#it has deep flaws and a lot of remarkable aspects

[husbandhannie]

what gets me the most about the nct dream thing is that it was an edited video and not a live.....someone okay'ed these comments

[starlight-archer]

@netflix

Greetings,

I am writing to you with hope in my heart, to implore you, from the bottom of my heart and with the utmost sincerity, to please reconsider your decision to cancel your critically acclaimed new show Dead Boy Detectives.

This show has touched a lot of people's hearts and souls, my own included. It has generated countless rave reviews, massive online buzz and an amazingly active and dedicated fan base that continues to grow.

This series has done something truly incredible and meaningful, and I think you have something remarkably special with Dead Boy Detectives. I have so many reasons why this show is worthy of your investment, faith, and more than worthy of a second season. In this letter, I will attempt to narrow it down and list a few of them.

Firstly, a fantastic foundation has already been laid down from the start with it's incredibly compelling and well-rounded characters. Each of them feels very nuanced, natural and whole in a way that succeeds in making them all widely relatable despite their distinct individuality and complex differences.

There is a rare kind of beauty to the way that these characters have all been written and then brought to life by the cast in such a genuine and heartfelt manner.

Secondly, the natural and loving way in which POC, women and queer people are represented is second to none.

You have an amazing example of a strong and powerful female lead in Crystal. She is layered and does her best to be better than she was in the past. She is realistically flawed and so resilient that it is impossible not to root for her. She is smart and empathetic, and puts in effort to understand her friends, even when they butt heads.

The fact that her powers can never truly be taken away and that she can always connect to them through herself and through the support and live of her female ancestors is a thoroughly wonderful detail that leaves you with a deep sense of hopefulness.

Niko, who is far from home and starts off all alone after losing her father, finds kinship and courage through the support of her friendships with Crystal, Edwin and Charles,and shows her unwavering strength through her continual acts of natural kindness. She is sharp and observant, and she utilises that yo be amazingly caring.

Charles' story is also incredibly relatable and meaningful. The way that he overcomes his painful history with his parents through kindness, and does this again and again, despite still dealing with so much trauma and hurt is astounding. I, and many others long to see his story at continue.

Now, Edwin and his relationship with his queer identity...

The way in which the queer representation has been handled in Dead Boy Detectives is leagues above the vast majority of other shows that share its target audience. It feels so authentic. Something which is unfortunately hard to come by, which this show pulls off spectacularly.

Edwin's personal journey with his sexuality is done with so much care and raw honesty that it is impossible not to appreciate everyone in the writers room who was responsible. George Rextrew's portrayal of Edwin in this aspect (and frankly all other aspects) was simply phenomenal. The way that he discovers more of himself through his relationships with his peers is done so incredibly well. Charles, Crystal, Niko, Monty and The Cat King all play a significant role on his self-discovery - be it directly or through showing their support - in a way that I am sure many of the queer viewers long for and relate to.

There are so, so many people who feel seen because of Dead Boy Detectives, myself among them, and that is something that is immensely and inherently valuable.

Furthermore, the realistically nuanced way in which the show depicts the characters dealing with different kinds of grief and trauma is unbelievably refreshing. To show each unique situation and natural, emotional and internal responses in a way so grounded in reality is a true achievement. One that every member of the cast and crew should be celebrated for. As someone who has experienced tremendous loss, I can confidently say that the way these things are depicted in the show is highly accurate and resonant.

Aside from these aspects, I am of the firm belief that timing and lack of appropriate promotion harmed the number of streams in its initial days of release. It was put out right before/during exam time from American viewers, meaning that all of the teens who might have been binge-watching, were stuck cramming for tests. Additionally, while I do think that focusing so much fantastic promotion and marketing on Tumblr was a stroke of genius, not matching that across other platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok was a gross oversight that significantly limited reach and harmed viewership.

All of this on consideration, please, please reconsider the cancellation. Dead Boy Detectives has so much potential and deserves a real chance to grow and succeed.

There are thousands of people who share my sentiments of devastation and disappointment, but also hope and massive amounts of love.

It is well evidenced that sharing this show has created a wonderful communuty and brought droves of people together. Drives which I am sure that you have seen sharing their sorrow, frustration, and their dedication across social media.

Saving Dead Boy Detectives is worthwhile and just makes sense at this point, especially given it's role as an extended part of your well-established hit IP The Sandman, and the current proximity to Halloween, when a show about ghosts will be so seasonally and culturally relevant.

I am begging you, alongside thousands of others to bring Dead Boy Detectives back for a Season 2. Please hear our voices and restore our faith in you as a platform.

It is not too late.

#SaveDeadBoyDetectives

Sincerely, one of countless dedicated fans.

"It's not what you did, it's what you do that matters." - Edwin Payne (to Crystal, The Case of The Devil House)

[broomsick]

regarding your "we aren't meant to fear the Gods" - I agree, but do have any advice on how not to fear them? There's someone who's called out to me and I want to work with him, but he honestly kind of intimidates me

Hi there!

This is quite the relevant question, and I’m actually glad you asked. To be honest with you, this sort of nervousness is part of so, so many aspects of our lives. To feel intimidated before stepping into something new is inevitable, at least for most of us. But we are also nervous before making a new friend, or traveling somewhere new! Taking the leap is what makes the difference. So before diving into detail, I’ll give you this first piece of advice: if you want to work with this deity, take the leap!

I can tell you that being intimidated by the divine is a fully natural reaction, and it’s not one that’s meant to be stamped down or ignored. The nerves are your way to protect yourself in the face of the unknown. The process of trusting a deity works in the same way as trusting a new friend. See it this way: working with a new deity is exactly like meeting somebody new! You don’t need to jump head first into a deep connection. You can take it step by step, and most importantly, allow yourself to stumble and learn with time.

You’re allowed to start at the beginning: by introducing yourself, even if it seems silly! There’s no such thing as embarrassment before the Gods. And in my personal opinion, if this deity has reached out to you in some way, then they are already interested in knowing you! Talk to them about yourself and what you know about them!

If it helps, I’ll tell you something that I’ve learned after years of being polytheistic. The Gods are remarkably like us. I know I’m repeating something that I’ve mentioned in previous posts, but bear with me. They are as beautiful as they are flawed, and they are not all-powerful. They have their own personalities and presences, just like we do. And more importantly: they are nothing to be afraid of. In my experience, and I’m sure lots of fellow pagans would agree, they are warm, kind and caring. No deity will be angry at you for wanting to work with them. Lots of them have been worshipped for centuries after all! They are eager to guide and to help.

Now, I’ve tried not to make this post too long, but I’ve written down a few ideas of things you could engage in in order to loosen your nerves!

Write him a letter! Something to introduce yourself and share your thoughts about him, as well as your concerns.

Look into other people you know who have worshipped him, if there are. How have they experienced his presence?

Send him a short prayer, and stay in tune with how praying to him generally feels.

Play some ambient noises, or ambient music, close your eyes and meditate on him. How do you picture him? What feelings do you associate with him? Just spend a moment fully focusing on your perception of him as a God.

Start incorporating a few elements of his worship into your daily life! For example if he’s associated with a particular animal, then carry a representation of this animal around (same thing goes for any of his symbolism).

Start noticing what songs remind you of him, and why. You might even make a playlist using these songs!

You could also start noticing what activities remind you of him, and invite him to join you (I practice I engage in and which I’ve detailed here).

I hope my little response helps you gather the courage to take this leap. Deity work is rewarding beyond words, no matter the deity. All are so different and all have so much to teach.

[thekingofwinterblog]

Varric Tethras - The Proud Dwarf

So it's not a big secret that the best companion Bioware ever created was Varric Tethras, the lovable rogue, crossbowman, author and handsome Viscount of Kirkwall.

There are ao many reasons to love Varric, but one I don't see much discussed, is the subtle, and contradictory relationship Varric has with his own race, the Dwarves of Thedas.

Varric makes it a point of always putting his seeming disdain for his own people out in the open, always making it clear how much he dislikes the traditional Dwarven culture, wqy of life and so on.

He describes Orzammar, one of the great wonders of the world as cramp tunnels filled with shit and body odor, he never fails to mention how much he hates the deep roads, and he often mocks dwarven pride at any opportunity with his usual wit and charm.

On the surface, Varric might seem like he has a lot in common with Sera and her racist views on all elvhen kind, but that really, really is not the case.

Because under that exterior of seeming disdain, is a man who both understands Dwarven Culture in all it's flaws, but also loves it and hates it in equal measures.

Varric has always made it clear how much he loved the Hanged man, and essentially made his room there his office, his real home away from the uber dwarfish merchant guild.

And do you know what he fills it with?

The dwarfiest architecture you can imagine. Varric has a dwarf table, a noble dwarf chair, dwarven artwork on the wall, and even a dwarven stone bed.

All expensive and traditional stuff which he would have had to had personally paid for to transport into this room out of his own pocket.

Varric for all his harsh words on the Dwarven people, WANTS to live in a home that looks utterly Dwarven.

The most obvious moment that puts Varric's love for his dwaf ancestry on full display is of course the act 2 quest from da2, where he and an insane(temporary lucid) Bartrand has a heart to heart where both puts their real feelings on the tragedy of their situation on display.

Varric chastises Bartrand for in his madness having thrown away every bit of his dwarven nobility and honor on a stupid trinket, and Bartrand ends up begging his brother not to let house Tethras fall with him, in this display of utter madness and dishonor.

The entire thing is a deeply tragic display where the two brothers show that deapite all their differences, they really did love each other deeply, as well as the fact they had a shared love of their ancestry as Orzammar Nobility.

Of course Varric almost never comes out and says it nearly this clearly anywhere else, as showcased in another side quest where you give him back the Tethras family signet ring that Bartrand had to pawn to finance the expedition.

He doesn't come out and say it, instead focusing on the bad aspects of Orzammar in this quest, but unless hawke is rivaling him when he gives him the quest, varric has a huge approval boost in response to getting his family ring back, showing the thing really did mean a lot to him, despite his disparaging it and Orzammar in said quest.

Later, in Inquisition, Varric never misses a chance to badmouth Orzammar and tradition, but he reacts with incredible sadness at the prospect of Orzammar one day possibly falling.

When Solas asks him about Dwarven literature, and whether there is a lot of Dwarven tricksters, varric gives a smartass remark summing it up as Dwarves tend to write how they want the world to be, while humans write how they think the world is, eith the latter being clearly superior.

It's a good scene, but it has a deeper meaning that ties into Varric's deeper views on Dwarven culture.

Varric knows how Dwarves write, because he has read Dwarven liturature, and understands it completely as both a dwarf, a reader, and a writer, and how it in turn differs from human literature.

For all his grumbling on dwarves in Orzammar being obsessed with their ancestors, he himself is the exact same way as shown in legacy when you find the original Tethras and gives him to the stone, able to shortly remember every bit of his own family lore on the spot and being moved to tears by the tragedy of it all.

Varric defends both surface dwarves and Orzammar dwarves against Solas accusation that they have given up against the darkspawn threat, though in his usual way, he makes it out like surface dwarves are clearly superior.

Varric genuinely loves and cares about so much of Dwarven culture and history, and he understands it deeply.

Which in turn also is the reason he genuinely hates so much about it.

Like all of the DA2 companions, Varric has something he is deeply, deeply obsessed with, something that drives him as a person, and motivates his actions through the entire story. The difference between him and everyone else, is that this obsession never reached a conclusion, because Varric doesn't get to actually face it, and confront it.

That obsession is, of course, the Dwarven Merchant Guild.

Varric HATES the Dwarven Merchant guild, and though he uses his regular humor to portray it, in this case it's actually the opposite of the way he will always be critical of the Dwarven people. Because Varric hates the guild far, far more than he ever pretends to hate Orzammar.

Varric always talks of how shitty the guild is, how it embodies the absolute worst parts of dwarven culture, and essentially how it ruined Bartrand from ever being able to function as anything other than a cutthroat businessman. He time, and time, and time again, refuses to interact with the guild, breaks the law hard to not have to participate, and all in all cold shoulders them and their cutthroat culture completely.

There is a very important, significant moment in act 3, that is incredibly easy to miss, but completely recontextualizes varric's entire motivation for wanting the deep roads expedition.

Varric talks about the real reason why Bartrand wanted to go through with the expedition, of how it represented the one chance he had to get AWAY from the guild forever, just by being rich enough he no longer had to deal with them anymore.

Varric portrays it as Bartrand's big wish and motivation, hut it's incredibly obvious if one pays attention that this was a wish the two brothers actually shared, a mutual desire in the world. Which in turn is one of the reasons why Varric is so incredibly angry at his brother when he goes off the deep end due to the idol and betrays them.

