#i cannot explain but YES

[nadiajustbe]

I think the most beautiful thing about writing of Howl and Sophie's pair is that they are written as people before being written as a pair. Let me explain this very quick.

The thing about book Sophie and Howl is that they are not really fully fitting into any "classic" romantic trope. They are not exactly enemies to lovers, as their angry chats are definitely cannot be considered a life or death battle, they are not rivals to lovers because the only aspect of rivalry between them is the cleaningness of Howl's room. They are not friends to lovers, as their relationship just doesn't fit into "friendship" structure at the very start, nor they are roomates (yes, they live in the same house but that's not the core aspect of their relationships). Of course, you can go on and fit the name of the trope you found specifically for them, but that's the thing.

They simply cannot be processed through a pairings lenses only, in order to understand how they act in relationship you need to analyse them separately, as a characters first of all. Cause that's what the book itself does!

Sure, it doesn't have a whole lot of romance instead, but it gives us time to learn and observe the life of incredibly written, alive characters, understand them as personalities first of all, while slowly immersing the dynamic between two characters (in this case, Howl and Sophie) into work. They are written as personalities, both being fully separated and interviewing, changing eachother's point of view.

It's difficult to find a trope for them. They're are not a trope. They are Howl and Sophie, and that's probably the only way their dynamic can be properly described. Just as real people, they are not really fitting into the boxes of linial character progression, but go way deeper into being complex, filled with little differences and moments only people with their personality can have in romantic (or any different) kind of interaction. They're imperfect, and silly, and multidimensional and the reader knows them well enough to imagine them interacting way beyond of what the book says to them.

They are being people before being a ship, a pair of a trope — and that's why they work so perfectly charming in the end.

Howl and Sophie are unique in being themselves.

[lilithschosen]

Hello. It is becoming rapidly apparent I am probably should not be working, but alas, I must wage slave regardless. Could I perhaps beg you to write them getting it on freaky style? I go so feral for sub/bottom Rio like. Ohhhh my god. Thinking about Rio bordering on tears Begging for it + squirting strap 🫣 Overstimulation maybe. perhaps even a sprinkling of mommy kink if you feel so inclined.

*brushes off cobwebs from this prompt* oh hey, buddy. hey. how's it goin? you've been in my inbox for a while, i'm sorry. don't worry, your eyes will adjust to the sudden light.

anyway lmao

"Kneel."

Rio looks over her shoulder, hands against the top drawer of her dresser. She doesn't move, causing Agatha to grunt in annoyance.

She kicks Rio's feet apart and grabs her by the waist. Rio snaps forward, barely able to hold herself over it. Agatha slides her hand between Rio's thighs, pressing herself crotch first against Rio's ass.

"I said," she growls in Rio's ear, the thick bulge underneath her sweatpants pinning Rio against the dresser. "Kneel."

Rio's hands slowly drop from the drawer, reaching back to touch Agatha only for her arm to be bent behind her back and shoved down to the ground with a thud.

"You wanna play stupid, yeah?"

Rio shook her head, facing the dresser. She holds a moment before slowly turning her shoulders to test the waters. Agatha doesn't stop her, instead allowing her girlfriend to fully face her while remaining on her knees.

She cups her jaw, calloused hands brushing against soft skin and tracing lines across her throat with the back of her fingers.

"You're always prettiest on your knees."

Rio melts in Agatha's palm, pupils dilating. Agatha smirks from the reaction, other hand reaching for her waistband. Rio's eyes widen with anticipation, flicking between Agatha's face and the hand starting to tug at the fabric.

"Oh?" Agatha questions, voice thick with condescension. "Is there something you want, sweet girl?"

"Just need you, daddy."

The pet name.

The title.

Agatha wets her lips before she grins. "What else, baby?"

Rio's eyes fall to the now still hand against Agatha's waistband, her pinky and ring finger fully underneath. "Your cock."

Agatha hums, middle finger flipping underneath the waistband but moving no further.

"Mommy wants daddy's cock?" Rio presses her thighs together as she nods. "How bad?"

