#OR SOME KIND OF OTHER EXTREME REACTION WE HAVEN'T SEEN YET BECAUSE SHE'S THE MOST BROKEN UP OUT OF EVERYONE

[applebunch]

WAIT WHAT IF MICHAEL DIES NEXT EPISODE. HM.

[beanghostprincess]

What about transfem Sanji and Robin?? Like I need some headcanons. Please🥺🥺

OMG YES YES YES!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS WEFNLSNDFLKEN I LOVE THEM!!! I have SO many headcanons for these two <3

Sanji comes out to the crew not long after the time skip, but the first one to know is Robin and she's the one that encourages her to tell the others. However, Sanji is worried (and yes, I am making it Sanuso because I am just that annoying with them) because she isn't sure whether Usopp (they're dating already btw) will still love her after knowing this (not the fact that she's a girl, bc Usopp is like, extremely bi and Sanji knows this. It's more like the concept of being trans and her body and etcetc). Robin tells her about her and Franky and how she was also anxious at first (she's also transfem btw. She has wise older trans girl energy) but he loved her body just the way it is. Perfect. "SUPERRR!" in his words, of course. So Robin tells Sanji that she's sure Usopp will love her either way, but if, for any reason, he doesn't want to keep going with the relationship, that doesn't make Sanji less valuable. Just like Robin didn't need Franky to tell her she's beautiful for her to accept it.

Turns out everyone accepts her, of course, even Zoro is nice to her. Robin is next to Sanji when she tells them the truth about herself and how she'd like to be treated now. However, Sanji is looking at Usopp and Luffy the whole time. Her boyfriend and her captain. Luffy's the first one to break the silence, saying that as long as she's free and happy and still cooks for them, then it's alright!! Robin gives her a fond smile while it happens. Usopp approaches her when everybody is walking away, and without saying anything else, he just kisses her. A thing that is completely new because Usopp is mostly a man of words, but right now he just wants to kiss her, and Sanji isn't complaining. Also, if you're curious about the other straw hats' reactions (can you tell I'm super into this whole thing):

Franky: Now we have three SUPERRRR beautiful ladies on the ship!! 😎 (Or, another option: *Dramatically sobs because Sanji just told them the most heartbreaking story about her life and how she struggled to realize she was a girl*) Nami: Oh fucking finally, I thought I would have to deal with this forever. I thought you were a pervert but turns out you were just repressed as hell! Way to go, girl!!! Welcome to the club!! Zoro: She's still a pervert- Good for you, though. I'm still going to beat your ass when we fight. Not going easy just because of this, shitty cook. Brook: Oh, dear, I'm so glad there are more women here blessing us with their presence. Now, may I see your- *Nami hits him so hard his skull almost breaks in half* Chopper: Sanji!!! I'm so sorry we didn't know anything!!!! Now I feel bad for treating you like a man!!! You're not!!! You're a beautiful woman, Sanji!!! (Sanji: Chopper, I didn't even know. How the hell did you expect to realize first-) *Sobs* I- I don't know!! But I'm sure you'll be even cooler as a woman now!!!

Robin tells Franky ASAP to build a bed for Sanji in the girls' room, but she doesn't tell Sanji right away. Nami helps her move Sanji's stuff from the boys' bedroom to theirs, and they make it a bit cozier and wider for the three of them. After dinner, they show Sanji what they've done and she almost breaks down crying.

Sanji is kind of self-conscious about her body, and she actually really likes wearing her suits, so it isn't a problem. But sometimes she envies Robin and Nami's clothes and bodies, and she wants to be able to wear dresses and more fem clothes too. Robin notices without Sanji saying anything and ends up lending her discreet clothes from her wardrobe for now until they have the chance to go shopping. Nami, then, is the one to buy clothes for Sanji with her own money (as surprising as it sounds) because it's, and I quote: "A real emergency. The fact that I haven't seen you in heels yet is a crime".

She starts thinking about her hair one day when Usopp notices it's getting a lot longer, running his fingers through it. Sanji has always been used to short hair. She doesn't even mind having it like this. A lot of girls have short hair. But perhaps she can... Try. Not cutting it for a while. See where it goes. (Lil spoiler: Turns out she likes long hair because it reminds her of her mom <3 Usopp loves it because this way he can do all sorts of hairstyles with it!!!)

The first time she showers with the girls at some thermal baths they find on an island, she almost has a heart attack. Being a girl does not keep her from simping, she's just a lot more normal about it (I have the lil headcanon that Sanji's constant pervert behavior is just gender envy). But also it's the excitement and feeling of belonging!! Besides, bathing with them is sooo much calmer and nicer than with the boys.

Issues with her voice? Not to worry because Robin, being the wise older transfem she is, teaches Sanji how to feel more comfortable about it and shows her tricks to train it for her voice to sound more soothing and high.

Eventually, Robin asks Sanji if she wants to try and contact Ivankov because they could help with her body, if she wants to. Sanji isn't sure. She feels like changing it completely would be like betraying herself because she doesn't want to be ashamed of her body. She's a girl no matter what, after all. But sometimes dysphoria is just... Too much. And perhaps living with a more fem body would help her. Robin tells her to take her time to think about it, and that no matter what she chooses she'll still be beautiful and a wonderful young woman!!

Silly lil thing but I think Robin would always use her hands (like, her extra hands) to keep Sanji's skirts covering her legs because girl be fighting with Zoro without realizing she's wearing a dress, lmao. The thing about her fighting style being all about kicking doesn't mix with well with some outfits.

Usopp used to be invited to girl nights, along with Chopper. Because Chopper is just, like, y'know, kind of their lil brother and Usopp is... Usopp is Usopp. He's the bestie of the gals. He's one of the girlies (he is not. He's just there because he's like the token gay friend in the girl group that always stands out. Like in teenage movies. Dude wants to be there and Nami doesn't complain). But once Sanji starts joining those girl nights, Usopp is completely banned from them. No boyfriends allowed.

Robin and Nami start using "Sanji-chan" to talk about her and it just makes her feel so so so happy!! (Actually I had to look up if Robin uses -chan for Nami and she actually does when talking to others about her???? Which is cute. I think they'd do it with Sanji for gender-affirming reasons mostly rather than just using honorifics).

