#SHE BROUGHT UP A LOT OF THE SAME POINTS I MENTIONED I LOVE HER LMAO

[penguwastaken]

About Brainwashing in Danganronpa

Hello to all 3 of the people who see this account. A few months ago, I made a thread on hit website Twitter dot com about brainwashing in the Danganronpa Series. I discussed where it came from, how it works, and how the brainwashing of class 77-B was never a retcon. The thread got a lot of attention there, even getting a "debunk" on other hit website Reddit dot com (lmao). Due to that, there's been a lot of responses and questions. Since I can't really update a Twitter thread, I decided that I'd make the Ultimate™ Brainwashing thread and hopefully dispel any information on the subject while making my original points more clear and covering things I failed to cover. So here it is: Brainwashing in Danganronpa, how it works, where it came from, and how it was intended from the start. (a 🧵 except not really) *Massive spoilers for Danganronpa Zero, Danganronpa 2, Danganronpa Another Episode, Danganronpa Togami, and Danganronpa 3, as well as the series as a whole*

Danganronpa Zero: First Sighting

Brainwashing has its roots all the way back in the second official entry produced in the series, Danganronpa Zero. During the story's events, Ryoko comes across a secret cult made up of students from the reserve course. They're seen staring at a strange video, seemingly turning them and turn them into mindless zombies.

The video depicts members of the student council killing each other. Ryoko is stunned while watching it. She can barely look away, but eventually through force of will she does. This same video is later used to convince the reserve course to rebel.

The way it's described to work is that it uses their “pent-up emotions,” implying that their emotions played a role in its effectiveness. It's also worth noting that the novel itself refers to what is happening as brainwashing, making this objectively the first depiction of brainwashing in the series right from the second entry.

Danganronpa 2: Now it Gets Dubious

Our next instance of brainwashing comes from Danganronpa 2. The concept is brought up multiple times, such as when Makoto states that the Ultimate Despairs were brainwashed or how the Neo World Program is good at treating brainwashing, though the details of what brainwashing actually means in this context are kept vague.

It's also worth noting that Danganronpa 2 was being written around the same time as Danganronpa Zero and Kodaka wanted concepts from the novel to appear in Danganronpa 2, likely so readers would feel validated. This is why things like Izuru Kamukura and the reserve course play huge roles in Danganronpa 2, it's not too much of a stretch to say that the same applies with brainwashing. One detail we’re given about the brainwashing is from Monokuma, who states the Ultimate Despairs were brainwashed by Junko taking advantage of their feelings. Specifically love, hate, grudges, and "anything really". If that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s exactly how the brainwashing video from Danganronpa Zero was described to function, using their pent-up emotions.

I should mention that Monokuma and Junko are known for being unreliable narrators who often stretch the truth, exaggerate things, and use hyperbole to manipulate people into believing their narrative. Monokuma describes the Ultimate Despairs as “nothing more than Junko’s limbs”, which contradicts the existence of characters like Nagito. Who, while in his despair state, did not work with Junko nor did he look up to her (at least in the normal sense like the other Ultimate Despairs). In fact, it would have been impossible for them to really obey any of Junko's orders as Ultimate Despairs because Junko was trapped inside of Hope's Peak with minimal connection to the outside world. This isn't a definitive "Monokuma is lying" statement, but just note that his word isn't 100% reliable. Meanwhile, someone like Makoto who outright mentions brainwashing, is a much more reliable source.

Danganronpa Another Episode: More Brainwashing! (kinda irrelevant tho...)

The next time brainwashing is used is in the next entry, Danganronpa Another Episode. Though its purpose in this discussion isn’t the most useful, as the brainwashing is caused by Monokuma helmets, which don’t have their functionality explained. I figured it was worth mentioning and describing at least, as its another example of brainwashing at least.

I did figure it was worth adding how the brainwashed children act. They obey the Warriors of Hope’s every command, as if they have zero control over their actions. This is different from how the Ultimate Despairs act, who still some free had free will after presumably being brainwashed judging by the actions of Nagito, who is also in this game.

Danganronpa Togami: I Hate My Life

Okay. As mixed as my opinions are on this novel trilogy, it does feature brainwashing. In fact, it might feature one of the most detailed and important descriptions of brainwashing in the series, and even outright CONFIRMS that class 77-B were brainwashed (sorta).

"Hey um... Tumblr/Twitter user Pengu... what do you mean by 'sorta'?" Well my uninformed reader who I guarantee has probably never read this book, there's a twist. I regret to inform you that the canonicity of Danganronpa Togami is rather questionable, as it depicts an extremely unreliable narrator’s warped viewing of events due to this thing called the K2K system, which means not everything in the novel is meant to be taken literally or at face value.

This doesn't mean that everything should be discarded or immediately dismissed however. This just means that we have to use our brains a little and decipher what the hell Yuya Sato was cooking when he wrote this novel trilogy. In the novel, we discover the existence of the elusive despair novel. When read, the novel will turn the reader to despair and inflict them with the despair disease. This novel is what's used to plummet the world into despair, as well as being what caused the class 77-B to become the Ultimate Despairs. There's no known ways to avoid it, once you read it, it's joever. 😔

As I said earlier, the events of Danganronpa Togami can’t be taken literally. Due to this and prior context, we can safely assume that the despair novel is most likely the K2K's warped idea of the despair video from Danganronpa Zero. Instead of being a book being read that brainwashed people, it was a video being watched. What makes me so sure? Well let's look over the similarities. The way the despair novel works is that it uses cruel words to overload the reader with negative emotions, causing them to snap and turn to despair. That sounds almost exactly like the despair video, overloading the viewer by manipulating their emotions until they turn to despair.

However, a major difference comes from the fact that Danganronpa Togami confirms towards the end that the despair novel doesn't literally brainwash people, acting as a placebo and an excuse for people with despair to use.

However I don't believe this suddenly breaks the connection to the despair video in Danganronpa Zero. All it shows is that the novel doesn't create despair, which is something we already established with the brainwashing video. It doesn't make despair, it makes it stronger. Whether it be via the disturbing imagery on the screen or the words on a page giving you an excuse, all it does is amplify despair. Basically it doesn't make despair come out of nowhere, it incites it. This connection's a little bit of a stretch but I'll bring it up anyways. The technology used in the despair novels was originally to bring hope. (Take notes, it will probably be important assuming you buy this connection.)

Essentially, the despair novel works in a similar same way as the despair video, but instead it’s a book and you read it instead of watching it. This means that class 77-B and the rest of the world were most likely brainwashed via the despair video, and that is what caused the class to become Ultimate Despairs.

Danganronpa 3: The One People Really Don't Like

And all of this brings us to the most detailed yet controversial usage of brainwashing: Danganronpa 3. Many assume that the anime’s usage of brainwashing is a retcon, contradicting the words of our holy savior Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair High School. However, I’d like to debate that. In fact, I'd like to finally put a nail in the coffin of this really stupid debate and finally show you that Danganronpa 3's depiction of brainwashing is exactly how it has always been described.

In Danganronpa 3, we are introduced to Ryota Mitarai and his anime. Using the power of subliminal messaging, it heightens the viewer's emotions and makes them more powerful. What was once a slightly emotional scene is now a complete tearjerker fully capable of tearing at the viewers heart strings! While he acknowledges that there are unethical things that can be done with this technology and it's technically brainwashing, his goal is to use this technology to make the world a better place, even if it can be dangerous. If that sounds familiar, that's because it's what Hope's Peak tried doing with the despair novel in Danganronpa Togami. Though I'll admit, this single point is a little bit of a stretch as there are differences. I just figured it was worth at least a mention.

Using her analytical prowess, Junko gets a rough understanding of how the technology works, so she develops the despair video, featuring the student council killing each other overlayed with subliminal messaging technology to make the despair felt while viewing the video stronger.

The video works on Mikan, however Junko fears that the video may not be powerful enough to fully go through with her plans due to not understanding the technology nearly as well as Ryota does. Because of this, she forces Ryota to create a better, more powerful despair video. A despair video v2 if you will. Junko’s fears weren’t unfounded, as we discover that Chisa had the mental fortitude to resist the despair video, similarly to how Ryoko was able to resist the same video in Danganronpa Zero. This is exactly why Junko needs a more powerful video, one that she knows can’t be resisted.

"Ermmmm, Tumblr/Twitter user Pengu, how come Ryoko and Chisa are able to resist the despair video but Mikan and nobody in the reserve course could?" Good question, the answer is pretty simple. As mentioned before, the video takes advantage of the emotions of the viewer. Mikan is already pretty weak minded, so there wasn't much issue in controlling her. The reserve course already hated Hope's Peak and would take any reason to hate them more, so a video that shows them the sins of Hope's Peak would affect them as well. Ryoko and Chisa have no connection to the reserve course however, and neither are particularly very weak emotionally. Ryoko has the analytical prowess of Junko and Chisa is just a very strong willed person in general, and paired with Junko's lack of knowledge about subliminal messaging when creating the video, it's pretty obvious it wouldn't be that effective on them. All the more reason for Junko to force Ryota to make a better despair video.

The despair video v2 that Ryota is forced to make comes in the form of Chiaki’s execution video, where the stronger subliminal messages paired with witnessing the representation of the happiest moments in their miserable lives and their closest friend suffer makes class 77-B unable to resist. Ultimately this causes them to finally snap, being overloaded with despair, and now they turn into the Ultimate Despairs. (side note this is so freaking cool idc what anyone else says)

This resembles Monokuma’s explanation from Danganronpa 2. Junko used class 77-B’s emotions and years of getting closer against them to turn them to them to despair. Now featuring the added context of her using the video designed to manipulate people’s emotions. Also as @jelimore pointed out, Junko leading the class to Chiaki's execution itself was manipulating them. This depiction of brainwashing fits perfectly with the information provided throughout the series, even down to the little details. It’s so close in fact that I can say without a doubt that Danganronpa 3 did not retcon anything. “But Tumblr/Twitter user Pengu, that isn’t how the video is shown to work during Hope Arc. Therefore it actually contradicts previous entries and is inconsistent!" To that I say, you’re correct! ...at least about the hope video functioning differently, but that doesn’t make it inconsistent. The hope video behaves pretty differently. Instead of overloading the viewer with negative feelings, it simply just shows them a repeating video loop that turns them into a mindless zombie, likely caused by even stronger subliminal messaging. The people affected can also snap out of this state with some time, as seen with Aoi.

The reasoning for this is actually pretty simple, it’s just different technology entirely. It’s stated that the hope video was developed later on after the despair video. If anything, it behaves very similar to the Monokuma masks from Danganronpa Another Episode, which we also already established uses different technology. The hope video doesn’t contradict the despair video at all because they both use completely different tech. This can also be seen with how the despair video uses subliminal messaging, meanwhile the messaging in the hope video couldn’t be further from subliminal. There is no inconsistency, just two different things.

The reason the hope video needed to be broadcasted everywhere was so that since it would be airing everywhere, nobody would have time for the effects to wear off or resist it. This would turn the world into mindless zombies who obey every command, similarly to the Monokuma kids. It's just that now they don't have to force bulky helmets onto everyone.

Debunking Common Arguments

With the hope video out of the way, I think it’s very safe to assume that not only is the despair video’s functionality very accurate to previous descriptions, it’s also always been the reason for the brainwashing of Class 77-B, long before Danganronpa 3. Even if you disagree and think the cause of brainwashing was never explicitly mentioned in Danganronpa 2, there's still the fact that Danganronpa 2 outright says it was brainwashing. So even if a video wasn't the direct cause of it, them being brainwashed was still always intended (though given the context and the fact the video was introduced in a tie in novel for the game, I'm certain that it was always the culprit). Many point to this line where Kazuichi asks why they became the Ultimate Despairs and Makoto says he never got an answer to debunk this. But... this doesn't change anything. He asks why they became Ultimate Despairs, not how. And this is completely ignoring the fact that Makoto clearly has done his own digging into the situation, he discovered the Remnants of Despair were hiding among Future Foundation after all. The Future Foundation had access to brainwashing videos, they found them, so of course Makoto is going to know about the brainwashing. What Makoto is saying here is that he doesn't know every little detail, all he knows is that they were brainwashed. I wrote a bit more about it here, but there's nothing contradictory in this scene.

