#genuine fanmail

[detransdamnation]

hey, i'm a transgender person who came across your blog while looking through some tags. i don't necessarily agree with much of your views (i'm very much not a gender critical), but your posts have given me a new perspective on detransitioners. i didn't hold any animosity towards them before (or much of an opinion at all really), but my understanding of them didn't have much depth. i just wanted to say that i feel a great amount of empathy for you. transitioning might have not been the answer for you, but i hope someday your dysphoria dissipates and you're able to find peace. you aren't a freak for pursuing a path that didn't end up being right for you, you simply tried to alleviate your dysphoria in the only way you knew how to. i'm sorry it didn't work out. and i'm sorry so many of my peers treat detransitioners with vitriol when we really should be extending our support to them. i apologize if this came off as me pitying your situation. i'm not good at conveying words through text, but i just want you to know that my sentiments are genuine. i'm sure this is kind of a weird thing to get in your inbox (probably even weirder coming from a transgender person, sorry). i suppose we're at odds with each other, but i hope you are able to find happiness and someone who will love you for you.

Thank you so much for this message, sweet. One of the driving forces in my decision to publish my mostly unfiltered turmoil in relation to my dysphoria (beyond the fact that I just need a place where I can drop it and forget about it) was/is the wish for people to gain this very perspective through my blog. I find that a not-insignificant portion of the gender-critical community consists of people who (self-admittedly) do not actually experience long-term dysphoria to the degree that I and many other transgender people experience (meaning they're just parroting talking points without a personal, in-depth understanding of what it is actually like to hate yourself and your body to such a degree and be so fucking desperate to just make it stop), while the wider detransitioned community (contrary to somewhat popular belief) do not actually criticize gender identity as a concept, and in fact, often continue to find comfort in upholding it post-detransition. I also find that the ways in which dysphoria is approached and talked about in both communities can be a bit... shall I say... missing-the-forest-for-the-trees in that there is so much emphasis on "curing" dysphoria (whether through the means of transition, therapy, or simply "growing out of" it) riddled into the ideologies that when they come across someone like me—someone who has continued to have severe, persistent dysphoria through transition, detransition, and pretty much everything under the sun—they, very often, have no idea what to do or say because I exist outside of the plane of generalizations they have based their beliefs off of. I believe, if you want to have an honest conversation about mental health, you have to acknowledge that you can do everything "right" and still suffer—I am living, breathing, walking proof of that shitty fact. I choose to be pragmatic about it, to show that both "solutions" to this internal nemesis have caused me pain in different ways, because I think it's way too easy for people—including myself—to forget that real people's stories are often much more nuanced and complicated than mere theories would have you assume. Maybe that's cliché, dramatic, pessimistic or self-defeatist of me. But it's messages like yours that show my decision has made the intended impact.

You have nothing to apologize for. I don't read your message as your pitying my situation (and even if I did, I'd totally understand, considering the content of some of my posts lmao). I'm so glad to know that you have found some value in what I have shared here, even more so that you read through my blog and came to a place of compassion instead of defense. I'd go out on a whim and say we're not so at odds with each other, seeing as how I do still live my offline life as a transgender person currently, although I understand how many would disagree with me on that considering my perspective. Especially in this past year, it can be very hard for me to not look at this clusterfuck of an issue and want to throw back all of the anger and hatred that the trans community has shown me in the past, I'll honestly admit that—but through it all, I try to hold out hope that we will move past this weird timeline of extremism (on both sides) and we will all be able to come to a place of mutual understanding that will benefit all dysphoric people who precede us.

[erythriina]

reading bram stoker’s letter to walt whitman

[ripdragonbeans]

.

[blackberry-gingham]

thank u for supplying content for our good boi toad! i'm so happy to see his tag is active! 🙏🥰🐸

Aaaaa thank you!!! This came at the right time tbh, bc I plan on making more content with him and the others more frequently, so keep an eye out! I'll be doing my best! 😂💖

[redbura]

dear red mist, as someone who has produced their own colour you have been both a massive inspiration for the OC colour in question (heroic acts inspiring helping District 23 by promptly rampaging against the streets of flavour) and out of character (promptly gaining the concept of the angry strawberry stopping me being emotionally dead inside and allowing me to get mad again)

thank you.

