#he's probably thinking about other girls

[this-is-ali]

[Image description: The “he’s probably thinking about other girls meme” with Albert’s face from “Disney’s Newsies: The Broadway Musical!” edited over the man’s face. Text shows that the woman is thinking, “he’s probably thinking about other girls...” while Albert is thinking, “a leg of lamb”. End of image description.]

#not sure if this has been done before or not but i've never seen it #newsies #newsies 2017 #newsies musical #albert #sky flaherty #meme #he's probably thinking about other girls #he's probably thinking about other girls meme #lol #funny #musical #theatre #musical theatre #a leg of lamb #made by me #albert dasilva

[jovialcloudqueenisnotonfire]

her: “he’s probably out with other girls”

what he’s actually doing:

#no but really this man is so whipped you could put him on a sundae #and she's like #'his ex-girlfriend is PRETTY!?!?!' #also she literally yells at him seconds after this screenshot was taken #i love them they're so weird #they're not even a couple yet #hotel del luna #kdrama #kdrama couples #i bet he's thinking about other women #he's probably thinking about other girls

[otaku553]

Quite frankly still obsessed with the three of them

A little procrastination doodle

#one piece #portgas d ace #sabo #monkey d luffy #it’s 5 am and I do not have the time to be spending on procrastination doodles but that is neither here nor there #ft. my headcanons for their outfits as kiddos but not really because I think this is pretty close to canon #oversized jacket for sabo because I refuse to believe he has worn the same clothes after being a runaway for at least a few years #like kids grow so fast and I can see undersized jacket for that as well but I feel like undersized would just be uncomfy and restricting #straw hat is definitely too big for 7 year old luffy so I hc it goes around his neck more often than not #or sabo or ace gets annoyed at luffy for having his eyes blocked all the time while they’re fighting each other or hunting so they #eventually get luffy to wear it around his neck more #also you can’t convince me that the fuzz on luffy’s shorts is like… actual fur #I think it’s more like very frayed edges of denim if you know what I mean #ace with baggy pants because it’s what he deserves. baggy pants ftw #also probably bigger pockets for his pickpocketing #sabo complains about noble clothes like girls complain about small pockets #‘what are they even supposed to hold. why are they so tight. this is just them trying to get us to buy expensive bags’

[hella1975]

it's been pointed out on here before that a lot of terf arguments are actually rooted in sexist idealology that feminists fought and died to unnormalise decades ago and that's its own kettle of fish but one thing i also find very frustrating about this so called 'radical' feminism is that it's so... defeatist? like the moment you categorically label an entire section of society as Bad and Inherently Evil then there's also the implication that nothing can be done about it, and it completely takes all accountability away. saying all men are evil is just another way of saying boys will be boys. he raped her because he's a man. he hit her because he's a man. he didn't listen because he's a man - it's almost offensively oversimplified. there's no point trying to fix this issue in society because men are just Like That, okay! so now what? it's not like they're going anywhere, so you just accept that 50% of the population are evil and will forever treat you terribly and there's nothing to be done about it bc they're biologically predisposed to it? like is that fr the argument here? you're soooo radical for that

