And, this is where I feel like I'm going to be a bit controversial, but I really need the gang to stop letting Sokka lead them into trouble.

Listen, I love Sokka, I really do. But, that boy suffers from a problem I feel many humans also suffer from and have yet to find a cure for; he talks way too much. Wan Shi Tong was already on the fence about them being there and had just threatened the professor with turning him into a stuffed head of anthropology. And, just when he asks you why you're in his library, you decide to LIE?!

Sokka does so much for the group and is a vital asset to them, but he's also a major contributor to why they constantly end up in trouble. And, if anything, that was a perfect moment to go on one of your Fire Nation truth rants. Any other time, Sokka doesn't waste a second in trashing the Fire Nation and exposing them for the brutes they are, and the one time it would really be helpful, he decides to LIE instead!

The moment Wan Shi Tong mentioned Admiral Zhao and his misguided quest to destroy his enemies, that would have been a perfect time to enlighten the spirit that Zhao simply wasn't looking to just defeat an army or a nation. He was going after one of Wan Shi Tong's own: another spirit!

As a spirit of knowledge, Wan Shi Tong definitely would know the implications that would come if the Moon Spirit, Tui, now Yue, died. As mentioned by Iroh many times, the world would literally fall out of balance.

And, again, if Wan Shi Tong is against violence, Admiral Zhao was a Fire Nation soldier looking for ways to destroy the spirits, and Aanng and his friends are looking for wars to stop the Fire Nation, who do you think he would side with?

It doesn't mean they're necessarily trying to destroy the Fire Nation, they're just trying to end the violence that comes from this war they're pushing.

So, someone explain to me why that would have been so hard to explain to the Spirit of Knowledge, rather than LYING to his face, after he just threatened to make someone a stuffed head. And then, when he flies off, you gloat under your breath about being bright enough to fool him?!

A PARDON I BEG?

LIKE SIR, DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?!

Yeah, I love Sokka, I really do, but sometimes, I really just need him to sit back and zip it. I get it was his choice to go to the library, but that I feel was a moment to just let either Aang or Katara do the talking. And I know Sokka wants to prove himself a capable warrior and leader, but sometimes being a leader is about knowing when to sit back and let someone else take the lead, and that was definitely one of those moments.

anyway, rant over.

#atla #avatar #the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #aang #katara #sokka #toph #toph beifong #atla aang #atla katara #atla sokka #atla toph #rant #wan shi tong #appa #sokka please shut up #i love you but please shut up

[beanghostprincess]

I just love making hc's about Sanji having so, so much scars from when he lived in Germa, it's sad but also beautiful (?) because in a way, they are the proof that he isn't in the "little, stupid failure" anymore.

And one that I love THE MOST is Sanji having a scar around all his neck because of the helmet he was forced to use during A LOT of time. This would make the fact he uses clothes that cover the neck most of the time have sense too.

(He also probably has one around his hands because of WCI arc, and this possibly makes him have a whole internal crisis because he just has another scar from his family and now in his hands)

+ little ASL+S kids thing with this HC. They seeing this and panicking thinking someone hurt the 'pretty boy', and Sanji just- saying "It's old! No reason to be this way!" and this just make them even more protective because- SOMEONE HURT HIM BEFORE?!

(Also, y'know this hc that Sanji goes all "murder mode, stabstabstab" when with a knife during the time he was a kid? Just think about asl seeing this, sweet, fragile and pretty boy going into this "mode"? It's probably terrifying)

I also headcanon he wears clothing to cover his neck!! But that's about Sanji being transfem and covering her neck because she's insecure about it. Now that you add the scar thing?? It just makes it better. And I love the idea of Sanji having scars on his wrists because of WCI. It's not something he can actually cover easily and he has to look at it every day, but slowly he gets used to it and realizes that it's not only a painful reminder of his trauma but also of how much his crew loves him and appreciates him enough to save him. I like to see it this way. Scars he doesn't want to focus on turning into something he looks at with love for his crew.

