#PLEASE HE WAS SO CONFIDENT AS WELL

[demadogs]

“robin talks to mike about him being gay-” “lucas talks to-” “vickie talks-”

NO! you guys are all wrong. no one talks to him. mike just accidentally sees robin and vickie kissing and laughing and he has an out of body experience when he realizes that people like him can be happy and find love and that is enough to push him to talk to will.

#also HE ALREADY KNOWS HES GAY NO ONES GONNA POINT IT OUT TO HIM HE KNOWS DAMN WELL #i am so confident about this prediction PLEASE ITD BE SO GOOD #but this would be like after a whole lot of shit goes down #like i imagine this would happen after mike kisses him in the upside down but then when theyre back in hawkins he shuts him out again #and wills like wtf bro youre gay and hes like we cant be gaaaay and then he sees robin ans vickie and it changes everything #you know my giant ass post i used to have pinned that was mikes entire s5 arc i kinda wanna rewrite it and post it #itll mostly be the same just new stuff #byler #stranger things #byler predictions

[dazais-guardian-angel]

Chapter 110 is 13 pages long welcome to hell!!! so in a lot of ways this is just more fuel for a theory that I've had for a few weeks now, that's only gotten stronger with each recent season 5 episode, which is that the last episode of the season is gonna end on 110, and that Asagiri/Harukawa and Bones have been collaborating to make this happen, specifically because it's a major turning point that would be the only good place to end the season on.

When we started getting especially long chapters again (like from 25-35ish pages, with the exception of 107.5, the last two being some of the longest we've ever had), at first I just assumed that Asagiri/Harukawa got freed up from some other obligations they'd been having to cause the extremely short/half chapters, like promotional stuff for the anime/Beast movie, or working on light novels. But then 109 happened, with the "supposed" death of Dazai, and heavy emphasis at the end on how literally everyone is at their lowest point right now, and I got to thinking. 11 episodes is a strangely specific number for an anime season -- why not 12, or 13, or even 10, like you'd usually see? Why have we gotten suddenly gotten two 35 page chapters out of nowhere, that's almost unheard of at this point? They're both beautiful chapters, don't get me wrong (as always), and maybe A/H simply just didn't want to cut them in halves because they felt like the full emotional impact wouldn't hit/that there were no good cutoff points in them, but you can't deny that it's surprising, after all the shorter chapters we've been getting. Why has the anime been going at such insanely breakneck pacing for the most part ever since around the Sunday Tragedy chapters, even more so than it has in the past? So much so that it feels dangerously close to overtaking the manga?

Well, maybe, just maybe, it's because..... Asagiri decided a long time ago that whatever happens in 110 is the only point that feels "season finale"-worthy enough, in an arc that still isn't anywhere close to being completely wrapped up, and so both the manga and the anime have been specifically coordinated to reach that part within 2 and a half weeks of each other?

I've seen a lot of people now think season 5 will end with 109, and as much as my sadistic side would find that hilarious, I honestly don't think they'd do that and realistically don't want it to happen; it'd be so cruel to cliffhanger the anime for years like that, and just doesn't feel like a season cliffhanger BSD would do, a series that is ultimately hopeful and uplifting. Seasons 2 and 3 had a positive, conclusive ending; the only reasons seasons 1 and 4 didn't was because they're technically not really full seasons of their own, and are more like the first cour of another "season" that also came out that same year (seasons 1 and 2 both aired in 2016, so they're more like one big season, and seasons 4 and 5 have both aired this year, so they're also more like one big season, again taking into account how episodes 12 and 50 are not satisfying finales like episodes 24, 37, and hypothetically, 61, are). I really can't see season 5 ending with Dazai and Fukuzawa's supposed deaths, Sigma being unconscious and maybe close to death, Atsushi being vulnerable and limbless again, everyone we love still vampires, and the entire world being basically doomed; that's just too depressing and not like BSD at all. However, having said that, if it doesn't end there, there really isn't any good place to end the season before that, either, that feels in any way satisfying or like a finale at all. And so, to me, that only leaves after 109: chapter 110.

I think things are really gonna turn around next chapter. Like I said, everyone is at their lowest point right now, it cannot possibly get any worse, the framing of Dazai, Fukuzawa, and sskk at the end of 109 is telling us that; this is the time for the heroes to finally start winning again, with Aya being so close to pulling out the sword, and for all the thematic reasons other people have talked about to death that I don't need to go into here again. This upcoming chapter being so short again makes a part of me wary of 110 being "the one", so to speak, I won't lie, but at the same time, it's very possible that it needs to be that short because that's all the final episode of the season will be able to reasonably fit in, since it's already gonna be VERY close if they do make it all the way to 109. And at the end of the day, I don't doubt at all that Asagiri and Harukawa can make these the most monumental and game-changing mere 13 pages ever if they wanted to; a chapter does not at all need to be extremely long in order to be an important and impactful one, even if short ones we've gotten in the past haven't felt the most important.