#this is coming from someone who used to very genuinely be a misandrist #ironically it was only when i started actually analysing my own feminism that i got MORE confrontational with men #and started respecting my boundaries a lot better BECAUSE i started holding them accountable again #like when men treat me like shit nowadays i dont just write it off as 'what did you expect? he's a man' i get MAD about it #because i EXPECT BETTER FROM THEM even if it's just tiny shit women have to deal with daily #i hold them to just as high a standard as im held to and i make them take accountability when they dont meet that #and whether you realise it or not even on a subconscious level the MOMENT you black-and-white blanket statement all men as bad #you stop holding them accountable. #like it is literally just boys will be boys. do terfs seriously not realise they're sending feminism BACKWARDS #like if a girl came to me with her trauma and people - other girls no less - tried to comfort her with 'yeah all men are evil' #id be fucking furious. like no he did that because he was a piece of shit that had it normalised to him that women arent to be respected #dont you dare let him off the hook with something as simple and uncritical as 'he's a man' #i promise you men like that will MUCH prefer a blanket statement such as 'all men are as bad as each other' #than actually being point blank told they're an abuser or a rapist. because being lumped together is comfortable and even empowering #wheras isolating their behaviour with words that are Bad and Ugly (LIKE 'rapist') is not comfortable at all and has heavy connotations #idk i dont think radical feminism is always bad on its own it can be v liberating. just terfs and misandrists that i have a problem with #dropping this post in a piranha tank and closing tumblr knowing im gonna have some thirty year old karen yelling at me within 5 mins #i probably wont respond to any terf comments bc they literally mentally exhaust me with their stupidity #but that also depends on my mood and ability to keep my mouth shut LMFAO we shall see

[marrfixated]

Hi. Priya being adopted by Alejandro and Noah. Bye.

#no reasoning or context here #welll maybe a little 😇 #I just think Alejandro and Noah balance each other out in how much work they put into things #Noah is the youngest of many sibling so probably knows something about feeling neglected and that need for independence #Alejandro grew up with a drive for perfection and insecurity when compared to his older brother #I think they’d make her feel loved and never too pressured #also I think they would love for her to go to med school #like yes girl escape the terrible reality tv life #Noah did a lot of reality tv so her could also help talk with her about that #also why did they drop the whole Priya going to med school thing? that was really important to her character #also Alejandro is super athletic and Noah is not so I think it’s good juxtaposition #and Alejandro being really good with people #but Priya not #and he would have a redemption sort of arc #Also Priyemma! because I talked about the parallels before #conflict with strategy and feeling with your teammate #original post #Alenoah #td priya #td Noah #td Alejandro #total drama #total drama 2023 #total drama island #total drama reboot #Noah td #Alejandro td #Priya td #Alenoah and Priya AU #rambling in the tags again teehee

[13eyond13]

You know even if L and Light were both extremely heterosexual men, I still don't get how either one of them wouldn't find it alarmingly sexy that the other one was secretly trying THAT hard to constantly impress them and read their mind and personally entertain them and trip them specifically and ONLY them up

#like im sorry but #cant get much more romantic than that? #would somebody try that hard simply because they wanted to be your bro or because they did not care for you in any personal way at all? #no #idk why im making so many posts these days btw #i just keep getting hit with lawlight thoughts about the lawlight thots #like the steps of planning light went through to make the entire yotsuba arc happen?? #this is why he is the gone girl / amazing amy of the pair #it's like ok that's definitely scary and very insane of you but also maybe kinda hot hahahaha #and this is exactly what Alessandro Juliani meant when he said he thinks they have a real affinity for each other im sure #like he's probably a straight dude but even he was like dang they r in love #light yagami #l lawliet #lawlight #p

[heartbeatbookclub]

I think it's sorta weird how the Protagonist (MC, Y/N, Stinky, whatever you wanna call him) is treated within the context of DDLC's meta.

That sentence came out weird. What I mean is that on terms of DDLC playing with the 4th wall (in other words, on terms of its actual existence as a visual novel in universe), the nature of the Protagonist's...well, entire existence, is up in the air.

Dan Salvato literally stated that he doesn't actually see him as a character in the same way as the girls. He's a "blank slate that says whatever is convenient." In a different statement, he's described as the "nameless, faceless self-insert character that you find so commonly in romance games", which I think is a good way of putting it. It's a good way of justifying why he kinda...sucks, because he's meant to be a typical VN protagonist. He's shallow, and responds with little more than what makes sense in context, because he doesn't have much character on his own, which is what makes him pretty bad at dealing with delicate issues like with Sayori.

