#i cannot lie it did Not change me as a person at least yet BUT! i love mary and she is veeery drawable yup yup

[charlie-boyfriend]

also ib thing i only posted on evil insta...

[nightprompts]

&. 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

( dialogue  prompts  taken  from the script of  everything  everywhere  all  at  once  (2022),  directed  by  daniel  kwan  and  daniel  scheinert.  feel  free  to  edit  and  change  as  you  seem  fit. )

❛ you look really pretty right now. ❜

❛ stop changing the subject. ❜

❛ every day i fight, i fight for all of us. ❜

❛ what are you doing? what is wrong? ❜

❛ if i have to think about one more thing today, my head will explode. ❜

❛ you may be in grave danger. there is no time to explain.❜

❛ we can make our own way. please, come with me. ❜

❛ don't even talk to me about this because i won't remember.❜

❛ i am not your husband. at least not the one you know. i am another version of him from another life path, another universe. ❜

❛ i’m here because we need your help.❜

❛ sorry, very busy today. no time to help you– ❜

❛ all those years of searching have brought me here. to this universe. to you. ❜

❛ i’m here to tell you every rejection, every disappointment has led you here. to this moment. ❜

❛ i'm not ready to fight yet. ❜

❛ maybe we don't have a choice. ❜

❛ now, you can either come with me and live up to your ultimate potential, or lie here and live with the consequences. ❜

❛ i... want to lie here. ❜

❛ how often do people literally die laughing? ❜

❛ my husband won't even kill a spider. how are you the same person? ❜

❛ we are talking about infinity. if you can imagine it, somewhere out there, it exists. ❜

❛ how did i die? ❜

❛ i've seen you die a thousand ways. in a thousand worlds. in every single one, you were murdered. ❜

❛ what!? who wants me dead? ❜

❛ you’ve been feeling it too, haven’t you? something is off. your clothes never wear as well the next day, your hair never falls in quite the same way, even your coffee tastes... wrong. ❜

❛ maybe we would have been better off if we had never gotten married. ❜

❛ i never said that. ❜

❛ you didn’t have to. it’s the way you look at me. ❜

❛ can’t you see it? how wonderful it would be if you came with me? ❜

❛ i saw my life without you. i wish you could have seen it. it was beautiful. ❜

❛ shhh, you're not thinking straight. ❜

❛ what is worse than death? ❜

❛ i saw your face on a billboard and — this is silly — i wondered if you remembered me... ❜

❛ is it that i can’t be here, or that i’m not allowed to be here? ❜

❛ there is no good, there is no evil. there is only “goovil”. ❜

❛ if you can imagine it, you have fucked it. ❜

❛ do not be so closed minded that you blind yourself from the truth! ❜

❛ don’t make me fight you. i am really really good. ❜

❛ you're capable of anything because you're so bad at everything. ❜

❛ you can't remember anything because your bodies were under the control of other universes. ❜

❛ you were like puppets. and you could do things you normally can't do. you were like, what's that movie... raccaccoonie? ❜

❛ how can you defeat her in every universe, if you can't even kill her in one? ❜

❛ the sacrifices necessary to win this war... i know all too well. ❜

❛ i cannot lose another loved one to the darkness. ❜

❛ i know you have feelings. feelings that make you so sad. that make you just want to give up. that is not your fault. ❜

❛ i'll see you again soon, somewhere out there in all that noise. ❜

❛ just think happy thoughts. ❜

❛ you okay? caught you staring off into space again. ❜

❛ i'm the one you've been looking for. ❜

❛ i’m the one who will defeat you. ❜

❛ you’re finally free, like me. ❜

❛ you don't have to choose anymore. between loving me or hating me. you can do both at the same time. ❜

❛ before, you were asking about "our daughter". it's crazy, but it really got me thinking. what if you had come with me all of those years ago? ❜

❛ all of this time, i wasn't looking for someone who could defeat me. i was looking for someone who could see what i see, feel what i feel... ❜

❛ oh, good, you're here too. ❜

❛ i'm sorry about ruining everything, i– ❜

❛ we're all stupid. small stupid little humans. it's like our whole deal. ❜

❛ everything is going to be okay. ❜

❛ you think i’m weak don’t you? ❜

❛ when we first fell in love all of those years ago, your father would say i was too sweet for my own good. maybe he was right. ❜

❛ please! can we just stop fighting! ❜

❛ you tell me that it's a cruel world and we're all just running around in circles. i know that. i've been on this earth just as many days as you. ❜

❛ the only thing i do know is we have to be kind. be kind. especially, when we don't know what's going on. ❜

❛ i know you go through life with your fists held tight. you see yourself as a fighter. well, i see myself as one too. this is how i fight. ❜

❛ in another life, i would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you. ❜

❛ you know what i say? cold, hysterical, unlovable bitches like us make the world go round. ❜

❛ you aren’t unlovable. there is always something to love. ❜

❛ even in a stupid, stupid universe where we have hot dogs for fingers, we’d all be very good with our feet! ❜

❛ in a universe where we both agree that no one could love you, if we look hard enough, something will prove us wrong. ❜

❛ we are all useless alone. so its good you're not alone. ❜

❛ maybe you win in this universe. but in another, i beat you. or we tie. or we eat crepes. ❜

❛ i don't want to hurt anymore. and for some reason when i'm with you, it hurts both of us. ❜

❛ out of all of the places i could be, why would i want to be here with you? ❜

❛ i still want to be here with you. i will always want to be here with you. ❜

❛ i will cherish these few specks of time. ❜

[ellecdc]

Hey girl I loved cbbh! You’re so relented. Could you do dating head canons similar to the ones you did for regulus but with James? Have a nice day🫶🏻

Thanks so much dolly! Glad you enjoyed - here's your request!!!

A/N: Still figuring out the best formatting for these - each new text block = a headcanon, bullets are subcategories

Dating James Potter Headcanons

This man is an open book: whatever he is thinking, feeling, doing, is written all over his face

Cannot lie to save his life – therefore he is never the lookout for their pranks 

It also means he can never surprise you because he gets too excited – he’s gone xmas shopping/shopping for your bday? You may as well open it the second he gets home; he’ll buy you another one anyway

Opposites attract is the motto James Potter lives by - this man’s soulmate will either be the black cat to his golden retriever, or the shy/quiet to his loud and outgoing, the introvert to his extrovert etc etc

Does not understand the concept of boundaries/personal space – THIS DOES NOT MEAN HE DOESN’T RESPECT BOUNDARIES – but he will be up in your personal space 24/7, sitting nearly on top of you, following you around, walking in on you changing without batting an eye, try feeding you or taking food right off your plate. I don’t know if it’s the only child thing, but he just does not seem to mind being all up in other people’s business

He’s very understanding if you tell him to back off though – will respect your boundaries (you just have to set them)

I actually don’t think James would be super into showering gifts all of the time, like he will absolutely buy you anything you want, but he’s not the kind of boyfriend to show up with gifts and trinkets or purses or new outfits/clothes/jewelry all of the time – at least not at first 

I think this is because he grew up always just having what he wanted/needed so never thinks of it? It’s only when he’ll go out shopping for a specific reason that he accidentally comes home with 293843209473 unnecessary things that made him think of you or that you’d like or that would look pretty on you etc. etc. 

He is 100000000000000% acts of service dude (at least in my mind)

Need the snow shoveled? Done

Need your oil changed? Done 

Need to run to the store for something? His shoes are on

He definitely had to wear you down (as he is the opposite of you…hopeless romantic + the person who thinks they’re unlovable etc, etc) 

In this day an age of consent and harassment etc, I don’t imagine him being the kind of guy who was like super annoying about it (even though you certainly got annoyed) but he was really polite about it

“Hi Y/N! fancy a trip with me to Hogsmeade this weekend?”

“In your dreams Potter.”

“Got it! Have a nice week.”

And then a few weeks later he’d try again 

I think his 24/7 bubbliness freaked you out a bit – no one could ever possibly be that happy all of the time

He finally wore you down when you realized he could take things seriously

You’d gotten a rather painful letter from home and had secluded yourself into an empty classroom to cry in peace (this damn school is so big yet there’s nowhere to get some privacy!?)

“Y/N?” a timid voice from the doorway called to you

You sighed and tried to wipe the tears from your eyes in vain 

“What do you want, Potter?”

He walked into the room and sat down across from you “Are you okay?”

You scoffed and rolled your eyes as fresh tears escaped you. “I think it’s pretty clear I’m not.”

He offered you a small smile. “Do you want to talk about it?”

You shook your head and looked to the ceiling in an attempt to stop the flow of tears

“Don’t stop crying, not on my account, not if you’re not ready to.”

You looked at him in bewilderment before you realized his face was solemn and sincere

A sob escaped you 

Slowly, James moved from his spot across from you to take a seat beside you and just opened his arms – an invitation 

You considered the fact that there was a chance you would regret it, but you couldn’t deny how inviting his embrace appeared

THIS MAN GIVES THE BEST HUGS I’m sorry there’s no if’s and’s or but’s. even in his platonic relationships – all his friends are like “James is the best hugger and best cuddler”

He never pressed you to talk about what had you so upset that day – just to let you know that you always could talk to him if you needed to 

It’s like you saw him as a real human being for a minute: not a pureblood, not a quidditch player, not a marauder…just James.

It was refreshing 

You agreed to go to Hogsmeade with him that weekend 

It was a little awkward – you could tell he never really planned to get this far 

You asked him questions about himself, and he seemed to loosen up fairly quickly after that

He was so excited to tell you about his friends, his parents, childhood pets, career aspirations

You’d ask follow-up questions and found yourself laughing at different anecdotes or side stories 

Every time he’d answer one of your questions, he’d flip it back onto you

At first you thought he was making fun of you/being condescending when you’d tell a story because he was so, so, so into it. Like almost cartoonish in the way he dialed into your every word

You soon realized he was actually just so unbelievably interested in anything and everything you had to say and so grateful you were sharing with him

That never changed – he hung onto your every word throughout your entire relationship

He wants to be touching – all of the time 

Walking? Holding hands

Sitting beside each other? Shoulders/thighs/knees/ankles are connected 

Lounging on the couch? You’re on his lap

Studying? You’re sitting in the same chair and his chin is hooked over your shoulder

He’s a loud lover – aka, PDA, everyone who knows either of you knows that you’re together. He’s rarely seen in public without you and if you’re not there he’s probably talking about you

I could actually see James getting quite jealous/territorial 

He’d try so hard to play it cool at a party if you were sitting on the couch and some other guy started hitting on you 

He trusted you! He didn’t have to be standing guard at every given moment 

Everyone knew you were together anyway, it was probably harmless

Ain’t nothing harmless about his hand placement what the fuck???

