Me: I'm a multishipper!

Also me: shipping every single person with Lucerys

Realistically speaking. The most likely way Oda would probably do the Dragodile Divorce would be by having Dragon be like, a respectful ally who is just unfortunately straight and can't see himself dating a man. The way Oda has been treating Dragon so far in the story it's hard to imagine him going off a transphobic deep end to cause a divorce. Like I can't imagine Oda doing that, with Dragon specifically.

But I'd be lying if I didn't admit I'd find the more horrific way for that divorce to go down to be a far more interesting story option.

Because, weirdly, I think that would actually humanize Dragon a little more and simultaneously make Crocodile more a sympathetic character by extension.

Like, right now, while we haven't seen That Much of Dragon, the little we have seen has been building him up as A Great Man in the narrative. Someone who wants to help people, someone with strong ideals and willpower, someone who wants to lead the world to a better direction. A great leader with a big heart, who cares for his friends and for justice, Luffy inheriting a lot of these wonderful traits directly from his father. Oda has been hyping Dragon up for years within the story. And in my mind, all of this is making Dragon feel less human. Like, we know of The Man, The Myth, The Legend, but he doesn't feel "real". That image of Dragon Oda has built in my mind seems too perfect. And I think that does come down to the fact that we don't know that much about Dragon, more specifically, we don't know about any flaws he might have as a human being.

And I'm not saying making Dragon transphobic would make him a better character. My actual argument would be that if Dragon fucked up hardcore even just once in his life and did something horrible, that would counterbalance the overwhealming amount of positive traits he already has going for him.

Like Dragon did bring up the concept of "living without regrets" (when telling Kuma he could leave the RA to stay with his daughter); yes, this is a callback to how Ace and Luffy had made a promise to each another after they learned Sabo had died, but I do feel like in some ways, having Dragon mention that concept is also meant to show another similarity between Dragon and Luffy. Another thing Luffy inherited from his father, an ideal, a will. And I think it would be so much more meaningful if Dragon made that a goal in his life after gaining things he regretted. After making a mistake he could never take back.

And I dunno man, reacting piss poorly to finding out your wife is now your husband and breaking his heart in the process would be one easy way to end up with some Regrets™.

Yes, there is the counter argument to be made that Dragon surely could never be transphobic considdering he's specifically allied with Iva-chan and the Kamabakka Queendom. It is also worth noting how often people claim to be Okay With The Queers but only as long as The Queers are Over There, only to do a complete 180 and lash out the second someone in their own family comes out. Mind you, again, I'm not arguing for Dragon to be fully transphobic (although that would also be an option). Like maybe he had just a horrible kneejerk reaction or a slip of the tongue, one that he regretted immidiately after he realized what he had fucking done. (Hell, if Crocodile transitioned without warning and Dragon couldn't recognize him when reuniting, depending on the situation he could've even tried attacking Croc.) But it'd be too late, there'd be no fixing what he had broken. He'd be just stuck living with the consequences of the worst mistake of his life. (Also it's been almost 20 years in-universe. Even if Dragon had been fully transphobic, there's been plenty of time for him to do some soul searching and grow as a person, especially when surrounded by Iva-chan and co.)

Another thing is that... Look. If the Cis Heterosexual Dragon was Morally Pure and Never Did Anything Wrong In His Life, while the Gay Transgender Man Crocodile was ~evil~ and he was the one who had commited countless war crimes against people etc etc. Like. You get how that'd look. Especially when all the "good queers" in OP so far have been pre-transition, while Crocodile would be the first named character who has fully transitioned. 'Cause like. The mere act of transition is so often seen as morally deprived and corrupt, and yeah Crocodile is a cartoon villian. Just... having this one thing, one fucking time, where we can say for 100% sure that Crocodile wasn't the one in the wrong, and that it was the other party that did something horrible, would be kind of nice.

Also like. We don't know how the Dragodile Divorce went down and how Luffy ended up in Dragon's hands, like did Crocodile trans his gender before handing over the baby to Dragon or after. Almost regardless, but especially if he did transition before handing over the baby... Like... Crocodile is not stupid. He should have understood that Dragon fell in love with a woman, and thus his choise to transition could end their relationship. Yes, a younger Crocodile may have been a bit more naïve and trusting, but to me, it'd feel absurd if Crocodile didn't considder it at least a possibility. This man thinks everything through with utmost care, he comes up with backup plans for his backup plans. Surely he would have expected it.

So to me like

Croc thinks nothing will change -> Dragon politely breaks up -> Crocodile goes off to commit warcrimes

Would be like, the worst way things could go down. I would hate that chain of events, not gonna lie

Croc thinks nothing will change -> Dragon goes off the deepend -> Warcrimes

Croc assumes/knows things will change -> Dragon politely breaks up -> Warcrimes

Croc assumes/knows things will change -> Dragon goes off the deepend -> Warcrimes

^Would be all much more preferable options, for me at least, because the end result of the warcrimes won't seem like a result of Crocodile transitioning, it's not caused by him being a morally corrupt queer. At fucking most, in the first of those three scenarios you could blame Dragon for the warcrimes because he's the one who arguably broke Crocodile's psyche. But the other two? IDK it'd feel less like the warcrimes were a result of him throwing a fit over someone not wanting to date a trans person. Like the warcrimes came to be for completely separate reasons and have nothing to do with Dragon and getting rejected for being trans.

I dunno I'm probably not even making any sense at this point

The point is. If Crocodad Real and if there was indeed a Dragodile Divorce (only assuming because of Croc's ringfinger status) (Same for Dragon now that I think about it)

I think Dragon fucking up would make him more interesting as a character and Crocodile more symphathetic than if Dragon did everything perfectly.

