#they’re all complicated people I would like to see that expressed

[cecenyss]

The best OCs fics can stand alone. When canon is nothing more than context for them, and their character has their own, individual story to tell.

This is always made easier in fandoms like the mcu or the arrowverse, which has a series of villains that are introduced and then defeated, usually within a single short show, season, or movie, and much more difficult with fandoms such as my hero academia, which has a singular “big bad” or “evil” organization of some sort that the main characters work together to overcome within the entirety of the franchise. The singular goal shared by all characters makes it more difficult for OCs to branch off and do their own thing with their own separate, personal storyline.

Of course, in something like a wartime setting this is also made easier without the separation of enemies over different installments, because there’s the understanding that this is a universal thing; something affecting millions of people across different countries or areas or wherever this war is taking place.

In stories with wartime settings, it’s also taking place over the course of several years, making it easier for your original character to go off, do their own thing, and then regroup with the main characters for the bit bad fight, usually the opposing force in the aforementioned war.

There’s no real point to me saying this, I just thought it was interesting. Also I just read The Siren by emmagnetised and it’s fantastic. I love OC stories so much and I always think it’s such a shame what a bad reputation they get; the well-written ones are few and far between and it’s a shame, in my opinion.

There’s something about reading an individual’s own story from within a universe you’re already familiar with that’s so spellbinding to me and I love it. Adding new characters and introducing new ideas, altering canon through the eyes of an entirely new person. It’s like reading an entire novel, with all the thrill of getting to know the character it’s about, but you don’t need to trouble yourself with the world or the other characters. Less to keep track of because you already know everybody else and their dynamics; you just need to focus on this person’s.

It’s the same reason I like reading fics which introduce two characters who never got the chance to meet or write out backstories for people who never got their own canon one. Even just novelizing someone’s backstory when you already have most of the disjointed details.

I prefer pre-canon type fics to future ones or fix-it ones, because to me fanfiction is about expanding on the rudimentary details we’re given. World-building in an otherwise unexplored world. Even just tiny details about what it would be like to live in this world is just fascinating to me.

This ended up as a longer ramble than I thought it would. Read more OC fics and write more OC fics I think they’re cool.

(also I am taking OC fic recommendations for the mcu please and thank you)

[jackdawsfavorite]

I’ve been watching the latest season of love island USA on my normie [affectionate] sister’s rec, and while it’s good tv it’s also got me like, “fucked up that they made a world where girls don’t kiss,” so naturally I type “bisexual reality tv” into a search engine and learn that there was a pretty recent- christ, never mind, it premiered five years ago, how time flies -that in 2019 there was a bisexuals-only season of Are You The One and I’m like, “That sounds fun,” and one episode in it Is except that there are like ten seconds of poly-related commentary that make me pull my own hair a little.

[zeroreasonstocare]

“Choso, do you have other siblings?” You ask one day while doing your laundry. Yuji wanted to stay at your apartment instead of his next door, so Choso stopped by after work.

“Yeah, have I not told you?”

“No, but it’s honestly not that surprising.”

“How?”

“You just have ‘eldest brother’ vibes. Anyways, I was asking because Yuji has an ‘All About Me’ assignment he needs to fill out.”

“Oh. Those have always been complicated for him. I’ll fill it out.” He frowns as he thinks and you just smile at the sight.

“I helped where I could, but you probably know him better than me.”

Choso watches you casually fold laundry as Yuji eats snacks on the table and his assignment sits nearby.

Q.1: “What does your home look like?”

Easy enough, Yuji lives with Choso. You had filled it out.

Q.2: “Who are your parents/guardians?”

Touchy subject, but again, Choso is his guardian.

Q.3: “What is your favorite color?”

“Hey, Yuji, what’s your favorite color today?” Choso asks.

“Ummm, red!”

Alright, another question answered.

Q.4: “Do you have any pets?”

Apartments don’t allow pets without an extra fee, so no.

You watch Choso continue to fill out the assignment and peer over his shoulder.

“You’ve got nice handwriting.”

“Really? I think it’s pretty bad, I was kind of illiterate for a while, but learned more to help my brothers.”

Q.7: “Who else is in your family?”

Choso lists two brothers, as well as their uncle and Uraume. Yuji looks and doesn’t see your name, so he points at you. You don’t get it and just tilt your head, same with Choso.

“Why are you pointing?”

“Add.”

“Add?”

“To the list.” Yuji points at you again.

“Yuji, it’s family-”

“Yeah, I know, I learned how to read last year, add.”

You feel your heart warm at the thought of Yuji wanting you to be a part of his family and you smile.

“Yuji, you know I’m not related to you…”

“Okay, but the teacher said pets count as family, and friends, and people we care about.”

Your heart warms more and Choso watches your expression, his own little smile forming.

“I take it you want Megumi added to the list?” He grins to the child.

“Yeah!”

Choso writes your name onto the paper, carefully placing each letter as if the pencil wouldn’t be able to erase. He then adds Megumi’s name to the paper and answers the last of the questions, meant for guardians.

Afterwards, you cook dinner for the three of you and Yuji plays in the living room.

“So, who are Kechizu and Eso?” You ask, curious about the idea of his siblings.

“They’re my brothers. Yuji’s the youngest, obviously, but they’re both in college right now. They live pretty far, but Eso said he plans to visit soon.”

“So I’ll meet some more family?”

“Maybe.” He grins. “He might be like our uncle and ask if we’re dating. Apparently I don’t have friends.”

You laugh and make Yuji’s plate. “That’s alright. My parents would have a hay day if they heard about you.”

“Good or bad?”

“No clue. I know my mom would instantly assume dating which would send my dad into a lecture.” You roll your eyes and sit Yuji at the table.

“My mom had a few of her own lectures.”

“Oh, your mom was the lecturer? That sounds worse.” You laugh, and Choso does as well.

Dinner goes by as casually as always and you three watch a movie, Yuji already asleep on your lap before reaching halfway through the movie. You also fall asleep near the end, so Choso wraps his arm around your shoulder. You’re starting to love this little family, Choso is too.

Masterlist

Taglist (ask to join anytime): @samaraxmorgan @cherriee-ee @auor4 @chaotic-ish @meowsannie

@mediokerrv @flooftoof

[creampuffqueen]

darlin', oh, you see i've never felt this way before

Yangvik Week Day 6: Jealousy

Summary: Yangchen knows that Kavik is handsome. She just didn't expect to feel so possessive when other people notice the same thing.

Word Count: 3811

CW: sex jokes, innuendos, implied/referenced sex, people being very openly thirsty

