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charmandabear · 10 months

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Leather and Lace

Summary

Lady Estelle wasn't expecting to fall for her tailor, of all people. But with everything under her control during the day, she's more than content to cede control to him at night.

Pairing: Astarion/F!OC Rating: E Word Count: 5.7k Tags/Warnings: unprotected sex, orgasm denial, safeword discussion, light bondage, d/s dynamic, p in v sex, vampire sex, biting, vampire bites, blood drinking, sexual tension, casual classism, AU, (sorta, you can make an argument), praise kink

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Something in me turned feral when I saw Hamrikaa's tailor!Astarion art and I needed to get this out of my system. It doesn't help that I work with costumes irl and I suddenly got a lot of opinions about Astarion and sewing.

I have more thoughts on this relationship, particularly with the class difference and power dynamics. I also really want a story with a plus size protag since I'm really tired of feeling like the implication is that all Tavs/OCs are the type 1 body. So let me know if that's something that appeals to you, or if you're interested in a longer version with more than just sexual tension and smut, lol.

Fucking Arfur.

It’s sundown on a Saturday and Lady Estelle Rosewinter is traipsing through the Lower City looking for a tailor. Arfur Gregorio had shown up to her masquerade several hours early already intoxicated. While trying to shoo him off the grounds, he had stepped on her gown, ripping the seam of the thigh high slit to a nearly obscene height. Now, as guests are beginning to arrive, she isn’t there to greet them and is rather passing shop after shop putting up their closing signs.

She could have just chosen a different gown as her handmaiden Celia had suggested, except that it took her so long to get into the damn thing. She thought that getting it fixed would take but a minute. It did not occur to her that, given the hour, finding an available tailor would prove so difficult.

Estelle is about to give up when she sees a dim little shop out of the corner of her eye. It’s not on the main drag, but rather up a quiet alleyway. But there’s no mistaking the sign.

Threads of Starlight

The door to the shop is clearly open, so she rushes in, desperate to speak with the proprietor.

“My apologies, I know you’re probably about to close, but I have an emergency, and I promise that I’ll pay handsomely for the inconvenience–” she cuts herself off as the tailor walks out from the back. He’s so much more attractive than she would’ve expected from someone of his station. His clothes are humble but understandably incredibly well-fitting, his trousers gently hugging his lean legs and the sleeves of his light linen top rolled up above his elbows, revealing pale, slender forearms. His silvery hair looks windswept and effortless, although Estelle knows it takes a practiced hand to get one’s hair just right like that. There’s a measuring tape slung around his neck and he looks briefly startled by her appearance before a practiced charm takes over.

“No need for apologies, Lady…” he leaves a gap in his speech for her to tell him her name. His voice is melodic.

“Estelle. Lady Estelle.” She tries to match his honeyed tone but her mouth has suddenly gone dry. He takes her hand and gently presses his lips to her knuckles.

“Lady Estelle. The pleasure is all mine,” he coos and a shiver goes up her spine. What on earth would a tailor need with this much charisma? Without letting go of her hand, he gracefully leads her up onto the fitting stand in the middle of the shop. She has danced with the finest nobility in Baldur’s Gate, and none of them were even half this elegant.

“Now please, tell me what I can do for you. I hope there’s nothing wrong with this beautiful gown of yours. Is it one of Galwen’s?” The way he looks at her makes her feel exposed, almost naked, despite the conversation literally being about her clothes. She clears her throat in an attempt to regain some composure.

“Yes, I’ve been going to her for years, but she’s tragically unavailable this evening.” Not that Estelle didn’t try. She sent three messengers and finally went to Galwen’s door herself, but she refused to open back up. Pity, since it looks like she’s lost Estelle’s business for good, especially if this one turns out to be as good as he looks. And gods does he look good.

“All the more fortunate for me that I stay open late,” he says in a low tone, and gooseflesh breaks out over Estelle’s arms. “Now, tell me darling,” he coughs at letting the casual pet name slip out, “pardon me, my Lady, how can I be your gown’s savior this evening?” Estelle hadn’t heard the rest of his sentence because her ears started ringing at the “darling.” Normally she would not take too kindly to someone in the working class speaking so informally to her. She’s beginning to feel lightheaded. Has she been hexed? Does this happen to any who cross his threshold?

“It’s torn,” she says in an uncharacteristically small voice. “Right here.” She lifts her skirt at the thigh slit, threads popping out of the seam. In an instant the tailor is on one knee, examining it closely. With him suddenly this close, all of her symptoms dissipate and are replaced by just one: desire.

She tries to shake herself out of it. Not only would anything of the sort be wildly inappropriate - given her status in Baldur’s Gate, an affair with a lowly tailor would be splashed all over Baldur’s Mouth within hours - this man is a consummate professional, and she’s certain that he would never return her affections. He must look beneath dozens of hems a day, this is nothing out of the ordinary for him.

He touches the fabric as he studies it, cool fingers lightly grazing Estelle’s skin. She gasps at the sensation, and he looks up at her sheepishly.

“I’m terribly sorry, I have poor circulation. My touch is always something nasty, I’m afraid.” Estelle shakes her head and finds anywhere to look but into those piercing red eyes.

“It’s fine, really. I have an important evening planned, so I’m a bit jumpy,” she lies through her teeth. He steps away to pick up a needle and thread from behind the counter. While his back is turned, Estelle takes the time alone to wipe sweat off her brow. This man is making her burn up inside and out.

“Oh really?” he sings as he’s back down on his knees, dangerously close to her upper thigh once again. “And pray forgive me, but I must reach up slightly in order to make this repair, if that’s alright. I promise, I’ll be the picture of a gentleman.” He looks up at her, waiting for her consent before touching her further. Estelle, worried what might come out if she opened her mouth, just nods.

He slides his hand between the fabric and her leg, pulling it out slightly so he can tuck his needle into the underside of the seam. Estelle bites down on her tongue to keep from moaning. She knows that she’s touch-starved, it’s been far too long since anyone has warmed her bedsheets. Between running a household, meeting with politicians and nobility alike, and her position in the Baldur’s Gate arts council, she hardly has the time. But this is ridiculous. A gentle caress from a man should not elicit this much heat between her thighs, and yet here she is, keeping them pressed together tight, the slight pressure her only relief.

His fingers move deftly, pulling the needle through the fabric with ease. He’s focusing on his work so intently, and Estelle watches him almost like he’s a dream. He begins tying off the thread, and before he’s complete, his eyes flick upward to meet Estelle’s.

“All finis-” he begins, but Estelle is so startled by the intensity of his gaze that she jumps, causing him to prick his finger with the needle. A tiny droplet of blood lands on the pale pink silk. The tailor jumps back, horrified, and immediately starts apologizing profusely.

“Oh gods, Lady Estelle, I’m so terribly sorry, look at what a clumsy little fool I am, gods on such a beautiful dress, too,” his words tumble out of him, all composure that was once there, now gone. She’s finding this flustered side of him possibly even more appealing than the cool and collected version. Her lady-of-the-house instincts kick in, and she addresses him like a new maid who has accidentally broken china while transporting it to the kitchen.

“Darling,” she breathes and lifts his chin with a finger. She can finally look into those crimson eyes, feeling herself regain the poise she’s accustomed to. “It’s nothing to worry about. Just a speck.” She swears she can hear his breath catch, but maybe it’s just wishful thinking because he recovers quickly.

“Perhaps, but I still feel terrible. This mend is on the house, as well as any alteration you might need done on another garment. And, ah. How to say this.” He looks flushed again, despite the paleness of his skin. “There is a foolproof way of getting one’s blood out of fabric, but it’s not the most, er, refined shall I say.” This piques Estelle’s intrigue.

“Really? And what way is that?”

The tailor shifts nervously, and she positively relishes in the trade in demeanors.

“This only works if it’s the one the blood belongs to, but if you can catch it straight away, then, erm, saliva will do the trick,” he says with a chagrined smile. Whatever Estelle was expecting, this is not it.

“Oh,” she responds, and suddenly she’s back to that lightheaded feeling. What is he proposing exactly? Whatever it may be, she’s certain it will involve his mouth in some way and she’s not sure how she’ll handle that.

“The next five alterations are free, I’m so very sorry, this is very uncommon while working on a garment. At least, I’m usually better at catching myself,” he adds with embarrassment.

“Uh, yes, whatever- whatever needs to be done. Thank you.” She peers down at him, willing herself to find somewhere else to look but unable to tear her eyes away. He pops a thin, pale finger in his mouth and swirls his tongue around it. She swallows loudly as he takes his finger out and dabs it on the slit of her dress, still achingly close to her thigh. He rubs at the spot, but evidently it’s not enough, because he then brings his lips to her dress and lightly rubs his tongue on the silk.

“Oh gods,” she can’t keep this moan from escaping her lips. If he can hear her, he doesn’t respond, blessedly. He pulls away from her, silver hair ever so slightly disheveled, and rubs at the spot with a handkerchief to dry it.

“Apologies again, my Lady,” he says with a frown, examining the spot for any remaining blood. Then he stands and they’re face to face, the few inches of pedestal putting their eyes at the same height. “I hope this doesn’t make you think any less of my skills as a tailor.” She briefly wonders what other skills he might possess before banishing the thought from her head.

“Not at all, er,” she falters, realizing she never asked his name, which is unlike her, she usually tries to learn the names of all of the people she contracts to work for her.

“Astarion,” he says with a bow.

“Astarion, yes,” she repeats breathlessly. “Well, Astarion, you came to my aid in a time of desperation, and I suppose there was a blood price to be paid.” He lets out a startled laugh, clearly not expecting her to make such a joke.

“That’s very clever, Lady Estelle,” he says, his eyes sparkling. “You were a pleasure to have on my fitting platform, I do hope to see you again soon. At least to make up for my absolute buffoonery.” He’s back to the confidently poised man who first greeted her when she entered the shop, and he plants another light kiss on the back of her hand.

“I assure you, the pleasure was all mine,” Estelle murmurs, almost hoping that he doesn’t hear her. “Oh, and Astarion?”

“Yes, my Lady?”

“Please. Call me Stella.

***

Several tenday have passed since Stella’s first meeting with Astarion, and she had visited his shop nearly every evening. It didn’t take long for her to admit her feelings; she couldn’t hide them even if she wanted to. Even when Astarion confessed his status as a vampire spawn, she wasn’t deterred. If anything, it aroused her all the more. Something happens to Astarion when he drinks her blood. The humble and subservient tailor disappears, and in his place is a self-assured and dominant man. Stella is more than happy to relinquish control over to him. She’s responsible for so much during the day, making decisions, telling people what to do, so there’s an appeal to having someone else take that role for once.

The moment she walks into the shop she’s met with the graceful gentleman. No matter how many times she sees him, that wicked smile sets a small ember in her belly that quickly spreads. Each point of contact lights on fire despite his chilled skin. A spark in her fingers as he pulls her forward, a flame on her cheek as he strokes it gently. In an instant he shuts the door and flips around the open sign. With the darkened windows and the door now closed, they’re plunged into semi-darkness and Stella feels a chill go up her spine.

Astarion wastes no time in pushing her against the door and kissing her deeply. He presses his body up against hers and she gasps into his kiss as he pulls her in closer by her waist. He slides his knee between her legs and she lets out a whimper. Astarion chuckles in her ear.

“Eager, aren’t we?” he coos, lifting her slightly with his knee putting a delicious pressure on her mound. She clutches the back of his neck and hair, wrapping her leg around him to get even closer. He hikes up her skirt to her waist and scoops her up so both of her legs grip his midsection. Keeping his lips locked on hers as she continues to devour him, he carries her through the shop and to one of the adjacent rooms where there’s a bed and two untouched glasses of wine sitting on a side table. The tailor’s quarters.

