#But like there were no actual romantic emotions there

[greenfiend]

Why I’m confident that El was willed into existence…

In a show that frequently references superheroes, alter egos, clones, “subs”titutes, and swapping places…

Is it truly that far fetched to believe that our main “hero” is actually the boy who likes to hide in disguise all along?

In other words, let me explain the evidence that Will created El and what it means for the ending of the show.

I’ll begin by saying that even back when I was a GA watching the show, I sensed that there has always been a supernatural connection between the two of them.

Think about it. Will vanishes, El first appears then El vanishes and Will re-appears. They “swap places”. Will is “good at hiding” and thus El takes over as the lead.

El is a masculine girl (at least power-wise), while Will is a feminine boy. They are connected but yet within the show they aren’t that close? Sure they’re “siblings” now but the writers made a choice not to focus on building up their relationship/bond. In fact, we see them continuously being separated from each other. This conveys a subtle message to the audience:

They cannot co-exist.

They both take up the same role within the show. Let me explain…

Let’s start with similarities between Will and El

Both are around the same age

Both are quiet

Both have a mother who is loving yet distant and both mothers are implied to have mental health issues and are heavily paralleled.

Both have a complicated and ab*sive relationship with their father/“papa”

Both are associated with powers

Both have been victims of bullies

Both have trauma and struggled with their emotions

Both are associated with repressed memories

Both are romantic love interests for Mike

Both are heavily connected with the supernatural

etc etc…

Let’s talk symbolism…

I’ve mentioned this many times before but the writers have subtly used the explosion of “Little Boy” the atomic bomb as a metaphor for Will’s disappearance.

“Little Boy” is Will Byers himself. The real “Little Boy” bomb caused a nuclear fission reaction. Fission means to “split in two”. We also have the Phineas Gage metaphor that conveys splitting of the brain.

On top of this, in the flashback of El opening the gate for the first time, we see the Demogorgon feasting on an egg. When El sees this, we see cracks appear and the gate opens. The egg cracks. This is further implied with this line:

If the hair is a nest, the egg is the head. The head “split”/cracked open. Like an egg, the head hatched… which implies a birth!

Notice how they chose an “owl” out of all birds? Owls are associated with wisdom, and the Greek Goddess Athena. How was Athena born, you ask?

Zeus had a “splitting” headache and then Athena was born from his head.

”Splitting” is also a term within Dissociative Identity Disorder when a new alter/personality emerges. Alters are often seen as “superheroes” as they often protect the host/the system from experiencing trauma. They take over, and “swap places” with the host/other alters. There are common alters roles within a DID system, and one of them is called “The Gatekeeper”.

“The Gatekeeper” controls access to the gate, and to the memories (sound familiar?)…

To add to the “splitting” analogy, we have multiple references to El being “half” and not “whole”. Notice how she’s “twice” as happy with Will present, after being “half”way happy? Two halves = a whole.

Another planet/different species

We have many references to the UD being another planet. If the UD is another planet, all those who inhabit said planet are a “different species” or rather, aliens.

As we all know, El is heavily inspired by “E.T.”, a famous alien character. When she comes to “Earth”/the right side up, she is, essentially, an alien. She doesn’t fit in because this is not her world.

El was even paralleled to D’Art who, as we know, was a “new species” that literally came from Will’s head!

D'Art is a "new species" and El and Max are a "different species" aka "material girls". This implies that they all were created.

They aren't from Earth but instead they're from "another planet". We are given a hint to this in the shot above on the left. A globe (Earth) near another round sphere (Will's head...)

Relevant Media References Within the Show

Within the show, we have many references to other media- specifically media that contains a character with an alter-ego.

Superman is the simplest one to explain, so I’ll start with that. As we know, Mike said El was “Superman”, and that he was “Lois Lane”, prior to Will expressing his love for Mike using El’s name. The writers chose to reference Superman for a reason and it’s not just because El has powers or that Mike is gay. We are supposed to connect the dots and conclude that:

Will is Superman’s alter-ego: Clark Kent. The seemingly nerdy ordinary guy who loves Lois Lane but who is (secretly) Superman.

(Read the line from Lois above, it is incredibly relevant to Will and El)

Another commonly referenced movie within ST is The Neverending Story.

(Atreyu looks into the mirror and sees Bastian…)

The similarities between Bastian (bullied bowl cut boy) and Will are fairly obvious, as well as the similarities between Atreyu (the hero) and El. Well, it turns out that Atreyu was actually Bastian the whole time.

X-Men has also been referenced within the show.

Will asks Dustin for "X-Man 134" in the very first episode. This comic is significant because it was the first appearance of "Dark Phoenix".

In the book the Dark Phoenix is accidentally unleashed by the Mastermind who is tinkering around in Jean's brain trying to unlock the full potential of her powers. x

I argue that the "Mastermind" is actually Will himself who unleashed El into the world. He cast "fireball" unleashing El, the phoenix.

That's not the only X-Men clue however...

In the original Montauk script, it was X-Men 269 that Will asked Dustin for.

@threemanoperation made an excellent post about that here.

There are clear references to gateways and "splitting" which are incredibly relevant to this theory.

Karen's Novels

In this scene, Karen is reading a book called “Tender is the Storm”. In that book, there’s a surprise twist at the end:

These two "twins" that the main character is torn over end up being the same person.

Now keep in mind, the previous novel Karen reads also has clear relevance/foreshadowing. Credit below goes to @/kaypeace21, her post is here.

Sound familiar?