Rio reaches up with both hands, touching the top of Agatha's clothed thighs. She inches them closer in tandem toward the bulge until she can wrap her hands around the thick length through her pants, mouth falling open.

"Really, really," Rio begins, looking up through her lashes while she moves her face toward her hands and away from Agatha's palm on her jaw. "Really badly."

She lifts her hands up while they're still clasped around the toy, and presses and open mouth kiss against the shaft.

Her wet mouth soaks the light grey of the fabric, leaving behind darkened imprints.

"Jesus."

Agatha runs her fingers through her hair, throwing it back behind her head and out of her face. Her other hand fully dips underneath her pants and grabs at the toy underneath, pulling it away from Rio's hands and up over the waistband.

Rio immediately spots which toy it was, the small hole at the tip being the dead giveaway.

"Go ahead," Agatha rasps, "Get it nice and wet before I fuck you."

Rio wastes no time, plump lips wrapping around the head of the toy. She hollows her cheeks and relaxes her throat as she welcomes the length in with practiced ease.

Agatha's clit throbs against the harness, watching with rapt attention while her girlfriend sucks her silicone cock.

She can feel it.

The phantom touch between her legs.

Rio's hot, wet mouth against her and not just around some silicone toy.

She feels it and wants more.

Agatha grips the toy at the base, pulling out of Rio's mouth entirely. Rio frowns at the loss, saliva dribbling out past her lips.

"Take your fucking pants off."

Agatha drops to her knees, shifting Rio forward on her elbows before she could even get a chance to do as she was told. She settles behind her, ripping off Rio's plaid pajama pants, and thrusts the toy between her thighs. The shaft of the toy rubs against her clit through her underwear and she chokes a surprised moan.

"God, I bet you're dripping. So ready for me to fill you up."

Rio groans, grinding her hips against the toy forced between her legs. Agatha barks a laugh, hand on Rio's ass as she fucks the length in and out.

"Please, daddy," Rio begs, holding her forearms underneath her and lifting her backside further up to entice Agatha. "Need you. Fuck me, I need it."

Agatha's eyes flutter shut at the fragment of sensation of Rio's thin, cotton underwear against the toy. Almost as if she could feel Rio's arousal beginning to soak through the fabric.

"Keep begging," Agatha claps her palm against Rio's ass cheek. "I don't believe you."

Rio whines, rocking against Agatha harder and more determined. "Daddy, please!"

Agatha keeps her movements, pistoning the toy between Rio's thighs. "Louder."

Rio swallows hard, the heat in her lower belly building with each drag of the toy.

"I need you so fuckin' bad," she slurs her words, overwhelming drool in her mouth making it hard to speak. "Need you to fuck me, fill me. Breed me."

The words send a jolt of electricity through Agatha's spine and she snaps her hips forward hard. She leans over Rio's back and bites down on her shoulder.

Rio cries out, throwing her ass back into Agatha's hips. "Please!"

Agatha shoves her underwear to the side, dragging the toy against her drenched folds until she slips fully out and teases the tip into her entrance.

"Are you sure you need it?"

Rio groans, slamming her hips back and sheathing the full toy inside of her with ease. "Oh, fuck."

Agatha was too stunned to speak, her cock now filling Rio to the brim in an instant.

She can't control herself, imagining the pure heat of Rio's cunt stretching to fit her entirely.

All for her.

"You were fucking made for me," Agatha's nostrils flare while her hands take hold of Rio's hips. "This pussy is mine. Always mine."

She pulls out again, watching as the toy reappears from Rio's core now coated in her slick. Rio mewls out from the sudden emptiness before Agatha rushes to fill her again.

"Yes!"

Agatha thrusts in and out hard, hips drilling the toy with an immediate and bruising pace. Rio can only groan with each impact of Agatha's strap against her cervix.

"Tell me you love it," Agatha starts to pant, hips slapping into Rio's backside, "Tell me you love daddy's cock."

Rio gasps, her hips dropping from the unrelenting pace. Agatha doesn't bother to lift her again, instead continuing to fuck her into the floor.

