#I love speculating about this because I think it’s a fun way to contrast him and Brain

[cq-studios]

29. How do you think they would be as a parent?—Ephemer

Ooh, okay, I do spend quite a bit of time thinking about this.

So, I think Ephemer would be a really fun dad overall, but he’s also not entirely stable.

He’d mask a lot of his pain with his cheery demeanour but sometimes his kid(s) will come home and just see him completely broken on the couch or something. Ephemer has a lot of trauma and I very much doubt Scala in general, let alone early Scala, has a good grasp on or ways to help treat mental health issues.

Speaking of that trauma though, I don’t think he’d want his kid(s) to be Keyblade wielders. I’ve talked about this before, but Daybreak Town certainly had a lot of kids dying… all the time. I can’t imagine that anyone, let alone someone as social as Ephemer, could’ve avoided that. I feel that Ephemer would be against kids wielding Keyblades similarly to how Skuld was against Shift Pride, with the compromise being the education system. Even still though, I can’t imagine Ephemer would be too comfortable with the idea.

I also think for similar reasons that he’d be a bit of a helicopter parent lol. All up in his kid(s) business, always checking in to make sure they’re okay, can’t let them out of sight for too long. Like people who had too much freedom when they were younger tend to not give their kids enough freedom and Ephemer certainly had quite a bit of freedom when he was younger.

I feel like his partner would try and rein him in a bit, to moderate success. The anxiety wins over quite often, but it gets better as the kid(s) get older.

I’m trying to think if I have any other headcannons about this but I think that’s it

[hoony2k]

WE DATING FR?

How could they react around idol!you when no one knows about the relationship.

PAIRING: OT7

GENRE: fluff, crack

WARNINGS: none

NOTE: did not dust not rennovate this (crying emoji) dw i am writing new work. Will be posted soon. Thank you for your patience and support!

Part 2

★ HEESEUNG:

he's driving everyone insane. Keeps dropping subtle hints that no viewer catches but his manager eyes him like a hawk on award shows and lives. If you're a few feet away from him, he'll glance at you or turn his head in your direction and pretend he's looking at something/one over there. When your eyes meet in the crowd, he winks at you, expression smug. Then turns around with a blank face as if you're not knawing at your lips to not let a bright smile out. There are cameras recording? Okay and? He might not be able to show you off but he's not going to act like you're a stranger.

★ JAY:

very chill about it. Actually he's not. He finds himself in an internal delimma every time you're at shows. Keeps chanting don't look over and over again. Values his career and yours and doesn't want to do anything stupid. He knows how fans are so instead he tries to be sneaky about it. Buys you a bracelet and tells you to wear it when you're at the airport. You don't think too deeply, heart fluttering at the loving gift. A few days later, he uploads a selfie, peace sign on display as well as an identical bracelet snug around his wrist. Some people are speculating but it's nothing big enough for the companies to intervene. Laughs when you call him and says it was a complete coincidence.

★ JAKE:

pda? Baby you do not exist. You are a hallucination. Its a jarring contrast to what hes really like when it's just you because he will NOT make eye contact. He'll stand "near" you not next to you. He knows how vile people on the internet can be and idols get enough of that already. He doesn't want to put you in a compromising position but it's so painful to pretend that nothing is happening between you two. So, he'll do small gestures like during award shows, he'll tell jungwon to hand over his own cushion/blanket to you or your group leader. Be more platonic or "caring" about it so it doesn't seem unusual in the public eye. Sends a bouquet to your makeup rooms and signs the note from enhypen. He's great at fooling.

★ SUNGHOON:

he's actually so ecstatic about it. He would pray and pray to get you as a co-mc, then he'd be able to spend more time and come on camera without any nasty rumours. Plus certain scripts have cheesy pickup lines he'd abuse just to get a reaction out of you. His small smile as he soaks in your flustered reaction? Yea thats def not part of the script. Enjoys that most people ship you because of the ""chemistry"". Giggles on call while he sends you tabloid links that talk about you two. The last nail in the coffin is when he practically describes you as his ideal type. He doesn't know if it sliped out or if it was intsntional. They need to pay the manager more.

★ SUNOO:

the guy who openly calls you his friend. He's the type to introduce a 'slow burn' to ease the public. His fans are used to seeing him talk about you and your group, he doesn't overdo it. Sometimes you talk about him and his group. If a comment asks him to talk about a favourite member in your group he will ignore that, and pretend he never read it because your name would slip out. Defends you in subtle ways by making off-handed comments such as "idols can have off days" or "people shouldn't comment on someone else's appearance. It's not right". Fans make those platonic edits and photoshop you two together in pictures. You bite your fist every time he sends them to you, giggling at how people want to see a collab. That would be his dream. He's def at your concert.

★ JUNGWON:

He's a leader, he's got a lot on his plate but he's also great at controlling himself. people won't suspect a thing when he stands next to you because he stands like 🚹. No fun edits because people can't even tell that you know him, let alone date him. He makes up for it with his love language. Eventually, he'll relax for a bit when he's assured that no one is waiting to get him and his love. He can never be too careful which is why when he can't "do" things publically to help you, he would warn you about certain people/situations. In award shows, if his eyes wander away from his members it's to see if you're safe and comfortable. Once his fears are calmed, he can relax and enjoy the show. Stares at you when he thinks no one is looking.

★ NIKI:

He's just here to have a good time. He prays and wishes for collabs and gets sad whenever nothing happens. He's the type to send you small trinkets as gifts…like an inside joke except there's no joke and Niki feels giddy when he sees your selfie and a familiar charm tied in your phone case. At shows or encore stages, he'll stand behind you (pretends he's doing that because he's soo tall he blocks everyone) and keeps poking you and you have to maintain your expression. Other idols around you know something is up but they don't know what is. He's treading the line between platonic and romantic love. Does the classic rizz move -> notices confetti stuck in your hair and plucks it out, then bows in and greets you casually as if your face isn't red.

Thank you sm for reading! Hope you enjoyed!

All rights belong to me. Please do not copy/translate/edit.

[gendervapor14]

treating myself to some old OP episodes to alleviate the horrors and i can’t resist the urge to ramble about bell-mère’s death a little bit.

so, i will start here, with this iconic moment:

manga readers may notice something right off the bat. “hey, arlong’s not aiming for her head!” yes, in the anime, seems they switched his aim for the heart. i actually prefer this. first of all, that flintlock is huge compared to her, so head or heart, it’s gonna kill her. not a fatality issue. i’m just a huge sap, and i think there’s something more symbolic about him shooting her in the heart for defending her love - her kids. (even tho all of this could have been avoided if she just lied, and then she’d actually be able to keep loving and supporting her kids, but, uh, i digress)

this moment really captured me when i was first watching, because for the first time, one piece truly felt dark. this wasn’t just an upsetting backstory. it had some element of gore here, which i’m not sure would be as effective if he went through with a headshot. they might have censored it a bit more.

more (slightly gruesome) photos and analysis beneath the cut 👀

look at what they got away with here!! this was early one piece mind you, so i feel like things were generally a little cushier? (or maybe that’s just my nostalgia talking XD) but the harsh black and white contrast, the utter silence during this scene, the speed in which this happened! (it was a pain to pause and scrub and get good screenshots, let me add). i will say i’m not up to date with current OP shenanigans, but to me, this seems like one of the most abrupt and brutal deaths in the series. (and this doesn’t even put into account the horrid beating she got beforehand)

there are some nice parallels here between her death and rosinante’s, (most notably her last words being “i love you” to nami and nojiko, and a flintlock as the weapon of choice), but even then, i think this is a bit nastier. seven little bullets in a 10ft tall man is painful, yes, but it wasn’t gruesome, and he managed to cling onto life for a little while afterwards. this was just. bang. done. heart – gone. leaves the viewer totally reeling.

