#so to different degrees it doesn't really phase them. but of course they could also kill each other

[achilleswishes]

I think the biggest difference between natehawk via death dependency goes something like

Nate: You're going to kill me? Do you promise?

Hawk: You're going to kill me? Whyyyyyyy? Why? ;w;

[ronearoundblindly]

Forgot to add In our modern days please

So we've got: ☑️ relaxing ☑️ domestic ☑️ established relationship ☑️ with Steve

Since it's *me,* there's some deep feels in there... plus hearty laughs.

No warnings. It's just headcanon-style fluff!

He likes the warmth of the clothes right out of the dryer, so Steve always thunders over to the laundry room the instant the machine stops. There could be a no-holds-barred action sequence blaring from the TV. There could be real gunshots outside. Doesn't matter. He heard it. As long as you're not in immediate danger, he's going to run and plunge himself shoulder-deep into toasty fabric.

That wasn't a thing when he was a kid. Now, Steve would rather wear out sheets faster than dry them on low heat. He will pay the money. It's worth it.

For the holidays last year, you bought him a huge, fluffy, heated blanket, and he absolutely uses it--keeps himself tucked in until sweating then kicks it off in frustration--but the laundry addiction never stops.

Every time he showers with you at home, you warm his towel in the dryer for a few minutes.

There is nothing, nothing, quite as cute as Steve Rogers burying his face in a fresh towel and hugging it to leech out each extra degree Fahrenheit...or Celsius. He's not picky.

When it's a load of mixed clothing, he scoops it all up and carries it like a boulder over to the bed, bending at his Disney princess waist to press himself in.

Just a minute. Just give him a few deep breaths and a minute.

He likes to fold sheets with you taking one end and him taking the other, coming together in the middle, because no matter how long you two have been a couple, Steve still gets a thrill at his fingers grazing across yours as he takes a corner, as he hands you another. He's a simple man with simple pleasures.

Now, sweaters are a different story.

Steve will wash and dry those however keeps them softest for longest, even if it means putting them on that rack he constantly stubs his toe on. Worth it. Sure. Can we just always put that stupid thing away quickly? He's going to keel over one night trying to get to the bathroom in the dark. Seriously, it's a hazard!

Steve won't wear shoes in the house, which might seem obvious to a lot of people--he's a pretty clean and considerate man, of course he'd want to not bring crap inside, both physically and mentally--but Steve also likes to be barefoot in his home. He doesn't have slippers, but he insists on the floors being pristine.

He vacuums the rugs and carpet constantly because it feels best on his feet that way. Wiggling his toes is part of a grounding ritual he does once home.

Sometimes it's as simple as holding you for a while, savoring a long hug, methodically rubbing your back, and letting you lightly scratch at his.

He prays, in his own way, at that time. What he's grateful for. What he's hopeful for. Thanking whoever or whatever is out there for you.

He's a research fiend. As good as he is about keeping the floors clean, Steve will litter every other surface with books, newspapers, files, magazines, printed articles, and anything else necessary to get the answers he's looking for. He does not like to just search online. He's the weirdo who makes note of the citation online and finds that source at the library.

At some point, you have to put a moratorium on bringing books home when he's deep in that research phase. He's a fast reader; he can scan some there. Steve may be able to check out unlimited volumes, but your home has a finite volume.

You're not discouraging learning, though, just trying to keep it reasonable. No need for him to be possessed by the Ghost of Knowledge Past...

You can tell he's good and properly lost in an art project when supplies are everywhere. Unless it's going to stain/damage something, Steve does not clean-as-he-draws. The colors are out and they are accessible.

You love this; he's happy like this. You let him do it.

Steve gets really, really picky about what art hangs where in your home. He's knows you like his art, but it's nothing compared to the printed and canvased work of the masters. He pitches a fit if you try to display his as predominantly, but you refuse to stick them on the fridge like he's a child.

It's his hobby, he loves it, and he improves in different ways every time he picks up a pencil (or pen). He often has the most casual and fun conversations when he's splitting his brainpower. Steve doesn't particularly know he's doing it (how could he? he'd stop and overthink it if he did), but you can see the stress-thickened aura on him melt away if he's distracted for long enough.

Focusing on cooking with you has the same effect. These activities have become therapy for him--and you--and act as multitasking which is wonderful in the sometimes limited spans he gets to stay at home.

Once almost everything inside your home is setup nicely--there's always room for improvement or redecorating 🤗--Steve makes you two a nook outside to stargaze. He loves to stare and let his mind wander, but he especially loves to have you there in his arms. It's not limited to nighttime either. He's equally thrilled with watching clouds or, if you're under cover, watching storms roll in.

He likes to have you sit between his legs and lean against him. The pressure on his chest is soothing, but he can rest his cheek to yours. Steve gets to use a soft voice then, not his usual, commanding one. With you so close, he can whisper. It's just you two in the whole wide world.

Steve may not be much of a singer, but he uses that same, sweet whisper to share lullabies from his Ma as you fall asleep at night. Not every night, but still. It's magical.

