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dvilsdesire-a · 9 months ago

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Some in depth character analysis... (:

This is going to get long... as I do a bit of a character analysis on Haarlep with little bits of Raphael as well. I will likely go on tangents if they come to me, so please be aware that there is likely no solid structure as I ramble!

Please note that this is ALL speculation and headcanon as there is no way of analysing a character's full potential when you only see a few moments of them in game, let alone Haarlep's relationship with Raphael when you don't even get to see them interact outside of Haarlep's small comments and end-game letter.

Know that there is also no right and no wrong, and I will be exploring both sides and "what if" scenarios. These are just some things I want to expand upon, and we are all entitled to different opinions and headcanons. That's the beauty of getting to explore and delve into characters that are given no depth to them--you can make them your own!

First and foremost, it should be noted that DnD lore on incubus has flip flopped over the editions. Where they were once strictly demons, they were then turned to devils, and now they are recognised as simply "fiends". Haarlep, in game, is a fiend, and his race is incubus. Again... be your OWN DM... do what makes you happy, that's the beauty of DnD (but also remember that Larian itself have their own set of rules and lore that they made up which may have separated them from DnD lore as well, and that's not a bad thing! The more creativity, the better imo, especially in a world like FR).

I personally write Haarlep as a devil aligned fiend who is neutral evil (as incubus are neutral evil in lore), but that's just me! Toss in a little demon bloodline, especially with the Queen of Succubus, and play around a little! I could also see him being chaotic leaning in some areas, considering succubus and being demons (or once demons in previous editions).

Okay, let's get into Haarlep! (potentially triggering content)

I'm going to go through this in order of Haarlep's scene. There was a really neat theory that was shared HERE about how Haarlep starts off with a poem as they are introduced. Is this something that the devs simply used as trickery so we THINK it's Raphael in the bed (even though it clearly says Haarlep)?

Also note how Haarlep uses the term "Mouse", the one that Raphael has been calling the player the whole time. A coincidence? Or is this proof that Haarlep is aware of what is going on with Raphael and his potential client? Is this rhyming corruption simply from being within the HoH or something that Haarlep has picked up from via time spent with Raphael? All of these things fascinate me, because as a devil, and Raphael who is quite literally meant to symbolise the real world devil (there is a lot of symbolism with Raphael and Satan/Lucifer imo but that's not something I'll delve into here), or are they just trying to lead us into a false sense of security that this is just Raphael playing his games (despite the name on the subtitles)?

Maybe it's an outer moment of we know as the player, but our actual PC doesn't know. Which gives us the opportunity to play around a little with them, which is also cool. But the idea that Haarlep also says a little poem and speaks in such a devilish manner, is a nice little touch and a reminder OF Raphael as well.

Then, of course, the player themselves, identifies Haarlep as Raphael, despite the youthful look (I'll delve into this later).

What interests me is Haarlep's response if you actually say this. He seems amused that you'd even THINK he's Raphael, despite his obvious visage. The pride of an incubus, perhaps? Haarlep simply toying with you and making this encounter last longer by the way he speaks so slowly and playfully? Luring you in, one question and curiosity at a time.

Haarlep genuinely seems interested in WHY you are there, yet if we go from line one where they're calling you a thief... it pretty much indicates that he knows you're there when you're not supposed to be (which makes entire sense since the whole HoH has its own riddles and games you need to play to get inside rooms under lock and key). Even to get into the boudoir, you require an invitation (though Raphael clearly forgot that he left his door to the balcony wide open and there's rock formation you can traverse lol--things like this are PURELY game mechanics, and I don't think they should be read into deeply. It's a game, your player NEEDS access, whether it's getting it the hard way, the lawful way, or outright breaking in lol).

If you lie to Haarlep and claim it's a botched teleportation spell, he instantly sees through you, you don't even get the chance for a saving check on this. No matter what, Haarlep knows you're not supposed to be there. However, he wants to know WHY you're there.

Interestingly enough, Haarlep's voice is very aggressive when you lie to him, especially when the first introduction is all sweet and breathy. This comes down to control, imo (which we also learn that Haarlep is the dominant role in the bedroom, or at least a top--more on that as I go). Genuinely, though, it feels like Haarlep is very displeased if someone lies to his face, though being the incubus they are, will also give you a chance to respond truthfully before he decides your fate--this is something I also see Raphael do. Even if you attack him in your first meeting, he gives you a second chance (and a third if I recall? He only tells you the deal is off if you attack him in Sharess' Caress and kicks you out of the Devil's Den--tho correct me if I'm wrong as I'm focusing on Haarlep here).

So is this typical devil behaviour and something we can expect from devils, to give you a second chance so they can get the information they want? I'd say yes. Especially if they DO want to know. Haarlep is more than happy to kill you if you don't give him what he wants, so it seems pretty standard for devil practice, and of course, he returns to being softly spoken again, almost immediately, like it's second nature. Or is this something he has simply learned from being around Raphael for so long?

If Raphael does give you a third chance, guess what? So does Haarlep. You can lie to him (though exposed instantly), and then outright tell him you refuse to tell him why you're there, and he gives you the final chance:

Obviously, fantastic that the player can really choose what they want to do, but there's also been far quicker battles in game. Haarlep really is trying to get that information from you (and your soul no doubt). If we wanted to delve deeper (I did say what ifs!), we could also question if this is just Haarlep being playful or lazy. Does he really care to go to the effort to kill, or would he rather just get some useful information? Is he threatening the player so he can just be done with his game, have sex with the player and let them leave so he can just add their glamour to the collection? Who knows! It's all under speculation.

Haarlep's health in battle, if you choose to fight him, is also 169, whereas DnD monster manual has them at 66HP. Haarlep is a stronger incubus, and at 169HP, it's much greater! Again, is this scaled up just due to game mechanics? Or something else? Makes sense by the time you delve into the HoH, a HP of 66 isn't that challenging anymore. I did do a little hc post about my thoughts HERE. Funnily enough, there was also THIS about Haarlep being titled as a courtesan.

Moving on to if you tell Haarlep the truth about why you're there. I find his response here to be very interesting, especially in the way he seems to drop the sensuality for a moment. The thoughtfulness and pause to Haarlep as he likely recognises who you are now.

The facial expression changes also, to something more concerned looking. Of course, this could all be a facade, especially as we know that Haarlep absolutely gives you the Hammer if you're willing to sleep with them.

Not the usual plucky, jovial Haarlep that is being seen, but a moment of thoughtfulness as the creature no doubt ponders what the next move could be. Perhaps Haarlep is even contemplating what Raphael would do if things were out of his control? If Tav was killed.

I often DO wonder how Raphael would react if the game ended where Haarlep killed the PC. Would he be furious that his means to get the crown is entirely fucked now? Would he just go that's frustrating but I'll get it another way? Haarlep, no doubt, would be in a lot of trouble, but it seems that either Haarlep doesn't actually care (because he knows Raphael can't really resist him anyway), or he might just get the crown another way.

Whatever the case, Haarlep does seem to entirely underestimate the powers of Tav an Co, because he attacks them if you don't comply, and I doubt he thought even if they DID get the Hammer, they weren't going to get through Raphael (Haarlep likely is playing his own game, in where yes, sure you can take the Hammer now that I have gotten what I wanted, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to leave). Once the Hammer is taken, the entire HoH becomes hostile, meaning Haarlep LIKELY knew this, and didn't think you were going to actually kill his master.

IS he outright betraying Raphael, or is he just... shortsighted? All of this is entirely up to speculation of course, but Haarlep would 110% be aware of the fact that Raphael is the son of Mephistopheles, and there is no denying that Raphael is the HARDEST boss battle of the entire game, even if you CAN power shot him with your super builds. There is no denying that Raphael's boss battle is difficult, and he would be considered one of the most powerful fights in the entire game (which is so insane to think about since you can SKIP the entire thing or just outright MISS it). So why WOULDN'T Haarlep think that Tav and co would get fucked by him in a fight, when Haarlep has likely witnessed Raphael's wrath and fury before? When we speak of this betrayal from Haarlep, there's no telling that his actual intentions were.

So... was Haarlep being a typical devil/fiend, scheming and getting what he wanted just to win both ways by believing Raphael would have bested Tav and friends (even if it didn't turn out that way in the end)? Or was he betraying Raphael because he just didn't care? OR, a third option, was he making sure Raphael wouldn't get the crown because his true master is Mephistopheles? By stealing the Hammer, there was no deal that Raphael would GET the crown in turn. There's so many things we could assume and guess, but the fact is... we don't know, because Larian never told us, and that's okay! Because that's what fanfiction is for.

As we move the scene along, Haarlep finally introduces himself. We all know that Haarlep is an anagram for Raphael, which in itself is fascinating. Where did Haarlep get the name? WHO named him? Is Raphael so in love with himself that he named his personal incubus after himself? Was it Mephistopheles? As some kind of joke? Was it Haarlep themselves? What does interest me is is how Haarlep explained that he's not just glamoured as Raphael's image, but he's transfigured. I feel like this makes it something more permanent, or even as a base setting.

I love the idea of True Form Haarlep, personally (and it is my general go to with my writing), but I DID say what if's above, and this is one of them. What if Haarlep HAS no true form? What if his form is now FIXED as Raphael as a base form (we know he can still take on other forms since yours and Haarlep says out loud he has a collection), but what IF? What IF? Because another little bit of DnD lore? Incubus are supposed to change back to their natural form when killed, and guess who doesn't? Haarlep! He remains in Raphael's glamour if you kill him (: So... THAT'S interesting. We just don't know...

I wanted to delve into this line next, because someone pointed out something interesting which I actually wanted to delve into deeper with it:

You might be going "no you're not, you don't look like Raphael as he does now". Well, you are correct. However, I do have a theory behind this as well. As we know in canon lore, cambions generally stop ageing in their 20's. Funnily enough... Haarlep looks around that age, which is where I personally headcanon that they first met and first slept together, when Haarlep was gifted to Raphael. That's not to say Haarlep can't change to Raphael's current, more mature, visage (or even his human form). But when Haarlep says he's the PERFECT copy, I do feel like there's some burn to that, that Raphael is reminded that HE has aged and is no longer that perfect resemblance of what he once was.