in a way i feel like it’s almost an honor for bell-mère to get such a violent death? okay hear me out i know that sounds crazy. she sacrificed herself for her kids and went out kicking and screaming (or standing solemnly, towards the end). she brought forth such a refreshing take on women in one piece. i mean, let’s not forget this scene:

she was gonna blow his brains out!! zero hesitation!! how many characters in this series, let alone women, would go through something like this? i get that different characters have different honor codes and such, but it was sooo incredibly invigorating to see a woman get her hands dirty like this.

so by that logic, it’s kind of weirdly nice to see her not be treated like a little doll? this is highly speculative though, because i’ve noticed there’s this rather annoying trend where women are used as a moral compass for villains. “oh, look how deplorable arlong is, he did that to a young pretty woman!” we see the same thing with doflamingo, for instance, in his “fight” with viola. “oh how heinous, he threw her to the ground! how disrespectful! she’s just an innocent princess!” yeah, ugh. getting off tangent here

this whole scene set a standard for me, (and hopefully other viewers), who kind of saw the series as a fun lighthearted pirate adventure. yes, there was tragedy and sadness before this arc, before this backstory, but something about this moment in particular made my perception tremble. the bar was raised! a compelling character and backstory can have a truly harrowing ending!! a delightful revelation for me, for whatever reason XD

feel free to chime in if ya got any additional comments or takes on the matter. i don’t think bell-mère gets enough love. if you do wanna chime in, just um. be nice. i’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, okay. and multiple interpretations of these scenes are valid! i’d love to hear ‘em! <3

[steelycunt]

helloooo ridi. I have been thinking about young r/s a lot and I know that you describe them (especially s) as being "strange" about the other before they ever talked about their feelings and I wanted to ask if you had any examples that come to mind

hiiii love!! yah absolutely!! predicting my own too-long rambling response 2 this by adding a cut straight away but. i do have thoughts :^)

obviously usual disclaimer that this is. speculation this is my headcanon and in answering im probably going to take for granted a lot of insights into the general mwpp dynamic that other people might (and are free to) disagree with xx but for me personally!! i am one for them always sensing that their feelings towards each other r a little strange compared to their other friendships within the group long before they manage to identify romantic feelings from platonic ones or just generally understand what it is they feel for each other. n im going to go mostly with s here because i think a good way of laying it out is by contrasting it with the way i view his dynamic with j, although for the record i definitely imagine r to always feel a little strange towards s too.

i do genuinely think s loved j in a way that is perhaps. pointless to label as either platonic or romantic but in a way that was very different to the way he felt about r and i think. that difference at first is all he's aware of. he meets j and they are a double-act they're a two-headed monster they're each other's phantom limb they're thick as thieves they're more than brothers but i think immediately his dynamic and his closeness with r are very different and thus strange to him. they are not a double-act. he does not always know what r is thinking (although he wants to). their intimacy feels strange because it is not intimacy as a product of like. familiarity or similarity the way his intimacy with james is (horribly clumsy way of wording that but hopefully you can make some sense of it). i wouldn't necessarily go as far as to call them opposites because i think in a lot of ways they aren't, at all, but to me it is the difference between sitting next to someone at a table (j) and sitting across from them (r).

and i think the uncertainty when it comes 2 his relationship with r and his feelings about r mean that he sort of craves it more yknow (especially because he. unconsciously thinks a close relationship with r is infinitely worth earning). he seeks it out. r can make him uncomfortable and he likes that. i think he would go out of his way to make r laugh i think he would get a certain sense of triumph out of accomplishing it that he wouldnt look for/need with james. r's general aura of strange wistfulness and melancholy also contributes to this (and this is partly why i hesitate to position them as opposites) because although their experiences are so so different there is an understanding of. suffering? trauma? whatever you would like to call it that s can get from r that james (although he is very loving) just cannot provide because he has not experienced that. the discussions he has with r are not the same ones he has with j. the fact that r is more difficult to get close 2 and to make smile etc makes s want to try harder to accomplish it. and he wouldnt necessarily recognise that in himself but i do think if he tells a joke and everyone laughs he is conscious of the fact that he gets the most reward from having made r laugh. and not only that but he wants the person who makes r laugh to be him.

i do also think he is just. softer about r. whether or not he realizes it or whether he thinks his softness is just a result of r seeming more melancholy to him than the others/post-lycanthropy discovery just feeling the need (rightly or wrongly) to be more protective over him. like they are twelve n s will playfight and roughhouse j all day for fun but with r he will only ever. pretend to do it or mime doing it or do it very gently not just because r is generally in worse health but also because the idea of accidentally actually hurting r is genuinely very distressing to him. also touching him a lot probably also make s' stomach hurt and makes him go all sweaty and light-headed for reasons he doesn't want to explore. idk i am sure this has gotten far too long by now but i think. the strangeness is best felt by both of them when comparing how they feel about each other with how they feel about their other friends. its an intimacy that does not even resemble anything brotherly or familial and at their young age that is what they think it means to be friends with someone. it is not comparable with anyone else it is not as easily labelled it is full of hesitations and private moments and give and take and it trembles and it shapeshifts and it doesn't let anyone else in. there is essentially a private joke between them, except neither of them are in on it.

[bthump]

How much do you think authorial intent matters in analyzing Berserk? Because I've seen your post on Charlotte and how you interpret her sex with Griffith as consensual because Miura usually does a good job portraying sexual trauma, and sex scene tropes in media are usually dodgy while being intended to be consensual. I always have a hard time with this way of thinking because it doesn't change what objectively happened in the scene.

I actually differentiate between authorial intent and narrative intent to an extent. To me narrative framing matters the most. What Miura may have intended can be important inasmuch as he successfully conveyed it in the story, but I don't think his word is the final word on the story itself. If he gave an interview where he said he intended X, but I think the story conveyed Y, then Y is more important to my interpretation of the story.

So to use the Charlotte sex scene as an example, the biggest reason I read it as consensual (if psychologically fucked up to an extent) is because that's the narrative function of the sex. A rape scene would have a different impact on the story. The sex scene furthers Charlotte's love for Griffith, to her it's a contrast to her father's subsequent attempted assault, Charlotte has no misgivings about it, and the king doesn't accuse Griffith of rape but of theft from him. If it was intended to be a rape scene, it would be essentially nonsensical as a story beat and a bigger failure of writing imo.

And yeah, in addition to that there's the greater media context where a lot of sex that should be rape is treated as consensual.

But yeah I get what you mean about having a hard time viewing things that way. I find the terms watsonian and doylist helpful when discussing stuff like this in fandom, where watsonian refers to discussing characters and events as though they really exist, as though characters have agency and lives and make decisions, and doylist refers to taking account of the fiction of the universe, the knowledge that it's written by someone who has a point to convey and might have biases and make mistakes.

So on a watsonian level you can't really argue that it isn't rape because Charlotte says no. If it happened in real life, it would be rape, the end.

But on a doylist level it doesn't fit the story, and there are better ways to interpret that scene to suit the overall narrative better, which we can understand based on the various context clues I mentioned above.

When I discuss stuff I'm usually doing it on a doylist level because that's just how I roll lol, I enjoy analysing media as a construct created by people attempting to convey a meaning. To me, characters/setting/plot/etc are first and foremost tools to futher that meaning. But a lot of fandom is really into the watsonian level, which makes sense because that's where headcanons and fanfiction thrives, and it's a lot of fun to explore and speculate about the characters as though they're real people with real psychologies, to explain away plot holes and bad writing with in-universe explanations, etc.