He insists on trying something new every single time he goes to the grocery store. Doesn't matter if it's a condiment or a side dish or a little treat, a new cut of meat or fancy nut milk, Steve has to explore (safely).

He is, of course, still appalled at the price tags, but he also can't judge when something is too expensive since it all is to him. This is how he ended up with a single, $12 dipped pretzel, and you nearly fainted.

It was quite delicious, but never again!

There's a code, a safeword of sorts, for really bad days. Doesn't matter the reason, could be as simple as your brain just can't brain, but it means the user (you or Steve) get to call the shots. You might want to be alone, you might want him to hold you until the sun rises, you might want to watch the cringiest romcoms or ugly cry reading your 'stories.' No questions.

Shawarma.

It came from an early moment once Steve was out of the ice. The whole battle was a disaster from start to finish. He was so overwhelmed, but so was the makeshift team. They all sat in silence. Ate. Didn't eat. Fell asleep sitting up. Fell asleep in their food. No one cared. That's the idea. He needs that sometimes, as he figures everyone does.

Whatever the other wants.

Unsurprisingly, this often winds up mutually beneficial. Sometimes being quiet for the other's sake lets both just breathe. He looks at you and can see your pain, your strain, your fatigue. Steve always ends up smiling, though, because he loves you. There's a type of beauty in your sadness--this gravitational pull to bring him closer, to let him in, to let him lift you back up--that makes him feel needed. This home is where he shields you from the world. On his worst days, he still gets to protect you, to do good, and to make you happy. That is all he's ever wanted in his whole life

Also sometimes shawarma sounds good for dinner, but if that's the case, it's specified. No one is surprised when the whole night is spent just caring for each other. The 'code' means you're starting at an ultra-low place that day or night, but with understanding and respect, you always balance back out.

And finally, a freebie for shiggles: Steve finds flatulence hysterical. Not all potty humor, not jokes in bad taste, but he just cannot keep it together if he or someone else farts. I'm sorry, he can't. It's too funny. The noises???? He's dying laughing.

The team at some point figures this out, and at a dinner at your home--a perfectly reputable affair with proper china and all--the group proceeded to fake (or not fake) fart noises. Steve almost peed himself. Tears of joy were streaming down his face. It was adorable.

See, he doesn't care that it happens; the human body is the human body is the human body. Obviously, he can be concerned if there's like a medical issue, and he's allowed to poke a little fun if your toots (or his) smell, but mostly...he just finds them hilarious.

That is the most childish thing about Steve Rogers, a holdover from a bygone era, and that's kinda the best part. After all he's been through, Steve has an inner child. He just needs to let it rip! 🤭😂

Thank you for asking!

[Main Masterlist; Light Masterlist; Ko-Fi]

[trashfr0g]

Have any headcanons about the Tourney team boys?

Herkie.

Aziz.

Ben.

Chad.

Jay.

Carlos.

Failed Tourney Team Member:

Bash.

I love talking about the lesser known characters.

YES I DO THANK YOU FOR ASKING I had a mini phase where I really wanted to see more of the tourney squad interactions - I even drew some comics!

Granted these are a BIT outdated (I have different number HCS for the boys too since I thought Carlos being 101 for the dalmatians was too cute!)

From left to right they're Herkie, Aziz, Jay, Chad, Ben, Taylor (son of Tarzan) on the floor, and Carlos waaaaay in the corner lol.

Now to get to the real meat! I'll keep it under the cut for dash clutter lol

First thangs first! The guy who made it into the pic despite not having speaking lines or book presence.

Taylor

- Son of Tarzan and Jane Porter, like I mentioned before, but he always introduces himself as the son of Jane (and grandson of Archimedes Q. Porter) because he genuinely believes that she's the famous parent. She's the one with a degree and book and college presentations after all! He gets seriously confused when people have no idea who he's talking about and laughs when they recognize Tarzan's name over hers. No matter how many times people tell him Tarzan's his actual famous parent he thinks it's a joke.

- He speaks the animal language, like his father. It gets him a few Disney Princess jokes from the rest of his teammates but it's all lighthearted! He's also really good at mimicking sounds like Tarzan. If Coach Jenkins ever loses his whistle he just has Taylor mimic the sound lol

- because he usually talks to animals he never realized that Dude started speaking English LMAO

- he has a sister named Janice who is EXTREMELY tech savvy and is basically the 'you don't UNDERSTAND ME' teen archetype who butts heads with her environmentalist hippie family. They both have 'K' as their middle name initial, Taylor's is for Kerchak and Janice's is for Kala.

- he won't put on a shirt unless absolutely necessary. He hates clothes in general but he keeps his pants on for everyone else's sake. His jersey number is 24 in reference to the original 24 books in Tarzan's series!

Herkie

- son of Hercules and Megara, of course. He's got the superstrength of his dad and the weak ankles of his mother 💔 his real name is Herakles, because that's less personally offensive to me and the nickname still works!