There's also a fannon theory going around that Raphael's more mature look is actually a farce, and that he uses it to appear more mature to get souls, etc. That's a really interesting take, and I love it (how manipulative of him and that works!), but my personal headcanons? Raphael is no mere cambion. Raphael is the son of Mephistopheles, and we know nothing about his mother (as mother's die at childbirth). She could have been anyone! Mephistopheles is an Archdevil, and Mephisto also looks more middle aged in most of his pics. It makes sense to me that Raphael would age more compared to other cambions simply because of his more potent bloodline and the fact that he is the son of someone so powerful. This could be a symbol of something amongst devilkind even. We know that Antilia (Raphael's half sister and Mephisto's daughter), though pretty no doubt, is described to look a lot like Mephisto.

So, my theory is that Haarlep is the appearance of Raphael when they FIRST had sex, and when he first consumed Raphael's glamour, and he wears it proudly, and no doubt Raphael keeps Haarlep around like that as a reminder of how youthful and beautiful he was. I'm not saying Raphael isn't a silver fox (he is), and Raphael still considers himself attractive, but it's like looking at your younger self when you've lost some of that edge, and you wish you could be there again. It's almost torment, which... just fits with devils, especially Raphael being such a complex character and a narcissist.

Some people have pointed out that there are some different structures within Haarlep and Raphael's face. Yes, there are. These are actually the things that change with age. The most obvious to me, is the ears. Raphael's are larger. This is legitimately something that happens with age. So is the structure and plumpness of cheeks (as someone who works in healthcare, these are things I see every day with patients). Even myself if I look at a pic of me 10 years ago.

(If I could mod, I would get the same screencap to compare, but for now...)

All things that come with age are (within humans):

Larger ears, wrinkles, less fat around the face and skin that becomes less plump and taut, (particularly cheeks, chin and eyes), and the thinning of lips and complexion paling. These are all exactly what Raphael has in comparison to Haarlep.

A little note on Raph's nose is that the distortion COULD be caused by changes in cartilage over the years, OR... it could be someone punched Raph in the face and it permanently got fucked after he'd been with Haarlep (whatever the case, it's still beautiful!). I still like to think someone punched him tho >.> lol.

You're looking at at least... 20 odd years between these two, tho. Raphael is said to look middle aged (in his 50's), and Haarlep, to me, looks about... 25-28 with those small wrinkles at his forehead and crows feet when he smiles?

I can't say the technical details of who designed this in game? But they did a phenomenal job on what they actually aged (or deaged for Haarlep's encounter). I have no idea if they simply used that technology on Raph's original form or what they did for Haarlep, but it's damn good.

I implore you, take out a photo of you what looked like 20 years ago (if you're old enough) and I can guarantee you'll see some of these changes. Maybe do it of your parents, or grandparents, and you'll see. My older brother looks like a carbon fucking copy of my dad when they were both in their 20's. Genetics are FASCINATING and awesome! And I think they did a super good job with making Haarlep and Raphael's age gap noticeable while changing those important features.

I won't go into Raphael's sexuality in this post because it'll add too much to it, but I DO want to in the future. But moving on to Haarlep once you agree to sleep with them. What does interest me is that Haarlep wants to make sure that you're comfortable during the act, which is when the Archduchess comes to play.

Now... this one makes me question a little (and please fill me in as I don't know all DnD lore!). I do understand that incubus/succubus can be seen as interchangeable, and from what I have read in earlier editions, they can shapechange much like changelings (succubi can appear as your most desired appearance, without any 'glamour'). They can simply use ANY model, any face, WITHOUT consuming someone's body. Unlike Haarlep, who seems to require permission/vow to take on a desired form.

Haarlep speaks about how they're adding your glamour to their collection and that's basically what they are getting out of this little transaction of yours. This is provided with the following prompts:

This gives the impression that Haarlep requires you to actually verbally VOW that he can have your body... that he can add it to his glamour...

Is that the case, or is Haarlep simply using you and playing games because they WANT to hear you say it? Is this devilry at its finest? Or does an incubus literally require permission to gain that glamour? Like the victim is literally giving up a part of themselves in some wicked contract?

So, please... let me know how it works with Raphael's Archduchess form, OR was this simply something Larian threw in there so the player could feel more comfortable with a choice of female or male? I would love to delve more into this, because I REALLY am curious about how the hell Haarlep got a female version of Raphael, or was this something the devs just thought "We'll give them an option".

Personally, I just feel like without that knowledge, I can't see it outside of a "let's just chuck that in there so they have another option and say Raph is curious at times". But please, please let me know if you do! Some devils of Baator CAN change sex on a whim, but by disrupting the order of the Hells, they are actually punished if they do it, even tho it's entirely allowed and absolutely a-okay to do! The laws of Baator are just very stringent. Being a creature of sex, maybe it's different for incubus and succubus? Either way, I find it strange that Haarlep requires permission compared to other previous editions, but then the Archduchess exists. Maybe he's under his own contract? Maybe he's special? Maybe it's just a LepLep thing!?

Also just a note here, you can call Haarlep he, she, or they. The Narrator, in game characters, all use he when Haarlep is male, she when Haarlep is the Archduchess, and they during some of the Narrator's comments.

Speaking of glamours, though, it has been deciphered what Haarlep's harness says in Infernal, and it says "1000 lover's in 1 body" (link to reddit).

Some people have theorised that this is part of the secret contract that Haarlep was under. Personally... I think it's for nothing but Haarlep to gloat about in the Hells. I think it's entirely an aesthetic and prideful thing and nothing more. We know the devs have scribbled infernal on contracts and it literally says nothing (looking at Raphael's lol), it's all weird junk and silly things, so it's no surprise that they've written something like this on the harness Haarlep wears. Some little inside joke, but also a boast for Haarlep.

Raphael clearly likes to see himself wearing skimpy clothes, so maybe it's even to please Raphael. Maybe it's Raphael knowing that Haarlep has slept with that many others while wearing his face? Who knows. But personally, I really don't think there is anything significant when it comes to this, it's just a good little bit of humour added into the game.

During the sex scene, you will notice that Haarlep's eyes begin to glow throughout the rest of the encounter. I also find this fascinating, and I think it likely comes down to arousal or the power of the act, which when taking the glamour, would be a form of magic or corruption.

Pre sex:

During / post sex:

They are significantly brighter, and remain that way throughout the rest of the encounter. So, could it be the use of charm? Could it be arousal? Could it be the corruption and taking your body? Either way, it's something that I found interesting and I wanted to put here also.

Once the act is done, we get back down to business. This is where you can ask if Raphael is any good in bed. Of course, this is a whoooole debate amongst the fandom, and honestly, I don't think it needs to be taken so seriously. You've got to remember, Haarlep is an incubus, someone that is forged from lust and sex, and has likely slept with waaaaay more people than Raphael (especially if we take it literally when Haarlep says Raphael only wants to sleep with himself). That's a whole different topic, though, and this is Haarlep not even elaborating, just laughing and saying "no". But you're never going to get as good in the sack as an incubus, that likely knows all the trades. This isn't just a skill, it's INSTINCT for someone like Haarlep. Even if Raphael WAS bad in bed, though... what's the big deal? Who cares? I actually think it's something that makes Raphael more realistic, because he has a flaw and someone else is better at something than him. Good, make him feel vulnerable, let him be reminded, and perhaps that is also why Haarlep is kept around, so Raphael can imagine the incubus' prowess as his OWN whilst he wears his face.

Back to where Haarlep could be seen as potentially betraying Raphael by pointing you into the direction of the Orphic Hammer. Once again, like mentioned above yonder (this is getting long), there's no telling where this is coming from. Is this a betrayal? Is this Haarlep being short sighted and not really thinking Tav and Co could kill Raphael once he came back, knowing that the HoH was rigged to attack the moment the Orphic Hammer was taken? Interesting how Haarlep disappears amidst the chaos as well.

There's no saying what Haarlep was thinking, it's all speculation and guessing games, which fits perfectly with a fiend, tbh. He's a scheming little shit, just like everyone else in the Nine Hells. Makes perfect sense to me that we don't know his true intentions. Plus, it's literally a 10 minute interaction. You can't possibly understand someone with a 10 minute interaction, you can only guess and assume.

What I do find a little funny is the following:

So we have Haarlep saying that Raphael hides NOTHING from him, and can't (likely because Haarlep wears his face and potentially uses charm on him to get what he wants, and because he's an incubus--these creatures that are behind every high devil or demon, manipulating from the shadows), but also...

Haarlep gives you the key. To. The. Safe. The safe that he doesn't know what sits inside it... (bullshit).

He literally pulls it out of his arse and just hands it to you. Flat out. So how did Haarlep get the key? Why does HE have access to it? But doesn't know what's inside the safe? Definitely bullshit. He knows what's inside it, and Raphael, who has every door locked and invitations required and a ritual to get inside his house etc... just... hands his safe key to Haarlep? Or doesn't realise Haarlep has stolen it and keeps a copy?

Either way, this line about Raphael telling him everything indicates that Haarlep and Raphael talk to each other. Which, of course they do. They have been sharing a bed for who knows how long?

The reason why I have come to it being over a thousand years of being with each other goes back to Haarlep having Raphael's much younger glamour. Raphael is 2000+ years old, as we know thanks to his comment about Karsus' Folly and how he was there to see it.

Haarlep likely came after, after he raged about the Crown, and when Mephistopheles realised that his son was ambitious and wanted power. 1000+ years is a long time to share your bed with someone and not grow some sense of comfort within that company. Even without realising it or admitting it (or even being in denial), Raphael is still a half human and half devil, those weaker natures, those human natures, he no doubt falls to every now and again, no matter how much he detests and attempts to refuse it. Company is company, and if anything, this is the sort of company that feels like it's there for complacency and self gain (not realising the self loss in the process).