It's totally cool to prefer one over the other imo! But yeah I think it's always good to differentiate between those different types of analysis, because they're trying to accomplish very different things, and to be aware of what level you're interpreting the story on. I find that it's really easy to get into discussions where people just talk past each other because one person is discussing the story as a fictional construct and the other is discussing it as if it's a real event that happened. It's how you get arguments like ''the depiction of this character is sexist because she's naked for no reason except to titilate the het male audience' 'there's totally a reason though, it's because she breathes through her skin!' or whatever lol.

Thanks for the ask! I like getting the opportunity to explain where I'm coming from when it comes to meta.

[emblazons]

hELLO do you have any fun specific hopes/theories/headcanons for st5?

HELLO STRANGER 😂

Honestly I am not like super headcanon forward as a watcher because I think I have expectations trust issues from other television and therefore stick to what I can see on screen before speculating, BUT!

Headcanons + some things I would love to see explored (that aren’t just aggressive amounts of pining byler)?

The whole “Will is suppressed in his queerness being attached to soteria/suppression of powers” is like. 11/10 concept imo. It goes along with horror history so well (shout out @pinkeoni for that analysis) and plays so well into the whole relating to “Alan Turing” bit that we were introduced to start of S4, given his history as a gay man.

re, the last point: the contrast in queerness between Mike and Will being explored as someone who shows more blatant attraction to men but struggles to accept it as an identity versus someone who accepts their identity while suppressing their attraction (by outside forces or not) is also a dynamic I think would be cool to explore. I am not an ace Will truther at all but. I do think he shies away from his own sexuality a lot in a way they don’t do with Mike.

I really want “samfro caught on mount doom together while the rest of the fellowship fights an army” byler vibes—something about El and Lucas as Aragorn & Legolas with Dustin (Gimli) and Erica (Merry/Pippin) while Will struggles with feeling alone carrying the heavy burden of a connection to Vecna? Some “I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you” heroism from Mike? El getting a moment to reunite with Max (Arwen) at the hand of Lucas, just like in Return of the King? Fucking mint lmao

I need scenes of Max in whatever place she’s still alive in like I need oxygen. Working from “the inside” to do exposition on Henry + the UD while she’s in a coma while the party sorts through it in Hawkins feels like such a phenomenal writing opportunity I’ll be desperately sad if they don’t explore it. I hope they include some elements of like. The duality of presence a la The Talisman in that given Lucas was reading it to her in the hospital? But 🤷🏽‍♀️

GIVE ME TIME FKERY OR GIVE ME DEATH. I know it’s pretty much guaranteed at this point but. I need Mr. Clarke back stat, with some convoluted ass theory explained on a paper plate again. I need the most elaborate UD reality just, absolutely borderline nonsensical lore for like a full episode so I can watch this series back again and see it from SECOND ONE (or minute 8:15) and giggle like a schoolgirl knowing the duffers really are smart/the haters were wrong.

I want more Wheelers! I know Nancy is central to the supernatural given she was the only other one pulled in by Vecna and not killed—just sent as a messenger—but. I have so many Wheeler and Creel thoughts at this point I don’t know where to start, but. They are the PERFECT family for exploring picture-perfection against horror themes (just like the Creels) and I want it. Like “don’t care how, I want it now” level focus on them, along with their Byers.

I said it before but: an exploration of motherhood as a theme makes so much sense to me, and it seems to be important to The Duffers too, so. I want it.

Kinda want RoVickie as the couple who introduces the idea of the supernatural + queerness v Hawkins element at the start of the season, and for byler to be the ones who “end it.” I think that would be a fascinating way to parallel them more, though…I haven’t much thought this through.

If they don’t make Finn Wolfhard sob his little eyes out this season I’m going to feel betrayed. I need him like. Noah level pressed at least once next season, for the culture (Finn said he wanted to do more dramas. Let him defeat the bad actor allegations here so they let him LMAOOOO)

That’s all I can think of for now! I’m sure there are more, but. Those were the firsts that came to mind haha.

Thanks for the ask!

[oliveroctavius]

It's the Harry Osborn fashion post nobody asked for!

I'm no expert in menswear (all info + photo examples come from VintageDancer) so take this as speculation and feel free to correct any terminology. Still, I wanted to ramble about his interesting progression of clothes choices through the classic comics.

Ditko era (1965)

An outdated look even for the time: the bowtie, brown/grey color scheme, and wide high-waisted pants with a skinny belt are all kind of 1940s/50s things. Not to mention the hair.

It seems Ditko's only vision for Harry was Norman Junior. You know those eerie photos of politicians' families where the kids are dressed identically to their parents? Yeah.

Of course, once characterization catches up, there's a lot to be said about Harry's relationship with imagined "good old days" and his father's self-image.

Characterization catches up (1966)

John Romita is here and we get a flashback to baby Harry, who in contrast to his dad looks like an easter egg.

On a practical level, bright colors (1) draw attention to Harry as a new main character and (2) convey time passing. But it also fits with the reveal that he's a mostly sweet kid trying too hard to conform to an aggressively traditionalist role model.

I like that the bow tie sticks around. It has old-fashioned, dweeby connotations (as probably originally intended) but it also has appropriate oddball performer connotations.

Roomates era (1966-69)

Big checkered patterns, vests, and expanded colors; a showy take on the Ivy League 50s/60s style, unless I miss my guess. A bit more modern, but still in the realm of uptight dweeb. I love how Romita made him friendly without making him less weird.

It's a rather slow makeover from monochrome to bright and patterned. On a Watsonian level, it's fun to imagine that living away from his dad lets him gradually rediscover a colorful fashion sense.

The less formal at-home version of this look is a sweater or sweatervest with a collared shirt, a la baby Osborn.

The New Osborn Image (1969. nice)

Eventually both Harry and the editors get self conscious about keeping up with the times, and...

This is so charmingly "repressed young adult finally has their awkward rebellious self-discovery phase halfway through college" to me. Artists love to call back to this look because lol, retro facial hair, but I think its status as a bona fide short-lived Embarrassing Phase makes it sacred.

The New(er) Osborn Image (1970-72)

Exploratory phase over, his new look is something between Mod and Peacock Revolution: long coats, double-breasted tailored jackets, colorful turtlenecks, neckerchiefs instead of ties.

In my totally unbiased opinion this is the pinnacle of Harry costuming. He's found a public-facing sense of style that's fun. It's formal, but not just in a Norman-impressing way—he got here via personal experimentation and peer inspiration. It's the most joyful sartorial self-expression he ever seems to get.

Sure hope he's not about to experience personal-identity-shattering amounts of stress and tragedy!

spice up your mental breakdown by raiding your father's closet (1973)

At least, I think that's Ross Andru's angle. Harry moves back into his dad's townhouse and his clothes are uncharacteristically oversized and formless.

Drop the metaphor, fill your father's shoes for real. The fur-lined coat + leather gloves in particular strike me as unnaturally Normanesque. Earlier periods illustrated his Garbage Mental Health Hygiene with untucked shirts and unfastened collars, though his hairdo is still perfectly in place because everyone knows it just grows in like that.

I think the shirt he's committed in is the first short-sleeved shirt we ever see him wear. Probably too early in history for him to be given a pair of those grippy socks.

back to basics/dadclothes (1975-on)

Harry comes back in ASM 151 with two outfits: a grey suit and tie and a plaid short sleeved shirt with jeans. This split between utilitarian business clothes/simple comfort clothes sticks around into Buscema and JMD's 90s run.