- he's not as witty as Megara but he has her sass in SPIRIT. He can pull a face and pose that conveys sarcasm better than any wisecrack could and it makes people remark that he's a lot like her, even though he doesn't have the vocab to back it up

- Phil is banned from Auradon Prep because of him. He would keep showing up at Herkie's games to heckle and ended up hurting a lot of fragile teen boy egos.

- he's got his own Pegasus named Peggy-Sue. Yes it's horrific, yes I think it's too descendants-core for me to change my mind about it. He and Aziz like to compete in flying races, horse vs carpet, and have exactly zero concepts of 'fear of heights' or 'motion sickness' between them.

- he and the rest of the Olympians figured out that Hades was Mal's father before she even knew he was her father. They just thought it was common knowledge, her outbursts and fake personas were too Hades-like for them NOT to connect the dots. Because of this personal villain connection he was one of the AKs that took a little longer to warm up to the VKs, but nobody else could figure out where his attitude was coming from lol

- his jersey number is 12, for the 12 Olympian gods and for the original Herakles' 12 tasks

Aziz

- son of JALADDIN *Lego spin* and one of the most easygoing guys on the team

- in my heart of hearts Jay ends up getting adopted by Jasmine and Aladdin so Aziz ends up as his adoptive brother

- Jordan is his absolute bestie and their ringtones for each other are Friend Like Me

- he LOVESSSSS stargazing! He's part of the astronomy club at AP but his favorite way to look at stars is to drag Carpet up as high as it'll go at night and just lay back in it. Herkie, as the only one with a height tolerance like his, likes to join him sometimes to see Hercules's constellation up close!

- he is EXTREMELY organized but not in, like, a purposeful way. Aladdin and Abu like to play little pranks on him and 'steal' his things without telling him (just to not lose their street rat edge) so he'd never know if he genuinely lost or forgot something or if his dad and monkey were messing with him. He now keeps a really detailed mental list of his stuff so if something's gone he knows they were behind it. This also meant that when Jay showed up at AP he was the first to notice that someone was snatching their things lol

- his jersey number is 40, for the 40 thieves

Tyrone

- son of Terpsichore from Hercules, the muse of dance! Like his mother and aunts he can travel through artwork, but usually stays away from it cuz he doesn't like the feeling of switching art styles lol

- he and Herkie are familiar with each other from growing up on Olympus together and also being the only dudes on the team to wear togas. It's STILL manly 💪😤

- in a meta sense, he's the one responsible for all the spontaneous dance numbers in Auradon working so well. His mom's the muse of dance so he always has the guys ready for when Ben wants to declare his love to random villain girls in song form after games

Li

- son of Chef Louis, and, since I hc him as being Best Bro from the School of Secrets web series, also Smee's great nephew! His mother is Smee's niece and she and Louis bonded over their sea-adjacent backgrounds. Mermaids stress them both out.

- He's always complaining that there's not enough Seafood in the cafeteria but Mrs. Potts won't hear it

- despite his parents' iffiness over sea creatures, he's good friends with Akio!

Akio

- son of Aquata, Ariel's nephew.

- too many of his cousins went to seaside academy so he decided to branch out! He always gets extra rough with training when he knows they're about to go up against the Mermen.

Emir

- son of Amal, Aladdin's ex-best friend from the Aladdin cartoon.

- After traveling the world on his journey of redemption, Amal settled near Auradon, so Emir has never been to Agrabah, much like Jay. He uses this as a point to relate to him when Jay admits knowing that it's where he's from, nationally, but not feeling particularly connected to it due to growing up on the Isle

- Emir and Aziz knew absolutely nothing about Aladdin and Amal's past but still ended up really close. It was due to their sons' closeness that Amal and Aladdin eventually discovered the connection and rekindled their friendship :)

William

- grandson of Wilhelmina Packard from Atlantis

- the other guys on the team try to bond with him but every second when he's off the field or out of class he's chatting loudly on the phone with his out-of-auradon buddies

- despite this, he's a really great team player and is super reliable! He does join their hangouts from time to time but is usually on the phone in the background yapping away (like his grandma lol)

Other Jersey number HCS

Jay - 03, for three genie wishes

Ben - 21, for the age his father was when the beast curse was lifted (/how old he would've been when the curse was sealed if Belle never showed up lol)

Chad - 00, midnight in military time but doubles as a laugh about his loserness

And that's all I got! The main guys are pretty fleshed out characters so I don't think they need my support haha. Thanks for the ask! This was really fun to do :D

[beloveddawn-blog]

To an extent. To WHAT extent I, an internet stranger, can't fully assess.

You're, what, 17-ish. Ballpark. Don't confirm unless I'm off by over two years. But I'm going to say something you're going to hate:

This is probably a growth phase.

I'm sure you're sick to *death* of people saying things you're interested in or passionate about are 'a phase' and that's really not how I mean this, but I did just want to get that out there so I'm not tiptoeing around words later.

