#Good character- bad person is a good thing actually

[evilvillain123456789]

I wanted to share something i realized in therapy which is that everything i like actually fits together into a coherent category of good things while everything i dislike and think is bad also shares the same coherency, as if there are two superimposed worlds of good things and bad things, each fluently interconnected within its respective moral alignment, but never intersecting, such that each remains pure. for some reason only me and my friends able to discern between them but it will be okay as long as everyone instantly accepts everything i say as true. by the way i wanted to ask that no one tag this as a fictional character or public figure that they are psychosexually fascinated with as it is my unique subjective experience and very personal to me so saying it's like someone from a tv show or podcast or something attacks my basic sense of self and reality and it very often sends me into a paranoid spiral when i see these comments. Ok thanks

[legalandnotease]

Thankyou for this post.

My major, major gripe with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is that it was determined to sell us this idea Bucky's trauma was "solved" and his mental health issues simply disappeared. This was done for the sake of the "happy ending" (and also dare I say to make Sam look good. They wnated Bucky to be the first person he "fixed" to prove he's so good at it).

The problem is so many people bought into the idea. Whenever you said that his trauma wasn't gone they'd cry: "You just don't want him to heal!"

No, Bucky fans do want him to heal but whatever they heck that was in TFatWS wasn't healing. It wasn't even close to being actual beneficial trauma-informed therapy or treatment even.

You said it best: everyone just pretended like Bucky's scars didn't exist. The show pretended that his only problem was recurring nightmares and they went away by "making amends" so he's all better now.

He's not.

Thunderbolts, well... it had its issues but a lot of the storylines mentioned in this post didn't happen. There was no romantic "thing" between Bucky and Yelena. There wasn't really any "lighter side" except a few silly banter scenes.

I actually liked the movies' depiction of depression. I also like the fact that for all its flaws the movie acknowledged the fact that Bucky *isn't okay*. He hasn't been okay for a long time. He's letting himself "slip" because of that.

...and still people don't get it. They think that Bucky being sad is ooc. That its bad writing. That its "reversing his character development" when if anything its the opposite. Its showing how broken and damaged and messed up he still is.

no cause we left him here so wtf happened

[rollwithdicey]

Date Everything NSFW Headcanons

I've been thinking of a LOT of things since the game out and I just wanted to share some thoughts. I also haven't played a whole lot yet so I don't know a lot of the characters that well yet so I'll definitely do a part 2

Mostly female/femme reader stuff

Eddie and Volt

2 bad bitches at the SAME👏DAMN👏TIME👏

For the most part these 2 will fuck you together but there are days when they get you to themselves

Someone else said that Volt would be into tying you up or you tying him up and I can definitely see it

He'll definitely make you use your words to tell him what you what him to do, and teases you about how shy/eager you are

Eddie on the other hand tends to manhandle you a bit more, definitely loves marking you too

Surprisingly loud and groans lot when he's at it, (sometimes whimpers....who said that??)

He'll always start a little rough depending on the situation but the further you go, the more he softens up

He's not good with his emotions but he does care for you a lot and he fucks you like he's desperate, like he's scared of loosing you

He'll never admit it but he secretly loves it when you praise him

Also loves it if you're loud, just tell him how good he makes you feel

Together headcanons

I feel like Volt likes watching you and Eddie go at it in the beginning before joining himself

Volt definitely talks you through it if you're taking both of them at the same time

They're both definitely into overstimulation, you're not going anywhere until they're both done with you

They'll explore every inch of you and take notes over what makes you the loudest

I feel like they'd definitely be down to try anything new with you if you brought it up

Their foreplay would definitely be PEAK 👌

They know what gets you going and they get off on how wet they can make you

The combination of you being tied up by Volt and Eddie manhandling you is their personal fav

Might also be into blindfold and light choking if you were ok with jt

When everything's done their aftercare is the best, they'll clean you up and cuddle with you and bring you anything you need the rest of the night

Chance

Pleasure Dom 100%

He's the sweetest person ever and that definitely translates into the bedroom

He'll do almost anything you ask if it helps make you feel good

Obvi he'll be into some roleplaying in the bedroom, he'll do almost anything if you enjoy a certain scenario

Also probably into light overstimulation

He loves to feel you shaking and desperate for him

L o v e s when you say his name, or just loud in general cuz he loves knowing how good he makes you feel

Mostly vanilla for the most part, he just wants to pleasure you organically, but willing to try almost anything you might be into within reason

His aftercare too is always the BEST, he's literally there to serve you and bring you anything you need, you wouldn't even need to walk he'll just carry you

Best after sex cuddles as well, he just wants you to be comfortable and warm

Lyric

Everyone is sleeping on my man for real 😤

He doesn't act like it but he's secretly a horndog, like he's got the knowledge of every book and you really think he wouldn't know a thing or 2?

Absolutely into Sensory deprivation

With him being a genie I have a headcanon that he can summon and levitate certain things, but it only applies to books and feathers

L o v e s using feathers on you, whether it's playful tickling or you blindfolded and tied up he's using them on you

Will absolutely take his time with you until you're begging him to touch you

This might sound weird but because he's a genie I don't think he actually has a....uh....pp? But when he's realized and gets his human form he's definitely fucking you hard the second he gets the chance

Would love to read dirty romance books to you and watch your reaction every time to see what gets you going

Definitely asks if you can recreate different scenes from his favorite romance books

Super romantic always, if you're not as experienced he'll definitely go slow and be understanding, making sure you feel comfortable and have the best experience

Tony

I haven't done his whole story read but I'll add some more here when I finish it

He believes he's hot shit, he's so smooth with his words you genuinely can't help but lean into it

Experience on the other hand, he'll never admit it but sometimes doesn't always know what he's doing and might need a little guidance

But he'll also never admit he also loves praise and hearing how good he makes you feel, definitely inflated his ego more than it already is

He thinks he's good with his hands, but this is where he might need that little bit of guidance

He's into hair pulling, he loves just having a solid grip on you no matter what, but tries hard not to actually hurt you cuz he thinks it kills the mood

He definitely wasn't lying when he said he has a massive schlong, but don't tell him that you doubted him

Loves trying different positions with you, and his stamina lasts a long time so be prepared to be in it for awhile

Also a sucker for any kind of hand job or blow job, definitely a favorite for him and he'll absolutely talk you through it and tell you how he likes it

Probably doesn't understand the concept of aftercare so you might have to teach him, but once he gets it he's surprisingly caring because he wants you to enjoy your time with him

Dorian

I haven't progressed a lot in his story either but I'll try my best

He knows he's hot and he knows you think he's hot and he's A L L over it

Into light voyeurism/exhibitionism, he'll love it if you walk in on him pleasuring himself and encourages you to stay and watch, and also loves seeing you touch yourself in front of him

Spoiler if you haven't unlocked Keith yet but after hearing how Keith really felt about Dorian you try your best to be better than that

You love telling Dorian how good he makes you feel, and he knows he's good at what he does

Definitely loves seeing you on top from time to time, he wants you to ride him

Also please sit on this man's face, you won't regret it

100% uses his voice against you, loves to whisper in your ear or surprise you from behind just to rile you up

He'll be anything you want him to be from rough to soft

Loves taking care of you afterwards too, he'll never disappoint with his aftercare, and always has a habit of telling you he loves you afterwards

[miwiheroes]

Arguments I think we should stop using for Byler and why:

Let me know if you have any thoughts about these! This post isn't made to give anyone byler doubt btw omg, my intention is to actually cure it, because I feel like some of these arguments are made as an overcompensation as a result of doubt so-

"Why do people say that two boys falling in love in the 80s is unrealistic? This show is about monsters and a different dimension!"