That's it, that's the post, oyasumimir

i can handle ppl not shipping what i ship. im not a child. im not insane. but what the fuck do u MEAN ppl just "dont see" vamery what the fuck do u MEAN i get so baffled when ppl go "theyr better as friends!" like what are u TALKING ABOUT bro how wrapped up in vashwood are u that u genuinely dont see them absolutely adoring and admiring eachother bro???????? how do u not see that care and warmth how the FUCK is that indirect kiss purely platonic to u how are u seeing vashwood and not also seeing vamery like they go hand in hand to me he loves them both and they both love him its so nuts to me that some ppl will be so head over heels for one but the other is purely platonic to them. how. literally how. the pairings are SO linked to me and the way they parallel is so beautiful and massively enhances the story. please. try again. ou my god. fuck man. what the fuck

they could've easily touched on gay rights in the uk; mentioned the first pride parade, maybe chas losing a friend during the aids crisis if they wanted to stick with the theme of grief

but i guess doing the bare amount of research, or even speaking to your gay friend who Grew Up In These Times, is too difficult

Pick me up?

Pairing: Dean Winchester & daughter!reader (she/her)

Requested by: @gabrielasilva1510

Word Count: 798

Warnings: crying, hurt/comfort (heavy on the comfort though)

Summary: Your night makes a turn for the worse. But you have a dad who actually picks up his phone and listens

A/N: look who's not dead (me). I decided to abandon the tag list because I'm not sure how updated it is anymore

This was worse than any monster he had ever faced before, Dean decided. Certain death by the next most freaky thing this world could come up with? A piece of cake compared to this.

His little girl. His pretty, brave, witty daughter shaking with gutwrenching sobs, clinging to his jacket like her life depended on it - mere seconds after he'd stopped the car in front of the house she and her friends had gone to for the night.

Dean wanted to go back into that frat-house, and find the fucker who made his girl cry like that. But Y/N was here, holding onto him, and if there was one thing he had learned on the road, then it was to know when to pick your battles.

So he didn't act on the violent thoughts threatening to cloud his mind and instead hugged Y/N tighter. He cupped the back of her head, easing over the messy up-do that must have come undone at some point of her night out, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Seeing Y/N smile again was more important than finding the cause of her tears. For now.

But it was freezing here, and he had a perfectly functioning car right behind him. A car Dean knew his daughter loved just as much as he did.

"Sweetheart, how do you feel about getting out of here?"

She burrowed her head deeper into his chest and nodded. "Please, dad."

So he carefully extracted himself from the hug and followed her around the car to open the door for her. She slid in without another word and immediately curled up in the seat.

It tore at his heart. To see his outgoing daughter - the same girl who'd faced down a phalanx of angry ghosts while giving her uncle shit for his fighting techniques - so small. Dean took off his jacket, draped it over her frame and got in the car himself before she could comment.

The first few miles, he let the radio wash over them, pretending that he didn’t hear the quiet sniffles from the passenger seat. Dean didn't have a particular destination in mind - and he didn't need one. Y/N was much like Sam in that aspect - she didn't need space, she needed background noise, and a moving vehicle to stop her mind from spinning. And what was better than the low rumble of the impala and abandoned roads?

Soon, Y/N was drumming her fingers on her knees in time with the song, and Dean knew the worst was over.

He dared to look over at her fully now. "Wanna talk about it?"

She snorted. "That's Sam's line."

"Watch it," he threatened playfully, almost embarrassed by the all-consuming relief he felt at that little laugh.

"You watch it, old man." She shot back, but she was smiling as well.

The smile faltered as a thought, or maybe a memory, crossed her mind, and Y/N leaned her head against the window. The street lights illuminated the tear tracks on her cheeks. "I don't wanna talk about it."

No. That just wouldn't do. His daughter was not allowed to be sad, and Dean was about to find out who would pay for this.

"Sweetheart -"

"Please, dad." She tugged his jacket higher around her shoulders. "Not tonight. I don't want to think about it anymore."

After a long moment, Dean sighed. It wasn't like screaming would help. She'd just get stubborn and close off.

It wasn't even like Dean wanted to rage. Not at her, at least.

So he took a few deep breaths like Sam had advised him to (and gotten mercilessly ridiculed for) and nodded. "Okay. Not tonight."

Y/N smiled genuinely for the first time since she called him crying. "Thank you. For coming and picking me up."

Dean reached over and squeezed her knee. "That's what dads are for, Y/N. I'll always come when you need me."

He would. He'd promised her when she was just a wrinkly frowny ball of newborn, tiny eyes blinking up at him in that wretched hospital. Dean would be there for his daughter, whether it was guns blazing and fighting or nights curled up under blankets with only chocolate and heating pads - because growing up was a lonely affair without someone you could hold onto. But his little girl would never have to find that out firsthand. Dean made sure of that.

"So you'll agree to watch Mamma Mia with me?" She looked at him hopefully, knees pulled up on the seat, her eyes still red and swollen. "Auntie Charlie got me the DVD, and it really would cheer me up now. Please, dad?"

Dean groaned. Since when had she gotten so devious?

"Fine, you little monster."

Billy Batson related question, as always! How do you think the League would react to Black Adam knowing who the Captain is, especially when they don’t even know? (The relationship between Billy and Teth doesn’t matter, they could be allies or enemies).

Billy Batson related questions are my personal favorites!