This is a *growth* phase. The cocoon is not less important because it's not a butterfly, and the butterfly doesn't *exist* without the cocoon. The cocoon is not something to be rushed past or forgotten about, as things that affect it continue to affect the butterfly. You're right in the middle of starting to have adult expectations thrust upon you while still needing a child's monitoring and guiding to some extent. It's an incredibly frustrating age in a lot of ways, and you have my sympathies for having to handle it.

So you're experiencing rage and emotional disconnect and impulsive, possibly violent tendancies: So do most people at your age. So have most people who have passed your age. So did I. So did my parents. So did my siblings. And you know what? None of us are *you*, so despite saying that none of us 'know what you're feeling' because WE DON'T. We know how we felt. There are similarities, but you aren't wrong to say your experience is different. Of course it is.

That background done, let's tackle those three problems I mention. None of them by themselves indicate a crisis or even are symptoms of a crisis, but in context they *could* be.

First and easiest: number three. Acting on or the desire to act on the impulses that trouble you. There's lots out there recommending different ways of suppressing or subverting them, but have you ever tried indulging? I don't mean screaming at your friends and punching a hole in the wall, but my favourite thing to do in high school when I was in a similar mood was bake apple crisp. My parents chopped wood. My brother went for runs. Some people weed the garden. Others clean. SOMETHING physical and a bit visceral. I loved the satisfying *thunk* of the knife biting into the board, and I blended the topping with my hands (can't overwork a crisp topping! I could really *wring* it out and it only made the end result better!) and at the end I had a delicious positive! Apple crisp! Find something that resonates like that and indulge in it to whatever ridiculous degree you feel like. Shamelessly and wholeheartedly. It's good for you.

Next up: the more introspective two issues. High and still increasing amount of rage-days. There are a few things that could be at play here, and unfortunately it's gonna come down to trial and error that only you can do to figure out if any of this is helpful. HOPEFULLY it's just that you're a kind and loving person who is going through a growth stage, and this is just like an emotional steam engine. You're just new to running it and are having some issues handling your inner fire in a way that doesn't leave you overwrought (too much steam stresses the boiler) or exhausted (too little steam and there's no go power left). If that's the case, practice and maybe a new release valve/coping mechanism (like my baking for me) will smooth it out, as overwhelming as it might feel now.

It could be because of your increasing responsibilities and stress as you approach our arbitrary adulthood line. If that's so just remember that humans are adaptable and you WILL be able to shoulder this load as soon as you get used to the weight, it just hurts like WHOA in the meantime.

It could be due to feeling constrained or stagnant in life. The emotions you feel are the same ones that drive every push forward humans have ever made, be they for good or evil. They are the drive that allows us to accomplish amazing things. They can also feel like drowning if you're not in a position to *act* on them. If that's the case, a lot of people find comfort in having a plan to work towards. And by plan I mean *plan*, not "vague idea of an ideal future". It's not helpful for me, but lots of people find it easier to yoke those feelings if they plan out a 63 step roadmap that relies only on things they can control to achieve their goal. My best friend is like this in a lot of ways.

It could be that outside stressors are causing this: hard times in life, unfulfilling personal relationships or situations, envy, or any number of other things. This is where common advice like "talk to a trusted adult" can be useful. Sometimes they can help alleviate the stress, and sometimes they can help you learn to cope.

It could be physical. Not to be That Guy, because I am also female, but PMS is fucking BULLSHIT and it's completely unreasonable that my own body conspires to make me miserable for up to a FULL FOURTH of my adult life. And mine are relatively minor and easy. I've never actually missed anything due to it, but my sister used to routinely get sent home from school because she looked like she was about to pass out. She's finding out now there was an underlying medical condition that caused some of it, but hormonal birth control really helped her with emotional regulation. Medications don't just do one thing after all. Naloxone is best known for preventing fentanyl overdoses, but it's actually a kick-ass anti-inflammatory that can help with chronic allergies. Taking BC doesn't mean people need to start going out and having sex. Lots of people actually take it for personal health.

There could be a deeper medical reason. If none of this strikes a chord and things keep getting worse, it's worth bringing up with a doctor. I can't promise they'll help, both women and children often get talked over in professional settings, but it's something to look into.

It's also the season of seasonal depression. My UV lamp cost $40 and is a complete game changer.

Also try actually tracking your rage days. It's the season of cheap as fuck calendars. Get you one and put a dramatic ANGRY FACE on bad days. Really quantify how often you feel this way. It'll help you notice trends as well as just give you some raw data to analyze.

I got a bit off topic, but I hope you'll understand why. The short answer to your question is "maybe", and the rest of this is just different tools that might help you figure out the real answer.

Good luck!

Is it weird that I have two sides?

When I'm in a neutral or good mood, I say I love people and things and I can find myself thanking people and being satisfied with the way everything is, I look at people more like people, and I want to do things and I love almost everything I see

But when I'm not, I'm annoyed by everything. I say I love things But I'm lying. I thank people when I wish they'd do anything other than what they're doing. I hate everything and wish I could just die already. I look at people like objects, and I wish I could break something without hurting anybody. I want to do nothing and be nothing and I hate everything I see.