Whenever Sanji argues with Usopp (surprisingly more often than you probably think, but it's just about stupid stuff) she always goes to Robin because she's the rational one and will probably help her better than anybody else. And also Usopp asks Nami for advice so Sanji can't exactly go to her.

If I start talking about my ideas for Whole Cake Island with transfem Sanji hiding that she's a girl and Luffy going after her to save her I might actually die so I won't (and this would probably change this whole thing to a Lusan post and we don't want that right now). But!! Thinking about Sanji in WCI missing Robin's presence because she always knows what to say, and not knowing if telling Reiju is a good idea.

I'm out of ideas ngl

Have these Sanjis as a peace offering for not being able to write more creative stuff:

SHE'S MY WIFE!!!!!!!!!!!

Also shout out to our queens:

(Sanji would SO wear these outfits btw) (I actually have so many ideas for how transfem Sanji would dres aaaaaaaAAAAAAA)

[johnwickb1tsch]

Okay so- random ramble of the day 2.0 that I thought of after a particular conversation I had with @treedaddymcpuffpuff in the comments.

Trigger warning! (It's bordering n0n-c0n, if you're uncomfortable with that, please feel free to skip this)

So what if- John actually does snap first, and it ends up being particularly nasty. (to be honest if either him or the reader do snap at the other at some point, it's going to be wild either way so 😂)

Let's say he caught the reader trying to escape, or maybe her playing with his emotions / emotionally manipulating him, - pulling out the 'i belong to you' card to gain his trust for an example - or maybe they just had an incredibly shitty argument that was prompted by the ever building tension between them, by neither of them willing to compromise much. (elastic band reference says hello again 😂😂)

Now, generally speaking, both John and the reader have shown clear signs of enjoyment when it comes to the more.. dubious kind of consent, and even though John was the one to trigger most of those occasions, I feel like someone with the reader's strong personality and self-respect would've had a much different reaction to it if she wasn't into it.. That being said, so far every time the reader disobeyed him / refused to give in, John ended up leaving us alone, and I think he'd be lying to us and himself if he were to say that it's to torture us even further.. Sure, having yet another denied orgasm added to the list is shitty, and yes, he had tried to isolate us in order to punish us when we tried escaping the first time, (probably not the last time though) but it's becoming ever so slightly clear that he is doing this more for his own sanity's sake, rather than ours, so he doesn't flip out and snap at us.

That being said, his punishments, although cruel, were still much more on the lenient side... But I can't help but think that with the already high pressure on both of them, and an additional problem source might just be enough for him to lose his shit, and thus, punish us, hence where the extremes come in, such as completely tying us up, - he already said he dabbled in shibari, and he's definitely still into it imo, "misspent youth" or not - perhaps gagging us if we get too bratty, giving the reader a good spanking, perhaps some degrading, and most importantly being the selfish bastard we know he can be occasionally, meaning this whole thing will be to.. comfort him? Reassure him? Bring him that sense of security back to know that he is in control, something that we've seen him go to extreme lengths for in all 4 movies..

And considering that we didn't really establish any boundaries yet, seemed to be into it sort of, and even the fact that John might very well lose pretty much all sense of rationality, and go absolutely fucking ham on us, to the point of our lust turning into actual terror.. In which case, a safe word should be used, buuuuuuut- 1) We don't have one yet. And 2) John will probably have us immobile, silenced, face down, ass up, sobbing for him anyways, so in that crazed state of mind, he might not actually realize that he's hurting us, (emotionally I mean. I think he'd be pretty aware of the physical pain 😂) until it's just a little.. a teeeeennnsyyyy tiiiiiinnssyyy little bit toooooo late..

AND MY GOD- Does that open up endless possibilities for us. On one hand, he would definitely be overstepping any and all boundaries, even if we haven't quite established them yet. Could this be the triggering event for the reader to start thinking with her brain instead of her heart and pussy, and actively suppress her urges, her feelings, the love she feels for him despite it all, and perhaps plan her escape?

On the other hand, I feel like John would feel an unbelievable amount of guilt, because despite his previous punishments, and everything he's been doing being morally wrong, he has never quite breached the line of becoming a monster, (in our eyes at least) not to mention that he is very morally grey, so while he may be rational enough to realize how unethical things are and just ignore it, - or have the fear of losing us overpower his sense of justice - (nobody is there to hold him responsible either ey) I know for a fact that he would never want us to doubt his love for us for a second. He wants us to feel cherished, loved, safe, and protected, and while he knows we do not see things that way yet, I feel like he would instantly realize just how much he fucked up.

A part of me feels like his first instinct would be to run away (as per usual), put some distance between us both because he doesn't want to hurt us any further, and because he god damn will be actively self-loathing, self-hating, self-blaming himself for the events.. But I also 100% believe that him seeing the reader teary eyed, spooked out of her mind and clearly hurting would again, overpower his sense of rationality, and just make him wanna comfort us. Physically, verbally, emotionally- Any way he can really. Which again, opens up a plethora of options for us, because he would definitely be a lot more inconsiderate of what may aid us in our escape, and what we could just find simply comforting.

Would it fucking wreck me emotionally if the reader ended up using this to guilt trip him into slipping up and allowing her to escape? Absolutely. Would it be justified? Also abso-fucking-lutely, although god forbid it were to happen because GODS it would be like an avalanche of emotions...

So yes.. Angst. And smut. Thank you @treedaddymcpuffpuff and @johnwickb1tsch for fucking wrecking all of us emotionally 😂(Jk jk, i fucking love you both, you evil geniuses.)

Haha, so word spreads fast that I can't handle noncon. 😬 I literally write a series of books about a vigilante bounty hunter who hunts down vampires who hurt women, so this should not have been a surprise to me. I guess I'm a weenie. Is there such a thing as gray romance, LOL? it might be more my speed.

I'm honestly not sure how to answer this one without spoiling the story I'm trying to tell, so I'm just going to leave it here because you raise some very interesting plot points that I'm sure people will love reading! You have QUITE an imagination and such an acute understanding of character motivation!