He throws her down on the bed and she looks up at him, cheeks and lips flushed, eyes glowing. Her typically neatly coiffed hair is mussed and strands splay out beneath her head like a halo. Astarion straddles her waist, pinning her in place, as he strokes her face.

“Tell me what you want,” he breathes, looking down at her with heavy lidded eyes. She grabs his shirt and pulls him in close.

“You know what I want,” she smirks, gaze flickering between his eyes and lips. He laces his fingers through her tousled hair and gently grazes his fangs over her neck, eliciting a sharp gasp.

“And you know I like to hear it,” he murmurs into her neck, and another full-body shiver goes through Stella. His breath feels chilling against her warm neck, blood pumping eagerly through her arteries. She grabs his face and forces him to look her in the eye – the last bit of control she has before she cedes it completely.

“Astarion,” she says slowly, measured and teasing, “I would enjoy it very much if you bit my neck, drank my blood, and then had your fucking way with me.” He chuckles darkly.

“Well,” he grins, a mischievous glint in his eye, “since you asked so nicely.” Stella lets out a moan as his fangs sink into her skin, the piercing pain soon giving way to a throbbing ache. His lips close around the wound, drinking in her delicious warmth, leaving her feeling blissfully lightheaded. She hums with pleasure as she curls her fingers into his silvery locks, hips unconsciously rolling into his, hungry for more contact. She can feel him growing stronger as her blood flows into him, his thighs tightly gripping her hips, keeping her locked into place.

Astarion pulls away from her before going too far and Stella lets out a small whine at the loss of contact. He’s out of breath, chest heaving as he licks the last of her blood from his lips. He presses two fingers to the wound on her neck to stanch the bleeding as she looks up at him, pupils blown wide with lust. Once he can feel that the blood is no longer flowing freely, he takes his fingers away and hovers them centimeters above Stella’s lips.

“Open,” he commands, and she dutifully obeys. She takes his fingers into her mouth and sucks on them lasciviously, the metallic taste of her own blood filling her mouth. It’s one thing to prick her finger and to suck on it to make the bleeding stop. It’s quite another to lap her blood of Astarion’s fingers, languishing in the vulgarity of the taboo. She yearns to hear his breath hitch as she works her tongue over their length.

He slides his fingers out of her mouth and grabs her chin, reversing the roles from moments before. He examines her face, turning it this way and that, like he’s inspecting a prized golden retriever at a dog show.

“Gods, you’re beautiful,” he lets out in a low tone. “Trapped underneath me, open and wanton, ready to let me do whatever I want with you. To you,” he adds on with an impish grin, and Stella squirms with anticipation. He swings a leg over her and stands by the edge of the bed, towering over her.

“Up now, on your knees,” he instructs and she scrambles to sit on her knees, still looking up at Astarion with lust-filled eyes. He reaches behind her and fully releases her hair from its loose braid letting it fall down the length of her back. He runs his fingers through her hair, humming as he does, “Good girl.” Her chest swells with the intake of breath as she leans into his touch even more.

“Undress. Quickly,” he demands. Her skirt is already up around her waist so she peels the rest of her dress off in a fluid motion. The corset provides a little more resistance, but even with fumbling fingers she manages to untie the laces and undo the hooks, letting it fall behind her. The sudden exposure to air makes her nipples go hard. Astarion smirks and cups one of her breasts in his hand, stroking her tit with his thumb. Stella bites back a cry.

“Shh shh shh. Not a sound,” Astarion whispers as he puts his lips close to her ear, continuing to fondle her. “I don’t want to hear you make a single noise, understood? Not until I say so.” He pulls away and locks his crimson eyes on her brown ones. Stella trembles, but nods silently.

“Good,” he breathes and slides her forward so that she’s sitting on the edge of the bed with her toes lightly touching the floor. He then lowers himself to one knee between her legs. He kisses up her thigh until he reaches her panties. He looks up at her mischievously as he hooks a finger in either side of the waistband, and he slips them off in a single fluid motion. Stella shudders with anticipation for what he plans to do next.

Astarion parts her legs and she can feel the cool air on the slickness between her thighs. He leans forward and takes her nipple in his mouth, flicking his tongue lightly over the tip. She takes in a shaky breath, but she manages to keep any noise she might want to make under wraps. He looks up at her while continuing to work his tongue. She clenches the sheets as jolts of white hot electricity shoot through her body. He pushes her legs apart even further and leans in, the ties from his frilled shirt lightly brushing against her folds. She gasps and shifts her pelvis, simultaneously trying to get less and more contact. He grabs her waist forcefully to hold it in place. He snakes his way up so that they’re face to face, lips a hair’s breadth apart.

“Ah ah, no moving either. Are you going to be good for me? Will you be silent like I’ve asked?” he says in a light, sing-songy tone. Stella keeps her lips clamped together as she nods.

“And what will you give me if you can’t obey?” he purrs, brushing his lips against hers as he runs a thin, cool finger along her slit.

“Ah-anything,” Stella moans, turning her pleasure sound into a response. Astarion lets a smug grin play on his lips.

“Either way, I’ll get what I want,” he intones, and mercifully pulls his face away from hers. She releases a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. But it’s still only the beginning.

He lowers himself onto both knees and places a delicate kiss on her labia. She squirms but remains silent.

“My, you could drown a small army down here,” he says with an amused smile, and Stella just continues to breathe heavily, her chest rising and falling as she gazes down at the head of white curls between her legs. He runs the tip of his tongue along her folds, hands pushing out on her thighs slightly as he does. As he parts her legs further he exposes more of her, letting his tongue explore the newly uncovered skin. A cry catches in Stella’s throat and she slaps a hand over her mouth. His scorching gaze fixes on her and she lets herself fall back on the bed. If she watches she’ll be done for. Then again, not being able to anticipate his next move might be even worse.

Not being one to let her escape his torment, Astarion grabs Stella beneath the legs and yanks her toward him, letting her legs fall onto his shoulders as he continues to lap up her sweetness. She chokes down a whine, her breath quickening as she desperately tries to control herself. His tongue plunges into her and she bites into her hand with a hiss. With her pelvis rolled up so that he can get the best angle, he continues fucking her with his tongue, getting deep enough that the tips of his fangs press into her ever so lightly.

That’s what sets her over the edge. The smallest pinprick of pain along with all of the filthy things he’s doing to her with his tongue tears a scream from her throat, muffled by her hand. He stops and stands over her, backlit by the low lighting, her wetness reflecting off his devilish smile. He then grabs her by the throat, not enough to constrict her breathing, but just enough to pull her face up to his.

“What was that, my sweet?” he growls dangerously.

“N-nothing,” Stella stammers out, but Astarion just smiles.

“I don’t think it was ‘nothing,’ darling,” he breathes, acid in his voice. “I was very explicit in my instructions, was I not?” His hand tightens around Stella’s throat and she lets out a choked sound. It’s not a sound she usually makes. Astarion pulls his hand back slightly, concern creeping into his eyes. Stella looks up at him and nods.

Keep going.

They have a safe word for a reason, but if anything unexpected happens, Astarion still prefers to check in. He’s mentioned before that sometimes he’s worried that he’ll lose control, especially right after drinking her blood.

Stella finds the danger absolutely thrilling, but wants him to feel just as safe as she does.

Astarion drops her throat and pushes her down so her back is flat against the bed. Still between her legs, he pushes his pelvis against hers, pinning her wrists above her head. He’s still fully clothed, and the leather of his pants feels deliciously cool against her wet pussy. He puts one knee up on the bed, pushing her right leg up higher and spreading her even further. As unphased and indifferent as he seems, Stella can still feel his erection pressing into her, and she shifts to feel it more.

“You said you’d give me anything if you failed, correct?” he murmurs against her lips.

“Yes,” the word escapes on a breath.

“Then hold still.” Astarion stands and the sudden loss of all contact elicits a small whine from Stella. He flashes her a playful smirk as he walks over to the bedside table and pulls out two long strips of cloth. He climbs on top of Stella again, straddling her hips and squeezing lightly with his thighs.

“Wrists, please,” he commands almost nonchalantly. Stella immediately puts her wrists together and holds them out to Astarion.

“Good girl,” he coos and the praise makes her lightheaded. He tenderly wraps her wrists up in the silk cloth, making sure it's tight enough to prevent escape but not enough to cause any lasting damage. He then takes the other strip of cloth, a sturdier cotton broadcloth, and holds it to her lips. He ties it tightly behind her neck, keeping her from being able to open her mouth at all.

“Since you can’t control yourself enough to stay quiet,” he purrs, low and dangerous, “maybe this will do it for you. And I think,” he stands and walks over to the bed stand. He looks over his shoulder and orders in an apathetic tone, “Up dear.” She scrambles to her knees, wrists falling limply in her lap. He continues, “I think you need one more thing to remind you to whom you belong.” He pulls out a fine leather collar with a silver O-ring in the middle. Stella’s excitement mingles with genuine admiration for the craftsmanship. He turns around and lovingly closes it around her neck. He then slips one slender finger through the ring and pulls it up so her head is tilted toward him.

“How does that feel, good?” he asks lightly, and she nods, still desperate to please. He lets go of the collar and strokes her jaw. “Good,” he breathes, and she can see the self-control in his eyes. He wants to fuck her just as much as she wants him to, and it’s taking everything in his power to hold out. He leans into her lips as though he’s about to kiss her but stops just short of making contact.

“Now, before I decide precisely what I want to do with you,” he hums into her lips, “I want to make sure you can still tell me if I need to stop or slow down. If it ever becomes too much, I want you to snap your fingers, understood? Show me now.” Astarion keeps his lips achingly close to hers, but she does as he says. When he hears her snap, he grabs her face in his hands and kisses her roughly, sliding a dastardly knee between her legs once again. She longs to reach for him but keeps her bound wrists dutifully in her lap as his lips continue their assault on hers.

Once he breaks the kiss, he remains close and slides his hands behind her head and into her hair. “Good girl,” the words rumble low in his throat and Stella is grateful for the cloth that muffles the obscene noise she makes. He steps away and she’s finally able to see all of him as he pulls off the tunic, revealing his porcelain chest. She yearns to run her fingers along it, tracing the outlines of his muscles, but instead she just grabs a fistful of sheets beneath her hands. He pulls down his trousers, letting his already hardened cock free, and her pussy twitches in anticipation.

Astarion saunters back up to her and touches the front of her gag where a small wet spot is forming with her desire for him. He smirks and pulls her face down to his cock, running the tip of it along the broadcloth. She can feel it brush against her lips, and she again moans in anticipation.

“Don’t you wish you could take me in your mouth?” he breathes, and Stella presses her tongue against the inside of the gag, trying to make even minimal contact. He laughs cruelly. “Gods, you’re desperate,” he scoffs. “It’s a shame, because if you had been able to follow my instructions, I may have even let you ride me on top.” He pushes the tip of his dick into the gag one more time before pulling away, leaving Stella to squirm achingly.

“But instead,” he forcefully pushes her back so that she’s once again lying on the bed with her legs spread open for him. He crawls on top of her and teases her opening with his tip. She mewls in desperation. “You’ll have to contend with me doing whatever I want to this beautiful body of yours. I can slide in,” and he pushes into her, wrenching a gasp and whine from her mouth, before pulling out and letting his tip tease her again, “and pull out on a whim. You said I could do whatever I want.”

Stella is beside herself with lust. Unable to move her hands, she writhes her pelvis, trying to get even the slightest bit of contact. Her pussy is starting to burn from the pent up desire and she’s genuinely unsure of how much longer she can last like this. Astarion grins widely and his fangs sparkle in the low lighting.