An additional thought I've had, though this is much more crack territory than all this already is, is that since we know from Anime Expo that a Stormbringer movie at some point is highly likely (judging from Asagiri's reaction when someone brought it up), it's possible that chapter 110 and thus the final episode will involve the long-anticipated return of Verlaine and/or Adam, or at least some other major reference to Stormbringer, that would naturally and smoothly lead into a Stormbringer movie to explain things to people who haven't read the novel. It would make a lot of sense, especially since the s4 OP has the Old World sign behind Chuuya, which might be a hint that this has been in the works ever since seasons 4/5 were first in planning with Asagiri. We also know that Dazai and Chuuya's voice actors apparently struggled to record their lines together this season, which probably relates to 101 and possibly 109, but it could be 110 too.... I could be very wrong, as I'm no expert on this kind of thing, but I kinda doubt they would bring Chuuya's actor in for just the vampire growls, and Asagiri placing heavy emphasis on Chuuya's importance this season in that one interview gives me the impression that he's talking about much more than just 101/109. But that's the least solid evidence I have, that's just mostly based on vibes I get.

So basically, I think a lot of factors -- the unusual episode count, how close the anime is to catching up to the manga with three whole episodes left, the seemingly arbitrary recent chapter lengths, and the climactic events of 109 -- can tell us that 110 might be a very, VERY big deal. Again, there's of course no way this arc is anywhere near close to being finished, with so much left to address and resolve, but since it is currently incomplete in the manga, unlike the previously adapted arcs, if the anime was going to adapt it at all, they'd have to find a place that feels satisfying enough to end this season, knowing there won't be more anime for a long time after this, and so I think they specifically planned for that, from both Bones' and A/H's sides. 10 episodes might not have been enough to reach that point, but 12 or 13 might have been too many it wouldn't have been if Bones actually decided to slow down and let the story breathe the way it needs to, but this post isn't meant to criticize the anime, so maybe 11 was just right. And maybe Asagiri and Harukawa specifically pushed to make recent chapters longer than usual, in order to make sure that the manga reached the story content in 110 the monthly release right before season 5 was to end.

Is this just copium? Absolutely. Am I going to look like an absolute clown in two days when this post ages like milk? Probably. But the evidence is There, so let me just enjoy my delusions until Sunday, okay 🥂🫡

#bungou stray dogs #seriously call me a clown and point and laugh at me if I'm proven wrong all you want #but I really feel like there's solid evidence for this #either s5 isn't gonna reach 109 at all (but I seriously cannot fathom where you would want to stop before then) or they'll go beyond it #if they really do end it with 109....... well i'll give Bones kudos for having the balls to do that ig lol #maybe i'm underestimating (overestimating???) them idk #also just to clarify I don't wanna make it sound like I think Asagiri let the anime/Bones dictate the manga's pacing #like I'm sure these were his/their (him and Harukawa's) own decisions first and foremost #not that (if this theory is true) the anime had a major impact on how the chapters were split and that it- #-would have been extremely different otherwise #i'm pretty confident in that Asagiri does not do anything with BSD he isn't comfortable with #and he doesn't let anyone tell him how to write his story #I just feel like he worked with Bones to make this near-simultaneous release happen #BUT if this is the case I don't feel like it had any major effect on the writing/final product that is the manga #like the last handful of chapters have been so incredible #so I at least am still perfectly happy lol #(i mean i'm devastated and a nervous wreck but u know 🫡 in a good way lmao) #anyway 110 in two days please let this theory be true because I need some fucking hope already #please let Oda show up as Dazai's guardian angel to help (see what I did there-) #it would be the perfect way to end the collective season that is 4/5 with s4 beginning with Oda and now ending with Oda #Asagiri are you reading me are you picking up what I'm putting down please please a ghost Oda is long overdue please- #Oda Verlaine Adam just GIVE ME SOMEONE ALREADY 😭😭😭 #MAYBE EVEN A TASTE OF THE FYODOR BACKSTORY TO TIE INTO HIM BEING IN ANIME UNTOLD ORIGINS. THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS

[virtue-and-beneviolence]

Shuji and you having your first baby and in the middle of the night you both fall into bed, no sleep for days, he's full of drool and red marks from the baby pinching him and you weren't able to wash your dirty hair nor change your wet clothes from bathing and when you look at each other he goes like "I want another one"

this was gonna be cute and playful and a tad spicy but it ended up full of feelings and for that i will never apologize. i will apologize for it being kinda rushed and unproofread tho. i just got SO EXCITED

You can't help but break into laughter that doesn't quell easily and you know that if you could see through your laughter tears shuji is pouting at you. He tsks and snakes his arms around your waist to pull you close. Braving the dampness of your hair, he nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck and then Hanma Shuji, ex Yakuza, the infamous Ikebukuro reaper all but whines your name, "M'not kidding."

"No! No-i know I just-" you struggle to contain your laughter. You match you husband's embrace and let the pads of your fingers crawl up his neck into the too-long hair at his nape. He smiles into the juncture of your neck and shoulder and shushes you even though your laughter and the gentle bounce of his head from your giggle fit fills him with more love than he could hope to express. And, well, of course he shushes you because neither of you can risk another sleepless night by waking the little newborn Shuji finally got to go down. "Shu," you finally manage to get out, "Don't be in such a rush! We hardy know what we're doing with him!"

"We'll figure it out." He says but catches himself. "We are figuring it out!" Your heart stops at how earnest he sounds. You hold him a little tighter. "Besides, there's nothing that you can't do while I look pretty on the sidelines." His tone is teasing and you swat his back playfully. You hope it's a joke. He's nothing if not an extraordinarily attentive father and husband.