And I'm honest in both occurances? It's how I honestly feel in the moment. I honestly love my friends, but when I'm pissed I HONESTLY wish they'd shut the fuck up. I HONESTLY don't want to hear that 'I know how you feel.' No you fucking don't, shut up.

BUT WHEN I'M FEELING NORMAL I CAN'T EVEN COMPREHEND THINKING THOSE THINGS ABOUT THE PEOPLE I LOVE.

What the hell is wrong with me?

[bitletsanddrabbles]

Tips For Portraying Allergies In Writing

There are all sorts of posts out there on how to portray things in writing. Emotions, action, dancing, being drunk, competitive ping pong, etc. And enough people have allergies that you'd think this doesn't need one...but I realized today that it kind of does. First off, there are different kinds of allergies. I can't speak to a lot of them - such as food allergies* - because I don't have that problem. Feel free to reblog this and expand. Second off, there are a lot of different symptoms for different allergies and they crop up differently in different people. For instance Mum and my cousin are both allergic to cottonwoods, but while they both have eye problems, Mum's itch and are accompanied by a scratchy throat while my cousin's just water like crazy.

So today at work as I was struggling to eat my last break snack in between breaths, I decided I'd make a post with some details of allergy suffering that are a bit more interesting than the usual 'the person with hay fever sneezed and looked through watery eyes'.

Here we go. Feel free to use any of this, to add to it, to provide medical reasoning, to commiserate, whatever.

You can develop allergies. I feel like most people know this, but it bears repeating because it can be an interesting detail. When I was younger, I went through a phase where orange juice made me break out in a rash, but that went away. I was first tested for actual allergies in my 20s and had nothing. I am now allergic to dust mites and grass pollen. I had a former coworker who developed an allergy to chocolate...which she loved. You can have lots of character angst with this! Also people who have known you for a long time frequently display a certain degree of surprise unless they've gone through a similar experience.

Everyone knows how to cure allergies. EVERYONE. The second you say you're suffering, you will be treated to an endless barrage of 'Oh, use this steroid spray! It fixes everything!", "You need X brand of saline nasal spray. It's the only thing that works!", "Have you tried Y brand antihistamine? I swear by it!" Never fails. Now, if you've developed your allergies, it's best to listen to all of this and look into it. I've tried all of the above except the nasal sprays because I am super leery of anything that might mess with my sense of smell. The saline sprays don't work for me, but I've found one brand of antihistamine that...helps. Usually. Depending on the day. Once you've been dealing with them for awhile, though, you've heard most everything and the whole things just gets very annoying.

Meds can stop working. This can be abrupt or gradual, but when there's only one thing that works for you, it sucks big time.

Symptoms are generally not consistent. They will be better or worse depending on the time of day. They will change over the course of the allergy attack. I'm not sure all of the reasons for this. A lot of people have problems in the morning, when allergens have managed to settle in their system overnight (and if your problem is dust mites, bedding is a huge place for them!). I also get them really bad at night, to the point that when I first started having problems a coworker was convinced I needed to dust my bedroom because nothing I said could convince her that 'night' meant 'after sunset regardless of location' and not 'in bed'.

Combining the last two points, the meds that work well on one set of symptoms may not do so well on later ones. Last Wednesday when the pollen level spiked and I woke up in the middle of the night unable to breathe, one pill had me back to normal. The next two and a half days were itchy eyes, low grade sinus pressure, and just enough post nasal drip to be uncomfortable and make my throat scratch, but it would have been So Much Worse without the meds! As we've moved past that stage and into the 'well, there's not much actual pressure, but my sinuses are packed with concrete and I sound like it', they've stopped doing anything, which is super annoying. Why? See the next point.

As stated above, it's quite common to have allergy laden characters sneeze every time they're near an open window, but somehow, unless it's a cartoon, they never pull out a handkerchief or grab a facial tissue to deal with the after math. I've four handkerchiefs that need washing from the past three days at work. People really don't address other issues. Having to sleep with your mouth open, which leads to bad tastes, dehydration, poor sleep, etc., for instance. Or, the one I alluded to in the intro - having to choose between breathing comfortably and eating. One of the reasons soup is such a good go to at this point is that you don't have to chew, so the fact you basically have to inhale, intake food, swallow, exhale, inhale again is a bit more doable. Actual chewy foods are terrible and eating neatly with your mouth closed is not happening, sorry. Brushing your teeth is also incredibly unpleasant.

Year round allergies can still have 'seasons'. Dust mites, for instance, see upswings in autumn, when everyone turns on their heating units and leaves are falling everywhere, etc., and spring...which I believe is mating season. I know my doctor told me why that one, but I can't quite remember. Pretty sure it was mating season.