..You're welcome?

I'm not sure how to respond to that. But.. good for you. (:

[matrixbearer2024]

I have now become subjected and I worship Vox With A Soft Smile™️ And now I will art

(Based off that one Lucifer scene in episode 8)

Actor AU: Fantastic Fanart

(Y/N): "Vox! C'mere! Look someone made fanart of your character!"

Vox: "WHAAA- YO I LOOK AMAZING?! CAN I KEEP THIS???"

Alastor: "Oh great here we go-"

Nix: *Giggling*

Vox: "Is it weird that I wanna print this and hang it up at home? Cuz this genuinely makes me so happy-"

Velvette: "Damn dude calm down, you are just vibrating from excitement-"

Valentino: *Examining the fanart* "It's very well done! Amazing work-" *Takes a moment to read the artist's name* "Galaxytoons! I hope I didn't butcher your name too much-"

Anthony(Angel Dust): "Vox are you not- used to fanart or fanmail?"

Vox: "Not- really? I mean, this show's my first big break. Unlike you guys. Anyway I'm gonna go print this and frame it-" *Leaves*

(Y/N): "Vox is gonna end up like that one parent who crams all their kid's art on the fridge-"

Alastor: "Someone please stop him before the staff fridge on set will be plastered with fanart of his character-"

Nix: "Oh please, as if you're any different! You save all the art sent to you on your phone."

(Y/N): "Girl, that is a lot more tame in comparison-"

Vox: *From out of the camera view* "HELP THE PRINTER'S OUT OF INK-"

Valentino: "I'm gonna go help him-"

Nix: "Please keep sending us art dearies! We love looking at them! Even if some of us might be a little more... eccentric!"

Alastor: *Pats Nix's head*

(Y/N): "Yeah... I hope Vox gets used to it eventually- or maybe not." *Laughs*

[allyriadayne]

will someone explain to me what the deal is with asoiaf lore? i'll see someone talking about something and it will come from martin responding to a fan letter from the 90s? and this is canon?? like who found and compilates all of the stuff he has said besides released books and interviews i guess. i've never been a fan of a series like this, is this common?

this has me genuinely in tears sorry 😭😭😭

okay serious now. i genuinely don't know if this is normal or expected in fantasy book series, at least i don't think it's that common in modern fantasy where the fashion has gone other ways from the expansive sword & sorcery type from the 20th century. i could not tell you if other fantasy authors are as involved as grrm is because i haven't been involved with any other fandom like this either (maybe lotr fans can say something different), but considering the years between publications (let this one be the last 🤞), the massive fanbase and fame of the source material, i think it's normal that his interviews, comments, and fanmail has been archived in the internet.

strictly speaking, everything outside asoiaf (books 1-5), fire and blood, and the dunk & egg books is not considered canon. BUT if the info comes from people like elio and linda like twoiaf book, or like the calendars, cookbooks, official art etc it's considered semi-canonical, just like anything grrm says /outside/ of the books. famous example, it's like when jk rowling said dumbledore was gay /after/ the books were done. it's semi canonical bc it comes from the author themselves, it doesn't affect the main body of work so it can be taken or discarded.

the thing is, martin has done A LOT of interviews and answered A LOT of fanmail and worked closely in answering doubts from the westeros dot org site for their rpg games set in westeros (girl, the dream) during the more than 30 years since the publication of agot. all this is considered semi canon and this archive is called "so spake martin" (SSM), which i think was started by elio & linda in the 90s and it's still collecting info. if you go to the awoiaf wiki, esp in the main series characters you'll see this citation (from tyrion's page):

most will be things like "martin has said tyrion has similarities to richard iii" (i mean duh) but other will be really neat like saying tyrion has been trained in arms, which while not something new (he does fight more or less ably during the blackwater battle) it's interesting to point out when it's a detail that may be lost in the series. it goes from character trivia to how casterly rock is different from the show. most fans take what he says seriously but i know there are people that only consider what's in the book and that's it, which is fine. in any case, most of these is used to enrich theories or character analysis, it's why you will see trivia from a fanmail from 1996 or whatever. i myself haven't read SSM completely one by one but i do like to peruse the wiki often, even if it's not complete.