Many also point to Mikan stating that it was her many human relationships that led her to being the way she is. Once again, this changes literally nothing. Mikan was the only one of the remnants who actually knew Junko, she was the only one who spent time with her because she was the first subject. This is why she gets more attached to her, and even why she'd believe what Junko would tell her when they spent time together. Monokuma also says that Junko used "hopeless methods overflowing with charisma and humor" to control the masses. I don't even know why I have to address this, but this statement is so vague you can interpret it as a million things. Like for example, this is how she got Ryota to work for her. While pretending to be Makoto to manipulate the people in the trial, Junko tells them that they all became Ultimate Despairs while coming into contact with her at Hope's Peak and they were subjected by her terrifying influence. Again, ignoring how vague "terrifying influence" is, this is literally Junko trying to LIE AND MANIPULATE them. This is quite possibly the worst example you could have used because we know for a fact that she is lying to them while pretending to be Makoto. There's other examples of Junko trying to manipulate them, like mentioning how everyone hated them and their all Ultimate Despairs at the end of the day. But that's just what this is, manipulation. You would think that the "Junko manipulated class 77-B" crowd would understand that saying "everyone hates you but I saw your potential" is literally manipulation 101. She even states that Izuru killed the entirety of a student council, which we know for certain is a lie because Danganronpa Zero (which came out before) says otherwise. Some say that the brainwashing turned them into mindless zombies and eliminates all blame from their actions. While I would agree that it does make them less at fault, they still have the ability to make choices and still have free will. Their original personalities haven't been overwritten, their brains were just rewired to crave despair. They're still each their individual person with their own ways of feeling despair, and characters like Chisa and Nagito show that they regain their free will to an extent. I also wrote more about that here, LOL.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

This whole debate stems from people misunderstanding Monokuma’s words and going along with the popular interpretation, which turned out to be wrong. Whether you like the use of brainwashing or not, it objectively isn’t a retcon as it's been developed ever since Danganronpa Zero. Personally, I love the use of brainwashing. I think the way it's developed throughout the series and its usage in Danganronpa 3 is super interesting. If you disagree, that's fine! Heck, if you choose to headcanon that Junko manipulated 15 individual teenagers into all becoming despair hungry terrorists capable but ending the world and fighting off every military in the world in less than a year, that's cool too! But the truth is, Danganronpa 3's brainwashing is canon and it's also not a retcon nor does it contradict anything. Contrary to popular belief, Kodaka was involved with the writing of the anime. He provided a large draft and outline of the plot and oversaw its development. He produced the anime, he did his homework, the team even played the games to prepare for writing the anime. He knew what he was doing. I'm sure if Kodaka intended for them to all be manipulated one by one, that's what he would have went with. All information implying that it was manipulation is very few and far between and questionable at best, not to mention outweighed by everything implying it was brainwashing. Mind manipulation stuff is not new in this series, its been around since the first game and brainwashing was established in literally the second entry ever produced. Whether you love it or hate it, think it's the best thing since sliced bread or the death of the series, brainwashing was the answer the whole time. Some people just never noticed it, and instead of acknowledging that they were wrong, they stuck with a headcanon that they believed so much and jumped to the conclusion of "retcon". I hope this mega post managed to inform some people, maybe change some minds too. If you still don't buy it, then I guess there's nothing I can do. Thanks for reading all of this though, I tend to yap a lot about this franchise lmao.

[chubs-deuce]

First off, love your work! Your art is phenomenal!

Though, I am rather curious. We've seen Lucifers reaction to finding out about Dawn, but what about the other residents of the hotel? I can't imagine Angel, Vaggie, Husk, and Nifty have an exactly pleasant reaction. Nifty because babies are messy, Husk because it's Alastor and ew??? he made a baby???, Angel because what was the sex like, and Vaggie because her (current? ex? never dated in this au?) girlfriend just popped up with a child that she apparently had with someone who's the literal worst. I guess I more or less answered my own question, but I'm still curious how you think they'd react. Perhaps even Lilith if you think that's something you can tackle with our limited information about her? I can honestly imagine her storming out of Heaven, kicking down the hotel doors, and scooping up little Dawn for Nana time. Maybe she even brings Alastors mama with her at one point as a small thank you to him for giving her a grand baby, but she probably has the same reaction to him as Lucifer and doesn't like him much. Lol

Also, you've probably talked about it before, but what were Charlie and Alastor trying to do when they accidentally conjured Dawn? You mentioned a spell/incantation or something, but what was it for?

One last question: I once saw a similar comic where Alastor accidentally made a baby with Angel and, upon trying to decide what to do with it, Alastor proceeded to try to (pretend to.... I hope) eat the baby. Did Alastor do the same thing in this situation or would he do something somewhat similar? What would Charlie have done if he'd tried?

Oh!!! What a wonderful ask to receive and get to pick apart/build upon!!!

First of all I'm so glad you like my art, thank you so much! :D

Secondly I'll happily give my take on everything you've just brought up - you're making many great points and I agree with a lot of them too :DD I'm gonna give my input under the cut since this got hella long lmao:

Question 1: how would the other hotel residents react?

I already agree with pretty much most of your ideas!

I personally think that they wouldn't just spring the news on the residents without Charlie being Charlie and wanting to make sure that whole thing goes over well (and correctly) and insisting on giving the context upfront first before any crass assumptions can be made!

So while Angel would be disappointed at the lack of implied sex to prod them about, I do think he'd take a liking to the baby p much immediately. He used to have a lot of extended family growing up under the circumstances that he did, so I like to imagine he slips into a kind of older brother/caretaker/babysitter role fairly easily! Not to mention he's one of the most emotionally intelligent members of the cast, so I think he'd also pick up on Charlie's emotional turmoil fairly quickly and become a great source of support early on.

Husk would definitely be weirded out, but more worried for the offspring and how much Alastor could potentially corrupt an innocent creature that harbors unknown amounts of immense power given her heritage by being given the freedom to raise her in his image. He does inevitably grow to care a lot more about her over time.

Niffty definitely doesn't like Dawn until she's old enough to start cleaning up after herself properly - by then Dawn has already developed a mischieviously playful personality, so Niffty easily manages to rope her into shenanigans such as bug hunts or stealing someone's diary or sth.

Vaggie's a tricky one since I haven't yet decided where she stands with Charlie.

Vaggie has every right to be extremely wary of Alastor and his motives (even after his efforts in the battle against Adam), she absolutely hates the idea that this freak managed to procreate - and with someone as innately powerful as Charlie nonetheless! But she also cannot deny that the child is ultimately not at fault in the slightest and undeserving of her ire, so she comes to the conclusion that the best she can do to prevent this fucker from influencing her negatively is to monitor their interactions and interject to keep the kid on the "right" track morally speaking.

Part of me wants to make it so they mutually broke up after Charlie made her deal with Alastor (Vaggie would've had a justified reason to be upset with her for being reckless and Charlie would've still been upset with Vaggie for keeping such a huge secret from her for years, so a fight would make the most canonically compliant sense here)…

…but I also think that keeping her and Charlie purely platonic from the get-go with Vaggie still working her way out of the militaristic mindset that was drilled into her in the past will generally be easier for me to successfully pull off.

This may or may not result in Vaggie trying to teach a five years old Dawn to fight with a spear that her little hands can barely even hold in the name of self defense :'D

As for Lilith… I don't know if I'll even really touch on her in the story? Mostly bc I have no clue what any of the clues we've gotten so far could mean for her personality-wise ^^" She could be the worst mom in the history of moms or the woman we saw by the beach was secretly Eve all along or maybe Lilith is actually playing some kind of 6d chess we don't see all of the pieces of for everyone's greater good - it's too many variables to really come to any one conclusion ^^"

I'll have to think about it in more detail later down the line…

Question 2: What were Charlie and Alastor trying to do when accidentally conjuring Dawn?

See, the exterminations are still happening bi-yearly now that Lute is in charge and Sera refuses to lift a finger to keep them in line, so the thirst for vengeance continues to go unquenched, only growing as time passes.

Great question, and one with an answer!

To add to that, Emily and a handful of others in heaven are getting worried about some ominous visions archangel Ramiel has been having and thought it best to entrust Charlie with Lucifer's old grimoire (that he wrote before he fell).

The reason? It appears in some of Ramiel's visions and they're hoping there's some kind of helpful thing in there.

And, more importantly, it's written in an ancient angelic language, one that Charlie isn't fluent in.

The spell they used to create Dawn is actually titled something Charlie translated to "Tool Of Infinite Potential"

So Charlie thought huh! Maybe this can help protect us better in the next etermination without relying on dad again or has some other hidden purpose I'm not yet privvy to that will help with restoring balance to heaven? It's scribbled across the last two pages of the book.

The spell requires at least two casters - so clearly it must be a powerful one, right?

The only people coming to mind powerful enough to handle that sort of magic would be Lucifer and Alastor - but considering the grimoire is written more like a diary and Charlie is very certain she wasn't meant to even have it to begin with, her father falls out of the equation.

So… they were techincally always trying to create Dawn, they just didn't know it yet due to a translation error :'D

That left Alastor, who then talked her into giving it a shot.

What neither of them knew yet was that Charlie mistranslated the spell - it's not "Tool" of infinite potential, but "Vessel". What is the forbidden offspring of an angel but a vessel of infinite potential? To raise up and teach whatever knowledge and beliefs you want?

Question 3: Would Alastor try to eat the baby?

No :'DDD

He's unhinged, yes. He doesn't normally like children - that is also correct.

Also Alastor is nothing if not an opportunist and after the initial surprise and shock and double-checking their notes to make sure they performed the ritual correctly… There's two things happening in his brain.

But I don't think he'd just try to fucking. Eat a child that was a rather costly fucking thing to make - sucking up not only materials and hours of planning but also one of his shadow minions, his blood and a literal piece of his soul.

Maybe he'd joke about it eating it to remove it after seeing Charlie vastly more in distress about the whole ordeal? But not really mean it, if so, yet still receiving a horrified glare from the princess lol.

Firstly: This child is equal parts him and Charlie - he recognizes the chance to mold and shape a young demon that might be on par with Charlie in terms of power in his image.

Secondly: He's hyperaware that he talked Charlie into doing this ritual, the baby undeniably looks like it's his - he's as much to blame here as her mistranslation.

There's a responsibility there for him, as both participant and not quite willing donor. That child has a literal piece of both of their souls in it and I genuinely don't think his internalized misandry and planet-sized pride would allow him to be like the deadbeat dads he's offed quite a few of in life now that he's put in a similar position. He would want to be better than his own father at least - especially if he wanted to succeed at shaping this kid completely to his will.

THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH FOR THIS ASK!!! I hope this wasn't too bothersome in length to read through ^^" (even tho I had a blast writing this up all evening lol)

Have a great day <3

[martellspear]

it bothers us because you have delusions that martell princess who was raped but nobody except her family was bothered by it cause she was so irrelevant suddenly should matter more than Jon Targaryen's parents who according to canon 'he loved her she loved him' and their love brought about the birth of the prince who was promised

suck on it irrelevant ugly woman stans and you have the gall to compare princess viserra to her when viserra was million more beautiful than the dornish scum and her ill spawn could ever be

Jon WHO? LMAO. I wasn't going to post this - my moots & followers don’t deserve to read this shit -  but it made me laugh more than the others

Rhaegar chose Lyanna, I agree.... but it was to die. Do you think he wouldn't have taken here somewhere safer and with more people to ensure > her < safety during childbirth if he wanted to? Please.