This argument is pretty much always a joke, which i don't mind, but using it as a genuine rebuttal isn't going to get us anywhere. People in general are far more likely to believe the impossible--things like monsters and super powers--than the improbable--things like two boys in the 80s falling in love. I feel like, instead, we should be focusing in on the fact that two boys falling in love in the 80s is an important thing to represent because it was improbable and "unrealistic". The reason why it feels so unrealistic to happen is because there is actually very little representation of it happening successfully, therefore, if we see more representation of it, it won't be seen as unrealistic anymore. Also, I don't believe that the audience really understands that what they're watching is not supposed to be a shot for shot realistic protrayal of real life. This isn't just about monsters and shit, this show is about love. Yes it's cheesy, but it's not unrealistic for a show about love - which portrays unique loving relationships like platonic love between a random guy and a lesbian - to portray a queer love story which honestly isn't even that hard to wrap one's head around.

"Mike didn't care about El until she pointed to Will's photo. He only cared about her because she helped find Will."

Okay this one is wayyy more nuanced than just him only caring about her because of Will. He is a heroic human being, and this is supposed to be portrayed by him taking her into his home, not out of romantic love, but just out of goodness of character. He is a very sweet person at the beginning of S1 because he's curious about El and acts different to Lucas and Dustin. Although, there are definitely things to show that he doesn't love her romantically here, like him trying to get rid of her and get her back to her family or something. I think the argument above in bold actually is an overcompensation for how he acts around her in S1. He treats her like a friend when showing her around, but Bylers might be afraid that looks too romantic. Don't worry guys, I really think it's Mike being himself. Acting friendly and nice around El is just part of his character to me. He also decides to not have her talk to his mom when she says she's in trouble, so it's not all about Will. However!!! He does decide to commit to hiding her and begins to place her on a pedestal when she starts to make an effort to find Will.

"Mike and El are on bad terms at the end of S4 so they won't be together in S5."

This argument was also used at the end of S3 (see the byler slides), saying that technically, Mike and El weren't actually together by the end of S3. Then they were together in S4. Here's the thing. This show isn't all about telling and not showing. It's about the opposite. Just because they didn't tell the audience "we're back together now!!!" doesn't mean that they aren't. At the end of S3, for example, El going "I love you too" implies that they are back together and that their relationship is now going to be more grown-up unlike in S3. Because of the love monologue at the end of S4, I can genuinely see Mike and El being back together at the beginning of S5. I can see them actually saying I love you to each other a la Steve and Nancy S2. Like, come on guys, isn't our whole argument that you can say I love you to someone and not actually be telling the truth? Also, Finn has confirmed that Mike and El will be together "going into" season 5, and the time skip between March 1986 and Nov. 1987 shows to me that they are still going to be together, and that they are saying I love you because El would not be staying in that relationship if he continues not to say it. More problems in their relationship are going to be revealed, beyond him being able to say I love you or not.

"This actor ships Byler so Byler endgame."

Uh oh,,,, if you start saying this, you can easily get a rebuttal from a Milkvan saying that so and so ships Milkvan, so... I honestly think that people saying they like Byler as a ship can be somewhat seen as a little hint they could possibly be endgame but tbh, it's not a full proof. To me, proof from the actors comes from what they don't say about Byler. They don't treat it like Stonathan, Ronance and Steddie. They treat it like a possibility, like a spoiler. The other queer ships of ST are treated like cool things that would have been interesting if they had happened. Byler is never treated as something that would have been cool. It's something that could happen. My confidence comes from when the actors are more ambiguous about Byler than when they're completely, utterly on board with it. Except for Noah, because he's definitely allowed to ship it, because his character is literally in love with Mike.

[weaver77]

Ready player 2

Gamer Shiesty!Mark x Reader

Part 1

Inspired by @clairewritesfanfics version of Shiesty, I didn't know i needed gamer Shiesty until now.

If Mark were to go back in time and told his past self, that he would one day. Buy Animal crossing, Stardew Valley and even the Sims. He would have promptly laugh in his face and tell him to fuck off

And really, Mark couldn't blame him. Because after all he hadn't meet you yet.

When the two of you started dating he didn't expect it to last long.

At best, he thought it would last for a week or two. Before ultimately the two of you would part ways due to respective differences.

But that never happen.

Instead he was surprise when not only did you made an effort to know the things he liked. But you remembered them too.

He mentioned offhandedly about an anime character he liked and you got him a keychain of said character.

Before he knew it, the two of you started talking about all his favorite series, games. Heck, he even showed you the cosplays he made and the figurines he collected.

For the first time in his life, Mark felt like could just be himself around someone. Not Invincible the masked hero or Mark the resident bad boy who gets in trouble with the cops.

Just Mark Grayson who likes to read Seance dog and learned how to sew so he can cosplay his favorite character.

So when he accidentally insult you, he knew he fucked up

You had invite him over to your place, its the first time his been inside your house. And Mark was trying his best to hid how nervous he actually was

He lowkey regrets not doing any romance routes in his games. Maybe it would better prepare him for these stage

Maybe you picked up on his nerves because low and behold you set up a game console for the two of you.

How did he get so lucky?

He toke his respective seat ready to play the game you set up. Mark already decided he would go easy on you on the first round

When the game boot up and the title screen appeared. It toke a minute for Mark to register the name. Mario Kart

"What's so funny?" You ask carrying a bowl of popcorn catching the tail end of Mark's snicker.

"I'm sorry Babe, its just-" Mark bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing again as he reach for the popcorn bowl "I think you bought the wrong game"

You stilled for a moment processing what he said "What do you mean?"

"Its a racing game, you nailed that part sweetheart but it's for kids"

You didn't say anything

"It's okay" He paused to munch on the popcorn "We've all been deceived by good cover art "

You watch Mark pop more popcorn in his mouth

"We can exchange it for a real game so you didn't waste your money, or if you like I'll find a way to get your money back babe"

".. Mark" You spoke softly drawing his attention immediately "I didn't buy these game for you"

He blinked "What?"

"I owned these game for a while now, i played a version of it when i was a kid. And when i saw they're releasing a new version, i got it for myself"

Oh "Oh" Mark looked between you and the tv screen

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"I don't understand, how can you like these?" Mark ask waving his hand towards the screen like it has personal offended him "I understand liking it as a kid but how can you still like it now, is it the nostalgia?"

You toke in a deep breath before responding "I had fun playing it by myself and with friends. You like racing games so i thought we could have fun playing it together"

Mark remembers when he introduced you to one of his favourite anime, you haven't watched the show before and despite it not being in your genre. You watched it with him and listen to him gush about it.