This was probably meant to signal that he's more "grown up" and stable, but after everything else it just feels like a very lonely return to form and a widening fracture between public presentation and personal identity—this time self-enforced.

JMD uses the goblin costume to talk about Harry's struggles with self-image and emotional compartmentalization, but I think it works because that theme was already there in a less dramatic way. Particularly once the colors went back in the closet.

The thing about toxic performative masculinity is that it hates to admit that it's just a performance. Showy fashion can be attractive to people who've been told they flunk out of gender for physical or mental reasons because it's entirely performance (hence the art of drag) (and hence transmascs who joke they dress like silver age Harry). Also, I think it's just a fun personality trait for him to enjoy bright and meticulous dress, dangit.

[srarizard]

Back on my Rayman bullshit.

I literally have nowhere to talk about Rayman but the Tumblr tag seems to be popping so here goes. I am probably the only person on planet Earth who cannot stop thinking about Reflux. I will always be critical of Rayman 3 for its very surface level characters and unfunny "humor", but it still has a lot of environmental storytelling if you look for it. For example, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the Knaaren are bipedal toads.

Artistic liberties were taken, of course, but it's almost a perfect match. It also explains the dot on his forehead, as most toads have warts all over. The warts only become more prominent during the final boss battle, too.

Not to mention, the tunnel system they live in is directly outside of a ravine full of poisoned water. This implies that there might have been a time when they were semi-aquatic. They also have flat teeth, with no canines. I like to think it's because they are herbivores forced to feast on whatever they can find, because they have no plants within miles to feed on. It would explain why they prefer the brain, as it's squishy and easy to chew, as well as the zombie eggs that are the only notable, reliable food source seen in the desert.

Now, what about the way that they evolved? Most of this is speculation, but I can at least tie it together. Knaaren are invincible canonically. Reflux contradicts this in two ways; he has defeated other Knaaren to claim the title of champion, and he dies at the end of Rayman 3. It can only be concluded that he isn't a "normal" Knaaren, and the best way to explain this is to acknowledge the fact that the champion receives the power of the Leptys. Not only is Reflux the only Knaaren to use magic, his boss battle is, quite frankly, insane. I just replayed it yesterday, and it came extremely close. It's possible he used his power to exhaust the other Knaaren to the point where they can no longer fight in order to claim the title of champion using those powers.

In theory, it can also be said that the power of the Leptys creates a weakness. God powers must take a lot of energy to channel no matter what sort of creature you are. So, in theory, Reflux was burning the candle at both ends, pridefully striking down challengers and assuming that he would never be defeated with how much power he has come to earn. He becomes a monster in his thirst for revenge at the end of the game, which ultimately kills him. What this implies about the Leptys is vague, but it certainly has something to do with the deity.

Now, this is my favorite part. Reflux is actually the only character Rayman has ever done wrong. I'd say he's the only one Rayman ever killed, but uh, depends on your view of canon, so I'll be focusing on what is undeniable. Rayman blasts into the desert without warning, and granted it's to save his friend, but he ruins Reflux's life in doing so. He had no choice but to become the champion and shame his opponent. Reflux made his entire identity on being champion, and eagerly accepts when André promises the ability to claim revenge. Rayman was just supposed to be a fun exercise for him, and now Reflux finds himself outcast due to an outsider who doesn't even want to be champion. It's the fault of his pride, but it is still a way that Rayman has made someone's life worse.

It's also interesting to think of them as cultural opposites. Rayman comes from a lovely dream world, and Reflux comes from a hellish nightmare that he had to claw his way to the top. Rayman was born a hero, and Reflux had to earn it. Ubisoft really shot themselves in the foot by not expanding on that, I think. They could have really made something out of the contrast of dreams and nightmares.

Anyway, thank you for coming to my TED talk. If you read this far, please stan Reflux.

[xskyll]

Merry christmas if you celebrate!!💕

It took me a lil but here my promised questions for like comment romance:

1) While reading i was wondering indeed about Izukus "skillsets" ehem👀 like we know he had a previous relationship and theres some air of speculation around him and shouto cosplayers, in stark contrast to his future vision of barely getting to hold his so's hand... i did ask myself quite a bit about izukus innocence haha

2) do you have headcanons or perhaps a whole fic in mind of wedding shenanigans or the disaster of shinkami getting together?

3) Who throws Todoroki a hangover-eske bachelor party and why is it ochako?

4) was soba ever possessive of his catdaddy giving all his attention away? And how did banjo and kazooie warm up to their stepmom?

Please please feel free to throw in any extra tidbits as well, id love to learn🫶🙏

I do celebrate, thank you! Merry Christmas! 🎄🦌☃️

The first question made me laugh out loud. His skillsets. 😂 But okay! Let me tackle these one at a time! Sorry in advance, but I'll probably babble.

1. So. Izuku's skillsets are probably pretty average, lmao. Shouto was very smitten, though, that first time, so Ochako assumed he was some sort of sex god. But Shouto is only the second person Izuku has ever slept with, and the first guy, so it's not like he has a ton of experience. Concerning the Shouto cosplayers, he really did just take pictures with them and go on his merry way. They were probably very disappointed. ^^; He's a romantic, though, and I can't see him sleeping with someone casually. All that being said, despite his limited experience (he and his ex weren't together long), I imagine he is very veeery attentive and giving. With his first relationship, she and Izuku were each other's firsts. They met in college. She broke up with him after being pressured to by her friends, who thought she could do better than a quirkless guy who was also shorter than her. She had a hard time finding dates because of her height (fun fact: she was on the school's basketball team!). After they broke up, she quickly regretted her decision once she tried dating other guys. I imagine she had a weight in her stomach, telling her she messed up, but she tried to ignore it. I think she'll eventually meet other nice guys, but she'll never have a lover as attentive and caring as Izuku was in bed, lol. She learned to be more careful about taking unsolicited advice. For Shouto, this is perfect. His entire life, he craved love and affection, and now he has this person who absolutely showers him with both. Izuku is shy and nervous, so the fact that he gives so much of himself in bed, when he's arguably most vulnerable, is very important to Shouto. Unlike Izuku's ex, Shouto 100% understands what he has and doesn't take it for granted. I can't say I've thought of the *specifics* of their activities, but if I was going to assign them a kink, I'd probably say they both have their worship kink moments.

2. Lots of people requested a Shinkami sequel! I actually have no ideas. OTL I started writing a how-Hitoshi-and-Izuku-met prequel, actually, which probably very few people would have been interested in. I guess that's easier, because I had thought of their backstory already (I'm saying easy, but I only wrote three chapters before I stopped, so...). But as for Shinkami, I can't say I have many ideas as to how it would happen. I'm not even certain of POV. Hitoshi seems the obvious choice, to me, but Ochako's POV might be funnier. I briefly toyed with the idea of writing a wedding oneshot, for Izuku and Shouto. If I did, it would be in Bakugou's POV. So a very grumpy wedding! I did their wedding in my other fic, The Cupid Quirk, though, so for L, C, & R, I decided to just do the proposal. I didn't want to seem like I was writing the same thing, especially since the wedding in The Cupid Quirk is also told from an unconventional character's POV. The tone of L, C, & R is comedical, though, and part of me feels a Bakugou oneshot would be a little melancholy, since his feelings are so complex. At the end, Kirishima would drag him to the dance floor, though, and Bakugou would feel a little at peace with things. ShinKami would already be together at this point, but he and Kiri wouldn't, so Ochako and Kiri would still be roommates.