While having people give you 'must use' remedies is annoying, there is still a certain comfort in other allergy sufferers, especially ones who show the same symptoms in much the same manner. One of my coworkers who also has grass allergy asked me a question today in a not-quite-so-nasally-but-still-congested voice and immediately responded with recognition and sympathy to the tone of my reply. We spent a good several minutes comparing notes and yup, same symptoms start to finish. Misery does indeed love company.

And that's all I'm being able to scrape out of my sinuses brain right now. I may add more later, as things progress, or other people say things that remind me of other things or...you know. Whatever. In the meantime, I hope someone finds this useful.

*it's worth noting that while I'm not actually allergic to food, I have a weird and annoyingly inconsistent sensitivity to tomato products. Pizza sauce has never bothered me, but tomato based spaghetti sauces run the gamut from 'fine' to 'my lips tingle' to 'I have a mouth full of fire ants that have flayed the skin off of my tongue'. The same product will give different results on different days, although fortunately the last one only happened twice when well meaning friends served me 'nice organic tomato sauce'. Best guess is it's something to do with the acidity.

[mittelfrank-divas]

Unlike Byleth, who upon meeting the three Lords immediately senses that each of them is hiding something, Shez has a much more optimistic response to them. At first, this matches up with the story initially being Lighter and Softer. Then you realize that the less dramatic plot comes with the downside of the Lords never managing to fully overcome their issues (something that can be seen during the bonus chapter via their dialogue with the phantoms), so while all three are guaranteed to survive this time around, none of them has reached their full potential. This also explains why Shez ultimately doesn't make as much impact on the plot as Byleth did and the war is still ongoing at the end of each route no matter what, while Byleth picking a side meant an automatic win for them. Of course, the Lords also don't have much of a reason to trust Shez with personal information given that they're just a former classmate, so despite doing their best Shez still makes for a less efficient emotional support than Byleth. They do end up becoming one of the people their chosen lord trusts most, but not to the same degree as Byleth.

This could also be because unlike Byleth who joined the Officer's Academy as a Professor; Shez joins the Officer's Academy as a student alongside them meaning that Shez lacked the status and renown that Byleth had that would inspire a student to switch houses. This also works on a personal level too: Shez's supports with the students only start during the war phase as opposed to Byleth's which started during the school year itself.

I definitely agree that Shez never develops as deep of a relationship with the Lords as Byleth does. Partly because Shez is just a less insightful character and partly because the dynamics are totally different, as you say. People have less reason to confide in Shez, who is just another student/mercenary, than in a professor who is in the role of mentor for them.

In the case of Edelgard specifically though (since I've only played her route so far), I don't agree that she never fully overcomes her issues in SB -- at least no less than she does in CF. Because that's not really Byleth's role for Edelgard. They aren't there to help Edelgard move past trauma -- Edelgard moves past trauma through her supports and through her ability to make meaningful change in the world. Byleth's role is to help Edelgard realize her goals and make that meaningful change.

Which Shez does as well. Not in the same way, and not filling as large of a role in Edelgard's life. But Shez does provide the additional leverage Edelgard needs to actually follow through with her plans, and to live her ideals. That's all Edelgard needs.

[dimdiamond]

@saraaborhan

It may sound weird but in The adventures of Tintin the characters do have character development but it's subtle and goes through all the books. Tintin specifically has a very fascinating character development through all his adventures and I think it's interesting to look at it. Take into consideration I have watched the series, the movies and read 3 of the books (The crab with the golden claws, Mission to the moon and Tintin and the Picaros) which belong to the early, middle and last phase of Tintin's adventures so I'm sorry if something seems off or have missed something.

In the first books, until Haddock appears, Tintin travels alone with Milou. The other only stable character appearance are the Thom(p)sons whose role isn't always cooperating with the protagonist. Tintin goes for one adventure to the other, saying yes to new challenges and invitations. Even when he appears to be in vacation and content to have some peace this doesn't stay long and he just accepts one random archaeologist's invitation to accompany him to his research in an ancient Egyptian tomb. It's not only that adventure happens to follow Tintin but Tintin himself chases it. He doesn't seem to regard much of his safety and health and what's important is to live one thrill after the other. We barely see him in his flat or doing something domestic or you know "boring".

After Haddock's appearance this doesn't seem to change. Tintin still chases one adventure after the other, his curiosity leading him towards dangers. But as Haddock takes his estate back and tries to have a simple life in his home Tintin is affected by that subtly. Although some of the adventures are to help his new friends, Haddock and Calculus, Tintin goes again for an adventure of his own and when we think that we're back to his old says Haddock appears and since then they're not separated again. Together they go back to Marlinspike (at this point Tintin already visits them frequently) and Calculus invites them to where he is. A new adventure awaits but this time Haddock asks if they should go and Tintin responds yes but not in a confident way. Could be because he's suspicious if it's indeed Calculus inviting them? Could be because he's reluctant to leave when they just returned? Anyway I find this reaction really interesting and different from his previous ones.

