#(reciprocal character relationships yay!)

[shidoukanae]

I also have so many thoughts on Paris/Helene in the light novel based on this newest chapter ngl

on one hand im nervously laughing because holy shit Paris is NOT okay

but also on the other hand im giddy as fuck because the light novel is redeeming itself with this one chapter alone and now all my fears of this ship being handled badly got thrown out the window HELL YEAH

[hermaeusmorax]

In Their Shadow

CHARACTERS: Viktor x reader x Jayce

SUMMARY: Viktor entertains a one-sided love with his two best friends, Jayce and you.

WARNINGS: angst with NO happy ending and NO comfort, I wanted to try something different!

A/N: fortunatelly the Arcane brainrot brought me back from my cave, be nice 'cause I'm rusty af in writing atm (as expected after 4 years!). I am also taking more Arcane requests yay! (rules for requests)

Viktor, Jayce and Y/N. The Three Musketeers. If you saw one of them around, no doubt the other two were somewhere nearby, inseparable as they are. What others looking from outside didn't see though, was Viktor's growing resentment towards his two best friends.

It didn't start like this, Viktor used to love them. Love, love them. He still does, but it's twisted now, love and anger so mixed together it's impossible to distinguish which is which. His affection began souring through disappointment at first, Viktor felt disappointed in Jayce for being distracted, their - yours - project suddenly wasn't Jayce's main concern anymore, you were.

When you weren't around Jayce would pester Viktor with daydreams and questions about you "Can you help me find out what's Y/N's type, man? You're way closer to Y/N than I am, please?". Jayce's eyes would shine and his cheeks flush, so enthralled in his own feelings he failed to notice Viktor's growing irritation.

Along the many years the three of you spent together working on Hextech, Viktor couldn't help but be in awe of his two companions. He fell in love with Jayce's passion and with your bright mind. Viktor wanted nothing more than to spend eternity alongside you, picking your brains. But as the two of you grew closer, specially after Jayce's reciprocated advances towards you, you both naturally drifted apart from him.

Viktor was forced to watch on the sidelines, drowning in the darkness of the long shadow your bright relationship cast over him. Left only to daydream about what it could've been like, had he had the courage to tell you or Jayce of his true feelings. Left only to reminisce about the early days of your shared research, when he indeed had the both of you to himself. As an attempt to anesthetize his festering wound, he threw himself at his work on the Hexcore.

Yet another day comes to an end, with Jayce leaving the laboratory with you glued to his arm, both dressed in fancy clothes for a dinner party you were supposed to attend, together, of course. You wave a gloved hand at Viktor, bidding him a gentle goodbye. It irritated him how oblivious you both could be to his true feelings, scientists of the damn year! As the door closed behind you, Viktor was left alone in the dark of the laboratory, so focused on his own misery that he missed when Sky knocked at the door. "Viktor? You still here?" she shyly called from the other side, smile faltering at the deafening silence that followed.

Sky knew he was still there, as it was an habit of his. The tinkering sounds and occasional curses that echoed through the door were just extra proof of his presence. Viktor was so preocuppied with the shadow your and Jayce's love had cast over him, he didn't notice he had cast one of his own. Such is life.

A/N: it physically hurt me to do him so dirty I'M SORRY! Promise to do lots of indulgent and Viktor-focused pieces too, I'm getting my writing groove back on ;).

[cursedvibes]

inspired by your recent posts, what other jjk duos do you like?

I'm assuming you mean aside from Takaba & Kenjaku? And that you mean this not purely in a shipping-sense but also platonic or as a team?

Hmm, well I have definitely gained a new appreciation for Sukuna and Uraume after the final chapter. I did like their dynamic before, but that was mainly based on Uraume's feelings towards Sukuna and my general exhaustion with Sukuna as a character during this final arc has turned me off them a bit. Seeing him reciprocate the care we've seen displayed from Uraume has definitely helped, although I still don't like him all that much.

Maki & Noritoshi are also a duo I really like. Their fight in Sakurajima colony is one of my favourite parts of the Culling Game arc. Both are outcasts from their clan and feel disconnected from their close family, although for different reasons. As different as they are, that is where they find a connection. It was nice to see them bond over it, particularly their relationships with their mothers (mommy issues yay). Maki helped Noritoshi reconnect with his mother and got him out of his suicidal spiral and Noritoshi was there to support her when she was facing the curse of her clan and ruminating on the knowledge that her mother loved her in the end.

Hakari & Uraume are also ones I would've loved to see more of. The few interactions we saw between them were so promising and their fight could've given both of them much more depth and character development. Uraume was certainly changed by it, although it is hard to say how exactly and why because we just don't get to find out much about them. That is what their fight could've fixed and it would've made the conclusion of the series with Sukuna choosing Uraume much more meaningful. I would like to really love this duo, but unfortunately we didn't get a lot for them.

Hakari in general is someone I love seeing interact with others. He always has a great vibe. Most evident in his fight with Kashimo, but also earlier when he met Yuuji for the first time. He has something very wild and "pure" (or maybe "honest" is the right word) about him that in turn does a lot to bring out the true nature of his counterparts. He brought Kashimo joy in a fight and he showed Yuuji the cracks in his cog mentality. I just generally like him and his dynamics with other characters. I wish we could've seen more with him and Kirara too. They are cute together, but I would've liked to get more depth from their relationship and see what brought them this close. Their struggles in Jujutsu Tech and eventual break from it would've been a great opportunity for this and in turn given us more lore. But alas. Still like Hakari a lot.

[wings-of-ink]

Hi again! Now I'm done with replaying old content and with reading the new chapter!

