#but i feel like it might also come from her characters being constantly put under a microscope

[burr-ell]

Honestly, imodna would be a good ship if the shippers/stans weren’t so damn insufferable. I also hate how they act like they are already canon and you can’t ship Imogen or Laudna with anyone else in the group. People got so mad when the conversation in the dust storm happened with Ashton and Laudna because people thought they were flirting. Or when on the first episode of 4 sided dive Marisha asked Robbie if Dorian’s crush was on Imogen, people got so mad at that! I also hate that they call them lesbians when THEY HAVE BOTH EXPRESSED HAVING FEELINGS FOR BOYS! Why can’t they be bi? Or Pan? I also hate how people read into Laura’s micro expressions/ movements, like last episode with the whole leaning shit “oh what was that lean Laura?!! Imogen wanted to kiss Laudna because look at Laura’s lean!” I dread the day that Imogen or Laudna fall in love with someone that’s not each other(especially if that person is a man.) because Marisha and Laura will harassed and hated because they didn’t give the people what they wanted.

oof. that's some frustration you really needed to vent, nonnie, and honestly i get it. full disclosure—my mutuals who are into imo/dna are all lovely, and none of them engage in this behavior. if imo/dna becomes canon, i'll be happy for (and potentially even happy with) fans like that. but enough shippers are doing things like this that it's becoming more and more of a source of frustration and friction as the campaign goes on.

i think a lot of fandom—in general, not just cr—still doesn't want to acknowledge that at the end of the day, they are looking at things like shippers, with a particular kind of confirmation bias. it doesn't make them necessarily wrong or right, but as easy as it can be to get swept up in it, i think it's important to take a step back every once in awhile and re-evaluate.

now admittedly, generally speaking, it takes a lot for me to get really invested in a ship; i usually only have one or two per fandom, even fandoms with tons of characters. i'm generally pretty passive about most ships if it's not the otp; like, vax/leth and pike/lan, for example, didn't need to be romantic endgame for me to enjoy CR1 (and honestly might have been more interesting to me if they hadn't), but perc/ahlia absolutely made the show for me and i honestly think them being together actively strengthens the narrative as a whole.

i say all that to say that for the most part, i very much consider myself to be along for the ride with respect to most relationships in most fandoms. if such-and-such pairing happens, great; if they don't, okay. and with CR in particular, it's such a long-form medium that i know going in that any romance is going to take a while, and most of them probably won't just reach out and grab me.

and as such, it absolutely baffles me to have seen shippers insisting, from the moment the characters first appeared in episode 1, that not only are imogen and laudna canon endgame, they're basically already together and just haven't admitted it yet. i feel this way about dor/ym and callow/moore as well—i saw a post making the rounds that claimed that all three of those ships are "not canon YET but let's be real" and like...why would you set yourself up for disappointment like that? because yeah! all three of those ships could be endgame! but they could also not be endgame. we're less than 40 episodes into a campaign that'll probably run well into the 100s.

i also fully agree with you re: the microexpressions and the cherrypicking, and i feel like a microcosm of this issue can be found in a conversation imogen has with orym early on—shippers latched onto the fact that imogen compares laudna's thoughts to music, something that finally brought her peace after the chaos of the world around her, and completely ignored the part immediately after where imogen says that the rest of the party also feels like that to her. i didn't even know that imogen said that about the whole party until i watched the episode, and to me it's an example of how shippers tend to warp canon interactions to suit a particular narrative in such a way that they become almost entirely divorced from their context.

and from the outside looking in, what confuses me about this sort of thing is like...didn't y'all already go through this? because if my understanding is correct, c2 ship discourse was full to the brim with beau/jes and wido/jest fans dissecting "laura's microexpressions" to prove that jester was for sure in love with our fave, really you guys we swear...and then not only was that not true, but jester also didn't even know about beau or caleb's feelings to acknowledge them at all, and from the actual words that came out of laura's mouth in various OOC moments like on TM, laura just...really really wanted to romance her husband's character in her dnd game and like, that's it. there was never going to be another romantic option for jester as long as fjord was on the table, and that was something that shippers always should have been taking into account.

laudna and imogen are canonically deeply important to each other. they love and appreciate each other very much. that love and appreciation could turn into a lovely romance with a great dynamic, and i certainly don't blame people for being invested in it. but it also could not be romantic endgame, and they remain friends or even get with other people. and as you said, fandom can and will turn nasty about their ships being sunk; we've already seen it happen. there's a certain smug, entitled undercurrent from that particular corner that i have very little patience with, and while i think there's something to be said for deciding to enjoy things in spite of the fandom and just be a cranky old curmudgeon shooing the wank out with a broom, i also understand the response of just "...aight, imma head out".

#the 'laura's microexpressions' thing is also why i really don't care for glasses!imogen #it's obviously not a bad thing in a vacuum but there's a tendency toward overriding specifically laura's choices and saying 'i know better' #such that even something as innocuous as glasses can be representative of a larger more frustrating problem #honestly i wonder if laura will even DO a romance this time around after two campaigns of her characters being reduced to: #a) the men in her life and then b) who she'll end up with #bc imogen has some strong vibes of like. arent u tired of being nice? don't u just wanna lose it? #like imogen reminds me very strongly of vex but specifically of the ways in which vex couldn't be unpleasant or unappealing #(mostly because vex puts up fronts to mask her flaws specifically from the party) #(while imogen is more trying to hide her actual powers and what they can do) #and i think some of that naturally comes from being a woman in geek culture on the internet as well as a woman in voice acting #but i feel like it might also come from her characters being constantly put under a microscope #and constantly told what they should and shouldn't do #and the second they make choices that make another better-liked character upset they're terrible people #like she's obviously a grown adult 40 year old woman but the constant scrutiny of your dnd choices has gotta wear on you a little bit #and yeah i didn't touch on this in the ask but. it has been 0 days since fandom did a bi-erasure #(the thing about having only 1 or 2 ships per fandom reminded me that out of all the dc comics ships i literally only care about dickkory) #(clois also has rights on account of dc can snort my taint and let two adults be happily married) #(i've had convos with friends who ship bbrae who are like 'but why would dickkory shippers dislike bbrae? they dont threaten you') #(idk man some of em just don't dig the vibe!) #cr discourse #cr wank #critical role #asks

[smytherines]

Fuck it, here's an Owen Carvour dissertation

We don't have canon ages for Curt & Owen, but personally I headcanon Owen as being born in 1928, making him 29 when the banana incident happens. This leads to a lot of thoughts that are fascinating to me, because growing up in London during WWII could inform so much of his character.

Personally, I believe DMA's accent is much closer to Owen's natural accent. I think the Owen Carvour accent is something he puts on to make himself sound neutrally British while working abroad, because he grew up working class. RP is how most people (at least in the US) assume British people speak. This also works with the Texan agent mega headcanon, like they both have to put on an act to be spies, just like they have to put on an act with their relationship.

And class is really really important to how you conceptualize this character, because your experience of the war could be radically different depending on how much money you had. Food rationing began in 1940, which in this case would make Owen 12. Rationing isn't fully lifted until 1954.

At Elizabeth II's wedding in 1947, the palace made a big deal about how she was saving ration coupons for the material for her wedding- a full two years after WWII ended.

Here's WWII London:

This is the city Owen would've grown up in. This is a war zone. A city where food is tightly rationed, where sirens were constantly going off and you had to draw down the blackout curtains and go sleep in the tube station with bombs dropping constantly overhead:

If Owen were upper middle class, he might have had a shelter at home, some people did. But I imagine him sleeping in dark, cramped, noisy stations. And he learns to keep his cool. He starts to enjoy the danger because he has to to survive it.

Maybe he has lost loved ones to the bombings. Maybe one morning he comes home from the tube station and half of his house is in rubble on the ground. Maybe he's used to hand me down clothes and simple homemade toys and not having enough to eat. He's used to having nothing, having nobody. That's a headcanon a lot of folks have, and I think it makes a lot of sense for his character.

Even if Owen were one of the kids evacuated to the countryside, maybe that happens when he's 15 or so, it wasn't a Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe situation. For a lot of those kids they were leaving their parents behind in a war zone, sleeping in barns or basements, and most importantly working almost non-stop on British farms because all the regular farmhands were fighting.

I think, if this happened, Owen would be itching to go off and fight in the war. My personal headcanon is that he's an intelligent guy, and he figures out how to forge some basic paperwork to claim he is older than he actually is, so he can go fight in WWII.

But by some fluke he couldn't account for, he gets discovered. And because of his skill and his ability to keep his cool under interrogation, he gets recruited to MI6. A lot of MI6 operatives are upper class men, recruited young from the top schools. He mimicks them.

I think many years later, when he and Curt are escaping a Russian weapons facility, Owen loves Curt and trusts in his capabilities (maybe a bit too much- especially when he's been drinking), but he also feels frustrated that Curt is impulsive and cocky and thinks he is untouchable.

Because Curt didn't grow up the way Owen did. He didn't grow up waiting for the bottom to fall out over and over again. He's certainly got his own shit from adolescence, but he doesn't have that survival impulse hardwired into him the way Owen does. So Owen is careful and cautious for the both of them, trying to keep them both safe and alive.

I think about Owen being trapped in the rubble a lot. He would almost certainly be critically injured. Maybe he has PTSD from the WWII bombings, and he's just trapped in an exploded building, trapped with his own memories of childhood until he's almost feral from it.

This also, btw, is why the AU of Owen as Eurydice from Hadestown is so so poignant to me. Someone who grew up cold and hungry and turned their collar to the world, and then suddenly they fall in love and everything is sunlight all around them. All I've Ever Known is such an important owen!Eurydice song to me

I could keep going from here, but I'll stop for now. This isn't as neat and concise as I wanted to present these thoughts, but I can't stop thinking them

#spies are forever #tin can bros #agent curt mega #owen carvour #curtwen #spytown #spytown renaissance #saf headcanon #saf #SAFtistic

[lesbian-octoling]

Alright guys, it's time for what you've all been waiting for... Salmonid adopts! They’ll all be $30 base, but I’m also offering a few different discounts!

Availability, rules, and other information below the cut!

What is an adoptable?

An adopt is a pre-designed character that I create, and you can ‘buy’ to be able be able to use and claim as your own character. Of course, since these are splatoon based I’m not selling the concepts of splatoon, just the idea and design of the character itself.

INFO + RULES:

Once you buy the adopts, they’re yours. You’re welcome to redesign, alter, give away and/or trade as you see fit. The only thing I don’t allow is reselling for a higher price (same or below is fine).

Though these are meant to be splatoon adopts, you’re welcome to use them for any setting that you please! They’re not inherently limited to splatoon; especially the more unique characters.

The placeholder names, personality, and info are just.. placeholder/concepts! You can name them whatever you want, give them any pronouns, personality, lore, whatever! I won’t feel bad lol

Once I receive payment, I’ll send you a full size, transparent, unwatermarked image of your adopt!

I can hold them for up to a week!

If one is on hold, you can still message and ask to be next in line if whatever they’re being held for doesn’t work out.

AVAILABILITY + PRICING:

Base price for each adopt is currently $30 USD, however, you can check out some discounts at the bottom!

“STING” - SOLD A stinger who's bark is as nasty as their bite... but maybe there's something sweet under all that venom?

“LOVER” - SOLD A maws who's growth was stunted... though that doesn't seem to bother them. They're more of a lover than a fighter anyway.

“ORCA” - SOLD A flipper flopper who idolizes not dolphins, but a different type of cetacean.

“BUTTER” - SOLD An albino maws who might be dense as a brick, but they're nothing if not a survivor to last this long.

“BIG MAMA (and little shot)” - SOLD ( Come as a pair, you don't have to pay for two ) A big shot and a small package, seemingly on a journey somewhere... though where they're going, I'm not sure.

“HATTY” - SOLD A small Fish Stick flyer with dreams of making it big on stage, through song and dance! Though... perhaps when they get a little more practice in.

“TRAINEE” - SOLD A smallfry currently in training to become a Fish Stick flyer... which would be fine, if they weren't terrified of heights.

“MECHANIC” - SOLD A rough and tumble Steel Eel mechanic who might not take any shit, but does her job well... as well as her secret passion: making sweets.

“KEY LIME” - SOLD A Steel Eel driver who doesn't know the definition of "serious". Sickeningly sweet, when they're not hunting you for sport with a smile under their mask.

“GRILLED” - SOLD One of the few salmonids who ever lived through being deployed inside of a Griller... and are now trying to find their purpose, after becoming too injured to fight and constantly leaking slime.

