#though i do think in any other instance (in canon) he likes to top

[twochildreninamoteldemo]

Yes I think it's more accurate to call Dean blonde because it allows us to draw clearer visual parallels with the women Sam is attracted to (Jess, Bela, and Ruby 1.0 who are all bright green eyed blondes). Yes I also think Sam would prefer bottoming to Dean. We exist.

[baldursgate3tempobsessed]

hello! i’m not sure if ur taking requests but maybe an astarion x bard! tav who is neutral good? ik in game he hates it when we’re nice, so i’m wondering how you think he’d handle a tav who is not only kind but also not really interested in sex

Oooh, I like this! Time to bring out the bitchy cat energy. Because he is a bitch. Lot of Act 1 in game references here btw. Sfw, but y'know, Astarion sad boy backstory is always looming. Also conveniently ignoring the canon fact that Astarion doesn't know how to swim because I can~~~

~

Astarion supposed he could have come across a worse rag-tag crew of undesirables to associate with. It was made clear, disturbingly quickly, that he wouldn't have made it out here on his own. Not with the goblins and cultists lurking around every corner. And a damn vampire hunter for gods' sake.

Astarion could have done much worse than this merry-band of weirdos. Like laying dead in a ditch for instance. That said, it didn't change the fact that he was quickly growing tired of their leader's antics.

You were just so annoying. So selfless, in one of the stupidest ways he had ever seen. For one thing, why one earth would you ever trust a gith or Shar priestess? Or a vampire spawn for that matter. How no one had stabbed you in the back yet was beyond him, considering how you gave them every opportunity to do so.

Not that Astarion would, or at least not yet. But he could. Easily, considering all the misguided trust you had put in him.

But despite your flaws, he had to admit that you were capable, that much was clear. You were strong, quick, witty, and not above deception to keep the peace. He.... liked that about you, in a way. The extent to how far you would go to save others. It was courageous, as well as incredibly stupid, but he could respect it.

Slightly.

it helped that you were a cute little thing, even with the aggravating sunshine personality. Cute enough for Astarion to start thinking of... certain options. You would be easy to manipulate, he was sure of that. Enough so where his life could become one of your top priorities. You already seemed to like him, without him turning on the charm. It would be so easy to get you wrapped around his finger, with nothing but a few shiny words and some pleasant bed-warming. Nothing that he hadn't done before. And if anything, your absurd levels of kindness could.... make everything a little more pleasant than what he was used to. Gods willing.

And tonight seemed as good a time as any, considering everyone was still on a high from being the tiefling's heroes. You were excitedly talking at him, adorable in a frankly infuriating way. Or maybe the wine was working on him more than he had anticipated, he wasn't quite sure. But... your smile seemed extra enchanting tonight.

Enough so for him to get to the point after you asked how he was feeling, "I'm just looking for a little more excitement. A little more fun."

You cocked your head at him, innocently confused as he continued, "You know, we could always make our own entertainment darling. Get a little closer, so to speak."

"Sure!" You said, jumping on the opportunity faster than even Astarion had expected, "Can we do it now?"

Astarion blinked, pleased if not a bit surprised. He's not wholly against giving the camp a show, though the children still lurking about definitely put a damper on things. But maybe if you went far enough away...

"And can I choose what we do?" You asked, a wide smile on your face.

Astarion laughed, delighted at just how easy this was going to be, "Depends on how adventurous you're planning on being."

He hadn't expected you to grab his hand, easily intertwining your fingers with a smile, "I can show you."

Astarion hadn't been prepared for the quick escalation of events, but he was happy to abide by it. He nodded his head, giving your hand a small squeeze before saying, "Then lead the way."

And lead the way you did, right to the Waypoint of the swamp. Not exactly the most romantic place to be having sex, but Astarion had done worse. That was until you conjured the dancing lights, the dreary darkness suddenly transforming what should have been a putrid bog into a dreamy landscape, filled with flowers and freshwater.

Astarion looked to you, eyes wide, "How...?"

"We purified it!" You announced with a massive grin, "We did it this morning, before the party. Halsin and the other druids came down, I amped up their magic with a fantastic song, and bam! No more stench of the hag. Isn't it pretty?"

That... sounded exactly like something you would do, sweet thing that you were. Astarion nodded as he looked around, a little touched that you brought him here at all.

But as nice as the gesture was, he wasn't here for strictly fun. He had a plan, one that you were doing a wonderful job of putting into motion. Considering how you were in the middle of pulling your shirt over your head.

You looked at him expectantly, laughing a little when he rushed to join you. But before he could get his underclothes off, you were stepping away from him and... jumping into the water?

Astarion stared as you sputtered up to the surface, wiping your face with a loud laugh, "My gods, it's cold!"

"What on earth are you doing?" He called out to you, cautiously walking towards the water, "Are you trying to freeze to death?"

"Oh, hush!" You said, waving your hand in the air with a splash, "If we can kill an entire goblin camp than we can handle some cold water. Now get in already!"

Had he mentioned that you were aggravating yet?

But he hadn't made it this far to back out now. Besides, this was far from being on the list of the worst seduction tactics that he had to endure. Though it may have been the oddest one. Astarion couldn't remember a single time that jumping into a purified water pool led to lovemaking. But there was a first for everything. Though it didn't help that the water was indeed freezing.

"For fuck's sake," Astarion cursed when he came up for air, "This is your definition of fun?"

You giggled as you swam towards him, stopping to wrap your arms around his neck with a smile. Another unexpected move from you, a factor that he hadn't expected, but found oddly endearing.

You were playing with a lock of his wet hair, twisting it between your fingers as he wrapped his arms around you, "Well the fun part hasn't started yet."

Astarion laughed softly, his eyes zeroing in on your lips, "Is it about to start now?"

"I think it is," You whispered back, "You ready for it?"

"More than you know," Astarion murmured, leaning in to finally connect your mouth.

But before he could press his lips against yours you were dodging him, giggling as you whispered in his ear, "Good. Let's race."

And then you were pulling away from him entirely, diving under the water just to show back up a few feet away, a manic grin on your face, "Whoever gets to the opposite bank first wins!"

And then you were off, swimming away. You little cheater. Astarion didn't even think as he want after you, a childish competitiveness taking over. You still won, of course you did with that large of a head start, but he managed to beat you on the second and third try.

By his fourth win you were officially pouting, which only devolved into a splashing fight from there. One that he gracefully let you win.

It was all so stupid. Completely juvenile and beneath him. But then why was he having so much fun?

Eventually, you both got out of the water, opting to sit on the bank as you talked. Just... talking. Nothing more, and about the silliest things:

"If Halsin can turn into a bear, do you think I could learn how to grow an extra finger or two? It would make the lute playing so much easier."

"If you don't mind looking like a freak than sure. Are you thinking of literally growing them or having them attached?"

"If, and just hypothetically, Lae'zel and Shadowheart fought to the death, who would win?"

"Darling in all honesty, I think it would just devolve into lesbian sex."

"If you could go anywhere in the world, right now, where would it be?"

"...I think it would be here."

It was a startlingly fun conversation, one that had Astarion being sincere in ways that made him uncomfortable. But that didn't stop him from participating. The two of you talked about anything and everything until the sky started to lighten, both of you leaning into each other as you watched the sunrise.

That was something Astarion would never tire of, how beautiful the light and sky looked at the start of the day. Part of him still couldn't believe that he was able to see it at all, after two centuries of darkness. But now here he was, sitting on a peaceful riverbank after talking the night away, almost like... like he was a person. A real person who mattered. With someone who somehow thought the same.

You sighed, your head resting on Astarion's shoulder as you watched the pink sky, "We should head back soon. Before anyone starts to worry."

Astarion nodded, his heart clenching the slightest bit when you pulled away to stand. He... didn't want this to end. Not yet. Not when he-actually now that he thought about it, he hadn't done anything in the past eight hours that he had planned. The two of you hadn't even kissed, despite the fact that you had spent the vast majority of the night wet and in your undergarments.

How in the hells did that happen?

Astarion was still trying to figure that out as you tossed his shirt and pants his way. He stood, hastily putting it on while he struggled to figure out what to say next. He was completely off his usual script, at a complete loss as you re-opened the magical waypoint.

You turned back to look at him, that same sweet smile on your face that you had been wearing the whole night, "You ready to go?"

Astarion wasn't the type to stutter, but that's where he found himself when he blurted out, "I- wait- I mean, is that it?"

You cocked your head at him with a tiny frown, one that Astarion wanted off of your face immediately, "Did you not have fun?"

"I didn't say that, but it wasn't exactly the fun that I was referring to," Astarion said as he closed the distance between you, regaining a fraction of his usual forced confidence. Why were you so good at making him feel off-kilter?

He took your hand in his, reverting back to the seduction tactics he knew as he used his other hand to tilt your chin up, "I was thinking something a little more... intimate."

"I know what you meant," You said with a little laugh, giving his hand a small squeeze, "But my way seemed just as enjoyable, don't you think?"

"Darling, that's not exactly the point I was trying to make."

"Oh, I'm aware, but it was mine," You said easily, standing on your tip toes to kiss him on the cheek, "Thank you Astarion. It was fun, and I hope we can spend more time together like that in the future."

And just like that you were pulling away again, letting go off his hand to step into the portal, the feeling of your lips against his skin still lingering as you disappeared. Despite himself, Astarion brought his fingers up to where you kissed him, standing there like an imbecile as new feelings started to course through him. Emotions that he had no names for.

Maybe... this was going to be a lot harder than he thought it would.

[glade-constellation]

I think I’m starting to realize that Nexus may be one of the most misunderstood characters in the show.

Am I a fan of Nexus? No, not really. I find him funny to watch because, besides EAPS Monty, he says the most out of pocket shit. Never know what to expect when he opens his mouth. But besides that, I just can’t find any interest in him.

That being said, I recently have been doing a deep dive of his character to prove a theory I had, which turned out to be partially canon in today’s episode. I didn’t think Nexus had the Ruin virus, I don’t think he ever had it. After watching one of the introductory episodes in EAPS, I started to theorize that Nexus became what he is purely because he is a Moon. I still think this is true, and was simply sped up by the harvesting of dark star power.

This might be a long post, so strap in.

So. Nexus. I don’t feel dramatic in saying he’s possibly one of the most hated TSAMS characters, or at least most of the fandom’s least favorite. A good bit of the fandom believed he was infected by the Ruin virus, or was just a victim of terrible story writing, because it just didn’t seem possible for him to go this far. Sure, he was deeply traumatized by Solar’s death on top of many other things, but that didn’t seem like it would turn him completely evil. I was also one of the people who believed the Infection theory, as shown by my many posts during Nexus’ corruption arc.

