#is a little emotionally complex to say the least

[televised-uhhh-nerdistry]

Cartoon rec of the week:

Craig of the Creek

I haven't seen enough people talking about the show, so I'm mentioning it here. Absolute 10/10 cartoon. Just three kids, running 'round, making friends, running their own semi-sustainable community in the forest (there are some concerns about how much trash they leave there but ultimately they're better than most adults). Literally such a dream. they encourage each other to be emotionally healthy and they protect each other from "danger". Like they'll help each other achieve their dreams as they come (and new dreams show up pretty often because they're young kids).

And they're so funny! Like genuinely these kids are so earnest and intelligent and incredibly humorous and full of heart! They have full lives and they live them to the fullest out in nature after school, on the weekends, and in the summer. It's one of the best representations of found family I have ever seen in a cartoon, and I absolutely love it.

Also several of the writers behind the show are POC and queer (I think the head writers are all Black but I could be wrong), so you know that it was written well and the representation is awesome like I know that it should absolutely go without saying, but representation is much more than just showing BIPOC people on screen, and in terms of cartoons I haven't seen that many shows understanding that fact except maybe the Proud Family, Fat Albert, and a few others whose names will return to me once I've taken my ADHD meds. But the point is that Craig of the Creek gets it right. Most of the characters throughout the show (from what I've seen) are BIPOC, and you can tell that there are caring nods to BIPOC communities (primarily Black American communities), and more than that, that the writers know what they're talking about and are deeply familiar with and are a part of those communities. Craig, the titular character, is a young Black boy, and his family are middle class and ultimately very successful Black people. Kelsey (one of the main characters) is Jewish and Polish, and written with more complexity than having a one and done Hanukah celebration. The Creek's main business, a trading post, is run by Kit, a young Black girl with a love for economy and business. And many other characters are racial or ethnic minorities as well, and it warms my heart to see these characters done justice time and time again.

There's great subtle queer rep too, and you can tell it wasn't written just for the sake of representation, like it was thought out and intentional, and it worked beautifully. There are queer witches, and there are no labels applied to them, they're just allowed to exist with no explanations, happily in love with one another. There's a non-binary character later in the series (I'm only like 10 episodes in so I haven't met them yet but I've read amazing things about them). Kelsey also apparently identifies as a lesbian later in the series (I say "apparently" because I haven't done much reading so as to avoid spoilers, not because I am discounting her identity). On top of that, JP (one of the main characters) has a sister who is dating another girl.

There's also a significant amount of body positivity in the show, at least far than I've seen elsewhere. Not only do they openly say "all bodies are beautiful" and follow up on that by defending one another, there's also very little need to defend one another, because there's a very unspoken and deep respect in the Creek for things like body type, skin colour, disabilities, and so on. The kids of the creek, and their grown ups, are all different body types, and given their penchant for community and uplifting one another, it's no wonder they all seem confident in their bodies.

Not to mention the disability representation. There is a character later on in the series who is Black and deaf, and he not only speaks in Sign Language, but in Black American Sign Language. In addition, though unconfirmed, many of the kids in the creek embody aspects of various neurotypes. For example, the three main characters, Craig, Kelsey, and JP all come across as neurodivergent, with special interests, neurodivergent ways of thinking, and so on. Some have speculated that JP has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which is a disability often comorbid with ADHD. Not to mention that all the kids in the creek embody different special interests, most of which would be considered weird or frowned upon in everyday society, but that are given the opportunity to shine and flourish in the Creek's accepting culture.

Take the Horse Girls for example, a small clique of girls who roleplay as horses in a pasture near the Creek, and of course many of their behaviours are played as jokes, but ultimately they are accepted and involved in many adventures because of their unique interests and abilities which are ultimately how they aid the rest of the Creek. Every kid is a useful and accepted part of the Creek, with the exception of the ranger scout kids, who are essentially the same as cops, who are often exploitative, rude, and disruptive to the community as a whole.

Ultimately, the show is one of love, friendship, community, and acknowledging differences as a natural and helpful part of life. On top of that, it's not copaganda! What more could you want?

[leandra-winchester]

So. There's been a lot of speculation, and a lot of hot and lukewarm and some honest and valid takes about the new trailer and the potential of what might go down next ep.

I've been thinking thoughts, and I have my own personal stance on the matter. And no, I will not be 'taking criticism', because this is the way I view things in general, and it won't change. So this isn't me opening up a debate about this, this is just me sharing my personal views, which you absolutely can agree or disagree with. (So if your views on cheating are vastly different from mine, don't come at me telling me how wrong I am, I'm not doing that at you either)

That being said, here are my thoughts and beliefs.

Kissing isn't (automatically) cheating. For me, it highly, highly depends on the accompanying circumstances. There are kisses for shits and giggles that are not cheating. There are kisses happening under heavy influence of whatever substance - something that can render you legally not responsible for a lot of things, so how does it make you responsible for a moment's poor choice? There are kisses that are done deliberately with intention and feelings/high physical attraction involved, and THAT is cheating. When we look at the Buck/Lucy kiss, I didn't see it as huge a deal as many of the fandom did. The kiss itself somewhat fell into the second category. But what made it at the very least borderline cheating was the fact that Buck made a secret of it afterwards. Had he said "Look, something happened last night. I was drunk, then Lucy kissed me, and I didn't instantly pull back, but I didn't want to kiss her again or anything. I have no feelings for her whatsoever and I will watch myself in future a whole lot more to notice any signs of flirting, which, in hindsight, there were. I'm sorry." - then I think that's still grounds for a partner to be mad, sad, disappointed, but it's not really full-on cheating. Not in my book, by my definition.

Emotional cheating is much worse than physical cheating Being in love with someone and knowing it, imagining yourself to be with that other person, THAT is much more cheating by my definition than a fleeting kiss. And sometimes, depending on the circumstances, maybe even more than a drunken fumble or one night stand, but that is a very complex question. However, emotional cheating means you're not really in it with your current partner, pining for someone else but settling for what you can have out of convenience, fear of being left behind or some other highly egoistical motivation. That really sucks. (I've seen that take expressed on my dashboard as well, though with slightly different nuance to what I feel and believe, but pretty close)

So, taking these two of my underlying beliefs as the basis, what can I see happen in the next episode that would leave me feel okay with it, or happy about it, and what would make me feel iffy about it?

Let's start with the iffy.

Buck:

If, at any point in their drunken Hangover-movie escapades Buck and Eddie kiss, full on kiss (with maybe a little bit of tongue), and that kicks something lose in Buck, I would utterly hate that. Not that I wouldn't find it plausible that a kiss like that would trigger him realizing romantic feelings for Eddie, but that it happens now.

Someone else made a long post about negative stereotypes about bisexuals, and I agree. This is the promiscuity/bisexuals can't be trusted to be faithful stereotype, and I don't want Buck to ever be seen in that light.

Also, Buck JUST (and that post mentioned that too) convinced Tommy to come with him to the wedding, that he's ready for something... only to emotionally cheat (because it's that aspect for me rather than the kiss itself) on him the very next opportunity?

"But Tommy and Buck aren't in a relationship yet," I heard someone say, and well, yes. But this isn't REAL LIFE. It's writing. Things are crafted in a certain way to form a story, and stories have a purpose. The narrative gave us an arc where Buck seemingly wasn't ready for a relationship with a man yet, where he fucked up and had to fix that, had to take a leap and take some courage to make it work.

Just purely from a narrative standpoint, it would be so inconsistent to reverse that healthy step forward just one episode later.

From what we know about the episode, it also doesn't look like he's breaking up with Tommy in that episode. A lovely, potentially dramatic moment where Buck kisses Tommy in front of everyone as a means of 'coming out' is highly implied/likely. So that would mean him being aware of some feelings towards Eddie and still going through with that. And yeah. No. I'd really, really fucking hate that.

Eddie:

If they kiss at some point and it kicks something loose in Eddie, and he then goes back to Marisol... I'd have much less of a problem with that because it could still be explained and justified with him just being in utter panic about coming out. It would match the catholic guilt arc, and all his previous attempts at conforming to heteronormativity... BUT, if the relationship just continued as is and he'd actively use her as beard that would be shitty, even for poor confused, repressed, closeted Eddie.

The Not Iffy

On with Eddie:

If that kiss brings something to the surface in Eddie and he then breaks up with Marisol one episode later I would not consider that cheating or poor morals or anything of the sort. He wasn't aware of it until that moment, and as soon as he is aware of it and has had a little bit of time to process it, he draws the right consequences from it and breaks off a relationship he's not fully in.

So this would actually be fine to me. This could be the kick starter for a potentially long and complex arc for Eddie to a) come to terms with his sexuality and b) pine for Buck from a distance, because Buck is with Tommy and c) eventually, when the time is right, for Buddie to go canon.

Buck:

The kiss itself wasn't a serious or real kiss. I'd be okay with it, if it was some silly, exaggerated "MWAH" smack of the lips kiss, prompted by someone or something around them - I dunno, maybe one of the women there saying "Aww you're such a cute couple" and they going in for it just for shits and giggles; or Buck gushing about Tommy and what a great kisser he is and Eddie drunkenly, outwardly jokingly saying "Hey, I'm a great kisser too!" and them jokingly leaning in for a smooch, again, for shits and giggles.