Him and Bartrand got into this venture to finally, once and for all get out of having to deal with the worst parts of surface Dwarf society, and here his brother seemingly willingly turned his back on all of that, showing the only thing he ever cared about was pure greed.

In other words, everything both he and Bartrand hated about the Merchant Guild.

Varric hates the Caste system. He hates the division between surface and "regular" dwarves, and he thinks Orzammar's nobility has a collective stick up it's ass. And yet despite all of that, he loves the Dwarves. He loves the idea of nobility and the ideals it is supposed to represent, he loves Dwarven architecture, their grand ability to make shit, and the incredible grit and romanticism about the Dwarves long, unending struggle against the darkspawn.

The only part of Dwarven society Varric has no love for, is the Merchant Guild. It is Orzammar's nobility without anything resembling virtues, nobles who lost their caste, and yet still enforces a brutal hierarchy of blood, and cares for no ideals, no honor, no cause, except for the clink of money.

Varric is such a deep character, and I really wish that in the future, we get to see this aspect of him fleshed out even more.

[necrotic-nephilim]

What do you think of alfred/bruce?

!!! good question, i love them so dearly.

shipping Bruce can get difficult when you want to put him in the position of submission. it's not impossible and there are characters you can make him submit (Clark and Diana are the obvious choices) but they're not characters who would any significant power over him, so for the fun of like, fucked up power play, unless you're doing something like an Injustice or Justice Lords AU, it's hard. so if you want to ship Bruce with someone who holds an implicit power over hi him and has the rare ability to tell him what to do, the answer is Alfred. which is just so fun.

because i personally really enjoy putting Bruce in a submissive role. it's a subversion of what you expect out of him, and subverts a lot of his key character traits. he's someone who *requires* control as a part of his personal regiment, part of his mission. he doesn't like to give it up, and he won't give it up to just anyone. when he does give it up, it's always conditional. the few times he gives someone like Dick control, he always takes it right back. Alfred is one of, if not the only person who has full control over Bruce. he can tell Bruce what to do, and Bruce will listen. it's still not perfect and Bruce will go against him, but largely, he can and will exert that control when he feels it's necessary. so that's so fun to play with romantically. especially with the aspect of him not only raising Bruce, but knowing Bruce practically his whole life. Alfred has just always Been There. he's a constant pillar.

and i had an interesting conversation with a mutual about how Alfred's life pretty much revolves around Bruce. Alfred will toss aside his own blood family (Julia) to prioritize Bruce. how Alfred behaves around the rest of the Batfam is defined by their relationship to Bruce and his love for them is often just an extension of his love for Bruce. it's complete devotion from Alfred, and if you make it romantic, it immediately borders on obsession. there's no. "healthy" version of this ship and that's the fun of it. especially if it's a Year One type era, where it's just the two of them. but it's also fun to introduce the rest of the Batfam and see their reactions to it. how long they take to notice, what they feel about it, etc.

these two are so intertwined in a very similar Batman/Robin way, in that most superhero spoofs have a butler for a reason- you just can't separate Bruce from Alfred unless you're willing to kill one of them off. we treat Alfred like this kindly old man who's just there to make tea and witty remarks, but in reality this man is a war vet who served in MI-5. he's rough around the edges in a way that if he and Bruce had met under any other circumstances, they likely wouldn't get along. Alfred has killed people in combat, he has no reason to believe in a no-kill rule and would see the flaws in it. but it's *Bruce*, a man he's been devoted to since the Waynes died. someone Alfred watched grow up.

if i were to personally write them together, i'd have them get together after Bruce leaves and trains for years. because who Bruce is when he leaves Gotham and who he is when he returns are two very different people. and Alfred still lives him wholly, but this isn't a traumatized boy anymore, this is a man who's systematically turned himself into a weapon. and so when Alfred agrees to help, it comes with a natural relationship that's complicated and has built-in fucked up power dynamics. Alfred is the one person who can get away with telling Bruce what to do, killing for Bruce, and taking care of him when he's emotionally vulnerable. there's a deep level of trust in all of that so i really love it and wish we had more of it. you can take it to the extreme dead dove end of things, or play with it in a more domestic sense and both. both are good.

[aortaobservatory]

Hi :] Very happy you started this classpect questionnaire thing, I was trying to figure it out for quite a while. Here are my answers: 1. What is most important to you? Indulging in my creative hobbies, such as crocheting, sewing, drawing. Stuff that requires me to sit for hours repeating essentially the same thing. Having lots of alone time. I love solitude and I need to have my own personal isolated space in which I feel most comfortable. 2. Why is this important to you? Because it gives me comfort and stability. I feel like I'm in my element, and I want to stay there for the rest of time. I "replenish my battery" when I'm completely alone, and social interaction drains it very very fast. 3. Why do you do what you do? I know that I'm good at what I do, I've been into art since I was born, and it's an important, if not the main driving force of my life. I couldn't live without being able to draw something at least once a day. And the art I do is for myself, for me to put in my room, for me to enjoy doing it. 4. What frustrates or upsets you most?

This question was he hardest to me, I can't really think of any specific thing that frustrates or upsets me the most. I seem to accept a lot of things, I'm not very upset about anything unless it directly meddles with what's important to me, like for example keeps me away from indulging in my hobbies. I usually brush off hateful comments or any kind of remarks about what I like, I don't dwell on them continue doing my thing. Everyone is entitled to have their own opinion about it, but in the end what matters to me is that I like it. So as long as someone/something doesn't directly, physically disturb it, I'm fine. But even if something upsets me, I still forgive pretty fast. 5. What is in your way? What are your flaws? How do you overcome this? I have trouble expressing my thoughts. A lot of times, the point I want to make is more like a feeling, an emotion, or a visualization. It frustrates me that I can't put it all into words. When I do try to explain, I do it in a roundabout way and in the end nothing really makes sense. I struggle to trust people and don't expect too much of them, as well as feeling empathy towards someone in a bad situation. Most of the time. I'm like "oh well, it is what it is", even though I do try to empathize. I'm very passive and indifferent to many things around me, that are outside of my range of interest, and I forget about stuff that I need to do "in real life". 6. Are you okay with that? Mostly. I have a mentality of "everyone has their own flaws, nobody's perfect, all we can do is accept them". I don't really try to overcome my flaws. I can identify them in me, but that's all. I know that I could overcome them if I pushed myself to change, but I do nothing about it.

(journey of creation, crochet repetition -> Space-Time), Breath

(desire to stay in the journey, no ending goal? -> Space-Time), Breath (weak inverse -> Blood)

(Embodiment, deep knowledge -> Heir-Mage), (Self-assured -> Witch), (If knowledge is self-assured, then -> Witch-Seer), (surrounded by aspect -> Witch-Seer OR Heir)

(passive? -> Heir), (confident? -> Witch)

(inverse -> Time), Breath

(unchanging? -> Heir), (content in the self? -> Witch)

[Questionnaire]

Right away, you struck me as one bound to Space-Time. While I tend to focus on Space's other traits within my blog (as they are oft neglected), many say that Space is the aspect of art, and they are not incorrect. Art is, itself, a journey of creation. I believe that to draw so often as you do is to do so for the process of making (Space), rather than what comes of it (Time). You do so for the journey, rather than the ending goal.

You have some wisps of Breath, and you have a weak inverse in Blood - particularly, you favor your isolation (Breath), and are indifferent towards others (Blood). As well, you tend to be detached, and social interaction with others tires you very quickly. You may consider Sylph of Breath, but it is a weak match in my opinion, as Sylphs, even of Breath, are not entirely indifferent to other people. (They merely fear what might destroy their independence.) I'm not sure another Class of Breath has the potential to match what little of Breath-Blood I can see in you.

Mmm. In all honesty, I'm having some trouble. At first, your answers gave me Heir of Space, but I doubt you fit it exactly. You deeply know some things about Time as the inverse Mage would, but a Mage knows both good and bad. A Mage, even an inverse one, is typically even a little bit frustrated with their associated aspect, but you don't mention any negatives regarding this.

However... when I went back through your answers again, I noticed a few more things. You know some things about Time. I now wonder if such knowledge came from voluntary study rather than an involuntary intimate understanding of it via experience. If so, you may be a Witch of Space. Not Jade's kind of Witch of Space, however. The second kind of Witch of Space. Rather than embodying innovation and variation, as Jade did, the second Witch of Space embodies journeys and patience.

How I define Witches is the opposite of an Heir. While Heirs fully embody and perhaps embody too much of their aspect, a Witch does not fully embody and perhaps embodies too little of their aspect because they pick and choose. Typically, classpects can be defined under one basic, vague archetype (classpect definitions, IE, Seer of Heart -> One who Studies Identity). But due to the nature of the Witch, instead of one archetypal kind of Witch, there are at minimum, two. It may be further understood in a more basic sense that while an Heir fully embodies their aspect, a Witch half embodies their aspect (which does mean there can be at least two types of the Witch class within just one aspect, if not more. The Witch class is extremely variant.) Witch of Space (A) -> One who Embodies Variation and Changes Journeys, VS, Witch of Space (B) -> One who Embodies Journeys and Changes Variation.

If you are a Witch, only you can define yourself. Witches (and Seers, for that matter) often have to self-define, because nobody knows them better than themselves. All I can do is provide basic guidelines. Ultimately, you decide what fits.

[yallcantread]

heyy I hope you're doing well, and here's another random and totally-unrelated-to-this-blog question for you

what would you say are your all-time top 10 songs and why? (of artists other than you)

🦋see ya

Great question! Sorry that it took me long to answer this. I really thought about this question for a few days before compiling a list. So since I ramble a lot and seem to over explain, for your sake and mine I’ll offer 3. If you’d like more of my list just ask and I’m happy to oblige.

1. “Feel Good Inc.” by the Gorillaz - This song holds a special place in my heart as it was with me throughout my childhood. Its incredible melody and lyrics stayed with me every waking moment. Music plays a magical role in early childhood development, and despite not recalling much from when I was five, I vividly remember the first time I heard Feel Good Inc. It was during a family trip to New Orleans, and the music video was playing on a television channel, probably MTV. That moment started my obsession with the song, which remains to this day.

Feel Good Inc. introduced me to the genres of alternative rock and alternative rap. Its refusal to take itself too seriously is a significant reason why I adore it. Every aspect of the song is truly unique, unlike anything heard before its release. The lyrics possess an inherent uniqueness that showcases its point without sacrificing originality. Meaning it’s a song that isn’t commercial due to the lyricism, but was still able to become a popular song even without that mainstream commercial appeal. Personally, I struggle with writing music that sometimes sounds overly commercial, or formulaic. It isn’t on purpose but it just allows me to know I’m not trying hard enough. I’m making catchy baseless songs, nothing ground breaking.

Most Gen Z artists seem to emulate existing sounds rather than inventing groundbreaking ones. Even the most popular Gen Z artists of today often resemble replicas of others. However, Feel Good Inc. remains genuine. You can sense the sheer enjoyment the creators had during the recording process, making it an authentic piece of art. The song transitions through different sections, clearly demarcating the chorus and second verse. It’s an extraordinary once in a lifetime song. I’m happy I got to experience it when it came out.

2. “My Girl” by The Temptations - I love their entire discography. This song has been played almost in every single movie, show, and radio station but this song to me is still underrated. I love it. It’s so good. It’s so sweet and genuine. All of the temptations voices just sound perfect together. Papa Was A Rollin Stone and Just My Imagination by the temptations are definitely in my top 50. What I love about it is how David Ruffin first heard the song “My Girl” which was originally for Smokey Robinson and his group “The Miracles” and he begged Smokey Robinson to let the temptations record it. Smokey Robinson eventually gave in and it’s one of the best decisions he’s ever made. The usage of adjectives and metaphors in this song just smooth together so well. It’s a staple in the black community, for understandable reasons. In the Deep South, this song has been played in every single black household. It’s just culture. It’s hard to dislike the song and to find any flaws in it. Smokey Robinson has one of the best pens in music history as well, he wrote “My Girl” for his wife, who is also a miracles member. Claudette Rogers Robinson, bless her. What an amazing and talented individual she is. The song is artistically, culturally, and historically different. Music is amazing.

