#I'm very sorry it took a while to answer this!

[dragonmasterhiccup]

He sighed, "Yeah, not exactly my strong suit--ah!" The merman grunted as she landed on him, mostly out of surprise. Wrapping his arms around her, his lips pulled into a smile. "I'd like that, Astrid. Very much, actually..."

Meeting her blue eyes, he nodded, "I guess it does. Imagine if we'd met sooner, we'd be even closer than we are now."

Closing his eyes, he wanted to believe her, but he was having trouble. She says she's willing to wait, but he didn't want her to have to. What if it took too long, what if she changed her mind? What then?

Pushing those thoughts aside, he intertwined his fingers with hers, "That's what I want, too. Just you. And, I suppose, legs, but like I said, I'll figure something out."

Hiccup thoroughly enjoyed their time together, especially when it was just the two of them like it is now. He drank in every little detail of her that he could: the light freckles dusted across her nose, the way her eyes lit up when she spoke of weapons...they way they reflected the love he felt when they spoke of the future.

He didn't want it to end.

"It was just as I imagined it. And it was great to be able to move around on my own. I can't wait for the next full moon, I won't need that crutch and you can teach me how to walk properly." Pausing, he shook his head, "I still can't believe Gobber was so close with my dad...we have a lot to talk about, when I get back."

By the time Axel came outside, the sun had set, and the moonlight illuminated the yard. Hiccup held back a laugh as the two spoke so casually.

Before Astrid climbed out, he pressed a kiss to her temple, putting a hand on her back to help her stay balanced as she got back into the grass, leaving him alone in the water.

The mention of the Flightmare made the merman freeze, his eyes darting to Axel. Hiccup didn't know how he would take it, and certainly didn't want to upset the man that gave him a place to stay during his visit to Berk.

As Astrid explains, Phlegma had joined them outside, her eyes wide as she took in her daughter's words.

When asked, Hiccup nodded before answering. "I-it is. It's their defense mechanism, why they don't breathe fire like other dragons." His voice was quiet, but loud enough for Axel to hear. "I...I want to apologize, for earlier. I wasn't thinking, and I upset you both... It may not have been intentional, but it still happened. I'm sorry."

Phlegma rested a hand on her husband's shoulder, waiting for him to speak first. Hiccup's head was angled down, but his eyes were on Astrid's parents. The merman, feeling nervous, began to fidget with the scales of his tail while he waited, his shoulders tense.

After a long training session, all Astrid wanted to do was cool off on the beach. Maybe a tiny swim, even though the ocean was so cold at this time of year. She pushed through the brush and staggered down to the shore.

Only to find a boy lounging in the shallows.

“Oh!” She dropped her axe in the sand. From his bare torso, she assumed he was naked. “Sorry! I didn’t know someone else would be…here…” as the apologies flowed, she realized from the waist down, he had green scales and a pair of fins.

No wonder she hadn’t recognized him.

“No way…” she inched closer. “A real mermaid! In the flesh! Are the stories true?” She stamped down her overwhelming curiosity for a moment to give him a stern point. “Don’t try anything fishy, mermaid. I’m very capable of protecting myself, got it?”

((I saw the prompt and went feral, hope you don’t mind))

[X]

Hiccup started, the water around him splashing as he sat up straight in surprise, before he moved a little further back, his cheeks flushed.

"No, sorry, I, I shouldn't--" Ducking his head, the merman awkwardly held up a hand, "Usually no one comes here..."

But his movements only caused his tail to briefly break the surface, emerald scales glittering in the sun for a moment before dipping below the water again.

Firmly, he responded, "Merman. I am a merman. And no, don't worry, I, I wasn't going to try anything...I know you'd probably kill me if I did..."

Clearing his throat, he ran a hand through his hair, which had partially dried in his time sitting in the shallow water. "What, what stories are you referring to?"

He knew, or at least had a gut feeling about what she was asking, but he wanted to hear it from her. She appeared wary, but not fearful. Maybe these humans didn't have the same fears of his kind like the others?