[userminusone]

I have some thoughts about TADC EP 2 (Spoilers, obviously)

Ok, I don't want to spoil anything for people who haven't seen TADC EP 2 yet, so I'm going to put a bunch of filler text here just to make extra sure that no spoilers are easily seen at the very beginning of this post for people who don't want them. This is the point of no return, if you really really REALLY don't want this episode spoiled, turn back now. This is your final warning, I will commence with the spoiling soon...

Still with me? Alright, I guess I can make my point now. From what I've seen, it’s pretty clear that most people in this fandom are really mad about Caine just outright getting rid of Gumigoo, and I agree my initial reaction was EXTREME disappointment at the realization that this super likable character wasn’t going to join the main cast, which I honestly should have seen coming :p

Aaaaaanywho, it occurred to me that this narrative choice further solidifies what I think is one of the foundational elements of this show: Meaninglessness.

Let me explain: in the first episode, we see Pomni join the circus and freak out at the idea of spending eternity in this weird sort of virtual metaverse where there isn’t any grand overarching goal to work towards. Instead, there are an endless set of arbitrary missions and short term goals that really don’t mean anything, and are purely meant to keep the humans trapped in the Circus stimulated, as Ragatha points out. Combine this with the fact that the humans don’t need to eat or sleep, and it becomes crystal clear to Pomni that there is nothing remotely meaningful about this place at first glance.

Naturally, Pomni finds this horrifying, and desperately tries to leave and get back to a normal life which actually has substance to it, and this seems promising as Pomni manages to find an exit door and eventually make it all the way to the void, where it appears she might be able to escape, or at least discover something new she may be able to garner meaning from. Of course, whatever this might lead to is ultimately kept from Pomni (and all of us as well) as a result of Caine bringing her back to the circus, and here Pomni’s hope that she can find her own meaning is crushed.

Fast forward to episode 2, and we can see that Pomni is at least tolerating circus life, even though she hasn’t adjusted to it, which is evident because of the nightmare she has. Furthermore, she clearly does not care about the adventures Caine makes for them because she already knows they have no meaning. However, things take a turn later in the episode when Pomni finds herself stuck out of bounds with one of the NPCs from the current adventure, Gumigoo, who has an existential crisis when he realizes that his entire reality has been fabricated. Gumigoo naturally comes to the same conclusion that Pomni does: the idea that his current world has absolutely no meaning. In experiencing this raw emotional moment from Gumigoo, Pomni appears to have a stark change in emotions.

Instead of being in a state of panic and/or depression because of the meaninglessness of everything around her, she first feels genuine concern for Gumigoo for feeling similarly to how she did upon joining the Circus, and she then clearly feels a sense of comfort at being able to relate to someone else in the moment. More than that, I believe she even finds joy in being able to be there for someone else in a dark moment rather than being the victim or needing the other people to reassure her, and she obviously feels a sense of hope in finding a friend she feels she can relate to and bond with. This is a critical moment in which Pomni has found her own kind of meaning in this otherwise meaningless world by means of showing kindness to someone else and pulling them out of a dark place, and THIS is why it’s so devastating when Caine just outright banishes Gumigoo from the Circus, out of fear of what might happen if he lost track of what characters were NPCs and what characters were humans. This is exactly what happens in the first episode: Pomni starts out with this assumption that the world she is currently in inherently has no meaning, she discovers something that has some amount of meaning to her, and that meaning is quickly stripped away from her, leaving her even more convinced that her world has no meaning.

So yeah, it was frustrating in episode one when Pomni found the exit but was forced to go back to the Circus. It was frustrating in episode two when Pomni befriended Gumigoo and Gumigoo was forced to leave the Circus. That being said, I almost feel like that’s kinda the point. In deliberately making us fans feel like something really meaningful to us was just taken away from us for no obvious reasons, I think the show is just trying to make us feel the sentiments that Pomni feels, connecting us with the existential cruelty of the narrative.

[booasaur]

Heya! What did you think of the latest Gotham Knights? I don't wanna ask spoilery or leading questions if you haven't seen it yet?

I was finally JUST able to watch it last night and it was craaaazy. There was so much Sharper, they used the word Sharper!

It was really strong Harper->Stephanie stuff, at least, we don't really know what Stephanie yet feels, she's very friendly and a bit flirty but not to the point of confirming anything. "Like a brother to me" should have shut the door on Turner/Stephanie, but then we have next week's preview...

Based on how TV stories are normally told, it still feels like Turner/Duela and Sharper are the stronger pairs. Given the many parts of this love square and that it's a 13 ep season, for Turner/Stephanie (if it is them and not Turner hallucinating) to already happen by ep 10 means it's not the big climactic romance and we still have three eps for more to play out with it all. Whatever happens first isn't "settled", basically.

Even if, we then get more activity for the other two ships only to come back to this one by the end of the season, it just feels extremely unlikely to me that they'd stick with this one ship permanently and leave Duela and Harper with no one. And not just because they've spent far more time developing Turner/Duela (what's their ship name, lol) and Sharper romantically than Turner/Stephanie. Hell, the Turner/Stephanie hug and handhold this ep were half for the purpose of letting us see Duela and Harper's reactions.

Still, two little obstacles to happy Sharper. That "you always go for the himbo or straight girl" talk from Cullen was interesting. The point of a discussion like that, well, the point of anything at all in fictional media is to prompt some kind of action or change. Here, it's made Harper take more seriously the idea that Stephanie is straight and not a realistic option for her and then being in the right (or wrong) place to have that seemingly confirmed by the handhold. We the audience know that was platonic (in the moment, lol, that damn preview--well, and to be fair, that one scene a few eps back), but now most likely the next eps will have Harper withdraw from Stephanie a bit, possibly to prompt Stephanie to then ask what's up?

The other possible consequence of that discussion is to make Harper and the audience really think it's true, that she only goes for unattainable people and should focus on opening herself up to someone serious, but, lol, who? There's no OTHER queer girl that we've seen and the only other guy she's not related to is Turner, which, that would be truly ridiculous. I mean, there's Brody, but she literally hasn't said a single word to him and how would he not fall in the himbo category, if Dylan does.