3. Lmao!!! Realistically, I think Yaoyorozu would stop her, since bachelor party duties would fall to her. Ochako would probably employ hijinks thoughout the night, though. Yaomomo plans for a nice restaurant, and Ochako gives the driver the address to a club. That sort of thing. And naturally something goes wrong—a wrong address maybe—and they get lost and in trouble. When Shouto finally returns home, he finds out for Izuku's bachelor party, Hitoshi took him to an arcade, then Denny's, and then finally took him home and they cooked an entire bag of tater tots, put them in a popcorn bowl, and watched a movie. Shouto is so exhausted and jealous, he buries himself in Izuku's chest and makes him hold him all night, lol.

4. I don't think Soba would be jealous! In my mind, most cats naturally like Izuku for one reason or another. He's very respectful of boundaries, due to his own bad experiences, and that applies to cats too. I think cats naturally feel very safe with him, Soba included. His chest is also a nice pillow. It probably does help though that Izuku likes to sleep on Shouto's right and Soba on the left. Izuku is also gullible, so Soba appreciates that he can sometimes trick him into giving him a second dinner after Shouto already fed him. Eventually they buy one of those "cat has been fed" boards.

As for Banjo and Kazooie, Ochako has a much harder time! It's not that they dislike her, but they miss Izuku, so there's a long sulking period. She feels like they're always disappointed to see her, because when she puts her key in the door, they think it's Izuku. Unlike Izuku, I don't think she's a natural with cats, but she won their affection eventually. It took a lot of treats, lol.

Thanks for the questions! I enjoyed answering these! I hope my answers were satisfying and not just rambling nonsense.

[dateamonster]

how do you think fairy genes work? Cause like Griselda doesn’t have a spot of bark on her? Unless those are clothes

genuinely u are going to open up a whole can of worms here.

so to get this out of the way, idk how much thought good ol george lucasfilms put into any of this. the most likely explanation is that from a design perspective he thought it was funny for the tall lean imposing bog king to have a short squat screechy mom bossing him around in contrast. but because i like to have fun and enjoy myself, i have my own thoughts about their lack of resemblance.

when the fandom, as much as there was one, was active, there was a sorta popular theory about the bog kings father being a fairy or part fairy, which i personally like as well. it would explain why his build resembles the more humanoid fairy build and why he looks so different than many of the other goblins, though to be fair there seems to be a lot more biodiversity among goblinkind. a forbidden romance between griselda and a fairy might also explain why shes so unbothered by the idea of the bog king falling in love with marianne, and it fits with her very classically romantic true-love-conquers-all worldview.

additionally theres a throwaway line at one point where griselda mentions bog king resembling his father, which could support the idea that he gets more of his looks from him, and another similarly jokey line later where griselda mentions being hot in her youth. while goblin beauty standards are demonstrably different from fairy ones, i dont think its impossible that part of the visual difference between her and bog king is due at least in part to her age. im also not sure how fairy/goblin lifespans compare to humans so its entirely possible imo that shes been around for a long time.

if you really want to get into it theres also the question of why some goblins such as bk are more insectoid in appearance while others appear to be reptilian, amphibian, or.... mushrooms. with the exception of the mushrooms who seem to inhabit a specific biological niche of their own, my impression is that none of the goblins are like literally the animals they appear to be in terms of species, but have evolved certain appearances and physical characteristics to suit their environment. so a bug looking goblin and a froggy looking goblin could still have a kid because theyre both. goblin. and the kid would simply develop whichever features were most dominant, or in some cases maybe a combination of both.

so yea i basically just think bk looks more like his dad, whoever he is or was, but i also think its possible griselda looked different in her youth as well and that contributed. i guess its also entirely possible that bog kings just adopted, but i think speculating on weird goblin genetics shit is more fun!

[the-lady-general]

Strange New World's Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Warhammer 40,000, the musical [audio not found].

This is from a lovely and very, very thinky Discord conversation. Thank you, guys! There's more thoughts I need to get out of my head, specifically because I've hit my personal limit of what I think the Federation can get away with as a utopia, and also because I didn't want to bore a server full of trekkies with my 40k thoughts.

TLDR: I've often said that when the fridge logic hits, ENT becomes better than what the writers intended. I think SNW has the opposite problem: When the fridge logic hits, it hits me with a spiky baseball bat. Everything I didn't like is under the cut, don't go there if you want to avoid it.

Here's the intro to the Eisenhorn omnibus, the oldest Black Library book I could reach on my shelf. I'll quickly transcribe the parts I've highlighted, explain what I love about it, and then I'll get right back to what it has to do with Strange New Worlds.

===

"For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. [...] He is the Carrion Lord of the Imperium for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day, so that he may never truly die. [...] But for all their multitudes, [the vast armies of the Imperium] are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat from aliens, heretics, mutants -- and worse. To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruellest and most bloody regime imaginable. [...] Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war."

===

Fun Fact: This is where "grimdark" in speculative fiction comes from! Thanks, The General Situation of Northern England in the mid-80s!

So, it all starts with a soul-eating machine. The soul-eating machine kills ~ 1,000 people per day. It is the only way in which humans get to go faster than light, because the not-quite-corpse and soul-eating machine arrangement is basically a lighthouse for hyperspace.

The Imperium is living in the shadow of a great, bright, and optimistic past. It came out of an advanced civilisation that had gone through many destructive wars on Earth. The Emperor was a man of science and reason and wanted humanity to live in prosperity, unhindered by wars or prejudice. He abolished religion in favour of humanism. He wanted to build a utopia for all mankind. Absolute dogshit parent though.

Ultimately, he built the soul-eating machine to justify the utopia, and when he wasn't in a position to object, his successors strapped him in and slapped the go button. Utopia postponed, blame those damn heretics/mutants/aliens.

That was the decision that led to the grim dark future without escape. Do you dare *not* fed the soul-eating machine? Do you dare unplug the not-quite-corpse? It's how it has always been. It could be worse. It's every single wrong one human could possibly inflict on another for everyone, for ever. It could be worse. It'll never get better. It steadily gets worse. It could be worse. It's always two minutes to midnight and no sacrifice ever stopped the clock from ticking. It could be so much worse without the soul-eating machine.

It is unbearably bad.

By contrast, here is an excerpt from the Charter of the United Federation of Planets, as seen on Voyager (or Memory Alpha in my case):

===

"We the lifeforms of the United Federation of Planets determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, and to reaffirm faith in the fundamental rights of sentient beings, in the dignity and worth of all lifeforms, in the equal rights of members of planetary systems large and small, …"

===

So Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow had a Starfleet security officer who was ready to sacrifice her career only two episodes ago in order to reunite a little girl with her parents. She goes back in time to stop an unknown event that leads to the destruction of Earth. She is confronted with baby Hitler who lives in a vague yet menacing government(?) bunker in Toronto and tells him he is *exactly* where he needs to be.

*record scratch* Sorry. That was a bit flippant. So again, from the top:

La'an travels back in time, with Sam Kirk's brother from a different timeline. She is reluctant to open up to him because of her family trauma (separate & discrete from her childhood trauma), but notorious charmer James T. Kirk (from the USS Iowa, not to be confused with James T. Kirk from Iowa, US) helps her out of her shell. They realise that someone is trying to prevent the Eugenics Wars, having already successfully delayed them until 2023. Deciding that the Eugenics Wars were the one and only factor that led to the United Federation of Planets, La'an and Kirk then decide that they must make sure the Eugenics Wars happen at any cost.

(They do not know that the one and only factor leading to the formation of the United Federation of Planets were the Vulcans witnessing humanity's first FTL flight, nor that Zefram Cochrane was motivated by greed to build the warp 1 engine.)