[chiiyuuvv]

teasing @ pokémon center ✶ boyfriend!fuma ∿ notes! 0.7k words ⸝⸝ requested! ⸝⸝ happy birthday fuma!!

▸ 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺?

the sound of your tiktoks and upbeat video game music echo throughout you and your boyfriend's shared room. the noises overlap each other, like they were competing on who could be the loudest. after a while, you realize the music sounded more pleasing to the ear as you turned off your phone and discarded it somewhere on your bed.

covered in fuma’s oversized hoodie, the various blankets you found in your storage closet, and the man's strong arms, you sigh in bliss; you've never felt so warm before. you twist in your boyfriend's hold, observing him laying on the bed with his head propped up on a few pillows, his gaze locked onto his switch. you let out a soft yawn, cuddling into his chest as he absentmindedly runs his fingers through your hair. defeated music catches your attention as you inch closer, resting your head near the crook his neck.

fuma was in the middle of a pokémon battle, the screen displaying his team and their remaining health. one of his characters just died and he was contemplating which pokémon should he use to save the day.

stifling a giggle, you decide to tease the boy although you knew how serious he took his game. “think you should use your water type, baby,” you mumble into his skin. he hums, choosing the character without a second thought. a confirmation screen pops up, and you're unable to keep the giggle from leaving your lips.

“what's so funny, baby?” fuma’s voice is low, an eyebrow raising. until he looks back at the screen and it suddenly dawns on him: a water type against an electric?? you're trying to kill him. the boy suddenly sits up, gasping dramatically like you just stabbed him in the back.

“really y/n?! have I taught you nothing?” he booms, placing a hand over his heart. you roll off his lap, laughter taking over you. you loved teasing your boyfriend because his expressions were always so hilarious.

“‘m sorry baby, I'm just joking,” you giggle, looking back at fuma as he still stares at you with disbelief in his gaze. you see something else in his eyes though; adoration. even when you acted so cruel, fuma could never stay mad at you. he grabs your arm, pulling you back in-between his legs. he sits his switch on your lap, his chin resting on your shoulder as he huffs.

“once again, this is jolteon, an electric pokémon,” fuma makes sure to emphasize the word, a snort leaving your lips. “water types are weak against electric. if I listened to you, I would be killing off my team for fun,” you nod knowingly like he's already taught you the basics of the game time and time again (he has).

fuma raises his eyebrow again, peering down at you. he mumbles into your ear, “okay, if water is weak to electric, which pokémon should I use?”

“hmm..” you think to yourself, tapping the bottom of your chin. you can't stop the smile from lifting your lips. “I dunno baby, the flying type?”

fuma’s jaw drops. you purposely said the wrong answer again. with a quick thought, he tickles your sides, watching you jitter in his hold. although he found you cute, he couldn't hide the pout from his face.

“okay, okay! that was the last time I swear,” you chuckle, twisting yourself in his arms so you face each other. you take his cheeks into your hands, placing random kisses along his face in apology. his lips find yours as he holds the back of your head to bring you closer.

“you promise?” fuma presses his forehead against yours as you nod. “fine, but if you do it again I'm going to be very mad,” his eyebrows furrow for effect, although he's not able to keep up his facade, grinning to himself.

his arms hold your waist as yours wrap around his neck. laying back down with you on top of him, he pulls the blankets over your bodies once more. “mm been playing for a while,” he mumbles into your skin, “how about a nap?” he rubs your back as you nod.

“love you,” you whisper, holding him closer to you.

“I love you too,” he presses a kiss against your forehead before muttering, “..meanie.”

︴bonus! I actually love this fic sm it's so cutesy. also tysm for 1.2k follows !!