"I-I love your cock!"

Agatha lifts a hand from Rio's waist and grabs a fistful of her hair, tilting her head back while she keeps fucking her.

"That's it, mommy," Agatha chuckles through her breathing, "Take it. Take my fucking cock, and take my fucking load."

Rio's brain clouds over, her orgasm building rapidly. She can only moan jumbles sounds of words, holding her forehead against the plush carpet of their bedroom floor.

"Gonna cum in you and fuck it back in."

Agatha reaches for the black syringe attached to the dildo, the one she tucked at her hip and previously filled with the white, silky lubricant.

"Please," Rio shouts, eyes rolling into her head as her walls tighten around the toy, "Cum in me, daddy. Fill me. Need to feel you so deep."

Agatha clenches her jaw as she holds her thumb against the plunger of the syringe, fucking Rio hard and fast. She feels it at the base of her spine and connects to the toy with each thrust moving her closer and closer to her undoing.

"So close," she mutters, hips stuttering a half pump into Rio's pussy before she regains herself. "Give it to me, baby."

Rio screams out Agatha's name, partially muffled from the carpet and Agatha slams down on the plunger. She fills Rio with the silky lube, toes curling as she cums as well.

Agatha rocks her hips into the harness, her own pleasure running down her leg while she holds down on the plunger to make sure every drop was inside of Rio.

"That's my girl," Agatha coos, still fucking the toy in and out of Rio through both of their orgasms, "Take it. Fucking take it."

Rio whimpers, body limp underneath Agatha. She feels so deliciously full, only able to roll her head to the side and exhale loudly while her brain reboots.

Agatha pumps the toy in once, twice, then a third final time before pulling out entirely. The silky, white lubricant bubbles out of Rio's cunt, pooling out underneath her and Agatha groans at the sight of it.

"You need to be filled like that more."

Agatha pulls apart Rio's folds with a thumb, eyes focused on nothing but her cum seeping out from Rio. Committing the sinful image to memory.

Rio's eyelids were too heavy to fight against, instead just flexing her calf muscles in a halfhearted attempt to move. Agatha bites down on her lower lip, fingers extending out to dig into the flesh of Rio's ass as she exhales a content, happy sigh.

Her other hand catches the dribbles of the lube, the silky white mixing with Rio's release so deliciously she didn't want to see it all wasted when a thought crosses her mind.

"What's your colour, baby?"

Rio opens an eye, lifting up on her elbows. Head turned to try to look at Agatha, she croaks out a tentative "green" before falling back down.

"Good girl."

She coats the combination of their cum around her fingers before she tucks them into Rio's cunt.

Two fingers curled down to hit the spongy spot just inside beyond her pubic bone. Rio chirps in surprise, biting down on her tongue accidentally while her body lurches up to pull off of Agatha's fingers. She was sore, but oh so wet.

"No," Agatha scolds, moving forward to catch Rio and stop her retreat. "You said green, hon. I'm not done with you."

She fits three fingers inside of Rio quickly, fanning them apart before pulling them out and filling her again.

"Fu-uck," Rio hiccups, her hips barely able to lift from the floor while Agatha begins to fuck her with her fingers. "Daddy, please."

Agatha's upper lip twitches, nearly pulling up into a snarl at the immediate begging. "Already, sweetheart?"

The tone strikes her core. The cold, condescending line while she can feel Rio's cunt fluttering and sucking her digits in as deep as they can.

Rio groans with a low, raspy sound from her chest. She nearly creeps forward again away from Agatha before she's stopped with a firm, flat palm on her lower back.

"You're gonna give me one more," Agatha stares plainly, the vein in her bicep more prominent as she increases her thrusts. "You hear me? Give me another."

She pistons her hand harder and faster, nowhere near how she can fuck Rio with a harness but still just as good. The noises falling from Rio's lips start loud and desperate, but quickly dissolve into tiny choking sounds as if she were struggling to even breathe from it all.