I am not saying Haarlep and Raphael love each other. In fact, whatever they share is likely nothing but a mutual benefit from one another somehow (and of course, Haarlep being contracted there). But love is an extremely complex notion, and it's not that simple. I don't think it's yes, and I don't think it's no. I think it's an exceptionally GREY area that has become complacency, comfort, possessiveness, and selfishness. As for Haarlep? Who is a full fiend, tho an incubus of all fiends (master of lust, sensuality, intimacy...), I think Raphael has a greater chance of falling in love than Haarlep does. And that's saying something.

We know for a fact that Haarlep was sent via Mephistopheles, but there's some conflicting dialogue that can feel like Haarlep is "sworn to" Raphael but he's a gift, so who does he really serve?

Whatever the case, I still think that Haarlep is absolutely capable of manipulating Raphael in ways that others can't. Also, if Raphael didn't really care to have Haarlep around, he could just get another incubus to have his glamour and be done with it. Haarlep can change his face to be Raphael, yes, but he can't change his personality that easily. If Raphael really hated Haarlep, he'd just go "be gone" and throw him out the window.

Obviously, as a GIFT from his father... that might hold a little bit of sentimentality to it, especially for someone like Raphael, who is obsessive and possessive of his possessions. Haarlep would be seen as his, and only his. Of course, it would likely be seen as some sort of an insult to Mephisto if he did this as well, because he WAS a gift to his son, so of course he can't be denied. That would make pappa angry.

Then there's the indication that Haarlep is unhappy and hates Raphael as much as any other devil in Baator. Haarlep is jovial in nature, he makes fun of people, including Raphael, his supposed master. I really don't see his end letter as him hating Raphael.

As above with the quote, Haarlep states Raphael can hide nothing from him, and deny him nothing, which pretty much solidifies that Haarlep has him wrapped around his little finger. If anything, Haarlep is the one in control of whatever relationship that they share (whether that's just sexual or not). Raphael still has power, of course, but it's this dynamic that shifts up and down between them, until they are back to the very same place they always end up.

The letter that you see in the epilogue never states anything on Haarlep's feelings towards Raphael. They state what OTHER devils feel. What the letter says is:

The only indication that one might get from this is the term "timely end" when it comes to Raphael's death. I wouldn't say this is an indication of Haarlep detesting the man. Haarlep isn't known for his love, so why would he mourn to a stranger? Why would he care, really? He's a fiend. The death of Raphael meant he was no longer bound to any contract, so it's absolutely opportunistic for him! But opportunity doesn't mean hate.

The entire atmosphere of Haarlep's letter has a sense of superiority around it, which if course it does. It's Haarlep. He's a fancy little snob that thinks he has better taste when he's actually fucking gelugons on a daily basis... Have you seen those things?

I'm more interested in the contract that was binding him to secrecy. It's never explained more upon. Was Haarlep bound to secrecy to stay within the HoH? Was he bound to secrecy so no one knew him and Raphael had slept together and that Raphael had a personal incubus? Raphael has invitations for others to come into the boudoir, so I highly doubt Haarlep was some little secret shame of his. If anything, Raphael seems the sort to boast about getting to have sex with his handsome self. Not to mention multiple people in the HoH (Nebuldin and the Archivist) pretty much tell you to go see Haarlep and enjoy yourself? So yeah... Haarlep being a secret? DEFINITELY busted.

The only secrecy I can get from this would be the fact that it was a secret Haarlep was keeping from Raphael that he was a spy for Mephistopheles.

Which... let's talk about this spy as well. We don't know the terms and conditions of the contract between Haarlep and Mephisto, all Haarlep claims was that he was sent to "distract" Mephistopheles' naughty son.

Doesn't really mean spy. It CAN mean spy! Absolutely it could mean spy (and the devil's in the details). But if we think about what Haarlep was potentially sending back to Mephisto... why didn't Mephisto do anything? After all, Raphael can't hide anything from Haarlep or deny him anything, and that gives me the impression that Haarlep knows most of what is going on, and if he told Mephistopheles about all of that, I'm pretty sure Mephisto would have a shit fit over the fact that his son is after the crown that has been stolen from his vault.

This is a crown that Mephistopheles KNOWS pissed Raphael off when he took it and locked it away. Raphael tells us that he raged over it for years after it happened. So when the vault was broken into, I'm pretty sure Mephistopheles would have been onto Raphael about it immediately. If Raphael came up empty handed and literally didn't know a damn thing about it, maybe... MAYBE his father would be willing to go "fine, whatever," but this is a very paranoid Archdevil that has killed his own spawn before to better himself. Raphael is no different. He is expendable. He doesn't even live in Cania anymore (HoH is in Avernus), and as far as I can tell, he's keeping all those souls to himself so he can use them to turn into an ascended form (which makes me wonder if he got the idea from his father and Cazador).

So for being a spy... Haarlep is a pretty damn poor one, if you ask me. Haarlep comes off as more of a sloth than someone who is really interested in doing hard work. He wants pleasure and games, and he is content if he has that, but he's also a fiend, and Haarlep is still as selfish as any other devil.

If you kill Haarlep, you can also speak to his corpse, where he will give you the same information just in a different way. He will tell you where the key is, he will explain that Raphael was never on top during their bedroom games, and he will tell you he was sent to distract Raphael from Mephistopheles.

I am absolutely certain I could keep going with this, but I'm running out of juice, lol. Anyway, this is my little (big apparently) analysis of Haarlep's character, and why I write him the way I do.

There is no right and wrong when it comes to this, remember. We ALL have our unique headcanons and opinions on characters, and we see all but 10 minutes or so with Haarlep in a game that lasts over 100 hours of gameplay. There is always room for character growth and development. Just because you don't agree with someone's personal hc doesn't mean they're wrong or you're right.

I would love to delve further into some more headcanons, especially with Raph, his sexuality, and Haarlep and his relationship a little bit more, but for now, this his already gotten long enough, so some small dot points:

Hope says she has been in the boudoir against her own will (which makes me believe Haarlep and her have likely shared a bed--this is apparently triggered if you save Hope before doing anything else).

Haarlep is a top in the bedroom (as provided by his own words when you speak to his corpse)

Haarlep doesn't know of any weakness Raphael has in battle (this is indicated when you speak to his corpse and ask if Raphael has any weaknesses in battle, to which the corpse remains silent and the Narrator says "the corpse does not know"). A really neat hc post about that HERE.

Incubus eat hearts and meat (Haarlep, if you agree to let him devour your soul and body) stated that he will eat your heart.

If Haarlep devours your soul and takes your mind and soul, you do not die, you become a thrall of his to command, which will obey him and "my master" (which makes me think he speaks of Mephisto more than Raphael).

Haarlep can command imps (he summons them if you decide you want to battle)

If I think of more, I will add, I'm tired now, lol. If anything, can y'all appreciate how long this got? :'D

#ooc #Haarlep #Haarlep BG3 #raphael the cambion #Meta #Lore #Headcanons

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chillydeer · 5 months ago

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Привет, Человек-мотылек!

My aunt introduced me to Astonishing Legends a couple nights ago, and so far I really like the podcast it's great, I watched all of the Mothman ones so far (that I knew of, I found out this morning there's a part 5) and while listening started drawing this lil fella.

I thought the whole thing was super interesting, I loved all the tangents, and most interestingly I tried to look into the 2013 show they mentioned, following the similar stories in Dalnegorsk. They mentioned it being entirely in Russian and hey, whaddya know, I'm trying to learn Russian anyways and figured it would help since I'm already interested in this topic and it would keep me engaged. Couldn't find it (I searched as well as I could, maybe I was using the wrong keywords, I couldn't find it in their show notes sadly, if you happen to know about it/have a link or something I would be thrilled to know) but I did make this art so! That's cool! I wanted to make him a little more detailed but also wanted it to kind of speak for itself? So I stuck with this.

Because I drew this up while listening, I very much took after the descriptions I was hearing with this design. He's kind of like a bird-man?? In a lot of the descriptions??? So I tried to combine bird and moth traits here. I love the neck fluff, any day I don't have to draw a jawline is a good day in my book, and I believe as they were going through the Dalnegorsk story one account mentioned bird-like feet with one toe on the back. Originally I actually skipped that, but it came up as I was doing the lineart so I went "oh that's a neat detail," and yeah, it looks better. At like the very end I gave him a second pair of little mothy arms on his back because they're cute and I figured moths have six legs Mothman can have four arms. Every description I saw specified big muscular legs, not skinny bird legs, So of course, I did my best.

Definitely in the Dalnegorsk part, they mention he just, gave them a sad look and it compelled them to back off, which didn't do much for the art in truth, but I found that very very interesting and sort of entertaining to think about. You got this big scary bird fella and instead of attacking them or scaring them he just pulled at their heartstrings, because he could.

Also complaining about folks exploring the mountain was kinda funny

Admittedly, I have a very love-hate relationship with drawing bird feet, because on one hand they don't come very easily to me, but on the other, they look really cool and I enjoy when they turn out good. This is one of those cases, at least in my opinion, where I do think they look nice.

All in all I love how this turned out, very big fan. Regarding the Russian up top, I also saw Молерот used for Mothman as it's shorter, but looking for more context almost everything I did see using it was Fallout-related, so I figured I'd just use Человек-мотылек as it at least seems to mostly bring up stuff about The Mothman Prophecies and some other stuff at least somewhat related to him. Not that the Fallout stuff isn't, I suppose, but that feels more like an offshoot in my mind.

If you have any tips (or learning resources that don't involve me paying for a subscription I'll hardly use- books, free stuff, etc) I'd be thrilled to hear it. So far I'm not having too hard of a time, though, the hardest part is the special characters so far but otherwise I'd say I'm doing well by my own standards.

#Mothman #Cryptid #Monster #Monsters #Art #Digital Art

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tayfabe75 · 1 year ago

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Did Taylor and Matty meet on Myspace? (And other early coincidences!)

Early on in their careers, Taylor and Matty both utilized Myspace as a way to promote their music. Taylor, specifically, would message with other teenagers on Myspace:

"I'd post my songs on my MySpace and, yes, MySpace, and would message with other teenagers like me who loved country music, but just didn't have anyone singing from their perspective."