▸ taglist 📬 @wtfisgoingright , @lakoya , @lovelyjuju , @kehnarii , @enhacolor , @cherrycolaberry , @luvnicho , @zarastrawberry , @h0mebody-heaven

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@chiiyuuvv on tumblr . do not steal works/headers/line dividers

[oculusxcaro]

[I portray Rorschach as gay but low-key his bond with Khare is so sweet and meaningful that I could see him being fine with platonically marrying Khare. In a world where that would even be on the table, which I'm sure is not.

but also Khare could get a green card that way. just sayin]

Rue, this is the sweetest thing and I'm sorry it's taken a while to reply to this because I kept coming back to this and grinning like an idiot until my cheeks hurt? Rorschach and Khare's relationship is by far one of my all-time favourite experiences, not just on this one thing but roleplaying in general.

Their connection is one of those things I never saw coming but holy crap, it's so good, the way their bond has grown so much and whenever I'm having a bad day, I just think back to one of their many interactions and start smiling like a loon all over again. It goes without saying your Rorschach is absolutely-fucking-phenomenal - all your muses are, but your writing in particular pulled Watchmen from the deepest recesses of 2009 and dragged it right back into the forefront again. Dan, Liz and Adrian are all beautifully written but I can't deny these two are something deeply special to me. Guilty as charged, your honor. ♥ Your Rorschach being gay (which I adore about him) is so brilliantly portrayed and reasoned, so it's all the more meaningful that, in the best case scenario, he'd actually be okay with platonically marrying Khare? I don't think she'd mind either; sure he's no Bruce Wayne, but that doesn't matter to her because she adores him and he really is the closest friend she's got, both in Gotham and probably in her life which was nothing special until, you know, the whole getting-kidnapped-and-turned-into-an-experimental-guinea-pig type thing. He's been good to her though, and even though not a lot of people like him very much, he's important to her, so even though it's not likely there's a world where this would actually happen given the issues™ our two have, just the thought that he'd willingly do this for her says a lot considering his attitude about women. She gets a green card, he gets a beard so nobody looks at them too closely and Rorschach can continue contending with his feelings and accept his being gay. It's a win/win situation if, you know, Rorschach didn't have a crippling deathwish and Khare wasn't basically rotting from the inside out. Still, it's a very sweet thing to think about and these two being able to heal from their pasts and come out as better people for it.

[sillywoyscreenshots]

PLEASE can you post the clip from the bad neighbors where peepers scolds hater and goes NO! NO RAAAHHH i love it so much

[paintpanic]

Res AU Joronia drawings. Character rambling and bonus doodles under cut.

This AU takes place a good while after the events of Triple Deluxe happened. Since then, Taranza's mostly recovered mentally from everything. He was able to move on from his grief and (somewhat) forgive himself. Now that Joronia's in his life again, seemingly back to her former self, some of those wounds he'd thought were fully healed have started to ache again. He still feels ultimately guilty for what happened to her.

He's thrilled that Joronia's been given a second chance at life, but is somewhat wary deep down. This feels to good to be true, that she's just back with seemingly no strings attached. The other shoe could drop any day now, and he could lose her all over again. Fearing this, he wants to make the most out of what could be a short time to be together again with his friend.

Joronia senses that there's a distance between the two of them now that wasn't there before. It shouldn't be surprising; he's probably still hurt from what she did. Other people definitely are. She's determined, though, to work hard to make it up to everyone she's hurt, and to prove to them (and herself) that she's not really like that, that she's capable of being better.

The Mirror's influence twisted her mind and her perception of reality. It made her feel like she was inadequate, and that everyone else were enemies to be subjugated. Now, she's supposed to be normal and better, but she still feels like there's something wrong with her head. She still doesn't feel good enough, and it still feels like everyone hates her. It's hard to trust herself. She's not sure if it's some lingering effect of the Mirror, or if there's just something inherently wrong with her now. She's scared.

She's afraid that something will happen, that she'll revert to how she was as Queen, and that she'll hurt Taranza again. Someone who'd always helped her, who'd stuck with her even when she was absolutely horrible to him, and who's kindness she's relying on again now, staying at his home as she worked on getting her life back together. She's a burden on him, and she always has been. She hates it.