You place a kiss to his forehead and trace your words with your lips along his temple. "Sidelines? More like frontline. You know I couldn't do this without you, Shuji."

You can't be sure, but you think you feel his breath pause on your neck before he starts peppering your neck and collar bone in sugary sweet kisses. "And I can't give my son a sister without you." He fires back once he recovers his emotional footing.

He earns another huff of laughter, "Shuji-"

"C'mon, he needs someone to figure life out with. He needs someone to play with and tease. Ideally someone who'll give it right back too - that'll be her mommy's influence of course." Shuji's words all mix together and his ideas flow into the most wholesome speech you swear you'd ever heard. He shifts up and leans on elbow to hover inches from your face giving you the perfect vantage point to see his gold irises alight with every tender emotion.

"And...and he needs someone to always have in his corner. Someone who can be there for him when we can't. You know, we won't be able to be there all the time! He needs someone he can rely on and learn to be reliable for. He needs to learn how to protect and be protected." His eyes, you realize are shiny with misty tears. "He needs someone he can be his full self around. Someone who won't look down on him for feeling...anything."

He goes silent and you mutter a little "c'mere," and pull him into your arms. The dampness on your chest is fresh, not from your hair, but from the love of your life blinking sudden emotion into your skin.

After a moment of holding your husband you feel his deep voice whispers into your chest "Wanna braid her hair too."

You giggle as you pull Shuji's face to yours to kiss him and mumble an "Of course, baby. Let's give him a sibling, but giving him a sister is kind of on you."

A few exited kisses later, you were falling asleep on his chest, promises to start preparing for a second kid soon. As soon as possible (read: as soon as you both could recover a bit of sleep, maybe). You lay there, fingers trailing up and down the column of Shuji's throat absently, ready to do anything to give your son everything that Shuji never had. Love. Stability. Safety. And now, even a little sister to take on the world with.

Well, a sibling, at any rate.

#ERIS ERIS ERIS WHAT HAVE YOU DONE #I MAY NEVER RECOVER FROM DAD SHUJI #please im sorry i made it sad and made him maybe wayyyyyyy to feelingsy #bUT I JUST THINK HE NEEDED ALL THOSE THINGS GROWNIG UP #AND NEVER HADTHEM #AND HE WANTS BETTER FOR HIS KIDS #AND HE DOESN:T REALIZE IT AS OVERTLY AS YOU DO BUT HE WISHES HE HAD SOMEONE IN HIS LIFE THAT WAS A GOOD FORCE LIKE THAT #LIKE He'S SO LOYAL YOU KNOW? #AND I JUST KNOW HIS CHILDREN WOULD BE THICKER THAN THEIVES #US AGAINST THE WORLD VIBES #AND BE CONFIDENT AND MORE EMOTIONALLY WELL ROUNDED THAN HE HAD THE CHANCE TO BE #hanma shuji ~❤️ #hanma shuji #hanma shuji x reader #hanma shuji x reader fluff #hanma shuji x reader angst #dad!hanma #lololm

[camgoloud]

one small detail that stood out to me about this latest episode that i haven’t seen anyone else talking about yet is that when the commentators are calling colin “inspiring” and the “man of the match,” they are celebrating him not for actually scoring the goals himself, but for providing the crucial assists to make both of them happen. and i really love that because for me it’s the absolute perfect wrap to his character arc across all three seasons!

like, we know that colin’s job on this team has never been to score goals. in fact i’m pretty sure we’ve never heard about a single goal that he has scored. colin is and always has been a team player, not a star—and we’ve seen that crop up over and over. notably, we’ve seen the fact that he’s not entirely at peace with that crop up over and over: see the way he was affected by nate’s entire holidy-inn-painting monologue, being benched to make room for zava, etc.—like, this is the thing he’s sensitive about! this is where all of his insecurities come from!

but at the SAME TIME it’s also tied very intimately with all his struggles re: hiding his sexuality— “colin’s a chameleon,” etc. it’s fascinating because there’s SO much tension there between colin 1. feeling bad about the fact that he never stands out on the pitch the way some of his teammates do, because of who he is on the team, and 2. feeling like he CAN’T stand out, ever, because of Who He Is As A Person. etc. it’s like. he’s filling this role in the background. he’s afraid he’s not doing it well enough. he’s afraid that what and who he is isn’t good enough and isn’t worthy of recognition. he wishes he were someone different. trying to be someone different in the locker room is clearly making him so unhappy and stressed out. it is All Connected and my thoughts have been doing laps around it at an ever-increasing rate since i watched episode 2.07 ‘headspace’ if not before!

and all of this is why it’s so incredible to me that in the end, colin’s big moment comes from making assists and not goals! because on the one hand i understand the fandom desire for the colin post-coming out glowup that we all knew was coming—to see him, like, ~prove everybody wrong about him~ and inspire people by suddenly becoming a standout player and scoring goals left and right, even though that never used to be his role on the team before. and don’t get me wrong, i was 100% on board that train, and would have loved it for him if that was how it went down in the end, also. i think he should get to score here and there! as a treat! especially now that richmond are playing total football and there’s been so much emphasis placed on how it’s not just jamie/dani/occasionally sam who are making all the goals anymore!