Buck afterwards doesn't even remember it because it meant nothing in that moment, and so he's neither seriously physically nor emotionally cheating on Tommy in the slightest.

"But Buck has deep feelings for Eddie. How can he kiss him and not realize them?"

Well, see, Buck has been around Eddie for almost 6 years now and not realized them. They are so, so far past that getting to know and falling in love phase that it makes it a bazillion times more complicated to distinguish those deep platonic feelings from deep romantic feelings (because, what it comes down to in both instances is a deep bond; the bond of love you feel after years of dating isn't that different from a deep platonic bond. Again, Eros vs. Pragma and all that).

But Buck is *in love* with Tommy, he's just entered that exciting, chemically turbulent process of falling in love with someone which, with all the newly formed neural connections and all those hormones overrides anything else that has long since been present and is only now presented with the opportunity to take on a new nuance. Of course he doesn't get it, and he likely won't get it until much, much later, when he's falling out of love with Tommy again for whatever reason, or they break up amicably for whatever reason.

And THIS again is something that could easily go into the iffy, because I would really fucking HATE the implication that Buck needs to break up with Tommy to be with his One True Love. I don't want this to be a difficult and painful choice.

IF (when) Buddie goes canon, I want them both to be ready and free for it and not accidentally pushed towards it, or struggle with a guilty conscience for it, or hurt someone else about it. (Marisol wouldn't count in that context as Eddie would have broken up with her months ago and gone on his own long self-discovery trip).

So yes, even if for slightly different reasons, and even if my views on what constitutes 'cheating' may differ from a lot of yours, I agree that any actual MUTUAL feelings realization right now, under these external circumstances, would totally tarnish the beginning of the Buddie relationship.

Which also makes me hopeful it won't happen in such a way. Up until now, the writing has been extremely solid, and Buck's coming out arc has been done with so much care. I doubt they'd do something that ruins it. (But I'm not 100% sure of it either).

[hetagrammy]

In the asoiaf au, who is Herakles's father?

I was originally going to leave it ambiguous and have we all know that his dad was Dornish, but your own hcs about Mama Greece and Persia inspired me :)

It remains to be seen if Persia is still alive though, as it stands to reason Romulus wouldn't want the guy who messed around with his wife (granted before he married her) still present. A big part of his marriage to Helene was that she had to give up her attachments to Herakles, and that was probably the biggest rift in their marriage. The adultery is one thing, but the fact that he campaigned that hard to marry her and then went on to have affairs on her is a whole other. That's it's own issue though. And let's be clear, Helene did love him at the time they got married, they had two children together for a reason, she's not a helpless victim in this scenario (granted she did not have much choice what with Patriarchy™ being a thing).

The caveat here is that Romulus doesn't like to do things subtly, you could call it honor, but really it's more him wanting to take the credit for beating his rivals. He doesn't want a slip down the stairs to take someone out, he wants it to be him. If Persia died in a slightly suspicious way and people sideye him though... that could also be a potential thread.

[fontvine]

nsfw alphabet for neuvillette?

￫ NEUVILLETTE NSFW ALPHABET !

A = aftercare (what they're like after sex)

very tender and intricate lover after sex - neuvillette overlooks your body to make sure he hadn’t left any marks that you’d find distasteful or painful

B = body part (their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner's)

on himself, he’d have to choose his neck - while it may sound odd, he has yet to find a part of himself as sensitive at it, so he takes pride in the feelings you can draw out of him with a simple nip or kiss against his throat

on you, neuvillette loves your hands - how dainty they look pressed against his chest or compared to his own, and the feeling of them tangled in his long locks or lightly trailing over the tendrils of blue within the sea of white

C = cum (anything to do with cum basically... i'm a disgusting person)

with the limited knowledge he has on humans and their sexual tendencies, he does know of procreation, so his favourite thing to do is fill you up until your stomach bloats

D = dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

he gets off on tears - he himself knows how many emotions can cause tears; sadness, anger, happiness… and pleasure, and he wants to see you sob for him

E = experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they're doing?)

little to no experience - neuvillette hadn’t truly indulged in mortal endeavours until he had met you; you had introduced him to romance, love, and all the intimate parts that come with it

F = favourite position (this goes without saying)

neuvillette loves cowgirl since while you’re still on top of him, he controls the pace - not only that but it gives the both of you something to grasp and hold onto (your ass/hips, his shoulders, etc.)

G = goofy (are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

emotions are still complex to him and so far he’s only learned how to express passion and desire during your bedroom escapades, so “goofiness” in the bedroom is beyond a foreign concept to him

H = hair (how well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

neuvillette has quite the head of hair on him so he grooms often - he prefers to be clean shaven or at least with limited hair on his pelvic area

I = intimacy (how are they during the moment, romantic aspect...)

serious yet delicate - neuvillette takes sex with you as a moment for him and you to be completely open to one another and to feel the other for what they are truly (aka he’s a passionate and loving man)

J = jack off (masturbation headcanon)

nope, never, will not - neuvillette feels guilty for touching you in a sexual way in general, so touching himself to bring himself pleasure in any capacity makes his head spin and cheeks burn with guilt

K = kink (one or more of their kinks)

marking, breeding, hair pulling - while a gentle lover, he likes to indulge in his more monstrous desires and encourages you to do the same with him

L= location (favourite places to do the deed)

bedroom first and foremost since there he can rest assured that both of you are comfortable, but he has fucked you over the desk in his office as well as over the railing in the opera epiclese

M = motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

letting himself be completely open is what drives him the most - he, in general, is not the most open person in teyvat, but when he fucks you, he is able to show parts of him only reserved for you to see

N = NO (something they wouldn't do, turn offs)

hurt you physically and or emotionally - while the former’s boundaries can be pushed the slightest bit, neuvillette takes no pleasure or satisfaction from bringing you pain, so it’s a hard no from him

O = oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

isn’t the best at giving (he’s learning though), but adores when you give him head - it was a shock to his system at first at the new information regarding sexual activities between mortals, but he’s come to love it to the point where he requests it when he’s feeling needy

P = pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

his pace is slower but his thrusts are deep and hard - cock stroking your gummy walls and nearly kissing your cervix with every movement of his hips

Q = quickie (their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

he hates quickies - he’s rather be able to enjoy you to the full extent of the moment (he however is not opposed to a quick blow or him going down on you when the moment calls for sexual gratification)

R = risk (are they game to experiment, do they take risks?)

not one for experimenting unless you suggest it and tries to stay away from risks (however, he hates to admit the two of you have been caught by furina more than once from the small risks you have taken together)

S = stamina (how many rounds can they go for, how long?)

he can go for round upon round, but stops when he senses you’re at your limit - he, after all, is not mortal so his stamina is seemingly endless compared to you own

T = toy (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

very foreign concept to him that he honestly does not want to delve into - he wants to be the sole bringer of pleasure to you and would like if you do the same to him

U = unfair (how much they like to tease)

not a very teasing lover - unless you ask for him to drag out your climax, neuvillette prefers to stick with the more simplistic and kind side of himself in bed

V = volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make)

he’s a loud grunter - neuvillette rarely gets too vocal with you and even keeps most words to himself aside from the light praise and loving words

W = wild card (get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

bathtub / shower sex is a hit with him - and if he has a secluded place outside of the walls of your home, he’d fuck you when it’s raining upon the two of you (his overwhelming pleasure only making the downpour all the more intense)

X= x-ray (let's see what's going on in those pants, picture or words)

neuvillette has quite a long and girthy cock - i’d say around 8-9 inches with thick veins running along the underside of it

Y = yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

he lies to himself and says he only desires sex when you do, but the thought of having you wrapped around him or having the taste of you on his tongue runs through his mind on the daily, even during court trials

Z = ZZZ (…. how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

as a being that doesn’t require much sleep, neuvillette holds you until you fall asleep and will sometimes pretend to fall asleep so you feel content enough to fall asleep yourself

[beanghostprincess]

I don’t have many Op friends I can talk about this with but one of my top ship tropes is when it’s established that Luffy is slow on the uptake regarding people’s relationships and even HE knows someone is in love and pining. Like, to make a point at how utterly obvious it is. Sanji cuts food for Usopp into little bite sized pieces? Luffy just asks him something that indicates Sanji and Usopp are in a relationship and the cook almost chokes. Nami tries to write a letter and is getting visibly frustrated at not finding the right words and he just looks over her shoulder like „Say Vivi I said hi!“. He witnessed Shank and Buggy finally meeting at laughtale and there is just a bunch of „I WOULD HAVE FOLLOWED YOU!“ „I never wanted you to leave!“ „YOU WERE A COWARD!“ „Why does that matter now?!“ „BECAUSE I ALMOST GAVE UP MY DREAM FOR YOU!“ and Luffy just looks at this insane display in front of him while his idol does a homoerotic sword vs dagger fight with a clown and just „Are you seeing this shit Zoro?“ like… congrats . You’re being such a lovesick idiot even Luffy is like „Damn bitch you got it bad“

Honestly, this is extremely in character and pretty much not far from the truth. Luffy, despite being a dumbass, is a very perceptive person when it comes to people's feelings. One of his best traits as a main character is that he's empathetic to the point of knowing how people feel or what they want without needing to know the background or the rest of the story. I actually hate when the fanon perception of Luffy gets simplified to "he's an idiot" because yeah, he might be reckless and stupid and he's very silly, but he's emotionally mature to a sickening extent. Savior complex much? (Not that he wants to be a hero, god forbid, he would hate that. I just mean that his constant need to save everyone so nobody he cares about dies on him or gets hurt again has made him really aware of his surroundings and people's feelings). And, well, tbh he has always been like that. Very honest and perceptive, I mean. He might be a bit slow when catching up to some things and he might not know why people feel what they feel sometimes, but he knows what they're feeling. Get me? Like he might be aware of Nami being mad at him, for example, and not knowing why, but being aware that he has to do something to change that.

