#i have such strong convictions about them lmao

[trashlie]

In Which I Cry Some More About Tragic Siblings

Heads up that this post WILL contain spoilers up through FP 248 so do NOT read this if you don't want to be spoiled!!!!! But in light of 248, I have some strong convictions about Nol and Kousuke's future (like, way future lol) relationship and where we might see them head.

We've been talking a lot on the ILY discord server about family - especially in light of the confirmation that the long-fabled theory that Rand isn't Kousuke's father is coming to light, in terms of what does this mean for their relationship and how do we define family. There feels like, amongst all the other running themes lol, to be a running theme about family and how it isn't necessarily defined by blood.

We see this in how it's clear that Rand seems to have had suspicions about Kousuke's parentage for a while and that it feels like he's only acting on them now in need of a bargaining chip, but that he's always treated Kousuke as his son regardless of whether or not he fathered Kousuke. We've seen how despite believing that Kousuke and Nol share blood they could not force a brotherly bond to form between them, even though Rand had so hoped one would. And though it's not a territory we've had a chance to explore yet, I think we'll get to explore it with Shinae and her own estranged sister, and may see that blood cannot define family, especially when you have been estranged and are virtually strangers.

The conversation leading to this thought was essentially that while Shinae and Shinhye may be (potentially half) sisters, quimchee has given some vague hints that they may not be able to forge a relationship in the future, whether it's because Shinhye is dishonest or is involved with shady dealings or other circumstances, it feels like there may be a narrative that despite sharing blood, you can't force family. Shinhye is not a person that Shinae grew up with and though a part of her longed for her family to be reunited and whole once more, they grew up apart and into separate people, and who Shinhye has grown into may be incompatible with her, may not be someone who can mesh with her.

This feels like it parallels - and especially as a foil - heavily with Nol and Kousuke who everyone has believed are related and have been forced to act as siblings but absolutely cannot, due to the paranoia and fear that is so deeply ingrained in Kousuke. And it feels even more inverted - Shinae and Shinhye who share blood but grew up apart, compared to Nol and Kousuke who share no blood and were pushed to be a family. It feels like there's a theme here about how family is what you make of it - that family can certainly be the people to whom you're related by blood, but sometimes they are found family. Sometimes they are the people you call your family, regardless of your shared blood.

Rand may not have fathered Kousuke, and we don't know for how long he's had his suspicions about his parentage, but we do know that he has always treated him as his son. I know that people will jump on the weird take about how "That's why Rand was always so distant from Kousuke" as if not being the blood relative to Kousuke could ever justify being an absent father - as if Yui wasn't busy orchestrating Rand's absence. Not that I say the blame is solely on Yui, but we also know that Rand has shown the inclination to wanting to play his role as Kousuke's parent and we've seen plenty enough to know that Yui has meddled.

The point is: Rand loves Kousuke, and his distance in Kousuke's life has never been that he doesn't feel that Kousuke is his and therefore he can't love him. Plenty of people are step-parents to children they love as their own, because that's what family is. Plenty of people adopt children they love as much as if they'd birthed them themselves. This narrative of "he can't connect with someone he didn't father" is gross and disgusting and more over, the narrative has shown that was never the case.

And with this thinking, even though we are at a point where Nol is casting people from his life and appears to be heading into his revenge arc, my conviction feels stronger than ever that we will see some kind of reconciliation between Nol and Kousuke, because the theme of "family is what you make of it" just feels so strong, and the potential foil to Shinae and her own sister. That's not to say that Nol would ever entirely forgive Kousuke and they would suddenly be the partners in crime they could have been as much as I feel like part of Nol's narrative is that he is going to find himself in Kousuke's shoes. He already is well on his way, with his interaction with Alyssa, thinking of her hickeys as the result of cheating. Years from now he, too, will have his Kousuke moment of horror when he finds out what was happening to Alyssa, how she got those marks, what she meant when she told him it was "just business" and he will realize how he cast her away when she came to him in her desperate time of need, as Kousuke did to him before. Something else I'd like to talk about when I'm in the headspace to write about it is how Nol's revenge arc will very likely parallel what may be Yui's origins (stream episode 7 of ILY Tea with Trashellie if you don't want to wait for me to write it lmao) which may bring him to a point of understanding how Kousuke ended up where he did - how fear and anger drive and consume you.

What this is getting at really is just to say: I think we might see a future where Nol will be able to face Kousuke and say that he understands. It doesn't undo their past, it doesn't make up for what was lost, or what was done. But I think there is something so important in Nol being able to get that distance and understand, to see how Kousuke, too, was a victim, how his innocent needs were preyed upon and how his hunger for his father's love turned starvation coupled with the deep-seated paranoia and fear lead him to the desperate lengths it did. I think there's going to come a time where Nol will be pulled back from crossing a line and understand.

We already see that Kousuke shows so much shame and, I think remorse, for the things he has done. So much guilt. He knows there was no justification - what he thought justified his actions was all lies, was all manipulation. The mentality that they are different, the paranoia his mother cultivated in him that he used to distance himself from others, that isolated him from others because who could he trust but her - and she, it turned out, was the worst of them all. And while Nol is not ready to hear Kousuke's regrets or apologies, because it's too little too late right now, I think in the future, when he's been consumed, or maybe when he's healed, when he's had enough distance, when he's been able to step back far enough to see that in the end, they both were victims, they were both children who had SO MUCH stolen from them, that even if they couldn't then, maybe now they can start over.

I don't think it's going to be a fairytale ending. I don't think they can be the brothers I want them to be. Kousuke's wounds cut too deep and Nol is too raw from them but I think that's why I see it as starting over. They are different people, have had so much stolen from each other, have lost so much (and will continue to).

But I believe more than ever that they will reconcile. The bridge imagery has always been there and has made me feel this so strongly, but I feel like the family themes make me feel it even more strongly - this sense that they may not share blood after all, but that isn't what makes you family. Sometimes family is a choice. It's choosing to be there for each other. It's choosing to care. It's choosing to love. It doesn't depend on blood - it just depends on depending, doesn't it?

[azulsluver]

Hey hi hello!!! I hope you're having a nice day today! If it's not a bother, I'll be leaving a request for your bully!au. Maybe with a reader who's a hot head? Like, the moment they start acting up, readers already in their face asking questions like "why the fuck are you being such a dick?" Normally, reader could conceal this if it was the normal twst, but the moment the twst guys start slipping, reader is already confronting them on why they are being such assholes. You know how narancia from jjba acts like when he's stressed or mad? Yeah exactly like that! Pulling out the knife out too. Reader doesn't care about their reputation, so they wouldn't care less if they were threatened by that. I love your writing too!!! I always look forward to it when I open Tumblr. Thank you for reading, and have a nice day!!

This is not gonna end well…BUT THANK YOU BEST COMPLIMENT OF THE BLOG!!! <333

Buncha rambles, dunno where this was gonna lead so sorry if this isn’t what you wanted 😅

tw. yandere, bully!characters, mentions of stabbing/murder, manipulative!reader for the win 🏆

No one is gonna side with you. The bystanders do absolutely nothing till this point, reputation is very important and they don’t want it being dirty with yours (lmao ironic). Besides people like Lilia, Malleus, and Jade—they find your “hot-headed” personality attractive.

You’ll get picked on more yes, these students are much stronger than you by far, but you wouldn’t go down without them having a piece of your mind. Calling out on their schemes will make some embarrass— Cater, Ace, Epel. Others will be more aggressive or try to turn the situation around and blame you for overreacting.

Pulling a stunt as trying to knife one of them? May be successful if I’m honest. Depends on who you choose to do so, you won’t be alone in a group of two, they’ll always be another watching or tagging along. They’ll keep in mind to not let you be near any sharp or heavy objects, you clearly can’t handle being by yourself.

I can see a hot-headed reader making it far for themselves and not fall too deep into the victim pit. Standing up for yourself is already hard enough, you’re going against people who are training to become said mages. But at the end of the day everyone is still human no matter how cruel they are. They aren’t bullet proof nor emotionless. Get them to hurt, physically or mentally, with their guard down you can successfully have them under your thumb.

