#I love being so in hyperfocus. but I hate being so in hyperfocus

[pyechmushy]

Hyperfixation so bad I spent two hours on tumblr looking at any post about it while listening to the character's playlist because I got so excited thinking about that I physically couldn't take it

[somehowukook]

(On going) Jungkook fics that totally worth the wait. PT. 1. *:･ﾟ✧

I decided to share some ongoing FFs that I’m completely obsessed with.

Minors under no circumstances can interact with my posts.

Hi guys,💕

(I usually wait for authors to finish posting so I can hyperfocus, disappear from reality, and binge-read everything in one go—but these are so good that waiting for each chapter is totally worth it).

Let’s go!

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Teach me how to love by @kookooluvr

fwb2l, slow burn

Jeon jungkook, a fellow professor at yonsei university, is your friend, co-worker, and secret bed buddy. you have rules set in place to make sure there are no misunderstandings in your little arrangement. the #1 rule is as clear as day; no catching feelings. simple, right? wrong. let's see how un-simple it gets when a certain economics professor falls for an emotionally unavailable political science professor.

I love how we get wrapped up in the story, how the OC has walls up, and how JK breaks them down so gently. He’s so sweet, so soft, and so sure about his feelings—his patience is top-tier. And when he’s in bed… damn, a whole different side comes out. That duality hits me hard. I need one of these for myself. 😮‍💨🔥

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Wounds we never show by @smartkookiee

E2L

You and Jungkook have always at each other's throats, bound by a mutual disdain that runs deep. You both would rather step into traffic than be alone together. But when a chance encounter at a wedding leads to an unexpected and forbidden arrangement, the lines between enemies and something more begin to blur.

This is one of my all-time faves! I love a good E2L, but the way this one unfolds… you don’t really know how it started—you just piece it together through flashbacks while they’re getting real close with some 🔥 scenes. Seriously, chef’s kiss! 😙👌

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Fuck me up! by @jungkoode

E2L , RoomatesAU

A story about ruined expectations & reckless decisions ˎˊ˗

When your search for affordable NYC housing leads you to apartment 6B, you think you've hit the jackpot. That is, until you realize your new roommate is the guy from that one wild night on January - the one who ruined you for anyone else. Now you're stuck sharing walls with the living embodiment of your worst mistake, and the sexual tension is thick enough to choke on. Between his emotional damage and your trust issues, this arrangement is a disaster waiting to happen.

But hey, at least the hate sex is phenomenal.

What can I even say about the story that introduced me to my fairy godmother of ffs? Kiki is brilliant, and I love how she interacts with us! But about the story- imagine getting stuck in an apartment with the most unbearable roommate... who also happens to be the best sex of your life. Not sure if it's E2L or Enemies with Benefits— your call, haha. Either way, it's amazing! The best part? It's total crack (but also no) but still unfolds so well, and I just know l'll be left face down on the floor for hours.🫠🫠🫠

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2U ⭑.ᐟ by @numinousher

E2L, roommates. SMAU.

The two of you become roommates after being cheated on. how will you and jungkook handle your new life together when one blasts sad music and cries their heart out until they don’t have anymore tears, and the other watches rom-coms movies and cries about the life they could’ve had?

It’s a mess, but this JK? Walking green flag. Absolute sweetheart and so protective… ugh, I’m in love! 🩷 And i love the way he gets her vocabulary haha giiiirl

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Bloodlines entwined by @spideyjimin

WerewolfAU, pregnancy

Having a baby alone was supposed to be easy. but an accidental twist of fate pulled you into a hidden world of werewolves, and ancient bloodlines. navigating your already complicated life becomes even harder as you uncover your past; one tied to a legacy you never knew existed. and in the middle of this chaos stands jungkook, the werewolf king… and the father of your child.  

Look, I'm not really into werewolf stories. I read them, enjoy them, love the possessiveness and all, but for some reason, I've never really gotten hooked. At least, not until this one. Damn, my dream is to acidentally get pregnant by this wolf king right here, haha! WOOF WOOF 👀 🐺

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Colour me in by @taegularities

Fwb, fake dating, college!au

Jungkook's door only opens for you when there's a barter: a trade of lust and haze. But today you knock for something more, as intriguing as it is frightening – and you hope it doesn't close his door forever.

Rid starts with a solid fake dating plot, and before you know it, all your emotions are scattered across Tumblr. For me, this FF is one of the all-time classics of Tumblr. It’s one of those to frame, read, and re-read. I’m telling you, so many scenes made me go back and read them again. When I found CMI, I was find on chap 5 and had no idea what was going on, but it was written so well I couldn’t stop the chapter, then I started from the begining. NOBODY IS GOING TO REGREAT READ THIS. In one scene i was so inspired, that i painted a giant canva.

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This is the pt.1.

Please lmk your thoughts!!!!

Soon I’ll be back with more. Kissus kissus! Beijooooo 💕💕

[borathae]

↳ Index [Snippet #56 - Sims 4]

"When you catch Jungkook playing Sims 4."

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: Kook being the cutest ever <3, Bam obviously being the cutest dog ever, ah yeah mention of WhickedWhims iykyk & because of that suggestive themes

Wordcount: 1.6k

a/n: i just needed to write this fjsdafj like i have no proper notes cause i just felt like writing this and that's it fadffj have fun besties 🧡

“Honey, I’m home!” you call out, but the only one welcoming you by the door is your dog Bam. Weird. Jungkook should be home too. Today is his free day.

You greet Bam, cooing and wooing at him because he is just the cutest dog ever. He even gets a little kiss on the snout.

“I missed you too, baby. Did daddy feed you already?”

Bam barks softly, wiggling his entire butt as he wags his tail. He carries a purple dinosaur plushie in his mouth. It’s his current favourite toy and he carries it everywhere. It’s very cute that he does.

“Let’s check if he fed you, yeah? Come on.”

He follows you to the kitchen, looking at you the entire time, whilst wagging his tail.

“Where’s daddy anyway? Do you know, Bamie?”

The Doberman whines as his way of talking to you. Bam is a very vocal dog, who loves to whine. Not because he is in pain or distress, but simply as his way of communicating. You and Jungkook lovingly started calling him your little cry baby because of it and it’s the cutest thing ever. Especially when he whines for pets or for one of you the play with him. The most heartbreaking whines you will get if he accidentally drops one of his toys into a spot where he can’t reach it. Oh, if this happens, your poor suffering baby will let you know how awful life is (until one of you retrieves his lost toy and all is well again).

This evening, he lets you know that Jungkook didn’t feed him yet. Which you also see because “feed Bam” is still on Jungkook’s chore list. As a matter of fact, all of his tasks are still on his list.

“That’s weird. Did something happen?” You pet Bam’s head. “Stay here, I’ll check on him.”

You quickly wash your hands and leave the kitchen. Bam obviously follows you as you make your way to Jungkook’s room. The door is closed, but the slit at the floor lets out the shine of his LEDs. You knock and enter when you get no answer.

“Hey, daddy.”

Jungkook’s head shoots up and whips around.

“Huh!? Sorry?” He takes off his headphones, gawking at you over the brim of his glasses. “What did you just call me?”

“You didn’t feed Bam, did you?”

“Oh fuck. Wait. You’re home! Bam! Oh my god, Bam I’m so sorry. I’m the worst dad ever”, he exclaims, stumbling to his feet to run out of the room.

He pecks your cheek on his way out and slaps your butt.

“Missed you, love you, you are beautiful”, he says and disappears.

You chuckle and make your way to the kitchen.

Jungkook is busy apologising to Bam and getting his dinner ready. He is vividly talking to him while Bam wags his tail.

“I’m so sorry. What’s wrong with me? I was supposed to make dinner for mommy too. I’m the worst husband ever. This family is fucked because of me.”

“Yes, how could you? You ruined this family”, you tease.

“___! Oh! You heard that?”

“Everything. Loud and clear.” You chuckle. “What’s wrong today? Had a hyperfocus day?”

“Yeah I did. I’m sorry. I swear, I didn’t want to.”

“It’s alright. It can happen.”

Jungkook places Bam’s feeding mat down.

“Wait. Wait. Wait… Release.”

The Doberman begins eating happily, wagging his tail.

“There you go, my baby. Daddy’s so sorry for forgetting dinner.” He says and looks at you. “Daddy’s also sorry for forgetting mommy’s dinner.”

You snort at his hilarious choice of words.