“COPPERHEAD” - SOLD A retired Steelhead, they've taken up more of a passion with linguistics than fighting in their older age.

DISCOUNTS + DEALS

Yeah, we know this is what you’re here for!  I’m going to offer several discounts and deals, which are subject to change, and may or may not pop in and out! This is my first time trying some of this.

COMMISSION BUNDLE If you buy a character from me, you can also get a get a commission of that character for 25% off to come with it! This only applies once, and has to be worked out around the time of purchasing the character. You choose the type of commission you’d like! Commission info is here.

PASSION DISCOUNT If you do a piece of fanwork for one of these characters- come up with extensive lore, a piece of art, a piece of writing, etc- and I can tell you actually put some effort and passion into it, then you can get them for 30% off... making them $20! It doesn’t have to be anything fancy and I’m not going to judge you by how ‘good’ your work is- again, it’s only judged by passion for the character. If I can tell you genuinely enjoyed it and had fun and will love the character you get (instead of having them simply sit on a dusty shelf or resold, etc), you get the discount! If you’re worried about the work taking a while but you want to wait until it’s done to buy them, no worries! I can hold a character for up to a week for you.

BONUS LORE If you wanna shell out an extra $5, I can fully flesh out the placeholder lore for you and come up with something much more fleshed out! Names, backstory, personality, all the bells and whistles. I can also work with you to fit it into any preexisting lore or characters you might want them to be worked with! Once again, you’re welcome to change any of this- but I’ll work with ya on it to make sure it’s something you like!

TRADES I’m a bit iffy on art trades or character trades, but I’m not going to say they’re out of the question. You’re welcome to ask!

#splatoon #splatoon 2 #splatoon 3 #splatoon adopts #adopts #adoptables #my art

[your-local-hoemie]

Hi! Can i request childe and zhongli (seperate) coming home to his beloved overworked and slumped over her desk?

Omg I get to write geo papi :D watch me work my brain juices for ya!

Warnings: fluffffff, a tiny bit of angst in childes if you squint again because I can’t help myself, Concerned boys, not proof-read, established relationships, gn! Reader (I know you said “her” in the request but I wanna keep it gn for everyone’s enjoyment if that’s ok aaaaaa.)

Characters: Childe, Zhongli

No I didn’t get carried away hahaha….hah

···

Childe~

He doesn’t understand at first lmfao

Mans constantly working so like? Isn’t this normal??

Honestly you might be helping him stop for a bit too

Gets very concerned :(

Might think you’ve died for a split second

Once he realised you’re fine he’ll make sure you’re moved to a comfier place like the bed or couch

Try to protest. I dare you.

He’ll probably arrange for one of his subordinates to complete any work you had left just to make sure you can rest

I also dare anyone to protest against a harbinger for finishing your work :)

You had been assigned a bunch of documents from Yanfei to go over after being transferred to her for extra work experience in Liyue before officially graduating.

At first your couldn’t be more optimistic about the workload telling yourself that it’s all worth it in the long run after years of studying law!

That lasted maybe a good four days before the lack of sleep and neglect to eat and drink properly started kicking in.

Raising your head you looked up from the paperwork checking the time. 4:30am. Groaning you raked your fingers through your hair, dragging them down your face trying to keep yourself grounded.

But much to your dismay no matter how hard you tried to keep your eyes open and your head free of fatigue, your body decided to finally take charge and before you can even protest, your head lowered to the table as your heavy eyes finally closed and took the rest they needed.

Meanwhile your beloved boyfriend, childe. Eleventh of the fatui harbingers, had finally got home after endless hours of his own work as a “toy maker”. He never told you about his true occupation, always worried it would put you in harms way or make you scared of him.

Opening the door to your house, making his way up to your bedroom he didn’t actually expect to see you awake being so early in the morning so when he saw the bed untouched and you nowhere in sight he’d be lying if he didn’t feel a twinge of dread run down his spine.

“Babe? Where are you?”

Picking up his pace he’d hurry around the house opening each door, his bow appearing in his hand from anxiety.

Reaching the finally room of your home he swung the door open only to find you slumped over your desk surrounded by paperwork.

Almost running over to your side he dropped to his knee’s placing his hand on your back almost like you’d break under his touch he softly shook you taking comfort in feeling your soft, deep breaths under his touch.

“Hmm? Childe?”

Raising your head groggily you look at your boyfriend for a moment trying to piece together the situation while rubbing your still heavy, sleepy eyes.

“Archons Y/N, you almost gave me a heart attack! Why aren’t you asleep In bed!?”

Giggling sleepily you tried your best to explain the situation all while still feeling the heavy pull of sleep in your body not noticing the soft, if not concerned smile appearing across his face.

Letting out a sigh he gathered you in his arms lifting you up with ease, he carried you to the bedroom placing you down on the bed before pulling you tightly into his arms kissing your forehead.

“No more work for you love”

You were pretty confused to later find out you somehow still managed to finish all the paperwork before passing out even though you swore there was still a pile to go through~

Zhongli~

Oh he already knew.

You thought you were slick? You fool.

From the moment he laid eyes on the workload given to you all the way to your first yawn

He knew

He’d try to make it easier on you, knowing your stubbornness

Brings you fruit and tea every so often

Don’t be surprised if you get a nice back massage too~

Once he thinks it’s gone on for far too long he will take action and there won’t be a damn thing you can do

He’s a ex god. Come on.

If he thinks you should rest then you’re gonna rest

To bed with you

Lots of cuddles and head pats! Maybe even humming if he thinks it’ll help you relax

He won’t do your work for you, he doesn’t have the heart to risk ruining your hard work but he will help you if you seem like you’re struggling!

Much to no one’s surprise, Hu Tao had ever so kindly managed to gather a ever increasing collection of complaints from the citizens of Liyue from her persistent shenanigans that you’d be hard pushed not to find at least a little disturbing, leaving you to deal with the mountain on papers to sort through.

The moment zhongli caught wind of what had been keeping you so occupied from your routine walk through the harbour he was irritated to say the least.

After having a word with Hu Tao that was borderline passive aggressive he immediately stopped by the market picking up the best fruit he could find (much to Childe’s dismay) along with your favourite snacks.

Meanwhile you had enclosed yourself in your office, pondering your life choices while using all the strength you had to stay focused.

How long has it been since you started? When was the last time you ate? Questions hardly noticeable floated around the back of your mind as you intently ignored the pangs in your stomach and the worsening migraine growing across your head.

Letting out a frustrated sigh you finish reading a particularly rude letter sent in only to turn the page over by chance just to see that the paragraphs contained on the other side.

Finally snapping under the stress you lay your head down in defeat on the desk, tears threatening to run from your eyes and soak the papers under your head as you feel your body take over and force you to close them at last.

It wasn’t too long before you woke up in a mild state of panic before noticing a plate of beautifully arranged fruit, a warm cup of tea sitting beside you and a blanket draped over your aching back.

“Ah, you have finally awoken. Forgive me dear but I couldn’t bring myself to wake you from your much needed slumber so I took the liberty to prepare you some food”

God I love writing his funky little words

“Zhongli? H-how long have you been there?? What time is it!?”

“Hush now. No need to get worked up over such trivial things, you still have plenty of time to continue your work but I must remind you that rest and recuperation is an essential part to such dealings”

With that you find him dragging a chair next to you. letting out a deep chuckle he turned you towards him gentle pushing your head down to his lap as his fingers stroked through strands of hair. (If you’re bald then just ignore this part💀)

“Rest for now my dear, I shall assist you in this mess when you have recovered”

Not daring to protest against his authoritative tone, you close your eyes feeling your body melt at his touch.

Maybe a little rest wouldn’t hurt after all~

Bruh writing in zhongli’s fancy words is so fun I feel so sophisticated *sticks pinkie out and sips tea*

#genshin impact fluff #genshin fluff #genshin drabbles #genshin impact scenarios #genshin impact headcanons #genshin imagines #genshin x gn reader #genshin boyfriend scenarios #genshin headcanons #genshin scenarios #genshin impact #genshin #zhongli #zhongli x reader #childe #childe x reader #zhongli scenarios #childe scenarios

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

how do the m6 act when they're feeling petty??? and how does mc deal with it?

The Arcana HCs: M6 being petty

~ how do I begin to say how much I love writing about these lovely characters being typically human? Thanks for the prompt anon, enjoy! - brainrot ~

Julian

He acts petty about the smaller things as a way of being silly. He can hold onto a hurt, but he prefers to deal with that stuff more directly

You see it come out the most with his younger sister Pasha

She'll be rolling her eyes at him, telling him he's an idiot and she doesn't need his help

He'll be cleaning up after dinner with her and put everything away on the top shelves

She'll get annoyed and start telling him to pull them back down for her: "I know you know what you're doing wrong, Ilya!"

"What's that? I'm just your idiot older brother, Pasha, since when do I know what I'm doing?"

"I mean it! Take them down for me now, you know I can't reach up there!"

"I thought you didn't need my help."

He'll be giving her his usual rogueish grin, casually dodging her swipes at his kneecaps as he pulls everything back down

He wants to get his point across though, so he'll use the opportunity to reorganize her kitchen while she's distracted

Now the dish towels are in the oven and the sugar and salt are mixed up. He might even dose Pepi with some catnip on the way out

Asra

For someone with such a chillaxed approach to life, they are surprisingly easy to annoy

And yes, he gets petty when he's irritated

It rarely happens with you (usually when you're trying to annoy them on purpose), and then his petty retaliation prank is just for show (or to make a gentle point)

But if it's someone being genuinely maddening, maybe a Karen in the market place or a self-important jerk cutting in line?

Barely detectable spells designed to make them question reality in a decidedly unpleasant, but harmless way

The Karen screaming about the pumpkin bread being overbaked is suddenly under a 30 minute enchantment that makes her say the opposite of what she intends to

You've never heard anyone serve compliments so angrily: "Exceptional service! This bread is flawless! You're not being unreasonable, I am!" All while slowly turning purple with rage

And oh no, look at that, the guy who shouldered his way in front of you moments ago just made a beeline for the public lavatory, almost like he has sudden diarrhea

"Oh no, MC," Asra whispers quietly in your ear, dimples dancing, "Oh nooo ..."

Nadia

She gets petty when she feels like she's been insulted or underestimated

It's not her best look, but she has a lot of pent-up resentment about feeling constantly humiliated by her older sisters

So of course, that's what she does to the unfortunate nobleman who tries to mansplain his way out of taking care of his tenants in front of her court

She'll pull out the file of information she's gathered and grill him with no mercy: "You currently own 4 properties valued at ____, correct? And you charge your tenants ____ per month?"

You watch him go pale and gulp, "er, yes, Countess. But with the rain, building costs-"

"Your maintenance to date is estimated at costing you ____, leaving over 50 separate complaints unaddressed, some of which are several years old. If my numbers are correct, (and they are always correct, nobleman) you still have _____ in profits. That should easily cover the estimated ____ required to restore acceptable living conditions. I expect to receive a glowing report from your tenants next quarter. Will there be any issues?"

She usually feels guilty afterwards, but you can't blame her. It's just so gratifying

Muriel

He can hold a grudge, but his brand of petty is hard to notice until you get to know him better

It'll only happen with people he trusts, when they do something he disapproves of

For example, the time Asra visited and decided to feed the chickens some breadcrumbs soaked in mead. Just for fun

Watching tipsy poultry stagger and drunkenly cluck around your front yard was hilarious, but also a little sad

And Muriel doesn't appreciate it when someone disrespects nature. Even Asra

He'll sulk. It's a little comedic to watch a full grown man give someone the cold shoulder and huff and stomp his way around the hut, but it's surprisingly effective

Especially when Inanna joins in, skulking by his side and shooting the occasional disdainful glare

Asra crumbles when Faust sides with them, riding on Inanna's back and blepping at her master reproachfully

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have -" *giggle* "I shouldn't have intoxicated your chickens! It was very rude of me."

Really the apology is all Muriel wants, he'll stop sulking and maybe laugh about it later

Portia

She gets petty when someone comments on an insecurity of hers without meaning to

Being the younger sister of a charismatic older brother means that she *hates* being compared to him

She'll be enjoying drinks with you one evening at the Rowdy Raven, and one of the local regulars will make the wrong comment

"Hey, it's Devorak's little sister! Look at you carrying all those drinks, I bet you can hold your liquor almost as well as he can."

Uh oh. It's on.