Agatha smiles with too many teeth and a wild look in her eye. "That's it, come on. Cum for daddy."

It's too much for Rio, having barely recovered from the intense orgasm earlier. She pinches her eyes closed to fight back the tears brimming from just how overwhelming it all was.

White hot pleasure rocks her to the depths of her soul while her body immediately tenses. She digs her hands into the carpet, holding herself steady as she coats Agatha's hand in her desire. The remnants of the cum lube manages to dribble out around Agatha's slowing fingers, pumping them in and out before she finally pulls out entirely to enjoy the mess she's made of the woman underneath her.

She pats Rio's ass with her wet hand, smug at the vision before her. "Daddy's proud of you, sweet girl."

Rio grunts, bordering on the verge of sleep after everything. Agatha sheds the strap from her waist, setting it on the floor before scooping Rio up in her arms with ease.

"We'll clean up in the morning," she presses a brief, sweet kiss to Rio's cheek, "Let's get you in bed before we both hate ourselves in the morning from sleeping on the floor. Again."

[demonofsodom]

i don't know if that scene was intended to make us like trinity more or make us think she's actually badass! or something but i'm actually leaning towards it just reinforcing the prior characterization of her being emotionally ill-prepared for this environment and having no self control whatsoever. as a csa survivor AND someone going into healthcare ... yeah you can't just Do That, buddy

[saetiate]

something about kaiser driving a car, his hand patting your thigh when you get nervous at the speed, reversing with his hand behind your headrest. fingering you at a red light and edging you telling you that you can't come until he parks and gets to properly fuck you

[acetechne]

weird times, man. i draw this guy once in a blue moon but I felt like I should again, at least as a form of stress relief or as a personal documentation.

on the one hand the upswing in nationalism should be uncomfortable, we are not immune to propaganda etc etc but on the other hand what the fuuuuuck!

[mutedeclipse]

draw something out of context, it can be anything

go crazy

not quite what was instructed, but it did give me the opportunity to mess with a failed sketch from yesterday

[confessedlyfannish]

DP x DC Writing Prompt #8

The day Bruce Wayne knocks on her apartment door Sam knows it's going to be a doozy.

"Mr. Wayne, I really do hope no one saw you," she says, ushering him in. "And for the record, a text ahead of time would be appreciated."

"I parked the car a few streets away," Bruce says, sticking a finger in his heel to peel his polished leather shoes off. Sam raises an eyebrow. "It's a sedan, not a Lamborghini."

"You own a sedan?"

"Taught Dick to drive in it...after he crashed the Lamborghini."

Sam snorts despite herself. The charm Bruce Wayne exhibits would usually rub her the wrong way, too reminiscent of wealthy men that feel comfortable placing a hand on the small of your back at a crowded gala, but Bruce is honest enough about his playacting that she has come to find its insincerity comforting. She's actually sought him out more than once, leading to several annoying headlines that can't seem to decide if she's aiming to date him or one of his eligible sons. None of whom are eligible by the way, as they are a) taken, b) legally dead, c) practically a minor, and d) an actual minor.

Sam's generational wealth is peanuts compared to Wayne Industries, so naturally her parents have been thrilled and rooting for option c.

"I also didn't want Danny to see I'd texted you. Or force you to lie to him."

Sam doesn't quite tense, but it's a near thing. She does slide to the other side of her kitchen island, under the context of finishing prepping her feta fried eggs, laid on a bed of smashed avocado and warm tortilla. She pulls a bottle of crunchy garlic oil out of the fridge and drizzles hot red crisps across the runny yolk. She takes a bite, chewing thoughtfully, not so much as offering him a glass of water.

"You realize, Mr. Wayne, I have no intention of lying to Danny now?"

Bruce sits at the stool on the opposite side of the island. "I understand. And if you want to ask Danny to return home before we continue, I'd understand that as well. I didn't mean to discomfit you--"

"Please do not lie to me now, Mr. Wayne," Sam says, rolling her eyes. "By your own admission you showed up at noon without warning knowing my superhero boyfriend wouldn't be present. If I am discomfited, all the more likely you get your information, right?" Golden yolk runs down her fingers, and she sacrifices it to the napkin rather than lick up her arm in front of her boss, with no small amount of resentment. The yolk is the best part.