He could've let Elia die in a third pregnancy and be free from her and marriage duties. The thing is that the moment he found out it might happen he went "no❤️".

Also, I'd be embarrassed to use the show as source. Especially if my pRoMisEd pRiNcE's end was that one.

'Ugly woman' and that's her:

"The crowning of the Stark girl, who was by all reports a wild and boyish young thing with none of the Princess Elia’s delicate beauty."

I can't believe you're so obsessed to the point of seeing posts I don't tag😭. Go use that time to read the books, they're fun.

On a more serious note [tw: rape]:

You are disgusting. Do you know how hard someone has to try to be worse than some ASOIAF men?

‘In Casterly Rock, it was common knowledge that Gregor Clegane had killed Elia and her babe. They said he had raped the princess with her son’s blood and brains still on his hands.’

That’s what you are mocking. I don’t care that she’s a fictional character, what you and your rabble say about her is truly sickening, it’s heartbreaking that you get to vote.

Someone who’s not from her family and cares a lot about what happened is Ned. I’m sorry if his own sister’s death didn’t influence his non-Jon decisions but Elia’s did.

Thus, one of the reasons he gives Cersei the chance to escape is his memory of Elia and her children's bodies presented to Robert and his reaction, you can’t even deny how much it affected him.

‘Ned had named that murder; Robert called it war. When he had protested that the young prince and princess were no more than babes, his new-made king had replied, “I see no babes. Only dragonspawn.” Not even Jon Arryn had been able to calm that storm. Eddard Stark had ridden out that very day in a cold rage [...]’

A few other quotes: 

‘Tyrion watched the faces of the Lords Tyrell, Redwyne, and Rowan, wondering if any of the three would be bold enough to say, “But Lord Tywin, wasn’t it you who presented the bodies to Robert, all wrapped up in Lannister cloaks?” None of them did, but it was there on their faces all the same. Redwyne does not give a fig, he thought, but Rowan looks fit to gag.’

"Cersei is frightened of you, my lord … but she has other enemies she fears even more. [...] In Dorne, the Martells still brood on the murder of Princess Elia and her babes.

‘Some nights, Ser Barristan wondered if he had not done that duty too well [...] m. Princess Elia and the children. Aegon just a babe, Rhaenys with her kitten. Dead, everyone, yet he still lived, who had sworn to protect them.’

‘The Dornishmen burn to avenge Elia and her children [...]’

I know you can’t relate but Elia was loved. It wouldn’t matter if ‘only her family’ cared, what happened to her was brutal and nothing changes it. You people just come off as rude, uneducated and ignorant. 

Fun fact: the name 'Elia' is mentioned 75 times throughout the series, 'Lyanna' 53 and 'Rhaegar', thanks to Dany, 258

[notepadsandtealeaves]

Dick Grayson x F!Reader in: The Penalty Round

MINORS/AGELESS BLOGS DO NOT INTERACT || 18+ ONLY ||

|| GN!Reader | M!Reader | Ao3 Version ||

|| Dick’s Tag | Batboys M.list | Batboys Tag | Personal Blog ||

|| The SFW prequel: The Curious Case of the Lovers in the Library || || F!Reader (Ao3) || GN!Reader (Ao3) || ((some links pending))

↠ Requested By: The ~heaux~ in me ↠ Reader Gender: Female ↠ Content Type: NSFW af ((make no mistakes, I will 100% fight a kid if I see them on this post)) ↠ CWs/TWs: There’s nothing too out there, but still make sure to peep the in story note for the deets. ↠ If you’re looking for a beta-ed work you have come to the wrong place, my friend lol. ↠ Total WC: 3k~

“‘And the loser will be completely at the mercy of the winner.’ Those were your exact words, baby, don’t you remember?” His eyes are bright with an impish sort of glee as he pulls back to take in your replying expression—the needy glint in your gaze, the alluring way your lip sits trapped between the pearl of your teeth, the ragged breaths that leave your chest heaving… “Oh yes, that is definitely a look,” he comments, a harsh exhale punctuating his words. “And a damn good one too…” You could certainly say the same about him. His amusement has been slowly draining away as he continues to regard you until all that is left behind his something darker, hungrier…

↠ Who says you can’t win for losing?

This brief bit of spiciness with my second favorite Bat is brought to you by The Thirst™ lol. I’m trying to get back into the swing of things, so if this is just “meh”/anything seems off blame that…

|| The Penalty Round

💦 Tags: Reader uses she/her pronouns | Reader has female anatomy | Pre-established relationship | Dick’s waistline being problematic | ((said problem is that my legs are not currently wrapped around it #madaboutit)) | ((why is it like that, if not for us to grab, huh? HUH??!)) | A v. brief mention of cum eating (Reader) | Oral (Reader giving) that leads into throat fucking (kinda rough, but not too much) | OP’s Dick’s praise kink is showing | Which means there’s lots of pet names (good girl, baby, honey, etc.; Reader receiving) | Reader gets that good oral-handy combo | Unprotected sex (remember to be safe IRL, so on and so forth) | Vaginal sex (more specifically a mating press, Reader receiving) | Knowing me there’re probably some v. light dom/sub undertones | ((that wasn’t necessarily my intent, but it is kinda my brand lmao)) | And finally a bit of afterglow‘n’cuddles before falling asleep in Dick’s arms because that is the Good Shit™

“Ready to settle up, love?”

The question is posed over the muted sound of Dick depositing you onto his bed. His preference for a softer, cushier mattress doesn’t allow for you to bounce, but rather you sink into its plushness with a giggle. Any answer you might have given is lost under another peal of mirth as he follows you down with a laugh of his own. Long limbs cage you in as he settles the perfect amount of weight onto you and the feeling grounds you even as the drag of his lips over your pulse point has you arching into his touch. Kisses tease themselves up the length of your neck and across the breadth of your face; he’s thorough, covering every spot readily available to him while simultaneously avoiding the pout of your lips. It doesn’t take long for you to voice your displeasure, but your breathy whines are only met with a playful chide.

“‘And the loser will be completely at the mercy of the winner.’ Those were your exact words, baby, don’t you remember?”

His eyes are bright with an impish sort of glee as he pulls back to take in your replying expression—the needy glint in your gaze, the alluring way your lip sits trapped between the pearl of your teeth, the ragged breaths that leave your chest heaving…

“Oh yes, that is definitely a look,” he comments, a harsh exhale punctuating his words. “And a damn good one too…”

You could certainly say the same about him. His amusement has been slowly draining away as he continues to regard you until all that is left behind his something darker, hungrier. The weight of his want has lidded a gaze that is more pupil than iris, with the vivid blue having been ceded ground like a freshly eclipsed sun. Altogether it’s a look that says he’s more than ready to devour you whole and with the way he’s got you feeling right now you’re beyond down. He knows this, of course, and it definitely shows. A smirk slowly creeps its way across the plush of his mouth as he rises up to his knees.

“But if you’re that eager to do something with those pretty lips of yours, well…”—his thumb drags across your bottom lip with a deliberate slowness, reveling in the slight bounce it gives when his touch moves to trail down your chin—“I guess I’ll just have to put them to work then.”

He reaches back to gather a fistful of his shirt before pulling it up and over his head. Though the movement is tantalizing in and of itself (the way his arms and stomach flex as he shrugs out of the clingy material has to be illegal, at least in a few states) what it leads to is undeniably better. You whimper at the sight of him—the sleek, but powerful musculature, its broadness tapering out into a taught waist that just begs to be held on to, be that under the curve of eager palms or trapped between equally willing thighs.

His hands are purposeful as they ghost their way over his frame, from the soft whorls of hair that cover his chest and beyond. The short, downy soft strands’ raven hue contrasts beautifully with the natural tan of his skin enticing your eyes to follow the trail down to the sharp V-cut of muscle and further still to the joggers that sit sinfully low on his hips. It’s here that his hands linger, just for a moment, just long enough to make you squirm with impatience. His fingers dance along the band a few times before he finally, finally hooks his thumbs in and pushes the material down. The move isn’t nearly as smooth as everything that has preceded it, can’t be when his ass is that damn fat, but at this point you’re too gone to care.

With that final barrier gone his cock sits proudly on display, curved deliciously and bobbing under its own weight. Your mouth goes dry as you take in the dark flush of it, the way precum pearls against its tip before spilling over into a trail that your tongue is desperate to follow. He’s already so hard and yet he somehow manages to get even harder as he takes himself in hand and begins to stroke. The play of his pretty fingers over his equally pretty dick is mesmerizing, so much so that you don’t even realize he’s moved until the tip is nearly touching your lips. Without any cognizant thought on your part your tongue darts out to catch his still dripping arousal before retreating back into your mouth so that you can properly savor your prize; as always the taste leaves you groaning and greedy for more, your lids fluttering as you swallow thickly. The needy (and thoroughly debauched) display has Dick chuckling darkly.

“Such a good, eager girl,” he coos as his free hand caresses your cheek.

He doesn’t even have to tell you to open up, not when your lips have already parted as wide as they can go, your tongue lolling out in anticipation. The sight leaves him cursing hotly under his breath as he guides his length into your waiting warmth. You both moan at that first contact, though the vibration of your pleasured mewl sees Dick’s devolving into a gritted out hiss; at the same time his hips stutter but he’s able to stop himself before he gags you. This kindness isn’t extended for much longer, however, as he’s quick to set up a pace that’s just this side of brutal.

With every forward push his cock goes that little bit further until he’s fully fucking your throat. The sound of your moan laced gags can just be heard over your man’s near continuous stream of curses and praise. Though the angle makes things a bit more perilous you brace yourself and let Dick take what he needs, what you’re all too willing to give.

“Look at the way you swallow me down,” he pants in a voice that sounds just as wrecked as you feel, “my good, perfect girl. So, so good, always so good…”

It’s clear that both of your brains have fuzzed over—his from the pleasure that has him damn near shuddering above you, and you from his very apparent approval. You work your tongue along the underside of his cock as much as you can wanting, needing, to make him feel even better, to draw more of those sweet words out of him which you most certainly do. The pair of you are trapped in this feedback loop of lust for only a few minutes more before Dick is pulling out fully with a half-choked growl. You only have enough time to take one lung filling breath before his lips are crashing into your own. The kiss is a raw, feral thing full of tongue and teeth and a desperation that has you tearing at one another’s clothes.

Once your bottoms are gone an impatient hand makes its way to your center and Dick lets out a breathy little curse at the sheer amount of wetness that greets him. “All this just from sucking cock, babe?” he asks on a chuckle as he coats his fingers in your slick, their pads tracing teasing circles around your entrance before sliding up to your clit. The jolt of pleasure that courses through you reduces your reply to a reedy cry of his name that trails off into a hiccuping moan, a thing that clearly suits your man just fine.

“I was ready to fuck you into the mattress,” he continues on in a tone far too casual, all things considered, “but hearing you sing so pretty for me makes me want to play with you a bit more, so I think I will…”

The fingers that had been working your pearl over so perfectly close around it in a pinch that has you arching sharply off of the bed with a hiss. The movement is cut short, however, by him once again settling himself over you. Though he starts with his head tucked in against the crook of your neck, the vigilante has always been a restless one. It doesn’t take long for him to cut a trail of hot, opened mouth kisses down the length of your body until he’s at level with your dripping pussy. A dreamy sounding sigh of “So pretty~” is all the warning you get before he’s diving in like a man starved.

You shudder at the feeling of his tongue dragging itself over your already sodden flesh, Dick’s name a ragged cry on your lips as your fingers curl in against his hair. He likewise shivers at the bite of your nails against his scalp, humming his approval all the while before pulling away just long enough to tell you—promise you—that he’s going to make you lose your mind. And he’s as good as his word. He doesn’t let up, his tongue laving and twirling against you in shifting patterns that leave your head spinning and your legs shaking. His hands are just as busy as one keeps your hip anchored while its opposite works in tandem with his talented mouth.