“Shall I give you what you want, darling? What you so fiercely crave?” His slick tip is still dancing around her cunt and tears are starting to form in her eyes as she nods. He thrusts into her again and rips the cloth from her lips before whispering sharply into her ear.

“Then I want to hear it all,” he hisses. “I want you screaming my name as I fuck you.” With his permission, she cries out, all of her stifled energy finally releasing.

“Oh gods, Astarion, fuck me please,” the words spill from her mouth uncontrollably. He starts pounding into her and she knows after all that time teasing her, she won’t last long. The heat of him sliding in and out, the stretch with each thrust, fills her with a fire that threatens to turn into an explosion.

“Fuck, Astarion, please,” she whines, moments away from climax. She wraps her legs around his waist to get him in deeper, and now it’s his turn to let out a low moan. He continues to slam into her, the sounds of their mutual pleasure mounting.

“Look at me,” he growls, and she struggles to keep her gaze locked onto his crimson eyes. He looks so beautiful above her, silvery hair getting slick with sweat, panting as he continues his smooth rhythm. She can feel her orgasm building as her cries grow louder. He knows she’s close, too, and once again he flashes a fang-bearing smile.

“Come for me, darling,” he groans, and that sends her toppling over the edge.

“Gods, Astarion, yes!” she screams as she comes, and his follows shortly after. With a final thrust, he releases into her, his cock pulsing exquisitely. He looks down at her with an uncharacteristically shy smile and kisses her as he pulls out.

Both of them are out of breath as he collapses onto the bed next to her. Stella’s limbs feel light as though she just downed an entire bottle of dream mist. She rolls onto her side to look at Astarion, who appears to be equally intoxicated. Without a word she holds her wrists up, and he laughs lightly.

“Ah, yes, you might want those back,” he croons, and uses his teeth to pull out the knot, and the silk falls away in one fluid motion. Her hands are so close to his face that she cups his chin gently, just content to look at him.

“You’re so beautiful,” she whispers, and he turns a kiss into her palm.

“I could say the same thing,” he purrs as he looks up at her through his lashes. “Tea?” He pulls up the plush blanket that had been folded neatly at the end of the bed and wraps it around Stella’s shoulders. She snuggles into it and pulls it closed around her, then nods. He plants a quick kiss on her forehead and walks over to fill the kettle hanging above the hearth. Stella admires his silhouette, backlit by the light of the fire. He’s lithe and sinewy, his sculpted muscles built for dexterity more than strength. Her eyes rake over his broad shoulders, the dip of his lower back, the curve of his bare ass. He turns his head to look at her over his shoulder.

“Yes?” he asks, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Nothing,” she hums, “just enjoying the view.” He smiles as he leans over the blanket cocoon she’s swathed herself in and kisses her lips softly, gently. He’s always particularly tender with her after a session like that, and Stella is grateful for it. She loves being able to see both of these sides of Astarion. The affable tailor eager to serve, and the dangerous dom claiming his power. Her fingers lightly dance on the collar he put on her. She likes the idea of belonging to him. A pity she couldn’t wear something as conspicuous as a leather collar in her daily life.

Astarion returns with a steaming mug, and as though reading her mind, pulls a long jewelry box from the drawer of the bedside table.

“A companion piece to your collar, if you so wish,” he says in explanation. “You’re under no obligation to wear it, of course, but I thought you might like a little reminder of me everywhere you go.” She opens the box and nestled in the satin is a delicate silver chain with a small ring in the center. Her jaw drops slightly as she marvels at its beauty.

“Astarion, how did you–?” she begins, but he cuts her off.

“It pays to be a well-connected artisan, darling,” he says with a shrug.

“Will you put it on me?” Stella asks in a light voice, and he looks delighted. She lifts up her hair so that he can unclasp the leather collar and replace it with the silver necklace. His fingers brush against her neck, lingering on the puncture mark he left earlier.

“Although perhaps you might want to sport high-collared dresses for a bit,” he admits with an apologetic grin. Stella turns and kisses him, cupping his face and gently running her thumb along his jaw.

“Well thank the gods I have a tailor who can make me new gowns in all the latest fashions,” she smirks. He climbs on top of her to kiss her more deeply, their naked bodies touching in a way that’s intimate, but not sexual. She could melt into his flesh, his kiss, his breath, and never want to change a thing.

118 notes · View notes

izartn · 8 months

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So, about how I see Link Click's Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi relationship:

As it stands in canon? Queerplatonic partners. And it's convenient for the plot that they're like this.

Because of Chinese censorship it can't be explicitly romantic, yes I know it. Let me tell why it's queerplatonic for me. The way these two have intertwined their lives and futures together?!

Owning a business and living together, that hint in ep2 (comparing them to the subtextually older lesbian couple who also came across as queerplatonic bc censure) where Xiaoshi wonders/fears if years down the line he and Lu Guang will separate/break up implying their partnership is for life as far as he's concerned (the parallel can be taken as a subtext romance too but follow me we're talking text), the way they were already going also on vacancies together three years prev in canon, etc...

Without entering on their complimentary powers and the way the dives need both of them if they want security in not screwing the past, and the inmense trust and vulnerability the dives themselves require?

They're not simply best friends either.

Those aren't the actions of normal, totally not queer friends. Cheng Xiaoshi checks out women on the dives, sure, (and men too when the host is feeling it which I love bc they can't address it directly bc censorship and then it comes across as Xiaoshi being super confident in his own relationship to sexuality/gender) but I don't think he would ever date bc Lu Guang is already there, filling that place in his life minus sex and romance but all that same companionship and intensity of feeling.

These two meet in what, the last year/s of High School and then proceeded to latch onto each other with a commitment reserved for romantic partners.

And I know you want to say, "it's the censorship! they'd be romantic and canon if not for the censorship!"

Are you sure? Are you sure the story would work if there were explicit romance in it? (I mean, if they could I'm pretty sure they would have nailed it anyways but allow me my a-spec delusions) Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang feel so much like an already established pair, they work like one, and Link Click is not about them coming together like many other stories. Are you sure this would work as BL?

There's a distinct difference on the way they start the show already like six years at least since they're best friends and three or two since they live together. That's not usually how it goes. I'm talking not just romances but every buddy or nakama anime/show, where the protag has to learn to work with who will be his best friend or rival. These stories usually have the same kind of plot progression as a romance which is why they work so well when you make the subtext text.

But a story where the main romance is already established and we're following a plot that has nothing to do with it? Much more rare, even stranger to find them well done although there are some very good ones and with the friendships instead of romo they're more common. For example, Soul Eater, which is all about the trials of it and how they hace to truly come to understand each other. That's Link Click a bit, but not even then.

Link Click juggling a budding romance between Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi with all the other stuff is going on?? Messier for sure. I don't know if people would have liked it as much or if the donghua would have been as well done.

As it is, Link Click has the exact level of emotional connection between our protags it needs to have incredibly high stakes emotionally and at the same time not need a detour by romantic scenes/fanservice that would derail the plot or the other charas importance. That it happens to be pretty queer anyways in a platonic way?

Nice for the aroace-spec folks watching the show xD

Btw, I'm pretty sure in season 3 we're going to get more of Lu Guang's PoV, the origins of their powers and the past between him and Xiaoshi. It'll probably dig more into the aspect of "testing their bond and coming stronger bc of it" which is were the romantic subtext usually comes through...

—unless you're very very good at writing like Arakawa in FMA, who nailed the brotherly relationship without tipping into incest subtext which I've seen more than a few writers fumble. or the latest D&D film for the platonic childrearing and partnership for a no familial example between a man and a woman also very very difficult to get right for writers dunno why—

... but until then, for now I'm incredibly satisfied by the canon.

The other read of course it that they're already a couple since well before the start of season 1, and to mentally edit what we saw in canon with that lens (it wouldn't be very difficult honestly) but reading only the text? Queerplatonic partners!

There also how Xiaoshi and Lu Guang don't have that anxiety/insecurity of their bond that makes it so easy to read the want for something, like a romance for shipping purposes. Despite the disagreements on the Dives or the trials of season 2 or Lu Guang keeping secret Cheng Xiaoshi future/past death they read very steady which is fun. I love some good established relationship, you can go to deeper places when the base is already secure and the risk is higher for the characters. Plus I love domesticity! Yes, I do my angsty/Gothic leanings notwithstanding. Don't you know you need a home for the Gothic to be effective?

#link click #meta #link click meta #lu guang #cheng xiaoshi #shiguang #my thoughts #all of this to say that I don't exactly ship them #Although I've been tagging fanart and meta with their shipname #bc I dont not ship them #honestly?#it's because despite it all I'm very much a canon girl so I can't help but see shiguang on that same romo-not romo limbo #canon present us with #loving the fics though #and Lu Guang is so tragic timetraveler for love coded is not funny #which is the reason I'm sure season 3 will give me that shift towards a more romantic lense to their relationship #also the way they made sure to sibling-fy qiao ling and cheng xiaoshi was fun XD #in conclusion: I think Link Click being a danmei wouldn't have worked #precisely bc it wasnt created as danmei the story as it is works almost perfectly #and right now Im not sure if I would want the romance at the expense of everything else the plot is doing #....qiang jin jiu did it well on the second half though #but it had the first part to go from a enemies-to-lovers and establishing the romance #I don't think I've seen a danmei start with a established romantic relationship bc the genre being a romance tells you that's #what's going to be centered #link click would had to be a just a time travel thriller with queer elements (which it is)#and I don't know #I'd love it but I bet we'll have lots of people annoyed/annoying bc they're here for the romance #Instead of taking the story for what it is #but then romance (queer romance) doesn't devalue the storytelling #ah the conflict of wanting a-spec queer stories VS censorship

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blueskittlesart · 1 year

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i've been occasionally watching critiques of totk just to hear differing opinions and a lot of them feel really nitpicky but the one that stuck out to me the most was the guy who wholeheartedly believed that the stories in these games could be improved by. removing link as the main protagonist. it should be pretty obvious that this take sucks ass but i wanted to see if you'd share your thoughts since you're good at putting your thoughts into words with this kind of stuff ^_^

ok this one is. strange to me. I'm not sure i'm equipped to critique it without getting the full argument from its source, because i assume that if the argument is that link SHOULDN'T be the protagonist, then they're arguing someone else SHOULD be instead, and not knowing who that is makes this a little harder to dissect. for the sake of this post i'm going to assume we're arguing for protag zelda, because she's the character who is the vessel for most of the story in botw/totk so i think she's the only character that makes sense. I'm also curious if they're advocating for removing link as a character from the story entirely or if they're just advocating for a change in framing from one character to another.

in any case, If i'm right about the above assumptions this seems to be another case of someone missing the central themes of the games. Because I concede that, at a glance, link kind of doesn't have that much presence in the story of either game. both games very heavily focus on zelda, with botw's primary story being about her struggle pre-calamity with her agency and her powers, and totk's primary story being about her journey in the past with sonia and rauru. arguably, the protagonist of these games in the traditional sense, i.e. the character who primarily experiences the highs and lows of the story and goes through an arc of growth, is ZELDA. link is, for all intents and purposes, the framing device through which we as players are witnessing ZELDA's story.