And this is the point where the moon case happens aka the one where Tintin and Haddock are in a new adventure for Calculus and not for themselves. Tintin seems to be excited to go to the moon but it's also the first time he shows genuine fear for himself and his friends. He's even shocked with himself, he didn't even realize that it was fear until the last second. It's like it's the first time he fully realizes the danger he's in. And when Haddock puts himself and the rest in danger, Tintin of course doesn't abandon him but also shouts at him. In this case he has already showed a range of emotions that until now he didn't or at least not in that degree. Maybe it's because at this point he has fully realized that now he has people in his life to care for him and he in return. He has a family. He isn't just a nobody.

Since then we see Tintin living and choosing a more domestic lifestyle. His next adventure finds him in his vacation with Haddock but it's to save Chang, his old friend, not a mystery or criminal chase. Tintin shows the ultimate devotion to his friendships, risking his life for Chang but also determined to live or die together with Haddock. Again he shows all these intense emotions. Since the moon he doesn't hold himself back as he used to and lets himself be a person besides the hero upfront.

After Tibet and in the next stories it's even more clear the fact that Tintin does not chase adventures, they find him in his new home and in his trip back home. He no longer has the need to chase thrills and there's a stability in his life. His emotions are shown more clear than ever and he even jokes and laughs with Haddock's misfortune. There's no reason to hold himself back or be afraid he will lose his friends and he's just himself or to word it better his new self, he has let people not only enter his life but also change him.

When we finally reach the Picaros case all the character development is more evident than ever. Tintin has his "boring", domestic life and he's content with it. He even hugs the cat of Marlinspike, he is an irreplaceable resident of the mansion and member of this family. And even though it's clear that there's a scheme, his first thought isn't to go straight to danger and he doesn't even consider to do anything. And this time Haddock is ready to go but Tintin declares he won't go and Haddock accuses him of being a coward that won't let his comfortable home. This already is a huge difference from the beginning of their friendship even more huge from the period Tintin was by himself. Tintin then and Tintin now are not the same person or at least don't have the same priorities and wants. Of course later he finds Haddock and Calculus because they are his family and when the adventure reaches its end Haddock and Tintin express their relief to return finally home.

Although it's just not that detailed I think we can see that Tintin's character development is clear throughout all his adventures and, because it took time and Tintin himself isn't the most expressive character, subtle too. Tintin changes from a symbol to a person and his journey was long but worth it.

[fktonofwhatnow]

ok hold on. acomaf is my fave book out of the whole series (it's mostly out of emotional value, i read it when i was younger and didn't have a real understanding out trauma and abuse only that i saw a character i loved getting out of a bad situation and getting happy) so obviously i didn't mind feysand being endgame and the development all of the characters had. i can accept tamlin turned out like that is realistic due to his trauma, i can accept feyre had to flee because it wasn't right for her, but the thing is after acofs i see no point to feyre leaving tamlin when rhysand ends up doing everything they told us tamlin was evil and unredeemable for. hiding the risks of her pregnancy, putting on shields on her, having feyre need to compromise over it. i honestly felt so betrayed by that. i'm not saying feyre and tamlin were good for each other, but it doesn't feel worth it to dismiss the potential they had for what we got with feysand.

also, sarah learn to treat "ugly" trauma with respect challenge. no they don't need to learn to physically fight to fight it. no they don't need a love interest to overcome it. yes the behaviors acquired from trauma and abuse aren't pretty but that doesn't mean a person is undeserving of kindness and compassion.

i think i had a point somewhere but i can't get to it. so hope you don't mind my rambling. anyway i loved your meta about tamlin i think he deserves better too

HOLY SHIT THIS ONE IS SO GOOD OK IM SO EXCITED

Bro you are so fine, I'm the one who doesn't make any sense and I totally get what you're trying to say. (Acomaf was actually my favorite book in the series too ngl)

BUT FUCK YEAH LETS TALK ABOUT RHYSAND.

I don't think it's a secret that Rhysand is one of my least favorite characters in media, probably ever? (How do I even put this into words) He is a bad character and to me, laughably so. You know how if you've ever written a character, there's that little phase that's like "what if people don't like this character' and then you're sad for a little bit? That's how Rhysand feels to me. He feels like SJM looked at this character and thought "I can't stand the thought of people not liking this character because I love him so much" and then did everything in her power to make sure we know how great he is.

Idk if this is just me screaming into the void, but I get to this place with my characters where like, especially if they are a little more morally gray or their decisions have negative impacts, I understand that I don't need the audience to like my main character. they can stand on their own, they can own up to what they do and they can grow from it. Thats what a good character does. That's how you keep your audience rooting for them. You gotta knock them over sometimes.

SJm doesn't knock Rhysand over. She doesn't push him to make mistakes, apologize, own up and move on. Rhysand has never made a decision that ended poorly for him. Everything goes the way he wants it to, because SJm wants us to know how cool and great he is. People who are cool and great don't make bad decisions! SJm doesn't let Rhysand fail, and she doesn't let him suffer his own decisions. Everyone else suffers his decisions, not him.