They find Khan Noonien-Singh in the secret Toronto bunker of the Noonien-Singh Institute, a vague yet menacing organisition with unspecified goals. Khan expects La'an to kill him, but instead she hugs him, tells him he is exactly where he needs to be and leaves him alone in his bunker slash prison question mark.

*record scratch* I mean, La'an goes through quite some emotional distress once she realises that the fate of humanity and all Federation members rests on her shoulders, and that restoring the Iowa, US timeline means killing Kirk from the USS Iowa timeline (and, presumably, everyone else from that timeline, but we're not worried about them).

(They're not aware that there is already an alternate timeline in which James T. Kirk was born on a spaceship that is happily co-existing with the Iowa, US timeline).

La'an is even further distressed when she is faced with the choice of killing Khan and preventing the Eugenics Wars and WWIII, but realises that she can absolutely not kill an innocent child. She tells the innocent child he is exactly where he is supposed to be before leaving him with a loaded gun in a top secret, vague yet menacing bunker in a room that would be declared unfit as a human habitat BY THE UK because it doesn't even have a window.

*record scratch* I mean, La'an saves baby Hitler, gives him a weapon and a justification for starting the bloodiest and most destructive wars in Earth history, and she is expressly forbidden from seeing a counsellor about this at the end of the episode.

*record scratch* I mean, a Starfleet security officer leaves seven children too young to make their own healthcare decisions to be genetically manipulated by a vague yet menacing government(?) organisation. The fact that this is to bring about the bloodiest wars in Earth history makes this better, somehow.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow says that the only way in which the United Federation of Planets can exist is by soul-eating machine. It postulates that suffering must act as the catalyst for the utopia. I find that horrifying. I already found it horrifying when Gerne it.

But this is the second time SNW has strapped a child into the soul-eating machine. Except this time, were strapping *seven* children into the soul-eating machine, and we're not even asking them for consent, let alone informed consent.

This is framed as utterly vital.

It is unbearably bad.

If the Federation can *only* exist if its defenders are ready (if unwilling) to feed children into the soul-eating machine, then it cannot be worth it. If the condition for utopia is the suffering and deaths of millions it *cannot* be worth it. It'll endlessly retread what it has always done, it'll swing from one sacrifice to the next, it'll keep shifting who constitues an acceptable sacrifice, and 10,000 years down the line they'll look at their not-quite-corpse steering a soul-eating machine and wonder where it all went wrong.

The Federation is about the dignity and worth of all sentient life. Everything else must be in service to that.

Don't we already live in a utopian world that builds it's utopia for a few billionaires on the suffering of the many? Does the story about the post-scarcity utopia really have to haggle the ratio in favour of the many instead of going balls to the wall UTOPIA FOR EVERYONE YES EVEN THOSE PEOPLE? Star Trek is the setting that *should* save everybody! Even those people!

Fuck the soul-eating Federation. It's dignity and respect for ALL life or it's self-righteous garbage.

[just-sp-in-inginthevoid]

Hey! Since there is already a Wakasa one, why not Benkei for the the character ask game?

( not me trying to know mor about the 1 first BD 👀)

Hi! Sure, i can do that! (I'm always more than glad to talk about BD so if you ever want to ask something or discuss about them, do - it makes me extremely happy)

My first impression

BD's tough guy! Obviously meant to always be depicted with pretty boy next to him - typical contrasting complementing-each-other duo. BD lore incoming! More about Shinichiro (???)

My impression now

He got neglected T~T. Least fleshed-out BD founder. Unfairrrrrr

I truly need to gather every scenes with him and additional information about him to thoroughly extract everything I can find cuz damn without a bit of work he won't ever gain a proper shape in my mind

He's somewhat simultaneously cool-headed and hot-blooded. He could choose to talk to take care of issues - but he has always had the physical strength to punch his way through lol He's impatient, so although he can think about his actions, he doesn't spend a lot of time choosing them. Despite that, he never seems to lose composure.

I'm trusting him to be the only common sense BD 1st gen had (Shinichiro can appear sane but isn't, Takeomi has too much hubris and is out of touch with reality even when he feels bad to actually think things realistically through, Wakasa has common sense but he rather have fun so he disregards it). He joined them in their mess everytime, but it was to make sure they'd get out of there lol

I need to know just how many times him and Wakasa saved Shinichiro and Takeomi's asses.

Favorite thing about that character

He's one of the few characters that see their dream come true! :) Props to him for that, he deserves it! He got into delinquency very young, so it's nice to see he got out – even before the final timeline

Least favorite thing

Hard to say when there's so little about him

Maybe the lack of eyebrows but it's part of his charm so idk

!! The fact there's nothing about him without Wakasa! Wakasa has scenes without Benkei (I'm thinking Original Timeline) but the opposite is not true! It makes characterization harder for readers because he's always near Wakasa. He never interacts with anyone without Wakasa also interacting with them. Which greatly sucks. Let Benkei develops his personality dammit!

Favorite line/scene

Him nodding here. It doesn't have much purpose, Senju is not even looking their way, but Benkei truly cares about her as well

Favorite interaction that character has with another

Mutual instant understanding and trust with Wakasa. They've been archnemesis for a few (speculated) years before becoming the two literal guard dogs (Komainu) of Just Some Guy who showed up one day and made them be friend. It's been over a decade they hang out almost everyday. They know the other better than anyone else and their special attack requires them both for it to work. They're a duo, so, of course, they shouldn't be separated.

A character that I wish that character would interact with more

He got nothing with Takeomi in canon-story. I mean, of course there's a point to it - whether it's Takeomi's conscious or not fault, or for another reason: Takeomi is isolated from the rest of BD narratively speaking. And he never seemed to have actually connected with them - but the fact that 1) we only know those 4 from BD 1st gen (there were HUNDREDS of members. We didn't even get to know some captains :() 2) we don't even clearly see the dynamics between each of them back then

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character

Ughhh hard to say.

Delmon from Gachiakuta; plus they both have a pretty boy as their duo partner.

(Big scary dudes who have a soft side - I love Teddy Bear-type of characters)

A headcanon about that character

Same as for Wakasa - I heavily inspired myself of irl Benkei's life to imagine what (TR) Benkei's childhood could've been like. It's a tough one for sure, but mostly: the previous Ragnarok gang members (1st and 2nd gen) were like big brothers to him. He spent his childhood roaming around with them. I mean, Ragnarok HAS to mean something very dear to Benkei - he got the logo tattooed on his body (at 13 at most) that's not nothing. He grew up rather poor. Raised by a single mother. He took most of his physical appearance from her (beside his eyes color). He was a troublemaker as a kid

He is used to emptying Wakasa's plate when Wakasa is not hungry anymore (same for Shinichiro and Takeomi) and is glad Senju came along to help with this lol (from what I remember Senju and Benkei are ranked in the top 3 of the biggest eaters while Wakasa was in the top 3 of least-biggest eaters; and if I don't recall correctly well take that as a hc)

A song that reminds of that character

It's even harder than with Wakasa. Despite knowing a lot of song I have nothing specially for them, unfortunately 😔

I perhaps have one that fits, but it'd only fit headcanoning Benkei's life to be similar to IRL Benkei's so.. cw: mention of past rape, child born out of rape's POV, crude language — Christ by Abuse-Ken

An unpopular opinion about that character

I don't know what the opinions on Benkei are to start with

Favorite picture

This one because it's the best to look at his tattoo

[evenmyhivemindisempty]

for the ask game: 001 favorite character (sandman), character you felt the writers screwed up (any media), 002 gabby/pierce, calliope/corinthian [eyes emoji]

Oooh for favorite Sandman character, definitely the Corinthian! He’s just - he’s everything! He’s queer, he’s a fuck up, he’s weird, he’s *trying*, he’s constantly looking to partner up with other people to help him overthrow his boss, he’s manipulative but not necessarily *good* at it. I love that he loves life, and loves humanity in his own way. He’s a nightmare, so his love is nightmarish and monstrous, but he’s so capable of having fun and there is something tragic about him being punished for being true to his nature. I’m not sure he’s really capable of being any way other than what he is, and I adore that for him.

