#<- we're going to tag it as this because i'd like to keep these headcanons in the storyline ..

[lucabyte]

obligatory ramble about postcanon loop ask

also your art is amazing

Hiiiiiiiii :D thank you :)!!

and thank you for the excuse to post the. just absolute wall of text that i truncated down to form the tags of that post. (i did,,, hit the tag limit. i forgot tumblr had one of those...) so let me just paste that and tidy it up a bit...

I am putting this under a readmore because it's a bit long. but:

This is like. The General Context for all* of my postcanon doodles? (Except AUs obviously) Like this is the base idea I've been drawing them all in. So, feel free to backread with this in mind. I've basically had this 'postcanon' timeline set in my brain since finishing the game...

My general thoughts are that I like the idea of Loop (even if through dubiously ethical means) being able to slowly reintegrate with the party as a whole new person, because they are, in fact, their own person.

It's a muddle of thematic threads im pulling on and "wouldn't it be fucked up if", but. (at its core, it's powered by the fact that like, while narratively isat's theme of 'the only person who can truly take the first step to help you is yourself'. (wrt: loop helping the party help siffrin in act 5) which i LOVE AND IS GREAT NARRATIVELY…. would be super fucked up irl to learn that your friend 'learned as a lesson' while you stood by kinda uselessly. I know i'd be upset about it. but thats mostly background here. doesn't really come up. at least not until loop has to explain who they are and the party realises they had to fall back on literally themselves again for help, but i digress,)

The real core concept is: Occam's razor. It is like, inherently, a buckwild thing to accuse a person of being somehow a clone or copy of your friend. Even if they start vaguely alluding to a backstory it's far more likely they were some other person before all that. (I still think Odile has that theory in the back pocket but she's rational enough to know it's a really long shot without a solid explanation. and i think Loop deep down knows this, and would, if cornered into confessing, turn the situation around to go J'ACCUSE and make HER explain it instead. Ever longer dodging being direct with their emotions...)

And the party are nice! And if someone has changed and wants to keep stuff secret it's kind of not their business? (Though it's hard not to speculate… see: the main joke of the doodles) And they seem important to Siffrin so they just try to accept them abrasive quirks and all. And eventually the question of their prior identity just fades away since, well, they're Loop. Their friend Loop.

but yeah. personal headcanon is that a few months/weeks after picking up and getting aquainted with Nille** (since that was presumably the IMMEDIATE TASK postgame), Loop reappears (either after a literal period of nonexistance, or just spending a few months wandering the french countryside alone being attacked by wild dogs). Since Siffrin has had a while to be therapised by the party they're doing mostly okay, but Loop showing up and still being agitated/aggressive pulls them both into a bit of a backslide behaviourally and puts the party on the back foot again.

Hooowever, I do think that due to no longer being literally stewing in the worst pressure cooker of all time together, the two do mostly actually sort themselves out with productive conversation. (Via a cycle of: genuinely distressing argument -> weeeird lovebombing -> ok we're good -> repeat, that gets less intense over time)

Thus, allowing the party to just. Integrate loop as a new person. They and Siffrin shuffle into different ecological niches (Loop taking over stuff Siffrin is now too squeamish for, etc (see: hunting, mostly)), and while it's not exactly what Loop wanted they generally get that beggars can't be choosers and it's a pretty good deal. And the rest of the party does straight up just like them as a friend, especially when Loop quits trying to actively antagonise them after a few weeks of being around them, since they just can't keep up being mean to people they like forever.

As for how I think the truth eventually drags itself out. This is where I invoke The Isabeau Torment Nexus™. So its gonna get shippy here for a bit hold on.

Which is, I think giving them time before Loop reappears long enough that Siffrin and Iseabeau actually manage to become established, Isabeau has to be the one to nudge the pair of them and go. "Hey. You know we're in Vaugarde right. I'm okay with polyamory if we all communicate." Before Loop and Siffrin actually even acknowledge that whatever the fuck they have going on kinda looks a lot like a relationship of some kind. (or have already been agonising about that via fighting and arguing, depending) (Obviously this comes after Isa "Emotionally intelligent enough to keep a lid on the jealousy" Beau has managed to use that big brain of his to Not just go Scream somewhere on the daily because oh godddd they keep talking like theyre suicide-baiting each other jesus chriiist. is it overstepping his boundaries to bring that up?? god)

This, taking a bunch of the tension out of Loop and Isabeau's relationship (Since I imagine Loop is a. being weird for the obvious reasons and b. feeling kinda guilty about 'getting in the way of' Siffrin and Iseabeau), allows them to actually get close in a normal friend way. (I think an interesting turning point could be Isabeau actually taking Loop's side in an argument vs Siffrin, which would absolutely break Loop's brain. Especially if it's an argument that matters. Like what do you mean he isn't just going to play favourites. What?)

Then Isabeau, just actually open minded and charmed by Loop (and maybe even somewhat at Siffrin's suggestion?) tries to close the final open side on the polyamory triangle here and that's the final straw for Loop on "This lie by omission is too unethical to keep up, this is just actually sick and wrong. I can't do this while he doesn't know who I am." Though. Obviously it probably goes. Very poorly with emotions high like that. And the added element of several months of deceit. Getting dark here for a second but that dagger is going MISSING and so are THEY for a hot minute.

Then yaaay everything works out in the end 👍 yippieee!! all it took was maybe a lot of harrowed recontextualisation of all the weird shit your new friend said and did when it turns out they're your old friend. It's fine.

But yeah. this is basically the context all of my postcanon doodles have existed within? And those exist to give other people something to chew on. So this does too.

I suppose TL;DR: Imagine if sloopis almost fucking happens before isabeau knows who loop is. can you fucking imagine. can you imagine having to navigate that. nightmare.

*Yes this includes the implied cannibalism comic. Uhh. Comes part and parcel with headcanoning that Loop went way off the deep end similar to A5 Sif But Maybe Worse before giving in. Add weepy half-asleep confessions to murder wherever you see fit in your mind palace. 👍👍👍

**Re: Nille footnote. I don't have anywhere to put this besides here! I have some thoughts on Loop and Nille having an odd dynamic. I don't imagine Nille to be super gung-ho on trusting a bunch of adults (even if they are majority around her age) given their implied backstory. It's probably a big shock to the system, especially since Bambouche is a good couple hundred Kilometers up north from Dormont and these guys don't seem to have trains. She would've been unfrozen and without Bonnie for some time....

Which is to say: I think she's suspicious of them. I think she may be looking for excuses to distance herself, keep Bonnie safe. SO.... A new guy showing up? And antagonising the party? What do they know that I don't...? I should find out.

And since... Loop didn't ever know Nille, they have no ammunition or real reason to be cruel. Plus, if they're trying to stay on Bonnie's good side (SINCE... if Bonnie thought Loop was cringe they may as well kill themselves. In their mind.) they SUPER have no reason to antagonise Nille.

Mostly, they might be able to open up to each other easier than they can the rest of the party?

I feel like this resolves with Loop feeling compelled to apologise for what they and Siffrin let happen to Bonnie, though... Hmm... Depends on how you interpret Nille that they'd be glad nobody else had been told about that yet, or furious it had been secret this long. I lean toward the former.

[6okuto]

I'm completely obsessed with your Touchstarved headcanons, if it's not too much trouble, I was wondering if you could do headcanons of Ais falling in love with the reader/MC??

And maybe then do something similar to Vere, if it's not too much trouble

(sorry for my English)

AIS FALLING IN LOVE

gn!reader | it's almost valentine's day guys. THANK U!!! i'm glad u enjoy them ^___^ this got... long. but if u still want vere feel free to remind me and i'll probably make a post! ^^ i'm always inspired by these kinds of ideas...

it's more of a slow burn because he teases you but you brush it off as his personality rather than anything serious

he's intrigued by you! he finds your company entertaining if nothing else, or at least that's what he tells himself. whether you throw his banter back at him, or stutter at his quick flirtations, ais can't help himself from making up excuses to find you

one moment that sets an alarm off in his head is after he's gotten into some bar fight. the bruises and blood on his knuckles, scratch by his collarbone, and the way he winces when you touch his shoulder get your attention easily. he tells you he's fine, that he's dealt with worse, and that the other guy got totally knocked out, but you pull him along anyway to take care of him.

but ais hasn't had someone take care of his injuries in. a long time. so he's stiff and awkward despite your friendship at this point. his eyes follow your every move, and he doesn't even realize it until your eyes meet. you ask a simple "what?" and he tries to play it off by saying "nothing." ("you're cute when you worry." etc etc LOLL)

and you scold him, because seriously, can you just like, not get into fights. one day someone's going to break your nose or something, and then what? what're you going to do when you try to hit on someone and you're still recovering from a black eye?

you're saying it absentmindedly, making jokes to lighten the mood. but something about the way you carefully graze your fingers across his skin and bandage him gets ais Thinking. and it's really weird because he's silent, and he's never really silent when you try to joke with him, so you go quiet too, and now he's thinking even more, and have you always furrowed your brows like that when you're focused, have you ever been this close to him before?

i don't think i'd make this moment The moment of realization. it's sort of an introduction

other moments i can think of would be ais watching you get along with his pets, you catching him by surprise by fucking with him (some sort of prank), and the first time you guys are like, serious and sentimental for once.

. okay. the vere thing. fwb that got too close is different (in my opinion) to him just having an honest crush and wanting a relationship btw. the avoidance would be him not knowing what to do/being insecure rather than not wanting a relationship. in my mind at least.

ais with a crush is... Intentional. with the things he does. the signs he gives you. like from an outsider perspective, without your own insecurity or nervousness, it's Glaringly obvious.

more touchy. but he makes it casual and you start questioning it like ...? maybe he's just more comfortable with me because we're friends! (you're nervous because his arm is resting behind your head on the couch like woah) (doesn't move his leg away when your legs keep touching)

of course if you don't like physical touch his feelings would show up in different ways anyway. asking if you want to tag along to buy some things. remembering that book you bought and asking if you finally got around to reading it or if it's collecting dust on your shelf. or maybe it's moments where you ask him something about his past as a half joke, fully recognizing it isn't something anyone else really knows, and he tells you anyway.

still teases you though. obviously. you ask him to open your water bottle and he opens it then pretends to waterfall it into his mouth. takes a sip when you aren't looking but makes it really obvious he did when you look at him. at some point you knock on his door, ring the doorbell, call him, etc. and he takes like 5 minutes to finally let you in. and you're like what's your problem and he just shrugs like oh i didn't hear you (loser burnt his food and was trying to hide it + the smell before you saw)

anyway. i think ais falling in love is subtle moments that build up. glances that he doesn't turn away from when you make eye contact (he smiles and pretends like it's casual). teasing that's teetering on flirting, straight up flirting that for some reason doesn't get called out by you. him looking for you at the bar and relenting from a fight because you swear to god, you'll get such a huge headache, he'll be indebted to you for 3 weeks. him taking you home and making sure you feel alright in the morning.

and there's this tension because he knows, and you think you know, and he knows you've noticed (he isn't trying to hide it) but neither of you are saying anything about it and at some point someone's going to blurt out a confession and there's going to be a kiss and joke about How long that took and!!!

being in a relationship with him is basically what i've said. like you guys were already acting like it before you finally got him to say he wants to be your boyfriend LOL. just some pet names thrown in, official dates, no hesitation in affection you were scared about before

nia when do you think he'd say he loves you. ...! Haha. awesome question

realizing he loves you is easy enough. i can see different possibilities for that. at some mundane moment where he's watching you work on a hobby and explain it to him, or getting ready to go out and asking which outfit looks better.

orrr when you walk in on him doing a bit/prank and immediately play along without hesitation. when he witnesses you threatening/challenging some guy on his account (if you're the type to do that). no matter what, you ask him about it and he's kind of awkward because he thinks it sounds silly LOL

but saying i love you is different to realizing + showing it with his actions. That's where his hesitation sets in in my opinion. because he can be sure he does, be sure you love him, but saying it out loud isn't really something he's done before, and it's a sign this relationship is Serious y'know.

it's going to take...A While... if you wait for him to say it first. you're probably better off just asking to talk about it at that point, like, about your guys' feelings and saying i love you y'know. you can both promise to say it at the same time and then when neither of you say it accuse the other with "oh so you hate me?" before laughing and actually saying it! think about it. silly!

but if you say it that's different. maybe written in a card (he stares at it for a long time and debates what to do), casually while saying goodbye (he watches you leave and replays it in his head), saying it in an intimate setting (he stills and looks at you before smiling/laughing a little and commenting on how you beat him to it (he's grateful))

"love you" over "i love you" guy when it comes to casually saying it btw. also a big fan of annoying you, you saying "i hate you," and replying with "love you too."

sorry friends i have to stop here because my laptop is Quite Literally slowing down/lagging when i start typing atp in the post. somebody help me

@lost-lonnie @screaming-wea-sel @dreamtydraw @respitable @semifilms @hexcoeur @cvhenia @mitskiologist @leiiii-i @sweet-milky-tea705 @khalixvitae

[ingo-ingoing-ingone]

A Personal Post

Hi guys, I'm finally making the post I kept telling myself and my best friends I'd make but wanted to put it off until I felt better. That hasn't happened and with how things are going I thought it was best to just post it now.