Funnily enough, it was Eclipse of all characters that changed my view of Nexus and who he is. During “Eclipse and Puppet meet the NEW SUN”, Eclipse makes a very big point in relating himself back to the original Moon. It’s something I remembered from Eclipse’s lore, but had never really sat down and thought over. I believe @/samoftheswamp had a post that I 100% agreed with. Eclipse has all the memories of the original Moon before the separation, but is only made up of the kill code and very small fragments of Moon coding-wise. Everything else about Eclipse in that regard was filled in by Sun. He then continued to tear apart his own coding to make Bloodmoon and Lunar. Despite all of this, due to his memories, Eclipse still very much considers himself to be the original Moon.

How does any of this relate to Nexus? Simple. The coding and memories. Despite Eclipse and Nexus being completely opposites in both of those things, Eclipse still falls in line with Moons far more than he does Suns. V4 Eclipse talks a lot about how much his old self, and even current self, acts so similar to Moons. Though he appears as a Sun, Eclipse is a Moon by emotional and psychological standards.

I would also like to point out that Solar specifically say the only reason he was different from most Eclipse’s was due to his Sun’s influence. Everything that happened to Eclipse also happened to Solar up until his Sun decided to try and help him. That means that Solar also falls under the Moon category.

Now that we’ve established who counts as a Moon, let’s get into why this is important. One thing every single Moon has had in common so far is their villain arc. Moon has had several mini ones, mostly influenced by other people. Eclipse was a villain up until very recently. Solar was almost a villain until his Sun stepped in. Killcode was a villain until his change of heart. Bloodmoon was just, a villain. Hell, even Cringe Dimension Moon went evil. And now we have Nexus.

Am I saying all Moons are destined to become villains? Yes, but no. I think all Moons have a possibility of becoming a villain, and it is their choice to be one or not. Every Moon we meet tends to go through some sort of catastrophic event that leads them to this choice. OG Moon was built with a kill code. Eclipse, Solar, KC, and Bloodmoon all were a piece of that kill code in some way, on top of other trauma in some cases. Nexus never had the kill code, but he’s been through several different instances of trauma. He literally woke up to the world under Eclipse’s rule. He also had to witness the death of someone he considered a brother in his very own arms. All of these characters have had an instance where they were able to choose between being good or evil. Solar shows that Eclipse didn’t have to be evil, his coding wasn’t fully controlling his actions. He chose to be a villain. Killcode was evil by design, but chose to become good, whereas Bloodmoon was accidentally created as a murderbot and chose to stay evil.

I really want to focus in on Eclipse and Solar real quick. A lot of these characters are antithesis of each other, but Eclipse and Solar are supposed to be the perfectly representation of “what if”. Solar’s whole existence shows that Eclipse chose the path he went on. Could he have been influenced by the kill code? Yeah, definitely. That’s totally an option. But Solar was just as corrupted by our understanding. The only reason he was able to become good was because someone stepped in. Someone treated him like a person and showed him a different way. Eclipse never had that, and ended up choosing the path of evil since that influence was never given to him.

All this to say, it is completely in character for Nexus to have chosen the path of a villain by his own volition. Moons have always been portrayed to have the ability to turn evil. It has never actually mattered what their coding is or what trauma they have been through, every Moon has had a moment where they have had to make a choice. Will they be a hero, or become the villain they were “destined” to be?

I do not think Nexus was of complete clear consciousness when making this decision. Not because of a virus or kill code, not even the dark star power he may have had a the time. It was simply his mental health. Eclipse and Solar are a perfect example of how mental health can completely change a character. Nexus’ entire life was made up of disaster after disaster, which he felt completely responsible for. When Solar died in his arms, it was his snapping point. He was standing on the edge, teetering between sanity and insanity. He felt as if his family abandoned him, on top of his already present self blame and hatred, and he fell. (It does not help that his family failed pretty spectacularly in helping him, but that is the reality of most situations like this. We as an audience were of sound mind when coming up with ways to help Nexus, but the Celestial family was not. They all had their own things to focus on, and couldn’t give Nexus the help he truly needed, despite them thinking they had. Hindsight is a bitch when it comes to scenarios such as this.)

I don’t like Nexus. The story they seem to be telling with his current character arc is the same as Bloodmoon’s, that some people just aren’t worth saving. I do not believe in this sentiment at all, and also believe Nexus could have been handled much better than he currently is. But I cannot deny that how he is acting is actually incredibly plausible. It is not out of character for him to have become what he currently is, even without outside influences. Him harvesting dark star power just happens to make his fall into insanity even more likely.

(I would like to add that none of what I just wrote was against the writers and/or actors in any way. This is a “forever” roleplay show made using VRChat on YouTube. I am in no way expecting greatness. I enjoy having Nexus and characters like EAPS Monty specifically because they play into my more out of pocket sense of humor. I would also like to reiterate that all of this is simply a theory, and how I view the characters of the show. You are completely allowed to have your own opinion! Also, if you read this whole post, thank you! Even if we don’t agree, I am grateful you put time into reading this extensive post.)

[thevelaryons]

You said Corlys in the show doesn’t do well at politics. Care to elaborate? Because I do agree. Something seems off about the show portrayal but I don't know how to describe it. Been a while since I read Fire and Blood but I recall Corlys being a scheming character always at the heart of the politics in the war.

Yeah, Corlys’ characterization in HOTD has been heavily changed from F&B. The show portrays him as more of a rough warrior type whereas the book had him as an intelligent politician. Back when the show first aired, I tried viewing it as a mixed canon because Ryan Condal was saying that HOTD is the true telling of the Dance of the Dragons. But then GRRM came through with his two separate canons statement. Saved me a lot of headache trying to reconcile show!Corlys’ actions with that of book!Corlys. They are just two very different characters at this point. I would say that HOTD has very purposely altered the characterization in order to use Corlys to prop up other characters.

Season two barely gave Corlys any screentime, so I'll just focus on season one moments that I remember off the top of my head.

A statement like “history does not remember blood; it remembers names” is show only. Its purpose is to depict the character as ambitious at the cost of family. But book!Corlys is repeatedly portrayed as a person willing to sacrifice his ambition for the sake of family. As a result, the show gave us a character with great ambition but none of the cunning of his book counterpart.

This scene from episode 5 is a prime example. Season one has a couple different scenes where it looks like the characters around him are talking down to Corlys, and this is one of them. The show makes it look like Corlys has a real say in this matter, but if you watch how the scene is presented (the characters’ mannerisms), it’s Viserys who controls the topic. Whereas, Corlys appears humbled and at a loss.

F&B does have instances where the naming of the grandsons is decided (it’s first name discussed there not last name like in the show). It’s a very subtle change but it sends a very different message. The book presents Corlys as the one who holds the authority of deciding the names of his grandsons.

The fireside conversation between Corlys and Rhaenys in episode 7 has both of them not understanding politics. There’s talk of making Laena’s daughter heirs, but since Laena was younger in the show, the only way this could be done is by disinheriting the older brother, Laenor. Somehow, neither of them think of just betrothing the children to each other (even though that’s often the solution to 80% of these Westerosi nobles’ problems). We get the line about Corlys saying “history does not remember blood; it remembers names” in reference to the succession of the Driftwood Throne. But previously in episode 5, it was discussed that Jace would change his name to Targaryen instead of Velaryon upon becoming King. So it’s not even the ‘Velaryon’ name that will be remembered (and no the first name being Velaryon doesn’t count/eg. Daeron the Young Dragon has a Velaryon first name from his Velaryon grandfather but he is still viewed as a Targaryen because of his last name). In Westeros, there are examples of characters changing their last name to that of the ruling family if they come into a leading position but were part of a different family originally. So Corlys’ granddaughters would simply use the Velaryon last name upon ascension to the Driftwood Throne. Knowing something basic like this would probably be part of highborn’s education. Even the relatively lowborn Littlefinger in the main series knows this, as evidence by his suggestion of Harrold Hardyng changing his name to Harrold Arryn upon becoming Lord of the Eyrie. In the show, Corlys apparently doesn’t know this.

This specific scene between Luke & Corlys in episode in 7 is based off a book scene between Jace & Viserys.

While show!Corlys can be considered a person acting in order to protect the children, so was book!Corlys and he was very politically competent about it too. This change is not too terrible because Corlys does eventually come around to the idea of Luke as heir, but his acceptance was not so openhanded that he's left with nothing. The context in book vs show is very different. Since the grandchildren are not betrothed to each other until much later in the show canon, it does make you wonder "what is Corlys getting out of this?" His name won't succeed him on the Iron Throne. His blood won't follow him on the Driftwood Throne. What even is it all for??? "History does not remember blood; it remembers names" is actually a very empty phrase. It's almost as if the HOTD writers coined it as a catchy saying to put on sweaters and mugs. It has no deeper meaning beyond that. Also, the betrothal in the book wasn't even a full solution apparently since we get no acknowledgement of Luke as heir when he was younger.

Episode 8 is peak for this show erasing Corlys' political role. There's a whole petition happening behind Corlys' back to alter the Driftmark succession. F&B had Corlys bedridden, nearly at death's door, but he still remained the authority figure in his family. Rhaenyra turned to her father-in-law, Corlys, in order to have Luke formally named heir (he was 11 years old at the time yet never formally acknowledged which says a lot about Corlys' feelings on the matter). HOTD changed this to Rhaenyra begging her father for support.

It seems to be a very carefully done change that makes Corlys appear like a very different character in the show than he was in the book. His influential role in his own family is reduced to a great extent. HOTD writers know exactly what they're doing.

Then in episode 10, Corlys shows up at Dragonstone, informs Rhaenyra that he has sent his fleet forth to secure the Gullet and also starts making battle plans for her. She has not offered him anything for his support. He also believes she killed his son. I know I say this every time so I'm basically beating a dead horse at this point, but when book!Corlys was angered with Rhaenyra for INDIRECTLY causing his wife's death, he was only brought around after political concessions were made in his favor. Show!Corlys DIRECTLY blames Rhaenyra for his son's death, grumbles about it, and then bends over backwards for her. In the second season, he quietly accepts the position of Hand without voicing a single complaint to Rhaenyra's face as his book counterpart would have done. At this point, I can't see HOTD writers ever allowing Corlys to air out his grievances against Rhaenyra to her face, unless they were trying to double down on the "men are evil, women are victims" central theme of the show.

[i-heart-hxh]

What do you think Killua's training consisted of? And you think he got the same amount of torture training as his siblings? I'm a little confused because It's hard to think of how the Zoldyck family would set up their assassin training. Thanks!