Reader who butts in first and steps up, show some respect around here. This will help you gain sympathy from bystanders and a little chance for them to befriend. That’s where Jack comes in. You’ve shown him you were worthy of helping and not just some runt who lets people walk all over them. This won’t be enough to overthrow any housewarden or powerful mage, but it’ll do.

People are not gonna enjoy your pushy and rude attitude for long, the pros and cons don’t weigh as equally. Especially when the cons lead to death.

“Oh but why don’t they get in trouble?”

Because they know how to clean up a scene and fast. Also who would believe you, a strange person who came out of the coffin when you weren’t supposed to be there. No one trusts you and won’t take your side, and since this is a bully!AU people tend to look the other way if murder is convicted. You aren’t all that important with little to no background, the perfect victim to get rid of.

And Idia gets rid of the evidence if there’s any camera involved.

You can’t just go around and stab people at random, let alone pick a fight. What you need is strategy. Be more self aware and focused, as difficult it is to talk to a brick wall, it’ll crumble if you stay long enough to experience it’s downfall. For those interested in knowing who can actually lose to a let’s say…neutral reader (fairly strong enough and a good amount of willpower), my take is on Riddle, Deuce, Ace, Azul, Jack, Epel, Rook, Vil, Idia, Malleus, and surprisingly last Sebek.

Should’ve switched the surprisingly for Rook because wow. Show them who’s boss babe, besides your cowardly counter part they are doomed if you’re more dominant. Not in a weird way lol, take the wheel of your life outta their greasy hands!

[mostly-mundane-atla]

I LOVE HAHN. He spins in my head like a microwave plate. He could have been so much!!! He could have parelled Sokka's insecurities about his culture, by showing him up as the poster boy in the village. Only to fail at his single duty, PROTECT YUE. Lived his whole life next to her, believing that it'll continue forever, only for her to completely disappear??? (Would they have been united in their grief? Their shame?)

He grew up with Yue, like there is so much to explore with that, which could have expanded greatly into how we see Yue's character and the NWT. They could have been best friends, they could have barely stood each other, they could have been struggling to stay together while their community suffers under the war.

Unlike Sokka's skepticism, Hahn could have believed in spirits. He could have had such conviction in them that he was horrified. Perhaps he lost family members to spirits, perhaps he recieved premonitions of them, perhaps he knew deep down inside that if spirits could give life to Yue, they could always take it away. He could have always known Yue's time on earth was on a countdown, which caused him to be on guard with people around her, even herself, leading to all the issues in their relationship. Every single question people had of Yue? Every thought about whether or not she was happy, as a human, or if she'll be happy, as the moon? Exactly what Hahn thinks all the time.

Always hearing it's "annoying" to develop such minor characters. Fine whatever, I get annoyed too, that I have to rework the WTs constantly to fix the deadend stereotypes the creators slapped onto them. (Btw, could we develop water tribe characters without tearing down the WTs to make them "good natives" under their "oppressive society"? Please?) Because if the show keeps saying the water tribe has a strong community and Yue's whole thing is that she loves her people so much she'll sacrifice herself for them (note: not cause of her "daddy issues"), then yeah. I'd expect Hahn to be at least "tolerable".

But no, I guess the fandom has time to flesh the billionth minor fire nation character with sympathic racist headcanons! Again!! But not any on the people they ethnically erase. Too convenient to take out anger on sexist native stereotypes opposed to... all the other sexist characters in show, like the FN! Lmao.

I like this show a lot, but...this fandom............

Seconding everything. When i'm less tired i'd like to add my specific thoughts, but yeah, i thoroughly agree with all this.

[moni-logues]

Oooh, your requests are open! Any rules or prompt list? If there are none, please may I request the following?

You, as BTS Jungkook's Noona. You have a loving sibling relationship, the kind where parents would love for their children to have with each other. The only complaint you have is that he sometimes acts like the older brother, which can be a little claustrophobic when it happens (e.g. chaperoning you on your date when you were teenagers, having a word with your boss when you were overlooked for a well-deserved promotion, etc). Especially when you were a strong (emotionally and mentally, at least) woman, and totally able to f9ght your own battles. Aside from his BTS members, he's good friends with Bang Chan and Minho from SKZ. Given his overprotective tendency, how does he react when he find out that some of his members + Chan and Minho have feelings for you?

Thank you, and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns?

ok so this is like, the very lite version of what you've asked for lmao because I wanted to keep it brief and it could so easily have got out of hand

I don't even really know what to categorise this as.

It's Jungkook's older sister x (potentially) Chan or Minho. It's three men being idiots. It has the tiniest bit of cheek. It is... what it is lol

Word count: 640

Content: none to warn for

Three Men and a Lady

“Hold on,” Jungkook said firmly, his hands up in front of him. “You both like her?” 

“Yes,” Chan and Minho answered.  

“And I’m supposed to decide which one of you gets to ask her out?” 

“No,” Chan replied emphatically. “You have to tell us which one of us she likes more.” 

“I don’t think she likes either of you.” 

Chan and Minho exchanged a confused look.  

“Neither of us?” 

“Why would she like you?”  

They looked at each other again, somewhat at a loss for words. They hung out all the time with Jungkook, and that meant, a lot of the time, with his sister, too; they all had fun together. She must like them at least a little. Surely? 

“Why wouldn’t she?” Minho asked.  

Jungkook stared at the two of them. Yes, they were his friends. He liked them. They were good guys. Good enough for his sister? That was where his conviction wobbled. No one was good enough for his sister.  

He sat back against the sofa and considered it. She could certainly do worse. She had, in fact, already done worse. If she dated one of his best friends, he could probably far more easily keep an eye on things than if it were some other random guy. Chan and Minho were giving him a choice, too. He got to make the decision. He liked that because his sister quite clearly couldn’t make a good decision on her own. But he would have to approach it carefully; both men were competitive and he didn’t want this to ruin their friendship. 

On the other hand, both men were competitive, and that could be a lot of fun. 

“Ok.,” he said, sitting forward again, clapping his hands together. “Let’s do it like this. A competition.” 

Both suitors pulled a face.  

“JK, that sounds weird.”  

“What is this, like 1700 or something? We’re not competing. We’re not trying to impress you.” 

“You should be if you want me to pick you!” 

“You’re not picking us! SHE is. We’re just asking if you know what HER pick is!” 

“And you clearly don’t,” Minho accused, with a roll of his eyes. 

“Woah woah woah...” JK’s hands were up in defence once more. “Let’s just calm down-” 

“Why are we calming down?”  

All three male heads turned to see the woman in question exit from her bedroom. They froze, like deer in headlights.  

“Uh,” Chan began, not sure where he was going after that.  

“Well, it’s-... Uh,” Jungkook stammered.  

“Jungkook is wilfully misunderstanding us,” Minho explained without really explaining.  

“Sounds about right,” she scoffed affectionately.  

“Oi!” 

“You know it’s true.” 

She continued on into the kitchen area of the living space, very much still within earshot, so the guys stayed quiet, trying to make non-awkward conversation with her as she prepared a sandwich and made a coffee.  

None of them had realised she was in. She was supposed to be out—at a gym session or class or something—that was why the conversation was taking place there. Jungkook was supposed to have made sure she was out.  

They were figuratively holding their breath, unsure what she might have heard. Chan and Minho knew she would be furious. She was frequently furious with Jungkook and his over-protectiveness. His possessiveness. She was his sister. His older sister, at that, and took great exception to the way Jungkook acted as her keeper and protector. If she found out Chan and Minho had gone to him first, well, neither of them would ever get to date her. Or probably even speak to her ever again.  

“It’s Chan, by the way,” she said as she took her plate and mug back to her bedroom. 

“What?” 

She paused in the doorway. 

“Chan. He’s the one I like. Sorry, Minho.” 

Then she winked and shut the door behind her.  

[according2thelore]

HOLY shit you should write a time travel fic!!!! I want to see them all locked in the bunker together….. ES Sam and LS Dean watching their alt selves sew themselves together with horror and jealousy. ES Sam seeing LS Sam and thinking it’s the worst saddest thing he’s ever seen in his life.