3. Your Body Is A Wonderland by John Mayer -

“Your Body Is A Wonderland” by John Mayer is, without a doubt, proof to this artist’s remarkable ability to produce awesome songs. When I first received my iPod, my mother, who has been my primary guide into the world of diverse themes and music, graciously provided me with a variety of songs that automatically synced onto my iPod. Among them was John Mayer’s entire discography, which naturally sparked my curiosity and took my interest. Mayer is an individual I deeply admire and find inspiring, as he stands among the greatest living guitar players on Earth today. I often wish I possessed even a fraction of his talent. One of the reasons I adore this particular song is its status as a quintessential pop song. Unlike many idealistic pop songs that heavily rely on beats or partying themes, “Your Body Is A Wonderland” opts for simplicity and relaxation. Its recording, bridge, and background vocals are proportionate, creating a harmonious piece of work that blends in well. The descriptive lyrics allow listeners to envision themselves staying in bed with a lover, cherishing the intimate connection shared between two individuals. It exudes a sense of sensuality without leaning excessively on explicit content. This era of music in the 2000s is often overlooked and underappreciated, despite housing an abundance of gems. Artists like Colbie Caillat, Natasha Bedingfield, Rob Thomas, John Mayer, and Ne-Yo delivered an array of soft pop songs that beautifully blend elements of happiness, sadness, and yearning, leaving an indelible impact. Overall, “Your Body Is A Wonderland” remains a testament to John Mayer’s artistry and showcases the magical ability of well-crafted pop songs to evoke emotions and transport listeners to a place of admiration and connection. I’d have to say Continuum, Room for Squares and Battle Studies are in my top 10 favorite albums. I didn’t know whether or not to mention Your Body Is A Wonderland or Heartbreak Warfare.

And those are 3 from my list. It isn’t my top 3 but just 3 i pulled that I thought would be interesting.

[jesziele]

At first, it was just a spark, a flicker of attraction that grew stronger with each passing day. I found myself thinking about you constantly, daydreaming about the moments we had shared and the moments that were yet to come. And then, before I knew it, I had fallen deep, completely and irrevocable with you. I love the way you make me feel, I feel safe again and comfortable when I’m with a person who truly knows how to love me. I love your quirks, your flaws, and your imperfections, because they are a part of what makes you who you are.

I love the way we fit together, how our lives have intertwined so seamlessly, as if we were meant to be together. I love the way we challenge each other, how we push each other to be our best selves. And I love the way we support each other, how we are always there for each other, no matter what. Falling deep in love with you have been the most beautiful, transformative experience of my life. I thought back then that I’ll stop finding love not until I found someone who knows to love me and deserves me. You have shown me what it means to love unconditionally, to be vulnerable and open-hearted, and to embrace again all of the ups and downs that come with a deep meaningful relationship.

One of the biggest delights of my life is loving you. I always have a smile on my face when I get up for the reason that I know you are there for me. I am appreciative of the ways you enhance my life and feel fortunate to have your affection and company. I admire so many different aspects of you. I keep falling in love with you because of your tender heart, your playful side, your quick wit, and your unaltered support, to name just a few of your qualities. I consider myself fortunate to have discovered someone who, in addition to understanding me, completes me in every way. I am content and pleased when I am with you. The world appears to be more optimistic, and all of my worries have been resolved.

You are my lovely, my girlfriend, and my closest companion. I've learned a lot about myself as a result of falling in love with you. I've developed more empathy and comprehension. I consider myself more lucky to be able to share my experience with you, and I'm dedicated to making sure that you always feel valued and cherished. Although it requires work, showing you the love you deserve is worthwhile. I always make sure to listen to your rants, support you in achieving your aspirations, and show you little acts of love and appreciation throughout the day. Giving you a shoulder and someone to cry on when you’re feeling down, or simply telling you how much you mean to me, I strive to make you feel loved and cherished in every moment.

Seeing you cry because of something I did is a pain I never want to experience again. I know that I have hurt you, and for that I am deeply sorry. Seeing you happy and fulfilled brings me so much joy. When you laugh or smile, my heart swells with happiness. The best compensation I could receive is knowing that I am making a difference in your life. I appreciate how you showed me your love in all of your actions. I value your affection, yes, but I also value the work you put into our relationship. You make an effort to make me feel unique, whether it be by sending me a prose every week, creating beautiful pages, or even by teasing me.

I appreciate your commitment to this relationship and hope to have many more months with you. As the days went by, you adapted to telling me how you felt and what was on your mind. Despite how I might feel, you have become more honest and upfront with me. What really makes you stand out are your comprehension and empathy. Even when we disagree, you have a remarkable capacity for seeing things from other angles, and your willingness to make concessions and look for common ground has been very helpful in overcoming many obstacles. I commit to doing everything in my power to show you the love you deserve as we move forward on our adventure together. I'm excited to share life's struggles with you, grow and fall with you, and celebrate for many more weeks or maybe years to come. Together, let's create a future brimming with love, joy, and laughter.

Happy 1st, my lovey, my girlfriend, my baby and any endearments to speak. You deserve to wake up every morning with a smile on your face and a lightness in your heart. I hope you find this effort of how much you deserve to be loved, appreciated, and cherished, not just by others, but by yourself. I love you, baby. And so, I vow to love you with all I can give, to cherish you every day, and to never take for granted the amazing person you are. Because falling deep in love with you was just the beginning, and I know that our love will only continue to grow stronger with each passing day.

[tharizdun-03]

Bleach Review

I am moving some of my Twitter threads over to Tumblr as well. This is one of them.

First of all, Bleach is cool, alright. It's got that drip. It has a bit of an edgier style to it, the designs are beautiful and stylish, and Kubo is generally just very skilled with the pen (character art is detailed, and the battles are easy to read and striking).

This will be done in a very stream of consciousness, flowing, just getting it all down in one go kind of manner, so excuse me if this isn't very structured or coherent.

First of all, Bleach is cool, alright. It's got that drip. It has a bit of an edgier style to it, the designs are beautiful and stylish, and Kubo is generally just very skilled with the pen (character art is detailed, and the battles are easy to read and striking).

And that's really, I feel, what a battle shonen series should be at its core. It should be fun to read. And then, you know, even if the story isn't anything super innovative, I'm entertained to the degree that I wouldn't be with a non-battle shonen series of the same quality.I wanted to tackle Bleach here, in a kind of, arc to arc manner. 

Which I might still get to, just writing what's coming to mind after all lol, but either way, I wanted to start with just the overall writing, and I feel like I need to bring up Ichigo to highlight.

Let me just start off by saying that I like Ichigo plenty. On just a surface level, I find him to be very refreshing and endearing. The latter compliment fits a lot of the main cast tbh, but especially Ichigo.

It makes the slice-of-life moments we get with them, really enjoyable tbh, more so than I expected them to be based on other shonen I've read, that shall remain nameless for my own sake. Yeah, lovely kid that I really enjoy following along with.

That said, more could've been done, and this applies to the series as a whole. It has a lot of cool concepts, and a lot of storytelling potential, that Kubo often just glosses over, and from my speculation alone, partly because he's just not a good enough writer, and based on interviews, he just has his priorities mixed up sometimes. Let's go back to Ichigo, to illustrate this point. When I was reading Bleach, earlier in the story, I got the impression that Ichigo ties his self-worth to his strength, his ability to protect, which would root back to his childhood trauma, his inability to save his own mother. And that's his main character flaw, getting over that self-destructive mindset. That's great, interesting stuff that Kubo could do there, a lot of potential.

Except, you know, I eventually realized, that's not the case. I was looking too deep into it, cause Kubo gets into any of that. Ichigo's just depressed after losing, cause that's what shonen protagonists are like.

Kubo doesn't explicitly tie this to his trauma, he doesn't make any real connection between it, it's just explored as it normally would've been. Kubo has the elements to do something more here, but he doesn't commit.

Another example of this would be, Aizen. Who I do think is very effective in a presence/personality kind of aspect, but not so much characterization-wise. There have been, small hints, about him in relation to the theme of bonds.

Viewing everything from a hierarchical point of view, wanting to be at the top, of being unable to make personal relationships with other people, and resenting them for the mere thought of emotional investment in others, as he refuses to lower himself to such weakness.

But, this. This is all very barebones, I even have trouble finding panels that explore most of this, cause a lot of it is speculation and headcanon characterization, so to speak, from the breadcrumbs that Kubo has given us.

It's why Ichigo's final remark about Aizen may be having subconsciously lost on purpose because he envied normal bonds comes off as so weak. Because Kubo almost never really focuses on it, we don't get introspection, and we don't get an arc exploring any of it.

And right at the end, he mentioned something about Reio, the soul king, but we got like one sentence about that, and nothing more.

So, when I talk about their characterization like that, it just comes off to me as looking too deep into it, reaching, because the writing is just not that deep.

Which is fine, because Bleach doesn't have to be super deep. It's still a very effective battle shounen overall. Kubo just isn't as interested in the big picture, as I am.

Another example would be Kubo playing around with what hollows and their masks represent metaphorically. He does this a lot in the first arc, which allows him to touch on some heavier topics in a pretty effective manner.

Hollows wear their masks to shield themselves from the outside world. From the fear of having the living people recognizing what they've become, of knowing the evil they've committed. Fear of having connections with other people, hurting them, and being hurt.

It's also why the Arrancars have started to remove their masks, cause they're starting to lose that fear under Aizen's rule, who they don't serve because he's the strongest, but because he's fearless. 

But then, that metaphorical aspect just kind of stops there. This is a bit of a shame, cause the Visored people are introduced, for example, people who can choose when to put on their hollow masks. Would've been interesting to explore what Kubo thinks of that metaphorically. 

This, simplicity, this not going as far as he could've, carries over into most deeper aspects of the story. There should be a lot more moral ambiguity behind Kisuke's actions (putting the Hogyouku in Rukia for example). But because our moral compass is Ichigo, a 15 year old boy who doesn't really care about that kind of stuff, we never really dig into it. There was also the quincy/soul reaper conflict, where there should've been more moral ambiguity. I mean, the whole deal between them was that they disagreed on how to take care of hollows, and the quincies were exterminated because of that. This was an issue that Bleach glossed over even back in the first arc when we meet Uryu, cause it tried to like grossly have his grandad (a Quincy) explain how the soul reapers were justified in their genocide. So, the series just kind of ends up presenting the soul reapers as the good guys and the qunicies as the not good guys, when there are deeper, more complicated aspects to dig into here. But, Bleach doesn't dig into that. I've been told that the novels explore this? Which is great. I will get to them, but, Kubo apparently didn't want to get into that, or dig too much into Yhwach's characterization/motive, cause it'd distract from Ichigo, who he wanted to focus on, which is stupid.

That's kind of that, about that. Uhm, shortly, trying to wrap this up now. Yeah, I've touched upon the first arc already, which I think is pretty effective overall, altho it's the arc I think the least about (could change when it's had time to sit with me).

The Soul Society arc is pretty damn good. Lots of flair, lot of personality. I mean, there's not a lot of interesting praise to dig into here, I feel, but I think it's pretty fucking solid.

There's some, there's a pretty annoying power creep, and some off-hand one-time abilities that get them out of trouble (consistent issue with the series), but other than that, you know, I'm cool with it. The Aizen twist (spoilers lol), is very well done.

The Arrancar arc is long. There are some dropped plot lines (like Orihime planning to destroy the Hogyouku, or Tatsuki having any sort of significant role), and it definitely does recycle some ideas, and some character archetypes from the previous arc that are less interesting here, but honestly, I think I overall liked the Espadas more here than the captains in the Soul Society arc, as antagonists. The Espadas were more visually distinct, and I felt that the better ones (Grimjoww and Ulquiorra) had more interesting characterization and dynamics. Already talked about Aizen, but I think he works super well as a force of nature kind of antagonist, so cool with him.

Now, the Fullbring arc, is by far the best arc. I love getting some more slice-of-life goodness, it has a pretty fantastic twist and goes deeper with its character exploration than any other arc. 

Chad and Orihime both get moments to shine. Ginjo is great, super unpredictable, and works as lovely contrast. Tsukishima's ability is some of the most creative shit ever and his relationship to Ginjo (and the rest of the Fullbringers) actually got me emotional.

You know, it's the Phantom Troupe type beat, lost souls finding a family with each other. That just hits.

And Ichigo, is at his best. Ichigo has always been about wanting to protect his loved ones, so giving that up to defeat Aizen was a huge deal. That was him giving up his shonen protagonist goal, basically. For over a year, he's powerless, and then Ginjo gives him a way to get them back. He trains and trains, to be able to protect his friends again. And as he does this, his family and friends turn on him. 

The only ally he has left is Ginjo, who betrays him at his lowest moment and takes his power, what he needed the most. And it just breaks him, he cries. For the first time, I think even, at least as an adult.

It's just an incredibly strong character moment and gives Ginjo and Tsukishima, who have gone to such lengths to create this personally designed hell to fuck him up, so much oomph. AND RUKIA AAHHH. It's great, best arc.

The Thousand-Year Blood War arc is messy. It has a lot of sudden abilities (several having been retconned), many fights (several that go on for too long which would've hell weekly), and besides Ichigo's backstory and his resolution with his swords, the series never gets into the moral ambiguity or characterization it should've. Yhwach is quite bland, for example. But, you know, it's still a mostly decent battle shonen arc, I'm quite tolerant to asspulls and stuff like that.