So for a while, since probably late 2023, I've felt less like my blog is for me, and more like it's some kind of fandom archive. Which, if you use it this way as-is, great! I'm glad my blog could make you happy like that! But that's not what I set out for it to be.

I'm the sort of neurodivergent person who likes to categorize things, including my interests. All my tumblr blogs are specific to one thing, and this one was no exception.

I began tagging things soon after I made the blog because I saw a lot of people were sad about the twins, and I thought "well since I love both sad and happy stuff, and I'm really good about categorizing things, maybe I can try and help!" And according to many, it did help!

But I think that also gave off the impression that I was making this blog for other folks, and that isn't the case. I'm sorry I never clarified. It's not an archive; I do not reblog shipping posts, posts from people I've blocked, AUs I don't click with, and sometimes just not everything I see.

I've gotten popular in the fandom, and for the most part I do, from the bottom of my heart, enjoy it. I have people who care about my hyperfixation! That's amazing! I have people who love my cosplay and want to meet up with me. I've made so many friends of all shapes and sizes and it's probably the most incredible thing I've ever experienced, truth be told.

But yeah my blog being mine has gotten away from me a bit, I think.

I want to keep tagging my submas tags, that isn't going to change. I will tag triggers when asked, unless it's kind of impossible due to the blog's subject (trains, for instance) or a name or really common word (like the word 'head' or something). Other than that please reach out and I'll do my best to remember. But other tags? Those will be up to me. I don't want to tag when OCs show up. I love OCs and like seeing them, and don't want to have to remember that one person who visits my blog doesn't.

I had anon off for a while because honestly ever since making this blog, there have been anons who really made me unhappy. (Also yes, non-anons but that's been fewer and far between). I've gotten misinformation, accusations, horrible and disgusting explicit asks, and criticisms and complaints, and I'm just... Not here for that. Keep the explicit things and misinfo out of my inbox, I am no arbiter of morality or personal decisions, and I am not here for you to share your negative opinions of submas or the fandom.

Anon is on for people who are too self conscious to chat face to face, for people to send fun headcanon ideas (remember when people did that back in 2022 when this blog started? I miss that, it was sweet and wholesome), to share song recommendations... That kind of stuff. If you have an actual problem, please, PLEASE talk to me off anon, whether that be DMs or a non-anon ask that I can answer privately. Especially if we're friends; please, please just talk to me about stuff. I don't bite! I swear!

But yeah the bottom line is I'm here to participate in fun (and sometimes heartbreaking!) fandom stuff. I'm here for FUN, not as my job. I know that we're all a bunch of neurodivergent folks and sometimes interactions can be a swing and a miss, but please try to be mindful. Please treat me like a person and not just like a museum curator for this blog.

Truth is, I haven't been okay for a while now. It's gotten worse this year for sure, and due to life stuff I cannot see things feeling better for me for some time. I need to go day by day for a lot of things, and I am trying to get better about needing to set boundaries and all that sort of thing. I suffer from intense paranoia too, and having so many eyes on me is genuinely terrifying at times. I'm trying to manage that as best I can, but I do ask that folks be kind.

NO I am not going anywhere, my blog is staying and will continue on as normal, but I really, really needed to get this posted.

Please continue to interact with me and chat and everything like that! But also please remember to treat this space, my blog, as my space. Thanks for reading!

[vaile-elenya]

Look I may be completely wrong, I don't cliff jump into bodies of water on the regular so forgive me if I'm wrong, but how is Elrond not injured by the fall?? The pan down from the waterfall to the cliff made the cliff look incredibly high. Not to mention the possibility of rocks at the bottom of the waterfall. My first reaction to it was “YOU’RE GOING TO DIE!” (let’s pretend that we don't know he lives)

How afraid of Galadriel and Gil-galad was he to think that was his best option? Especially if he didn't know if he'd survive.

People do cliff jump for sport but the difference is how they land in the water. I don't know if Elrond is a seasoned cliff jumper because the surface tension could kill you. Yes, he is a half-elf but I don't gravity or the water cares that much.

Can someone smarter than me figure out how tall that cliff was and see if it was survivable? If it wasn't, then he really parallels Elwing, she didn't know that she'd survive. It was Ulmo that saved her. It was a suicide attempt to keep the silmaril away from Maedhors and Maglor.

If I am right about the cliff being high enough to kill him, then maybe Ulmo saves Elrond too. In my brief-as-hell research, Ulmo knew Eärendil’s father so maybe he's fond of the family. Ulmo is said to dwell in deep rivers, so it could be possible that he saved Elrond. What a parallel if I'm right

This is just a headcanon and massive speculation on my end, so I'd love to hear your thoughts. Like this me screaming at the sky type of headcanon, I’m not expecting to by right 😂

Ohhh, I had the same thought when Elrond made that jump! To me, it looked deadly. But what struck me the most was how the other Elves seemed so... unbothered? It might not be the perfect word to use here, but neither Galadriel nor Gil-galad seemed very concerned that Elrond might have been killed by that jump. I can’t tell if it's because they have this unwavering hope and goodness in their nature, or if they just knew the jump wasn’t as fatal as it appeared, but something about Gil-galad stationing guards at every crossing and Galadriel almost immediately assuming Elrond had gone somewhere else, rather than imagining him at the bottom of the ocean, makes me think the jump might not have been that dangerous—at least not for someone with Elven heritage 🤔

(Also, it did make me a little sad we didn’t get a moment where Gil-galad or Galadriel expressed concern, like “I hope he’s alright,” or even better, “We’ll deal with the rings after we find Elrond. First, let’s make sure he’s safe.” 💔)

But! With that said, I totally see the parallel to Elwing here. Elrond might know this waterfall by heart, but in a situation like this, you just can’t help but wonder if things might not go as smoothly as planned. I think you can see that fear on his face—his eyes show so much pain:

This is the look of someone painfully hurt, painfully scared, and painfully disappointed—knowing it's either give up the jewels or, possibly, face death. You can almost feel the pain of this realization in his expression, especially in the first two shots 💔

The moment we see Elrond from behind, with Gil-estel on his cloak, it feels like we're meant to draw a mental comparison to Elwing and the Silmarils. I can only imagine what that must have felt like for him 😭 I’m seriously tempted to write a fic exploring everything going through his mind in that moment. If this was a book, I'd want an entire chapter from Elrond's POV, just to know what he was thinking 😭

And! I love the idea of Ulmo saving Elrond!!! I was going to say that when I read your tags on my last answer. There’s something so beautiful about Ulmo quietly watching over Eärendil's family centuries later 🥺 It honestly makes so much sense!!!

[caramel1mochi]

VYSE X READER VYSE X READER PLLSSSS VYSE X READER

SOBBING PLS MAKE THIS HAPPEN

Thanks for the request! Sorry for the wait, I swear I couldn't come up with anything until I saw the holiday ads. I don't know what we're celebrating but I've gobbled up 3 Grinch cakes already. Anyway hope it's to your liking!

ㅤ

Bewitching [ Vyse x F! Reader ]

Words: 1k+

Please don't copy or steal my work and pass it off as your own! If you'd like to use one of my headcanons or something, I'd love it if you tagged or asked.‎ ‎‎ ‎  

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。+❤ฺ·。❤ฺ·。+❤ฺ· +❤·。❤ฺ·。+❤ฺ·

This is a horrible idea.

This is a horrible idea.

This is a horrible idea.

These were the only words that ran through your mind during the entire festival. And with each note strung on an instrument, each move carried out by a dancer, they not only continued lingering in your brain, in fact, they were getting louder. The urge to rip off all of your fancy clothes and call everything off became overwhelming, but you knew your girlfriend wouldn't stand for it.

You picked at your fingers as you stared at your reflection in the pond in front of you. The pond was meant to be magical. But now? It only felt like another thing that mocked you for accepting this invitation.

With a huff, you stood up and turned to your girlfriend.

"Vyse, are you sure we should keep going?"

She wasn't looking at you. Instead, she watched the bustling crowd in the distance, the festival you two had to abandon just so you could gather your thoughts. The music was muffled from here. Compared to the array of colourful lights, the waters you were near was dim and hardly lit up by the moon above, but her tall frame stood out amongst the darkness.

Then, she spoke.

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"What do you mean?"

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"You know what I− this entire date is a mistake. We never should've left the base!"

ㅤ

You hastily explained as you walked towards her, lifting your colourful dress to avoid stepping on the expensive fabric. You knew she was feigning ignorance just by that exaggerated tone she always took on.

She turned around to glance at you, the yellow glow from those slits piercing your eyes with ease.

ㅤ

"And why not, Y/N? Are you afraid of a few people's eyes on us?"

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"It's not us I'm worried about, it's you! People are staring at you!"

ㅤ

To you, she looked stunning, even when you never saw a smidgen of her features. Not her face, skin, nothing. You found the beauty in the metal that encased her skin, its reflective surface scattering the light in an array of colours and letting it all swirl in an alluring dance.

But she looked like a complete monster to the rest. You could tell by the pure horror on their faces when you entered earlier, how wide their eyes had gotten upon spotting her.

ㅤ

"And that should that warrant my attention because...?"

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You sighed.

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"Look at Kay/O — his appearance draws attention like yours. He doesn't ever leave the base, and I−"

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You yelped once a vine wrapped around your waist. Within a split second, you were shoved towards Vyse, her hands gripping your shoulders the moment you landed against her torso. The adrenaline rendered you unable to protest against what she just did.

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"Kay/O's cowardly decisions are his own, Y/N." A hand slithered around your waist, further trapping you. "If I'm unconcerned with how I'm perceived, why should you be?"

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"At least show your face. Just this once? Please?"

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Her 'ears' rose upright at this plea, and Vyse couldn't help but observe your soft features in silence. For a moment, despite her unreadable expression, you believed that she would listen; that she would finally take the thing off and let this only public date between you two go smoothly.

She caressed your cheek with two metal-encased fingers, the cold sensation brushing against your skin.

ㅤ

"Y/N, it's a privilege to admire me. If it gets too bothersome, then I'll strip them of it. Simple."

ㅤ

Her hands shifted downwards until her fingers intertwined with yours, embracing your warmth with the tender hold. Then, she took a step back, bringing you alongside her.

ㅤ

"Now, let's go before we miss the festival."

ㅤ

You were pretty much forced to follow her given her strength. Besides, who were you to deny her this opportunity after imprisonment at the Scions of Hourglass? But again, you were so still preoccupied with the staring. It felt like a spotlight shining upon you two, and you weren't doing anything beyond... attending the festival. It felt so shameful.

And you were proven right the moment you made your way among the people.

The crowds' stares preceded the entertainment that surrounded you. The extravagant decorations, stunning dances and intricate displays of artwork seemed insignificant next to your girlfriend, her mere presence dragging all eyes towards her with relative ease.

But it didn't seem to bother her. In fact, she kept the light conversation between you two alive, observing the exhibits in the process. However, you couldn't really focus no matter how much you tried. The staring was just too distracting.

Then, Vyse stopped.

ㅤ

"Look at this little display."

ㅤ

Following her gaze, you were drawn to a nearby gathering just next to you.

Amongst the foliage sat a stage where a band played an enchanting albeit loud tune. And if that wasn't impressive enough, there were also dancers positioned in front of them, each donning a bright fabric that swayed behind them as they moved.