I also think LS Sam and Dean fight more violently when they do fight? At least if we’re comparing season 1 and, like, 10, but even like s14. ES them watching that with a mixture of fury but also like. It’s unfortunately hot.

hello!!!!

i have actually been gently nurturing a ES!Dean and LS!Sam fic for months like coaxing a deer out of the woods. It's slow work and every time I open the doc it flees but ARGH!!! I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THEM!!!!!!!!!!! hopefully i will be able to finish it soon

but all of them TOGETHER??? omg...your brain...is so big...let's discuss

ES!Sam would be ripping himself apart in jealousy, and would not even really know why. both deans flock to sam like he's the axis of the world, like he's the only person to ever exist, like he's some kind of god that drips sun from his fingers.

he's never seen his dean this vulnerable and weird and desperate for approval (not even recognizing that dean has also been desperately seeking his approval but whatever), and he HATES LS!Sam for it. he's openly hostile, and keeps making rude comments at him that make ES!Dean so angry lol.

bc LS!Sam also gave up on their dream! he doesn't even pretend to want to get out of hunting. he lives in a secret bunker and sleeps with guns under his pillow and talks of their father with warm hesitation like 'yeah he was messed up but he was good' and sam can't stand him. and he looks at his brother (both of them now, young and old like some weird mirror) like he's never seen anything more worthy. it makes sam sick, because he sees this as a defeat. LS!Sam is a coward, who gave up. not for wanting dean, but for betraying everything he's stood for for twenty-odd years.

(he doesn't know, of course, that sam has the life he wants)

LS!Dean, however, would know exactly why he's so fucking furious. and because ES!Dean is still dean, he'd be so mean to his younger self lol. he'd purposefully stop talking when his younger self walks in, keeps trying to separate he and LS!Sam, keeps trying to leave him behind on stuff so he can have 100% of sam's attention and love and concern again.

which i think LS!Sam would not tolerate lmao. he sees the kicked-puppy-earnest look in young dean and it's like sticking a steak in front of a starving man--he cannot resist!!!

LS!Dean makes ES!Dean more appealing to LS!Sam by being mean to him and ES!Sam makes ES!Dean more defensive of and devoted to LS!Sam by being mean to him lol

it's a lot of deans and sams to keep up with but they would be so tangled and messy

ES!Sam and LS!Dean keep catching each others' eyes when LS!Sam and ES!Dean are being sappy or open w each other, lips curled in jealousy. and at first it's some kind of twisted camaraderie, but at the end, LS!Dean walks up to ES!Sam because, god, he'd dreamed about this kid for years.

he's missed how angry sam used to be, how much faith he had in himself and his convictions, how passion lights him up all the time and not just when they're alone.

and maybe he claps a hand on sammy's shoulder and god, when did dean's hands get so big? when did he develop smile lines and crow's feet and scruff at his jawline? and why does it make sam feel like this?

the first time that LS!Sam&Dean fight, ES!Sam&Dean are absolutely gobsmacked. bc every fight with them is An End Of The World Fight. it's messy and personal and hurtful, only low blows, and barely-not-teary and you're-my-brother-i'll-let-the-world-burn and when did they start saying that shit out loud?? and dean watches the way LS!Sam towers over him, how his fists clench and his eyes flash and his lip curls and...uh-oh. and sam can't look away from how strong LS!dean is, how he carries himself like a blade and not a person and jesus christ.

LS!Sam&Dean would see the way that ES!Sam&Dean dance around each other, but how painfully earnest they are all the time, how cocky they are, and how narrow their idea of "things that can go wrong" is and it's heart-breaking but also...bolstering? reassuring? hopeful?

not to woobify dean, but i genuinely think that he Would Need LS!Sam's Approval Like He Needs To Breathe. i think LS!Sam would genuinely be charmed by this like one is charmed by a dog tripping over its own feet. and ES!Sam and LS!Dean are sick with jealousy abt how openly they let themselves need each other.

anyway. this is probably nothing. it's word vomit. but you get it!!!!!! anon <3 lovely anon <3 mwah

-lizzy

(ES = early seasons, LS = later seasons, for those who missed the last post here)

[fumifooms]

The autism coding of Kimblee - character analysis

Bestie that’s called masking. Also I beg to disagree you fucking suck at it lmao

Notice how he speaks of this difference of being a “heretic” in society’s mind. Not with a focus on what it is or means but with a focus on the perception of it, on the ostracization it creates, on it being created by norms and society. There is little weight given to it but it is treated as a social construct one can easily figure out and avoid because it is superficial, or formulaic. Small talk, what are the right things to say, or to reveal about oneself and when, the “test” is a formula he thinks he has mastered.

So boy! There are some things to unpack here with his character, welcome to this character analysis. This is going to be loooong. I’m autistic, and I think he’s autistic as shit based on a lot of things and moments. I do want to make a disclaimer: you should go into this with a will to humanize, but this is not to mean that I talk of him being redeemable or “a good person deep down”, no. This is an analysis for the goal to understand, and in the end that’s what most of us just wants anyways, being understood I mean. I’ll be analyzing him as a coherent and multidimensional character, not as a plot device for a story. Alas I won’t be analyzing his psychology and ideologies that much, just its ties with autism and stuff, so this isn’t a complete analysis of Kimblee as a character by any means. I’m also speaking exclusively of manga Kimblee. Most manga caps I used are from @everykimblee​, thank you for your resources!

Points:

The polite gentleman

Tone deafness

Logic and lack thereof

Malice?

Strange but strong moral code

Explosions, and stimming

Misc

Conclusion

The polite gentleman

It is oh so interesting, then, that he values his manners so much, isn’t it? He has peculiar priorities and fixations, like good manners, even as he does atrocities. We’ll talk about his tone deafness more later, but for now let’s focus on this angle a bit.

Suits, fedoras, a pure, spotless white. Symbols of the epitome of class.

As stated, he keeps his good manners even as the situation would normally have them dropped, or they are useless, and such. They are treated somewhat like how he would convictions, when he speaks of strong wills and being firm in your beliefs. Then his manners are not something he��s willing to compromise.

But still you have to ask yourself, does he maintain this persona for himself or for others? I think it may be interesting to note that this aspect of his character isn’t much seen before he goes to and leaves prison. In camp he sits like other soldiers do, very unlike how he sits in the rest of the manga, etc etc. This suggests that either manners became more important to him after his 8 years long of incarceration, or that sort of like a chameleon he adapts himself to his environment. With his awareness of being a heretic and how to play around it, allegedly in his own word, the latter is a theory with support. Both are plausible, or perhaps he’s always had a strong taste for suits and politeness and the warzone simply wasn’t a place to show that.

Regardless of him genuinely liking all of these high end tastes or not, I’m fascinated with the idea that it may have developed as a defense mechanism. People who wear suits and act respectable like he does sociologically inspire good faith, that they are, well, respectable. My theory that he doubled down on this angle after prison would be because, well, he has passed 8 years of prison doing very little and being treated with very little respect and empathy. It is not unreasonable that straight out of prison, he would want to reclaim a sense of humanity and respectability through acting out the codes of high society. But again, does he do it for his own self-esteem, or to try to convince others  that he should be respected? Few people see men in suits and imagine that they’ve been in prison once.

To be aware of being a “heretic”, and saying he knows how to pretend to be normal, Kimblee growing up has doubtlessly learned good manners and their importance in this social act and how others see you. Is his politeness genuine or forced? In the end I think it matters little, in the end it’s still as important to him regardless. I’m not going to talk about the social trauma autistic people usually experience, but I do want to reiterate that a nice suit as an instant token for passing as normal + getting charitability is something I think he’s aware of and values. His demeanor and outfit, you could say, is part of his masking.  Listen, in a college essay I studied other essays about how prom dresses are treated as a token for future success in life + social recognition. A suit as a transactional token for entry into respectable society really isn’t a social dynamic that far fetched. 

The way he speaks of masking, as this “easy formulaic test”, does make me think that this is the case, that his choices in demeanor and fashion are part of this role and that he knows what he’s doing. Indeed, if a suit is all he has to wear to be accepted, his loner attitude becoming a “serious & mysterious” aura, his strict demands becoming simply a severe no-nonsense man used to quality and who has things to do, well, the test is easy to trick. It’s all about framing. He’s still taken to it on a personal level though imo, he does speak of his suit with fondness etc etc.