Hello! This is another of those Zoldyck questions where canon doesn't give us the clearest answers, but I'll put together what I can and try to make reasonable guesses with the rest! A lot of it remains mysterious, and I don't think it's likely we'll get significantly more clarity as the series goes, though I certainly could be wrong.

First off, my assumption is that there's a whole complicated process that the Zoldyck kids go through in their training, most likely something that's been refined for generations. If you look at how complicated even the system with the butlers is (the Zoldycks even have a school for butlers on their property!) for instance, I can only imagine how thoroughly set up and well thought out the training is for the kids. However, I'm guessing this is something that can be adjusted to account for individual differences, and it may involve trial and error as well.

(One of my reasons for saying this is it feels to me like Illumi and Milluki were treated somewhat differently--I think it's possible Illumi didn't turn out how they hoped with extremely strict training as the eldest child, and it might have messed him up, and then they ended up being "too lax" on Milluki after that. You could argue it's just personality differences, but to me they feel like the results of too strict/not strict enough upbringing in a way that may be intentional.)

We know that Killua learned and mastered darts as part of his training. The kids are likely taught skills like this that will apply to assassination techniques and train their coordination/depth perception/etc., probably as a lead-up to more intensive/hands on training.

We also know Killua has been taught to resist poison and electricity. With the poisons, I think they were added to their foods in small increments that increased over time, and with the electricity it was probably similar in the sense that they were shocked more and more intensely over time until they had a higher tolerance for it. This probably applied to other things as well--pain tolerance as a whole, going without sleep, other forms of tolerance (heat, cold, holding their breath, just off the top of my head?) that might be useful as assassins.

I'm sure there was extensive physical training of multiple kinds, including training with weights similar to what we saw in the butlers' quarters perhaps, and probably some sort of schooling on the family history, physiology of the human body, and assassination techniques, among other subjects. I'm sure the kids receive a thorough education, both in the assassin sense and in general.

We also know Killua was at Heavens Arena for two years, from ages 6 to 8, and he was left without any money. It's actually surprising to me that the assumed heir of the family (if he was deemed such by then, we don't know that for sure) was left there, but if I were to guess probably Gotoh or someone accompanied him, though canon doesn't say anything about this. (Or at the very least someone must have been tailing him/monitoring him without his awareness, there's no way they weren't keeping an eye on him.)

It's disturbing to think about, but I wonder if the Zoldycks would somehow obtain people that they could sacrifice to training the kids early on in their training process. Maybe death row inmates or something? We've seen a lot of questionable human rights in the HxH world, so it wouldn't surprise me. We also know for instance that love affairs between the butlers are punishable by death, so things like that could potentially be a source of people for the kids to learn on...

I assume after a certain point in their training/at a certain age, the kids would move on to actually taking on lower rank assassination jobs and learn directly through that. Canon has mentioned a few times that Killua has killed a fairly large number of people (though no actual numbers are given) and he refers to himself as a professional assassin, so maybe this started after he got back from Heavens Arena or something like that?

There also must be a timeline for when the kids start to learn nen as well. We know Killua hasn't learned about nen by the time he rebels and escapes, so it's possibly something the kids learn when they're a bit older, perhaps once the family deems that they've mastered the other aspects of the training. They may have been holding off on teaching Killua about nen to keep him under control as well, with the help of Illumi's needle.

There does seem to be a certain level of favoritism towards Killua in the Zoldyck family due to his talents. We know he's favored to some degree by at least Silva, Kikyo, and Zeno, and he receives preferential treatment from them. Zeno in particular is described as being soft towards him (we see this within the series itself as well), and Zeno employs Gotoh and Canary, who are the only butlers Killua truly trusts.

Again, there's no way to know when Killua was deemed the heir, but I do assume he was given more attention than the rest of his siblings as a result. I can't decide if his position in the family means he would have gotten stricter or less strict training overall, more likely a mixture of both. On one hand, he was likely held to a higher standard, and on the other hand, it was probably easier for him to meet those standards, so they may not have had to push him as hard. His cockiness and behavior at the beginning of the series makes me think he was praised a lot, and he was used to succeeding and being superior to his siblings. Of course, regardless his upbringing was clearly very traumatic and difficult for him.

I hope this is helpful! A lot of it is guesses, but I think they're at least educated guesses based off canon. Even though it's left vague, there's still a lot to this topic, so I may have overlooked some aspects, but I did my best to give a thorough response within reason. If anyone thinks of things to add on, feel free. Thanks for asking!

[lunar-years]

Roy’s been so obsessed with Jamie the whole time, actually. Keeley ‘s a little bit weird about him too.

- While flirting with Keeley in the press room, trying to get her to give him a second chance “Because I like you more than I hate him”

- Keeley being turned on by Jamie offering an inkling of vulnerability after showing up at her door

- “Every time I wanna kiss my girlfriend, I can’t stop thinking about Jamie fucking Tartt”

- In the middle of making out with Keeley, literally on top of her after he’s just walked in on her masturbating, “What did you tell the prince prick of all pricks about going back to Richmond?”

- Jamie thinking Roy and Keeley started dating just to make him jealous which. Well. Keeley technically had sex with Jamie to get back at Roy in Season 1

I’m probably missing some moments but They Are Just So Weird About Each Other. And in retrospect, the love triangle angle could’ve been done soooo much better. I hate that Jamie’s apology for the video leak is diminished when he tells Roy about it in the bar, but I do understand it shows their character regression and serves a greater purpose for Roy’s arc. And maybe it’s an unpopular opinion, but it would’ve been more interesting if Keeley and Jamie had sex after he apologized in S3 (although the hug was really sweet).

idk why but the way you worded it "Keeley's a little bit weird about him too" actually made me laugh out loud lmao. Thank you for that anon. I think Keeley ALSO being unhinged about Jamie is something that is underrated!

I think my favorite is the scene where Keeley masturbates to Roy's retirement presser because the whole thing is SO 'Jamie is the third person in the room right now even though he is not actually here in the room.' Like. Let's compile the Evidence in that scene alone:

Keeley's vulnerability kink is activated so hard by Jamie having traced her to her coffee shop to seek her advice specifically that she immediately goes home to have a wank about it. Except she can't wank to Jamie can she? That would be bad because she's In a Committed Relationship. So she pulls out her old reliable Roy vulnerability video to wank to that instead. (Already it's pretty crazy.)

But then Roy comes home and Keeley tells him how hot she finds him when he's vulnerable, suggests again he take a chance on the pundit job and then uses JAMIE AS THE COMPARISON. literally fully well knowing how Roy can Get about Jamie Tartt, she's on about 'Jamie is brave.' 'At least Jamie is trying to get better.' 'YOU'RE JUST LIKE JAMIE.' i mean, GIRL?? insane. this is all after being walked in on mid-wank mind you.

In midst of all that, let's queue up another super sexy roykeeley kiss. at this point the conversation has MOVED ON. only for roy to BRING JAMIE UP AGAIN. 'what did you tell the prince prick of all pricks?' WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO KNOW ROY. whyyy are you still thinking about him. unbidden. as you are right in the midst of foreplay with your girlfriend.

Insanity on all sides of the triangle ❤️

But all of your examples are spot on and I fully think the weirdness about one another started even before any of that and got FAR WEIRDER from s3 and beyond. For instance, Keeley in the season one bar scene openly getting turned on by Roy with Jamie right there... one could argue that she was already leaning towards trading in Jamie for a nicer model but frankly. I think girl was angling for a threesome even then. And good for her!

Keeley and Jamie sleeping together after he came to apologize would've been a MESS. I would love to read a fic of that!

Part of what is so fun to me about the three of them canonically ending the series single is that the possibilities and configurations for smooshing them all together remain endless. maybe they all three figured it out at the same time and got together in a very romantic and cute and non-angsty way. BUT. if you want to be messy. roykeeley or jamiekeeley or royjamie can get together first, and whichever one is left out can just absolutely without a doubt be Going Through It. Meanwhile things aren't going fully well for the couple, and it's far from bad but they still can't get it RIGHT because it still feels like something (hint: someone) is missing. The someone who is currently off to the side thinking they aren't good enough aren't lovable aren't ever going to be okay again but at least their favorite two people are happy :( without them :( :( glorious

[ernmark]

As an extension of your post about epithets, I'm wondering if you can help me pin down what it is about the use of phrases like "those eyes" or "that mouth" that have started to just drive me bonkers when I read some fanfic. At times I come across it and it feels completely natural, and other times it feels like a somewhat lazy shorthand for expressing a character's admiration. Thank you!

I can't speak with certainty, because this isn't a problem that's come up enough in my own fandoms for me to really analyze it in context, but I'll give it my best guess.

Phrases like "those eyes" and "that mouth" work most effectively for me when they're a reference back to a previous description. Maybe those eyes are really exceptional. For instance, Sir Damien in The Penumbra Podcast goes on at length about Lord Arum's violet eyes to the point that "those violet eyes..." are already a recurring motif inside the work, so the fics that use the phrase are all calling back to that.

Sometimes, though, you'll get writers refer to features that don't make any sense in the situation. I've seen lots of complaints brought up about prose describing a character's "plush lips" and "fine ass" when the actor portraying that character very decidedly has neither of those things-- often completely ignoring the qualities that the character actually does have in favor of the generic "sexy" ones.

Often, "that [body part]" carries a very strong sexual connotation, particularly about what the POV character would very much like to be doing to "that mouth/those thighs/those arms/that neck/whatever". They tend to work best in my opinion when the point-of-view character has very specific fantasies/memories that are described, or at least implied, on the page. But sometimes you'll get that phrasing from a character where it doesn't make sense for them to be thinking of the other person in those terms. Maybe they're sexually inexperienced in a way where specific fantasies seem out of character, or their preferences within the narration veer very sharply in one direction but the designated body part implies otherwise (for example, the writer's gone on at length about them exclusively liking to bottom but describing the other person as if their intention is to top them-- not out of irony or subtext, but because that's a generic "attractive feature").

I think it also ought to be said that which features are emphasized, and the adjectives used to emphasize them, work best when they're deliberately chosen to build a specific effect-- is the other person's vibe elegant, or brutal, or delicate, or whatever? Picking qualities and features that reinforce that vibe can be super evocative and feel much more personal than sticking to the standards. In a recent fandom I'm in, one character is singled out as being exceptionally strong in the canon, and specifically noteworthy to the character that he's frequently shipped with. Consequently, a lot is done with his love interest thirsting over the breadth and power of the character's shoulders. Shoulders weren't sexy before, but they sure as hell are now.