Vyse was right, this was worth both of your time.

ㅤ

"This feels less dismal then the rest."

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You hummed with a smile.

ㅤ

"Let's check it out."

ㅤ

She accompanied you as you marched between the tables to find one suitable and empty. Which, luckily, didn't take too long. You picked out a table near the front and the two of you sat down. There, you were finally given the chance to enjoy the show in peace. And surprisingly, you did.

It felt like nobody stared at you. You glanced at the people who sat next to you out of the corner of your eye, but you couldn't find a single person ogling. They were all enjoying the dance just as much as you and Vyse did.

For a moment, you were highly pleased by this. And you thought that maybe, it wasn't that Vyse just looked captivating, it was just that the festival wasn't interesting enough to keep the rest occupi−

Your eyes widened at the sound of a camera shutter next you.

But just as you went to look at the culprit, portions of the ground ripped apart once vines emerged from them. While some surrounded you, most of them encircled a certain table... next to you, too. Vyse had left her seat by the time you realised what was going on. And quickly, you stood up to look for your girlfriend, only to find her marching towards one of the tables where a different couple sat.

The man's phone was on the ground, a picture of Vyse on the screen, and their chairs were surrounded by razor-sharp vines adorned with thorns. They were trapped.

Vyse loomed over them.

ㅤ

"Looks like you have a death-wish." The vines' grip around the chairs tightened. "Shall I make it so?"

ㅤ

You approached and held her hand, attempting to pull her back towards you.

ㅤ

"Sweetie, don't hurt them."

ㅤ

Your words didn't sway her. In fact, it worsened the panic in the couple given that you unwittingly confirmed that Vyse meant her threat.

The man shakily mumbled something under his breath. Given that it was inaudible to either of you, Vyse stepped closer and stooped over to level their gazes.

ㅤ

"I didn't quite catch that. Do me a favour and repeat yourself."

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"S− sorry, I'm− I'm sorry about that, madam..."

ㅤ

Vyse hummed at his pitiful stammering. She stood upright once more, throwing them one final glare before deeming his apology 'acceptable'. And luckily for them, the vines disappeared back into the ground.

But just as the couple thought it was finally over, she crossed her fingers, and with an audible crack, his phone was ripped into many pieces; any hope of it being repaired immediately went down the drain.

ㅤ

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

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"Vyse!"

ㅤ

Vyse waved you off in the midst of her malevolent giggling.

ㅤ

"Lighten up; that could've been him." She promptly began moving, ignoring their panicked exchange at that comment. "Come along, Y/N."

ㅤ

The music drowned out their words of terror as you two walked off. Her hand now around your waist, she accompanied you back to the table you sat on to enjoy the show once more.

And so, the date continued like nothing happened.

But for some reason, the stares stopped, and nobody seemed to have the heart to even throw either of you a glance the whole time. And it was... great. You finally felt at ease. You couldn't help but smile merrily as you observed the festival with a newfound sense of peace.

[fanficfish]

some random hetalia thoughts about the countries

mostly headcanons and character studies i guess. probably canon but who knows i'm too sleepy to go check. i'm gonna ramble and maybe it'll maek sense i don't know. Someoen tag me if they get anything idea worthy out of this.

link the inspired post: https://www.reddit.com/r/hetalia/comments/1eqt7ek/after_all_these_years_im_gonna_say_it_i_did_not/

I've seen a little talk about how England leaving America on his own for so long messed him up a little (thank you reddit user who go that talk going). So i wanted to think about some of Englands' other colonies and stuff i guess?

so like we have America. I still stand he's probably like, Jamestown or something and over time he became the main US rep, like how the UK has the four brothers (five? Six with Sealand) but England represents them at meetings. Or Japan reps all of Japan instead of like a couple dozen prefectures showing up. That kind of thing. And like that guy's a little messed up. In earlier parts ofhis story, he's shown to just be really explorative, stil strong tho, but mostly jsut a nice sweet kid who happens to have three teenagers fighting over him. Seriously couldn't they share? Oh wait it's hetalia no they can't XD

anyways, it's only wlater once America is firmly under British rule that he starts growing the yelling and loudness. I think that's like the sign hhat he wants a little attention f rom England- like, he's shown to just be a guy when it's Canada when they're kids but england gets the "SHOVE FOOD IN MY PIEHOLE" treatment. And I think that's just because England keeps leaving and coming back but sometimes he just ignores the kids and does his own thing for a long time. Canada ends up letting America take the lead for them. And then later on once all is said and done America revels in his big parties and whatnot because the attention is on him, and it won't heal the hrut of England just leaving all the time but it sorta helps. (Canada doesn't count they're basically joined at the hip it's not the same).

and if you compare it to like the Italies for example. Austria was still there to watch over Italy North even though he really went for the uh. Less optimal route. But he was till there, in his own way. Prussia definitely wasn't going to leave HRE and later Germany alone unless he absolutely had to. Spain didn't jsut go gallivanting around when Romano was there (no comment onhis other former colonies). Ofc you could make an argument for Iceland, but by the time Norway took over he'd been alone mostly for 300 years, and even if Norway and Denmark didn't exactly visit all the time because i headcanon Iceland stayed happily on his island 90% of the time like Aland and Faroe Islands to avoid the drama called "four nordics pretending they could get along under one roof when they definitely are not good rooommate compatable", I doubt he was entirely without parental guidance. Norway could always sense him (so themoment anything bighappened Norway would be marching right over), and Iceland mentions sending letters out. I'm jsut gonna guess he sent the letters via Mr. Puffin, and I'd guess Mr. Puffin could always deliver some words if needed from overseas. Iceland also apparantly has fairies at his house so there's that too. Not thet he'd admit it.

But if you notice, it's def circumstance that gives some character which is cool when we're talkign about stereotype-based characters. Ameriica becomes loud and "ignores" the room when he's given the stage, because if he outrages everyone then he'll get attention. Italy N.. had everythig taken care of for him and has few worries, and a pretty good work ethic since Austria isn't a slacker. Roomano is a spoiled brat. Iceland....honestly boy just needs to accept the others rubbed off on him and he's just as kooky as the rest of them. I know you're a teen and all but kid c'mon you love them mystical animals and you keep bringing up your weird museums XD (I swear this child got Norway's anti-socialness, Sweden's inability to admit things (in his case, he actually likes hanging out with the others), Finland's oddness, and Denmark's everythign else because we all know Norway probably saw Iceland at last and had a crisis over it, man knows when Iceland appears but can't get around to taking the ruling for how many years????

And then there's New Zeeland, who had to raise Austrailia when NZ was also pretty young. NZ doesn't even have the hope of hep fro manyone- America and Canada i'm pretty sure still had visitors from like France and I think the Netherlands would have popped by a few times, because they did do a bit of um. Trading. with the colonies and stuff. Austrialia used to be on the other hand where they sent English prisoners. New Zealand is not ready for that kind of craziness, and so of course we're gonna get a free range crazy Austrailia and a done with it New Zealand who got no help and probabl ygot even less parental support then America. BTW it's crazy that technically GB still techncialy rules over so many big places like Canada and Austrailia even though they also technicall ydon't like that's just so wild.

so what have we learend from this? England sucks as a dad, and Iceland's teen rebel phase is in full swing. WHat was the poitn of this? I don't know but you read it and i wrote it so.....

ima sleep i forgot the poitn already lol

[thelostgirl21]

Okay, someone wrote that they thought Jaskier had ADHD in some of my tags, and I've just GOT to address this, because asfjasfljadsflasjd;dlasja;slfjd;as...

@aro-tarot , OMFG YES!!!

As someone with ADHD, I've got such strong ADHD vibes from Jaskier like you wouldn't believe!

(That, plus I tend to headcanon that Jaskier suffers from Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), a condition strongly associated with ADHD, but more on that further down...)

I mean he's usually got no freaking impulse control whatsoever, and no filter on his mouth!

And even when he HAS that filter on, and some vague awareness that opening his mouth further and speaking his mind might get him into yet more trouble…

Well, the frustration he feels in the now is apparently so strong that the possibility of having to pay a price later is but a too distant and abstract concept to be enough to put a stop to that mouth!

I mean, that moment right here?

Someone without ADHD would have stopped themselves at "Am I going to say it?" because of the "Yeah, if I antagonize him, he might decide to keep me away from getting on that boat and I'll jeopardize my safety as well as the safety of the people that are currently counting on me," that should normally logically follow...

Someone with a very strong case of ADHD however... Well, they might just have to say it!

Same thing in Season 1 with the elves. Jaskier's bound and tied ,and he just keeps antagonizing them because he's angry, and the need to express his anger somehow screams louder than the punch or the kick he'll be receiving 2 freaking seconds later if he keeps verbally lashing out at them!

Self-soothing and impulse managing are two skills that Jaskier doesn't quite have a good mastery of.

Like, don't let him get his hands on a djinn while heartbroken, drunk, and deeply wounded (because his best and very possibly queerplatonic friend just insulted his singing, while implying that it was likely why his other friend/lover had just left him, no less)... He might just start wishing Valdo Marx dead!

Generally, I'd strongly advise keeping him away from anything that could potentially become a weapon if he's highly emotional.

That's never a good combination.

Jaskier might do something he'll regret, and realize it was awfully dumb and stupid only once he's deeply in trouble, or has finally calmed down.

ADHD isn't a mood disorder, but it's been described as a "failure to self-regulate moods disorder".

Meaning that people with ADHD feel the same emotions as anyone else most of the time (RSD is a bit of an exception; again, more on that later), but they'll just have a harder time avoiding openly expressing them, and stopping themselves from acting upon them.

They can succeed most of the time (thankfully); and I highly suspect that Jaskier might be at his most focused and emotionally measured around Ciri, because he feels responsible for her.

Adults often have this instinct to sacrifice their own needs and wants to give priority to those of children (including sometimes teenagers, and/or grown children they've adopted as part of their family system and are still mentoring through life).

People with ADHD also tend to have a blast playing aunt/uncle, because we can super easily connect with the sense of wonder, excitement, and defiance of authority of children and younger people - be very impulsive and silly with them and act like children and teens ourselves, at times - while still remaining responsible and protective of them when we need to be.

It's like suddenly flipping our "adult switch" on, because we're aware they need us to be the adult.

But fellow adults don't need us to "adult" for their sake.

They typically have their own shit together way better than we do! So, we're just that almost full time impulsive dumb kid that they need to constantly watch out for while around our adult friends.

UNLESS they make it extremely clear to us that they need our help and/or for us to focus. We can "adult" if the stakes are high, and/or they need our support, too.

But that's not our default mode!

We'd rather be chasing butterflies and playing videogames / writing songs (or meta... Meta's good... My brain loves meta because it's always over-analyzing things!), doing whatever keeps us interested and stimulated in the now, than carefully planning things and being responsible.

And there's also that scene where Jaskier is in the Witcher lab with Yennefer, while Ciri's possessed by Voleth Meir (you know... going around killing people, lives are at stake and all that...).

But, since all of this is happening in another room, Jaskier can't quite emotionally connect with the gravity of the situation, so he's eating whatever he finds his hands on while randomly talking about nipples because Yennefer said "oriole", and his brain thought it sounded like "areola" (yeah, our brains are always making a bunch of connections that aren't relevant to the situation)!

Yet, as soon as Yennefer makes it clear that she needs him to focus, he's 100% in the moment with her, and has flipped that "adult switch" on.

We can go there, but it typically requires a strong enough emotional incentive for us to ground ourselves, and it's a state that gets draining when sustained for a too long period of time.

And given how we're at our best when highly stressed, Jaskier's probably the person you want there with you when things start really going to shit!

He's at his best when he's got no idea what he's going to do, and he has to think fast and improvise to respond to whatever is happening in real time.

Oh, and I'm about 99.9% sure that he suffers from rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), too (yeah, we're finally going there).

I discovered what RSD was about 5 years ago, how it tied into my ADHD, and that it had been something that I'd been struggling with (and often doing everything I could to hide) my whole life without really understanding it.

One thing that people with RSD tend to do, sadly, is constantly downplay our own hurt and pretend everything is fine - do our best to keep others constantly entertained and happy with us, even at our own expanse at times - so that they won't perceive us as a burden, and will continue to want to have us around.