She'll turn, smiling sweetly, and challenge him to a drinking contest in front of the whole tavern. He'll need help getting home

She won't stop there, either. After that it's arm wrestling, darts, even an insult war in which you hear some of the most creative roasts you've ever come across

All as her Nevivon accent gets thicker and thicker, curls flying and eyes sparking with triumph as she demolishes poor fool after poor fool

She'll be embarrassed about getting so carried away the next morning while she's nursing her hangover

It's worth it because Julian is now known at the Raven as "Miss Portia's older brother"

Lucio

In the same way that he only throws his tantrums cathartically, his pettiness is his other method of handling his short temper

On one hand, you're proud of him. It's a big improvement from ordering someone's execution because he didn't like what they said about him

On the other hand, it's hard to take him seriously when his response to an unwelcome comment is to mimick it back in their faces because he can't come up with a witty comeback

He'll be passing back by a merchant he tried to haggle with earlier when their shop assistant makes a friendly jab at him

"Hey, Mr Adventurer! You back for that deal, or is it still too much?"

He'll barely miss a beat spluttering before he whirls around and responds in a squeaky mocking voice at the top of his lungs:

"Hey shopkeep! You back for that deal, or am I still too much?"

Apparently, the teenaged assistant in question is gifted in both good humor and snark. There's a crowd gathering for the free entertainment and it's fueling both of them

Neither of them seem afraid of being immature in public so you wait it out at the nearby tea stand until they're satisfied

(If you liked Lucio's part, I highly recommend the meme my lovely mutual sent me based off of it here)

#ask arcana brainrot #the arcana #the arcana headcanons #the arcana hc #asra the arcana #julian the arcana #nadia the arcana #muriel the arcana #portia the arcana #lucio the arcana #the arcana game #the arcana shitpost #asra alnazar #julian devorak #nadia satrinava #muriel of the kokhuri #portia devorak #lucio morgasson

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Princess Azula

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

This is one of those characters I should’ve done a long time ago, but just never got around to because I felt it was just way too obvious. I mean, come on, Avatar: The Last Airbender is considered one of the greatest works of western animation. Everyone and their mother has talked about this show at some point, so what could I even add?

Well, as it turns out, the way people talk about Azula is exactly what inspired me to write this! I have never seen a character so completely and critically misunderstood! Hell, this is a character that people like to disregard the core themes of the story to talk about! Discussion of her online made me so genuinely angry that I decided fuck it, it’s Azulain’ time! So here we go, my 200% anger-fueled analysis and review of the mentally-unstable Fire Nation princess who terrorized the Gaang!

Motivation/Goals: Azula has basically made it her life’s mission to be the ultimate tool of the Fire Nation, and specifically her father Fire Lord Ozai. To that end, she does basically whatveer he tells her to do? Kill the Avatar, conquer Ba Sing Se, take out her brother and uncle… So long as what she does has a net benefit for the imperialistic goals of her country, she’s down for it, and doubly so if she thinks it will get her even a little crumb of daddy’s attention.

Performance: Superstar voice actress Grey DeLisle of Literally Every Fucking Cartoon Ever Made fame lends her voice to the crown princess of the Fire Nation, and her smug, condescending delivery really sells Azula as a manipulative schemer who is constantly playing 4D chess to outmaneuver her opponents. I think I might even go so far as to call this one of DeLisle’s finest performances ever, for reasons pertaining to her delivery of lines in certain parts of the story that will be described below.

Final Fate: Azula’s fate is a perfect example of the show’s excellent writing because it robs us of catharsis in an extremely narratively satisfying way.

Throughout the finale, we watch as Azula’s mental health rapidly declines as literally everything in her life spirals out of her control for the first time. This is a girl who has defined herself as always being two steps ahead, always having everything firmly in her grasp, and yet her brother has run off with the heroes, her two best friends “betrayed” her, her father gives her the throne but only because he is crowning himself the Ultra Super Cool King Deluxe, and she is constantly grappling with feeling as if her mother viewed her as a monster while also subconsciously knowing that Ursa did truly love her. Keep in mind, all of this is happening to a teenage girl, so is it any wonder she completely and totally snaps?

Her final Agni Kai with Zuko during the height of Sozin’s Comet is epic, but it’s the conclusion where she is defeated by Katara and left as a sobbing, flailing mess that really knocks Azula’s character arc out of the park and cements her as the ultimate antithesis of Zuko. He had the guidance of a good, kind father figure, while she was stuck with Fire Hitler; he had a group of friends to love and support him, while she only had companions who put up with her out of fear and turned on her when they finally had enough; he was able to come to terms with his past traumas and grow to be better because of his numerous support systems, while all she had were toxic influences that led to her essentially collapsing under the weight of her internal conflict. She is what Zuko could have been if no one lent him a helping hand… and it is soul-crushingly tragic. The last we see her, she is a broken mess of a person, someone who has literally lost everything in their life, had the sole purpose of their existence stripped from them, and has just been reminded that she lost because she is a lonely, miserable, pathetic individual without any friends.

After her being on top for almost the entire show, this should feel like a triumph! But it’s not. It’s sad. It’s tragic. There’s no joy to be found. And boy oh boy, is it fucking powerful.

I’m just going to ignore what happens to her in the comics. It’s better that way.

Evilness: So here’s where things get really interesting, because while Azula does some truly evil things throughout the show, there is a tendency to exaggerate just how awful she is because most of her evil actions are just things she says she wants to do/has done. Combined with her smug, arrogant demeanor and it’s easy to believe she would do these things, but we don’t actually witness them. To wit, while she taunts Sokka about torturing Suki to the breaking point, when he finally reunites with her she sure doesn’t seem as cripplingly broken as Azula implied. I think it’s important to note that, as Azula is a massive liar, if we don’t actually see her do something (even something she’s threatening to do), it’s not really a mark against her. She’s a cunning manipulator, after all, conquering an entire city without lifting a finger.

On that note, though, she does have plenty of wicked moments under her belt. She conquered Ba Sing Se for the Fire Nation, she constantly tried to kill Aang and her brother while they were on the run in the Earth Kingdom, she had her friends locked up for defying her… Like she’s one messed up daddy’s girl. Even taking into account the inherent tragedy of her character and the fact she’s a teenage girl, she still kind of steps up to crossing the moral event horizon. She’s very much the product of grooming in an environment meant to espouse the joys of fascism and imperialism, and since she never had a strong guide like Iroh her moral compass is busted.

With all that being said, I think she’s a solid 5/10. She does some really nasty things, but at the same time a lot of what colors the perception of her is stuff she only implies. Also I’m not considering any of her pre-breakdown fights with Zuko as truly evil; this is just how siblings are. You bet your ass sibling squabbles would look just like that if they could shoot fireballs from their hands.

Best Episode: For all her badass moments, awesome schemes, incredible fights, and powerful moments… “The Beach” might be her best episode. This might sound crazy, but I stand by it; I think showing us an awkward, human side of her really helps to sell that Azula isn’t actually some unstoppable force. She’s just a teenager who has no social skills and can’t exist outside of the confines of being a royal or a warrior without looking like an absolute weirdo.

Best Quote: After outmaneuvering season 2’s arc villain Long Feng, who concedes to he rand says she’s beaten him at his own game, she flippantly replies, “Don't flatter yourself. You were never even a player.” I don’t think even Jet got so brutally murdered. It’s the sickest burn in the series aside from Zuko’s scar.

Final Thoughts & Score: The whole reason I even wrote this Psycho Analysis is because the constant and critical misunderstandings of Azula I see online constantly piss me the fuck off.

There is a subset of Avatar fans who completely and steadfastly believe that Azula is in fact an irredeemable monster, a complete sociopath with no redeeming qualities who needs to suffer and die. They reject any attempts at assessing the character in a more nuanced light, because “why can’t villains just be evil?” They treat her as if she’s some sort of pure evil being instead of an emotionally stunted child.“She’s crazy and she needs to go down” might as well be the mantra of these media illeterate Avatar fans, parroting opinions that mirror the words of Iroh after Azula almost killed him but ignoring that crucial context as well as Iroh’s entire character. Like, do these people actually pay attention to the core themes of the entire show? You know, mercy, redemption, humanity, the importance of all life? Did they miss the part of the finale where these core themes were cemented by Aang removing Ozai’s firebending with energybending, or were they too busy bitching about it being a deus ex machina to realize it’s thematically appropriate?

Like they want Azula to just be this evil, unredeemable cartoonish villain in a show that explicitly says no one is like this. There’s even a point in the final episodes where it’s pointed out that genocidal colonizer tyrant Ozai was once a sweet, cute little baby, and didn’t just spring forth as a fully formed Red-Hot Hitler. Azula is a person groomed by an unrepentantly evil father to be the Fire Nation ubermensch, the ideal tool for the conquest of the rest of the world. She was never allowed to have a normal childhood, as evident by her awkward behavior and social ineptitude when she’s actually allowed to cut loose and be around people her own age in a relaxed setting. Everything that she is—a liar, a manipulator, an attempted murderer, an egomaniac—are all the result of Ozai’s upbringing, being entrenched in the propaganda of her nation, and a lack of authority figures with a moral compass in her life. She didn’t have an Iroh to guide her, all she had was Ozai. In this sense, Azula is as much a victim as she is a victimizer.

But she is a victimizer. She is still consciously making bad decisions, she is still doing evil and sometimes appearing to enjoy it. There’s no reason to believe she couldn’t turn things around if given a helping hand like her brother was (though there would need to be a lot more effort due to her being in Ozai’s company unimpeded for way longer than Zuko), but she’s not some innocent little bean who’s being persecuted by others. Azula is still a villain, and viewing her as just a mere victim is a disservice to the character just as much as painting her as an inhuman monster. She is a very nuanced character, but she never gets the sort of POV work Zuko does to fully flesh out what’s on her mind and let us see the world through her eyes so the work done for her is more subtle, at least until her final breakdown. At that point, the show is literally beating you over the head with the fact she is an incredibly tragic character whose entire existence is pitiful and broken, and who lives as a mirror to Zuko, showing him a dark path he could have walked down if he didn’t receive love, support, and compassion.

Ultimately, Iroh wasn’t wrong when he said “She’s crazy and she needs to go down,” but I take it with emphasis on and. Azula is, in fact, crazy. She is incredibly mentally disturbed, her mind warped and molded by her father to the point she breaks if she starts to lose control even a tiny bit. And, as an antagonistic force working against the heroes, she does indeed need to go down. I’m sure he wasn’t too happy with his near-death experience, but you will not convince me that the sweet old Iroh, who himself changed and redeemed himself after being a fucking war criminal who nearly conquered Ba Sing Se, could not see the nuance in the Azula situation and genuinely saw his niece as some beast to be slaughtered.

But that’s enough with the ranting, let’s get to the actual final thoughts and score for Azula. She is one of the most engaging and magnificent villains in animation, a real firebrand (heh) whose numerous schemes are gripping to watch, building her up as someone you want to see finally get defeated only for the writers to pull the rug out from under you and remind you just what Azula really is. Avatar had no shortage of brilliant and subversive writing, but I think Azula’s ultimate arc is an unsung masterpiece among it. The character is so mired in discourse these days it’s easy to forget it, but she genuinely is a grand character.

For her score, I’m gonna say she gets a 9/10. She’s easily the best villain on the show, far outshining her rather generic father, the deliciously hammy but ultimately rather shallow Zhao, and the scheming but relatively minor Long Feng (to say nothing of the numerous minor villains that range in quality from wastes of time like Combustion Man to genuinely amazing and horrifying like Hama). I think the only thing holding her back from a perfect score is that sometimes it feels like things fall into place a little too perfectly for her, and she doesn’t face setbacks too much until the very end, but considering the immensely powerful culmination it’s nothing that ruins her. Azula is a character just as rich and deep as anyone else from the show, and I really wish more people looked at her with nuance.

I also wish the fucking comics didn’t exist. Maybe I’m asking for too much.

#Psycho Analysis #Princess Azula #Avatar #Avatar: The Last Airbender #ATLA #Grey DeLisle

[astrum-aetherium]

Henry's been living rent free in my head since I read TSH like four months ago- I cannot stop thinking about him and your blog is single handedly fueling my obsession with him so thank you so much really.