TL;DR: if I had to guess at what makes that phrase fall flat, it would be a lack of specificity to the actual character, or an inconsistency with the way the people in the scene are characterized.

[kyouka-supremacy]

Yeah I was shocked at first too how little Atsushi seemed to care about Aku's death and was outright offended on Aku's behalf but now that I'm rereading I can't describe Atsushi post-88 as anything other than "numb" or going through the motions and it get really blatant when you see how animated he got during the most recent chapters

Mmmmhh. I think those two Atsushi pages are extremely interesting, and that we need to talk about them some more. Overall, Anon, I relate to your experience: I too thought Atsushi's reaction to Akutagawa's death was rather indifferent at first, and I too eventually warmed up to it explaining it as loss rather than apathy, a difficulty to process what had happened just yet. But the thing is, before chapter 107 came out, I truly felt like both interpretations - the indifferent one and the numb one - were equally sustained by canon elements and potentially true. I do think that the “indifference” interpretation had canon grounds of its own right and, although it's close to be disproven by the latest chapters, I want to elaborate on that, because I think it's still valuable to reflect over it.

It's reasonable to think Atsushi's reaction was so cold and detached because a lot had just happened for him way beyond what any man could elaborate in the immediate; at that point it still didn't come natural for him to think of Akutagawa as anything but evil, and, even though Akutagawa had just proven in action to be more than a ruthless monster, for Atsushi months of thinking of Akutagawa as the devil incarnate isn't something he could grow out of in a matter of minutes or hours, especially given he still hadn't had the chance to properly elaborate what happened. And yet even when considering all of that, it's still true that Atsushi never asks Ango "why did Akutagawa sacrifice himself?" or "why did Akutagawa die for me?"; he only wonders if there's "some grand meaning to it". He doesn't seem to be pondering over Akutagawa's sacrifice in particular as something extraordinary, but rather reflects about the entire string of events as equally important factors. I find it insane that Atsushi is thinking about the event of Akutagawa keeping his promise over the very occurrence of Akutagawa giving his life to save him, and how even that instance of remembering something good Akutagawa did feels to be only prompted by acknowledging how that allowed him to escape, for the ada to keep fighting– even when thinking about Akutagawa, it seems to be for inherently selfish reasons. It all speaks, to me, like in that moment Atsushi saw Akutagawa like just a piece in the grand scheme of things and nothing more, which is coherent with the dehumanizing perception of Akutagawa he always held; and that's why it made me believe that nothing much really changed even after Akutagawa died for him, because apparently nothing would have been able to scratch Atsushi's quick-to-judgement, close minded attitude.

Then again, this was my main interpretation up to chapter 88 and no further, and back then I probably shouldn't have given that much relevance to Atsushi's words since in that moment he was understandably shaken and unstable. Besides, obviously, chapters 107 and 108, Atsushi hallucinating Akutagawa in chapter 105 is a meaningful element too: the way Akutagawa seems to be guiding him, how Atsushi doesn't seem to hold any fear or hatred or resentment towards him anymore, the way Atsushi places him on top of importance falling second only to Dazai. And it's true that chapter 107's "I know you're still there" and "you still haven't told me why did you save me" are telling enough on their own: of the fact that Atsushi really had a change of heart about Akutagawa, of the fact that he's changed his mind on him. And after all who am I to disagree, I don't wish for anything other than celebrating sskk canon 2k23 ahah!

But the thing is: in the end, to me, it really doesn't matter if that chapter 88 scene specifically is meant to be interpreted Atsushi caring for Akutagawa or not!! What I mean to say is that unrequited-sskk is still a very compelling dynamic and noteworthy concept, and it having canon basis or not is ultimately completely irrelevant.

I've been called out a lot for my unrequited-sskk takes and received a couple of asks and replies already on this, so I really wanted to clarify why I'd stand by that in the first place, and elaborate on why in my opinion that Atsushi scene from chapter 88 really fits the picture. Truth to be told, unrequited-sskk was mostly a June 2022 phase that manifested slowly in later months due to my late posting habit, but I don't feel for it any strongly than requited sskk– I mean, I obviously love sskk, of course I'm also rooting for them to be happy together. But I do think unrequited sskk holds a lot of thematic value, and that's why I think it's very interesting concept to reflect over! More specifically, I think it's very fitting with Akutagawa's character themes of being perfectly unlovable, the miserable and tragic character. This context ties with and reinforces the image of Akutagawa as the cursed character, someone who can only fall for people who are destined to hate him; and the people he loves won't ever be able to see in him anything but a monster, because he is fated to cause repulsion in anyone he meets. Additionally, seeing the character under this light makes his death even more dramatic and heartbreaking: there's some added pain in the knowledge that he's dying for someone he loves, and who is never going to love him back or even see him as human for what matters, and yet Akutagawa deciding to do so anyways. I feel like Akutagawa as the ultimate tragic character, born miserable and died miserable, only ever running after glimpses of happiness without ever the chance to grasp them, forever unloved, forever in pain, is really compelling! Akutagawa doomed to be unloved in life and death, someone whose pain, whose sacrifice and humanity will never be recognized by anyone but the silent audience. It's just a very entertaining concept to explore!!

I also find the unrequited love scenario interesting on the other end, in the way it frames Atsushi, the good one, as fundamentally unable to be compassionate and forgiving with Akutagawa, making out of the good guy a complex and especially flawed person. I like how Atsushi and Akutagawa's roles of good and bad are switched in someone who's unforgiving (unsympathetic), and someone who's miserable (sympathetic). (That is far from wanting to villainize Atsushi– Akutagawa did a lot of unforgivable things to him. He just did a lot of redeemable things also.)

In the end my final take - which is something I've always thought - is that sskk's relationship, and its chance to bloom romantically or not, is mostly dictated by chance: in Beast, they've met in a friendly, non-hostile environment, and they suddenly clicked; but not in every universe they might be lucky. They have palpable chemistry, but it's not granted that will always translate in them getting along more than them clashing and destroying each other. And I guess that's what makes them so fun to fixate on!! How their relationship can take so many different shapes while staying the same. When people ask when sskk would get together, I really think it's only a matter of case. I think it's as likely for Akutagawa to kiss Atsushi on impulse after this arc has ended than it is for them to beat around the bush for years and years to no end. I think it's really a matter of chance that Akutagawa didn't kill Atsushi and join the Hunting Dogs, a split-second decision that could have easily gone another way. I find it cool how their relationship can take so many different shapes and yet the only thing that stays the same is how inexplicably tied they are, how the other makes them who they are, how deeply and intrinsically connected they are.

Tl;dr: Atsushi's reaction to Akutagawa's death, up to chapter 88 and without considering chapter 107 and further, has equal basis to be interpreted as Atsushi being indifferent (uncaring) of Akutagawa or detached (caring in disguise) of Akutagawa; here's what made of uncaring of Akutagawa an interesting scenario no matter the fact it turned out to be wrong; here's why, independently by how much canon basis it has, themes wise unrequited-sskk is still a very interesting concept that should be taken in consideration.

[i-did-not-mean-to]

MAY-U - Russingon

This one has been written for @urwendii! It was such fun to write a Modern!AU Russingon, which is, as everybody knows, one of my all-time favourite things to do!

Characters: Maedhros x Fingon

Prompts: University - Elevator Engineer - I can think of worse company

Words: 2 200

Warnings: Stuck elevator, daring rescue mission, some body contact :D (they're still half-cousins in canon!)

“Oh shit!”

Fingon stared at the screen of his tablet in dismay—how could he have missed so flagrant an error?

Beneath him, there was a faint screeching, scraping sound, but he was too engrossed in his calculations to pay it any heed until it suddenly stopped.

Another wave of blind panic and self-recrimination washed over him, but he tried to counteract that utterly useless instinctive reaction by reminding himself that nobody even used this particular elevator. Everything was fine!

Sweat beaded along his spine—the presentation of his thesis was only weeks away, and the current setback did not exactly inspire much confidence in his eventual success.

He’d wanted to revolutionise the field of elevator engineering; a humble and rather dull aspiration one might well think, but Fingon had devoted himself to this task with as much boundless enthusiasm as he put in any of his numerous other projects and dreams.

Brow creased and lips pinched, he thus gave his meticulous computations another hard stare. Ah! Yes, if he just…

His stroke of genius that would save his academic career and the rotten, old elevator was rudely interrupted by a muted banging, followed by a voice calling out in so polite a tone and wording that Fingon was quite taken aback.

He’d not believed ghosts to be so extraordinarily courteous!

“Hello? Is someone there? The intercom seems to be out of order! Hello? The button is not working!”

Intercom? Button?

Oh Eru! Setting his tablet aside, Fingon groaned. This was just his luck! On the one instance all his efforts failed, there had to be a witness, enmeshed against their will in his entirely avoidable defeat.

Moreover, he couldn’t remember ever having heard a voice half as rich and enchanting as the one rising like a swirl of enticing mist at dawn from the dark abyss of mechanical malfunction.

“There’s a little problem with the elevator,” he called back, half-holding on to the ludicrous idea of merely being haunted by the phantom of inadequacy. “Hang on! Are you injured?”

“I thought as much,” came the deadpan reply from below. “Do you think it could be solved within…let’s say thirty minutes? I’ve got a lecture to attend, but I’m otherwise unharmed.”

“Students are not allowed in this part of the building,” Fingon said smugly, biting his lip when he realised that he, at least on the face of it, was a mere student too.

“I’m aware,” the other answered levelly. “I’m the lecturer, not an attendee. It’s my first one, though, and I’d hate to be a no-show. So, I repeat my question, can this hiccup be ironed out within the next half hour?”

His mind racing through a quick tabulation of what had to be done for the elevator to resume function at all, Fingon came to the inevitable conclusion that he’d have to disappoint the poor wretch.

He was about to say so when he saw movement in the elevator shaft. A moment later, the top hatch flew open and a silken mass of reddish hair, gleaming like burnished copper, appeared.

“Erm,” Fingon mumbled hesitantly, perched precariously on the edge of the control room entrance as he stared, mesmerised, at the stuck cabin just a few meters away. He remembered vaguely that he’d been about to say something, but the exact words had momentarily fled his mind.

The impressive mane shifted, and a pale, shapely face became visible, gleaming like marble in the unprepossessing brushed metal window.

“Ah! You’re still there,” the beauteous man with the magnetic voice smiled. And what a smile it was—Fingon relied on his excellent reflexes to avoid toppling to his death in his eagerness to lean towards that discreet siren call. “I take your silence as a negative, am I right? Maybe…I could climb out and try to pry open the elevator doors?”