Matty, too, described himself as "King of Myspace" when he was fifteen. But he brought it up more recently on the Ion Pack Podcast, even mentioning his age as seventeen at the time. And here's a retro clip of Taylor talking about how she wasn't some corporate entity on Myspace, if you messaged her account, you were talking to her! She also filled out her profile in her own words.

She has some things in her profile that might've caught Matty's eye, a fellow teenage country fan and fan of American music specifically, that might've emboldened him to message her:

"I love people who like my music. I love people who are nice to me. I like people who are excitable. I think it's endearing when people cry when they're happy. I'm pretty excitable too. Guys don't ask me out because they know I'll write songs about them. But I'm also the girl who still believes prince charming exists somewhere out there -- fully equipped with great hair and an immature sense of humor. I'm fascinated by black and white pictures. I like people who can be sarcastic and laugh about tense situations. I'm a fan of fans."

Say whatever you will about Matty, but that man is a genuine fan of Taylor's music. When he became a fan is open for discussion, but let's just pretend, for fun, that he found her via Myspace early on in her career.

Now, here is the old Myspace page for The 1975 back when they were known as 'Drive Like I Do' in 2008. Note the James Taylor in the list of Influences! (as well as the Jamie Squire in the top 8! How sweet, I'm sobbing!)

Taylor was a bit of a firecracker on Myspace (and not just there, there's a whole conspiracy theory she used to troll 4Chan!). A few of her comments were screenshotted and you can find them around the internet. Here are some. The one from October 31st, 2005 about a queer fellow ("I'm sorry that I'm kinda queer, it's not as weird as it appears") with a Sex van ("take your shoes off in the back of my van") really caught my eye, anyway…

"Listen my queer fellow. I thinketh we shall hangeth out sometime soon, eh? yes, I do believe I am growing fond of this idea. drive over in your sex van and come pick me up, farewell knave."

Notice the spelling here, too. Thinketh? Hangeth? Knave? Feels a little bit Shakespearean, at least for say, a fifteen-going-on-sixteen-year-old girl (as we would later discover, Love Story and Robbers were both inspired by Romeo and Juliet, both written around the same time so far as I know, but it's hard to find exact dates!)

Matty, by the way, used to refer to himself as the "Prince of the Tyne". He's also got some old Drive Like I Do lyrics from 'We Are the Streetfighters' that are suspicious to me: "Well in four thousand miles we'll meet you" (The nearest airport to Macclesfield is in Manchester, and the distance between Manchester and Nashville? Roughly 4000 miles)

Two months later on December 21st, 2005, just after turning 16, Taylor says she's in England.

Did they meet? Who knows! But there's enough weirdness there to make me wonder. Speaking of weirdness… we're going to go on a side tangent about Fearless, but that's part of the puzzle, so bear with me…

I don't know about anyone else, but when I saw Matty's Fearless Love Gaze™, I was rocked to my core! Men do not look at women like that, but especially not brand-new flings. They're too concerned with trying to look cool and unaffected. For most men (stereotypically), romance and love are "dumb" and "stupid" and perceived as a "woman thing" that men can't be bothered with. But not Matty. Matty was utterly transfixed by her. Something about that touch of mischief in the lip bite when she says the bit about "absentmindedly making me want you", the way he just barely mouths along to the words at the end of the clip, well… sirens started going off for me. So, I followed my intuition and started researching all of this.

Now, Taylor wrote the song 'Fearless' sometime in 2006. The hidden message liner note for Fearless? "I loved you before I met you". Taylor describes 'Fearless' as a song she wrote about a perfect first date she hadn't had yet, about something she didn't have but dreamt of. She debuted it for the first time on April 6th, 2007 in Reading, PA (if you don't already know it, that's two days before Matty's 18th birthday). At this show, she debuted 'Sparks Fly' (yes, in 2007! Original lyrics were brown eyes rather than green eyes, by the way) and 'Tied Together With A Smile'. She also played a cover of John Waite's song 'Missing You' which seems to be about a long-distance relationship: "And it's my heart that's breakin' down this long distance line tonight"

Speaking of Matty's birthday, the release of Fearless TV happened to coincide with Matty's birthday! She dropped a sneak peek of Fearless on his birthday in 2021, and the album would release one day later on the ninth (perhaps because albums release on Fridays and that's as close as she could get?)

Taylor describes the Fearless album as her diary from when she was seventeen (misplaced my source on that quote, d'oh!) That said, 'Love Story' interests me as well. There are some interesting facts about Love Story:

Hidden message: Someday, I'll find this. Taylor wrote this song in a very short amount of time after her parents had told her that she couldn't be with the person she wanted to be with. And in her own words:

"'Love Story' is actually about a guy that I almost dated. But when I introduced him to my family and my friends, they all said they didn't like him. All of them! For the first time, I could relate to that Romeo-and-Juliet situation where the only people who wanted them to be together were them. That's the most romantic song I've written, and it's not even about a person I really dated."

Taylor's UK television debut (like first time ever performing on TV in the UK) was on Loose Women (Matty's mother's show). Now, Denise was not there during this period as a host, but she had been before that and would be afterward, so maybe there's some significance? Maybe not. But if Taylor and Matty knew each other, he would definitely get to be in the audience to see her if he wanted to. The song she chose to perform was 'Love Story'.

Now, 'Robbers' is also based on Romeo and Juliet (and also written circa 2007), and Matty describes that here in a fan video from 2015. We'd see Romeo and Juliet imagery pop up again in 2014, both in Taylor's video for Blank Space (where she's on a balcony looking down at her lover) and in November where she stood up on a balcony at Matty's show as he serenaded her with Fallingforyou (visual comparisons here)

Blank Space, too, might reference Fallingforyou. There's a scene where she rides bikes with her lover inside her enormous house, perhaps reminiscent of Matty's lyric: "All we need's my bike and your enormous house":

Matty even dresses a bit like the lover from 'Love Story' music video at the 2017 BRITs:

When you fall down the Myspace rabbit hole, you start noticing other strange similarities in their lyrics - like Matty referring to a "girl on the screen" in 'If You're Too Shy', which perhaps parallels Taylor's "guy on the screen" in 'Karma'. In 'The 1' (another song that lyrically parallels 'Robbers'), Taylor imagines "the 1 that got away" meeting a woman on the internet and taking her home, which might be another reference to Matty, perhaps lyrically paralleling The 1975's 'Playing On My Mind'. This theory, of course, makes the entire album 'A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships' suspect, especially given that 'Be My Mistake' is a song Matty wrote "about Nashville", the striking similarities between 'Sincerity is Scary' and 'Me!', a song called 'Mine' that references the year 2009, and the inclusion of a Drive Like I Do track Matty wrote when he was just fifteen years old, '102' (the same age he was when he was "King of Myspace"). Considering 'Love Story' was written for someone who Taylor's parents disapproved of, it makes this lyric all the more striking:

"I hope this song will remind you I'm not half as bad as what you've been told."

Lastly, if Matty is the confirmed 'Cardigan' muse and if 'Willow' is the continuation of 'Cardigan' (based on where the music video begins), the scene where she gazes into the water at her lover could perhaps represent a visual metaphor for looking through a screen, no?

Back to the NYU commencement speech! I recommend listening to the FULL clip. She talks about: feeling lonely, chatting with other teenage country fans on Myspace, and then segues into her motivation behind protecting her private life:

"Having the world treat my love life like a spectator sport in which I lose every single game was not a great way to date in my teens and twenties, but it taught me to protect my private life fiercely."

All of this seems correlated to me (also why it's hard for me to reconcile this whole football charade! But for me, it's easier to believe Taylor here about privacy being important to her, and not assume that some boyfriend kept her locked away in a dungeon against her will or something)

Now, to tie this all into a very nice bow, here's a quote where Taylor talks about how she uses easter eggs:

"Easter eggs can be left on clothing or jewelry. This is one of my favorite ways to do this, because you wear something that foreshadows something else, and people don't usually find out this one immediately, but they know you're probably sending a message. They'll figure it out in time."

What shirt was she wearing during her pap walk with Matty? Think of the "He lets her Bejeweled" meme… She had on an NYU sweatshirt.

Now, could be just a giant coincidence, trust me, I know, I get it. However… maybe she's really hinting about an old Myspace pal that she has protected fiercely. I mean, she did seem to use that speech to easter egg/foreshadow YOYOK & Labyrinth lyrics…

Speaking of 'Bejeweled'… On July 15th, 2023 Taylor flubbed the lyrics: "Sapphire tears on Myspace", and then she giggled. Freudian slip, perhaps? But this is the woman who assures us that "nothing is accidental"... and in a song that mentions a "Top 5", no less! (reminiscent of a Top 8, perhaps?)

Maybe James and Betty were involved in a "teenage love triangle" for a reason, and maybe TTPD references "teenage petulance" for that same reason… or maybe it's nothing but a bunch of eerie coincidences! Who knows! In the meantime, I'll keep on clownin'! 🤡

#theory: myspace #early timeline speculation #if you saw this on reddit five months ago in a private subreddit #yes that was me #been clownin' this theory since last july tyvm

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wolpatinga · 4 months ago

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HEART DID YOU FUCKING TAKE NOVELLA OUT OF THE HYDEMIND?

i *really* wish there was a way for me to handle this without seeming like a weirdo to my friends on here who've only met me (tor) and possibly the Lt.

whatever. only the strongest will survive

i will try to explain as clearly and completely as possible

im not *just* hyde. that seems obvious, but im not just hyde, and if i want to continue as a whole, i can't let any one part dominate. i only have so many social spoons, and i can't spend them all in a space that's going to reject 80% of me

however, this is a group that admin formed, and i get it. the hydemind is for hydes. i recognize that i can't function as a whole in a space where i must at all times be only one way

im sorry about the dramatic exit yesterday. heart didn't mean to scare anyone. but after leaving, we reached this conclusion *as a collective* - no one part is allowed to keep us in a space where others feel unsafe or unwanted. here's how we reached that decision -

🎶 -

(tor's note: this is an album about completely breaking down after gaining a following. its a vote against rejoining the hydemind and expressing sympathy for heart)

📊 - There are quite a few projects I wanted to get around to doing. They're on hold at the moment, but that's fine. The activities the Hydemind let me work on were fun.