And!!! The whole ASL+S Au is great because they'd be so protective of him,, I can imagine little ASL wanting to go wild against the Vinsmokes at such an early age. They're just batshit chaotic, lmao. I adore them. Sanji doesn't want to talk about it but one day he ends up opening up to them about his multiple scars and,, They'd want to do something about it, but of course Sanji wouldn't let them, so they'd stay with him to support him. Not that they handle him like he's glass about to break. In fact, they realize he's way stronger than he looks like. I think they'd admire him so much for that.

.... The stabstab headcanon is something that I love, actually. I can imagine Sanji keeping a knife for protection (because yes, he's a cook and he would never use it to hurt somebody. But that's something I think Zeff was the one to teach him and he still doesn't feel safe enough to go on his own without any type of protection) and one day he gets a bit carried away. Maybe they're sleeping together in the forest and a random animal appears in the middle of the dark and he thinks he's being attacked and, well, you know. He feels awful afterward for doing that to an innocent thing. Sanji has a whole breakdown about it and Sabo (because Sabosan my beloved) is the one to comfort him about it.

You know, I think the kids would end up wanting to teach Sanji how to fight!!! Not to be a Sabosan shipper but I am a Sabosan shipper and-- Thinking about Ace not wanting to go hard on Sanji at first to not hurt him, but Sabo understanding what Sanji wants (because he's the one asking them to teach him) and knowing he hates being treated like glass so he's just a little bit harsh with him when fighting. Sanji actually loves it because it isn't at all the same way his brothers attacked him. Sabo takes care of him and looks after him every time they fight. Sanji's so glad to have people like them now.

#they're so important to me qwekjbqjwbr #i love this whole thing with sanji's scars i think we can do so many things with it #it's a shame oda never shows them but he has to have so many scars #one piece #black leg sanji #asl brothers #portgas d. ace #monkey d. luffy #revolutionary sabo #sabosan #<- my pookies

[chronicdisasterwrites]

silent love

pairing: levi ackerman x gn!reader

genre + warnings: - could be modern au or canon (you decide both works lol). no warnings, really. FLUFF. reader has tie-able hair.

word count: 518

authors note: this is my first ever attempt at writing a fanfic. I hope I could do our beloved Levi justice and apologies for calling him "old" twice LMFAO. and this isn't implying that reader is underage or anything (they're NOT underage pls), it's just funny to call levi "old".

I hope you enjoy <3

Most (read: all) people would agree - Levi was a cranky "old" man who enjoyed making tedious shit jokes, expressing his opinion in the most brutally straightforward way possible, and had absolutely no regard for untidy people who couldn’t clean a teaspoon to save their life. 

Levi would much rather do things himself instead of teaching someone the “correct” way of doing said things. His teaching method is also more so, “you teaching yourself after he points out what you did wrong” rather than, “here, see this is how you do it”. 

So, you found it endearing how he would go out of his way to actually demonstrate the proper way (according to him, anyways) of folding napkins, cleaning windows, or steeping the perfect cup of black tea. One time after you laughed at a particularly unfunny shit joke he made, you noticed from the corner of your eye how his gaze lingered on you for slightly longer than he would usually allow. And how after he turned his head away, the tips of his ears were a shade of the most adorable rosy pink. It threw you off for a second. Seeing Levi Ackerman, poker-faced and all, blushing? It got you noticing small things like these more and more. And one of the things you noticed was how he noticed small things about you too.

He would go off about how those pastries you like are “diabetes in a box” and would proceed to leave them in the fridge or your desk with your name scribbled in bold letters all over the box. He would deny it completely if approached about it though. He would keep an extra rubber band on him at all times because he noticed how you kept losing your own hair bands and how cranky you get if your hair got in your face. He would wait for you, walk with you in silence, and listen to you with the occasional hum to ensure you that he’s listening. 