And here he was interrogating you on why you like Mario Kart when you set it up as a cute co-op gaming date with your boyfriend.

"Its fine" You sigh snapping Mark back into the present "We can just watch a movie or something"

Before you can take away the controllers Mark stopped you "Y/n- baby wait" grasping your hand Mark inhaled looking up at you with his sad puppy dog eyes "I'm sorry, i shouldn't have said that too you. I meant not like these game but i shouldn't be an ass about you liking it"

Your expression soften as you hear out Mark's apology, due you didn't respond right away. Letting him sweat for a moment before ultimately bringing him into a hug "Apology accepted". Mark sighed sagging in relief as he returned the hug tenfold, nuzzling his face into your neck before separating.

"Do you still want to play?" Mark asked holding up the controller

"Mark we don't need to play Mario Kart if you don't like it" You replied not wanting Mark to feel pressured into playing it with you

"I know but you like it. And if it's something you enjoy playing then I'm happy to play it with you" Mark replied blushing at how sappy he sounds, but it was no less true.

And that was how Mark mange to salvage the date, only to lose the battle that was Mario Kart.

It seemed simple enough, cross the finish line. Something Mark is familiar with

What Mark didn't account for was how brutal you were with the turtle shell

Mark can figure out the best route of the race course but it was the power ups that got to him

He wasn't familer with them and even when you explained what each were he was still getting use to them

Meanwhile you were incredible experience in the game and it shows

Mark used the squid to ink up your side of the screen, limiting your vision in hopes of catching up

But you were still able to navigate through the course from the small clean gap the power up didn't cover

Which Mark is impressed by and finds attractive as hell

"I can't believe i lost" Mark stares in disbelief at the screen as you cross the finish like first

"Well that's not true you came in second place, that's a good first try" You point out patting him on the back

"Yeah but I'm usually come first" He muttered with a pout "I swear I'm usually good at these"

"Hmm i don't know" You hummed thoughtfully "Sounds like an excuse to cover up your skill issue"

"You did not just say that" Mark gasp

"Oh but i did, what are you gonna do about it Bowser?" You smirked raising your controller

"Oh now it's on!" Mark grinned in return starting round 2

Mark ended up winning that round and both of you ended up having a competition too see who can get the much wins

Mark knew some of the characters, like Peach, Mario and Luigi. But he was surprise there was more then one Mario and Luigi who apparently called Wario and Waluigi

You start to explain the characters history as the two of you played, even going into the other Mario games.

"I'm not sure if they kept these in the new release but in the original Mario and the thousand year door. The robot who was Princess Peach jailer fell in love with her when he watch her take a shower"

".. What?"

"And in another section she had to take off her clothes when she turned invisible to sneak around the castle she's in"

"What!?"

"Yeah it happened"

"Why- wait no go back, rewind. Tell me more about what happened with these perv robot"

By the end of the night not only did Mark have fun playing Mario Kart but he also takes back the Mario franchise being a game only for kids

[blueskittlesart]

Please share the secrets of your roaring Knight success, they kill me on the first sword maze like every single time

i had shadow mantle and i think tennatie on suzie, kris had a ribbon TP build and ralsei was a pure defense build. the TP build on kris was my lifesaver tbh. it let me use rude buster on almost every turn, which basically turns the fight into an endurance game because you'll almost always have hit the HP threshold (around 1500 total damage) by the first turn the fight can possibly end (1 or 2 turns after susie finishes her power of friendship speech.) fill your inventory with healing items and use them liberally. If you have enough points, the B-rank gacha machine can get you an extra revivemint and an execbuffet which are both extremely helpful.

The game-changing strat for me personally was a tensionmax, also from the B-rank gacha. if you're able to get one, have kris use it first turn. it basically gets you a free rude buster with an easy bullet pattern afterwards, and you don't need the fast soul to dodge on turn 1, so kris can holdbreath on turn 2 and maximize your damage right out the gate.

for the rest of the battle, don't bother trying to do damage with anyone but susie. Kris will refuse to damage the knight significantly unless the entire rest of the party is down and ralsei NEEDS to defend or he will die instantly. The TP gain you get from defending every turn is infinitely more useful than the 11 damage kris's fake ass will do. Basically, you should be either defending or itemhealing with kris and ralsei and then spamming rude buster at every opportunity. I wouldn't even bother healprayer-ing with ralsei unless you're consistently running out of items, and do NOT use susie to heal no matter how desperate you get.

If you used a tensionmax on the first turn and/or you're consistently getting enough TP to rude buster every turn and you're able to keep your entire team alive, you may actually be able to waste a turn defending everyone on more difficult bullet patterns like the sword maze. After about fifty attempts I actually started adding up my total damage in my head after each turn so that I could figure out whether it was worth it to waste a turn on full-party defense. This has the potential to prolong the battle into the unscripted sections, though, which means you won't know which bullet pattern you're going to be dealing with each turn, so use it sparingly if at all. I'd also recommend timing your revives strategically, because revived characters can't defend on that turn, so there's the potential that they go down again in a single hit if you revive them on a bullet pattern you're really bad at. I only had one revivemint and one full-party revive, so I would only ever use them when I knew there were a few patterns in a row coming that I was decent at dodging.

aside from that really all you can do is practice. I spent a good few attempts just focusing REALLY hard on that first fucking sword maze, and eventually I was able to figure out a semi-consistent dodge motion and execute it based on pure muscle memory. It wasn't perfect, but it generally kept at least susie and kris alive. There were bullet patterns that were nearly impossible for me at the beginning that I was able to nohit towards the end of my run purely because I'd done them so much that I'd worked out consistent strategies for them. All you can really do is replay the fucking thing over and over again. which lowkey sucks but it's by design

if/when you do manage to get to the hp threshold, you'll get one free turn where the knight will glow white. HEAL LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT on this turn. do not bother trying to do damage. on the next turn, defend every single party member and get ready to lock in. if you can make it through the final bullet pattern that is coming, you will have one last turn to rude buster, and that turn will win you the battle. good luck soldier o7

[yandere-sins]

Leona is smart but he hasn't realized something AHAHA

If his duchess aka darling were to give birth, that child of his WILL be held to the same standards as their mom. Perhaps even higher; if their mother is a nobody who ends up as a duchess loved by the people and the royal family, the child who is of royal blood SHOULD be as good or better than their mother.

Which means that in the long run, Leona will have less time to spend with his duchess because everyone encourages the duchess to be heavily involved in her kid's education. As you said, the royal family nags Leona and praises his darling, so ofc the royal family encourages mommy-kid bonding time so that the child will take after her.

Ah, imagine being second-place to his brother, second-place as a father because your kid spends a lot of time with your wife and not you, and second-place in the hearts of the people.

Oh man, the last section really made my heart ache for my poor baby ;; Leona, you'll always be my number one!!!

That aside, you have a good point there! The child definitely has to live up to their title, but also probably not as strictly as the first-born of the reigning monarch. That's at least Leona's excuse as he takes his child out of the busy schedule despite protests (because, well, he's still the highest ranking in his own family, so no one can really go against him) and takes them on a daddy-kid date! Who can begrudge him for being a good father? No one!