(will be posted to ao3 later)

~~~~

The Western Air Temple still smells like home. 

Sitting on the edge of one of the large stone platforms that form the temple, Yangchen takes a deep breath in, the thin mountain air settling deep into her lungs, wrapping its way around her heart. It’s still the same as she’s always remembered, the same she’s longed to breathe throughout her journeys across the world.

There’s a holy day coming up, the main reason Yangchen has come. The temple elders reached out to ask her to lead the ceremonies, to provide the blessings and prayers for the temple. 

Yangchen never minds giving blessings. But it’s a special honor to be asked to do so for her home.  

It’s early, but the temple is already full of life. Yangchen herself has just finished with a dawn meditation session, and now everywhere around her is bustling with activity. Brooms sweeping across the floors, nearby bison grumbling for their morning treats, nuns chatting as they carry supplies from one corner of the temple to another. 

And down on the floor below, a sound that brings a grin creeping onto Yangchen’s face: the gasps and giggles of a group of children utterly enthralled by something. She’s pretty sure she might know why.

Pushing herself to standing, Yangchen grabs her glider to pop it open with a satisfying snap. Her hand settles over the worn wood, fingers falling into a practiced grip. Leaping directly into the open air is as thrilling as always, her body naturally knowing which way to turn to catch the familiar air currents. 

She supposes she could just fly down to the next floor, letting her glider and her airbending catch her fall. But where would the fun be in that? She can’t resist making a few extra turns and spins, reveling in all the free space to fly around. It’s so nice to use her glider somewhere that’s designed for it. 

Eventually, though, she lets herself drop from the air until she’s on solid footing once more, landing with soft feet and fluttering robes, glider staff falling closed once more. She wants to see what all the commotion is about. 

The sight she finds brings a broad smile to her lips: a group of young girls, all around the ages of six to eight, stand gathered before a waterbender, fascinated as they watch him weave a complicated pattern of strings between his fingers. 

Kavik, for his part, looks absolutely thrilled to have amassed such an audience. His hands twist, strings looping over his knuckles, until he brings them apart to show off the design he’s created. 

“This shape is called ‘the polecat-wolverine’.” The little girls ooh and ahh, eyes wide. 

Glancing around, she notices that a few more nuns have gathered to watch, likely just as intrigued about the noise. The approaching holy day means that Air Nomads from all over have returned to the temple to help prepare. Rather than just children and the elderly, nuns of all ages are present - some of them that Yangchen even recognizes from her youth. 

It’s rare that outsiders visit for the holy days. Not that they’re particularly discouraged, but because most people from other nations are put off by the idea of hours-long meditation sessions, early hikes to sacred sites around the temple, and chants that seem to go on forever. 

But Kavik wanted to come. Yangchen told him she was headed to the Western Air Temple for a few days, and he’d packed his bags the same night.

“What?” He’d asked when she looked at him curiously, taking care to give her the most punchable expression he could manage, “You thought I wouldn’t come with you?”

Well, clearly he’s been made to feel welcomed. He untangles the string and starts on a new shape, blue eyes focused. The girls lean in, not wanting to miss a single loop. Yangchen remains off to the side, unable to contain her smile at the scene. 

A few more nuns take a pause from their tasks to join in. Though they stand near Yangchen, they don’t seem to take notice of her. 

At the temple, she’s just another airbender. Her orange robes and tattoos make her blend in, not stand out. It’s a rather nice change of pace, to not be the center of attention for once. She’s happy to let that task fall on Kavik’s shoulders for the time being. After all, he seems to be enjoying it. 

“He’s so sweet with the children,” One of the nearby nuns comments.

Kavik finishes with the new shape, presenting it to the gathered girls with an easy smile. “This figure is ‘the two boats’. See how the string forms the two men? Two men, two boats.”

“Another!” A younger girl trills from the crowd. She’s a tiny thing, clinging to the robes of another, taller child. The girls cheer, joining their sister in her request. Kavik looks only too happy to oblige them. 

“He’s good with that string - I bet he’d be good at weaving.” The same nun murmurs to her friend, “Perhaps we should try and get him on the loom while he’s here.”

“Yeah, I bet he’s good with his hands,” Her friend replies, giggling. “Look how fast he can move his fingers; I’d like to see those in action.”

The first nun elbows her, laughing. “Tsewang, you can’t just say that!”

That only makes Tsewang giggle more. “Like you’re any better! Don’t think I didn’t catch you checking out his backside during breakfast!”

Oh. Yangchen realizes with a sudden, uncomfortable clarity, They think that Kavik is attractive.

She can’t blame them, really. It’s one of the first things she noticed about him: that the thief caught red-handed in her room was almost unfairly good-looking. 

Still, she finds herself with a strong desire to move away until she can’t hear the rest of this conversation. She can’t blame them for thinking Kavik is attractive. But that doesn’t mean she wants to hear it said out loud. 

—

By the afternoon, she’s nearly forgotten about the whole event. There’s plenty of work to be done: the temple needs to be cleaned from top to bottom, food needs to be prepared, water needs to be hauled from the mountain spring to perfume it en masse. She may be the Avatar, but while she’s here she’s just Yangchen, and is expected to help out accordingly. 

Not that she minds, of course. She’s happy to help, happy to feel the ache in her arms from hours of hard work. Her heart will always long for the air, but for now she’s happy to feel grounded. 

She hasn’t seen much of Kavik since this morning. Abbess Dagmola put him to work in a different area of the temple, and even the most powerful being in the world is subject to the commands of her temple elder. 

Yangchen and a group of her sisters are cleaning up one of the lower floors of the temple, close enough to the canyon they can catch glimpses of others traveling through it, on their way to complete one chore or another. The floors have been swept, and now they’re up to their elbows in suds, polishing the stone until it shines. 

To pass the long hours, the nuns have been singing. Versions of prayers and chants put to a tune, old fairytale songs they remember from their childhood, even a randy sailor’s ditty one of them picked up from their time on the coast. It’s been distracting enough that Yangchen has been able to ignore the growing ache in her shoulders.

She rocks back onto her heels, wiping the sweat from her forehead and glancing around to observe their work. They’re nearly done, and then it will be on to shaking the dust from the many tapestries hung from the vaulted ceilings. 

A low whisper, punctuated by a muffled snicker, draws her attention from her sponge and bucket. A trio of nuns - slightly younger, judging by their short hair - stand perched at the edge of the floor, tittering between them like a flock of sparrowkeets. 

Yangchen heaves herself to her feet, wincing as her joints pop and groan in complaint. She wanders over to the gathering, trying to figure out just what could leave them so transfixed. One of the girls still has a dripping sponge in her hand, the water steadily soaking the hem of her robes. 

Then she peeks down into the canyon and everything becomes so much clearer.

The abbess must have sent Kavik to help with water-collecting duty. It’s the only explanation that makes sense for why he’s standing below them, knee-deep and shirtless in the mountain spring. His arms move in a smooth, unbroken circle as he bends the water into waiting buckets. Even from this distance, the motion enunciates every muscle in his back and shoulders. 

Warmth spreads through Yangchen’s stomach, face flushing hot. Judging from the expressions of the girls next to her, she’s not the only one feeling that way. The three of them are practically drooling. 

“I think I want him to just… lay on top of me…” One says aloud, eyes wide. The other two laugh and shove her, at least until another speaks up.

“I don’t have any money, but I’d pay to lick the sweat off his biceps.” 

The third girl, the one with the sponge, screws up her face in distaste. “You two are nasty.”

Her sisters glance at her, unimpressed that she isn’t taking part in their game. A moment later, the girl relents with a roll of her eyes.

“His hair is cute, though. I bet it’s really soft.” She squeezes the sponge to her chest, sighing dreamily. “And those eyes…”

For some reason, it’s that statement that brings the same odd feeling back to Yangchen’s chest. She clears her throat softly, watching in amusement as the girls whip around, eyes widening as they realize they’ve just been caught slacking by Avatar Yangchen herself.

“Something interesting to see, girls?”

They scatter like leaves on the wind, dashing back to their buckets with pink-tinged faces. Yangchen can’t help the chuckle that escapes her throat.

She risks a second glance at the spring below the temple. Buckets filled, Kavik has stopped bending. He wipes the back of his hand across his forehead to clear the sweat. His other hand settles against his hip as his head tilts back, chest heaving from exertion. 

Yangchen heads back to her bucket before she can do something stupid. 

—

Dinner comes, and still the feeling remains. Yangchen ponders it as she eats her steamed buns, watching Kavik from across the table. 

As the Avatar and the Avatar’s companion, they both have seats of honor, allowed to eat with the temple elders. Kavik is the star of the conversation, entertaining everyone with the excited, intense way he tells his stories. 

She knows that Kavik is attractive. She doesn’t mind it being pointed out, really. She’s had him use it to their advantage plenty of times in the past, saving several missions just by sending him to flirt until they could sneak away. 

She doesn’t even mind the way the other nuns have been so open about their attraction and desire. It’s simply the way they do things at the temples; desire is a human emotion, nothing to be ashamed of.