His gentleman attitude might have deeper, more important and personal roots for his character than simply being a cool aesthetic or random taste, is what I’m saying.

Tone deafness

It is ironic that his manners are important to him because they are often severely lacking or misplaced. Like most things, I believe that Solf keeps his manners because they are a judge of character that is important to him, beyond it being for others’ perceptions of him. So even if inappropriate, he stays true to himself and these beliefs of his, he does not want to perform as much as he leads us to believe by saying he pretends to be normal. Though this tonedeafness then is sometimes intentional with a will not to betray his true self, I do think that often this is not the case and his tone deafness is out of genuine misunderstanding. Though very often it seems like a state of being, rather than situational awkwardness, like a disregard for reading a room instead of simply making mistakes.

For example, Armstrong letting ishvalans flee willfully through a hole in the wall, then Kimblee coming and killing them, afterward saying to Armstrong: “What a relief, if it had been anyone else you’d have been court martialed for sure”. It seems he did this genuinely to pick up his compatriot’s slack in a will to help. Is he aware that Armstrong did it willingly and it’s a thinly veiled threat not to do it again? Possible, but the other case seems equally possible, but regardless in either case his delivery and actions were still tone deaf. For example, him telling everyone in camp “do you all not like killing? Why are you all even here, you chose this.” In another example, his detached tone in most situations and amused or casual tone in life threatening situations.

He is shown to be rather perceptive on a technical level, though not so much in social situations. Below is him confronting Edward about having a sniper targeting him.

He is extremely nonchalant in serious and grave situations. It is also the inappropriate emotions he shows that are infamous to him, the thrill and glee he gets by fighting. To me these are easily explained by adrenaline and Solf being generally understimulated and leashed by his polite standards in society (though of course these are still issues he has), but to most it seems like senseless hysterical behavior.

Notably it is this tone deafness that makes him an heretic to others, what ostracizes him. He did not do worse than other veterans in Ishval, Roy and Riza were also extremely proficient killers on the field. The reasons Kimblee gives for being on the field and “doing what they gotta do” are reasonable and cool-headed, most of all he has a point in how he gives everyone a wake-up call that they chose this by becoming a soldier and that they’re all complicit. No, Kimblee is an heretic not because of these concrete things, but because he is not miserable on the field. People, both in world and readers/viewers, simply think that his emotions and attitude while killing others are misplaced for the situation. It’s his tone deafness that unsettles others. He doesn’t have the sense to at least act apologetic, unlike Roy who acts like a martyr yet still chooses to do it every day. Sure his ideologies and enjoyment of killing are disturbing and unhinged, but the tone deafness is what sells it, sells him as a villain. It is an emotional, social reaction.

He is also so, so blunt. His whole speech in Ishval to Roy & Riza is enough proof and yet he tops it on the regular. Below is his meeting with Miles:

He’s so hard to destabilize and it’s so funny. I love his three ?s. This lack of emoting is the sort of iconic autistic trait that makes people see us as emotionless inhuman creatures.

Logic and lack thereof

He is incredibly logic oriented and strangely composed most of the time; does not react to things as one would be expected to, as discussed. He loves to talk philosophy, and debates with others often, even stopping a fight to spend some time discussing with Alphonse. He often engages in hypotheticals, like when he logic’ed his way into challenging Riza that she probably held some pride in her work, or when he proposed a deal to Ed having assumed his priorities and motivations; He does not understand others through innate understanding or empathy but through logically working through what he knows of them and of the human psyche to then turn what they do into a predictable formula. (Oof shit, that hits hard and a little too close to home ngl.) Which is perhaps why he is so fond of people who have strong convictions; they are honest and upfront, they do not waver, they are easy to understand and to predict, he can understand someone like that and their internal consistency. If someone thinks Edward Elric is going to kill them, then they do not know Edward Elric.

Has an hard time understanding others’ mentalities, often encountering people who do not follow his logic which confuses him, like his Ishval speech and when Edward didn’t follow his “self-preservation” deal.

His goal for the better part of the story is to be a spectator to the “battle of wills” between homunculi and humans. You could even say that it is to assuage a curiosity. The fact that he gives no emotional stakes to a sense of belonging with humans that should innately make him want to fight for humanity makes sense as well, especially since humanity doesn’t accept him much. Myself, I scoffed when Edward said this. I have hyper-empathy, but to me there should still be a better reason than a blind sense of community to one’s species to pick a side. It might seem like the obvious reason to most, “side with the humans!”, but to me without sound reason it just seems like blind toxic patriotism, or blind faith and adherence to a cult. Kimblee’s reasoning is survival of the fittest applied to evolution, that the superior species will be the one to survive because that’s how nature works. Personally, I say side with the humans because the homunculi have senseless goals that promise destruction upon the world, but y’know, whatever. The important point here is that Kimblee fundamentally works on a logical basis. The “side with humanity!” argument without further reasoning is an emotional one, yet it is one that appeals to most. /neu He does indeed reveal he has some personal stakes in siding with the homunculi, not only because they let him do whatever he wants alchemy wise, not only because he loves fighting for survival, but also because in a double meaning with the opening excerpt of this post, should humans win then he would have to go back to a life of pretense where his “existence” is threatened.

Malice?

Another interesting thing about him is that he doesn’t say the awful things he says out of malice, neither is it the intent behind most of his actions. It’s always a twisted sense of helping, or just doing his job, or doing his victims the ritual show of respect of battling them with the full extent of his will, and remembering them. He has his own way of looking at things, of what constitutes morality that we should concern ourselves with; honesty is more important to him than compassion and hipocrisy peeves him. By killing the ishvalans that Armstrong lets flee, he “rights a fault”. Kimblee not seeing how ill-intentioned many of his actions seem certainly call back to his tone deafness, that or a blatant disregard for conformity.

Strange but strong moral code

As mentioned several times, Kimblee values a strong set of belief in someone, and this even if he personally disagrees with them. I don’t want to repeat myself too much so this section will be short but yes, then it isn’t surprising that his own code is very strong and he is very confident and unashamed of it. I don’t want to spend paragraphs deconstructing his moral code but his actions are consistent to it and he does not betray them, going to the point of bringing Pride down even in death inside of the philosopher stone because he judged Pride’s actions cowardly and hypocritical. Rigid morality is a trait of autism.

By strong, I do want to precise that I do not mean morally irreprehensible or correct, I mean internally coherent and resistant to external challenging. He is set in his beliefs.

Explosions, and stimming

Lastly but perhaps most importantly, the most iconic thing about him: the explosions.

Apparently there’s no post on here calling what Kimblee does stimming and stims headcanons so -cracks knuckles- heavy is the head with the big brain I suppose.

Understimulation is a state in which the body doesn’t get enough stimuli or sensory input to keep one invested in their surroundings and such. It can be the cause of a meltdown. I myself used to struggle a lot with it, it got easier after I got diagnosed and I understood the issue. For example, I am allowed to listen to music, usually glitchcore, while taking academic tests. Back in the time that was not the case, I used to have songs stuck on loop in my head while I did tests, often hummed them, particularly for mathematics.

Why does Kimblee even like explosions? Well, the cues he gives us is that he loves the sounds it makes, of destruction, not only of the screams it causes but the explosion itself. He calls it musical terms like symphony and calls it artful. As he says himself, it shakes his whole body to the core, and he fixates especially on its sound. That is all sensory input, to see it as music and artful is that it is pleasing to his senses as he himself expresses. Look at the way his body quivers in the aftermath and he goes unhinged and emotional. Sensory issues right there, chronically understimulated guy getting a shred of sensory satisfaction 100%. It is release to him.  Explosions are a deafening burst of loud and short noise, accompanied with intense light and heat. It is, in short, a bomb of stimuli. Explosions are a very intense sensorial experience. This is what Kimblee likes about them, even delighting in the size and length he can make his explosions achieve, making it always more and more intense. Much like his ideal lifestyle and activities of risking his life and his soul battling, explosions give him thrill and adrenaline unlike anything else. In monkey terms, boom boom scratches the brain itch.