“You sound so. Fucking. Cute.” The declaration is made some long moments later when his need for oxygen finally outweighs his greed for your cunt. His voice is absolutely wrecked with his desire, though you can barely focus on the rasp of it when he’s punctuating those last few words with suckling nips against your thighs.

You whimper out his name in reply only for the appellation to scale up into an opened mouth gasp when he takes advantage of the mess he’s created between your legs to easily slip a finger into your tight hole. A second soon follows the first before he purposefully curls them against that spot. You jolt up against him as pleasure skitters across your body like lightning. Moans claw their way out of your throat as you grind shamelessly up into him, your arms winding around him somewhat awkwardly in an attempt to pull him impossibly closer.

“Mmm~ I think she likes that,” he chuckles darkly as he continues to massage your walls. “That’s right honey, keep rocking those hips for me—need to work you open, get you ready to take me…”

You’re too far gone to fully comprehend what he’s saying, with your mind only really being able to focus on the sinuous purr of it all. Lust has deepened his voice into something specifically designed to leave you fully under his spell, and enthralled as you are there’s no perceiving anything outside of you and him and the pleasure that’s drawing closer with each pump of those ridiculously long fingers. You rut against him with a desperation that would be embarrassing if Dick wasn’t just as gone. He doesn’t have it in him to tease you right now, not when he feeds on your pleasure and you’re so close to the edge. He murmurs your name before pulling away from you to watch you chase your bliss with a ravenous intent. His gaze darts over the length of you in an attempt to drink in every little detail as words that blur the line between praise and pleas are panted down at you. His movements grow more pointed as yours become more frantic, the crescendo building up-up-up until–

“Oh fuck babe. That’s right—give it to me.”

A sound that’s caught somewhere between a moan and a sob squeaks out of you as your body tenses before going lax under the weight of your release, but that’s hardly the end of things.

“Fuck,” Dick growls lowly, his body slinking down further still so that he can hook your legs over his shoulders. When he comes back up to level his eyes are consumed with want as he grinds himself against you. “____, baby, do you have any idea how goddamn delicious you look right now?”

You try to reply, you swear you do, but between the orgasmic haze that hasn’t even begun to fade and the feeling of his cock pressing hot and heavy against you, well… You figure you can be forgiven for whatever the fuck it is that actually comes out of your mouth—not that it would’ve been audible anyway when your man’s tongue is so tangled up with your own. He sucks down your mewls of pleasure only to feed you his own as he reaches down to take himself in hand. His cock, hot and sticky with your combined arousal, slaps against your pussy a few times in rapid succession before he pushes finally, finally pushes into you.

Dick finds his rhythm quickly, settling on something hard and fast enough to have jostled your body forwards with each thrust had his bulk not been there to hold you steady. There’s a certain frantic energy to the way he fucks you—as if he needs to be inside you like he needs his next breath, as if the few seconds he has to leave you on the backstroke are too long to bear. It makes the encounter desperate in a way that that you usually only ever experience when he’s had too close of a call on patrol. You feed off of this, into it, clawing at whatever bit of him you can reach though pinned as you are all you can really do is lie there and take it–

Well until a particularly good downwards thrust leaves his dick brushing up against your sweet spot. Your reaction is instantaneous, your walls clamping down on him with a vice-like grip that nearly sees him collapsing. His mouth parts around a moan that has you clenching up all over again as he catches himself on shaky arms just moments shy of crushing you.

“Fu-fuck… Fuck! That’s– It’s too damn good, babe. I-I’m already so close—you keep doing that and I’m not gonna last…”

There’s barely a sliver of sapphire to be found when he looks you over with wide, lust-blown eyes; said eyes cross just a bit when you bare down again, and when combined with the flush that sits high on his cheeks and the loose loll of his mouth he’s just one drool trail away from something straight out of the most obscene manga panels. The sight would’ve left you laughing if it weren’t for the way he rolls his hips into you in a deep grind.

You sigh his name as you urge him closer to you. From here you can feel the way his lips part under his pants, your breaths mingling as you tell him, beg him, to fall apart for you—“Please baby, want it. Want you to fill me up…”

“Yuh-yeah,” he starts, nodding wildly. “Yeah, I can do tha– Ah, shit! So fuckin’ tight… God, fuck—kiss me.”

He doesn’t give you time to comply, his lips already moving to crash into yours within the same breath. The kiss is sloppy and short lived, however, with Dick pulling away a few moments later to moan out your name as he redoubles his efforts. His strokes come fast and choppy as they lose their rhythm with each passing stroke until he’s abruptly stilling over your with a punched out sounding sigh and a shiver. The feeling of his release pouring into you is enough to push you over the cliff after him, his name on your lips as you give yourself over to ecstasy’s free fall.

The pair of your work your way through your orgasms with heaving chests, and in your case limbs that feel like jelly. As the euphoria begins to fade the mood easily slips over into something softer and more subdued. Dick, clearly still lost to his pleasure noses at your cheeks, pillow soft lips pressing sweet, lovesick nothings into the flushed skin there in between peppered kisses. The heart achingly tender display leaves your chest squeezing in the best of ways, and while you’d love nothing more than to bask in the afterglow of his affections for a long while yet your current positioning isn’t exactly the ideal setup in which to do so.

Your displeased little whine is all the hint your man needs and within the same moment your legs are being gently lowered onto the mattress. He flops onto his back right after, arching into a dramatic bow of a stretch—the sound that escapes him as he does so certainly makes you Feel Things, but you’re not trying to start something your already fucked out body most definitely cannot finish—before moving to curl himself around you. Insistent hands work to soothe away any aches you feel, starting with your hips, though he soon decides this can best be achieved by cradling you against his chest. Having been put through your paces you’re essentially dead weight, but that’s never been a hindrance before. Just one of the many perks of dating a man that moonlights as a vigilante, you muse with a silent laugh as he moves and settles you with ease.

You sigh contentedly as you allow yourself to sink more fully into his warmth, with any lingering tension that your muscles insist on trying to hold on to melting away under his care. Sleep has already started to blur the edges of your world, with the haze steadily creeping in to dull all of your senses until you fade out in full. You don’t register the slight shifting of your body or the soft glide of sheets that follows. The feeling of Dick pressing one last, lingering kiss against your temple is likewise a distant sensation, though his words are just able to slip underneath the fog–

“I love you, baby—always.”

–and that five word declaration, spoken with all the gravity of an indisputable truth, is the last thing you hear before you give yourself over the land of dreams.

© notepadsandtealeaves/TheViperQueen, 2023 || Please do not repost, translate, or otherwise alter or distribute my works without my express permission. And for the love of god keep it away from Youtube and TikTok lol…

[g1itchtree]

Divulgence- Part 2

Previous - Next

SO I'm really only going to be updating this when ideas hit me. Which takes a while tbh so yeah very sporadic updates sorry

Also I really like writing dialogue but that comes at the expense of actual like scenebuilding or whatever lmao

———

“You WHAT?!”

“Shh, not so loud!” Marinette scolded, covering Alya’s mouth. “I’m really trying to not let my parents know, okay?”

Alya rolled her eyes, licking her hand in retaliation. Marinette immediately pulled away, wiping her hand on Alya with a laugh. “Okay girl, geez. But I thought you were over Luka?” Alya asked.

“Well, not really. I just knew I couldn’t feasibly be with him and be Ladybug at the same time,” Marinette shrugged, averting her gaze. This next part was the one she was most worried about sharing. “But… he may have found out who I am?”

“He WHAT?!”

“Alya!” She laughed, mostly to shake off the nerves.

“But how? You’re so careful!” Alya pressed.

“Well, you know how Wishmaker revealed people’s dreams, right?” Marinette started, receiving a nod in return. “I brought Viperion along in case me or Chat got hit… and Viperion may or may not be Luka.”

Alya opened her mouth, probably to scream again, but Marinette shot her a look and she smiled sheepishly. “Okay, so he saw your dream?”

“…and Chat’s.”

“…It’s like you’re looking for a reaction.”

“I’m not, really! Yesterday was just a lot, that’s all.” Marinette shrugged, tapping her fingers together. “But it should be okay, since Shadow Moth has no idea.”

Alya let out a little huff, crossing her arms. “That’s still a big risk.”

“I know, I know! But really, it shouldn’t cause any problems. We talked it over a bit, and unless he gets akumatized then there’s basically no way for Shadow Moth to know. And I already gave him a charm, so we’re totally fine.” Marinette explained, knowing she won when Alya gave an overly dramatic groan.

“Okay, but what about Adrien?” Her friend asked, giving her a look. “We both know you have feelings for him, don’t even try to deny it. Is Luka okay with that?”

“That’s a whole other thing,” Marinette sighed, slumping over slightly. “Apparently Luka likes him too?”

“No!” Alya gasped, smiling wide.

“Yeah! That’s what I was like!” Marinette exclaimed, standing up as she tries to explain the whole thing. “And he told me about this thing called polyamory? Basically just having multiple partners at once.”

Alya snapped her fingers, eyes shining at the realization. “So you guys can both date Adrien!”

“Well, if Adrien wants to,” Marinette held her hands up, shaking her head. “He might not be into that sort of thing, or even like either of us. Or maybe just one of us.”

“Well duh,” Alya said, brushing it off. “But this makes so much sense. No wonder why you couldn’t choose. You literally love them both the same!”

Marinette gave a tiny laugh at her enthusiasm, relieved she didn’t find it super weird. “I’m not really telling a bunch of people though. I mean, Luka and I just broke up, so it’ll be a bit weird to be back together so soon without explaining why.”

“I guess you can’t just say you only broke up cause you were Ladybug, and now he knows so it’s chill,” Alya conceded.

“And we both know I won’t be able to stop gushing over Adrien,” Marinette pointed out. “I don’t really know how everyone would react to the whole ‘multiple partners’ thing either, so please don’t mention it until I do?”

“Of course girl, you know I wouldn’t out you like that,” Alya immediately assured, zipping her lips. “I’m glad you felt you could tell me.”

“You know I can’t keep anything from you,” Marinette giggled, pulling her into a hug.

Alya smirked a bit, messing with Marinette’s hair. “Yeah, I’m too charming~”

“Oh my god you sound like Chat.”

“Well maybe he had the right idea!”

Marinette gives her a disapproving look, eventually dissolving into more laughter with her friend. This was good. More than that, this was relieving. She didn’t expect it to be more nerve-wracking than the first time coming out (was this even coming out?). Obviously Alya wouldn’t react too bad, but hopefully her other friends would react like this too!

Maybe Adrien wouldn’t mind either?

———

“You seem happy today, m’lady,” Chat Noir hummed, swinging his legs from his place on the roof.

The two of them were just relaxing after their patrol, as they often do. It was tradition at this point. But today, she had this sparkle in her eyes and her whole demeanor seemed… lighter.

Ladybug gave an awkward little laugh at his comment, scratching at her cheek. “Is it that obvious?”

“Nah, I just know you too well~” He grinned, bumping their shoulders together. “So what’s up? Something good happen?”

“You could say that…” Her cheeks went a little rosy and she played with fingers a bit. So it was embarrassing then? That just intrigued him more.

“Come on, what is it?” He pressed, turning to fully face her. “Give me the deets!”

“The deets? Seriously?”

Chat snickered at her incredulous look, starting to chant. “The deets! The deets! The deets!”

Ladybug broke into laughter, waving her hands to stop him. “Okay, okay! I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell you, but… don’t freak out, okay? And… tell me to shut up if it upsets you?”

He paused at that, curious and a bit concerned. “Okay…? Though I doubt you would be able to upset me so easily.”

She let out a sigh, tracing the edge of the roof with her finger. “Well… I kinda have a boyfriend now?”

Oh.