 “It’s alright. I already ate because Jimin came to the restaurant. Almost as if the universe was trying to tell me something.”

You close the distance. Jungkook whimpers in defeat and drops his head on your shoulder, hugging your waist.

“I’m sorry. I hate when my brain does this.”

“Stop apologising. You’re loved.”

“I love you too”, he whispers and kisses your neck. Softly. He snuggles into it afterwards, inhaling deeply.

He hums and exhales.

“Tickles”, you snicker, fleeing him with minimal effort.

“You smell so good. It’s like my brain finally clears up again because I’m with you.”

“You’re the cutest.” You ruffle his hair. “What were you working on that made you go hyperfocus mode?”

“Imma tell you, but you have to promise me not to laugh.”

“I won’t laugh.”

“Okay so…actually, it’s easier if I just showed you. Come with me.”

“Alright”, you follow him, holding hands.

Your journey ends in his hobby room. His computer is turned on.

“Is this Sims?”

“Yes. I downloaded every pack and so many mods. Get a chair, I’ll show you.”

“Okay, no wonder you had no sense of time. Sims is addicting. What is your storyline?” you ask him as you get his art table stool. You place it next to his gaming chair and sit down.

“Okay look. This is the house. I spent so many hours on it. It’s still not completely finished, but we’re getting there.”

He starts explaining as he gives you a tour of the virtual house. He explains every room, his thought process behind it and shows you every single detail and angle. It takes you two rooms to finally figure it out.

“Wait. Pause.”

“Yeah?” He looks at you with big eyes.

“Is this our house?”

“Yeah. Look. I tried to get every detail right. The kitchen and the living room. And there’s my room and your room. And the bedroom.” He clicks through each rooms quickly, “the furniture is not completely accurate but I tried.”

“You did an amazing job. This looks like our home.”

“Yeah, I tried. I think I could do better.”

“Because you’re a perfectionist with unreachable expectations. It’s genuinely amazing.”

“Thanks. Do you wanna see more?”

“Of course. Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt the tour. Show me everything.”

And so Jungkook continues his detailed explanation of each room, while you listen and fall in love with him even more. He looks at you expectantly once the tour is complete.

“And what do you think?”

“It’s seriously so accurate. This must have taken so long”, you praise, running your fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck. He likes it when you do, leaning into the touch.

“Thanks. Yeah it took pretty long.”

“I can imagine.” You kiss his upper arm. “And who are you going to play as?”

“Okay check this out. I’m already done with the characters”, he says and opens the character creation tab. “It takes some time to load. I downloaded so much CC.”

You chuckle, “obviously.”

“Mhm.”

The tab finally opens.

“Is this you and Bam?” you gasp, gawking at the male sim and the Doberman by his side.

“Yes, it’s us and I made you too. Wait, switch families.”

The screen loads again, Jungkook uses the time to steal a gentle cheek kiss. The tab finally opens at the new family which consists only of one female sim which looks scarily like you.

“Woah, she looks like me.”

“Doesn’t she? I spent so much time making her right so she looks like you. I gave her outfits you would wear. Look, I even made more than one outfit per event so you're always super stylish”, he says, clicking through the different outfits and styles he made for your sim.

“You made me?”

He nods his head, “of course.”

“How?”

“I just looked at pictures of you and I know your style.”

“Koo, oh my god”, you hug his arm, “this is actually so sweet. I don’t know what to say. What are you gonna do with our sims?”

“I’m gonna make us meet and then fall in love of course. I then I wanna ask you to marry me and yeah, we move in together. I even downloaded WhickedWhims so we can make love.”

He glances at you, meeting your baffled features.

“Why are you looking at me as if I’m crazy?” he asks, totally pouting.

“You’re not”, you assure him, running your hand through his fluffy hair, “just realised that you’re seriously never gonna cheat on me.”

He pouts harder, “course I’m not gonna cheat on you. I love you”, he mumbles and turns away, returning to his virtual reality with giddy kicks of his feet. “I can’t wait to play. I wanna go on romantic dates with you.”

“Gosh Koo, you’re so cute”, you say and climb his lap.

Jungkook lets you, gazing up at you with his arms around your waist. He giggles when you squish his cheeks and pull him into a kiss.

“I love you”, you say.

“I love you too”, he answers you, eyes sparkly.

You pet his cheeks then look over your shoulder at the screen.

“What the fuck’s WhickedWhims though?”

“You don’t know? Ohohoh you are in for a ride. Look baby, it’s a mod where you can be sexy with your characters. Check this out, when I remove your dress, you-“

“Yah! Those are my tiddies and my cooch! I’m naked!” You turn to nudge his chest softly. “You horndog even made me naked?”

He snickers, “obviously. I’m naked too and then when we are dating, we can fuck.”

“And you get to see it?”

“Yeah, you can even have different animations.”

“Okay, lowkey I wanna see now.”

“Not yet, we need to meet first.”

“Uff fine, but tell me when we fuck. I’m so curious.”

“You’re such a pervert.”

“Says the one who downloaded a mod so he can make our virtual selves fuck!” you complain, hitting his arm gently.

Jungkook snickers, giving you his best “I’m being a little shit” look, which obviously earns him a smooch and ruffle of his hair.

[wlwsoccerfics]

The Troll inside my head(KimLittleXReader)

A/N:this Is just my experience with adhd. Doesn't have to be like that for Others.

Warnings: ADHD Reader, angst, self doubt

Summary: your adhd brings you down sometimes and makes you feel terrible. Your girlfriend is there to pick up the pieces and Show you how loved you are.

It was in the middle of the night, around 3am. You couldn't sleep. Your brain wouldn't let you rest. Many different thoughts running through your mind, all at once and all of them really loudly. Like they wanted to make sure you heard them. You felt like screaming. Only thing that kept you from it, was the fact that your beautiful girlfriend, who had the Patience of an Angel was asleep next to you. And you didn't want to wake her. It was enough that you were dealing with this. You didn't want to make your sleep issues her Problem too.

You got out of bed so you wouldn't wake her. Grabbing some fresh clothes and two towels, making your way into the bathroom. Taking a hot shower. Breathing in and out gently. You imagine that you are on the pitch. Focusing on not letting a ball past you. So No one would score a Goal against you. There were times when you didn't have all those thoughts running through your head like little Trolls, trying to cause Chaos. One was when you were on the pitch, being a Goalkeeper. You did an amazing job there. Or when you could hyperfocus on something else you really liked. For example when you build your Lego Sets. You can do that for hours on end. Only Problem when you hyper Focus on something is you forget about everything else.

After your shower you wrapped yourself in a big towel and then used a smaller one for your hair. Putting on a Sports bra and some panties your Trainings Shirt and Long pants. Then last but not least some white socks. it now was 4am now. You knew you wouldn't be able to rest, so you decided to listen to a Podcast about Harry Potter. Another one of your Obsessions. You sat on the Couch in the livingroom. The Podcast was on Low Volume, playing through the speakers of the Alexa. Something was different though.

Today you couldn't Focus on the Podcast. Your anxiety was rising up. Your mind going back to the last game. You were thinking about the two Goals that were scored against you. In your head all you heard was 'everyone else would have saved those!' and the disappointed and hate for yourself was back. You got up from the Couch, pacing back and forth. A panic attack was approaching. Fast, like lightning.

Your girlfriend slowly walked into the livingroom, half asleep. That changed when she saw you struggling to breath. She quickly made her way over to you. Placing her hands on each side of your face.

"Babe! Hey, Look at me, i am here! I got you! You are not alone." She told you, her voice soothing. She then pulled you close. Pressing her Body against yours. Swaying from Side to Side with you. She knew that worked for you when you had a panic attack. You placed your head against Kims shoulder. Breathing in and out slowly. The smell of her Shampoo was very calming.

"s-sorry." You whispered against her shoulder. She gently stroked your Hair.

"what are you sorry for Baby? You did nothing wrong." Kim whispered out. Gently sitting down on the Couch with you still very much holding onto her.

"you woke up really early cause i was probably too loud and annoying and then you walk in on me being a mess." You told her. She gently put a Hand under your chin now, pushing your face Up gently so you would look at her.

"listen to me please, you weren't loud or annoying. I did wake up cause i missed the warmth of your Body in bed. This isn't your fault at all. You can get out of bed whenever you want. And you weren't a mess. You had a Panic Attack. I hate that you have to Go through them but that doesn't mean you are a mess!" She told you and kissed your nose. You teared up and looked at her.