Still, her deepest, most selfish wish is that they could be real friends again.

---

These two need to have a long, honest discussion about their feelings toward each other and themselves. Both of them are absolutely terrified about that prospect, though, because they each think that the other secretly resents them to some degree. If they actually talked through it, they'd quickly realize that they both want the same thing.

[soranker]

Hiiii not sure if anyone's asked this yet but any advice on how to improve on art & anatomy? I use to draw a lot wayyyy back in high school but then stopped because of life getting in the way but now I really wanted to get back into art but realized my art isn't as good as it use to be & I never really cared too much about studying anatomy so all my anatomy/proportions are really wack & I'd like to get better at it. Hope you're having a good day!!! 💞💞💞

HI!!! i dont have any formal training in anatomy nor have i really done any studies, so unfortunately i think i can only offer general advice, but hopefully you can still find it helpful! here's what i'd recommend based on my own experience...

focus on proportions BEFORE anatomy! nailing down the size/length of each body part in relation to each other will give you a good foundation before getting into the specifics of anatomy, since you can practice this with simple shapes (circles, boxes, tubes, etc.). then practice anatomy/build on top of that, rather than trying to figure them out in parallel

practice from real life observation/references (ex. figure drawing)! even if you want to draw stylized, it'll be much more helpful in the long run if you study from real life. you'll be a lot more informed in how body parts actually connect to each other or how they move. observe observe observe! take pics of yourself/watch how your body moves--you can be your own most accessible resource, and a mirror and camera can be your best friends

find a way to keep yourself motivated to practice anatomy! everyone says that you only get better with practice and time... and it's true! but i can understand that sometimes it's hard to motivate yourself. if you ask me, draw your favorite characters :) it's literally all i do HAHA. my mentality is that... if i'm drawing something that i like then the practice feels less of a chore lol

[icantdothistodaybruh]

I'm about to bombard this blog with 30+ answered asks in a row so run and hide while you still can 💋

[morrigan-sims]

Hi! :3 I'm sorry but I don't know the names for most of the things I'm asking for so this may be a confusing read :{ basically yknow that one character rook that you've been using as a dnd character? I really like his corset thingy majig or like top that hes wearing but I can't find it anywhere :( do you remember where you got it? or what its called?

Hi nonny!!! No worries! You got it right! I've been calling them corsets in my head too. My beloved idiot bastard man looks so good in them, and I'm sure your sims will too!!! 💖

I'm not sure which corset shirt you're talking about, bc he's worn two. I'm going to assume you're talking about this one from my most recent CAS pics (which my best friend, Ash @heyastra, calls his "slut shirt")

You can find that one here. (reuploaded bc the original is paywalled)

but in case you're not looking for that one, there's also this one from the Hanged Man render and my earlier CAS pic of him.

Which you can find Here.

[riddlesnap]

🖤 for Jon ofc lmaooo

Send 🖤 and my character will answer about yours.

"Why doctor, fancy seeing you after visiting hours! Oh, but I forget, you're not working at Arkham anymore. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

attractiveness:

repulsive / hideous / ugly / not attractive / unappealing / not unattractive / meh / no preference / ok / mildly attractive / nice looking / cute / adorable / attractive / pleasant on the eyes / good looking / hot / sexy / beautiful / gorgeous / hot damn / would tap that / perfect / godlike / holy fuck there are no words / kinda fly for an older guy* / I'm not interested I'm not*

personality:

grating / irritating / frustrating / boring / confusing at best / awkward / unreasonable / psychotic / disturbing / interesting / engaging / affectionate / aggressive / ambitious / anxious / artistic / bad tempered / bossy / charismatic / appealing / unappealing / creative / courageous / dependable / unreliable / unpredictable / predictable / devious / dim / extroverted / introverted / egotistical / gregarious / fabulous / impulsive / intelligent / sympathetic / talkative / up beat / peaceful / calming / badass / flexible.