The idea of the Justice League not knowing who Captain Marvel's secret identity is always makes me giggle :D it's the layer of mystery and unknown danger that presents itself behind not knowing who the Big Red Cheese is that keeps them on edge sometimes. They admire their friend, but sometimes they do wonder, are they his friend? What is he? An alien? A human? A monster beneath the disguise of a man? Three kobolds in a trenchcoat? Nobody knows... They do wish to get to know their friend better.

Normally, most league members have their secret identities kept, you know, a secret. With the exception that Batman knows, of course. However, even he remains stumped on this mystery. He doesn't enjoy not knowing who Captain Marvel is behind the boy scout smile he often shines, but Batman is determined to find out one day. There's almost some respect for how well the Captain manages to hide his identity and tracks.

Meanwhile, Billy is surprised he's lasted this long with a secret identity. He's working with a braincell, half an oreo cookie, and a dream.

I got sidetracked, ack! Okay, so the relationship (depending on which version of Captain Marvel and Black Adam you are familiar with) is almost always going to be personal. There's their shared relationship with the wizard Shazam, but the one I'm most familiar with and enjoy is Black Adam being the one to have killed Billy's parents. (Also, I appreciate you separating the identity of Black Adam and Teth!)

It would be absolutely amazing and gutwrenching to see Captain Marvel shake hands with a "reformed" Black Adam, possibly during a public setting with the JL in attendance, fully knowing the truth behind his parents murders and still going through with the painful decision to let him go unpunished.

For Billy, this hurts. On a deep level that scars his heart and soul for allowing his parents deaths to go unavenged. For the years of pain, he spent alone on the streets homeless and separated from his twin sister, none of it can be fully healed no matter how hard he tries to forget. Scars fade over time, but to Billy, time is eternity. This pain will follow him for eternity.

However, as Captain Marvel, he understands that there's more to the situation that he can't control, and fighting Black Adam would only make things worse. With the wisdom of Solomon, he knows he can't justify a fight against the ruler of a nation, no matter what. So he just smiles for the camera and shakes the hand of the man who orphaned him.

It is through holding Black Adam's hand that the thought passes through his mind: the hand he's holding right now was once stained with the blood of his parents.

Then, the heroes are given a moment of privacy to be around each other without the public's eyes or ears to interfere, and that's when **** hits the fan.

Captain Marvel is avoiding Black Adam, understandably, but when Black Adam loudly calls out his name among the other heroes, Billy can't help but feel rage boil inside his divine blood.

"William. I thought you knew better than to ignore others when they're trying to talk to you. Such rudeness, I am most glad your parents were not the ones to raise such behavior in you."

Whispers among the league ensues. Was that the Captain's name? Did Black Adam know Captain Marvel on a personal level rather than just a regular hero and nemesis level? Despite the eyes watching them, waiting and prepared to step in case of a fight, the Captain grits his teeth and, through miserable eyes of a broken man, chooses to smile.

"Yeah, they really were good people, Adam. I may not live up to their expectations, but I do live for them. Every day. I suppose I have you to thank for that."

"Your gratitude is most welcome, William. May one day come where you live for Mary and Frederick, as well. They would appreciate you honoring them."

Through a wicked smile, Black Adam chuckles, turning his back to take his leave back to Khandak. Leaving Captain Marvel still smiling all alone, his fists at his side curled with rage, drawing his own divine blood from the intensity of his own strength.

After that, the league would be in all rumors and whispers about Captain Marvel. From the past, they knew that Black Adam was fond of taunting the Captain with strange and mean words during their harrowing battles, but had it all been a personal dig at him all this time? Did Black Adam have a hand in accidentally giving Captain Marvel the motivation to become a hero?

Superheroes like Batman would immediately be looking into any information they learned from this and try to decipher what is the truth behind the Captain. Or should he say, "William," now having a name to the face of the hero of Fawcett. He would also be investigating Black Adam far more closely now, should the reformed man ever step out of line. If he heard right and Black Adam had indeed killed the Captain's parents, then he needed to keep an eye on Captain Marvel, too. In case of a breakdown or instability in emotions.

On the other hand, heroes like the Flash and Superman would take the time to visit the Captain in his city and check on him. They'd be concerned after seeing how pained Captain Marvel was. If a villain like Black Adam knew who the Captain was and specifically chose not to reveal his true identity to the public and just the Justice League, then perhaps there was more to it. Superman knew as well how painful it was to let a guilty man go free because he was deemed "reformed" in the eyes of the public (Lex Luthor, ew).

Overall, there would be a whole range of emotions after finding out Black Adam knows who Captain Marvel is. And I am here for it!

random hc; reader and Finnick basically fighting their way through life because hey what's love without some gutwrenching arguments in a do or die situation lmao I like making Finnick suffer sorry.

on darker days, Finnick's eyes didn't stray far from the clock.

something about the constant ticking, the constant background noise lingered in the back of his mind. his eyes would stray to them as he tried to focus on his book, when his body was shadowed by a man older and bigger than his entire existence, when you demanded to know, to just please know, why he constantly betrayed you, mind and body and soul and heart.

his eyes strayed to them as he wished time would speed up just a little more so they could once again be at that stage where his lover, his heart, the very reason he even bothered to continue breathing would just accept that he had needs outside of you. that there was nothing you could to to keep him from satisfy his lust. Better this than dead, he always reasoned to himself on the worst of the nights. Better a cheater than a murderer, he would tell himself, his face buried in one of your sweaters as you stormed out into the rain, disgusted with the lack of answers, disgusted with the callousness with which he handled your heart.