"Get to it then," she demands.

Bruce straightens in his stool, chin raising and firming in a jawline she most often sees under a cowl. His eyes attempt to pin her in place, but Sam has stared the Master of Time in the face and demand he reschedule so she is built. different. She takes another bite of egg taco.

"I was not aiming for you to feel threatened, and moreover, I doubt you could be."

Except a smart person should always feel threatened by a threat, no matter their capability of handling one. It keeps them alive.

"Can you tell me how I'm not like all the other girls after lunch? You'll spoil my appetite."

Bruce clears his throat. "I'll get to the point--"

"Thank you."

"--Danny has been exhibiting paranormal behaviors beyond his baseline. We welcome all biologies; human, alien, and paranormal alike, but I have observed actions unlike what he had previously established as his, for lack of a better word, 'normal'

"I want to make sure he is not experiencing any unwelcome outside influence. Or, if this is merely a facet of his evolution, I'd like to know if this is something we or his family should be monitoring."

Sam has been an eco-consultant with Wayne Industries and unofficially, the Batfamily, for half a year now and this is the most she's ever heard the man speak in one sitting.

"Wow," she says. "How long have you been rehearsing that one?"

"A while." Bruce grunts, voice finally taking that final drop into Batman's gravelly rasp. "I see you're not surprised by any of this."

"No, not really," Sam says. She pours him a tall glass of lemon water from the pitcher, freshly sliced that morning, and he takes a polite sip.

"So what can you tell me?"

"Probably a lot. And Danny would probably prefer that I do, knowing him, the big baby," Sam sighs. "Listen Mr. Wayne, I can appreciate that you came here from a place of caution rather than intrusion. And if Danny was undergoing something negative or from an 'unwelcome outside influence' that would be the right call, and I, albeit begrudgingly, encourage you to do so in the future."

"But he's not."

"He's not," Sam confirms. "And in fact, I think he could really use someone to talk to about it. Outside of his family."

"I see..." Bruce says, shifting.

"If you want to tag team this one with one of the higher EQ players, such as Superman, I give you permission." Sam does not think she's imagining that slight sag of relief.

"Thank you," Bruce says, sliding off the stool. "I don't suppose you have material we could consult...?"

"Actually yes, I happen to have a pamphlet right here. 'So your ghostly body is changing, and how.'"

"You're being more sarcastic than usual."

"You interrupted my lunch, Mr. Wayne."

[pearsandrust]

in honour of me deciding to appease my 2021 self by going to a genshin event this week, here's how i'd rewrite sumeru if i were given the chance. note that this is solely based off of the in-game themes and lore that i still remember, and i quit pretty early on. so. warning for canonical inaccuracy.

also, this is a traveller-less rewrite. i love aether/lumine, but i think their reputation as the "hero" often ends up taking away other characters' autonomy. the MC being capable of practically everything means that we don't get as many moments where other characters realize they have to step up. anyway, that's enough yapping. thoughts under the cut <3

PLOT

the general flow of the plot would be kept the same, but here's a list of points i want to include:

the sages don't imprison nahida by any physical means. instead, they take advantage of the fact that she's the first/central akasha terminal. the sheer volume of requests the sages send to the akasha causes her to be a) constantly overstimulated, therefore locking herself in the sanctuary of surasthana, and b) unable to use her mind for herself, which takes away her biggest source of power

another reason nahida is unable to communicate with the people is because the akasha is actively diminishing the population's cognitive capacities

the first person to realize that critical thinking is declining among the citizens of sumeru is, of course, alhaitham. he notices that a lot of people have stopped using figures of speech. instead, everyone seems to speak the same way, which he finds unsettling.

at the same time, the sages have enlisted kaveh to redesign the akademiya's buildings for "efficiency". that's right. they're making kaveh do minimalism. the horror ! the intrigue ! what did they do to get him to agree (i will cover this later when i talk about his character)