"i Love you, Babe." You let her know. Offering her a small and tried smile. Which she returned.

"i Love you too!" Your girlfriend answered. "Now please tell me what caused this panic attack?" She wanted to know. You cuddled up to her again. She gently stroked your arm.

"the last game." You admitted.

"sweet Angel, we have been over this. That we lost wasn't your fault. We win as a Team. We lose as a Team. You are such a talented Goalkeeper. So stop beating yourself up over this. No one is blaming you." She told you. You didn't say anything. You just kissed her. She kissed back.

A little while later it was 6am now and you took your adhd meds. You always took them at that time. After that you snuggled back onto the Couch with Kim. She put on one of the lego movies(knowing it is one of your favorite ones) , holding you close. Giving you a kiss on the head every now and then. You stayed like that, enjoying the Moments with Kim ,until it was time for Kim to get ready and make you two some Smoothies before you had to Drive to practice.

It was good to know that your girlfriend would always be there for you. No matter what.

[thesevenstarfoxes]

Stephanie Brown ADHD headcanons

1. She got good grades on tests due to her high intelligence but teachers didn't like her because she couldn't sit still and be quiet during class. She often started arguing with the teacher when he said something that made her angry.

2. Undiagnosed (obviously). Barbara suggested she get tested during her Batgirl days when she saw how she was in class, but Stephanie refused, both because she doesn't think she has ADHD and because she doesn't want to have it. Sort of like "I don't want to get official confirmation that something is wrong with me".

3. Gets into hyperfocus very easily. She can watch a gang or play the piano and just… everything will fade away and before she knows it three hours have passed. She hates it, it reminds her of her father with his riddles.

4. The type of ADHD that has to move all the time or they feel intense distress. Even just moving her leg or fidgeting with her hands, but it only helps for a short time, she needs more range of motion. This is one of the reasons why when her father locked her in the closet it was so terrible for her (besides that it is a terrible punishment and any child would suffer if their parents did it). Having this type of ADHD and being stuck in a small space for a long time is a nightmare from hell, at some point the need to move is so strong that you feel like you have fire under your skin.

5. One of the reasons she loved being Spoiler/Batgirl/Robin so much is that adrenaline works like a short-term Ritalin for people with ADHD. She was finally able to focus easily and felt like her abilities were higher.

[frownyalfred]

Love your abo fics but haven’t really kept up with the meta/asks about the Roy angst (nothing against him, he’s just not my hyperfocus lol), but I just saw the “Ollie thinks nuclear families are progressive and dislikes traditional packs as a leftist” take and something just Clicked for me. Bc omg that tracks exactly with his belief system! Hes not even a bad person for it and is actually trying to be the exact opposite, wanting equal rights for alphas and omegas but seeing the mating bite as a one sided claim. He’d foil so well with Bruce! Bc Bruce also went against his instincts when raising his pup, who grew into the same dynamic as him. Only Bruce lost his pup, and that started a catalyst for his beliefs to change, but Ollie is still stuck in the “push him away for his own wellbeing” stage.

If they knew each other growing up, I can see Ollie being one of the only people in their circle actually respecting Bruce, as an omega who refuses to let that define him. Maybe Bruce could sense that, and grew a begrudging respect for the one singular alpha who talks with him like a business associate instead of trying to get in his pants. But then suddenly Bruce shows up to a gala mated, pregnant, and in a formal pack? That’d be complete behavioral whiplash and cause for genuine concern. Even if they weren’t close, Ollie thought they shared an understanding. He would not react well at all (hello buried instincts!).

Yeah!! Exactly. He’d be outraged. And maybe he knew Lex growing up too and hated him because Lex “gave in” to all his omega instincts and used pack dynamics in his favor in business/social events. Ollie pities and looks down on him because he thinks Lex had no choice but also thinks Lex would be happier if he left all the instincts and attached omegaphobia behind.

Poor Bruce, having to hear Ollie’s well intentioned but gut punch of a “so you gave in?” speech.

[cancerian-woman]

in my opinion, d*lena isnt enemies to lovers but its often called enemies to lovers. when i saw potential for REAL enemies to lovers with bonkai, it’s shot down.

TVD’s and imo most of the fandom version of enemies to lovers is really bad boy/good girl. The woman in question is good and pure but could potentially like someone who isn’t “good” that is appealing enough for the fans. Damon and Elena weren’t equals. Damon could hurt Elena as much as he wanted to (killing Jeremy, abusing Caroline or Bonnie to his whims if Elena did not act as he wanted her too) and Elena couldn’t do anything about it. It only lessens (but never quite stops) when Elena is more receptive to his advances. I’d even argue that Elena never hated Damon when she was with Stefan. She just refused his advances as she loved Stefan. Damon and Klaus could never remain the villains that they were when it came to Elena or Caroline because they can overpower them and have them bend to their will if need be.

BonKai never has that problem. Kai can’t do anything to Bonnie that she can’t do back! Bonnie doesn’t check off the damsel in distress boxes in the way that Elena and Caroline does. Bonnie never being the damsel is another issue with her writing. Elena and Caroline are damsels, people feel for them and understand their struggles since IRL they probably felt just as powerless. Bonnie’s a fighter, tenfold even when she feels like she has nothing. It’s not to say the other women aren’t strong just that Bonnie’s different than them. Her magic immediately sets her apart. It’s her defense. So in return, Kai can push and Bonnie can push back, and better yet? She WANTS to fight back. He opened up a darker aspect that Bonnie never got to experience long term before. It’s electric, it’s actually ya know a REAL FIGHT than what DE/KC has. BonKai’s dynamic is dark and compelling it leaves you questioning what else can they do? How will they do it? Kai doesn’t need a redemption arc to deal with Bonnie because in some moments as Kai explained his family’s history we can see Bonnie be intrigued by him. Hell, look at the gif, these are supposed to be enemies There’s a sexual tension here. Actually, Damon needs to leave so they could fuck lmao. The scene where Kai tells Bonnie he wants to be more like her is direct copy of how Klaus speaks on Caroline’s “goodness”.

What I truly think stops people from shipping BonKai and admitting they have sexual sub-texts is because we don’t see BonKai act romantic. It is a complete lie to say that BonKai doesn’t have chemistry. They do and it’s sexual, and intense when they’re fighting.

Kat’s an amazing actress, but her love interests that she’d get were so bland next to her and working with Chris really showed what she could do if given the platform. (Not to say that her scenes with other villains are bad).

The same fans that criticize BonKai will hyperfocus on the violence and Bonnie’s trauma - which is important don’t have the discussions that while Kai did traumatize her…. Bonnie’s friend group is the larger center of Bonnie’s trauma and it goes unnoticed. Every single person in the MFG has benefited from Bonnie being harmed/sacrified or was the person inflicted said harm. If Bonnie is so deeply traumatized by Kai, then neither Elena or Caroline should’ve slept with and saw said romantic interests in that light. The one time they chose (and I’m not mad that they did it’s how they did itlol) to really center in on Bonnie’s trauma that was when people made it known they liked BonKai. If she was white, they wouldn’t have cared to even admit the trauma. They’d throw them together anyway. The Gemini and Bennetts have history, the season before we see Bonnie with Liv and even interacting with Jo in S6. Then everything with Kai. The plot line was there for the taking.

I didn’t whack Legacies and how they handled Kai & his relationship with Jade so let’s do that now. To be clear for what I’m about to say isn’t on Chris for aging. I thought he looked hot to me! Anyways:

Legacies and their cesspool of mess is typically a blip on my brain. However, what I cannot forget nor forgive. Is that Kai/Chris was easily visibly older than this actress (as expected that’s not the main issue) yet Kai and Jade were working together, were told they started off as enemies and eventually started fucking. Now whose dynamic does this replicates without the sex? BonKai.

Which means Kai being violent or lacking a redemption arc was never the issue with BonKai. It resides in Bonnie/Kat being a black woman and not wanting her to have those romances and screen time.