(full disclosure this turns into an essay on the way link is used as a character and a plot device bc i have no self control lol)

so why is link necessary, then? what is the point of the player experiencing the plot through a framing character like him instead of through zelda herself, the active protagonist? I think there are several layers to what makes link's presence in these games both necessary and irreplaceable.

the first and one of the most important reasons to have link in the active role is interactivity. I'm incredibly interested in video games as a modern art form and storytelling method, and imo the thing that sets video games apart from other methods of storytelling is their interactivity. In order to tell a story, an rpg drops the player into the middle of it. the player is an active participant in the story as it unfolds, and the player gets to experience and potentially alter the events in real time. from a consumer standpoint this may seem obvious and uncomplicated to execute--just take a prewritten story and put the player in control of one of the characters, right? but from a writing standpoint, it becomes really complicated really fast.

most stories are written linearly in a sort of cause-and-effect model, meaning events and actions will build on each other throughout the progression of the story. e.g: a monster attacks a village > because of the monster attack the villagers lose their homes > because they are now homeless, one of the villagers decides to slay the monster to take their village back > the villager slays the monster and the village is saved. each event builds upon the one before it, and if any of the events in the sequence were altered, the events after it would also be altered as well. if the villager decided to leave the village instead of fighting the monster, the event after that one would be altered and the village wouldn't be saved. What this means for interactive storytelling is that, if you want to have a single set course of events and ending (the standard model for zelda games) you can't allow the player to alter any events in that sequence. whatever character you give the player control of has to be able to experience the story WITHOUT substantially altering it. this becomes a dilemma because you as a writer need to toe the line between giving the player too much choice and altering the story/creating plot holes and giving the player too little choice and limiting the interactivity of your story. this is where the silent protagonist comes in handy.

the silent protagonist is a term for a player character which takes no action outside of what the player specifically orders them to. Link is one of the more famous silent protagonists, but other well-known ones include frisk from undertale and joker from persona 5 (worth noting that SPs don't have to be PHYSICALLY silent to be SPs, they just can't take any story-altering action without player input. joker actually has voice lines & is still considered an SP!) the silent protagonist is a popular model for RPG player characters because it basically solves the interactivity dilemma. A character with no personality is incredibly easy for players to project themselves onto, making them FEEL very in-control and immersed in the story even if they're not REALLY making any story-altering decisions. As long as your protagonist never breaks from player control and makes decisions on their own, the player feels like they ARE that character and will be much more susceptible to being thrown around by the story. A character with no personality or backstory is also conveniently lacking in outside motivations, meaning they're unlikely to need to substantially alter the story in any way that they aren't directly prompted to. for example, if we go back to that monster & villager story, if we turn our heroic villager into a silent protagonist, it puts a layer of distance between the hero and the villagers. the hero CAN choose to save the village, but they likely WON'T if the game doesn't prompt them to. this opens up several possibilities to us as writers--we can prompt the player to save the village, if that's the way we want the story to end, but we could ALSO prompt the player to side with the monster, or to ignore the village altogether, depending on what the story requires. when the hero has a backstory connecting them to the village, it's difficult to rationalize any response other than them attacking the monster, but removing that backstory gives us as writers more control AND keeps the player more engaged with the story at the same time.

so why does this matter for link? as previously mentioned, link is arguably the most famous silent protagonist of all time. this is something that's VERY important to the developers of these games--throughout the entire franchise, you will NEVER hear link say a word, and you'll also never see him take any action without the express confirmation of the player. link isn't a character through which the player is experiencing the story, link IS the player. thus, link is silent and takes no action outside of the player's control. relative to the story of botw/totk, link feels like he lacks presence in the story because HIS story takes somewhat of a backseat to zelda's. link's story in botw/totk is a relatively straightforward one--he wakes up, regains his memories, and saves the princess. that's his arc, and that's the arc that we as players are physically experiencing through him, but it's NOT the primary story arc of the games. the primary arc is ZELDA'S. at a glance, then, it almost would make more sense to make zelda the playable protagonist of the games. why are we required to witness her story as an outside observer in a medium which allows players to experience a story firsthand? why not drop us into HER body instead of link's?

because zelda isn't a silent protagonist.

Nearly all of zelda's story in both botw and totk is driven by her backstory and her internal struggle. she makes the decisions that she makes in botw because of her history having her agency denied by her father and being scorned by the goddess, and because of her passion for ancient technology and science. the plot of totk is similarly driven by choices she makes based on her emotions--most notably, her choice to become a dragon requires her to have complete faith in link and the courage to take a step that means losing herself. Because of the way these choices rely on zelda's internal emotional state and the context and backstory of her character, a player dropped into her body can't be expected to make them. We actually saw it a lot with criticisms of the way she acted in botw--people claiming that if THEY were in her shoes they wouldn't have been so emotional, they would have been nicer to link, etc. And it's true that a player who hasn't experienced the things that zelda as a character has gone through may have been able to have more rational or logical reactions to the situation she was in, but it's crucial to the plot that zelda COULDN'T set aside her emotions or the way that her past colored her perception of events. zelda is essentially the anti-silent-protagonist. she is the VOCAL protagonist, whose backstory and voice and autonomous choices are so crucial to the plot that removing them becomes nearly impossible. in order to tell her story in an interactive medium, she requires another character who CAN be controlled and whose decisions can be altered somewhat without derailing the plot entirely, hence why link becomes the vessel through which we see her story.

no less important a point is the fact that link is thematically important to these games as well. As previously mentioned, zelda's story serves as the primary narrative to both games. Link's story is still present, however, and it serves to reinforce and expand upon the themes present in zelda's.

in botw, zelda's story centers around her lack of agency. she is expected to inherit her familial power from the goddess hylia, a power which is required to stop the calamity. she spends her entire life training for this purpose despite the fact that she resents the pressure and wants no part in the war against the calamity, and when her powers don't manifest she is treated like a failure for it. she ends up believing she is worth nothing if she can't contribute by awakening her power and develops a harsh internal conflict between her desire to be accepted and needed and her desire to break free from the oppressive role she's been forced into. Initially, both she and the player believe link to be the polar opposite to her--the golden child to her black sheep. he's her age, but he's already mastered HIS power and is more than ready to take on any challenge, including the calamity. he's constantly receiving praise, he's well-known and well-liked, he's everything zelda isn't. however, as the story progresses, it's revealed to both the player and zelda that link is actually essentially in the exact same situation as zelda. He finds the role he is playing just as oppressive as zelda finds hers, despite being able to play it so well, to the point where he goes mute due to the pressure to perform. he functions in this story as a foil to zelda, the character who she plays off of. In learning about him we learn about zelda, and vice versa, and both characters undergo growth when they work off each other. much of botw's theming centers around growth, healing, and change, and link serves as a vessel to propel zelda's change by giving both her and the player a different view of their situation. He is confirmation that even if she DID perform correctly, zelda STILL wouldn't find the happiness and validation she's seeking, which in turn forces her to stop seeking validation from her father and hylia.

this same utlization of link is present in totk, though in a slightly different way. in some ways, totk link is more of his own character than a foil to zelda a la botw. Totk has two main central themes: the first being that hope is not lost due to one mistake, and the second being teamwork and community as an essential tool for survival and happiness. rather than playing off each other in totk, since link and zelda spend so much of the story so far removed from each other, they both play off these themes in their own ways, with both of their narratives coming together to reinforce the theming. zelda finds friends and community in the sages in the past, and her trust in her friends and community in the future is what allows her to send the master sword through time via draconification. In the future, link repairs communities that have been fractured by ganondorf and forges bonds with his own sages that will become his greatest assets in the final battle. Zelda works tirelessly to prevent the first rise of ganondorf, and even when she fails, link is there in the future to fix it. zelda loses her humanity in order to bring the master sword to link, but link manages to bring her back in the end. link loses his arm when he fails to save zelda under the castle, but when he DOES save her in the end, he gets his arm back, too. each of their stories play off each other and reinforce each other thematically.

I'm ngl this did get away from me the second i started talking about silent protagonists as a narrative device (i am crazy <3) but anyway. I do sincerely think that link is an irreplaceable part of these stories and I also don't think it's feasible to tell the story from any other angle. I think using him as both a framing character and as a narrative foil to the active protagonist was a really smart way to tell zelda's story while still keeping the player active within it. tldr link is the specialest amazingest most important boy in the world if you don't cheer and clap for him i'll fucking blow this whole building up

#asks #zelda analysis #this one is. long. lol #totk spoilers #<< under cut but still

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dangermousie · 2 months

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There is nothing remotely interesting airing right now so I went back to my rewatch of Princess Agents.

I am on the years Chu Xiao and Yan Xun spend under house arrest - past the immediate horrors of jail/family extermination/torture/attempted murder - in a way, it's both trauma bonding and a little gracious space to rest at least a little.

I think I've mentioned before how much I find PA breaks the mold for me in so many ways - for one, I normally hate love triangle but here I do not. My first watch I shipped her with Yuwen Yue and on this rewatch I ship her with Yan Xun and the thing is, the narrative totally shows how and why she chooses a different man at different times in her life (and also, unlike a lot of other triangles, this isn't the two mains and sml, this really is a three main character drama.)

The way they mirror each other - for the bulk of the narrative, they are people who understand each other best because nobody else has gone through what they had in that cell and on that platform and in that house.

The breakdown between them at the end is however because their similar trauma leads to very different outlooks/goals for them due to their differences despite the similarities. Yan Xun is my favorite male character in this because his arc to me is both tragic and inevitable. PA and Lost You Forever are very different narratives and very different genres but the one thing they have in common is MLs being personifications of a different paths - Yan Xun subsuming himself in revenge is one path for Chu Xiao but ultimately one she abandons over protecting civilians. In the novel, the difference makes even more sense since Yan Xun is a period warlord and Chu Xiao has transmigrated from modern day. But even in the drama, the difference completely makes sense to me - not to initiate trauma Olympics, but what he goes through in the drama is one of the most horrific things I've seen happen to a protag in a cdrama and the fact that he's emerged with his sanity intact is a miracle in and of itself. And the fact that he was the golden boy top of the heap before that, with a sunshine good attitude, made it all the worse. Most of CX's memory prior to being hunted in that field is blank; she loses her brother and sister after but she doesn't really remember them so...

Yan Xun loves her even at the end - by the end I think she's the only person he CAN feel anything for - but he picks his revenge and his power over her and I can't say I don't get it - he wants to have power to have all that stuff never happen to him again and he wants everyone involved to suffer but it's also tragic because he's foregoing any possibility of personal happiness. The song lyrics over their soft scene really do encapsulate their progression, don't they?

Despite the candy colors, this is an incredibly dark drama in a way I miss dramas being nowadays but also - this is before the recent censorship made bulk of cdramas blander than dishwater - so the royals are monsters - both the ruler who executes Yan Xun's whole family for no reason and eventually Yan Xun himself. In the novel, he ends up the ruler of all and probably a good one but his path is paved by corpses and he is, to Chu Xiao's last glimpse of him, unbearably lonely.

Which brings me to the question - apparently they plan to film the sequel to PA. Leaving aside the issue of the cast (ie nobody is gonna return - this drama is close to a decade all and they can't afford most of the cast) how can they even do so under censorship changes? Either they make Yan Xun the rightful emperor (and the man IS the rightful ruler of Northern Yan at least, by story's own logic) and therefore he can't be murderous warlord on rampage/our FL and Yuwen Yue can't fight against him OR they have to make him an evil usurper which not only goes contrary to all the narrative of s1, but would mean they would need to rewrite the story so much from the novel that it won't be PA at all. Why are they even bothering?

In the novel, nobody is perfectly in the right or wrong, but nowadays this won't fly in a drama...

#cdrama #princess agents #zhao liying #shawn dou

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one-and-a-half-yikes · 14 days

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you've told us basic plot of the fantasy Au but how about the witch Au 👀?

Unless theres already a post about that if there is oppp- sorry

Oh the Witch AU has a plot, but I'm gonna be honest I never really figured out to integrate everything together lmao

The basic gist is that Fanny is (again) the protag. She's one of the most powerful witches there is in this universe, though she only was able to obtain this power via making a deal (it's NOT the Devil though that did cross my mind to add him). In exchange for this power she lost vision in one of her eyes, a flower sprouting from the socket, though she keeps that part hidden with bang of hair.