Ladybug must have seen something in his expression that she didn’t like, because she immediately went into fix-it mode. “I’m sorry, I know you’re trying to get over me, and I really appreciate it, and I didn’t want to rub this in your face! I know how much it sucks when the person you like is with someone else, and-”

“It’s okay, bugaboo,” Chat cut in, grabbing the arm she was waving around, like she did whenever she rambled. “I was just surprised, that’s all! And you don’t need to apologize for dating someone, that’s your right and I don’t mind.”

“Really?” She asked. “‘Cause I’d totally understand if you did mind.”

“It’s fine. I’m happy for you, if anything!” He assured. “You deserve to have someone to love and for them to love you, even if it’s not me.”

She let out a sigh, though she was still hunching her shoulders uncomfortably. “Thanks, Chat. I appreciate that. But… there’s something else you should know.”

He raised a brow at that, concern seeping into his expression. “Alright…?”

She glanced around them, probably looking for any cameras or potential eavesdroppers. So this was something confidential, then? How could this be related to her boyfriend?

Satisfied that no one was listening, she leaned in, voice just above a whisper. “He kinda figured out my identity.”

Oh.

“How did that happen?” He asked. She was more careful than anyone he knew, it was definitely weird.

“Well, I dated this guy before,” She started, which honestly surprised him more. “I didn’t tell you right away in case you know me, since it would be suspicious that Ladybug me and civilian me started dating someone. But… it didn’t last long. I couldn’t devote enough time to him because of this whole superhero thing.”

“Ah. That sucks.” Chat could relate. He hardly had enough time for his own friends. Not because of his superhero identity, but his jam-packed schedule.

Ladybug nodded, a bit of a sorrowful, wistful look in her eyes. “It was my decision. I didn’t want to keep lying, and he deserved better. But I guess he connected when I had to run off to the time Ladybug appeared. He asked me about it the other day.”

“So now you’re back together?” He finished, smiling a bit. “That’s such a sweet love story! Definitely fanfic worthy.”

Ladybug laughed, her nose scrunching up in a way that had his smile widening involuntarily. “I think I’ve actually read this exact scenario before, now that you mention it.”

“But why tell me this time?” He asked. “Not saying I don’t appreciate it, but that risk is still there.”

“We’re not telling that many people right away,” She explained. “It would be kinda awkward to explain why we got back together so quick.”

He nodded at that, getting her point. “So he’s good to you, then?”

“Amazing,” She confirmed, her smile gentle but so sweet it could give him a toothache. “Even before he knew my identity, he was such a big comfort… He always knows what to say to make me feel better.”

“Sounds like a good guy. Hopefully I can meet him eventually, make sure he’s treating you right.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that. The thought’s sweet, though,” She replied, patting his arm.

The two of them sat in companionable silence from that point, content with watching the sunset. Chat excused himself when it started to get seriously dark, not wanting to risk being caught by his father or Nathalie. He could only “shower” for so long, after all.

Dropping through his window and releasing his form, Adrien flopped onto his bed with little grace. He dug some cheese out of his pocket for Plagg, tossing it towards the kwami before shoving his face in a pillow.

He could feel Plagg’s eyes on him, probably out of a modicum of concern. “So you are upset about Ladybug’s new boytoy?”

“Plagg, that’s rude,” Adrien scolded, reluctantly sitting up.

“Don’t avoid my question!”

He rolled his eyes, leaning against his backboard with a huff. “I mean, yeah. I really am happy she found someone, don’t get me wrong, but it’d be weird if I wasn’t somewhat sad.”

“You’ll find someone else, kid,” Plagg said, though Adrien couldn’t quite tell if he was being sarcastic. “Plenty of cheese in the world! Sometimes you have to taste many different kinds before you find the one right for you.”

“You and your cheese metaphors,” Adrien shook his head. “Don’t you have any other material?” 

Plagg scoffed, looking thoroughly offended. “Why have more when cheese is so applicable anyways?”

That one earned a laugh. He scratched the top of the kwamis head, letting himself think the night over. He really was trying to get over Ladybug, at her request. And strangely, he didn’t really mind that she was dating someone else. What bothered him more is that he would never be able to hold the same kind of place in her heart. He knew she cared about him, but it just wasn’t the same.

He supposed he would have to learn to be satisfied with what he could have now.

[eeblouissant]

Unorganized (angsty? Also unedited) Dorothy thoughts I wrote down on the train this morning :)

- Dorothy seemed much more passive before the divorce, & regardless I headcanon her being that way (until Stan effectively destroyed it). She was unhappy & then became very depressed through being married to him, I think she coped by disassociating whether she was aware of it or not. I don’t think Dorothy remembers a lot of her time with Stan (not her kids, Never her children. she’s separated Stan from them for a long time now) simply because she wasn’t there mentally - she chose not to be. We see (or, at least I do) a drastic shift in the way she behaves around Stanley even when she’s in a room with Blanche, Rose & Sophia. Some of the only people she feels like she doesn’t need to “disappear on” in order to tolerate. Her pessimism was a result of Stanley (specifically before & during the divorce, it was a painfully slow process.) & she uses it as a defence mechanism, or a safety blanket. I like to think that she wasn’t that way growing up, even the opposite.

- Dorothy is Very good at tuning out. If she doesn’t want to pay attention to you, she won’t. And you’ll never know the difference. (I saw a mutual mention her also just straight up taking out her hearing aid, so, she also definitely does that lmao– poor Rose gets the most of it)

- Anyone who’s spoken to Dorothy since the divorce, & knew her before it happened, especially before Stan – will tell you that she is Not how they remember her to be. And I think this is why so many of the people around her (besides the Obvious Reasons to hate him) have immediately taken to disliking Stan, the damage is so visible & absolutely undeniable that it would be impossible not to have something against him, no matter what role they might play in Dorothy’s life. Sophia would obviously harbour the most resentment, next to Dorothy. I don’t think Dorothy has been able to grasp just how badly Stan hurt her yet & I believe that is partly another choice she’s made. That &, she doesn’t remember much about who she was before anymore, anyway. It would just depress her to try & uncover.

- Side note on that last point, Blanche & Rose have definitely not believed Dorothy whenever she might have shown them old photos of her. Jaw drop moment for sure. & of course cursed Stan to all hell – I think Blanche would have gotten a little emotional. As much as she’d want to poke fun for a laugh I don’t think she’d have been able to bring herself to. She recognizes how tragic what happened to Dorothy is & was immediately. Not to say that Rose wouldn’t.

- I love love picking apart the ways Dorothy’s changed, the drastic change in how she chooses to dress (ignoring trends, & all that, just for a second) has always been interesting to me. We see a younger version of Dorothy in clothing that hugs her figure & creates an explicitly, traditionally, feminine silhouette. While after Stan dumps her, she’s begun leaning towards a style that could at times be considered more masculine. Especially in the new silhouette she’s created. This could for sure just be me reaching. I like to compare her to Rose, though, who still dresses in styles Very reminiscent of the 50s’. I’ve talked about Rose dressing the way she does because of Charlie before but I’ll address it here again, because Blanche is also very similar here. They never really changed because they never felt a need to, it’s obvious that Dorothy felt the need to do something. (brought on through insecurities, Stan, her own mental health, the list goes on. She needed to match the outside to the inside because she didn’t feel like that same passive person she was once. Imposter syndrome … question mark? Just a touch, perhaps.)

[gojoest]

ok i am finally home and it’s STORYTIME WITH THE WAITER !! *rubs hands together* long post btw my thoughts are very hectic i am sleep deprived and hungover so excuse me t-t

so last night we went to this place with 2 of my coworkers (that are also close friends of mine) — it’s a club restaurant actually, the music is chill and not so loud until about 10-10:30pm so you can eat and chat with friends and then after that it’s showtime (hot men put on a show, they dance and strip, the latter is not that hardcore btw). turns out they organize different shows every night so it’s not always that. ANYWAY, we had a waitress assigned to our table but the place was so full and she was busy running around catering to everyone so instead of waiting i asked the waiter in question for the menu :3 so he brought us 3 and was like “sorry my coworker is very busy, if she can’t handle all her tables i will gladly take care of you tonight”. guys he is super cute i tell you, he’s got that big smile on his face all the time and a super positive energy flowing from him + he jokes around with ease and just seems to be so easygoing and friendly and i find that so attractive NOT TO MENTION he is very handsome and has a beard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sadly though he didn’t end up taking our table bc the waitress made it work somehow, she was super lovely btw <3 he was constantly passing by our table though and we both shamelessly stared at each other every time lmao

anyway as the night went on and we downed 4 bottles of wine and started dancing my mischievous coworkers invited him to our table for a bit and he did not decline even though he was working, he just casually sat down with us and behaved like we’ve always known each other ajksdskas. so we poured him a glass of wine, said cheers and then danced a bit AND THEN t-t my coworker took an empty water bottle and spun it on the floor (do you see where i am going) and it ended up pointing towards me and the waiter t-t and that same coworker was like “you have to kiss her now, these are the rules” and i was like :0 just standing there like :0 what :0 what :0 he then came to me and looked me in the eyes and put his hands on my cheeks but didn’t kiss me immediately, i think he was waiting for my reaction like i’m going give you 3 secs to push me away if you don’t want to but ofc I DID WANT TO KISS HIM so we in fact kissed.

after we were done kissing my coworker literally placed the bottle between us again, didn’t spin it this time just put it there between us like ok round 2 now, keep going KSJHDKSJSAA and he looked at me and was like “how about you kiss me this time” with a smug smile. part of me wanted to slap him but a bigger part of me wanted to keep kissing him so that’s that sigh we kissed again. HE IS SUCH A GOOD KISSER it’s not my fault :/

later we had some time to chat and exchange numbers etc.. and im glad we did bc i wanted to apologize to him for what my friends pulled with that orchestrated spin the bottle. and he was like “i am very content things turned out that way actually and i hope you don’t mind it either, and also — i hope you are single too” <- he looked so cute saying this that i ended up kissing him again help. then we talked some more and kissed some more. around 3:30am we had to leave bc we had work in like a few hours so i called a taxi and he waited with me outside even though he was still at work (i hope he did not get in trouble for that + spending a lot of time with us t-t) and then opened the car door for me and told me to text him when i get home t-t but i forgot bc i was a bit drunk and all i wanted to do was sleep right away so i just passed out. BUT HE CALLED ME and was like you home safe? and i was like yep yepp !! then i saw that he texted me a few times to check on me and maybe got worried that i did not reply so he called t-t

today he kept texting me all day casually updating me on how his day is going + asking questions about my day and etc. he sent me a selfie in the morning and was like “ok since you’re not drunk anymore can you please look at me and confirm that you still like me” LMAO he is so !! doki doki !! makes me laugh a lot but also i want to punch him sometimes bc he’s so smug but then again i can’t bc he’s also very cute and pretty t-t anyway i shall keep you updated on mr waiter v_v WAIT actually he’s also an engineer but works as a waiter too + he’s a foreigner but has been living here for a long time, knows the language fluently and has the cutest tiny accent when saying certain words IT’S SO CUTE anyway i need to take a shower now i am so tired t-t

[blueskittlesart]

I know you're not fond of Twilight Princess, but what would you think if they brought back worldbuilding elements from it (the Twilight world and Midna, mainly) to a newer game? I'm not familiar enough with the series to know a whole lot, but that stuff at least seems really neat to me from my secondhand knowledge, but if Twilight Princess was as bad as you say... I would love to see them revisit it somehow with the BotW/TotK continuity.