but i don’t know! especially after the events of the last few episodes, there’s something very special to me about getting to see a colin who, rather than becoming someone entirely new in the moments right after coming out, just feels free to become, and be at peace with, the best version of the same self he’s always been. he’s still a team player first and foremost, but now that he’s not as weighed down by the need to chameleon/hide/pretend to be someone he’s not, he’s so much better at it. and everyone sees this! he gets to be celebrated for his contributions within the role he’s always played! he (and everybody else!) finally recognizes the value that he adds to the team just by being himself—fully himself! it resolves all the tension and insecurity that we’ve seen him struggling with this whole time, on every level. and so this moment was genuinely the perfect ending for his journey in my opinion—i’m so so happy that we were tall enough to join him on the ride here, and so excited to see what he does going forward these last few episodes now that some of that pressure is off him <3

#it's like. he doesn't want to be a spokesperson! he shouldn't have to End Homophobia by becoming zava 2.0! in fact it would not be possible #for him to do this even if he DID come out publicly and then became the best goal-scorer the league has ever seen because the people who are #the problem will ALWAYS manage to find something to attack him for no matter what he does #what's important to me and i think to him as well is that he has the confidence in himself that he needs to perform at his own personal best #and that his teammates recognize this and support him the same way he has always supported them both on and off the pitch #and while a part of me would have liked to see a public coming-out arc i completely get why they're not going there. it would be a lot to #tackle and this season is already getting justified criticism for spreading itself too thin #i think it would have been POSSIBLE to do and do well but. it would place a LOT of constraints on the entire rest of the plot #and i do recognize somewhere in the back of my brain that colin is not ACTUALLY the protagonist of this show for most people #so them choosing to take the character in the ‘i don’t want to be a spokesperson’ direction instead makes sense and was handled very well #anyway. one other reason i’m pleased about all of this is that while most of my recent tl fic is no longer canon-compliant as of this week. #i sure did NAIL the happy ending being an assist and not a scored goal. have been thinking these thoughts for WEEKS and i feel so vindicated #ted lasso #ted lasso spoilers #colin hughes

[elvenbeard]

"So, you wanna work with the best?"

"Congrats, you found him."

#cyberpunk 2077 #male v monday #male v cyberpunk #cyberpunk v #corpo v #cyberpunk vp #cp2077 #cp2077 vp #king of the fucking afterlife <3 #will never be over how much I screamed at the sun ending fitting him so so well without knowing where it would lead #and how unlikely it was I even got it on my blind first pt bc.... yeah xD reasons #vincent ezaki #my vp #sir gimme just a slice of your confidence please #(even though even he has to fake it sometimes especially in 'business' settings) #but he also knows his strengths and how to use them to his advantage - and doesnt take shit; goals tbh

[puppyeared]

for like 3 weeks i was wondering why i was sleeping so much and felt listless. and just now I managed to email 3 people and responded to a month old message in the span of an hour because I got back to TAKING MY FUCKIN MEDS..........

#MOTHER FFFFUCKER #to be fair. my doc said I could stop taking them while im on break since i wouldnt need to be constantly pumped on stimulants #im not sure if it was a side effect but i managed to take like 3 different naps in one day and STILL managed to sleep thru the whole night #at least 2 days into my break. the weird thing is i didnt feel more or less rested afterwards. but mentally i think im in a good place rn #to really put the level of awakeness im at rn i feel weirdly confident i could start one piece. also bc of that sick new opening it BANGS #the song is really good and im in love with the animation style. did some digging and it seems one of the lead animators is masato mori #but i could be wrong. it seems he also did some work on mp100 which could explain a lot lol.. he uses smear frames really well to convey #consistent movement and fluidity!!! someone else might have done color design but it works really really well esp with odas style!! #just love the overall vibe and aesthetic and id really love to study it and incorporate a bit of it into my art.. especially the thick #outlines which i think helps to separate characters and objects on screen. though i have to say the style is definitely more suited to #animation bc of the simpleness and smears. maybe that will help me explore shapes and perspective when i draw... i wanna get better #at drawing poses and angles but i have a hard time wrapping my head around space and using perspective guide lines NGHHHH #i wonder if it has to do with my dogshit ability to judge distance. not depth perception but like. judge how far smth is in metres etc #im also wearing an N95 for the first couple weeks back bc of the wave. absolutely NO BODY is wearing a mask its so fucking over #where im sitting ive heard 5 different people coughing probably not into their elbows!!! and im just. head in my fucking hands #there was a kid sitting a couple seats away in class coughing as he pleases and i wanted to grab him in a chokehold so badly. PLEASEE #ive been annoying my family by asking them to mask up and reminding them to bring masks when they go out and showing them news articles #but at least its working bc we ordered some KN95s and my mom is at least taking me seriously so. please dont be afraid to speak up abt your #health. take care of yourself and others however u can!! wear that mask indoors at your maskless friends house!!! stay home when u can!! #im wearing a surgical mask at home too bc my parents have '''a dry throat cough''' and they are so bad at coughing into their sleeves #also im pretty sure dry throat isnt transmissible bc my brother started coughing too so.. i also tested negative but they havent tested yet #im also not a doctor but i have to keep reminding ppl whenever i can that covid and flu work differently. covid is new and too recent to #have nearly as much research done on it. it seems its also compounding so instead of building immunity it weakens the body and spreads to #to other systems which might explain brain fog and muscle weakness. i remember someone early in the pandemic got infected and it messed up #their smell/taste receptors so bad that they cant eat most foods and that stays in the front of my mind when i think abt covid. christ #yapping