Hawkins Lab/Tunnels

Tunnels are something that we see a lot of... especially in Will's drawings in ST2. He draws tunnels from his mind... it's his mind map.

So... El came from Hawkins Lab, and escaped through these tunnels.

Hawkins Lab...

There's lots of subtle clues that "Hawkins" is metaphorically Will. Let me explain...

"Hawkins" is still healing from the gate being opened = "Will" is still healing from the gate being opened.

"But some of him is here, too. In me. It's like... it's like he's reaching into Hawkins [me] more and more." - Will

"Hawkins" isn't the same without Will because "Hawkins" *is* Will!

So El came from "Hawkins" lab = El came from "Will's" lab.

A laboratory is a place where things are created.

The mind is a "prison" as Papa states. Then we have Hopper and Henry comparing Hawkins Lab to a "prison"/El being a “prisoner”.

El is a prisoner of the mind…

Thus we can conclude: Hawkins Lab is Will's mind, and that is where El came from.

She was a prisoner of his unpleasant and traumatized mind who managed to escape into the real world.

El's Memories

The biggest question is... if El came from Will's mind, how does she have her own memories?

The answer to this is fairly simple:

El has Will's memories...

A major clue of this is in ST2. In a flashback, we see Hopper teach El Morse Code. Later on within the same season, we see that Will knows Morse Code...

Now I know this sounds like a stretch for some, but the major reason why is because we know so little of Will's past explicitly.

We have never seen Will and his father Lonnie directly interact. But through many many clues we can infer that Lonnie had a profoundly negative effect on Will. Not only was he obviously homophobic and a deadbeat father... but many clues point to him being so much worse. I talk about much more in this post.

"Papa" may not be real, but rather a manifestation/altered version of Will's father.

In one of the comics, we see a clear parallel here between El and Papa and Will and Lonnie. The father shutting out the child and ignoring their cries.

Perhaps the biggest clue of El having Will's memories, however, comes from 4x02.

Lets break this down:

In ST1, Jonathan tells us that his father forced him to kill a rabbit on his birthday and it was traumatic for him.

In ST2, March 22 is established as Will's birthday and we are told by Owens that "The anniversary of an event can bring back traumatic memories."

In ST4, we are told that "our brains protect us from trauma" by repressing memories.

In ST4, Will's birthday (the anniversary) is forgotten (repressed memories).

In ST4, on March 22, El has flashbacks to a massacre... and the song "Wipe Out" plays. "Wipe Out" can mean two things: to kill (a rabbit?) and to eliminate something completely (memories).

So... with all of that knowledge... wouldn't you say that it's interesting that El has traumatic memories on Will's birthday?

I think it's fair to conclude that:

Will experienced something very traumatic related to his father on his birthday (March 22), and he has repressed the memories. El, as the "Gatekeeper Alter"/superhero protecting Will/the system, has access to Will's memories.

Gatekeepers control access to specific memories or protected alters and can, in some cases, prevent unwanted switching. These alters aid in preventing traumatic memories from escaping from the alters who control them, thus throwing up amnesiac walls to protect the whole system. x

Which is why in the NINA plot line, it was all about El retrieving back memories... Will's memories. Or rather, altered versions of his memories.

Just to re-affirm the point that Will does not have his own memories... we were gifted with this subtle clue.

"Larry" is a nickname for Lawrence/Laurence. Lonnie is also a nickname for Lawrence/Laurence. So basically:

Will doesn't remember Lonnie. Or rather, he only vaguely remembers Lonnie.

El has Will's memories of Lonnie, and we see them through her flashbacks with "Papa".

This is exactly why we never see Lonnie or rather rarely have any direct mentions of him within the show. He is a deeply repressed memory.

I could go on about this because there are tons more hidden clues but this post will get FAR too long.

Why did Will create Eleven?

Wherever you go, the number 11 seems to find you - this is an angel number. x (credit to @thestrangestthing89 for pointing this out).

To answer this question very simply: Will created El as a replacement for himself. She was his "guardian angel" to protect him from his trauma, but also to erase him.

We really do not discuss this enough, but Will has crippling self-esteem issues! That's why he's so selfless and that's why he always tries to hide. He doesn't believe he's worthy of... anything.

El is a strong, brave, and socially acceptable version of himself. She has superpowers and she can be with Mike, because she's a girl. It'd be acceptable.

But over time we see that El could never replace Will, nor does she want to! El replacing Will causes everyone to be miserable. Will, Mike, his family, and El herself.

How it may be explained within the show

So, DID itself was not a term that existed within the 1980s, it was called "Multiple Personality Disorder". My guess, however, is that they will not use any specific medical term. They will, instead, use a DnD term:

"Changeling" x

According to folklore, a changeling was a substitute left by a supernatural being when kidnapping a human being. x

After Will vanished, El, a supernatural being, appeared in the same place. This whole time El was a "changeling"/substitute for Will.

El's Ending

El's ending has been a hot topic as of recently, for a good reason. People are scared she'll be killed off and express their discontentment with that. Will she be killed off?

Not exactly. Let me explain.

El is E.T., an alien who ends up returning back to their own world. The same thing will happen to El. As I explained, El came from Will's mind, and she will return to Will's mind! This will be her own choice, because she's not adapting to the real world. It's been a constant loop for her, and she's not happy. She hasn't felt like she belonged.

She's tired of being forced into roles that aren't her own.

El and Will will "combine" via fusion. This is where the "Little Boy" metaphor for Will returns. El came into the world via "fission" (splitting) and will return via "fusion" (combining back into Will).