And damn, I loved it so much!

I have to say, Duri is probably my biggest surprise here. With the character intros, I expected them to be my least favorite RO, but somehow, they "feel" quite different from what I imagined, and I ended up really adoring them! If I wasn't so in love with Oswin, I would certainly have picked them!

Also, "You just bonked a demigod on the nose and lived to tell the tale." has to be one of my favorite lines in an IF ever!

But you know what has me frustrated (not saying that in a bad way)? The fact because of everything that happened, Oswin STILL didn't tell MC what he wanted to tell them nor did he give them that famous gift! I neeeed to know so badly!

On that matter, I've been thinking a lot about what could have caused Oswin to distance himself from the MC the way he did, and so far, I have two main theories - though both may be wrong. I will share but obviously I'm not expecting you to comment on them as that would be spoilery! - First one would be that after the MC started being sick, he felt more and more helpless about that, and his frustration about not being able to help MC ended up translating as him being frustrated WITH MC. As a kid it's possible he didn't think as much on this, but the more he grew up, the more not being able to do anything could have bothered him. And then acting badly with MC could have led him to feel guilty and keep his distances even more. The thing that makes me hesitant about this one though is the fact Lakota already feels that sort of frustration too, and as a healer it makes more sense for him, so I don't know if it would be the same for Oswin. - Second one would be that as he grew up, Oswin started having romantic feelings for the MC, but since he was older than MC - even if both were teens - he felt bad about it, or simply didn't consider the MC could ever reciprocate because of the age gap, which while very small once a person is an adult is way "bigger" for teenagers. In that case, him being frustrated and angry and lashing out may have been a result of him setting himself up for rejection or considering a relationship - even in the future - would be impossible, and thus sort of putting a wall to prevent further damage, even if said wall CAUSED the damage. Though that would highly depend on Oswin canonically having feelings for MC regardless of player's choices when it comes to MC's feelings, and for the time being I really can't tell if that's the case.

Anyway, I'll stop here with the theories cause it's starting to be quite long! But I just need to ask... will we be able to cuddle with Duri again - no matter the form - even if not romancing them? My MC seems compelled to just hug people and animals!

Yay! I'm so happy you enjoyed it!

I was hoping Duri would gain a few more fans with their reveal and it seems that is happening. All the characters are layered, but Duri has some special flavors to discover. They're better experienced in story I think too; they shine a little more true.

And I am so glad you caught that bit with Oswin, my dear! You're the first so far to mention it. Your MC will get the chance to bring that up, don't you worry. He's such a tease sometimes without meaning to be, lol.

I like your take on Oswin, and all I will say (but I won't point to specifics) is that you are on one or more correct paths. Chapter 5 should yield a conversation that will help paint the picture as well. Also thinking I should do some POVs sometime soon, and Oswin has several moments that are well-suited to this.

Duri will be available for cuddles, even the platonic ones in the coming chapters. They're pretty affectionate, especially towards friends.

Thank you for the message my dear, I really enjoyed and appreciated it! ^_^

[gardensnakie]

You always seem to have really interesting thoughts and perspectives when asked about various theories, stories, and concepts (I started reading The Summer Hikaru Died thanks to you /pos) so I’m curious: What do you think of hanahaki?

(Oh yay, it's a good story ^^)

For the hanahaki trope, I've never gotten an interest in it but I've heard the idea every know and then. I haven't read anything about it, but I got the basics of how it works so my opinion is based off surface level ideas and my elaboration

The disease that can only be cured if someone's love for somebody else is reciprocated is scary. I'm sure in some cases it doesn't necessarily have to be romantic love that would cure someone, but I'll focus on it because that's the main idea for most stories with hanahaki.

If someone close to me had hanahaki disease and it was getting worse because I didn't reciprocate that love, I would try my best to reciprocate it the best I can in that situation because I don't want this person to die.

I think there can be many possibilities and scenarios. My thoughts are running around trying to narrow down at least one outcome.

There can be aggression, a person demanding openness from the infected other so they know how to love them in a way they want so they won't die. The person can care endlessly and be determined to save the infected other, but still couldn't imagine kissing or marrying them among other things. I'm not sure how to explain it, since I'm not interested in romantic relationships and I honestly lean more into the idea of queer platonic relationships.

I dont think I could ever develop hanahaki disease if I lived in a universe where that happened. It's a trope that would give plot holes unless authors elaborated on it because I don't believe in the idea that there is only one person in life for someone else- soul mates basically. But I never experienced romantic love for someone so I wouldn't know how that feels.

If there was a character like that, with a lack of romantic interest in people but desperate for connection, I think they would do anything to save the person who is dying from their love for them. Even if that love is so different.

Yes, that character would cuddle with them, hold their hand, give them gifts, care, spend time with them, and they would have to believe it would be enough because they are so happy having someone else who loves them too- but again, that love is different, leaving the infected other to long for something they can't have

"Do you feel unloved?"

"What can I do?"

"I really do love you, why... " why aren't you getting better?

Is there any room for compromise? If moving on isn't a choice and the infected other dies, what would all that effort mean? A refusal to kiss should be better than an ingenuine one. Was this love not enough, was that love too much?

What makes it so different? Was it physical, was it emotional, what did it lack? All love is different and people see it in different ways and it is so vast, so even if one tries their absolute best there is always a risk of it failing and leaving to grave consequences. Does openness amount to the value of love? Would sharing our feelings cure it all, how vulnerable can somebody be and still fail to convince another they truly love them?