It's a light 7 for me, so it's not a really good arc, but I did enjoy it for the most part. So, you know, didn't ruin the series for me or anything. Just not great, but tolerable fun. The last two chapters are pretty bad tho. I don't have an issue with the ships, just, rushed, deus ex machina, unanswered questions, and just pretty uninteresting.

But yeah, I feel like I wanna stop here. I had fun with Bleach. The inevitable Naruto comparison will be brought up, so let me just get it out of the way. I like Naruto as a whole more. It's a solid score higher. I had more fundamental issues with Naruto, so Bleach was more consistently enjoyable, but as a whole, Naruto still did deeper and more interesting things imo. So, there's that. But yeah, pretty fun series. I enjoyed Bleach. I'll be watching the filler movies sometime, and ofc the upcoming anime (which if it doesn't adapt the novels, I'll have to read them then). Yup, that's it. Naruto during 2021. Bleach during 2022. So, I guess One Piece for 2023?

Score: 

Original Twitter Thread: https://twitter.com/Tharizdun03/status/1549030461128802304

[emilyoracle]

How to Make Instantly Likeable Characters: Pt. III

This guide is actually three guides in one!! Aren't you lucky! We are going to discuss:

How to effectively introduce a character

How to get readers emotionally invested in a character as quickly as possible

How to make a new character likable (or dislikable) in a few lines

Making a Character Likeable (or Dislikeable)

Em, didn't you tell us this in the previous guide? A likeable character has agency and reason.

Yes, a likeable character, which is necessary if you want readers emotionally invested. But now I'm talking about making the person behind that character likeable or dislikeable. This isn't about investment, this is about good ol' fashioned first impressions.

So, it's great to effectively introduce a character or get emotional investment in one chapter, but how do you get readers to like or dislike a character within a few lines of meeting them? How do you convey to readers "Hey! We like this gal!" or "Hey! We hate this guy!" almost immediately?

Again, it doesn't have to be a matter of whether the character is a good person or not. They could be a perfect saint and still be hated. (Actually, by default they might be hated because perfect people are annoying). But I digress.

Like everything else, there isn't a singular method or a one-size-fits-all way to do this. Every story requires different approaches to each aspect of its construction, otherwise it wouldn't be very fun to write or read any story.

But there are some tricks that can be finagled into just about any genre or character archetype.

Making a Character Likeable

1. Relatable Flaws

As I said above, making a character "perfect" tends to make them annoying. (Mary/Gary Sues anyone?) The true trick is the opposite: flaws.

Give your character relatable and grounded flaws. No, not "quirky" or "cute" ones; real ones. A hot temper, severe pessimism, a tendency to lie, a superiority complex, self-centered vanity, etc., etc.

Don't go overboard. The difference between a relatable flaw and an annoying one is typically how often it comes up. If a character is always stubborn to the point of derailing others' plans or ideas at every turn, that can be frustrating. Decide what makes the flaw emerge, don't make it their whole personality. Or, if it is always present, decide what stifles it and incorporate that where you can.

For example, a character who is always stubborn as above can easily fall into the "disliked" category. A character who is always stubborn unless they're with their partner, who they defer to because they love them and trust their opinion, allows that flaw to be well-utilized instead of overdone.

If you want them to be likeable, make the flaw real and relatable, and don't let it be the defining character trait. Or, if you do, make sure it's offset by other traits or characters.

2. Inner Conflict

Everyone has a rich, deep inner life that is rarely glimpsed by the outside world. One of the biggest advantages of literature over video media is the ability to consistently convey this to your audience. (And is why "the movie is never as good as the book," but maybe that's a topic for another day). Use this advantage for all it's worth. Make sure the audience has a front row ticket to the thoughts and emotions inside your character(s)' head. Whatever your POV, this can always be done for at least your protagonist.

3. Just make 'em snazzy

You know those characters, usually anti-heroes, who don't necessarily have any redeeming traits but they're just enjoyable? It's easier to do than you might think. All it takes is:

Authenticity | Wit | Resourcefulness

The reluctant one who is forced to come through in a clutch. The one who stays true to themselves. The one who takes situations maybe not with a great attitude but with a great lot of witty remarks along the way. The "rogue," the "bad boy," the "trickster." These characters tend to be universally liked. It's a triad of complimentary traits: humans are hardwired to appreciate authenticity, humor, and survival. Put those three together and you have a pretty strong formula for likeability.

The trick to this is making it effortless. Don't force situations or dialogue to "prove" how neat or fun or cool the character is. Let it flow, let the character react naturally to whatever comes their way.

-

Now, you can incorporate all this and show what a good person they are because they... I don't know, give a puppy a million dollars, but you shouldn't have to "prove" that your character is good in order to convey that they're likeable. And they don't necessarily have to be good in the first place. [Insert scrolling list of endless villains the internet drools over here].

Making a Character Dislikeable

It can be difficult to pin down what makes you dislike a person. Maybe they're gross, or have a habit that overstimulates you. They might be a horrific, evil person, or maybe they're so good at everything that it pisses you off. Sometimes, people just plain annoy you because your personalities don't jive.

You'll never be sure whether a character you tried to make unlikeable will end up a fan favorite. [Insert scrolling list of endless villains the internet drools over here]. And of course, some people might dislike a character you wanted everyone to love for the tiniest or pettiest reason, and vice versa. You can't read people's minds, and a trait that you despise might seem harmless or tolerable to someone else.

That said, here are a few reasonably guaranteed ways to make a character disliked.

1. Persistent/Unforgiveable Flaws

Yep, opposite of what makes them likeable, who could have guessed. You can make them gross or annoying with no reprieve, or make them a heinous person who seemingly does terrible things for the fun of it. Just keep it obnoxious, incessant, and/or unforgiveable. 2. Anti-thesis to the protagonist

A person who is the opposite of your protagonist, and especially if they are seen through your protag's eyes, might be automatically disliked if the protagonist is already liked. If your character is an athletic high school girl who struggles to get good grades, having a character seen through her eyes as a slacker who doesn't try but still succeeds could be annoying to both the MC and the audience. 3. Agency without understandable reason

Now, agency without reason makes it difficult for emotional investment, as discussed in Part II, but it doesn't necessarily make the person dislikeable. What makes them dislikeable is agency without understandable reason. To use AtLA again: Firelord Ozai wants to conquer the world and routinely commits genocide to accomplish this. His reason? He... wants power. Maybe there's a deeper underlying reason (like we see in Azula's tragic arc), but it's not shown and therefore it is easy and, quite frankly, natural to hate this guy.

4. No agency at all

A character who does absolutely nothing, and especially one who complains or is miserable without any attempt to improve their circumstances, is dislikeable. But even a happy character can fall prey to this: think of the "deadbeat dad" stereotype, the father who lazes around all day watching television. Even without a bad temper or drinking habit, that kind of character grates on people's nerves. If a person drifts through life with no discernable goals or motivation or even hobbies, it's hard to find anything to like about them.

-

Now let's talk about conveying all this in a few lines.

First Impressions

It can be overwhelming to make a character come off the way you want them to throughout the whole story—let alone accomplish it within the first few sentences of meeting them. All you need to remember is that the first impression is not the whole picture, and you can use this to introduce them effectively (!).

Introduce two traits.

Take the strengths and flaws of the character and pare them down to two that are either the most defining traits of this person or are the ones that will give the impression you want the reader to have. Then showcase just these traits. Don't worry about the others, they can come later as readers get to know your character more.

For example, say you have a character who is bold, cunning, and confident, but is also a deceitful swindler who only does something if it benefits themselves. You want this character to be liked, but you also want readers to know that they're not exactly a good person. Let's take two traits - cunning (asset) and deceitful (flaw), and incorporate that into the introduction.

"Beautiful fabrics! One of a kind! Fit for a king but priced for a pauper! Ma'am, would you like to take a look?" A woman halted as Lyka stepped into her path and held out the bundle of cloth. She politely looked the wares over before lifting a palm.

"No, thank you," she replied, brushing past to continue down the street. Lyka smiled after the woman, then turned when Ral popped up beside her.

"Twenty-five kwall," he said, bouncing the coin purse in his hand. "Not bad."

"I told you she'd be an easy target," Lyka bragged.

What if we want this character to be disliked on first impression? Then use both flaws—deceitful and selfish—for the introduction.

Lyka stumbled, ramming into the man trying to skirt around her.

"Sorry, so sorry, excuse me," she said, fumbling to get her feet under her and smooth the creases she'd made in his clothes.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She nodded. "Try to be more careful." He kept walking. Lyka continued the opposite way, smiling to herself as she felt the weight of his coin purse in her pocket. She'd be feasting tonight.

"Excuse me, miss," a small voice piped from her left. She glanced at the scrawny urchin holding his hands out to her. His too-big clothes couldn't hide the evidence of starvation on his gaunt face. "Do you have any tithings to spare?"

"No," she said curtly, shooing him off with a wave of her hand. "Go bother someone else with your stink."

Don't worry about getting everything about the character across. Pick the bare minimum of what you want readers to know and go from there. It's easier than trying to condense every single aspect of a multi-faceted person into as few lines as possible: don't condense, whittle. Consciously consider what first impression you want your audience to have and construct your choices and introduction around that instead of focusing solely on the character.

This is a perfect use for betas: gut check. Ask them for their immediate gut reaction/first impressions of characters they meet. It's best to ask them this before they start reading, so they can notate in the document as they go. That way you know it's their real first impression, unclouded by future discoveries or development.

---

I hope all this has been helpful! Again, if you disagree with any of these suggestions or techniques, don't use them! Write your story the way you want to. But I do hope this has given you a useful resource if you ever get overwhelmed by first chapters or character introductions.

Check out Parts I & II: Effectively Introducing Characters & Getting Readers Emotionally Invested.

Remember to write a sentence of your story today~ Thanks for reading!

[youbetterhavemymoney]

The Tragic of Pluto in 4th 🥀

pluto in 4th house Basically means that some transformative events took place in the home of the person. Pluto is also connected to the father, 4th house pluto could mean an over-demanding father, fight in the family where the little kid is exposed, traumatic experiences, hidden secrets, lack of a father that causes deep wounding, destruction/rebuilding of a house, everything that is connected with past/roots, deeply felt withing the individual.

Some suggest that Pluto in the 4th house may indicate a sad childhood. One has never ever met his father.It turns everything in your childhood home upside down.

Pluto in the 4th house. Native father can be secretive and brooding and has ego issues with his own family members . The father is a very hard working and a perfectionsitic too and expects you to be the same.

4th house pluto to me is always a picture of broken home, very wide metaphor,and on the first level-broken traditional impression of home, home life out of formal conventions. Maybe divoced parents or lack of harmony, turbulent family ties or unclear past. From here it can go in many directions,and many of them very are dark,but i never see it as a flawed position. Or any position,for that matter. But what is most remarkable here is that fantastic,boundless,rooted inner power and ability to see and help. I know a lot of people like this and all of them rised above every bad thing in their life,but somehow there remains small tinge of bitterness,and they know its there,completely aware,and it keeps them moving on...

People who have Pluto in theirs 4th can make theirs mother completely OBSESSED with them. 

Pluto here also can make a person feel comfortable only at home or in a familiar setting, and anxiety issues can arise when in an unfamiliar place.

when Pluto in 4th is in challenging aspects, it can involve a family history of trauma,upheavals,abuse,and betrayal which can lead to trust issues linked to one's mother or father. It can be family secrets too.

Pluto in the 4th would indicate someone who easily gets attached to family and home, someone who feels their roots deeply. It doesn't show whether the person had/has a good or bad home, or if their familial relationships were/are good or bad, either. For that you would want to look at the aspects to Pluto. But there is high, high importance on emotional understanding, so if the relationships are good it adds incredible strength and if the relationships are bad then it is a consuming blow to the person's core.

Thank you for your time reading this ｡◕‿◕｡

[kojinnie]

Why you should NOT date AOT boys... (2)

I advised you but you still didn’t listen just because your fave was not on the first part. So hereby I present to you, reasons why these boys will only give you headache, part two!

Enjoy my lovelies, and stop hurting yourself with these men!

Regards,

Your ever-so-concerned friend, Kojin.

erwin - zeke - jean - connie

part one here (levi - eren - armin - reiner)

— ERWIN

This is not gonna be easy. You’re dealing with a man who has received multitude of achievements and recognition for being who he is and for doing things his own way, so obviously he is at that point in his life where he’s very comfortable in being who he already is. It’s all for a reason though, for Erwin oozes a certain kind of authority that is justified by his sharp thinking and years of experience. He is a self-made man and his success was the work of nobody but his own doing. So obviously, he has this uncanny self-assurance that is not easy to be dissuaded. He is ”The Man” character you hear about in pop songs and movies, and alike to dating Levi, the idea of being with Erwin gives you a sense of pride, you’ll be the most flattered whenever you hear people look at you with certain kind of acknowledgment, “Oh, that’s the one Erwin chooses.”