Besides, she remembers her own adolescence in the Western Air Temple. Once, when she’d been about fifteen, she’d been granted a few weeks of respite after she mastered waterbending before she traveled to the Earth Kingdom to start the next portion of her training. During that time, a group of monks from the Southern Air Temple came to stay. They’d all been newly tattooed, eager to take on the world as masters.

The other girls her age had instantly declared themselves in love, which soon devolved into a competition of who could make the naughtiest joke about the young men without getting scolded by an abbess for distracting the class. Yangchen, who spent her free time writing fake letters to faker people, had neither the time nor energy to devote to desires of the heart and body. In fact, for many years she wasn’t entirely sure if she had desires of that kind. 

She did, however, manage to get in a joke about how one of the monks ‘handled his glider’ - more out of the wish to see the others laugh than for any real attraction to the man - that brought one of her sisters to tears in pure hysterics. 

So. She gets it. Really, she does. 

But that still doesn’t stop the strange feeling of… possessiveness that she’s been getting every time she spies someone eyeing Kavik up.

Even now, she can see the signs. All around are nuns surreptitiously sneaking peeks, whispering in each others’ ears ‘don’t make it obvious…’, pretending like they’re getting up for second helpings but going out of their way to pass by their table. 

A small part of her wants to just march over to Kavik’s seat and kiss him senseless, right here and right now. That’ll show them. She’s the one who gets to drag her fingers through his hair. She’s the one who gets to feel the way he moves on top of her. She’s the one who gets to experience all the other creative ways he can use his hands. 

Unfortunately, that would be bad etiquette. Not feeling too hungry any more, she settles for resting her head in her hands, listening to Kavik finish up his story between bites of food. He gets an uproarious laughter from a particularly good punchline, and his satisfied smile sends her heart fluttering. 

He catches her eye from across the table, looking to her as if to make sure she heard his clever joke. 

A different idea worms its way into Yangchen’s head. Perhaps if I show that he’s off-limits…

She smiles warmly in Kavik’s direction, crooking her finger at him in a subtle come-hither motion. He’s quick to oblige, standing up and circling the table to get to her seat.

“Do you want me to get you anything else to eat?” Clearly, he’s noticed her half-eaten plate. 

Yangchen leans in, bringing her lips closer to his ear. “No. But I would like you to come to my room tonight.”

Kavik jolts in surprise, blue eyes wide. She’s never made an advance on him in public like this. At least, not a real one.

She leans in again, warming her breath with firebending for good measure. “Midnight. Be there.”

His face turns a shade of red that Fire Nationals would be jealous of. All around, watchful eyes take in the scene: The Avatar, whispering something in her companion’s ear that’s turned him into a blushing fool, stumbling over both his words and his feet. 

Yangchen lets her smirk be seen throughout the room as Kavik makes his way back to his seat, eyes firmly affixed to the floor. The best plans always have a sprinkle of the truth.

The nuns of the Western Air Temple manage to find more interesting things to look at for the rest of dinner. 

—

Yangchen wakes up in shades, consciousness seeping into her bones with each exhale of breath. The pre-dawn light creeps through her window, casting the room in a soft, dreamlike haze. It’s so early that even the lemurs are still asleep. 

The heavy, comforting weight of Kavik’s arm is circling over her, keeping her tucked close to his chest. The bed in her quarters is only really meant for one person, but they’ve made it work. 

Under normal circumstances, she’d be rousing him awake at this time, ignoring his protesting grumbles to give him ample time to sneak back to his own lodgings. Emerging from the same room in the morning usually leads to more complications than they want to to deal with, so they do their best to avoid it. 

But this is her home. If there’s anywhere in the world that she can be seen with him by her side, really by her side, then it’s here. And, of course, there’s the fact that she did orchestrate this whole situation to specifically invite those kinds of speculations, in hopes that it might put a bit of a damper on all the ogling. 

Though she will admit, it’s a lot harder to feel threatened when the object of everyone’s desire in question just spent half the night on his knees for her. And is now tucked beside her in the bed, sleepy and warm and completely naked. 

More awake now, Yangchen lets her eyes roam over Kavik’s sleeping face. His dark hair is mussed and falling to his shoulders, and his lips stay slightly parted, letting each deep breath end with a tiny puff of air from his mouth. Her thumb comes to rest there, gently stroking across his plush lower lip. The slight touch is enough to hitch his breath, eyebrows furrowing as he begins to wake. 

Yangchen’s hand moves to his cheek, cupping his face in her palm. His eyelashes flutter, and then, slowly, his eyes begin to open, revealing those blue irises that steal her breath every time. 

“Hi there,” Kavik’s voice is low and groggy, with a slight rasp that makes Yangchen want to melt into a puddle of goo. 

He stretches, long and languid, yawning so widely that Yangchen can hear his jaw pop. His fingers tangle with those already on his cheek, bringing her hand to his mouth so he can begin to kiss his way up her arm, tracing the pattern of her tattoos. 

When his lips reach her elbow, he pulls away, landing his next kiss on her lips. “Is it time for me to leave?”

Yangchen returns his sleepy kiss with one of her own, pulling herself as close to him as she can manage. His arms wrap around her, just as eager for the closeness. “Not this morning, no.”

“Hm,” Kavik notes, voice still scratchy, “You’ve been acting clingy since yesterday. What’s going on?”

She nuzzles her face against his chest, letting the scent of him settle into her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He just hums, leaning forward to kiss a path along the shaved portion of her hairline. Yangchen sinks into the easy affection, pressing her nose into the hollow of his throat, starting up her own trail of gentle kisses. 

However, when she reaches the opposite side of his neck, something gives her pause. Kavik, feeling her freeze, pulls away to look at her.

“Why are you looking at me with that face?”

Yangchen isn’t sure whether she should start laughing or apologizing. Laughter quickly wins out, so much so that she has to slap her hand over her mouth to muffle her giggles. Kavik’s eyebrows climb up his forehead in confusion. “What? What’s happening?”

She wriggles from his embrace to go search for a mirror. Finding one stashed away in her bag, she returns it to the bed as Kavik sits up, sheets pooling in his lap. 

Her entire body shakes with laughter as she watches his expression go from confused to concerned to horrified in a matter of seconds, eyes nearly bulging out of his head. “Yangchen, what did you do?”

On one side of his neck, an absolutely massive bruise lays, nearly the size of her closed fist. It’s undoubtedly a result of their activities last night, and even more undoubtedly Yangchen’s fault. 

She’d only meant to leave a small mark, maybe two. The kind that could be easily healed or covered up. Admittedly, she’d been a bit excited to leave some kind of physical evidence that proved Kavik was well and truly spoken for.

Okay, so she went a bit overboard.

“I look like I lost a fight to an octopus-leech!”

Yangchen rolls her eyes at that. “Oh, come on, don’t be so dramatic.” She gestures to the nearby washbasin, and the pitcher full of water sitting next to it. “Think of it as an opportunity to get some healing practice in.”

Kavik laughs in disbelief. “How did you even make one that big?”

“I don’t remember you complaining so much when I was giving it to you.”

His face flushes a delightful shade of red at that. “You’re terrible.”

It’s too easy. “Not what you said last night.”

“Can you stop-”

“Not what you were telling me to do last night!”

Rather than fall further into her trap, Kavik shuts her up by tackling her into the bed, making her shriek with laughter when his hands dig into her sides to tickle her mercilessly. 

She lets him get away with it for a few more seconds before tapping out, smacking her hand on the back of his shoulder until he relents. He stays above her, both of their chests still heaving with laughter. 

“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?” 

She reaches up to touch the bruise, biting her lip to stifle her giggles. He doesn’t flinch when her fingers rub across it, so it must look a lot worse than it feels.

“I might have.”

Kavik rolls off to the side, settling his head back onto the pillow. “Why?”

“Did you notice everyone staring after you all day?” Yangchen brings her hand to his head, combing her fingers absent-mindedly through his loose hair. 

An amused grin appears on Kavik’s face. “Avatar Yangchen, were you jealous?”

She shakes her head, but can’t find the words to deny it. “I don’t feel like sharing you.”

Kavik’s eyes soften. “You don’t have to. You know that I’m all yours.”

She supposes she does, deep down. Still, his assurance feels like a beam of sun, light and warmth spreading over her heart. 

Cupping his cheek once more, Yangchen leans in to kiss him. Kavik wraps his arms around her, pulling her tight to his chest.

When they part again for air, she holds his gaze in her own, trying to memorize every shade of blue in his eyes. There’s so many things she wants to say, words bubbling in her throat, confusing half-sentences threatening to spill out. 

She settles for what’s easiest. “I’m all yours, too.”

Kavik just smiles, like he’s already known this forever. Of course he already knows. How could he not?

Avatar Yangchen belongs to the world before anything else. Yangchen will always be the Avatar; even in death her spirit will remain to continue the cycle. She holds the world’s biggest blessing and its heaviest burden. It will always have a claim over her. 

But right here, her world is just this: the blue of Kavik’s eyes, the safety of his arms, and the love that she can feel pouring out of his very being. 

Yangchen kisses him again, and knows he can feel the way it pours from her, too.