Blinking, Fingon struggled to make sense of the sentence he’d just heard; his whole mind and soul were too thoroughly consumed by the near-transcendental charm of the mysterious apparition to focus on anything other than the way those pale lips twitched, and these light grey eyes twinkled with determination.

“Won’t work,” Fingon then croaked miserably. “The many outdated and outright perilous features of the elevator are exactly what I’m trying to amend and improve.”

“Do you have to use the elevator to get down from there?”

A long, slender arm—clad in perfectly ironed grey linen—was swung over the lip of the hatch, slamming a heavy leather bag against the roof of the cabin.

“I’m Maedhros, by the way,” the stranger, now halfway out of his metal cage, wheezed.

“Fingon. Yes. No,” Fingon took a shivering breath; he couldn’t fully grasp how so deplorably static a situation could be “too fast-paced” for his befuddled brain to follow. “I would have taken the elevator,” he tried anew, “but there’s an old door leading outside. I don’t think it has been used in years, and I’d have to walk all the way around and through the building to get back to my office, but theoretically, it could be done!”

“Nice to meet you, Fingon,” Maedhros said, his inflexion just ambiguous enough to make Fingon’s eyebrow quirk in suspicion. “If that is so, I shall come up and use that door if it’s all the same to you.”

His mouth opening to let out an incredulous guffaw, Fingon felt his breath hitch in his throat instead as the other lifted himself completely out of the blasted elevator.

He was huge—Fingon gasped like a schoolgirl, and then, he realised that he’d heard other faculty members discuss the very man, shading his eyes to look up at him hopefully.

The gossip and envious praise surrounding the new lecturer, pretty as a summer day and cold as a winter’s night, had hitherto been buried under far more pressing considerations, and Fingon had simply failed to connect the dots until now.

“Antique languages and societies, right?” he muttered distractedly.

At once, Maedhros’s face lit up. “That’s me—I see I’ve made quite an impression. I hope in a good way.”

A muscle twitched in his left cheek, and Fingon realised with a jolt of incredulity that this man—so self-possessed in the face of adversity and gorgeous enough to be eaten raw—was insecure about how people might perceive him.

“Whatever I’ve heard, it does not do you justice,” Fingon replied before getting a grip on his thoughts. “And words like ‘angelic’ and ‘mouth-watering’ have been used liberally.”

“Ah, sometimes I wish I was interested in women,” Maedhros replied sheepishly, tucking his narrow chin against his chest as if embarrassed. “They’re always so kind and generous to me.”

“I’ve never said a word about the fairer sex,” Fingon commented slyly.

That off-hand remark managed what a defective lift and a very athletic escape hadn’t achieved—Maedhros was positively speechless.

This, Fingon decided, was the worst possible moment to suggest physical contact, but if that masterpiece of human anatomy wanted to make it to his lecture in time, he would have to go along with Fingon’s half-baked plan.

“I can come down and push you up,” he said carefully. “There is a desk, nailed to the floor, in the corner, and you might just be tall enough to wedge in your feet to keep you steady. Or…you can just leave me here—I deserve that.”

“Nonsense!” Maedhros laughed, extending his arms and broadening his stance. “Come down, I’ll catch you.”

Feeling like the maiden heroine in an old-timey novel, Fingon twisted and turned until he could let his feet dangle into the void while holding on for dear life to the sharp-edged rim of the square door in the floor of the control room.

Strong arms were slung around his thighs.

“Let yourself slide down slowly—I’ve got you,” Maedhros promised.

“Take care, I’ve been told repeatedly that my ass is a danger to society!” Fingon warned, mortified at the thought that his new, exciting acquaintance would find himself smothered in the bulging flesh of his rotund behind.

“Consider me duly warned,” the victim-turned-saviour chuckled. “Now let go!”

Sending an arrow prayer to whatever Vala was available, Fingon slowly unclasped his aching fingers.

For a heartbeat, he was floating on a wave of fragrant warmth before the tight rope of living flesh slid up along his body, leaving a lingering sensation of flames licking at his sensitive skin that drove him half-insane with entirely improper want.

“Good day to you, Fingon. I’m sorry to admit that, according to my various brothers’ assessments, my behind is disgustingly bony. You might have been wise to bring gloves if you plan on pushing me up!” Maedhros chirped when Fingon turned around, at once lost in the wavering grey sea of the other’s luminous eyes.

“I thought I’d simply give you a boost,” the prospected engineer mumbled.

“I might need more than that,” Maedhros said with a wink.

Fingon remembered only too well how that man had hoisted himself out of the elevator cabin without any assistance, but he was smart enough to keep his thoughts to himself.

“I wouldn’t dream of wearing gloves then,” he said with a crooked grin accentuating his dimples in a way his mother qualified as “unfairly adorable”.

Without further ado, he gave Maedhros a leg up.

Twisting his head to flash a mischievous grin at his flushed helper, the tall redhead purred, “Push, my man, push!”

As his blood seemingly couldn’t decide what vital organ to provision, Fingon felt light-headed and deliciously dizzy, craning his neck to observe Maedhros’s less-than-graceful ascent which soon came to a suspicious halt, leaving the long, svelte legs swinging like the pendulum of an enchanted clock.

A man of action to his core, Fingon brazenly cupped the perky ass dangling before him and heaved.

He thought that his mind was deserting him for good—Maedhros, instead of using the momentum, seemed to grow heavier. Even though he’d managed to get a handhold on the doorframe above him, he throned on Fingon’s trembling hands like a king of yore.

“Ticktock!” Fingon reminded him half-heartedly.

“Shame, really,” Maedhros sighed and pulled himself through the hole in one powerful, fluid motion.

“If you could throw down my tablet…I shall spend the rest of the day trying to fix this mess,” Fingon called dejectedly. He was profoundly disgusted with how his first meeting with the most talked-about man on campus had gone down, and—despite his cheery, optimistic soul—he knew that he’d gnaw on this humiliating day for a long while.

“I think you’d be more comfortable here,” Maedhros objected. “Throw up my bag, and then I’ll pull you up, Mister Engineer. Trust your plan—it will work out!”

There was the clanging noise of furniture being shuffled around and the old desk creaking in protest, and then those long arms dropped back into Fingon’s field of vision, bracketing a beautifully flushed face.

“Come on!” Maedhros grinned in a heartening tone.

With a soft sigh, Fingon extended his own arms. Maedhros had rolled up his sleeves, and Fingon’s clasped his fingers around lean, freckled forearms firmly at the same time as he felt long, cool digits close against his own skin.

Again, he couldn’t deny how embarrassingly marvellous and precious it made him feel to be lifted as if he was but a dainty, little thing rather than a bulky young man.

Pushing himself off with as much vigour as he could muster to contribute as much as he could lest Maedhros throw out his back in this ludicrous sequence of daring rescues, he shot through the hole and landed flat on a surprisingly broad, well-muscled chest.

Much of an engineer he was, he thought hazily before the slowly blossoming smile of the much put-upon victim of his idiocy rendered the very act of forming coherent concepts patently impossible.

“You owe me a dinner,” Maedhros smirked. “At the very least.”

“Anything for a new colleague,” Fingon squeaked, afraid that if he thought too long on how his breath intermingled with Maedhros’s, he’d be tempted to kiss that rosy mouth until both their careers were irremediably damaged by their failure to show up where they were needed.

A moue of disappointment distorted Maedhros’s hitherto perfectly amiable visage.

“Ah! Maybe you could score one of those ladies that speak of me so nicely,” he said cautiously without making any attempt to shift Fingon’s crushing weight off his pinned body.

“May I remind you, I’ve still not brought up a single ‘lady’. Either way, you better run to your lecture. If, once the rush of adventure has worn off, you still want to spend time with the unluckiest bugger in a ten-mile-radius, you know where you’ll find me.”

Ostensibly pacified, Maedhros hummed in agreement. “When I return,” he chuckled, “I’ll have all the time in the world. I won’t even object to being trapped in the same elevator again. I can think of worse company!”

Even though he mumbled some expected polite verbiage, Fingon was deeply flattered and felt his motivation to solve the technical conundrum reawaken in his inexplicably tight, palpitating heart.

“Until later, brave saviour,” Maedhros grinned. “Don’t fall in…before I’m back.”

↬ Masterlist

Thank you so much for joining me on this new adventure.

@fellowshipofthefics here's the next one for May!

Lots of love from me!

[everybody-loves-purdy]

I do want to say it is very interesting seeing Thistleclaw, Brambleclaw, and Tigerheartstar defence all use the same talking points and beliefs by their fans to boost how morally good these characters are.

If you’re a fan of any of these guys I’ve got nothing against that, like who you like I don’t care, I’m just talking about when they are presented and viewed in a non-canon way and it is pushed by some and then causes others to believe that it’s canon when it’s not (if that makes sense)

So to give a few examples

All three of these characters often have their amazing parenting skills referenced, discussed, and praised by their fans. I will say this is actually pretty justified with Tigerheartstar, I’ll give him that, even though the downsides to his blatant favouritism are generally ignored by his fans. But with the other two? In the books Thistleclaw starts to show, at minimum, disappointment in his son, at worst contempt, and tries to mould him into being more brutal. And Brambleclaw is just an average warrior cats dad at best, at worst he’s neglectful at times. His parenting in po3 is there but it’s mainly just being nice to his kids and there isn’t that much of it once the three are apprenticed onwards, he’s still there (until oots) but there are so many other warrior cats dads that are as equally or more involved in their kids lives as him.

All three characters have a female character which often acts in opposition to them (Bluestar, Squirrelstar, Ivypool), and these characters are often unfairly demonised to a significant degree by their [Thistle, Bramble, Tiger] fans. Someone could probably write a paper on the treatment Squirrelstar alone just by scrolling through the wcrp forums and Reddit, but the other two are definitely victims of this also, Squirrelstar is the one to experience this this most viciously. I’ve seen claims that she was a bad and neglectful mother to the three because she didn’t stay in the nursery as much as other mothers, that she forced Brambleclaw to give up his leadership, that she was the reason Brambleclaw trained in the dark forest because she was just so awful to him, that she manipulated Brambleclaw into letting her come on the TNP journey (she was literally 8 moons old), that she repeatedly manipulated and pressured Bramble into having more kids with her (despite the book this is in showing her dropping this early on once she realises that he doesn’t want that) etc. Bluestar is often made out to be completely unreasonable and malicious towards Thistleclaw and that she tries to steal his son away from him etc, Ivypool is often made out as this absolute demon of a sister who drove Dovewing to ShadowClan with her cruelty etc. And these are all just examples I can think of on the top of my head.