Quite the contrary! If he takes the child out of the palace and shows them around by his side, people will actually start approving of him more, as it shows good character to be a good, involved father. They'd even praise him, and if he does it regularly, the kid is a great way to improve his standing with the people! Sure, his reputation won't be flawless, but at least people add, "But he is a good father," to it now.

It's a lot of work, but imagine how good the reception will be once he manages to unite all three—father, mother, child—in certain events, showing up and always carrying his kid around or feeding it despite having sitters and nannies for that! Now everyone sees, is a happy little family, united by a child and deeply in love in the public's eye. People are already speculating about baby number two by the way Leona holds his darling in public, rubbing their belly and whispering into their ear that he got it all under control.

The one thing the public loves more than a dedicated noble is a noble family, after all. And it'll bring them all together again, which is just the cherry on top (;

Bold of you to assume Rook wouldn't snap and try to hunt a lion.

That is interesting!

I can't help but think about how big the betrayal would be that not only Leona's darling wants to escape, but they seek the help of some former, annoying classmate! You could have just tried on your own or continued to try and turn everyone against Leona, but you chose to seek out the one annoying person that you shouldn't have. There are a lot of things Leona can forgive, but Rook helping his love run away is not one of them.

You can be happy if he doesn't kill Rook right in front of your eyes (nearly impossible anyway). Still, if Rook gets caught (he won't), Leona will make sure that he gets locked up for something as bad as attempted regicide, at least! All while you are kept locked up, chained to the bed, with doctors saying it is "necessary" for your "recovery". To the public, Leona will make it look like you were kidnapped and almost died as a consequence. People will be outraged, demanding justice! You are their beloved duchess that would never betray them, right?

This way, he has enough time to punish you for what happened. No one will ask if he leaves bruises and wounds on you, as he can simply explain it as the remnants of your kidnapping. It also allows him to spend time with you undisturbed, as your caring husband simply helps you with your recovery during this difficult time and asks for everyone's understanding that you need this to feel better. The people love you, after all, they'd want him to be with you and fulfill his vows to you.

However, behind closed doors, you'll not be spared all his anger and frustrations. All the things you've been refusing to do with him by avoiding him like the pest. He'll have someone come to implant a tracking device in you so you can never do something as foolish as this again, all while Leona mocks you for your failure and for relying on someone like Rook to help you. Luckily, you can make it up to him—if you suffer as much as you made him suffer with your stupid idea of fleeing.

Still, he stays awake and alert by your side at night. Always making sure no one comes back for you, while also imagining the ways Rook probably touched you to help you over barriers, tracing the spots he suspects the hunter's hands were on you with his hands and lips and even biting them to reclaim them. Leona can't get over the frustration of knowing you were by another man's side, blaming himself for every minute he didn't notice you were gone.

But don't worry. It's a mistake he learned never to repeat, too.

[holoska]

after debating for weeks whether to stay very far away from the deltarune soriel discourse or let myself ramble about my faves like I want to, the latter has finally won out

I've had time to properly absorb the weight of all that happens at the end of chapter 4, and obviously I do feel for both kris and susie. that is The Point of the scenes being from their perspectives; after everything they just went through and all the worry they had for toriel's safety (for the second time in 24 hours!), the scene they come home to is maybe the most uncomfortable slap in the face possible. it sticks out to me that the last thing susie talks about before the dark fountain is sealed is her wanting tomorrow to be the same as yesterday and for everything to always be able to go back to how it was, and that's what greets them - a blatant, obnoxious sign that things are changing. even though the scene has a lighthearted side, its overall tone adds to the downcast feeling the chapter ends on.

having said that, as someone who has spent the past 9 and a half years being normal about sans and toriel, I'm still very very happy that this is a canon scene we got 💜

the fandom may be largely not considering their perspectives in the slightest (or worse, only viewing their perspectives from the most bad faith angles possible), but I for one love this for them!! as other very good posts have pointed out, toriel has been sorely in need of someone who's there for her - an awful lot of people in town saw the divorce play out and have something to say about it, the holiday family are closer to asgore than toriel, kris is her child and stuck in the middle of their parents' issues, and while she's friends with alphys, them being coworkers and alphys being kris' teacher likely puts a distance of sorts between them. but sans is new in town, someone she immediately connects with, who has no pre-existing opinions about her family and has seen firsthand what toriel has to put up with from asgore. in every universe, sans is exactly the kind of person toriel needs in her life.

there's less to work with from sans' perspective given how little we know about him, and I'm not all-in on sans being from deltarune just yet (more specifically I do love the theory, I'm just giving myself room to not be too disappointed if it doesn't happen), but the new version of it's raining somewhere else being named 'the place where it rained' emotionally destroys me forever. either way it drives home just how happy toriel makes sans in both worlds and I love that so so much :']

to be clear I'm not saying they did nothing wrong, their choices negatively impacted kris and susie and they were objectively disruptive and inconsiderate after kris went to bed. but I like that they're being messy and flawed, because it means this isn't just "my faves are getting closer in the background yippee" but that their relationship is potentially an actual part of the story, and that's how you get The Good Stuff!! we wouldn't have had meaningful character moments like noelle finally standing up to queen if queen hadn't tried to control noelle and just listened to her from the start, or susie comforting ralsei with her bloodied hand if he'd told her and kris every detail of the full prophecy the moment he met them and never kept any secrets. if all the hints towards a flower shop dark world turn out to be true then it's pretty clear the story is building things up to make those future character moments hit, and considering we still don't know what happened with the dreemurr divorce at this point, chapter 5 seems like a perfect opportunity to dive into all of that.

plus, as sweet as susie's bond with toriel is, I honestly think susie seeing this side of toriel needed to happen. a lot of the fandom's complaints about toriel right now boil down to her not being the "perfect mother" they thought she was, and what bothers me about that is toriel was never meant to be that kind of character. toby has said that she's not the classic video game protagonist's mother who sees you off on your journey and you can come home and visit any time, and nothing changes and she never has any substantial character of her own. in undertale she literally handholds frisk through the tutorial, she becomes the first boss in her attempt to protect them when every other human left her care, and once they leave she won't let them come back or even call her phone because she can't face seeing them knowing they'll leave again and likely be killed. she's more than just the mother figure of the game, she's her own person with likes and dislikes, hobbies and flaws, and a past and trauma she can't overcome until the best ending.

we've only seen the tip of the iceberg of her history in deltarune, but that same principle holds true: she isn't the perfect parent you return to after each day's adventure, who gives you butterscotch pancakes every morning and never has any real part in the story because that isn't the intent behind her character. she mentioned her loneliness back in chapter 1, kris has secrets and problems they aren't letting her in on, asgore is being relentlessly inconsiderate of her boundaries, and for all susie's praise of toriel being a good mother, I think that house of cards was going to fall eventually. my hope is that, like her blowing up at ralsei ultimately bringing them closer, susie being able to see toriel as the imperfect adult she is but one who does genuinely care might help them build a stronger bond in the end too.