And suddenly he’s sliding in between you and Slime Ball ™ as he’s now dubbed the arse who dared make a move on his perfect angel thank you very much 

Definitely the type to get into a fight if someone shoved you/bumped into you at a party or club

Especially if they didn’t immediately apologize to his sweet angel baby 

Fuckers 

He’d be talking about yours and his shared future home/life/family from nearly the very beginning of your relationship

He’d actually been imagining it for years before that, but he wasn’t going to admit that out loud

He’d be the kind of guy to have children’s names picked out – he’d get so excited any time you said something like “awe, Aurelia, that’s a sweet name” and he’d write it down somewhere for future use 

James is absolutely the type of boyfriend where you’d never have to wonder exactly how they felt about you – you would know how treasured you are from the moment you wake up to the second you fall asleep

Sometimes, you’d even feel the depth of his love in your dreams 

[hammerhead-jpg]

Okay okay okay imma talk about something

Redacted ramble number 45 go!!!!!

The potential argument as to why shipping Asher and David is bad could be "yes, Asher and David have shown to be very close in a way regular friendships aren't, literally being "more than a promise " and "two sides of the same coin" and all the other other stuff we've been told, but why can't that be platonic? Why can't we assume that even in a world where they don't already have their own mates that kinda thing couldn't possibly be platonic ? As a society we always assume that if two people that aren't related become closer than your average friendship it automatically means that it has to be romantic, that they then have to start dating, move in together, get married and have children. But Asher and David very well could have all that closeness and still be just best friends."

And to that I would usually say that well, shipping is done for fun. There doesn't have to be rhyme or reason to it. Most people who ship them (at least I think) are able to comprehend the idea that Asher and David could be that close and still consider themselves best friends and not lovers because that is the reality of the series.

But then I thought no- I - uh -NO!!

Because hhejjsjesjsuj EVERY single interaction that implies closeness IS FUCKIN FULL of sextual tension like no joke with the scene in the wedding where David fixes Asher's tie I was actually wondering if they were gonna start making out or somth

I can't fuckin say that their relationship is inherently romantic cuz that would be a lie but LIKE hdkdndmdhjfjj their relationship is so much closer to romance than your average very VERY close friendship

To paint you a picture Milo is also a person that is very very close to David and Asher

Sure, maybe not as much to them as they are to each other, Milo met them later in life, he was never their roommate or David's main support while he was grieving his father's death but they're still very close

Yesterday I read a fic about all three of them as a polycule and it's just felt...wrong

I guess if there are any wolf boys polycule lovers rn I'm sorry but having Milo in there felt wrong in a way I cannot describe

And the imperium AU.....the IMPERIUM AU

The existence of the imperium au inherently implies that if Asher and David didn't meet their mates they would be together romantically. THERE IS A NON CANON YET OFFICIAL AU WHERE THEY WERE LOVERS FOR LIFE SO CLOSE THAT WHEN DAVID DIED NOT ONLY DID IT PERMANENTLY CHANGE ASHER BUT LITERALLY A PART OF HIS MAGIC DIED WITH DAVID.

There is nothing in the story that really needed Asher and David to be mates, so much so that in the original Imperium AU episode Erik had no plans for them to have been lovers until he made the cataclysm sequel it's literally just because Erik wanted to

SO IF the implication is that if they didn't meet their mates they would've have been lovers then you CANNOT judge people for imagining that scenario where it's not in an imperialistic world where one of them ends up dying

Also I can't even say that it's because they didn't meet their mates because although David obviously didn't meet Angel because they were engaged(?) to the king imperial Asher I'm pretty sure meets Baabe around the same time that he meets them in the prime universe so like?????

In conclusion If Erik ships them then you cannot blame me for doing the same thing!!

[minus500socialcredit]

Kay to me is an underrated character, she is so over-hated in my eyes and it’s understandable in the sense that Michael is the ‘protagonist’ and Apollonia was the best match for this protagonist that we follow however there are many things to say in Kay’s defence and why she should not be as overlooked as she is.

I’ll start of with the obvious, she fell in love with a sweet, kind-hearted man who fought for his country and wanted nothing to do with his family’s “business”. Instead of judging him on the bases of his family and arguing that she cannot be with him because of what his father does, she judged him by his own character and his own autonomy to choose what he does. That in its self is a very overlooked factor about Kay, she judges Michael on his own self and has the heart to do so, she loves Michael despite what his family is like and not many people do that. She was shocked to say the least when Michael told her about the story of how Johnny Fontaine became famous yet she still listened to Michael’s classic “it’s my family Kay not me”.

Michael decided to avenge his fathers shootings and proceeds to evacuate to Sicily to seek refuge as he had just committed murder. Kay is left in the dark in all of this, she even proceeds to tell Michael that she’s called and written over a hundred times and he never answered, he left and got married to another woman, whom I adore very much and I know that if he stayed with Apollonia the godfather would have been a completely different story and Michael would have not been as tragic of a character, but Kay was not told about any of this. She did not receive any closure and tried to still keep in contact with the man she loves. She then of course gives up because you can only try so much when the person you love does not reply to anything.

Then of course Michael returns to Kay because Apollonia has died and he has to come back to America, it’s so overlooked how manipulated Kay was in that scene. Her kindness was taken advantage of and her emotion too. She was vulnerable and that vulnerability was used. Michael tells her that in five years their family business will be legitimate and that his father is no different from a senator or a lawyer which in fact is not false, however in Kay’s eyes since she was very naive at this point, she did not understand all the evil that goes on with powerful people even politicians and senators. He gets her back together with him because of her kind heart and proceeds to lie to her a lot. Including the classic lie about killing Carlo.

He has taking advantage of her naivety to the point where she had to act on the worst, her kindness was truly taken for weakness and because of that she knew what was at stake for her family. In a deleted scene of ‘the godfather part II’ Anthony runs up to Michaels button men and Kay runs after him to stop him. This shows how corrupt her and Michaels son Anthony is becoming. She knew she had to get Anthony away from this toxic world or he would end up like all the men that surround him. “Look what’s happened to our son” she screams at Michael later on in the film and “Anthony’s friends are your button men” which is what this scene was foreshadowing. Her anger is seen to her son becoming in a corrupt state of mind, he’s an insecure little boy who rarely sees his father yet looks up to him so much, of course there was much for Kay to worry about.

Going back to how Michael told Kay that the family will be legitimate in 5 years “well that was 7 years ago” Kay rightfully states. She can tell at the height of Michaels power he will never change, he has been don for 7 years now and has not backed out. His father was avenged yet he’s still continuing because once you’re up it’s unlikely you will come down and Kay can see that very clear with Michael as he did not keep the promise he made to Kay. She knew that no matter how much longer she would stay Michael would never change his ways even when he says “I swear I’ll change I’ve learnt I have the strength to change” Kay saw right through that because of all the lies she has been subjected to.

Over all this abuse to her lead to Kay leaving Michael in one of the cruellest ways, taking away his unborn child and attempting to take away his children. Was it cruel yes, however it was very much justified in the sense that Michael has abused her psychology for years, she only wanted to escape. She was physically trapped and mentally trapped in a world she hated and did not want to subject her children to and that in itself took a lot of strength. We all clearly know that the abortion hurt Michael but nobody ever thought about the pain Kay went through, physical and psychological, those are only of the abortion. This is her child that she was going to love as well, yet she felt she had no other choice but to get an abortion. There is also the pain of getting to the stage of the abortion, Kay’s emotions in all of the godfather is ver under-appreciated she is also a tragic character.

I will conclude all of this with a thesis of Kay being a misunderstood character who is over-despised and equally as tragic. Michael wanted a western independent woman and when he got that woman he couldn’t handle her, everything that came from Kay was very justified and Michael while he will always be my favourite character it has to be understood that he was a psychopath who was always within the depth of his own loneliness Kay was subjected to Michael’s powerful ‘wrath’ and did what she had to do.

Thank you for reading and have a great day!

[kruven]

— your boyfriend comes back home after 2 years.

"Little do you know, how im breakin' while you fall asleep."

You looked at his sleeping figure, grief overcoming you and eyes stained with tears. You wished you haven't opened the door. You wished you would have let him get wet in the rain. The pitter patter of raindrops which were soothing once, now feel suffocating.

"Little do you know, I'm still haunted by the memories."

You felt like screaming at him. What was he doing? Coming back? After leaving for 2 years? You remembered, how he hugged you just before leaving.

"Little do you know, I'm tryna' pick myself up piece by piece."

You wished to forgive him. To hug him. To run your fingers through his hair. But yet at the same time you wished to never see his face ever again. You loved him.

"Little do you know, I need a little more time."

You cannot love him. You cannot, cannot, you just cannot. He doesn't deserve it! If you would ever love him, it would be in another life! Not now! Not in this life! But yet your heart aches for him. Time. Time heals all the wounds, they say. Maybe you just needed time?

"Underneath it all, I'm held captive by the hole inside."

Closing the door, you let yourself slide down from behind. Tears threatening to pour out anytime. Leaning your head back, you stared at the ceiling. Vision was fuzzy because of tears.

"I've been holding back, for the fear you might change your mind."

You didn't know. You were surprised yourself when he came back. If you interrupt will he leave you? Tears silently falling, the pitter patter of raindrops increasing, as if the sky was letting you cry out.

"I'm ready to forgive you, but forgettin' is a harder fight."

Maybe you could forgive him? No no no! Even if you do, how could you ever forget? It will keep eating you up from inside.

"Little do you know, I need a little more time."

A small part of you hoped that you would wake up. And it all would be a bad dream. He would never be here. Everything would have just been a fleeting dream. A pathetic lie.

"I'll wait, I'll wait, I love you like you've never felt the pain."

He looked miserable, he was worried. All the mistakes he made. He wanted to try, at least try to make it up to you. He knew he didn't deserve it.

"I'll wait, I promise you don't have to be afraid."

He wanted to say he was shocked. You looked at him with so much disgust and yet you were worried. He could see it in your eyes. No, he could feel it too. You were worried for him, a being he is not even himself sure of.

"I'll wait, Love is here and here to stay."

He was ready to get the door slammed on his face. But instead you let him in. He knew you were angry. None of you spoke, the silence was suffocating, nor the pitter patter of rain you both enjoyed together would be enough to distract him

"So lay your head on me."

He wanted you to break the silence. At least even look at him. Even if it's a look of disgust.

"Little do you know, I know you're hurt while I'm sound asleep."

He could feel your gaze, from the couch he was sleeping on. He knows you wished you didn't open the door for him.

"Little do you know, all my mistakes are slowly drownin' me."

He closed his eyes. He wanted to close his eyes forever and sleep. He frowned, he didn't wanted to leave you. But that was inveitable. He hated how everytime he closed his eyes, his brain would get clouded with all the mistakes he committed.

"I'm tryna' make it better piece by piece."

He is trying. He is trying to make everything better. He will listen to Odasaku's wishes and do everything he can to make it up. Which he doubts, he doesn't think it will happen. He is not a good person.