If you have problem with your self-esteem or you constantly doubt yourself, being with Erwin –especially when you have an established relationship— can really encourage you, to make you realize that there is a great thing in you, that even someone with the caliber of Erwin Smith can see. However, this may also lead to a bad thing because little by little, whether you realize it or not, your identity will be blurred with the constant presence of Erwin around you, simply because he has that magnificence in him that lures the limelight in, and your name will only be left as a prop to better dress the mannequin. This is a man who hardly ever hears “no” in his life, although he will never be violent or do things against your wish, it feels natural for him to always have a say in whatever you do. From the way you dress, your career trajectory, to decision for everyday chore. You would often feel as if you have no room to grow on your own because everything is decided by Erwin, where your opinion is dismissed. The most infuriating aspect of Erwin is that he will do all the aforementioned in such a sweet way. Caressing your cheek, patting your head softly before condescendingly says things like: “Honey, if you’ve seen what I’ve seen, you’ll understand. So for now, let’s just go with [insert his decision], okay?”

The ideal relationship for you and Erwin is if you have been with him since the get-go, before he made a name for himself. The good thing about Erwin is that he values nurture and he will show the utmost gratitude to whomever stood by him since day one. He will flaunt you, mention your name in every awarding speech, praise your perseverance for staying with him while actively making your own mark in your job. Basically, to survive a healthy and thriving romantic relationship with Erwin, you gotta see the quality in him before all the flashy titles, and you gotta be at similar degree of excellence with him. You gotta have his respect, you gotta make a name for yourself, only then he will listen to you and treat you as equal. So if you are still unsure about yourself, and you need constant reassurance about your role in this world, don’t go for Erwin, it will only exacerbate your self-doubt.

— ZEKE

Good god, this man. Where do I start? Okay, so you’re dealing with someone similar to Erwin, who enjoys a point in his life where his professional excellence has been widely established, he even has attained an almost mythical status. Remember how much the Warriors look up to him, saying things like “The enemies are no match to Zeke”? That’s basically his everyday life, and he has gotten so used to hearing that drilled into his ears for years.

For sure, he has a solid self-assurance; he knows what he wants, he knows how to get it, and anyone’s opinion holds very little value to him. But unlike Erwin, Zeke has grown sick of the compliment and has come to think that people are just licking his ass. This is because he made his success with little to no help from anyone else, and he has seen how differently people treated him back when he was just a nameless guy, compared to now, where he has made a name for himself. This experience, created a contradiction in his personality: One, the confident and self-assured Zeke, where he realizes that he’s smarter than most people, and; Two, the self-doubting Zeke, thinking that he is deemed as smart just because everyone comparable to him is stupid. He fears that it’s only until he meets someone smarter than him, before people finally realize that he’s a fraud. He’s the type to spew seemingly condescending remarks in a very casual way, like whenever someone comes to him in an awe and asks how does he do the things he does, he will just shrug it off and say, “I don’t know why everyone’s making a big deal out of that. It’s so easy.” When actually it’s just him, displaying his incomprehension on what make people think that he’s amazing when he hardly sees it.

Zeke leads a life where he thinks he can do whatever he wants, since he does not have a care in the world for anyone’s opinion and validation. This is because Zeke thinks either they are unworthy of his attention, or any person who has ever shown any interest towards him was only after something for themselves. In his early life, Zeke gets used a lot by people he trusted, and so this resulted in him not believing that someone would come to him and truly care for him with no pretense or hidden motives. The idea that he can be loved unconditionally is incredibly foreign, if not impossible to him. And this is the truth about him that he does not like to admit.

This is a person whose motto is to “enjoy things” because the enjoyment of things keeps him distracted from the disappointment he holds against people. So naturally, he does not like sentimental attachment, let alone committed relationship. What Zeke needs is just someone that he can ring up casually (and only occasionally because he’s always kept up with a lot of his professional endeavors), and spoil him with nearly childish affection. He likes to come home to someone who does not see him as this heroic figure that everybody sees, and rather just a careless kid who collects baseball cards with no active parent figure. He likes the cuddles, the kisses, the strokes, the lazy mornings where you pamper him like a demanding baby, because he never gets to experience such candid loving from his childhood, for he had to fend for himself since very young.

He likes to call you up late at night, with a sulk in his voice, “Baby can I come over…?” for you to act annoyed and reluctantly say yes to him. He likes that. He’s corny like that. But once he’s out the door, don’t expect him to text his whereabout or make your name known to the world, because he cannot afford such dire attachment. He’s as free as the bird, and after all, caging him into a committal relationship only justifies his belief that someone would only love him because they’re after something.

— JEAN

Jean is tenacity personified. He wasn’t born talented or lucky enough to have special heritage runs in his blood, he is flawed with a lot of shortcomings, but what makes him stands out is his capability to persevere in the eyes of adversity. To keep on trying although he does not pass the initial mark, and that’s exactly what makes him special. In dating Jean, you will never run out of things to do or talk about, because Jean will always try to make the best out of every situation with his resourcefulness. It’s very nourishing to see someone make such a big effort for you, and if you lack assurance that someone would go extra miles for you, then seeing Jean breaks his back trying to catch your smile is such a sight that you will cherish for a long time.

However, deep inside, Jean is a very exhausted man. He often feels like he is at the end of his wit trying to make everything works. He is deeply wearied by having to be at his top game every minute to compete, and fears that if his grasp slips even just a little, he will quickly fall behind everyone. This will result in Jean being torn apart between work and you, for he always has the urge to put tenfold effort to match others’ casual effort. So expect a lot of calls unanswered and rescheduled date nights during the weekdays. Although he feels extremely regretful with this condition, he also believes that there is nothing he can do, for he thinks he was born unfortunate and this is the effort he has to make due in order to catch up with the others.

All this unhealthy sense of urgency from always having the need to compete often sends Jean into a state of paranoia. He fears that people may team up against him, or that he’s being left out. It’s really frustrating to see Jean having the need to reply to a stupid meme Eren sends at 4 AM while getting high, just because Jean fears that if he does not reply immediately, he will wake up the next day with people already talking about the things he missed. He is always on guard, and as much as he tries to give in to his relationship with you, sometimes you would feel like his mind is not at home. His mind is out there wondering whether he will ever make a name for himself without being compared to people who exerts considerably less effort than him.

Being with Jean, you gotta understand where his fear lies, and you gotta be very calm when dealing with all of his paranoid urges. Whenever he’s not home because he overworks himself, don’t bombard him with calls and text messages, just give him time and welcome him home with warmth and a sense of ease. Be the person where he puts his hair down after a whole day of gruesome work. Jean needs a lot of validation especially from the person he loves (and he feels guilty towards for seemingly neglecting you over work), all he needs to hear is just “You did well today”, and he would be more than thankful. Make time as well to give him little surprise, to make him realizes that you are the one place he does not need to compete with anyone else for you are his home. When it comes to Jean, it’s about give and take, he doesn’t do well with a diva who demands attention 24/7, nor he does well with someone who is seemingly way over his league, for it will worsen his insecurity.

Point is, Jean is an amazing man, guys, I couldn’t really point out why you should NOT date him, because in fact, you SHOULD date him. Being with him is a learning curve, not only for you but also for him, to understand that in a relationship not only that you gotta love, but also to compromise.

— CONNIE

Connie, oh Connie. We all love Connie, he’s the guy who would complete a picture, a party is a bore without the sight of him, we all just love us some Connie, but often to his expense. People love Connie because he is outgoing, humble, and has this salt-of-the-earth persona, but more often than not, people also use him as a comedic relief, and although at first, he enjoys it because he would like the idea that people look forward to him, sometimes it also takes a toll in him, it makes Connie wonder whether he will ever be fit for bigger purpose other than someone else’s humor.

Connie thrives in being helpful to other people, he believes being of service is his greatest merit and thus he never complains whenever someone asks him to do something, nor does he ever dislike doing things for other people. But often he wonders even after all the great services he has done to other people, why haven’t people seen him as more than just a comedic relief? Why can’t he be the hero of a story, instead of just the people’s favorite side character? This thought lingers a lot in his mind, and if he does not find a way to let it out somehow, this may grow into a bitterness for he feels used.

Make no mistake though, Connie does not yearn to have the limelight on his own, he is content with his position, all he needs is a bit of credit and affirmation that he is as important his other peers. That he is not overlooked nor that he is expendable. Without this, Connie might grow to become resentful of people as he thinks they will only use him to their advantages. He will get easily jealous or at high alert, just because you passingly joke about Jean being handsome with his new haircut. He may go into that rabbit hole of anxiety, waiting until the day when you finally leave him for being mediocre and opt for his more attractive friend.

When this side of him comes out, initially he will be overtly self-deprecating. Masking it as a joke just to fish a reaction from you. If you laugh along, not knowing that it was a test, he will be sure that you are just using him and it won’t be long until you depart for someone with more load than him. Once he sets his mind, he can be quite vindictive to you, casually assuming you of the worst while trying to pass it as a joke. When this side of Connie comes out, the last thing you should do is to get riled up. Connie is not being rational, so you gotta be the adult here unfortunately. You gotta shower him with a lot of affection in the form of services like he’s always do to people around him, and slowly work your way to the topic you are meaning to ask. Connie might be alluding the question for a while, until he finally comes clean that he was jealous and did not know how to properly address this feeling.

Being with Connie comes with the responsibility of making a home for him where finally he gets to be the center attention. He is not a narcissist, so he does not want everything to center around him. All he wanna be is to be seen, in which every effort he has made to the people he loves are being outwardly recognized and thanked for. Little things would really make Connie happy, like posting a lot of photos with him on your social media, or arranging surprise birthday party with his co-workers where he can finally experience what it feels like to be the likes of Eren or Jean.

Thank you guys for all the likes, reblogs and comments - YOU ALL MAKE MY DAY. I was on the verge of being sure that no one would like things I write, but this.. This... (wails in telenovela style). I thank you and I wish you a great week ahead!

Guys for real if you still simp these guys even after this fair warning then I have no choice but to give you a personalized reason on why you should not date your fave AOT characters! 

> [CLOSED] Twisted Match-Up!  Send me three worst traits of yours + your AOT fave character and I’ll make you a short scenario on how shitty your relationship would be with them.  Fire away here!

[notnctu]

sugar | s.j ❀

━ listen to: sugar by brockhampton 

❀ johnny suh x fem!reader ❀ genre - smut, angst, fluff? ❀ details - fwb!au, kinda unrequited love? who knows lol, sweet love makin ❀ word count - 2k ❀ synopsis - he’s always a call away, ready to love you when you think no one else will. and this will be the one time you ask him to spend the night because johnny suh is the only sweetener you need in your bitterness. 

❀ a/n: hello its author doie❀! its based off of the song sugar which is one of my favs ever so i hope u enjoy this smut, rlly this was just me avoiding explicit words lol ps i have never laughed harder in my life when @legendnct​​ (ily hannah) asked me if i was J O R N Y when i told her i was writing this at 4am 

The honey dripping, rush of candy goodness, and sugar high of a man --- Johnny Suh. He’s like walking on sunshine, no other cares in the world can harm him, and with a bright happiness that promises anything worth fighting for.

He stands six feet tall of sunflowers that turn up to the clear blue skies and soak up the positive energy needed for growth. Johnny Suh, the man that has sugar addicts craving for a slice of his attention; Johnny Suh is the epitome of goodness and virtue.

And the puzzling, estranged question of why you are his subject of sweetness is beyond any galaxy and he’d never tell a soul his reason behind his many dazed gazes, or if they even had much meaning to them. Johnny Suh is the one boy that wears his heart on his sleeve, but holds your’s at his fingertips.

There have been many countless encounters of long and, some unfortunately short, nights of sleeping with bodies that only add to the list of people you’ve kissed. But to have consistency in that aspect? Quite hesitant, to say the least.

While you are able to tolerate a random one night stand with no necessary remembrance of the individual’s name, to give your vulnerability and consistent attention to one person is asking for too much. A flawed characteristic of yours is falling in love too easily.

The hookups are meaningless, quick fucks to fill the evening and rid the irritable desire of lust. The muscles involved exclude the heart because there is no opportunity to fall for someone if you are only going to part ways right afterwards.

Yet, the one remarkable night with Johnny turned into several nights which led into your current relationship with the glowing sun. The one thing you had wished to steer away from --- a friend with benefits.

There was no metaphorical gun to your head, you weren’t forced to sign a contract, there were no ridiculously restrictive rules. No boundaries to hold you back.