[queenrizzardnthelizardscissored]

now that the veilguard dust has settled im kinda just left feeling a bit... sad. like idk how to explain it. its like all the love i had for this series and the world was kinda shattered by it. like. i can either view it as a mid fantasy game on its own, or some kinda dragon-age-themed themepark ride, or i can make it canon and this is really what everything was building up to.

it just feels like everything i loved abt the series was sanitized and removed, and i cant even really get angry abt it bc it feels so sterile. like the thing about mages and how apparently they just are normal people now. as someone who struggles w/ mental health, including issues that make me hyperfocus and make a lot of stuff, or make me compulsive about weird random things, and then make me lethargic or annoying to everyone else, the way that mages worked in these games was so. idk. brutal but also relatable. it didnt feel like they sugarcoated the mental health issues, but it also didnt feel like they dehumanized these characters. they're all so human and we can see that they dont deserve agony or suffering or to have their minds destroyed and live w/o emotion (this in particular was affecting to me given my journey w/ psychiatric medication) but also that they need support networks, they need people to help them and hold them up and also say no sometimes and keep them from being their worst selves. but the core horror of that, of these people marginalized everywhere which just worsens their mental health issues, of these people tormented all the time by dreams they cannot control who have just accepted it, that there's nothing they can do to get better, of these people whose greatest strength is also their weakness, the core horror is just gone from DAV. it doesnt even care about it.

it also doesnt care about the injustice of the world. the thing that is so poignant about these games is that the world is not simple and that there is never a big bad. the 'big bads' that exist are there not as conventional villains you're meant to hate (nobody thought the darkspawn was a compelling villain, nor, really, demons? DA2 doesn't have a villain, really, just a bunch of sad people pushed to their limits who do horrible, horrible things bc they believe it's right), but as things that disrupt society, confront existing systems and exploit their weaknesses and demand change, or everyone will be annihilated. but in DAV, these societal weaknesses either aren't there or are distilled down to one or two bad guys from whom the whole 'evil' descends. it has villains that are gods that were worshipped for so long, and now turn out to be kinda insane and evil. this is, in my opinion, NOT the direction dragon age should go (i wish that DAI hadn't done the Solas thing, the veil should've remained intact and we should focus more on politics, on how the world rebuilds after the mage-templar war, what the qunari are doing, on small scale people's lives), but. it is what was done, and there's still a lot of potential there. Solas is a great character in DAI even if I think they should've gone in another direction. he challenges the worldviews of literally every character. so does the existence of these gods.

but the thing is that they end up not challenging anyone. the venatori, who, reminder, are human supremacist nationalists that hate the elvhen people and are extremely revanchist, side instantly with the gods the elvhen worshipped, for seemingly no reason, other than that they're Both Evil. The elvhen instantly recognize the gods are Evil and side against them. Solas is now One Guy rather than a thing that tests the boundaries of society. I'm not sure if this was because the game is rushed, or, and this is more what i suspect, the devs didnt want the players to have to confront the obvious and extremely difficult choice of potentially siding with the slavers and racists for what is, in universe, the 'greater good', even though that would be a fucking fascinating place for the game to go, especially if your Rook was elvhen. rather than examining these hate groups, or the structure of a society that builds itself on hatred and systemic injustice, the game just goes the easy route by turning their evil from something real and thus frightning due to the fact it exists in real life, can be seen in flags and posters on the roadside if you're in some parts of America, to some absolute unimpeachable evil that cannot be analyzed nor reasoned with. Imagine if they, for instance, explored Tevinter politics. a super crude version of this, which sucks and i have put little thought into, is to examine the way in which fascism and slavery upholds the social order. by positioning the elvhen below even human slaves and non mages, there's always someone lower for them to target and jeer at, and so they ignore the fact that they themselves are being fucked over by both the overarching structures at play and the people perpetrating them. instead, the game did none of these things, and did not even make the canon slavers in the canon slave country, (whose buisness of slave-trading and capture is tacitly accepted by rulers of Southern countries because even there, the elvhen are seen as second class), OWN SLAVES. We see none of this, none of the broad-scale social evils of inequality or the horrors of slavery and systemic racism, and so beyond avoiding the difficulty of having the player maybe have to temporarily side with and/or attempt to end slavery and the systems in it, *even when it affects their own people*, we just remove it all together. the relatable, realistic, *banal* evils are replaced with cackling villain laughter and dramatic designs.

the fact that we've torn apart and destroyed actual evil for the sake of replacing it with a caricature necessarily means the characters are less complex, which is fucking sad because there's so much genius on display with these character concepts. Harding's journey in particular could've been great, with her anger at the way her people have been fucked over present and past, and her either controlling it or embracing it. If you wanted to tie it back to the main story (which companion quests always sort of should thematically), you could have her realizing that the elvhen were just as fucked over by the evanuris as she and her people. Taash's quest about discovering their gender and the way that things are lost in cultural translation could've been great, if it leveraged the way the qunari work. the qunari have a very different system of gender than humans or elvhen or dwarves, though, importantly, just as restrictive. their journey could've dealt with actually integrating and synthesizing these cultures, and with breaking down both models of gender and how they fail to account for and capture the actual lived experienced of people, instead imposing a false dichotomy on them. In human countries, gender shapes work, in the qunari, work shapes one's gender. How could these equally repressive things be integrated or dealt with? Think about how cool this would've been to do ! there's so much cultural worldbuilding potential as well as the actual journey of these characters. but instead, we import a phrase from the real world that is characteristic of our present moment. historical cultures have had all sorts of different understandings of gender than our current system, not necessarily more or less restrictive (well, more restrictive if we consider the recent past in the West) but different. the identity of nonbinary is meaningfully different from that of "similar" positions in other cultures. in fact, dragon age already kind of already began to deal with this, albeit in a very-2014 way. It's just so dissapointing from both a queer perspective and a worldbuilding perspective. every quest is like this, a genius little kernel of an idea that instead of being expanded on and reshaped through the lens of the world we're in, is destroyed and made into the simplest, worst version of itself.

while we're at it, let's talk about souls. it's one thing that the enavuris exist. fine. i don't think that they needed to do that, but there were a lot of cool things that could be done with it, and i get why they made that decision, even if they didn't expand on it. but the whole thing about the enavuris is that they ARENT GODS! there are no confirmed gods in Dragon Age, and no confirmed afterlife. Remember Justinia in Inquisition and how it was a spirit that copied the imprint of her mind and personality on the fade? remember the same thing with Cole? Remember how Leilana can die and come back as a spirit that really, genuinely believes it is Leilana, but is, by the most physical of definition, 'not'? (insert metaphysics and debates about consciousness here).

The reason the fade and spirits are so damn good is because they are not as simple as an afterlife. what they are, as is clearly communicated, are impressions of reality and information. to put it another way, the fade reflects the perceptions and shapes and information about reality. the spirits that exist are not 100% truthful, and not because they're lying, but because their very existence is shaped by others beliefs. information gleaned from the fade is not 100% reliable, because how the fade looks and what happens in it can be manipulated not just by demons but by belief. There's a great bit with Solas from early in Inquisition where he talks about a battlefield that changes shape, changes events, based on whether the spirit he's talking to is closer to the losing or winning side. How damn great is that? the spirits aren't literal ghosts, but OUR CULTURAL MEMORY. the way they exist is so damn good, the way they carry on cultural traumas and beliefs. While we're at it, think about how this ties in to mages, who are tormented by spirits. They are literally tormented by cultural trauma and pain that persists even after the original victims and original perpetrators are long gone. God that's so great. What dying does is unclear, just like real life. What persists after death is your 'legacy,' warped by what other people thing of you. this ambiguity is great because whether or not an afterlife exists is unclear, but also, the 'soul' supposedly passes through the fade before dying. This system of magic, where spirits are not malevolent nor kind nor truthful, but formed by density of information and strong belief and cultural memory, is very unique. The closest thing to it is the spheres in the Witcher, and even that's different. In veilguard, souls exist and they are literally echoes of people and are 100% accurate.

The themes of Dragon Age, up to DAV, have been about cultural memory, about how beliefs impact actions impact beliefs, about (to borrow a really good comment on an early post) the truth of what religion makes us do rather than the 'truth' of what religion is. Think of how this magic system of spirits that are influenced by belief and cultural memory and raw strength of emotion that persists and impacts others even when the original person to feel those emotions is dead ties in to these themes. It's so beautiful, genuinely, even if the game does not explicitly explore it. Now think about how this all is lost when we make it so that souls explicitly exist and can be reserructed and spoken to.