i have this. thing about twilight princess. we know this. but genuinely even looking at the lore from an objective standpoint i think trying to pull any of it into other games is a bad decision at best and actively detrimental to the new game in question at worst. there are two main reasons for this:

the first is that mainline, non-sequel zelda games have a general rule about standing alone. in order for the games to remain accessible to players of all ages and backgrounds, every original (non-sequel) zelda title has to be able to function as an introduction to the franchise, meaning any lore required to understand the story must be exposited WITHIN the story of that game. the few lore-points that HAVE been adapted from other games (sacred realm, oot ganondorf, talking sword) are generic enough that they can be explained briefly within the story without taking too much time away from the player's journey. while those of us who ARE versed in the lore might have a deeper understanding of the overarching implications of these elements, NOT understanding the history behind them isn't going to impede your understanding or enjoyment of the game. for example, this is likely the practical reason why fi was never named or appeared in botw beyond her generic sound effect and the glowing of the sword, because even players who don't KNOW fi are able to tell from context that the sword is magical and is speaking. not knowing who fi is doesn't impede your ability to understand how and why the sword is speaking, given the rest of the context of botw's story. the two elements of tp that you mentioned, the twilight realm and midna, are VERY difficult from a writer's standpoint to work into a game without requiring the player to understand the plot of twilight princess. neither element easily fits into a new cycle's story without requiring a ton of expositional explanation which will inevitably take players out of the story, and relying on convoluted lore that new players won't even be familiar with to drive your story just sets you up for failure.

the second reason is that, from a writer's standpoint, neither midna nor the twilight realm were well-written enough in TP to be compelling. lmao. If you're going to adapt world-altering lore like the twilight realm into consistent canon, you need to have a firm grasp on the implications of adapting it. even the writers of TP had no fucking clue what the twilight realm was or where it came from or how it tied into the existing world of hyrule at all. literally the first sentence on the zelda wiki for twilight realm history is "The Twilight Realm's full history is incomplete." adding something like a new dimension to your consistent canon is world-altering. when you do something like that, it HAS to be thought-out and for good reason, or you're just confusing your audience unnecessarily. IF the twilight realm was to be brought back, it would HAVE to be with explicit knowledge of of how it effects the narrative and theming of the story its being written into, something that wasn't even present in the game where it was introduced. the same goes for midna; if you bring her back, she needs a reason to be there. she needs narrative weight and thematic consistency with the entire rest of the game, things that were barely present in her original story. ripping these elements out of their own game and tossing them into another only makes them more likely to feel out-of-place and confusing to players. And to be completely honest, almost anything that writers wanted to accomplish with the twilight realm could be done just as easily utilizing the sacred realm, an element which is already in consistent canon and is much easier to write into a given story than something as mysterious and confusing as the twilight realm. with midna, almost anything that she would accomplish could be accomplished by a game-specific guide character, which is already staple of loz anyway. using a game-specific guide character would also remove any potential confusion for new players who lack the context of midna's past appearances. the only reason you might NEED midna as a character is if you ALSO have the twilight realm and specifically require a twili guide character to explain it, but. for all the reasons stated above. you shouldn't have the twilight realm. lol

[bibiana112]

Kinda weird question- do you have any links to people talking about Mira from ZTD and ableist stereotypes? I mentioned that I was uncomfortable with her portrayal but kinda fumbled it and made some other ND people in chat uncomfortable. I searched for various keyword combinations but most of what I'm finding is like "and not to mention the ableism with Mira" and doesn't elaborate lol.

Not weird at all! And uh, you see, there's a recent post I made where what I complain about is the very fact I've never seen anyone post too in-depth about her at all, I'd love to see posts that do elaborate on that but I do not have any that I know of right now, sorry :/ hopefully someone else who sees this can point to one? Okay!! After some tag searches I have found exactly one post who kind of gets into it I like this take still would love to see. more than just one but hooray

And like though I complain I couldn't elaborate much on it myself I don't think, I believe most of the posts people make about Saito from aitsf would apply since it's a different uchikoshi take on the very same trope of "emotionless characters who cannot function without killing others" I guess he's a worse portrayal though since she's at least not stated to get reward brain chemicals when killing people and I guess her case also has the added layer of "femme fatale" to it? Which either makes it less bad or worse depending on where you approach it from As I said I am not doing a good job of being coherent on this oh and also there's her being "redeemed" and "cured" in the epilogue which in on itself is kinda not great to imply it just goes away like that and honestly I personally don't even buy it I think she'd just be like oh okay Akane over here has like a thousand reasons to hate me after all that oh and what's that she's the leader of a super wealthy underground organization who's organized one of these death traps before yeah no I'm better off going to prison I'll be fine there lmao bye

But I'll say as an autistic person with relatively low empathy I usually see a character who just doesn't understand other people's feelings and wants to feel them too and is just trying to survive despite getting no help and I just kinda go hm. yeah. shout-out to roxas kingdom hearts shout out to mary from ib shout out that's why I started hyperfixating on media art helps me with understanding others a great lot and Mira is just in a story too badly executed for me to care or even begin to wrap my head around tbh like god she's so fucking terribly used as a plot device in every conceivable way that it makes it difficult to see past it and into what she could possibly be if it weren't for the stereotype of equalling low empathy with no compassion what's with her killing off screen in ways that wildly deviate from her stated m.o? why or how was she even in cahoots with Zero why was that a thing? Honestly her dynamic with Sean could have been better fleshed out could have done something interesting about robot child and his aspd big sis but we just kind of don't get any attention brought to the subject of emotions and the authenticity there of except for the "reveal"...

YOU KNOW WHAT that's probably one huge reason it feels so fucked up actually! Like the whole fucking game is written so you could experience it in whatever order you want and therefore Mira being a serial killer at all is something that though not very well hidden it also cannot be a topic of discussion or explored Ever ever because the player may not have seen the fragment where that is revealed yet- problem being the menu design of that game sucks so bad and practically everyone gravitates towards the same few more interesting looking thumbnails first and then the rest is kinda just there, I mean that is part of the reason A Lot of characters feel half-baked I think but also I think it definitely does impact perception of her character specifically probably The Most and then there's just the general not being given nuance not being able to see the minutiae of how that disorder manifests in her character aside from the killings about how she acts aside from being overly flirty trying to lure in Eric but that affects pretty much all of the new cast we don't have last names and in her case we barely have any backstory at all like Saito is a harmful stereotype sure but we get So Much Context for him that people still love talking about him and delving into different aspects of his life since we have that very well telegraphed in the narrative meanwhile for Mira all we can do is fill in the blanks guesswork that only highlights the worst aspects of the surface level portrayal we got and ultimately that people just don't care enough to dissect because there isn't much there character wise once you remove it

[dani-ya-dig]

THE ABIGAIL VIDEO!!! I HAVEN’T TALKED ABT MY WIFE!

Ok so like chronological order bc I have listened to the audio like a million times at this point lmao. And I WILL talk abt it bc everyone needs to be obsessed with this channel like I am it’s SO GOOD GUYS PLS I SWEAR!!! Kk

Glenwood’s magic is doing its thing, and I’m really glad that plot point keeps getting brought up. Like ofc right now most of us are definitely more focused on the romance between Abby, Wielder, and Rose (which same. Love my ladies) but also like HELLO??? Abigail, a nonwielder, was the first person to really think there was something behind how strange glenwood was! And she is actively trying to investigate it (with Wielder and maybe Rose), and now she has even more resources for that!!! Like I just love that Miss Castle is making sure we don’t forget abt this bc I think abt it all the time.

Abby knowing her mom was gonna get on her ass about buying shelves from Amazon rather than thrifting some >

Abigail apologizing every time she swears in the voicemail >>>>>

Also I wonder how far away Abby lives from her family now? She obviously misses them a whole lot regardless of how far away they are, but it makes me wonder if they are just like the next state over, or if this is an across the country situation. (Aka, Dani is desperately trying to figure out where Glenwood would be geographically so I can get more info). I think Rose mentioned something about her flying??? Unless I made that up. But if I didn’t that would mean her family is likely too far for Abby to be able to warrant driving there.

Abby telling her mom about her channel even if she doesn’t fully understand makes me wanna cry. ITS SO CUTE GUYS I SWEAR!!! imagining Abby sending pics of her streaming setup to her mom is fucking adorable and if you don’t see it idk what to tell you.

Also the audible cringe in Abby’s voice as she prepares herself for the knowledge that she would have to deal with everyone asking why she didn’t being a date to the wedding. So Harper coded lmao.

Maybe not a plus one… but a plus two???

“And they’re…. hah mom they’re really cool” IM GONNA FUCKING SCREAM!!! THE WAY HER VOICE WENT ALL SOFT IM COSBSOXSBHDKDKCJC GOD IM SO GAY HOLY SHIT

“Please don’t play this for Sammy, when he comes back home, please Ma…” makes me giggle so hard because yeah, that sums up what having older siblings is like exactly, if you slip up once they will NEVER let it go

It makes me so fucking happy to hear Abby going all soft talking about how she had made a home in Glenwood, and how she feels safe with Wielder and Rose. Especially after she has dealt with not feeling like she fits in and, no doubt, bullying for most stages of her life. I’m just really happy to see the silly little gay people talking in my headphones get to be happy.

I NEED WIELDER AND ROSE TO MEET ABBY’S FAMILY ASAP! I know that they would both just be so overwhelmed with love from Abby’s (most likely) massive family. Rose especially would be so flustered from all the attention and love, having not come from a home that gave that love freely and unconditionally. It would probably be so refreshing for her. I KNOW Abby’s mom is gonna be feeding all of them well, too!

OMG IMAGINE!! Abby’s mom doing the usual embarrassing family stuff like pulling out baby pictures, and telling embarrassing stories, and Abigail obviously red in the face but still taking it on the chin until her mom pulls out the voicemail that Abigail had sent her when she first moved to Glenwood and all of them lose their shit in very different ways. Abigail is embarrassed beyond belief, Rose is also flustered from the “going at it” bit, and Wielder can’t stop laughing hysterically.

UGH ITS A NEED! YOU DONT UNDERSTAND!!!

[lumiereandcogsworth]

okay so I'm curious, when Maurice would travel with his inventions/art, one, did he ever bring Belle along, or was it something he only started doing once she was older and two, I know she only ever asks for a rose, but did he ever bring back any books for her?

i LOVE this question thank you!!!

i think he definitely took belle along when she was younger, absolutely. he probably didn’t start going to those markets until she was around 7 or 8, when he really started getting back into art business and someone maybe mentioned to him that he could go to these markets in bigger towns and make some side cash!! i think he would bring her especially for the longer ones, like 3-5 days, because that’s just too long to be apart and they only have each other 🥺 and she loved going to them!! i can just imagine her curious little mind pulling her in every direction. he probably loses her at some points and nearly has a heart attack because of it. i’ll have to write that sometime, lmao.

i think the first time she Doesn’t go is when she’s like maybe 15? and it’s only one night. she probably still wanted to go but maybe there was something farm related happening that they both felt it would be better if she stayed, and she was happy to do that. maurice definitely asked pére robert to check in with her though, and i’m sure he had dinner with her that night. i’m SURE they have such academic convos, gosh. need to explore that more too. anyway: after that, i think belle started going with him less. she still joins sometimes, but i think it was partly that she was getting into her own projects at home and didn’t always Want to leave at that exact time because she was really hyperfixated, or it was just like one night, not a big deal, (like what happens in the movie). AND i think maurice did gain a few friends that he would meet up with at those markets, artists from other villages, so belle would get kinda bored because it would be like those unskippable cutscenes like when your parent runs into someone they know at the grocery store. except it’s your dad talking about his passion with other people who share it😭 IT’S LIKE BEING TRAPPED AT HOME DEPOT WITH DAD. anyway you get the point. even as adventurous as belle was, it’s not like the markets were any places too new or crazy, so it got kind of boring for her.