🐁 - hey, man, i've kinda got bigger problems at the moment than whatever *shenanigans* are going on here. like. the rats. can we - (tor's note: charlie then went on a long tangent about how he wants to play with the pet sugar gliders, which we did. he's abstaining)

🍻 - I like these kids. You know I like these kids. But we can help *from a distance* that keeps them away from the flaming wreck that is us. We can be supportive in separate messaging paths and not have to be in the "Not Hydes Keep Out" shack.

👨🏼‍🦯 - DONT TAKE ME AWAY FROM THE OTHER HYDES AND JEKYLL

🖥️ - You have spent the past god-knows-how-long trying to be there 24-7 for these kids. Reprioritize and *go take care of those other tasks*. *I implore you, take care of the other tasks*. But also, given how the last friends Heart had suddenly abandoned it, and now Hyde's deliberately using all of the same in-jokes and trying to exactly recreate what Heart had in a space where Heart's been repeatedly bullied... I don't know. Seems like Heart wants to play nice, but everytime he thinks to, he sees those flashing letters of "YOU DON'T BELONG HERE". Seems hard to be normal when that's explicitly being told to you. But what do I know. I'm too old for this drama. So are you. There's laundry to be done. Heart needs its own friends, but as an adult with adult responsibilities we only have so much time to spend socially, and I agree the hydemind seems like a good place to spend it (though can we please spend more time with Bella???)

📖 - i still don't understand why hyde's a dad now, but mr moon seems *really upset*. um... (tor's note: lenore defaults to whatever the Lt. picks)

🏰 - MEIN KINDER, BITTE VERZEIHT MIR. JUNO, HURENSOHN, DU HAST AN MEIN MUZI EIN LEID GETAT. AAAAAAAAAA- (tor's note: princey votes to return and called juno/heart a bitch)

🫧 - heart, yer an idiot. those are kids and i dunna care if ye canna find friends of yer own. dunna take me away from them. get a hold of yerself. if yer gunna yell that yer not a kid, then STOP ACTIN LIKE ONE

💜 - i don't get it. i just... the waffle house thing was *my thing*. or... may's. every time i come out of the pit this happens. im sick of it. end this game. i don't want a pity "fine, you can come in here if you must, but i still detest you". i don't want to be screamed at every time i finally get control. im sick of being kicked around. when can this cycle end

So. that's two votes for never speaking to any of the hydemind again (💜🎶). that's four votes for return to the hydemind (🫧🏰👨🏼‍🦯📊). that's three votes for not ceasing contact but not being specifically in the no-hyde space (🖥️🍻📖). that's one vote for abstaining (🐁)

we don't hate anyone outside of the system. tensions are high between heart and hyde at the moment, but i think what heart's really asking for is permission to have friends. if you remember that poster we made a while back, that was heart. the other guys have all been adding to whatever hyde is on his own, but if hyde hates liars, he should hate lying about not needing the rest of us to function

i, tor, the arbiter of whatever the hell this is, say i can't neglect heart and expect to function properly. you all know we care about you deeply, but this is getting ridiculous

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avkizi · 1 year ago

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🌞, 🥥, & 🌧️!

🌞; what’s one specific scenario or thing from your dr that you get the nervous jitters for?

i have two big ones and I'm saying them both

def the whole sorting ceremony/ritual/whatever you wanna call it + meeting the rest of my house ESPECIALLY the marauders + the valkyries like it's the I am going to know these ppl for the next over 7 years holy shit + i'm so excited feeling yk?? // marauders dr

(bnha/mha dr) two words, school festival. that wole arc is probably one of my all time favs (probably bc it's not actively traumatizing us) and i'm so excited to experience it!!! also the CONCERT THING?? dude I am such a sucker for y/n moments and this is literally my time to shine fr bc ik me n jirou r gonna eat that shit uppppp (adding a read more bc this is long asfff)

(lil bit of bg info) so when I was scripting this arc I was like huh... what part should I do in the concert thing?? and I had the idea to do tech crew and I was chill w/ it bc like ok I can fly thats useful asf and wings would get in the way of dancing anyway, but then I was listening to hero too (don't judge me its motivating asf) n I was like oh yk what there are a LOT of moments in here that would benefit from added harmonies or have unexplained backup singing (an example is around 3:13 in the song but it's everywhere) bc it's supposedly live right??? like idk if its supposed to be just layered vocals or an echo or whatever but I took that shit and RAN and was like yk what I didnt script I could sing crazy well for nothing bitch I'm singing backup now <3 also I absolutely stole that whole outro bc it fits so so well w my backstory how could I not??? anyway tangent over but yeah i'm genuinley soso excited ajdskjskj

🥥; list three specific smells from your dr and explain them.

fun fact I have an amazing sense of smell in my cr but apparently god had to fucking nerf me so I'm congested like 80% of the time

anyway let's go fr (all of this is from my bnha/mha dr bc thet's the only place i've shifted)

this super specific type of cleaner spray for countertops that we use, it kinda smells like very citrus-y but with notes of mango i've never smelled anything like it here, so it's probably not a thing here, but my and hawk's apartment smells like it like 24/7 (it's called zesty sparkle 😭😭)

kei always gets this spicy ass garlic-y chicken when he comes back from a really crazy patrol, and it smells SO GOOD but i risk my life every time i eat that shit on godddd

i use this shea butter/oil stuff for my feathers so they're nice and shiny and clean looking, and it smells literally the best i would eat it by the jar if i could holy shiiiiiiit

🌧️; who will be the first person you talk to in your dr that you’re excited to meet? how will the convo go?

so i scripted that i'll wake up on the morning i go school shopping w/ lily (i scripted that we're childhood friends <3) so i'm really excited to meet and talk to her tbh!!!! //marauders dr

#shiftblr #bnha shifting #mha dr #mha shifting #reality shifting #shifting antis dni #marauders shifting #avkizi’s mha dr 🪶₊˚.༄

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amethystina · 1 year ago

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You mentioned in your notes at the end of the chapter for 'Each Touch (Brings Us One Step Closer)' about how Yo Han had some reason for wanting some distance between him and Ga On at the end of the show and not wanting to explain your thoughts there and go on the tangent. Can you go into it here then? I love your tangents and explanations.

Also just want to say thank you so much for that chapter, it's incredible! It always amazes me how you can write the characters so accurately. It's definitely something to keep us going after the slow burn of Who Holds the Devil

I feel like I may have accidentally blue-balled some of you with that throwaway comment and I promise that wasn't my intention x'D But sure, I can elaborate :)

So! The thing with the final scene of the drama is that it's clearly shaped by the choices of the scriptwriter and/or the director. As in, certain aspects of it had less to do with the characters and more to do with production. They wanted to give Yo Han and Ga On one final scene together, to give the viewer hope and a nice, proper ending, but their options were... limited, I guess we could say?

And there are a couple of reasons for that. One is that there are still a lot of unspoken things between Yo Han and Ga On. Like lingering hurt from the betrayal, the fact that Yo Han faked his death a second time despite probably knowing how upset that would make Ga On, Ga On's somewhat concerning readiness to die (twice in one day, no less), the whole thing with the fire that they never actually got to discuss etc.

In short, there's a lot they should talk about. But there's no time — the drama is over. So while showing them having a conversation and actually reconciling would be nice, it's just not possible. They'll have to gloss over that bit and just rely on the emotional catharsis of seeing those two idiots stare longingly at each other for a couple of seconds (or surprisingly many seconds, in this case).

Which, to their credit, works really well. I was very satisfied once that scene was over. But it's not like it actually fixes anything, you know? Like, the trauma is still there. Just because Yo Han smiles at Ga On, does that mean he's forgiven the almost-murder?

I've actually gotten questions (bordering on accusations), asking why I ruined that lovely ending scene by making it so that they haven't reconciled at the beginning of Who Holds the Devil. But, like, they didn't reconcile. That scene was lovely, make no mistake, but they didn't actually solve anything. I agree that they showed their deep connection and fondness for each other, but you can have that and also still be mad about that one time your sugar baby tried to stab you in the heart. They're not mutually exclusive.

Since they don't talk, I'm going to have to assume they haven't fully reconciled.

(I don't actually mind that the drama didn't have time to solve this, I want to point out, since that just made me more eager to write Who Holds the Devil and do it for myself. So don't think I'm dissatisfied or anything — quite the opposite. I was amazed by how much we got, in a drama that's supposedly straight. It was so much more than I would ever have dared to hope for.)

The second reason the creators' choices were limited was the fact that, should they actually give Yo Han and Ga On time to talk — or touch — it might just turn out to be too gay. Or, alternatively, they'd have to make it so obviously not gay (to avoid censoring) that it would have ruined all their hard work and subtle build-up. Sometimes, not saying anything is better than saying too much. Sometimes, the easiest way to keep everyone happy is to just leave it as open for interpretation as possible and claim plausible deniability in both directions.

But it can't be denied that outside forces influenced that ending. @a-very-fond-farewell said it very aptly in their comment on Each Touch, by pointing out that had Ga On been a woman, that final scene would have looked very different. It would have been somewhere where Yo Han and Ga On could actually speak to each other, maybe hug, or perhaps go even further depending on the story/dynamic. And I'm in absolute agreement, which is why I wrote the ending to Each Touch the way I did.

That scene is, if you ask me, closer to what should have happened, if they'd been able to follow through on the tone and dynamic they'd set for this drama.

But, again, they couldn't. Partly due to time restrictions and, secondly, due to censoring issues. So we end up with a scene that takes place in a public space, so they can't really talk, can't really touch, but still, somehow, convey their love and longing for each other. Which, all things considered, still left me feeling pretty damn happy.

NOW. Even if we know that the setting for that scene (i.e. in a public place) has more to do with production reasons, there still has to be a reason for it in-universe. As in, to make it make sense in the canon of the story, we have to pretend that the choice was actually made by a character (Yo Han, in this case, since he's the one choosing when to approach Ga On) and not by the scriptwriter and/or director. And this sort of ties back a bit to that long rant I did about intent, because here we have a situation where the intent of the scene is to give closure, but outside factors mean that the presentation and execution of said closure might not actually be in harmony with the characters.