What I want to say with all of this is that Luffy noticing romance within the crew is extremely canon because he knows how his friends act, and if he notices changes in a person towards someone else, he might be stupid but he's not that oblivious. Like, he knows something's up. And to him the whole concept of pining is so stupid because if you feel something, just let the other person know! But then again, his relationship with Zoro is just different from that, and not everyone can have a devoted long-term marriage without saying a word.

And his reaction towards people pining would be hilarious because the guy would be exhausted from the crew having crushes and not doing anything. A Sanuso trope I love is Luffy going to Usopp like "Hey, confess already because Sanji has been distracted lately, and if he stops cooking because he is sad and pining for you I will be very mad" and he says shit like this and goes away and leaves Usopp alone with that information as if it was the most obvious and normal thing to do. But, you know, Luffy gets things done around here, at least.

[acourtofthought]

"Elain draws away from Lucien because she doesn't like him and doesn't want him"

Really? An author who is notorious for hidden truths and "what you see isn't always what you get" yet some still believe she's resorting to something so simplistic for two of her future main characters? Two characters involved in Feyre's story from book 1 yet she's really gone the route of mating them in book 2 only to have them go absolutely nowhere together? To Elain ignoring her POC scarred mate because she's supposedly afraid of him though he literally does nothing but continue being as respectful as possible? Leaving her ex unharmed and not pushing her for anything?

This is the author who had Nesta push Cassian away time and again, looking to other males for physical release, only for us to find out she wanted Cassian from the first moment she met him and was terrified of what that meant.

But Elain definitely wants a relationship with Az because she was willing to kiss him and pushes Lucien away. 🤔

Wouldn't a more interesting reason for her behavior be something like this:

Elain was devastated by Graysens rejection.

She wept for hours at her father's headstone and continued to visit him at least once a month. We know she still mourned her lost life with Graysen in the novella as well.

Elain lost the two most important men in her life and it was very clearly a harrowing experience. She went from not eating, not sleeping, not drinking, and sitting silently in her room for months because of her lost humanity and separation from Graysen to Graysens rejection to the loss of her father.

And if those things felt that terrible, were that traumatic and she didn't even share a bond with either, then what do you think she'd feel if she were to open herself up to Lucien and he rejected her or he was killed?

In ACOWAR, she said that she could hear his heart, not just his heartbeat. And we know that part of what was in his heart at that moment was guilt over Jesminda's death and a feeling of betrayal towards her. .

If Graysens rejection of her stung as badly as it did, then what would a mates rejection feel like? Wondering whether she could ever compare to a female he pined for centuries after her death?

If her father's death was so painful, then what would the death of a mate feel like?

Certain parts of the fandom create a version of Elain that is so one dimensional rather than giving her credit for possibly having feelings toward Lucien that are deep and complex. That she could be dealing with the fear of opening herself up to him and is also in tune with his fears and his sadness and it's all overwhelming and scary. He's not scary but the intensity of what could be and what could then be lost is.

That maybe, just maybe, Az (for as nice as he's been towards her) was not a scary option because she knew any rejection would not cut deeply (evidenced by the fact that nobody noted her being sad after Solstice). If Elain is as observant as the characters say she is, then there's little chance she hadn't noticed the way he looked at Mor and knew on some level who his heart belonged to, though he's been starting to realize he isn't going to end up with her. Maybe Feyre was right in saying that Elain and Az might find peace and quiet together, but maybe it was never meant to last. Peace and quiet is not what legendary romances are built on. Maybe the peace and quiet was only meant to hold them over until she (and he) were ready to stop being afraid and finally face the things that scared them. Until she was finally ready to take a chance to truly opening herself up again, not just physically but emotionally.

[homisexual11]

Jalice SFW Alphabet

Going off my phone for a while, I won’t be back but until then I hope this’ll hold you. Also don’t be afraid to send requests if you have any :) I’ll accept on any Cullen members or wolves but Jalice is preferred :)

TW: Mentions of vampirism… Maria

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Alice can be affectionate, but she sometimes doesn’t show it. She loves giving gifts and such, and little physical touches. She isn’t a cuddle bug, but she’ll hold your hand, have a hand on your arm, things like that. She’s also very passionate with words, too.

Jasper is affectionate. Although he’s hesitant at first, he is definitely a cuddle bug. If you’re human, he’s obviously worried about it, always needing Alice there for support and normally keeping her right next to you, but after a while he grew to trust himself more. He’ll hold your hand, play with your hair, always have a seat for you (his lap in a non-sexual manner). I mean, you’ve seen how he is in the first Twilight movie.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

You’ve seen Alice as a best friend with Bella, but both of them? Best girl talk. Jasper does give blunt advice, but he’s also like so good to talk to about boys and shit. Alice gets you the delulu stuff unless it’s bad, then she’s honest. But also like they will do stupid shit with you as long as you won’t get hurt, and if you could have two platonic soulmates they would be it.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Alice likes to cuddle. It’s not her love language or anything, but she does like it.

And we already know Jasper 100% loves it. Also like cuddling both of them? Either you or Alice in the middle, but you could probably convince Jasper if you tried hard enough. But normally he likes holding either one of you.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

If you were turned, they would 100% live alone with you, and maybe even if you weren’t, but it would take a lot of convincing Jasper. Everyone would have their own duties for cooking, but yes they’re both good at it. Also I feel like Jasper would be better at cooking, if you needed. (Alice could probably light the kitchen on fire on accident so she stays away.)

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Jasper would probably do most of the talking because he’s the only one who can be THAT blunt. They would want to be platonic afterwards, but it definitely emotionally devastated both of them. But they wouldn’t have to, because Alice would be able to see that yall would stay together, so unless you end it, they wouldn’t.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

If Alice could see a future where you were together, that’s how that shit went. They don’t really marry quickly, I mean, Carlisle was the one that made them get married. So, obviously, it’s complex cause you’re three people, but if possible they’d get married to you after a while. Turning you… they would 100% wait at least three years. Keeping you young enough, but not too old. They waited until Alice said it was time from the visions.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

I cannot stress this enough. 10/10 on the gentleness scale. They could easily break you if they were still human, so yeah of course they’re gentle. Also everything with them is gentle soft love. Somewhat old fashioned too. Jasper is not a woman beater, so even though it’s old fashioned it’s GENTLE. (Help why did I feel the need to say that)

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

They are huggers. I mean, Jasper is from Texas. (“I’m from Texas, I’m a hugger.” -my friends mom a couple years ago) and Alice gives a bunch of them. Jasper was hesitant at first, I mean, you’ve seen everything physical, why would this be different. But also neither of them let go first. Just saying.

(Wild card: if you were still human and having a meltdown, like Jasper would just pull you into a hug and hold you. He also knows when to calm you down or not, and if he thinks you need to cry he’ll let you cry.)

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Jasper keeps Alice from saying it and freaking you out. But she says it quickly, obviously the first. He takes a bit longer, but he definitely said it first to you.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Jasper doesn’t really get jealous, Alice does a little bit, but normally she just squeezes the life (ha) out of Jaspers hand or will come up to you and who you’re talking to and pretend not to be bothered and when that person is away she’ll be unbothered and happy again.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Alice’s are quick. Little pecks all over your or Jaspers face and neck. She likes nose and forehead kisses for her.

Jaspers are soft but longer as well. He likes kissing your or Alice’s lips or forehead. He prefers lip kisses, but if you kissed any of his scars? He would melt. Absolutely putty in your hands. A little hesitant at first, but when you’re gentle with him? AHH.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

I feel like Alice isn’t great around babies but when they’re older she’s better. Jasper is pretty good with children, you see it with Renesmee.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

They don’t really sleep so it’s kind of like every other time for them 🧍‍♀️ but like they have some sort of a routine consisting of the norm, and would be able to adapt to if you were a human and like had a different circumstance.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Cuddling. Reading. Shit like that. If you need to sleep, they pretty much establish a bedtime for you if you can’t take care of that yourself.