but like i said, i still think she goes sometimes!!! just way less frequently. in one of my courting fics (probably my favorite of my courting fics???) belle had gone with maurice to a market for a WEEK. which was the longest her and adam had been apart since they had met 🥺🥺 which i think maurice did very intentionally lmao. he was (internally) like you guys are so attached at the hip… let’s remember you’re individual people please!!! and also i think he could sense they were getting near the idea of marriage so he wanted one last bit of time with belle before her life really changed 😭😭

and second!!!! yeah no definitely. i like to think that when he says that, “you ask for that every year!” i think that’s for this one specific market he’s going to that day. like maybe it’s a place she’s joined him many times and it just happens near a really beautiful rose garden, or something. so she’s always like !!! ROSE FROM THERE PLEASE!!! but i think he goes to markets a lot more frequently than just once a year. maybe like every few months? especially as belle gets older and he worries less about leaving her at home, if she doesn’t want to join him. but anyway to answer your second question, YEAH! i can totally imagine that people there, who have known maurice and his daughter for years, ask about her when she’s not with him! and they learn all about her and i am SURE she always brought an emotional support book (or two or three) when she goes with him. so the market people know belle reads!!! and yeah probably a few are conservative and think that’s odd but MAJORITY of them are free-spirited artists !! many of them also fled paris the same time as maurice!! these are his people !! so they support that and probably gift him a book to give to her (or just give it right to her if she’s there) every now and then!! it’s not every time but if he can snatch a book for her he absolutely will 🥹

i did have one additional thought but it’s more just about belle getting books in general <3

[poelya]

Asking you about your specific Poe brotps!! —CCFM

Rina....bless you so much for giving me a chance to infodump. So my brotps for Poe err on the side of gulp shittos: lots of background Resistance characters who have my whole entire heart, that I've built up entire dynamics with him off of - it's honestly maybe my favorite thing to write about, and comes up a lot in an rp 'verse me and my partner (@hermitmoss) wrote a few years ago. Some have some canon basis, others not so much lol. I just think that for majority of the Resistance, Poe is kind of this....surrogate big brother (Snap is also). If you're having a shit time, and Poe has time in his schedule, you bet your ass he's gonna give you a hug and let you talk things out. You need advice? Poe's probably got some to give, etc etc.

So first, there's Poe and Beaumont. Beaumont is the character we see in tros that hypothesizes ways that Palpatine could have survived. There's a really lovely comic where he goes to Kashyyyk with Chewie, which reveals that he's estranged from his parents who disapprove of his career choice (he is a scholar, with a focus on the Force). But! Relevantly, Beaumont is kind of a scruffy guy, so I decided that this guy in tfa

could definitely be Beaumont. It's not, canonically, because Beaumont only joins after the Hosnian Cataclysm, but this is my canon and I do what I want lmao. Basically, I think Poe and Beaumont bond over their interest in the Jedi/Force. Poe believes in the Force, per Oscar Isaac, and I tend to think that errs on a sort of religious belief for him; and since Beaumont has a special interest in the Jedi, I like to think there's a lot of philosophical conversations between them and Poe occasionally helping Beaumont pour over research materials (you remember how one of the high republic books, i think, canonized smutty romance books about the Jedi? the funniest mental image I have of them both running into one of those and getting flustered/mildly scandalized about it lmao).

In my little canon, Beaumont is a pretty lonely guy and is still working out what "friendship" can be like while reeling from the estrangement from his family, and Poe's really there to support him through the whole thing. And of course, Beaumont loves his very hyperactive friend right back and gives him support when he can as well. Also I feel like it'd be fun if Beaumont specifically got brought into the Resistance because of his connection to Tekka, and because they needed some idea on other Force oriented sights that Tekka could have visited!

Then there's Poe, Tallie and Paige. Yes they go together, lmao. Technically, a lot of my headcanons actually focus more on Snap than Poe here: Tallie is noted to be in charge of Blue Squadron, which Snap is second in command of, so I like to think they often swap duties, especially when Snap is busy with Black Squadron things, and they're like. Very bickery siblings who always argue over the last cup of caf in the morning (it's tradition!).

But I think it's canon-ish leaning that Poe is friends with Paige (I believe Kelly Marie Tran mentioned in an interview that the background is that Paige was friends with Poe and kind of a wingman to him, so that's how Rose is familiar with Poe?), and I like to think the same thing with Tallie. I think Poe and Tallie are kind of those friends that rib each other plenty - yeah, sure Poe's her commanding officer, but he's just as much of a dork as Snap so she's gonna give him plenty of shit.

I haven't built up nearly enough with Poe and Paige specifically, but I do headcanon that Tallie and Paige are together <33 because I love tragedy, I guess, but also there's a lot of commonalities between them, and I like picturing Poe being supportive of them and being the first to get the gossip that they're together because he accidentally runs into them kissing lmao.

I truly could keep going all day, but I'm gonna try to keep this somewhat brief, and just. Bullet point the rest lmao:

I think Poe is a little bit eager to get Admiral Ackbar's approval. It's kind of a whole thing in ghost story, because Ackbar is sort of the closest thing to an authority figure in Leia's life still, and that matters to Poe. He respects the hell out of Gial, and the two eventually wind up bonding over their love for Leia, and sharing koya fruit. To my endless delight, a ROTJ anniversary comic special confirmed that Ackbar was friends with Shara and Kes, and they were some of his most trusted confidants - which really adds so much to how close Poe seems to be with Aftab, calling him "junior" all the time....truly family friends!!!!

Poe!!! And Kalonia!! I've actually written about them once before. I think Poe really, really hates medbays from trauma of losing his parent(s), and tries avoiding them when he can, so it's kind of a running joke that Kalonia scares him. But! He'll also stop by early in the mornings to anonymously drop off bouquets of wildflowers or snacks for Kalonia, so she has a little bit of extra appreciation. And of course there's this moment I wrote of them in an rp that still tickles me to this day:

Beaumont smacked his scanner again, "Yeah it's...on the fritz. I guess Poe's the only one who's really getting help -" "Bruised ribs?" Kalonia said loudly, or as loudly as her soft voice would allow her. Poe nearly wilted under her stern gaze. "How did you expect to treat that yourself?" Poe hesitated a moment, before answering slowly, "Wait for them to unbruise?" Kalonia pinched the bridge of her nose, "Please get Commander Dameron under a stabilizer. Once he's treated, he and Knight Surris will help us treat Lieutenant Donneta's lekku."

She puts up....with so damn much....

then we have Poe and Kaydel!! Obviously their friendship (and his with C'ai) get a lot of focus in tlj which is one of my favorite things about the movie, but I love to think that she winds up being Black Squadron's psuedo baby sister. I think she has a habit of getting tunnel vision when she's working, that she forgets to eat and things like that, so they implement something they call "the kaydel protocol" which just means Black Squadron takes turn checking in on her through the day to make sure she's ate and drank plenty of water.

I also like tossing around Poe and Taslin Brance! We barely see Taslin in the movie, but there's a deleted scene where he's the one to inform Leia Poe's X-Wing was destroyed in the village, and in the Flight Log, he's the unfortunate soul to deal with crabby Poe "do not LOOK at me do not TALK to me about the fucking finalizer okay I'm FINE look at me I flew to Takodana and Starkiller, could a traumatized person do THAT" Dameron by trying to get him to debrief. I think Taslin is something of an anxious, kind of clumsy guy, that is horrified and exasperated by the kinds of stunts Poe comes up with, and probably does a lot of the more "boring" high command work with Poe, like paperwork and lists and stuff.

And especially for you, Rina, I LOVE Poe and Threepio's dynamic! I know their dynamic is written fairly inconsistently from the comics to the films, but I find the accidental like, implied development of their dynamic really enjoyable. I love the parts in the comic where Poe's like you really shouldn't be calling me master you're a war vet and a hero man, we should be calling you that, and Poe hauling ass back to carry Threepio out of danger, and then Threepio offering to sacrifice himself so Poe can escape Terex....ough. I like the implication that they went from these very professional colleagues to friends that are so done with each other but come hell or high water they're sticking it out for each other. It always tickles me in tlj when Poe is listening to Finn and Rose's plan and goes "so we blow that one up?" Threepio just WHIRLS around like "wHAT did you just say" it's so delightful to me, and I love that Threepio tends to give it right back to Poe in tros when they're all snippy with each other ("you both make excellent points....some times" makes me laugh my ass off every time). and then poe calling threepio his brother in the tros novelization??????????????????????????? ough......I really can't think of any dynamic with a human that Threepio has where he'll rib right back, so to speak, and it just. Fascinates me. I want so much more about them, especially since I'm sure they worked closely together since Threepio has his spy network and Poe seems to oversee a little bit their other spy network, on top of being (somehow) a spy himself.

[lucysarah-c]

So what are you unpopular opinions about your fic "the holy ground"

I'm re-reading it , you have a great sense of humour really really, I love it

Hi, dear! How are you? First of all, thank you so much for stopping by and for revisiting HG!

Hmm... unpopular opinions? Can an author have unpopular opinions about her own work? Haha. Anyways, I guess I have a certain point of view on a few relationships that might not be everybody's take on it.

Firstly, and I dare to think this is the one I've talked about the most, for me— and I repeat, for me— Twiggy (or MC, the reader, or Y/N) was also disloyal to Erwin. What she did with Levi during winter break could be considered infidelity. This is more of a personal take on what an individual considers "infidelity" or "not" in a relationship. I personally believe that a relationship stands until both parties involved are aware of the "end" of that relationship. Maybe they were not on the best terms, but implying that you're very angry with your partner, as Twiggy did to Erwin, doesn't necessarily mean it's over. Maybe the other person doesn't know it's over for real, and therefore, for Erwin, the relationship finished when she came back from winter break. Also, this is a personal take, but I believe that just because someone did something horrible or wrong to you in multiple situations in life, that's not a free pass to do the same or something wrong too. Two wrongs don't make a right, so to speak. So, at least for me morally, just because Erwin was disloyal doesn't give Twiggy a green light to be disloyal too. Because, if that's the case, then the only limit stopping you from not cheating is simply not being the first one to commit infidelity?

Probably my other unpopular opinion is that Nanaba was kinda right, lmao. I mean, if I had a friend who is a little bit naive, has some issues romanticizing certain aspects of her life that she shouldn't, just came out of a very hurtful experience, and decides to, in less than two months, get into a new relationship with a dude I know absolutely nothing about... I would also think he's taking advantage of her, lmao. Plus, Nanaba may not be "right" all the time, but if a cheerful friend suddenly doesn't spend time with us anymore, disappears, does things she usually wouldn't do... I'd also think this "new guy" is manipulating her and isolating her to hold the last word in everything. It's a very common symptom of dating a manipulator when you isolate yourself; the manipulator needs to hold the one and only version of the story. Of course, we, as readers, know that Levi isn't like that or hurting Twiggy, but Nanaba doesn't know that.

Third, Twiggy has serious communication issues, and one reason her relationship with Erwin didn't work out is because of this. Of course, a lot of things were wrong in that relationship, but Twiggy didn't help, and also, most of the issues she had with Levi as a couple are... the same ones she had with Erwin, lmao. Expecting someone to read your mind isn't very healthy relationship advice. She told Erwin "Go, I don't mind it" and then was offended that he did exactly that, lmao. Erwin asked a million times about the team, and she lied about it a million and one times. She never told Erwin about having asthma and obviously struggling with it. Instead of telling him that hanging out with his friends made her insecure because Marie would be there, she held the struggle for like six months and brought it up many months later. She never confessed to suffering. Not trying to play devil's advocate, but setting aside Erwin's infidelity, the dude probably thinks, "Everything was somehow okay until now; those months were the worst months of her life. How was I supposed to know if she didn't tell me? I don't read minds!" There's a very subtle fact that I like, and that is Erwin mentions multiple times that he's into girls with "long hair," Marie has long hair. He mentions it in a spin-off and, also when he and Twiggy are alone at the office; he unties her hair and plays with it. Erwin wanting her to look "older" and "short hair" was something that Twiggy invented in her head, lmao, nobody told her that, those were her own insecurities talking, not Erwin's tastes.