(this one is a WIP) as the manifestation of the withering in people, i'd want eleazar to have more notable psychological effects. distortion of memories/dreams would be my first instinct. since the withering is also linked to the remains of greater lord rukkhadevata, i think collei would be the first person to see irminsul and hear the words "world, forget me" (instead of the traveller).

i'd keep the samsara arc, but instead of having nilou host the dream, the host changes during every "reboot". the beep everyone hears at the end of the day isn't just the dream restarting, but also a confirmation that a new host has been found. of course, every person's dream would still have features unique to them. because i love kaveh, i'd like to write a dream hosted by him at some point -- with his dream's defining factor being that his parents are still in sumeru city.

the sages are still trying to make scaramouche a god btw.

i want the tale of king deshret's civilization and the introduction of forbidden knowledge to be basically lost history. it would be so interesting to have the characters wonder if the desert's mysterious machines hide the secret to defeating scara, only to eventually find out that the sages are just repeating deshret's sins. it would also be interesting to see people wish for deshret to return without knowing exactly why he fell in the first place

speaking of the desert, i'd like the conflict between the akademiya and the desert people to focus at least a little on the destruction of history in the pursuit of "progress". the sages are willing to overwrite the past whenever it's convenient for them, so there's no way they can be entrusted with the knowledge/culture of the desert. but then again, i'm actually not too sure why hoyo wrote the desert/forest conflict the way they did in the sumeru main story, so i could be missing something crucial here. let me know!

tying nahida's imprisonment to the akasha system does also mean that the cast needs to find a way to dismantle it before freeing her, which is something i haven't quite figured out yet (sigh). i was thinking of doing something along the lines of how alhaitham broke the hivemind in his story quest.

you know that theory that's like "nilou is the reincarnation of the goddess of flowers and [other character] is the reincarnation of deshret"? while i don't fully agree with it, i'd like to introduce some mechanism by which the main cast can draw power from the memories of those gods (perhaps using nahida as a conduit). memory is such a prominent motif in sumeru, and it would make such a perfect antithesis to how collei's eleazar was once suppressed using a dead god's remains, resulting in her having uncontrollable powers. useful powers through honouring the past vs terrible power through exploiting it. do you see the vision

CHARACTERS

okay, now for points relating to individual characters!

nahida

i don't have much to change about her personality, but here are a few points i'd like to add to her:

metaphors metaphors metaphors! i know she already speaks pretty metaphorically, but i don't want to just play it off for humour ("haha nahida why are you talking like that"). i want her to get weird and creative with them!! use symbols that people wouldn't expect !!

a core problem with nahida attempting to take control of sumeru again is that if the akasha has made everyone unable to learn for themselves, she can't really spread knowledge to the people. i think this could make for an incredibly interesting character arc. nahida initially tries to make herself seem more like an archon of wisdom and plays into the akademiya's stereotypes of wisdom/intelligence, using very specific language and explaining things literally to people (as the sages/traditional academics might do). in the end, she realizes that her personal style of teaching -- using fairy tales and stories as metaphors -- is far more effective

note: while the official lore doesn't confirm that rukkhadevata is the "ruler of yesterday and tomorrow morning" mentioned in one of the sumeru books, it's such a powerful idea that i'd like to make it the basis of her identity in this rewrite. it encapsulates the importance of memory -- how the past informs the future. this both connects back to irminsul and explains nahida's biggest weakness. she does not have nearly as much lived experience, and thus, she has less memories to draw power from.

kaveh

kaveh's my favourite genshin character, which is why this whole thing is a little biased towards him. but honestly, it's hoyo's fault for stating he's canonically the closest to nahida's ideal of wisdom and then not putting him in the story.

of all the sumeru characters, i feel like he'd be the most opposed to the akademiya defunding the arts and focusing solely on progress. in such an environment, i imagine that he'd feel like he never has enough time to process everything, which also plays into the concept of "debt". he feels like he owes the universe everything he has failed to preserve.