I especially love him contrasted against the collectors - they’re all so full of resentment and spite, they’ve all invented narratives where they’re justified in killing their victims, and the Corinthian doesn’t need that at all! He doesn’t hate his victims! He’s a monster, he doesn’t need to justify what he’s doing. His speech to them was kind of hilarious in that it sort of missed the mark about why *they* kill - most of them aren’t really killing to kill at all! And when they speculate on the reasons for his name, and he kinda demurs?? Because it’s just his name! It’s not some badass moniker he came up with for himself like the rest of them. It is literally just his name.

Character I felt the writers screwed up… urgh, not to drag myself back into the OFMD fandom (yikes), but as someone who binged season 1 and was hella excited where season 2 would take the story… I gotta say Ed Teach. I won’t get too far down this rabbit hole, but needless to say, if you choose to write your co-protagonist and romantic lead as an abusive monster, that’s fine, but please actually follow-through, don’t just hand-wave it all away when it starts to headbutt against the “sunshine friendship&romance” plot you wanna tell

Gabby/Pierce

when or if I started shipping it: Not until I saw that deleted scene a few months ago!! God, I’m still feral over it. That he calls her by a nickname - that there was clearly a friendship between them, if not more – and it makes so much sense with how hyped up he’s acting right after her death, like he’s keeping himself going on willpower and Ritalin, and the way he looks so solemn when he’s telling Caliban people don’t change?? GAH. It’s a ship I didn’t think about for YEARS but has grabbed me right by the throat.

my thoughts: That I love it. That I want it. That there’s an entire movie about Gabby and Pierce’s relationship we only catch glimpses of the tail-end of, and I’ll never stop screaming about that.

What makes me happy about them: That they were friends!! She’s a nurse and he was the Reaver commander, but he *knew* her well enough to know that she loved comic books (like him!) They’re very different people – she doesn’t strike me as someone that would be drawn in to his posturing, and he’s hinted at being kinda nerdy and quiet at points in the movie where he’s not fronting, and I love the implication that she saw a side of him he doesn’t normally show to people.

What makes me sad about them: y’know it’s a tough call, but probably the part where she gets killed either by him or his Reavers on his command 😭 although it does add a deliciously tragic edge to it too

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: that there’s not more of it!

Things I look for in fanfic: assuming there was more fanfic of the two of them, I’d probably look for fanfics that explored Pierce being… maybe not *softer*, but more vulnerable with Gabby, but without making him OOC (I like my boy with his off-putting, nasty streak!) Them being drawn in to the aspects of each other that they don’t feel as comfortable showing is *chef’s kiss*

My kinks: ooh definitely femdom, CNC (i can see them switching roles for that one), pegging, and MFM threesomes with a “forced bi” roleplay element, light bondage

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Probably Logan!

My happily ever after for them: Gabby was just faking being dead and digs Pierce out of the ground 😭😭 Always in love with endings where Pierce gets to be her extra good guard dog

Calliope/Corinthian

when or if I started shipping it: A while back (maybe a year ago now?) a friend of mine in a server drew a gorgeous piece of Calliope/Corinthian art (the one I attached to the tumblr post linking to my story, with their permission), and I was hooked after that!

my thoughts: Corinthian deserves a better master than Dream tbh, and I love him with an actual goddess who understands some part of his whole personhood situation. Someone who respects him as an individual, but also understands that if he doesn’t have someone holding his own leash pretty tightly (and giving him plenty of enrichment and affection), he’s gonna go off and do *sooo* many murders because that’s just who he is. And I love Calliope getting to indulge in some messy sex after her ordeal, with someone that just adores her for *her* and not that she’s a muse

What makes me happy about them: that their needs have the capability to balance out pretty well!! That I can see Calliope as someone who can survive and thrive with the Corinthian, and I think the Corinthian would be better off under her, too.

What makes me sad about them: when i remember they probably have met before, in happier times when Orpheus was still alive, and we’ll likely never see it 😭 did Calliope like Dream’s favorite nightmare?? Did she pamper him like a treasured pet? Was he jealous of her for her closeness to Dream? Did he adore having someone around that treated him with a softer touch?

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: again, that there’s just not really fanfic for them! 😭

Things I look for in fanfic: (assuming there was more to choose from!) really anything exploring the power dynamics between a nightmare with daddy issues and a goddess that’s spent the last 70 years imprisoned. I don’t think they could ever be regular boyfriend/girlfriend, free of power imbalance, but that’s what I adore about it

My kinks: femdom, Calliope as a masochistic dom, CNC with Calliope as the “victim” (specifically love her reclaiming herself and her sexuality & reconciling some of her trauma through some CNC), gentle domme, primal play, orgasm control/denial

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: honestly, I just love giving Call the Corinthian. I’m not sure I really ship her with anyone else - although Calliope/Destruction tickles something in my brain too. And for Corinthian, definitely Rose

My happily ever after for them: she gets to keep the Corinthian and he’s her pampered and very enriched monster 😌😌

[mejomonster]

Anon watching Love and Redemption here. OMG thank you so much for your incredibly thoughtful response. On the topic of misunderstandings, people get so heated and I was really looking for a more measured perspective so thanks for that. Also, your reply has me HYPE so I wanted to share some of my thoughts (I'm till ep 9 now)- I adore the romance but I also love the space this show gives to friendship. Minyan and Linglong being excited about reuniting w Sifeng and being just as hurt as Xuanji by his aloofness.

Xuanji and Sifeng both saving/protecting each other is just something I'm absolutely loving. Also, the inversion of gender roles- this was something that drew me towards the show, like Xuanji being on a traditional (male)hero's journey . But what you said about Sifeng's lover's curse being about purity/chastity and comparing Linglong and Jiang Cheng has my mind blown! I can't wait to see more tropes being turned upside down, already we had Sifeng defying the notion of all demons being Evil. Lastly, here's some spoilery speculation- Hao Chen definitely strikes as someone with an ulterior motive, he has some connection to Xuanji probably in their past life?

Is Sifeng the star of mosha maybe? I know some spoilers about him being a demon. Don't tell me though!

I see and appreciate you, life is just busy ToT

Okay so I'm not spoiling star of mosha but would LOVE to hear what you think once you find out -3-)/

I'm also curious how you feel about who the villain/s are and how those feelings change as it becomes more obvious who the villains are.

Also Mickey He, who was a hottie in Jade Palace Lock Heart, plays Sifengs sect leader legendary drama queen <3 which is a fun fact

I do love rhe friendships in this show. I feel the whole core friend group cares a lot for each other. If you've ever seen Good Omens, the friendships in that and the way of solving problems with love and desire to help also drew me to Love and Redemption.