(“But yall don’t sleep!” -You

“We don’t need to, but you, sweet girl/boy, that’s a different story. You need to go to bed, honey.” -Jasper)

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Alice is relatively open, besides the vampire thing, and with Jasper it takes a little while.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Alice is relatively patient, but she definitely has a breaking point that’s easier to reach. Jasper, on the other hand, has the patience of a saint.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

They remember everything. Well, Jasper doesn’t think he remembers everything, but if someone asks a question about like what your favorite color is or why you have a certain scar or something he’ll immediately have the answer. Alice doesn’t say anything, but she does know and remember everything you’ve told her and she knows random things about you from the future as well.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

You got a camera, and went around taking pictures of everyone in the fall. You had a plan to get a cute picture with you and them, but you all ended up falling and there’s just a picture of that. No one got hurt, but it did turn out an epic picture. Did Alice sense it coming? Somehow, no, which is part of the reason she likes it so much.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Very protective. Do you remember in Eclipse when it says that Jasper got so many more bites because he was trying to protect her? If you’re human, it’s like that but worse. As long as you keep his heart protected and don’t break it? It’s all yours. Even if you did, it would be yours anyways—

With Alice she’s super protective as well. She knows you can deal with yourself. If a guy is flirting with you? That’s a different story. The same thing goes for her with protecting her heart.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

So much fucking effort. You saw Bella’s birthday and wedding? Yours are like that too, but more stitched to fit you personally.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

I mean Alice’s habit of constantly worrying about things in the future isn’t great, and Jasper sometimes changes other people’s emotions too much. But like…

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Concerned. I mean, they need to look put together. Alice is huge on that, but Jasper is a little less.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Yes. They didn’t even realize it until they met you, but it’s true.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Jasper is good at braiding for some reason.

Alice loves planning your outfits so you can match.

They love taking care of you. Like casually.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Someone who was closedminded.

Maria. (IM SORRY)

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

They don’t sleep :) and don’t watch you sleep, but they like it when you lay your head on one leg their laps and fall asleep.

[vampcubus]

Roommate!Kyojuro who’s been your best friend since Pre-K. You know each other inside and out, down to your usual orders and all your favorite restaurants. 

Roommate!Kyojuro who brings you food whenever he stops to grab takeout, always thinking of you and what you’d want. Haven’t eaten lunch yet? He’s driving up to your work so you can eat in his car. Falling asleep during college classes? He’ll show up with your favorite coffee order.

Roommate!Kyojuro who can read your mood with a single look and knows exactly what to say to get you cracking up. He’s emotionally intelligent and gives you massive side eye if you try to lie and say you’re feeling fine when you’re clearly not.

Roommate!Kyojuro who makes you do silly TikToks with him and has countless random pictures of you doing the most mundane shit in his camera roll. Most of the photos he takes are ruined somehow; there’s always a glare of light or you move at the last moment. Among those god-awful cryptid pics are albums upon albums of pictures of you two together. All photos from trips you’ve taken, those impulsive 3 am outings, and movie nights with you passed out on his shoulder.

Roommate!Kyojuro who sends you a meme when you’re both supposed to be asleep just to hear you laugh through the wall separating your rooms.

Roommate!Kyojuro who pokes his head into the kitchen the moment he hears pots and pans being moved around. “What’re you cooking?” 

Roommate!Kyojuro who relies on you for meals that aren’t takeout since he’s a pretty crummy cook, and though you’ve made progress teaching him, his rice still comes out crunchy and he overcooks most other things. Whenever you’re away for a few days he sends you pics of the meals he attempts by himself seeking your approval. Pls tell him his grilled cheese looks amazing, he’s so proud of it.

Roommate!Kyojuro who will actually RKO you if you even try to do the dishes. “You go through the trouble of cooking for me every day. I don’t want you to even look at those dishes, you hear me?” And if he finds out you did them, you’re in for an earful.

Roommate!Kyojuro who would never force you to come to the gym with him but always insists that he come along when you go. His close proximity wards off creeps and he’s an amazing hype man so you never complain, but he genuinely just wants to make sure you’re safe while you’re there.

Roommate!Kyojuro who cuddles with you on the couch and gets sucked into your tv dramas. He has the funniest reactions to shady moments and fights. He never fails to fall asleep at integral moments and needs to be briefed again, but acts so betrayed when he catches you watching them without him.

Roommate!Kyojuro who gets into crochet and makes you cute little plushies and socks. He’s SO proud to present his first full blanket to you and melts into a puddle whenever he finds you snuggled up with it.

Roommate!Kyojuro who has a bit of a “stray problem” and is always feeding the stray cats that roam around your apartment complex. At least two or three of them have become 100% indoor cats and he considers them his children. Takes them to get all their shots, sends you clips of them doing silly stuff while you’re at work, and crochets toys for them. He tears up when the most aloof kitty starts batting one of the crochet mice around. Sends you a frantic text of “HE TOUCHED IT!!!” 

Roommate!Kyojuro who mindlessly tosses your laundry in with his if he sees it building up.

Roommate!Kyojuro who sneaks your shampoo because he likes the way you smell and acts dumb when you complain about running out so fast.

Roommate!Kyojuro who respects you too much to steal your panties when they get mixed in with his laundry but desperately humps into his fist later that night to thoughts of you filling them. A hand clapped over his mouth to smother his loud whimpers so he doesn’t alert your sleeping form through the paper-thin wall between your rooms. 

Roommate!Kyojuro who wants to tell you how everything you do inadvertently turns him on, but would rather die than risk fucking up your friendship.

Roommate!Kyojuro that always cums with your name on his lips without fail, golden-red eyes rolled back as he fantasizes about your hands replacing his own. 

Roommate!Kyojuro who never forgot the time you were dared to kiss at a party in high school. The soft press of your plush lips against his trembling ones has been burnt into his mind, always surfacing when he’s rutting into a pillow, pretending it's you. He imagines kissing you so often it’s a wonder you don’t see the way his eyes stare at your lips when you drink from a straw or chew at a pen.

Roommate!Kyojuro who would do anything for you, but selfishly wishes you'd see him as more than a friend.

[math-is-math]

Aleheather headcanons because why not :))

They moved into an apartment together after All Stars; it’s not exactly the lavish lifestyle they pictured but it’s cozy and comfortable for the moment

I personally don’t think Heather would name her cat Bruiser; I think it’s actually the family cat and that’s what her younger brothers decided to name him

After moving in together, they got a little white cat named Blanca (courtesy of Alejandro ofc)

“Blanca? W— isn’t that just white in Spanish??”

“Exactly. It fits perfectly for her.”

That said, Alejandro’s more of a dog person but he’s not opposed to cats; Heather LOVES cats but big dogs are not her thing though

They’ll dance together in their living room at 2 am, maybe sway the cat around too

Alejandro is the master chef while Heather is the resident baker

They enjoy hosting dinner parties for their friends! Duncan and Courtney, and Lindsay and Tyler are their most common guests

Heather is a WIZARD at the piano

Sometimes when Alejandro has a nightmare she’ll play to relax and comfort him; his favorite is Solamente Una Vez

Alejandro can play guitar at a beginner-intermediate level

Sometimes they’ll duet with their respective instruments + occasional singing

Courtney will come over and sometimes bring her violin so she and Heather can play together — and they’ll absolutely bring the house down every time; their signature piece is The Swan

Duncan will make fun of Alejandro cause he gets emotional everytime they play it

“Oh man are you crying?”

“Well at least I’m able to emotionally appreciate good talent!!”

I think Courtney helped Heather get her million back (with the help of her lawyers and finessing the system ofc)

First thing they did once receiving it — put that shit in the BANK

Alejandro’s Catholic; Heather isn’t religious :P

Heather doesn’t talk to her parents (or her family) anymore; she claims she doesn’t care but Alejandro knows it hurts

Alejandro has a good relationship with his parents and family (well maybe not José) despite his inferiority complex lmao; although FreshTV did say Alejandro’s not the favorite in his family

I think that role goes to Carlos since he’s the professional soccer player, but Carlos gets demoted to second favorite after his parents meet Heather

His mom adores Heather, she’s the daughter she never had; his dad isn’t rlly around cause of work but he’s quite fond of her too from the few times he’s met her

Alejandro and José made a bet about whether he would win Total Drama

When he got the call from Chris about TD Dirtbags, you bet your ass he was outta the house

Alejandro’s parents had literally no idea he went on the show (nor did they care LOL)

His mom found out when he called him after Chris announced World Tour and his dad found out when they were showing one of the eps on a hotel TV and saw him

Heather braids her hair when she’s stressed! She can do all sorts of braids from fishtail to Dutch

The only person allowed to play with Alejandro’s hair is her; he’s not fond of having it in two parts (i.e. braids and pigtails) but he makes an exception for her

Sometimes when she has a nightmare, Alejandro lets her braid and play with his hair to calm her down

Heather is terrified of vulnerability, due to a fear of rejection and being alone; she combats this by pushing everyone away to not face any potential possibilities of being rejected by anybody

The first time she said ‘I love you’ to Alejandro (not counting the WT confession) resulted in a panic attack and almost passing out (I wrote a fic about this hehe)

Occasionally Heather has doubts about Alejandro’s objective with her and their relationship — why he chose her of all people, if this could all end up a mistake in the future, if she can trust him, etc.