Like, let's make a thought experiment here. Imagine that there were no censoring issues. Imagine that there were no time restrictions. Everything in the drama still happens the way it does, right up until the hearing.

Do you really think that Yo Han, as you know him, would have chosen to approach Ga On in the way he did during that final scene? In a public place, where he can't actually talk to him?

Because I don't.

At least not with the information the drama gives me. Yo Han is a Dramatic Bitch, I know, and he's not always willing to talk about his trauma. But a month has passed. He's had time to think. He's had time to miss Ga On. And then he travels all the way to South Korea, just for that? Just to stare at Ga On? Without talking to him? When Yo Han is known for meeting every obstacle head-on? When he's clearly still very attached to Ga On? And, quite frankly, a very possessive person? Would he truly just leave like that? Without a word?

It just doesn't make sense.

So, as much as I like that ending scene and understand that it had to be the way it is due to various outside factors, it's also pretty out of character for Yo Han (she says boldly, as if she has any claim to say what's reasonable or not for a character she hasn't created).

Now, this still doesn't make the scene bad, but it does put us fans in the hilarious position of having to come up with a reason for why Yo Han might have done what he did, when the act itself kind of feels out of character. We have to find a motivation for something that doesn't actually make all that much sense. What reason could he possibly have had to act that way?

And me being the little shit that I am, will of course take this as an opportunity to come up with whatever batshit theory I please. Since, in the long run, it probably won't make much sense anyway since I'm basing it on actions that, in my opinion, are out of character to begin with.

I think Yo Han was scared.

I think Kang "The Abyss" Yo Han was too scared to talk to Ga On.

Because, as I mentioned in another ask I got about when Yo Han fell in love with Ga On, I think he realised it during that month between the explosion and the hearing. Because he got some distance, some time to calm down, some time to miss Ga On etc. And so I think Yo Han went back to Korea and maybe he actually planned to talk to Ga On (or hadn't decided) but then just... chickened out. Because he now knows he's in love and has no idea how to deal with that fact. Especially since he's still a little hurt over the betrayal and doesn't know what Ga On feels about the whole thing. Is Ga On still mourning Soo Hyun? Is Ga On even interested in men? Or, perhaps worst of all:

What if this month away from Yo Han's influence has made Ga On realise he was being manipulated and gaslit and now he doesn't want anything to do with Yo Han?

So, in short, I think Yo Han simply wasn't ready. He went there too soon, realised what a bad idea it was, but still wanted to at least see Ga On and maybe give them both some kind of closure (and maybe also try to figure out if Ga On hates him now). And hence the meeting being in a public place, so that Yo Han wouldn't have to have a conversation he wasn't ready for, because he wasn't sure how to talk to Ga On with all the lingering trauma and this new knowledge about his own feelings.

It was a choice Yo Han made to protect himself.

A choice he doesn't make in Each Touch because, in that story, he's been given enough proof of Ga On's interest to not have to worry as much. Interest Ga On showed before Soo Hyun died, which means it wasn't just a weird grief response, and so Yo Han doesn't feel as threatened by her. He's confident enough about his own and Ga On's feelings that he's actually willing to meet and talk with him.

And that's my theory! :D

Thank you so much to you both for asking 💜 Though I also feel a need to point out that this is, as always, mere speculation on my part — even more so than usual in this case, for the reasons stated above. And while I am thrilled (and proud) to hear that so many of you think that my opinions are accurate and very close to canon, always remember that it's okay to disagree with me. I don't have all the answers, even if I might make it sound like I do. I'm genuinely just guessing x'D

Anyhow! Thank you again! I'm so happy that you both enjoyed my fic and were curious enough to ask about this. You're both wonderful 💜

#Amethystina Writes #Anonymous #Times two!#... I'm soon going to need a spreadsheet to keep track of all of my rants x'D #And how they connect to each other #It's a spiderweb of meta commentary #Because I can't do things the easy was I guess #In all honesty #I don't think this theory is all that controversial #The hardest part would be to make Yo Han admit to it #Because he doesn't have weaknesses and all that #(except Ga On of course)#(but he technically never admitted to that either)#(it was just shoved in his face)

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 6 months ago

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Brief (?), Rapid-Fire (??) Musings on the Current State of the Monthly Superman Titles

Challenging myself to NOT go on a bunch of different long-winded tangents...we'll see how it goes. XD

Gonna start with the bad so that the post ends on a positive note. XD

The twelve part weekly Waid Action Comics just wrapped, and I gotta admit, it was kind of a huge letdown, at least in my opinion.

Lots of talented folks working on it, but ultimately the whole thing felt pretty boring/boilerplate. I guess 'filler' might be the easiest way to describe the whole thing.

And that's kind of been the vibe of this 'Action Comics Superstars' initiative. The rotating roster of creators means that the book feels like it's in a constant state of shuffle and has very little connective tissue between storylines.

Like. Is John Ridley gonna build on this recent Mon-El/Phantom Zone arc stuff? Probably not! So unless I'm a big fan of the writer or artist involved, why should I remain subscribed to this book on a monthly basis?

DC has essentially made one of the two ongoing, monthly Superman titles skippable. Which sucks.

Also, NGL, the Tamaki/Patridge Supergirl backup story was a whole lotta nothing. XD

I've seen complaints re: Tamaki's characterization of Kara, but honestly that wasn't even my issue with this story. The pacing was really bad and the new character they introduced was needlessly cryptic for entirely too long.

Also, Power Girl did not need to be here. XD

Supposedly the whole secret mission is like. Tied into her Krypton trauma and I really wasn't getting that from the writing or art.

Anyways. I bring this all up because we get a promise that Supergirl's adventures 'will continue in 2025!'

No indication if this means a miniseries, an ongoing, or another backup feature, nor if this creative team will be returning.

...Put a pin in this, we'll get back to it at the end. XD

I'm not reading the Power Girl series. I'm sure it's fine. XD

Saw that Jon Kent will be appearing in a new Secret Six title, which...uh...okay.

(My personal opinion on Jon currently is that he's annoying in the same way that Dick Grayson is annoying; T*m T*ylor has turned the both of them into unproblematic soft bois, too affably bland to really care about anymore.)

Absolute Superman is fine. I'm personally not nearly as enamored as everyone else is with the Absolute line --it feels like a glorified Elseworlds title to me.

Also, Jason Aaron's 'new take' on Superman is that he grew up on Krypton, and his family was part of the labor guide as opposed to the science guild.

(You put Kara in glasses and people won't shut up about how she's a Clark clone, meanwhile Absolute Clark is just New-52 Supergirl and the book gets critical acclaim.)

*insert eyeroll here*

(I'm halfway convinced that if they ever deign to introduce an 'Absolute Supergirl', she'll be part of the snobby, scientific elite and her character arc will be learning that 'classism is bad, actually'.)

*insert eyeroll here*

(Who am I kidding, if they do announce new Absolute titles starring women, they will almost certainly be either Harley Quinn or Catwoman.)

Art's cool, though!

Okay, time to get to positive stuff.

I genuinely enjoyed Superman #21. Like. Full stop.

Am I a sucker for any book drawn by Dan Mora? YES. But also, this might be the first time in nearly two years that the book slowed down and focused on the internal lives of Lois and Clark.

Finally, FINALLY, we see how the plot stuff is affecting these characters on an emotional level.

Also, the fan-servicey cameo serves the plot instead of being there for the sake of being referential.

(Helps that Mora is a modern master who can balance the dynamic action stuff with genuine character acting. His panel pacing is also a nice mix of big, flashy set-pieces, and quieter, character focused beats.)

I still think 'Time-Trapper-Is-Doomsday' feels really stupid...and I live in mortal fear of this:

But generally, I dig the cliffhanger introduced at the end of the issue, and I'm actually engaged with the title for the first time since Campbell left the book.

Okay, so. This next one is kinda weird.

In the recent issue of DC Connect that contained the March 2025 solicits, it was revealed that PKJ has a new Superman book coming out, and the blurb says that it'll follow up on the threads introduced in his Action Comics run as well as his Future State stuff.

So like. EXCITING. Right???

But PKJ himself has not shared the news, and, weirdly, all the sites running the DC solicits left it out.

I wonder if this means it'll be pushed back or resolicited? But it's currently slated for release in March, so...?

I guess we might get more insight/info in the next round of solicits, maybe? Like, if we see that the second issue is there with a release date, or if it's absent, etc.

Either way, PRAISE BE.

Even if it does get pushed back, just knowing that we'll be getting more PKJ Superman is wonderful, and frankly? Is why I'm not going into the 2025 DC titles completely demoralized. XD

So by now we've done the bad and the good, time to get into the speculate-y. XD

As mentioned, we got the little tease that Supergirl will have some sort of presence in 2025. Time to ruminate on what that could look like.

Worst case scenario, and entirely too possible for my liking: Either another backup feature or oneshot with the same creative team of Tamaki and Patridge. This would be easy, from a scheduling and money standpoint, and is in line with the scattering of appearances Kara has had since Woman of Tomorrow.

Slightly better scenario, and still arguably likely: mini series with this same creative team. DC's current go-to with characters outside of the trinity/classic JL lineup is like. Six issues with their non A-List (read: not the same five or so white guys) creators. We saw it with Steel and Superboy; I'm halfway convinced the only reason Power Girl is an ongoing is because they were really banking on Geoff Johns' JSA being more of a Thing...and if they canned their only other ongoing Superman title, starring a woman, it'd be a bad look, so here we are. XD

Now, WILD CARD ELEMENT: Kris Anka recently posted THIS

With the accompanying text: 'first little cover tease on this site'

Now. Some Thoughts.

Obviously, it's a super character. It's got the 'S'

I've seen folks speculate like, 'NEW SUPERGIRL SUIT???' I don't think that's the case; important to keep in mind that Anka has largely been working in animation for the past several years, out of the monthly comics game, so this is *most likely* a variant cover.