Anyways- I know Henry is definitely not the soft type of guy, but I do believe he could get just a tiny little bit softer than he usually is (sparingly) were he to find a person he really liked?? This is probably just my guilty and mostly out of character pleasure, but imagining him being all cold and harsh as he is for the most part and then suddenly doing or saying that one unexpectedly tender thing out of nowhere (even in a nsfw context, that's even better) and then going back to his usual self in a heartbeat makes me go uughhh

i wholeheartedly agree with you. on so many levels. it's very easy to cross the utterly restrictive OOC boundaries when speaking/writing about him, since all we seem to know is how stoic and cool and constantly displeased he is (although i could impugn this very well — take the glass shard scene or his staying at the hospital with richard as an example).

us as readers, we cannot help but crave a little softness from him sometimes, and i understand that completely. i'm always willing to indulge us all in a scenario like that. in a better world, on slightly OOC premises, he would make an evidently detached, but caring partner. coincidentally, i have been thinking about just that for the past couple of days, despite formerly being convinced it would be entirely impossible to conduct a healthy relationship with that man (which, yeah, if we strictly stick to canon, it still would be, but that's the beauty about fiction — we get to brush past and alter some things to our enjoyment).

therefore, yes �� with the opportunity to alter his character just a tiny bit, i believe he would let his soft side flash every now and again. i don't think it would be in any form of physical touch, however, as he certainly isn't one to put his feelings on display, especially in public (in private, however, that'd be a completely different story). it would mostly be symbolic with him. for instance, imagine it being your birthday. as your partner, he would know you inside and out — he is highly attentive and perceptive, especially when it comes to those closest to him, and he would absolutely be well-versed in anything that you might like, or mention liking. he would know. loving is knowing. therefore, for your birthday, he would not only think of and buy you the best and most thoughtful present imaginable, but he would also buy five more to give to the rest of the group under the pretense of "i know her/him/them better than all of you combined, which is why all of your gifts have already been taken care of".

that is how his affection would shine through — acts of service. being spoiled by him is another tremendous part of that. i have already approached this topic in two previous posts, but to summarize: he absolutely would be willing to spoil you in any way imaginable, as it would be the only plausible way for him to prove the depth of his feelings for you (along with kisses and other physical endeavors, which would exclusively be saved for private settings).

in addition, i feel like he would let himself be swayed more and more despite his dogmatic position, meaning he would be willing to comply or enter compromises, especially for you. orrr... to approach the aspect of him portraying the merest smidge of sweetness and immediately reverting to his stoic self — imagine a strand of hair having fallen loose from your hairstyle, or it simply veiling your hair too much, to the point where he would press the book he might be holding under his arm mid-conversation and brush it aside for you with a light smile, only to immediately proceed with whatever it is he had been occupied by previously.

from a nsfw standpoint, his care would mostly show in his being very forthcoming and reassuring to you (asking for consent, asking if you're in any discomfort during a position, checking up on you during rougher activity), and aftercare (bringing you towels/water/a cigarette (lol), proposing to go pee, holding you on occasion if matters had been overly rough and you might still be trembling).

he would also totally be the type to run his fingers through your hair and even play with it. i don't care how OOC some people believe this to be — i need it. sometimes a girl just needs something of the sort.

#astrum asks #henry winter imagine #henry winter x reader #henry winter thirst #henry winter smut #indulgent thoughts #god i love him #and honestly idc about the ooc aspect rn i need him to be soft sometimes #this is very heartwarming even to me and i wrote it #just like UGH

[i-bring-crack]

What are your opinions on solo leveling ships?

I dont mind the ships that are weird or out of nowhere, honestly I like to ship it too, I have limits on what kinds of ships I like, yes, but I just dont interact with them instead of disliking it(worse things have appeared in larger fandoms so im just null to it and prefer leaving it alone) .

It's Solo Leveling and it's no1 pairing is literally a crossover ship so its not like anyone is inmune to crack ships or non canon realted ships :) /

So far these are all the ships I have in my backpack or weird mind, also yes im making up the shipnames as I go uwu/ :

CANON

Gamers/AhYoo (Sung Jin-Ah x Yoo Jin-Ho)

Cute

Absolutely out of nowhere. Like there wasnt even a sparing glance of this ship whatsoever and then BAM epilogue says the are dating. Confusing as hell in canon. In fandom its quite nice the ideas that pop up so— but at the same time SL is known for its out of nowhere things. (Kinda. I did think there would have been some points in Jin-Ahs life and Jin-Hos were thry could know about each other. Jin-Ho knew the phone number of the house, where he lived, Jin-Ah probably wasnt unaware completely anout Jin-Ho. Its obvious that Jin-Woo post rewind would have introduced him to the family.)

I love the idea that Jin Ah is a pro-gamer (she might have become one in the next life now that she isnt studying to be a doctor for her mom. It was always referenced just how much she loved games, and its also really cute knkwing that Jin-Ho created his own gaming company :3 so like

Headcanoning that she would always help him beta test the games and since she was well aware of what kind of games were popular, it would be cool to see her being a major help in Ahjin corp's success.

Maybe they met through games too, would be a cute AU

But yeah I dont think there is much to say with the ship mainly being wholesome and pure. I do like those kinds of sships when it comes to slice of life but in action i need more drama spiked up to an 11.

JinHae [the name was from @soulintheskies ](Cha Hae-In x Sung Jin-Woo)

Wholesome

Again its not that bad of a match, a lot of people say its forced and i do agree to some extent, but then again its not a bad match, at least not fanon-wise.

Canon just always tries to pair people up with what seems to be the mantra of "perfect couple that will never fight each other so you totally dont have to worry about them breaking up" or in the more special of canon cases its "pair the hottest girl to the main character and it works! she is just a trophy wife after all :D" and JinHae does fall under that I wont lie.

And honestly, Its fine.

From SL Ragnarok I canactually see more of that love put into work and since it gives Hae-In character I have started to genuenly love the ship.

And thats a big deal for me bc I was at first a huge anti to this ship (Not to the point of hating others but I did constantly hate Cha HaeIn, and the way people elogated her to be the absolute best thing ever and her being the main love interest. I m chill with it now but boi was 2018-21 ship wars the worst)

That is until I geniuely started looking up at the content for her and reading the novel, and all I can say is

Yeah the author is a simp.

But Hae-In's character, for me, had fallen too much due to the romance aspect. They focused on her acting as a plot device for Jin-Woo to always rescue her that theve forgotten she was a character with like feelings and stuff and not just love interest.

Like she legit had all the more power to be a far more complex character even if her character revolved around Jin-Woo.

Detective Hae-In as to why Jin-Woo smells good and suddenly uncovering the whole war between the monarchs and the Rulers before anyone else? or about the system? I tell you we were robbed.

At least she got to be there for him in rough times which im happy for Jin-Woo of all people he needs it. Just as I am happy there were also more people in Jin-Woos life apart from Hae In that knew and were there for him.

As much problems as I have with it, the AUs are still fine for me.

Bc Like, fanon gives her the ability to actually express her felings over the whole situation instead of just "welp she is the hot wife now :)"

Like Ive loved the fics that go into into her thoughts of living with such a powerful being in her house, ranging from thrill to full on slice of life.

I liked the fics were she gets to have her fights.

Ive liked the reading and writting more platonic scenes with them than i have enjoyed of quite literally every other m/f ship in other fandoms.

I love how sometimes Hae-In just accepts whetever the fuck Jin-Woo is, like she is so real for that.

The ship can also work well with a lot of different themes if the roles are just purely reversed or are kept. Like they both are also quite diverse in character and I love that about them. Heck my biggest fic brainrot IS them.

Yes I want them to keep being Malewife x Girlboss that will never change in my mind.

but then there is the height difference, the god and mortal trope, the cute x unhinge, princess x knight (Hae In is the knight do not take this from me), "will always find you", soulmates, chill x chaos, black and white, (and orange was also the contrast to purple which like ??? they fit that too??), confident x internal screams, moral support and love birds, and obviously

the uwu/\owo

and if you dont want to follow canon at all its even more fun for me!

Because we got Fem DOM-- *gets shot*

they are adorable i admit

(but chu gong for gods sake it should have been exploreddddddd. I have to stop ranting about them honestly. BUT WE WERE ROBBED)

gasp omg detective Hae-In and serial killer jinwoo

SunPark (Sung Il-Hwang x Park Kyung-Hye)

Oh they are great

10/10

No other comments they are perfect, they are my goals for real---

Im happy about them being just themselves

they show love bro, they show they care

I was fine with Ill Hwangs death and the park appeared and i broke

I was this close to calling it sleepyflame

NON CANON:

Igris x Sung jin-Woo:

Top Tier shit

Beru x Sung jin-Woo:

Till this day im still processing this:

ChulWoo (Woo Jin-Chul x Sung Jin-Woo)

Look look look I get I just said the powerbalance for JinHae might be bad, and this one would be definetly worse.

But at the same time Jin-Chul would have a chokehold on this man so I dont mind it. (dont tell me he wont when he was both a boss for JinWoo and still kept working as a chairman during the apocalypse. SLR also had a huge reason but i wont spoil it here)

Its my favorite too (altho not my top, just right with JinHae)

And because it feels right?

Like most of the complains that range in between the JinHae and Jinwoo x Johee ship wars are completely obliterated because this man fufills every card on the list.

"X isnt fit for jinwoo beuse it never met E rank JinWoo" sucks for you Jin-Chul was the first to notice him and go out of his way to keep him alive, this mans small actions that went unrecognized by I freaking know half the fandom and also the rest of the SL world literally saved the entire uiverse they are in.

"X character did nothing for JinWoo" My mans the sole reason the show even started, my mans tried to stop two S ranks from fighting, my mans did everything he could to understand JinWoo and the internal struggles he might be going through both as the chief of survaillance and then as a chair man (SL Ragnarok does not do him dirty in the list my mans FOUGHT for giving JinWoo a better life as well as the lives of everyone.)

"X is not powerful" Look the world if filled with too many S ranks, put those back, he is capable of dealing with S ranks, he is capable of defending himself, and there is literally nothing more dangerous than JinWoo so, even if its not romantic he does care about him so he will be fine :v.

"X is just there for his power " Brother he wishes S ranks didnt cause him 20x the paperwork.

Actually E rank Jin Woo taken care of by Jin-Chul is quite cute ngl. It gives me Scum villain Bingqiu vibes.

(Or maybe thats just me due to the Jinchul isekai fic on ao3 I wrote bro-)

Either way they also have a wholesome dynamic withing fandom, and with canon it was explored far better than any other relationship with Jin-Woo apart from that of his family.

its crazy how we also know SHIT about him, like JinHae again, but this one doesnt feel dependent of Jin-Woo whatsoever, hes got his life worked out before jin-Woo came into the picture, hes got his principles (somewhere more of a true neutral than morally good) and they both complement each other quite well.

I think I can also be more relaxed with this one bc its not a canon ship.

Also finding love in your 30s hits that kind of a soft spot for me, you know. And its not like it would have been an instant dating for them either, they would both seemed to be more focused on other things than themselves, like work and family. Which makes it feels so casual and calm, especially over the whole crisi that they have to face.

Coming back from a long day of work to a cup of coffee and a warm chair as you look out the window, thats the kinds of vibes i get from these two.

Then theres that other fanon idea of making Jin-Woo an all out Yandere for JinChul that im so here for.

LiuSung (Liu Zhigang x Sung Jin-Woo)

They are so insane for real.

They likely fuck all the time

Pretty hoes AND FOR WHAT

No really I do think I like this one from all the hotness that they pull.

Its literally the definition of " I Ship It because its hot men"

And I stand, good for that.

Good for them.

They embody every sexual energy in the room and I love that.

They are both such trophies

They are drama queens but they will do it just to be little shits.

FireTiguer (Choi Jong In x Baek Yoon Ho)

Tier shit again

Its canon

Its absolutely true

They are so real for existing

They are so real for Malewife Yoon Ho and Girlboss Jong In

They are so freaking perfect

Pass me the weddding documents im arranging their marriage

Girl I dont care if Yoon Ho is a daddy now he is still Jong In's boyfriend and ill stand by this until SL Ragnarok gives me an actual reason to care for the wife! (And I swear, gay or good character mother development im not taking anything else.)

But like they are so craxy for this for real

It works too freaking well

Wayyy to well (oh no wonder they gave Yoon Ho a wife! They knew! THEY KNEW —)

N1 (Thomas Andre x Sung Jin-Woo)

Oh I can smell the Himbo all the way from here.

trust me I get the vibes tho i dont usually browse it, I like another Thomas ship more, but this one still is in my mind

very wholesome too actually

that or I need to stop reading a lot of gen

Legit they will do crimes toguether and im happy for them

Legit they would fight and then go on with their day and thats probably their comunication now that I think about it.