[mel-loly]

-“Just a flower, in the middle of the field at night, a light is turned on and reveals.. A day arriving with confident hope and silent happiness!”🌹🐝

#for those who didn't get it.. today is my birthday! and so tomorrow is really the day of the party and etc.. #that's why I put “arriving” because tomorrow is a really special and very important event in my life akzbskhzjsb #and yes. I'm cosplaying as princess bela. she's one of my favorite characters and her dress.. It's literally a dream come true for me! #because I'm really going to use one similar to this one tomorrow irl and- #I won't tell you guys more details because it's personal things but- well. that's a little explain of what the art is about! #I really feel very happy.. and I admit. I don't even know how to explain my happiness but.. well... #I feel special. surrounded by people who *really* love me and show true affection for me and.. #that I just have to thank. for everything. I have gratitude for all of you! like- thank you very much. really. for everything.. #I can't even express in words how grateful I am for each of you #know that I love and appreciate everyone who is still with me on this journey called life! #and of course- I couldn't forget to talk about him lol. thanks to mike! #I don't know what would have become of me if I hadn't met someone as friendly and good-hearted as him #he was always by my side and made me feel more special in every day. in a unique way and one of the most important to me.. #I love him very much/p. and I hope that our friendship will be forever happy and respectful the way it already is! #(of course. this also works for the other friends I made here too- please don't get mad or jealous! I love you all. okay??) #and well.. that's it. #I hope I still stay here. that I enjoy my day and face any fear or harm that I might have ahead of me and.. #that I just hope for the best. I put everything in God's hands and I feel confident that things will work out no matter what the cost! #thank you guys again for everything and happy birthday to me lol-💛 #happy birthday to me #it's my birthday #mel creator #mel loly #cosplaying of beauty and the beast #i'm mel and this is my blog✌️ #my art blog #art mel #art #my art #my oc character

[bumblingbabooshka]

Watched ‘Charades’ - The Vulcan/Human stuff wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be tbh, very enjoyable episode! Love T’Pring no notes for T’Pring you were so sweet the whole time. Her holding his hand and subtly giving him tips to make the ritual go smoothly...AAA!! Christine/Spock things sooo boring on their own but as angst for T’Pring? Very good. She wasn’t even gone a DAY before they made out. DUMP! HIS! ASS <3 The phone operator please-hold aliens were very cute to me, I liked them! Also Amanda & T’Pring’s dad should chill together, that’s good vibes all around. Also it introduced the concept of a sacred Vulcan familial roast sesh which is honestly so fucking funny and I adore it. Five minutes on the clock to devastate your future son-in-law, better make it count.

#Spock SNW I am gonna beat your ass !!!!!!!!!!!!!! <- smiling though bc I love the drama #T'Pring's dad and her mom are funny together I like them #Tpring Dad (Sevet?): Wow how innovative!! #T'Pril: Hm. Does it not strike you as derivative? Bc of xyz?? #Sevet: Hmm....actually yes it does now that you say it v_v #I love how his mind seems earnestly changed and not like he's scared of his wife or anything #Pike: Ok so we'd say -pulls on ear- sounds like- / Sevet: Ear~!! #goo d job king HEHEHE you're doing sooo well you're KILLING it at Charades #OH BUT ITS HEARTWRENCHING ISNT IT #Amanda: T'Pring you should have more self-confidence! (Amanda is so sweet in this ep I like her vibes a lot) #T'Pring's dad: I agree! T'Pring should have more self-confidence I'm always saying this! #T'Pring: ah...ok <- HER FIANCE IS ABOUT TO KISS ANOTHER WOMAN IN T MINUS 4 HOURS #HEARTBREAKING of this ep to establish that T'Pring isn't the most confident in herself and then have Spock immediately cheat on her #AND she has an overly critical mother???? Someone fucking take this girl on a nice normal date PLEASE #livetweeting #T'Pring: ah I'm so glad to be away from my constantly critical mother who has likely contributed to my self esteem issues #<- TPRING LOOK OUT!!!! T'PRING THE YOUR-FIANCEE-DOESN'T-SHARE-HIS-LIFE-WITH-YOU-AND-IS-GONNA-CHEAT-ON-YOU COMET IS HEADING YOUR WAY!!!! T'-!

[theywontletmebeprincipal]

#personally I am firmly in the camp of ‘beadle did it’ but I recognize that’s probably not what anyone else thinks lmao #I don’t think turpin did it because he seems way too confident for all that #he knows he could destroy her in court so what’s the point #beadle though? the guy whose whole deal is doing whatever it takes to please his boss? absolutely #I think it’d all be very ‘well I’m just cleaning up loose ends’ for him. that’s how he’d rationalize it #I think it’s very possible as well that lovett Knew That n didn’t do anything to stop it. since she is the queen of murdering by association #but I don’t think it was her directly #sanders pollshit #musical theatre #sweeney todd

[naranjapetrificada]

Consider this your opportunity to be an Astrology Bitch and go off about Leo Stede!

(signed, a Virgo sun, Cancer moon, Capricorn rising who simultaneously is and is not an Astrology Bitch, more of a Tarot Bitch tbh)

Okay! You asked for it lol.