In universe she's known as the Iris Queen, in reference to purple irises sprouting wherever she has left devastation in her wake. Nobody has ever been able to kill her, and nobody is actually certain if she's really a mortal or not. I'm here to say she technically is but isn't. I mean you could kill her, but it'd be a complicated process. Especially when taking her familiar into account.

With the power granted to her, came a gift of sorts though Fanny cannot begin to fathom why the beast she made a deal with would do such a thing. The familiar is a massive snake, looks like a tree viper to be specific. It can camouflage itself and shrink to a normal size if it chooses to. What's odd is, well, everything about it. Can't put her finger on it but there's something wrong about it.

And she's right! Because that snake belongs to someone else! :D

Okay so originally, I never had an actual main antagonist for this AU. Maybe the cult but that was it really. Until like, a couple of months ago when I was struck with inspo via doomed yuri. There was no correlation between those two things btw it just happened that way lmao.

I haven't come up with a name or design for this antagonist yet but they are worshipped by a cult and are some kind of eldritch being of sorts with the ability to shift through memories, space, and time. They particularly love people with trauma though. And Fanny has a lot of it. Which makes her a prime target. Of course, it's not the only reason she's a prime target.

Remember the snake? Yeah that's theirs. As is the power granted to Fanny. You can imagine that would piss it off quite a lot. The cult understands this and a few years ago before the start of the story (in my head) Fanny was successfully captured by this cult. But she was able to escape though with the cuffs of the chains still on her.

She did come face to face with the villain though while escaping and had her ass handed to her quite thoroughly. Good news is she still got away.

Okay so where the story started to go to shit was that I needed Fanny to interact with the cult again, but more importantly, I needed her to interact with the other characters as well.

Because Cuphead, Holly, Boris & Bendy (Bendy is a familiar in this), and Alice were supposed to be the main ones accompanying her on her journey. Specifically I wanted her to meet them because she's trying to get these chains off which she hasn't been able to do for years. Her familiar is the only reason she's still alive alongside everything else I've mentioned. But the problem with the chains still on her is that using any amount of magic energy causes magic erosion (when the soul & body cannot contain magic anymore so it enters the physical body and starts to basically devour/decay it) so she can't use her powers as much as she'd like to.

(Also should say magic erosion looks like cracks forming on the body or single body part. At its worst stage the whole body or body part crystallizes and shatters. And yes the whole process is painful, incredibly so. Magic erosion can also lead to magic poisoning in some cases which is completely different and it's more like a disease or infection slowly spreading over the body. Sometimes you can get both!)

And where I have since left off with this plot is Fanny was recommended by pure happenchance of encountering another witch, a sea witch, who claims that a certain witch farther south could help her with her problem because they'd done something similar with her.

That witch is called by many names: the Blood Witch, Witch of Sin, the Scarlet Witch, etc.

It's Cuphead. It's just Cuphead.

And that's where the plot left off last I checked.

And yes, I have ✨️designs✨️

Though it's only Cuphead and Fanny lol never really got around to doing anyone else's

Also! Apparently I wrote the plot for this AU but I have no fucking idea what any of this was meant to be-

THIS IS WHY WE WRITE SHIT DOWN PEOPLE!!!!! 😭💀

#yikes speaking #inky mystery #the inky mystery #inky mystery au #inky mystery: witch au #witch au #the fact that I still dont have a fucking title for this story is crazy lmao

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littleshysheep-at-da · 19 days

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Want a bunch of unsolicited Persona Opinions?

A decent amount of this is less Opinion but more Description of you were to explain these Games to someone who hasn’t Played this (yes this is my Autistic Hobby) but my Opinion is delightfully sprinkled throughout.

In this order under the cut: SMT vs Persona and my Preference, Game Rating vs Player Age, Lots of People Involved in the Making Off, Self-Insert Blank Slate Protagonist vs Silent Protagonist, Good vs Bad Genderbends, Female Protagonist, Dating Sim Unfortunate Truths, and Romance Routes.

SMT vs Persona and my Preference

I think Shin Megami Tensei Main Line Games have a very big focus on world building where the Persona Series is more focused on characters.

I tend to get most attached to characters in a story which is probably why I love Persona so much.

Game Rating vs Player Age

The Persona Series is rated M for Mature. However a lot of younger teens have played these Games (myself included) and I will argue that’s it’s because despite definitely having a lot of dark and mature themed plots they do not show this content very graphically.

Lots of People Involved in the Making Off

The thing about Big Companies like Atlus is there are a lot of people involved on each Project. Think of it this way the Credits are usually 7 Minutes long scroll faster than is Readable and Multiple things are Credited to a Team instead of Listing each Name Involved. This means that sometimes the Narrative can feel a bit Disjointed. Now Persona has very strong Theming in Terms of Art Direction and Music Direction (which can be Credited to having one Very Incredible Lead Artist and Music Director on the Project) and though each Game definitely has a Narrative Theme it follows there are definitely individual Character Moments that clash strongly. There will be some very Out Of Character Moments where we need a Character to act that way to move along the Story despite it making no sense for them to act that way. The best way to Describe this is that the Person who Conceptualized that Character and Wrote them probably didn’t Write the Scene where they are Out Of Character. It’s one of the biggest issues of Massive Game Companies in particular of there being not quite enough Communication between Writers to have a Consistent Intent of who they want things Portrayed. It is very hard to make sure a Team that big is all on the same page, but that is the Director's Job that maybe they could’ve done better maybe not. There Definitely is also some Decisions made for “Marketing” that clash with what the Writers/Artist actually intended but they have no choice but to go with what the Director makes them.

Self-Insert Blank Slate Protagonist vs Silent Protagonist

-In the Persona Series the Protagonist is pretty much always what’s known as a Silent Protagonist. However I will argue that’s different from a Self-Insert or Blank Slate Protagonist. In Persona you’re not intended to write the player character as you and give them whatever look or personality you want. Despite being a Silent Protagonist all the Persona Protags have something of their own personality. Their personality comes through from their body language, self talk, and dialogue option choices (the last one sort of gives you the range of their personality).

-Basically anything narrated in first person means there will be flavor text in how they choose to describe things. When you interact with things (and the character describes what they’re looking at is how it’s done in Video Games) or the situation is described by the protagonist that gives us their personality.

-Personally I have a very strong Pet Peeve for people who take a Silent Protagonist or the character being the Player Character meaning they’re supposed to be Self-Insert. Because neither of those things inherently mean they are supposed to be a Self-Insert.

-Old Gen Examples: the fact that in Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: External Punishment Tatsuya and Maya switch between being the Silent Protagonist and the one who is not is STILL a fully fledged character.

-Main Line Examples: There’s a point where Minato (P3mc) and Souji (P4mc) hear the same song (Tanaka’s Commodities) and Minato (P3mc) describes it as annoying while Souji (P4mc) describes it as happy. Or how both Akira (P5mc) and Souji (P4mc) constantly suggest that they could Crossdress. Or how the only quest that Souji (P4mc) gives himself (is not requested by someone else) is to pet every cat in Inaba.

-Extra Examples: when the Protagonist is not the Main Player Character in Spin Off Game they are a fully fledged character with their own Personality. In Persona 4 Dancing and Persona 4 Arena we see Souji (P4mc) give a full Narration from his perspective with his opinions. In Persona Q and Persona Q2 which ever Protagonist you don’t play as (in PQ the one you didn’t choose and in PQ2 Souji (P4mc) and Minato (P3mc)) is their own character despite the fact they still don’t talk a ton compared to others.

Good vs Bad Genderbends

-Of NewGen Persona 3 is the only Game to have the option of Playing as a Female Protagonist. Because of this a lot of people really wanted Persona 4 and Persona 5 to also have an option for a Female Protagonist. And though I think it’s a cool idea I think people are greatly misunderstanding just how much Gender has Barring on Identity.

-I will fully admit to just not being a Fan of Genderbends, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them but I’m not a Fan. A big reason I dislike Genderbends is simply because there are a lot of bad ones. When people Genderbend they don’t often think about the reasons behind the Character Design, they just give them longer hair and a skirt for a girl and shorter hair and pants for a boy.

-The fastest and easiest example I can give is actually YuGiOh (my Sister’s Favorite Series). Yugi is wearing a Punked-Out version of the Boy’s School Uniform, so if he was a girl it would be a Punked-Out version of the Girl’s School Uniform thus his jacket would be pink not blue. That’s what I mean with “Reasons Behind Character Design” to keep it as the same personality. There are different things that are equivalent for each gender.

-A slightly more complicated example is from the Twitter Manga Trapped In A BL World where an extra shows what the Characters would look like as Women. The Main Character in this Series is purposely trying to be a Background Character is what you need to know for this. The Character explains he would have a different type of stylized eyes because though his eyes on a Man make him look like a Background Character as a Women that would make him look like a Main Character.

-Persona 3 actually does Genderbending really well with Minato (P3mc) and Hamuko (P3femc). A lot of people don’t realize it but they are the male and female equivalent of each other. Minato (P3mc) had a slightly scene hair cut, Hamuko (P3femc) has the girl version of that same haircut (shorter bangs longer back but same cut). Minato (P3mc) is somewhat depressed and awkward at relationships but doesn’t stand out, the thing is on a girl visibly being a loner would make you stand out so for Hamuko (P3mc) the girl equivalent of not standing out while not letting people know you’re struggling is being slightly bubbly and superficial in conversation. People just think Minato (P3mc) is in an edgy teen phase and people just think Hamuko (P3femc) in an Airhead teen phase.

Female Protagonist

-A Female Protagonist works in Persona 3 because you are not the main driving force behind Plot Points. You are joining a pre-existing Organization so even though your Gender chances Personal Relationships it does not change the trajectory of the Overarching Plot because you are simply never the one in charge of that.

-See in Persona 4 and Persona 5 you being the leader of your Team and being responsible for forming your friend group means that you being a different Gender would change how the others first react to you.

-For example in Persona 4; if you were a girl Yukiko and Chie would probably open up to you faster while Yosuke would be more awkward this could change who goes into the TV World with you first and maybe even who gets a Palace. Yosuke would be more Romantic/Flirty towards you (and not have a Sexuality Crisis) and Rise would probably be the one who has a Sexuality Crisis and Cut Romance Route. Kanji would be way more awkward with you and wouldn’t open up nearly as fast while Naota (seeing you are a woman in a position of Power which is what they are struggling with) would probably be way more willing to open up. And so on.

-For example in Persona 5; if you a girl would probably not be painted as an aggressive delinquent but a slut who tried to hit on Shido. Sojiro might be nicer to you off the bat and Ann might be nicer to you too since you would basically be in a very similar situation to her (I don’t actually think Ryuji would change too much, it's just who he is). Kamoshida would not threaten you with physical violence but probably sexually harass you. Quite frankly because Persona 5 deals with abuse as a main Plot Point there are A LOT of time where being a girl means it wouldn’t just be physical but sexual as well (the whole Kaneshiro thing becomes drastically less safe for a Female Protagonist, unfortunately it just often is less safe being a woman because of misogyny). And so on.

-In Persona 3 it’s not that Characters don’t react very differently to you with a different Gender (Yukari being the biggest example) it’s just the Social Aspect with you in particular is not what drives most Plot Points. You are not so much a catalyst for change as just another member.

-And it’s not to say 2 entirely very different Game Routes would be a bad thing. From a Game Player point of view that would be very cool. From a Game Designer point of view that sounds awful. Most Games with drastically different Plot for each Route are Visual Novels as they take way less assets to do so. Case in point Persona 3 Portable was changed to be mostly a Visual Novel (mostly for size restrictions to my knowledge).