All three characters often have their misdeeds ignored or justified by their fans. I don’t need to spell it out with Thistleclaw. Brambleclaw often has his character in TNP where he unfairly lashes out, is extremely ambitious to a point where it becomes concerning, and constantly sees the worst in (non Hawkfrost or Tigerstar) people ignored. And then many of his later actions justified when they really shouldn’t be, especially in Squirrelflight’s Hope. So for example I often see the Sunrise (sister) situation justified, and also his treatment of Squirrelflight in that book. I don’t want to get into the abusive debate again, it’s beating a dead and rotting horse at this point, I will say I stand by that he is abusive, but he is undeniably unreasonable in his response in many instances. And then Tigerheartstar just has the majority of his character ignored straight up, his selfishness, his aggressiveness, his consistent less than moral decision making, his stubbornness, his blatant favouritism of his family (the negative aspects), his dating of a minor etc

Ignoring victims. Unfortunately this does happen, I’ve seen some defenders of these characters consistently ignore or downplay accounts of victims of people like these characters. I’ve seen conversations happen between people where someone says “I’m an x abuse survivor and the actions of this character do remind me of my experiences a lot” and then that is acknowledged by the defender, and sympathy is often offered, before the defender either plays it down to the victims face right away, or they just come back a few days later and start spouting their defence without adjusting the argument. This has happened to me with Brambleclaw. I’ve seen it happen to others with all three characters. Even though I’m not a victim of grooming, I’ve brought up how TigerDove gave me an unhealthy perception of adults dating minors when I was young, and this has been ignored by some I’ve directly brought it up with. Hell, Moonkitti has said her view of Bramblestar is based on her own experiences with abuse but 3 years after publishing her video she still continues to be harassed and belittled for this view. 3 years. And this is well documented. And has been happening quite intensely very recently.

Like I said I really don’t care if you like these guys if you like them ,great, they are all very interesting characters with a lot of appeal, but I do care about misinformation. Particularly misinformation where it drags down other characters to an unfair degree and, so much worse, results in victims of abuse being ignored, for the sake of people wanting to believe that this particular fictional cat is a much better person that they actually are presented as.

I’m sure this isn’t just a warrior cats problem. This happens in other fandoms. But this trend is harmful, especially in this fandom with so many young minors. I’m starting to see many of young fans coming from TikTok parroting videos they’ve seen there to say that Brambleclaw is a victim to Squirrelstar and she’s the root of all evil etc, but when asked about their views they just send a link of the same two, highly opinionated and biased, videos and accept it as objective fact without thinking.

It’s like the era of warrior cats where the belief that Dovewing was a Mary Sue, and Daisy and Ferncloud were useless wastes of space were common opinions to be seen. When I was a kid a believed these because everyone around me said it was so, thank goodness I outgrew it and formed my own opinions.

I don’t want to return to that time in the fandom.

This won’t change I thing, but I just wanted to get my thoughts and experiences out there and spread awareness of what is happening, particularly with Bramblestar, I am seeing more and more love for him lately based on opinions of others with little to no backup in canon, but people are just accepting as fact anyway.

I think a big part of them problem here is the amount of books in the series. People don’t go back and read them all, which leaves it easy for misinformation to spread as people are just trusting and accept things that others may misremember as fact.

It’s ok to like characters that aren’t completely morally good. You don’t have to try and justify their actions.

[coffeebrownn]

Oh I love your head canons, they are so sweet. For NSFW, I like the idea of both Chris and Ethan being switches. Ethan is a bit of a power bottom and Chris is a service top. Chris is tired and just does whatever Ethan requests haha. And Ethan wants to try everything. They are so cute.

DON'T WORRY THIS ISN'T REALLY NSFW IT'S JUST RELATIONSHIP BREAKDOWN(???)

WAADA THANK YOU SO MUCH!! AND OMG HELLO??? alright,, have mercy but i never really thought about them in a NSFW setting(?) idk i just forgot about it(????) or they're not really my ocs and i feel like i'm trespassing an invisible border😭😭😭 but i'll think more scenario since you mentioned about it, especially on how ethan is a power bottom,, and i learn that that's the term for chris(?) since i agree that he can be the top position but at the same time it's not right that he's the only one who does so,, so it's really cute that he's giving pleasant service to ethan as well 🥺

yes, they're very very vanilla, nothing crazy i think chris would get pretty embarrassed when he need to share that it wasn't like this when he's younger. Either way, i think what stands out is how ethan is pretty fidgety(?) like he'll bite, and hold chris' chest... chris on the other hand .. i think he just likes to see how big he is compared to ethan..😭idk he likes to picture it even outside sexual intercourse

Well, this session for them,, i would say pretty cathartic for both of them, both at one of vulnerable state/image, chris never really expressing his wants/needs since he thought/ picture himself that he's a soldier in this bio warfare, this and the fact that he'd done numerous (he'd lost count) one night stand due to how stressful his job could be, any women/men, like anything, ANYTHING to distract himself, since alcohol/cigarette isn;t enough for him already. So you could see how doubtful of himself when he's considering on starting this serious relationship with ethan, his mind run across whether or not he could do it, he express this thought to claire, which of course she told chris to just do it, if it doesn't work out, then leave

"it's that easy, who's giving you orders to stay with him if it doesn't work out? yourself?" claire just laughs

chris knows what claire meant, and at start he already knows the answer, he just doesn't fully trust himself after what had happened, his judgement, his bad decisions, etc. he thought to himself does he deserve someone as good as ethan? after he'd cross the line and killed his wife (even though it's miranda) and not telling him whatsoever about the plan and directly killing him due to your shit ass common sense? of course chris tries to punish himself this isn't his first time, but again how long can he do this. So he took the plunge and really threw away his enormous ego to apologize to ethan since it's a miracle that God or Universe itself gave him a 2nd chance, most of the time the person is already dead

and this contrast with ethan, he doesn't trust people due to his circumstances (re7/re8)), he's insecure about his body, his mind, he feels like a monster due to the mold, after people he trust just kept using his kindness and destroying it.. he just feels unloved/unappreciated.

first few nights when they express this interest of wanting to explore each other's bodies, (of course ethan jokingly mentioned how "you've seen me naked before! like multiple times" and chris just close eyes and mentioned how seeing him naked on the hospital bed DOES NOT COUNT) ethan was pretty nervous, he instead went and uses his clothes/shirt from fully exposing his own body. Took them like a few month to a year to feel comfortable.. even some nights they just strip down to sleep naked.

and the aftercare/cuddling session ethan would ask chris each of the scars and it's history behind it, a good bed time story for ethan, some stupid ones because Jill/Claire dared him, some from his mistakes, some that he regrets, everything, this is one of instance for ethan to know who chris is, since ethan mostly relies on chris' closed ones (jill, claire, even leon) to share, but again it's mostly THEIR experiences with chris and not the other way around.

well at least this is how i picture them!! Idk!! i find their relationship to not be the healthiest compared to other ship in RE, but i appreciate and want to highlight about how it can be a very rewarding/wholesome between them, like it's a good reminder that people (NOT ALL PEOPLE SOME PEOPLE) grow and overcome their own irrationality and worries, each of them has their own flaws and insecurity but they both pick each other up and be a better version/proud of themselves. Thank you for reading this! Sorry for the extensive rambling 😭

[probablynoposts]

I’ve Been Reincarnated Into The Male Lead! (Part 2)

Malleus Draconia x Gn!Reader - Isekai AU Again, villainess is a gender neutral term. Also constructive criticism on writing and how to make the characters act more canon is always welcome! Also sorry if my punctuation and grammar is bad. part 1, masterlist

Malleus dislikes you. That was, and still is, decidedly untrue. He loved you. He didn’t know it yet, but his heart did. The way his heart sped up when you snuck him out of his princely duties to go for a secret picnic in the royal gardens. Or when he’d wake you up at night to show you the stars, only to then almost bore you back to sleep with facts about gargoyles he somehow knew.

When he wasn’t entirely focused on you, he was busy doing other things. Like listening to Lilia teach him how to be a proper crown prince, an explanation of Malleus’ previous life made Lilia understand why Malleus caught on so quickly.

“You really are like Malleus, huh.” Lilia said, he later said that about other things and instances as well, but that was the first time.

Of course, Malleus wasn’t ignoring the original plot line. He kept an eye out for signs of treachery from you, even if it made him feel all bad and weird inside. He also tried to listen for rumors about the female lead, Rosette. Turns out, there was a healer rising in ranks who could cure any ailment. Injury or poison or otherwise.

There was something strange though. There were some things that didn’t align with what the book said. At first, Malleus though it was due to him, but things weren’t lining up from the beginning. The way Lilia defended you. The way the so-called stuck up knight, Sebek, would somewhat let his guard down around you. And how Silver, another one of his knights, would get his animals to help you if you needed it. Though not everyone deviated from the narrative. Servants and nobles still made snarky comments and started rumors. Malleus had asked you several times about this, but you acted like you didn’t know or didn’t care. He could tell it got to you though.

Sadly, he didn’t know if tomorrow night was going to make anything better. It was an annual ball to celebrate a battle Briar Valley won several decades ago, but with the long-living fae, it was a relatively new celebration.

On top of that, that was you and Malleus’ monthly night together. Malleus, or the new Malleus, hadn’t experienced this yet. His heart raced at the thought. Even though all you do is sleep, nothing scandalous(yet).

After a day of tiring ball preparations, Malleus headed to bed. As per usual, you were already in bed and asleep. Malleus walks over to you, brushes hair out of your face, and smiles faintly. He then gets on the other side of the bed, careful not to get to close as to respect your boundaries. As much as he wants to get closer, Malleus doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable.

But when he wakes up in the night to you pacing around the room, he gets worried.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah! Oh Malleus- I just-” You can’t seem to collect your thoughts. “I just don’t want to make a fool out of you, or I guess us.” Malleus chuckles softly and then picks you up.

“Malleus what are you doing-? OH MY- what are you doing!?” Malleus took you onto the balcony and then jumped into the air. “Shh, be quiet, you’ll wake the whole palace.”

You chuckle slightly. “If someone heard my screaming and what you just said, they might think we’re doing something else.” Malleus face heats up at what you implied. But despite your sarcastic remark, you lean closer to Malleus, eyes closing for sleep.

"I didn't even have to say anything about gargoyles tonight." He whispers, though you're already asleep. "Good night." He kisses your forehead and goes back to your shared bedroom. He puts you on the bed and then gets in the bed as well, of course, giving you your space. He wishes you one more goodnight and falls asleep.

The next day the last finishing touches for the ball was completed. The ball was to start at sundown, so hypothetically, you and Malleus should have been able to see you throughout the day. But Lilia was keeping you away, saying something about a "grand reveal" at the ball.