I should start by saying that I'm an August Leo sun. Stede is a July Leo, as confirmed by the show:

July Leos are...different somehow? It's not a bad thing and it's not their fault, and if anybody else comes for them we August Leo's will throw down for our siblings, but there's something about the vibes! Maybe it's the Cancer proximity, idk. If anything my anecdata suggests that they're more well adjusted than the rest of us. 🦁❤️🦁

Anyway, I immediately sat up and noticed when they cut to the gravestones because it's second nature for me as an Astrology Gay. Obviously I didn't know Stede at the time and I don't actually know what went down as the character was developed, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if I learned that at least one person in the writers room was a fellow Astrology Gay.

So I completely forgot about his birthdate because a) ADHD and b) swooniest romance I'd ever seen, but I started thinking about it again when I showed up like a year late to the fandom and saw people talk about whether they were Ed coded or Stede coded. I am heavily, heavily Stede coded for neurodivergent reasons, but he also exhibits certain Very Leo traits that I recognized immediately.

Leo stereotypes:

Let's get the stereotypes out of the way because while they do apply sometimes (especially for Stede), there's no need to rehash them in detail.

Leadership, which he struggles with at first but a) takes up the mantle of it anyway and b) improves enough that by the end of the season the crew that wanted to mutiny saves his life.

Good hair. Nuff said.

The man has an auxiliary wardrobe for fucks sake.

His "theatrical instincts are finely honed" and while Izzy says it to encourage the fuckery, it's not a lie.

The Revenge

If an 18th century Leo was going to custom build a pirate ship and money was no object, they would 1000% build the Revenge. I could see arguing that a Taurus might build something similar, but honestly I'm not sure a Taurus would become a pirate by choice. Maybe a Taurus might build like, a pleasure yacht or something. A Libra might build a ship that's as good-looking as the Revenge but sharing expensive tastes isn't enough to convince me either. Stede's money allowed him to build and decorate luxuriously, but plenty of rich people used to comfort didn't have ships like the Revenge. As Nigel says during his tour, it's just so incredibly him.

Now for some feelings stuff:

Leos love it when other people are happy, and when we can be involved in fostering that at all for people we care about we are ON IT. Stede wants to create space for others to get what they need to make that happen. Literally in the first episode he talks about the Revenge as somewhere for his crew to work on their trauma and communicate their feelings.

The above is also an extension of Stede's instinctive generosity. Canon doesn't tell us where Ed got his clothes for the French boat party in episode 5, but given that Stede has an auxiliary wardrobe (which he shared with Ed almost immediately) the most likely scenario seems like he loaned (or maybe even gave!) it to Ed. Another possibility is that it was on the ship where Frenchie found his and Oluwande's outfits, but the purple jacket in particular seems very extra in a way that says "Stede" to me.

Speaking of episode 5, let's talk about the party game. Obviously the main takeaway is that Stede has enough of a handle on passive aggression to make the French assholes tear each other apart, but it's not just the passive aggression, it's in the delivery. With sufficient motivation (Ed's hurt feelings, if not his own) we see Stede command the room with confidence. He chooses his targets well. He knows just what to say to get them to agree to play the game at all. The fire wasn't part of the original plan but it shows just how powerful those hard-won skills are when he wants to apply them. (This doesn't feel like it merits its own bullet point but Leos are protective, ride-or-die friends, something else we see in this episode.)

Stede's love language, imo, is quality time. There are arguments for others (there's also a really good meta about his love language causing miscommunication with our touchy-feely boy Ed, if I can find the link I'll edit) but quality time seems the most appropriate to me. Another part of the whole generosity of spirit thing is that he seems to enjoy what a friend of mine called "engineering experiences" for people i.e. crafting activities and jam sessions for the crew. The most obvious of these is the treasure hunt for Ed, which of course comes out of his fear of Ed leaving, but it's also a way for them to spend time together. I'm not at all surprised that a lonely, bullied kid would grow up to value quality time.

I would also extend this to the clearly routine (but still extravagant) breakfast for two that we see Calico Jack crashing in episode 8. Not to mention the first breakfast he and Ed ever share up on the maintop in episode 4. It's not fancy, but he wakes Ed up to share in that moment because he's enjoying the sunrise and the marmalade, and I can't think of anything more Leo than enjoying something then immediately wanting to share it because someone else might enjoy it too.

Stede's not perfect of course, despite all those seemingly positive things I just said. In the way of some Leos he is frequently thoughtless, up to and including when he didn't make to the dock. I can't speak for every Leo but I have definitely accidentally flirted with/been read as flirting with people before, whether I was attracted to them or not. And yeah his quarters are nice but he could have used some of that space for more crew quarters, right? And how could a Leo possibly misread "what makes Ed happy is you" as badly as he did?

Well I may be an Astrology Binch but I mostly like it (and anything else that puts personalities into discrete groups) as an analysis tool. It's just a fun lens to examine behaviors through, IRL and with fictional characters. Also, the show is clearly trying to examine things like trauma and self-loathing in ways that are gonna inform character behavior way more than a hypothetical astrology enthusiast in the (admittedly pretty queer) writers room. But the vibes? The vibes are so there.