Since a part of us is deeply aware that our emotional response to real (and/or even perceived) rejection, and the pain it causes, feels way more intense than it normally should be, we tend to be ashamed of it, and unable to fully discuss those feelings with those we love.

So, even when we do speak up for ourselves, we are afraid that we might be exaggerating, and/or making the issue much bigger than it is.

Thus, we almost regret it right away, and/or feel guilty for it afterwards, and we'll be almost desperate to let our friend "off the hook" as quickly as possible so they'll love us again.

Therefore watching Jaskier's behavior in Season 2, and the way certain characters (except Yennefer, that genuinely surprised me) responded to him, was actually physically painful for me to watch at times.

Some of the most triggering moments for someone with RSD include:

Jaskier brushing off Geralt's sincere apology - attempting to hide the depth of the emotional devastation he'd caused him - to avoid being perceived as being too much trouble and risking abandonment again.

Jaskier humorously pretending that Ciri going past him, as if he didn't exist, didn't hurt, while joking "Like father, like daughter".

Him going "Right, yeah," when Yarpen Zigrin dismisses him - having chosen to turn that constant rejection into some kind of game between them - because it's much easier to be under the illusion that they're just good-naturally teasing each other, than facing the possibly that Yarpen might genuinely consider him an unwanted nuisance he'd gladly do without, and that having excluded him from the word "friend" was 100% done on purpose!

That same little heartbreaking "Right. Yeah" after he tells Lambert "Look at us. Just one big happy family, eh?" and Lambert goes "No." While pushing him out of the way.

Jaskier is a sweet, loving, empathetic, highly sensitive bard that's on the freaking aromantic spectrum!

And aromantics can most definitely love their best friend in the whole wide world with an intensity, a depth, a sincerity, and a level of devotion that can easily match - and perhaps even surpass - any romantic couple.

Heck, I don't consider myself to be quite on the aromantic spectrum (given that I do experience primary romantic attraction towards people), but I also have a tendency to form friendships that are more emotionally (and sometimes physically, and even sexually) intimate than many of the romantic relationships I've had (except, perhaps, my current one, that is definitely on par).

I think the only reason why I've managed to remain with the same romantic partner (that I do consider the romantic love of my life) for 17 years now - and would gladly spend the rest of my life with him - is because of how deeply supportive and respectful he's been of those friendships I have.

I've built my own found family over the years that I wouldn't want to live without. And I've broken up with prior romantic partners that couldn't agree to "share me" with those other people I love (in a non-romantic way, but that doesn't make it any less tangible or real!) without regretting a single thing.

So, I wholeheartedly believe that Jaskier does love Geralt and always has loved him.

And I know that, if I'm right about this, and if Jaskier is indeed prone to RSD, then the level of emotional and physical pain that Geralt's rejection put him through would have been absolutely soul wrenching.

"I've also survived, no thanks to you," sounds just about right.

Jaskier is human, while witches and witchers are frozen in time. He's been loving Geralt and travelling alongside him and singing songs about him for about 20 years.

20 years, in a human life, is a lot of one's life to devote to someone...

Then, the moment that Geralt's romantic love interest (Yennefer) leaves him, he turns on Jaskier and basically tells him that he's brought him nothing but bad luck and misery for two decades, and that what would please him ,above everything else, would be for life to rid him of him!

Why don't you just take a sword and run Jaskier through, Geralt? I think that would have been less painful to watch!

So, I think this is one of the reasons why Season 3 has been so freaking cathartic to watch for me!

I've been literally crying my eyes out each time people made Jaskier feel loved, wanted, said thank you (even Yarpen!!! Freaking Yarpen stopped to thank him, and called him by his preferred name, Jaskier)...

And of course, there's Radovid...

I could go on and on about how good it felt to have a character that finally treats Jaskier with the same care, attention, and empathy that Jaskier offers others...

But, I think one of the things I loved the most, with Radovid, is how Jaskier himself responded to him.

He's not trying to please him, quite the contrary.

When Radovid asks "Have you come to sing us pretty songs?", Jaskier answers "No. I don't do pretty".

And then, when Radovid says that, while he appreciates the information that Jaskier has brought him, all he really wants is a song, Jaskier responds by saying that "he's not really in a singing mood."

Because yes, he's a bard. Yes, he sings about people he's encountered on his travels, and yes, he sings about people he loves...

But he doesn't want to sing "pretty songs" about Witchers, fairytales, heroics and heartbreak for the entertainment of a Prince and his court!

He's not there so that "Prince Radovid" can sing the praises of "Jaskier the Bard" 's triumphant private performance at the palace!

That's not what pleases Jaskier anymore.

I don't think Jaskier feels like he's got anything to prove performance-wise anymore and, sadly, I believe that, instead of giving him a sense of finally being seen and loved - of belonging...

At times, all this singing and performing - often for the benefit of others - has made him feel even more invisible and isolated.

And that's the beauty of him singing "Extraordinary Things", because that song is all about Jaskier.

It's vocally raw, vulnerable, filled with a fragile hope for love and for someone that makes him feel like he is seen for who he is... For someone that can help Jaskier finally believe that who he is is enough.

For someone that makes him feel like he doesn't have to try so hard to pretend to be happy, and fine, and give others what he thinks they want, so that maybe they'll love him (or keep on loving him) back.

Because it's not just Geralt...

Geralt is the one whose rejection hurt Jaskier the most, because he's the one Jaskier has loved and trusted the most...

Geralt is the one that broke something in Jaskier - his ability to feel safe in the belief that his closest friends would never abandon him.

Thanks to Geralt outburst, Jaskier is likely now being cursed with a little voice, in the back of his mind, that will continue to pop up from time to time whenever he feels safe and happy in his relationships, to make him wonder if his friends and family don't secretly wish that they could get rid of him.

Rationally, I'm sure that Jaskier understands that what happened with Geralt was caused by Geralt's own issues, and that his own behavior wasn't the cause of the rejection.

Rationally, I'm sure that he can trust in their relationship, and feel confident in the love they share.

But emotionally? Although trauma can be managed and kept at bay the vast majority of the time, there are always moments where you're bound to be more tired, stressed out, and where you don't always have the energy to push back against all of those nasty voices that wait for you to let your guards down to be heard and make you doubt.

However, besides what specifically happened with Geralt, Jaskier sadly has a very long history of having had to deal with rejections of all kinds, and been made to feel like he was never enough.

Even Valdo's obstinated refusal to learn Jaskier's name is like he's constantly trying to symbolically murder Jaskier by denying him the very right to exist, for fuck's sake!

After watching those scenes, I thought "Yup! It's really no wonder this happened:

So, while having gotten Geralt back - and obviously having built strong emotional ties with Yennefer and Ciri since the end of Season 2 - has likely tremendously helped easing some of the pain rejection has caused Jaskier throughout his life, he still has those moments where it deeply hurts him.

And I think that Geralt knows...

Jaskier might have been trying to hide it - and Geralt might not fully understand why Jaskier was hurt as deeply as he was (I doubt RSD is something that people often talk about in their world) - but he knows that a part of Jaskier still fears being rejected or abandoned again.

He's just being so soft and patient with Jaskier this season; making it immediately clear that he's not angry with Jaskier, and that their relationship is not threatened the moment that he senses his discomfort.

Or, you know, just reassuring him that the separation between them is only temporary, and that he's going to be the first person he comes looking back for as soon as he's done dealing with Rience.

If Jaskier truly is someone that tends to see people as they really are - not as they pretend to be - then it's easy to see why Jaskier did fall in love with Geralt.

That level of perceptiveness is both a gift and a curse for Jaskier, though.

Because when the person you love is set on self-destructing and unable to embrace who they really are, you might find yourself caught in the blast.

Still, when Geralt is allowing himself to be loved, and to openly love people back, he's an absolutely wonderful (platonic, alterous, romantic...) partner to have.

He's shown as someone who is able to not only apologize, but also recognize the impact that his mistakes have had on others, and take full responsibility for them.

Jaskier may have been quick to brush his apology off and pretend that all was good, but Geralt apparently knows better and, more importantly, is showing that the apology was sincere.

He's making efforts to better communicate with Jaskier and he's doing everything he can to not only alleviate some of the pain he's caused him, but to avoid triggering his insecurities.

Sadly, RSD is not something that Geralt alone can fix, especially not when Jaskier has been exposed to a number of different patterns of interpersonal rejections throughout his life.

And, while Jaskier has a tendency to pretend being fine even when he's not, his eyes almost always tell the truth.

Makes you wonder just how emotionally smart and insightful Radovid is...

Because when someone sings to you those lines...

The greatest songs are made up of unspoken words of love Of them I have had enough With you, I have enough With you, I am enough I am, I am enough

Then looks at you with those eyes...

Well, it's rather easy to understand that Jaskier has been made to feel like he wasn't good enough for those he loved, and/or still loves in the past.

And, given the success of "Burn Butcher Burn", I wouldn't put it past Radovid to have guessed that - athough they were back to being close friends - Geralt might have had something to do with the enduring vulnerability and the hurt he saw reflected there...

Thus, leading him to taking an educated guess as to what might have happened, and ask Jaskier "Does the Witcher know how lucky he is to have you?"

Somehow, with that simple question, Radovid has achieved two very important things...

He's just told Jaskier that not only does he, indeed, believe him to be enough, but he would consider himself lucky to have him...

He's just told Jaskier that whatever Geralt might have said or done to make him feel unwanted in the past, it had been wrong.

And, judging by Jaskier's answering smile, our beloved bard just got himself a fresh new (and quite princely) voice in his head to help him drown out the sound of all the other voices that are occasionally trying to convince him that he's a barely tolerable burden to those he loves.

Radovid has thrown just enough shade Geralt's way to avoid insulting their relationship; while at the same time sort of giving Jaskier the permission to mentally go "Ha! See?! There are people that want and love me, and would consider themselves lucky to have me in their lives! God, you used to be such an asshole, Geralt!" should he still need to go there to help himself manage his pain.

As a victim of Geralt's harsh and cruel words, Jaskier is entirely entitled to have moments where he needs to be a bit petty about the way Geralt used to treat him, and to call him the "family goat".

It's a very healthy way of coping with the residual hurt and anger because it puts the blame in the right place (Jaskier didn't do anything to deserve the way he was treated by Geralt nor to provoke that rejection) with just enough humor to keep that pain and resentment from growing into something that could actually be damaging to their relationship.

Radovid is an impressively good and attentive listener - at least as far as Jaskier himself is concerned.

And maybe that's one of the (many) reasons why Radovid asking to borrow Jaskier's lute, and singing the song back to him, touched me as much as it did.

It stood in sharp contrast to people singing Jaskier's songs back to him while thinking it makes THEM special for knowing a few lines! That Jaskier should be grateful to THEM for being fans, supporting his art, etc.

The entitled patrons that believe Jaskier's singing should be about what they love to hear without being really interested in what Jaskier wishes to say.

Like that obnoxious guy at the docks who started singing "The Golden One" with Jaskier, basically going "See! I'm a big fan! That totally makes us buddies now! And, as such, here are my artistic input, so that maybe you can do better next time! You know, it's good, but it's not good enough for me. Here's how you can improve!"

Basically sending Jaskier the message: "You, the artist, the message and the feelings you are trying to convey through your art don't matter. You are but invisible. Sure, you have a name, and now I'm excited at the opportunity of making my friends jealous by saying I've met you! But you're just a tool that I can now use to make myself more important and interesting to others! Your job is to stay in the shadow of your songs! Your job is to make me happy, to entertain me, to please me, to sing what I want to hear the way I wish I could hear it and to make your art all about me."

Instead, Radovid simply borrows Jaskier's lute, and humbly starts playing the song with a sense of reverence, gratitude, respect, and desire to offer Jaskier something in return for the gift he's offered him by sharing a part of himself with him through his song.

Radovid said that he had long wanted to meet Jaskier in person and presented himself as someone that is a fan of his songs, but that's because they fascinate him.

He genuinely cares about what Jaskier has to say and communicate to others (and/or about others) through them, not about what he wants to hear.

In a world where Jaskier has had to constantly fight to fit in, where he's often made to feel like he's "barely tolerated" (and it usually takes a long time for people to get to genuinely appreciate him, and openly love him back the way he loves them)...