Thomas i s just one big puppy for his black cat and im like, hell yeah that shits great.

LiuAndre/KamishBros (Thomas Andre x Liu Zhigang)

(They were in fact, gay)

JinLee (Sung Jin-Woo x Lee Ju-Hee)

Oh so calm.

But at the same time *slams table* NEED CHEMISTRY PLEASE

I love them. I used to watch amv vids of them, they were lifeline

It was actually my first ship because I thought it was going to be end game

It wasnt and I was pretty sad

But their platonic friendship was also something I would have loved to see

Healing toguether? yes please!

Overcoming their strenghts? Yes please!

A fairly good wholesome male and female friendship? Id give you my entire homelife please im starving for that content.

Juhee becoming the third memeber too would have been so much better, she didnt need to do anything but the friendship between Jin-Ho, Ju-Hee and Jin-Woo would have been so wholesome to see legit.

Infierno (Sung Jin-Woo x Esil Radir)

Putting that tag name because of the Infierno tiktok with jinwoo and Esil and since there its been stuck in my mind

Just... They are partners in crime, they will always be partners in crime fr.

These bitches kill like its second nature

Im honestly quite fascinated by this ship. It gives "i will betray everything for you" vibes.

"I will destroy the world for you" vibes too

Demon x human is a hohoho for me too

Deal with the devil, and its the cutest devil ever

It would have also been fun of JinWoo helping her integrate into society, even when he too is like, super bad at it. bro only knows dungeons.

Yoosung (Sung Jin-Woo x Yoo Jin-Ho)

I JUST WANT TO SAY. WHOEVER IS DOING THESE CHIBI FANARTS OF THEM ON TWITTER.

I FREAKING LOVE YOU.

THANK YOU.

And dude its so wholesome id be willing to give up my money for it being canon too. Again its just the cutest thing ever and I love that for them.

They are sugar and spice and everything nice

They are my cold water in the mornings.

Sugar, sugar for real.

Bad blood (Sung Jin-Woo x Goto Ryuji)

Cuz

Cuz

They got bad bloo—

No actually i dont know how to put it as a ship name, sounds way too corny for these mfs, even this one.

But anyways

HOT DAMN how did they get away with making it this hot

Its legit so good im dying about it. I need to call someone to stop me from being addicted to this ship.

The shits so good mostly for the middle aged freaking dilf.

Its like- its like really good.

Gourmet shit

The way I get whipped by these too.

Huh good for them. These bitches got it all:

Rivals, benefit partners, swicharo and it will still look good, their power dynamic is even jucier than anyone in this list.

Like you cant get better than this (you can)

They got a dilf bro. Look at this man! Look at freaking sugar baby-able Jin Woo is.

Look at how the enemies to lovers through sparring for reallllll

That aside, i do find it really fun just how versatile these two can be and since Goto is mainly an antagonist he does have quite a lot of room for development that can turn into good character growth if executed perfectly. Said arcs can also be good for Jin Woo since it lets him latch on to more of his kinder or humane side, as well as having a room to talk with, favorably more expirienced adults about things he doesnt know. Like legit Jin Woo could use a lot of guides through this sudden life changing shift, not just through new and more powerful fights but a drastic economic change to his daily life and how to balance it.

There are a lot of more expirienced and stronger people out there, yes, but Goto fits in there better than Liu, Christopher or Thomas who mainly look like they are ready to fight everytjing that comes their way rather than be some sort of mentor to anyone. Whereas others like Lennart dont have much interaction with him, and by the end of Jeju JinWoo has basically outcompeted the others in Korea so he might want to look for stronger international power level type partners.

it also adds a lot of flavor for me towards Jin Woos relationships with other people since we see that he will instantly kill anyone that wrongs him, and yet there would be Goto who he is dating while constantly being degrated by the man, not in a bad way really, just nagging him about doing things the wrong way in wife mode and him learning from that.

Dilf tsundere is also good 🤌

ChaLee (Cha Hae-In x Lee Ju-Hee)

wlw wins this one

Thay would make such a cute couple

For the sake of Hae In its really hard for her to pair her with someome else due to her smell, but the ship is still cute as heck, and it wouldnt be soo bad if maybe Ruler! Ju-Hee uwu just a thought uwu

Hae in could help Ju Hee also overcome her fears of the monsters. They both would like habe a safe place withing each other

Its so sugar i swear

Diabetes

Diabetes

MagicTank (Lennart Niermann x Thomas Andre)

OH HELL YEAH

Bro that looks so cool you so genius for this

Bro the height and body difference

Bro the everything difference

Bro the way Lennart saved Thomas from a freaking Monarch I lobe you my baby boy have the card for character with the biggest balls in this series muak

Bro the way it would also look so cute cuz i picture Lennart always having a soft german accent that still has its serious tone to it

And then there is thomas who is anything but serious

Bro it would be so cute thinking how soft Thomas would be for Lennart meanwhile lennart is 24/7 more confused than anything about how the n1 strongest hunter suddenly laid eyes upon him, like out of nowhere.

He wasnt even in the top ten and yet Thomas just choose him???

Oh thatd be cute af

Draw sword (Goto Ryuji x Reiji Sugimoto)

Honestly it's freaking good

Like I didn't expect to gravitate into it and then I did. It was stuck in my mind ever since and this might just be from the fanfics

It also somehow seems to be far more wholesome than Goto/Jin-Woo huh.

I guess I get that found family vibe with the both of them taking care of the draw sword guild S ranks.

And that's cool I like that :v

Found family but they all a bunch of rats >>>>

MinLee (Min Byung Gyu x Lee Ju-Hee)

Mn yesss doctor x nurse ship mhm bros perfect.

I think the healing together part will actually be the cutest thing here and honestly they deserve their healing arc

They deserved so much better with everything imo

Sung Jin-Woo/Antares

....Edit: I am so sorry I accidentally clicked the post button again dammit!

More platonic than romantic:

JinYi (Han Song Yi x Sung Jin-Ah)

Cute and lovely, honestly I think this might be the only one that isn't shipped as much, but I like to do it because childhood friends is my favorite trope

Aura (Thomas Andre x Laura)

THIS

IS

MY

FAVORITE

FREAKING

FRIENDSHIP

EVER

Hell yeah to Laura and Thomas being thre friking best of friends.

They are just the freaking best

They have taken me away

I love this, I love the story just for this, this is like the biggest glow up due to how starve I am for any kind of man and female platonic friendship and this one is just Hella good, Hella perfect. I'm in fuking love with their friendship.

Number 1

Antares/Ashborn

EVERYONE OUT

This is the best thing ever made alright

Best thing ever

Top tier shit

A+

Will not elaborate

They are fucking soulmates

No one can take this away from me.

I crown every one who makes more of this ship

I bless you

I thank you

Bow down to you bro

And seriously this is like 100× filled with more potential for everything

EVERYTHING

They will live in my heart bitches.

#solo leveling #solo leveling manwha #the ashborn/anatares can also technically be jinwoo/anates since they both are one and the same now #but i like to refer the ship to it as ashborn/anatares when it was BEFORE the fight on earth and then jinwoo/antares after it #i am like filled with so many headcanon right now im sure its like 90% the reason why i love the ashborn/antares ship #still! I DIG THIS BITCH #sung jin woo #cha hae in #solo leveling spoilers #thomas andre #liu zhigang #woo jin chul #I COULDNT PUT THEM ALL IM SORRY THERE WERE TOO MANY #lennart niermann #lee juhee #sung jin woo x cha hae in #lee ju hee x sung jin woo #esil radiru #sung jin woo x woo jin chul #goto ryuji #solo leveling igris #solo leveling beru #choi jong in #baek yoon ho #yoo jinho #sung jin ah #han song yi

[serpentinespider]

Earth-6198 Flash ref!! Yippee!!

His appearance and personality are based almost entirely off of MCU Flash (with some of my own personal touches obviously), though the reasons he acts the way he acts are different. I also took several aspects from the comics, story-wise. He’s probably the character I’ve put the most thought into for this AU. I love him dearly :]

Abbreviated info under the cut! (It’s still pretty long, though.) Content warning for ableism.

I wouldn’t call Flash a bully exactly, because that would imply aggression; he’s just, well, a teenage boy. He also comes from a pretty wealthy family, which makes him entitled, plus his parents don’t really give him any positive attention. He makes insensitive jokes and generally tries to keep himself as the center of attention because he’s insecure and seeks approval from his peers. Will do pretty much anything to be liked, and if that fails he’ll act out for attention. He’s very resentful of anyone he considers to be smarter or “better” than him. Flash has a running rivalry with Harry Osborn. Harry is somewhat GNC, has stereotypically “cringe” interests, and is disabled (t1d) so he’s an easy target for Flash’s mean jokes. (Flash thinks that he’s “allowed” to make ableist jokes at others’ expense because he himself is disabled.) 

Flash has cerebral palsy which affects his fine motor skills and ability to walk. His parents got him into physical therapy as early as possible, and he responded well to it— but not well enough for their liking. In Harrison Thompson’s mind, the goal wasn’t to improve Flash’s quality of life, but to “fix” him. Flash grew up with his parents constantly looking down on him, insinuating that his disabilities were his own fault. Sentiments like “you just have to work harder to compensate; if you fall behind, it’s because you’re not trying hard enough” were common. He’s taken that mentality to heart, and has very little self-worth + large amounts of pent-up stress and anger that he takes out at anyone else who is also “abnormal” (hence his meanness towards Harry). 

He has also latched onto Spider-Man as a more… positive(?) reflection of these feelings— his father, who’s a police chief, hates Spidey, so liking him is like Flash’s small way of going against the stuff his parents say (even if it’s subconscious/he doesn’t fully know that’s why). 

In sophomore year, Flash dated Felecia Hardy. They were the world’s most obnoxious couple, always getting in very public fights, breaking up but then getting back together dramatically a week later, etc. Felecia and Flash both have huge crushes on Spider-man, leading Flash to have a sexuality crisis and Felecia to break up with him for good after a few months of dating.

Black Cat was commissioned by an anonymous benefactor to steal an “alien clone” from Alchemax… she’d never done anything NEARLY on that level, but she was being offered a lot of money so she agreed. She did manage to steal the thing, but the deal fell through, and suddenly she had one lab-grown alien and no money to show for it.  At a loss for anything else to do, panicking a little, Felicia dumped the alien onto the only person she could think of: her ex-boyfriend Flash. 

Now, despite what his parents might tell him, Flash is very smart, and figured out what the thing was. Flash is, at first, very hyped about this. His first thought is, of course, to become a vigilante like his idol Spider-Man. Flash has a strong desire to be useful— not in the “I want to help other people” sense but in the “I need to prove to others that I have worth” sense. So, he crafted the Anti-Venom identity for himself!

Around this time, Spider-Man was in the process of fighting his first big villain, Hobgoblin, so the two ended up teaming up to try and take her down (in the least violent way possible). This caused some internal conflict for both Flash and Spidey… 

Flash centered his whole identity around "fitting in" to the point that he actually has no identity of his own. He doesn’t know what he likes, he has no concept af his own style outside of mimicking others that he sees as influential, obviously the most prominent of these being Spider-Man. Which obviously comes with its own twisted irony since Spidey himself is so insecure in his own masculinity (mainly because he’s trans). The two of them were sort of trapped in this feedback loop of insecurity and validation when they first teamed up... Spidey longs for connection, but was unable feel comfortable around Flash as he felt like he has to perform to live up to Flash’s expectations. Meanwhile Flash had based his whole personality off of liking Spider-Man and put on this macho facade to try and impress him. But that just made Spidey feel more inferior, afraid he isn’t passing well enough, etcetera… their dynamic made even more complex by Flash’s very obvious (and unrequited) crush on Spidey.  They’re awful, I love them :3

#Flash Thompson #earth-6198 #fishy art #Anti-Venom #symbiote

[mxsoyo]

Watching every Dracula adaptation! #2

Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi

Next up is the first authorised film adaptation of Dracula. The movie is actually based on a play adaptation from 1924, which explains some of the changes they made.

Should you watch it? Yes, but not for the reasons you might think. The movie is very funny (not intentionally), great to watch with friends. It is also free to watch on the Internet Archive. It is still recognizably the story of Dracula, but a lot of the details have been changed, especially the characters, so beware of that if that bothers you.