Alejandro’s patient though, he provides as many reassurances as she needs to hear

It’s taken a lot of time and coaxing to get her to take down her walls and let him in but they’re making progress; he just loves her so much and wants happiness for her :’)

They’re both afraid of losing the other but Heather’s fear is more extreme than Alejandro’s

I’ll update if I think of more lol but feel free to add to the list !!

[andreal831]

Esther "Mikaelson" and Misogyny

The misogyny in TVDU, in both the writing and the fandom, is exhausting. It comes out so much, especially when it comes to complex women versus complex men. Esther (yes, I know her last name is not Mikaelson), is not one of my favorite characters, she's not even a character I particularly like. But to act like she is an absolute villain with no redeeming qualities is a best misogynist, and at worst blaming a victim of abuse.

Most of the hate for Esther tends to come from certain character stans because they don't like how Esther treated their favorite character or want to shift the responsibility of their favs to Esther so that they don't have to deal with a complex, morally grey character.

Esther is a survivor many times over and we cannot talk about her without first acknowledging that. When she was just a teenager/young adult, her entire family was slaughtered and she and her sister were kidnapped. I know there is a lot of debate in the psychology community regarding Stockholm syndrome, but her falling for Mikael screams a manipulated, traumatized, naïve, young woman.

Esther and Mikael

Whether it was Mikael's intent initially or not, he took advantage of the mental place she was at when they met. People recently have wanted to argue whether or not Esther was abused, but this is not a debate. First, there are many different types of abuse, mental, physical, emotional, financial, etc.

During this time period, while Norse communities tended to give woman more power, Esther was from "outside" their community. Her rank in the community would come directly from her marriage. I personally don't know if she went into her relationship with Mikael in order to gain security or if she was just truly that naïve and wanted love and a family. There is nothing wrong with either. It reminds me of why Hayley decided to try and actually have a relationship with Jackson. Woman have historically had to make hard decisions in order to gain protection. And even if she just wanted to get married and have kids, that is fine. Esther reminds me of Meg March. Her dreams may have been different than Dahlia but that doesn't make them less important.

We see very little of their human lives and it is told from everyone else's perspective except for Esther. We also know that everyone's stories are not accurate. Klaus lied about Esther's death for a thousand years. He also has a tendency from not seeing things through other perspectives. Klaus, and even Elijah, when they talk about their human lives, focus on Mikael's abuse on Klaus because the show centers around Klaus and doing everything they can do to redeem him. There is no benefit to making Esther look complex or going into how living with Mikael impacted her. But it is naïve to say she didn't suffer abuse. She lived in a household with a violent, angry man. Even if he didn't physically hit her, which we honestly don't know but I would find that extremely hard to believe, it is clear he verbally, emotionally, and financially abused her.

People love to say she is a powerful witch and could have stopped him or left, but this is shifting the blame from the abuser to the victim. First, abuse isn't about who is stronger. This logic is completely dismissing so much abuse that happens, especially women abusing men. Yes, Esther is a powerful witch, but if she had no other options outside of Mikael, being powerful doesn't matter. We know she would put Mikael to sleep for long periods to protect her and her children. We don't know if she did anything else, but we have at least one example of her using her magic to intervene. We also know she stopped practicing for a long time because of her fear of dark magic and how the community treated Dahlia.

We also have to acknowledge that Esther had very few choices. Sure, she could kill Mikael but she would have gotten sentenced to death for that. Again, her position in the community came from her connection to Mikael, otherwise she was just another enslaved person from a village they raided. We know how Dahlia was treated. Maybe she could have run off with Ansel and they would have protected her from Mikael, or if he was dead, the villagers, but this is putting her, her children, and the pack in a dangerous situation. Potentially starting a war between the pack and the village for aiding and abetting a kin-slayer. She would also be acknowledging her affair and adultery by woman was met by serious punishments, usually death. After committing matricide, she also wouldn't have claims to Mikael's money or land as an outsider. Maybe in the "new world," but she would have to hide her involvement in his death. Esther would have no money or land of her own as her familial land and money would have been claimed when it was raided.

While women in Norse communities did experience more freedom than other areas of the world at that time, they were still far from free. This is especially true considering how Esther came to this community. While she wasn't enslaved in a way Dahlia was, it is wrong to say she wasn't still enslaved. Her entire village was killed and her and her sister were forced to come to their village and live amongst them as hostages. Esther was kept as a way to keep Dahlia in line. She was not welcomed into the community. This was a common practice during these raids.

The reason I get so angry when people attack Esther as if she wasn't a victim is because real-life victims hear this everyday. Esther's situation perfectly exemplifies the "non-perfect" victim and the fandom perfectly exemplifies how many of these victims are treated.

Esther and Dahlia

Dahlia gets way more slack than Esther because she is a "more perfect victim." But again, we are getting the story from everyone's perspective but Esther. Yes, what Dahlia went through was horrible, but what she put her sister through was also horrible. Those two things are not mutually exclusive.

Dahlia had no right to expect Esther to give up her dreams for her, even though she did sacrifice a lot for Esther. She made that decision and took it on. Yes, it was noble, but again, she cannot expect anything for a choice she made. It is just like Klaus expecting his siblings to never leave him and punishing them when they do. Siblings do not owe each other their lives. I would also not blame Dahlia for leaving Esther behind to protect herself.

On top of that, when Esther went to Dahlia and asked for help, she took advantage of the situation and stole her child. I don't care what Esther promised or how much she understood of the situation, clearly at the moment Dahlia came for Freya, Esther did not want to give her up. If we look at it in a modern perspective, a mother who puts her child up for adoption has the right to change their mind because, morally, we understand it is impossible to understand how you will feel until that moment. If a person than steals the child after the mom changes their mind, that's kidnapping. If we look at it from a historical perspective, Norse communities were patriarchal and the children belonged to Mikael. Meaning Esther did not have the ability to "sell" her children.

Dahlia is given a lot of sympathy in the fandom because they relate her story to Klaus, who they spend a lot of time victimizing. So it makes an easy leap to paint Dahlia as the victim and Esther as the "evil" one. But again, we never see how Esther reacted to her sister casting her aside because she wanted love and a family. or how Mikael treated her throughout their relationship. Even if Dahlia ended up being right about Mikael, whether he was always evil or turned evil losing Freya, Dahlia doesn't get to make that decision for Esther. It is hard to watch someone you love get into an abusive relationship, but you can't tell someone what to do with their life. All you can do is try and be there for them when they need help.

Esther and Klaus

Another reason people hate on Esther is because of her relationship with Klaus. I personally think Esther loved Klaus the most because of who his father was. She babies him in a way she never did with the other's. We even see Finn resenting her treatment of Klaus because of it.

Yes, she does give him the necklace which ends up making Mikael target him to "make him strong." But, one, let's blame the abuser and not shift blame to a fellow victim. And two, what would you have her do? Sure the answer is probably, don't have an affair, but then your fav character wouldn't be there. Also, again, she was young and naïve. She also gets more blame for having an affair than Mikael does for beating a child. She made a mistake and did everything she could to protect Klaus from that mistake. Was it misguided, maybe, but her intention was good. She wanted to protect Klaus from Mikael finding out.

The fact that Esther can forgive Klaus for brutally murdering her shows how much she loved him. Her wanting to kill her kids later is honestly understandable. She never knew the side affects of the spell she performed. She watched her children become the worst versions of themselves for a thousand years and felt the guilt for every life they took. She also knew peace existed since she had been on the other side. When she first tried to take their lives, they would have all just gone to the other side. She didn't want them to suffer but wanted the pain they inflicted on the world to end.

The Misogyny of it all

The reason I say it is misogyny, is because every favorite character in this show has done absolutely terrible things. Klaus, and all of the Mikaelsons, are serial killers. It doesn't matter what reasons they had for doing it. Esther had her own reasons for her actions. The fact that people can't acknowledge Esther as a complex character but can do so for Klaus, Damon, Elijah, Stefan, etc. shows that it is based on misogyny. Even the fact that Dahlia, someone who kidnapped and abused a child, gets more love than Esther because Esther isn't a "perfect victim" shows it is rooted in misogyny. Men are allowed to be messy and complex but when it's a woman they are either a victim or pure evil.

I'm not saying there aren't things you can't hate her for. I hated her treatment of Elijah in Season 2 of TO and her plan to harm Hope. But to ignore the complexity of the character and pretend she wasn't a victim is just harmful rhetoric. Women are allowed to be complex and morally grey.

[factual-fantasy]

Heya Factual! Congrats on the 23,000! Yet another well deserved milestone earned by your hard work and dedication! Really sorry about the cold- we always seem to get sick at the worst of times! Definitely don't do anything crazy till you're 100%, but thanks for making that really cute celebration piece- you can really tell how much the factual Fam cares about you from their worried expressions...and then there's Gerald, who refuses to let his happy demeanor waver for a second! Though then again, he is still quite young- he might not even understand the concept of getting sick yet!