i'd like kaveh's mother to send him the occasional letter. in each one, she seems to get a little further from who she used to be, giving him the feeling that the past is slipping away. i want him to wish that he could stop or rewind time, and for this wish to eventually bring him to the orchard of pairidaeza (the time-stop place underneath the desert). i'm not entirely sure why -- i just think it would fit.

in a similar vein: the reason he agrees to help the akademiya redesign their buildings in a minimalist style is not because they offer him money, but because they threaten to destroy all the notebooks and papers his mother contributed to their library. you know, the last evidence that she was ever an architect.

alhaitham

hoo boy. alhaitham. while i love his current character, the sumeru story didn't really challenge him in any meaningful way. he kind of just. handled it all. and that's ... kind of disappointing? i'm not saying we should overstimulate him for sport or anything, but i'd try something like this:

have alhaitham be a parallel to scaramouche. NOW BEFORE YOU GUYS YELL AT ME. HEAR ME OUT

both alhaitham and scaramouche are heavily influenced by their respective pasts, but neither of them really acknowledge it. in scaramouche's case, he's actively trying to repress his memories. alhaitham is a bit different -- we know his grandmother had a big influence on him, but i cannot remember a single time that he has brought her up. i don't think he's actively trying to forget her, but i presume he usually just focuses on other things. at the beginning of the story, i'd characterize alhaitham as someone who usually neglects past issues in favour of current/future ones. he would think this is an efficient, more peaceful way to live. as the story progresses, he gradually realizes that neglecting the past is not a strength, but rather something that makes you more susceptible to repeating your previous mistakes.

he doesn't need to become excessively sappy or nostalgic to accomplish this. it would mostly happen through small, fleeting moments. for example, the sages get rid of some of the books in the house of daena because they're "old and redundant", and alhaitham realizes this makes him uncomfortable.

meanwhile, scaramouche becomes wrongly convinced that you can only be successful if you rid yourself of your past. even though both of them start with similar ideologies, they end up as vastly different characters. which would be !! so interesting !!

collei

COLLEI NATION !!! ILOVEHERILOVEHERILOVEHER.

collei is a perfect example of the importance of memory, if only because of how deeply she values amber. and the fact that she had to learn how to read after arriving in sumeru makes her a perfect addition to the story's exploration of language. also, the fact that her favourite stories are fairy tale picture books? which exactly aligns with how nahida prefers to tell stories? collei is the true main character of sumeru and none of you can tell me otherwise. i am dying on this hill

HEAR ME OUT. since there's no traveller, i want collei to be the one who defeats scaramouche in the end. there are a lot of more powerful characters, but her lore perfectly aligns with scara's. as an example, collei's doll (cuilein-anbar, named after amber) is a great parallel to the doll scaramouche's friend once made for him.

we can tell from collei's ascension voiceline (even if it's a life-or-death situation, i'll never need to rely on their power again) that she wants to develop her own set of skills; that way, she'll never need to call on the power that was sealed within her. this makes her a great character for the scaramouche fight. when the traveller does it, they use the knowledge of everyone in sumeru. similarly, we could see collei willingly learn different skills from different characters throughout the story. that way, it feels natural for her to tap into all of that knowledge during the climax -- just like aether/lumine does. do you see it. do you see the vision

candace

collectively we are sleeping on candace. this includes whoever wrote her character stories. they were also sleeping on candace.

like alhaitham, i'd also like candace to have a bit more of an internal struggle. her character stories don't offer us much ("candace was not depressed" -- ah. okay,,,?), but we do get the hint that she always has to have her guard up. she has to remain calm at all times. she can't really wear the cute trinkets she buys. i feel like there could be a really interesting conflict between her determination to protect everyone and her innate desire to be someone else.

there is a lot that candace can teach the other characters about language, which is a Core Sumeru Motif! the way she speaks in the story is actually really unique, given that people come to her for Divine Guidance TM. this could add to the ongoing idea that objective/academic language is not necessarily the best way to communicate with people.

dehya

not too much to say here -- her character works well as is!