The important thing to note here is that she will not "die".

As Henry states, she will live on in the mind. Most likely, a much more pleasant version of the UD. My guess is her ending will be similar to Frodo's at the end of Lord of the Rings.

(Notice how she disappears into Will? That's obviously intentional visual foreshadowing).

I have even more to say on this but this post has been long enough!

What are your thoughts?

[cheeseceli]

The number one

Pairing: Nishimura Riki × gn!reader

Genre: angst, drabble (<1k words)

Request: “I'd do anything to make you want me. I'd give it all up if you told me I'd be the number one in your eyes”

Warnings: no happy ending

A/n: came back from the dead just to write this one fr | daily click

Maybe it was because of his lack of experience in love. Maybe, with his hectic life that started when he was so young, he didn't really know what to do. He didn't even know what the feeling was. He just hoped it was love.

Oh, how he wanted it to be love. He heard that love made wonders, almost miracles. And if every time he saw you he felt this funny thing in his chest and the urge to look away whilst his brain desired to admire your face, he hoped it could mean he was in love with you.

How unfortunate it was that his first romantic experience would be an unrequited one. You were kind to him, and he knew you held him close to your heart. He was special to you. But not how he wanted to be. And he definitely wasn't the number one to you.

But he was pretty sure he loved you. And although he knew that this feeling could move mountains and change the course of rivers, he also knew it was hard to maintain. It was a delicate emotion: for you to love and be loved, you first need to take care of it like it's made of the most fragile glass ever. And such care could be painful.

But Niki was willing to go through this pain.

It was his first time in love. He couldn't let it go to waste.

So he really tried his best. He did everything he could. He knew you weren't emotionally available to him, but he thought that, with time and patience, you would end up giving in. Although he was inexperienced, he knew he could treat you right. He knew he could be the one, only if you allowed him. With this thought, he was ready to do anything for you to want him.

Someone should've warned him that this is not how things go. Although his heart was stubborn and he was yearning for you, nothing could do. Before he could even realise, he was losing himself in order to be the one you needed. The one you wanted. But even after all his efforts, he still didn't manage to be the number one in your eyes.

In the end, he was lost. All he had was his love for you and this new person he saw every time he looked in the mirror. He didn't know what to do with this.

If you as much told him you'd be willing to at least try, he would accept it. He would give it all up for that. He didn't need your love. If you couldn't give him your all, he would be happy with at least a part of it. But you never said anything to him. He knew you loved him as a friend, but you couldn't say you reciprocated even a fraction of his feelings. You could never tell him what he was dying to hear.

Before feeling it himself, Niki knew that love could heal and change lives. He also knew that the journey was hard, but worth it in the end. So he wished to feel it one day. Until he did. And then, he learnt that love can also hurt.

And it hurts like hell.

Masterlist | you'll probably like: when you marry someone else

Reminder this is just fiction!! I'm not trying to portray real life and you shouldn't believe that this is how the members actually are. This is just for the vibe and the delulu!

Taglist (open!): @yuyubeans @greentulip @firstclassjaylee

Dividers by @thecutestgrotto | images 1, 2 and 3

[imaginespazzi]

Ok I am reading linear GH instead of working and this anon is honestly unreal - I love that they put the parts too with the dates! I am just jotting a few things that really stuck out to me and showcase your fucking GENIUS. The way you carried the themes of timing, trust, soulmates throughout everything is amazing, and its honestly fucking bananas that you were churning out a chapter a week at the beginning of this.

September 2017 (Part 3) - Facetiming

"Because as long as it’s Azzi on the other side, Paige and her impatient self can wait however long it takes."

"The younger girl makes Paige feel like it’s okay if she takes a moment to just breathe. Because Azzi will wait. Because Azzi won’t leave Paige behind."

July 2018 - I don't have a lot to note about this one but its very cute and innocent that you made Belarus be their first kiss considering they were already… well

October 2022 (Part 10) - Paige birthday surprise

a straight male flight attendant is a wild choice Nivi

"That smile, Azzi thinks, might just be the reason her world keeps turning." -> ok you use this later on when Azzi is watching Paige carry Stephie into curry camp. I can't

April 2025 (Part 14) - ARMAGEDDON

oh wow I feel like having the failed proposal so early on is going to really impact how the rest of the story feels

May 2025 (Part 11) - First Wings Game

oh my god reading the proposal then Paige's breakdown after her first Wings game is too much honestly

"Paige finds herself longing for the cold, unfeeling exterior of a foreign hotel room." -> wow you use this again when talking about how Paige prefers the hotel room when ASW is in Dallas. Comparing that to how instantly at home she feels with Azzi and Stephie in Oakland makes me wanna combust.

August 2025 (Part 8) - ASW Slow Dance

Reading them drunk slow dancing outside behind the club so soon after the proposal is truly heartbreaking and I shed a tear (or 10)

April 2027 (Part 12) - Dallas Surprise

ok seeing the gap between August 2025 and Azzi seeing Polivia when she goes to Dallas… I am kind of wondering if anything happened in the 1.5 year gap in-between… besides Olivia sinking her acrylics into Paige

May 2027 (Part 12) - PREG

I picture Tristan looking like Tyler from this past season of love is blind - good looking light skinned guy with a breeding fetish (not a parenting desire thought lol)

It will never not amaze/impress me how you managed to make Stephie exist because of Paige in two different ways

December 2027 (Part 5) - Polivia Matrimony

reading the pre-wedding phone call HITS SO MUCH HARDER with all the context. Dear god.