The other issue, of course, is the fact that when this was written, the CW was still giving blanket renewals, so the writers may have set up a cliffhanger or very temporary end to this season, confident in the knowledge they'd get another one, but in the new climate this could very well be the true end. Just gonna have to see how this plays out, I guess.

[synthwwavve]

i don't have any bo hcs myself (at least not yet) and i enjoy your hcs!! someone i used to follow on twt portrayed her as a traumatized person who would be a good person if not for everything that happened. and i always kind of rocked with it bc i haven't seen tcw (i have seen rebels) but i like your take on her better. i think it makes more sense with mando culture as well. Mandalorians are nothing if not Absolutely Completely Committed to their understanding of the creed. so while yes Bo went through some fucked up shit that def affected her I can't see her being any other way

Omg thank you!! Seriously this means so much to me and makes me so happy ^^

But yes I totally agree, I'm glad that was your takeaway from my headcanons because that's exactly how I view her background and who she is as a person, and I wasn't sure if I fully communicated what I was trying to say!

I feel like she's definitely a case where maybe tragic things happened to her that messed her up/contributed to the path she ended up on, but not in the sense that she was a victim of circumstance completely at the mercy of outside forces. (I feel like I bitch about this constantly but that characterization of her just doesn't interest me.) I feel like she absolutely chose/voluntarily carried out most of the negative or destructive views she held or acts she committed.

I headcanon her situation as being a case of how a fairly privileged person can end up radicalized into an extreme ideology based on their reaction to mostly perceived/exaggerated slights or oppression, and through being socially isolated except for seeking out interaction only w. other people who share their extreme views, as we see often on the internet today.

Not that (imo in my headcanons) the newmandos did nothing wrong or were entirely on the right side of history, but my point being their wrongs were probably so much worse to someone with a reactionary worldview. Also I HC for Bo specifically a lot of her hate was initially rooted in dysfunction with her sister, a lot of which is tbh vindictive and one-sided on her side towards Satine.

All in all yes, my reading of her is a person who experienced traumas that contributed to, but didn't cause, her to turn to extremist nationalism or to generally be hostile, low-empathy, prejudiced, machiavellian etc etc. It's just her personality and who she is. And if you have spent five seconds on my blog you know I absolutely mean all of those things affectionately because she's so interesting to me and the fact that she's kind of a bastard is what makes her interesting imo!!

Anyway thanks again for the ask and I'm glad you enjoyed my headcanons, believe me I'm always happy to talk about them lol

[dominaxnoctis]

Now I’m even more curious, what’s Lydia’s opinion of Kurda? / @mariiposas unprompted questions status: always accepting !

HOOOOOOO this is a whole box of angst I didn't know I'd be unpacking ajsdkjas.

So I haven't talked much about her relationships with the other vampires on this blog as I have on past blogs for Lydia (had two others and lost the passwords because I have the memory of peanut), but she was also good friends with Kurda Smahlt. I could actually lowkey argue she was closer to Kurda than she was with any of the others but she won't talk about him unless pried so it's not easily brought up. Lowkey almost shipped them even, but that's a whole other thing. He was closer to her age compared to the others she knew or met (who most were MUCH older than her and Darren was much younger while Kurda was only 30 years older than Lydia).

If Kurda is brought up in post story 'present' parts of her timeline Lydia refuses to talk about it for several reasons. His betrayal was one of the most hurtful moments in her time as a vampire besides the loss of Rosaline (I say this because nothing can be more hurtful than her time being alive and losing everything all at once, but this crept fairly close to agonizing).

Yet, despite what he had done, she does make a passing mention after his death that she could never truly hate him as much as she absolutely wanted to for what he did because Kurda always had good intentions and only ever put others first rather than himself. She even broke down after his execution when she was finally alone. Any mention of Kurda is painful enough, it's fairly easy to see it in her eyes no matter how hard she tries to hide it. Which of course that leads to him becoming Harkat.

I'd say knowing that the tiny people belonged to Desmond made her EXTREMELY distrustful towards them. I'm talking anytime poor little guy was around her she would stare daggers into him like he was some type of monster to be rid of, but after it's revealed that he was Kurda before there's an entire turn around in her attitude towards him. More polite, eyes softening when she looks at him, etc. Although she still looks extremely sad when she does lay eyes on him. She doesn't really speak to him though. She refrains from it even though he doesn't remember anything himself even after Desmond revealing it(especially since his reaction to that is different depending on the Manga or Book), and remains that way towards him. She never sees Harkat again after the events of the series, but muses about him fondly saying she found him 'endearing and somewhat adorable' yet won't outright say it's because of his connection to Kurda.

NOW IF WE GO WITH ALTERNATE TIMELINE WE GET A GLIMPSE OF AT THE END OF THE SERIES (which l lowkey wanna make a verse for because happier??? Lydia? Come on now-)

I'd say with many of the ones she lost being alive, her personality changes a lot. All of the deaths experiences contributed to Lydia being more cold and distant as well as definitely contributed to her habit of pushing others away. If theoretically that alternate timeline happened instead and Kurda was somehow alive, she would still hold Kurda in high regard noting that he might have been a traitor before, but she herself eventually forgave him. So she would be much more willing to be openly opinionated about him and it would mostly be positive rather than driven by her feelings of being upset and hurt.

TLDR: Her feelings towards that man are a little sus, but she wont admit it nor talk about him because everything that happened with him was too painful.

Also their personalities were very similar in terms of 'intelligence/kindness over fighting strength' and I think if we put all of those events aside Lydia genuinely liked him for not only that but just how kind-hearted Kurda was. Other vampires may have seen that as a weakness, but Lydia admired him for it and often thought he made up for what some of the others lacked.

[allthingsarmin]

Hello there, so I haven't seen a lot of your works but for what I've seen I really like it! I was wondering how would be Armin's reaction to an s/o who's even more skilled at manipulating people than he is?

Thanks and have a lovely day!

Thank you for the request! I’m sorry this took me a while to write (I came down with a horrible cold), but I hope you’re having a lovely day as well!