Even aside from the broader themes, think about the potential that was there for the Mortalitasi. Rather than just being straightforward necromancers, if we applied old Dragon Age rules, the spirits they would summon from the corpses of people were not actually those people, but what their living relatives think of those people. How brutal and awesome and sad is that? That there is no true way to speak to the dead, only to speak to your conception of the dead. It's so beautiful, and sad, and honestly hurts my chest a bit to think about. Not only is that gone, but the concept it made way for - the existence of liches - falls way short and is in fact made actively worse by this change. So, liches are souls of mages possessing/controlling their own corpses, if I understand it right. Imagine if the 'souls' were not truly the original person, but a spriit imitating them. Not only does this make the whole thing bittersweet - it means that a person is sacrificing their life to cement a sort of constant legacy, because they are too afraid of dying without an impact of the world - but it means that a person who becomes a lich is taking this risk. Imagine if everyone hates that person, and so the new spirit that is now 'them' is an asshole. They have become, literally, the person everyone thinks they are. That's such a poignant and genius idea that is stripped away for, what? Literally just generic fantasy DND liches? It's. just. the loss is so sad. Especially since the theme of the character who has the option to turn into a lich is that of fear of death. What better way to show that fear of death ruins the way they LIVE than by making the new person not literally be them? By exchanging their life and happiness therein for a legacy? It's so beautiful and yet. gone.

the game, despite being on its own a really pretty but ultimately mediocre action RPG, feels like such an overwhelming loss because it not only destroys the world in which it is meant to be set but also because it seems to ignore the potential inherent in its own story. I am not a dragon age writer, and thank god for that, because I suck at writing, but if I was, i would've made the game more small-scale and poltiical and focus on ideology and fear and radicalism and acceptance rather than gods. TO be clear - I'm not mad that they didn't do that alternate game. I'm sad that they did this different idea, about the gods coming back, and then didn't do it well or even commit to their own idea.

and beyond that is the fact that it wants so badly to simultaneously distance itself from the previous games while also calling back all the time. the issue is that that could never be done, because the game is, inextricably, a sequel to a 2014 game that ended with a clear setup for a sequel this game expands upon. The game brings back this character from the previous game as a main villain, but because it also wants so badly to distance itself from the previous games, it makes him flatter, unreactive to the decisions and contexts of the previous games. The Solas of DAV is like the Solas of DAI immediately after waking up. The game brings back Varric despite him being in two previous games, and then proceeds to make him NOT Varric for most of the game. It brings back a companion from DA2 only to have her dress up in the worst outfit ever and not reference anything or be changed by her experiences, and then she fucks off. It has a plot inextricably tied to religion, but barely mentions Andraste or the Maker once, even in conversation among a group of casual believers, even as an exclamation. At the same time, the game is set in a nation completely different to the one of previous games, but it doesn't actually exploit that for any purpose. Rather, it destroys everything from the previous games. It makes it so the South is torn asunder, and yet our characters don't seem to care. Everyone from the previous games is implied to be dead, Hawke, maybe Cassandra, the HoF, Sera, Fenris (which is not in this game because they realized that having him here would expose the fact this game has ignored slavery entirely), Merrill, Josephine, Blackwall, Vivienne, everyone. At the same time they bring back a character from DAI who should've known these people for years, and she somehow goes on camping trips while the 6th and 7th blight destroys her home and everyone she's ever known. The game does not want to actually interact with the previous media, or the worldbuidling therein, but at the same time it must somehow remind you it is, in fact, a dragon age game, and so it must bring back and puppet around these characters and ideas just to show you they exist.

It's just so sad, but also kind of inevitable, and any solution would be terrible, because this game comes out 10 years after the previous entry. If they made it a direct sequel, where you play as Inky again, which would be the most logical thing to do, new players wouldn't get it, because why the fuck would they? They'd have to play a whole other 10 y/o game just to start this one. If they had you play as a small-scale character doing a side-ish story that ties into the main plot, a la DA2, with an inquisitor that chooses what to do w/o your input based on DAI choices, which would've been my preferred option, since it meant your character could be new and interesting without feeling out of place, everyone would've rightfully been mad that all the big world ending stuff is happening to someone else (which I think would actually be really cool for a narrative, to feel so helpless, tossed about by the world while you struggle to survive, but I can also see why they didnt want to do that.) If they did a time-skip, say, to the next Age, and had Solas defeated offscreen, which I think would actually be the best as far as creating a new series with divergence while also maintaining the lore and theming w/o having to account for player choices, well, this I think would've been the best game of the lot, but everyone, including the writers, would've been fucking pissed to not see an end to their story, to just have them live their lives and defeat Solas off-screen. So in the end, they're left with a sort of weird hybrid, where we play as a new character but also it's a direct sequel but also we're the one doing world-changing events but also there's a time skip during which nothing happened somehow, but everyone is still around just older. Even if this was well-done, and had artistic integrity and no interference due to market decisions, this would be a very hard balance to strike. But that's not what was done. Instead, the game started as a single player campaign, then was redone to make an MMO, then a raid game, then co-op action, then live service, then back to single-player again, and then rushed to recoup costs. With that in mind, it's really not *awful*. And then, of course, there was the bullshit "wokeism!!111!" assholes, as if the first game didn't have both gay and lesbian relationships, the second didn't have the same, the third didn't have both of those and also a canon trans character. It's just sad that it ended like this, with everything, including, somehow, my retroactive enjoyment of the series, being destroyed. I know it's stupid to not like old things because of the new thing, but. idk. it's this weird involuntary reflex. Ah well. I loved this world and its characters so much and now it just kinda feels hollow. :(

[lostintransist]

I can't keep doing this to myself...

My brain spit out an idea at me that I don't want to lose so you get to suffer with me under the weight of this idea until I have the time space energy ADHD hyperfocus to start on it.

This is not edited. Goal is to get the thought out of my head, not to make it perfect.

So imagine for me if you will that in some version of the stories for whatever reason I can bullshit into making sense Simon is selected to undergo a new and experimental form of trauma therapy. Used she/her here but when I write it pronouns will be you/yours

He hates it but orders are orders and after losing Johnny (his best mate, his lover, the other half of his soul) he would do just about anything to crawl from under the weight of the grief and guilt. Accepting the assignment means being put under sedation regularly for anywhere from six months to a year. During the sedation your active mind will remian awake and will begin to interact with a simulation that will help deal with the traumas exisiting in his body and mind.

Simon, not 100% on board, accepts the assignment but when he wakes up in some of his worst memorires ignores the woman following him from scene to scene, offering help. Every time he cowers as a child she offers a hand. Each time he bites back the fear flooding his system on a battlefield she offers to take the bullet instead.

For months he ignores her, trying to defeat his demons on his own. This was his mind and his body dammit, he could do this.

She stops offering help but doesn't leave. Trailing behind him in his memories Simon always finds flowers strewn in his footsteps. He never bothered to learn her name. When her laughter starts to haunt his dreams he watches her instead of his memories.

Whoever had programed this simulation had taken great care in creating a realistic interaction point. She makes ugly faces before she sneezes in the barns he has hid in, always complains about hayfever. Her ring finger on her right had been broken before, he can tell from the slight bend between the second and third knuckle. Every time he entered the simulation she wore something different, sometimes tugging on pants as if they wouldn't stay up.

"What should I call you?"

"Mmm?" She looks up from a book she had pulled down from a shelf in a dilapidated kitchen. "Oh, I'm not real so you can call me whatever you want."

He stared at her, frustrations mounting.

"Back to the silent treatment? Okay, this recipe looks actually really yummy," she turns to look back to the book.

Simon stalks up and snatches it from her hands. There is actually handwritten recipes. For some reason this makes Simon's rage double. How? How could this be real? He never opened a book in this kitchen. All that happened here was patching his wounds while waiting for exfil.

Their pattern continues like that until his brain finally spits out Johnny's death. He had been so, so careful to never let that memory come up. When it does Simon is so blindsided that when she offers to help he finally accepts.

Not knowing what to expect from this interaction did not prevent Simon from being surprised at how she handled it. She started to hum as she froze the memory, touching and moving pieces and people until everything had rewound a few moments.

"You have to sit it in, this pain. Talk to him. Tell him everything you didn't get a chance to. The longer you can sit in the agony the sooner it will find peace." She takes him by the hand and pulls him to his love.

Simon cries, like the young boy who needed safety and only found hate or indifference. Through blubbering sobs he tells Johnny every word he regretted hording. When Johnny hugs him back, mouth moving and voice saying things Simon had only dreamed of he found a semblenece of peace.

When his heartrate returns to normal and the only proof this interaction happened is the hollow space in his chest where Johnny will continue to exist his compaion steps back from Johnny, appearing as if from the dust.