Drew really doesn't hold back when he dislikes the person his sister is romantically involved with eh?

"hey there little bean. I’m your-” she stops because what is she, “I’m your Paige,” -> MOMMY

August 2028 (Part 7) - LA olympics

I love that we go from the wedding to this relationship being in absolutely shambles

I've said it before I'll say it again, Olivia is so valid for fucking hating Azzi

April 2029 (Part 8) - Paige Drunk Phonecall

Wow Clem must think Paige is an absolute barbarian based off that phone call

September 2029 (Part 2) - Paige Stephie meet

This one hit really hard too when read in context. Paige has for sure seen pics of Stephie on Instagram or on the sidelines at games and thought about Azzi being a mother, actually holding that little bean would be so emotional.

April 2030 (Part 9) - HUMPIN

Reaaaallly didn't take much for them to get back into bed

August 2031 (Part 13) - ASW Hoodie Autograph

This is another gap that sticks out to me when put in context. Like they had sex and then nothing for 1.5 years when they briefly cross paths again. Obviously Azzi was busy with a toddler but without even Olivia to distract her I can imagine Paige just being so depressed wallowing in Dallas.

August 2032 (Part 13) - LAST TIME

Again seeing this in sequence stood out to me as they had sex SIX MONTHS before the story technically 'starts'… and of course have an argument/encounter that is pretty intense. I have to admit I thought it was a bit out of place how ANGRY they were in chapter one and how much they didn't want to encounter each other let alone be on the same team, especially given the fact that they had slept together a few times and had non-angry interactions. The balcony scene here really puts things in perspective. All they want is each other, but they are so damn stupid lol

February 2033 (Part 2) - Paige signs contract/ice cream date

Ok it is actually so funny that when we first got this chapter and Paige saying "“She was the most beautiful girl in the world,” “she still is.” seemed like a really bold move of Paige… in context they fucked 6 months ago its not bold at all

March 2033 (Part 5) - "It wasn't over, it still isn't over" notebook scene in Steph's office

Alright this is getting really long but I will echo what other people have said… they got together SO QUICKLY. Wild considering I remember when getting the weekly updates being so impatient for them to get together but they are making out/'taking it slow' like … 3 days after P moves to Oakland

ANYWHOOOO You are the best and I can't wait for the rest of the story ❤️❤️ 🦫🦫

Thank you my love, that means a lot to me. To be fair, those first few chapters were relatively shorter than the ones I've put out more recently and honestly, the story was still relatively simpler back then.

LMFAO I wasn't even thinking about male attendant stereotypes while writing that ngl

I want to pretend that some of these repeated lines were intentional artistic genius, but I have to admit that it is at least partially just me running out of things to say lmao.

I lowkey forget the drunk slow dancing scene exists but yeah that was for sure an insane moment of them

Polivia sounds like polio which sounds like a disease which makes sense...

But I don't think much happen in those one and half years, especially because they barely see each other the first half of it, since Azzi's not in the W yet and then their first year with both of them in the W is just very awkward, but every time they see each other other, Azzi especially, they miss each other.

Drew did everything in his power to stop that wedding lol

Olivia is valid in every single feeling she feels to be honest like that girl suffered for absolutely no mistake of her own

All they needed to fuck was a little bit of liquor and both of them single lol

Paige was either sulking and celibate of fucking every woman with a pulse that year but it's up to interpretation for y'all what happened the year after the divorce

Ahh I'm so glad you mentioned this because really I think a lot of how they behave only really starts to make sense after you've gotten all of the events and Linear anon putting the events in order makes it all make more sense. They're angry at each other because the argument is fresh and it's also easy for them to fall back into each other, because if we're being real, they already had relapsed a couple of time.

LMFAO yeah it took them literally a second which wasn't my original plan. I was gonna have a lot more back and forth but I also felt like they were in a place, where sort of going too fast just happened naturally and added to the conflict later on.

[eosofspades]

it's not about whether they were on romantic terms or a canonical pairing, i'm talking abt what people are happy to ship or not and the fact that people who ignore jayce full on killing viktor are still out here saying that cait hitting vi was some huge act of abuse. also, not even what the post is about.

cait hitting vi in the tunnel is not abuse. this is the people beating the shit out of each other with big weapons show. jinx and vi were both FULLy trying to kill each other and i don't think i've ever seen either of them called abusive to each other on those grounds. just because cait and vi are romantically involved does not make it abuse; it makes it lashing out once in a moment of extreme emotion - which i'm NOT saying is okay, but you do have to take it for what it is. abuse is a repeated pattern of harm, and just slapping such a loaded label onto a single instance & ignoring context is really weird. it IS a physical assault, if you really want to put a term to it, but it's not domestic abuse, specifically. and there really isn't a single main character in the show that hasn't committed a physical assault on a loved one at LEAST once. (like, i don't fully love the "omg what a parallel" posts, but it IS comparable to vi striking powder at the end of season 1 act 3. uncontrollable lashing out in the face of extreme distress.)

anyway, my main point is that the problem here is how this is never ADDRESSED. caitlyn hitting vi is not actually the problem, in and of itself - the problem is that the show never actually RESOLVES their conflict, or holds cait accountable for the things she does this season. the show DOES make a big deal out of vi hitting & leaving powder, and she says multiple times that she shouldn't have left her, and tries to make it clear to jinx that she is sorry and did try to go back for her. likewise, cait's classism & still thinking of vi as lower since she's from the undercity/related to jinx isn't the problem - it makes sense that that's a view she would have at the time - the problem is that the show never resolves this issue. not that the issue EXISTED.

trying to find good critical analysis of caitvi in season 2 is so rough. no i don't give a shit about "cait HIT vi multiple times!!" or "cait went TOO FAR as a commander" like shut up this is the People Hitting Each Other and Going Too Far show. say something about thematic consistency or setup & payoff or narrative weight or GET OUT OF MY HOUSE !!