"Little do you know, I love you 'til the sun dies."

He couldn't stop missing you. While in underground, he thought he will forget about you. And bear it himself so you won't have to go through the pain of seeing him again. But that's not what he did. If there was someone else in your place will he forget about them?

"Oh wait, just wait, I'll love you like I've never felt the pain."

He would apologise. Not in the childish way he does, but from bottom of his heart. And he will hope that you forgive him.

"Just wait, I'll love you like I've never been afraid."

He stood up. He can leave forever now. But why? Why were his legs stuck in one place? It's not like he hasn't left anyone behind. Then why does his heart ache for you? Letting out a 'tch' he sat on the couch, staring at the door in front of him. He knows you were there.

"Just wait, our love is here, and here to stay."

You stood up, rubbing you eyes to see clearly, you walked to kitchen counter to get a glass of water. Will it help to calm you down? Your glanced at the kitchen sink which was a mess. Maybe you can clean it to distract yourself? A knife caught your attention. No no no no no no! Don't! A hand grabbed your wrist, spinning you around, you were met face first with a scent of the cheap cologne, which you bought for him once. Your eyes widened, why is he inside? you locked the door didn't you? You tried to shove him away, but his grip was stronger.

"So lay your head on me."

He heard you moving, he stood up and walked towards the door, and tried to open it. It was locked. No problem he can always open a locked door. Quietly he opened it, and panic surged in him. He saw you walking towards the knife. Quickly he ran and grasped your wrist, spinning you around he hugged you. He felt you try and shoving him away but he wrapped his arms tighter around you.

"I'll wait, (I'll wait) I'll wait, (I'll wait), I'll love you like you've never felt the pain."

He burried his face in your hair, whiffing the scent. He could still feel you trying to break free from his hold. It honestly broke his heart. Will you leave him like he did?

"I'll wait, (I'll wait), I promise you don't have to be afraid."

You kept trying to push him away, but he didn't budge. Tears welling up in your eyes again. You were close to pour out again.

"I'll wait, love his here and here to stay."

You gave up on pushing him away, as he didn't budged. You let me hug you, it didn't feel suffocating. On instinct you wrapped youe arms around him, and let yourself feel a little bit of comfort. How can you leave him, now?

"So lay your head on me."

You couldn't bear it anymore, you needed to let those tears out. You gripped him tighter and let yourself breakdown. Maybe you can love him again?

"Lay your head on me."

He pulled you closer to him. Eyes closing he felt you relax under him. Inhaling a deep breath he held you as you were breaking down. Exhaling he hoped you won't leave him? He will come back always. He promises to you! He would not leave ever again.

"So lay your head on me."

You stopped crying and his grip on you loosened. He looked at you, eyes softening. He smiled softly and kissed the top of your head.

"'Cause little do you know, I-"

He said, and took your hands in his. You smiled, you know what he is saying. Something both of you came up one day.

"-I love you 'til the sun dies."

You completed, grinning you wrapped your arms around him and he did the same.

When two remaining puzzle pieces meet, the scenery you are making, becomes complete and doesn't it look beautiful?

[dangermousie]

You can tell Susu is hardcore gone for TTJ because she is genuinely jealous of Bingchang. Earlier, when she was emotionally not involved, she clearly got that TTJ was only interested in Bingchang because he was imitating Xiao Lin but now she’s involved emotionally, she is not clear headed at all.

Their terrible fight is, ironically, another proof of her feelings. Because if she was not involved, she’d just lie and say whatever to maintain her precious nails, but she can’t, she doesn’t even think about it, all she thinks is her disappointment and heartbreak. 

I really do love this scene so much because I think it’s entirely in character for both of them and shows that they would have a horrible time getting to a happy ending even without Bingchang or Tantai Minglang and his corpse army. Because their particular issues just are designed to hit the other in the worst way. Whenever he does anything that looks in the least suspicious or not perfect, the reason she jumps to the worst conclusions is because she starts seeing in him the monster who set the world on fire and killed her father and sect in front of her eyes, and then almost killed her. It is easy for us, the viewers, to look at poor meow meow Tantai Jin and go “but don’t you see he’s OK, woman, he’s just an abuse victim and xianxia non-neurotypical.” But she SAW him murder everyone in sight, she saw it with her own eyes. The fact that she’s been able to look past that and see him as his own person and not yet that devil, and even further to fall in love with him is huge but this trauma, this knowledge is always in the back of her head and that is why I cut her immense amounts of slack whenever she jumps to the worst possible conclusions. I mean, here she literally starts seeing the devil god as she looks at him. She has her own horrible trauma, even if it’s different from TTJ’s.

But the reason this is such a terrible combination is that her issues hit his square dead center. Because his greatest fear AND his default expectation is that he is a monster, he is unloveable, nobody can truly love him if they know him, nobody can choose him over a $2 bill let alone the world, nobody will believe him or trust him or take his side. And so the moment she flinches, the moment she distrusts, he does not jump to tell her the truth about that awful night (where he was fully justified in what he did and more merciful than 98% of people would have been) but instead revels in showing her “yes, I am a monster, I am the worst, I am everything you fear and loathe, of course you can’t love me” because he wants to shove away before he gets shoved away first, he does not expect anyone to believe him if he tells the truth and if he shows his vulnerability, he will not get consolation but another stab in the back. Basically, both of them need him to be perfect and perfectly good - she needs him to be so and he needs her to believe him so, for that to be a workable relationship, but it cannot be such. Even paragon Xiao Lin is not perfect, let alone how could Tantai Jin be?

If she just asked him “but why” or said “I know you must have had a reason,” the train would not derail. But for once, I genuinely get why the heroine always jumps to conclusions. And so he, hurt but her lack of trust decides to show her he is as bad as she fears, even worse. In a way, it’s like an animal who tries to make itself as fearsome as it can to drive away predators. Only the predator here is emotional and what he is trying to protect is his heart. Their different traumatic experiences make them incompatible.

Oooof! You know, I normally would wonder why she doesn’t learn since this is not the first time she jumped to conclusions wrongly. But she is so damaged by seeing the devil god rampage in the future, by believing it’s inevitable (she tries to change but she never believes she can, not really), that she walks into the same mess over and over and it is actually realistic.

He so hopes she will say yes. He does not expect it, but he really wishes.

That is what he thinks of himself, isn’t it? Because it’s been drummed into him his whole life.

Susu needs to learn the future is not immutable. She is here actually because she believes that - to change the future. But that also means people’s characters in the future are not immutable either! She needs to take that next step.

He does jump on that, he really is smart.

Oh, Susu!

He says that because at this moment he’s so hurt he wishes it were true but alas his heart is pretty damn human by now and the opposite is true.

Their problem is not some other chick or crazy half brother raising a zombie army or even tragic destiroy of TTJ. Their problem is that they love each other immensely and trust each other zero.

[sapphire-weapon]

Hi! Looking to get into character analysis’s but I am not really sure where to start. What’s your process? As in, where do you usually start and then branch out from?

Well, you don't start with the character. you start with the story. The very first step is to identify the themes of the story overall.

So, what is a theme?

A theme is a central concept that binds the characters, the conflict, the plot, and the story’s progression together. It’s something that all of the major characters have in common and also exists as an undercurrent to the plot.

You don't have to do anything with that just yet. Just put it to the side. But it's important you do that first.

Then you look at the character and decide:

Is this a static character or a dynamic character?

A static character does not change at any point over the course of the story. They end the story the same person they went in.

A dynamic character undergoes a change in their perspective/worldview and comes out of the story different from how they went in.

If they're a static character, are they important enough to the story that they have a flat arc? A flat arc character does not change over the course of the story (because they're static), but they are so powerful in their presence that they cause other people in the story to change around them.

If they're a dynamic character, was their change positive or negative? Did they end the story in a better state mentally/emotionally from how they started, or did they end the story in a worse state mentally/emotionally from how they started?

Let's use a flowchart for simplicity's sake.

And let's use RE4make and Leon, since we talk about him so often.

RE4make's major themes are: + can people change? + the power/importance of being part of a team (or not) + storybooks, folklore, and fairy tales (and how they're not real)

Leon is a dynamic character who undergoes a positive change arc throughout the course of RE4make.

He starts the story closed off, cold, distant, and cynical.

He ends the story as a warmer, more trusting, more open character who's last seen on the screen with a smile.

Once we reach this point, what the flowchart is asking us to do for the next three bubbles is to map out his character arc.

So how do you map a character arc?

A change arc deals with a fundamental shift in worldview that causes real, lasting change in the character. The character starts off the story believing in some lie either about themselves or the world around them. This lie gets challenged throughout the course of the story until the character reaches a point where they can identify that it's a lie/that their thinking is flawed, and then they change as a result of that realization.

This change should align with at least one of the major themes of the story. If it does not, you have not identified the correct lie.

So, what is the lie that Leon believes going into RE4make? Or, conversely, what about his perspective changes during the course of the game?

The lie that Leon believes at the start of RE4make is: People are inherently selfish and my personal judgment cannot be trusted, so I need to rely strictly on my combat training in order to be successful, because if I act as myself, I will fail and people around me will die.

The story challenges this lie over and over and over again, but Leon's change moment finally occurs during the boss fight with Krauser. A change moment happens when a character is forced by the narrative to look their lie in the face and can no longer deny the truth to themselves.

For Leon, Krauser is that moment. Leon commits to his personal change in three distinct moments during that fight.

1: "I'd be dead if I kept listening to people like you!" 2: "Nah, time for the teacher to be taught." 3: "That you did, Major. That you did."

1: Leon acknowledges that his combat training wasn't some flawless solution to fixing what he thought was wrong with him. 2: Leon affirms to himself that his own personal judgment can be trusted over the judgment of the people he'd been relying on up to this point. 3: Leon acknowledges that he was trained well while showing emotion true to his own heart. This ties into the major theme of "can people change" -- Leon acknowledges that his training changed him while paradoxically acknowledging that he's still the same person he's always been. His abilities have changed and his judgment has changed -- the two traits of his that he distrusted. But his heart is still the same. So, he's still himself, and he can still be himself. But now he sees that he's just a better version of himself -- one that can be trusted.

For a more in-depth look at Leon's character arc, click here.

So, now that you have all of the themes and you have the character's arc mapped out, now you can go back through individual conversations and scenes and moments and analyze how those conversations, scenes, and moments inform the character's development and reflect their personality. Now you can look at the character's individual relationships and analyze what that relationship is and the effect it had on the character.

And all of this always should be done with the story's themes in mind.

This is how I reached the conclusion of Ada being an antagonist for Leon. This is how I reached the conclusion of Leon and Ashley's relationship being romantic in nature.

I started with the characters and their arcs and how they relate to the themes of the story. Not with the relationships themselves.