"I think that is enough today. You did good." Turning on her heel she walks away, disappearing into the folds between memories.

Simon had never seen her leave before, he always ended the sessions before she had a chance.

He lets her help then, this nameless woman. They conquer every memory and the vaguest notions of memories that bother him. This intensive work paired with his weekly therapy leaves his with the skills to deal with the nightmares, the PTSD, and the trauma that still manifests from time to time.

Can one fall in love with a figment of imagintion? Simon thinks he might have. The final session he confesses, brushing his lips against hers as she sobs.

"But I'm not real. Simon, you can't love me I'm not real."

"Johnny's not real either anymore. I still love him. I'll keep you in my bones next to him, both of you keeping me safe."

She runs then, between memories and fears until she disappears and ends the sesion.

Simon, upon requesting more sessions, is informed that he has completed the program and all his care is being turned over to the non-intensive team that his therapist is a part of. Oh she shouldn't have argued with him or cut off their sessions. Now he knows she is real, the woman the knocked around his brain and fought back the demons for him.

Now all he had to do? Find her.

For anything I am currently working on check out my masterlist. This is getting dropped into my drabbles for later.

[pikatrainer99]

Let's talk about Barry for a minute.

This boy is so underappreciated and gets way too much hate just for being ADHD incarnate (or as the haters say, "his hyperactive squirrel brain"). The haters also don't recognize that Barry actually has a character arc in the games. He learns the importance of slowing down throughout his journey, especially after his loss to Jupiter at Lake Acuity. He had been one step ahead of the player the whole game, but this loss actually makes him stop and think things through for a bit, deciding to take his time and train up more. As a result, the player is the one to get the last Gym Badge and make it to the League first. Also, let's not forget that Barry had the patience (and probably hyperfocus) to get a MUNCHLAX and a HERACROSS from the honey trees...y'know, the two RAREST honey tree Pokémon...? Yeah...that takes PATIENCE. Even I don't have the patience for that...but I'm also a very impatient person myself (I blame my parents, who are also impatient, for passing it on to me and my brothers), my "now now now" attitude has driven my family crazy millions of times by now, but I digress.

Something else that's important to mention is Barry's personality (other than his ADHD traits, that is). This kid is a genuinely good guy. He's the player's best friend and that doesn't stop when he becomes the player's rival. He gives the player tips, he doesn't look down on the player or bully them, he's always excited to see them whenever they cross his path, is genuinely happy for them when they get their last Gym Badge and says he won't be far behind, etc. Barry also genuinely loves Pokémon, they are his friends, not tools for battle. He gets angry when around Team Galactic because of how they treat Pokémon, he went into empathy overdrive for Uxie's suffering after losing to Jupiter at Lake Acuity, etc. And he gets excited and happy when around people who love Pokémon as much as he does, like the player and Gym Leaders, for example. Barry also NEVER gives up, which is definitely a great character trait, especially for a rival character. He's set on his goal and nothing can pull him away from it, not even multiple losses to the player. It makes me feel less bad about beating him because I know he's just gonna bounce back each time and try again. That's just how Barry is and he's my favorite friendly rival because of it. I never feel like I'm crushing his dreams like I do with Hop, for example. Instead I'm making him stronger, both in resolve, and as a Trainer.

That doesn't mean that he doesn't have a sad side to him though...because he does. He has daddy issues, BIG TIME. This kid's whole motivation is to get strong enough to challenge and defeat his dad, Tower Tycoon Palmer. He wants to be acknowledged by his dad SO BADLY that in Pokémon Masters he straight-up TELLS YOU that the reason he keeps fining people is because he wants to use the fines he collects to build his own Battle Tower because, in his mind, that's the way to get acknowledgement from his dad. But no one ever takes him seriously (most likely because of how often he does this, how much money he asks for, and also the fact that he's a CHILD), so he never gets any money. I'll be honest, my heart broke for this poor kid during that conversation. I used to think that Barry's "I'm fining you 10 million Pokédollars!" was just his way of expressing annoyance or even just a verbal tic of sorts...but in Masters it's revealed that he's dead serious when he says those things, all because he's so desperate for his dad's approval that he wants to make him proud by building and running his own Battle Tower. Again, he's a CHILD! That shouldn't be any child's goal, especially not for something all kids deserve, which is parent approval! As someone who is ALSO constantly seeking my own dad's approval, this conversation hit home for me. My dad doesn't really approve of anything I'm interested in or anything I do, he wants me to be someone else entirely...but I can't be who he wants me to be, I can't be who ANYONE in this world wants me to be...I can only be myself and I want to make my dad proud just by being me...

The Pokémon Evolutions episode "The Rival" is ALL ABOUT Barry's daddy issues. Everything he does and says in that episode is all about getting strong enough to challenge his dad. He's able to beat him in the end, finally getting the acknowledgement he deserves (he would still deserve it even if he didn't win, or even get to challenge him, let's be clear). So it's a happy ending there, but in the gameverse that's not a clear-cut thing that happens, so we never know if he even does get to face his dad. He shows up in the Fight Area on weekends to battle the player but that's really it as far as I'm aware. In the games, Barry also admires Crasher Wake and wants him to take him under his wing and mentor him, but Wake refuses, which honestly makes me angry since Barry clearly wants (and needs) a father figure in his life since Palmer is absent all the time. At least in the manga Wake does train Pearl, so there is ONE Pokémon universe where Wake mentors the kid...buuuuut he should've done it in the games too, just sayin'.

So yeah, that's basically my ramble on Barry. Honestly this wasn't planned or anything, I just out of nowhere started thinking about Barry and how hated he is, and impulsively wrote this whole entire essay without scripting it out beforehand so this might be a bit hard to follow 😅. But I just love this kid and I don't understand the hate he gets, so he deserves an appreciation post in my opinion...so this is the post! Let me know what you think down below!

[linkons-most-wanted]

Who in the world ranked sylus an extrovert when all his lore says he doesn't like crowds or people and feels drained by them? 😭

Ah, great question! 😈 You’ve unleashed the personality framework hyperfocus, haha. This got long.

“Introvert” and “extrovert” aren’t really scientific distinctions—they’re patterns of referring to people that crop up throughout a lot of humanity’s history of trying to describe people. That’s why they’re included in OCEAN (the “big five”), the most data-driven of the personality models. OCEAN is based on lexical analysis—what traits do people naturally talk about the most?

Anyway, so you get different schools of thought around the traits, some with better statistical backing than others.

What you’re thinking of is the classic “does being around people/crowds energize or drain you” but I don’t find that rule of thumb to be particularly helpful. Ask any ENFP��we love being around other people, rallying them for a cause, inspiring and persuading—but wow do we need a nap afterward.

OCEAN describes Extroversion as the spectrum from bold/energetic to shy/bashful. When Sylus wants to be left alone, he is certainly not shy about it. 🤣

I find it more useful to think about introversion vs extroversion as an “orientation”—do you tend to want to act/operate on the external world? Or your internal world?

Taking control, exerting influence, claiming dominion, competing with others—these are all externally-directed things.

Sylus is fundamentally a character that exerts his influence on the world around him, leaving his mark wherever he goes. Just because he doesn’t like crowds doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to create and control the world those crowds move through. He doesn’t need to want to meet every person in the N109 Zone to want them to flinch when they hear his name.

So, in that sense, Sylus is extremely externally-oriented, outward-directed, extro-verted.

Notably, ENTJ is often called the “commander” type, and for good reason.

Sylus has his moments of introspection, of course, as all extroverts do. But when it comes to the general balance between ruminating on something internally and acting in the world, he’s going to tend to act.

I like the articles from 16 Personalities a lot because they take the big five traits from OCEAN and map them onto the letters people are familiar with from the MBTI, plus the idea of “turbulence” to capture the “neuroticism” dimension of OCEAN. On introversion vs extroversion they call out how extroverts tend to enjoy thrilling activities, push boundaries/limits, take the lead, and get bored easily. That’s Sylus to a T.

If you’ll permit me one last tangent, I see a lot of people look at the stereotypical traits of introverts and sort of map that to neurodivergence. I had a boss who was really into “introversion” and would say things like “well, I’m an introvert, that’s why I don’t like eye contact. That’s why I have to analyze how I behave and practice presenting in a certain way. That’s why I struggle to talk to others.” It was fascinating how clearly he’d mapped and attributed his autistic traits (which were plentiful and apparent) onto the idea of “introversion”.