~~~~

(a/n: idk how but my silly jokey fic ended up becoming a soft confession fic. sometimes i surprise even myself lmao)

[outivv]

I’m so disappointed with the natlan teaser because like. Girl. All of those characters would straight up look better if they had even the tiniest bit of melanin don’t even lie hyv.

I’m gonna go on a fat rant here so below the cut, fair warning because it’s messy as fuck I’m just pissed off

No because how are you going to straight up take the inspirations, and clear liberties from Aztec, Māori, Qichwa, Nigerian, Hawaiian, Native American, And Mayan (according to this image from @ HYVboycott on Twitter highly recommend btw they have good info imo)

And then you’re not gonna represent them in terms of their skin color??? Yes there are pale people in all these countries and pale people apart of these cultures, HOWEVER the vast majority of people, or the native people are not typically fucking white. I am white and I literally am darker than the majority of the genshin characters, even in winter when I don’t fucking tan. Like the genshin characters don’t even look ALIVE for Christ’s sake. Hyv are a bunch of cowards who take inspiration from poc, and don’t properly represent them, even in their other games like honkai Star rail. Boothill is Native American. Blatantly. “Oh, no he’s not!!” Yes the fuck he is, his entire backstory is based off of native people, he’s also part Hispanic because the original cowboys were Hispanic people called vaqueros, his home planet in the original CN version of honkai Star rail is literally two native tribes put together I believe. He is Native American, and Hispanic, and hyv TOOK that inspiration and that culture and then was too much of a coward to AT LEAST make him tan. Don’t even get me started on aventurine. So it’s not just with genshin that they do this shit, it’s a hyv problem as a whole, but with genshin it’s so like… common, and genshin has so many issues that make it feel like a cash-grab kinda game, and like the devs are just spitting in our face CONSTANTLY, especially when it comes to characters, and representation. It’s so depressing to see a game that at first had so much fucking promise, now just be such a fucking letdown after like what? 5? 4? Years? Like you’ve built up so much hype, and lore, and excitement just for Sumeru and Natlan not having any representation like fuck off. Hyv CAN fix these issues, they just don’t want to and they have expressed that time and time again by making dark skinned enemies, and enemies with dreadlocks. They know that they can, they just don’t want to because they’re too pussy. And it’s not because they’re a Chinese company, I mean obviously I understand that there is a complicated relationship with tan skin and China, HOWEVER that is no excuse because genshin, honkai Star rail, zenless zone zero, and honkai impact 3rd are all worldwide games and they need to appeal to their WORLDWIDE customers, and I’ve seen plenty of CN players fucking just as pissed off that there isn’t any actual diversity for like any of their games. Plus other Chinese companies have made diverse games, like Dislyte which I’m honestly a huge fucking fan of because of their diversity. Having diversity would BENEFIT hoyoverse a hell of a lot, but they are just trying to appeal to greasy old white men who are the same men who have a tantrum while making a reaction video to a game trailer and go “OH MY GOD SHE ISNT GOT ENOUGH!! LOOK AT HER!! SHE ISNT SEXY!!”, “OH MY GODDD THEY HAVE PRONOUNS NOW!! THE WOKE SNOWFLAKES GOT TO THEM”, and “OH MY GOD ASSASSINS CREED IS MAKING A BLACK SAMURAI THE MAIN CHARACTER!! NOOOO THATS NOT HISTORICALLY ACCURATE!!” Because they’re all pathetic, and that’s who hoyoverse is trying to cater to.

Okay I’m done, this went all over the place but I’m so pissed off so fuck hyv, give them the feedback they deserve, have a great day.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I got something else to ask about this look. I saw a comment that it's carmy starting to notice the pattern of her scarf- he looks up a bit - fixated on her then moves his eyes. Like he's so close to figuring it out? I can sorta see it and it brings up a quick rant.

Would it really be far-fetched that Carmy made the sauce inspired by Sydney- like expressing his love for her through this?

Carmy didn't just make a sauce inspired by Sydney’s scarf but from watching her wear different polka dots throughout the month, starting with that dress at Marcus' mom's funeral. This is the same guy who noticed Tina dressing like Syd, who spotted her Thome Browne shirt, notice her sailor moon outfit and had to express he's taking her in, and got her a jacket from the same designer—in the perfect size, no less.

Marcus even foreshadows this by saying he and his mother would pay attention without words. Carmy is paying attention to Sydney, but he does it from a distance. Why? Because Carmy is bizarre like that—his words fall short, he’s shy, artsy, and just a weird little dude, as Tiffany and Richie say and -

Sidebar: I trust Tiffany and Richie's judgment, although it is harsh. They’re observant and can notice dysfunction (though Richie helplessly participates at times). They see traits they don't want to pass on to Eva. They know Carmy's issues stem from his mom, so when they call him weird, it’s more of a bit of confusion. Carmy made her sprite, and it surprises Tiffany and Richie. This gesture is unexpected.

In the same episode, Stevie mentions that bears are both aggressive and kind. That’s Carmy in a nutshell. This is why Tiffany is confused about why Richie would set Claire up with Carmy because she’s so nice, and he’s, well, complicated.

This man spent all of high school being shy and just making detailed drawings of Claire!

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk. Carmy has always been shy and has trouble communicating his feelings. He expresses himself through food and art. This has been confirmed multiple times, yet some people find it far-fetched to see this as Carmy's way of processing his feelings for Sydney.

[cuppajj]

i have been thinking a lot about how the beast ancients would handle love, as i have been seeing a lot of awesome fanfics of like oc kids of the beast ancients, and i think i even saw one dragonberry had a crush on the person (i think). with that being said, would there be anyone the neo beasts love enough to be merciful towards? if not what would they be like towards a cookie if they did have one dear to them like that? you know how saint vanilla loves white lily enough to "purify her last", and i think you said dark choco might be the only one who can reach out to frigid and get him to come to his senses? would he still freeze his own son for getting too close or touching him?

Canonically it varies wildly but I can give some examples!

Dragonberry does genuinely love her family. The thing is that her beastly pride and ambition make it really hard to tell, especially when she’s walking on Royal and Jungleberry’s positions, ordering Wildberry like a lapdog, and ofc being lax on what kind of danger Princess gets into if it’ll make her come home faster. You’d have to look for the subtle things like her personality not changing much around them, or in the last example, giving certain people (Saint) the express order to not touch them.

Saint can and does, but his definition is wildly different from ours. Mercy to him is purification, and his immense compassion for everyone on earthbread means everyone is deserving of it. However, going off our definition… not really? Though those in is cult and Lily are spared, he still wishes to save them, in Lily’s case especially. Him loving someone more means him wanting to save them sooner; he didn’t leave Lily for last because he loves her, but it’s because he loves her that Lily could bargain for her life. However, with their deal he can certainly express his love as he waits, and he’d even help her with certain things. He would be pretty protective of her because of their deal.