When there is no fencing around the edge of a cliff, is that grounds for people to free fall? Regardless, your lack of self control and demising loneliness had you jumping and falling into Johnny’s comfort. The golden boy is someone hard to come by, and you’re not foolish enough to turn down this once in a lifetime chance to be intimately acquainted.

But as you continued to see him, there was an unconscious decision to stop your other random flings. It felt like you already had someone to fulfill the ache, someone to spend your nights with. If you needed him, he’d be there. So, unknowingly by choice, you made yourself exclusive to him, even though Johnny did not decide to do the same.

That shouldn’t bother you, right? But it does. The worst part is that it’s no one’s fault but your own. Johnny’s harmless actions affect you because your feelings allow them to. As much as you ignore the fact you two are nothing more than friends with benefits, the annoying drumming of your foolish heart reminds you of your denial.

While you’ve always had a bitter palette, the dash of sweetener never hurt anyone. He never hurts anyone, with his best efforts. And the intent should have been made clear, that your nightly hookups are an unhealthy coping mechanism. Too much sugar has your glucose levels derailing and seeking out the one person that lights up your endorphins.

The love for Johnny stems from his warmhearted character. His bubbly, goodwill nature that has him overextending himself for people who take him for granted. An extroverted, head-turning personality that you can’t despise and look away, instead are easily attracted to.

Johnny is kind, he’s thoughtful, yet entirely complex as a human being with a fair share of cloudy days. He is simply someone you want to get to know because he makes the atmosphere a safe space and he reads like an open hardback book.

Everyone has a small crush on him, it would be a complete tyranny of your feelings to deny it. Some infatuations are bigger than others and you’ll shamefully admit that you fit under this group of individuals.

On another lonely night, you wonder if he’d be at your will and call, if he would drop the world to come make you feel better. One moment, you are staring at his contact name and imaging the deep voice answering with his signature greeting. The next, you’re actually hearing his voice on the other end of the receiver and panic settles as it’s too late to cancel the call.

“Hey baby, what’s up?” The nickname sends a crown of hearts swirling around your temples. However, he sounds rushed, like he had been in the middle of a strenuous activity.

A nervousness has stammered words falling from your lips, and you’re too incoherent for even your own mind to understand. Johnny chuckles lovingly, and the slight rustling that distorts the background has you imagining that the phone is pressed between his cheek and shoulder. “Collect your thoughts, babe. I’m ready whenever you are.”

A heavy notable sigh erupts into Johnny’s ear, but he doesn’t pull away from the device. He’s all ears, attentive and patiently waiting for you to speak, despite having company on his bed.

“I need you. Can you come over?” If only pride wasn’t so hard to swallow, the question would have flowed much smoother. As if your heart grew hands, it chokes your throat from the inside and you’re preparing yourself for the rejection.

Truthfully, he isn’t obligated to come and there have been rare nights where he declines your offer. But your hope holds onto the slipping strands and the tension of your nerves have fists forming and eyes squeeze shut.

Johnny takes a fast peek at the girl already in his sheets, mindlessly and effortlessly scrolling through her social media. There is a hint of sadness in your voice that he can’t let go and while that’s usually not entirely uncommon, he can tell it took a lot for you to call tonight. So, he finds himself pulling up his sweats and a clean shirt over his head.

“Be there before you know it.” And the clench in your throat relaxes, along with the other parts that had your nails digging moon crescents into your palm and wrinkles forming at your tight creases.

And with a sweet goodbye, he hangs up the call and politely offers to take the girl home as he makes his way over to your place. And you’re dosing yourself in puffs of fruity scents and cleaning up the runny mascara around your under eyes.

With no words exchanged, Johnny knows every way to heal you and dawn a warmth that coats your darkest corners. All you have to do is open the door and let him in. His strength has you lifted from the ground, lips hungry to devour your softness.

A few fumble steps, he reaches your room at ease and gently lays you on your neatly made sheets. Johnny is consistent, no missed beats when it comes to loving you, and without a fail, he always takes a moment to himself to step back and admire your beauty. And your priceless shyness is also an added delight to the scene.

Each article of clothing is discarded and left at different areas of your small room, kisses lining your worst parts to you, but the best parts to him. When you can’t love parts of yourself, Johnny loves them for you and makes you whole.

“Were you in the middle of something?” It did not become aware to you of the possibility that you had interrupted something else, or someone else. And even if Johnny did choose to see you over spending time with them, you have the decent courtesy to make sure he is okay with his decision.

“Nothing important.” You’ll never be able to read him or notice any lies he tells. His smile is enough reassurance, and your question is quickly forgotten when his fingers dive into your wet flower. He uses his thumb to soothe circles around your growing bud, making your whole lower half blossom with trembling ecstasy.

His lips leave soft reminders to love your thighs, your legs, to not overlook their importance: they carry your graciousness into new ventures. Then, he pushes them wide open as he bends your left knee and your right dangles over his sturdy shoulder. The tight grip on your hip is bound to leave marks the next morning, along with the dark love bites he leaves across your canvas.

But his thoughts are focused on the meal ahead, your sugary juices coat the plush of his tongue. He remembers exactly how you like it, where melodic sounds hit the silence in gasps or groans. He suckles, he licks, he kisses your bead in a speed that has his brown locks tangled in between your fingers.

He drinks up more than your wetness, but also the pure image of your fucked out expression and the twists of your reacting body. He wants to surpass your limits, max you out until there isn’t a hint of melancholy in your tone anymore. To remember, to remind, to recall your happiness through heightened pleasure.

At the announcement of your high, he enters your spasming hole with rubber already on and groans at your walls squeezing around him, which halts him in place. However, the dragged movement of his length hits your sweet spot, your orgasm prolongs into a rapturous euphoria and you’re no longer in control of your body.

Johnny’s toned arms hold you close to him. The chemistry in your gazes has your heart pounding faster than his hips. As ruthless as each thrust is and each push moves you an inch upward on the bed, Johnny’s eyes are still kind and loving.

His fluttering kisses are delicate and nurturing. The marks resemble a healing touch that will settle you enough for the next day. For the night, he rids any angst that corrupts your mood by loving you when you think no one else will.

Together, your bodies fall into one another with a bite of elation as he finishes into the protection and your walls hug around him for the last time tonight. Even when your bodies disconnect, the feeling of fullness lingers and you wish to keep this for as long as you can. No more emptiness, not right now.

Perhaps it's the daze of your orgasm, but your hand reaches for his wrist to stop him from making his exit so soon. Selfishly, carelessly, honestly, this will be the one time you ask for him to spend the night. You can’t stand seeing him go, not at this instant. You refuse to spend one more night alone when your heart longs for him to be by your side when you fall asleep.

While the big heart of his beats speechlessly at your request, he lays down to draw you into his toned chest and pampers your forehead with honeyed pecks. Like many times before, no words need to be exchanged for him to know the remedy to your somber.

Possibly, the scene with Johnny caressing your chin and tracing your smile lines is all too perfect for your imperfect reality. And him whispering and wishing a happier narrative for you is more than what you had asked for. Nonetheless, he’s very good at it, mentally noting the fact that he’s probably done the same to other hookups or broken friends.

While you can get used to this form of aftercare, the guards you put up tell you that this is a one time thing. So, you’ll take and indulge all of Johnny’s affection and false love for the next few hours you had left of the night.

Nevertheless, even sweetness can be an overpowering flavor when consumed in tremendous amounts. And you wonder when you’d grow sick of his candied sugar or if you’d just forfeit your health to keep indulging more into your addiction. A sickly saccharine question of your own will be the pit of your downfall: do you love me?

[symptoms-syndrome]

I feel like there's probably some detrimental effect to the approach I'm seeing a lot of people wondering if they're "systems," vs questioning DID.

Under the cut because I'll likely ramble. Minor mention of sy/scourse. I'm fine with comments but no reblogs for now just because I would prefer not to have drama or discourse. My statements are my opinion alone and not a greater statement on any community.

This might be confusing to read. Hold your tongue unless you've read through and understand please, I am making a lot of statements I think can be misunderstood out of context. You don't need to understand this either, they're just the rambling thoughts of a stranger on the internet.

I see a lot of people wondering/asking, either in the tags or in people's inboxes, whether they're "a system."

I feel that there's a flaw to this sort of thinking, primarily because of the focus on systemhood, alters, etc.

I did not recognize what I was experiencing as "alters" (which I will henceforth be referring to as "parts," language I'm personally more comfortable with) before my diagnosis. I definitely experienced parts, and parts related things! But not as "people in my head," or anything I feel I could or would have labelled as "plur/ality," with rare exception. Instead I experienced a lot of blackout amnesia, people saying I acted very differently with me not knowing what they were talking about, things in my room changing without me remembering doing it, feeling like I wasn't in control of my actions. I had a lot of thoughts I didn't feel were my own.

It was only after my diagnosis I was able to recognize and label my experiences as parts-related. Then things sort of retroactively made sense.

I think that what's often talked about as the typical experience of "systemhood," at the most surface level (which is what most folks talk about related to this, because we're (royal we) more likely to talk about our actions, behaviors, and experiences on a surface level when just...talking casually instead of doing deep introspection, which isn't bad per se but is, as I said, surface level) without background context, can be attributed to a lot of things! If I were to post exclusively about, for example, my experiences with "voices in my head" type deals, and someone saw that then saw I identified as a system (which I do not personally) they might question themselves to "be a system," especially if "system" is the only word used without the context of DID.

The use of the word "system" as an identifier, I personally feel reduces DID to simply parts. I don't think that's universally bad, I don't think I have a horse in the race because I don't use the term for myself. If others do, I assume they have reason and that's their choice to make, not mine, so it's none of my business and I won't make any judgement calls on the word itself.

But regardless of one's stance on "sy/scourse," it is impossible to argue that there is only one experienced tied to the label "system" or "systemhood," regardless of ones personal opinions on the validity of those various experiences. Again, no horse in that race because I do not identify as a system or with the idea of plura/lity.

I think that, for a lot of folks, if they wanted to they certainly could apply the label of system to themselves following what people on the internet say is part of systemhood without having DID, because the only universal constant I see in the use of the word "system" is that everyone who uses it seems to agree that it's the experience of feeling like there's more than one person in their brain or body. Again, the validity of that is not what I'm arguing here, only that it does happen and is in the greater internet sphere.

DID (and OSDD, but I'm too lazy to type /OSDD every time, so just substitute "DID" with "dissociative disorders involving parts,") on the other hand, is a diagnosis with a lot of different gears turning with each other. Dissociation, amnesia in many cases, PTSD symptoms. The question of whether someone can identify as "a system" is, comparatively, a simpler and lighter one than whether someone has/is questioning/etc DID.

I'm losing my point. My basic point is that often when I see people asking/wondering if they're "a system," they often provide evidence such as hearing voices, feeling like there are people in their head, having changing preferences and styles, etc. Which can, without context and background, be attributed to a lot of things that aren't DID but could in some circles be considered "systemhood."

The only point I have here is that I think that clarity is important. Regardless of personal opinions on the validity of other views of "systemhood," it's undeniable that those opinions exist, and I would be cautious of saying that because someone experiences what may be described as "a system" would mean they have DID, because DID is more complex than the experience many describe as having a system. Just because someone has symptoms that align with that aspect of DID, if one doesn't have the greater context, I would be cautious of labelling that experience as DID, or saying unequivocally that experiences described as "systemhood" always indicate DID. The idea of "other beings in one person" has existed for a long time in many contexts, and often without enough detail or background to label it dissociative or spiritual, even children having imaginary friends could be put into the pile of "other beings in one person's head," and that's a remarkably common experience.

I mean overall I am against the idea of confirming or denying a diagnosis for any internet stranger. These are just thoughts.

For the record, I try not to engage myself in sy/scourse beyond the fact that I believe people with DID and people who experience what they label as plur/ality or systemhood in other ways should stay in their seperate spaces when discussing the experience of having parts/alters. I am not someone who wants to make any judgement calls on anyone else's experiences, as long as they stay in their own lane and don't equate their experiences with mine, or decide anything about my experience. I stay in my space and you stay in yours.

-I feel like I should sign this to take responsibility for it in case other parts see backlash. I feel that my opinions here may not align with the rest of my parts. They'll likely know who this is though.

[con-fection]

ASHES TO ASHES | jim moriarty x reader | part 1/13

Summary: 

Jim Moriarty has always loved fairytales. In particular, grim, macabre ones that end in bloodshed. You've been abused by your step-family for years - in every meaningful way, you embody the story of Cinderella. Except, in your version, Cinderella murders her family and burns the house down. When Sherlock Holmes is assigned to find the killers of your step-family, he inadvertently becomes obsessed with you. And when Sherlock is obsessed, Jim Moriarty becomes a man intrigued.Word Count: 4k 

Most fairy tales follow the same format. A lovely, picturesque life, subsequently followed by a tragedy, a period of hardship, all of which is solved by the power of love. The dashing prince saves the damsel in distress, and they remain happy and in love forever, having easily recovered from the trauma of the tragedy and hardship.