Being drained by crowds, sensitive to bright lights and loud noises, calculating and restrained when interacting with others—these aren’t traits of introversion necessarily, they’re traits of neurodivergence, especially the autism spectrum. So I don’t want to take away from anyone the relatability of Sylus hating crowds—it’s just not because he’s introverted, rather, because he has sensory sensitivities. And whether you want to interpret that as simply being due to his dragon senses (he can smell all those foul souls all the time, after all) or due to him being a subtly AuDHD-coded character (my take) is up to you.

And just in case this hits any folks outside my usual pro-self-diagnosis, pro-disability-accommodation, anti-pathologizing corner of the internet, I just want to add that neurodivergence is a lot more plentiful than people realize. We can call it “sub-clinical” ie not impairing enough to need formal diagnosis, but autistic and ADHD traits (and other forms of neurodivergence) crop up a lot in fiction not because people are setting out scientifically to represent those traits, but because we intuitively understand some people are just different that way. Some people are dynamic, engaging leaders who hate bright lights and crowds. Some people are the “quirky” friend who always has a new project, etc.

Anyway, I could clearly talk about this for ages, so I’m happy to field any follow-up questions on personality frameworks or how we can apply them in fiction!

[snow-blower]

Haiii!! Love your writing and your bots!!! Could you write something for an autistic reader please? Maybe her having a meltdown and how a character (preferably one of the stark men) would react to it/help her? Or maybe how they react to the reader showing her current hyperfocus/fixation or special interest???

Hiyaa! I absolutely can! Apologies if there's anything wrong with this, not too familiar with meltdowns and such but did a bit of research :) Hopefully it's not too scuffed lol

Also couldn't choose which Stark man so I spun a wheel and got out lovely Robb! Hope it's up to your standards.

Robb Starks x autistic!user Thoughts.

Masterlist

Meltdown:

I feel like Robb would be attentive to all your needs. No matter what mood you're in, he's there to help. Though, I think all the Stark men would be in their own ways.

Robb would be able to sense the meltdown from a mile away. You had a bad day; everything seemed to be going wrong, and everything just felt wrong. You'd be tense and a more irritable, and he could see the way your fists clenched and your eyes squinted as the council meeting drags on.

He'd hate being unable to do much about it during such an event, and would find himself focusing more on you than the meeting, wondering when the moment is that you'll snap.

You manage to keep a grip on yourself until after the meeting, quickly withdrawing from any social activities and rushing back to yours and Robb's chambers—with Robb following close behind.

You'd be pacing the length of your chambers by the time he caught up with you, your breath heavy and fingers trembling as you fumbled with the laces of your dress, the fabric feeling uncomfortable and only adding to your frustrations.

The first time this had happened around him he had panicked a little, not quite knowing how to soothe you, but as time goes on he figures out all the little ways to comfort and help you.

Greywind seemed to always be the best option for comforting you. You enjoyed the softness of the direwolf's fur and the warmth that emitted from the soft beast. He'd help you out of your clothes once you found them too uncomfortable, helping you into one of his oversized shirts and his fur cloak. He'd make sure the fire is stoked, and you're comfortable on the bed with Greywind and would avoid touching you too much or in any way that may add to your state and would probably sit on the edge of the bed until you calmed down and when you did, he'd pull you into his lap, making sure you're nice and snug against him, letting you fall asleep on him.

Interests:

Your interests are definitely a little different from the usual high-born ladies, but Robb doesn't care. He adores the way you light up with excitement as you talk about your interests, finding adorable and endearing. He'd sit there for hours listening to you talk if he could. Alas, duties as King are endless and constant, especially in a time of war.

That doesn't stop him from listening to you in the evenings as the two of you lay together. You'd be curled against his side perhaps, Robb's fingers toying with the ends of your hair, curling the strands around his fingers as he listens to you talk. He'd let out little hums and add on a little to the conversation but is content to just listen to you, to watch the way you get excited over something you love. Greywind would probably be lying at the foot of the bed, giving your feet some much-needed warmth (wouldn't want to get frostbite and have your toes fall off now, would we?)

Robb doesn't care how silly or strange your interests are, he's just happy you're happy. Nothing makes him happier than seeing that excitement dancing behind your eyes as you fumbled to tell him something new about your interests.

[mandoriana]

HEADCANON OF ARTHUR PENDRAGON

Okay, so maybe I'm designing a little bit, but I really think Arthur has autism and Merlin ADHD, so I brought some headcanon on Arthur and then I'll bring a post with Merlin headcanon.

Arthur definitely feels he needs to earn everything in his life, like affection, respect, or any form of good things happening to him.

He saves lives, or so he says, but it's more like he's saving to try to make up for the ones he took and to earn the right to be alive, which is an absurd thing to believe, but he believes it.

Arthur used to stim by waving his hands or humming a tune, but his father saw this as impertinence and disobedience, so he started punishing Arthur whenever he did it.

Gaius identified signs of "mental illness" in Arthur at the age of 8, and when he told Uther, he was ordered never to tell anyone.

Arthur feels ashamed of himself, so he would rather die than tell anyone about his "illness."

This often leads to people misunderstanding him, but part of him feels that this is what he deserves. Like, he thinks he would hate being judged for his mental illness because he doesn't like the idea of his actions being retroactively justified or excused, not being self-aware enough to realize that this horribly elevated sense of hyper-responsibility over simply screwing up everything in his life is, in itself, a response to trauma. Also, he is the biggest hypocrite, wanting to save lives but never trying to save himself, always putting himself in danger without caring about his own life.

Arthur has some insane standards that he forces himself to meet. He works non-stop as a prince and knight, always doing something, unable to stay still or even sleep until everything is done. He skips meals, neglects his well-being, puts everything at risk, and expects himself to do this every day, every hour, without fail, every time.

The main reason Arthur never had a personal servant for too long is that no one could understand the prince's needs; they brought the wrong breakfast, at the wrong time, and in the wrong way; they tried to touch him without permission or approached too quickly, which unnerved the prince; they also cleaned his room and left everything with strong smells that Arthur hated.

His comfort food is fig pudding, but his father forbade him from eating it to not ruin his diet and good looks. Merlin steals some pies for Arthur when he feels his prince is down.

Arthur doesn't like rough fabrics or tight clothes.

Physical contact is not accepted unless Arthur initiates it himself.

He can't stand strong smells, so he abhors being near some court ladies who overdo it with perfume.

His hyperfocus is on war strategies and Greek tragedies.

Arthur loves wearing armor; the weight of the armor and his cape brings him comfort.

When overwhelmed, Arthur crouches, wraps himself in his cape, and covers his ears.

He feels really hurt when someone speaks ill of him because he doesn't know when they are being sincere or not, the only exception being Merlin, whom Arthur knows is just joking.

Merlin is his emotional support person.

The first time Arthur had a sensory overload in front of Merlin, he expected to be punished for it, but Merlin just started questioning what Arthur needed and began taking care of him.

Arthur's comfort person is Merlin.

Arthur gets anxious in crowded places, but if Merlin is in sight, he can calm down.

When he becomes king and needs to give speeches, Merlin stands behind him, discreetly holding his hand so Arthur doesn't feel nervous.

To the knights, Arthur is the serious and quiet part of the duo, but when he is alone with Merlin, he talks a lot.

He likes to give gifts to Merlin, especially clothes that he finds comfortable and in beautiful colors.

Merlin has an almost inexhaustible energy, always moving and doing something. This can be irritating to some, but Arthur finds comfort in Merlin's constant and active presence.

When Arthur has a sensory overload, Merlin knows exactly what to do to calm him down. He creates a calm and safe environment, using his magic to block excessive stimuli.

Arthur has a very rigid daily routine that he follows religiously. Any interruption or unexpected change can make him extremely anxious. Merlin is the biggest advocate for his prince's routine and never lets anything interrupt Arthur.

Besides war strategies and Greek tragedies, Arthur has a deep interest in heraldry and genealogy. He can spend hours studying coats of arms and family trees.

Arthur prefers direct and clear communication. He can get frustrated with indirectness or sarcasm, except when it comes from Merlin, whom he understands better.

Arthur is sensitive to bright lights and prefers environments with soft lighting. He avoids large halls lit by many chandeliers.

Arthur has a collection of small objects that he finds comforting, like smooth stones or old medallions. He likes to hold these objects when he is stressed.

Arthur prefers to focus on one task at a time. He feels overwhelmed when he has to deal with multiple responsibilities simultaneously.