I think I always knew that if soriel ever inched closer to being canon there'd be discourse about it, and toriel slander is unfortunately nothing new. people are just being annoying about it currently and it sucks when I genuinely love what's being built up here!!

anyway crossing my fingers for a scene where toriel invites sans to the festival before she gets thrown in the bunker/he gets sent to undertale/the roaring happens/all of the above 🤞

[mentalbreakdownsarenormal]

"The carefree shamelessness of a kid." That... entirely recontextualizes her relationship with Lancer in chapter 1, doesn't it.

(Long rant about the two under the cut)

I mean, consider what chapter 1 must have been like for her. The human freak she hates has just caught her eating school property, and if they report it it'd be the last straw that gets her expelled. Considering what she said to them in The_Newist_Girl post, they will probably do so immediately and remorselessly. It is only because of their mother and her kindness towards her that she doesn't cause a major incident on the spot. She begrudgingly agrees to just get some more chalk and head back to class.

(She also drops the line "If you haven't gotten it by now... Your choices don't matter" which uh. Speaking of internalization.)

Of course, it isn't that simple. The closet is both impossibly dark and impossibly big. And when the two of them go to leave, the door is slammed in her face and locked. The floor collapses under her and she falls through. The drop is impossibly far.

She wakes up in a new world that does not make sense. The first person (barring the freak) she sees starts shooting at the two of them. She finds an entire abandoned town, complete with a castle. And, perhaps the strangest thing of all, she meets a hooded figure who tells her about a prophecy. One she is a part of.

One that calls her a hero.

She doesn't believe it. When asked to accept her destiny as one of the Delta Warriors, she refuses. The hooded guy is knocked away by a kid on a bike. And he's the first person to finally give her a clear answer when she asks a question.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm... The Bad Guy!"

This is the first and only thing she has understood in the last few hours. He's a bad guy. He's getting in her way. Someone's getting beat up. After the fight, two facts make themselves clear. One, she needs to go east. Two, people are gonna try and stop her.

So she goes, alone, and makes herself a menace of the enemies. Beats them up, steals their stuff, and other sorts of things you would do in a normal RPG. That's what the enemies are for, after all. Why would she be nice to someone trying to kill her. Eventually, she's blocked by a door she can't open alone until the other nerds show up. She needs to follow them, but like hell she's actually gonna help them or change her behavior at all. There's no point. Kris and Ralsei are good and she's bad. They fell right into their roles, being all nice and stuff, but she's not like them. She can't think of anything good to say about someone trying to kill them like they can. She isn't delicate. She isn't skilled at anything. But she can smash things. And so smash things she shall. Just like she always has, and just like she always will. Don't know why anyone's expecting anything else.

She won't, she can't grow as a person like they can, not now not ever.

Susie's arc where she grows as a person begins after two rooms. It's the scene where Lancer mistakes Susie trying to intimidate him as advice on how to be scary and thanks her for it. His praise surprises her and having someone who appreciates her motivates her to become better. That's the basic reading anyway. But in hindsight...

Lancer is a child. A young child. Why? Lancer's age, for the most part, is irrelevant to his character. If you wanted him to parallel Susie, why not write him to be the same age as everyone else? How does the relationship between the two of them benefit from Susie needing to babysit the kid half the time they hang out?

She's his mentor. The one she never had herself. Lancer is bad at being scary. His evil laugh sounds like a baby Santa Claus. He has no idea what he's doing, he's just trying to be "scary and badass" like his dad. And it just so happens being scary is one of the few things Susie knows how to be "good" at. And with that in mind, Susie's words suddenly take on a whole new meaning.

Susie interrupts with a single word. "Stop." What Susie says next, about wannabe tough guys and bitten faces isn't her trying to scare him. It's her trying to crush him. The same way she was when she tried to play. You need to stop because you're bad, now here's someone who can do it better. But unlike back then, the person who told the kid to stop was the better person. The kid got the chance to see it be done properly and was told what exactly needed improvement.

And the next time they meet, Lancer acts far more intimidating. He's still not good, to be sure, but he did improve. He then immediately asks for feedback to try to improve more. He doesn't even have guys, he just wanted to practice.

And this shatters Susie's world view. This kid, this young, carefree kid who's just playing around improves. The kid who's the only person around she could understand or relate to, the kid who introduced himself as "the bad guy" *improved*. Whatever was wrong with this kid that made him a bad guy, that made him an outcast, didn't end up mattering. The support around him did.

In the very same scene Lancer shows improvement, he realizes your team doesn't have a name. To fix this, he asks everyone to drop a name in his bucket to be randomly selected. Kris doesn't and they "look like they don't care." But Susie does add a name. She might not put a lot of effort into it, but she plays along. Susie, who walked through puzzles, who disobeyed commands, who left the party behind, who repeatedly complains about you being slow, who refused help stop the very world from ending, put a name in the bucket.

And in every following scene the two are together, she encourages everything he does.

She expected to be able to play it because she was. She wasn't trying to be good: she liked the piano and she wanted to play it, so she did. Playing for the sake of playing with the carefree shamelessness of a kid.

But because someone thought she was "bad", they told her to stop. It's a role she's been assigned all her life. Without explanation, without justification, without fault, something as inherent to her as her voice, her claws, her skin.

So she internalized it. "Good" must be a role too, right? No one's ever cared enough to teach her about practice or training or perseverance. "Good" is something Susie would simply never get to be.

[drowninginredink]

(╹ -╹)? so what would your suggestions for writing an aplatonic character be?

Hmm... Okay well, maybe this is a bad point to start off on, because it involves me making an assumption about whoever is reading this, but I'm going to start with it anyway because it's what I thought about first. I figure that if you're asking this question, there's a pretty high chance you're some flavor of aspec. I think alloplatonic aces and/or aros are the ones most likely to want to give other aspecs representation. And if that is the case and you are somewhere on the a-spectrum, the biggest thing I can say is that if you ask me, all aspec experiences are the same. Like yes, the way society treats romance, sex, friendship, family, etc are all different and so being aro, ace, apl, afam, etc are all different, but so many of the basic experiences repeat.

You hear a lot of aces and aros talk about how they either picked someone at random to say was their crush as a kid, or they just picked the person who seemed nicest. They weren't aware that other people didn't choose one by some method, they had actual feelings for them they couldn't control. Similarly, when I ended up in different classes and a different lunch than all my friends in school and quickly discovered that if I didn't want to have lunch alone, I needed to make new friends, what did I do? I found a person who had a lot in common with me (at the time, being very good at school and coming from a conservative Christian background) and went "yeah, I should probably try and be her friend." There was absolutely no emotional desire—it was just logic.

And a lot of this applies to all queer identities, honestly. How many stories do we hear about someone coming out as bi, and their mom says "oh, I just thought everyone was interested in girls and boys?" We all just assume that our experiences are normal. So just as a trans person might have assumed that everyone feel disconnected from their bodies or an aromantic might assume that crushes are exaggerated to create drama in media, an aplatonic might assume that everyone only really cares about their friends when they're there and doesn't miss them when they're gone. They probably aren't going to understand why some people are so reluctant to try new things if they don't know anyone there, because to them, whether they're surrounded by strangers or friends doesn't make much difference. Etc.