GN!Reader

_____________________________________________________

ᵔᴥᵔ Armin values your intelligence. Whether or not you believe you’re smart, he appreciates your insight, open-mindedness, awareness, understanding, and things alike, so he is obviously very impressed that you’re able to read people well and have them right where you want them, listening to the controlling words that smoothly roll off of your tongue and manipulating them with that seemingly innocent glimmer in your eye.

ᵔᴥᵔ Though Armin knows you’re intelligent, he thinks your manipulation works well only because you’re so cute.

ᵔᴥᵔ Look at you, so cute, right? Your mature stature, seemingly friendly nature, wide smile, kind eyes, and a soft voice you only use on others you’re manipulating. It’s enough to fool anyone as it hides your sly nature.

ᵔᴥᵔ And he’s honestly fine with you manipulating playing little jokes on your friends… like when you convinced Mikasa to give you her last piece of bread because you were just feeling so faint, your bones so feeble after you fell off and got trampled by your horse on the last mission. Of course, Mikasa can’t ignore the sadness in your eyes, the way you grab your head and say that you feel so lightheaded, the way you limp up to her to start a conversation, so obviously, she can’t deny you her last piece.

ᵔᴥᵔ Armin watches the whole situation take place and is just bewildered because how did you get someone as quiet and rigid as Mikasa to give you her last piece of food? It never worked when he did it, and he is demanding that you give him some tips.

ᵔᴥᵔ Armin also likes to have a little fun with your skills, and occasionally, you guys will tag-team a manipulation situation to have some laughs.

ᵔᴥᵔ Prepare for trouble and make it double:

ᵔᴥᵔ One time, you tried to convince Sasha that she was technically a cannibal because potatoes alarmingly share so much DNA with humans.

ᵔᴥᵔ “Sasha, look, I didn’t really want to have to tell you this, but you’re behavior is really concerning me,” you said with raised brows and a hushed tone. “The way you’re obsessed with potatoes… don’t you know that potatoes and humans share similar DNA? You’re like a cannibal. It’s frightening!” you exclaimed, shuddering and shaking your head.

ᵔᴥᵔ Sasha erupts with laughter, her mouth full of food. “Yeah right,” she snickers.

ᵔᴥᵔ Armin chimes in. “Y/n is serious, Sasha. That’s why we don’t talk with you as much anymore… I mean, we even call you the potato titan…” he trails off. And there it is. The final button has been pushed as you both walk away, giving disturbed looks to Sasha and exchanging wide grins with one another in secret, interlocking hands. For a while, neither of you saw Sasha eat a potato.

ᵔᴥᵔ Everyone views you two as a power couple. Unbelievably compelling, heroes of humanity, a force to be reckoned with, people who do what they need to and always succeed with the best possible outcome. No one doubts you two, and threats should fear you. You each can’t deny what an honor it is being with one another and working together, especially Armin who is in awe of your fervor and strength, who blushes at your beauty, and whose heart still skips a beat when you grab his hand - (but you do this because you know it makes him feel mushy on the inside). It’s funny, really, the intense atmosphere you bring to the branch, but on the inside, you two are softies who are taking up responsibilities and doing what you are lethally and dangerously good at.

ᵔᴥᵔ You wouldn’t consider yourself to be a “bad person,” but you can’t deny the fact that you love being a little smarter and more manipulative than Armin Arlert because that means you always have him under you - under your control right at the tips of your fingers. Not in a bad way of course… you just love the way that he would do anything for you, that he does whatever you ask, and makes time for you always. And of course you would do anything for him, but can’t you imagine all the things you could make him do for you or to you? Making him only want you and need you? Making him suffocate himself inside your warmth, him being so strong yet so dependent on you?

ᵔᴥᵔ Armin is maybe a tad bit jealous that you can manipulate quicker, easier, and better, but he knows he is better at strategy than you, and he is just lucky that 1. someone can take some pressure off of him. 2. is in the presence of someone so smart, witty… someone that he can learn from, gain knowledge and experience from, and someone that he can have intelligent conversations with, exchange clever jokes with, etc.

ᵔᴥᵔ However, he is a little concerned:

ᵔᴥᵔ Though Armin is strategic, powerful, and extremely useful, he is a gentleman who just happened to get caught up in a terribly hard situation. He had to put his values, dreams, and humanity aside in order to protect others, in order to manipulate enemies… This was very hard for him to do, so he is a bit concerned how you find it so easy to just ‘turn on’ your manipulation mode and are able to control people’s actions so easily and without guilt. Of course he knows you wouldn’t do anything bad, but it frightens him a little that you're this good.

ᵔᴥᵔ Armin also deals with a lot of self-doubt after being bullied and being viewed as weak and useless amongst other things, continuously having to prove himself to others who constantly overlooked his worth. He knows his worth now; he knows he is smart and cunning… but with you being so dangerously clever - a whole other level above him - he can’t deny that he is self-conscious, that he sometimes quivers out of fear and anxiety when he is in your presence. You are so good at what you do - a natural. It’s so easy for you, and he worries that he will have to yet again prove himself to others since you're the "person to go to" now.

ᵔᴥᵔ Armin trusts you - of course he does - but with feeling so weak in your presence, he can’t deny he is a little scared of you using your power over him. What if you’re just using him? As a joke? For personal gain? To get information? These thoughts run through his mind as his heart fills with insecurity.

ᵔᴥᵔ However, Armin is smart too, and he knows that someone who is a better manipulator than he is wouldn’t share their weaknesses with him, wouldn’t share their hilariously embarrassing stories with him, or their fears, dreams, doubts. He trusts your reassurances because even though you’re a master manipulator, he knows who you really are. He knows that when you’re hungry, you become agitated by the slightest sounds because your head hurts so badly, or when you’re anxious, you tend to bite the skin on your lips. He knows that your legs get shaky when you have to tend to the horses at night because you’re secretly afraid of the dark, and he knows how hard it is for you to suppress your laughter when talking to Captain Levi because he is just a little shorter than you. Armin knows you’re a badass - a devious and scheming one at that - and yeah, he can’t deny that you’re the most powerful person he’s met - but when you two are cuddling together in his small bed at night, candles lit, breathing softly, he knows it’s the real you because you’re the one who goes to him for reassurance.