i've seen a few blogs on here who also "collect" grrm's words like nobodysuspectsthebutterfly's "so spake martin" tag (mostly analysis but really interesting read if u don't want to go thru the westeros org page) or georgescitadel that has specific info about characters or themes in asoiaf.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

aita for ruining someone's "illusion" when i refused to continue rpf roleplaying with them?

this is something that happened years ago and that recently became relevant again because i crossed paths irl with this person and they still haven't forgiven me.

i (now 32 trans masc, when this happened i was in my 20s) used to be active in rpf roleplay circles. i wasn't popular because the famous person i roleplayed as had more of a niche following. unfortunately, this meant that fellow fans found my blog and followed me, and also started interacting with this roleplay blog as if i was "the real deal" just for the fantasy of interacting with their favorite artist.

i originally didn't really mind, since i was using rpf as a way to explore my own gender and my ideas of masculinity, and this famous person was someone i truly looked up to and wanted to emulate. the attention helped me practice my words and the way i formed my sentences, and also helped me get into a "masculine" headspace (i don't know how else to describe it).

the main issue arose when one of these fans got really invested in both my rp and personal blogs and stalked me even as i took mental health breaks from rp and stopped using tumblr for a while (would still use my personal twitter/ig accounts). they would constantly send tons of asks and fanmail (remember when we had that?) talking to me as if i was the actual artist, and they would send TONS of risque comments/dms to my personal accounts.

at first i tried to be understanding, but when this person started talking about their fantasies to me, both featuring me and the artist, i sent them an ultimatum that basically said "enough. i am not x. i don't want to read this, and x would not want to read it, either. i don't want to know about your fantasies. i'm not doing this anymore" (but admittedly more aggressively).

this person complained about my reaction when we crossed paths recently, saying that i was rude and disrespectful to their fantasies and that i made them feel insecure about their sexuality to the point they struggle talking about what they want with their partner.

and i can admit that sucks, but i am also torn, because while i'm mostly sure i wasn't in the wrong to react like that (and to quit rp altogether after this experience), maybe i could've handled the situation better.

(also, i'm not interested in opinions about rpf and whether it's right or wrong. i just genuinely want to know if i'm the asshole for reacting aggressively to someone telling me their sexual fantasies about me when i never engaged in erp or posted anything sexual either ic or ooc. if i am the ah, i'd like to know how i can make it up to this person.)

What are these acronyms?

[nonsenseofyesteryear]

Milgram characters getting fanmail:

Haruka: Is a bit overwhelmed at first, doesn't understand why anyone would want to write to him. But the kind words do make him happy.

Yuno: Has had her fill of gushing from strangers. Isn't terribly interested in any of the letters she gets.

Fuuta: Also doesn't understand why people want to write to him. Is kind of uncomfortable.

Muu: Thinks it's only natural that she would have fans. Posts her favorite letters on the wall of her room.

Shidou: Is somewhat comforted by the more genuine and sincere letters. Isn't sure what to do with the rest. Sends polite responses when he feels like it.

Mahiru: LOVES getting letters! Especially enjoys ones with cute drawings.

Kazui: Thinks everyone writing to him has just fallen for his lies, and if they knew who he really was, they wouldn't want to contact him at all.

Amane: Reads all of her letters very carefully. Side-eyes the ones with bad spelling and grammar. Won't keep most of them, but will quietly tuck away any letters with cute animal drawings.

Mikoto: Makes it his mission to respond to EVERY SINGLE LETTER that he gets. All of them. Even the ones that showed little to no effort on the original writer's part.

Kotoko: Keeps and responds to letters from people she feels share her mission and values. Discards the rest.