[atthebell]

re: joui being a stereotype, I've definitely like. had the thought in the back of my mind throughout watching osnf? like I very much did watch it all with the view of "i have seen Luba's instagram and know he is very into Japan and like hmm. this feels. off"

I did enjoy osnf very much and I like Joui as a character! just. not those parts. because. well whatever Luba's intentions were it feels a bit. hm. I found it mostly bearable to watch (with suspension of disbelief re: the amount of honorifics, I got used to it) but I did cringe at the "samurai ancestor" part (which he in-rp did later tell Thiago was a lie but also like. come on. you could have also just Not Said That) and definitely felt like he was overdoing the "number 4 is bad luck" superstition thing too. like even if someone is superstitious surely nobody actually reacts like that every time the number is mentioned. y'know

and like credit to them for changing his name to a more realistic spelling a couple episodes in at least (even if the name itself is probably also questionable) and also for Luba toning it down on the Japanese exclamations/swearing (because they did feel very like. anime character esque slash neg lol). but yeah on the whole I watched osnf through a lens of "this is not a realistic depiction of a Japanese person and I am aware of that"

then again I don't know how common of an experience this is or whether people do just watch it uncritically (actually knowing the internet the answer is Very Likely Yes. but also reading the replies on that tweet it appears this view is a general consensus at least among some people) but. well. wanted to share my thoughts I suppose. sorry for discoursing in your inbox ^^

(also, based on the twitter people and also you focusing the criticism on osnf specifically - does that imply it gets better in later seasons? I don't have time to start watching opd for another couple of weeks but now I'm wondering)

yeah we started the season and i was like okay so that's the character luba chose to create. okay it's getting worse. oh worse than that. oh it just keeps going. awesome cool not upsetting at all.

i didn't even remember the samurai ancestor thing that's pretty bad i just think everything about joui is a terrible stereotype and luba should've made like literally any other character instead of him. it also does not help that i just don't like him as a character (sorry to. apparently every other ordem fan? seriously joui is THE most popular ordem character by far). but yeah the honorifics are terrible and so gross, the name choice is weird, the four thing pisses me off so bad because as menace says whenever we're talking about it: it's not like joui is superstitious in any other way! it's very clear luba heard about four being a superstitious number in east asian culture and decided to just go all in on that instead of doing any research on like occultism and perspectives on the supernatural in asia. also him being a prodigious gymnast in any other context wouldn't bother me but it does also feel like yet another japanese stereotype and also (this is just me being nitpicky and not really about the racism side of things) but the fact that joui's character build isn't actually built for gymnastics kills me. he doesn't even have good acrobatics!!!! he has WAY better strength and athletics, at least during OSNF, and i cannot for the life of me understand why you would create a character with a gymnast backstory if not to have reasons for good acrobatics and dex stats.

all of that plus the honor stuff is just awful i can't deal with it we literally have to pause every time joui starts talking to an npc because it's not fun to watch for so many reasons and it just makes me feel terrible. i don't know why luba thought it would be a good idea, it reads completely as him being a major weeb with no thoughts about how bad this is as representation.

also i know for a fact most fans watch it uncritically because again i've only seen ONE person talk about this and it was that tweet (and the replies, to be fair, in which a lot of people agreeing) i posted earlier in an ask. i'm sure people over the years have talked about it to some extent but i see people talk about joui CONSTANTLY and this is the first time i've seen anyone bring up how much the character sucks from a stereotyping angle. like, if i were to tell someone to watch this season, i would heavily warn them about this aspect of it, because for me it makes it really difficult to engage with joui as a character at all, aside from all my other issues with the season.

on your last point, i'm finishing up OSNF now, so i haven't seen any later seasons, but rainy said that luba tones it down somewhat and that the focus is more on his actual actions and progression as a character and less on the caricature of a japanese person that he is for the entirely of OSNF. i'll keep my expectations measured, personally, but i do believe i've heard somewhere that luba did realize how poorly it came across and tried to improve it, so there's that.

[ely--sia]

06: amor vincit omnia

amor vincit omnia - love conquers all; miguel o'hara x reader fantasy au in which miguel is a powerful, famed knight of the queen and you are but a lowly commoner he rescues out of the blue. a small sprout breaks through the tough soil. you can only pray for more sun.

<- previous chapter next chapter ->

perhaps the gods have turned a blind eye to your prayer, because you are sure that you are not closer to miguel. in fact, you think that you two might have grown further apart in the span of just a single night. the dinner of the day after the festival, miguel is cold, colder than he had ever been to you. wordlessly, he had eaten his food, leaving as soon as he finished. he had not meet your eyes, ever. confusion, anger, but mostly hurt filled your entire being, soaking you with a dreadful feeling.

had you done something wrong? did you cross a line somewhere, somehow? was miguel tired of you? was asking to go to the festival too much? you learn that a lack of something hurts more when it is something you had once held in your hands. as days pass with nothing but a distant coldness from miguel, you find yourself chipping away slowly every time that you are not met with his warm gaze. the burning vermillion that had once been scary had become something like a burning hearth, and now it was something entirely different. this is the first time that you realize that red could be such a cold color. like a selfish child, you try and grasp onto the kindness that miguel had once bestowed upon you.

then one day, miguel does not show up to dinner at all. instead, you are met with lyla sitting down where miguel usually sat. your heart drops, but you still force yourself to sit down. even swallowing is hard. it feels as if there is a rock inside of you, pushing down so hardly that you cannot even properly breathe.

“is it because of me?” you whisper, afraid of the answer. still, you wanted to know. you had to know. you could not bear the departure of another person without at least a reason.

lyla opens her mouth, then closes it. her smile is heavy, too heavy, it seems. she struggles to carry it on her face.

“no. just give him some time,” she says.

a bitter smile makes itself known on your face.

“you do not have to lie.”

“it is not a lie. i swear it,” lyla says.

yet you notice all too well how her voice changes when she swears that it is the truth. it is a far cry from miguel’s firm one, the one that you know will always tell the truth. you find that the food tastes akin to sand in your mouth. you excuse yourself from the table, running towards your room.

miguel soon begins to leave the manor, going on quests and missions. every time he returns, you irrationally hope that this time, miguel will look at you warmly once more. you are always watching from your window. sometimes, he meets your eyes briefly as he comes back covered in the blood of beasts and men alike. his eyes harden like steel and he looks away as quickly as he had looked at you. you are filled with a loneliness once more, even greater than you had felt before. despite the fact that you had become friends with the people of the manor, you find that you long desperately for miguel’s company. it is a selfish, selfish thing inside of you, cutting like a dull knife. it is so profound that it swallows you whole. in your own loneliness, you can almost hear the creaking of your own bones.

you wish to be able to ask him for a reason, to demand it as if it were a right, but you are afraid of his answer. what if he truly had become sick of you? if that were true, then you would not know what to do with yourself. perhaps if you had been of noble blood, pampered and loved for years, you would have been angry instead. perhaps you would have been able to demand him to see you. but to you, with not even a drop of nobility or class inside your body, it is not in you to demand nor feel entitled to something. it is something that had always been taught: the common people do not ask, they listen. so when you find yourself outside of the huge, oak doors that lead to his office, you are filled with an all-consuming dread that leaves you shaking as if you were prey in the face of a flying arrow. still, you would rather brave the arrow and find an answer than never find it at all. you long for him to look at you again like he had done before.

you knock. the door is cold under your rapping knuckles.

you hear arguing inside. you distinguish lyla’s voice and miguel’s. then, lyla opens the door. she does not smile.

your mouth runs dry as you slowly step into the room. lyla leaves, closing the door behind her. the room is so cold. in the autumn months, it is cold everywhere, naturally, but there is a certain coldness in miguel’s study that is different. it sends chills up your spine and leaves your heart squeezing so tightly that you are sure it will stop.

“leave,” miguel growls. he does not look at you still, eyes glued onto his desk.

you are not sure that the being that had just spoken was beast or man. it is almost primal, scratching the earth like a longsword.  still, you would not leave. you were done leaving, not until you had an answer.

“look at me,” your voice comes out quietly than you intend. it wavers, betraying your emotions.

miguel does not answer, his jaw clenching harder instead of acknowledging you.

“i am sorry,” you begin. like a child, apologizing fills you with a shame that you had not felt until you begin apologizing, “i do not know for what, but for every wrong i have committed against you, i am sorry.”

now it is you that cannot look at him. your eyes glue themselves onto the ground. you will your tears away, hoping that they do not fall like a child’s.

miguel’s eyes snap up to you the moment he hears you apologize, voice heavy and shaking. his eyes fill with a multitude of emotions—confusion, anger, shame—and his eyebrows furrow before it is all gone once more.

“leave,” he instead repeats once more. he does not show you anything that he is feeling.

you just shake your head, unable to say anything.

“tell me what i have done wrong,” you try to demand. but you are a commoner, and commoners do not learn to demand properly. your voice shakes and you have to blink your tears away. you still cannot look at miguel.

there is a long period of silence. the heaviness inside of you grows and grows until it is all that is left inside of you.

“if you do not leave, then i will,” his voice is deep and cold in the silent tension between the two of you. he gets up from his desk and begins walking towards the door.

as he begins to walk past you, eyes cold and jaw set, your eyes widen in panic. you fear that if he leaves now, then he will never return. you will never see him again.

“please,” you finally look up at him, eyes teary and desperate, “is it because i am not a noble? is it because i have wronged you? have i crossed a line? have you grown tired of me? please do not leave. i will be better. i will get better, so do not leave,” you beg. it all falls out of your mouth before you can stop yourself. your hand desperately try and grasp onto his moving ones.

miguel falters as he hears this. he turns towards you, eyes filled with hurt.

“what?” his voice is angry, and you fear that he will lash out.

“please,” you finally grasp onto his arm, so thick that you cannot wrap your hand around them. they tremble lightly, and you swallow hard as you try to make it all stop. you look into his eyes, praying that he can see how desperate, how genuinely sorry you are.

he lets out an angry breath, teeth gnashing as his one free hand grips his face in frustration.

“you do not know anything. do not make it so hard for me,” he nearly shouts as he looms over you.

you worry that the vermillion in his eyes will spill out and burn everything. you cannot speak. your tongue is too heavy, throat too tight.

then, he lets out a scream of frustration, ripping his hand from your grip. he sits down onto the settee in the middle of the office. his chest heaves up and down, and he sits in silence for a moment, contemplating something. you are still standing where you had always been.

“you do not understand anything. i cannot become close with you,” his voice is calmer than before, “i cannot bear it,” the last part is more quiet than anything he had said before. it is riddled with fear.

you look up as you hear it. if you had not strained to hear every syllable that left his lips, you would have surely missed it. you can hear your pulse rushing in your ears. your lips part as you search for an answer.

“then i will not leave. you will not have to bear it,” you say quietly. there is a certainty to your voice, as if you were promising it, swearing it. as if it were fact.

he laughs, but there is no humour in it.