how likely they would have sex with them:

not if they were the last person on earth and the world was ending / fuck no! / never / no way / not likely / not sure / indifferent / I’m asexual / maybe / probably / it depends / fairly likely / likely / yeah sure / yes / would tap that / hell yes / fuck yes! / wishing that could happen right now / as many times as possible / we are already having sex.

level of friendship:

never in a million years / worst of enemies / enemies / rivals / indifferent / neutral / acquaintance / "friendly toward each other" / casual friends / friends / good friends / best friends / fuck buddies / bosom buddies / practically the same person / would die for them / true friends / my only friend / a maybe not-so-one-sided fixation*

first impression of them:

i hate them so much / i don’t like them / i don’t trust them / they annoy me / they’re weird / I’m indifferent / meh / they seem alright / they’re growing on me / truce / I think I like them / I like them / I’m not sure if I trust them / I trust them / they’re cool / they’re genuine / I think we’re going to get along / I really like them / I think I’m in love / oh fuck they’re hot / I love them / why is he wasting his time in this place* (therapist) / oh this is an improvement* (scarecrow)

current impression of them:

i hate them so much / i don’t like them / i don’t trust them / they annoy me / they’re weird / I’m indifferent / meh / they seem alright / they’re growing on me / truce / I think I like them / I like them / I’m not sure if I trust them / I trust them / they’re cool / they’re genuine / I think we’re going to get along / I really like them / I think I’m in love / oh fuck they’re hot / I love them / I love how interested he is in me! :D*

[wetcatspellcaster]

Is anyone else confused by the current meaning of bricked up? I always thought it meant constipated!!!

[uhbasicallyjustmilex]

Sorry I tried leaving this as comments on your reply to my ask but there was just too much waffle and it was all jumbled so I’m putting it here😂😂

Sorry it took me a MARATHON of time to reply to, I can’t explain how pleased it makes me that this comment made your day bc honestly every time you update it always seems to be during a v tough week and it’s just this ultimate stress relief and enjoyment that I so so love🥹

Just to quickly waffle about what you said, I’m so appreciative of how you fret over the characters sounding real bc it pays off SO MUCH and though I’m still of the mind that you’ve been given this unique ability to read their minds, I can recognise it must take so much studying of their characters and the words you choose and to have such a phenomenal skill <3333

And honestly I LOVE watching him have all these realisations through Suzy bc it’s so real and so satisfying and I’m so excited (but also terrified bc poor woman how do you compete with soul mates) to see how everything unfolds between them all.

And the LITTLE DETAILS that you should honestly trademark bc you do them so well 😭 but I literally have this growing list in my mind that I need to write down cause they make my heart flutter they’re so intimate and careful :’) I could literally waffle about them all day.

You’re so right, they have SUCH a special dynamic, and often I find it frustrating with real life ships bc it’s not like with films where though characters can be deep they have a specific kind of basis to them which fits a role. Real people are so complex and so it’s not 24/7 that someone gets them so right that you feel like you’re watching a segment of their lives (milex writers in general do tend to have an uncanny ability to write them brilliantly) but with you it feels like everything you write can just be added on to their actual interactions and it’s perfection.

I’m so so pleased that my ramblings had an impact on getting your confidence back to heights it should be at because I rlly can’t explain how brilliant you and your writing are so thank you thank you for all the work you put into it. I’m SO EXCITED for the next chapter 🥰🥰🥰🥰 and one day I’m gonna go into the absolute insane perfection that is the sex scene in chapter 8 bc the realism, build up, and EMOTIONS as well as pure sexyism (almost put sexism there which wasn’t quite right 😂) is just one of the best and sauciest things I’ve ever read.

💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

Also trying to add a cute lil milex hug gif to this is impossible bc they’re all far too sexually charged or emotionally unstable 😂

hiii lovely!! 💝 oh my goddddddd i swear your asks just leave me a blushing, giddy mess every single time 😭😭

i'm so glad to hear that my updates always seem to manage to coincide with a time where they're able to provide you with a little bit of comfort and escapism 🥺

honestly i've always just found other people fascinating, and have found myself imagining what the world might be like through their eyes for as long as i can remember! it's been so much fun to get to really delve deep into that in this fic, so i really love that you notice and appreciate that side of it 🥰🥰 aghhhhhh. it truly just means so much to hear that you feel i capture something real about alex and miles and their dynamic in this fic, thank you 🥺

also STOP your flailing about the smut scene is too sweet 😭 i am SO glad you felt all the build up and emotions worked, and honestly any time you feel like going into it, please don't hold back - i am more than happy to hear your thoughts! it was hands down one of my favourite bits of the whole fic to write, actually 🥰

once again your utterly lovely words have lifted my spirits so much, thank you for your kindness and generosity in taking the time to share your experience of reading four walls with me 💖 you're an absolute gem and i cannot WAIT for your to read chapter nine! (which will be posted tomorrow... 😉)

(god you were not wrong about the milex hug gifs, were you?! aghhh they're both so ridiculous 😭😭 anyway here, have them being their silly, playful selves having the best time together! sending you all the best vibes for your weekend 💜🌟)

[redbelles]

hi redbelles! first, i want to thank you for your amazingly in depth and detailed gifmaking tutorial — it's given me UNLIMITED POWER in giffing my favorite games.

thing is, in the handful of gifs i've made so far, they keep coming out a lot crunchier and more pixelated than i expected them to after i crop them to tumblr gif dimensions (540 px/268 px/177 px). even after slapping some sharpening on there they still doesn't look as clear as some of your own gifs. am i doing something wrong here? if it helps, my source footage is 1440p before i take screencaps. thank you so much for your time and expertise!

hi spaceguylewis!

i'm so glad to hear that the tutorial has been helpful for you! UNLIMITED POWER!!!!! WE LOVE 2 SEE IT!!!!! hopefully we can sort out your crunchiness issue :)

since you've mentioned the tutorial, i assume those are the steps/tips you're following, but just in case:

make sure you are cropping your caps and not the actual gif

make sure you are cropping once and only once

tweak your sharpening settings; this is a bit of a long shot fix since you mention the crunch is there before you sharpen, but i would experiment with them just in case! if things are getting too crispy you can always add some very light, very gentle gaussian blur to smooth things out. i recommend a radius of 0.7 with the filter itself set to around 20%

if none of those suggestions help, please feel free to shoot me another ask or message me directly so we can do some more troubleshooting!

good luck ✨

[despairforme]

Don't you feel...silly? Don't you feel....stupid? Don't you feel...a little ashamed?

Stares at him with my big round eyes

❝ Why 'da fuck would I? ❞ His tone clearly portrayed annoyance. He fucking hated riddles, and he also fucking hated being treated like he was stupid. Sure, he knew he WAS stupid, but that didn't mean he liked being treated like that. It made him feel like he was being underestimated, and that was a feeling he loathed. As for being ASHAMED - Well, he had no shame. What was he supposed to be ashamed of? Nothing. He'd done nothing shameful. At least according to his own sense of honor. He wouldn't say he was a very honorable man, but he did have his principles. Principles he hadn't broken.

[karinyosa]

Hello fellow asp enthusiast lol not to ask you like…. Half of your ask meme but 4, 5, 6, 13, and 14??? I would love to hear asp thoughts

no no believe me this is the ideal situation since i have a limited number of asp mutuals so THANK you for all the questions i am rubbing my hands together gleefully

4. favorite part?

i’m bad at favorites but one part that always gets me is the section where gene talks about “his” moment in history, which in his words is supposed to be the moment where if asked generally about the world or “the world today”, a person will think of this moment/era. and his is of course devon during the war, aka his school days. i just found that very poignant, and i think it’s so in line with everything we know about gene, how he continues to live in this very specific traumatic time bubble and how it has never really died for him, it’s just as present as it always was, he remembers it just as clearly as he always has and (as the explanation implies) always will. it haunts him, it is alive for him still, he carries it around inside, etc etc. it hits me in the heart a bit

5. favorite quote?