In DDLC+ (spoilers, I guess?), it's a little bit vague about it, but in one of the mails, it states that Monika has literally "manufactured" a new character to "force interaction between her and the user". This character is heavily implied to be the Protagonist of the main DDLC visual novel that we know, and he is, as stated, noticeably absent from the Side Stories, because Monika didn't actively create him to be there.

Except...he isn't.

He doesn't physically appear, but in Trust, though he's obviously not mentioned by name, it's implied that he does exist, because when asked to act like a "normal person" responding to the Literature Club, she imitates a friend of hers who says "Literature is stuuupid. I'm joining the Anime Club."

...Remind you of a certain someone?

I feel like I'm overexplaining this, but my point is, it suggests that the Protagonist as a character isn't just something Monika invented out of thin air, or at least he's heavily implied not to be.

I think there's a larger conversation on the vague way the game itself treats the world outside of what is defined within the limited scope of Doki Doki Literature Club. Fans have filled gaps of different characters and events, but it's important to acknowledge that they're gaps filled by fanon, not canon. I think those gaps are left very intentionally empty, mostly to play into the conceit of the world, being that literally nothing actually exists outside of its boundaries, because it's a visual novel. It's a limited, constricted reality, where things are implied to exist outside it, but they actually don't.

In other words, Monika did apparently generate all that makes up the Protagonist as a character and vehicle for the player in the main game, based off the limited concept implied by their interaction in the Side Story. Or, rather, probably by something else, since the side stories are inherently a "Control Simulation" where Monika doesn't have any sense of meta awareness. It's a prequel set before the main story, but...well, if you really think about it, it's implied to tie into the main story, but they don't directly link up, do they? If it's not explicitly shown on screen in the main line Doki Doki Literature Club, did it even happen?

Either way, the Protagonist is a character independent of Monika's creation, he's just given absolutely nothing, and technically doesn't even exist outside of what's implied of him. Technically, the character Monika creates as a vehicle for the Player has no real relation to him, outside of being Sayori's friend and wanting to join the Anime Club. Or, depending on your view, he does! Since he's the literal manifestation of that character concept where it didn't exist previously, it's fair to say that he is that character given life!

I don't know, I think it's just kinda fascinating in context. I don't really like a lot of the extra lore surrounding the whole thing in +, but there are plenty of interesting things like this which have been given just enough flavor to be interesting.

Obviously I don't think this means the Protagonist is a complete non-character and any & all fan interpretations of him should be defenestrated (quite the opposite actually, reality can be whatever you want, I have a few concepts with him floating around my head which I find fun to play with), but I think this sort of thing is probably important to keep in mind on terms of actual investigations of canon.

#i prooomise i have some more deeper & more emotionally invested essays on the girls & other things planned #as well as more super epic headcanons & lil fics & art probably #but i do genuinely think MC is interesting to talk about in regards to canon #& how he represents this larger concept that i think makes up the boundaries of monika's cage #musings #ddlc #ddlc mc #doki doki literature club

[deus-ex-mona]

i just think that lxl is incredibly funny, that’s all

#i’m never not amused whenever i see articles emphasising on aizo’s desire to sing while gushing about his (alleged) performing abilities #and yujiro’s desire to perform on a stage while raving about his great singing #ig this is another reason why they *need* each other. they’re essential to each other so true #is this why their love song is called hitsuyou fukaketsu— #imagine if they were actually able to achieve their dreams lol. #aizo would be a pro solo idol and yujiro would probably be performing kabuki with the longleg and shortleg… #come to think of it. in a sense aizo seems to be more of a typical flashy idol than yujiro is… #maybe that’s why he attracts all the ladies (sad aizo noises) #tfw you can get girls but *not* the man you love gg aizo kiss him harder next time you apply your kissmarks #染BODY ONCE TOLD ME—

[heliumcake]

i feel like people don’t notice just how much of an issue miscommunication meant for mike and will like everyone’s questioning Why the awkward hug at the airport when we now know that mike has been trying to call will a lot more than we originally thought (“you called maybe a couple times. its been a year, mike” “joyce has this telemarketer job. she’s always on the phone. mike wont stop whining about it”) and that will also distanced himself from mike (“maybe you should’ve reached out more” “and if she was mean to you or she seemed like she was pushing you away its because shes scared of losing you”). i get the impression they both thought the other was pushing away and because they both were afraid of losing each other mike just stopped calling and they ended up distancing themselves even more. so when mike comes to visit he doesn’t know where they stand in their friendship anymore.