Explosions as a stim/intense and pleasant sensory experience is actually a thing I’ve thought to explore with an oc of mine prior to watching fmaB, but that really is how I immediately interpreted Kimblee’s introductory scene. My (autistic) brother when he was a kid very often had to be driven around in a car before he’d sleep, for example. It’s a fullbody sensation of vibrations and floating, being in a car. The brain even registers the sensation as strange, which is how motion sickness happens. Babies are sensitive to stuff like that, my bro wouldn’t sleep without it because, without it, he was understimulated, not stimulated enough to be able to sleep. Rocking babies is the same kinda thing, plus the comforting aspect. Weighted blankets, too. Everyone self-regulates their sensory input, aka stims, to some degree, bouncing their leg, etc. But sensory dysregulation is a trait of autism, and severe states of understimulation and overstimulation are what makes it a neurodivergent experience. 

Screams in the stone being like lullabies to him is another sign of him having understimulation in general. At the very least, he has a strong resistance to overstimulation by, like Pride said, retaining his individuality in the overwhelming storm of souls.  ”Ah yes I am amongst an overwhelming sea of screaming souls. I love it here, it energizes me actually”

Honestly I just think it explains parts of his behavior and glee for war if he generally feels understimulated. It explains that lust for battle and destruction. Like yeah bitch you’ll feel great and manic and thrive if you get sensory bliss from the chaos and “symphony” of war, definitely. /gen 

Also, he was in prison so like who can possibly blame him for being bored af, but stimming wise I do count playing with the rock in prison. The way he rolls it in his fingers and all. Even regurgitation, that’s bound to be a moderately intense sensory experience. If he repeatedly swallows it and regurgitates the stone then that can def count as stimming. Maybe the reason he didn’t go more insane than he did is because he had the one thing to fidget with lmao. The screaming thrumming perfectly sized & smooth evil explosive rock really is a great stim toy, huh.

I get intense and off my rockers too when I’m understimulated ngl, slap happy even. 

He really does seek adrenaline and thrill. I think in the above he was getting somewhat delirious due to blood loss though. He’s definitely prone to manic states. Sure okay grandma whatever you say, let’s get you on the stretcher. 

Misc

And as my usual autistic analysis finisher: he sits weird. More seriously, analyzing sitting positions can be interesting because it’s again about understimulation. Legs crossed, arms crossed, it’s weight on your body plus feels snug idk. But personally I need to have my legs crossed at all times when I’m sitting, except in extra comfy chairs. Body language is a whooole thing to analyze with autism, because infamously people misinterpret them; for example crossing your arms is considered to be a defensive or hostile gesture, when a lot of people would just go “wtf it’s just comfy”. Insistant and direct eye contact is seen as a will to dominate, meanwhile for a lot of people they’re literally just staring thinking nothing of it. Etc. However like discussed at the beginning of this, it can be theorized that he tailors his body language to his environment, like compared to when he was on the Ishval warzone.

Conclusion

Cool motive still murder bro. Def a lot of fun neurodivergence going on in his character though.  I am obsessed with this type of autistic character, who as a survival mechanism becomes hyperaware and very logically and psychologically attuned to social norms and how people work to try to fit in and survive in the group. I am OBSESSED with autistic characters who know the game so well and try so hard yet still feel uncanny to others. Humanity is, after all, a social species. And one who does not take kindly to heresy. Definition of heresy: opinion profoundly at odds with what is generally accepted. Heretic does not intrinsically means harmful, however. Labeling something as heretic is often an emotional reaction, like say how racism or homophobia is initially from a xenophobic gut instinct, and it is an emotional reaction that makes us dislike Kimblee.

Not to say that’s the ONLY reason, of course. Kimblee is justifieably generally disliked. But as someone who values cause and effect, it is ironic to me that Kimblee is considered a worse veteran than others because he refuses to act guilty over it and does “his job” with a smile on his face, worse than Roy who boiled people alive. I find it ironic that straight out of the gate we have a sinister opinion of Kimblee because of the framing when he was in prison, of what it meant that he was in there and why he wasn’t miserable 24/7 in his cell, instead smiling and humming, and it’s all ironic because the reason he was in prison is… He killed his superior officers, who are active agents in malicious corruption and are 100x more times gleeful about the Ishval war than him. Framing is an emotional thing, and if there’s one thing Henry Creel taught me is that it’s quick to rob a character of humanity. If humanity performatively want people to be miserable, then is it so surprising for Kimblee to want to reject it?  Take my hot takes or not, I’m not interested in debating philosophy unlike Kimblee, I just wanted to showcase his autistic traits and it got a little thought provoking by nature lol. Thanks for reading! :)    Is this last emoticon tone deaf and/or uncanny? I can’t tell… Ah well!

[lai-mar]

Can't wait till this blog is old enough so posts start showing in main tags, but for now, a salty lil rant

Shipping aside, I'm surprised by how Laios + Marcille even as friends doesn't get as much fan attention as I expected considering how heavily the series focuses on their development? I consider Laios to be the protag and Marcille to be the secondary protag but I can see the argument for the two of them being dual protags especially starting from around Thistle's house arc / Marcille becoming the dungeon lord. The protagonists are party members who bond over losing and finding a loved one. They save each other multiple times and live with each other in the end. They get copious amounts of screentime together and separate. They clearly care for each other and love each other (in whatever way). And there's no forced romance.

Before I read the manga, I saw all the yuri on my TL and was like YESSSSSS I'M READING THIS FOR THE YURI WOOOOOO and finished the Red Dragon anime episodes like "wow that was soooo good and gay. Let me go on Tumblr to see what people are talking about— people are shipping Marcille and LAIOS??? Probably annoying straight people who cannot conceptualize a friendship between a man and woman 🙄". So I started out with a squick for the ship. I think the fan perception made me believe F/M is canon and anything else would be like queer erasure? Except I later learned no ship is canon and was genuinely confused when the manga started giving us L/M crumbs (like the succubus chapter) because I thought the shippers were pulling this ship from thin air lmao.

The more I read, the more I was like.... "okay.... why are they kinda... okay I get it now... why am I.... oh shit... I'm really in it now" and I apologise because I really get it now 😭 and it baffles me to see people who have seemingly finished the manga going "Laios and Marcille have NO CHEMISTRY their only line of connection is through Falin". Like, okay, maybe that was how they were at the beginning (but I would argue they have chemistry even from the first few chapters), but that's the POINT and we get to see them evolve and get closer because they both love and miss Falin. Laios moves on from being "Falin's brother" and Marcille moves on from being "Falin's friend". L+M know about each other's deepest, subconscious desires. Marcille lives with the siblings at the end. No matter the bond, they are the two most precious people to her.

I was still squicky about romantic L/M even at the succubus chapter (which I know is probably the starting point for a lot of shippers) but THEN THE RABBIT CHAPTER. And after that when the Canaries found Marcille and she immediately jumped onto Laios I was like "Oh fuck. I'm really in this now fuck fuck FUCK". (Nothing makes me get into a dynamic more than having an initially squicky reaction because I'll need to have a strong enough conviction to overcome the squick LOL)

Anyways. Seeing people being annoying and pissy about L/M only made me like L/M more 🤡 because at least the shippers appreciate their bond. I'm a little desperate here. Even their platonic bond is kind of a rarepair in the English fandom 💀

I'm so glad the anime is going at the pace it is now because this is only the beginning of the L+M development!!!! The anime onlies will understand later!!! I made the same mistake and judged too early and I'm sorry!!!! So many anime L+M moments and panels and crumbs yet to be seen 🥺

Anyways. Laios and Marcille's bond is absolutely central to the plot and character development. But I wouldn't have guessed that if I didn't read the manga and just based it off fan attention.