[hazbinhotelactorsau]

antonio

« man, flirtin' is fun. al, would ya be pissy if i started flirtin' wit' everyone? i could be like one'a them method actors! »

Name: Antonio Enrico Ragno

Nicknames: Sha (by Alastor), Darlin' (by Alastor), Tones (by Valentino), Tony (by everyone)

Height: 194cm (6'4)

Age: 31

Birthday: April 1 19XX

From: Brooklyn, New York

Nationality: Italian-American

Languages: English, Italian (fluent)

Gender: Genderfluid

Pronouns: He/Him (She/Her in drag)

Sexuality: Demiaroace

Partner: Alastor (Queerplatonic)

Famous For: Model for Vampire by Victoria

Plays: Angel Dust

Trivia:

he has a thick brooklyn accent but he's amazing at faking accents. he regularly mocks the others' accents and it's always annoyingly accurate. he helped alastor learn to do a transatlantic accent

adopted his character's tendency to flirt with anyone to be a 'method actor' ("if al can be a method actor, so can i!" "tony, alastor isn't method acting he's just naturally a freak. you should know that better than anyone"). being demiaroace, he hadn't seen the fun for flirting until he really got into his role

he has an older brother named giovanni and a younger sister named mariabella, both of whom he's convinced blitzø to cast for season 2

he has heterochromia. his left eye is green and his right eye is blue. his sister also has green/blue heterochromia but hers is the opposite eyes, leading to him joking that they should swap eyes so they can be 'normal'

he bleaches his hair blond so he doesn't look too much like his brother. it's naturally a dark brown colour. his hair grows incredibly fast however so he regularly has to get his roots touched up by victoria

he and alastor have been together for 10 years. they were each other's first partners after they met at a gay bar they both got dragged to by their respective friends

he had a french bulldog growing up named nugget, which is where he got the name 'fat nuggets' from for his character's pet pig

he loves pranks. he enjoys being born on april fool's day because he can get away with pranking everyone even more, because who could yell at him on his birthday? he and alastor are menaces to the rest of the cast, constantly pranking everyone

one time nikolai pranked him back with gravy tea bags. he has been reluctant to drink tea made by anyone but himself ever since

he uses the creepy fanmail he gets for the show. the 'show feet' letter they use in the show is a genuine letter he has received. he thinks it's pretty funny. charlie wasn't amused when she found out it was real though

he has bpd and is in therapy for it. he occasionally has episodes during filming so he has a code word (which he jokes is a "safe word fer tha sake o'tha rest o'ya") that he uses when he feels he needs some time to cool off

he's best friends with valentino and forever thanks him for dragging him to a gay bar all those years ago because it's how he met alastor. he sees valentino as an older brother type of friend because of his strained relationship with his own brother

he learned he was demiaroace through maggie when he explained the nature of his an alastor's relationship to her. before that, they both assumed they were just in a really unusual relationship because it was their first and they were inexperienced. he in turn taught alastor what it meant

he's in the closet about being genderfluid. the only people who know are alastor, valentino and oxley

he's secretly envious of alastor's ability to not give a fuck about his gender. he became more comfortable with himself and his feminine side after being cast as angel dust. he became to appreciate the art of drag and now does local drag shows under the same name as his character

he loves astrology and calls himself 'an astrology hoe'. he's constantly saying things like "that's so gemini of you!" and no one else has a clue what he's talking about

[detransdamnation]

Ayyyy you're back! How have you been? Was life treating you kindly?

Aww, hey there. It's good to see you. I remember you followed me shortly before I left and I was so glad to see that you were still hanging around. The past few months have honestly been very difficult but I've managed to pull through. Just trying to ease back into my "norm" now. It feels good to be back on here.

[helaelaemond]

miss what are your thoughts on everything?🎤

I think that compared to the Ewan we've seen so far, today's behaviour was quite extroverted. But again, at last year's premiere he wasn't as prominent as he is now and that's why I think he made such an impact on us. 😭

And he's at the peak of his career and he's very professional, he handled himself very well and you can tell he had a good time and that's the most important thing!