So oblivious to how he picked apart his own with poison darts to keep yours untainted.

Anyway the fact that Stede began this season fearing more than anything that Ed’s life was better without him in it. Only for Ed to seemingly confirm this when he leaves. Gutwrenching.

thinkin bout kumatora & postgame claus

How surreal it must be - after fighting for their lives against the Masked Man multiple times - for Claus to suddenly be airdropped into Kumatora's periphery. How she knew, quite possibly from the first time she laid eyes on him, who he really was. But she refused to intervene, couldn't bring herself to tell Lucas, bitterly resigned herself to writing him off as a lost cause. Now, against all odds or reason, he's still here. And he's literally just a scared broken kid.

The fact he looks just like Lucas is probably beyond gutwrenching. Kuma traveled their whole tiny fuckin' world with Lucas at her side, put all her trust in him, welcomed him into her life as her dearest friend. She came to admire his bravery. She saw his innocence pitted against everyone else's cruelty, and swore to protect him. And now there's this kid - who shares his face - who got kidnapped and chopped up and stitched back together with incorrect metal parts. Got fucking lobotomized, totally mind wiped - everything Kuma finds wholesome and earnest and lovable about Lucas was ripped away from Claus. One of his eyes is sick with exhaustion, the other's some intrusive mechanical mockery they stuffed into his mess of scars. Even just glancing at him probably invokes horrific hypotheticals and gruesome imagery in Kumatora's head, what if they'd done that to Lucas, if they'd done that to Lucas she'd burn down the whole fucking planet Earth!! And why shouldn't she, when they did it to his identical twin brother?! And Claus flinches at the way she looks at him, senses her telepathic fury - probably thinks she's vying for vengeance against him, for what he did to her friends and her family - and he wouldn't blame her! And Kumatora's gotta stand up and leave the room, before her tears start boiling over.

How Claus tries his darndest to rekindle his old self, tryin to cast necromancy on his goofy childhood sense of humor, the boisterous little schmuck he used to be. He musters toothy grins, he attempts reckless stunts, he pokes fun at his brother. And sure, Kuma's heard plenty of stories from Lucas about that funny ol' farm boy. She's sharp as a knife though. She can tell Claus is forcing it. But somehow the effort is all the more tragic, even endearing, maybe even relatable. Hasn't she been putting up a tough front all this time, too? While she too oughtta be grieving her family? Claus cracks some corny-ass joke, and she catches the dry strain in his awkward tweenage voice. But she laughs with him anyways. And reaches over to ruffle his stupid orange hair.

He has trouble sleeping, often plagued by night terrors, and insomnia, and all the strange aches in his mangled and mutilated body. Kuma has trouble sleeping, too. It's hard to shut her brain up at night, now that her whole universe has been twisted inside out and turned on its head. While Lucas snoozes like a pile of rocks, she stays up to accompany his brother. They try to talk about everything besides the shit that's happened to them. If not just for their own sakes, for each others'. She'd like to take his mind off it, if she can. When he tells another dumb joke, this time about how badly Duster's socks reek, she blinks. Recognizing he's tryin' to do the same for her. His strains and migraines sometimes steal away his humor, his sleep, and even his breath. Kuma's got PSI Lifeup. Not as potent as Lucas'. But she'll offer what she can. Mixolydia taught her to knead tension from temples, and how to give a halfway decent shoulder massage. She's mortified to discover his muscles are just as tense as the steel on the other side. She tries to laugh that off, too. And hold back another round of broiling tears, when he musters a weak chuckle in reply.

Claus should've known the "tough older brother" schtick wasn't built to last. They're twins, for christ's sake. A difference of fourteen minutes doesn't make him any more reliable, doesn't make him a better protector, doesn't charge him with any more responsibility than Lucas. Still, the cutesy mythos their family and neighbors'd built around the two of them stays lodged in his chest. Alongside the bygone image of his wimpy younger twin, cryin' his guts out over a scraped knee. Claus' failure feels immense, unconscionable, treachery of the highest degree. Somehow, though? Havin' a big sister almost seems to balance the scales. Puts it all into clearer perspective. He used to wear 'eldest sibling' as a badge of honor. These days, he's relieved to find the burden's not quite all his. Kuma guides both twins to trespass with her on a high rooftop. And catches Lucas by the collar, when a clumsy overstep nearly has him slippin' off the edge.

She confesses her darkest secret, on one of those sleepless nights. Tells him she knew from the start, that Lucas had a twin. Put the pieces together the minute she saw him, leering down from that airship, his helmet gleaming in the sun. And her molten tears finally get the better of her - "damn it" - when she reckons she might couldda saved him, freed him that much sooner, kept him from havin' to fight his brother - if only she'd been brave enough to say so. Probably not, really. But maybe. Kumatora may expect somethin' akin to vengeance, in the way he looks at her. She wouldn't blame him. He shakes his head, though. Says he's sorry, too - for what he did to her family. That maybe each n' every one of 'em would still be here, if not for him. Probably not. But maybe. When she lost Ionia, Kumatora'd been convinced there was no one left in this world who would love her. She's starting to realize these days that she was gravely mistaken. She's not only loved, but needed. It's a warm, curious, brand new feeling in her chest. Deep in Claus' guts, twisted as it all seems, some part of him is just glad someone recognized the kid in the mask.