[u3pxx]

I would like you to rate Apollo's wisdom, intelligence and obliviousness on the scale of 1 to 10, please. With commentary if you want. I am curious, since the fandom mostly considers him a pretty oblivious guy, but it varies from cartoonishly to relatably oblivious.

hoo boy time to drop some thoughts about my specialest loudest boy. disclaimer that i can't do scales so unfortunately, you'll just have to listen to me ramble about blorbo from my games pftt

wisdom wise (pun unintended), i think apollo's got ways to go during aa4. he had a fucked up life and then he got a job and that job was fucked up too and then he was in a REVOLUTION so... i feel like he got pretty experienced after all that pftt.

i had to search for what wisdom meant again bc i keep forgetting what words mean sometimes but as the ol' googly says, it's the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment. we see him in aa4 and he's a greenhorn, he's inexperienced considering it's his first defense job and we see him grow throughout the cases, but as he said in turnabout succession. he's still new at this lawyer thing so he's got more to learn.

aa5 to aa6 wise, i can't comment that much on apollo's wisdom there since i . don't remember much from the games HGSFJDH. but i'd say apollo's wiser by then. still prone to making some novice mistakes bc c'mon, he's an ace attorney protagonist they're required to be a little stupid so you can be smart for them wheezes.

but i do think apollo is likely to forgo wisdom in the presence of passion. because apollo is very passionate, he's very strong in his convictions. when he found out phoenix made him present forged evidence, HE PUNCHED HIM IN THE FACE!!!! that's not the most informed or well-judged action but it sure is a passionate one! he's an intense guy!

as for intelligence, i have to repeat that he's an ace attorney protagonist, they're required to be a little stupid so you can be smart for them lmao. but i think apollo's a pretty smart guy all things considered. he could connect the dots that klavier couldn't even connect and he's pretty clever too, i think.

now... for obliviousness... i don't know if you meant this in the romantic sense or the general sense but i'll go with the romantic perspective bc c'mon. i'm a klapollo person first and a nonbinary bitch second.

do i think apollo is oblivious? yes, but not to the extent that klavier is literally kneeling down on one knee with a ring and he's like "gee prosecutor gavin this is a strange new yoga move you're doing right now" pfttt. i think apollo is oblivious in the way that he ACKNOWLEDGES that things are happening but he keeps BRUSHING THEM OFF.

klavier would flirt with him and he'd think: "prosecutor gavin is flirting with me but i'm sure it's nothing. he does that with everyone."

it's the anxiety of making the wrong assumption bc i think apollo thinks of himself as not being wanted or desirable. he'll dodge these opportunities because "apollo justice isn't supposed to have nice things."

he's oblivious as a defense mechanism. what if he's wrong? then he'll just embarrass himself because of course, why. why did he ever think it was possible? he's just... apollo, after all.

so YEA apollo is oblivious but not for the reasons that he's not good at getting romantic cues or such but bc he is sabotaging himself thank you for listening :^]

man i love this guy.

[ultfreakme]

How do you think Junpei attending Jujutsu Tech would go? I'm always thinking about this, would he fit in easily? Would he still struggle to open up? Would the other students accept him? I think he'd still have a hard time, but Yuuji would be there to help him (and he'd be there to help Yuuji). I'd love to hear your thoughts abt this!

Hi!! Thank you for the ask!! I agree that I think Junpei would have a hard time, but Yuuji can make the experience a lot more tolerable. A major issue that Yuuji didn't consider but I've seen a few fics tackle is that Junpei was a curse user working with a special grade curse. He severely hurt a non-sorcerer and attacked a school. The higher-ups in Jujutsu Society will not be taking that lightly. Worse, Yuuji of all people was the first person to find him and would likely recommend and defend him.

It....does not paint a pretty picture. On top of that, Junpei's abilities emerged in a highly unconventional way. Junpei is an anomaly that they'd have no idea how to deal with.

If the higher-ups decide they're going to let Junpei live, they're still going to punish him and keep him on a very tight leash. I think Gojo, Shoko and Nanami would figure out immediately that Junpei was just extremely misguided and vulnerable to manipulation, so they'd protect him the best they can(hc that all 3 of them see Junpei and get reminded of a certain other dark-haired curse user who was their classmate with notable bangs and a conflicting relationship with the concept of humanity).

But the students....I don't think they'd be very understanding. Megumi took a shine to Nobara and Yuuji because they are demonstrably, unquestionably good people with strong convictions that they adhere to no matter what others say. He doesn't seem to like people who beat around the bush, faking things, and are indecisive, and Junpei's on really shaky grounds in terms of morality and would be just building up his convictions when he joins Jujutsu Tech. Nobara is extremely selective of the people she lets in and is hard to approach because she tells her judgements and opinions to your face. They're gonna take time to warm up to him.

I think they'd like him the moment he finds the courage to talk back to them, even if it's a horrible insult. Like when the bullies were pushing him to the ground and he gave it to them straight. Junpei's not...the nicest person, and I like that about him! I think Junpei would try to live up to Yuuji and act like him but the first-years would like him better when he's being more open and going on 15 mildly villainous rants about the human heart (I think they'd get to that after a few weeks of being in each other's presence, involving at least 3 tearful breakdowns and two almost-fistfights and shikigami-showdowns lmao).

The TEACHERS thoooo.... So I was reading this fic called A Soul's Shape and it made me realize the Jujutsu Tech teaching system and Gojo especially are Junpei's nightmares times 100(actually I think the Jujutsu Tech school system highlights the worst of a capitalistic, individualistic society's problems but if I start on that I won't shut up).

Junpei's issue was that the teachers and higher-ups in his school saw what was happening to him and did nothing. Jujutsu Tech is notorious for this issue, they literally send their students to their deaths and there's nothing anyone can do about it. It's the cause of Geto's spiral, Nanami leaving, Gojo becoming a teacher. So putting him in a place that could care less if he dies with a teacher who is THE STRONGEST PERSON ON THE PLANET(who has limited decision-making power within the system) is like-- nightmare fuel. Also:

Gojo like, a day ago:

He pulls this shit with Junpei and Junpei's going to never leave his room (omg he can bond with Megumi over this???).

It is up to Gojo, Shoko and Nanami to show that as teachers/mentors, they're not going to be like Junpei's former teachers. I trust Nanami to demonstrate that, but I am not sure if Gojo has the ability to show that to Junpei fast enough. I hope he does tbh because if Gojo demonstrates that he's a reliable adult, I think Junpei's experience would get a lot better.

(Mid typing this, I got an idea to make Junpei and Shoko the close-knit relationship because she occasionally reminds him of Nagi and poisons based on dosages can also be medicinal and help cure things so hey what if Junpei learns RCT with her?)

Thanks again for the ask I'm always down to talk about Junpei!!

[wufflesvetinari]

ok FINE, some things about my half-orc cleric tav whom i love so very much

Lash grew up with her trying-his-best dad in Baldur's Gate (mom stayed with her orc clan). she had no lucrative skills and no exceptional cunning--between this and the default perspective of her as barbaric, she internalized a bunch of stuff, joined up somewhere, Saw Some Action, got good at killing people. like, really good. "her services were instrumental in leveling several towns including civilians and she got a commendation for it" good.

this did not feel good, and mid-personal-crisis about murdering strangers on someone else's orders, she deserts and saves one goddamn monk and ilmater calls her to his service. she regards this as a baffling mistake on his part.

illmater is a god of compassion, gentleness, self-sacrifice. his clerics are basically non-combatants, known to only use violence as last resort. goblins etc. see a cleric of illmater on the battlefield and avoid hurting them, because they know they are willing to heal both sides if they can.

lash is not like this. lash starts as a blunt instrument who is only good at violence. but she wants to do good in the world, finally, and if ilmater wants to throw away his famed gentleness to compromise on someone like her, who is she to argue?

she spends her first years training in a temple, but she doesn't have the head for scripture. neither does she have the conviction or creativity for complete non-violence, instead developing a world-weary acceptance of it as a tool to reduce suffering.

she's sent on dangerous pilgrimages repeatedly instead of being assigned to minister to ilmater’s followers, confirming to herself that her calling is a compromise on ilmater’s part: he needs a blunt instrument so that others can carry on the work of being gentle.

what she doesn't realize in this time period is that she is slowly becoming gentle. moreover, becoming wise. clergy and laypersons approach her for advice on a world they are sheltered from. she has a way of speaking that cuts to the heart of things, and she's a comfort in quiet moments. she is rarely misled by self-serving justifications and moralizing. her kind of wisdom is drawn from her knowledge of the world and its flaws instead of from scripture.

she still kills. she's still blunt, and quietly sarcastic, and not entirely at ease with her god. but gods, she wants to be kind.

i think that astarion seriously considered seducing someone else for his plan in act 1 (wyll or something lmao) because, based on a "clerics with wooden stakes" comment he makes at camp at some point, he thought letting a good-aligned cleric guess his nature would be extremely dangerous for him. he especially has a bunch of anger towards the god of compassion, because he "prayed to every god" and nobody saved him.

but it's hard for him to see lash as a cleric? i mean, yes, she has a way of staring at you that makes you squirm and feel Too Known, and she's stupidly self-sacrificing, and she's hilariously incapable of trickery.

but she's funny, in her own reserved way. she's a world-weary soldier, good with a story, disgustingly rustic, a good cook, with the habit of cussing out her own god without getting in trouble for it somehow. and she mostly says the right type of kind thing, not the type of kind thing that make him want to curl up somewhere and grow spikes. and...maybe it's not terrible, feeling like someone Gets your deal instinctively? someone quiet but self-assured, who doesn't push for more?