#there is also the 🏳️‍🌈 implications of it all #too many feelings bottled up and you dont know what to do with them #and you dont even know if your best friend likes you anymore #and then he goes around looking sad and miserable all day #and you cant help but notice but you try to ignore it because its not your place anymore #and you should be focusing on spending time with your gf #i dont know it makes sense to me #even more if you think about how mike thought he was painting for other people now #painting for a GIRL #when it was probably Their thing #byler

[pickled-flowers]

Saw some of the grossest parenting today in the bus

#this dad was on his phone the whole bus ride ok #and his two kids were screaming arguing #at most he would periodically tell them to lower their voice while still on his phone #one time he told them to stop the one sitting next to him hit him 😭 and he went back to look at his phone with no reaction #my guy something is seriously wrong with you #your kids are screaming at each other doesn't even matter all that much that we are in the bus rn #theyre not just being loud kids you need to do smt!!!!!! its too early for this!!! i could hear them even with my noise cancelling headphone #anyways #ive never seen smt like this #and i work in a mall i see lots of parents and kids #idk smt really disgusting about a parent just not even interested in engaging with their kids #dude no wonder they're loud they probably want ur attention #also this one lady once who came in wjth a big stroller #and the store where i work has little moving rooms between the aisle so this woman decided TO LEAVE THE STROLLER WITH A KID INSIDE AT THE #FRONT OF THE STORE #the kids started crying and his hrother (toddler not in the stroller but not following the mom for some reason) started exploring and i #i had to watch them until the mom came back but like the woman just left them there??? #i just stepped in but what if i hadnt??? lady????????? #i see lots of cute interactions of course #like this little girl who came with who i think is her grandpa and he asked me to help her chose her next manga read 😭💖 #i basically work in a book/toy store #theres a lot of candy as well the kids love it #idk i like seeing kids being happy ok it is healing #like all the kids sitting on the floors deep in their books while the parents shop 😭😭😭 makes me smile every time top tier behavior

[daily-hanamura]

#persona 4 #p4 #persona 4 golden #p4g #hanamura yosuke #yosuke hanamura #this scene gets to me because it reveals how a lot of yosuke's talk about getting a gf or meeting a girl and all of that is just... talk #on the one hand it's atlus needing the best friend character to fill that role of “lets check out girls!” #on the other hand it also reads to me as another facade of yosuke's struggle to meet his idealised conception of an average teenage boy #see it's funny because even in the first instance the role is always a bit deeper than it is #slight spoilers for p3 and p5!!! #but in junpei's case regardless of his flirtations he doesnt actually reciprocate or is even a potential LI for femmc #in ryuji's case when ann turns on the charm and offers to go on a date with him he tells her off and says that she should be like herself #i think that theres always a surprising level of nuance to be found with that skirt-chasing stereotype atlus likes to give us #i think yosuke's narrative here quite closely parallels junpei's in that theyre actually super devoted people #and yosuke has found an attachment to saki in the way junpei had with chidori so of course hes not willing to compromise on it #its such a mixed thing because even though he knew saki's kindness to him was probably faked yosuke's loyalty to her was already set #yosuke strikes me as the type of person that if youre nice to him once he'll follow you for life #i love that nanako was the one that responded to yosuke with like “oh like homework?” and yosuke gently plays along #its evocative of his tendency to shoot his mouth off only to quickly cover it up with a joke #but yu is there in the room as well listening and empathising and i think it was a moment that really #revealed to us (and yu) yosuke's underlying motivations and beliefs #even if it was sandwiched between the moment of yosuke trying to look at yu's prn #or perhaps especially because it was sandwiched between that moment the juxtaposition becomes more salient #that such talk from yosuke functions as a distraction from the anguish and ennui he feels about losing saki #he's good with his queue

[feroluce]

Thinking tonight about Caelus, and the nature of his loss and his grief after the Everything that went down in Penacony during 2.0.