Originally, fairy tales did not end quite so nicely. They were macabre, morbid and horrifying. Just as real-life has a tendency to be.  They weren't an idyllic escape from everyday life. They were nightmarish stories that reflected the fears of society.

By 1815, The Brothers Grimm had compiled several stories, among them The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel... and Cinderella.

The latter had always, always been your favourite. You had memorised every line, every word, every single mark of punctuation. You could recite every single version of the story off-by-heart. All of the variations sparked a deep-rooted curiosity in you.

How could the same story end so differently?

All that changed was the person reciting the story - and they would chip away at it, changing it piece by piece, passing it down orally, until it was barely recognisable. In some versions, the characters got their happy ending. Cinderella would marry her Prince Charming with the help of her Fairy Godmother. In others, they didn't. One of her vile step-sisters will hack off parts of their feet and marry Prince Charming, and Cinderella would be left alone.

Sometimes minor aspects of the story would change. Different variations would feature doves, her dead Mother, fairies, and occasionally, the glass slipper would be golden.

Your version was entirely different to anything imagined before.

...unbeknownst to you, however, was the fact that you weren't the only person that liked grim fairytales.

---

Your mother's battle with her myriad of diseases had been one that had defined your childhood. She had been ever-so frail, perpetually in and out of hospitals, constantly deteriorating. There was more than one occasion where you had watched her drop to the floor, her body entirely limp, and you had to be the one to call the ambulance. There were always, always, blood-soaked handkerchiefs strewn around the house.

She was plagued by illness, and in some ways you were suffering just as much as she was. Most children were afforded the luxury of not having to confront the idea of death - often they simply could not even comprehend it. You weren't so lucky as to experience that naivety.

There had been no play-dates for you, there was no time to entertain any other children when each moment had the potential to be her last. Every single waking moment was occupied with the crippling, gut-wrenching fear that one day she might fall down and that the paramedics wouldn't be able to find a pulse.

Every night you would go to bed praying that she would be there in the morning, that she would get her happy ending, that she could read your favourite fairy-tale to you night after night.

"And Cinderella and Prince Charming lived happily ever after, the end!" She would say, smiling brightly as if she hadn't read this to you so many times that she was bored of it. Your mother could probably recite it by heart now, too.

"Do we get a happily ever after, Mommy?" You had asked one night, right after your mother had set the book of fairy-tales down on your bedside table.

"If you pray, God will answer."  She replied, ever-so-vaguely, fiddling with the little golden cross necklace dangling between her collarbones. Now you can recognise that she didn't look surprised by your question, rather, she was in the throes of longing for that happily ever after.

You liked 'happily ever after'. It was a comforting lie that you would willingly believe. In 'happily ever after' there was no pain - in your idea of a happy ending, your mother would recover and you wouldn't burst into tears the moment she staggered out of the room.

But 'happily ever after' had to come after years of torment and misery. It always did. There was no story in which the protagonist began happy and remained that way for all eternity. That would be dreadfully boring, and yet it was what you yearned for the most. Boring and happy would be good.

Her death was a mercy - quick and painless, in her sleep. Her funeral was equally as brief as her life, a bleak affair that you can hardly recall. You had been so, so young then, and the tears just wouldn't stop coming, rolling down your face as your chest wracked with sobs. You can't remember much about it, other than the feeling of your father's hand on your shoulder and the awful, almighty bitterness that threatened to send you to your knees.

Naturally, your mother's funeral had been one of the worst days of your life. She looked so small, so ashen in her casket. Her lips were completely unmoving, drawn into a thin line. Never again would she recite your favourite bedtime story. She didn't look like she was sleeping, not when all vibrancy had been removed from her skin, to the point where it was practically grey and she smelled like a chemical preservative that made you wrinkle your nose and sob even harder.

But, even worse than the funeral had been the wedding.

It had been horrifically easy for your father to move on, and to find comfort in your step-mother, Verona. You had only met her once before they were married.

"Honey, I want you to meet somebody." Your father had said. He looked so happy, smiling in a way that you hadn't seen him do since before your mother died, his lips curved upwards and a strange look in his eyes. "This is Verona, and she means a lot to me."

He looked at Verona the same way that you looked at your fairy-tales. They were an escape, a place where you could pretend that things were different and that you were happy. Verona, with her perfectly curled hair and pearly-white teeth, was his escape, his happy ending. You wanted so badly for her to be yours, as well. It wasn't to be.

"Hello," She cooed down at you. She could smile so sweetly, her peach-pink lips drawn upwards to reveal just a flash of white teeth. It was so saccharine, so lovely. Her voice could take on this mellow, melodic tone. It reminded you terribly of a siren's call - beautiful, and so, so alluring, but it wasn't something that you should put your trust in unless you wanted to drown. Verona always looked down at you - there never came a point where you were to be considered an equal. Never.

There was something about her that made your skin crawl. She was a vile lady, with a wicked grin, honey-blonde hair and long nails that looked like talons. To you as a child, you came to view her as practically a witch, clawing her way into your life just to destroy it for her own amusement. Your father was completely and utterly blind, incapable of seeing any flaw within her.

Now that you were older, you could see her as more than a one-dimensional figure that was simply labelled 'the villain'. She wasn't a nice person, not by your account, but she was complex. Verona was always distant from you, eternally glacial and condescending whenever nobody was watching. She wasn't like that to everybody, though.

Along with the step-mother came two of what you had assumed to be Satan's most accomplished demons. They had inherited a fascinating ability from their mother. The instant your father was in the room, all torment would cease. Whether it be pulling your hair, or vandalising your possessions, they had an innate ability to tell whenever your father was close by.

Verona loved them. It was the only time where she seemed to be genuine in her affection. She would dote on them constantly, cooing at them and reading them stories in the same way that your mother had once done for you. She could pretend to tolerate you in public, and at first, you had lapped it up, basking in her siren's call voice and gazing upon her like she could be your escape, too, like she was something to be cherished, to be worshipped.

She bombarded you with an eternal cycle of love - so much love that you couldn't even feel the pain of losing your mother. She would treat you like you were her own daughter. She would pat you on the head and speak to you so sweetly. And after, would always come the abuse. The screaming, the slapping, the hissed remarks, the threats.

It was hard to deify her after that. So, Verona became the villain, the terrible step-mother who was always there to hold you down.

The wedding itself had been hosted at the very same church your parents had been married in. Their vows were exchanged between what you remembered to be Verona's awful giggles, and you yourself had been a flower girl, along with your step-sisters.

Somehow you managed to feel even worse than you had at your mother's funeral. It wasn't really acceptable to scream and cry at a wedding, so you did your best to look at the very least neutral.

You had spent most of the day staring at the gaudy paper garlands strung from the ceiling, doing your best to avoid thinking about the three women joining the family.

Everybody seemed to adore your step-sisters. They were perfect when they had to be, blonde angels with blue eyes and the sweetest disposition. Aubrey and Alora - twins that were identical in every sense of the word. Your father loved these girls, and he loved his new wife. It was like his previous one, and his first, biological daughter had simply been discarded and pushed to the periphery.

There were no more blood-speckled handkerchiefs strewn about the house, no more pills stashed above the sink, and no more quick trips to the hospital. Instead, there were Verona's lipsticks, and your step-sisters' toys. Pictures of them dominated the mantle place. Their achievements were the ones to be celebrated.

"Well done, Alora. We're so proud of you."

"Oh, Aubrey, you're so smart!"

Any incidents of your step-family's cruelty that you did manage to complain to your father about were either dismissed as the lies of a girl acting out as a result of her grief, or as some minor sibling rivalry that you would get over in time. In fact, your father seemed delighted when he interpreted it as the latter. Sibling rivalry meant that you were coming to see each other as sisters.

"You know, one day, when you grow up, I bet you're doing to be so glad to have Aubrey and Alora. I know that you girls don't always get along, but this is a good thing. They're your sisters." Your father had said, so gently, so softly that you wished for a moment you could believe it - that it was true and you could bring yourself to be thankful.

It flooded you with some kind of resentment - that he could be so passive, so enchanted by Verona and her perfect daughters, that you could become practically irrelevant. That of all of them, your concerns were the ones to be disregarded.

That resentment didn't fade when he died.

It had been an accident - a car-crash. It hadn't even been his fault. He had been on his way home to you, and some maniac had run him off the road. It could have happened to anybody. It should have happened to somebody else. It should have been something you saw on the news and thought about briefly. Instead, you were left an orphan.

His body was far too mangled for any kind of open-casket funeral. By the age of twelve, you had been to two funerals - one for each parent. What most children would do is to hope they were happy together, reunited in heaven. That's what you should have hoped for. Instead, you would pray, over and over again, every single fucking night, that they were burning. That they were being roasted in the flames of hell, and that they were screaming out for your forgiveness.

God hadn't listened when you had asked for your mother to get well and recover from her illnesses, nor when you asked for her to come back to you. Life had been so cruel, and so, you reasoned that its creator must be cruel, too. Perhaps God would listen if you wanted to inflict pain, instead.

The resentment didn't fade - rather, it intensified. After that, you really didn't need anybody to read Cinderella to you.

You had lived it.

---

The first person to rise was always you. It had been that way for years, the beginning of your well-established daily routine.

It was so cold, down in the basement. It wasn't given the same insulation as the rest of the house - and why would it have been? Your parents had mostly used it for storage, primarily for things like your bike, tools, and those family picture albums that you couldn't even bring yourself to open. At the time, there was nothing down there that had really deserved to be kept warm.

It was in rather poor condition. The bricks that comprised the walls were all cracked, and the black paint covering them was chipped and unevenly applied, the shelves looked liable to fall down any minute, and there were piles and piles of things everywhere. There is a saw lying on the ground, next to a few planks of wood that your father had never had an opportunity to use for anything and a stack of cannisters of gasoline that you eye affectionately.

There was always a breeze blowing through the basement, too. Your parents had discarded what they didn't need and stored it in the basement, and once they were both dead and buried, your step-mother had done the same to you.

Your old bedroom, where your mother used to read you bedtime stories and you would fret over her health, had been stripped bare and subsequently turned into Verona's walk-in wardrobe. You had been relegated to the basement, left to freeze whilst fur-coats and cocktail dresses got to enjoy central heating.

To keep warm, you would bundle yourself up in whatever shoddy blankets you could find. They would scratch at your skin and you would shiver against them, grinding your teeth together and hissing at the cold, silently cursing at Verona. It wasn't entirely uncommon for you to wake up and discover your lips had turned blue. It would worry you sometimes, that if it got too cold, you would simply die in the night and there would be nobody to notice.

It was early enough that you could hear the birds cooing sweetly outside, singing to one another as they flit through the branches in the trees outside. It was such a lovely thing to watch, and even lovelier to hear. It's such a pretty sound. You're not entirely sure that your step-family have ever woken early enough to hear it. If they hadn't before, then by now they had certainly missed their chance.

This was meant to be when you would start your chores. Your step-mother had left you to take on a maid role in the house, cooking and cleaning for them, waiting on them hand and foot, scrubbing the floors and surfaces until they shined. It filled you with rage.

Of the four of you, you were by far the best in every measurable way. Verona and her daughters were harpies, beasts with perfect faces that managed to fool just about everybody they came into contact with. Your father had been just one of many that was too naive to see it. They didn't bother with the pretenses around you - you had always seen them for what they were.

By now, you should be starting to sweep the bottom floor of the house, and making breakfast. But today would be different.

You creep up the stairs, your eyes constantly darting around the house, searching for any sign of the other inhabitants. They aren't awake, and you don't expect them to be, but it's always good to check, just in case.

Verona's left her purse on the countertop, next to a wine glass with a pink smudge on its rim and a pair of black elbow-length gloves she'd worn to a dinner the night before. The mere sight of it makes your lips curve up into a sneer. It's the ugliest shade of pink lipstick - vibrant and bold in all the wrong ways, but she somehow makes it look good. Of course she does - it's a talent of hers, really, to make the worst things seem not simply palatable, but also tempting.

You leave the wine glass, there will be no need to clean it today. With a sharp intake of breath, you open the purse, snatching all the money you can from it. Fortunately, Verona likes to keep most of her money in cash, so there's a decent amount. There's enough, at the very least.

The kitchen is obsessively cleaned - every surface shines from your efforts. It's clinical, sterile even, and the smell of cleaning products still permeates the air. There's a broom in the parlour, but you won't be using it.