Rhysand's reputation as a good person hinges entirely on the audience liking him and/or thinking he's hot. And then what happens when the audience thinks neither of those things? Ya get a rly long post like this by a lil enby who is mad all the time. Rhysand loses all credibility when you look at him through a critical lens. Not a single thing the man does makes any goddamn sense. Here I thought acosf would give us a different perspective on Feysand and I was desperately hoping that Nesta would tell us what she really sees in them and how people around them really feel, I hoped that SjM would throw us for a loop and tell us that hey, she does know that Feysand are fucking toxic as hell and ruin the lives of people around them and she wants to show us that from an outside perspective but noooOoOOOoOoOOOO...

Instead we get Nesta hating herself because Rhysand told her that she shouldn't tell Feyre that Feyre could uh die in childbirth. Hey what the fuck.

Now I don't actually ship feylin, I kinda always sorta knew, even without spoilers, that it wasn't going to work out. Tamlin isn't sjm's idea of a good partner because he's not charming and witty and dark and handsome ya know? We met Rhysand and I knew that I was going to fucking hate this romance. Which sucks because I found Rhysand so intriguing in the first book. Ngl all the time spent in the spring court was kinda boring and every time Rhysand showed up to throw dead faeries at Tamlin I was like "oooooo" and I wanted to know more about why Tamlin, this awkward, blunt and kinda shy dude had beef with this super duper sly and shady man from another court.

I don't know if I've ever said this before, but SJm doesn't let her love interests grow. Rhysand doesn't change over the course of the story because he was already a good guy and his motives were for Feyre's sake I swear, the same goes for Rowan in TOG. SJm doesn't give Rhysand room to change. She needs to get to the part where they fuck make sure everyone knows that Rhysand is a good guy and actually he was good all along so that we like him more than Tamlin. It backtracks on everything bad Rhysand has ever done because you know... He had a good reason! It's fine!

I know it's probably just because SJm doesn't actually know how to write a good character growth arc but... Like can you imagine if Rhysand stayed the bad guy? Or at least remained the bad guy through acotar and acomaf? And then when Rhysand comes to take Feyre for his bargain it really was only to spite Tamlin? What about Rhysand, taking Feyre to the night court with him once a week every month for a long time, if only to see Tamlin's eyes grow darker and emptier every time he goes, and then he really starts to fall in love with Feyre. He's been a monster all this time, angry and cold and cruel and then he actually starts to fall in love. And then to get Feyre to stay he really does try to change, he stops antagonizing Feyre, he stops throwing dead faeries at Tamlin, and he stops harassing the Spring court. He starts spending genuine quality time with Feyre, he starts to learn about her and all the things she likes and he stops trying to get her to come with him just so Tamlin will be mad. He starts asking her to come with him because he wants to be around her and he prays that someday she'll want to be around him too. What if SJm let him grow.

But nahhhhhh instead we have a character who always knows the right answer to things, and he always knows how to fix every issue, and he is always so innovative and outside the box except that he isn't. We get a character who does the same shit as Tamlin but it's ok because he had a good reason not to tell Feyre that she could very well die in childbirth. Uhhhh don't know what that is but uhhh I know he has his reasons because all he has are his reasons.

It would be so easy to hold a mirror up to Rhysand and say "look at this. Look who you are. Do you not look just like Tamlin right now?"

But nooooooooOoOOOo Rhysand doesn't get to be wrong. Rhysand doesn't get to look like Tamlin because Tamlin is evil and Rhysand is definitely NOT I SWEAR.

But yeah I think the point I'm trying to make is that Sarah thinks so highly of Rhysand that he could never do wrong. He could never be like Tamlin, despite the narrative literally telling us the exact opposite.

Like you said, we lost the potential of what feylin could have been if SJm didn't suddenly decide that her audience needs to love Rhysand as much as she does. I think feylin could have been slow and sweet and a story of true healing and learning about one another. I think it would have been kind and steady and lots of "are you ok"s and "I'm sorry"s and "talk to me"s. Everything about Feysand feels rushed and hard and fast and the rest of the world doesn't have time to catch up. It's fucking exhausting to read it ya know what I'm saying.

(also can we talk about Rhysand like dying and Feyre finding the suriel and learning he's her mate and then instead of being like "k let's put a pin in that and fuckin save his life first" she like throws him around and everyone is like "wtf woman" and she's like I neeD tO Be alOnE these people have no idea how to prioritize)

Truly, I think it's innocent to a degree. There is absolutely no harm in wanting people to like your character. The harm comes when you destroy another character with no reason or explanation other than you want people to like a different character. Villain arc? Completely out of left field. You gotta build to that shit or like... Make it so that when you look back you slap your forehead and yell at a wall "OF FUCKING COURSE I SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT"

anyways, SJm treat "ugly" trauma with respect challenge SECONDED.

WELL IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME WEEKS YO WRITE IM HAVING A HARD TIME I know it probably doesn't make any sense I can't find my braincells BUT thanks for the ask @xelly

Tell me all your acotar things I love yo hear them !!