Its like- a spiritual force to cure the disease I think. What does the disease rely on, is it the victim's beliefs on what love is and what love they receive, does the disease find it different or is it the person first? Can it be reversed if the person just 'moves on'? It's never that easy.

I also think it's easy to grow cold toward a person with hanahaki disease and is in love with you. Like a 'you can hate me instead of love me' kind of idea. Forcing somebody out of love so they can be cured is a more cruel solution. Being set on being apathetic should at least make some difference. But it brings question of codependent victims of the disease. There's a lot! There's a lot of possibilities and I think it could be very interesting, and I'm sure there might be stories like this but I've never tried seeking them out.

[mooniety]

i'm bored so here's a little info dump about the metasusie siren au i made two months ago:

TRIGGER WARNING: extremely brief mention of suicide

Starting off with the original one (where Meta's a siren/serpent thing):

Susie lives in a village near the sea.

Haltmann is a wealthy merchant whose health is slowly deteriorating due to an illness he obtained after his most recent travel across the ocean which has caused him to fall into a coma.

Coping with her current circumstances, Susie starts to sing in an isolated area by the shore to let out her internal struggles & pain. She is not aware that the day she begins to do so, a funny sea monster (Meta) is currently causing ruckus in the area (eating fishermen).

Because Meta is near the shore having his meal of the day, he happens to hear Susie singing & due to his siren instincts, he's immediately attracted to the song & follows it to find Susie. After this, he begins to appear by the shore more often to solely listen to her sing (& terrorize the village more I guess).

After months of failure & now more than desperate to find a way to wake her father from his coma, Susie begins to believe in the village's rumors & myths, specifically one that states that if you sacrifice yourself to the ocean, your greatest wish will come true. (Just a reminder from your local responsible adult: Rumors & myths such as this are not real & I do not in any way advocate this. This is suicide.)

One day, while waiting for Susie to sing, Meta hears a large splash into the ocean, goes to check on it, & lo & behold, it's Susie.

Even though she technically is an easy meal of the day, he instead decides to save her as he is completely aware of what she's doing (not the rumor, just the suicide). Also he developed an extremely one-sided crush listening to her sing for a few months (Susie has never been truly aware of his presence up until this point; only knowing him as "Oh yeah, did you know there's a huge humanoid serpent in the ocean that eats humans & lives really close to us?" & dubbed by the villagers as "Sword of the Sea" as Galaxia is infused into his tail).

After Susie realizes she's alive, Meta immediately dishes out a deal with her: in return for saving/waking her father, he'll have her voice (YEP IT TAKES THE LITTLE MERMAID TURN KINDA). As in, she can't see her father because she's too busy singing for the fish man. This is where their purely contractual to lovers relationship starts!

Over time, Susie gets to know more about Meta & his life so his feelings for her are eventually reciprocated. Think of it as a Beauty & The Beast montage.

Anyways, Haltmann's all good & Susie has a lover yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also have a flipped version where Susie's the siren:

Meta is an infamous pirate, known as the "Knight of the Seven Seas." The Meta-Knights are his crew & his ship's obviously called the Halberd.

His current mission is to capture the Voice of the Sea (Susie) alive so he can get that sweet bounty on her head.

The reason why Susie is being hunted down/has a bounty is due to her rumored voice - seen as more of a commodity/prize than an actual living being.

He manages to easily injure & capture her, but notices that she's not really all she's made out to be - she's oddly not very hungry for humans & her domain looks more like an underwater memorial for someone rather than a graveyard of sailors.

This is because Susie's domain is an actual memorial to her dead mother, who died a long time ago after being accidentally killed by sailors. (Original characters?! Nah, too lazy to make them.)

After being captured, Susie explains that she's partially human as her father was a human merchant that would travel the seas to bring prosperity to other nations & she has been singing for years under the hopes that her father will reunite with her someday. However, after waiting for over a decade, he still hasn't arrived.

Pitying her, Meta decides to make a deal with her: if she helps him make her bounty, he'll help her reunite with her father. This is where their purely contractual to eventual lovers relationship starts!

During their adventure searching for Susie's father, Susie learns about nature beyond the sea (such as flowers) in which Meta explains that they're used to show respect to the dead (comparing it to how sirens show respect to their dead through treasure & valuables). In every island they visit, Susie collects more & more flowers, hoping to add them to her mother's memorial when she finally returns with her father.

To add in a bit of fluff, when Meta first introduces Susie to the concept of flowers, he places one in her hair, explaining to her that this is usually a gesture to indicate affection, but immediately doubles down stating that he just did it to educate her. (Haha, sure.)

Eventually, they both learn that Susie's father died a long time ago due to health complications as after learning about the loss of his wife, he attempted to search for his only family left, his own daughter (Susie) to no avail as his complications caught up to him before any possible reunion.

When they finally visit his grave, Susie decides to decorate his grave with all the flowers they collected over their previous journeys.

Anyways, Meta gets his money but also a lover yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[yanderes-galore]

Yay! Requests are open! Hope I formatted these right!

Fandom: BioShock

Character: Sander Cohen!

Pairing: idk how to describe it other than Romantic and platonic. Cohen would see darling as his most amazing Muse and want to be with them but darling ain't all into Cohen. Does that make sense?

Type of Fic: Concepts/Headcanons are fine.

What I mean here is maybe do some concepts for Sander Cohen having "romantic" (he feels like the darling is their muse) feelings while Darling doesn't reciprocate.

Of course! Here your mentally deranged artist! Sorry if this is too short. I'm a little bit sick (very minor head cold) but I'm going to take a small rest to see how things go after this ^^

Yandere! Sander Cohen with Muse! Darling

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Violence, Threats, Dubious but forced relationship, Mentioned kidnapping, Very brief nudity mention, Murder mention, Stalking mention.