#There's also an entire essay I could write about Leo traits people don't notice or care about but I can do that later #Rhys isn't a Leo though Taika is #Rhys is an Aries and Aries/Leo friendships and relationships can work out extremely well #I appreciate Taika for his Leo vibes #which are not the expected ones #I love seeing a Leo who seems occasionally bored during interviews and stuff #more grumpy Leo representation please #stede bonnet #because this next one came up in the results for Stede's name I'll add it too #stede bonnet has a caretaking kink #which isn't not a Leo thing either lol #ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd meta #our flag means death meta #character meta #astrology is fake but #fictional character astrology #oh also let's not forget all that sunny Leo energy that's part of so much Stede fanon #that feels relevant #afaik we don't have a birthdate for Ed #but it wouldn't surprise me at all to learn he was a Scorpio because the man can BROOD #I can also see him as a couple other signs though so I would need to think about it for a bit longer first #also I couldn't shoehorn it in but something about the difference between confidence and self esteem #Leos can definitely have one but not the other #*points to self*

[bookwyrminspiration]

the trend of people being really open with information one should probably be more hesitant to share is also present in real life, which is terrifying. I met a kid the other day, 13, who started casually talking about various mental disorders and diagnoses he'd received after knowing me for less than an hour. with no prior mention or discussion to indicate my thoughts, because we'd been talking about other things. because we'd just met. I mean them no harm, but like, he is putting a lot of faith in me without further verifying my intentions. so please not only be careful with what you share online but what you share in person as well because you don't know who is safe

#i don't know what to tag this #i will give him that he had verified me as a fellow supportive queer person #and so we talked about things related to that first #because I made a specific point to complement the pride flags made of beads on his shoelaces #and I was wearing a couple pride things myself #but like. I'd given zero indication I was a safe person to confide mental disorders in #like. I believe I am and try to be a supportive person #we just don't know each other well enough for him to know that yet #the conversation hadn't gone there #we'd literally just met like 40 minutes ago #and they brought it up just so casually #like. !!! you do not know if you can trust me!!! #please sir be careful!! #i think his reasoning was that oh queer person? lot of queer people are mentally ill/aren't neutrotypical #ur probably alright #and like. he was correct. but that is not good logic to base your safety on!! #terrifying #i just sat there like O_O for a second like did you really. you just went there without safety checks? the world is dangerous my dude #we're in public. you don't know me #ough

[knowlesian]

the clever way they set up izzy the unreliable narrator is just… such good writing

i started making a complete list of “things other people agree izzy is good at” and “things only izzy says he’s good at” for brain distractions and on that first list is swordfighting

the second list is …everything else, i truly do find this little fucker so fun on a narrative level. he’s the textbook unreliable narrator: literally everything he says ends up directly contradicted by the people in question or the action, but he swaggers around yelling his version of events loudest! (and weirdest, lmfao.)

and honestly on a deeper level it makes us as an audience look at how we process things people tell us vs things people show us, and how those are often very much at odds.

the writing on this show is ridiculously good, you know? 

#jackie’s hilarious “jesus christ this idiot” face is so amazing sidenote #everything about jackie is peak entertainment #also seriously i love how they set this up #its so easy to just listen to izzy and fill in the blanks he tells us to fill in #he’s a loud confident white guy! we love to associate all those traits with logic and truth and power and natural skill #and then you have fang and ivan and ed and jackie like “yeah nah it’s uh. look we all just sort of accept he lives in his own narrative” #ofmd spoilers #the way this show begs for textual analysis is PERFECT #(well confident in these matters l o l @ his general mental health and self concept) #izzy hands go to fucking therapy in s2 challenge #but also pls stay suspended in amber in this weird little state you are in #it pleases me #i want to poke at your various components and ask them: why? #why’d you do it like that why’s it so weird why is con why is anything??? #like. seriously. he is a feast for my weird id and my think-y brain thoughts #A FEAST TRULY A SONUVABITCH A WONDER AN IDIOT A FUCKIN …SCRUFFY LITTLE NIGHTMARE I LOVE GI #…him no i will not retype that insane sentence fuck that i do what i want #anyway he is. so dumb. so fun. so sad. so terrible??? #a true pickle jar denizen if i ever saw one #ATE. HIS. TOE. LOVED. IT. P. CAME. THE. END. #my ofmd meta

[haunted-hijinxer]

How does the lurker feel about being in bendy form? Does he ever wish he had a unique body, one that he can truly call his?

It might be a bit of an odd perspective, but I don't think the Lurker sees the Bendy form coming from a character Henry and Joey made and it being "his" as mutually exclusive? Just as many people can look alike, or many people can have the same job title, he considers himself "a" Bendy more than stealing the form of the one and only true Bendy.

He WAS however initially worried that the JDS crew might expect him to be some version of the Bendy from the cartoons, just as the Masked Messenger before them had expected him to take on forms to bring to life the nightmares of other Hosts, distorting their expectations. But the boys made it clear to him early on they didn't expect him to be that. From his perspective, they gave him a form even though it was precious to them, and told him he could be whatever he wanted with it. He was expected to be neither the cartoon Bendy nor some specific distortion of it... Just his.

Initially I also don't think he'd even considered the concept of an identity he made completely and entirely for himself. The idea of being given one as a starting point and then being allowed to shape it or change it if he wanted was about as wonderous as he could imagine. As time went on it's possible he might have come to yearn for such a thing... if he had felt pressured into a specific Bendylike roll. But he never was. I think he feels he's been able to invent everything about himself that matters to him.