↓ Character and Story Changes + notable moments under the keep reading. ↓

Character Changes: -Renfield takes up Jonathans role of the young solicitor traveling to Transylvania in the beginning of the movie. Until he is put under Draculas influence where goes back to his book version after that. Dwight Fryes performance as essentially both Jonathan and Renfield are both very entertaining. Like that man is giving 200%. -With Bela Lugosi starring as Dracula, this movie was definitely the starting point of the sexy-fication of the character. Even thought I think this Dracula has even worse social skills than his book counterpart. -Mina is actually Jack Seward’s daughter in the movie, I assume this change was made to explain why the main characters would be hanging around at the sanatorium. Personality wise she is a bit blander than her book counterpart, partially because she spents a good chunk of her screen time under Draculas influence. -John Harker (just John, not Jonathan in this version) has been definitely changed for the worse. They made him the sceptic that doesn’t understand what is going on and is constantly doubting Van Helsings advice. He feels a bit more like a douchy version of Arthur than Jonathan. -Like I said, Jack Seward is Mina’s father in this version and is the character in name only and in the fact that he owns a sanatorium. -Lucy (her surname has been changed to Weston) is a single girl since Arthur and Quincey don’t appear. She has a stronger interest in the macabre and has a small crush on Dracula (despite everything about him). -Van Helsing gets a lot of good lines in the movie, he seems a lot less eccentric, and Dracula remarks that he has heard of him. But he is not yet the badass expert vampire hunter later movies make of him. -The movie also added two prominent characters the sanitarium worker Martin the and nurse Briggs, which both serve as a kind of comic relief. Story Changes: -As far as I know this is the first time the female vampires (Draculas roommates) are referred to as his wives. -We get a lot more scenes from the point of view of Dracula -Dracula actually introduces himself to the main characters as their next door neighbour and casually comes over for conversation before they find out he’s a vampire -Lucy dies very shortly after being introduced, but the plotline of the gang trying to keep her alive was given to Mina instead - The ending is surprisingly anticlimactic. They find Dracula lying in his coffin in Carfax Abbey, Van Helsing kills him off-screen, while John looks for Mina. -Afterwards Van Helsing also says they should leave without him, they do and then the movie just ends

Notabel Moments: -The movie starts with Swan Lake out of all songs and then is dead silent when it comes to background music afterwards -The opossums and armadillos (classical Romanian wildlife)

-this GIANT BEE (totally not a normal sized Bee jerusalem cricket in a miniature coffin)

-The BATS!!! Oh my god the spirit halloween bats! The bat driving the carriage?! -the spirit halloween plastic spider on a string -”I never drink... wine.” is such an iconic line, that I was surprised it’s not from the book, this also goes for ”the strength of the vampire is that people will not believe in him” -The best scene in cinema history! I cant do it justice by explaining it, you’ll have to watch it yourself, it’s at 1:03:20

Next Up: Dracula (1958) starring Christopher Lee

#if anyone has any tips on how I could improve these reviews #like the structure and stuff #let me know #dracula daily #dracula 1931 #bela lugosi #dracula #dracula adaptations

[doodlesanddrabbles]

Astarion's witty humour and elfin features had bewitched me mind and soul since the Early Acess, so of course Leshana's beau was going to be him.

Inspite of her genuine and helpful nature, Astarion did initially become fond of her ability to snark back and cut through other people's BS (when she's not calling out his own BS, that is)*.

Leshana meanwhile, was always the type to befriend weird loners at college so upon seeing this prickly hissing wet cat of a man would initially approach him to make him feel welcome in this hostage situation friend circle, and when he approached her for sex, decided that since she could die tomorrow why not? She fell first but was just as surprised as Astarion was when she also caught feelings for him.

Breakdowns of these points under the cut.

Template (c) @arcandoria

Other Leshana Templates

Leshana the character

Moodboard

(Extroverted vs Introverted) As mentioned above, Leshana always made an attempt to befriend the friendless at college, and honestly I guess any Tav has to be a little extroverted to communicate with any of the party. Astarion's extrovertism is mostly performative.

(Agreeable vs Argumentative) Leshana isn't afraid to call out someone when she see's bullshit, but otherwise does her best to keep an open mind to many things, asking Shadowheart or Lae'zel questions about Shar and Vlakith or taking part in the Lovitar's Pain Ritual , it comes in part of constantly molding herself to be what people expected her to be growing up. Honestly Astarion's a good influence on her in this reguards in getting her to be a little more selfish and less agreeable at times.

(Sensitive vs Hardened) Putting Leshana that far in sensitive is probably a bit mean, but most of me sharing screenshots of her amongst friends is pointing out how 90% of the time she looks like she's moments away from crying because someone was mean to her. Astarion, however, is rather numb to some of these things.

(Tactful vs Blunt) A bard with a level 1 Charisma Score of 17, Leshana is a people person used to manuvering her way through any social situation she finds herself in. Astarion likes to think he's just as charming and tactful as her, but oftentimes falls short and is just as fast to simply call an idiot and idiot when needed.

(Overprotective vs Chill) Leshana has had this entire party for two months or so but is already out for blood on everyone who made their backstories tragic, Cazador being top of that list. Astarion finds himself not entirely lying when trying to convince her that him Ascending would work in him protecting her, too.

(Secretive vs Outspoken) Astarion always voicing how much of a pain everything is, Leshana keeps a lot of her own troubles bottled up inside until she dies.

(Formal vs Casual) Leshana's Noble upbringing means that she's still trying to unlcench her pearls in some situations, again, Astarion's influence is helping her loosen up a little.

(Gifts vs Favours) Leshana wouldn't be doing half of these side quests for the party if their love language wasn't acts of service just a little bit, but also, Leshana is loaded and once she can get to her family estate and bank account the party won't want for anything ever again. Astarion however, has spent 200 years with nothing so all he knows to give is himself and favours. He's going to enjoy being spoilt rotten.

(Music) Leshana is a bard, so being able to draw an audience and let everyone hear what she's doing--or hearing a good performance on it's own--is what she's looking for. Astarion feels like the type who enjoys a nice quiet ambient music.

(Brawls vs Brains) A lot of Astarion's initial approval points for Leshana was her ability to talk her way into or out of situations and avoid unessicary conflict. He might not be as slick or as smooth as Leshana, but that doesn't mean he doesn't appreciate her brain.

(Reserved vs PDA) Leshana is a cutesy bubbly girl who just wants to smooch and cuddle her boyfriend but also respects that he'd appreciate her asking first. Outsider's looking in might think it's a case of her being a lot more into him than he is, but in truth with Astarion it's the little things he does that mean the world to both of them.

(Submissive vs Dominant) IDK what to put here, this is just my own vibes of Leshana having no idea what she's doing so let's her partner take the lead in tandem with Astarion allowing himself take control of his sexuality. IDK man.

(Cute vs Hot) Leshana is the cutest woman in the upper city, Astarion is the hottest man in Baldur's Gate. Whatever Dhampir hellspawn they might have will cause riots in the streets just by batting their eyelashes.

(Kinky vs Vanilla) For a bard, Leshana was basically a virgin when Astarion first propositions her**, and when talkign to the Madam at the brothel, get's visably flustered enough to get teased for blushing by her. Astarion is figuring out just what he likes in the bedroom moving forward.

*Amazing that my babygirl consistantly rolled good insight checks on party members but always failed to notice traps. She'd be dead without Astarion pulling her by the cape out of wayward mines and tripwires.

** Does Head and hand stuff in college count as sex?

#oc #Leshana Tavaris #Astarion #baldurs gate 3 #Tav #my tav #OTP #dnd #bard #college of lore #half elf #bg 3

[radioactive-earthshine]

I didn't know you were into middle Earth and it makes me happy. I am curious about a young justice au where they are all from works of Tolkien. How do you think that might be like?

Okay. Instead of wrapping my brain around the logistics of time placement for this AU this is what I would start with.

I apologize this is going to contain Tolkien terms some people are not just going to get.

I have no idea what 'age' this should be in - I would have to think on that and rework things appropriately. I wrote this from the perspective of it being in the first age but now I am not so sure if that would be entirely appropriate and the second age would be more fitting. Everything you read here should be considered brain storming, not even a rough draft.

Kon - he is going to be an Ainur hybrid. For those unfamiliar with Tolkien's works the Ainur are people that would have the closest approximation to having superpowers. In this case I feel that Kon would either be 1.) an Ainur/Quendi hybrid like Luthien or 2.) an Ainur/Orc hybrid - because it would stir up the worst drama and I like orcs so I am biased. In both cases he would have a tie to Melkor/Morgoth because if he was an Ainur/Quendi that Ainur I believe would be a follower of Morgoth. Either way, Kon is going to have to spend time being exploited while working persistently to prove that he can be trusted. This also can keep the refugee/immigrant narrative intact.

Bart - you all know damn well the only option for him is to be an Ainur, most specifically a Maiar likely under Nessa. I would imagine that he would be curious and constantly leaving the confines of Aman to see what Middle Earth is all about. Alternatively, he could be part of the select group of Ainur that just decided to stick around in Middle Earth and not depart it at all for Aman. He doesn't understand why Ainur aren't mopping up Morgoth's messes, they released him after all! Maybe he had to leave Aman and he can't go back (or feels like he can't) because he can't for xyz reason.

I do not know how to make the time travel aspect work.

Cassie - she is an elf. Most specifically she is Teleri and her family did not go to Aman. Her family with all the other Quendi that chose to remain in Middle Earth have been fighting Morgoth's dark forces for hundreds of years. They are well seasoned warriors and are deeply upset that Morgoth himself is back in the world and those damn Noldor are kicking the hornets nest with him over and over again when they had him mostly contained. Either way, because they have several hundred thousand new Noldor kin in their land diplomacy and understanding is on the forefront of her family's mind. She also secretly thinks that direct assaults on Morgoth/forces of darkness is actually the right thing to do because they have just been putting band-aids on everything for centuries. Not everyone agrees with her.

Tim - he's a man. This is not something to sneer at because the race of men in Tolkien are not really like humans today, they are their own species and other species are generally a little spooked by them. Where did they come from? Where do they go? They live so little and yet so much. They are brave and foolish. Anyway, he's been raised among Moriquendi for his entire life. He knows their ways, their language. Their fighting techniques. If he had a choice about everything he'd rather work with his hands and hold a pen than a dagger but this is the sort of life that happened. He's fond of the Khazad. Note: he could also very easily be a Numenorian and that path might translate the best for his character but again I typed this out with restrictions of the first age.

I'm going to stop there so it doesn't get too long but just with surface mind gremlins nibbling at this concept this is sort of what I have to try to make this workable.

#core four #young justice #cassie sandsmark #tim drake #bart allen #kon el #to make this au a proper au would require more work than i have time for

[crows-home]

Do you sometimes wonder if Maria had oldest daughter síndrome ™ and what was going through her head while they were haunting down his little baby brother who she never was able to protect and knows how poorly he is treated by everyone else but her ?

hooooo boy ok. i have so many thoughts about Maria Robotnik anon. You're lucky i have free time right now to ramble.

THIS ENDED UP SO MUCH LONGER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD SORRY LMAOOOO

Maria is somewhat of a blank slate, no? at least, she was in the beginning. Her main purpose was "tragic backstory." and there's something to be said about girls/women in media and their only roles being support for the male characters and their arcs. but those are big conversations that other people are more verbose in digging into. also i'm sleepy.

Maria, to me, has always been a blank slate. If not, she's always been the "perfect, proper, glass child." Poor Maria, so soft-spoken, so kind, but sick. She died sacrificing herself, don't you feel bad for her?

i don't think Maria has eldest daughter syndrome. It's something adjacent, though. It's a suppression of emotions, especially negative ones, that can be seen as eldest daughter syndrome. It's the expectations that have been put on her, by herself, to be kind, be courteous, be good.

Because Maria has a terminal illness, perhaps since she was born. The people in her life care about her so much, her grandfather takes her to space because it lessens her condition, there is a massive project going on to save her life!!

Maria doesn't get to be sad. She doesn't get to be angry. She can't show any of these emotions, can't scream and cry about how unfair all this is, can't speak out against people talking like they've already lost her when she's right fucking here. She can't be "difficult". Because her family has given so much to her, for her. They're so sad when they look at her, she can tell. So, I think, Maria puts this pressure on herself. To smile and be happy and positive, so as to not worry or bother anyone.