[savi-our]

💯🔥👀 for the Fellswap brothers? Not sure if we’re allowed to send multiple emojis at once but I’m going for it

Also I live for your mutt hc om NYOM NYOM NYOM-

💯 What is my muse’s ideal date? 🔥 Would my muse ever be up for a threesome? 👀 Is my muse the type to sleep around?

In reference to THIS post

☕ Ahhh! So sorry for taking a while on this ask, I've been catching up on so many things 😭😭😭 Thank you so much for sending in an ask though! I do hope you enjoy!!! ☕ 🔞WARNING: Post includes NSFW themes!!!🔞 Fellswap Sans - Black

💯 What is my muse’s ideal date?

Honestly Its hard to say, mainly due to the fact that Black makes every date custom fit towards his partner. Whether you prefer the more romantic setting of a luxurious restaurant, or the more casual setting of a picnic at the park, he wont turn his nose up at any of them - quite the opposite in fact. He'll go out of his way to plan the best, most elevated version of the date of your choice. Whether its reserving the whole restaurant out for only the two of you, or dressing up every individual tree in the park with rows and rows of fairy lights - he wont cut any corners. His own preference is... actually pretty simple, for him anyway... He loves gifts that come from the heart, so a simple home cooked meal that you took time to prepare, a bouquet of flowers picked out with their own meanings in flower language and a candle lit atmosphere, dozens of candles littering every surface and encasing you both in a golden glow would certainly do it. He loves to be seduced and made to swoon, so honestly just going all out on the romantic gestures would probably work best.

🔥 Would my muse ever be up for a threesome?

Yes and no, he would be comfortable sharing his partner with someone he trusts, but those people are far and few in-between. He's generally not the sharing type and has a pretty severe jealousy issue so the only way I genuinely see him have no issue with it is if you were in a polyamorous relationship.

👀 Is my muse the type to sleep around?

No, not really. Black hasn't had much luck in the romance department and he isn't the type of monster to just seek sexual pleasure for the fun of it. He's the type who wants to be in a relationship before getting into any sort of physical intimacy, and of course he would never cheat on any of his partners - he would break it off first before pursuing someone else - every time.

Fellswap Papyrus - Mutt

💯 What is my muse’s ideal date?

Oof, now hear me out - Mutt is an emotional virgin, and by that I mean he's never been or wanted a relationship before. Anything remotely romantic or lovey-dovey will be a first for him and ultimately put him well out of his depth. Dot get me wrong, he'd charm the pants off of a celibate priest if it was all fun and sexual pleasure only but love??? Romance??? Yeah, its not his strong suit. Any type of romantic date will make him sweat, and he wont know how to act or where to put his hands so easing him into it would be the move there, something simple like a cuddling session over at your place or a hangout at the bar would do. But... if you want the rare chance of actually flustering Mutt for once? Pull out all the stops and watch him sweat, its only fair you get some payback for all of those bite marks he keeps leaving on you ;p

🔥 Would my muse ever be up for a threesome?

Mutts affection comes in phases so it honestly depends on which one you're in - here's what I mean by that. Phase one would be if you're in a friends with benefits sort of situation, he'd be more than happy to enjoy a threesome or a foursome or a whateversome with you, its all about what you're into so he doesn't really care about sharing. Phase two happens when he actually catches feelings and first gets into a relationship - during this time sharing is completely off the table. Mutt gets very possessive of his partner or partners in case of a poly relationship and he will not be okay with anyone joining in on the fun during this time. Phase three is when he lays off a bit, it'd be a couple of years into a relationship when he's gotten used to you and gotten used to being in love in general so some of his more possessive qualities will fall off. Sharing would be back on the table then but only with individuals he trusts, or close friends.

👀 Is my muse the type to sleep around?

When he's single? He might as well be the whore of Babylon. Sex is easy to him and he seeks it out often. He's a massive flirt and wont refuse a fling even if he doesn't particularly like someone's personality - as long as he deems them attractive. Things change if he's in a relationship - he goes off his partners wishes. If they're monogamous all of his sleeping around will end then and there - he wont risk shattering his partners trust in him for some casual fun. If they're open then he might find a fling or two but only after discussing it with his partner, his libido can be pretty hard to deal with sometimes so its honestly more to help his partner get some rest rather than anything else.