i would lean a little more into the fact that she keeps returning to the desert, no matter what. this could directly conflict with her desire to obtain a position where she can help her loved ones live better lives. she wants them to break free of the restrictive mindset they've developed due to the harsh conditions of the desert. if she remains a mercenary, she may never have that sort of influence, but can she really tolerate working somewhere like the akademiya? this is especially interesting considering alhaitham asks her to join the akademiya himself at some point (IIRC).

i think she could have a really interesting friendship with nilou, though. they are vastly different people and yet they both have an appreciation for beauty. they both also want to live a carefree life. i think it would be so fun to see them bond, and we could have some cool scenes where they teach each other how to fight/dance :)

nilou

speaking of nilou,

i think it would be interesting to dive deeper into why the akademiya is defunding the arts. it could be because of their subjectivity, or because they don't really "advance the current state of knowledge" in sumeru. in any case, it would be fun to have the conflict stem from the sages' desire to intellectualize everything. it would definitely clash with nilou's carefree personality.

out of everyone, nilou would be most affected by the negative side effects of the akasha. it diminishes her creativity, leading her to feel burnt out. i would love to have an arc where nilou feels uninspired, but later realizes it's because her access to instantaneous knowledge has made her stop observing the world around her.

it would be really cool if nilou could see the aranara. for no particular reason tbh. i just think it fits her

unfinished characters: tighnari & cyno & faruzan & layla & sethos

i haven't read the lore for these characters, but if this idea ever comes to fruition, rest assured that they will be added :)

dori

no dori. i am so sorry dori fans but i genuinely do not know what to do with her. please enlighten me

scara

just one thing:

the dendro archon is the avatar of irminsul, which contains all the world's memories. this, in itself, is a form of "eternity". i imagine that's part of why he agreed to try and overtake nahida in the first place. it was another shot at holding onto "eternity".

aaaand that's it! that was such a long post. i'm never posting about genshin again (i say that every time i post about genshin). if anyone read the entire thing i love you.

[teenitrash]

Post!War Levi who has to get used to moving around in a wheelchair

Post!War Levi who has to learn to rely on others and has to be the one asking for help this time around

Post!War Levi who gets frequent nightmares and bittersweet dreams of the past and has no one to wake up beside

Post!War Levi who finally allows himself to embrace life and live it as best as he can, handing out candy to underprivileged kids and opening up to Gabi and Falco about his mother

Post!War Levi who will never think of the "What ifs" and "What could have beens" as a way of showing that he will never regret the decisions he made

Post!War Levi who wakes up every morning, promising to live on and keep the memories of those who didn't make it alive as one of the last few surviving members of the Survey Corps

Post!War Levi, my tragically sad man.

[asterisdumb]

when ur straight objects are so borderline yuri you forget they're actually not sometimes

[dontmixpaintinyourcoffee]

Thinking about monster language and how different types of monsters would refer to children and babies, because I do think that "babybones" is both a term of endearment and an Embarrassing Older Sibling Nickname™ for skeletons and the point is I need everyone to consider:

Undyne says "pups".

There is untapped comedic potential here I think.

To Undyne, all babies are puppies. When Dogamy and Dogaressa say "puppy" they are thinking of a tiny little soft thing that squeaks and wiggles. When Undyne says "puppy" she's thinking of a small shark. They both think they're thinking of the same thing.

Undyne will walk past a 4-year old human child and go "what is that, a puppy?"

She says "dog puppy" because she thinks it's weird to not specify when it's relevant information. She is genuinely confused when humans assume that "puppy" means "dog".

[hecates-corner]

Y’all, the god of the sun is not Apollo.

Eurylochus “killed” the immortal cattle of Helios.

[lizerbif-the-lesbian]

So I finally watched Poe Party (ty @riveracheron) and it is absolutely incredible how Hemingway has homoerotic energy with absolutely every person he speaks to

[flamememeago]

I call this post the “I am amused by Ronnie Wood” special

[vikkisixxpixx]

Fuck it *12 leads your Nikki Sixx*