Radovid is someone that comes along showing him that love is not supposed to be earned.

Love is a gift. You love people for who they are, not for what they can do for you.

And what Radovid heard, through those songs, was something so special, intriguing, and irresistible to him that his own response was a genuine desire to get to know the man behind the art.

He tells Jaskier that the unique way he sees the world, and his need to express it, does not make him hypersensitive or annoying - it makes him special.

I don't think the hurt in Jaskier's eyes will ever 100% go away, and that his RSD can ever be completely resolved, either...

But it doesn't need to, because it can be managed and shouldn't get in the way of one's ability to experience joy and happiness, too.

Pain is a natural and healthy part of one's life, as long as it doesn't stand in the way of everything else - as long as there's balance, and room for healing whenever it comes along.

As as long as Jaskier's found family continues to love and accept him the way he is - to let him know that he's an important part of their lives - I believe Jaskier's going to be fine. REALLY fine...

Even the moments when he's hurting are going to be fine, because that's not all there is, and he's got people loving him and offering comfort.

And maybe I'm too hopeful about this, but I think there's most definitely hope for Radovid and Jaskier to make a relationship work between them, too.

Even if it turns out to be a somewhat unconventional one, and completely different from what people might have in mind when they think of a classic "romantic couple", they can find a way to make it work for them.

My advice to them would be to leave all expectations and social conventions at the door, allow themselves to be creative in "loving outside the box", and to build something together that addresses most of their respective needs, while acknowledging and respecting the other responsibilities and emotional attachments each other have.

Oddly enough, Jaskier is one of the few people that I could imagine clearly understanding that Radovid's existence is a bit of a tragedy where he'll never be free to fully belong to himself.

In the event of his brother's untimely death (for example), should Radovid decide to give up his claim to the throne to live a less complicated life, any Redanian ruler could still try to have him assassinated "just in case" he was to change his mind, and later come challenge them.

The palace is a golden cage, and I think Jaskier would not hold it against Radovid, or grow resentful towards him, that he would only be able to offer Jaskier what he is actually free to give without risking both their lives in the process.

He might grow frustrated with all the circumstances that are creating some significant challenges to their relationship, but I could imagine Jaskier wishing to face those as partners, and avoiding to be angry at Radovid for what he can't magically change.

This is where Jaskier's ADHD brain might become an asset by helping him make unique connections, and find creative solutions to allow Jaskier to - as Batey suggested - still find the light in the darkest of places for them two.

So yeah, I definitely tend to headcanon Jaskier as having ADHD (with some significant amount of RSD), too.

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

For your modern avatar au What if spider has some sort of respiratory diseases, or other chronic inflammatory lung or obstructive lung diseases. Because he has to were a oxygen mask in the movie.

Alright here is my answer finally @peachycrime

Okay, unfortunately my first thought was the fucking 2001 comedy/romance Bubble Boy, so that's cool.

Luckily for you I've been in the reddie fandom hardcore since 2016 so WE KNOW ABOUT ASTHMATIC HEADCANONS IN THIS HOUSE.

I think I'd pick like severe asthma because it just jives for me, but if you wanna go crazy we could really have a fucking Fault in our Stars/Five Feet Apart moment here. Really lean into locorro or spiri here.

-Spider lived with Norm for years because he was the foster parent they had with the most medical experience, but eventually he just was LIVING with Jake and Neytiri .

-Stay at home wheelchair dad Jake Sully with his three little kids under three had none of the attention or free time to dedicate to a kid with medical issues, but him and work from home Norm become a seamless team in the kids toddler years.

-Neytiri had just finished her residency so she was simply flawless with him. He's pretty much a normal kid, he's just got bad asthma. He does all physical activity he can, but he gets out of breath quickly and has to stop for a puff or two before he can get back out there.

-Neteyam is younger but they're in the same grade because Spider got held back because he was so lil because he was a sick kid before Neytiri and Norm got a hold of him.

-He carries around an inhaler and Neteyam also carries around an inhaler because Neteyam may be younger but he is so protective of Spider and so worried about him losing his breath when they are at school and their parents aren't around.

-Tonowari and Jake meet at the playground on a Saturday and all of a sudden Jake is an after-school care, watching his own four kids and Ao'nung and Tsireya (and neighborhood latchkey kid Rotxo who Spider loves because he was also a latchkey kid).

-Ao'nung gets mad at Spider during a game of pickle where they are both the taggers because Spider stops to tag a puff. Ao'nung insists he has to keep going and Spider does and ends up passing out.

-He's not allowed to run or do anything strenuous for two days and Ao'nung is grounded by Ronal for a week. Neteyam and Kiri don't talk to him for a day. He feels really bad though and after that he yells at any kid who tries to get Spider to do anything physical at school until a teacher has to call home and they all have to have a chat lol.

-Neytiri and Norm we're absolutely unbearable for days, hovering over him and making him drink water, while Jake was treating Spider exactly the same. They are disability buddies and Jake would never treat Spider as fragile because he isn't. In fact, they played catch later that night even though Spider was sitting down and it gave Neteyam an aneurysm.

-Lo'ak always explains to strangers that his brother is cool he just has "shit lungs" because he heard Jake say that one time.

-Reddie moment: "Spider Sully Blasts Off!" every time he uses his inhaler.

[stashandtell]

Some Recommendations for Fics That Influenced My Weasley-Ship Rankings

I ranked all my favorite Hermione/X Weasley Sibiling in my most recent post Nobody Asked For This: My Rankings of the Hermione x Weasley Ships with REASONS. Here are some recs to back my completely biased opinons. And now, you can read my fic, Ranking the Weasleys on AO3! - - - - As I sometimes mention on the internet, I keep a WILDLY long and fairly detailed spreadsheet of all the fanfics I've read. I've not been in the fandom long at all but due to life circumstances, I've had too much time on my hands since diving in and have allowed this special interest to wash over me and my whole life like the warm, scented water in the Prefects' giant bathtub. (I hit over 800 works read on my spreadsheet a few days ago and am going to do a numerical analysis and breakdown no one requested, so come back for the data if you're curious.) I've pulled some of my fave fics for my main Hermione x Weasley Sibling pairings -- though I have SO MANY MORE. All of these are mid-length to longfics (~30K-100k+ words, except for one) and are complete, unless noted. Normally I'd copy-and-paste the author's summary but since I'm going to be recommending many here-- I'll give you my 1-3 sentence take on the fic and encourage you to read the author's summary and tags. We're going in descending birth-order by sibling here to keep things tidy: Billmione: What's nuts to me about the Billmione ship is that I don't have a ton of fics I would enthusiastically recommend that explain why I love this pairing so much. I'm not a huge werewolf-ish fan, the age-gap isn't something that inspires my reading that much, and, to be completely honest, sometimes Bill is dry toast in a fic and replaceable with almost any other character. That said, for those of us who love a rare-pair, we feast on the scraps. We love the moments that fuel our headcanons and it's the cumulative experience of developing our own understanding of these characters that drives us into the arms of these fics more than anything. I had a difficult time pulling general recs for this ship, only because so few encapsulate what's I love about Hermione and Bill together (in my mind) in a singular work. I'll keep searching though and plug away at adding my 3 Billmione WIPs to offerings out there, to keep the flag flying. To be perfectly clear: These are GREAT fics I highly recommend. I just don't think of any one of them as the touchstone fic for my love of this pair (imo.) Still Strong by DietCokeofEvil, inspired by I Am Strong by floatsdelicately

Word Count: 38,780 / 19 Chapters

Summary: When Ron leaves Hermione without an explanation a month before their wedding, Bill returns the friendship and care she gave him when he and Fleur separated. They fall in love and build a life together.

My Comments: I read I Am Strong first and I have to say, I loved the two stories together. It's maybe even worth reading I Am Strong before Still Strong because that's how the publishing/inspiration-order goes.

Through the Ages by LadyBlack3

Word Count: 30,301 / 11 Chapters

Summary: Hermione and Bill team up to help research possible causes for a disease spreading through Charlie's dragon reserve and find themselves drawn to each other.

My Comments: This is a fun fic with a plot that keeps things moving. I love them coming together as full-fledged adults with their own lives.

I was torn on recommending Cairo Nights by GillianSteele instead of Through the Ages because they're both excellent examples of this ship, so I'll drop it here as an honorable mention if you're looking for more!

- - - - Charmione: There are SO MANY good Charmiones on my list but I need limits. I would say none of these are exactly emblematic of the typical well-loved Charmione fics, as they don't spend time on the Reserve-- but if you're looking for more recs, feel free to ask me on tumblr or leave a comment and I can happily suggest many more. Last Christmas by KittenShift17

Word Count: 17,079 / One Shot

Summary: Last Christmas, Hermione drunkenly snogged Charlie when she mistook him for Ron and shortly after she broke up with him. This Christmas, she's back at the Burrow and anxious to see Charlie again after thinking about him all year.

My Comments: This was one of the very first Charmione works I read and I recommend it to most my friends looking to get into the ship. As a hefty one-shot, it's a pretty satisfying fic with great Weasley banter and it's on my list of fics to re-read this winter when it's time to get cozy around the holidays. If you like this, check out I Saw Mummy (mind the tag) by Amebb42. Last Christmas is the shortest of all the fics I'm recommending.

Creature Comforts by neilstic

Word Count: 34,588 / 5 Chapters

Summary: Hermione and Charlie are both Hogwarts professors and are into each other. They are also good friends who get to do some fun time travel exploration thanks to the secrets of the castle.

My Comments: This fic is SO well written and snort-out-loud funny. I think of it often and it's not the typical Charmione fic, which is why I wanted to shout it out.

The Eventually Ever After Series by Huffleclaws19 deserves an appreciation post on its own and I HIGHLY recommend it of you're a fan of Charmione and Theomione. It's worth reading it in order. Merry Christmas to Me (the first in the series) is already on my Top-Tier List of all-time faves but the whole series arc is so, so good. Consider this a MOST honorable mention.

- - - - Permione: The Always Series by Simply_Lovely_Reader consists of two stories: Unlikely, which is Hermione's POV and Possibly, which is Percy's.

Word Count: Unlikely - 15,537 / 11 Chapters Possibly - 26,754 / 13 Chapters

Summary: Percy catches Hermione pleasuring herself to thoughts of him in his bed in the Burrow immediately before they start working together at the Ministry. Romance and pining occur.

My Comments: I was overjoyed to find that there was a Percy POV fic for this story but if you only pick one, read Unlikley, which is Hermione's POV.

Reflector by Calebski

Word Count: 39,692 / 7 Chapters

Summary: Hermione seeks Percy's help in finding career her path after the war they're both so changed by. He finds himself seeking her out as well as they develop a friendship and so much more.

My Comments: This author wrote one of my all-time top 3, won't-shut-up-about-my-love-for-it fics, Flourishing Devotion, a Nevmione canon re-write. I really dig their style (Venus Flytrap, another Nevmione is great too.) This Permione delivered.

- - - - Fremione: Fremione recommendations tend to fall in to a few buckets, which often overlap 1) Fred Lives 2) Fred Dies, per the canon 3) Canon rewrites of Fred & Hermione developing feelings during the Hogwarts years There are several WONDERFUL canon re-writes I'll include a few as honorable mentions.

Salve Amor by moonfairy13

Word Count: 31,974 / 20 Chapters

Summary: Hermione saves Fred's life with a bonding spell that can only be cast by someone who carries love for the person they're saving. She doesn't want Fred to know or feel tied to her so of course miscommunications and meddling ensue.

My Comments: The author, moonfairy13, has so many great fics worth checking out. What was great about this one is that the whole fic centers around the Fred Lives turning point.

I Can Love You Like That by LSU Sweetie

Word Count: 31,357 / 12 Chapters

Summary: Fred and Hermione are the last two single people in their friend group at the winter holidays. Hermione wants a relationship and is interested in Fred but has also started to get gifts from a secret admirer.

My Comments: I love a grown-up Fred and Hermione. LSUsweetie has some great works with different pairings and I particularly absolutely freaking loved Festive Fates. This is worth reading because the pairing is undisclosed, so you gotta read it to find out. Paraphrasing the author's summary: Hermione ends up pregnant after a night with a mystery man at New Year's Eve masquerade party right before she has to leave for a year-long work assignment. When she returns the following Christmas, she brings a baby with red hair to the Burrow and hopes to find answers.