ᵔᴥᵔ You’re both clinging softly to one another, Armin resting his chin on top of your head and giving you forehead kisses while you’re buried into his warm, muscular chest, taking in the distant noises of his heart beats.

“Do you think I convinced him to kill the rest of his team?” you asked, concerned.

“Of course you did, baby, didn’t you see the look on his face?” He reassures you, blue eyes lighting up, and laughing that you’d even ask a stupid question like that. Of course you convinced him… because that’s what you always do.

“Haha, yeah you’re right. He did look pretty pathetic,” you both erupt into hearty laughter. You rest easy, feeling accomplished knowing that you held back a dangerous threat yet again… and Armin takes a deep breath, feeling proud of his robust, intelligent, and manipulative partner, feeling lucky as he gets to sleep beside one of the most powerful minds in the world.

[takamakisu]

『♥🖤Akira X Ann: Why I Support It.🖤♥』

In honor of the upcoming ShuAnn week, I have decided to contribute by writing a long post about why I love these dorks so much. I haven't seen a meta for them yet, so I figured I'd try my hand at it. (Which will be updated and expanded as I find more content) Without further ado, let us begin! Tagging the wonderful @shuann-week for this one.

1. The first encounter.

In media, the first interaction that two characters have with one another, regardless of relationship; lays the groundwork for said relationship and therefore is absolutely vital. When Akira first meets Ann, he's casually texting away on his phone and not really paying attention to much, but when she walks by he looks up. Already his curiosity is piqued, as is the player's; and then when she removes her hood, even then we don't get to see her face. But we DO see Akira's reaction, and he seems absolutely dumbstruck.

This is when things get interesting. Ann takes a few moments and sort of surveys her surroundings, and then she senses Akira's eyes and turns to him. And he doesn't look away, or get flustered; Akira keeps looking at her with that flabbergasted expression. He doesn't even blink. He is so taken aback by her he can't even greet her, and Ann just smiles at him and looks away- but even then, he doesn't break his gaze, and he never does until she actually leaves: Ann leaves him absolutely spellbound. And the music that plays during this encounter is exclusive to this encounter and this encounter alone. It never plays before this scene, nor does it ever play again after. There are heavy romantic undertones in this encounter, from the body language to the background music, and only Ann receives this treatment. It screams "attraction at first sight", and now with the groundwork laid, the relationship can begin to blossom.

 This is very important. Even before we get to see Ann's face, we already know from Akira's viewpoint that she must be pretty, at least in his eyes. And when we finally do get to see her face, she is indeed beautiful.

2. Her closeness to him.

First off, she's with you from essentially the beginning of the game, so you get a lot of time to get to know her and become closer to her. Ann is the third member to join your party and the first female member and therefore the first available romance option as well! (That's pretty big.) She's also your classmate, so you get to see her literally every day and there's a sense of familiarity that is built on from the beginning. 

Ann was the first to see Akira for who he truly was, and she looked past the rumors of him and got to know him for herself. Because she understands being an outsider and being mistreated, there's a level of understanding Ann has with you that the other girls simply do not. That's not to say they're bad, but Ann just connects better with the protagonist on that level. Let it also be remembered that before she met Akira, and by association the rest of the Phantom Thieves; Ann didn't have any friends, besides Shiho. Due to being a foreigner (and a very pretty one, at that) and the rumors surrounding her with Kamoshida, no one talks to her. While having a two-parent household, they are rarely home; and so Ann's lonely as well as bullied. Akira saving her from Kamoshida and then giving his genuine friendship then allows her to open up and be vulnerable to other people and that's very healthy. 

Another interesting interaction is during the Kamoshida arc, Makoto will ask you in essence what's the relationship between you and Ann, if there's something between you. If you say "there's nothing", her reply is "Didn't seem that way yesterday" and if you tell her you're classmates she'll say "But do friends get that close?"

3. How she falls for him.

For these reasons, I support these two. Lemme know in the comments what won you over to this pairing and any other moments that get your heart warm and fuzzy! 

In addition, Ann gets an on-screen kiss with the protagonist; a luxury only two other Persona girls have received (from 3-5, Maki kisses Naoya in P1): Margaret and Marie from Persona 4. The fact that Ann gets an explicit kiss (and possibly an implicit one as well because in Rank 9 her reaction to Joker hugging her hints he MIGHT have kissed her too) screams that while she's not 'canon' (nobody is) it sure does seem Atlus is sneakily pushing her towards Joker. They even match costumes in the dancing games! Oh yes, and Ann doesn't go home on Valentine's Day + Sojiro literally just "ayyyy" when she walks in- XD

Her Confidant has the protagonist and Ann getting closer as friends and also helping Shiho recover and you get to be a part of a few of Ann's interpersonal relationships. Shiho, as stated before, was Ann's closest and only friend before she met the player; and so earning her trust and helping her heal is significant. Suzui also hints to the player Ann seems to be attracted to them, talking about how her best friend talks highly of you and then the blonde gets flustered.

Her confession shot me through the heart. With Ann you don't have to increase your Knowledge or your Guts; just Kindness. To her, it doesn't matter if you get the best grades in the class or how brave you are, she just wants a friend who'll be there for her when she needs them, and that's what Ann falls for in the protagonist: his genuineness and his willingness to stick by her side. She falls in love with you for who you are and it feels the most natural and realistic. Something that's also very interesting about Ann's rank 9 event in Japanese is instead of saying “I guess we’re more than friends now...” she actually says, “I just realized it,” referring to her feelings for him (when she said “I love you”) in the original dialogue. And this is so so important. This hints at a love that developed slowly over a friendship and Ann wasn't even really aware it was there at first, until the only friend she'd had moved away and she felt alone and abandoned again. Akira being her pillar in that moment was the paradigm shift from platonic feelings to romantic ones and that is absolutely beautiful. But she ALREADY loved him, did you catch it? She just realized and became aware of it in that situation. Ann's been in love with the protagonist for who knows how long before she even confesses. And at the end of her confidant she calls you her light.. that just speaks volumes to me. The protagonist basically saved her, and because of that she wants to become stronger and encourage other people as well. It's beautiful. 