So that's one thing I'll say. You can very much take your own experience of what queerness is like and map it onto the norms about friendship.

I think one thing that is important to mention is that if we are comparing to other aspec experiences, you'll see a lot of narratives, both in fiction and real life, where aro and ace characters have never been in those kinds of relationships because they never wanted them. That's almost impossible to have as an aplatonic. Even if you were the kid who was ostracized for one reason or another, there's always that one exception. People will try to adopt people who have no friends. People will declare themselves your friend even if you just see them as "that person I carpool with to rehearsal and talk to sometimes." It is almost never socially acceptable to say "no, actually I don't want to be friends." If you're a child, you'll often get punished for it; if you're an adult, you usually have to nod along to whatever they say and pretend to care and hope that eventually they notice that you'd prefer to be left alone. Obviously aplatonics with friends and who like having friends exist (hell, I'm one) but even those who don't tend to have someone just because it is extremely hard to be completely left alone if you participate in anything at all. And even if we might not consider the people we do hobbies with or talk to sometimes friends, that doesn't always go both ways.

And of course, you do need some kind of support network in the world. If you're alloromantic, aplatonic, and monogamous, you might want your partner to be the person who meets all of your needs and is everything for you... but that might not be practical. They might not like that. And if you're not in that kind of relationship, you may end up having friends for utility. It's easier to find a sexual partner if you can go along with also being their friend. Again, you might want someone to talk to about a hobby or shared interest, and in order to get that, you also have to perform the role of friendship.

The whole idea of friendship needing to have a purpose or reason or place is a big thing to me. Like, as a kid, I didn't make any friends in my dance classes for years, and I didn't care because in my eyes, I wasn't there for socialization, I was there because I liked to dance. So who cares? But meanwhile, at lunch in school? Friends have a purpose at lunch. You need a place to sit, and you need something to entertain you while you eat. So finding people to be with at lunch is important. Recess is the same way. At work? I have absolutely no interest in being friends with my coworkers. I'm at work to do work. Even if I have downtime, I still generally want to spend it on some other kind of "work" like writing. If I want to friend, that's a separate activity. I friend in my free time.

So to me, being aplatonic means I think about people's specific roles in my life and what they fill, instead of just the vague idea of friendship and that I like having people around. One friend is useful as a writing partner who I do writing sprints with. Another is nice because they're in a different time zone, so they're often awake and around during the part of work where I get bored and all my friends are asleep. Another has known me through all my mental health struggles and is generally a great listener, so they're useful to talk to about that stuff because they already have all the necessary context and immediately understand things. And yeah, as I mentioned before, another is just a really good lay, but we aren't going to only screw for twelve hours straight, so friendship does happen in the breaks in between.

And a final note — being aplatonic means I really don't mind leaving people behind. If someone moves away? I enjoyed them while it lasted, but I'm not going to be super inclined to keep things going. There are plenty of other fish in the sea. A play I'm in ends, so I won't be seeing that group of people every day anymore? Even though I really enjoyed working with them, I'm not going to mind or miss them especially. If someone actively ends a friendship with me? Well that's different. That's a form of rejection, and could be the result of me hurting them in some way or an argument that went badly. All of that is going to sting, if nothing else, because it's a form of failure. I did something wrong. But if circumstances change or we just grow apart? I'm not going to mind.

I've said this before, but that's the aplatonic story I'd really like to see. So many stories are about people who go on some big quest or adventure, and in the process it ends up creating these strong unbreakable bonds between them. They're closer than brothers now. They will never be separated again. You can see that everywhere from Lord of the Rings to Shrek and Donkey. I want to see the story where the group gets along well and they accomplish everything they set out to do, but at the end they all go their separate ways again. There aren't any hard feelings. If they run into each other again in their travels, they'll greet each other happily. They wouldn't mind working together again. But they aren't trying to stay together or stay in touch, either. It happened, and now it's over, and they're more than happy to move on.

... Shit that was long. Well I hope it was helpful!

[jules-ln]

I just wanted to say I completely agree with the conversation you had about Jayce and violence. People have this urge to make him a babygirl, wouldn’t hurt a fly, JUST because in the show he’s shit at fighting.

(IMO, being bad at fighting but choosing to anyway makes you more violent. Vi deciding to defend someone comes from her knowing what it means to get hurt and doing so consciously. Jayce made a Big Fucking Hammer and decided the right answer was to break people’s bones. That is absolutely a desire for violence.)

People who have only seen arcane have this urge to make him helpless and it drives me up the wall. Making him harmless removes so much nuance from the character, both in the game as he’s a scientist who only knows how to communicate through what people expect of him, and the game, where he’s twisted and bent to the will of others through politics. The hammer is a representation of his fall and why it physically disables him.

It is infuriating, and nice to see someone stand up to it. Thank you.

Aw thank you, I don't care about social rules and I'm a very opinionated person, therefore I won't shut up when I have an unpopular opinion even if I know it's controversial lmao

Tbh I think Jayce it's like a personification of "it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail"

A bit on the nose I know, but then again, Arcane isn't exactly subtle with its subtext lmao

He actually reminds me a bit of Vi, because even in the show its mentioned how she has a tendency of "blocking with her face", meaning, she prioritizes attack over defense, and that says a lot about her character

In Jayce's case, I think he has a very bad case of tunnel vision, he focuses on one thing at the time, and only one thing, and it's not like he's not intelligent, it's simply that when he's holding the hammer, why wouldn't he try to hit things first to solve the problems? Like, no he isn't inherently violent, but his extreme focus makes it so that when he's holding his hammer he has difficulty thinking of another non violent solution

Because that's why Viktor is there for. And that's also why I love JayVik so much lmao

I'm not saying that Jayce is a brute and Viktor is the calm one, I'm saying that Jayce probably only thinks straight forward while Viktor thinks sideways; they're both extremely smart, but approach things in different ways, and that's also why they're so good for each other, because when Jayce it's stuck with something Viktor pulls him out of that and helps him see another perspective, meanwhile Jayce helps focus and direct Viktor instead of letting him drift to the side

So, if Viktor had been there with Jayce to help him with the hammer related activities, he might've been able to tell him to calm down and think about another way to do things

And on the other hand, if Jayce had been with Viktor during the Hexcore experiments, he might've been able to find a way to make things work with the Hexcore without going sideways towards the blood and the shimmer

It's quite literally that the problems with these two only began once they separated lmao

Two volatile components that neutralize each other when mixed together

And I think another example of him having tunnel vision was back in S1A1, when he tried to commit suicide, he was so focused on how things should be, so when things couldn't go that way anymore he was completely lost and couldn't find his way out, that was until Viktor showed him the alternative path

That's also why I think people headcanon Jayce as having bipolar disorder, because his pivot from "it's over" to "we're so back" it's so sudden that it seems like a manic depressive episode; though I personally think he fits more with the rigid thinking of autism, but that might be me projecting since I also have autism lmao (low empathy autistic Jayce headcanon my beloved <3)