[witchyliterature]

PLEASE PLEASEEE could you do like unreciprocated love w touya i’d be so grateful 🙁🙁 maybs based off of the song chest pain by malcolm todd or promise by laufey either oneee! n i have no idea what format it could be so whatever you think fits best :)

this is actually my first time writing proper angst sooo IDK. i chose promise bc i know that song better which made it easier to write to. i think this was ok? I REALLY DONT KNOW but yeah. anyways, it’s post war period, rehabilitated touya au, mentions of death, reader is a little mean to touya but one could argue it’s justifiable (depends on perspective, idk im just the author yall). did a normal one shot format cus i can only do 10 images on mobile and i knew i wanted this to be a lot longer (it’s only 1.6k words but still). touya living with shoto canon cus i said so. use of the name dabi but only for metaphorical comparisons. gender neutral reader. hints to musician dabi (like one line). uhhh yeah i think that’s all, HOPE U LIKE

promise; touya todoroki

dabi was never a romantic.

the bubbling burnt feeling of hatred consumed him wholly and swallowed any other emotion - he was a vessel for hatred, for not only did he carry his own, but also his family’s who couldn’t express their own feelings toward endevour.

yet, touya found out he was.

after the war and a long rehabilitation process, he had realised there are other things to life, hatred was not the only emotion in sight, it was not the only emotion he deserved.

so when touya found out that he had feelings for you, the only friend he had ever made by himself after the war that didn’t have any villainous intent, he had been terrified.

he couldn’t explain it at first, why his heart would leap when speaking to you, or why he tried to hard to impress you when you both went to the gym, or even why he had made a song about you and all the lyrics sounded oddly romantic.

then, when even his socially inept brother could tell that he had some form of feelings for you, it finally clicked.

so then, he made a promise, to distance himself until these childish feelings resolved themselves.

touya didn’t deserve to love or be loved, not after all the destruction he caused or all the suffering he made others feel - even his own family.

for 16 days, he avoided you like the plague. airing your calls and texts, avoiding you at work (which was damn near impossible) and when he did have to talk to you, he kept it short and sweet, even then, his palms got sweaty and his smile would grow double its size when you were around.

but, at some point, he broke his promise.

he didn’t exactly understand why he did, he just saw someone that looked like you when he was walking home from work and decided that enough was enough.

shoto had hyped him up, telling him that this was going to be fine, you had to have want him as well after everything, or at least you would give him a chance.

touya’s confidence was built, he knew what he was going to do, he was going to ask you out.

on call though, he was still a shy little boy on the inside of it all.

leading for him and shoto to be sat on the kitchen island seats across from one another, calling your number while putting you on speaker.

“touya! oh my goodness, here i thought you were going to end our friendship! what’s going on, why have you been ignoring me?” your sweet voice rang through, it felt like he could see your small cute pout as you said that, hand on hip attempting to look serious.

“i would never, i’m sad you would think that.” touya chuckled.

“yeah well, ignoring me for 16 days is really something, you know?!” you laughed.

“my deepest apologies, you can burn me at the stake if you truly want to.” touya responded smugly.

“i would but that seems like it would turn you on.” you scoffed, he laughed in response.

“alright then, but you won’t get to know why i called you.” touya sighed playfully.

“do tell oh great touya takamani!” you said with faux respect.

that was the last name he told you, the one the government gave to him. they allowed him to keep his first name since not many people remembered him at touya anyways, as well as to allow him to keep at least some part of his identity.

“listen, you’re like really stupid sometimes, and it gets me angry sometimes. you talk way too much and you love spoiling movies for me.” touya stated.

shoto looked at him confusingly, touya flinched as he realised he was just insulting you and you were remaining silent.

“wait- i- ugh, i didn’t meant it like that. i had this whole other part to it but…” touya stammered.

“it’s ok, i know you didn’t mean it. you’re terrible at talking about your feelings but, i’ll be patient with you, i always will be.” you said calmly.

shoto looked at touya shockingly, he had met you once or twice and understood… the physical attraction to it. but hearing you talk to his brother in such a fashion made him realise where touya’s love for you come from.

touya’s own heart fluttered tremendously at that, you were always paitent with him. even now when he has ignored you for over two weeks and you never shouted or screamed, you just, waited.

“i just mean that, those traits are things i don’t even hate. i love them, and you, i love it all.” touya blurted out, his legs bouncing with anticipation while shoto gave a thumbs up.

“aw, you’re so sweet! i love you too, touya!” you responded.

“no, i mean it as though, i love you… romantically. i want to go on dates with you and take you to your favourite places and think of a future with you. in fact, i don’t even care what we do, i just want to be near you while we do those things. i.. don’t exactly understand how these things go, ive never been in a relationship or have seen a successful one other than my brother’s friends but even then i don’t really see them. i’m willing to try, as long as im yours, im willing to do anything you want me to.” touya had explained, his gruff voice softening out as he spoke.

as he spoke, it felt like you could see the starts twinkle in his eye, the ones that only show themselves when he looks at you with that look. full of love and hope, with his heart raw and beating on his sleeve. yeah, you could imagine it vividly.

and you hated it.

you hated how you can see him gazing in his house dreaming of a future with you, or how you can imagine his blushing while thinking of you, or those moments in work where his eyes are stuck on his figure and you pretend to not acknowledge it.

because you did not want him to think of you that way, you never desired to be his and you never held out hope of you two being together past friendship.

and you didn’t care if that hurt him.

“touya, i hope you’re not serious.” you laughed pitifully.

shoto and touya froze.

“i-i am?” touya responded slowly, as though he knew what was coming. he was in the danger zone and the alarm bells with ringing violently as he pretended that they were just precautionary measures.

“i know that you’re dabi.” was all you said in response.

touya’s eyes widened, his breathing quickened and his hand ran through his white messy hair.