5. Other characters reactions to them.

There's a specific scene where the protagonist is in the bathhouse with Ryuji and Yusuke, and Ryuji will ask you what you think of Ann. If you admit you think she's pretty, he gets extremely excited ("Ooh, you straight up said it!")

Another very interesting thing that's different in the original language is when Akira gets home from interrogation. In English, Ann just chirps "Hey there!" No big deal, right? But in Japanese, she says, “okaeri”, which means “welcome home”. This greeting is said amongst family or couples in Japan, hinting a deeper level of closeness than the translation. 

(It's also something of note that when Ann got locked out of her room in Hawaii she went to Akira's room first. )

Additionally, after the school festival; Ann will talk to you about how she thinks about your future together! And if you tell her in another instance that you'd like to get married, she gets extremely excited whereas some of the other romance options become all flustered and blushy; a cute and interesting contrast.

A Mementos conversation also has Ann absentmindedly talking about how coffee goes well with sweets, to which Ryuji immediately replies 'Joker always smells like coffee, doesn't he?'

Now, I may be looking too deeply into this, but this could possibly be Ryuji "hint hint-ing" he thinks Akira and Ann are a good pair for each other. Ryuji also flat out refuses to date Ann during a scene in the gym when she offers to let him take her out. I don't know about you, but if I had a crush on somebody and they offered to let me go out with them, I don't think I'd turn it down as quickly and explicitly as Ryuji did (He tells her 'hell no, quit acting like you're some sexy anime character'). Personally I think Ryuji supports Ann with Akira and so he tries to gently nudge her over like "Okay, this guy? He's a good fit for you." Sakamoto's a great friend for Ann but I personally believe he's better as just that: a friend. 

4.  Their personalities blend well.

Ann's bubbly personality contrasts wonderfully with the protagonist's more introverted, reserved side. They're sort of like Robin and Starfire, just to less extremes. Ann is very pleasant and tender and she's got a big heart and it shows; consistently. She's a great friend to Ryuji and Shiho and big sister to Futaba, while at the same time tolerating nonsense from absolutely no one, regardless of status. I now want to cast attention to Meyer-Brigg's personality types. These are headcanons, but after analyzing Akira and Ann's characters Joker seems to be an ISTJ, while Panther is an ENFP. These are abbreviations for Introversion, Sensing, Thinking, Judging (ISTJ) and Extroversion, Intuition, Feeling, Percieving (ENFP) respectfully. Ann, at her core; is the heart of the Phantom Thieves honestly. She is very sensitive to others' emotions and feelings, and very emotionally intelligent. Being an extrovert, Ann also needs interaction and validation from other people: it energizes her and fufills her. And, in return she's a caregiver; Ann wants to support others and help them become stronger. She's a wonderful sister figure and just a comforter in general, and very amiable and chirpy. Contrast that with Akira, who makes decisions based on facts and logic rather than feelings and intuition (although in the Metaverse he seems to throw caution to the wind, quite frankly) and analyzes situations from a logical rather than emotional angle; (and there are exceptions to this like helping the woman Shido was assaulting and chasing Ann down to talk to her) and they seem on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. However, their differing personalities balance one another. While Akira keeps Ann grounded logically, she keeps him grounded emotionally and the bounce off is extremely healthy. 

In Yusuke's Confidant, saying Ann is the definition of beauty nets the most points. 

Atlus seems to like putting these two together as well, from giving them matching songs and outfits in the dancing games to putting them together in advertisements. It's pretty cute and though it's subtle, it's a nice little nod. 

[texasthegreatdestroyer]

So, I don't usually do these, because I always felt that shipping oc's with characters from other fan works was socially frowned upon, but since I've been seeing a few of these around, I'll give it a shot. My OC shipped with Auron.

Auron x Texas.

Yes, Auron's current partner in crime, rather he'd liked to admit it or not. Their meeting was rather... comedic. Auron didn't really notice his co worker until he accidentally rested the elbow of his sheifed arm on her head. She was very short, Her height being 4'8. He looked down to find a short, albino girl with wolf ears, and a tail. The whole package. Everything else looked human, she just had a few furry parts to her. Another key thing about her is that she always came off as the, "edgy" type, for her preference in black lipstick, and eyeliner. When he did get to know her, Auron has always found her annoyingly chipper, and overly friendly. The two attended a funeral together once, and she wouldn't stop smiling. Seriously. How does someone smile that much at a funeral??? Auron asked her about it.

Her response: Usually when people die, they don't want people to mourn over them, there for I choose not to mourn.

She wasn't entirely wrong, speaking from his own experiences, however it wasn't exactly the majority opinion, as Auron had to keep the wife of the dead man from trying to punch Tex in the face. Tex was almost always very clingy in the irritating and physical sense. She liked hugging a lot. She would hug Auron everytime she'd see him, and it usually would last 5 minutes before he would have to eventually pull her off. As time went on, and they grew closer, Auron started to notice that something was very wrong with Texas. Her extremely chipper personality was used to hide some dark, twisted thoughts, feelings, and even experiences. He came to this realization when he went to visit her one night, and she didn't answer her door. She lived in a dormitory like area, where there was the bedroom, and then a small room next to it that was a kitchen, and the bathroom being against the the smaller side of the rectangular kitchen. It was a nice little place for someone who likes living alone, but it had its downsides, like paper thin walls. You could hear the inhabitants, and they most likely can hear you as well. After a minute or two of waiting, just as he turned to leave, Auron was startled by the sound of soft, female sobbing, coming from Tex's dorm. He knew for a fact that if Tex was crying, which he had never actually seen her do, something was horribly wrong. He immediately opened the door to find a mess waiting for him. Texas sat their curled up in a ball, hands grabbing at her hair and pulling, make up smeared, wrists bleeding from self inflicted bites. Scattered around her were drawings of morbid, violent, and just horrid depictions, along with words scribbled over them along the lines of, "Worthless", "Dead", "No Future", "I'm nothing." A common sign of depression. If there was one thing Auron always knew about Tex is that she had a talent for art. She did this thing that she called a web comic. Auron, not really being kept up in technology, never really knowing what it was, let alone reading it, thought nothing of it, but he had seen her art, and it was phenomenal. It really opened his eyes to what she truly was when he saw that beauty and talent turned into something so ugly and self degrading. When Tex finally noticed him, her reaction was just to try to hide herself in the comfort of her knees. Auron began snooping around, and grabbing rags, then pried Tex's hands from her head, and wrapped her wrist.