Arthur feels safer in small, confined spaces, like inside a closet or under the bed, rather than in large halls or open areas.

Arthur has an exceptional memory for details, especially related to battles and strategies. He can precisely remember troop movements in past battles.

Before each battle or important event, Arthur follows a specific preparation ritual that helps him focus and calm down.

Arthur sometimes has difficulty reading other people's emotions, which can lead to misunderstandings. He relies on Merlin to help him interpret the intentions of those around him.

[rigormortissettingin]

how to get perfect grades from a short attention span girlie that nobody asked for

when you get home from school, rewrite all your notes from all the important classes that day (if you’re a british slag like me then just do all your gcse subjects)

learn how to do deep work: work for a really long period of time with barely any breaks where you don’t get distracted and get shit done — having noice cancelling headphones whilst listening to white noise etc works best for me

don’t let anything distract you, put your phone away in another room, etc

if you can’t concentrate, before your revision sesh, stare at a still object for 1 min to help with your focus

have a schedule/a weekly routine!!! i know you’re lazy and have been avoiding making one so here’s my routine: on school days I rewrite all my notes from the classes (that you care about) that day and do some homework then leave the rest for the weekends

mindset is EVERYTHING. be positive about everything in your life and stop being a pessimistic bitch. everything will be okay. jeez.

for music, find a few white noise/focus music playlists and listen to them with noise cancelling headphones for most intense focus (linking my fav spotify playlists below)

write everything out by hand. don’t be lazy you dumb fucker and type everything up on quizlet. quizlet is bullshit and you know it. it’s been scientifically proven that writing things out help you remember them better

go over things early in the morning and late at night (quickly proven to stick in your brain more)

find what works best for you. find your perfect environment, music, time of day to revise, method etc. i work best in my room after 4 pm by using flash cards I have written out by hand

don’t let food distract you!!! if you have snacks nearby but you’re eating them instead of working then put them away

have an app for revision. study bunny if my favourite one it’s so cute but it doesn’t distract me

holidays are a blessing. dedicate some time every day in the holidays for revision, even if it’s not a lot

have a good balance between school and other hobbies. i would say have a good social life but i honestly don’t think having one is that important. or at least it’s not important to me, but if you want a good social life then go for it

have goals for the future, like if you want to go to uni and where you want to go if you do, what field you want to specialise in, etc and work towards them

if you want to exceed in school then you have to make revision and academic excellence your coping mechanism or a safe haven to calm you down

reading books, especially literature helps so much with everything. not just your vocabulary but it also helps your understanding of the world and helps you see everything in a different light. and don’t give me that “but i do read” bullshit because tiktok smut twisted love twisted hate icebreaker all that crap that you’re not even old enough to read don’t count. my fav books if you need any recs: the virgin suicides (not literature, just well-written), the secret history (not literature, just well-written), girl, interrupted (again, well written but not literature), crime and punishment, carmilla, dracula, alice in wonderland, emma, pride and prejudice, sense and sensibility, much ado about nothing, a midsummer nights dream, rebecca, the outsiders, little, women and loads more

delete social media if it worsens your mental health or your grades. deleting tiktok has been the best decision of my entire life, i was so unhappy for so long because endlessly scrolling was a coping mechanism but now im actually happy for once in my life and my grades are quite good

pray like you didn’t revise and revise like you didn’t pray

i have to have a number 20 because odd numbers besides 13 and 7 annoy me

thank you

[enden-k]

NEW CONTENT TO ANALYZE 🛐

For now have a very eepy fixation on the scene where Saran is wrapped around Vika. He's not even close to being physically similar to Vika. Does that stop him at all from being his own weighted blanket/being able to wrap himself around him? Not at all. The reason he has tentacles is to better wrap around Vika

(Something about how Saran seemed to be absentmindedly petting the scars, I wonder if it was due to the texture? Or just something he likes doing. Idk something about it is very intimate, for some reason, usually you'd see a character kissing the area so i guess it's because it's something i haven't seen before that IS a display of intimacy. Rolling it over in my brain. Like a rotisserie chicken. Good concept)

Also 'VIKA CONTROL YOUR TOOL' lmao. It's giving 'GET YOUR FUCKING DOG BITCH' "It don't bite" 'YES IT DO-'. Protective Saran. Also a tasty concept. Good brain food too. Good stuff

(Also, the person who was saying that they liked Saran despite having some issues with eyes is so real. I have a horrible eye phobia. Eyes in general (specially eye contact) really creeps me out and every now and then there will be an illustration where i go 'ah yes this is the eye character. How the fuck did I forget that when IT'S HIS WHOLE THING' because genuinely you HAVE to be putting something in him! He doesn't creep me out! Genuinely i dont have any idea how Saran isn't just one walking trigger for me or why i enjoy him as much even when he does occasionally spook me

It's so weird! Fascinating! Genuinely feel like consuming Saran content (well. Your content in general but specially Saran related) has desensitized me somewhat to eyes. I even find myself particularly enjoying the way eyes have been drawn that day! Good characters good lore and now I can go a step above in my character analysis (in other fandoms) by watching their eyes without getting freaked out about it! Never have been so happy to have stumbled across someone's work)

-eepy 🦜. Still rotating the way they cuddle in my head. Saran is so attentive. So lovely....

imo, wrists are super intimate to touch (probably bc im very sensitive there and dont like them being touched unless its someone im comfortable w and trust); not to mention scars (esp if its SH)

saran stroking and tracing them gently is like him acknowledging them but not judging or pitying etc vika; not paying extreme attention/hyperfocus to them but also not ignoring them to the point of it becoming obvious. they are just a part of the person he loves. they are just there

also, saran just really likes to touch (so does vika) but very soft and gentle; hes the kind of person who will always gently run his knuckles down your face, hold your wrist and trace your veins or scars, stroke the back of your hand or palms, push stray locks of your hair behind your ear. its little but very intimate touches that say more than words could in this moment, more powerful than a bold touch imo

LMAO ITS FUNNY BC while im not scared of eyes at all or anything, im also just very uncomfortable and bad with being looked at/eye contact (i can manage when its a few seconds tho but i really do hate being perceived) but drawing saran so much and his many-eyes when theyre all staring straight at the viewer never fazed me lololol (prolly bc i stare at my own drawings longer than any of you, since i work on them n all)

i love how the eye-guy somehow managed to break through yalls fear of eyes tho!! saran was on his way to become a doctor before he died, does it count if i say bby still managed to "help" at least one a little bit even tho hes dead now? 🥹

[low-budget-korra]

I HATE BRYKE

"oh but they made the world you're a fan" fuck that shit. If they were abt to fucking ruined, It would be the best not doing it at all.

If their idea was CONSTANTLY using a bissexual woman of color to be the punching bag of the fandom, better not do her show at all in the first place.

I used to defend them back in the day and years after but now I fully realize that the truth is that they have this weird fetish about Korra suffering, both in the show and outside of it. No other Avatar physically suffered as her(maybe just Kuruk but we don't know his full story yet). They literally made her go through sa and suicidal allegories , shit tons of beating, poisoning and torture. And for what, to make her meet her end in a stupid ass way, absolutely hated by the entire fandom?

Oh and everything for a generic show where the main plot was made just to try to surf in the hype created by Arcane.

As a lesbian woc I'm so disgusted and angry. If all those rumors are true, this is it. I'm out. Thank you Bryke for destroying my hyperfocus and one of my greatest love - that literally saved my life sometimes. I guess this is what Harry Potter fans felt when JK Rowling started to go nuts and act like shit.

I may create a Go Fund to cover my 4elements tattoo.Thats how betrayed I feel

Oh and what rumors? Well apparently they already had test screens back in July where the audience said that Korra was responsible for the cataclysmic event, and not the savior from one as other rumors said.

Oh God I hope this flop so hard that Avatar Studios go broke and gone, fuck it. No material it's far better than new one that destroys everything you enjoy and care about.

Ps: I know if it seems that I'm overreacting but if you aren't woc, you don't know how harmful it is to try to interact with the fandom and 90% of the comments abt your fave are just born and raised in sexism and racism. It's like if the comments were aiming at you bc guess what, usually they are, since those people are the same that make our lives harder to live bc of their hate.

I didn't even talk about Korra being LGBT bc Katara is s8 and guess how she is treated in the fandom. So for Korra, her bisexuality is just another thing to add the hate but if she was s8, she would be hated still