In fact in some ways, I think he's even more attached to the form because it was given to him so freely despite it resembling something that came from them. After all, that makes it just the sort of form he would have wanted for himself anyway; one that reflects him being part of their family.

#thren posts #thren writes #thren answers #He did get impressed with some Bendy like traits when they have him the form as well #But to his mind he sees these as more gifts too he can use or not as he pleases #while the boys have on occasion told him not to eat people ''it's not Bendylike!'' was never one of the reasons for example #so I don't think he's seen a lot of cause to find the name restrictive #call of cthulhu: haunted hijinx #bendy the lurker #If Joey can change his accent #and Sammy and Jack can change their pronouns and names #he feels confident that he'd be supported changing those things and anything else if he came to feel strongly about it #but right now he's happy

[sonknuxadow]

hoping and begging and praying that shadow being in the teaser image for the next set of sonic prime episodes means hes gonna have more screentime. if they do the "putting shadow in a bunch of the promotional stuff only to give him very little screentime in the actual thing" thing again like theyve done a million times i will be so sad. i wont be surprised but i will still be sad

#see the thing is due to the situation he is in i can understand why he doesnt get as much screentime as like. #sonic or the tails amy knuckles etc counterparts #but STILL why would you put him in the trailers and give him his own poster #and have a whole teaser that was just revealing he'd be in the show #if hes not gonna play a big role in the story and have a decent amount of screentime. #i mean i know why they would do that they would do that because hes popular #and a lot of shadow fans just eat up anything hes in and celebrate regardless of whether he was in character or had a lot of screentime #but stillllll... sonic prime please dont do this to me #ALSO hoping that he will be written well. he hasnt had enough screentime for me to #be able to confidently say that i like or dont like the way hes written #but i would rather have shadow not be in the show at all than act ridiculously out of character. #and i say that as someone who really loves shadow hes one of my favorite sonic characters. in my top 5 at least #im just also extremely picky about his characterization and seeing people get him wrong hurts so bad

[hoonclub]

#.................................... #everyone please look away .. ha.. i just need to save this somewhere #ha.. jongseong-ah. happy birthday #happy; happy birthday #my jongseong who has grown so much who has worked so hard who went through so much #jongseong who i have loved for a long time #jongseong who is unapologetic with everything he does. #jongseong-ah.. i love you. thank you for making me happy thank you for being born thank you for always working hard. thank you for always #trying to be a better version of yourself #jongseong who thinks his iland self is embarrassing and shameful and doesnt want new engenes to see him then.. i will never understand how #it was for you and all i can do is be sad and upset with you. but iland is how i got to know the jay that was so selfless so hardowrking #so kind and so thoughtful... i think it's sad and somewhat ironic that the version that you dislike is the one i fell in love with first #jongseong i hope you continue to live your life without regrets. i hope you always have courage and strength to carry on no matter what #happens. i hope you dont think so little of yourself and gain more confidence. i hope you know that so many people love you #i hope you continue to do all the things you love with the people you love and those who love you. i hope youre surrounded by people that #take care of you as much as you take care of them. i hope you spend your days with a light heart #jongseong who's born in the spring whose love is so warm and sincere who's like a light that makes my heart bloom #i love you. let's be happy let's be together for a long time. take care and eat well. #happy happy birthday jongseong-ah. #0420

[kyouka-supremacy]

@ Kunikidazai shippers y'all should really take in consideration Kunikidazai The Good Place AU because it'd be perfect fit for them!!

#bsd tgp au #Really fascinated by the concept of Chidi! Kunikida... Kunikida is far more confident and decisive than Chidi– #but there's something about being true to their ideals that makes Chidi's role so perfectly fitting for him #Kunikida would be all like “I CAN'T report Dazai (as much as I'd want to) I MUST be coherent with my kantian ideal of keeping my word” #(Btw Dazai would totally take advantage of this. He'd totally scheme to make it so that the only person to know he doesn't belong there– #is also the one that is the only one perfectly incapable of reporting him) #Also I like how Kunikida's far too idealized profile of soulmate we know he has in canon– #translates in him not having a soulmate in heaven... Except he does but it was not how he expected it (if you know you know) #But it does relate to Chidi's grief for not having a soulmate in episode 5 of season 1 very well #Meanwhile Eleanor's evolution towards becoming a better person can be fairly paralleled by Dazai #It would work pretty well with sskk too though!! #Differently from Kunikida Atsushi would perfectly match Chidi's perpetual anxiety and nervousness ahah #And intellectual university professor Atsushi is so cool... #And I just want. Atsushi and Akutagawa helping each other become a better person. Yeah that. That would be good #Akutagawa very reluctantly having to ask Atsushi for help despite he'd rather die again than do so I'm screaming. Atsushi being there like. #dude I don't understand do you want my help or not???? #Akutagawa is perfect foil for Eleanor because he's literally all about hating people better than him #Great now I want to read this so bad 😭😭😭 #Please watch The Good Place if you haven't it's SO good #bsd #doppo kunikida #osamu dazai #kunikidazai #atsushi nakajima #ryūnosuke akutagawa #sskk #bsd au #mine #My problematic trait is making tags three times longer than the post #q.