They hug it out. And maybe wrestle a little, before falling asleep at dawn.

hi with the current leaks of 417, do you think vestiges are completely erased from existence but i know that they got transferred to tomura but i hope it's not the end for all of them especially Nana and also do you think that nana and tenko would atleast have an interaction? i love your leak reactions btw. 417 was gutwrenching

Thank you anon! I agree, this chapter brought the PAIN. To answer your q, I don’t think the vestiges are perma-gone. At least, I really hope not, because I still want Tenko and Nana to interact, just like you. I need Nana to know that, before AFO’s distortions, Tenko DID want to be a hero. He was THRILLED she was his grandmother and wanted to know more about her. I also want Toshinori to see Nana and let them both have closure. She may have made a mistake in adopting out Kotaro, and Toshinori may have made a mistake in never meddling in Nana’s family affairs, but they both did their best and don’t hold anything against each other. Now that they know better, I’m sure they’ll do the right things for Tenko.

As for why I don’t think the vestiges are perma-gone yet, we know:

(1) AFO and OFA are resonating and can see inside each other. It goes both ways too. Shigaraki can see En inside Izuku, for example. It follows that Izuku should be able to see his vestige buddies inside Shigaraki, if they choose to appear

(2) But they’re shattered and gone! How can they reappear??? Well, remember how All Might can see/hear what’s happening inside Izuku AND Shigaraki? He learns about the black mass and scar inside Shigaraki from Star’s vestige (who was gone but then manifested somehow to become our reporter on the scene, coming to you live from inside Shigaraki’s soul). All Might also learns about OFA “unraveling” from within Izuku. Is it his status as a former OFA holder that’s letting him see & hear both sides? Or does he have more than one vestige??? All Might’s vestige is different from the other vestiges because it’s not tied to a quirk factor. It’s more like a spiritual essence or embodiment of willpower, so there COULD be more than one. To recap, “dead” vestiges can reappear within the same physical body when THEY have something urgent to say/do, plus there’s an Aura Might wildcard. “Its very will finds its way to me” indeed.

(3) Throwing the vestiges at Shigaraki so hard that they “shatter into nothing” is Kudo’s theory. The vestiges don’t actually know what will happen, because nobody’s ever done this before. Notably, Kudo points out this tidbit:

…WITHOUT GIVING [SHIGARAKI] CONTROL OVER MY POWER, he says. Ah, but what if….what if our heroes need for Tenko to use that power? Or what if, like the Sports Festival, Izuku is incapacitated and needs a lil vestige jolt? Or, what if Izuku needs the various vestiges inside AFO (the quirk) to help free Tenko in the first place?

Basically, between these 3 things, I feel like Horikoshi can cook up whatever he needs in order to have our vestige friends appear one more time. He’s laid the groundwork for it to make enough sense in-universe. I don’t know if the vestiges, OFA, and AFO will survive the ending of the series (cynically, I think it depends on the sequel/spinoff possibilities the publisher will undoubtedly want to explore), but I feel pretty confident that the vestiges will reappear to fight one more time, just like Ochako, Shoto, Tenya, Katsuki, Himiko, and Toya.

Yo, what do you think about jasper, her arc and character as a whole?

(Also your explanation of pearl was so good I loved it)

oooo good question!

jasper, imo, is a very good portrayal of an abuser. she's so realistic, dude. she isn't evil, mustache twirling. she's a person who's abusive and THATS what makes her relationship with lazuli gutwrenching. because it's something you'd see in real life. it's not black and white. it's two deeply fucked up and traumatized people hurting each other. it's not good vs evil. it's two people who are horrible for each other.

jasper is just. extremely realistic to me. she's someone who hurts people around her to make them stay, to make them look at her and admit that she's strong. she needs constant external validation because nothing fills that void in her life of someone treating her better. she hurts everyone and then is crushed by them leaving. she's so interesting because she NEEDS people near her but shes the one shoving them out. she's the one constantly hurting them and they leave to get away from being mistreated. it's. she has so much pressure and experiences so much constant mistreatment and she's convinced it's what makes her strong, it's what makes her special. to admit she's hurting would be to be weak. she convinces herself anyone leaving is a sign of weakness. it's not because of *her*, it's not because what she's like is bad. because admitting how she treats people is wrong is admitting how SHE was treated is wrong. and she can't do that. she can't handle reevaluating her entire identity being the next battle and the next fight and how much pain she can take. she can't let herself even consider changing, because that means admitting she was miserable. and only a weak gem would hate how they're supposed to be.

she's a victim and an abuser, those things aren't mutually exclusive and I wish people wouldn't act like they were. she was hurt so fucking badly, and she also hurt so many people so fucking badly.

her "everyone I fuse with leaves me" was haunting, man. it's, again, a very accurate depiction of an abuser who was caught in the cycle. you want to grab her and shake her and say, stop you're hurting yourself you're ruining your own life. but she refuses to see it and she refuses to get better and it. hurts to watch.

I see her as a cautionary tale. nobody can force you to change. YOU have to look at yourself and ask if you're the problem. YOU have to look at how you treat others before you scream that they left you. YOU have to look at your life and ask, is this what I want?

she's a cautionary tale and works well as one.

there is one thing I don't really like and that's how her being shattered was handled? her being shattered completely and then some how brought back was. Cheap, ngl. although her reaction to being shattered was. fucking terrifying. obviously from stevens point of view but also it's just so fucking telling about her mental state. she romanticized being shattered. she romanticized the thought of dying gloriously in battle. she respected steven for shattering her. it's just. fucking *horrifying.* did she WANT to be shattered? holy shit, is jasper suicidal ? the implications are. Awful. I don't want her to be around the others because she keeps hurting them but at the same time I'm going "someone fucking HELP her!" but she doesn't WANT help and it's. it's fucking hard to watch. she's so set on her own destruction and it's physically painful. she can't get better until *she* decides she wants to. that's the only way her pains going to stop.