Dating Sim Unfortunate Truths

NewGen Persona is Particularly a Social/Dating Sim, the real reason behind that aspect is most likely Marketing to appeal to a wider Audience. I do feel that unfortunately the Romance Route/Dating Sim Element takes away from the rest of the Game and Attracts some Unsavory Fans. The Fact that you can Romance every Main Female Character Unfortunately Attracts “DudeBros” people who; Feel Entitled To Women’s Bodies, Have No Reading Comprehension, and therefore look at the Game as a Harem Sim ignoring; literally every other Plot Point, any Agency the Female Characters have outside of their Relationship with the Main Character, and any Personality the Main Character has outside of being a Self Insert Wish Fulfillment. Maybe that is incredibly harsh sounding, there are definitely people who enjoy the Romance Routes and Self Insert Aspects but can appreciate and Comprehend the Story outside of it. But I have unfortunately seen too many “DudeBros” to ignore how Marketing in a way, that not specifically to appeal to them but does appeal to them, really takes away from the Narrative as a whole. I will say the only acceptation for me is Aigis, as I feel she is worked into the Narrative well.

Romance Routes

-In Persona there are Romance Routes for the Social-Links/Confidants, this is part of Persona sort-of being a Social Sim and at Times A BIT of a Self-Insert Game. However none of the Romance Routes in NewGen are Truly Canon, some people will argue some of them are though. A decent amount of the Romance Routes are supposed to be more for the Player/Self-Insert and Fanservice than they are Shipping the Protagonist as their own Character. When you Date someone there will be certain Events where you can take your Partner on a Date (like Valentines, White Day, and Christmas).

-Except for Persona 2 they’re aren’t any real Gay Romances (P3P being a bit of an Exception with Elizabeth and Aigis but both of those are a bit weird with never truly stating that you’re Dating). Persona 4 almost had one (Yosuke) but it was cut at the very last minute. I think it’s very strange that Games with Themes of “Being Your True Self” despite what people think and “Rebelling Against Society” and its norms does not have Gay Romance Options. However unfortunately big name Games cutting LGBTA+ or Progressive Content to be more “Marketable” is pretty common, it is usually the Directors Decision and not the Artists/Writers too.

-A Character having a bit of a Crush on the Main Character DOES NOT make her the “Canon Love Insert” because a Crush is One Sided. Except for Persona 2 where the Creators EXPLICITLY state the Game was written with the intent of Tatsuya and Jun being Romantic, there ARE NO CANON ROMANCES WITH THE PROTAGONIST. I say this (very annoyed) because people will argue that (in Persona 4) Rise, Marie, (in Persona 5) Makoto, or Kasumi are “Canon” because of certain Scenes pushing them together. Romantic Social Links are Non-Canon, there are many Writers on the team for NewGen so one adding a Scene to Cater to a certain audience, and just adding focus on a new Character does not mean it’s Reciprocated Romantic Intent.

-Just my Opinion:

-I will fully admit my Opinion on all Romance Routes (in NewGen so not including Persona 2’s) fall into one of two Categories. The First Category being: there’s nothing inherently wrong with the Romance Route but it feels incredibly Mundane (especially in terms of what actual Dating Games have for Drama btw) and clashes with the Tone of the overall Narrative, feeling way too Casual/Weak in comparison to the ride or die Relationships you have as Teammates. The Second Category being: crossing a line and feeling VERY creepy, whether that is Groomer-ish (not a Word I EVER say lightly but unfortunately does fit) or incredibly Emotionally Manipulative. So I either think the Romance Route is fine but kinda boring or creepy and abusive. The Majority are fine but kinda boring, only a select handful cross the creepy and abusive line (which are some of the stand out Weakest Writing Moments in all of Persona).

-Also with how it’s Written I feel the Friendzone Social Links actually come off stronger Narrative Wise. I feel the Friendzone Route gives each individual Character more Agency and a better completion to their individual Character Arcs.

-Particularly in Persona 5 a lot of the Dialogue Choices that decide the Romance feel kinda bad for the Character. Like the one that starts the Romance is very much “Rely On Me” where the one that keeps it Friends is more “You Got I This I Support You” which I feel is better for the Character’s Arch.

-I will say I think in Persona 3 Aigis and Ryoji are probably the Exceptions for me as I think they actually fit into the Narrative.

-In Persona 2 you can Romance:

-(3) Jun, Lisa, and Maya.

-Unlike NewGen in Persona 2 it is intended that Jun is the Canon Romance. The Story is Written with the intention of Tatsuya and Jun being Romantic. Tatsuya is Implied to be Bisexual while Jun is implied to be Gay. The Writers have stated this indirectly.

-In Persona 3 you can Romance:

-As Male: (7)

Elizabeth, Aigis, Yukari, Mitsuru, Fuuka, Yuuko, and Chihiro.

-This hasn’t been Updated for Persona 3 Reload and is for the previous 3 Versions (Original, Persona 3 FES, and Persona 3 Portable) of Persona 3. But in Reload the Dialogue is pretty much the same but now you can Friendzone the Girls so you can do multiple Social-Links without having to Cheat. You can still Reverse the Social-Links if you are mean or unsupportive.

-There is no way to Friendzone anyway so if you do a Girls Social-Link she will consider you Dating even though the Narrative hasn’t gotten there yet. So they will consider it Cheating if they do another Girls Social-Link at the same time. The Details are something like if you talk to another Girl and don’t talk to her for 3 Days. This will Reverse the Social-Link and you will Lose their Bonus. However if Max the Social-Link to Level 10 and then do another Girls they won’t care.

-The Romance Routes that are not Teammates (Yuuko and Chihiro) feel a bit strange in tone compared to the rest of the Game (just because of how detached from the Main Plot they are) but on their own are decently Written.

-As Female: (7)

Elizabeth, Theo, Aigis, Akihiko, Shinjiro, Ken, and Ryoji.

-Even as a Female Player Elizabeth and Aigis Social-Links do not change, making it implied that Hamuko (P3femc), Elizabeth, and Aigis are Bisexual.

-There is no way to Friendzone anyone still, but unlike Minato (P3mc) there are no consequences to Hamuko (P3femc) doing Multiple Romances at one time. They’re will be dialogue of them being angry at each other and you might miss a Day to Advance the Social-Link (though they get over it pretty fast) but they do not Reverse.

-The Ken route is frankly quite odd. The age gap, though not criminal, is still weird. The fact that he says you remind him of his Mother also just does not seem like a healthy Romance. The entire team sort of takes a guiding Older Sibling Role (though never directly stated) towards Ken so the Romance is an Odd Choice. While I wouldn’t say it gives off “Groomer Vibes” it’s still kinda creepy.

-In Persona 4 you can Romance:

-(8) Marie, Chie, Yukiko, Naoto, Rise, Ai, Yume, and Ayane.

-You can now Friendzone people, so you can Complete their Social-Link without Romancing them. With some Characters you have to make the first move and others will bring it up themselves. The Game will prompt you that You're Making An Important Decision and Should Choose Your Words Carefully. You can Cheat and Romance Multiple Characters at once but there will be Dialogue of Souji (P4mc) having Soul Crushing Guilt over Cheating.

-The Romance Routes that are not Teammates (Ai, Yume, and Ayane) feel a bit strange in tone compared to the rest of the Game (just because of how detached from the Main Plot they are) but on their own are decently Written.

-In Persona 5 you can Romance:

-(10) Ann, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, Kasumi, Hifumi, Kawakami, Tae, Ohya, and Chifuya.

-You can Friendzone people, and it works exactly the same as in P4. So you can Complete their Confidant without Romancing them. With some Characters you have to make the first move and others will bring it up themselves. The Game will prompt you that You're Making An Important Decision and Should Choose Your Words Carefully. You can Cheat but on Valentine’s Day if you have Multiple Girlfriends there is a Cutscene where they run into each other, realize you are Cheating, get mad, and beat you up.

-Also if you don't Date anyone you will spend Romantic Holidays or Scenes hanging out with the Boys instead (if you buy Flowers on White Day you can give them to Sojiro as a thank you). Plus you Max Level 10 the Girls Confidant but don’t Romance them they will give you Giri-Chocolate (Friend Chocolate) on White Day.

-I hate the Futaba and Akira (P5mc) Romance because they specifically mention that they’re like Siblings so transitioning to a Romance is very awful. Also the way Futaba is emotionally stunted and Akira (P5mc) being the one guiding her in learning social norms makes it feel Groomer-ish to me (and I NEVER use that Word lightly (even if it’s technically the wrong term here)).

-I can forgive the Adult Confidant Romance (Kawakami, Tae, Ohya, and Chifuya) SOMEWHAT. Because it doesn't feel like it’s supposed to be Akira (P5mc) as his own Character with the Confidant but more intended as a Self-Insert for the Player who (due to the time gap between P4 and P5) are probably Adults themselves if they’re Fans from previous Games. I still think they shouldn’t really be there (especially when some of them empathize how you’re a Kid and they’re an Adult. because Akira (P5mc) is 16 and all these Women are Adults (Women can also be Pedophillas yknow)), but I can slightly understand what they were trying to do.

-Though with the Adult Confidant Romance both Kawakami and Tae’s are very creepy with how much the Student-Teacher and Doctor-Patient is supposed to be the allure of the Relationship.

#trash meme #persona #persona series #persona 3 femc #persona 5 #persona 3 #persona 4 #persona 2 #persona 1 #actually autistic #seriously I stim by making these lol

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cat-of-starlight · 1 year

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Ok-

In the wake of the new Limbus Brainrot because Canto 4 ended, I've been seeing a certain... Dante related theory... making the rounds again and I wanted to post my thoughts about it.

Putting it under the cut for length reasons- No specific spoilers?, I just don't wanna blast people with the text wall lmao

I gotta say, I really hate the Dante = Ayin theory. Desperately.

Not any hate to the people theorizing- not like that, I just already have a deep hatred of [x person is actually y person]/Reincarnation/etc. theories.

Why, you may ask? Well, in the case of this theory specifically, I have three main reasons.

1 - The vibes of the two characters themselves

Important note, I actually like both characters. I know some people have A Lot to say about Ayin, and honestly so do I (Probably different things but yea), but I generally don't mind him as much as some other people seem to.

I also love Dante.

And Specifically, I'll say- I like them both for Incredibly Different Reasons. Different enough reasons that I feel that mixing the two would ruin them both. I mean sure, Dante CLEARLY has something going on in the memories they can't yet remember, but honestly? Ayin already had his arc. HAD his chance in the spotlight- a whole game of it. I wouldn't mind a cameo, or reason for him to be important in some way, but I'd be crushed if all the reasons I've come to love Dante were smothered by "oops all Ayin"

I feel like it would make it almost... Pointless? "Oh yea this character may have had their whole character arc, but surprise! They aren't REALLY their own person and are instead this dude who already had his character arc!"

2 - They/Them Dante Supremacy™

Now, considering that the meme They/Them Dante post that I made blew up and is now my most popular post on my blog, I think its safe to say where I stand on the Dante's Pronouns part of everything-

I think it would be kind of... dismissive of that to make "Oh yea they were they/them to hide their identity" Because uhhh. Their identity is already hidden. We can't see their face. Literally anyone could have their head taken, a clock replaced, and that outfit slapped on and it generally wouldn't matter-

I feel like it kind of would send the message of "They can only count as they/them because their everything is hidden and we can't tell anyway" which??? No??? Even once Dante's actual head gets revealed, if people start switching calling them to whatever gender they look the most like and the game still uses they/them I'm Going To Bite People.