“you will. you cannot choose it,” his voice lacks all hope. it is quiet and empty.

“if i do not choose, then who does?” you ask.

“the wotan. my queen,” he scoffs, his voice is bitter as he says this. it is as if he detests the fact that he has sworn his loyalty to her.

even with everything, you still think that he is like a god on the small settee. there is beauty, even in his hopelessness. you hope that he thinks the same about you.

“then i will come back. and if i am made to leave again, then i will come back again,” you kneel in front of him now, as he covers his face with his large palms, keeled over his knees.

“you do not know what she is capable of,” his voice breaks. perhaps he knows. perhaps he had witnessed it firsthand.

“i do not care to,” you gently put your palms on his wrist, bringing them away from his face.

he looks at you softly, the very way that you had longed for for so long. your chest finally warms, the heaviness that had been pressing down upon it dissipating as if it had never been there. a small smile paints itself on the corner of your lips. you bring his palm onto your face. it is rough and calloused from years upon years of training and combat. you finally understand miguel, you think. he does not take his hand away this time. instead, he looks up, looking at your face. he does not look convinced of your promise, but he does not move away. he finally rips his gaze away and leans his forehead against your shoulder.

“i am sorry,” he finally says.

“it is okay,” you answer, “but please, never again. i would not be able to bear it.”

miguel nods against your shoulder. the two of you do not move for a while, him seated on the couch and you on the floor in front of him. you feel that where you had been filled with love and forgiveness, he had filled himself with anything he could desperately grasp onto. you long to gently blow it all away and mend it anew. as he rests his head in the crook of your neck, you hope that one day, he will be able to forgive himself.

-

-

-

-

a/n: rahhh sorry for not posting im getting ready for uni!!! england get ready for me >:DDD i hope you enjoy this chapter as well!!!!!

[everlastiingiimmortals]

2.1 Discussion + General Thoughts

Of course, as I've stated, I'm going to be focusing moreso on Ratio for this review. I have a lot of scattered thoughts, so I'm going to do my best to put them in order here.

Future Willow: this shit long as fuck oops. Ventium and Starry this one is for you

It broke my HEART seeing them interact in Dewlight Pavilion, only for Sunday to barrel in and quite literally violate Aventurine's mind like that. my god. I couldn't stop looking at the change in Ratio's body language, going from turning away with his arms crossed to standing at attention, facing the both of them, glaring at Sunday. He was worried. He was so worried.

A lot of the banter between Ratio and Aventurine up until that point definitely did seem, to me, exaggerated. Yes yes, I perhaps have the shipping lens on, but! No doubt they knew they were being watched, and up until that point had to play up their mutual dislike for Sunday to be convinced that they weren't working together. And yet, all the same, they clearly have a very natural flow to their banter, like they've worked together before, like they know each other well, despite what they let other people assume.

The nightingale bickering was amazing

"Perhaps I should offer you the chance to join the Genius Society?" "Really? I thought you'd given up on that already." "I was being sarcastic." the fact that Aventurine knows of this when Ratio himself has never actually spoken of that desire publicly, nor the letdown he had....

"Thanks, Doc! :D" why don't you just kill me why couldn't they have stayed there

"Who's to say I won't sell you out?" he was fucking CHEEKY here because that was literally the plan. RATIO. God DAMMIT

When we get that flashback to Ratio's private conversation with Sunday, I can't help but think about how much he did not actually lie. He did not once lie, nor did he try to convince Sunday that the jade cornerstone was aventurine. He let Sunday believe that himself -- this only reinforces my initial stance that he's not a liar, but just omits the truth when needed. I was really happy to see that.

Sunday attempting to bribe him with information on the Stellaron was disgusting, flat out. My Ratio was not at all tempted by that, rather he was insulted, because in that moment Sunday had equated him to the greedy, brainless members of the Guild and the amoral (and immoral) Genius Society, who he has a deep vendetta against... Ratio, in my interpretation, has morals, has limits, and he flat out tells Sunday that he knows his place and "wouldn't forsake more vital matters for the sake of petty pride." He meant this, and he stood by this. Nothing that Sunday tempted him with would have won him over, and the insinuation that he could was deeply angering to Ratio. It, too, is also a misunderstanding of the person Ratio is, someone who seeks not knowledge above all else, but to spread common sense. Wisdom. Knowledge and wisdom are not the same.

His disgust at Sunday only intensified at the branding from Sunday (why did Acheron call it a Harmony brand why did she call it a brand. like I know why and it is a mental brand but what the fuck. why. he's already been branded ONCE) and that entire.. trial, you could say. While he was already aware of at least some of Aventurine's past, all of that was just cruel. It sickened him to just have to stand there and watch.

Now, to talk about the conversation afterwards, and then go back to their interaction in 2.0 with new eyes... I cannot stop thinking about how Ratio kept breaking character out of concern for Aventurine, going so far as to even prompt Aventurine to remind him of his betrayal, despite that all evidently being an act on both of their ends (I'm very happy Ratio's acting was maintained from 1.6), reminding him to stay in character because they're being watched, but Ratio asks him if he's okay, insists that Aventurine tells him if he can't hold on any longer, gives him that scroll and then promptly... leaves. And I think about how Screwllum comments that he is more like a medical doctor than a scholar, I think about his love of life, I think about "even a life marked by failure is a life worth living," and I think about him repeatedly asking Aventurine what his plan is, and I can't help but feel how upset Ratio was throughout that whole thing, how he was trying to -- not stop Aventurine, but circumvent his decisions, try to think of a more favorable outcome, one with a greater chance of survival... I think about how he probably knows, very very deeply, how much Aventurine wants to die, because he has learned his history, he knows his habits, he witnessed Sunday's cruelty towards him, and every bone in his body stands against it but he respects Aventurine enough to not force his hand. He trusts Aventurine -- that thing that was brought so prominently into question between them just in 2.0 -- to make his own decisions and come out the other side, enough to follow his planless plan, enough to hold Aventurine's life in his hands and then let him go.

And then thinking back to 2.0, with how antsy he was, and Aventurine questioning why he looked so unhappy, and I realize now that he was already upset because -- no doubt he knew Aventurine had already smashed the stone as a contingency, so it's possible his anger at the bags being confiscated were at least in part an act, but his unhappiness was not. And perhaps through this lens his "Sigonian thrall" comment can be seen in a different light, not intentionally cruel but literal, in the midst of his distress. He knew from the get go that there was an impossibly small likelihood of Aventurine's survival through this mission, so he spoke out of turn. And I think back to how Ratio just up and walked away twice, and I wonder if that's because he's just too upset, and they both have jobs to do that he cannot falter in so he had to step away to recenter.

I keep thinking about how Ratio couldn't look Aventurine in the eyes in Sunday's conference room, and while that was certainly an act, one must wonder -- a doctor, escorting a companion to his doom. Walking him to his execution, rather than saving him. Closing that door, rather than opening a path. I really think he couldn't meet Aventurine's eyes in that moment. There was nothing he could do. Who wouldn't be upset about that, especially someone as compassionate as Ratio? So... he gives him a parting gift. That scroll, with the answer to the Watchmaker's riddle, and a simple plea: Continue living.

It's here that I'd like to state that I prefer the original version to the English translation for my interpretation, because the translation isn't wrong but it does lack some of the profundity of the original. "Do stay alive" feels... impersonal. The way I read the English was that Ratio is asking him to survive this matter, but in the original, what he says is a request for Aventurine to live from now into the future, not just for this matter. He knows it's ultimately a choice that Aventurine will have to make alone, and he can only hope that Aventurine chooses to live... I think it's especially painful knowing that he was very well considering walking into death until Acheron reminds him of what's in his pocket, that there's someone waiting for his return. But you know what they say: if you love someone, let them go.

[agonycrossbow]

So, you want to analyze a character...

You don't start with the character. you start with the story. The very first step is to identify the themes of the story overall.

So, what is a theme?

A theme is a central concept that binds the characters, the conflict, the plot, and the story’s progression together. It’s something that all of the major characters have in common and also exists as an undercurrent to the plot.

You don't have to do anything with that just yet. Just put it to the side. But it's important you do that first.

Then you look at the character and decide:

Is this a static character or a dynamic character?

A static character does not change at any point over the course of the story. They end the story the same person they went in.

A dynamic character undergoes a change in their perspective/worldview and comes out of the story different from how they went in.

If they're a static character, are they important enough to the story that they have a flat arc? A flat arc character does not change over the course of the story (because they're static), but they are so powerful in their presence that they cause other people in the story to change around them.

If they're a dynamic character, was their change positive or negative? Did they end the story in a better state mentally/emotionally from how they started, or did they end the story in a worse state mentally/emotionally from how they started?

Let's use a flowchart for simplicity's sake.

And let's use RE4make and Leon, since we talk about him so often.

RE4make's major themes are: + can people change? + the power/importance of being part of a team (or not) + storybooks, folklore, and fairy tales (and how they're not real)

Leon is a dynamic character who undergoes a positive change arc throughout the course of RE4make.

He starts the story closed off, cold, distant, and cynical.

He ends the story as a warmer, more trusting, more open character who's last seen on the screen with a smile.

Once we reach this point, what the flowchart is asking us to do for the next three bubbles is to map out his character arc.

So how do you map a character arc?

A change arc deals with a fundamental shift in worldview that causes real, lasting change in the character. The character starts off the story believing in some lie either about themselves or the world around them. This lie gets challenged throughout the course of the story until the character reaches a point where they can identify that it's a lie/that their thinking is flawed, and then they change as a result of that realization.

This change should align with at least one of the major themes of the story. If it does not, you have not identified the correct lie.

So, what is the lie that Leon believes going into RE4make? Or, conversely, what about his perspective changes during the course of the game?

The lie that Leon believes at the start of RE4make is: People are inherently selfish and my personal judgment cannot be trusted, so I need to rely strictly on my combat training in order to be successful, because if I act as myself, I will fail and people around me will die.

The story challenges this lie over and over and over again, but Leon's change moment finally occurs during the boss fight with Krauser. A change moment happens when a character is forced by the narrative to look their lie in the face and can no longer deny the truth to themselves.

For Leon, Krauser is that moment. Leon commits to his personal change in three distinct moments during that fight.

1: "I'd be dead if I kept listening to people like you!" 2: "Nah, time for the teacher to be taught." 3: "That you did, Major. That you did."

1: Leon acknowledges that his combat training wasn't some flawless solution to fixing what he thought was wrong with him. 2: Leon affirms to himself that his own personal judgment can be trusted over the judgment of the people he'd been relying on up to this point. 3: Leon acknowledges that he was trained well while showing emotion true to his own heart. This ties into the major theme of "can people change" -- Leon acknowledges that his training changed him while paradoxically acknowledging that he's still the same person he's always been. His abilities have changed and his judgment has changed -- the two traits of his that he distrusted. But his heart is still the same. So, he's still himself, and he can still be himself. But now he sees that he's just a better version of himself -- one that can be trusted.