Variant covers are the Wild West of canon content; does it even match what's inside the comic? POSSIBLY, NO. XD

(Also it would be wild to tease a big new costume change for their current in-continuity stuff in a random Bluesky post.)

ALSO. Let us not forget that some of that aforementioned animation work that Anka did involved designs for My Adventures with Superman.

And I don't know about y'all, but that sure looks like a cape scarf to me...sort of similar to the look MAWS Kara was sporting at the end of season two.

HmMMmmMmmmMMMm.

My best guess: We're getting more MAWS tie-in comics. That are unrelated to whatever they were teasing at the end of Action Comics.

As a reminder: this is all just speculation, it's entirely possible that I am WAY off (heck, Anka didn't even really specify if this was a comic cover, it could be ANYTHING) so you know. Grain of salt, etc. XD

But anyways, thus concludes this lengthy list! I think I did a pretty good job of keeping it focused, though. XD (I deleted so many tangents. So. So many.)

TL;DR: I'm looking forward to PKJ's return, whenever that will be, and I suppose I'm...morbidly curious about the future of Supergirl comics??? XD I guess we'll see!

#sg post #kinda #somewhat #partially? XD #stranger speaks #dc comics stuff #long post

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psylockexs · 6 months ago

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Puzzle starts to form

Narrator's note: This sequence will have a whole lotta talking as some gaps in the story are filled. 😉

Needless to say the new year was off to a great start. Still at half a deck of cards, a strange witch who fed off of someone, and a human who's a little too brave for Lorelei's liking. Lore had this feeling that her mother was playing a bigger game than just some... 'task force of supers'. Gathering a task force is actually very easy, and yet none of what had happened over the last few months is what should take place when you're making a task force.

So what was really going on here? Welp, none of that will be solved before getting some sleep 😴.

The next afternoon

Ting ting!

Lorelei rubbed her eyes with an annoyed groan. She was having such a nice dream...no, recollection...of her little celebration 😏and the phone just had to chime. She got up to take a look, and immediately changed her attitude when she saw who it was.

Text: Hey, Lady Than. Sorry I missed you yesterday, but I had to hop out quickly (😈). Meet later at this address? Bring only you and Mikhail.

Lore groaned as she saw the devil emoji in the text. She knew Min-ho was very observant, so of course she'd been rumbled 😆. She opened up the address he'd sent as well. It turned out to be a bar in The Hollow. The Hollow wasn't far from Ravenwood, but it was far for a little chat. Why did Min wanna talk there, and why just her and Mikhail? 🤔

Later that evening

https://on.soundcloud.com/4QfRqTJdyEebqFhH9 (club ambience)

Lore and Mikhail got to the club Min-ho mentioned, only be greeted with a surprise.

Lore: Nyon?! What are you doing here? Isn't this a nightclub?!

Nyon: Heh, rules are very different around here, Miss Morrigan 😉. If it was a strip club, sure. That's a no go. But...this is just a place to eat, drink and dance. No harm there.

Lore: Damn. Well...yeah I guess things are run differently here.

Nyon: Please, take a seat. We have much to discuss.

Lorelei sat tentatively in the seat across from Nyon. Despite being 17, his face looked as if he was bearing the burdens on the world on his shoulders. Such a look didn't bode well...

https://on.soundcloud.com/BLaWoq7i1mz8V4Fw5

Lore: Wait, how are you here? How do you know Min-ho? 😮

Nyon: That's the beauty of being a Tracker, Miss. Your signature is strong enough not to miss. Min-ho requested my help regarding your current situation. I've been hearing a lot of disturbing things lately.

Mik: Like your mother feeding off of Morgyn?

Nyon: Yes. She thinks I don't know because I spend all my time studying, but that's a ruse. My crows tell me everything that's going on around the place.

Lore: Crows? You...

Nyon: Yep. Same as you. I don't have as much power as you do, Miss, but I'm able to connect with crows and see through their eyes. Which is how I spotted the things I have.

Min: It was thanks to such crows that I was able to make some decisions. You know how I never like to travel with people? Turns out Tae had a psychic tracker in his mind that was only present after our dinner party.

Lore: Olive...I knew it.

Min: It's not there anymore, though. Was that your doing?

Lore: clears throat Yeah probably. But he's just...ye know...a nobody in this...right?

Min: A nobody who's friends with a Tracker. So, he ends up ensnared in this too.

Lore: Shit...right, that reminds me. Nyon, you said you know your mother has been going off the tangent. You knew about Morgyn, yes?

Nyon: nods gravely Yes. I assume you've seen the tombstone around town that mention 'm. Olive Specter', yes? Well...those were her previous husbands. All harvested for their energy.

Lore: What? How?! I thought they were normal!

Nyon: Humans still have mana, but not enough for it to be used by them. It can be used by others, however, and Mother took advantage of that.

Mik: But one of those husbands surely wasn't normal. Otherwise, you'd just be a kid with weird genes.

Nyon: Oh, my father is...someone different. But we're not discussing me now. I can feel your question, Miss. Yes, my mother is a Morrigan, but she's severely weak.

While Nyon was talking to Lorelei, Min-ho stared deep into Mikhail's eyes. Being a Tracker came with the perk of a psychic arsenal, and there were things that Min-ho had discovered but couldn't confirm. He wanted to be sure before telling the group about them, and there was one way to do that 🤔...

#sims 4 #story #mitsuhide dynasty

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song-of-the-rune · 1 year ago

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Okay I have so little time to write this week T_T but!

brainstorming/jotting down thoughts on what would happen if I dumped all the aros into the same room. I still need to come up with a premise because barely any of them are from the same universe.

Also, now I kinda want to make shitty valentines from each of them. you (general) know the shitposty ones i'm talking about. but i'm getting on a tangent here.

Xilthraxia & Gregory would immediately start causing problems. Someone is going to end up dead I am not joking. They would literally build an actual bomb, because between them they'd have the will, the idea, and the know-how. Hell maybe I'll write someone trying to set them up on a blind date and it somehow turns into them building a fucking bomb instead idk. This is why we can't have nice things.

Xylluna & Kairos: I think if you put these two in a room without anyone either of them knew, they'd. ehem. manage to locate each other. and not be seen the rest of the night. If I'm being honest with myself about it.

Xylluna: Probably put this little palentine's thing together in the first place, whatever it entails. At the very least, they made chocolate for everyone. (Sorry Luke.) If they see bomb club they get concerned simultaneously about 1. why this is happening but 2. why it's being made so inefficiently. If this happens I'm obligated to give their bestie Nero a cameo.

Firaga: wait hold on he's in the bomb club. if there was an explosive he'd be involved. He and gregory'd talk a ton about fireball because it's the best spell. something will burn down if they're left unattended. But he'd at least have the foresight to prevent club bomb from setting off said bomb indoors. get a nice blasting range somewhere if you're gonna do that.

All that said I haven't really decided on whether Firaga'd consider himself aro? I think he'd have considered himself aroace before... character whose name i've already forgotten. But honestly that was during a really confusing time for him (right after finding out the world was ending, and also after being killed+reincarnated), and so he could've easily misidentified "this is a person I can confide in right now" for "i'm attracted to this person." So for now I'm counting him.

On another note. Firaga LOVES chocolate and therefore loves valentine's day. But he will openly admit he just showed up for the chocolate.

Luke: Well. Man. There's a whole slew of options here. This is so situation-dependent. I'm going to assume he gets dropped in in hybrid form, since that's the most natural to him. So he'd probably be relieved that... half these people don't know what a werewolf is, or else they just don't seem to care? Also, these snacks are just... free? he can just have them? wild. He'd get along pretty well with everyone, honestly, although he'd be pretty shy about talking to anyone at first.

Wildclaw: "HOLY SHIT THERE IS A DRAGON MAN. THOSE EXIST? I AM A DRAGON TOO YOU JUST CAN'T TELL COME HERE." (Nah, that's the internal monologue but she knows how to be respectful.) Might end up in a drinking contest with Luke. Trying to understand what a bomb is at first (from a lower-magic/tech setting than bomb crew), then is trying to prevent the construction of said bomb.

Kairos: Very used to the whole valentine's thing, assuming that exists where he's from, but trying to just have innocent (ignore whatever's happening in the background) fun might be an interesting change of pace for him. That said ,he's going to be on-edge the entire time because parties, while he's very practiced at them, stress him out. At least he wasn't hired to assassinate anyone at this one.

It's valentines day and i feel like i should write SOMETHING but i can't think of anything honestly? I have all these ocs and none of them feel like particularly good subjects for it. Let's see we got for oc options:

Xiltharian/Moonlight: Rarely write for them. Their marriage was more because it was the normal thing to do than anything else.

Xilthraxia: lol. No.

Gregory: oh yeah. I haven't told you guys about Gregory. His one true love is being a bandit wizard.

Xylluna: aro

Firaga: asked one person out once. Got rejected. Has not thought about it again.

Kaz/Rikky: Already written about them a lot and I don't really feel like writing more angst right now. Actually though -- they're poly so maybe I can write something else with one (or both) of them? Or something short- term one of them had in the past? I'll have to think of other pairings do you think my fiance would mind if i just. Borrowed his character. For a little private thing for myself. Heehee. Still, though, doesn't solve the issue of having something to share.

Iyo/Eshrie: I have something in the works but I want it to be GOOD not rushed out for valentines. Also probably not something I'd share.

Luke: aro, maybe aroace, haven't decided, either way not a likely choice.

Wildclaw: aroace. Interested in dragons but not like your annoying bard friend is. (no wait for real did i actually do that by accident wtf)

Kairos: don't know him well enough yet, probably aro though. He's flirty but I can't see him in a scenario I'd want to write and share

Chrysalis: Idk I don't really write him, and I'm not sure I have interest in writing him, i like jotting down details but not writing scenes for him.

Maybe some fun AU with a bunch of them doing some kind of friends thing? Like galentines type thing. Which i have never done so idk what that looks like.

Or probably nothing! Just kinda thinking aloud here.