I also don't like the way steven shattered her. I wish it was portrayed more how his thoughts of shattering white was. his anger, his trauma towards her, his hatred of how much pain she gave him and the fact he's just supposed to be FINE with it now. shattering jasper, though it told us a lot about her, ultimately felt repetitive? because I mean, we already get steven's urge to shatter white. and it's handled a little better. maybe steven going too far and severely damaging jaspers gem and her still being impressed to make the audience go "jasper wtf are you good" and "OH SHIT STEVEN" at the same time, while also adding more weight to his anger at white diamond,, I dunno, this is my scattered ramblings.

I get why some people wanted a redemption arc for jasper. I don't think there was enough time to make a satisfying one. I do think she could potentially heal still, but she HAS to realize it herself. everyone keeps trying to give her tools to heal, she refuses to take them. she has to start working on herself. I'm not against a jasper redemption whatsoever, hell I think if done right it could be good.

a thing I do want to say though, FUCK the idea of her getting back with lapis. they are *horrible* for each other. and I mean this both ways. both of them hurt and traumatized each other. lapis was miserable with her and *jasper was too.* they both can heal but they need to do that completely separately thank you very much.

confession, I have an OC named jasper so I was VERY confused by this ask at first. was about to write a five page essay on him. oops 😭 I have to refer to this jasper as jasper (gem) with my friends. which is also hard considering a nickname for jasper (OC) IS gem. and ironically in the steven universe au me and one friend are working on, jasper (oc) is a pearl, not a jasper, and it's. Yeah! we are so good at this.

hope you enjoyed my scrambled ramblings ksgdldjdk. sorry for disjointedness this isn't like a professional meta or anything it's just me rambling about a cool show.

(ask me things!)

Why doesn't Blossom just. leave? Idk if that sounds weird since you have talked about how the clans essentially function like a cult (although this was in reference to starclan), but if Blossom feels so completely isolated and shut off, why not just. Run away.

Blossom literally gets told 'no one cares about you, why not just disappear?", and the clan does NOTHING to say otherwise, and their silence is basically agreement. Suicide tw, to someone who is already at their lowest, or just climbing out of it at least, that line could have horrible implications- you dont matter, just fade away, no one would notice, etc. Idk if that was intended (ashfur seems like the kind of asshole who would intend it but i dont think you intended it), but. yeah its horrible.

Since im believing it wasn't intended, maybe change it? Emptycry could work (instead of 'no one cares, you're a waste of space' its 'your words are empty, be quiet'), or maybe naming her Rottedpetal- the flowers have been shredded, and now they have begun to rot instead of growing anew. Or, if you want to keep the name, Blossom snaps and decides that he's speaking the truth- so she leaves. Maybe she becomes a loner (does the lake territories even HAVE any loners that function similar to Barley, Ravenpaw, Smudge, etc???), or joins another clan (i highly doubt this since the other clan would eventually learn of 'clearface' and start calling her that again, or worse kick her out for breaking the code), OR she becomes a kittypet, completely willing to trade freedom just to be loved.

...forgive me but I feel like a lot of people are missing the point of Dishonor Titles and why and how Ashfur uses them.

Ashfur is picking the cruelest possible names he can think of exactly because he wants the people who oppose him to be broken. He is finding a character's deepest insecurity and putting it on full display, forcing the other cats in the Clan to join in on his mental abuse to set them against each other.

This serves the purpose of showing that Ashfur is even worse than Bramblestar, and that he is very perceptive of people's insecurities.

The cruelty is the point. These titles from the Impostor aren't meant to be petty, they are meant to be gutwrenching.

Why does Blossomfall not leave? Because her entire family is here. Father, siblings, three children, any friendships she's finally started working on. She had to beg to come back in on their grace and she will not get another chance. Random humans aren't an option. It hurts but she eats it, knowing her only options are to take it for the next two weeks or be exiled forever.

If she was going to leave because of the name, then that is something Bramblefake can use as well. "Codebreakers are weak cats. She couldn't handle having her disrespect thrown back at her and cared more about her pride than her Clan. A traitor twice, now a traitor thrice."

But things were just finally starting to get better for her, and she's not willing to leave her entire life behind for the exciting opportunity to... live alone in the woods. Not yet.

She becomes a rebel later, but not yet.

i think what really makes this manga work is how it handles the relationship between yuri and aono. it's this perfect balance of exquisite tenderness that makes your heart ache and the most unsettling, gutwrenching horror--you're like. yuri's such a good fucking kid who deserves better but who truly believes that she doesn't because of her sister's abuse and because she's persuaded that what's happening to aono is somehow her fault. aono isn't evil and clearly wants this all to stop but he's quite literally possessed and he has no other anchor than yuri and the more he struggles the worse it gets and you have no idea just how thing the dividing line is between his "real" self and the thing that wears his face and enjoys hurting yuri. and like, they have their friends but the adults in their lives have never been there for them, have consistently fucked them up and failed them. and it also sucks because like, in some ways aono's presence has made yuri better--more assertive and ready to stand up for herself, more willing to enjoy the small things in life--but it's also such a mindfuck and she takes all of this when she deserves none ofit. and yuri is the sole point of light in aono's current predicament especially as he gradually remembers how bad things with his mom but he's also quite literally eating her alive. and the moments of tenderness are so well crafted they make your heart ache and you get it! you get why these two kids want to be together. and then anything else happens and you want them apart, desperately so, you want aono *gone* and at peace and not cold but also far far away from yuri. but it's also unfair, because how much of it is his fault? of course he's terrified of his mother catching up with him. of course he'll beg yuri to shield and protect him at the expense of her life while his mother crawls towards the two of them. it's so unfair and messy and gutwrenching. and the small moments of genuine tenderness and clinging just make it that much worse

As a complete novice to vns who has never read one but is interested, what vns would you consider a must read?