Oh boy cacao. It’s hard for him to hear his own thoughts about Choco, but hearing his name makes him react so intensely with emotion that there has to be something there, right? Are the permafrost and licorice sea expanding because they can or is it because they’re acting on Cacao’s immense need to find his son? Does he think his corruption is Choco’s fault or does he think Choco could have the answer for what he wants?? Is Choco really the be all and end all for how he’s defeated/saved or is he just another element in whatever twisted plan he has underneath the silence and isolation…

Cheese… ish? She doesn’t feel any kind of love love towards anyone. Rich Cheese isn’t her daughter in this au so there’s nothing there either. I’d say if she did though shed be similar to Dragonberry, though more protective.

Lily is complicated. She never expresses if she loves Saint, but her actions and other words imply that she does. Love is something she acknowledges she has, and she would genuinely be protective and caring for someone she loves, but the problem is that she doesn’t have anyone else besides another Beast. She is kinda maternal in behavior for her faerie subjects, but Sovereignty means it’s also easy to think that letting them do whatever they want damn the consequences means she doesn’t care. Despite all of this she is still the most normal one in the room

[lady-griffin]

Possible Idea for the Firelights in S2

Which I’ve fallen way too much in love with, btw

After the Firelight Base is attacked, where do they go?

Do they just go back to their broken, destroyed home? Try to fix it up? Can they even go back?

Do they disperse?

Or do they go to a location most people (especially those from topside) would have difficulty navigating if they didn’t know exactly where to go?

Like an abandoned mine of sorts? One with really large, giant machines suspended in the air that could be used as little community hubs, perfectly accessible for those with hoverboards?

It’s just something to consider.

Seriously, I can’t express how much I love the idea of Jinx’s lair becoming the new base for the Firelights. I love it way too much; I’m going to be crushed when it doesn't happen (which to be fair is totally on me).

The old mines would be perfect for the Firelights, especially in helping them recover and giving them a sense of extra protection and security after what they’ve gone through.

Maybe it’s not permanent, but it doesn't have to be, it allows them to stay together, so it’s home for the moment

Destroying their base, likely making them scared to return, is an ingenious way to physically separate a group of people who are loyal to one another and fight well together, but this way they wouldn’t have to disperse.

It seems like the mines are well-hidden and isolated, with a lot of natural defenses – it’s been abandoned for a long time, there’s probably a complicated tunnel system to the cavern, and it has multiple physical locations (the drill/fans we’ve seen) that others (their enemies) can’t easily get to.

There are probably a few like Jinx’s lab, where they connect to the tunnels that lead outside, but the few we’ve seen in the background, seem pretty inaccessible – unless you’re a group of people who can fly.

There’s also the idea of Piltover and Noxus winning the day and those who’ve been pushed to live underground having to retreat further down to be safe.

But it’s not a defeat, it’s just a retreat. They’re still here.

I also really love the idea of how this place once represented darkness and the abyss, basically daring you to look down, especially when compared to Ekko's original base for the Firelights, representing light and hope, encouraging you to look up.

It’s still the same place it was in S1, but it's changed with all these other people sharing it with Jinx.

Not because she was forced to, but because she chose to open her space to others, one that was solely hers and we only saw her and Silco there.

But now it's filled with others, who've impacted and changed it with their own touches of color and graffiti and when we look, we see there are all these little pockets of light and color in the dark abyss.

There's still darkness, but it's no longer all consuming.

And I don't know, the idea just warms my heart so much, and I really, really want to see it.

Also, I can’t fully tell, but when Ekko is pulling the chain in the trailer, the area is dark and it could be a cave. So, maybe? Again, it’s hard to tell.

Seriously though, I love this idea so goddamn much!

[hotdaemondtargaryen]

PHIA SABAN INTERVIEWED BY THE WRAP MAGAZINE.

IN THE FINALE, ALICENT PROPOSES TO HELAENA TO LEAVE KING'S LANDING AND SHE ASKS, 'WHERE WOULD I GO?' BEFORE THEY'RE INTERRUPTED BY AEMOND. WHAT DOES HELAENA MAKE OF ALICENT'S PROPOSAL?

I don’t think Helaena has really seen any evidence of a life that she’s like 'That’s the type of life I want to live.'

"And as a result of that, she’s created a world for herself where she can feel safe and that’s about this tiny world of insects and this small beauty and this kind of non-political interest in something outside of herself."

"I think that she’s genuinely bemused at the idea that there is somewhere else to go, and maybe part of that is that she has a maturity in knowing that we couldn’t go anywhere to escape what’s going to happen."

But I think more literally, it’s like 'I’ve never been anywhere else, so where would we go?'

HELAENA RESISTS FIGHTING BUT SEEMS WILLING TO DO A LOT TO ESCAPE THE WAR. WHERE DO HELAENA'S LOYALTIES LIE? COULD SHE SIMILARLY BE PERSUADED TO HELP TEAM BLACK?

"I think she’s loyal to her mum."

"A big aspect of Helaena is that she hasn’t historically engaged with the politics and, in a way, she has more of a macro view of it, where she she can’t really connect with this thing, which seems a bit ridiculous to her about like sides and ego and killing."

"I don’t know if she would see it like that."

"She would definitely go where her mom goes, but I don’t think she’s got a political view on it particularly."

THE CONFRONTATION BETWEEN HELAENA AND AEMOND IS REALLY INTENSE AS SHE REVEALS HIS FATE TO HIM. WHY DO YOU THINK SHE CHOSE TO LET HIM HAVE IT AND REVEAL HER CARDS?

"That moment is the first time she knows it in that language that she can express."

"The way I see it, her dreams and her visions up to that point are very much really strong intuitions, or really strong feelings or an experience of the world."

Where she’s like, 'why does my mind keep hooking on this?' but it’s never been in that extremely ice-clear way.

"Aemond, essentially, after everything she’s gone through, has pushed too hard on this."

And she thinks, 'you need me to come with you to kill people on my dragon, after everything I’ve gone through, after the grief that I’m in and for what.'

"And in that moment, it’s very clear to her that not only do I not want to do that, but I know wholeheartedly that it won’t change anything, because the path is set."

"It becomes about … what does she hope for? What is she living for? And that’s a big question for me next season."

DOES HELAENA HAVE ANY LOYALTY LEFT FOR AEGON?

"I think it’s tricky."

"What’s very complicated about those relationships with those siblings is that there is love and I think she does feel love — wherever in the scale you’d like to place it — towards her family."

HELAENA APPEARS IN DAEMON'S VISION, BUT IT'S UNCLEAR IF SHE'S EXPERIENCING THE PROPHECY FOR THE FIRST TIME OR IF IT WAS HER DOING TO SHOW UP. WHAT WAS YOUR READ ON IT?

"It’s really up to the audience’s interpretation, because I think there’s infinite possibilities of what’s going on there."

There’s a reality where she’s like, 'Oh, someone else is in the dream world I’m going to wander on through.'

"And then I think there’s also an option where she’s a projection of Daemon’s guilt or something, and it’s not really about her."

"I think there’s an option where they’re all like seeing it for the first time."

"There’s so many options, but I like that that’s left up to the audience."

HELAENA HAS A MORE EXPANDED ROLE THIS SEASON, AND THE CHARACTER IS DEEPENED FROM THE BOOKS AS A SEER. WHEN DID YOU FIND OUT SHE WOULD HAVE A BIGGER PART THIS SEASON AND HOW DID YOU WORK WITH RYAN AND THE TEAM TO CRAFT HOW HELAENA'S POWERS INFORM WHO SHE IS?

"It was something we spoke about when I got cast in Season 1, because it was definitely part of the characterization very early on — that she has this ability, or these really strong intuitions and feelings."

"But they really left it up to me as to how that manifested … and I’ve just had lots of fun with the idea that it’s quite uncomfortable for her, and it’s these intuitions and these instincts that she actually tries really hard to kind of repress, because it’s uncomfortable; it exacerbates the difference between her and her family, because she doesn’t feel brave in how clearly she can communicate them."