Honorable Mentions, Canon Rewrites:

Don't You Know You've Got the Best of Me by raquains

Deal or No Deal by LetticeDouffet

Steel and Soft Smiles by TricksterGhost7 and its companion work, Little Glimpses

Oh So Many Years by fanfictionaries*

The Two Dropouts by tryingsss*

*Denotes a partial canon rewrite (aka ends early or starts later) - - - - Geormione: There were several great Geormione pieces I wanted to recommend but both of my recs relate to navigating Fred's death in very personal ways. That has tended to be the majority of what I've been reading in the Geormione space though there are other dimensions to this ship worth checking out. Like Fremione, there are some great canon-rewrites as well.

I have not started tackling the behemoth that is The Arithmancer by White_Squirrel yet or the rest of the series, though it's queued up as a reward once I finish some very longfics I'm working through... so I know I've read a lower % of the total completed fics on AO3 in the "Hermione Granger/George Weasley" relationship tag than Billmione, Charmione, and Fremione.

To Those Who Wait by Fictionallizzy

Word Count: 56,233 / 9 Chapters

Summary: After Fred's death, Hermione and George spend a forbidden night together which leads to much more than they both expected.

My Comments: In my ridiculous spreadsheet, I give a rating for my personal love of the story and another for the spice level. This is one that has 5/5 on both counts, the smut smuts 💋 and there's some juicy angst in there (my fave.)

In Case You Don't Life Forever by xLoveMx

Word Count: 24,724 / 12 Chapters

Summary: After the battle, Hermione and George are together and apart in their grief. She tries to prepare WWW to reopen and they finds she has to deal with Fred's ghost literally and metaphorically.

My Comments: I've read a few ghost!fred fics but I really loved this one. It was hard to select just one George-Falling-In-Love-While-Grieving fic and the extra dimension Fred's ghost added to this story made it stand out for a recommendation.

- - - - Multi-Weasley Pairings: In fics with multi-Weasley ships, they tend to fall into three buckets: 1) Siblings in competition 2) Love triangle or triad (v-shaped or triangle-shaped) 3) Reverse harems or multiple hookup partners I basically had to read through the majority of all the enticing completed long fics with ALL of the individual siblings I wanted to read paired with Hermione before I started reading multi-Weasley fics. BUT I'm glad I went there because there are some really interesting works that I enjoyed. Here's a fic rec for each bucket: 1) Siblings in Competition: Yours Til The Stars Fall From The Sky by Ronsboggart

Pairings: Fremione, Charmione

Word Count: 64,178 / 7 Chapters

Summary: Hermione and Fred are going to be together until a chance meeting at the World Quidditch Cups finds her and Charlie inexplicably drawn to each other.

My Comments: Mind the tags! This fic definitely has the underage warning on it, which I totally understand isn't everyone's thing. That said, the story of Fred and Hermione falling for each other despite the magnet-pull of Charlie really got me on board with reading Fremione works. Truthfully, I sort of didn't "get" the appeal of Fred until I read this story and for that I'm so grateful. I ended up loving the characterization of Fred and Hermione's love so much in this fic, it's definitely worth it imo.

Honorable Mention: Hot Girl Summer (shorter one-shot) by Anonymous 2) Love Triangle / Triad (V-Shaped): Hic Scunt Dracones by Amebb42 & ShadowAlt

Pairings: Billmione, Charmione

Word Count: 118,498 / 29 Chapters

Summary: On a curse-breaking expedition in a tropical paradise, Charlie, Bill, and Hermione find themselves working a case that puts them face to face with old magic. Both brothers find they care for the same woman and try to encourage her to choose between them.

My Comments: If you read my Ranking the Weasleys post, you know that I don't give a toss about dragons half the time and I REALLY loved the dragon storyline here. I sing the praises of Amebb42 in just a bit but ShadowAlt also has great stories. I enjoyed reading their author's notes in this too.

3) Reverse Harem: Where the Heart Is by Mother_of_Chaos

Pairings: Billmione, Charmione, Fremione, Geormione

Word Count: 40827 / 12 Chapters

Summary: Hermione, who has special abilities and works as an Unspeakable, receives a claiming werewolf bite while helping save a member of the Weasley family and becomes part of their pack.

My Comments: This work was recently completed this past August and was inspired by The Weasley Pack by Mrsmarauders02. Both are worth reading and center around werewolf and pack power. Mind the tags!

Reverse Harem Honorable Mention: Weasley Magic by Amebb42 I included only completed fics here but I have to shoutout the WIP that lives in head rent-free on a regular basis and that's Weasley Magic by Amebb42. This author has so many great works worth reading but this fic completely sold me on the Weasley reverse harem structure and inspired me to give other works a try. Plus, it's not based on a werewolf pack. Yes, the smut is smutty which is great fun, however, all of the characters are so well developed in this massive ensemble work. The Molly bashing-to-redemption is one of my favorite kinds of family angst and there are more relationships beyond Hermione + all of the Weasley siblings that adds delicious complexity to the story. Most importantly, the world mechanics, especially when it come to the Wizengamot, the inherited Weasley family magic itself, and Bill's new status is so, so interesting! I live for this fic . - - - - As For All The Other Hermione x Weasley Family Member Ships: You'll note from my post "Nobody Asked For This: My Rankings of the Hermione x Weasley Ships With REASONS" I don't consider myself well-read in ships with Hermione/Ginny or Hermione/Ron or some of the other family members, so no recommendations at this time. If you have recs, please share! I'd love to know what I'm missing out on or what your fave works are for different pairings.

Don't forget to check out the newest fic, Ranking the Weasleys on AO3!

[ghostkingart]

Doodle idea or general ask/prompt! I saw Our Flag Means Death as a fandom you’re into. How do you think Astarion or one of your OCs would look or function in that universe? Would they prefer Black Beard or Stede as a captain? What would their job on a pirate ship be? How would they dress?

What a beautiful prompt! I absolutely adore pirates and, fun fact, I've got an ongoing Black Sails fanfic on my ao3 🤭 kinda on hiatus due to BG3 brainrot but it's out there!

I'm gonna put up a trigger warning here for: discussion of abuse, prostitution and sadomasochism, and I'll put my reply under the cut (it turned out very long yet again).

P.S. OFMD friends I'm sorry this is showing up in your tags. To briefly explain we're talking about a crossover between OFMD and Baldur's Gate 3. Feel free to skip 🫶

I do think Astarion would prefer the old school Blackbeard as his captain, maybe Valeriy would also, but Veles would definitely prefer Stede. However, at the same time, with learning vulnerability being a big theme for all these characters, I think either captain would be fine for all three of them.

Tangent but I think Veles being in Stede's crew would help him so much with his feelings of inadequacy and his desperate need to be useful at any cost. Stede would show him that it's okay to just exist and be yourself.

I imagine Astarion and Valeriy would have followed Blackbeard until he meets Stede (where Veles would be) and then, just like in the show, Stede and Veles's side would teach Blackbeard, Astarion and Valeriy's side to be gentler, kinder and more vulnerable.

I can see Astarion, Valeriy and Veles being in a polycule in this AU but get this: Valeriy and Izzy. I'm obsessed with it now omg.

Fun fact: some of Valeriy's original backstory versions include him being a pirate. This never fit into the overall story/lore however, so I scrapped it.

I'll yap about this more later but let me tell you what I think each of them would do. First things first, I'm honestly not sure what Astarion would do, I don't think he'd be ranked too high, but I also don't think he'd be ranked too low. Somewhere in the middle imo.

Valeriy would be like Izzy's own right hand man and/or ranked just below Izzy. They have a similar ruthlessness to them.

Veles would be a master of navigation on Stede's ship I think.

I think I'll draw them in this AU actually, but I'll come back with that later.

I think Izzy and Valeriy in particular would work so well together because, just like Veles is distinctly a masochist due to his backstory, Valeriy is a sadist, except that Valeriy has a much healthier approach to his sadism than Veles has to his masochism. I've talked about this sm already but Veles's masochism transcends sex and he most certainly sees himself as an object. Valeriy is nothing like that, he's very careful, gentle and communicative if there's any sadomaso play going on, and he keeps it all in the bedroom.

I don't think I need to explain why Valeriy's sadism would work well with Izzy, OFMD fans have talked about it enough for me haha. But I wanna reiterate that I imagine it all being consensual and mindful, honestly very much unlike Astarion and Veles where at times it gets super messy due to them both being messed up in their own right.

How about how I imagine they became pirates? I mean it's a pretty simple answer. Historically it's pretty accurate, to my knowledge, that people on the margins of society escaped to become pirates. It checks out because Astarion, Veles and Valeriy are all a flavor of queer (bi, gay and pan in my hc). But also, all three of them have some type of abusers to run away from as well as an overall bad life situation (think Valeriy who's already escaped his father, but has only landed himself in prostitution instead. he'd like to leave that behind).

Random bit of a headcanon here, I think Veles would be a person of color in a non-magical AU, and I think that because of the racism towards drow analogy in DND. I'd probably completely redesign Veles for a non-magical AU, but all in its time.

I think Veles would be super cool with the rest of Stede's crew. He'd be very shy at first I think, but he'd find acceptance within the ranks.

I'm also thinking about, once the two crews join, Valeriy would really enjoy listening to Stede or Lucius read to him. Another fun fact: Valeriy reaaaally likes books, he simply can't read them on his own. Meanwhile I don't think he'd have many opportunities to be read to in Blackbeard's crew (this isn't an Ed is illiterate thing btw, this is an Ed has a reputation thing).

I think that's all I have for now! If you have any more ideas for this AU pleaseeee send me another ask!! This was so fun :D

[frozen-fountain]

Since the feature is due to be discontinued along with much else of what made the site worth using, I got possibly my last ever Reddit award for this analysis of Reeve/Cait Sith I wrote a couple of months ago. I thought I'd commemorate it here, too. Here's why my view of the character is essentially the joke about Cait being a fursona but like, taken seriously:

"Cait Sith's a weird one. I'm not surprised the character is as unpopular as he is because the execution is pretty bizarre, the rest of the party's reaction to both his tagging along and his betrayal are underwritten which adds to the weirdness, and I'm not going to try to defend his gameplay mechanics here - but from a narrative standpoint, I think there's stuff worth digging into. Especially when you consider the man behind the controller.

Regarding the Temple of the Ancients - I think the melodrama of it is purposeful. To all intents and purposes it plays like the typical Hollywood noble sacrifice, a redemptive moment for this creature before the end... and then his replacement comes along, making a big joke out of the moment. The purpose, as I see it, is to contrast Aerith's death as well as many of the others we see on screen. They all meet their ends in ways that are sudden and brutal and don't leave time for last words or moments of closure. I think it's a brilliant addition to what the game is saying about the transience of life and unromanticised inevitability of death.

As for the betrayal (and not to mention the part where a four-year-old girl is taken hostage), yep, that was a lousy thing to do. So was Vincent being a contract killer, Cloud and Tifa and especially Barret disregarding collateral damage and innocent bodies during the reactor bombings, and Cid heaping years of verbal abuse onto a woman who feels codependently indebted to him. They're all broken people in impossible situations left with no recourse, and in the case of Cait and his handler, I think it's easy to imagine Reeve looking on what he's doing as helping to not make a bad situation worse. He can keep Marlene safe from potentially cruel treatment by his peers while maybe doing his part to bring a dangerous guerrilla group to heel. It's still wrong, and I don't agree his methods are either moral or effective - but he's the same as everyone else in the game and doing the best he can with the inadequate hand he has.

And in a story that examines the toll a brutally hierarchical society like the one Shinra imposes on the world takes on the people in it, and the difficulty in resisting it in meaningful ways that don't cause a heap of collateral damage, Reeve is there to represent the futility of trying to change such a system that's already so far gone from the inside. We see him bullied by his coworkers for being such a dreamy idealist as to suggest maybe not crushing thousands upon thousands of people to death to increase the chance of apprehending six, and he then has to watch as the city he worked so hard to improve is treated as a disposable thing to destroy at will. He's also only thirty-five years old, which is terribly young to be in as high a position as he is. So what can we infer about this little-seen character from the avatar that joins the party?