(and, like, she's hot? she's strong and a little distant. devious plan aside, he finds that hot)

i am only in act one. i think, in her "worst" (but also kind of sexiest) moments, she thinks of herself as a mechanism, and even frames it as such out loud: if someone has committed unspeakable cruelty, she's here to end them for it. action and reaction. no hesitation, no mercy, because her being brutal allows everyone else to be kind. a necessary evil.

but she's in the midst of a years-long process of learning to see herself in a...kinder light. and as their relationship develops i think astarion will prod her a lot about how she makes more complicated ("and fun!") choices than that all the time, you idiot. why else would she be traveling with such a bunch of assholes?? why else would she be good to him?

[peonycats]

First i love your art

Second// TELL US ABOUT IRAQ JORDAN REALTIONSHIP BECAUSE THEY HAVE SO MUCH HISTORY TOGETHER AND WERE MARRIED IN 1958

like gimme headcanons , explanation.anything

Im desperate for these two

+ i hope you have a great day♥️♥️

First of all, thank you so much for your words!!! I hope you have a great day too 💞

Second of all, WOO... there's a lot you could write about the two! The following information is mostly by @letttalias so give her the credit 🥳

Prior to the 20th century, neither had particularly strong ties to one another. Iraq wasn't geographically close enough to be acquainted with Jordan's mother Nabataea (likely for the best) and even during the Ottoman era Jordan kept to Syria's side of that arrangement. They were of course aware of each other, Iraq knowing Jordan as "that one quiet kid that hangs around Syria and Palestine and Kuwait likes to pick on," and Jordan better knew Iraq's "general deal" because of Iraq Being a Big Deal Back Then (particularly during the Abbasid Caliphate) and Jordan's nature as a calculating mfer. But beyond that? Didn't have any particularly strong feelings on each other 🤷‍♂️

Now we exit the Ottoman era and enter the Hashemite era, which was a strange time for Jordan, as he found himself isolated from his Levantine neighbors; Syria was grieving Hejaz's death and with it, the death of the Pan-Arab State Dream Team Federation 1.0, Palestine and Lebanon were cut off from him in a way he hadn't ever experienced before (for varying and complex reasons), and things all around just seemed super unstable. For all those factors, Jordan saw value in allying himself with Iraq (which took a few attempts to accomplish), someone who was in a similar situation in him and so a part of him hoped could understand him a little bit better.

However, the Hashemites weren't popular whatsoever in Iraq, and this is really where their differences came out in full force. Jordan is a 🐍 and is more than used to putting aside sentimentality and personal feelings in the pursuit of his own security, but Iraq is less able and willing to do that, placing a higher premium on his own "personhood" (as far as a nation can have that to begin with) So while Jordan saw the Hashemites as a tool to keep himself in Britain's good books and maintaining a degree of independence granted to a western ally/puppet (depending on who you ask) vs the other Levantine states, Iraq saw the Hashemites as a rule imposed by outsiders trying to keep him subjugated and trying to prevent the vision of a wider Arab movement. This difference is the source of a lot of their disagreements and conflicts in the short-lived Arab Federation 💦

But their personal ties during the union? It was probably polite and distant at the best of times. Even if they hadn't had that many prior interactions, Jordan saw Iraq as one of his elders and thus, gave an appropriate level of respect for that, and who can say no to Iraq's cheerful and upbeat personality? They weren't exactly venting hardcore to each other, but they weren't spending a lot of time with each other to begin with, indicating the disconnected nature of the Arab Federation, and so, their relationship remained distant. Maybe they didn't reach the heights of the Syria-Egypt Union (whatever those are), but it also means they didn't really reach its pits.

(One of the exceptions to this distant, cool relationship is Iraq venting to Jordan in his moments of weakness about Kuwait lmao)

Following the coup, things were icy between them to put it mildly; Jordan saw Iraq as "collateral damage" and a victim of his unstable state, and Iraq viewed him as a "callous youngster." Things did eventually calm down the 70s, and their relationship returned to amicability. I still don't think they're particularly close, but they can hang out and chill, and even Jordan these days can acknowledge Iraq's steadfastness in holding to his personal convictions, even if he thinks it's foolish. Iraq probably jokes to Jordan all the time about lightening up "Akhi, I'm the old man here, not you!"

TL;DR

[add1ctedt0you]

I am very boring and picky, so there are few things I've discovered I don't enjoy reading (at least, for now; people grow and change):

Becoming a fierce corpse. I think it's a terrible situation! You don't need to sleep, eat, heal and if it has positive aspects (you are super strong and lethal), what does life mean to you? What do you even enjoy? Fierce corpses are made of resentful energy, they are full of hatred and resentment; how do they feel? And when the resentment isn't there anymore, what would happen to them?

Being a demonic cultivator. In the novel Imo is quite clear how wwx is fucked up by the resentful energy (me looking at jzx's death), without considering the cultural contest. So, I would love a character who practices demonic cultivation and then spirals in madness and grief (yeah, the yling patriarch' downfall is my favorite arc), but I've seen writers going literally the opposite side, so, ugh.

Fixing everything. Why would you do that? Idk if it's born from the conviction that if someone has good intentions, then they will succeed and everything will be fine. Everyone in mdzs has good intentions! Everyone is trying their best with what they have! But that doesn't fix shit, instead it makes things even worse! And isn't it satisfying? Watching your character push to make things better and at the end finding themselves without nothing if not dead bodies and guilt? (yeah, I love the yling patriarch' arc lol)

What I find very annoying is the definition "they are so good, they can't hate anyone"... Mmmm, kind people are still people??? Hate isn't a synonym to bad, it's an emotion people can feel, regardless of their character/temper (for example I read a fic where wwx left without notice the jiang siblings and after 6 years he returned; jc was quite pissed while jyl embraced him without questions. I got the feeling that jyl didn't give a shit about wwx lmao, even if the author' intent wasn't it.) Hate is a feeling most of time born from pain! I would like to read a fic where a character doesn't hate to a fault, creating unhealthy relationships, but, again people go the opposite direction, so, ugh.

[alphabetboyluvr]

Sooooo, we have 3 JKs: Throttle JK, BD JK and You up? JK…

Whom do you think real JK could get along with?👀

And what about the relationship between these three? Would they be able to get along?🤔🥰

FANTASTIC QUESTION

I think (from our own warped perception of him) he's most similar to bd!jk and I don't think real jk would like that, like I think it'd put him on edge because he'd be so confused by it hahaha

as for you up? jk, I think real jk would empathise but also be frustrated with his inability to communicate.

I think he'd likely get on the best with throttle jk!! they're both strong-willed, have convictions, could bond over boxing... maybe less so over the organised crime and cocaine but that's neither here nor there haha.

as for the three of them? bd!jk would detest you up? jk lmao. throttle jk would hate the other two because the other two have it EASY in comparison to him and yet they're still unable to be with the girl they love and it would piss him awffff. I think above anything else, they'd remind each other of their flaws and for that reason they absolutely would not be able to be friends haha

[trashlie]

I've thought about that group member being Amy and what it would mean for Alyssa. Both girls were first introduced in the same flashback.