And on that note, at least till you're better, I definitely won't send any unnecessarily exhausting Asks like last time ( thanks for answering that so thoroughly though- that was really cool! ) and just keep it simple- and my ask today is regarding the simplest Mario enemy, the goomba!

You've mentioned them in the past as beings created by Kamek- How does he do it? How long has he been doing it? Are the goombas sentient, or just savage constructs? How many are there, in ratio to the Koopas? Did the bros have to fight through a bunch of them on their way to the castle? And do any of their variants exist, such as the micro goombas, para goombas, or giant goombas? We require the Goomba Lore!

Thank you! :DD I'm doing my best to take it easy.. I've spent most of my days recently either sleeping, sitting, or playing Pokemon Scarlet XDD that's relaxing right? Yes, I believe so-

As for Gerald, he isn't ignorant to my condition- he's actually meant to be surprisingly emotionally aware. :0 He's smiling though all this because he wants the others to be happy. And if he's calm and smiling, maybe we'll smile too.. 🥺

I was intending to draw a comic that goes into Gerald's character a bit more... But I just haven't been well enough recently to take on a project like that.. :((

And don't worry about "exhausting asks", I encourage them! :D I could really use some lengthy asks as a form of distraction to be honest.. 🥹💔

Speaking of asks, about your Goomba questions..

Well, starting with Kamek actually- I have intentions to make him a few hundred years old. Being the most powerful magikoopa there ever was supposedly.. and he's been associated with the royal Koopa family for generations.. though this idea is in canon limbo, because I'm having trouble figuring how exactly he's managed to live so long. Considering how magic works in my au.. his lengthy life span shouldn't be possible..

None the less, even though I haven't gotten that idea to fit yet- I love it so much that most of the au kinda branches off from it- <XDDD so with that established, Kamek brings Goombas to "life" using magic of course!

I was thinking that the ability animate dead/inanimate things is a very complex magic that took Kamek years to learn. And he was only finally able to master it in the last 100 years or so.

Now for the Goombas, they are not sentient for sure. They are just these little.. zombie like.. machines. They start as poisonous mushrooms and when they are "brought to life", they gain this desire and need move and attack anything that doesn't appear to be a Koopa.

As for the Koopa to Goomba ratio.. I'd say they make up 1.5/10 of the kingdoms population. They are very disposable and "easy" to make.. but they are relatively fragile creatures and take a while to grow.. plus the Goombas don't live very long. Since they uproot themselves upon being "Goomba-fied", they eventually wilt and die.. :/ so that number doesn't ever go over 1.5.

I'm sure Mario and Luigi had to squash some on the way to save Peach the first time. But it was only after her rescue that one landed a bite on Luigi..

As for their variants, the micro and Giant Goombas surly exist! Though king Goomba might not because the original brown mushrooms probably don't grow that big-

As for para-goombas.. hmm.. I know there won't be any Goombas with wings going around. But perhaps there could be a Goomba that can release airborne spores.. or at the very least can attack from afar.. that could get them the title of para-goomba! :0

I think I covered everything, I hope at least-

Thank you for the ask and interest in my au! :DDD it was a nice read and took my mind off of all my ailments for a short time 🥹💖

[somerandomdudelmao]

Okay. This is it. Theory time.

I'm going to write an essay on "how I love elaborate lore in Mystic Hands by @characcoon " It may or may not be a complete circus, but at least you'll have fun watching me getting it wrong eh?

Okay, first of all, let me put on my clown suit for this performance. Because, I'll be honest, I can only understand 70% of a complex text if I don't use a translator. And the translator also tends to change the meaning of the text.

I'm also writing this essay through a translator and just hoping for the best, so...ahahaha...yeah.

Chapters nine and ten of Mystic Hands gave me something to think about. Mostly because, all of a sudden, Bishop and his lab-military squad turned out to be more than background characters. And let me tell you, I grew up on the 2003 series. I may not remember all the nuances of the plot there very well, but I remember the asshole named Bishop perfectly~ But I'm not sure how similar 2003 Bishop and MH Bishop are, so I'm just...anxious in advance and start looking for things that would ring a bell.

From what I learned in chapters 9 and 10:

Bishop is an asshole.

He has his precious organization.

He also has access to empyrium and a recipe for crafting an incredibly toxic herbicide.

He also has a mustache. ( funny how this part puzzles me the most)

Michelangelo talks about him as a cruel and despicable scumbag who should have been rolled in asphalt at the first opportunity. He also calls Bishop a liar, so I guess in the future Bishop and the turtles have a... "adventure" haha... And of course we all know how fun stories with a cruel scientist and mutants can be. Yep.

This is where I start trying to put the puzzle together.

When Michelangelo sees the glowing blue stuff in the vials he reacts rather emotionally and says it could be a version of a anti-mutagen. He also says that it might help bring Raph back to normal when he asks Donnie to analyze the thing.

Donnie does the analysis.

The so-called "anti-mutagen" turns out to be an herbicide. Yes, very toxic and suspect and containing empyrium, but only herbicide.

In this moment. ONLY at that moment does Michelangelo realize that his information about the substance and its capabilities was wrong. And for SOME reason, it makes him absolutely furious.

And this is where the shit hits the fan.

Everything written above leads me to believe that the Turtles have already dealt with Bishop and his "anti-mutagen" in a bad timeline of the future. Whatever happened, Michelangelo came out of that adventure with the certainty that the blue stuff was a anti-mutagen. Which in itself is not suspicious, because even with his constant sleepovers in Donnie's lab, Michelangelo is still not that advanced a science dude. If he was young enough, Bishop could pour Sprite into a test tube, call it a anti-mutagen, and Michelangelo would buy it.

What a good thing they had Donnie for situations like that, I thought. And then I thought again. A little more anxious.

Did they?

Obviously, if Donnie had participated in the "adventure" with Bishop, he would not have allowed the turtles to call the strange liquid a retromutagen without analyzing it at least ten different ways. Even if Bishop hadn't given him a free sample, Donnie would have found a way to extract as much information as possible. Michelangelo was his lab partner. There was no way he would have missed something that important.

So...I guess at that point in the future, Donny wasn't there. Which leaves me with two possibilities. Either he was dead, or...he was taken out of the game for some reason.

The death option looks pretty straightforward. Donnie wasn't there to take control of the situation, so Bishop could probably afford a lot of free lying.

But I tend to think more about the second option.

Because Michelangelo, after getting into the past, intends to keep Donnie away from Bishop. This cannot be dictated by logic. Donnie, of all turtles, would be best able to consider if Bishop tries to pull something sneaky. Donnie has his technique, his knowledge, and his ability to hack any computer with just a dessert fork and rage. And yet Michelangelo takes Donnie with him into the tunnels. Because I'm sure he's guided not by logic but by fear.

Which leads me to the second option.

Donnie was not there at the time of the "adventure". Maybe physically he was alive, but he wasn't there at that moment of the future. Because Bishop did something to him.

That's why Donnie couldn't discover the lie about the anti-mutagen. And that's why Michelangelo wants to keep his younger version away from Bishop.

Now. This is where my knowledge of the 2003 series comes into the chat. More specifically, about one of my favorite stories from there - season 4 episodes 24 and 25 - "Good Genes."

( These are the episodes in which Donnie mutates, turning into a monster because he was previously stung by one of Bishop's mutants. Donnie's brothers spend a very "fun" amount of time trying to figure out how to cure him, but none of them are smart enough. So they are forced to make a deal with Bishop to reverse Donnie's mutation. Bishop was nice enough to actually do it and at the end of the story Donnie is fine again)

What if. Listen. WHAT IF something like this happened in a bad timeline.

Maybe Donnie was infected by Krang. Maybe he mutated for some other reason. Something happened to him. Something that caused the rest of the turtles to go to Bishop for help, because Donnie was usually the one who solved problems like this and Donnie wasn't there at the time.

This is where I pull out the "squeeze apple juice out of oranges" pokemon, because I'm starting to use information that isn't in the fanfic. We have the art, and the post.

And Donnie is not having a good time there. There's also the idea that the anti-mutagen in Mystic Hands doesn't work as neatly and conveniently as it did in 2003 and 2012. It doesn't turn a hypothetical mutant turtle back into a regular turtle.

The art quite clearly complements this thought.

At first I thought - hey, anti-mutagen works differently. I guess it's because it's supposed to reverse a secondary mutation or Crang infection?

Then I thought again. You know, more thoroughly. Bishop was lying.

There was no anti-mutagen, at least not in the sense that the turtles needed it. They only THOUGHT the thing existed because Bishop convinced them it did.

So. What are the chances that Donnie was infected with something the turtles couldn't handle on their own? So they had to enlist the help of Bishop. But unlike the man in 2003 this Bishop didn't do his part honestly and used some version of the toxic herbicide on Donnie?

What are the chances that at first the herbicide actually worked as a cure for Krang, because in this universe Krangs are apparently very evil vegetables? How long did it take for this substance to start killing Donnie himself? Because there's no way I'm going to believe that this caustic stuff is harmless to living creatures of any kind. Was the herbicide slow enough for the turtles to think the "anti-mutagen" was working and happily celebrate Donnie's healing? Maybe it took hours, maybe days, but my guess is that at some point the herbicide destroyed Donatello, giving enough time before that, however, for Michelangelo to remember that "blue stuff = cure for krangification."