But as you can see; Jayce being violent is a very interesting part of his character, so I think instead of asking whether or not Jayce is violent, we should ask why is he violent

Also, violence isn't inherently negative, but rather a neutral thing; violence can be used for positive things

And, I find very ridiculous to think that these characters; that are league of legends characters, don't have any capacity for violence; like, I myself don't play LoL, but my friend does and has tried to drag me into hell, I mean, make me play LoL with her for years now; so I've been watching her playing LoL for a long time and I know what the game is about; and as I said before, fighting and inflicting violence it's baked into the very core of these characters, even Viktor and Ekko are designed to fight

Also, might be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think Jayce is a bad fighter, he just doesn't have a lot of fighting experience, but I mean, in the fight with Vi, for being his first time to fight with a giant hammer, he doesn't do all that bad

[majaloveschris]

Hey Maja,

You’re level headed, I mean that in the most respectful way. 😅

But I had to flip the situation so to speak and really ask myself hmmm what if we’re all wrong about this being PR, like what if to Chris it looks completely different. He is just a guy from Boston who happened to get famous due to talent. He’s done pr in the past yes and seemed to be authentic.

But just like life people change. Chris was never Steve Rogers, Chris is just a guy like many of people’s exes. What if he decided to do things differently and this is who he chose regardless of how it looks. Maybe he wanted to keep his fandom and image and that’s why it’s so PR looking like he’s playing the Hollywood game, but also working to help establish his wife. I just had to the look at another pov and like Lisa may indeed have accidentally liked something, it happens. Celebs are human and you don’t think they get tired of random strangers talking shit to them or stalking friends and family, you don’t think they’d see how invested online strangers are and try to play with people just to stay relevant and also just because.

Chris is simply living his life like the rest of us and Hollywood dressed him up and he’s played along, but now he’s trying to manage that plus his private life to another celebrity that doesn’t align to the image he held for so long and it’s just coming off as so badly business and fandom wise, but to him he just thought he was smarter and thought oh if I share her online people will love her, maybe he didn’t know she trolled or didn’t care if she did. Chris doesn’t know any of us to care. We assume these celebrities actually give a damn about this fandom shit, but they probably don’t.

People lie, he speaks in interviews that goes to BILLIONS of people so I don’t expect him to tell personal stuff too much more either especially these days, people are crazy. But to the fandoms limited view they see every video dissect every move to mean more that what it actually is.

I just wonder if this has spiraled and eventually we do unfortunately learn that Chris was an image while the real Chris Evans is simply human and this is real and the life he chose to live, just him and not to uphold some fake image, but he’s forced to keep playing that role as well.

If this doesn’t end by Summer or before their next anniversary, I do hope many people start really questioning reality. It’s easy to get caught up in parisocial relationships with celebs and not even know it.

Hi, thank you so much! I think it’s already crossed everyone’s mind at least once that what if this whole thing is real? And I don’t think this thought is bad; I think narrow-mindedly thinking this can’t be anything but fake is much worse, because then you will start misunderstanding everything that comes out and think everything proves something, or your point, which is not true.

Chris has never been and never will be Steve Rogers, and I don’t remember him ever stating the opposite. I never really understood why people thought in the first place that he is like him or can ever be. He is a fictional character after all, and as you said, he is just a guy, filled with flaws like all of us.

But let’s talk a bit about the theory you wrote down: what if this is real, but he is, on purpose, trying to make it look like it was PR? First of all, that would be extremely disrespectful towards his wife. If he decided to marry her, then go ahead and show her off. If he’s actually been doing that, he just made everything worse, because after a while people will realize that he was lying and playing them, and oh, that’s gonna be another shitshow. Because him playing people to make them think it’s not real and doing this just to save himself because he chose a not-so-good person as his wife is even worse than this being real. And while I don’t like Alba at all, that would be really humiliating for her as well. However, I find it highly impossible that this would be the case. I don’t think he is that bad of a human being, and you can clearly see in his body language that their relationship isn’t any more caring and loving behind closed doors as well. I mean, for example, when the NYC pap walk came out, and that random girl uploaded that video where they were seen as well, you could’ve seen how they act when they think they aren’t being recorded.

Lisa’s like, It could’ve been an accident, but considering that she didn’t really interact with her or anything like that, maybe only after this whole thing came out, says a lot, especially when you can see that she is still supportive of Minka, for example.I think these people care about what people say more than you would imagine. Half of the things that are being said and done wouldn’t have been if they didn’t care. Because of this whole whatever-ship, his career took a hit, not even a small one. People unfollowing, fans leaving after decades. His team noticed that; he noticed that. Celebs love saying that they don’t care, but they do, more than you would imagine.

Fans obviously care more than any random person who comes across an interview of his. While I agree that some things are being blown out of proportion, I do think that we can’t deny the inconsistency of their relationship. Even if it’s real, it’s clear they want to sell a love story that most likely never existed.

I do agree that after a while we need to let this story go, even if it turns out to be not real in the end. It’s funny because will we ever actually get to know what this was? Probably not. Even if this ends one day, we will never actually know the truth. But after a while everyone will get tired of this and move on with their life. They either will „accept” her presence in his life, try to forget that she exists, or leave the fandom. Either way, I hope everyone will do what’s best for their mental health because this isn’t worth yours, that’s for sure.

[visoceaneyes]

people masking vi choosing caitlyn over her own sister as her "choosing herself" pisses me off so bad because even the writers acknowledge that piltover is not her home...a place that will practically never feel like home for her...so for the love of christ someone please tell me how feeling so goddamn desperate to where you cling to the one person that you've grown an unhealthy attachment to because your afraid of losing them and compromising your security and actual happiness because they're all you have after everyone you love has either died or left is vi "choosing herself"

if she were to choose herself she'd have a healthy relationship with jinx and not mother her anymore, which was already happening. jinx had fully grown in her own right, she didnt need to be involved in her life the way she was before. problem solved. she can trust her sister to take care of herself and maybe even look after vi while vi figures out where she belongs. if anything the airship thing wouldve made more sense in her case, because she could find a new start outside of her oppressive city and outside of the city that grew to resent her for her choices. she would find a home of her own outside of someone who hits her and fucking leaves her to rot for 6 months because she needed her metaphorical cock warmed instead, only to never change her shitty behavior towards her but instead masking it with acts of basic human decency.

vi choosing her abuser is not her choosing herself...but ofc this fandom doesnt see vi as her own character so as long as she completes this ship thats as good as her arc needs to get

[peepslout]

It was not "fix", it is the same character. They only added a bit of spice from the series (and took out some spice from the og movies) into his portrayal, which is not bad, but is upsetting that people refuse to acknowledge it just because they actually hate Snotlout as a character (a flawed character which is good) and love the actor, some saying that og animated Snotlout is ugly in comparisson, which is not, both have their individual charm

Personally I like Jonah Hill's Lout just in the first, the second and the third I tend to ignore as his writting goes downhill, in motorcycle, but, Snotlout needs more of that cocky stuff back, not just anxious puppy face Lout from few episodes of the series.