3 - ??

The least plot relevant, and the most just vibe based is- I just kinda feel like this type of reveal in writing often kinda feels like a cop out? I mean, I'm sure there's probably a well done version of one of these, but I sure as hell haven't found it yet-

I mean, in a BIG city with TONS of characters, there is SO MUCH plot that a character can have, without needing to jump back to a character that they already have. Sure- Project Moon Protags often have a Big Reveal, and its often Shocking- but does it really need to be a rehashed reveal from the first game? "boo he's old news get new material" ya know?

Anyway yea. I don't like the theory- Never have from the first time I saw a post about it.

If you like it, feel free to keep on with it- I don't mean this to say "If you theorize this, you suck" or anything, I just keep seeing it, and felt the desire to put my own two cents in~

But yea, keep on with it if you like it? Maybe tag it something specific and I'll just block the tag lmao

#It just doesn't vibe with me idk #They will always be separate in my head #Again I just don't like that genre of theories ANYWAY but yea #limbus company #dante limbus company #dante lcb #lcb

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gachagon · 2 years

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Isagi Yoichi is a weak protagonist

And that’s why he’s perfect for Blue Lock. I like Isagi a lot as the protagonist but many people who are reading and watching Blue Lock for the first time find him to not be that suitable as a protagonist. I’ve already written about how Isagi is a great protagonist for Blue Lock’s themes on egoism here

But I want to talk about how he sort of deviates from the normal shounen protagonist role and how that might be why some people also don’t like him as the protagonist. In many other shounen, the protagonist is an Under dog that we the viewer get to see rise up in their own world and become #1. Right off the bat, some of them are already incredibly confident in their own abilities and believe they can reach the top all on their own.

However, often times these protags can’t reach the top in the beginning and are nowhere near strong enough or smart enough to be #1. For example, Luffy proclaims he’ll be King of the Pirates one day, even though he doesn’t have his own crew, he’s never really been in a fight before, he has no experience being a “real” pirate in the beginning. He’s an underdog who’s talking big when we all know he hasn’t quite reached that level yet. And often times these characters are also unaware of just how “weak” they are in the beginning, they’re so blinded by their own self confidence that they don’t actually see their own flaws until it’s too late.

Isagi however is a bit different then this:

Chapter 1 we see that from the get go Isagi is really determined and that he’s already got his own goal in mind. Sure it’s not a “huge” goal, but we’re actually seeing him fail and lose from the jump rather than learning about the unfortunate circumstances of why he failed in the past.

Isagi has no sad backstory for why he didn’t make it to nationals, there’s no terrible consequence for him losing this game other than his own disappointment.

Even when his own team is sobbing because they’ve lost and this is the last time they’ll play together, Isagi is just disappointed because he lost the game. There’s a clear separation between him and his teammates that becomes really apparent just from this panel. And compared to the guy who did win? Isagi almost looks like a background character in his own manga:

Blue Lock starts with us seeing the failure of the protagonist, and we see what skill he is at from the very first chapter. Isagi lost a simple game that he had everything riding on, and he lost to a character who looks marginally better and more charismatic then him. So when this scene happens

its clear to the reader now that Isagi’s motivations are entirely selfish. He didn’t care that he would never get to play with his teammates, he didn’t care that it might be his last year playing beside his team, he only cared about winning. So now we have this “bad” quality that is attributed to our own main character, this selfishness even in the face of loss makes Isagi look a bit like a sore loser.

And I can see why this would kind of make people not like Isagi from the jump, since he’s being incredibly selfish here. He’s upset for the “wrong” reasons when it comes to losing the game, he isn’t okay with just playing “for fun” and to be with his friends. All of the usual friendship tropes many shounen protags are not present in Isagi at all.

Isagi’s selfishness and ego can also feel “unearned” to some people because of this. Isagi has no sad backstory, he wasn’t “the best on his team”, he was completely unremarkable and even says so himself

“He has no feats” is what some might say to prove how lame Isagi actually is. At this point in the story there is no reason one would really believe Isagi could make it anywhere because that’s just how boring of a player he is. But despite this he has the audacity to feel upset he lost, and not only is he pissed that he lost, but he’s got an ego that says he should’ve won. If he hadn’t passed then, if he had just taken the chance to actually try and score on his own...if he hadn’t decided to rely on his teammates in that moment, he feels like he could’ve won that game.

Its why he becomes so angry and frustrated in chapter 1 because he realizes he made the wrong choice in deciding to rely on players who he deems were lesser than him.

So not only is our main character incredibly selfish when it comes to soccer, he laments about his choice to rely on his own teammates in the moment he was at his lowest. And this can feel “unearned” to people because there’s nothing Isagi has really done to let us know that he could’ve won without the help of his other teammates.

However, I don’t think that is really the point of these scenes in chapter 1. Or at least, it doesn’t actually matter if Isagi had the skill to win. What matters here is his ego and selfishness despite how mediocre he is. It doesn’t matter to Ego Jinpachi that he lost this game, all Ego cared about was how deep Isagi’s ego runs and whether it can persist in the face of adversity.

If Isagi had decided to be humble and calm himself down in this scene with weak platitudes about how “Soccer is a game played by 11 and not 1″, if he had decided to be content with losing because “At least he got to play with his friends one last time”, he wouldn’t have ever stepped foot in Blue Lock, or even been invited.

Teamwork is not the end goal here. “Working together” to win is not the goal. Playing as a team is not the goal. The goal is to simply be better than everyone else, and that includes the people you’re working together with.

Isagi’s egoism is entirely selfish and it isn’t rooted in his own ability, it exists simply because he wants to win and he feels like he deserves to because he, like Ego Jinpachi, felt that he shouldn’t have relied on others to try and win that game.

In a sense, Isagi’s egoism is almost like that of a villain rather than a hero. He doesn’t become this way after failing over and over again, but rather because he passed the ball in a moment where he could’ve scored. He held himself back so he could play “as a team” and he regrets it.

So Blue Lock’s protagonist is one that is different from others in the shounen category because unlike the others, he’s a selfish, egotistical person right from the beginning and he has no intentions of ever changing that. In fact, throughout the manga he just gets “worse” at this, and all the moments he does score goals are because of this selfish nature of his.

#bllk #bllk isagi #blue lock manga #character analysis #blue lock isagi #isagi yoichi #blue lock #Villain Isagi #Gachagon analysis

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darklight572 · 9 months

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Lumity is my Favorite Ship

So far I've only talked about She-Ra, specifically, about takes the fandom have I find....uncritical of the media. Just talking about the negative and analyzing that is only half of the human experience though, and I really don't like contributing to the 'social media hate cycle' so to speak.

Lumity is my favorite ship in all of media, and -imo- probably one of the most well written ones too. For those unaware "Lumity" refers to the fictional characters Luz Noceda and Amity Blight's romantic relationship within The Owl House. Being too broad it follows the "enemies to lovers" format of taking two superficially opposed characters and having them slowly understand how one or both of them aren't actually opposed, comulating in a relationship. And yes, I do think enemies to lovers is about superficial differences, come at me.

Anyways, first I want to establish the context of the relationship- who are the characters, how they interact, and how do their interactions produce the best and most wholesome romance relationship in fiction? So- starting off, context

CONTEXT (Luz the Misunderstood) Luz Noceda is a 14 year old dominican americal girl who expresses herself blatantaly as neurodivergent. Dana Terrace has explicitly called Luz adhd, and as a adhd-er myself i absolutely think she nailed at least one version of adhd. Luz can be easily distracted or focus so heavily on something she neglects others, she goes off on tangents, and worries that her interests scare people off- cuz they do.

She's also incredibly creative and expressive, showing off her unique style and presentation to all without any hesitation. To the point she uses real life snakes in a presentation and has backup snakes (also fireworks, which, yeah). After the aforementioned presentation went... off the rails, her mother and principal decide its in her best interest to attend a place called "Reality Check Camp". Now, this has spawned a lot of discourse within the Fandom, but for now lets leave it at her mother wanting her to try to make real friends because "your (Luz's) fantasy world is holding you back."

This is key to understanding Luz as a character, her fantast world was in fact, not holding her back. While there is absolutely credence to the fact that Luz was planning to use fireworks at some point, and should probably be checking to see if her snakes were safe, the key point here is the framing of Luz's interests as "holding her back" from making real friends. This is extremely interesting due to the fact that her love of fantasy is seemingly inspried by Azura, a book her late father left for her. Its also notable that people can like all of the things Luz likes and not create dangerous situations. A key point here, regardless of if Camila is justified or not, is that there is a fundamental misunderstanding of the problem.

All of Luz's interests are not what creates the conflict, its a lack of awareness for some of the consequences of her actions, which isn't unique to Luz at all- just displayed differently. I think this is something a lot of neurodivergent folk can relate to, believing that we are uniquely troubled people who hurt people. No, in fact, we are not. What Luz needed wasn't a "reality camp" it was a place where people accepted her, so that she could have the space to open up and the real problem could be addressed. Luckily for our protag, this is exactly what the boiling isles present.

CONTEXT P. II (Amity the Lonely) Amity Blight is a 14 year old witch of the wealthy blight industries. She starts the show as demeaning and cruel, and in some ways is that way, but is later shown as kind and overwhelmingly loyal. This is not a contradiction in her, but dichotomies and growth. Amity is abused her parents, this is just the objective fact of the matter, her friendship is weaponized to make her feel lesser and is actively threatening said friend's future.

Willow isn't the main point of this post, but she is vital as a perspective to view Amity, as children they were best friends. But Willow wasn't as naturally talented at magic as Amity was. Amity, being 4, didn't necessarily see this as a bad thing- but her parents did. They have a toxic idea that the Blights should only interact with those fit to interact with them, usually in the context of social or literal power- though an emphasis on social. So when it became apparent that Willow wasn't progressing fast enough, they threatened to have Willow never able to go to hexside (the magical school the characters attend).

This is- a lot- but afterwards Amity uses Willow's seeming powerlessness as the justification for the breaking off of their friendship, and as time goes on, begins to bully Willow from some amount of geinune distaste. It should be EXTREMELY clear however, that Amity's bullying is very directly linked to her mother's expectations. Lets get into that a bit, Odalia Blight expects perfection from Amity- her grades, her social standing, her appearance. All three of the Blight siblings must create an artificial layer to appease their mother.

Amity in particular is practically forced to die her hair green to fit in with the majority of the family, even if she doesn't particularly like her green hair. All of these are expectations, and more importantly, conditions for Amity to attain any sort of love or affection. Her father neglects all of his children, and her older twin siblings harass her with jokes. Her only form of attachments are Boscha and Skara, two people picked out by her mother as "appropriate options" for friends. That is to say, Amity actually has no one, she is- alone.

Amity volunteers at the library to read to children, and at least at some point, works there. She has a place where she can indulge in her fantasy books and not have to care about expectations quite so much. The person who treats her most kind before the start of the series is her librarian boss.... thats a very low point- especially for a 14 year old.

INTERACTIONS (The Enemy Part) Luz and Amity first collide in "I was a Teenage Abomination", and in fact, is the first episode featuring Amity at all. For context, in this episode, we see Willow belittled by Amity for her lack of skill with abominations, and Luz disillusioned by Eda's non-teaching brand of teaching. So they make a deal, Luz will pretend to be an abomination so Willow can make a better grade and Luz will get to see some of Hexside. Until this episode, Amity is the "top student" of the abomination track.