Though saddened, Malleus still had duties to attend to. He wished you would sneak away from Lilia to relieve him from his princely duties. Yet it didn't happen, Lilia didn't let you sneak out. Then as Malleus was awkwardly sipping drinks and greeting guests, he realized that you were worth the wait.

You descended the steps with the most elegant hairstyle and with the most perfect outfit. The outfit was your favorite color, but it still had accent colors, so it still went perfectly with your hair, skin tone, and eyes. As much as Malleus wanted to take his eyes off you, he didn't at all, his heart wouldn't let him. Sadly, Lilia whisked you away again. Thirty more minutes passed before Malleus could do anything more then make eye contact with you.

The music started, and less then coincidentally, Malleus saw you. And with how stunning you looked, how could he not ask you to dance. As the music went on, so did your conversation. You and Malleus talked about the past few days, he of course complimented you. You did the same. Lilia was making jokes in the corner.

"You know, I've missed you these past few days." Though it was said it a joking tone, what Malleus said was completely true.

"Honestly, I've missed you too." A blush crept onto Malleus' face as you said that. The next few minutes contained silence, and dancing, though the silence was comfortable, not awkward.

At the end of the dance, you had a cheeky smile on your face.

"Hey Tsunotarou," a nickname given to Malleus by you, "can you bend down? I have to tell you something."

"Hm? A secret perhaps?" Malleus joked. He put his ear close down closer to the level of your mouth to hear your words.

"Thank you for everything." You paused. "Always remember that." Then before Malleus could pull his face away from yours, lips were pressed to his cheek. Yours. Your lips. When Malleus was done processing, his face flaired red. He wanted to say something, but you already seemed so far.

"See you later, Tsunotarou."

Sorry if anyone is ooc! Also we're just going to pretend that Malleus got his nickname in a way that makes sense. Hope you enjoyed and sorry it took so long!(part 3 is in the works)

[taglist]: @naroshinozaki @animesimpanon @starriwonderland @jumiver @thedianaclark @younganarchist

[auntarctica]

When it comes to your writing how do you see the differences between the reboot interpretation of Dante and Vergil versus their classic counterparts? What parts stick out to you as similar or as different?

So, I'm in the minority camp that thinks Ninja Theory did kind of an interesting thing when they opted to switch storylines and birth order (for whatever that's worth with identical twins) between Dante and Vergil in the reboot.

I know a lot of people hate the idea of Vergil being the "little brother" in the equation and thought it made no sense and was a meaningless change, and I get where they're coming from, because it probably was - what I mean is, it likely wasn't intentional on NT's part, for any other reason than an attempt to instead make Dante the "cool older brother" and to differentiate themselves in one more way from OG DMC.

But what's interesting about both the shift in birth order and the storyline swap is that rather than undermining their innate characters, it actually reinforced them, and proved that no matter the formative circumstances, Dante will act like Dante and Vergil will act like Vergil:

Dante, whether he's the one protected by Eva or disenfranchised from society and family, will become secretly wounded, insouciant, irreverent, sardonic, flippant and cynical. He will be in denial about the true danger posed by Mundus, and determined to avoid his father's legacy, but reluctantly protect humanity when called upon - though not for free, of course. The toilets need flushing.

Vergil, whether he comes from rubble or privilege, will always be ambitious, idealistic striving, driven, calculating but rash, with the overconfidence of youth and a reach exceeding his grasp. He will have an Icarusian fall, and ultimately a phoenix-like redemption. (We presume a DmC sequel would/have follow(ed) the same reconciliation trajectory, because what else would make sense/serve the story?)

It also rather neatly answers and dovetails with the retroactive rhetorical question classic Vergil asks himself at the top of the Qliphoth, whether things would have been different if he'd had Dante's life, and Dante had his.

And the answer we already have from reboot is, no, not really. The outcome could only have been different if the individuals involved were totally different people - but their core character traits, I think, stay true and remain intact in both versions.

Still, obviously there are variations in character within those greater macro aspects, things that make the expression of these personality traits different, which we can attribute to formative experience, and the swapped backstory.

For instance, Classic Dante hides his profound psychological damage by being a party guy and a rock n' roll rodeo clown whereas DmC Dante wears his inside out; we can see his sullen punk-rock defensiveness, his bitterness, and we do not doubt his damage for a minute. Being the disenfranchised one has left its mark on him, and he has no ability or willingness to mask his trauma. Both keep others at arms' length, but ironically, ReDante actually is more receptive to intimacy and connection, possibly because he doesn't have a false front, or a whole circus-like façade, just a default defensive stance he holds as a last resort, after being embattled his entire life. He has been given the classic Vergil backstory, and while he becomes similarly defensive and embittered, he reacts like Dante, not classic Vergil.

Neither Dante is ever canonically shown as having any particular interest in humans or humanity as a whole, so much as a keen interest in killing demons (which is why the ending fraternal conflict of reboot rings so false, non sequitur and hollow). Both shrug off human collateral damage, and if classic Dante is ever bothered by the mass casualties incurred in the raising of the Qliphoth, he never mentions it as he trips over their bodies to run to his brother. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Of the two, I think Vergil is the more different, with more personality contrast between interpretations - though his core traits remain: curiosity, intrepidity, enthusiasm, perfectionism, impulsivity, absolutism. With the strife removed from his life, Vergil is able to be emotionally open, to express his love for his brother, and his ambition comes from a proactive place instead of a reactive one.

However, like Dante, all his youthful flaws remain intact. He will always be the one who falls - and Dante will always be the one who fails to act at the crucial moment. The tragedy is thus complete.

The greatest difference, I think, is that classic Vergil has even less use for humans than Dante, whereas ReVergil is arguably the only one who actually has any appreciation for humanity as a class (even if he regards them as lesser beings) - which actually puts him more in line with classic Sparda, ironically, than anyone else. Reboot Sparda is never shown as having any particular interest in humans or their fate, and he and Eva are essentially depicted as just hiding out in the human world like it's witness protection.

That said, I'm sure I'm missing something, so I'm actually interested in hearing other people's opinions on this.

[for-the-love-of-javert]

Les Miserables 1978: My Review

I want to stress this before I go any further. I enjoyed watching this film but not as much as I enjoyed the 1925 epic.

The Good Stuff

It was a good watch and if i hadn't known the story, seen the musical, or watched other versions of the film then I woudl possibly have enjoyed it more than I did. Good acting, great costumes, and it was lovely to see some well known legends and actors who were familiar to me from programmes I watched in my childhood.

At first I wasn't sure about Richard Jordan as Valjean but he grew on me as the film progressed. Now when I see watch Les Mis and see Valjean doing something awesome I want to be wowed by it and at times it was possible to predict what was going to happen. Like when he saved that dude who fell down the side of the walls outside the prison and was left dangling there. I knew he was going to use that opportunity to escape. I just didn't realise that he would be successful in that escape because that's not what I remember in the book. He was a little bit of a wet blanket for me.

Anthony Perkins acted the part well though I did side eye a few scenes where he seemed a bit too much of a wet blanket. After seeing Philip Quast perform The Confrontation with Colm Wilkinson, I prefer Javert expressing a bit more anger and disgust when talking about being born in prison and so on. Overall he played the part well I'm just not sure that he was well suited to the role physically. He was too slim and as previously stated he has brown eyes (my boy Javert had blue eyes), his sideburns weren't bushy enough for my liking and I know I'm being a petty bitch but Javert's sideburns are important imo. He didn't look imposing enough however the were times when Perkins totally pulled off the stance and attitude of Javert for instance standing still with arms folded (like Napoleon) and the suspiscious gaze. He wasn't quite as authoritarian as I would have liked him to be. It's a shame because Perkins was such an awesome actor. He could have really pushed things a bit further. But he didn't. As for the suicide scene, NO COMMENT except for, where in the fuck did they buy that mannequin from and couldn't they have thrown it from a higher point. It looked like a mannequin falling into the paddling pool at the local swimming baths, if you know what I mean.

Missing Characters

Yep I've got a massive bee in my bonnet about this, no Eponine, No Patron Minette, No Enjolras, WTF??

Re-writing The Canon Story.

I'm going to keep this short. The were chunks of the story missing, things that happen in the book that imo are important to the story as a whole. Also some things they kept from the canon story but changed somewhat. Like Marius and Cosettes relationship development (the stalking) and how Javert meets up with Valjean after he rescues Marius. Thenardier not being in the sewers when Valjean was carrying Marius through them. Valjean's death, half of Fantine's story was missing. Parts of the canon story that normally choke me up and make me weepy, didn't.

My Final Verdict

I enjoyed watching it. Imo it's ideal for Sunday afternoon viewing when you want to watch something you don't need to think much about because you're still hung over from Saturday night wine time and your brain isn't working. I didn't love it, but. I didn't hate it. I might watch it again in the future but I don't know. I got screenshots and will post them soon. I'm glad I watched it. But it's not a version of Les Mis I can watch over and over (like I do with The TAC). The 1925 epic is still the top film for me at this point.

I'll watch another Les Mis movie very soon. Poll coming up shortly to halp me choose which one.

Special mention for the late, great Sit John Gielgud. No particular reason for this other than him being an absolute legend and wonderful actor.

