The Eepening

My hand slipped

Forgive me and my obsession with one-sided radiostatic

Bonus

Chip jrwi with women vs men

How I sleep knowing both Arthur and John said they love one another.

I constantly have it in my mind that Gillion is three years older than Chip. Gillion, yes, Gillion mother fucking Tidestrider, is the oldest of the albatrio.

It's funny on a base level, Gillion is oldest yet the others need to babysit him. Gillion is the oldest but he knows the least. Haha.

It's less funny if you think about Chip being 8 years old, happy with the black rose pirates and then Gillion. Gillion who is eleven and training to be a weapon for others.

It's less funny if you think about Jay, 12 and spending time with her mom and sister. Gillion, 13, who can't remember his mom and almost expects his sister's hugs to hurt because the only contact he gets is hit over the head for failing again.

Chip, 14, Jay, 16, able to act out and cause trouble, because they're teenagers, why not goof around? And then Gillion, who's 17 and told to be an adult and act like it. But he can't change how he acts, because being mature has always been the standard expectation, he doesn't know how to be an adult when that's already what he's been his whole life.

Chip, 18 and he is scared to kill someone because killing is bad. Jay, 20 and her sister is dead and she is heartbroken. Gill, 21 and he is already used to killing, and he never sees his sister anyways, and he ruins his life. He ruins his life doing wha he thought was right, doing what they taught him to do.

Gillion is three years older than Chip, a year older than Jay. And it seems insignificant until you think about those years being stolen from him. It took Gillion 22 years to be free. Chip was free off and on, he had a childhood, Jay was never held back, she had a childhood.

Gillion didn't.

the way i immediatly thought of them

happy pride month

i keep thinking about this part, because it just seems so specific a thing to write, considering that harlan didn't have to name this character 'malam'.

merriam-webster says that the first known use of the word 'palindrome' was in 1637 - a far cry from the 1300s - and "in the past palindromes were more than just smart wordplay. Some folks thought they were magical, and they carved them on walls or amulets for protection."

since the episode dropped, i've seen a couple people in the tag mention that at first they thought malam was an alternate version of arthur - i did too. john's description of facial scars, a missing right ear, and differently colored eyes just sounds too reminiscent of arthur to be a coincidence. someone else said that malam's voice is the one closest to john's that harlan has used, and i had that passing thought while listening too.

obviously malam doesn't have arthur's face, since john would notice that, but i just keep thinking about palindrome. the same backwards as forwards.

malam is older, with a 'dark complexion'. he has arthur's scars, and the voice john would have in a human throat. differently colored eyes. he exists to bring justice to dead children. he says our "day of wrath".

the same backwards as forwards.

I get gillion not understanding fashion is a joke but also watch how fast I can get upset over it. cuz like. he doesn't know how to dress himself, because he's been wearing the same uniform (sleeveless turtleneck + big pants) since he was FIVE. he hasn't had the autonomy to pick out his own clothing EVER. never in his life has he been told to just pick out what you want to wear. put together an outfit for yourself. so the few times he's been told to make an outfit in the campaign, it's been to disguise himself (the chair suit, the pile of leaves, even the outfit he wore to mimic the uniforms of the elders,) with the notable exception of the outfit he wore to grimm's party- something he didn't enjoy wearing.

he's the only captain that hasn't gotten a full, true redesign, because he just isn't comfortable changing his look right now. he put up his hair, and he bought a nice cape for himself. he's purposefully taking his time exploring this new freedom that he has, but like. that cape is a bigger step for him than you'd think.

gaslight gatekeep gillion tidestrider 🐟

MY CHIP'S MAGIC TATTOOS HEADCANON!!!!

LIKE OH MY GOD—

Whenever Chip argues with Jay or Gill, they'd ask him out of nowhere, "Why are you angry?" and, almost in denial, he'd say, "NO, I'M NOT!" BUT they would still take notice of the flames creeping up his face, crackling audibly, even when he stays silent and withdrawn from a situation.

And let's talk about when Gill attempts to cup Chip's head in his hands and kiss him on the forehead... AND SO Chip gets sooo incredibly embarrassed that he'd almost burn Gill's palms off LMAO.

And when Chip feels down, the crew would notice the flames receding, hardly extending beyond his collarbone. The tattoos would appear unmoving, slightly faded, no longer emanating their usual warmth.

GOOD GOD, I JUST ADORE THE CONCEPT OF HIS TATTS GIVING OFF SOME MORE WARMTH—

At the Black Sea, his tattoos would remain small, subdued, and almost unmoving. Yet, when the captains huddle together for a nap, the tattoos would slowly gain back their vibrant colors and comforting warmth. It's just as if knowing that his captains are resting safe and sound beside him is enough...

I think Jay would sleep with her back turned to him, his arm supporting her head while her hands are gently clasped around his forearm. Perhaps she does it only to keep them warm, but maybe it's because that warmth somehow feels familiar. And in those quiet moments, she can't help but reminisce about Ava's fiery hair slipping through her fingers, making her remember times when they used to braid each other's hair before drifting off to sleep.

On the other side, Gillion would absolutely just wrap himself around Chip, loving the warmth that envelops him. Because waking up in that comforting sensation reminds him of the times he fell asleep on the deck after training, waking up to the gentle warmth of the sun on his skin. Their warmth now simply remind him of sunlight, something he deeply misses seeing...