Something you'll notice about this show and demons is... demons are used in this a lot like dixingren were used in Guardian. Which is very unlike the usual trope. The more demon situations play out in LaR, the more apparent it becomes they're not actually evil in any particular way, not any more than any human generally is, with some bad leaders just like some Sects have awful leaders, and then well. Extend that realization to the Heavenly Realm. This story does a lot to critique absolute power, following leadership blindly and what it means to figure out morality based on your own experiences and explorations versus just believing what you're told, and it does quite a job of using what you Expect each trope to function as/symbolize/get treated in this type of romance three lives xianxia story to comment on such things. Like. Sifeng is a demon. In this type show, like say Eternal Love, typically the demon is the second love interest who never gets the heroine. Who is inevitably corrupted or evil or pitiful and can never escape ultimately that he Is the demonic lesser "bad" one role. (Love Between Fairy and Devil actually also subverts this trope with the "demon" as the main love interest and hero, but it's definitely not the norm it is the exception and I love when this particular trope is changed like this). To extend this, in Eternal Love the "ultimate" bad guy is the Evil Demon King who wants revenge and to destroy the world. His princess and prince demon children might be better and have good intentions, but as his kids they get an extension of his bad ultimate fate. That can be contrasted to what Sifengs story will turn into later: how much does he bear suffering because humans dislike demons, Heavenly realm dislikes demons, despite whatever Sifeng has actually done (good or bad). In fact which demons even committed the kind of evils they're being punished for in LaR, and does LaR paint it as inevitable and acceptable pain they endure. Or as something that should NOT happen and is morally fucked up (like when Xuanji defends Sifeng and starts realizing how much she's been taught that is actually perpetuating harm and not helping innocents). In LaR when the star of mosha is revealed, the Evil Demon King from Eternal Love parallel, is the star equally painted as evil without a backstory? Is the star evil at all, does LaR paint the star as evil like Eternal Love would, or does LaR do something else with the star? Is it fair to assume just cayse the stars role is "evil demon king" that the star is actually evil, or was that just an assumption audiences were likely to make based on the usual tropes of these shows, an assumption that will be shattered and used differently. (There's so much this show does in terms of trope you expect versus how LaR will actually be using the character, which involves expecting the audience to Expect the usual trope outcome then instead LaR veers in a way different direction).

I absolutely love that Liu Xueyi was cast as Hao Chen. He does such a good fucking job and made me feel a Lot

A (minor) spoiler I am giving you is:

The show ends happy. I just wanted to put that out there because I know one never knows with a show like this

[tea-of-destiny]

hi friend I meant to send you this ask a couple days ago I think but. I know it isn't really (twewy) canon, but I'd like to hear about the TWEWY characters in KH3D, if you'd tell me about it? I don't have any intention of playing KH myself, I don't think it's my kind of video game in general, but I'm still fairly curious 👀

ajlksjdfhalsjkd I think this is normally a question where I'd go back to the source material to confirm what I'm saying, but this has been sitting in my inbox too long so I'm just going to write off the cuff and pray something worthwhile comes out

Um, as a whole they're pretty fun! Maybe not totally accurate to the canon of their own game, but they're presented in a way that makes you (or at least me) want to check out TWEWY to find out what their story is. I am so determined to play TWEWY for real eventually, but I don't know how soon that will happen since there's... so much else I want to do aha.

Neku's personality is more that of his first week in the Reaper's Game--he's still kind of standoffish and self-centered, which makes him a stark contrast to a protagonist like Sora, but Neku is already in the process of learning how to trust and befriend other people. He evidently cares about Shiki a lot. I don't remember if he's shown to have much attachment to Joshua or Beat yet in KH canon.

Shiki is a part of one of my favorite interactions in the series; it's actually where the quote in my header image comes from! Riku defends Shiki from a swarm of Dream Eaters, and then he's ready to just run off again to finish his mission, but Shiki says something to the effect of "Hey, you can't chat a girl up and then just ditch her! Aren't you supposed to be my knight in shining armor?" To which Riku kind of panics and says, "Knight? You've got the wrong idea!" aro king So they make for an entertaining pair of companions.

I love Beat. He and Rhyme have a great sibling dynamic. Beat makes some rash decisions that put people in harm's way, but he really means well and has a big heart. There's another scene where Beat's acting tough to Riku like, "We don't need your help!" But Rhyme pipes up like, "Really? 'Cause not five minutes ago, you were whining, 'Where's Riku? We gotta find Riku!'" And Beat gets really flustered like, "Gwaah! Don't say that in front of him!"

All I can really say about Joshua is that he's not enough of a bastard in KH canon lmaooo I need him to shoot the ancient embodiment of Darkness or something

One other thing I'll mention is that as of the Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer, Sora has gone to an alternate reality, and he wakes up in a city resembling Tokyo. There's been speculation that he's specifically in the TWEWY version of Shibuya and we'll see Sora reunite with the cast. Some fans are really excited by the possibility of extended TWEWY lore; others don't want it to be the case because they worry that TWEWY will get subsumed into KH instead of standing as its own thing. I'm not sure how I personally feel, except that I really hope whichever path the developers take, they spend the necessary time to make the game compelling and enjoyable.

I hope this kind of answers your question, even if it's been a while? And thanks for asking!

[tm-trx]

Step By Step, ep 8

in which everyone is a bit of a sad sack

sp*ilers below the cut (we’ll get to you, Jaab)

This was such a great episode. So many ups and downs. I loved it.

Put/Pat

The moment I’ve been dreading finally arrived. And it was exactly as awful as I thought it’d be. It was so painful to watch Pat break Put’s heart. (And later, the realization that Pat’s heart is equally as broken was just as painful.) Ow ow ow. I loved it.

And then Put confronts Jeng about his feelings, and I think threatens to out him? I think that’s what he meant. Which, yikes. Please, let’s not do that, show. Even if it’s just outing a boss dating his employee. I fully understand that the ending of this series will need some big conflict, but not that.

Jeng/Pat

Pat’s “not-date” date with Jeng was actually really fun to watch, in contrast to all the sadness that preceded it. Until Pat got tipsy and Drunken Truth Time gave me secondhand embarrassment. (That is your boss, Pat!)

I don’t really understand why Jeng thinks it’s okay to confess while he’s still Pat’s boss. Up until now, he’s seemed like a very strait-laced guy who wouldn’t dare. And he doesn’t even have much of an indication that Pat has feelings back, so it’s not like he’s giving in to mutual attraction or thinks that it’s worth the risk. (Even though the risk is all about Pat’s job, not Jeng’s let’s be real. Jeng has nothing to lose, except maybe reputation and that’s debateable at his level of society. Pat would lose his job and his reputation.) Still, he was very genuine in his conflicted feelings and that dream confession about killed me, it was so sweet. I do really like him. I just need him to get his head together and not listen to his dumb friend’s advice. Find a way to get Pat out of your direct report, and then date him!

“Pat’s sadness.” - Just kill me now. Jeng, you are too much.

The lightbulb moment! What a fantastic way to end the episode. So good.

Jaab/Jen

^ - See above. Good lord, what a beautiful shot. Thank you, director of photography.

I’m disappointed we aren’t getting more of Jaab and Jen. They were shaping up to be a great second pairing, but it feels like it’s going to be a throwaway storyline with no substance.

What’s Next?

At this point, I’m not as sure about how this series will end as I was with Put, but here’s what I’m speculating based on what we’ve seen so far:

Pat and Jeng start dating; their relationship gets revealed (most likely on accident because of something Put does - I think this is more likely because Put is hurt but not evil); all hell breaks loose, Pat leaves the company (and/or Jeng does); time skip; Pat is working elsewhere when they meet up again and start dating. Put has an epilogue meet-cute with a character played by Kao. (I can dream, okay?!)

P.S.

This episode’s MVP is Chot, for instigating the classic ‘run away holding hands’ cliche. That was great.

P.S.S.

When I wrote this, I thought there were only 10 episodes. Turns out there are 12, so there is tons of extra time for shenanigans and Jaab and Jen to get some actual story. We can only hope.