“you do? damn i was-“

“don’t play this off as a joke. listen, i didn’t care that much when i first learned a couple months ago. i valued our friendship despite your past, but expecting a relationship between us is downright delusional. even if i were to give you a chance, it would never last. that war you started because of your own daddy issues caused a lot of my families death and financial issues, i can respect the change in behaviour and i don’t mind keeping you as a friend but i could never love a villain.” the sting of your venomous words seeped into touya’s bloodstream and stopped the rhythmic beat of his heart.

he felt dizzy and lost, he heard you speak again but it became a blur as his vision started to blur from the sting of tears the bullied its way out of his eyes.

touya was angry, sad, heartbroken and anything else under the sun. worst of all? he couldn’t even blame you. you were well within your right to reject him for that reason and he hated that.

the familiar bubbling started to boil in his gut again, his default emotion to any bad situation that was all consuming and ever so comforting in its perverse ways.

it was like a hug from his father, Lord knows that he never received that when he was younger much but the one time he did, the one time affection was shown to him, it felt like this. touya felt like everything he ever despised, all the darkness within his enveloped him within its grasp.

it was reliable, trustworthy and never lied him.

love wasn’t, it was sickening and tight on the heart. it was faulty and pretended to be there for you in times of need, but, like everything in life, was just a trick that got him vulnerable enough to make him tick.

touya finally locked back into reality, realising now that shoto and you were arguing. he has never seen his stoic brother that angry, but he didn’t know why. why would he defend the very villain that ruined his childhood? dabi was the very thing he seeked to destroy and it’s not like dabi and touya were that seperate.

touya was just dabi with a false sense of security.

“it’s fine, honestly. sorry for bothering you y/n, hang up sho’” touya suddenly spoke.

shoto hung up the phone quickly, placing it down as he looked at his brothers eyes. once full of life, stars and love looking exactly like it did eight years ago.

“are you-“

“i’m fine.” no he wasn’t, of course touya wasn’t, but what more could he do.

he shouldn’t have broken his promise, he should’ve stayed away and listened to dabi - the anti romantic voice in his head telling him to stay away.

because now touya realised now more than ever, that while it hurts be something, it was worse to be nothing with you.

[puzzledprose]

MORE RONIN CONTENT we all ask in unison (love the way you write him)

If I’m being completely honest this was just an excuse to use some annoyingly flowery language and have a try at an actual story, so please be nice I’m still new to this 😅

Tear open your chest and carve a home for me in your atrium

Ronin x Reader

When Ronin looks at you he sees something pure. Not holy or righteous; not something pious or saintly. No, what he saw was more like a canvas to be painted on; ripe fruit that has freshly fallen to the ground, set to be consumed by the rot of the earth. The worms and the flies and the mould eat away at it yet it does not care, the rot loves the sapped fruit as it loves the rot. A love that is all consuming and destructive.

When he added you to the server he knew you were no killer, it was all a wicked game of cat and mouse to him. Ronin was just a toddler playing with his food before he ate. His plan was to toy with you as long as it was fun and split your skull open once it wasn’t, but in getting to know you an unexpected feeling of affection began to fester in his stomach. Every witty comeback and reciprocated threat of murder only served to fuel the whirlwind of emotions burgeoning in his chest.

Yet his newfound fondness for you did not entirely curb his insatiable need for carnage, rather, it blossomed from it. Ronin wished to both cut and cherish you, to maim and shelter. Nothing could be more romantic than you offering your own flesh at his alter of putrid vice.

And to your own detriment, you did. Again and again you offered up your heart as an unholy sacrament to him. You accepted him for all the depraved things he was. Or at least all the depraved things he thought he was. Ronin was a killer, you know this, you’re not naive. And yet you saw past all evil he was and found what was beneath it.

The oil on your stove simmered slowly as you cooked a simple meal for you and your boyfriend. You found yourself zoning out and staring at the bubbling liquid.

Out of nowhere a firm sensation latched itself onto your hips and held you in place while a cold breeze of air slithered it’s way into your ear. You jumped at the feeling and turned around to see your culprit; the devil himself.

“What’s cooking darlin’?” He asked before giving you a soft kiss on the neck and settling his chin on your shoulder.

“Nothing too special, just some fried chicken.” You answered as your heart rate dropped and you turned your body around to face Ronin.

“Smells real fuckin’ good.” He replies as he moves his hands from you hips to your waist.

Ronin find his way into sitting on the counter as you two have your usual evening small talk about your day as you finish cooking. When you’re finished you plate up the food and hand it to him to have a taste. Needless to say he was more than happy with what you had made.

“Thats the stuff.” Ronin praised before he kissed you on the forehead and hopped down from the kitchen counter and sauntered into his living room. “I’m watching a movie if ya feel like joinin’ me?”

You let out a short sigh at the thought of letting Ronin choose a movie again before you called out “Only if I get to choose it, if you do I’ll end up puking out this lovely meal I spent so much time cooking.” You have an exaggerated pout and giggled to yourself as you made your way into the living room and plopped down on the couch next to your boyfriend.

The rest of that night was spoken through a language of short kisses, mumbled “I love you”s and cheesy rom-com dialogue <3

[iscdisc]

I didn't want all these screenshots that I gathered to go to waste, so I'm going to make an additional attachment to this theory post with the screenshots that I didn't get to use- Lmao

These were some of the image examples that I was going to use when talking about April being okay with his caring gestures and close proximity / him being close to her feeling like something she's genuinely okay with now-

Also the image in the middle being yet again from Season 5 and how we've never gotten on screen interactions / depictions of April and Donnie in this way before this Season in my opinion- (Like I said in the original post though, I completely understand if this is just the writers doing a shitty fix for the issue that was these two and their relationship super late into the series- That's not surprising at all, especially given the, "Ice Cream Kitty Music Video" dropped around this time and that probably was their way of trying to further explain how these two "made sense" canonically. 💀 || I'm not trying to hate on anybody who enjoys these two romantically or platonically- I fully respect your opinion ! But I personally can't bring myself to like them,, I just feel like the canon story between them ruined that dynamic for me and I just don't enjoy seeing it any capacity- 😭👍)