Sander Cohen, be it before the fall of Rapture or after, is completely insane.

I highly doubt there was a time he ever was sane.

Despite this he's been praised as a highly skilled artist in Rapture.

He runs/ran many art galleries and is a big supporter of Andrew Ryan.

Being the source of this man's obsession is going to result in a lot of pain and torment for you.

He'd most likely see his obsession as some sort of muse, yes.

When he sees you he decides you're a great source of inspiration to him.

The origin of his feelings doesn't really matter.

Platonic, romantic, either way he treats it the same.

You just have to be his muse.

A muse can be a lover, a friend, or a complete stranger to an artist.

He may even stalk you and take pictures to get inspiration before deciding to pursue you.

I have a feeling Cohen would be relentless with trying to convince his darling they should be his muse.

You're given many invitations to events he's hosting.

He wants you both to get to know each other.

I am not really sure if I should say he has charisma?

Everyone with the right sense of mind knows he's crazy and he doesn't really have a way with words like Atlas for example.

Cohen would make his darling feel pressured into becoming his muse.

Out of fear for what happens if you disobey him.

You see... Cohen is apathetic to the idea of harming/killing others for "inspiration".

You have to play your cards right in order to survive.

Refusing to be his muse will most likely get you hurt or even possibly dead.

Cohen is a dangerous man.

Cohen would use his muse for all sorts of pieces.

He's an artist of many forms.

He'll paint you, sculpt you, he'll capture your beauty in many ways.

You can be clothed, or perhaps even nude if he can manage it.

He wants to depict you in states of pleasure and pain.

Your emotions are pure in his eyes.

Cohen likes to study every twitch, every feature of your form.

As his muse he has countless paintings and sculptures of you.

He's never had so much inspiration over one person.

I wouldn't put kidnapping past Cohen and murder is just canon.

He's coated live people in plaster.

You've seen the sculptures.

His insanity is what keeps you at bay.

You fear him.

If you tried to leave Cohen would hunt you down.

He'll kidnap you, maybe even punish you and use your pain as more inspiration.

He's a sick man, completely unfeeling towards the pain he causes others.

He doesn't do much to comfort you.

He may even yell/get frustrated at your refusal to cooperate.

But if he cares for you any amount... he'll try to make something of it and comfort you.

To him, his "love" for you is just more inspiration.

Cohen is a man dedicated to his craft, even if it hurts his darling muse.

When it comes to Cohen, your fate even as his muse is uncertain.

You may even end up dead by his hands for the sake of art... don't worry, he'll preserve you as his best muse.

[hecksupremechips]

🎢😈🛒spill spill!

🎢 which fic would you call your wildest ride

Prolly this one ai the somnium files fic I’ve kinda had on the back burner for a while now it’s like a partner swap scenario with an entirely new case with new characters involved and its mostly Ryuki centric and he’s going through every goddamn emotion cuz post aini he’s just assumed to be recovering but uh basically he isn’t and he’s still in a really bad place and feels alone and has strong feelings for Date that he can’t let go of which is extra hurtful cuz he kinda has to cuz I’m having Date try to focus more on his family and he gets back with Hitomi and Ryuki isn’t coping well 😩. And the case is like, im definitely still working out some shit its very loose still but essentially its kinda silly like it’s more supposed to be character focused and it’s just a minor case that exists between larger life altering cases but I’m attached to the villain cuz they’re just like. A mix of just some guy going through a silly time and WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU so yeah it’s fun and there’s also family drama for everyone yay

😈has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers

Yes ohohoho I can’t spoil it but my shinji fic is gonna be very sweet and cute and then I will appear with a fucking hammer 😈

🛒 what are some common things you incorporate into your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

Many things honestly uhh first off I love love love making characters behave like assholes whenever they’re going through it I love when characters are bitter and have misplaced anger and resentment but in a way where it’s like. They’re clearly in the wrong but it’s not dwelled on in a big dramatic way cuz idk I just like it when characters are presented in a neutral way so that the audience is assumed to be smart enough to understand what’s going on without having their hand held. And realistically speaking people behave irrationally and can be petty and selfish but also like good people too because they’re still trying at the end of the day idk

I also love silly banter and when characters are deeply fond of each other and you can feel it I get carried away with banter and teasing akdjsk

And uhhh when it comes to romance like I have such a one track mind I feel akdjms I just like it whenever people have it bad for each other and they show it in very different but equally lame ways and they’re probably very emotionally repressed about it too. Like I don’t enjoy when there’s a reciprocated relationship but it feels like one person loves more than the other one (unless there’s a point trying to be made) so I try to make sure everyone is on equal grounds and they all want to be there and also I uh. May uh. Really like tender first kiss scenes where two characters have been pining for a long time and they have been deeply repressed about it and they never thought their deepest desires would become reality so when they finally get to touch their partner they are overcome with every emotion known to man and they are very lame and stupid about it 👉👈🥺

[soreiya]

Can I ask why Varipunzel?

Most Varipunzel fans like New Dream to some extent, or at the very least acknowledge that it’s one of the healthier canon Disney relationships. Thus our ship exists in a sort of ‘What if?’ dimension, AU’s where Varian is at his original age of 19, or stories that take place years after the series epilogue.

While I can't speak for everyone who enjoys this pairing, I can at the very least list off some reasons on why it might be popular in the fandom.

Aesthetically the two characters look good together. (Whether you HC Varian as a tall adult or not.) They usually have complimentary color pallets.