Auron: Moron. What were you thinking???

Texas: ...

Auron pulled her into an embrace, still holding the rags to her wrist.

Auron: Would you like to talk about why you bit yourself up like this? Or the sketches for that matter?

Texas: I-I don't know what to do! My art! My comic! I- the deadline to get chapter 9 out is tomorrow, and I thought I could just push through it in a day with enough effort, but I don't even have content! I don't have a script! I have no story, no art for chapter 9! I'm a fuck up! I'm stupid! I'm nothing! I-... I'm so sorry... you shouldn't have had to see me like this...

Auron: It's fine. You're human after all. I expect you to have emotions, breaking points. As for your problems. Tex, the comic is just a for fun thing, right?

Texas: Yeah...

Auron: Great. Take some time off until you get over your writer's block. The timely fashion of updates doesn't matter, the quality does. If you can't produce anything good, then step back and take a break. It's obvious that it's affecting your mental health. This will make you hate what you do, so step back from it. Take a break.

Texas: You're right, I've just... meh.

Auron: Don't be afraid to show your emotions around me. It shows me that you are human.

That night, Auron didn't leave Tex's side, mainly out of fear for what she might do when she's alone. This opened a pathway for future sleep overs. Auron didn't share his bed with many, but with Tex, it had become routine, and he didn't mind. He actually liked the cuddles. A few months later, he receives a message from Tex. That night, she wasn't with him, she decided to stay at her place to do some cleaning.

Message received at 1:23 am:

Texas: Hey. Are you awake?

Auron: I wasn't until you woke me. -_-

Texas: Oh sorry. I forgot that your ringtone is up all the way usually... I'm sorry. XD

Auron: This better be important if it warrants you texting me at one in the morning...

Texas:...

Auron: It's not that important, is it?

Texas: ... No comment...

Auron: Tex...

Texas: I'll leave you alone then.

Auron: Why do you do this!? Spit it out! I'm already awake!

Texas: Are you sure? It can wait until tomorrow.

Auron: Tex. Spit. It. Out...

Texas: I can't! You're making me nervous!XI

Auron: Why would you be nervous?

Texas: Because it's kinda personal...

Auron: Okay. Pretend I'm not here. Say what you have to say.

Texas: ... that is so unaffective when I'm staring directly at that message...

Auron: Point taken. Just tell me.

Texas: Okaaaaay! ...

The icon at the bottom that says that Tex is typing stays that way for 5 minutes.

Auron: So?

Texas: Okay. Here goes nothing. And when I say that, I mean here goes everything I could possibly hold dear in my life. XD

Auron: Are you going to say what I think you're going to say?

Texas: I would really really really REALLY like to punch you in the face!

Auron: Okay, that's not where I thought you were going with this.

Texas: With my face, gently... I Love you! You are amazing, and wise, and sweet, even when you hide it under your protective layers! I simply love you. End of story. And I was wondering if you would allow me to take you out to dinner! I'm going to go cry now, because I feel like I'm dying XD

Auron: I stand corrected...

Auron: O//_//O...

Auron: No.

Texas: No?

Auron: No.

Texas: Okay then... What? No reason why? Like I'm cool with it, if you don't like me like that, but still. At least give me a reason...

Auron: Okay. I'll tell you exactly why. Yeah. I like you. I think you're cute. However, I don't appreciate you waking me up at 1 in the morning to text me with a confession. You want a relationship? Fine, but take initiative and tell me to my face. Quit being a coward. -_-

Texas: Ouch. My feel goods. Anyways, I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow man. Sorry about this...

Auron: It's fine :) Sleep well, Tex.

Texas: You too bro <3

After Auron and Tex finish messaging each other, Auron goes back to sleep. The next day is pretty amusing. Auron waits for his partner. Half expecting she hopes to forget about the previous night. Auron hears running behind him, and turns to find Tex in a suit and tie running up to hi., screaming, "I love you, you sexy, sexy son of a gun!" She knocks his feet out from under him, and steals a very, very passionate kiss, but soon afterwards, causing Auron and Tex both to fall over to the ground. Because her tiny frame is too much for his bigger, heavier frame. Luckily Texas's arm was under Auron's head when they fell, so no brain damage was caused to the older male. Texas turns to Auron, half expected to be heated, and she wasn't wrong, just heated in a different sense. Auron's face was bright red, slight tears to his eyes, he bursts out laughing, black lipstick smeared on his lips.

Texas: What? You told me to take initiative!

His laughter fades to a light chuckle, and then he stops.

Auron: Wow. That was... cheesy.

Texas: Also clearly failed...

Auron: (Still catching his breath.) No it didn't.

Texas: So it actually worked!?!? YAY!

Auron: Just don't do that again. You took us both out in the process.

Auron pulls Tex into his lap, and the two share a proper kiss.

Auron: See. That in of it's self is enough for me.

Texas: Yeah, but it wouldn't be a confession from me if it wasn't stupidly cheesy and didn't make you smile.

Auron: It's missing something though.

Texas: And that is?

Auron: The amazing pick up line from last night.

Texas: Ah yes, you have good taste, my kind, gentle sir. I would really.

Auron: Yes?

Texas: Really.

Auron: Go on.

Texas: Really.

Auron:...

Texas: Really!

Auron: Hopefully this is the last, "Really."

Texas: Like to punch you in the face. With my face gently, romantically, and in other places besides your face.

Auron: Okay. Okay. Calm down. We haven't even had dinner yet...

Texas: Exactly. Dinner.

Auron is very flustered at his now girlfriend's sense of humor. Safe to say, they had a very romantic evening together. ;3

This is my contribution to OC x Fan work Characters. Hope you enjoyed!