The boundary between headcanon and reading between the lines starts to blur here. But I think to be an engineer, or a scientist of any stripe, you've got to have a streak of imagination and whimsy about you. I've always imagined Reeve, college-aged at best, showing up for work in the resplendent Shinra Tower and immediately boxing away his youth to act professional. And over the years, one moral after another joins his childhood in being repressed and squashed down so he can do his job on the faint promise he can leverage his position to change things for the better. And I think we're meant to see Cait Sith as an alter-ego and manifestation of this - something childlike, which is what the world keeps telling Reeve his moral compass is. His time observing Avalanche makes him question this, and over time, he sees he has people in the party who might genuinely care for him in a way the Shinra higher-ups he's been surrounded by never will. If you take a moment in each scene to imagine what's going on in Reeve's head as he sits alone, weighing it all up, his robot becomes a fantastic addition to the story and a necessary layer to its political commentary.

I am admittedly also a cat lady, though, so perhaps there's some bias creeping in."

I imagine I meant to get into how I see the multiple Cait models as a reflection of Reeve's fear of being replaceable and disposable in the aftermath of the plate drop, and then an affirmation of the opposite ("There's only one me!") as he starts to reintegrate his whole self in the wake of changing allegiances, but apparently that fell by the wayside. My point is that I love the game for daring to make the emotions underpinning a major character's redemptive plotline exist almost entirely between the lines, though it's also hard not to want to see that journey play out. Hence writing fic about it, I suppose.

[lcftyambiticns]

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED TO @lcftyambiticons-archive !! moving back to this blog!

♔ ❛ 𝑰nd. &. private 25+ 𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐃𝐔𝐑'𝐒 𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐄 roleplay blog for ℒORROAKAN ; self-appointed MASTER OF RAMAZITH'S TOWER &. ARCHMAGE of Baldur's Gate. TRIGGER WARNING for dark / adult content. SECONDARY MUSE: Rolan ( on request only! ) RULES AND ABOUT UNDER THE CUT.

MEMES | HEADCANONS | GALLERY | VERSES

STORIES: ✍︎ ℳEMORIES.

RULES.

GNEREAL

25+ ONLY. This blog is written by an adult for other adults, so please act accordingly.

I'm careful about how I curate my online space. The block button and I are besties. Muns who engange in OOC drama, OOC bigotry and LGBTQA+ phobia of any kind, callout posts, OOC political discourse will be blocked on sight. I also tend to steer clear of writers who have lots of DNIs or triggers.

This blog is anti-censorship. Fiction =/= reality. If you don't like someone's content, block them. Protecting your online space is a mature thing to do, and I promise I'll 100% support that. What's NOT okay is trying to police adults on what to write on their blogs (go touch some grass).

Triggers you may encounter on this blog: violence, murder, abuse, gore, monsters, gaslighting, manipulation, cults, canon-typical fantasy racism and overall offensive / problematic themes. Triggers won't always be tagged. If you're triggered by any of these, this blog isn't for you. I love angst and exploring dark content!! If you have any triggers, let me know.

Communication is key! <3 Writing is so much more fun if the muns get along. I promise, I don't bite!!

INTERACTION

This is a private blog simply because I can't spread myself too thin. I'm particularly selective when it comes to mumu-blogs featuring muses from fandoms outside the DnD / BG3 verse. If I follow you, I have read your rules and want to interact! Don't be shy <3 I will also assume that if you follow me back, you're fine with me sending you memes / tagging you in starters / sliding into your IMs to plot.

Personals are welcome to follow, but no touchy my RP stuff.

If you're a RP blog, I'd love it if you follow with the intention of interacting. Also, if you followed me first, I'd appreciate it if you reached out first to start things off — I'll do my best to do the same! I feel like this approach makes it easier to get interactions going.

If we're not mutuals: You're welcome to send headcanon and plot-idea asks! If I can take on another thread, I'll let you know. <3

Formatting: For accessibility reasons, I won't follow if you use spaced out words and punctuation, all caps or all lowercase (for entire paragraphs).

MEMES. YES! If you want to continue a meme, go right ahead!

Plotting: Hmu with a plot idea anytime! I'm not a fan of plotting out every detail, but Lorroakan is a particularly uncooperative muse. Having a general idea of where we want this to go really helps to keep the ball rolling, even if we end up going in a different direction!

SHIPPING / RELATIONSHIPS

This blog is multiship, male lean. Fair warning; Lorroakan isn't particularly interested in romance or sex, and he's a prick. I'm open to shipping, BUT ships will most likely be toxic / one-sided, particularly with Rolan (with the potential to develop into something wholesome over time!), and slow burn. By slow I mean glacial. In most cases, at least.

I won't write smut on the dash. The steamy stuff will be moved to discord or IMs.

Pre-established relationships: Yes. While first meeting or "they have been business partners" threads can be fun, they often take a while to get juicy, or they end up fizzling out. What if your muse was Lorroakan's childhood bestie? Another (former?) apprentice? A fellow scholar of the arcane he used to work with? An ex?

MUN NOTES

Mun =/= Muse, I obviously don't condone any of Lorroakan's bs IRL. While I will absolutely respect your boundaries OOC (if you talk to me beforehand about them, pretty please with a cherry on top), I won't water him down.

I have the memory of a soggy pickle. If you don't want me to interact with you, hard-block.

Activity: Sometimes I'll reply super fast, sometimes it takes me ages, and sometimes I can only focus on specific threads / muses.

Discord is available for moots I interact with frequently.

They / Them, hatched 1995, dog parent, hyperfixating on problematic villains, D&D player.

𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄

GENERAL Lorroakan is in his mid-late 30s, fairly young considering his achievements (mostly obtained through deceitful methods).

He presents himself as the great archmage of Baldur's Gate, but while he is a compentent wizard and keen enchanter, he is nowhere near as powerful as he claims to be.

Lorroakan laid claim to Ramazith Tower after its previous owner mysteriously disappearend, and he refuses to share the knowledge it holds (at least for free).

He is originally from Athkatla, one of the wealthiest cities in Faerun, but he grew up in the shadows of its splendor. His family (mother, father, two sisters, four brothers) could barely make ends meet, but Lorroakan has always been ambitious and harbored dreams of one day being just as wealthy and powerful as the elite of the Gem District. The practice or use of arcane magic is explicitly illegal within the city of Athkatla, but that didn't stop him; he practiced in secret whenever he could get his hands on a spellbook.

PERSONALITY IN A NUTSHELL . . . as interpreted by the mun ; Ambitious, diligent, intelligent, clever, creative ; selfish, arrogant, manipulative, power-hungry, petty, vain.

He has a superiority complex ; he is vain, has an overly high opinion of himself, makes boastful claims that aren't backed up by reality, has a habit of putting down those who outshine him.

(The way I see it) Lorroakan isn't a straight up villain. However, his ambitions and narcissistic nature drive him to commit morally questionable, and at times, outright despicable acts.

CHARACTER STUDIES / RELEVANT HEADCANONS: bad money habits more about his past & why he is how he is

Shippy HCs CONs of being his lover PROs of being his lover NSFW headcanons

[messenger-of-stupidity]

DUN DUN!

You have been bitten by the mutual virus. To cure yourself, you must provide one reason why you follow each of your mutuals before sending this to others (whether mutuals or not) while in anon.

Good luck!

Oh my god. UHM OKAY. I'm just gonna go through my mutuals from order I followed them. (I'm not good at tttthhhhiiiisssss)

@artbykays - I'm not sure if they realize that we're mutuals or not. Which is fine, it doesn't really matter. But their art is chef kiss amazing. Like seriously, its thanks to them my simping increases.

@darlin-collins - They're funny, have you not seen the stuff they put out into the internet?

@dani-ya-dig - They're just very cool and funny. i tend to follow blogs that I find funny since laughter is the best medicine. They certainly have that.

@romeo-the-homeo - I like lurking through their content because it's very silly of them. (I almost threw my phone when I saw that they followed me back.)

@annahhopee - HER FICS DUDE! I don't know much more to say than that.

@clover-46 - David Shaw. (Real talk, I became moots with Mrs Shaw because we both wanted Redacted Mutuals to talk to. Also their art is scrumptious. I want more of it. I will lurk in her walls until she posts more of it. I will live like Bruno there, building my own civilization of rats while she believes that she is safe from me. She isn't. Not from me, and not from my husband. David Shaw isn't safe either. Vega and I are coming for you and David, Clover.) Can you tell she's one of my mutuals I'm closer to because I'm more comfortable being unhinged?

@frenchiefitzhere - I actually threw my phone when I saw she followed me. I follow her for the memes, the music, the fics. All of it. Also she said that she was sure that Cam would like my IKEA octopus that I named after him and I almost cried.

@/hufflepufff171 - Tumblr Live friendo :)

@itsyourstarboy - Another person that I had a mini freakout when I saw he followed me back. But he's funny as fuck. Also a fellow Guy enthusiast, which I'm happy about. Sometimes I throw anon asks at him and wonder if he knows. He probably does now, but he won't know who is an anon and who is me. MWAHAHAHAHAHA (also he said he liked my fics and I almost cried.)

@epsi-l0n - He's intimidating. I'm going to preface it by saying that. But he's also very funny and isn't afraid to say something that might get people riled up. Actually I'm 90% sure he thrives on chaos and can't live without it. Also he keeps people in the basement and I've been avoiding detection so I don't accidentally wind up in there.

@soup-scope - Their art is very eatable. My favorite breakfast. Nom nom. Whether it's "serious" art or memeable art. Favorite snack. Also they reblog really good stuff that I'm afraid I'd somehow miss otherwise. So they're going my dash a service. (I also stole their shoelaces when they weren't looking but don't tell them. >:D)

@itsrubesshawty - 1. Their blog aesthetic? I love it. I'm a sucker for the darker aesthetics (ironic since I decides to go with bright colors for mine, but I'm trying to make people's eyes bleed so they accidentally click the follow button because they can't see. Which I'm pretty sure is what happened to Rubes.) Also their headcanons are hilarious. I got hooked because of the phone one they graciously tagged me in.

@genderfluid-bastard - He finds reblog gold. LIke seriously, some real gold here. Not fools gold. Real gold.

I love my mutuals, even if I don't talk to them all the time because I'm scared of bothering them. :)

[lcftyambiticons-archive]

RULES.

GNEREAL

25+ ONLY. This blog is written by an adult for other adults, so please act accordingly.

I'm careful about how I curate my online space. The block button and I are besties. Muns who engange in OOC drama, OOC bigotry and LGBTQA+ phobia of any kind, callout posts, OOC political discourse will be blocked on sight. I also tend to steer clear of writers who have lots of DNIs or triggers.

This blog is anti-censorship. Fiction =/= reality. If you don't like someone's content, block them. Protecting your online space is a mature thing to do, and I promise I'll 100% support that. What's NOT okay is trying to police adults on what to write on their blogs (go touch some grass).

Triggers you may encounter on this blog: violence, murder, abuse, gore, monsters, gaslighting, manipulation, cults, canon-typical fantasy racism and overall offensive / problematic themes. Triggers won't always be tagged. If you're triggered by any of these, this blog isn't for you. I love angst and exploring dark content!! If you have any triggers, let me know.

Communication is key! <3 Writing is so much more fun if the muns get along. I promise, I don't bite!!

INTERACTION

This is a private blog simply because I can't spread myself too thin. I'm particularly selective when it comes to mumu-blogs featuring muses from fandoms outside the DnD / BG3 verse. If I follow you, I have read your rules and want to interact! Don't be shy <3 I will also assume that if you follow me back, you're fine with me sending you memes / tagging you in starters / sliding into your IMs to plot.

Personals are welcome to follow, but no touchy my RP stuff.

If you're a RP blog, I'd love it if you follow with the intention of interacting. Also, if you followed me first, I'd appreciate it if you reached out first to start things off — I'll do my best to do the same! I feel like this approach makes it easier to get interactions going.

If we're not mutuals: You're welcome to send headcanon and plot-idea asks! If I can take on another thread, I'll let you know. <3

Formatting: For accessibility reasons, I won't follow if you use spaced out words and punctuation, all caps or all lowercase (for entire paragraphs).