Then of course this often ties into the sun and moon AU’s. The majority of the TtS fandom loves writing these kinds of stories. We just throw a romantic spin on it. Screw canon, he has blue hair! ;p

Considering that Varian was a temporary antagonist, some stories do lean into the foe yay relationship dynamic. People like a bit of power play every now and then.

Now why do I personally love this ship? A lot of it has to do with just how much these two have in common. They both have animal companions that they treat like best friends. They both like to read, draw, invent, and discover/learn new things. Domestically they both have a basic knowledge of household upkeep skills. They can cook, clean, and sew. Physically these two could be super human. (I’m not being serious, but how else can they parkour and leap down great distances like that? LMFAO) Mentally they are closer to being on the same page. Easily excitable, a little naive. and slow to catch on to social cues.

An isolated upbringing likely contributed to them both being a little awkward. Varian not really fitting in and Rapunzel being held captive in her tower. Though in spite of this they are both rather outgoing and assertive. Rapunzel is confident and carefree. She doesn’t often plan ahead. At least not in a meticulous way. Where as Varian started out similarly, but became a bit more nervous and cautions as time went by. He’s opposite in a ways that compliments her. He’s got the brain of a strategist and can plan far in advance. Varian also tends to be a bit more flirtatious and sassy. Maybe it’s something he picked up from the Flynnigan Rider books? Haha

Though that’s not all! ;D The friendship between these two has many stages. They went from blind trust to complete betrayal, and then had to learn how to trust again. Though their relationship grew stronger because of it. You see it from all of the little interactions between the two. One of my favorite moments for example is how embarrassed Varian got during CR when Rapunzel walked in on him having fun and being a big dork with Ruddiger. He only reacted this way towards her and completely ignored everyone else in the room.

As silly as it sounds you can kind of track their relationship’s progression through their hugs. LOL Going from one sided in TAR, to Varian initializing in RR, and finally him reciprocating in BVA. It all comes full circle.

Perhaps I should end this here. Otherwise I might end up writing a book or something. Haha Sorry for going a bit overboard with my response.

[cintakaz]

i havent read any of ekj's padme books because the ahsoka novel was so boring but i dont like the idea of sabe being in love with padme who will never reciprocate. i dont think star wars is the place for exploring the reality of that sort of relationship especially since it 1) it can't be mentioned as anything more than a line here and there and 2) it's framed as like yay! pride! instead of super tragic. and why do bi/gay characters always get stuck with these loser situations instead of having their own stories separate from straight people bullshit

[bedknees]

WELP, in light of season 2...

And it turns out that isolation and exclusion manifested into self-hatred that led him to genuinely believe he was broken and needed fixing. It manifested in a way that made him believe he was unworthy of love. Yay!!

His devotion to his work? His heavy focus on science and disregarding of close relationships? It's all because he truly felt that his worth was contigent on what he could provide in feats and accomplishments.

Viktor was so, SO desperate to make a legacy for himself because he couldn't fathom mattering enough to anyone to just be remembered for who he was, not what he could accomplish.

If it wasn't subtly implied in season one, it's explicitly stressed in the finale. All Jayce had to do was show Viktor that he loved him. Him. Not what he could do, not the scientific merit he could bring to the table. But WHO HE WAS. Whether you interpret their relationship as platonic or romantic, the weight of Jayce's words and the power of their connection finally showed Viktor without a shadow of a doubt he was lovable. He could be cherished and he certainly wasn't a broken thing that needed fixing.

The finale fills in so many areas that were left ambiguous about Viktor's character. As I said, Viktor never entertained intimate relationships because he didn't believe he was worthy of them. He's a direct subversion to the generic loner scientist character. Viktor was not naturally predisposed to being a loner. He became one after a life of exclusion and isolation. No one ever believed in him; he had to painstakingly climb his way from the Fissures of Zaun to the heights of Piltover. By himself, all while he was disadvantaged by disability on top of everything else.

(an aside, please read this fantastic analysis of Jayce mirroring Viktor's struggles in Episode 7 of season 2!!)

It was and could only ever be Jayce that saved him. From a loneliness so vast it ultimately manifested into horrifying, world-ending ways. From the belief that he was inherently unworthy of affection and closeness.

And once Viktor finally realized that the image he formed of himself couldn't be further for the truth, for the first and last time in the entire series, Viktor finally reciprocated Jayce's affection. Because he understands now.

Something that supremely bothers me is the fact that many people fall back into common stereotypes in their interpretations of characters when a property actively works against it.

Case in point, Arcane. We have Viktor, a brilliant inventor and scientist. But unlike the common stereotypes associated with these Tropes, this man feels things intensely, has an immense amount of empathy, and is kind and considerate. Characters like him are usually written as cold, detached, and emotionally stunted. Not Viktor, though. Despite his scientific mind, he is a complexly feeling individual.

I'm just setting the groundwork here, because my topic of frustration really regards Viktor and his outcast status as a child. I have been noticing a worrying trend of interpreting Viktor as having no interest or time for friends because he's too focused on inventing things and is too smart to relate to them. And sure, that can be true to a point.

^ But this is not the face of a kid that has no interest in socializing with his peers. He locks eyes with Sky several times, obviously making sure she is watching and that maybe if she finds his invention cool she will join him. This is a boy who wants friends. But he is rejected. Time and time again. And spoiler: it's not because he's smart.

Viktor's isolation and lack of friends as a child was not due to him being 'too smart' or 'too focused on inventing', it was due to him being disabled. He didn't really have friends because kids are mean and being kids, they judge a book by its cover more often than not. It is something so many disabled people face every day. You are either treated as invisible or as if you are made of glass.