Never before had you done anything like this. Today was a day that you had fantasised about for years, exploring and navigating different variations of it before constructing the master plan. These steps you were taking had been carefully considered, each and every action poured over obsessively, to the point of madness. All aspects of the plan were to be treated with reverence - they had practically become holy, and you recited them more often than you would prayers.

Already, you were breathing too quickly. There was adrenaline in your system, and your hands were slightly clammy. Nerves - but you weren't nervous. Not really. This was a burning, scalding anticipation that writhed around in your gut and clawed at your insides.

You allow yourself a brief moment to try and relax, letting your eyes flutter shut and letting your shoulders drop. There is a need to be tense - everything hinges on today, on whether or not you accomplish the plan.

When your eyes open, you immediately gravitate towards the knives. Before you select one, you go for Verona's black silk gloves, putting them on and admiring the way they look against your skin, and how smooth they are. They're the kind that's awfully expensive, but they look glamorous. She had worn them just the night prior, when she went to some fancy dinner.

They're hauntingly elegant, a mark of sophistication that contrasts so nicely with what you're about to do. They're a rather lovely way of ensuring that there's no fingerprints left in the house.

It's then that you pick a knife - a weighty silver meat cleaver with dark grey indentations on the handle. They make it look almost porous, and you know that the knife had been part of a set, a gift from one of Verona's friends who was into the culinary arts.

It's heavy, and you test the weight, passing it between your hands, looking at it reverently. The birds are still singing, chirping in harmony, nature's soundtrack to what is about to become a horrific crime. Whether the birdsong will harmonise with screams has yet to be determined. It has the potential to sound like a symphony - a completely lovely cacophony of everything you enjoy.

The meat cleaver shines in the soft sunlight - simply holding it makes you feel assured.

---

You create your own version of Cinderella. One where the house burns down.

The evil step-mother and bratty step-sisters are already dead when the match hits the gasoline that's long-since soaked into the floors. They had been hacked to pieces, their throats split open, almost to the point of decapitation. The blood would seep from the gaping wounds, spilling onto the bed sheets and staining their blonde hair red. They had looked so human in their sleep, so unsuspecting.

There wasn't even any time for them to awake and feel terror, or shock. That, at the very least, is a mercy. You had never really intended for it to be - it was more of a practicality than a fantasy. In the fantasies, the executions had lasted far, far longer.

As a child, experiencing the pains of loss, you had prayed for your parents to burn, so that they may feel as much pain as you. There was no way of knowing whether or not God would come to answer your prayers, so you decide instead to burn the people you can reach.

The meat cleaver is placed back into the kitchen - there's a chance that the wooden knife block may burn and char it and obscure the fact that it was the murder weapon. You keep Verona's gloves and you keep the cash.

There's something so beautiful, so incredibly vindicating about watching it all go up in smoke.

The house burns so beautifully. Flames dance in the windows, consuming the lacey white curtains, creeping their way up the ceiling until the roof catches fire and slowly caves in on itself, the slate-grey tiles becoming charred, crumbling and sliding over one another.

The birds stop singing. They squawk in agitation, fleeing from the nearby trees and taking to the skies. They, much like you, evacuate and watch the show from afar. They start their birdsong afresh once they're out of danger, singing proudly.

Plumes of smoke take to the air, contaminating and invading the morning sky. It's so dark, so thick that it's liable to block out the sun. The smoke's descending to the ground, too, sweeping over the grass like a terrible, ominous fog, rolling over the street and barrelling towards you in waves.

Your eyes and throat burn - you can feel the heat, even from a distance. You're breathing in wisps of the smoke - it's so strong that you feel simultaneously feel like you're choking, juxtaposed with this great, overwhelming sense of freedom. It smells so horrible you want to gag - it's not like the comforting smell from whenever your father would barbeque. It's stifling, oppressive, even.

And yet, despite your eyes watering and the feeling of nausea that the smell inspires within you, you doubt there has ever been a sweeter smell.

The flames flicker so brightly, swaying in tandem in a variety of oranges, reds, yellows and even a flash of white. They're so bright you can see it reflected on your skin.

The plan has been completed. You're entirely satisfied, and yet you're left directionless. Everything has amounted to this moment - to the burning of the monsters. This is your happy ever after, you think.

You stand there, bathed in an orange hue, simply watching, for as long as you're able.

Inevitably, you have to leave. You're rather tempted to dash back across the street and take Verona's car, if only to steal away another thing she loved. Her daughters, her life, her car. But you don't, as much as you would like to. It's another whim, another fleeting fantasy that has to be sacrificed for the sake of your freedom. Perhaps the car would burn, too. It's relatively close to the house.

Getting caught would simply transfer you from one life of imprisonment to another. The inner city of London seems as good a destination as any - it's not too far, and there nobody will know your name.

[grayyxv]

A Comprehensive Analysis of Eustass 'Captain' Kid

I've been wanting to write this for awhile now as Kid is undoubtedly one of my favourite characters in One Piece. Also, I'm majoring in Psychology so I can't help but think about why I love his character so much.

Disclaimer: As we all know, Kid doesn't have much screentime so it's quite difficult to understand his character completely. So, whatever you read will be my own intepretation of his character (based on the little amount of scenes that he has). Of course, you don't have to agree with it but it might give you a bit of a different perspective!

So, withour further ado, let's begin!

*P.s I'll try to make it flow in but it might end up really messy so I apologize for that*

Note: NOT SPOILER FREE!!!

1. Assumptions

I guess I'll begin with some of the common assumptions of his character based on posts/videos I've seen about his character. They frequently refer to Kid as 'cruel' or 'heartless'. Basically, there are many negative remarks about his character that makes him seem like a total psychopath.

Their reasoning for this would be because:

- He mentioned that he would kill anyone would mocked him

- His high bounty = He's notorious & violent

- The way he acts makes him come off as a bloodthirsty pirate

From another standpoint, I can see why people might think that way about him. The way he speaks and acts does make him look villainous. In addition, his primary role in One Piece is to be Luffy's rival. (I'll expand on this point later.) So, one might think that his morals would contrast Luffy. Whereas Luffy is the kind and benevolent pirate, Kid is the 'bad guy' who is cruel and heartless. The question is, though Kid is rival character, why does that necessarily mean that he would be a bad guy? I strongly disagree that Kid is a psychopath and that he is heartless. Firstly, the term 'psychopath' shouldn't be used so loosely. A true psychopath would have no regard for other's feelings which is not true of Kid because he cares very much for his crew. On the other hand, Doflamingo would be a good example of a psychopath. Next, even if Kid WERE a psychopath, not all psychopaths are violent. So it'd be nice if people stopped misrepresenting psychopaths.

Now, if there is one thing I learned in psychology, is that people tend to make assumptions about a person's actions as part of their personal dispositions rather than because of situation. This would be the Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE). What do I mean by this? Let's take a look at Kid's scenario. He mentioned killing people who mocked his dream. Killing people would make people automatically assume that Kid is 'violent'. But here is a different perspective, what if 'mocking him' had meant that they tried to start a fight with him? Provoking other people repeatedly would cause anybody to get angry. There are many other characters who acts this way as well. Sure, Luffy doesn't go as far as to kill them but I'm sure that many other characters do because they are PIRATES.

In contrast, I think of this situation as Kid standing up for himself. He believes in himself and he would beat anyone up who tells him otherwise. If you think about it, Luffy is kind of similar because he ends up fighting anyone who tries to stop him from attaining his goal.

That is pretty much all the assumptions that people make about his character. It's sad how they don't delve deeper but fret not!! I still have more to say.

2. Pre-Timeskip vs Timeskip Changes/Growth as a character

During Pre-timeskip, Kid is seen as overconfident. I actually agree with this statement quite a lot. His high bounty was a result of his reckless behaviour. He could easily triumph over anyone before the timeskip. That was when he started to become a little too full of himself. Consequently, he suffered heavy losses. His arm was taken by Shanks, his crew was utterly defeated by Kaido (curse you Apoo) and his reputation as the top supernova was instantly lost to Luffy. His true character development was in the Wano arc where we see how he starts to take a step back and re-evaluate his situation. The most obvious evidence for this was when he got captured in Udon. He was quiet (before Luffy's arrival) and deep in thought. So many things had happened to him, you could even argue that he was feeling slightly lost and helpless (not depressed) because he was utterly defeated. The motivation and drive he had in pre-timeskip was shattered- Until Luffy arrived of course. When Luffy arrived, he was battered and bruised but he was still ready to fight. Kid, who saw how Luffy still had his fighting spirit, was somehow inspired to keep on fighting. It's almost as if Luffy is Kid's drive to be stronger.

So, what does this all say about Kid?

I think that this makes his character believable as it can represent real life. There are some points in our lives where we could be the greatest but, sometimes, life can be pretty cruel too. If you get too cocky or overconfident, the world will punish you. I saw a comment that says Kid is Luffy but without the plot armour. That is very true. Kid isn't perfect. He made tons of crappy decisions and dealt which the consequences. I'd say he's as reckless as Luffy, perhaps LESS reckless than Luffy but he suffers more than Luffy does. While Luffy could bask in glory, all Kid got was the short end of the stick. I think that is the reason why I find Kid such an appealing character- because its an accurate representation of real life. Sometimes you can try as hard as someone else but you won't always get the spolight.

The other appealing aspect is his persistence. He made mistakes and bad decisions but he knows that he can't undo them and has to move on. Kid isn't as lucky as Luffy because he didn't have someone like Rayleigh to train him so, he had to put in more effort somehow. The main point is, he had to learn everything the hard way. Yet, he still strives to be the best which is very befitting of a rival character.

3. interactions & Personality

Another thing I frequently see when people Kid and Luffy is that: People say that while Kid makes enemies, Luffy makes allies which is why he has so much support from others around him. I was thinking about this a lot and I can't help but disgaree. I saw another post where they mentioned Kid's MBTI personality is INFJ which made me think even more about that statement. From here on, I will include several headcanons about his character as well.

Let me offer you a different perspective. Perhaps Kid isn't good at expressing his feelings. The way he speaks may come off as cold which makes other people dislike him because they think he is rude whereas he simply doesn't know how to communicate with others very well. Luffy is no doubt an extrovert, seeing how he is easily able to interact with others. Kid on the other hand, if he is an introvert, it could be an explaination to why he doesn't have many interactions with others. I don't see him as someone who's very 'sociable'. So he could experience some difficulty when communicating his feelings. He's shown to be closer to his crew more than anyone else. He is deeply respected by his crewmates because he is sensitive to their needs as well. He isn't the tyrant that everyone paints him to be, he earned that respect by first respecting his crewmates. Also, he would essentially DIE for any of his crewmates. This part is quite self explainatory if you've read the chapter where they revealed what happened to Kid and Killer in Wano.

I just want to add that while Killer suffered so much in Wano, imagine how much it hurt Kid to see his first mate suffer and how he couldn't do anything about it. The expression on his face is perfectly the anger he had towards Kaido, Apoo and more importantly, HIMSELF for not being strong enough. Yet, people call him heartless though he would literally die for Killer.

But anyways, Kid is an excellent listener and he cares very deeply for people he is close to. I just think he's bad at communicating. Look at the way he talks to Luffy. In Wano, you can see how Kid actually does LIKE Luffy as a rival. He just has trouble expressing himself. Anyways, this is just a headcanon but I think that he's rather sensitive to other's feelings- Especially when it comes to his crew. I really like the idea that he's an INFJ because he seems more like the 'advocate' type of character. I still think he makes a very good leader but his approach would contrast Luffy's.

4. Intelligence

I could probaly go on forever about why I love Kid but this is another thing that I see about Kid and kind of annoys me. I'm not sure why everyone seems to think he's a dumbass. Like REALLY. I think he's pretty intelligent. He even kept tabs on the whole SMILE situation and Doflamingo and planned the alliance. He IS intelligent but his recklessness just makes him seem like an idiot.

Kid isn't perfect, he is flawed just like a real human being would be. By no means is he a GOOD person but I don't think he is as 'cruel' or 'bad' as people paint him to be. He cares a lot for his crew. He is very driven by his own personal values and he wouldn't 'change' for anyone. He believes in himself and if anyone tells him otherwise, he would simply beat them up. He isn't happy go lucky like Luffy, he is much deeper than that. He would consider his options and plan- to a certain extent because he is also quite idealistic. Hence, the reason why I feel like his character is such an interesting one is because there is a lot of opportunity for him to grow and stray away from stereotypical anime character traits. His character is believable because his personality is realistic, it could reflect a real human being.

TLDR: Stop sleeping on Kid.

With that, thanks for coming to my ted talk.

Anyways, that's it for now! I'll make a part 2 if I feel like I want to add something. If people like this, I'll consider making another analysis for other characters. Currently I have Law, Ace and Sabo planned in mind but we'll see how it goes.

Thanks for reading!