These things aren’t grand love gestures in Levi’s eyes. He may not even know he loves you. But to him, it doesn’t really matter. He knows this feeling is new to him and that you are important to him. He just knows that he wants you to be safe, happy and doesn’t mind spending all his time with you. Even if it’s in silence. Even if you don’t know how he feels for you. Even if you never will, because he’s lost too many people in his life and couldn’t bear to lose you too. So he’d show you his love, instead of using his words. Because it’s easier that way and he still gets to protect you and love you in his own subtle loving way. 

So yes, Levi was still a cranky “old” man with an appreciation of ridiculous shit jokes, being straightforward and cleaning like his life depends on it. However, he would tone it all down for you. Although, if you knew this you’d tell him there’s no need to tone anything down. Because that’s the Levi you fell in love with.

#levi ackerman #levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #aot #aot levi #levi x you #levi x y/n

[amourduloup]

dear mari,

i just thougt of this documentary again and i'm curious whether you've seen it. it's about two brothers who have always been very close and share the same trauma. after one of them gets in a motorcycle accident, he wakes up remembering nothing except from his brother. he relies on his brother to teach him everything: how to ride a bike but also which people he is close is to and what his relationships look like. his brother is very aware of him not remembering the trauma they share and decides not to tell him about it, because he still suffers from it and wants to give his brother a new life, one without tainted memories.

i think the story is so delicately told. the way a brother raises his brother for the second time. trying to fill the holes in his memory with attention and love, but causing harm in his attempts to protect him. i felt so moved by it the first time i watched it and i think it might move you too.

much love!

(trigger warning: trauma and abuse)

Hello, dear 💖

Yes, I did watch that movie (and just rewatched it after reading your message). Actually, the person who first recommended it to me was my mom! I remember talking about it briefly on my blog at the time, or maybe I talked about it directly with a couple of mutuals.

It's such a sad and moving story. It says something about memory that feels strangely relatable. Something that stood out to me is that Alex (the one who forgets) wants to know exactly what happened not only to understand his own personal history, but because the secrecy separates them, and sharing it would bring them back together again. Marcus (the one who remembers) wants to give him the gift of a made up, happy childhood, but it makes Alex feel alone. They both emphasize that they see themselves as two parts of the same person, and this gap between them was eating at their insides.

One always wonders what it would mean to forget. Is it suddenly like it never happened or is there something that will be there always, even if you can't understand what it is? There are things we don't remember, and yet we know they're there.

I like that not much time was given to detail the abuse, and the documentary really focuses on the twins' relationship and how they finally overcome this horrible secret and find their way back to each other. I mean, they never stopped living side by side, but it's clear that they both felt there was an estrangement between them because they couldn't talk about what happened. Alex tells Marcus at the end that they're together again — they call the documentary a love story between two brothers, moreso than a story of abuse.

It's interesting that they worked through this by writing articles and books and, finally, making a documentary; that Marcus could only talk about if in front of a camera. It's like they needed these structures of storytelling. (Like how Alex became fascinated with photography; Marcus used photos to create a fake childhood; they found a picture that unravelled everything.)

A sad curiosity: they actually have two other siblings, a brother and a sister. At least one of them, their brother, was similarly abused but thought it'd only happened with him. He must've been so lonely. At times, watching the documentary, I was almost jealous of Marcus and Alex for having each other.

Thank you for thinking of me and sending me this message, dear. I hadn't thought about their story in a while, and there's something so moving about it.

#and i did not remember just how prominent tree imagery was #there's a shot of branches surrounding the shed... of course there is.

[itsclydebitches]

Oh man that was a doozy of an episode. I'll write a proper recap when I get to it, but I want to throw out some initial thoughts while it's fresh.

Warning, copious salt ahead.