What I love about Snotlout is how imperfect he is, how his constant attitude is what makes him fail, and the times when he forgets that side of himself and jumps into action is when things get better for him. I need that back

Can't have shit in this house man 😩😩

Edit: Hey ppl seeing my post btww if the Snotlout bit is in any way interesting to you, I hope yall PIRATE or STREAM this movie cuz while yes it's intriguing I agree, getting a series level depth Snotlout introduced to a movie audience is insane, do NOT give ur money to greedy companies looking for easy cash

I literally added the fact their gonna make a 2nd movie to show how greedy their being PLZ stay on topic here chat, Snotlouts already a character w/ insane depth don't let them treat it like a "new thing" plzz 😩🙏

[katerinaaqu]

I was reading some of your Odysseus's analysis and I love how you brought up his religious facet because I really think is a big part of who he is as an person and how it affects his decisions, specially during the war. To me Odysseus had always been the king of Compartmentalization; he is the one that is able to push his emotions down in order to act accordingly to whatever he thinks can please the Gods at any given moment, and thus save himself and his allies at the process- the problem is that he is human and Compartmentalization can only bring you so far so ofc it would eventually come to eat on him... that is essentially what a big chunk of the Odessy is for. Particularly when he was with Calypso- like OBVIOUSLY the constant abuse played a huge role on his dumpster fire of an mental health but the fact he was completely stagnant without the capacity to jump from one task to the other couldn't had helped matters either....

☝️☝️☝️ THIS MY DEAR ANON SIMPLY THIS ☝️☝️☝️

For starters I am really honored that you liked my analysis and that you saw exactly what I wanted to convey with that potential of Odysseus and that part of his character that everyone seems to forget; his religious nature and how he is literally living his life in the religious piousness

And I couldn't have said it better myself! Yes he does push his emotions down, suppresses them even, when gods speak. When gods demand, humans should shut the fuck up and respond accordingly, that seems to be Odysseus's motto in life. The gods demanded Iphigenia, the gods should have Iphigenia, no matter how bad Odysseus might feel or not feel so his emotions of sorrow or regret come second before his need to obey the gods. Then the gods demanded that they stop attacking the walls of Troy? Odysseus would turn the heel around and run! It doesn't matter if Diomedes is there. If he chooses to disobey the gods is his problem and his choice. Circe demands this price to set his men free? Yeah he would sell his body to get it. Calypso had to have him in order to secure his survival? Yeah Odysseus would do it. The gods demand from him to do a trip to the ends of the world to repent his hubris? Odysseus will damn well be on a new ship and sail there or walk there for all the world is concerned he has to see that thing through no matter what.

This is why he did what he did in the times before or during the war. This is why he chose to stay behind for retribution sacrifices to the gods and why he came back for Agamemnon even if he desired nothing else than go home with his fleet but is also this blind faith that has him being beloved by the gods like Athena or Zeus.

However like it happens with someone who has way too much religious zeal obviously the results can be catastrophic to yourself and to others in a practical manner. I mean Odysseus too paid the price for he was always hated secretly by his peers for his behavior to please the gods because in the eyes of everyone he did it just to get glory or just because he is who he is. Odysseus might have had some ulterior motive about himself or the others but it seems that his religious beliefs play a huge part in the way he conducts himself in regards to the interactions he has with others which is another reason why I am sad that I do not see more people talk about it or representing in their stories and work or that makes me happy when more people see the potential of!!!

As for the last part I am actually very intrigued by this interpretation indeed!!!! And if I am allowed an addition, it is also why he is desperate. He is paying the price, he is pleasing the goddess...and yet he cannot escape. As you said he remains stagnant. Unlike his case with Circe where he receives her trust and her knowledge and later her help with Calypso he just receives his survival for another day. The price he pays will not get him anywhere and that is definitely NOT a good thing for his already crumbling psyche indeed and it COULD be another reason why death seems his only way out at that point.

Because nothing he used to go by in his life works anymore

His piousness was stained by hubris. His decisions to please the gods did nothing for him (or so it seemed to him) and his unpleasant sacrifices brought the fate upon him. He is desperate and he is alone. If I dare use the parallel "he opened his legs for her" and has nothing in return out of his situation. And he has no way out. His brains, his wisdom, his tactics or even his schemes are not doing anything for him and neither are his prayers or his sacrifices and attempts to please this goddess work! It DEFINITELY has a lot of potential as a line of thought and adds even more confusion to his already confused mind!

Thank you Anon for this great addition!

[cxyotl]

idk why i cant answer the ask i got but hi anon who was asking about kierabeth!!! i just got off work. firstly i dont fw shipping discourse because i am employed and have hobbies and frankly have bigger things to concern myself with. my philosophy is honestly that if the ship doesnt hurt anyone, idgaf if you ship it or not. that said i loooove talking about kierabeth so here you go.

i personally don’t view kierabeth through their interactions alone, but by their personalities and other dialogues/scenes. from my analysis of scenes, mary-beth is not into men who are one dimensionally masculine. like micah. she finds romance in the nonconventional (drinking blood? curses? the rugged lives of crime she and her friends live? its all romantic to her, or she weaves romance i to it in her writing). i feel its safe to assume mary-beth has a lot to gain from a guy like kieran (a more three-dimensional man who can be both gentle and emotional AND tough. which i’ll get to in a second. but also a man who is a bit… different. in a lot of ways. unconventional to a T). what she gains from a relationship with a guy like kieran is… like……. connection to someone who is her type, and someone who isn’t the closed off bad-boy that people expect male outlaws to be. he’s someone who could openly tell her whats on his mind, and frankly, he’s someone who seems interested in what her interests. hell he can’t read, but he still asks her about what she’s reading and doing. because he’s genuinely interested. and i think thats something mary-beth could gain from in a relationship.

as for kieran…… you mention that if they were in a relationship, she’d be forced to baby him. i think this is a case of fanon interpretation clouding who kieran actually is. i have a few posts about this, but kieran duffy is nooooottttt a baby. is he emotional? yes. but like…….. he’s human. hell he’s been tortured and dragged this way and that his whole life. men crying doesnt mean theyre babies. it’s just like… a natural response to fear and anxiety. which kieran is full of. but kierans also one tough bitch and thats overlooked to helllll. he doesnt hesitate to kill a man for arthur. he’s on guard and ready to fight for the van der lindes when the pinkertons corner him in clemens point. hes gone through a lottt of shit and he continues to be polite and friendly as like. a choice. in the scenario where he and mary-beth DO get to end up together, i feel like he’d be the same protective and caring guy we see in clemens point specifically.

tldr. i would encourage you to look into both mary-beth and kieran’s individual characters a little deeper! theres plenty of evidence i feel makes them good candidates for a solid ship, and evidence that rockstar wanted folks to see them as a potential thing, if you dig deeper than the basic interactions they have. that said, if you still really cant see them being a thing, who cares? thats your opinion and your feelings on the characters and frankly im not gonna be mad at you for doing whatever you feel like doing when it comes to shipping or not shipping two fictional characters lol. i’m happy to talk more about kierabeth in dms or something too if you want more details ^^