#ocposting #runic ramblings #i kinda wanted to include mycanthra but i don't know her well enough yet to know how she'd interact with everyone else #i need to actually sit down and play that game for a while before i work on her too much. keep her from ending up out of place

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nazuna-tunnel-vision · 3 years ago

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Izumi/Nazuna propaganda post

in celebration of the IzuNazu in Nazuna's FS2 4*, here’s a quick rundown on their relationship!

they haven't gotten much attention since Tennis Club no longer exists, but Izumi & Nazuna are so wholesome and funny please join me in my izunazu brainrot

The Basics: Tennis Club

Izumi & Nazuna were in separate classes in their 3rd year, but in the same Tennis Club with Tori & Yuu-kun. Izumi joined just to see Yuu-kun, but this simply resulted in Yuu-kun skipping every now and then to avoid Izumi. When Izumi doesn’t get to play with Yuu-kun, he bullies Tori instead. Tori is screaming and throwing hissy fits. He's trying to order people around, but this fails because Izumi is equally self-centred and orders him right back (Izumi also succeeds. He enjoys making Tori run after stray balls). Yuu-kun is too busy screaming and running from Izumi. Nazuna’s the captain because none of the rest can do that job. He has his hands full trying to manage the two huge egos that are Izumi & Tori, plus Makoto's anxiety. The club is always on the verge of exploding. Read Doctor’s Coat.

That said, Izumi & Nazuna are still good friends! You can see this in how they call each other; it's very in line with how they address every one else they consider friends. Nazuna calls Izumi "Izumi-chin" and Izumi calls him "Nazunyan". Which is the CUTEST nickname Izumi has given ever. Explodes my mind every time.

But anyway, the thing that explodes my mind the most regarding IzuNazu is: Nazuna's ex-Valk grievances and how it factors into their relationship.

Starfes is the story for this.

Izumi defends Nazuna when Shu is going on a bitter ex tangent, saying something like "If you think that of Nazunyan, then you really never knew him at all." He reveals that Nazuna talks to him about his feelings on ex-Valk.

I just. grips head. Its been noted multiple times that before their 3rd year, Nazuna and Izumi were rarely ever spotted without Shu or Leo respectively by their side (and Nazuna barely talked at all). Which means that they weren't friends during The War and Izumi didn’t personally see all that ex-Valk shit go down by Nazuna’s side. Nazuna had to have willingly told Izumi about it after the fact.

And it wasn't just like, Nazuna exploding one day and just venting to Izumi. It seems like an ongoing thing and Izumi truly does care and is very invested in this. Another IzuNazu moment in Starfes - Izumi voice: "Oh, Valkyrie is having problems? Psh, don't care, Nazunyan and Naru-kun’s problems aren’t my problem. (in the same breath) Let’s go help them.”

I just think it's so gnhrhghrng that Izumi cares so much about Nazuna and his hang-ups about Valkyrie. And it's really nice that Nazuna has someone like this to talk to, especially since his social circle is basically:

juniors (have to keep the reliable Niichan persona in front of them, can't tell them about his problems)

his classmates - Oddballs (Shu's friends and also probably wouldn't sit still enough to listen, and would speak in a language Nazuna can't understand), Leo (aliens on brain) and Kuro (Nazuna's friend but is also Shu's friend)

The ex-valk thing gets more insane because ShuNazu parallels IzuLeo.

When Izumi is defending Nazuna or criticising Shu in Starfes, he's really talking about himself and Leo. Leo is right beside them as it happens, and even he goes, "Wahaha Sena I'm getting hit by stray bullets here!" And wow. When you think about it, they really are similar.

Nazuna and Izumi being put on pedestals of beautiful, perfect beings that the Oddbal candidates and geniuses, Shu & Leo, put their whole energies, hopes and dreams into. Them feeling truly beautiful and worthy for the first time in their lives because of the other. Even though they've been called cute/beautiful many times before high school, and in fact joined Yumenosaki's idol course because of their cute/beautiful appearance.

Things falling apart, and Nazuna and Izumi failing to be there for their best friend of 2 years. Them consequently beating themselves up for it. Having extremely complicated feelings towards their ex-friends where they strongly resent the person and hurt each other whenever they meet. And yet beating themselves up, wishing the other well, and looking back onto their shared pasts with fondness and nostalgia.

Here, take these 3 screenshots that just make me go insane every time. First two are Nazuna POV, I think from Human Comedy and Starfes. The 3rd is Izumi's, from Lionheart.

Do you think they have crying sessions over their exes during Tennis Club whenever their juniors fail to show up? I do! !!! Here’s a fic someone wrote about this exact dynamic that made my head explode.

And then just the way IzuNazu are casually mean to each other but never in a way that the other really minds.

Their interactions in ! are genuinely so funny because Nazuna will see Izumi in the corridor and when Izumi opens his mouth, Nazuna will say as a greeting, “Wow Izumi-chin your personality is horrible as usual! anyway,"

and Izumi doesn’t even say anything back?? If it were with Knights, Izumi would definitely say excuuuuuse me I’m literally perfect? But no, here Izumi just lets Nazuna off the hook. Go be the bitchy person you are inside, Nazunyan, fly high! Izumi just keeps quiet and lets the conversation continue as if Nazuna just said hi like a normal person instead.

You have to keep in mind that in !, Nazuna was nice to everybody except Shu. Yes he's even nice to Eichi. He’s mean only to 1. Itsuki Shu (ex) or 2. Izumi-chin (bestie from club and the class next door). Eventually in !! this mean part of him becomes integrated in his main persona, but definitely not while he was in high school! Congrats Izumi-chin you're privy to this part of Nazuna before he felt confident enough to show it to everyone. Drives me insane thinking about how safe Izumi must've made Nazuna feel in order for this to happen. I think it’s sweet that even while in school, there was at least one person that Nazuna could be a bit like his real self around.

I think part of why this could happen is because Izumi is an expert at being bitchy, of course he understands and doesn't really mind. It's like breathing to him; he's not going to judge others for it! Izumi also does this with Arashi - he doesn't get shocked or judge Arashi when she's being mean and petty. But unlike with Nazuna, Izumi frequently calls her a rude brat (to her face, might I add).

I might be stretching a little here, but imo it's because he knows Arashi can take a few hits while Nazuna is just. really in the midst of desperately rebuilding himself from scratch at this point of time. Part of Nazuna's charm in his third year is how he truly overcompensated for and overemphasised his nii-chan persona. He takes offense and is incredibly offended whenever someone mistakes him for a junior. You cannot go a single conversation without him reminding you that he's a reliable Nii-chan and will look after you if you ever need help. He proceeds to trip over his words the next second and makes a fuss about it. Nazuna in his third year is clearly very insecure, and I think Izumi is really considerate about that. I think he doesn’t call Nazuna out when Nazuna acts contrary to the role model nii-chan persona because that would shatter the illusion and sense of self that Nazuna is trying to build up. And I think that consideration, of never directly pointing out how Nazuna isn't really the Role Model Nii-chan he makes himself out to be, gives Nazuna a safe space to really be his more authentic and abrasive self. Cries a fucking river.

(That said, Izumi probably doesn't speak up also because he has enough self-awareness to know that when Nazuna calls him rude, he’s just stating the truth, orz.)

Izumi's side of the friendly bullying is also hilarious because he just feels completely entitled to terrorising Nazuna’s juniors to get info out of him. In Judgement, there’s a scene where they got info on Knights Killers really quickly and like. Basically Izumi bullied Makoto until Nazuna spilled “because he’s a pushover”. He knows Nazuna will give in without retaliation, 100% success rate. He is correct. Izumi knows his friends well.

But Izumi doesn't just assume that Nazuna will be a softie all the time and Knows where the line is. He knows what will cause Nazuna to go rabid.

In Reloaded, where Tomoya and Izumi get handcuffed together by accident, Tomoya says “it’ll be embarrassing if Niichan saw us like this but I’m sure he’ll understand if we explain!” Izumi immediately replies with “NO NO HE WON’T LISTEN”. He is absolutely correct. Nazuna sets a horde of zombies on them and they only escape by leaving the country altogether.

Izumi just understands the contours of Nazuna’s unhingedness that well! He knows what will set Nazuna off and he knows how Nazuna's mind would work. They’re besties. I just think it's really sweet how Izumi knows Nazuna well enough to push him, and also when he has crossed the line.

And last but not least, we have Nazuna’s 4* FS2 story. They're just hanging out with nothing serious going on here but gnhh. Highlights:

Izumi sees Nazuna flopped over on the couch and scolds him for not sitting properly. (mom friend lol.)

"Izumi-chin'll get mad if I tell you why I've been sitting here the past hour" "No I won't" "...I was playing games on my phone and accidentally skipped breakfast." "Of course I'd get mad about that! 😡😡"

“I’m not going to download your game.” “You can make a Mako-chin avatar with it and dress him up however you want." Izumi spends the next hour making a Makoto avatar on his new account.

Nazuna promising to tell Izumi about new items whenever Izumi is back in Japan. Nazuna enabling Izumi to externalise his Mako-chin behaviour in a way that doesn’t actually inconvenience Makochin. IzuNazu gaming buddies!!!

There’s actually also the Midnight Butlers story but I wasn’t into enstars when it was released and I can’t find anything about it now :( rip it would've been funny to see the extent to which !! era Nazuna, who has embraced his inner derangedness, is willing to hold Izumi back from harrassing Makoto. Maybe he would've enabled Izumi, within reason. idk.

In conclusion, IzuNazu besties who respect each other, both with respect to their Problems with Leo/Shu and as people they can be mean to / somewhat unhinged around without the other judging or feeling hurt. They're so unexpectedly soft and wholesome, while staying true to their naturally abrasive personalities. I love them. Thank you for reading this longass essay! Please consider them venting and crying during tennis club and just generally being mean to each other.

#enstars #rambles #nazusena #izunazu #nazuna #izumi #i am so normal about them!!!#(has never been normal about nazuna nito ever)#i spent like 3hrs on this during exam season and then promptly forgot abt it orz #but like fr theyre just so. theyre so frequently mean to each other but like. like not in any way that rly matters #and the whole shit w their exes oh my goddddd drives me insane

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