Children do that, when they perceive themselves to be a burden. It doesn't matter if they're explicitly told that or not. Maybe the adults in their life tell them "God, taking care of you is so expensive. Do you know how much better things would be if you weren't here?" Or maybe their family is loving, but at the end of the day, they see their parents struggling to pay bills, struggling to put food on the table, and wonder "Is it because of me? Am I weighing them down?"

So they become what I like to call "low-maintenance." Never taking more than is needed, because they're hyper aware of the resources they're taking. They make sure to stay happy and agreeable, because they don't want to cause trouble or bother anyone.

In my head, this is where Maria was at. She was happy, sure! No doubt, she loved her family and her grandfather and she loved Earth so much, so desperately did she want to be a part of it.

But she could never talk about the ugly bits. About her anger and frustration and even the depressing thoughts.

I think she started to with Shadow.

Here's her little brother, this little guy that was born from a test tube to be her cure, but has a soul all his own. Who she could talk to about these tough things.

"I sometimes wonder why I was created," Shadow might say.

And Maria, her soul aching, understands.

They come to their own conclusions, on the ARK, about who they are. Shadow is treated like an experiment, a pet, a thing, rarely ever with respect. By most, except for Maria. Maria looks at Shadow and sees family.

With Shadow, she can be moody. She can be snappy. Shadow can be silly and as unserious as he wants without constantly being under the proverbial magnifying glass. They are siblings, that's what they do!!! They don't have to put up this front like they do in front of other people. They don't have to be perfect when they're around each other.

"I feel guilty," Maria might say. Her voice might quiver and shake, like she's admitting something damning. "For existing, sometimes."

Shadow, absolutely floored by the admission that his sister is not always happiness and sunshine, understands.

I love headcanons and aus where Maria is allowed to be just a Weird Little Girl or really get into what she might have been into (goth, macabre, art, etc.) It gives her depth. It gives her life.

So I imagine all this, all the ways this young girl kept herself amicable and calm and pleasant, because she's so afraid of being anything but. Then I imagine all of it coming away when she's with her brother.

Then I imagine her running down the hall, grabbing his hand as the alarms blare. She is filled with love and hope for a world that she was never sure she would get to see. But by God, Shadow will see it. I imagine that there was always the possibility of death looming over her life, and the bullet just sealed it. I imagine the guilt that she feels when she pushes the button that sends him down. I imagine the fear and sadness she feels at the thought of him being alone, ultimately knowing there's nothing she can do. But hoping it was enough.

#answers #pobre payasito #sth #maria robotnik #sorry anon idk if this is what u were expecting #did i project a little? whos to say. #look if i think about maria and shadow too long i will cry #i have a wip thats just of maria. about her life and what she might have gone through. i need to finish it... #sorry my words arent very pretty. this is sloppy. my brain is mush and im really tired but. i needed to get this out. #i think about maria robotnik so much. theres so much i didnt include in this post. im too tired to. #but i mainly focussed on the eldest sister thing and what she was thinking about with shadow #ok gn everyone

[cleric4vampire]

hi hello appearing unhinged in your ask box again on main like a young, wide-eyed and willing to learn page asking questions of their philosopher master:

where do you think all the companions align on a submissive/dominant scale (esp with your characters)?

i trust your judgment WITH MY LIFe

LMAOOO you put me on the spot with this one and I love you for it

the way I had to pull out pen and paper just to get my thoughts in order 💀

SO obligatory preface — the only romance I've completed is spawn!Astarion's, so I'm sure my headcanons will change in the future when I've played through the others and don't have to only base my opinion on the snippets I've seen, how their platonic relationships are, their personalities, etc.

overly long explanations continued under cut; nsfw obviously (plus cw for brief discussions of trauma and also story spoilers)

Companions:

Astarion: I personally believe Astarion is a dom, judging by his personality, his history, and his behavior in his romance scenes. I think even without his experience as a vampire spawn, he'd still employ the dominant role; however, after the 200 years of trauma he's suffered, the need for it increases a hundredfold. I don't think he had the freedom to choose pre-tadpole. Astarion did whatever he had to do to ensure he had a victim to take back to Cazador, which is heartbreaking.

Post-tadpole, I think being the one in control when seducing Tav/Durge/one of the companions helps him feel a modicum of safety in a situation that he might not necessarily put himself in if he knew he didn't have to. I absolutely think he'd eventually (like post-game) be comfortable as a switch with the right kind of emotional processing and preparation, done both on his own and as a couple. Shadowheart: Shadowheart is a tried and true switch. She says in Act 1 that she prefers casual sexual relationships over long-term ones; I think in such situations she'd probably prefer the more dominant role (the Sharran coming through). However, in the future (especially in the Selunite path), if she's with someone she loves and feels safe with, she'd enjoy letting someone else take care of her. She comes across as someone who needs the catharsis that letting go of control can bring. Gale: IMO Gale is a switch who is incredibly accommodating to the needs of his partner, so I think he can play both roles with much enjoyment and enthusiasm. He likely has more experience on the submissive side of the scale considering his one serious relationship was with a whole ass goddess, and I doubt Mystra was letting him like. lead her around on a leash or something lmfao The thing is I don't think it would take much for him to feel comfortable being the dom becauseit's clear he has a desire for power; he is resentful about what happened between him and Mystra (though he tries to hide it behind his *genuine* regret), he wants to scurry out from under the thumb of gods, and he wants to become a formidable wizard (again), if not a god himself. Gale has a darker (dark =/= bad) side that would take pleasure in being the one in control. He struggles with his self-worth; knowing that his partner trusts him in such a way would be a huge deal to him. Ultimately I think his natural inclination would be to put his partner first however; he wants to wow and worship them. Lae'zel: I see Lae'zel as a dom; she's clear and transparent and a warrior in both the battlefield and the bedroom. She knows what she wants and she will be aggressive in her taking of it. However, she doesn't want a partner that is constantly bowing their head at her; she wants an equal - someone she can trust at her back, someone she believes is powerful and formidable. That is the mark of a worthy lover to her. So perhaps she's at her happiest when there's a push-and-pull dynamic going on. I think with the right person she would totally be a worshipping sub type (cough cough Shadowheart), and also she would really enjoy being praised and worshipped in turn (she deserves some softness pls). Minthara: Skipping Minthara because I've only had her as a companion in one playthrough that is still on Act 2 😂 (I will know more about you soon my love... one day...) Wyll: I think Wyll would technically be a switch, though because he's more traditional when it comes to sexual matters (and is still young), he'd explore those roles in a much more subtle way. He needs time to figure out what he enjoys and feels comfortable with. Karlach: Karlach is a switch IMO; however, her most important goal is to have fun and feel close to her sexual partner, so whatever facilitates that is what goes. Though I do think she leans a bit more dominant. Despite her being very open with her sexuality, she probably doesn't have much in the way of sexual experience due to her youth (like Wyll) and her particular circumstances. I can't speak for her time before Avernus, but I believe at one point she says she kept everyone at a distance during her ten years in the Hells.

Though she puts up a front in the beginning of the game, I think emotional connection and intimacy is very important to her. Halsin: My headcanon is that Halsin is a switch, but he falls into the extreme of both sides; when he's subbing, he's devoting every little bit of his energy in making sure his partner is has an earth-shattering experience, with little care for his own pleasure; when he's domming, he's in full primal mode and he's going to take what he wants. 💀 (But at the end of the day, even that animalistic desire that drives him is in service to his partner; their enthusiastic consent, safety, and comfort is most important to him.)

My characters:

tav!Aune: In the beginning (pre Act 2 confession), I think her and Astarion would actually butt heads when it comes to vying for control. Aune has a similar background in regards to loss of free will, so she's also reluctant to be in the submissive role. (funnily enough I already took character building notes on this, so this following bit is from that lmao)

By the time she realizes the depth of her feelings for Astarion, all of that fighting falls away for her, and she's completely okay with placing herself in his hands. It actually ends up being very cathartic to give up control; to know she can trust him to respect her sovereignty and keep her safe. It ends up being a lesson about submission by force vs. submission by choice. It's a profound experience for her. So basically both Astarion and Aune start as doms and end up as switches, but the former still prefers the dom role more.

Idk how it worked out this way, but despite tav!Aune being the "most" polyamorous of my characters, she has the least amount of sexual interaction with the other companions adfkljfdl so the only other person I can comment on with her in particular is Shadowheart. They never sleep together but they have that homoerotic besties thing going on 😂 Hypothetically, if they were to have sex... because they're both clerics they come with the complementary worship kink lmao so I think they'd both be switches with each other and take turns being heretical 💀

durge!Aune: She is demisexual and not polyamorous. Her relationship to sex is practically non-existent post-tadpole as a result of losing her memories, as as well as the trauma of dealing with the Urge. Ironically, (and perhaps tragically), it's the Urge's influence & desire for Astarion that brings that part of herself back to life. Still, in the beginning, she actually finds it repulsive to be close to him, much less entertain the idea of sleeping with him. But eventually she does (as a spur of the moment decision) and finds that it wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be. One substantial reason for that is that she feels "desire" and "hunger" when she's intimate with him for the first time; two emotions she thought exclusive to the Urge. It's a relief to her that it isn't, and she wants to chase that feeling.

When the pair go through the Act 2 night when she tries to kill him, everything changes. (This is pre-confession.) Aune's disgusted with herself for her actions and is scared it will happen again, but she also realizes that Astarion cares for her; she puts her emotional guard down at last.

Both versions of Aune had the same upbringing up until they were 12 years old, so they have a lot of the same baggage and don't like to give up power. However, weirdly enough, durge!Aune finds it easier to completely and totally release control to Astarion at this point. Exercising TOTAL control over herself is her ~thing~ due to being Durge, and yet, with him, she doesn't feel like she has to. (well she still needs to control the murderous urges but I mean everything else 😂) So, essentially, durge!Aune does not have a dominant bone in her body when it comes to Astarion lmao. She is the subbiest sub to ever live. Which is hilarious because she isn't like that with the only other people she's slept with:

Gale - They slept together once. There wasn't much of a dom/sub dynamic that night, but the actual sex was good for both of them. (The aftermath, however, was not.)

Gortash - 😏 ldfjd;lf Though Aune and Gortash fooled around a LOT much to the disappointment of the three daddies (Bhaal, Bane, and Ketheric), they only had sex a couple of times. Aune would never ever let Gortash be anything but her sub. If he gets a little feisty or bratty (in or out of the bedroom), it's because she's allowing him. 💀 In general I am a sub Gortash truther tbh but I can see him as a dom as well and understand/enjoy the appeal of that!

Lae'zel - The pair don't have a sexual relationship. However!!! Aune is very much a "Whatever I say goes, we're doing what I think is the best idea, and if anyone has any qualms about that, they can meet the end of my blade" kind of person, EXCEPT when it comes to Lae'zel. She will defer to Lae'zel in almost all matters (and it perplexes the other companions endlessly). So if they were to sleep together, Aune would be a sub with her.

Minthara - Aune doesn't have very many approval points with her yet but I totally see them with the same sort of homoeroticism between tav!Aune and Shadowheart 😂 (okay I'm now coming to the realization that even though durge!Aune is technically a dom (minus with Astarion) and prefers men/masc people (but is bi/pan!), in all the hypothetical situations with women she is always a sub. LMAO this says nothing about me at all, nope)

Lethe: Lethe is pan and polyamorous but thinks Gale is the best thing ever invented and will kiss the ground he walks on. So they have no problem whatsoever with Gale being their one and only. Like genuinely Lethe somehow simultaneously has starry-eyes and heart-eyes for the wizard. If you couldn't tell, they would absolutely default to being submissive with Gale, but in truth they are a switch so I think the pair would have fun going back and forth.

BONUS ROUND: My blue tiefling Vir (I still owe you an introduction to him!!!) who romances Lae'zel is a lot like Lethe is with Gale. He fell for Lae'zel within minutes of meeting her. Like head over heels. He will do anything to make her happy as long as it means he can metaphorically put a ring on that finger 😂 Literally the picture that just popped into mind is Vir being Lae'zel's step stool so she can reach something on a high shelf and he just has the biggest dumbest smile on his face because OF COURSE he is happy to be a piece of furniture for his heart's desire 🥰 lmaooo

Soluwae!! She's definitely a dom and that comes entirely from her role as the head of her cult. She's practically revered by the other cultists and has been trained to feel most at home in a position of leadership; taking control, being assertive, and staying calm and cool throughout it all. Giving orders comes naturally to her, and receiving them does not feel "right" in the slightest. She does not take well to being commanded. Soluwae has had a lot of sexual relationships in her years but no romantic ones; she's never fallen in love (specifically, has never allowed herself to). Of course ALL of this changes when she meets one Minthara Baenre.... 😌

#if I am the aged philosophical master in this scenario then I just turned to a puff of dust after writing this #I made it SOOOO NEEDLESSLY LONG lmfao I am so sorry #I don't even know if this is what you were looking for? my brain was just like *happy happy happy type type type* and now we're here #I actually had rearrange and rewrite some stuff because initially I focused too much on the OCs akdfjdfk I am nothing if not predictable #AGAIN there's a lot I don't know so don't take this too seriously #It might be fun to revisit this later in the year to see how my opinions might have changed #oc: aune #oc: durge!aune #oc: lethe #oc: vir #oc: soluwae #bg3

[changelingsandothernonsense]

Doing a pov game is hard/ Double-speak Fic Writer's Tag.