[badchoicesworld]

blog guide !!

requests are closed, but feel free to send them in regardless. just expect them to be answered a little later !

this is (for now) an across the spiderverse blog !

please allow me up to a week to write up your asks

characters i write for :

Miguel O’hara

Miles Morales

Miles 42

Hobie (let’s go brit rep)

Pavitr Prabhakar

The Spot

Peter B. Parker

Spider-Noir

general info :

i cannot stress this enough, i exclusively write everything but fem reader, y’all got enough .

that being said, feel free to request anything else at all- when it’s not specified i will just assume gender neutral for the sake of inclusion

trans readers, non-binary, everything in between and all about is completely valid here and i’m more than willing to write about it <3

i do have a health condition that can catch me some days, so there may be times where i’m inactive but it should never be for long periods of time

feel free to get oddly specific with requests ! the more i can work with, the better

but i also don’t mind if they’re just general requests that don’t require a lot of detail

i will NOT write explicit NSFW, i draw the line at clothes being removed unless it has something to do with a prompt (e.g. seeing top surgery scars for the first time), some of these characters ages are not specified yet and i don’t feel comfortable potentially writing NSFW for minors. that is a crime.

there will be some requests i won’t obviously be able to complete for a number of reasons, please do not spam me if this is the case. if i’m willing to fulfil a request i will try my best to communicate with you if needed :]

i have the right to deny requests.

i do wanna say that i am a white guy so i can’t write from first hand experience, but if you request something that includes diversity like a specific race or cultural aspects i will try my absolute best to deliver accurate works. I’ll research to whatever extent i need to (if you don’t already give some information) so i can provide for groups of people that are seriously neglected when it comes to fanfiction and such. and please, in the future, if i ever do fuck up PLEASE hold me accountable and if you can show me what i’ve done wrong and what i should’ve done; what i can do to improve, i would be so appreciative- my goal is to be as inclusive as possible with my writing and the last thing i want is to offend any body of people.

finally, there will be types of writing i can’t do for specific characters. for example, spot, idk how tf i would write like a whole one-shot when my man is how he is now so i’d probably just have to stick to headcanons n such

what i will write :

requests can be either platonic or romantic dynamics, potentially other stuff if you have any ideas. just lemme know ! i do like to consider myself half decent at writing, i’ve studied english literature and linguistics my whole life and i love it very dearly <3 i’m going on to study english as a whole at a higher level (literature, language, linguistics, creative writing)

i'm happy to also apply these headcanons to the cc's, so transgender miguel for instance! just let me know :]

i typically write in bullet points because im a mess

x male reader

x nb reader (feel free to specify if they’re ambiguous, masc leaning or whatever if it’s relevant to the ask)

x trans reader

x cis reader

x spider reader

x mutant reader

character x reader

if you request multiple characters (which is fine <3) i’ll likely default to headcanons for the sake of ease

what i won’t write :

x fem reader .

character x character

NSFW

triggering topics (excluding canon events)

weird fetish/kink stuff :[

hate speech, everyone is welcome here

masterlist :

hobie brown:

how i think Hobie would react to GN!reader calling them their husband casually, even though they’re not married

hobie brown with a transgender, vigilante reader (ftm reader)

hobie admires your fighting spirit (gn reader)

hobie’s punk, you’re metal (band edition, masc reader)

where you and hobie have the most loving connection, but don’t label it (gn reader)

where hobie meets gwens older brother (masc reader)

hobie notices how startled you get when he kisses you (gn!)

hobie realises you’re not as naive as he thought ! (gn reader)

with an s/o that cries a lot ! (gn!reader)

hobie with a snake mutated boyfriend !

hobie with a butterfly mutated boyfriend !

defending his trans partner !

miles morales

miles with an artistic boyfriend riddled with anxieties

miles with a snake mutated boyfriend !

defending his trans partner !

miles 42:

miles 42 w/ an artistic spider-reader ! (masc reader)

miles42 with a butterfly mutated boyfriend !

miles 42 w/ and alien boyfriend !

defending his trans partner !

the spot:

the spot getting flustered by masc!reader

the spot falls into winged readers home (gn)

spider-noir:

spider-noir finds out you’re transmasc on a mission !

helping noir understand trans issues (deadnaming, ftm reader)

with an s/o that cries a lot ! (gn!reader)

noir finds out you wear trans tape (transmasc!reader)

defending his trans partner !

[thygoddessouijathicc]

DSAF Headcanons

So these are some headcanons and theories that I have but don’t feel like are as concrete as my other theories and are mostly based on interpretation. However I am aware head canons are popular to have and share so I will share mine.

spoilers.

Dave used to be more inhuman looking, but either he removed his more inhuman features to fit in more, or Henry removed them as a sort of test. I think it’s possible he may have at one point had sharper claws, and fangs, and possibly a tail, but these were removed. The reason I think this is because he’s implied to have been treated far worse for his appearance when he was a child than in the present day. Sure this could be a time period thing, but that would take the public in general growing more accustomed to whatever he is, and I don’t think that’s likely given that it’s heavily implied that there’s not anything else around like him, at least not that anyone knows about. So I think that Dave started to cover up or remove any major inhuman traits he could. He of course couldn’t cover all of them, as some were traits that were so distinct that they couldn’t be disguised, such as his missing facial features, scales, and complete lack of any hair follicles anywhere in his body. However I think he cut off his tail, dulled his teeth and claws, and intentionally tends to keep his neck as short as he can keep it most of the time to deal with less persecution.

To get through the Dave theories, Dave has an attention seeking disorder that he developed to cope with his terrible childhood. It’s likely since he was so aware of how unwanted he was, and likely suffered intense abuse at the hands of Henry, and potentially strangers who thought he was some kind of monster because of how he looked, he developed attention seeking behaviours later in life. This makes a lot of sense with his actions in the game. Because he’s far from just sociopathic and a little weird, sure he is and that’s part of it, but Dave does some specifically weird things. For instance he occasionally stretches out his neck to incredible lengths seemingly to get attention. He does weird things like using a string of sausages for murders even though he’s been at this a long time and should know better than to joke around like that. He constantly flirts with Jack, and while that is clearly because of his crush, it’s kind of a weird thing in my opinion to do so blatantly and publicly with someone you hardly know. On top of that he does a lot of drugs and has sex with a lot of hookers, which seems like escapism to me, and perhaps the hookers might also be because he feels like he could never get attention from anyone who he doesn’t pay to do it, and he’s willing to take what he can get. It also explains why he still behaves obsessively and even slightly romantically when Jack DOESN’T take his side, because to Dave all attention is good attention. It’s a clear coping mechanism and a cry for help and it I think might be a severe mental issue he has never been treated for as no one has ever really cared about him enough to both notice and get him help. It also explains his codependency on Henry despite how Henry treats him, Henry doesn’t ignore him and that’s good enough for Dave.

Jack is only wearing makeup on his face, the rest of it is paint and jaundice. The reason I think this is because I don’t think there’s any way in hell that Jack could earn or steal enough money to buy enough orange makeup to cover his body every day, and I doubt he has the time or patience to do it every day. I think that Jack covers most of his body in orange paint, and his face, and other places that are seen a lot, in makeup, so that he’s still got his body coloured, but isn’t spending quite as much time, energy, or money on this. Also because Jack isn’t even getting paid. He only earns tokens and I don’t think very many stores accept those.

After regaining his memories, Peter got really into scrapbooking and journaling. Due to a fear of losing his identity again he decided to try to protect it via scrapbooking and journaling almost obsessively. This is self explanatory as to why it makes sense.

Henry was actually a surgeon before losing his medical license, not a doctor. The reason I think this makes sense is because Henry is oddly good at a lot of surgeries, Dave being evidence of this. Henry not only manages to “safely” remove many organs, but also remove only small portions of brain tissue at a time, indicating experience in surgery. On top of that certain mental conditions tend to help with certain career paths, for surgeons, being narcissistic is actually really helpful to the job because it makes the narcissist believe they are more capable than they are, and in a roundabout way becomes more capable due to a decrease in self doubt and stress during medical procedures. We know for a fact Henry is a narcissist based on lines of dialogue in which he claims to be the hero, or the protagonist. This is just speculation but it makes more sense that he’d be an actual surgeon than just a doctor to me given what he’s been shown to do and the fact that I think he’d be genuinely very good at it.

Blackjack cannot change forms. This sounds stupid because of course he can, he chose to be a dog, right? Yeah that’s kinda why I don’t think he can. He takes the form of his childhood dog and I don’t understand why he’d do that. What does that do for him? It makes him less recognizable. He thinks of himself as the true Jack, yet he takes the form of his own dog, not Jack. I can’t see him willingly doing this. I think it’s more likely he’s stuck in this form by accident as it may have been a form he accidentally took when he first died, and then couldn’t get out of and decided to work with.

All undead characters have not physically aged since their original deaths. The reason I think this could be possible is because in DSAF it’s made clear that the possessed bodies ARE animate corpses, and why would a corpse continue to age? This explains quite a bit, for instance why Steven and Peter look how they do, and why Jack isn’t ever mentioned in the third game for being as old as he is at that point. The only thing that doesn’t fit this is that Dave has wrinkles in the tapes, but I think this might just be a species thing as he is reptilian and they do tend to be slightly wrinkly at times.

Dave survived so well on the streets because of what he is. I believe he has a lot of reptile features, and those may have ironically saved his life. Namely I think his potentially being cold blooded, may have allowed him to hibernate when it got too cold to survive, and his scales may have stopped someone from killing him by making him more immune to being cut or bludgeoned. This is entirely theoretical, but if he is like a reptile to this degree his reptile features are as intense as I theorize they may be.

Henry is not alone in the void, but there was no voidsona thingy in there with him. The only mention of something like this is in a short story by Doggo, but it’s notable that this creature he meets is not in the void, rather in the death void he is sent to after the good ending of the third game. He also behaves like he’s never seen one before so no, myth busted, he was not in there with a void creature. So what do I mean that he wasn’t alone? So if the void is so accessible to black souls like Blackjack to drag people to, does it really make sense Henry is the only person to ever be sent there? My theory is that there are other people like Henry wandering around somewhere. While he technically wasn’t alone, he never met anyone else aside from Blackjack, meaning his mental health is probably nonexistent.

Steven regains his memories when he moves on to the afterlife. It doesn’t make sense to me that they’d still be gone, so he regains all his memory of his past life.

Dee was a black soul, not a clear one. It’s implied that Henry did something more than just kill her, and while children’s souls usually come out clear, whatever he did turned her into a black soul. I think this because unlike the other souls that until Dee’s presence were just confused and in pain, Dee actually acted on her anger. She made the other animatronics aggressive, she could apparently whisper to patrons, and if I recall, she broke things. Not really things the other child souls were said to have done. In fact, the only other soul in the series that isn’t a tulpa that has been shown to be able to interact with the real world like this is Blackjack, who is in fact, a black soul.

Blackjack was not only visible to Jack. The reason I think this is because of the shadow Doggo drawing. This drawing’s existence implies that the children can see him, and draw him.

Dave’s mechanical skills are purely physical and simply a talent, he does not actually have an education on the topic, he’s just good at it. Dave spent literally all of his saved up money on the diner, meaning he probably never went to college, and I’d be shocked if he even went to elementary school. We do know he can read, but I think he learned in the orphanage or from Henry being frustrated he couldn’t, we know he can because he texts Jack. Although I don’t think he understands math. He’s just good at robots, it doesn’t mean he’s smart, he’s just good at it. We know Dave is an idiot so to be as good at blueprints as he is with absolutely no way he has a formal education on the matter, Dave is just really really good at robotics.

Fredbear isn’t dead, just recovering. I find it highly unlikely Legacy would be able to kill a tulpa so easily. I think he’s just very damaged and slowly recovering.

Legacy’s face is torn. Legacy opens his mouth entirely differently from every other character, more wide than open, which looks to me like he probably tore the skin of his face to be able to form this smile.