And his lack of close relationships as an adult most definitely stems from being isolated as a child and being frequently sick. And that's another point, as well. When Jayce mentions that Viktor just disappears sometimes, it's obvious to me that he is pulling away from people he cares about so he doesn't attract further attention to his failing health.

But yeah. I thought Arcane deconstructed that stereotype beautifully; that Viktor truly wants to have friends, but as a child he was given serious barriers to entry. And as an adult, his introverted habits persist due in no small part to the fact that he was looked over so much when he was little, coupled with that he does not want to burden people with his chronic health issues.

Arcane takes such a tragic, yet nuanced approach to this and it works so well. Just wanted to get that off my chest. Thanks for reading!

[livingwithsinzine]

I understand the stance on ships but I'm sort of confused on Kanata and Misella. Doesnt Kanata canonlly reciprocate Misella's feelings? Do you have any advice on how to approach handling them without going against the rules but also not having to change their characters? Like for example can Kanata still get flustered by something Misella says like he does in the game, or would that be crossing a line?

Their relationship is complicated because in the game it did seem like Kanata reciprocated back but Crestoria was axed before they were made an "official" couple. (My personal stance is because they're still young their canon would've been vague but still widely accepted like they've done in several other regular Tales games. I don't want the manga to be axed this year but maybe if the manga clarifies it-)

Kanata getting flustered by whatever Misella says would not be crossing a line, though. That would be fine. I know the dynamic is a little trickier than others, but honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about crossing lines as long as you know that you're not explicitly writing it as a ship. We're not gonna be nitpicky about this sort of thing.

I guess the things I can tell you that would not be allowed within non canon-compliant are a) kissing/making out and b) sex (but that wouldn't be allowed regardless even with canon-compliant couples because that falls against the 16+ rule). A lot of other gestures, physical or emotional, can fall under being platonic too, so it's really just how you make it.

If you're still unsure, you can continue to give examples and I can yay or nay it. 99.9% you'll probably be fine c:

[hamliet]

Okay I have a question for you re Brian/Michael. Now I'm no huge fan of Michael's mostly because I just find him boring overall as a character. His personality traits aren't something I enjoy in my faves he's just meh.. each to their own nothing to do with Brian at all. Michael's just screams safety and vanilla to me whereas Brian/Justin are excitement and danger yk.

Whilst I don't hate Michael as some people do or completely despise his friendship with Brian. I can see why they're friends and I understand the importance of them in each others lives - that's not to say I enjoy it. There are aspects on both sides I find irritating and make me roll my eyes.

But the one thing I've never been able to understand are the Brian/Michael shippers. Like what do these people find appealing about shipping these two romantically. How does it scream reciprocal to them? I mean on both sides they would absolutely be the worst couple purely from a non biased shipping stand point just no...

Could you ever see them as an actual couple to root for?

Yay QaF ask!!

Oh dear GOD no to the couple thing! I absolutely could not.

To backtrack a bit: no worries about not liking him--to each their own! To that extent, I imagine something appeals to people about their dynamic. If it appeals to some, like, you do you boo I don't care, have fun. From my perspective, though, there was 0 way to make a Michael/Brian romance work from a storytelling or character perspective.

But I do think the fact that the original British show does have their counterparts (Stuart and Vince? was that his name?) getting together might have created the expectation. But ultimately, Stuart and Brian, Vince and Michael, and especially Nathan and Justin were very different characters. Also, while the UK version is very well-done, its themes are much less idealistic than the US version, and it's a bit more realism-based in terms of tone.

I honestly don't think Michael was ever in love with Brian so much as he was in love with the idea of Brian. Brian was this... idea of safety and childhood to Michael, a hero. Of course, this is ironic because Brian and safety do not fit together lol (well. Besides condoms). Essentially, it's a paradox (and a complex one, which is why I love Michael actually--I loooove complexity!):

Michael truly loves, but is not in love, with actual Brian as he is, flaws and all. Michael wants this Brian around forever as his BFF.

Michael is in love with an ideal romantic image of Brian that does not exist and which he knows damn well does not exist. But:

Michael genuinely, from season 1 episode 2, states that he does not want Brian to change. So if Brian changes to Ideal!Brian, Michael wouldn't actually have the person he actually loves anymore.

Hence, it's impossible for Michael and Brian to ever end up together. Michael was pursuing what he knew he could never have. He does this partially to avoid having to grow up himself and partially out of low self-esteem (not believing he deserved to be loved back).

Michael's relationship with Brian is a good foil with Justin and Brian's, because Justin's is more like:

Justin is in love with Brian, but needs to learn who Brian is and what loving Brian means. It doesn't mean loving Ideal!Brian.

Justin knows his own worth--to an extent--and thereby is able to push Brian to grow into a better version of himself while still accepting flawed Brian.

But, demonstrating that Justin is actually in love with real!Brian, flaws and all, Justin insists in the end that he doesn't want Brian to entirely give up his vices for him. The Brian he loves and the Brian he wants around are the same.

Of course, in the end the Brian Michael loves and wants around are the same too, it's just not romantic. While Michael links Brian to childhood, Justin links Brian to growing up (losing his virginity, etc.) In a story that is essentially about Brian's Peter Pan Syndrome, that's significant.

Anyways, that's some convoluted rambling that I'm not sure if I conveyed well, but yeah. That's why I think they had 0 chance of every working together.

[yandere-toons]

yay 🎉 then I’d like to request platonic headcanons for jack pumpkinhead from oz please 😊

Yandere Jack Pumpkinhead (Platonic Headcanons)

A.N. – My favourite Return to Oz character.