"What’s been fun this season for me to work out is what does it take for her to step in and actually inhabit that, and have a clearer line and relationship with that dreaming side of her."

"I think that her trauma and her stepping away from the real world and disassociating has actually made her relationship to dreaming more powerful."

WE STARTED SEEING MORE OF HELAENA'S CHARACTER AFTER THE TERRIBLE BLOOD AND CHEESE SEQUENCE IN THE PREMIERE EPISODE. HOW DOES THIS TRAGEDY SHAPE HER TRAJECTORY FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON?

"She’s really sad, so that shapes it in a way."

"There’s all of this evidence in the show of this heroism, and there’s people getting on their dragons and battling and the politics of it all."

"But what I think about Helaena is that it’s a small heroism, which is essentially getting through the worst-case scenario and carrying on living every day in the same situation where she feels trapped."

"And also a self-exploration, because I think Helaena has seen what this system has done to Alicent, her mum, and there starts to be a thing between them."

Which is like, 'How much of this can we actually repeat again, and how much of this can we go through? For what?'

"In a very small, heroic way, she kind of actually manages, against the odds, to empower herself through her grief."

"But it doesn’t mean she’s happy."

"It just means that she is trying to find hope and get through it when actually it’s pretty hopeless."

WHERE DO YOU HOPE HELAENA'S STORYLINE GOES FROM HERE?

"I hope for more bugs."

"In my fantasy, Helaena is going to connect with Alys Rivers in some way."

"I’d love that."

"I really want to go to Harrenhal, but I don’t really see that happening."

"I would love to be in the scenes with more of the cast, and that’s what I’d really like to get — some of those dynamics, and hopefully a lot more of Olivia as well, which is what I was very lucky to have this season."

HAVE YOU DISCUSSED HELAENA AND ALYS MEETING UP?

"Gayle [Rankin] and I would both be really keen on that."

"I think we feel connected in some way anyway, so we definitely have that, but we’d like it to be literal."

"Who knows? We would definitely enjoy it."

[lovelylotusf1]

Lotus! Hi! <3 How about 34 Love spell/curse/potion with any pairing you like! 🤍

Charlie!! Thank you for the prompt, I had lots of fun writing it! <3 This is set in a vaguely modern/uni AU where Landoscar are flatmates and magic is real but only some people have it.

More prompts if you went to send some!

Love Potion

“Stir it for three more minutes. Then I'll add the last ingredient and it’s done,” Oscar says absentmindedly.

Lando makes an affirmative noise, and the sound of metal clinking against metal is enough to tell Oscar that he doesn’t need to check on him. So, he continues walking around the kitchen, potion book in hand, and tries to find the correct bottle he needs. It’s not in the kitchen cabinet where all his tools for potion making are. Did he leave it somewhere else? Or did Lando put it somewhere without knowing what’s in it?

Don’t get him wrong, he’s glad that Lando accepted that Oscar is a wizard with nothing more than an hour long whining session about how unfair it is that Oscar gets to do all that “cool stuff”. Otherwise, it would have been pretty annoying trying to sneak a huge cauldron around their shared flat whenever he needed to make potions for the odd requests he does to get some more money.

But now, he’s basically glued to Oscar's side whenever Oscar’s trying to do anything that requires magic. Lando’s large hands on Oscar’s back as he’s peering over his shoulder. His warm body basically plastered against Oscar. Sometimes he rests his head on Oscar’s shoulder and laughs in his ear when Oscar blushes and drops something as a result.

It’s incredibly distracting.

Finally, Oscar finds the bottle he’s looking for, and only seconds later, his phone timer goes off. “Stop stirring please.”

“Mint. What are we even making?”

Oscar turns around and his heart drops to his stomach at what he sees. Lando is holding the metallic spoon he used to stir the unfinished potion to his lips. Ready to take a sip.

“Lando, stop! That’s not –”

But Lando already swallowed. And promptly bursts into a series of coughs, probably because the taste has to be awful in its unfinished state.

That can't be good.

Oscar licks his lips. Studies Lando’s facial expression closely for any changes as soon as he stops coughing. “Do you. Feel any different?”

Lando cocks his head. His eyebrows knit together in confusion. “Not really. Why? Isn’t this like your usual health potions and stuff?”

Oscar takes a deep breath. Fights against the oncoming panic that’s threatening to overpower his rational thoughts.

“It’s. Uhm. It’s a potion that,” he manages to say before his next sentence dissolves into a ramble. “It’s actually pretty complicated and in a legal grey area but the wizard who requested it was willing to pay a huge amount of money. And with the rent increase, we really need the money and –”

“Oscar,” Lando interrupts him with a hint of dread in his voice. He drops the spoon in the sink before taking a step towards him. “What does the potion do?”

Oscar can’t keep looking at him. Instead, he looks down at the kitchen tiles that haven’t been cleaned in more than a month. “It’s a love potion. It makes you fall in love with the first person you see.”

Lando’s answering laugh sounds a bit manic. “But I don’t feel different. It’s because it wasn’t finished right? Right?”

“The last ingredient is only there to neutralise the taste. It should work.” Oscar wracks his brain for an explanation. A love potion that works as soon as you take a single sip, but only up to 48 hours. You can tell that it worked by the reddish hue that gets added to the person’s eyes.

Oscar whips his head up so fast it makes him dizzy. Stares intently into Lando’s wide eyes. They’re the same. Why are they the same? The potion always works if the recipient isn’t already – Wait.

Oscar inhales sharply as the implications hit him. “It doesn’t work if you’re already in love with the person.”

Lando stays silent.

[zukosdualdao]

another reason i dislike the way this conflict is written is because it opened the floodgates for certain parts of the fandom to really mischaracterize others—namely, sokka and zuko.

some of it is light-hearted and, i think, not ill-intentioned. jokes about them being more okay with killing abound in the fandom, though, and while there’s a kernel of truth to them, i think they often ignore context.

and of course, there are people i feel speaking in much worse faith, criticizing them both for “bullying aang” over it and insisting they’re morally wrong to suggest aang needs to kill ozai.

but once again: context. they are harsh because the situation demands it. neither of them know another way (and by the way, neither does aang or the audience at this point) to defeat ozai, and if they don’t defeat ozai, the earth kingdom will be destroyed and the world will collapse.

people talk about zuko and sokka like they’re bloodthirsty killers, just, a-okay with killing no matter what the situation, but they’re not.

sokka is a pragmatist. he has never been a killing for killing’s sake guy. when he wanted to leave zuko to die back in the siege of the north, sure, he hated him, but that’s not why he wanted to leave him. zuko kept chasing them. it would simply be less dangerous and make their lives easier to leave him behind. sokka killed combustion man because he wouldn’t back down even when the guy who hired him was trying to get him to stop, so there was very clearly no reasoning with the guy, and they would have died if they hadn’t stopped him. likewise, sokka kills the soldiers who are approaching him and toph as they hang from the airship in order to protect himself an to protect toph. he kills in situations where he and his friends would have died if he didn’t. and it’s frankly uncomfortable that the rhetoric here is the main dark-skinned boy in the cast is unnecessarily violent when that’s never been his MO.

for his part, the narrative actually goes out of its way to show zuko is not someone who has the stomach for killing, whatever he tries to tell himself when he’s still a villain. as early as episode three, he can’t even being himself to burn zhao at all during their agni kai, let alone kill him. similarly, after attacking zhao in the siege of the north, he chooses to offer his hand. in his fight in zuko alone, most of what’s doing is fighting defensively, and even when he gets back up in a flurry of flame at the end, he doesn’t strike to kill gow, only incapacitating him. even hiring combustion man, while absolutely wrong of him to do, shows him not having the stomach to go through with it himself. and despite having every reason to hate ozai, when ozai tries to kill him in the day of black sun, zuko doesn’t strike to kill him as he redirects the lightning, instead aiming below him because he believed it’s not his place to kill ozai and because he’s learned not to be goaded into violence, which is powerful in itself. him advocating for aang to kill ozai is because he doesn’t see another way out (and, as established, how could he?) not because he’s out for blood in general. it’s complicated, of course, given his history of abuse with ozai, but that’s why zuko is so determined, because he’s finally realized who his father is and how much harm he’ll do if he’s not stopped.