Fate/stay night is remarkable for being both an amazing entrypoint and a star in the genre. a fantastic and emotional piece of fiction that, to this day, remains widely respected as one of the best vns out there. Hollow Ataraxia, the pseudo-sequel, is also an extremely high recommendation

Higurashi and Umineko! albeit maybe not as your first, since Higurashi can be a bit of a slow burn. Umineko is a love letter to mystery novels, written as a mystery that interrogates the very nature of mystery and narrative itself, asking "what makes us want to know the truth in the first place?"

this one is strongly not recommended as your first and manages to tick nearly every conceivable content warning, but Full Metal Daemon Muramasa is a gutwrenching tragedy about justice, self righteousness, fascism, and mecha samurai with jet engines strapped to their backs

similar notes for Subarashiki Hibi, which is an incredible existentialist nightmare wrapped up in staring at a beautiful blue sky. definitely put it on your list, but maybe not as your first foray. or do! who knows what you're looking for better than yourself?

there are honestly lots more, but I'm typing this while cooking, so it's gonna be a little scatterbrained

CHARACTER BINGO. EACH PURP.

RAHHH EXPLODES YOU WITH MY MKND

(having a Social Cues™️ moment and genuinely cannot tell if you mean the purps as in. genuinely the purps or the purps as a bit and you actually mean pd. but they’re. the same people so)

wiwi my beloved. i hate him so much she makes me so homophobic. i need to throw william wisp into oncoming traffic i need to put her in the microwave i need to fucking. herhjjwfjjejg

i want the gender though. no clue if this bitch is transmasc or transfem but he’s gender as fuck. the he/she ever user. to me.

VYNCENT SOL <3 there is something DEEPLY wrong with that man. i need to crack its brain open and figure out what is going on in there.

only reason why i like fanon slightly better is cause sometimes they give him a tail and i think it’s super cute.

i want to put this motherfucker in a jar and observe him. seriously what the fuck is WRONG with him i love it so much. vyncent sol is so he/it/any coded btw.

DKAOTA MOTHERFUCKING COLE PHIOGHOEKNFMAMFMWM BAKRBAKRBAKRBALRBAKRNANRKABRKABRK

ohhhh i am. SOOO NROMAL. SOOO CALM. ABOUT THIS LITTLE FUCKING MOTHERFUCKER OH MYOGD HE MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME. HE IS. LITERALLG MEEEE. GRABBING. HIM AND AND SHAKING HIM IN MY MOUTH LKE A CHEW TOY OUIGIGOHKSNFHWJ.

CAPABLE OF NO WRONG. I SUPPORT DAKOTA COLE RIGHTS AND WEONGS. HE DESERVES TO KILL A BITCH BUT ALSO IT WOULD DESTROY HIM TO DO SO. GHGGGGGNGNEJFFJJRJGN. DAKOTA COLE DEISGNED TO KILL ME SPECIFICIALLY. THE TBOY EVER IN FACT.

ASHE WINTERS. HELLO AHSE WINTERS I LVOE ASHE WONTERS I WOULD DIE FOR ASHE WINRERS <33

i like fanon more because fanon IS canon to me. you cannot convince me that ashe winters is a cis man

she means. the world to me. her and her father drive me UP THE FUCKING WALL. bizly and yakko had NO right to create such a gutwrenching father/daughter relationship. was screaming about if before but don’t get me started on how they used the TLOU soundtrack for a lot of ashe + mark interactions

transfem ashe winters. dies. t4t demonkicks OIIGIGISKGKSJRKWJFJMWNVMWJRJ SOBS AND THROWS UP

I'm cooking a fic I'll probably never write in my brain where Vex is doing alright y'know, she's got a beautiful new home, the world has been saved yet again, and her favorite people are all safe and accounted for (all but one, y'know), and Vesper is a joy to watch growing up, and then the first in a series of bombs.

She starts feeling sick and the feeling at that point is half 'do I know this? Don't I remember this?' and half 'dear god I have the plague.' so she and Percy head to Pike and after a brief commune, Pike with all the gentleness she can bring to bear tells them the great news, she's pregnant. And so is the pause. Percy is the first to get up in arms about it, and her solemn face, "what is it?"

"...you are pregnant. With twins. A boy and a girl."

And suddenly it all becomes clear. The joy of that knife and its gutwrenching twist and Vex understands the look on Pike's face because she feels it on her own, how very ironic. And he's not here to see this funny twist of fate. How ironic that she's currently creating another soul set on four legs, another heart broken in half like a sweet for them to share, another...and how ironic that time loops so perfectly again, already, with her in her own shoes and her mother's both.

And Vex and Percy sit with this news for a moment, there are tears of sorrow and tears of elation and Vex takes a second to walk through the woods and think and plan and mourn a little, and Percy let's her go with his head all full of his own twin siblings. He offered to come with her, his heart traipsing off into the Parchwoods would be better with company, but she declines and he goes back to home and Cass and Vesper to wait.