“[E]verything at Devon, the playing fields, the gym, the water hole, and all the other buildings and all the people there were intensely real, wildly alive and totally meaningful, and I alone was a dream, a figment which had never really touched anything. I felt that I was not, never had been and never would be a living part of this overpoweringly solid and deeply meaningful world around me.”

goodness does this one hurt/hit! again i’m bad at favorites, but after i read this in middle school i was like i think i know exactly what he’s talking about in fact i think he’s hit the nail on the head. i was obsessed with that quote for quite a while and made this art piece that was a watercolor painting of devon at sunset and then i had a cut-out sketch of gene i’d done on looseleaf that i pasted in the middle. and yeah that’s exactly how i feel about it

6. brinker opinions? love or hate him?

LOVE! i cannot lie i love that boy and i also think he sucks 🫶🫶🫶 he has that lovable smarmy rudeness, which i can’t find flatly hateable. and i mean, he’s a funny guy, like he writes those poems and i think they’re very much written to be at least kind of funny. i’m not an apologist in the sense that i don’t think he did nothing wrong, but i find him a fun and interesting character with fun and interesting flaws. he also has a level of conviction about everything that he believes that is kind of endearing to me, especially when he does that 180 at the end of the book about his war opinions. he’s all, i LOVE the war everyone should come do the war with me, and then by the end he’s like i fucking hate the war. lol or at least he thought it was stupid and was sort of disillusioned about it. which was especially interesting in the context of that allusion to his Complicated relationship with his father, plus the fact that gene was AWARE of how complicated it was. i love the camaraderie implied by those two’s wariness of each other’s parents lol. and i love to think about their relationship after devon. i like to think brinker continues his 180 away from his father’s politics and expectations and becomes the loud bisexual that the spirit of gore vidal inside him is willing him to be, and i think down the line he’d be a lot more open and liberated about his sexuality than gene. but i mean, gene’s a low bar to beat in that department. i am a capricorn brinker truther

also, i'm a firm believer in the idea that all of the main four are queercoded in various ways, and i find him interesting to place in the tapestry of queerness/map of gay drama that asp paints. i'm majorly mixing metaphors but whatever. brinker is obsessed with monopolizing the attention and time of gene, while also feeling the need to present himself as morally superior to the object of his affection, to the point where he takes on literally the role of a judge. like there is something deeply wrong with him but not just in the silly asshole way and i think we haven't talked about that enough. i imagine his relationship with popularity and having kind of a curated public face/persona is more similar to gene's than it seems, and i think they understand each other in ways that neither of them were necessarily able to do with finny, which is why their friendship remains strong even at the end the book. plus i've always thought they knew each other before the events of the book took place. there's a lot of shared history there and i think that would cause them to continue to share their lives even after enlisting. this went on a tangent i didn't intend, but i have a very detailed idea of their lives after the war lesjdkksdlj

13. appearance/voice headcanons?

finny:

has heterochromia, parts of his eyes are different colors

very melodic voice, a bit higher than average (the melodic part might actually be canon)

dimples

tan for a white guy, freckles

bad at volume control, always ends up talking Loudly. if you take him to a diner, the next table over will hear his entire half of the conversation, terrible in libraries, etc

never wears his uniform fully properly. it's always folded up or modified in some way or he's just not wearing part of it

i think he has curly hair, but the color changes in my head all the time

gene:

brunette bowl cut bitch. the early 2000s movie was so right about the bowl cut. hair is wavy

pale, sunburns easily

i always draw him with these big downturned glassy eyes, always looks a little teary

ill-fitting clothes (hand-me-downs from his brother)