For a more in-depth look at Leon's character arc, click here.

So, now that you have all of the themes and you have the character's arc mapped out, now you can go back through individual conversations and scenes and moments and analyze how those conversations, scenes, and moments inform the character's development and reflect their personality. Now you can look at the character's individual relationships and analyze what that relationship is and the effect it had on the character.

And all of this always should be done with the story's themes in mind.

This is how I reached the conclusion of Ada being an antagonist for Leon. This is how I reached the conclusion of Leon and Ashley's relationship being romantic in nature.

I started with the characters and their arcs and how they relate to the themes of the story. Not with the relationships themselves.

[alangdorf]

Untagged ramble post about the the fic writing I’ve been doing + snippets (kind of a lot of them actually whoops) since idk if I’ll ever actually finish them let’s gooo (spoilers for said fics obvi)

Forgetting about Tsubakura’s hat when writing is my new forgetting about Vanitas’ Unversed when writing. Though in my defense I refuse to believe that their current normal outfit is what they used to wear to work because that is so many lab dress code violations including OPEN-TOED SHOES??!??!

Relatedly I had a funny moment of realization where I was like “wait I’m writing about throwing up black goop AGAIN??? What a coincidence”

Thus far I have caused one of my friends (not a len’en fan, only knows about it through my talking about it) to have TWO separate dreams about Len’en characters. I have since also had a dream about them but this friend had two before it even happened to me once (also I may have incorporated one or two aspects of said dreams into my stuff…)

I still write in my notes app with asterisks (discord markdown) for italics. I will never change and that is a promise

Btw in order the fics are: “Tsubakura makes terrible life decisions for two months straight and then Suzumi responds to them breaking up with her by faking her own death: the fic”

Followed by “The fact that there isn’t a unique ending for BPoHC Secret Team neutral route with Tsubakura as stage 6 boss has been plaguing me and I’m ‘boutta make it everyone else’s problem” (the actual current working title) (aka thinly veiled excuse for characters having sex that’s actually a thinly veiled excuse for Suzumi to explain why they did all that nonsense in the previous fic)

Then “Hamal Cine Bad End but I had to make a whole entire oc before deciding there would be anything there worth writing because if it was just Hamal and Tsubakura interacting it would be completely unreadable (featuring second person pov yet again!! So maybe it’s unreadable anyways idk)”

And finally “I couldn’t figure out how to finish that last fic satisfyingly so instead I started writing Tsubakura pov of before and after it but that means like half of it is just Hamal and Tsubakura which is what I was trying to avoid earlier whoops! The other half is logistics (actually that’s a lie the vast majority of it is logistics. What can I say I like logistics in my angst)”

Assuming Suzumi’s eye color just looks like brown to other people cause otherwise that would make the alters extremely obvious (I think zara also did this the other day ehe)

Arde should’ve been at the cluuuuub (Seriously though Arde has quickly skyrocketed into being one of my fave Len’en characters and also probably the person I feel the most bad for in at least my version of pre-canon. Like they all made bad decisions there but Arde had soooo much nonsense to deal with and extremely few viable alternatives)

I just now remembered the Japanese school year is different and I should look up what colleges typically do there

Unfortunately I cannot figure out how to google “what is the Japanese government’s procedure for reintegrating a formerly missing person into society when their kidnapping was a 37-year-old cold case (completely unrelated to the kidnapping they just escaped from) and also they’re largely made up of nanomachines or whatever now and have very advanced peripheral neuropathy and no living friends or relatives aside from this one rando who’s known them for about an hour (in the year 2050)”

Trying to make sense of Suzumi’s powers AAAAAAAAAA are the clones DIEGETIC??? Is Hooaka’s arm just gone FOREVER?? At the very least the disguise ability being Benny’s main ability would make some sense for how I’m writing them if. It’s even possible for them to turn it on and then have Arde front afterwards agh idk

Period-accurate communications tech also continues to be a completely self-inflicted thorn in my side. I’m assuming you could delete sent messages on whatever mobile messaging service Japanese young adults were using circa 2010 because I saw a post from 2017 saying you could do that on wechat and I can’t be bothered to do deeper research when it would significantly change my plot to find out otherwise

So you know how that one drawing of mine with Tsubakura and Tsurubami keeps just getting tagged as those two when it’s actually secretly suzutsuba (even moreso now that I’ve been developing Arde more lol)? That’s how I felt realizing that all my suzutsuba stuff is actually pointing to endgame yabutsuba (romantic or qpp idk idc) (also sorry ybtb fans I’m with you but I’m probably just gonna keep writing suzutsuba instead because my brain focuses on angst 100% of the time)

Semi-relatedly the aforementioned oc is named Koemi Oumura and happens to look a fair amount like Yabusame, which is presumably just a coincidence because Yabusame is the one character confirmed to not have any homeologues (extremely funny and scary fun fact), though I did come up with her name by like moving all the kanji in Yabu’s name a little to the left so lol who knows

While doing game dialogue research I ended up realizing that part of shrine team’s convo with Sanra is Tsubakura going “yeah clothes should be comfortable and unrestrictive!” and I was like “whoops… just gonna partially ignore that cause I’ve already been hcing the fact that you bind sometimes lol sorry”

Hamal gives herself biological immortality which is brought up only as a one-liner gag

Also I hope the way I write her dialogue isn’t like, too annoying. I cannot be bothered to copy paste unicode eighth notes wait a second I have a Japanese keyboard??! Oh well; still can’t be bothered so I’m just working with tildes and hearts. My friend tried to express which Len’en character showed up in its dream by saying “which suzumi is the ~ one. that one”

Ok time for assorted snippets (all mixed up just to keep ya guessing, though they also feel a little poetic in this arrangement. Mostly from the first fic since that’s the one I most want to post [and also the only one that’s T instead of M]) and then the sex stuff will be quarantined afterwards

Tsubakura pulls out their phone and sinks to the ground, breathing heavily (partially from the exertion). They look through their contacts. Yabusame is missing yet again. Haltingly, they punch in her number (they have it memorized, they triple-checked that they had it memorized just yesterday) and hit dial.

They start talking as soon as it picks up. “Yabu, I know I told you to let me handle things on my own for now, but I… I changed my mind; I need help, I-I don’t know what to do—”

The voice that interrupts them is not Yabusame’s, but they’d still recognize it anywhere. “Oh! Hello~! Expecting someone else, were we? Silly Tsuba~<3”

Tsubakura hangs up abruptly and just. Sits there. After a few minutes they check their phone to confirm, but it’s obvious that the number they have in their head is Suzumi’s. In fact, every number they have saved to their contacts is Suzumi’s. They don’t even bother with trying to remember their friends’ street addresses; they just hope she at least left them the route to the lab.

So. The message is abundantly clear. They’re alone in this. (And if the reason they’re late to work that day is because they curled up next to a dumpster and cried until they got scared she might come outside looking for them, well, that’s nobody’s business but their own.)

“The old Suzumi never quite worked up the courage to tell you all of this, but they really looked up to you, y’know? She was awestruck from the day you met. Renowned prodigy Tsubakura Enraku, this kid who was so smart, and educated, and accomplished, and cool, and attractive, and self-assured, and not even any older than she was? Who not only accepted her affections, but reciprocated them? Invited her to live with them? Ohh, she put you on a pedestal a mile high~! Gave them quite the inferiority complex, you did~ And then—“

“Don’t,” Tsubakura breathes, but she’s not done saying her piece yet.

“—The Accident happened. And what did you do? You blamed everything on her to save you own skin. While she was in the hospital, even! You betrayed her.”

“But that wasn’t—”

Hamee clamps a hand over their mouth and clucks her tongue disapprovingly. “It doesn’t matter what you thought you were doing. You’re smarter than that, Tsu~ba~ku~ra~. You know what it would’ve looked like. Felt like. And you certainly didn’t try to clear up any misconceptions with the higher-ups afterwards, did you~?”

Tsubakura looks mortified. It’s a good look on them.

Hamee chuckles and skims her hand down to the center of their chest. “And it broke Suzumi’s poor li’l heart~</3 Well, specifically Ardey’s, at that point. All her monumental faith in you just crumbled to dust. She’s wanted nothing more than good old-fashioned revenge on you ever since.”

…

Ardey’s silence in their head is palpable.

What? No pithy comments this time~?

Don’t talk to me right now.

If you say so~

Tsubakura’s heartbeat feels like a hummingbird caught beneath her fingertips, but they put on their best brave face. “And? What about you, Ha- whatever you said your name was. What exactly is your deal supposed to be?”

“Oh, me? Pretty little Hamee~? Well…” She gently cradles their head in her hands and leans in close, smiling serenely. Their already barely-stoic facade cracks just from that. “I never stopped seeing you as that beautiful, perfect genius that Suzumi idolized so! I still keep you up on that pedestal, Tsubakura-sama~<3 And all I want to do…” She whispers the last part in their ear like a catty schoolgirl telling a mean joke. “…is drag you down from it. Until you’re just as sad and broken as the rest of us~ Forever and ever <3”

And suddenly Hamal is there (still pretty hot, admittedly, but the effect is mitigated significantly by literally everything else about her), smiling without a care in the world, cupping Tsubakura’s face delicately in her hands like she isn’t currently out in a thunderstorm with a pistol tucked into her waistband, about to actually kill someone (specifically, YOU!!!) just to torment them. “Ohh, Tsubakura-sama… did you really think you could ever escape me~?”

When they tune back in to the present, Yabusame’s talking again. “—and a little while after you hung up, you sent me a photo of a handwritten note, and I didn’t really understand it, ‘cause the handwriting was weird and I think I didn’t know some of the kanji, but before I could ask you what that was all about, you deleted it, and none of my messages or calls have gone through since then!”

Tsubakura looks up from where they’ve been reflexively clutching at their head to see Yabusame standing over them all concerned, hands still out like she wants to touch them but can’t. (Right; she doesn’t know where they’re injured. They’re not 100% sure themself.) Mechanically, they reach down to grab their phone from their pocket and check it over. Nothing out of the ordinary except that there’s no trace of last night’s call, and Yabusame’s number is blocked and deleted from their contacts, which they quickly rectify. “Issue was on my end. Should go through now.”

“Okayyyyy…” Yabusame pouts, and then draws back a little and fidgets nervously. “Y’know, I checked for you here and at your favorite bar, and when you weren’t either of those places, I thought reeeeally hard about checking your apartment, but you said that if I ever popped into your apartment without an invitation again, you’d string me up by my ankles!” They briefly do an impression of Tsubakura lecturing them before getting even more subdued. “And, I figured, if you were at home, and Suzumi was there, ‘cause they’re always at home these days, that either Suzumi could fix the problem, or maybe Suzumi was the problem, and I was worried that me showing up maybe would’ve. Made it worse.” She tilts her head and looks at them imploringly, the platonic ideal of puppy-dog eyes. “Was that stupid of me?”