Jack sees his friend as a mentor and someone deserving of reverence after whom he should model his life and behaviour. He thinks of them like a child regards their parent, but Jack is fearful of scorn and only expresses this attachment via accidental terms of endearment and the instinct to find them when he is injured or frightened. This hesitancy to assert himself prevents Jack from employing more than a hit-or-miss approach to keeping them around, relying on the frailty of his body to garner sympathy and convince them that he needs supervision.

In moments of excitement, such as after his friend helps him repair himself or narrowly escapes from a dangerous encounter with Mombi or the Deadly Desert, Jack rambles about the personal importance of their friendship. He confesses to never having felt more connected to someone in hopes that his friend will reciprocate the affection and permit him to address them as a parental figure.

Jack has a feeble sense of independence and is far more comfortable with enabling his friend to, metaphorically or physically, hold his hand through life. He grows timid and indecisive whenever they leave his sight, fearing that some terrible accident will befall them and they will never return. Every journey, even a short walk from the Emerald City or a trip to the marketplace, is met with his request to accompany them.

For the innocent mind of Jack, the worst thing he could be is useless, and the worst crime he could be guilty of is appearing ungrateful for their companionship. Along with wanting his friend to always be in arm's reach so he can feel assured of their presence, Jack spares no opportunity to assist them in whatever task they may undertake. He gives his best efforts and is reluctant to admit any difficulties even if he has no idea how to do something, for his greatest worry is that his friend will decide to handle it themselves and deem him unworthy of their time.

Every word spoken to his friend is reconsidered and doubted for fear that an unknown complication will ambush him and ruin the exchange, potentially damaging the relationship by extension. Jack seeks not to inconvenience them and freely abandons his wellbeing and opinions if preserving them means endangering or contradicting his friend.

[prudencean]

Downton Abbey -  A New Era

Thomas' story & spoilers & personal opinion

I desired liberty; for liberty I gasped; for liberty I uttered a prayer; it seemed scattered on the wind then faintly blowing. I abandoned it and framed a humbler supplication; for change, stimulus: that petition, too, seemed swept off into vague space: “Then,” I cried, half desperate, “grant me at least a new servitude!”

Jane Eyre, ch X

The first idea that came to mind when I watched A new era was a comparison with Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Bronte, published under the pseudonym of Currer Bell.

This story introduces Guy Dexter (not his real name, I can't help but imagine of reading a great number of fics having Thomas calling him "drama Quin". Anyway...) who, contrary to my original take, is not sleazy. Sure, he's a bit more handsy than socially acceptable considering their position, but he's likeable, handsome and charming.

All in all, Guy is a good character. I may shock and appall some people, but I also think he could be good for Thomas too. I like him as much as I like Richard. Or thereabouts. He's certainly one of the two (three if I add Chris, which I normally don't) love interests that I like for Thomas. On top of what I wrote about him above, he also likes and wants Thomas, which is the one plus I need as a Thomas' fan.

In different circumstances.

In these circumstances though, in A New Era, in order for this (I hesitate to call it romance) to work Richard has to go. And before he goes, he has to hurt Thomas.

Which makes Thomas vulnerable. Keep this in mind.

True, when Thomas got involved with Richard, he was vulnerable too. He was arrested and got saved by him. A little bit of sense of duty, the feeling that he has to reciprocate comes in the way, doesn't it? So, here we are, I already found/created one scenario for Thomas to not be with Richard any more that has nothing to do with Richard being 'dishonest' and hurting Thomas. Not so hard, is it? 

And no, it’s not done so I won’t make Richard ‘bad’, but It immediately becomes Thomas' choice. Thomas' decision that has nothing to do with hurt and betrayal. Far more stable basis for a relationship that we want to last. 

No though, that's not what happens in the movie. Richard decides to get married and informs Thomas about it, disappointing and betraying his own promise. Neat. So neat. Or not. It depends how you see it.

The positive in this is how Thomas is presented in this situation when we compare him with series 1 episode 1, where Thomas was ready to be Phillip's bit of rough when the first would be married. So kudos for this. Much appreciated.

And voilà! Guy is here and he's interested. In Thomas. Yay. Another love interest exactly when we need him. Thomas is angry, hurt, vulnerable... what better time to make decisions?

Again, Guy is a great man. But he's 'upstairs'. He's an actor, he's rich.

Out of nowhere (literally) he says "why don't you come and see for yourself [where I live]?"

And alright, Thomas "what?" is something I have missed dearly, but seriously, what?

Go and look after Guy, Thomas, since he doesn't have a wife... ‘valet?’ Thomas asks, ‘more than that’, Guy replies... Heavens! the romance! I'm swooning. Not.

Thank the Lord, these are two good actors, and Guy gazes at Thomas with such a longing, so much yearning, because otherwise... this would have been sleazy. The biting of the lip is a nice touch.

‘run the house, organise the journeys...make us comfortable’.

And that's suggestive, boy! it's so much suggestive.

Of course if his career folds, they will have to think again, Guy says, and Thomas has to comfort him. Comfort him. Nope, his career won't fold, Thomas reassures.

Do we see the dynamics here? Do we?

And compare it with Richard? Equal Richard, who kept on reassuring Thomas? Oh boy!

Because, yes, this is going to be compared with Richard, with what the previous movie gave to Thomas. 

And then Guy gets handsy, straightens Thomas' lapels, which symbolically is a nice touch, unless you think that this will be Thomas' job from now on. Or it shows that Guy WILL return the favour.

It depends on how the viewer sees it. Are they optimists or are they pessimists? Do they like power dynamics or don't they like them?