Got tagged by both @paraparadigm and @mareenavee in this little game that gives interesting food for thought when it comes to POV characters in fics. I have zero training in this sort of thing so I'll just word vomit for Sydari and Teldryn (coz those will be the two POVs that appear in Serious Mistakes). Anyways have fun. It's long again so I've put it under the cut.

Sydari

What do they say they want? (i.e., what are the desires they put out into the world and have no trouble admitting)

Sydari will say she wants to amass as much wealth and influence as possible, she likes to put forward a harsh, greedy exterior whilst simultaneously using a pseudonym to accomplish such feats. She doesn’t know what she wants outside of a frantic attempt to make a space for herself to comfortably exist in the world. She says she wants an easier life, yet she self-sabotages any aspect of that desire that shows its head. She wants to be respected but only if that means someone fears an idea of her. She wants to project a persona of someone to never cross because she’s so used to being messed with that she wears her dissociation as armour. She demands respect, but only as far as the persona she puts out there will allow.

    What do they think they want? (i.e., what are the desires they keep hidden and only admit to their closest loved ones)

She wants to be accepted for who she is but is too afraid of what that might involve. She wants the stability of a permanent home and a family, though the thought of that also terrifies her. She’s afraid of losing loved ones simply because she thinks that if they find out who she really is deep down they’d be disgusted and want nothing to do with her. She’s never been given a reason to not think that, so she presents everyone with a version of herself that she thinks they’ll like. A thief with no morals, a helpful friend who cares, a woman who’s interested in your day, an amorphous force constantly monitoring the underbelly of society and eventually a legendary dragon slayer (her least favourite). Maybe she’s all these things or none of them at all. She wants a concrete version of herself, she wants stability, she wants to feel loved. But she doesn’t know who she is enough to take charge of this desire, so she’ll sabotage everything that even resembles it.

She wants to have a redo of her disastrous first marriage, she thinks she’s found the one who clicks in every single way but she’s afraid he’ll abandon her as soon as he sees the real her. He won’t (he's too far in his own head for that) but it doesn’t stop her from worrying that he’ll leave as soon as he learns anything about her that isn’t surface-level. Yet he sticks around, he’s a mess who also likes to hide behind a mask, perhaps more so than she does. Really he sees her as a relief.

    What do they actually want? (i.e., what is something they subconsciously need, but either do not realize or cannot admit it)

Sydari needs to learn self-acceptance and forgiveness first and foremost (this goes for Teldryn too, they’re meant to work out their problems together). Yes, she also needs/craves that acceptance from others, but it needs to come from her first. She needs to realise that whilst everything that led up to her current circumstances is not necessarily her fault, she can take charge of her circumstances now. It’s so much easier for her to just flee, her natural reaction is to cut and run the moment anything goes wrong, but it always catches up to her eventually.

She needs to learn how to finish things definitively, so much interpersonal destruction and a million loose ends weigh heavily on her mind. She can’t create a solid sense of self when everyone has a different idea of who she is. She craves something tangible where there is none, so she fills the hole with things and shallow relationships that go nowhere. She needs something real, she needs to feel real.

Teldryn

    What do they say they want? (i.e., what are the desires they put out into the world and have no trouble admitting)

“To be left alone and forgotten” is how he’d explain it on bad days. Teldryn just wants to be left alone, he wants to be free from any and all expectations that have ever been placed upon him, and there’s always been a lot. He wants to be seen as just some strange mercenary that is easy to hire and fire at will. There’s a massive part of him that still craves excitement and attention, which is probably why he hasn’t just completely isolated himself from society yet. He has wealth, he doesn’t care much for or against it but it doesn’t bother him if he amasses more of it. He wants to impress others with his sword arm but not enough to gain any sort of following (he’s no teacher). He wants to be anonymous, so he wears a mask until that’s all he’s known for. He wants to be no one again.

    What do they think they want? (i.e., what are the desires they keep hidden and only admit to their closest loved ones)

Really what he wants is to forget the last 200 years of constant disaster. He does this mostly by drinking his memories into a slough of undefinable chatter and images, and when they reform into something tangible, he’ll go back and do it all over again. He wants to go back to his old life in Cheydinhal, before he answered his mother’s summons, before his crew betrayed him, before his arrest. He wants to go back to his idealised little house that he never actually owned, and he wants to pretend it was all a bad dream. He wants that tiny life as a small-time ebony smuggler (he likes excitement, he couldn’t stomach the merchant’s life that was set out for him and damned if he was going to try mining). He wants to brag to some pretty person in a tavern about how exciting his life is before taking them to bed and never calling on them again. He wants to enjoy feeling anything at all. He already tried to get rid of all of his Nerevarine artifacts, everything that reminded him of the worst time of his life, a time he barely remembers because he was not truly present for that. He gets rid of everything except that damned ring. He can’t make it budge, he wants rid of Nerevar’s voice constantly swimming around in his head. He wants to forget everything that has ever happened. He wants peace.

    What do they actually want? (i.e., what is something they subconsciously need, but either do not realize or cannot admit it)

Another case of self-forgiveness. Teldryn frets most about his failures, his failure to conform to his family’s expectations (nothing he could do would ever make them happy, so he rebelled instead), his failure to remake himself in Cyrodiil- twice. He frets most over his Nerevarine persona (one he hates and has tried so hard to remove himself from that he doesn’t really see himself as the same person, because technically it wasn’t even him in control, that’s the platinum revenge demon, that’s not him). To be honest, he doesn’t know, he remembers parts but it’s like someone is giving him a list of events and saying “Look here, that’s you, you did this!” and he just doesn’t recognise it at all.

He needs to forgive himself for not getting back to Vvadenfell in time to stop Baar Dau from falling. He was physically prevented from doing anything about it (Azura’s ultimate end game) and was on the other side of Tamriel when he first got the vision about it from Azura. He couldn’t do anything about it, not really but that doesn’t stop him from blaming himself for everything, he thinks he personally destroyed their entire civilisation. It doesn’t help that a large chunk of the population of Morrowind actually do blame him for it. Their Hortator abandoned them during the Oblivion Crisis (he did, he was playing swordsman in Bravil and stealing priceless metaphysical artifacts, he hid his face specifically so that no one could ask him to help). Then the Hortator abandoned them again when Red Mountain erupted, (he actually was helping evacuate refugees from a cave, it was a disaster, but he was there for the aftermath). He tried to fix things in his capacity as the Nerevarine but he just kept being met with disdain. So he hid and drank and wallowed in self-pity. He needs to forgive himself for those mistakes and move forward. He never considered finding his reflection in someone else, but he needed that too in a way.  

#Ask games #writing asks #torturing the birds #sydari aralen #teldryn sero

[laufire]

yesterday I finally finished my ARC of ✨ "When The Stars Alight"✨, and I have now posted reviews in goodreads and storygraph ^-^

(c&p under the cut)

I had the honour to receive an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

(this review might contain some very vague spoilers) 

The first thing that merits mentioning in this book is its prose. With an omniscient narrator and lush descriptions of the settings, the characters, and every grand or minute detail, reading it feels like being immersed in a vivid moving painting. I’d recommend the story to those of us who appreciate this kind of writing style; and to those who might be on the fence, I’d ask them to be open-minded, to take their time, and to welcome it in in order to enjoy everything else this story has to offer. I must also commend the artist that illustrated the beautiful cover, as well as the art inside the book, for aiding to the sensory experience. 

As for the book, I’m particularly enamoured with the worldbuilding. WTSA, and the universe it introduces us to as a first installment, can’t be called a typical fantasy story. If, like me, you both love this genre but tragically find yourself disappointed by how repetitive, superficial or conservative some of its examples can be, this book could be just what gets you out of that slump. The world it presents is utterly different from our own, with original fantasy species, each wonderfully distinctive. On the one hand you have Solarites: powerful star maidens fallen from the sky that benevolently rule over humans (some of them with magical abilities of their own) and other races like the sprites (another immortal race of monster slayers with a strong connection to nature); on the other you have the Occassi, a more demonic race in the artic. Here in particular the prose becomes indispensable, presenting two opposing races and their societies, constantly contrasting them with light/dark, life/death symbolism without falling into black and white thinking. From the matriarchal society lead by the Solarites, filled with more subtle (yet still dangerous) political power-plays, to the more patriarchal, militaristic Mortos; the luminosity and abundance of one setting and the more gothic, tenebrous and scarce environment of the other. As the lead travels from one to the other, we discover these differences with her. 

This leads me to the next point: this book puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to a matriarchal society, filling it with outstanding female characters and showing us women in power across all fields: diplomats, scientists, soldiers, etc. 

Laila, the protagonist, is the clear star. She’s delightful, curious, adventurous, with strong morals paired with a deep-seated insecurity. She’s also a political animal; charming, manipulative, with ambition that’s presented as a positive. Her optimism can be a sign of her youth and naivety, but born out of genuine compassion and want for progress. It all comes together into a lovely, complex lead character that I can’t wait to see grow and develop. 

Someone else I found unusual and fascinating was Amira, Laila’s mother. She’s powerful and seemingly untouchable, exacting, and the opposite of nurturing. Her influence over Laila is never-ending, both as her maternal figure and as her monarch, influencing all aspects of her life and looming over all of her relationships. 

Another one with key importance is Lyra, a sprite. She and Laila were past lovers, and in the present have a deep, sometimes difficult friendship that goes beyond most princess/lionheart dynamics. Lyra is irreverent, with a sturdy sense of justice that comes from sympathy for the underdog, and often the blunt warrior to Laila’s diplomat. 

Others that, while less prominent, still tell us a lot about the world are the Odakan scientists (whose part foreshadows what might come in future installments), full of excitement and purpose to change and explore the world; or Dr. Mielette, with a small part, but that offers insight into Solarite culture. We see less of the women in Mortos, so far, but they serve their purpose. In Vasilisa, the Regina, you can see the precarious, risky position of a woman who is ostensibly at the highest one of her kind can come in a misogynistic society. The looming absence of Serafina, the king’s former lover, or of Katerina, another blood sorcerer, both women who sought power outside society’s confines, contrasts with her. 

But Mortos’ most prominent representatives are the men in the Calantis family. Most significantly Darius, the male lead. He’s the king’s bastard and eldest son, resentful of his lesser position in court, and eager to retake the place he thinks he deserves. His more intellectual pursuits (he definitely incarnates the mad scientist archetype, a favourite of mine) haven’t always been of help among Occassi, who value brute force above all. He’s charming and sophisticated, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, which can fool others, audience included, into not fearing his monstrous nature. 

The other members of the family are Lanius, the tyrannical father and king opposing Laila’s diplomatic efforts, a poison in the family and the kingdom; and Dominus, the younger son and reluctant heir. Both brothers do take part in a love triangle with Laila, but it’s not your typical, never-ending F/M/M triangle; as someone who sometimes side-eyes such trope, I must say I appreciated how this one develops, with Laila’s differences in approach, in chemistry, and in the emotional risk she incurs in each relationship. Related to the love story, because I know this will be of interest: the book’s sex scenes are delightfully written, just as beautiful and descriptive as any other, steamy and evocative. 

To finish off, I’ll say that this story was perfectly crafted to appeal to both my baser and higher interests. Its world and its characters have raised quickly in my list of favourites, it makes me think and wonder and speculate about what will come next, and it will stay with me for a long, long time. If you enjoy this book half as much as I did, I recommend checking out the author’s page for any other related stories or materials.

#i use a different moniker on those sites but #might as well post it on main where more people might *actually* see it lol #and where i've been hyping this book already :D #books #bookblr #indie authors #indie books #book review #book recommendations #the essence of the equinox