That's why Michelangelo was so furious when he found out the blue stuff wasn't a retromutagen. He realized that Bishop had lied to him by calling this toxic crap a healing possibility. He realized that Donnie, his Donnie from the future, was not healed. He realized that Bishop probably didn't even try to heal him, taking advantage of the incompetence of the turtles.

_________

Either that or Bishop in the future just stole Donnie and experimented on him for fun and science or something. And I just wasted a lot of your and my time for nothing~

Everything I've written here could be complete nonsense haha. And I'm not even sure I used half the terms correctly, because translating things from English into my native language and then translating back is tedious. But I hope that at least this post will be fun to reread when the fanfic plot moves on and mysteries are solved lmao

[alliepretends]

Briefly returning to this blog because I feel like I'm going to explode if I don't find a place to say this where it might be heard.

I feel uncomfortable and disappointed by the way the D20 fandom, and even the players, have responded to the Riz and Skolanda conversation.

It feels like everyone immediately went on the defensive. Endless "she just doesn't get that his friends love him," "look at all this stuff his friends have done for him," "the relationships between the Bad Kids are perfect and they could never take advantage of him." Plus, Ally, Emily, and even to a certain extent Zac immediately shifting how their characters interact with Riz in response to Skolanda's criticism (that their characters wouldn't know about). I generally feel like Brennan tends to get a free pass while players (especially non-male players) get criticized for things that are partly or mostly his fault. But this is the one time that's not the case. It seems to me like he was trying to set up an interesting story. What does it mean for someone like Riz ("very social but weirdly doesn't have any friends," aromantic and desperate to hang on to his first friendships for life, a workaholic) to not really be able to set boundaries with his friends? How does that lead to situations where even loving and well-intentioned friends are taking advantage of him (getting him to write their essays for him, making him adapt to a nickname that was originally used to bully him, sacrificing sleep and mental health in the name of maintaining his relationship to them/helping with what he understands to be their goals)? It's not a pretty story. It's a story where everyone (including Riz) has to admit to some wrongdoing. And everyone has to change their behavior. But it has the potential to be a great story! In a way that "everyone is great, Riz's mom just doesn't get it" doesn't. It would be one thing if Brennan was having this come out of nowhere. But he's not. There has always been an expectation among the Bad Kids that Riz and Adaine will do the bulk of the labor. That Riz will put up with it when his friends make fun of him or seem to use him as a means to an end ("are you just the little thing that finds the clues").

It's a good story. Or at least, a good idea for a story. I get that it could end up in a place may feel too much like pvp for some players. And if they decide to dodge it for that reason then that's fair. But if the reaction to it is just "How dare someone accuse my (teenage) favorite character of not being emotionally aware enough to realize when they are taking advantage of a vulnerable friend?" I don't know how we can expect these stories to be particularly emotionally nuanced or complex. Or really having anything valuable to say at all. It's not a bad thing if the Bad Kids have unhealthy relationships. It's not a bad thing if the Bad Kids are imperfect perfect people. It's probably better storytelling if those relationships are being prompted to actually grow and change for the better. And I'm sad that the situation seems to be that we'd rather shield these characters from any criticism than be excited about maybe seeing them grow

[fishsticksloser]

Leo SFW HCs

Warnings: opinions, fluff

A/N: I can't seem to catch a break from my migraines...

Raph | Mikey | Donnie

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Very affectionate.

At least word wise. He loves telling you how much you mean to him. Loves complimenting you until you're a bright red, stuttering mess. [Rizz of a god]

His second (and far second) love language is Acts of Service. Leo likes doing this for you.

B = Body part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

His face? Pretty boy knows how stunning he is.

Your hands. Especially if you have more fingers than him, he loves playing with them and how your hands look when your fingers are intertwined.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Maybe not cuddles so much, except when he's sick or just not feeling his best.

Leo likes to be close to you more than anything though. Rubbing his face against yours (red eared sliders do this to show affection).

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

He definitely wants to settle down. But does he deserve it? He tells himself no.

He's very good at cleaning, have you seen his room? In the common areas, he tends to be messy.

Can't make toast, but can make very complex dishes. Leo just hates doing so.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

He'll try to make it lighthearted, he doesn't want to hurt you.

He'd make sure you 2 were alone, doesn't want to make you anxious. Leo would be kind though. Hopefully coming to a mutual end rather than it being one sided.

F = Fiancé(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

He wants to settle down, but isn't sure he's ready, believes he has to make up for what happened with the Kraang. His teenage years were stolen due to all the baddies they fought, he wants to explore.

Leo would definitely have a conversation with you about settling down before asking you to marry him. It's important.

It might take a few years.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Physically it flops back an forth. He loves wrestling/rough housing, but he can also be very gentle.

When wrestling, he lets you win most of the time because he loves your attitude afterwards.

He's not as emotionally adept as Raph and Mikey, but he's considerably more than Donnie. He can sometimes be a little rough with your emotions, but tends to be pretty gentle.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Leo loves hugs. He hugs you everytime you guys meet up.

He loves hugging you from behind if you're working on something and rubbing his face against yours. He also loves picking you up and spinning you around.

His hugs are soft, he doesn't squeeze too hard.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Says it on accident one day.

He knew the moment he laid eyes on you that he'd marry you some day, he's immediately smitten.

Leo was going to make it romantic. But one day, a few months after you guys started dating, you both were goofing off and it just slipped.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

He doesn't get jealous very easily. Normally he just feels a little insecure.

Once he is though, whoever has your attention better watch out.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Switches constantly between sweet, chaste kisses and full on passionate make out sessions.

He loves kissing your face, all over. Especially when you laugh when he does so.

Leo likes when you kiss his markings on his arms and face. Mostly the ones on his face, he finds it very sweet.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

He's good around children. He took good care of Mikey and Donnie when they were younger.

Leo feels he has a good grasp on understanding kids.

He's still debating on whether he wants his own or not.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Lazy morning. He gets up late in the mornings, 9-11am.

If he wakes up earlier, he'll lazily kiss you, snuggling closer until it's time to get up.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Insomniac. He doesn't sleep until really late/early morning, 11pm-3am.

If he's been trying to sleep for too long, he'll go to Donnie's lab and "listen" to him talk about whatever he's working on.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Pretty open. Leo wants you to know as much as possible without putting you in danger.

After he's revealed as much as he feels comfortable with, he'll ask if you still want to be in the relationship.

More personal things come as time goes on.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

It seems like he doesn't get angry at all, but he just keeps it all inside.

It only comes out when he feels attacked and can't hold it in anymore.

He yells and cries when it boils over.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Great memory.

Leo remember almost every single little detail, especially your favorite things.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

The moment he laid eyes on you.

Your first kiss.

Your first "I love you."

The look on your face the first time he let you win when wrestling.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Very protective, not as much as Raph-a-la but pretty close.

He gives you a lot of outs, he wants you to be safe. Leo hides very dangerous things, but ultimately it's your choice to stay.

He just needs you with him.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

All out.

He's a hopeless romantic, he goes to extreme lengths for date nights and everything.

To the point he'll make plans thousands of miles away and portal you there (ie a different country)

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Makes jokes to cope with his trauma. And acts like it isn't a big deal. Leo also refuses to go see Dr. Feelings about this.

He hates talking about he feels, especially his depression and anger.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Very concerned.

He wants to look his absolutely best for you. Both his clothes and his body.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Leo would do anything for you. Move mountains, bring you the moon.

Anything.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

He loves hearing you laugh and will do anything to hear it.

Very dramatic. If you make fun of him he'll act like he's been shot and die.

He hates Roblox, but plays it to bully kids.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Same as Raph, don't be mean to his brothers (especially Mikey) and there will be no issues.

Please don't bring up the Kraang invasion... He still has flashbacks due to it and its terrifying.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

He moves so much in his sleep. Sometimes he ends up with his feet where his head should be.

Blanket hog. You guys have to have separate blankets.

[still-a-morosexual-help]

I just read Mammon's The Guardian Demon devilgram. Adorable! Mammon is top tier dad. My mc will fight those witch and raise that girl in Devildom with her father as God (or whatever obey me verison of God is) intended! I need dad Mammon in my life right now. Does the game mention his daughter more in other stuff?

Also Imma punch Solomon in the face. Sometimes this game makes it really hard to like Solomon. Why is he written to go out of his way to put down Mammon!? Yes, all of his brothers do it, but at least they know him and care about him when they're not being shitheads to each other. Why does Solomon have so much beef with Mammon? I'm not saying he can't, because everyone does. But idk it feels more aggressive when it comes from Solomon. Maybe it's because I haven't seen much of his character aside from the devilgrams and pop quizzes.

-💙🐏

Yes!! Definitely one of my favourite devilgrams! Outside of the Devilgram they mention her in S1 and in S3, I believe, Mammon mentions the three witches and going up to the human world frequently to meet them

Okay so about Solomon,

-> He thinks in a very practical way rather than an emotional way and, though his constant smile and upbeat attitude may not show it, he's rather cynical (the complete opposite of Mammon). We see this a lot in Nightbringer, where he's constantly preparing for a fight between the human world and other two realms and is heavily skeptical when MC talks about making the other two realms see humans as equals without it leading to a fight.