Thomas takes a step back.

Also, it's not a joke. Guy has really asked him to go work for him.

And Thomas decides to go with Guy, because it's the "honest" way for him to live, having a "working friendship with Mr. Dexter". Guy will make films and Thomas will look after him...

Seriously, all these come out of Thomas' mouth. My heart beats fast and erratically. The fairytale... the Hollywood husbands. No, wait.

In the past, I'd written about Richard how he was everything that had gone wrong with Thomas and his previous love interests, and this now reminds me of Phillip.

Either way, this isn't equality. This is not balance.

This isn't progress. Not for me, at least.

Back to Jane Eyre, published in 1848, Bronte brings the protagonists together when the unbalance between the two is minimised. Jane has money & Edward has been taught humility. Also the love is explored in detail. Jane's agency gets stronger & stronger as the story progresses.

Guy Dexter is so very likeable. I like him. He's created to be liked, just as Richard was created to be liked. However, the story is not progressive. I cannot be convinced that working for your lover, in a foreign country, an Atlantic and the USA between everything and everyone you knew is the basis of stability for a man like Thomas. Or for anyone, for that matter.

Plus, yes, I will repeat,  it has to shatter Richard to pieces, remove the adversary entirely, & create an unbalanced affair instead of the equality I so enjoyed in the previous movie.

The end doesn't make Thomas the lord of his life, it gives him a different master to serve. And that's my issue with the plot. It's not Guy.

Give Thomas independence, let him freely choose between two love interests and I'm 100% behind it even if he chooses Guy. And that's my personal preference for a favourite character.

This, though, is a "new servitude" shown by the same narrative that says it's a happy ending for Thomas,  as a knee jerk reaction to Richard's news. All around, for me, it has done bad to Richard, to Guy and to Thomas.

In my Jane Eyre comparison, Rochester seems to be Guy, doesn't it? And while I have written more than a hundred words for Thomas/Richard stories I have no problem if they indeed make it work. None at all.

The premise though, the narrative, the story arc, the past and present, Thomas' situation, and for the reasons I wrote above, makes it difficult to buy this is Thomas' happy ending as it is now.

This isn't the happy ending. This is chapter 10 of a 35 chapters story that may bring a happy ending.

All in all, IMVHO get Thomas with Guy, but do it differently.

PS. Guy is gorgeous!

[shifuto]

thank you mate :3 <3

I'm tagging @dualumina , @sabellabella and sweebat (can't tag you for some reason? So I hope you see this 😆)

Last song

been really into this the last couple of days :3 only reason I ever get into kpop is through video games lmaooo

the AMVs I'm planning dude.... oh my goodness XD

Favorite color

I've been really into pinks and beige and pastel these days O: but I really love green, red.. it's hard to pick one 😆

Last movie/show

Yugioh Vrains 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 wanna watch again...........

Sweet / spicy / savory

savory always, but I do have a sweet tooth too :3

Relationship status

single ):

oh well, c'est la vie.. doing the best I can to have a good and happy life but it's still pretty lonely. Self-love, hobbies, etc aren't exactly great substitutes for another human being hahahaha. I'm trying but finding someone compatible is hard when I'm unwilling to do all the work myself anymore. Reciprocity and communication are the bare minimum and most people I've met are not meeting these standards so...... we stay silly :3 and keep on working towards self-improvement \o/ yay

Last search

the music video I posted here lol

Current obsession

I'm playing rhythm games a lot XD so glad they took over my life again yay. Well that and some characters from Vrains lmaooo

GET TO KNOW THE BLOGGER ASK GAME

tagged by @pocketsonny ♡ thank you!

i ramble on too much, so i'll make it a read more! here goes~

TAGGING in advance (if you want)

@armos @fleury @saltiestcoconut @gntk

Last Song

i've been listening to MMBN's OST for around 2 weeks straight. i would really like to play this game soon, since i bought the collection on sale for 50% off~ (looks at @pocketsonny who keeps nudging me to play as well by talking excitedly about it)

Net Battle and Fire Field are so good...

Favorite Color

i really like gray the most, i think. i really like rose pink, lavender and lilac purple, flowery yellow, and soft blue and mild green a lot as well! something like this?

i also love the colors of the sunrise, the sunset, and the galaxy

Last Movie / Show

the last movie i saw became my favorite movie! i watched it with @xx-moonluster-xx and @duelofai !

i had a lot of fun. Nausicaä's messages of decay and rebirth were so wonderful. also i love the gentle giant bugs and the extraordinary fantasy world they created (it was so beautiful and the OST is so good too)

otherwise, i've been rewatching FMAB in a group with 3 people after 12 years. it used to be my favorite series a long long time ago, so i'm really happy to watch it now that i'm older and understand the world from another perspective (and thus, understand and resonate with the grim reality this series often times presents)

Sweet / Spicy / Savory

Relationship Status

spicy, definitely! savory is always good! i'm not the biggest fan of sweet!

@armos and i celebrated our 10 years dating anniversary in January!!

Last Search

Current Obsession

definitely not the movie and show official art above—

this will be random, but, lots of people on twt have been posing and dressing up the new plush Yusaku, so i've been itching to see them in new and fun ways. isn't he adorable? i just want to squeeze him (shows you mine i bought for my partner)

additionally, i've been playing a lot of Blue Rescue Team again lately (i have almost 500 hours on record) because i'm trying to recruit them all! it's a bit of a task, though. there's tons of 1% encounters and they can take a long time to get lucky and join you. (pictured: me recruiting all 1% encounters at once in Howling Forest somehow)