Because Acheron, Black Swan, and Misha kind of knew of Firefly, they at least met her, but they didn't like really know her, and Caelus never even got the chance to introduce her to the rest of the Astral Express Crew. The only person who would have talked to her much was Sparkle, who is. Probably not really someone Caelus is interested in grieving with skznmsks

Anyway, all this to say, I like thinking about how alone poor Caelus is in his grief, because he was the only one who knew Firefly. He's the only one really mourning her. There's no one to talk about her with. There's no stories to trade or memories to reminisce with anyone over. It's not as though he knew her for long, but still. No one else knew her at all.

And I love the thought of all of this coming bubbling up, hot and acidic and bitter, during a conversation with Sampo, who Caelus just so happens to run into in the Golden Hour. Poor Sampo is kinda blindsided, he knew shit was going down in Penacony, but yeesh. And he just. Isn't quite sure what to say about it all, because he's never really encountered this before. His feelings about the Masked Fools are...a mixed bag, but he's been a part of them for a very long time, and when you're with a close organization like that, it's hard to feel alone, in grief or otherwise.

So Sampo sits there on their little bench that the two of them have occupied, and he thinks of his old friend April, how she'd died in his arms cackling and spitting her own blood after a heist gone wrong, and how after he'd dragged himself back to the World's End Tavern they'd all held a Fool's Funeral- which is basically just a big party where everyone gets really really drunk and reminisces and toasts the dead and celebrates their life.

He still thinks about her a lot, and he remembers how the time he'd most keenly felt her absence was on Jarilo-VI, the one place where he couldn't talk about her because he couldn't say anything to give himself away as an alien. The Fools still tell stories about her every time he goes back to the Tavern. His first toast of the night is always in her name. Even now, all these years after she'd died, Sampo is still learning new things about her. He's never had to grieve her alone.

Caelus doesn't have any of that.

He might never have that. As they speak, Caelus has no proof that Firefly was even her real name, or if she dreamt with her true appearance. He might not ever find out who she even was.

And just imagining that kind of loneliness hollows out a strange little pit, right behind his sternum, deep between his ribs.

So Sampo claps Caelus' shoulder and offers him a deal. Come find him outside of the dream. He knows a guy who can get them a lot of beer for really cheap-

("Is that guy you and your five finger discounts?" "Whatever do you mean, dear friend, I don't even know the meaning of the phrase, hehee.")

-and they can hole up in a bar or a hotel room or something, and get completely shitcanned. Tell him all about Firefly, tell him everything, and he'll tell Caelus about April and everyone else he's ever lost. Sampo will carry Caelus' memories of Firefly with him, and at least this way, Caelus will be a little less alone in remembering her. And the next time they cross paths, Sampo will be the one to bring her up, and to tell her stories, and Caelus can get to be the one listening. He won't have to be the only person to talk about her anymore.

Caelus rolls his eyes when Sampo avoids another remark about sticky fingers, but...ok, yeah. That sounds good. Nice, even. Thank you. Caelus bumps his shoulder against Sampo's. Sampo bumps back.

(They find each other again the next day, and true to their word, get themselves completely and utterly shitcanned. Caelus talks more than Sampo has ever heard him; every minute detail, every word choice, Firefly's every odd little mannerism and habit. Because Caelus wants to make sure this will outlive him, that even if the Stellaron dwelling within him finally burns him to a crisp and he really does up and kick the bucket, or even, godforbid, if he forgets, he wants to make sure someone remembers her. She deserved that.)