as frustrated as i am by the fandom rhetoric around zuko and sokka when it comes to this, though, at least they get to express their misgivings and perspectives.

interestingly, i’ve not often seen katara get quite the same treatment—not that i want her to, but it’s interesting because katara tries to express her concerns, and aang and the narrative don’t really let her.

she says, “aang, we do understand, it’s just—“ but gets cut-off before we can hear her perspective at all. if i had to guess, though, it would have been something like “it’s just that we have to stop ozai no matter what”, which is, in essence, what zuko and sokka are also saying.

but katara doesn’t get to. at once, the creators makes sure she isn’t allowed to verbally disagree with aang (despite showing she wants to) here in a way that has a lasting impact on how people remember her own perspective in this conflict, while also making sure she gets interrupted, yelled at, and blamed for not having an answer aang also doesn’t have. it’s just… it’s very frustrating.

[hogoflight]

on the topic of people wondering What The Fuck Is Up with This Guy my friend knows (TOA Apollo), Asclepius having to explain his father to anyone is. Oh boy.

You could say Asclepius lives on Earth / visits Earth much more than he does Olympus because his domain is completely and wholly centred around serving people and helping medical research come through. Additionally because he still finds Olympus and all of its posturing jarring, and maybe finds comfort in helping people like he used to and has done since ancient times.

THIS COULD ALSO MEAN that he has. Mortal friends. Which also means he’s had to have told them about his dad at some point.

Asclepius’s friend: How come we haven’t met your dad yet? Is he a prick? Asclepius: NO, no, my father was and is very kind and gentle to me, the problem is more that he can be rather… a bit much. He sometimes tends to be very… protective (VERY protective) of me (As in, the police get called). The problem is more that he can get a bit. Uppity? sometimes? He’s certainly been… cruel. More than his, or anyone’s, fair share of cruelty. But he’s improving? Asclepius’s friend: Oh wow. That sounds really complicated. Well what about your mother? Asclepius: WELL. YOU SEE. AH. OH GODS UHHHHHH-

They would make a conspiracy board for him being a gang leader (or something)! Because:

Had Asclepius’ mother killed (?!?! THAT’S HORRIBLE WHAT!)

Expressed deep, deep regrets and remorse about having Asclepius’ mother killed in a very “I was young, foolish and failed to think of anyone other than myself… I have worked with violence for a long, long time and have made many horrible, cruel decisions… I fear I am too long gone… but I wish to work with myself to be a better person, for my son whom I love dearly…” kind of way (in a mafia movie way).

Asclepius says he is in exile from his supposedly-infamously murderous family because they tried to kill him (and succeeded but SHHHHHH). And the one to order his death being his grandfather. Because he (vague conclusion through Asclepius being vague about his life) didn’t want someone to die -> didn’t want to kill someone? (“The pipeline is there!!” They say.)

Apollo going “ah yes I too share a great interest in medicine, like my dear son! Although my son is (proudly!) better at so than I am. Well, admittedly, I can sometimes tend to be, less focused on - y’know, helping someone injuries hurt less, you could say.” LIKE THAT’S VERY SUSPICIOUS.

(Ok but don’t worry Asclepius’ friends aren’t actually concerned about his dad being a mafia member at all because that would be actually Awful and Terrifying. This is an inside joke after Asclepius awkwardly explained his complicated relationship w his dad his friend was jokingly like “woah… that sounds like the backstory of a main character from a mafia movie…” and Apollo heard about his from the grapevine and immediately summoned like 20 identical cats for him to intimidatingly stroke. 

The tone of the last section is making a fake BuzzFeed Unsolved / general conspiracy theory video w your friends about one of your friends. No one ever feels like they are in any danger and I imagine most probably know who and what Asclepius and Apollo actually are but tease them with this. BASICALLY THE JOKE IS THAT THEY’RE MAKING FUN OF MAFIA MOVIE STEREOTYPES AND THE WAY THE MAFIA IS DEPICTED IN MOVIES. WHICH IS VERY ROMANTICISED, OVERDRAMATIC AND SILLY.)

[xxladyballadxx]

Awkward In Love

₊˚ෆ Hwoarang x (Fem) Reader ₊˚ෆ

 ₊˚ෆ Wordcount: over 700 words or something..  ₊˚ෆ Drabble  ₊˚ෆ

₊˚ෆ Summary : People find it hard to understand the definition of love and Hwoarang is one of them. Ever since he started dating this girl, he started to feel awkward around her…

Love can be awkward, for all the lovebirds around the world… ₊˚ෆ

₊˚ෆ dividers by @saradika-graphics ₊˚ෆ

There are many complications when it comes to the term ‘Love’, it can be hard knowing the meaning of it. It’s difficult for some people, especially for those who have never been in a relationship before. Love can mean many things, yes. Good and bad, all that. This came to this when Hwoarang is officially dating this girl named (Y/n) (L/n), whom he began to have feelings for a while. They were friends at first, for a very long time. All of the sudden, Hwoarang started to develop feelings for her. 

He confessed. Although it was quite awkward because he was struggling to tell (Y/n) how he felt. The stuttering and the mumbles caused him to get embarrassed in front of the girl. He didn’t take a chance to practice on it. Hwoarang thought (Y/n) would reject him. Surprisingly, (Y/n) felt the same way. She, too, had romantic feelings for Hwoarang. Not only Hwoarang was afraid to be rejected, apparently (Y/n) was too. 

Now they’re dating, Hwoarang has been taking (Y/n) on a lot of dates. He wanted to show how much she meant to him. There was this one time where he spilled a cup of coffee on the table while trying to reach for her hand. He kept apologizing and (Y/n) told him that it’s fine, she giggled which caused Hwoarang’s heart to flutter wildly. He loves her smile, her laugh. Hell, Hwoarang adores every single thing about her. 

At the funfair, Hwoarang forgot to bring the small gift from home that he was meant to give to (Y/n) at the place. She didn’t seem to be bothered by it, telling him that he can give it to her when they see each other again. After going for a few fun rides, Hwoarang made a stop at the stall and brought two ice creams with different flavors, one chocolate for him and one vanilla for her. As (Y/n) licked the top of her cone, she noticed how adorable Hwoarang looked when eating his luscious ice cream. Hwoarang turned his face around, knowing that she was looking at him with such a tender expression, leading him to get distracted in her graceful gaze as he bumped into a pole that led him to dropping his chocolate ice cream on the ground. 

(Y/n) let out a little laughter of joy, giggling as she covered her mouth. Hwoarang scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. So the girl shared her ice cream with him as they carried on adventuring around the funfair. Hwoarang appeared to be having an amazing time with her, despite his awkwardness. 

A very few months later, they officially became lovers. (Y/n) has been seeing Hwoarang at one of the tournaments, cheering him on among the crowd and watching him fight against worthy opponents. Hwoarang often gets distracted in the match whenever he locks his gaze onto her, shooting her a wink as he gets his ass kicked. 

She would see him in the changing room after the match, praising him for his efforts and peppering his face with kisses. Hwoarang shied away, his face heating up due to her giving him so much affection. He took her to a Korean restaurant to have some noodles and spicy tteokbokki. He took (Y.n) to his home afterwards, asked her if she wanted anything to drink and stuff like that. Two of them just sat down and watched a thriller together. 

While watching the movie, Hwoarang could feel her body so close towards him and he tensed up when he tried to motion his arm behind her but ended up hitting her face by accident. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, (Y/n)!” 