(There’s very little point in attempting anything else, even if they were able to; it all leads to the same outcome. She loves them when they struggle against her. She loves them when they love her back. She loves them when they give up entirely. She loves every single aspect of them. She loves the very concept of them. There’s nothing they could do that could possibly dissuade her. There’s no way to win anymore.)

Hoojiro’s brows knit together, but she doesn’t make any sort of remark about the strangeness of their behavior just yet, instead holding out their phone, which she must’ve retrieved from wherever it was they’d flung it last night. Or this morning, technically. Who cares. “Your phone. It sounds like Su-somebody’s calling?” She’s clearly trying to be delicate, but it’s on silent. She must’ve looked at the screen. She knows who it is.

Tsubakura deflates back into their chair, taking the phone only to drop it face-down on the table in front of them. (They don’t want to risk declining the call; that would just tell her that they’re awake and paying attention.) The jig is pretty much up anyway, so they bury their face in their arms and groan. They’re so tired. “Yeah, tell me something I don’t know…”

Hoojiro shuffles and hesitates before addressing the elephant in the room. “Doctor, I… you claimed it was just an accident that you fell asleep here the other night, and when I left yesterday you told me you’d make sure to go home, but you clearly didn’t, and now it looks to me like your girlfriend has been unsuccessfully trying to contact you, so I guess what I mean to say is… How long have you been here? Really.”

Tsubakura groans again in response.

“Doctor,” Hoojiro admonishes.

“Shitodo,” they reply in a similar tone.

She sighs. “Tsubakura…”

They peek out at her guiltily. “…..Four days. I think.”

With the short hair, loose-fitting hospital clothes, and useless blackened limbs, they’re hardly recognizable as Tsubakura Enraku, genius prodigy, groundbreaking scientist, honorary Senri priest. But that person was killed decades ago along with everyone else (and thousands more times afterward for good measure), and all they are now is a lingering ghost left trapped in their own decaying corpse. Or maybe, if you just focus on the wan face, the dark, sunken eyes, they look like the exact same clinically depressed and perpetually exhausted Tsubakura Enraku that they’ve always been, just currently lacking any work or leisure or alcohol in which to drown themself so they can forget about the absurd tragedy that is their life. Hard to say; they’re kinda mixing their metaphors here.

“The angry one is called Ardey. Most of our ~trysts~ in the past have actually been with her fronting, but she decided it would be more practical to just straight-up kill you after you stopped wanting to have anything to do with us. Soooo she’s trying to pretend like she isn’t watching right now, teehee <3”

HEY.

“She says hi~!”

I DO NOT. SHUT UP.

Ok, this is all very. Beside the point. The point being that Tsubakura woke up to their girlfriend smothering them with a pillow. They attempt to calm down and take a deep breath, neither of which is made easier by Suzumi’s weight on their stomach. “So… uhh… did you just try to kill me?”

Suzumi laughs airily, but with an ever-so-slightly nervous edge. “Ohh, ‘kill’ is such a strong word…” She trails a finger down the underside of their jaw. “Really, what’s a little bit of suffocation between friends~?” She continues down their throat and traces along their collarbones. “If it helps, it was just a… mood swing thing. Shouldn’t happen again. I like making you squirm a liiittle too much to actually want to get rid of you~” She hooks the finger on the collar of their shirt and tugs.

“You’re trying to distract me now, aren’t you.” It’s hardly a question.

“Is it working?” Suzumi deadpans.

They should probably be more concerned, and will definitely start sleeping on the couch after this, but for now, Tsubakura swallows and makes a decision that is… not one of their smarter ones, to be honest. Whatever. Blame the oxygen deprivation, if you must.

“Well. You could be trying harder.”

“I always took you for granted, because I’m a black hole of a human being that just takes and takes and takes until there’s nothing left. I don’t know if there’s even any of the real you left in there, Suzumi. So:”

Tsubakura sinks down to one knee and reaches up a hand, their dark eyes as unreadable as ever. Hamee feels their heart skip a beat at the sight, but for all the wrong reasons. She won’t lie and claim that she hasn’t fantasized about setting up a scenario like this someday, buying a white dress and a real tux and rubbing in her victory over them with the “‘til death do us part”s and all that, but not like this. Not on their terms; not with them real and in the flesh and kneeling right here in front of her, acting out something that could’ve happened years ago if they’d been either a whole lot better for each other or just a little more stupid, but asking for a knife to the jugular rather than an “I do”. Everything about this is wrong.

“I’m giving myself to you,” Tsubakura says. “Will you take me?”

The police haven’t even bothered to get back to them about pressing charges (a laughable attempt, they know, but they had to try something) by the time Tsubakura’s old apartment goes up in flames, and the obituary of Suzumi Kuzu gets printed in the papers, accompanied by the awkward university ID photo of somebody they maybe loved, once. Just making it official that that person is long gone, they suppose.

(But they don’t believe she’s dead for even a second.)

Sex stuff is down here

They just keep having sex. It just keeps happening. I’m aroace-spec and actively religious; how did I get here? Where am I?? Hello????

The number of sex scenes I am writing around is absolutely crazy given that like. I literally can’t even bring myself to use the word “butt”. Tsubakura is mostly naked about half the time. I am matrix dodging specifics out here (to be clear all intercourse is either before/after the parts that I’m actually writing or it’s vaguely skipped over. Even if I wasn’t holding myself to particular language standards I’m always in it more for the emotional part of it and don’t care for the explicit sex stuff so everything I write should be M at most)

I am extremely aware that Hamal Cine Bad End is a lot (and definitely an extreme canon divergence; like perfect storm of things going wrong, Arde and Benet would have to be out of the picture, Hamal would need to get like 10000% less impulsive) and I’m very nervous about sharing any of it at all!! Uhhhhh what else to say about it… I’m trying not to be too gratuitous? The one actual beat-by-beat scene I have any plans for atm is much more focused on the psychological/torture aspects once it flips into gear (not particularly gory either)? Hopefully I’m handling it well? Idk I just hope if I do end up posting it that my writing speaks for itself. Stands on its own. Or whatever like you know what I mean

Ok moving on so you remember that first fic I was writing a few months ago and then abandoned? That fic was funny cause the whole idea I was going off of was using marriage as a metaphor for getting murdered (second to last snippet is a surprise cameo from that heehee; I couldn’t figure out how to write into it in a way that would make sense though) and if I ever published that one I would definitely have needed to put out a disclaimer that’s like “Yes I am happily married, yes I am aroace, yes I am only interested in super toxic shipping; I contain multitudes” (also no ace discourse please; despite the fact I could pass for allo in some ways I still choose to identify as aroace because my aro/asexuality affects a lot of areas of my life even if it’s not that visible to others)

I know I mentioned a while ago that I was projecting somewhat onto Suzumi but just to be clear I’m definitely also projecting onto Tsubakura. Sorry for giving them all my sexual preferences (and one very specific fairly minor parental trauma); it will happen again (that’s me on the left; I haven’t changed my pfp to reflect my current sona) (don’t mind the koala)

[lake-archive]

Fake Date... Right?

AO3 Link - A Shared Love Between Our Posse (Masterlist)

Fandom: Hypnosis Mic

Characters: Gentaro Yumeno, Ann Wolff (OC)

Pairing: Genann (Gentaro/Ann) (Developing)

Synposis: Gentaro is stuck at a chapter for his book… Maybe he shouldn't have picked a dating scene. But luckily he knows who to ask for help.

Words: 1,519

“H… Hey… Do I have to stay so close?”

“This is a date, isn’t it?”

“W… Well… Yes but… Walking through the crowd like this…”

“Don’t worry my dear, I’m right here. You won’t get lost in this crowd~”

“Hah!? Th… That’s not what I mean! It’s just… A pretend date… So–”

“And we must be authentic at all times. We shall be lovey–dovey and make those spotting us turn their heads away in disgust because of this unbearable sweetness~”

“Wait what!? I think that—”

“Haha, calm down Ann. Part of that is a lie.”

Their reaction was always something else to behold. Even now Gentaro could not hold himself back. He just had to open his mouth and get them all flustered, despite him having requested them to help him out for a little while. It could have been just for the day but it also could have been for the entire week. Surely, no feelings were involved whatsoever. It is not a situation he indulged in for selfish reasons, oh heavens no! This was merely to simulate the experience of a young couple going on a date, nothing else.

But was it a lie? Surprisingly, not completely. Parts of it were true and it was a genuine favor he had asked of them, asked of Ann. 

In one of the chapters he had made it that two of the characters were attending a date yet he had been sitting on this chapter way too long. He just wasn’t sure how to properly convey the feelings and thoughts when going on a date. What did it feel like? What would be done on a date? Most would consider it embarrassing to admit yet this author had little to no experience in this field. Honestly though, he didn’t mind being inexperienced. He had never had the urge before… Well, until recently. And yet, even then, this was not something he acted upon. It didn’t sit right with him, at least not in a time like this. That or he felt as if he needed an excuse in all honesty. Maybe it was that, maybe it was not. Regardless, this would not change any facts at hand.  Let alone the request he had asked of them earlier in person. 

“ Huh? Wait… You want to go on a… Date!? ” Ann had asked him, their eyes wide and their cheeks all red. So red that he had to hold his hands back to not reach out for them and pinch them right then and there. “ G… Gentaro… That’s sudden! I… don’t think— ”

“Please, calm down. It’s just for research. ” He had excused, interrupting them in the middle of their panic. 

“ For research? ”

“ Yes. After all, don’t write what you don’t know. ”

“ W… Well, some people do say that but— ”

“ As a fellow writer I’m sure that you understand my peril. ” 

“ I mean, yeah bu— ”

“No buts. I cannot ask anyone else. ” What a lie. He didn’t want to ask anyone else. “ You have experience thanks to Ramuda and Dice, don’t you? So please, educate me a little when it comes to going on dates. ”

And that was how the two got themselves into this situation. It was why they had to hold onto one of his arms very tightly, almost hugging it, while walking down the streets together, heading to a place together for an activity, to be all by themselves. After all, the essential  of a date was to bond, thus spending time alone was important. Was it not? 

And yet, when taking a gaze right down at them he could see their flustered expression, as if they were unable to look into his eyes, unable to face him for good. “Did you have to phrase it like that?” They asked of him, mumbling almost with utmost embarrassment. It only made him have a light smile on his face, finding this ever so amusing. 

“I did not. But I wanted to.” He said. 

“W… Wanted to? … I forgot who I was talking to, sorry.”

“Aww, you wound me dear.”

“You don’t have to use pet names you know!”