((And it takes quite a while, after that. Caelus doesn't see Sampo again until after everything has settled down. On his last day in Penacony, he finds the guy slinking out of a seedy back alley and all but runs right into him. Sampo happily leads him to some dive bar in an even seedier back alley that Caelus has never even heard of, and Sampo raises his glass. "To Firefly! Who sounds like she probably would have hated me at first, but I would have liked to have met her anyway."

And Caelus stares at him, almost looking startled, long enough that Sampo worries that he's read him wrong and brought this up too soon. He's halfway into planning how to talk himself out of this situation when Caelus finally throws back his head back and laughs, tells him that yeah, Firefly would have politely called him out on every lie he told, and all their conversations would take twice as long with the way Sampo is so full of shit.

And he can see it, the same way he watches and sees through everyone, that Caelus' eyes have a tightness to them, his knuckles are nearly white around the handle of his mug. But he smiles. He hits his glass against Sampo's far too hard and throws it back and gets foam everywhere like he does every time they drink because the guy's about as elegant as a raging bull, but those things don't lessen the genuineness of his smile.

The grief is there, but so is the elation, and those emotions aren't a sliding scale between one or the other. It is all of both and both at once, and that's what contents Sampo enough to throw his own mug back when Caelus makes a toast of his own, "to April!!".))

#caelus #sampo koski #hsr caelus #hsr sampo #sampo & caelus #sampril #honkai star rail #hsr #my fics #me a few days ago: my favorite silly little guys uwu #me today: ANGST #honestly I feel like this isn't even a super strong angst though #it's more just. bittersweet? melancholic? something. #I JUST. REALLY LOVE STORIES ABOUT THE NATURE OF GRIEF #and 2.0 laid the groundwork for that beautifully woohoo #I just remembered this probably isn't common knowledge oops but April is the cute red haired girl in Funny Bone #her name was revealed by the creators on twitter. she's named April like April Fools! #anyway I ship it hardcore now thanks bucket boi & studio #but anyway yes I love and adore the loneliness of the trailblazer's loss and grief after 2.0 #because we know from Sunday that Firefly is “spiritually dead” but the trailblazer wouldn't have that knowledge #and they wouldn't know her identity or about any of her connections to other people #and I love that juxtaposed against Sampo and the possible strange nature of his own grief- #-given how the Masked Fools operate and how they see Elation in everything and everywhere #Sampo is no saint- like at all lol- but I do like him and Caelus getting along and being bros #and I don't think it would be terribly ooc for him to care about someone he sees as a genuine friend #he maybe rarely considers someone a genuine friend. but still dmxjjdjdk #listening to Sam's boss theme as I tag this... have been listening to it a lot ever since I finished 2.0 tbh #it's probably what inspired a lot of this haha #because it does sound strong and intimidating and imposing #but you can hear it

[darkfire359]

I do think it’s actually pretty interesting to think about how OFMD would read differently if Ed were a woman. But I don’t think Izzy is the one who would come out looking worse—if anything, his overprotectiveness and concerns about Ed looking weak on a ship full of pirates might come off as MORE justified. And with Blackbeard’s legacy then being something more unique, Izzy’s fear of Ed giving that up to play housewife might at least be more understandable.

But *Stede* would look like a total asshole. Abandoning his wife and kids because he’s gay and he never wanted that kind of life is sympathetic. Just going off to cheat with a newer, more exciting woman absolutely is NOT. And Stede’s pattern of ignoring his partners’ preferences and doing what he thinks is best would come off as misogyny instead of general obliviousness.