She knows that he didn’t mean to do it, “It’s alright, Hwoarang, you silly man!” (Y/n) beamed, chuckling. Leaning in close towards him, her head lowered down onto his shoulder. Hwoarang puts his arm around her, “I really didn’t mean to hit you..” 

“I know, you goofball.” 

“Goddamnit, I love this woman..” 

“What was that…?”

“N-nothing..” 

Hwoarang flushed, feeling his heart bubbling by the thought of him saying that he truly loves her so damn much but couldn't say it for some reason. (Y/n) figured out what he said from that mumble of his. She launched a kiss attack on his face, wanting to make him blush, “I love you too, Hwoarang.” 

“Even when I’m so awkward?”

“Yes. Honestly I love your awkwardness, Hwoarang. Actually, I love…everything about you. Your cockiness and awkwardness is what I love most about you.” 

It warmed his heart when you professed your love for him, Hwoarang motioned his hand to cup your face as he kissed you lovingly, “I love everything about you too.” 

a/n - I'm so sorry this was short and boring to read, I was planning to make this longer fanfic but I was having an enormous writer's block :// so truly sorry on how short this is..

[loserboyfriendrjl]

remus woke up from a rather strange dream. he looked around himself, blinking away the sleep from his eyes, when he heard a whisper.

“you awake?”

he groaned as an answer, and sirius slipped into his bed, his black hair falling down his worn-out “the beach boys” t-shirt.

remus tried not to think about his dream, in which he and sirius were alone down a long, cold corridor, and—

“yeah,” he sighed, looking at sirius. “unfortunately how come you’re… here? you’re usually in james’ bed.”

“i wanted to talk to you. about what you said earlier,” he continued, as an answer to the puzzled look on his face.

right. about what he said earlier, which was telling his three best friends that he was into blokes. james had seemed fine with it, peter looked the slightest bit confused, yet he hadn’t been able to read the expression on sirius’ face. but then again, sirius had always been complicated, yet compelling, to him.

remus hummed nervously. “what about it?” he asked.

“well, i didn’t mention it to everyone, but…” sirius pushed his hair back, “i’m queer. too. bisexual, actually.”

“oh.” was all remus managed out, and he selfishly thought about the possibility of having a chance with sirius.

sirius hummed, folding a small crease into his shorts. “yeah. so if you felt alone or anything in, you know, being into blokes, know you’re not.” he let out a laugh, and remus couldn’t really focus on what he was telling him when all his eyes could see were sirius’ lips.

“right,” he said, slightly lost.

“you’re staring.”

“sorry?”

“you were staring. at my lips,” he added, and remus felt his cheeks heating up.

“sorry. you’ve got, uh, pretty lips. i mean, they’re pretty, for someone who would like you. which is not saying that i like you, like, like you, but it’s just an observation about how nice your lips look, although i think you know that, because i’m sure i’m not the only one who tells you that—”

and then sirius’ lips were pressed against his, his hand tangled in the curls at the back of remus’ head, and he pulled him in closer, as if he wanted to muse them into one, eternally. sirius’ tongue rolled against remus’ bottom lip, and it was all teeth and lips and tongue and remus had not imagined that his first kiss would be with sirius, out of all people, or that sirius would make him feel like that.

“is there anything else you’d like to add about my pretty lips?” sirius asked, grinning down at him.

“you— you’re a good kisser,” remus said, his voice slightly shaking, and he wished on everything he held dear to him, on the stars, even, that maybe sirius felt even the tiniest fraction for remus of what remus felt for him.

[angelshizuka]

Oooh okay okay, permission to be a little petty? This has been eating me up for a minute! On the topic of the helluva/hazbin redesigns: there are a lot of times in the critical side of this fandom where I’ll see people talking about what they would “fix” about the character designs, and like you said- some of the specifics people think they need to fix just…undermine the point of the character?? (I.e making Stolas big and burly) But it also feels like they’re ignoring that these characters look the way they do because they have to be ANIMATED. There’s been a handful of times I’ve seen people with that “fix it” attitude where they just waaaaay over complicate textures and shapes then say it’s so much better. For example some were saying Blitz’s design was bad because you can’t tell his burn scars were burn scars because the edges were too round. So they completely rendered the scars in their redesign and said they fixed it. I absolutely understand wanting to make detailed artwork. I LOVE detailing the hell out of a character in a drawing!! But to animate?? Especially with helluva where the spindle horse team doesn’t often outsource its animation?? I KNOW it’s silly but sometimes in passing I want to be like- ok. YOU animate your incredibly complicated redesign for a 20 minute animation at 24 frames per second. Then you get to handle the budget you’d need to get it finished and add in lighting/effects/etc. Then you ALSO get to handle the complaints from people who say episodes take too long to come out. Animation is a HUUUGE process! I feel like the work it takes to make it look so good is really taken for granted :,)

(I should be in bed so I hope any of this makes sense lmao I’m so sorry in advance!! Love your account your takes are so well thought out and you’re very funny <3)

Yes, thank you for your excellent point, I totally agree!

I mean, I will always defend CGI animation (I'm a firm believer all animation mediums are beautiful and valid), but I feel like it's spoiled people in how detailed a character's design can be. While part of the charm of 2D animation is how simplified lines can still get so much across.

It's been more than a decade since I studied animation and we only really did puppet animation, but even with that I quickly realized my designs could never be as detailed as when I just made a stand alone drawing (also, rip to my old animations that are lost to time, because my hard drive died a few years back...)

I'd honestly argue that for 2D animation standards the designs are really detailed. Maybe not for every character, but that's part of the beauty of it. Just like how in real life not all people dress all fancy and complicated, some people prefer simpler outfits, and they know how to make that come across in the character designs.

Especially Blitz is a prime example of being tailor made for 2D animation, that's also part of why some of the best facial expressions come from him, they know how to play around with his face shape. Regarding the scars, it's not just a 2D thing, it's the fact that imps scar differently than humans. So, again haters claiming they "fixed it" by completely ignoring lore.

(Aw, thank you! I try my best to put my thoughts into words and it helps make sense of whatever the hell is going on up there. I take a lot of pride in it, because my mother complimenting me on "knowing how to word things" was one of our last conversations before she passed.)

[jeanmoreaue]

I agree!! *an incoherent rant incoming* Jean imo def moved on from Kevin (in a romantic way; i think he’s not moved on from the whole ‘Kevin left me’ thing ofc but I think he obviously knows and accepts that he and Kevin won’t ever happen lol). And that scene with Renee was obviously a closure/farewell and they’ve moved on to being friends now (also imo while i like their dynamic i feel like they’d never work bc of the whole victim saviour complex, that’d be really uncomfortable and hard to overcome). Jeremy seems like he’s able to handle Jean’s crazy baggage without placating him too much or pushing him too hard. He definitely needs to work on his own shit first (i feel like the way he went all in on helping Jean is kind of giving ‘I am avoiding my problems by getting too involved in others’ problems’) but I think Jean will be the perfect person to help him with that! As you said he’s super perceptive and honestly very empathetic even if he doesn’t show it in the most obvious way. Jeremy would probably really appreciate Jean’s brutally honest approach lol. They’re lowkey perfect for each other ☹️ TSC2 can’t come soon enough

hardcore agree on every single point you made!! i feel exactly the same about Jean and Renee, as much as their dynamic is sweet, i think it would be really difficult to overcome Jean feeling indebted to her (whereas Jean and Jeremy are both growing together) + ya i think Jean has very complicated feelings toward Kevin but i don’t think he’s actively yearning over Kevin anymore

and exactlyy i definitely imagine Jean quietly picking up on whatever Jeremy’s going through and expressing concern only for Jeremy to try and pull a “my problems aren’t that bad and therefore don’t matter” which i don’t see Jean accepting. especially since Jean has an ‘older brother who cares more about other people’s well-being more than his own well-being’ vibe (underneath his slightly prickly attitude lol) i think Jeremy and Jean are really good for each other, Kevin subconsciously knew what he was doing by having Jean transfer to USC 🤨