With Luz's ability to speak and do more complex orders (as...she's a person), Willow is granted the top student badge. We see throughout the rest of the episode that Amity is suspicious and eventually tells Principal Bump- who seems to ask Willow to disect Luz. When they run away, Amity chases after them, and its only Willow's plant magic prowess that allows Luz to escape. Thats- a lot- but some key points we need to remember: Bump, in the end, doesn't disect Luz- and later on is nonhostile to her- its fair to say that the dissection was just a ploy to get Willow to admit her friend was an abomination.

It should be clear why Amity is so upset based on the context we established earlier: Amity is pressured to be perfect, she is socially isolated, and she is mandated to keep Willow's and her ties cut at consequence of Willow's future at hexside (this is later shown to very much not be an empty threat). To me its clear that she's not actually upset at Luz here, she's angry that her only form of validation she can get- being the best- is taken by a cheater. She takes this so seriously because the ONLY affection she receives (calling it affection is overexaggerating even) is when she's perfect.

The next time they interact in a major way is in episode 5 "Convention," Amity is frustrated at Luz when she runs into her because she blames her for her loss of her "Top Student" status. Which isn't unfair, her actions afterward are, but Amity has a legitmate point here that Luz's actions have negatively impacted her. This is important for Luz's character development and for understanding Amity's actions. Luz is not perfect here, and we've seen throughout the beginning episodes how Luz struggles to reconcile her preconcieved notions with the reality of her situation, the consequences of her actions.

Luz accidentally accepts a deal that would permanently have her stop training in magic if she loses a duel with Amity, and then loses, sorta. You see both Eda and Lilith (Luz and Amity's mentors respectively) cheat to give their student an advantage. Luz knows and tries not to let Amity fall into the magic mines Eda plants but Amity does not know about the sigil on her neck until Eda reveals it. Amity runs away and blames Luz for humiliating her. Now, this isn't quite so fair, Eda was responsible- but as Luz explains her desires and that she geniunely didn't mean to Amity listens and we see the first tender interaction between them.

Its really not even calling them friends at this point, but it does start to shift them away from "enemies" and make them... rivals? Its complicated and messy, but Luz starts to understand Amity here- understands that she did harm Amity with her actions and learns what she has to do to be better.

INTERACTIONS P. II (Friends) The next time they have a major interaction is episode 7, "Lost in Language", this is when Luz see's Amity reading to children in the library and first seriously shows her desire to befriend Amity. This is possible because Luz has already gotten the "primer" so to speak in understanding Amity. Luz is able to see Amity more clearly because she was previously able to extend compassion past an apathetic or even cruel exterior and take responsibility for her actions.

Amity is hostile at first, but not aggressively so, and puts up with Luz much more peacefully than prior. Though she still doesn't necessarily like Luz due to Luz's previous transgressions against her, calling her a bully. Luz seemingly proves this when, after being peer pressured by Amity's siblings, accidentally reads her diary. After some Owl House shenanigans where Luz tries to save Amity, Luz reaches out and gives Amity her fifth Azura book. This episode is important in correcting Amity's impression of Luz- she wasn't trying to harm Amity, she just- wants friends and tends to be pretty reckless at times.

Seeing Luz's continued insistence also lets Amity reflect on her own behavior, while she's done so before in releasing Luz from their magical oath, this is the first time she outright states that her behavior isn't good. All of this is vital to slowly developing their friendship, maybe they aren't friends by the end of the episode, but they can firmly say they aren't enemies.

Next episode they interact is episode 12 "Adventures in the Elements" and is a pivotal part of their development. This Amity is the least guarded around Luz, while she still isn't showing her geniune emotions at first, she isn't hostile to Luz at all. The only conflict in the episode is caused by Luz stealing Amity's training staff and waking up a Slitherbeast (an otherwise neutral beast) who steals Amity's siblings and Eda.

Amity puts Luz in a forcefield to protect her, not believing that Luz is up to rescuing her mentor. After Luz shows her wrong and they save everyone, they have another positive interaction- at this point- it is fair to say that they have become friends. This isn't the first time Amity has tried to help Luz, she did in "Lost in Languages" too, but this is the first time she does so proactively and not when she is in direct danger. Amity cares about Luz.

The next three episodes they prominently interact in, "Understanding Willow" (15), "Enchanting Grom Fright" (16), and "Wing it like Witches" (17) all develop this friendship into something more- at least for Amity. Starting with Understanding Willow, this episode further illucidates Amity's issues, finally revealing why she cut off her friendship with Willow and her parents part in that. Willow doesn't immediately forgive Amity, but it does allow her to understand Amity better (as do the audience)- i think this is the episode where people start to align with Luz's perception of Amity.

its also the episode, imo, that Amity firmly establishes her crush on Luz. In this episode, despite Amity's blatant mistake and cause of the problem, Luz reaches out and gives her compassion. Not judging her, just asking her to take accountability for her actions. And although she does try to hide some things, ultimately what shes really hiding is what her parents did to her, very understandable. Its also notable that the reason Amity tries to burn that memory in the first place is no doubt trying to hide any relationship with Willow- as her mother might still be on the prowl and hurt Willow that way.

This is the second time Luz manages to make Amity blush, but even despite that, their friendship is still slightly rocky. Amity raises her voice at Luz when she tries to convince her to fix the core memory- we understand with the context of the memory itself that Amity is desperately trying to hide from what she did- from what her mother made her do- at least partially. Most importantly, at the end of the episode Amity finally takes full accountability. Even though her mother did make her sever their ties, Amity still bullied Willow- and its clear both of them know that.

Amity at this point has seen Luz make mistake after mistake, hurt people over and over, but she's also seen that Luz is always accountable for her mistakes- and always do her very best to make up for them. Luz, on the other hand, is learning to be more careful about what she does- though thats not fully driven through at this point, the embers are there. I think the compassion and her learning from Luz here is what first lets Amity begin to crush on Luz.

Next, and one of the most important episodes for Lumity, is Enchanting Grom Fright- where Amity is afriad to ask Luz to Grom - and Amity herself is slated to fight Grom- a magical creature one student has to fight every year that can manifest their worst fears. Given that, Amity of course is extremely grateful when Luz volunteers to be "Grom Queen" instead. This however, doesn't go as well as it could have, when Luz runs away when her mother is what Grom shows her- displaying Luz's fear: that her mother will find out where she's been and believe Luz was lying to her out of- a lot of reasons.

Amity goes after her and faces her fear with Luz to defeat Grom- Luz see's Amity's fear- vaguely being rejected - and isn't aware Amity wanted to ask her to Grom. Luz offers to be her date instead (she did not assume Amity wanted to ask her), and they dance and have a nice night. This is the first real time Luz really expresses any sort of romantic interest in Amity, and could be reasonably interpreted as her being bubbly and friendly. Though it is notable that Luz is very insistent on being Amitys friend even before this, so its not like its unreasonable to assume Luz was already- maybe subconsciously- crushing on Amity prior.

Finally, for this section we have "Wing it like Witches" episode 17- and the last time Luz and Amity majorly interact in season 1. In this episode Luz pushes her friends too hard when shes trying to help them, this pushes Willow and Gus away and Luz is in trouble without them. Amity rescues Luz by reminding Willow that Luz didn't have any bad intentions she was just trying to help. Luz still takes accountability though, and even begins to change the "enemies" by showing them compassion. This episode is almost like a mini-arc for Lumity- Luz messing up but always taking accountability, and changing those who would be her enemies into friends with compassion.

LUMITY (Partners!) Finally, we arrive at S2, and where things start to really head toward endgame Lumity. The first major interaction between the two is in episode 2 of season 2 "Escaping Expulsion". Odalia cashes in on the threat she made so long ago, after finding out that Gus, Willow, and Luz are Amity's friends she arrives and has them expelled from school. Amity is too frightened of her mother to speak back at first and doesn't help Luz when she wants to speak with her mother. This continues Amity's trend of trying to protect Luz in her own way, under the manipulation of her mother.

Later on, when Luz makes a deal with Odalia anyway, Amity-Willow-and Gus go to save her from her parents- as Odalia doesn't plan on letting Luz go (presumably she's going to MURDER Luz in front of her investors which- wjsdf yeah Odalia is a horrible person), Amity saves Luz and we see for the first time Luz blushing at Amity- this is probably when you can first say Luz might be crushing on Amity. This shows that Amity is willing to stand up to her abuser for Luz, and yes Willow and Gus- but i think its evident that she is especially willing- some might even say seeing Luz get hurt is the motivation she needs- to stand up to Odalia.

Episode 5, "Through the Looking Glass Ruin" is very very important- because here they practically both admit they like each other. So- some set up- at this point Luz had to destroy the portal back home so that Emperor Belos (the real antagonist) couldn't use it for his own purposes- after some research she's finally discovered that another human was in the isles before and donated his diary to the library. Amity offers to help Luz find it among the "forbidden stacks" where no one is allowed to go. This is also when Amity reveals that her boss is the one that gave her her secret hideaway.

Luz is too loud when they discover the diary has been eaten by an Echo Mouse and Amity loses her job. During this episode we see Luz try not to pressure Amity in, but Amity helps Luz anyway- motivated by her crush on Luz- and just, wanting to help her. In the end they both admit that "they do stupid things around" the other- and Luz goes back in to get Amity's employeship back- and has to do trials to do so. After explaining things Amity kisses Luz on the cheek and perhaps the most wholesome seen in all of disney plays, only challenged by later Lumity scenes. Anyway- take aways: once again Amity is reminded of Luz's never ending compassion and continued commitment to taking accountability for her actions and most importantly- her mistakes.

After this, we finally get to their relationship starting: Episode 8, "Knock. Knock, Knockin' on Hooty's Door" Hooty attempts to solves all of the Owl House inhabitants struggles- and in that quest- kidnaps Amity and makes Luz and Amity go through the tunnel of love together. In her embarrassment Luz tears things down and accidentally hurts Amity. At this point, Amity probably believes Luz hates the idea of being with her, but this is quickly slashed after Eda encourages Luz to just ask her. Both of them are reduced to blushing messes but they manage to ask each other out and hold each other's pinkie- in again- an incredibly adorable scene.

This works so well because of the consistent set up- both of them have developed so far to get to this point- both of them have learned and become better people than they were, and have become close friends willing to help and support each other when they need it. Its not just that its adorable, its that it helped develop both characters grander arcs and is healthy.

Relationship (The Pay Off) I could continue to break this relationship down episode by episode, and at some point i will, but this post is already long enough- so im gonna hit the major points. Luz and Amity's adventures going forward are so great because they continually show a healthy, adorable, and positive relationship. That is to say, they help support one another, they continue to be friends, and they both continue to develop.

In Eclipse Lake, Amity mistakes Luz's message (with some nudging from the Golden Guard- long story: he's an antagonist kind of, mostly just another abused kid) as a condition for their relationship, but comes to the realization with King's help that their relationship - unlike so many in Amity's life- isn't conditional. In the best episode of the show (don't @ me) Reaching Out, Luz learns to - lmao- reach out when she tries to hide that she's hurting by insisting on helping Amity. She ends up lying to Amity to continue hiding, and hurts her- but its revealed that its the anniversary of her father's death.

Luz, again, takes accountability for her actions- but Amity still comforts her and supports her- Luz learns (at least partially) to reach out for help. Every interaction of Amity and Luz isn't wholeness heaven with no bad things happening, these kids make mistakes and sorta tumble through their first relationship together, but... they learn. They take account for their mistakes and work together to fix the mistake, they learn to confide in each other, that their relationship isn't dependent on conditions.

The reason Lumity's my favorite ship? It shows two queer kids finding each other, starting off against each other, but through compassion and understanding they become friends and something more. Then, they maintain that relationship, while maintaining their indviduality. They are not absorbed by their relationship, instead they are helped and improved.

"We can fix this together."

#owl house #lumity #luz noceda #amity blight

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