Also, I want to add that I was very happy with his constant demonstration of gratitude to the fans. In the Omelete panel he kept waving and noticing the fans in the crowd, plus the mention of the fanmail, SPECIFICALLY THE FANMAIL, IT FELT VERY PERSONAL.

I am glad he is trying new things and adapting to what his career requires of him, I am very proud of him. 😭💞

hello hello! You make some great points!!!

I interpreted this as his first live stage performance - everything was rehearsed, every line, every pause, and I respect it. I think he was probably just playing another role and it was potentially quite far from who he really is as a person, and that's not a bad thing!

He's clearly gone through some fantastic media training, and he was very much an HBO mouthpiece for this HBO event. Again, not a bad thing at all. Given the success of this, I wouldn't be surprised if we get to see him on the press tours come s2. Fingers crossed for Ewan, Phia, and Tom all togetherrrrrrrrr but who knows??

Definitely so sweet how he brought up the fanmail, waving to fans, the little thumbs up he gave the 'We <3 Ewan / Team Green' sign. Like you said, he was very professional and handled himself well, and clearly adapting to what is now required of him. I do sometimes wonder if he knows just how talented and skilled he is. Really hoping he recognises what an astounding actor he is, genuinely so, and how far he can - and hopefully will - go.

[mrs-gucci]

𝐬𝐤𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘔𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘹 𝘧𝘦𝘮 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

yeah, idk. this idea just ~happened~ and I wrote it. it’s nice to be feeling at least a little bit inspired again! this is my first Eddie fic, so I hope people enjoy my character interpretation :)

warnings. smut!!, implied previous relationship, outdoor sex, clothed sex, sooooome dirty talk, reverse cowgirl, unprotected sex, creampie.

word count: 1.1k 

** you and eddie have been broken up for the past few months. now, you’re alone with him at skull rock as you both await the return of the party... **

Eddie pushes the stolen supercomm’s antenna down with a sigh. You offer him a small smile.

“They’ll be here soon, I’m sure.”

He laughs breathily, looking away. He’s lost pretty much all hope at this point, it’s obvious. “Yeah.”

The two of you sit in silence for a bit. He twists his rings, you play with the holes on the knees of your jeans. Only the chirps of the birds and the droplets of rain from the night before hitting the dead leaves covering the ground can be heard.

“Eddie?”

He looks up at you. “What?”

“I, uh...”

He looks at you expectantly.

“I’m sorry about everything that has happened. It’s a shame that all the dickbags in this town can’t see how totally innocent you are.”

Eddie laughs softly, a genuine laugh this time. “Thanks. But I think we both know I’m not, uh, totally innocent.”

Your cheeks warm rapidly and you look away, a small smile tugging at your lips, despite your best efforts to rein it in. He’s referencing the relationship the two of you shared...before you broke up with him after a heated fight.

Yeah, he’s definitely not totally innocent. Far from it, actually.

“Well...that is certainly true, yes.”

Both of you laugh together, then fall silent again.

“Seriously though, thanks.” He says to you before offering the smallest of smiles. “It’s nice to know that I’ve got the prettiest girl in Hawkins on my side.”

You smile, cheeks even hotter.

“Don’t worry, I’ll send you plenty of fanmail in jail.”

“So not funny.” He chuckles anyway, shaking his head. “You’re not funny.”

“Aww. Just keep telling yourself that.”

It’s always so easy with Eddie. Everything. Joking, laughing, talking, fucking... Your head tips downward, swallowing harshly.

“This is weird.”

You look up, surprised that he spoke up. “What is?”

“This. You and me, small-talking. It’s weird.”

“Yeah. It kind of is. We...we weren’t really too good at the talking part, were we?”

He hums with a smile. “No, we weren’t too good at that. We were good at other things, though.”

You’re already wet just thinking about it, all those times he pounded you, made you scream his name...

“Y’know...”

Eddie hasn’t stopped looking at you.

“Skull Rock isn’t just a good hideout spot, it’s...it’s known as a pretty popular hookup spot.”