They were pressured to do other's homework, specifically English, in exchange for popularity. Neither girl seems confrontational and able to stand up for themselves. They also avoid being associated with Shinae when she tries to stop the bullies.

Imagine she recognizes Shinae and is friendly, grateful for her actions back then, all in front of Alyssa whom she ostracizes.

It would be an interesting foil, if the girls took a liking to Shinae over Alyssa. Just pouring more salt into the wound for her 😢

I never did take note that they were both pressured with English homework - that's a really interesting similarity, right?

To be fair, I don't think we're going to see a lot between Shinae and Alyssa's groupmates - especially with what we're seeing in ep 234 and what I think it means for Alyssa's future. But that said - the fact that Amy was given a name and her note said she'll never forget Shinae's help.... I can't help but wonder what role she'll have. Much like quimchee doesn't put a lot of detail into background characters, she definitely doesn't give them names if they don't have a reason, right? It's why I can't shake the similarity to how Amy looks to one of Alyssa's group mates.

But also.... it's difficult to guess what I think they'll have to do with Shinae, too, at this point. While we know the names of 2 out of 3 of Alyssa's group mates only one has been shown to us with face AND name AND details and it makes me wonder.... like they've got to reappear somewhere, right? Maybe????

I think we're going to see Alyssa follow a trajectory where she gets a solo career, whether she does it by leaving the group or still as a member of the group, so will we see more of her groupmates and how they react to that? AAAHHHHHH idk!

But if Amy IS a member of the group - a. what a wild coincidence lmao in a story where nothing is really a coincidence lmao and b. WHAT DO WE DO WITH THAT?

But you have an interesting point because something I've been talking with my friends about a lot is how we are very likely going to see Shinae becoming everything Alyssa wishes she could, similar to how we are probably going to watch Nol become everything Kousuke feared. To some degree, Alyssa has been spending her life trying to become Shinae, possibly without realizing it. She puts on a fake smile, much like Shinae's bright smile she wore when she told Alyssa how she deals with bullies. She tries to fake it, to emulate this long lost friend without remembering the rest of what Shinae told her. It's a lot like how Kousuke heard what Nol told him his mom said about Rand, but never really took in the part that Nol had never met that version of Rand. They're both so caught up on something about their foil and they never really get to grow because of it.

Shinae has a light that shines so bright, and it draws people to her. Her strong convictions, her sense of empathy, and her courage to do what she believes is right rather than what is easy attracts people to her. She has Nol's attention, Kousuke's attention, even Yui's attention. Shinae will continue to attract the attention of the people Alyssa is trying to attract, will continue to find a sense of self by being authentic in a way Alyssa is yet afraid to be. So while I'm unsure what kind of interactions Shinae might have with possibly-Amy-Alyssa's-group-member, you definitely bring up something that heavily relates to the dynamic I anticipate we'll be seeing: that even the group members Alyssa is unable to win over might be drawn to Shinae instead.

And god, that must feel SO bitter ;________;

[the-crow-binary]

So I return the favor: your top 10 reasons you fell into Hecula hell? 👀💖

>:)

10- You. (you know what you did. >:<)

9- The parallels with Hector being like a "good" version of Dracula (with his own shades of gray <3)

8- Dracula seeing Hector as his creation :) And his best, thus far, considering how he favors him and made him his protégé :)

7- The power imbalance. Dracula is the Dark Lord, the most powerful evil being, Hector's master and father figure. Hector is just the boy who asked him for power and a home and love and who has no one else but him. <3 Unlike ISAAC, Dracula actually loves him over anyone else...

6- I lied, he doesn't. Lol. Dracula loves himself more. <3 (what is it with Hector and falling for men who prefers Dracula lmfao trevor don't you dare) And what he loves in Hector are things he sees as being the result of his doing, his teachings. Because he got a big ego and barely sees Hector as his own person <3 The fact that, once the possibility that Hector might have betrayed him, his first reaction was to ask for him back so he could basically torture him (turn him into a demon to drink sewage forever), while at the SAME TIME, "hope that [he is] mistaken" and is like "if he's dead, it's fine", shows that though he cares deeply enough to hope Hector didn't betray him... it's not deeply enough to be sad about him dying (or at least, not too much. just as sad as one would be in front of their broken toy :3). Or even start to forgive him for going against him. :) How dare he? Did he really thought he was important enough to be allowed that? That he had agency? Lol, lmao. Learn your place, love. <3

5- Dracula is a manipulative bastard (affectionate). Because Hector was never loved by any of his parents, and straight up ignored by his father, AND no one liked him outside of them anyway, he has no idea how healthy relationships looks like and what parental love should be like. So when he arrived in the Castle, he was like a blank paper-sheet, waiting for Dracula to write whatever he wanted in it :)

4- Hector doesn't have anyone else to love and be loved by <3 (he used to think he had Isaac, before he realizes how Dracula-centered he was. lol) No one showed him true passion like Dracula did :)

3- Even though he has all the good reasons to be completely brainwashed and convinced Dracula is the best and 100% right in everything, Hector somehow isn't. :) He still has his strong character, his boldness, his convictions. And even if he clearly loves Dracula and fear him all the same, he still finds the courage to go against him. Particularly like the version where he begs on his knees for Dracula to stop, thinking he might listen to him, only to get coldly ignored <3

2- Hector is Dracula's specialest boy and it can be literally so cute but can also be so fucked up especially since [insert number 6]🥺

1- Dehumanization... or the attempt at it :) Dracula doesn't love Hector for the person he is, but what he made out of him, and what he can give him. :) A replacement for his late wife? <3 A body to use as he see fit? <3 A general to lead his war for him? <3 A companion when he wants to rest? <3 Or a voice to listen to when he wants to relax? <3 Anything he wants out of Hector, he gets it. And it doesn't matter if he wants or not, it doesn't matter what he feels, he became his the moment he step foot in his Castle. The only moment Hector's feelings matters are when Dracula can use them for his own benefit and manipulate him <3 And yet Hector keep fighting back, fighting for his identity, for his humanity. Yes he has his moments of weakness, of helplessness in Dracula's arms... but he never truly lost what made him Hector. We all know how that ship end >:)

And then ofc there's your top and the 11th reason because there's too many to explain why I fell into this hell to be able to resume it into one top <3

Oh and before i forget

0- The pseudo-incestuous undertones that are EVERYWHERE

[amemoire]

spoilers for arle's story. aka me just gushing over a couple things. no I can't shut up ever.

I love being right oh my god. The outcome was exactly as I expected and she really is as young as I started to suspect wow. But I love !! All the time we got with the siblings !! Seeing them talk to one another and have a little fight just as siblings do but also hearing how strong their bond is. They mean so so much to me. I only wish we weren't forced to interrupt them because that was a private conversation we had no place getting between imo.

I also loved seeing the range of ages in HotH. Chapleau ( I think it was him ) being the same age as Lyney tho what the fuck, they used an adult male model for the guy. I'll just take it as confirmation that he's close to or in his early 20s since I write him at 21 for my sake lmao. Just means he's on the shorter end for his age.

Freminet getting to show off his strength tho yeeeeessss !!! That was NOT an easy thing he pulled off and I talked to my friend once about how strong he really is, too. I mean the boy wields a claymore for fucks sake and literally sends Pers flying towards enemies in his special attack combo. I LOVE that he got to shine here, it's what he deserves.

But don't think I missed the one comment about Arle being too strong "even for Lyney." Telling us that he is in fact viewed as one of their strongest. Because it wasn't including Lyney and someone else. It was just him. HCs aside, I don't think this entirely means that he's physically the strongest. I think it means that he's taken down a number of powerful enemies with both his own strength and his plans. Proving further how much HotH takes pride in him.

Most of all I really loved the confirmation on why Arle chose him to be her successor. His strength of conviction and sheer love and care for his family. Some people might come out of this story hating him with all this emphasis placed on his character over others, but personally I couldn't be happier. Because this is probably the first time a character I love and write actually gets their strength and importance built up and solidified. It's not like Scara who we already know has ungodly strength and literally changed the history of Teyvat. Lyney is just a regular guy that still has room for growth. And after seeing across platforms people trying to tear him down, hearing these things from Arle herself just makes me extremely happy.