-> He talks about how demons (and angels) look down on humans and about wanting to make them see humans as equals but he himself seems to see demons as lesser than humans. He somewhat admits this in s3? s4? where he says he only started seeing demons as friends recently. But even this doesn't stop him from collecting them and trying to use them as weapons against their own people if he needs to

-> Solomon has lived a long time and it's made him very stuck in his belief that demons (and angels) see humans as lesser beings and nothing, other than proving it wrong through force, will change that. Even though we do see the attitudes of demons changing slowly throughout s1-4 with Diavolo's pilot exchange program

-> Solomon doesn't really have any family members or even close friends when he's first introduced in S1. The closest people to him are Asmo, Barbatos and Thirteen and we already know that he didn't see the demons he had pacts with as friends until recently. So that just leaves Thirteen, with whom he has a very atypical friendship. They care about each other but they wouldn't put each other before anything else. He doesn't seem to have the best understanding on what typical (specially familial) relationships are like. This is why Solomon initially believes that MC, being human, would be like him and pick the safety of humanity over their loved ones. When almost any average human would tell you that they'd pick their loved ones over countless faceless strangers - something even Nightbringer knew

So Mammon's whole deal with the witches for the sake of some human child probably made him very skeptical. And so he tries to break it down to something that's more understandable to him, something that fits within his belief system

Eg: "Oh she's not excited to see Mammon because she sees him like a family member she just has a silly little kiddie crush on him"

^ Which is an insane thing for him to say, specially when both Mammon and MC (two of the most emotionally intelligent characters in om!) instantly pick out the fact that the girl sees Mammon as a father figure

But Solomon interprets it like a crush because crushes make sense. You can have a crush on a demon, specially if they helped you out. Hell, there are demons specifically there for you to have crushes on like Asmo and the succubi and incubi. But for a demon and a human to see each other as family? That's strange

Anyway Solomon is such a complex and interesting character, there's just so much you can unpack there, but I tried to keep this short as possible

[fluffydice]

I'm bored so I'm bothering you. Do you have any Saiki K psykickers headcannons you feel like sharing? It's ok if not 🥰

What have you done,,,

I don't have any specific headcanons, but I can talk a bit about their dynamics because I've thought (and written) about it more (and we'll inevitably get headcanons mixed in!)

The Pyskickers are interesting characters all on their own, but when you put them together, you get a mess that really shouldn't work as well as it does. Which is. The same for most ND friend groups asdfghjkl

A big thing that's important to me about them is that they have to be able to work without Saiki. Maybe not be functional, competent humans—especially because, like all of Saiki's friends, the more they group up the more braincells they lose—but they need to work as a friend group. Saiki, unlike with his other friend group, doesn't always feel the need to babysit the Psykickers. Toritsuka, maybe, but he's in a weird spot since he joined so early. Saiki and him were the only ones for a while, so he's kinda an in-between. But for the most part, Aiura and Akechi are usually actively helping Saiki with something. Toritsuka, too, even if 7/10 he's being threatened and/or bribed, 2/10 he's trying to help but failing—him succeeding that 1/10 already puts him in a separate category than most of Saiki's friends.

I went on a tangent there; point being, Saiki isn't constantly mother-henning and helicopter-ing them. Ergo, Saiki can't be the only reason they stick together. I don't want Saiki to be the only reason they stick together in my writing, mainly because I do like reinforcing the fact that not everything is about him—even if it's subtle. Things happen around him that Saiki is not always privy to, and this includes his fellow and honorary psychics' dynamics.

Akechi and Aiura are easy for me. Funnily enough, despite likely having the best relationship, even including Saiki, I have little to say about them. It's likely because they lack a lot of the complexity the others have: they're just really fucking cool with each other, and get along swimmingly. Honestly, when I write them, it's often with at least a hint of a romantic undertone. They're comfortable with each other physically and emotionally. Akechi trusts Aiura's judgement on when he should keep it short out of necessity, not because he's being annoying. Aiura thinks Akechi is wicked as hell, and also trusts his value judgements on people and situations.

From a literary standpoint, Aiura as a character tends to get in over her head and overly emotionally-invested in things—Akechi can provide a good counterbalance to ensure things can remain on track in the story, as well as help avoid any potential mini-conflicts that might arise from characters clashing due to simple communication incompatibility.

Speaking of communication incompatibility, Toritsuka and Aiura are full of it. Despite them seemingly being the most similar on the surface-level, their motivations, intentions, and moralities conflict. A lot. Take this scene I wrote of them, for example:

“Of course they were mad! You can’t just act like you don’t have emotions whenever you feel like it. Or, if you do, you can’t get depressed when they start treating you like it.” “If you don’t shut up,” Aiura hissed, grabbing a fistful of his sleeve. Toritsuka yanked his arm away to no avail, then settled for glaring at her. “I’m gonna—"

Here, we have Toritsuka actually making a good point about something; it's his wording that muddles it up. Aiura is quick to defend against him because she's protective of her loved ones, and is also aware that their beliefs differ sharply. Neither are quite in the wrong here; or, neither of them are any more right than the other. Aiura is right to assume the worst because that's typically what Toritsuka shows. Toritsuka is right to point things out about the situation. These are the mini-conflicts that Akechi smooths over by being essentially a bridge between their ways of communicating:

“Wait, Mikoto,” Akechi piped up. His fingers were in front of his mouth, his thumb cupping his chin, in a classic sign of thinking. “The wording was harsh, admittedly, but Reita is, in fact, not wrong.”

At the end of the day, though, they are friends. Aiura might be a tiny bit more willing to admit it, but both her and Toritsuka do care about each other. When they work together, big things happen. They just need a bit of oil to help smooth things along between them. Most of their dynamic, however, comes from their utility in stores:

From a literary standpoint, Toritsuka helps balance out Aiura's optimism to a reasonable point. Saiki's cynicism is often a big contributor to conflicts in my stories—he's unreliable, both in dialogue and in narration. Toritsuka is a milder version of that cynicism (albeit rough around the edges). Aiura can't always be right about the way of things, but Akechi is too prone to taking the middle ground; essentially, pointing out all the benefits to her way of thinking while also providing the downsides. Sometimes, though, it's necessary to just have someone completely shut it down, and fast. That's where Toritsuka comes in.

Also, Toritsuka and Aiura often act as the representation of the doubts and hopes of Saiki, respectively. They're essentially foils to each other, which is helpful when your main character is a hot-and-cold tempered little bitch. A sort of good-cop bad-cop for him, if you will. By having them verbally duke it out, it helps guide the reader a bit about what's true about Saiki's view and what's distorted by his way of thinking. Chances are, if they manage to agree, it's a lesson he's going to have to learn.

And finally, Akechi and Toritsuka. Though they're comfortable with each other to an extent, they lack the romantic undertones I put in for Akechi and Aiura. Akechi makes Toritsuka uncomfortable: it's hard to argue with him, for one, and he often calls out Toritsuka in a way that's hard to hide from. Akechi is the most successfully mentor-like to Toritsuka out of the rest of them—Aiura is too automatically competitive and Saiki can smother. There's also the fact that Toritsuka can sometimes trigger his trauma in certain ways, so Saiki tends to lash out. Akechi, however, is patient and steady. Anything Toritsuka says rolls off of him like water. Akechi is hard to catch off guard with words or actions, and deep down, Toritsuka really does need stability and an unwavering personality to help him grow as a person. I think Toritsuka is fascinating to Akechi as well, as I don't think Akechi is a naturally sexual being. He's not averse, but the kind of brain-rotted attraction and horniness that Toritsuka often exhibits can teach Akechi a lot about other people. The biggest thing that Toritsuka offers Akechi is a better understanding of other people. His down-to-earth nature can help Akechi connect his practical knowledge about psychoanalysis and anthropology to actual people.

From a literary standpoint, Akechi acts as a milder reign for Toritsuka. Aiura may be right to disagree with him, but sometimes a defter explanation is needed than Aiura's often emotion-driven responses. This is where Akechi comes in, especially because Toritsuka's language and laziness can make it seem as though he's not to be trusted as a rational view. He is, and Akechi helps uncover that.

Also, Toritsuka can sometimes act as the audiences natural reaction to Akechi's tangents. Akechi obviously likes to ramble, but Aiura won't interrupt him and Saiki won't confront people. Toritsuka cuts through a lot of that easily and naturally, which helps keep them both in character while still allowing the story to move on.

Overall, it's kind of easy to see what utility I get out of these characters. Akechi is an intermediary who bridges gaps of understanding, both between characters and the audience and the happenings of the story. Aiura is the outgoing one, the one to get things started. She provides a force against Saiki's heavily biased world-view and acts as a moral compass for her group. Toritsuka helps cut through a lot of bullshit and acts as healthy dosage of reality these personalities need to keep their heads on straight.

Plus, I think they're in an unofficial QPR. So.