The corner of his mouth pulls up in a small smirk.

“Mhm. We never really got to come out here when we were dating.” He leans in slightly. 

You do the same, turning a bit to face him better.

“Eds, I know we haven’t really been together in a while but--”

He’s lunging forward and lips are pressing against yours in the blink of an eye. You’re startled at first, but quickly kiss him back, tongue dancing with his. Your head tilts slightly to the side, deepening the embrace.

“Shit, babydoll...we gotta make it fast. Don’t wanna traumatize the kids...and Steve. Robin and Wheeler seem like they could handle it.”

Your laughter vibrates his lips. “You know the drill, Eds. Just tell me how you want me...or put me there yourself.”

He grins and pulls you onto his lap swiftly, hands tightly gripping your ass. You hum into his mouth, grinding on him and enjoying the way his hips lift instinctively.

Suddenly, you find yourself turned around on his lap, back pressing against his front. His cool metal rings press up against your skin as his hand wraps around your neck.

“Fuck...move your fucking shorts to the side. I need you now.”

You quickly reach down to undo your shorts, giving more room for you to pull them to the side, revealing your bare wetness. Eddie yanks his belt loose, followed by the clasps on his jeans, reaching in to pull out his hardened cock.

You’re joined together quickly and swiftly, both of you moaning softly at the sensation. His thickness stretches you, his shaft penetrating deeply. His length twitches with excitement as you hold him inside for a moment, re-adjusting to him after the time apart.

Eddie takes over quickly, barely letting you begin to bounce before he’s fucking up into you, hand around your throat squeezing in-time with his thrusts. You’re gasping, whimpering, whining with each sharp motion of his hips.

“E-Eds, ssshit...”

“Mmm. Just like that, babydoll, moan my fuckin’ name.” He groans, jaw clenching and teeth gritting.

“Eddie. E-Eddie.” You gasp. You start to bounce along with his quick pace, matching his upwards strokes with your downward ones. “Ohhhmygod.”

You’re already close, so relieved to have Eddie back inside you. You’re relieved just to have Eddie back, even just in this way. You’ve missed him a lot.

He’s close too, you can tell. His dick is twitching, pulsing inside you as his climax draws closer. His breathing grows heavier and more choppy, his legs begin to shake beneath you, and he’s steadily losing himself to the intense pleasure he’s feeling.

“Y-You still on the pill?” He asks shakily, head tipping back for a moment.

You nod, then gasp as he yanks you back flush against him, rings pressing further into your neck with the effort. “Uh huh!”

“Good.”

His hips slam once, twice, three times more before they stutter to a stop. He groans loudly, lazy thrusts continuing as his spend empties into your waiting cunt.

Your walls squeeze him tightly, milking him for all he’s worth while your climax builds to a peak only moments later. A soft gasp of his name is all that’s heard before your hips buck erratically, jerking and jolting with each wave of pleasure that washes over you.

After you’ve ridden out your high, you collapse back onto his chest, breathing heavily. He hums, lazily moving his hand up and down your sides, occasionally venturing up to tease your clothes breasts. You laugh breathily when he does that, shaking your head in amusement. He always did have a special liking for your tits...

Suddenly, and before either of you can say anything, the sound of leaves crunching and twigs snapping reaches your ears.

“It’s this way, Henderson!”

“No, it’s North!”

“This. Way!”

Your eyes widen, as do Eddie’s, at the familiar voices of Steve and Dustin. You quickly get off his lap and straighten yourself out while he does the same.

The party soon approaches through the brush and by then, the two of you are sitting next to each other. 

“Hey, we found them!” Dustin grins.

Both of you look at one another for a moment, sharing a small smile.

“Yeah, Henderson. You found us.”