Finally, Levi is also a man of that "society," and he has a lot of toxic traits, haha. He's a sunshine, but he's not perfect. For example, he can be very possessive and controlling. Obviously, considering the options of that period of time, he's Mr. Woke and open-minded, and he's a great option. But that doesn't take away the rest... we forgive him, though, because Levi is Levi, lmao.

I think that's it! Sorry for the rambling! Hope this was okay! Feel free to let me know YOUR unpopular opinions, lol. Thank you so much for saying that you enjoy my sense of humor! Delivered to you from the "south," haha. Argentinian humor is acid, sassy, and eloquent, I dare to say.

Have a lovely day and take care of yourself! Lots of love!

[softhanni]

2024 Media: 72. Spiritfarer (2020) - 5.5/10★ This review is going to be a long one and definitely not spoiler free so I'll write it beneath the cut off <3

Pros: - The concept was very interesting and unique - The art was beautiful, the animations of the characters felt fluid and the character designs were so well done - It has a bit of everything. You can grow crops, upgrade your boat, craft things, fish, explore, there's a story, multiple characters that have their own stuff going on, mini games. There's pretty much always something to do more or less! - The Everlight turning into oven mitts, a fishing rod, etc. I know it's only a little thing but I think it is SO cute and fun. Cons: - Some of the controls (I played on PC) felt not very smooth and like they overrode each other - You can't view the map outside of one specific room - You have to travel to a specific location to check your completion progress which is REALLY annoying and even then you don't know what you're missing because it doesn't say the names. - You have to hover over each individual location to check for resources which means whenever you're looking for something specific you have to check around unless you have a good memory. - Lack of instructions for certain crafting things on the ship Now onto the story and characters. I think this game should of been a lot shorter. I feel around the halfway point the characters became less impactful and all the back and forth of the later game definitely became less fun. I know not every death has to be a lesson or something thought-provoking but it felt as if that was the vibe of the game and then...it suddenly wasn't...and then it kinda was again?? Also, I really don't understand why a lot of these characters died which is strange in a game about death? Gwen was the introduction to the entire system essentially so that's chill. Atul's passing was the one that I felt left the biggest mark. Not getting to say goodbye felt like so impactful. Astrid and Giovanni allowed a conversation about how feelings surrounding loved one's death can be messy and complicated and not always black and white. Summer's cancer was of course a topic I'm sure resonated with many people and her conversation around being unable to find peace with it was very powerful imo. Alice slowly losing her mobility and memories due to age, once again, very impactful. Then... it just, for me, went downhill. Gustav felt so flat? Bruce and Mickey, I was waiting for something to happen and it just...didn't? Beverly was just...like a second Alice? Elena's intense challenges didn't fit the pace of the game AT ALL and she didn't feel like a character as much of a way to spice the game up. I LOVED Stanley with my whole heart but I'm still confused as to why he was there? Daria was a very interesting character but once again I'm confused as to why she passed away? I feel like out of the latter half Jackie was the only character to have that same impact. His more antagonist nature was very interesting and mental health is always a topic I'm happy to have more rep for. Not to mention it brought the topic of morality and the afterlife in which go hand in hand. However, I HATE that he was one of two essentially antagonist characters and the reason was...because of his mental health. Of course mental health can be ugly and cause people to be horrible but it being the ONLY rep of it in the game felt so ugly to me idk. As for Stella's story... I didn't really care by the end of it. Once again I think the length of the game and the way the pacing was ultimately worked against the emotional impact of her story. It was like "take her to the everdoor" and then I had to finish other quests for a billion years first which dulled the emotion completely. Also, her ending just felt sad and flat which may have been the point but it felt very anticlimactic either way. All in all I did enjoy this game despite all the complaining lmao, I just think it would have been more coherent at like...half the playtime and with half the characters. Shoutout to my baby boy Stanley <3

[accidentally-in-fictional-love]

Things I Noticed While Writing Light The Fuse: Part 4, Episode 2

Time for episode 2!

Two weeks ago according to Ethan later on, since he probably didn't waste too much time in Detroit, he's wearing the same outfit after all so he more than likely bailed that night

Ethan really is a sweet pea and I love him but god do I love writing that temper of his, I don't do it often enough yet between all the fun and smut and heartbreak and angst

I went to rewatch this bit for any details he might've filled in but nope, whole page is empty ;w; thanks Reprisal. Also laughing at Ethan literally leaving everything behind apart from this outfit and a single bar of chocolate. I love the detail that Horn makes its way into pretty much every title, it's a reoccurring bit

Again I was so not paying attention to anything when Johnson wasn't on screen that first watch that I completely missed that she gave him this front and center 🙃 what a jackass I am

I need to know what this means. It was never brought up again, not even when they met up. My guess is that it's supposed to be like 'look at this and feel reassured that I'll get you out' but the take that it could also mean 'show this to someone and they'll help you' is also interesting, but it's probably the former since everyone thinks she's dead and I doubt she has any friends left considering they think she started a war oop

He will be getting rid of this eventually and that's a promise

This is unforgiveable. It's also funny to me that both Ethan and Matty cry but Johnson, the man played by David 'He's Workin' Those Eyes' Dastmalchian, doesn't. Do you know how hard it is to write scenes where he's sad but doesn't cry cause he's Johnson? Extremely.

It's been pointed out before but Johnson is just straight up gone and Ethan is in his place lol like at least get him a stand-in if David had to be gone for the far shots

I still cannot believe that Bash made me imagine this. This line is so fuckin wild

Even Matty got worried when Bash started doing his thing he was not ready for a fight here

lmao Gary in his sunglasses trying to look intimidating, imagine Johnson trying that, it's not working for you bud

This one's a double, cause not only does this say that Doris taught Ethan how to come down from his panic attacks (which makes me cry) but it's also the super rare time that any amount of time is mentioned. It was so incredibly difficult to work out my timeline for this show that I had to grab the one single date shown (ep4) and move entirely around that based on what everyone says, when the boys go on a run since it takes 11 days (ep5), and when their outfits change

This isn't a detail or anything I just wanna say I love writing their scenes since it lets me really get into Ethan's head while he's hearing her actively push away everything he's saying. I kinda made him way more self-aware in my fic because of that, but having him be aware but still trusting her enough to rationalize her actions in real-time is a lot more fun to me than blind trust

I love this line so much lmao there's so many lines I passed over because I watched without the subs, like I just thought Bru was eating the ham pie like that because he liked it but nope he gets them 'runny' so he can 😂 I also like the detail how they had Ethan order four, so either one is for Johnson or Matty's having two lol

That's the one thing that lets me down in this show, Johnson keeps disappearing for no reason ;w; he should always be by Matty's side even without me knowing they're dating so let's just imagine he ducked inside to grab more drinks or he's using the bathroom and he'll just be right back, hence the fourth pie 👍

Can everyone please stop hitting Matty 😭

Matty just going 'mm' and then getting back to eating lmao he's so fuckin cute he doesn't even care, there's also no reason for him to be sitting on the table and hunched over his food like a gremlin he's gunna make me kiss him what who said that

Well I reached my limit trying to talk about their last scene so I guess I'll see you tomorrow to wrap up ep2, who would've thought such a short amount of scenes would need two posts? 💛💙

[roobylavender]

ok so since @arkham asked (ily) i'm gna go into more detail about my issues with atsv but disclaimer beforehand that most of this will not be as coherent as i want it to be bc frankly i found the messaging of the movie to be very contradictory itself and when trying to reason through the logic of it often found myself musing in circles lmao..

let's start with the multiverse aspect. this plot point frustrates me bc it presents us with the illusion of choice. what i mean by this is that there is no other logical way for miles to respond to the multiversal dilemma bc logically and emotionally it only makes sense to rebel against predestination. i mentioned the illusion of choice in my book review for bloodmarked by tracy deonn, and my complaint there was that the mc was written to look like it was up to her final choice and say to cut herself off from her ancestors bc their line had been poisonous to her all along, as one of her ancestors had contracted with a demon. but what the audience was presented with was merely the illusion of choice. there was no other logical option presented but for the mc to cut herself off otherwise she would always be at risk from the demon that had cursed her bloodline. abandoning her ancestors for the sake of her new white friends was posited as logical when it was a choice the mc was driven into at all costs bc there was no other way the story could move forward without it. and to bring it back to atsv, i feel the same way here, bc when presented with that "choice," of either relenting to the algorithm or rebelling against it, what other option is there? the way the multiverse is framed as this fabric of complete and total prediction to which all spider-men are bound leaves little room for anything else to be explored. and it's odd bc there's a brief moment where peter reinterprets it all in a way explicitly distinct of the way miguel does—life happens, sometimes people die and the circumstances are completely out of our control, but that does not holistically control our life moving forward, beautiful things still happen, we still possess hands capable of saving others, we are not frozen in time by the death of someone we love and we carry them with us as much as we move on from them—but it's fleeting and never brought up again bc obv peter has to side with miles. so the movie even presents an opportunity for nuance but quickly waves it off and proceeds forward with its two polarizing views embodied by miguel and miles

and idk.. i can't really wrap myself around the ideology of any of it. obv cape comics are used to explore things that do not make sense happening in the real world but multiversal stuff is where it tends to lose me bc in real life there is no way to predict what happens in the future. you cannot realistically operate by knowing what happens in the future or in a parallel universe. you have to operate on instinct and principle and faith and sometimes that has to be enough bc you're mortal. you will die, people you love will die, there is no escaping it and there is no immortality and there is no possible way for you to save every person ever in danger. learning to accept that is key to being a hero bc despite knowing all of that you still try. you still do what you can for the people you can reach. and for the movie to make it into this thing where you are made beholden to the future and presented with the option of either accepting it or fighting against it feels so restrictive to me bc it turns heroism into something reactionary rather than principled. like we talk a lot about how it's not healthy for batman to move through life merely trying to prevent his parents' deaths in the form of other people bc it restricts the scope of what he is actually capable of doing. and in a loose sort of way i think the same thing applies here. which is funny bc the way the argument is framed in the movie it looks like it agrees with that, it looks like it's trying to say you can't mark yourself by the tragedies of your life and have to be principled and save people no matter what, but again, it's the illusion of choice. what miles is being presented with is no longer a tragedy that already happened, but now one that it is in his hands to either let happen or prevent bc it is fated to happen either way. what's past is postured as what's future and now you are restricted to moving about the world like you only have two options of how to move through it. so yes, miguel is wrong, but i think it's convenient for him to be so wrong bc it's the only way miles can actually be right. if that makes sense

the copaganda obv ties into all of this and makes it even more insidious but one moment in particular that really infuriates me is when miles asks gwen about her dad and how she can be okay with all of this and it's so.. clearly this kind of sly gotcha wherein she's shamed for not feeling as strongly opposed to her father's death—a feeling which very likely ties strongly into the way he nearly arrested and shot her at the start of the movie—compared to miles bc in that moment her dad is the "bad" cop and his dad is the "good" cop who is obv worth saving. like i've perused a lot of arguments pushing back against designating the film as copaganda and all of them seem to boil down to "well miles's dad is a good person!" and it's like yeah.. obv.. that's what the good cop trope is. it prevents you from holistically critiquing the system bc the hope of at least one person within it being good gives credence to the idea that more people within it can also be good. so on the surface the movie's ideology is simply about saving "good" people, but when you make "good" cops the face of "good" people, you're very facetiously propping up an entire institution and failing to even holding it accountable for its very serious crimes. and that's something further hammered in when miles's dad toasts to a rest in power mural of his dead brother while celebrating being made into police captain, and when gwen says the mask is her badge bc this is the only way she can think of how to convince her father that she's not bad, by posturing herself as adjacent to the law despite the fact that vigilantes are specifically operatives outside of the law who at their best are capable of doing things and extending empathy that law enforcement are not

and then i have a minor issue with every character outside of gwen and miles and peter b feeling really generic but like. that's not on my mind as much comparatively lmao