“Does it make you uncomfortable if I do?” A question which came a little late, he had to admit, yet he was concerned all the same. Maybe he had finally overstepped some boundaries. And if that was the case— 

“Tha— … As long as it isn’t something like ‘Princess’...”

“I will take note of that. But please, tell me if I overstep your boundaries.” He commented, making them turn back to him for a moment, staring with a mix of relief yet also surprise. “We may act like a couple now, but don’t be afraid to tell me if it’s too much. I’m just acting as I’ve read.”

“Read? What do you mean by read?” They asked, from one moment to the next just confused. 

“Well… I did some research beforehand. Primarily guides for dates and how to—”

“You’re seriously believing stuff like that?” They interrupted, sounding surprisingly cold about this. No, really, for a quick moment their eyes had just gone completely blank and staring, as if already saying ‘ Not impressed ’. This was followed up with a quick sigh before continuing. “Throw that outta the window, will you? There’s no need for stuff like that whatsoever.”

“There… Is not?” It surprised Gentaro, really. He usually would not want to look into guides like these either yet he had no choice, having zero experience in the field of romance. It was not his forte and until recently he had not even a clue how it felt to desire a person in a way more than a friend, let alone a family member. It had just not interested him. He knew it was a bad idea for his novel to experiment around with such emotions yet he had the desire to try something new… It was still hard to bring these feelings down to the paper however, let alone the behavior. He really didn’t know where to start and thus guides were begrudgingly his best point of reference. 

“No, not really. I thought it was obvious.” They responded with the utmost certainty. No, they were confident in this, very even, judging from their face. “If you gotta be a fake–self or something, it’s not worth it.”

“I… Wasn’t saying that—”

“I know, you weren’t going that far now. But listen, don’t think too hard about it. Just be yourself.”

Be himself… “A generic advice to use in several situations.”

“Yeah, I admit. It’s… A little overdone.” Ann agreed at the very least. “But there’s truth to it I suppose. After all, assuming a role makes moments like these rather shallow.” Though the last part… They had said it a little more quietly while suddenly grabbing tighter onto his arm, shoving their own body a little closer. A gesture he couldn’t really put a reasoning behind. They just… Did. It felt very sudden. And yet, it was more than obvious that they had been more than serious about this. They even bit their lower lip before shaking their head several times, then making their gaze meet his again, more relaxed than before. “What I’m saying is that you don’t really have to worry about stuff like that. Just be like you always are. We know each other for a while now after all, don’t we?”

On one hand he didn’t want to hear it. Wouldn’t that blur the line between fake and reality? He wouldn’t be able to tell this apart. it was not meant to be a real date, far from it. It was supposed to be nothing but pretend… A fake date. That was the plan. 

But on the other, hearing them say all of that… He felt relieved yet again. Maybe a part of him didn’t want to pretend. Maybe a part of him was begging for this to be real… No, of course he would have the desire to turn this into more. He was just holding himself back here, wanting this to be mere research for his novel. And yet, he would not get something like that. Having the line blurred like that… Hah, was this really a fake date? Or was this just some wishful thinking? 

“Alright, message received. I will just be myself… If you think you can handle that.”

“O… Of course I can! I’m keeping up with you until now, aren’t I?”

“Fair argument… My dear ~” Of course it slipped his tongue. He couldn’t resist… Anything to keep them on their toes. 

And it sure had them startled, their body becoming all tense again from hearing a nickname yet again. “Ah— You’re still at that!?”

“This is a date regardless. So get used to it darling~”

“Wh… Why you…”

And even with all of that said they were still holding onto his arm, clutching onto it as the duo was walking down the streets. Did they notice? Maybe, maybe not. But he dared to not point it out.

Fake or not, he may as well enjoy a small taste he had right then and there. 

[delugedecade]

Scooby-Doo 2 : Monsters Unleashed

forcefully review as watched by Deluge

spoilers, obviously, but then again, I’m the one watching it for the first time.

Music so far outside of a small snippet of the OG theme doesn't shout Scooby Doo for me yet.

Fucken Mystery Limo

Freddie Groupies again

Awww, Dinkley Brigade.

Once again, Weed implications with Shaggy

Hahaha Scooby's fans are fellow dogs

Another Velma has a love interest whos kind of a nerd. Who's gonna guess he's a villain.

Oh he's the Curator.

Subtle Velma. "Mystery is my Mistress, I must heed her sweet call"

That's a cool mask, but did they need to make him look like he's balding?

That reporters definitely in on it

Daphne's so fashion oriented that rather than say it's her boots, rather its the boots don't go with the sweater.

Why does Jacobo look like AVGN? also Slime joke.

Subtitles on the place i'm watching is weird, Shaggy said Burger King, but subs say KFC. Weird

Man has a whole Rube Goldberg machine under his house.

Daphne using her makeup skills

Joke about Scooby passing over obvious clues

You're telling me Old Man Wickles listened to Big Butts and I Cannot Lie? ayo

A whole segment of maths for weak points only for it to be a crotch shot. wow

Randamonium

"Intimacy with another person" With Daphne right in front of her face, subtle

WAIT THE SEXY VELMA BIT IS THIS EARLY? I THOUGHT IT WAS A THING LATER ON

A touching moment, only to be, played a joke in a sense, by wanting to torture the gang.

Scooby dooing a whole mosh pit dance.

Damn, it's like a going down to rock bottom story

You're telling me in that outfit she had the sweater underneath?

Oh, Patrick got an unhinged side

They're really doing the walking bush joke

Okay, it's not Old Man Wiklies?

Weird CGI on the chick body. but also TASSIE!

BUFF SHAGGY!!!!!

Hmmm Halfway in an they pinning Patrick as main suspect

Scooby and Shaggy just incidentally putting in the right code for the monster maker.

Making use of their skateboard skills

Damn, on the run

Short flashback was nice

Meta commentary on montages

Dman, that's a nice bike

Nice of Fred to try the therapy route on the monster at least

They singed a ghost with a fart

A shrine to the pterodactyl ghost?

Wait is Patrick, Jacobo?

Patrick isn't bad? or maybe the Pterodactyl just captured him for him to quick change.

HE SAID THE THING WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? SCOOBY DOOBY DOO

NOOOOOOOOOO

Jacobo was alive after all

At least Patrick is good in the end.

And a secret code for the game boy sp, wow

Yeah, Pretty good, kept me guessing a lot which is part of the fun in the mystery.

9/10

@submissiveking99 @tokufan400 @freeusemuses @asexxxualauthor

[layzorr]

OHHHH MY GOD. Just finished episode five of scavengers reign. If I wasn't sold on this show before I sure as hell am now. where do I even begin?

I love that there wasn't like an hour long build up episode explaining All the Lore. All the information. Some people like that but for me I love that you're thrown into these people not really knowing much. I LOVE the slowly telling you more about their lives! I love the conclusions you can draw about them. Azi pushes people away and gets lost in her work, she doesn't know how to maintain relationships. She doesn't know how to relate to people. Ursula is extremely determined but also just...never stopping for a second. Never stops to check in with herself, never lets herself stop for a second. Sam doesn't trust people easily. He's extremely logic oriented. Emotions confuse him. He's angry and stubborn and can't see past his own nose sometimes. He never takes shit into account. Kamen is so many things at once. He's selfish. He makes everything about him. He's controlling. He's extremely depressed and fears loss or things slipping out of control. He fears change. He needs everyone to respect him. He treats people badly because he takes ANYTHING as a personal attack that he has to "stand up for himself" against. He's suicidal. He genuinely loves Fiona and yet has no respect for her autonomy. He doesn't value the lives of the people around him. He holds at least some worry for the crew. But was that just for Fiona? I don't know yet and that's why it's so COOL. I love that they don't tell us everything immediately! They space out different information reveals so it can be taken in! They let you get to know the characters in five episodes before even revealing how the ship got there. And that's what makes the realization what happened actually effective! You knew enough about the characters to care! You know enough about why they act how they do to go, oh FUCK. This is a show you cannot watch with a binge culture mindset or you won't enjoy it it's so good.

Ursula and Sam's dynamic is really cool, hope to see more of how they met/ended up teaming up in these next episodes! I like it's not like. They're besties they're inseparable. it's two people who had to team up and did, and now they might bond. They're not friends yet, they don't dislike each other. They respect each other a lot and I dunno, it's kinda cool to see a completely neutral relationship in fiction.

Sam not apologizing to Ursula and instead kinda implying it. "Without your instincts", as in "I'm sorry I doubted your sense of danger. You wouldn't do something stupid." and also "Thank you for not leaving me alone even though, yeah, you could." Sam's rage at Kamen really adds a lot to him. Ursula so far isn't grabbing me but hey there's episodes left currently out and more to come out! There's gonna be a lot of depth most likely. I am VERY excited for it.

I fucking love Levi. I love their arc so far. I love their being scared of going back to how they were. Unfeeling and not making their own choices. They were never happy before. Theyd never had wants before. It was wonderful. And them being upset at Azi was just??? So good. You treat me like I still have no autonomy. I'm not going to hurt you. Why are you treating me like me enjoying things now and acting differently than I'm supposed to is bad when I'm just existing? I'm helping you. This makes me happy. Why are you upset? Also the scene where she saw her own hands fucked very hard not gonna lie.

Azi realizing, oh. They're a person now. They feel things. That...would be shitty to ask a person to do, huh? Her growing is so good. Her realizing all the times she pushed people out. All the assumptions she made about everything. Her respecting Levi more! Her realizing, okay I need to be nicer to them She...feels it. When I say something they'll feel it. Her telling Levi they're their own person now, and just,, idk I REALLY love them. Azi has so much implications and I love her. The pain about her being so lonely and shoving people out. Never stopping to be around anyone. And her finding companionship on the being that called her out on her shit. Goddd. Something about her treating them better than we see her so far treat a lot of other people. This planet being introduced as Horrific and it still is but it's also just a planet. It's just animals trying to survive. It's just nature and she has to adapt and make it make more sense as she grows.

Kamen....man. The way they've been telling his story with Fiona....at first him thinking the weird creature is her. Then Charlie making him realize no wait is she still there. Then. No. She's gone.

I love the set up to the fiona isn't alive. I saw it coming but it's not treated as a plot twist, it's treated as a realization for the characters. And that is so so much better sometimes. Like you can see it coming and yet kamens reaction, even if he's a horrible person, is still so gut wrenching.

Him being suicidal is STILL so gutwrenching. Because they show you how he feels. They show you, yeah. He loves her. He's a bad person but he has feelings even if he's selfish about them. And the fact none of the other characters have cried before makes seeing HIM much more impactful. He's not a good person but seeing anyone accept assumed death Hurts. And that's what fucks you up.

Man. This fucking show. That shot of the creature kinda consuming Kamen was horrifying and I love it. Still not done so no spoilers but god. This show is fucking good and I need to meet more people into it. I fucking love it.