The Jaune vs. Ruby fight... honestly, I'm way more Team Jaune here. Look, obviously Ruby is going through a very difficult time right now but 1. Jaune is not privy to most of that (he doesn't get to see her awful flashbacks like the audience does) and 2. He's been going through a "very difficult time" for several decades. He literally just watched a whole village of friends DIE because he helped defend Ruby against Neo's attack, right on the heels of her and the others completely dismissing that relationship. I literally don't care who's right about the tree, I care that our huntress heroes balked at the idea of spending even one day protecting defenseless civilians that were clearly very important to their friend WHILE he did all the dangerous work of looking for a way out for them all (the best of both worlds!). Then they had the gall to smile at him after he watched them perish and go, "They're not dead. It's what they wanted :)" They don't know that! Yang literally admitted just moments ago that they do not know what happens at the tree, but now they're 100% sure that the paper people have resurrected into a better state because that's a nice, simple narrative. Even if they were sure of what happens, that's still a terribly difficult loss to deal with. As they saw with the Prince, people can come back from the tree COMPLETELY different, with little of their original personalities intact. If that's not a kind of death I don't know what is.

I hate that Yang responds with, "Hate that!" when they learn that Jaune did them the honor of keeping them close, bestowing all their names onto his new family. I hate that they can't put themselves in his shoes for longer than a few seconds and jump straight to him being "crazy." I hate that they're lost and aimless in this world, Jaune has spent a lifetime mapping its secrets, and yet they decide that they can't count on him. Why? Because he failed to have an easy answer ready when they needed it and has failed to hide that - surprise - things have been difficult for the lifetime he's been fighting alone. As he himself says: how dare I fail to solve all our problems.

Toss in the fact that we've had eight Volumes of Ruby demanding leadership at every turn, displaying full confidence in front of Jaune and reassuring him that yes, she knows what she's doing. I have soooo many problems with how Jaune is written, but my god, looking at things from a purely in-world perspective, he has EVERY right to be pissed as hell at her. Ruby promised she knew what she was doing. Jaune defended her decisions to Ren. He was put into a position where (according to RWBY's "logic") he had to kill a friend. Then he's dropped into a horrific alternate reality - a result of Ruby's failed plan - and yet spends his life waiting for her return. He devotes himself to her: looking for her, trying to find a way out for her, keeping her weapon safe for her, naming a new friend after her, and yes, protecting people like she helped teach him to. Obviously the others are all a part of that too, but at its core Jaune has spent decades following Ruby's leadership, despite how badly it failed him.

And then what? After all those YEARS what does he see when they finally reunite? A Ruby who is ungrateful to have her weapon back, is dismissive of his life here, stands uselessly while the others fight the battle for her (again, Jaune can't see inside Ruby's head), and then when defending her results in the DEATH of his village? How does she respond?

"What about me?"

Ohhhh my god, girl!! Yeah, yeah, no one gets to plan their breakdown, but I was still seriously side-eyeing her "Is this a bad time for you?" Yes, Ruby, it is a bit of a bad time because a village of people just died and you're only concerned with how hard your own life is. Read the room a little? Jaune's "It's all about you!" was so satisfying, though his immediate apology afterwards was not. Honestly, let Ruby sit with this, please. As I've said this whole Volume, she'd have a leg to stand on if she'd actually been forced into this war: if Ozpin had manipulated her into joining Beacon, if fighting had been a necessity due to her silver eyes, if the adults around her hadn't said at every single turn: 'Stop wresting control you're not ready for and let us carry the load.' But she didn't. It's all about Ruby because Ruby MADE IT all about her, so no... to my mind she doesn't get to turn around and start complaining that others expect something of her. Especially when the expectations are so low like Jaune's, 'Can you maybe consider that I've been through hell for several decades, respect the life I've built here, and be grateful for what someone is offering you rather than complaining that things aren't perfect right off the bat?'