#izzy hands #not tagging other characters since this is related to current Izzy discourse #I don’t think Izzy would actually be in the right even in this AU to be clear #lots of ‘she’s not like other girls’ vibes towards Ed probably #and probably a clearer pattern of white knighting and putting Ed on a pedestal #but violating Ed’s personal space would not be one of his flaws #Ed touches Izzy repeatedly in the series #usually violently #but I think the face touch is actually the only time Izzy touches Ed? #anyway exploring these dynamics are probably part of why I wrote that omega!Ed/beta!Izzy + alpha!Stede fic #that and loving to watch Izzy’s head explode whenever he thinks about Ed being a bottom #Ed domming Izzy into having to top is peak Blackhands IMO #getting off topic now though…

[frodo-of-the-nine-fingers]

god the way flint's "Defined by their histories... distorted to fit into their narrative... until all that is left of us... are the monsters in the stories they tell their children." ties back in so perfectly with his interactions with abigail ashe. like he's seen it already, he's been in that story already and he Knows god, he knows, and silver just can't see it yet

#i think an argument could be made for his (silver) not seeing/recognizing his own queerness being here very much so #but it is also just as much if not more so (probably more so knowing the eh lets call it centrist at best political undertones) about them #being pirates/less than/othered in general #thinks about stories and narratives for two seconds in regards to something totally different and im back on the black sails train #anyways #black sails #i hate this show #and oc the newspaper girl which he doesn't know about but prophet flint>>>>> #why are we the prophets why are we the ones etc etc

[felizusnavidad]

took me a month to realize that i actually work with a bunch of idiots

#one thing about me is that i fucking HATE it when people are judging others by their appearance #like ooooh this girl is so ugly #i told my manager yesterday to stop being so cruel cause it was fucking disgusting #i think he thought i was joking #i also can't believe i said that but i was literally so mad like i can't work in a place where everyone behaves like this #they probably talk shit about me too soooo #time to look for another job me thinks? #they also fired one girl & didn't even tell her why #me next probably lol #i started hating this place tbh #i want to kill everyone who works there #talking shit for the hell of it*

[13eyond13]

I think the moment Light's crush on L first smacked him in the manga (like when it finally rooted and started blooming in his guts) was when L was like "you're my first ever friend" whilst smirking into his teacup. And not because Light fully believed he was being sincere about being friends, but because he KNEW L was slyly teasing him and speaking to him on more than one level at once. Nothing more unexpected funny flattering and intriguing than that for him right then

#im thinking about this specifically because of that post about the girl getting a huge crush on her enemy that saved all her threats #bc that's basically that moment for light i think #light tries to squash all positive emotions towards others at all times when he's kira if they interfere with his plans after all #but if L does something like this to him then it forces him to think about his feelings in a strategic preparation sort of way #nay dare i say it basically is giving light permission to do so #he can now hold off on completely stamping out those feelings as soon as they arise #almost (he thinks) as a way to study his enemy and see how full of shit he may or may not actually be about such things #this moment probably starts a shift in light where he can allow himself to acknowledge that he maybe has a bit more than just #enemy feels for L you know #bc maybe L also is having other kinds of feels about him?? #whether or not it's true it would impress him as a bold move #and kickstart him having to analyze what he actually does sincerely feel for L #and maybe start reframing and recontextualizing a lot of their tense ambiguous interactions up til that point secretly as well #heck we basically see him doing that when hes like lounging at his desk going HAH if it's friendship he wants then by god it's friendship #he will get #and this game of chicken with L about saying theyre friends keeps him from being able to completely avoid confronting #any complicated feels #like he otherwise probably would #because he legit cant back down from preparing for another battle of the wits with L #both because of his competitive pride and his genuine need to protect himself #would he call it a crush to himself yet #no probably not #i feel like that came later much later #he def would have acknowledged it as such by the end of the story tho #essentially L found a way to create a little wedge to ram in the door to Light's feels #and that is a smart enough move to probably have made Light start developing a crush on him even if he didn't have one already #l lawliet #light yagami #lawlight #p