MEMES. YES! If you want to continue a meme, go right ahead!

Plotting: Hmu with a plot idea anytime! I'm not a fan of plotting out every detail, but Lorroakan is a particularly uncooperative muse. Having a general idea of where we want this to go really helps to keep the ball rolling, even if we end up going in a different direction!

SHIPPING / RELATIONSHIPS

This blog is multiship, male lean. Fair warning; Lorroakan isn't particularly interested in romance or sex, and he's a prick. I'm open to shipping, BUT ships will most likely be toxic / one-sided, particularly with Rolan (with the potential to develop into something wholesome over time!), and slow burn. By slow I mean glacial. In most cases, at least.

I won't write smut on the dash. The steamy stuff will be moved to discord or IMs.

Pre-established relationships: Yes. While first meeting or "they have been business partners" threads can be fun, they often take a while to get juicy, or they end up fizzling out. What if your muse was Lorroakan's childhood bestie? Another (former?) apprentice? A fellow scholar of the arcane he used to work with? An ex?

MUN NOTES

Mun =/= Muse, I obviously don't condone any of Lorroakan's bs IRL. While I will absolutely respect your boundaries OOC (if you talk to me beforehand about them, pretty please with a cherry on top), I won't water him down.

I have the memory of a soggy pickle. If you don't want me to interact with you, hard-block.

Activity: Sometimes I'll reply super fast, sometimes it takes me ages, and sometimes I can only focus on specific threads / muses.

Discord is available for moots I interact with frequently.

They / Them, hatched 1995, dog parent, hyperfixating on problematic villains, D&D player.

[pyropsychiccollector]

Natsu Harem: Fairy GET! 1/14

... So what do I hope to gain from this...? Hmm. (人◕ω◕) I'm not really sure.

I've done analyses of ships. I think that's what I'd like this series to be... But here's the thing: Most of these Natsu ships are not rooted deep in canon lore. There's only a few women that canon could pertain to, when it comes to the Fire Dragon Slayer... And that is boring. The Big 4 ships of canon particularly bore me. I will never yield to them. This has been the case now and forever. (人◕ω◕)

Therefore, this series must be... a prospective analyses. Something that is not necessarily there right this moment... But can be. I don't think I shall get long-winded, though. There are 14 lovely ladies to get to, and I would be quite dead by the end if I went "all-out". But I shall do my best to give you all something for each member I list out over the coming days. Whether you've considered these ships before or not. Let us enjoy this journey together. (人◕ω◕)

14 lovelies... I think I will begin with... someone on the younger side. Not the youngest, though. Yes, Miss Chelia Blendy will do nicely for a warmup. (人◕ω◕)

When did they meet?

Strictly speaking, the first time Natsu met Chelia was during the Grand Magic Games. Not very riveting, however. They were competitors, and had only minor exposure to one another. The closest they came to interacting was through mutual friendship with Wendy-chan. (❋•‿•❋)

But if I were to take a whack at a proper first meeting, well... It might be during the waterpark episode. I'm sure you remember the one. (❋•‿•❋)

Bear in mind, we're already in "fanfic territory" here, so I'll proceed with that mindset with these headcanons. (❋•‿•❋)

After Erza has that... accident... with Jellal in the pool - which Natsu did help create - Natsu's in a bit of a sour mood because... It's Jellal. And Erza's being weird again with that guy. (❋•‿•❋) To distract himself, Natsu sees what Wendy's up to, and gets more directly acquainted with Chelia-chan. She seems cute and cool, and he hopes Chelia can get along with Wendy. ... Which embarrasses Wendy, cuz that's something more that a "dad" does, and Natsu's more of a brother! Really! ... At least Wendy thinks he is...? Hmm. Something to puzzle over later. *wink wink* (๑•́ ₃ •̀๑)

Plus, they both have pink hair! Natsu can't say he's met too many people with his hair color. (❋•‿•❋)

When did they grow closer?

Being a part of separate guilds, Natsu wouldn't have much interaction with her, except when Wendy wants to go visit her. And it's not like he tags along for every trip to Lamia Scale or whatever. He doesn't treat Wendy like glass or nothin'.

But... of course Chelia would grow a little curious of this "niisan" that Wendy keeps speaking fondly of. Has so many stories to share. While Lyon, Yuka, and Tobey can be fired up at times, they're generally more calm and collected... and besides, Chelia herself is fixated on Lyon. Through her cousin, she came to learn there was a lot to love about that hunk of man. (❋•‿•❋)

... There's just one problem. Lyon only has eyes for Juvia, and sooner or later Chelia gets tired of waiting around for him. Not that Lyon doesn't value their friendship and bond, Chelia just wants... more. More love. Love that Lyon isn't up for sharing with her.

It makes Chelia a little... territorial of the bonds that she does have. Wendy-chan's like her li'l sis, so when the Sky Dragon Slayer comes to Lamia Scale after Fairy Tail disbands... It's like a dream come true. They become the Sky Sisters of Lamia Scale, and Chelia couldn't be happier.

... And then Natsu, Lucy, and Happy come back only a year later, with ideas of wanting to bring Fairy Tail back. Meaning, of course, Wendy-chan goes with them. That was the deal, and Chelia-chan knows it. (❋•‿•❋) That said, Chelia-chan doesn't wanna lose Wendy, too. Obtaining love from Lyon, escaping the friendzone... That's like trying to get blood from a stone. And now she's losing Wendy, too...? Chelia can't take that.

So when enemies attack the town... Chelia-chan steals Happy to go with Wendy and Charle to deal with the threat. She does so in order too prove to Wendy that she's strong, too, and she doesn't have to go back to Fairy Tail if she doesn't want to. It doesn't quite go the way Chelia-chan wanted it to, however...

Bluenote Stinger comes out and overwhelms them all. But right after he shows up, Natsu catches up to them and takes Bluenote almost effortlessly. ... Though he does burn Chelia's clothes to a crisp. (❋•‿•❋) He talks her ear off about being a thief, and he holds her up like a newborn kitten... Honestly, Chelia didn't see what was to admire about this guy, he was crazy~!

... But, reflecting back on it... He was still important to Wendy, and Chelia-chan didn't want to be selfish and keep her away from the friends that found Wendy first. Whatever her own thoughts and feelings, Chelia had to support her sister. Fairy Tail was never gonna stay dead, and deep down Chelia didn't want it to. (❋•‿•❋)

When does friendship turn to something more?

Naturally, we should consider the future. (๑╹ω╹๑ ) Obviously, Chelia-chan helps Wendy and Fairy Tail fight off the Alvarez Empire... In one world, she gives up her powers to use Third Origin. In another world... perhaps her God Slayer powers were super effective against Dimaria, who was fused with Chronos. Perhaps she didn't need to debilitate herself to help defeat the enemy.

It's still not an easy battle, but... Chelia manages to pull through. In such a world... Chelia isn't focused on regaining her Magic, it isn't such a pyrrhic victory. She can stand tall and proud... But that doesn't change Chelia's plight with regards to "love". She still wants more... And with Ishgar on the road to recovery, back to more peaceful times, perhaps Chelia can make headway on that goal.

After a few collab jobs with Wendy (and Natsu tagging along out of boredom), Chelia learns more about Natsu. Sure, he's a reckless meathead that likes to punch first, ask questions later... Always so eager to pick fights... He's brusque, talks with his mouth full (oh yeah, he eats for ten men, easily - maybe even twenty!)... But... He has heart. He cares about his friends, even her who he barely even knows... When he helps her stand up after getting knocked down, Chelia gets some butterflies in her stomach. Those carefree grins he gives out, the way he tries finding a bright side to even the most dismal situations... The way he's so warm... Chelia sees why he's important to Wendy. One has to look past the scrappy, dense exterior, but Natsu is definitely something special. Some days, Chelia finds herself a bit dazed as she begins getting lost in daydreams and remembrances of Natsu's warmth, no matter how brief she was in contact with it. Takes people snapping her out of it to go about her day, but Chelia ultimately doesn't mind getting lost in those dreams~... They're becoming more frequent. Chelia-chan yearns.

And one day, Chelia-chan just... asks Natsu out. She's not really sure when or how or why... But she really, really wants the Pyro. And she's done hesitating. His guildmates and friends be damned, Chelia-chan goes for her prize, just walks up too him and asks him out. (๑╹ω╹๑ ) Naturally, there were... reactions to such a blunt, straightforward request. But more on those later.

For now we must consider Natsu's feelings on Chelia. (๑╹ω╹๑ ) Honestly, he wasn't expecting her to walk up out of the blue and ask him out. Natsu's never been one to think long and hard about that stuff, he just goes with the flow... If a girl asks him out, he goes for it. Not cuz he's like Loke or Gildarts, but because the ones asking are his friends. And he never lets them down if he can help it.

So despite any heated rejections from the crowd, Natsu nods his head and takes Chelia's hand to go on a date. Much to the Sky God Slayer's delight~... She's from another guild, and she's on the younger side... But how can he say no to someone who's so nervous and shy while asking him out in front of the guild like that...? Chelia takes such good care of Wendy, and she's become a valuable friend to him, too~... They've even pulled off some combination attacks - sometimes just them, sometimes including Wendy.... Wind helps fires get stronger, and Natsu wants to repay the favor. (๑╹ω╹๑ )

... Plus, she's rather cute and timid when you pluck her up like a kitten. (๑╹ω╹๑ ) Of course certain parties will have words to say about this~... But Natsu doesn't regret reciprocating Chelia's feelings~... He's gotta respect the burning passion, yeah? Chelia's got a fire (of love!) in her belly~! (๑╹ω╹๑ )

[babycharmander]

I'm curious, you, as an aromantic fanfiction writer, are probably very familiar with shipping culture. You've probably encountered many a fan analysis where people had insisted a platonic bond is actually romantic, arguing that genuine moments of care and connection between two friendly characters as proof of that interpretation. What's your stance on this?

I hhhAAAAAATE it. I hate it when people insist that two characters caring about one another means that they're romantically involved. 

It's one thing to simply use those instances as fuel for shipping and merely keep it within fanfiction or fanart. I can dislike ships all I want but ultimately someone shipping two characters I just don't see being romantically together is generally not really some Awful Thing, so I'll just block that shipping tag so I don't have to see it if it bothers me enough. I have plenty of headcanons others disagree with, after all, and I'd be annoyed if someone was like "well ur headcanon that this character (who shows no canon evidence of any particular orientation) is aro is WRONG" so I'm not gonna go up to someone and be like "uhm this fanart you drew of these two characters kissing and posted to your own blog is Wrong because I personally headcanon them as aro." I might grumble about ships I dislike in private, but I'm not gonna go after someone who simply has different tastes from me.

(Granted, I do occasionally make and reblog general posts urging people to consider exploring things outside of just shipping characters, but I can't really make folks go one way or the other in that aspect. I think it's probably healthier to do stuff in fanworks other than just shipping, but ultimately it's not the worst thing in the world if they don't.)

But when that sort of thing is taken into actual analysis of canon--that's when it bothers me the most. When, instead of being like "oh these two care for each other a lot, I like to ship them" people instead go, "oh these two care for each other a lot, so they're clearly canonically romantic partners."

That is a form of amatonormativity, plain and simple. If you cannot look at two characters who care about each other without thinking "they HAVE to canonically be romantic partners" then there is a problem, and you need to consider why you might think that. Why does one character strongly caring about another have to indicate romance? Why do you think these two characters cannot possibly share a platonic relationship? 

Ultimately everyone's biases are going to be different there, but I do think it's a general thing of society placing a huuuuge emphasis on romantic relationships and playing them up as the be-all-end-all of life, and it's very easy to fall into the trap of believing that, as we're surrounded by that every day. I can't entirely blame people for falling into that trap as I had fallen into the same beliefs years and years ago before breaking out of them.

Rather than getting defensive about this sort of thing, I wish folks really would take a moment to step back and think "huh, why DO I think that what canon presents indicates that two characters who care about each other HAVE to be romantic partners?" Because it's not just something that affects the way you view fiction--it's a way of thinking that can affect your whole life, and can have a detrimental impact on yourself and others.

... uhhh oops. I dunno if you were expecting a ramble about amatonormativity, anon, but there you go. I hope that helps answer your question? \o/;;