This episode was so weird for me because on the one hand it gave me a LOT that I've been looking for, but on the other hand it highlighted how much I've come to dislike the four main girls. Why are they disgusted with Jaune bestowing their names on new friends? Why do they dismiss him despite everything he's accomplished? Why does Yang plant herself in front of Blake when her baby sister is being mildly critical of her? (Plus, I'm really not a fan of this droopy-eared, people pleaser Blake. Bring back the fierce, opinionated fighter she used to be.) At least we're staying consistent with the group turning on each other and assuming they'll be attacked at the slightest provocation (yay Volume 6 callback). I made a note in my last recap that I loved the girls enjoying the chess battle together and that's largely because most of the time they don't act like friends, let alone family. WBY have been nothing but critical and dismissive of Ruby since they landed here. None of them have any real sympathy to offer Jaune. As much as I disagree with her overall stance in the face of what's happened, Ruby's "We're so happy for you" to Blake/Yang and her "Shut up" when Blake tries another stupid platitude were great. Thanks, sis, for only paying attention to your girlfriend lately and no thanks, Blake, you already kept me from trying to come up with a practical solution once this Volume. Another, "Things are bad, but..." isn't going to cut it anymore. They ALL treat each other so badly nowadays and I'm shocked whenever we get a group hug that supposedly conveys how much they truly love one another. Can't you all just be nice with more frequency? More of that wholesome support seen in the chess fight over the stupid gags, please.

(Actually, that's a big compliment I just thought of: the episode didn't interrupt the intensity of that fight with another joke. Great job.)

Of course, we're already seeing the seeds of the quick forgiveness: Jaune's immediate apology, Blake trying to be optimistic, all of them staring in concern as Ruby flies away. It looks like the writers have a general sense of the show's criticism, but not why that criticism exists. Yes, Ruby has gone through a lot and she has plenty of reasons to be frustrated and disappointed with her team, but Jaune is still right. I don't think the show is ever going to get that. Ruby has been positioned as the victim this entire Volume, the poor soul "forced" to shoulder this responsibility, everyone offer her comfort and sympathy with no acknowledgement of how this all came about... and having one (1) character say, 'No. You fucked up' doesn't change that underlying narrative. Jaune is just the new Ren, allowed to briefly pull back the curtain on Ruby's leadership, only to almost immediately pull it back. If anything, the fact that Ruby is upset at being leader just offers another layer of protection.

Ruby: I want to make the decisions!

Someone: We don't think that's a good idea, but it's kinda hard to stop you... Wait. Your decisions are bad.

Ruby: Excuse me? Don't you know how hard making decisions is? How can you criticize me when you don't know what it's like? I'm the victim here!

Ruby as a character is pretty impervious to real criticism now because everything she's ever done falls under the header of "The Leader." Once you position her as the victim of unwanted leadership (which again, she's not) it automatically absolves her of true responsibility. She never would have made bad decisions if she hadn't been forced to make all the decisions in the first place, ergo you're the problem for dragging this poor girl who was only trying to make the best of a terrible situation! Meanwhile I'm just

[gestures to Ruby eagerly agreeing to go to Beacon early]

[gestures to her arc where she rose to the challenge of being team leader]

[gestures to the fact that leadership/teams were kinda dissolved outside of Beacon and people only kept looking to Ruby because she demanded to be heard]

[gestures to her hunting down Cinder against Qrow's advice]

[gestures to "This is my fight too!"]

[gestures to her insisting on Jaune's stolen airship plan against Qrow's advice (again)]

[gestures to "We never needed adults to solve our problems!"] [gestures to her solely making the decision to lie to Ironwood and ignoring her teammate's disagreements]

[gestures to her being the face of hope for all of Remnant]

[gestures to her awful plan that made Penny human, forgot Cinder, and deliberately destroyed a Kingdom]

[gestures to the fact that Jaune is ALSO a team leader and ALSO has a personal grudge against the baddies and has ALSO spent longer than twice Ruby's lifetime playing the part of a literal #Hero trying desperately to keep people safe, only for her to show up, endanger his new family, not fight, and then the rest of her team tries to platitude their way through a 'It's not that bad' response to their deaths]

Man, if I were John I would have had a LOT more to say to this girl and her "What about me?" attitude alfkjasflajfds

#rwde #rwby #mymetas #okay this is a rant not a meta XD