I don’t currently have a Stranger Things character taglist!

my masterlist | my ao3 | my taglist form (a.d. characters only) | my current page happenings

[autistichalsin]

Hello 🙏Big fan of your work! thank you for sharing with us your wholesome analysis content, can't get enough of it .I feel this to some extent to be another layer in his character :,) maybe i can't fully extend on why it would make sense but is this something? Sorry

I perceive Halsin as someone who, deep down, might feel unworthy but chooses not to express it. It seems that throughout his relationships he has carefully crafted his expressions, possibly out of a desire to avoid burdening someone he cares for with his inner struggles. The carefully chosen words and planned sentences might be a way for him to shield his own insecurities. While he outwardly promotes freedom in relationships, there's a suspicion that this stance might stem from a reluctance to express his true feelings of unworthiness, creating a facade of responsibility instead of authenticity.

In his pursuit of love, Halsin paradoxically insists on the potential for greater happiness with someone else, repeatedly emphasizing freedom in the relationship. It's as if he wants the love of his present relationship but hesitates to fully embrace it, perhaps until it becomes unmistakably clear that he is genuinely and deeply loved. Until then, his expressions may be veiled attempts to maintain a sense of control over his vulnerabilities, revealing his true desires only when he feels secure in the reciprocation of love.

Guyyyyyyys you're gonna make me blush!!! How am I at the point where I'm getting fanmail in my inbox now!!! *Kicking my feet and blushing*

I agree for sure that he tries to shield others from his own stuff. Maybe not out of a sense of unworthiness per se, or maybe it is. But he definitely doesn't feel like he should ask for the same emotional real estate that he gives to others.

However, I will politely say I don't agree with the rest of this. I don't think him being poly is a cover for any of his insecurities (nor does it stem from his traumas, I.E. in the Underdark). It is who he is, especially as a wood elf; polyamory is the default in wood elf culture. (In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if the consent given by other characters, who otherwise want monogamy but make an exception for Halsin, is given on the basis that Halsin is a wood elf). The devnotes for the scene where Halsin explains his nature says "sincere. This is a core belief of his." Halsin is poly and traumatized, not poly because he's traumatized; Halsin is poly and struggling with asking for what he wants, not poly because he can't say what he wants.

The "you're all I want" line that usually gets picked as proof of him not being poly is, IMO, a poorly-written one- what he is trying to say there is that the player is all he wants at that moment, not forever. It isn't uncommon for poly folks to be in relationships with a single other person, not because they aren't poly anymore, but because there aren't any other poly partners around. That's what Halsin is getting at.

I hope this response doesn't put you off or anything! I appreciate your message very much. I just fundamentally can't get on board with any attempts to link Halsin's identity as a polyamorous person with trauma and/or emotional insecurity.

[distantsonata]

@staff genuinely I hate that booping is gone. bring something like it back. let me touch my mutuals. I miss them. liking their posts isn't enough. messaging them is too much. you murdered fanmail in it's sleep and submissions lie dormant on most blogs. release the boops

[alexis-royce]

2 and 8 for Mr Pages? (from the-dye-stained-socialite)

Heya! Already answered #8, so here’s 2:

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

Verrrrrrry hard to pick just one. But I think that it might be that, deep down, Pages is characterized by loving scandalous stories, more than anything else. When your notability is even a little high, Pages sends you regular gifts. Like fanmail. It restricts spicy literature from the public, but it LOVES to talk about it, so if you’re unfortunate enough to be at Chapman’s while it’s about, you are going to have a government official bothering you while you’re trying to drink, asking you to have an opinion on bizarre Victorian porn.

Flabbergasted. Unhinged.

I guess it ties into something I feel strongly about with my media diet; that a good work isn’t just about structure and word choice and the rhythm of the prose. A work’s also gotta have that bit of OOMPH. Sometimes it’s a little racy, but it needn’t be, so long as it’s juicy. That little pull. Pages is a monster but it does genuinely love stories. It loves them in a horrible, abusive way, obsessed and awful and covetous and equally at home reading tabloids or printed fiction.

I like seeing things I relate to reflected back at me in a hideous funhouse mirror! Pages’ thirst to consume stories is in turns very scary and very funny to me. Just a fascinating and compelling character.

The stories encade enticingly. It is of sufficient weight to coil them as a stone in a web. I am heedful.