BAD posture that makes him palpably little next to other people

i think he has a weird like tired quality to his voice that i think dane dehaan also has. not raspiness but that kind of low, slow, round, weirdly nasally sound. is that a tired quality? idk but he and dane dehaan both have it

this is not a headcanon this is completely canon but his ass does not have a southern accent or at least not a very strong one. he was playing it up to get attention

brinker:

in ms/hs i headcanoned that he had some form of a buzz cut or crew cut at devon because he was such an enlistment enthusiast

gene described him as athletic looking which in middle school i could only conceptualize as buff. so now i just imagine him stocky, wide, and chubby, with a brief period of weight loss during/after the war

lipless. notably so

i think he cares the most about fashion out of the main four in that elitist rich people private school way, so he’d have all the right pieces and brands, everything would fit properly

enunciates very sharply. has like, a teacher voice lmao

blond but like of course he is

leper:

light brown hair, kinda dorky middle part

very quiet, breathy voice. people ask him to speak up often

overgrown hair. grandma always says he needs a haircut

i am a tall leper truther. i think he’s a beanpole and i think he’s the tallest one. i had a friend who thought the opposite

layered the fuck up in terms of clothing

the book mentions him wearing “spectacles” when he goes off to find the beaver, which were probably just snow goggles or something, but i like to think he wears glasses

leftie with an always-stained hand (paint, pencil lead, etc) and badly bitten nails

lots of knitwear from gramma

14. what would you change about the book apart from [REDACTED]?

you know i’ve admired and liked a separate peace for so long and spent so much time dissecting its various intricacies that i just haven’t been in the mindset of looking for/noticing things i want to change about it very much. if anything, i think leper’s ptsd or “madness” or whatever it was was handled poorly and with an obvious lack of understanding of what that was and how it worked, although to be fair the mental illness knowledge at the time was probably lacking in general. leper’s actions and choices at the end of the book are explained away by generic tv movie craziness when i think it could’ve been a lot more interesting to explore the implications of leper having more obvious agency in those choices, leper actively choosing to be vengeful towards gene (he definitely had reason to be!) and battling with that internally during the trial. his explosions of emotion would’ve been more impactful to me if that had been the case

i would’ve of course loved for the book to be canonically queer, just so we could get a more explicit exploration of each character’s relationship to their queerness and how it colors the book’s pet topics of repression, rivalry, devotion, and coming of age, but i don’t even think it’s necessary because you can truly just read the book as if it were queer and nothing need change. like it all works, no leaps in thought or reading-into required. i mean it certainly helps to do those things, and i think reading into things is often part of a good reading experience, but it is literally about gene’s repressed desire for finny and the unintended consequences of that repression, among other things, but very explicitly that. plus there's the ass paragraph and the characters’ relationships with family, etc etc. like gene LITERALLY stops himself from telling finny how much he means to him at the beach and that could just as much be about gay love as straight boybestfriendship, in fact i think the case is stronger textually for it being queer than not. no straight person can read asp and not have at least one moment of, hmm this seems gay, but you can absolutely just read it as gay without issue. as much as i would love to see the "canon" version of their queerness, i am also very comfortable with the amount of freedom we have to take it in many different directions ourselves, and i think there's something very poignant and true about asp's queerness being heavily implied but never outright confessed

[jjba-smash-or-pass]

clash skipped? no shark? chomp chomp?

yeah sorry. young man rule. you know how it is.

[marshmallowgoop]

(Previous DCMK-game anon) That was exactly what I was looking for! Thank you so much, you are was so helpful and so kind to take time out of your day to respond! Hope you've been well :) ❤️

[Game ask]

Aww, Anon 🥺 I'm glad I was able to help! I love talking "niche" DetCo content—there's a lot of fun stuff out there that I like bringing more attention to!—so I love asks wondering about that kind of thing. Gives me an excuse to ramble!

Thank you for such a sweet ask!