He really doesn't have to wait too long. What comes back isn't Vex though for a moment he thinks it might be, what comes back is worse. He thought the last time was bad, when he didn't recognize his own brother for a hair's breadth, when he was so very changed by his service, but this is worse. Vax, face ringed with raven's feathers and eyes black and that boney plantlike growth shielding his shoulders like epaulettes he knows Vax wouldn't ever wear, with a face more alive then it was in years, storms into his office in a flurry of shadow with a small string clenched in his fist and instead of joy and yelling and hugs, all Percy gets is a curt, "where is she?"

Which is so fun y'know, Scanlan can't cast wish anymore so your long dead brother who you weren't even supposed to see the last time is here and he can't even enjoy it because Vax isn't talking about Vesper, he could only be talking about one person, and she's been gone for almost two hours and he couldn't even have thought to raise the alarm for at least another two and what does that mean- and Vax, as is his wont, opens his fist without another word and Percy sees it, a thick, braided string of solid gold emanating light that is fading even now, and frayed at the end just a little bit.

A beat of silence, Percy stopping himself from screaming to break it, Vesper is napping after all.

"Her string has been cut." Vax says

Like that makes any sense. Like this whole situation isn't insane. "It is impossible, It's against Her doctrine, it is an affront to what She stands for," Vax continues, voice wooden but undercut with a fury that would be so familiar if what stood before Percy was his brother and not Her loyal servant, the one he himself put up to the task, "and We will not have it."

"and that's why you're here. Not because of your sister, because of the Matron-" Percy is cut off immediately by the sharpest gaze ever seen before or since, and by the briefest flash of brown eyes in all that inky tar blackness.

"I'm here because her time is many years from now, surrounded by your kids, and Keyleth, and Pike, Grog, Scanlan if he manages. I'm here because I break no deals, and this," he holds the string up, "is not supposed to happen. I am here, Percival, because she isn't, and wasn't, and there will not be a world without her in it for decades to come as long as I am there to make it so. I'm here because my sister is gone, and her string is cut, and that isn't fucking possible, and you are going to help me find her and restore this. I have no other soul to offer the Matron, and my heart has vanished somehow, so if you can manage not to kill her a fifth time I would ask your help."

And Percy is ofc overrawed and petrified and furious and he has a daughter so he can't go flying off the handle now and he has 2 actually, and a son, and most importantly of all, a wife, his future and judgement gone without a trace. Not dead, not yet, which is more baffling still, but gone.

And Vex for all her trouble was just walking around the woods when everything went dark, y'know she was stepping carefully over a thatch of tangled underbrush and suddenly the sun overhead just vanishes and that is worrying but there's this pressure in her chest that's even more worrying spreading through it and she looks down and there's an arrowhead poking out between her ribs, and gold blooming out like a flower from the wound. That's not right, is it? Gold? And not red?

And she turns and this man who would almost remind her of Pelor if he had an iota of the gentle kindness is staring at her as the world begins to grow fuzzy. "My dear, my new champion, we and I will make this rotten world new again. Take my hand, my Vex'ahlia, and we will make it right." And her head is fuzzy, but she isn't stupid. She opens her mouth to tell him to fuck the hell off and notices two things in rapid succession. The blood dribbling out of her mouth is gold, and the arrow tugs, it doesn't hurt but like the pain she should be feeling it invades her very cells like a plant taking root and this thing turns her feet and forces her forward as the fuzziness increases. She should be worried, she should scream and thrash and run, she's a mother now, and the thought of her three little babies, her daughter and her new twinnies, is enough to shake whatever the fuck this is for only a moment, to which the man looks impressed, but it isn't enough.

"you were the champion of that doddering old man, but he's locked behind the gate, and I am here, and I will burn him out of existence and take my rightful place back, and you will be more than a silly champion, my Vex'ahlia. You will be my avatar. You will be the Sun incarnate, and your children will burn the world new, and together this plane will be ours."

And as the golden ichor pours down her mouth and chest, there is a fission of warmth inside her, where her heart should be, that warms her from tip to toe. Her face contorts into a smile as the fuzziness blots her out entirely and her mind is put away somewhere small and tidy and neat and barren, and she hears her small far off answer, "of course. Together."

And it's Vax and Percy finding the cult of this elder sun god that Pelor vanquished cuz he's fucking evil and he's trying to sneak past the divine gate by using Vex as his Avatar and he wants to burn the whole world to a crisp and start over as the head god and obviously is a sworn enemy of the Raven Queen so he'll try and fuck her and Vax up too, and the tiny widdle twins would be his first new followers the second they're born so he keeps them safe, and with her fate string cut RQ can't uphold her end of the bargain so Vax is let out to play to reestablish the terms and exploits the fuck outta that there loophole, and Vex as his Avatar goes around making awesome druid-y fire magic happen, and radiant damage with a twist* too, and pure utter chaos as well obvs, the elder su god is wicked powerful and will kill any other god/cleric/holy person on sight, and Vax while on this hunt to save his sister eventually sheds that fucked up influence from Dalen's Closet and it's funny cuz now Vex is the clouded, distant one and Vax is perfectly sober and desperate to save his sister, and Percy's both saving his wife and babies and bantering like old times with his brother, and RQ possesses Vax for a bit to help fight Vexmano a mano,,

And after a long and bloody fight a la orthax, Percy eventually gets through to Vex and says something so tender and gay to get her to stop fighting them a la "Darling take the mask off," and they get the elder sun god out of her and fix everything and reunite and RQ is like well since the world keeps ending I guess you can stay here until your own natural life Vax, so Vex gets to introduce Vax to his niece and eventually his niece and nephew, and then he goes and lives with gilmore and kiki and he's so damn gay about it and everyone is happy