This was another example of the point I was making in relation to moments of grief or stress and "fake" Donnie not hovering over April like I feel the real Donnie was prone to doing in similar situations-

(Which, sorry to go on a bit of a rant about this specific thing, but I used to hate it when the show would have Donnie go out of his way to comfort April over something that I felt he shouldn't have needed to or it shouldn't have been about her-?? Since this image is in relation to Splinter's passing, I'll use the example of the Season 2 finale when Raph / Mikey / Donnie / and April witnessed Splinter get thrown down into the sewer system by Shredder and Splinter's survival was being questioned. That was HIS Father, yet he's comforting April / putting her first over what they just witnessed-?? As if he shouldn't be the one grieving or dealing with his own complicated emotions about seeing that-?? Like, that's nuts to me. 🙃 || So I honestly really appreciated that during this funeral service Donnie wasn't coddling April or giving her some kind of comfort / attention, since this should be about him and what he's feeling along with his brothers. 👍)

To circle back to their better dynamic pushing towards a more romantic context, moments like these (From, "Requiem" and "Owari"-) also reinforce this sort of changed perception April has towards Donnie post, "The Power Inside Her". Donnie's concern for April doesn't have the same obsessive nature to it like it used to (In my opinion anyway- Not to mention the fact that this is another instance where April went out of her way to call him for help-) and the way Donnie protects April and then proceeds to act defensive over her during their fight with TigerClaw gets an interesting reaction from April (in my opinion) during this scene? Which again, would make sense if April (unintentionally) "created" / physically manifested a version of Donatello that she actually likes.

And these were just some examples of "fake" Donnie's regressed dynamic with Casey. How in the earlier half of Season 4 ("The Moons of Thalos 3"), we see that more solidified friendship really clearly. Which again, I mentioned this in the original post, but despite Donnie still having some negative moments with Casey, it felt more obvious that they were genuinely friends at this point. But then it feels like we get this harsh contrast from that to how we see them in Season 5- Where ("fake") Donnie has this clear bias and underlying disdain towards Casey yet again. Like all that progress just got ruined in the matter of an episode,, 😭

So yeah !

I guess I just wanted to include these screenshots in some way so that they didn't completely go to waste in my gallery- Thanks for reading my annoyingness-! 🥲👍✨

Anyone who's familiar with my content on Insta / TikTok most likely already knows about this theory (But I guess you could consider it an AU of sorts??) that I have with 2012 Donatello post, "The Power Inside Her" (And yes, the only reason why I drew this / am talking about this is because of my previous post about Za-Naron, okay- Lmao) ! But because I haven't brought this to Tumblr, I'm talking about it again- 👍✨

Before I get into it, I want to preface this whole thing by saying that I fully acknowledge that this all could just be writing issues / faults with the writers and their lack of properly explaining anything or giving prior context to certain relationships / dynamics. I just want to get that out of the way immediately, since I understand some people brushing these things off as one of 2012's many notorious writing issues-

BUT.

I wholeheartedly believe that it's entirely possible that the Donatello we follow after the events of, "The Power Inside Her" is not actually the real Donatello at all and the real Donatello that we have been following before this episode legitimately perished. And let me explain why I say this- 👀

First of all, I want to establish some foundation for this possibility by pointing us in the direction of the episode, "Bat in the Belfry". During this episode, Mikey (Alongside Casey-) end up giving Wingnut and Screwloose temporary sentient life (With this only being temporary given the events of the episode-). Wingnut and Screwloose are previously established in this episode to be comic book characters / fictional characters, they were never real to begin with. Yet despite the fact that they have no prior existence physically or in any capacity of reality, the Aeon's power (Za-Naron's power-) was able to fully give them life and an established sense of self. We see throughout the episode that Wingnut and Screwloose fully believe that they're alive and well, not understanding when Mikey and Casey constantly try to inform them that they are just comic book characters and aren't actually real the way that they perceive themselves to be real. We also see the Aeon crystal / Za-Naron give sentient life to one of the villains from the same comic (Which is why I included a picture of that as well-), and we too can see that this villain acknowledges its existence, since it carries out it's normal activities as if nothing is strange about its situation at all.

I'm laying this as the foundation for this theory, because my main point with bringing this up is that the "fake" (you could say) Donatello would have no reason to question his existence or believe that he is not who he is. You know what I mean?

Another reason why I believe "fake" Donnie wouldn't question his existence is because the Aeon Crystal doesn't exist anymore by the time he comes into the picture "once again", which is another point that I'm going to get into right now.

The only reason why Wingnut and Screwloose became aware of their predicament / fully accepted the fact that they weren't real is because they were exposed to the crystal and its seemingly overwhelming energy. As you can see in the picture I provided, they became very distorted and deranged after being exposed to this. But with this "fake" Donatello, there's nothing Aeon related for him to be exposed to.

During the last minutes of, "The Power Inside Her", we see April use what was left of the crystal (Since she had broken it prior as a means of freeing Za-Naron / freeing herself from Za-Naron's control-) to bring Donnie back into existence. But that's exactly why I have this theory?? Not only is bringing somebody back to life an almost impossible feat, even for April (Which I know the show says that Donnie was simply molecularly scattered and not actually GONE gone, but I don't buy that for a second / I feel like they only said that to make the situation a little more "kid friendly". in my opinion, that dude perished, okay. LMAO), but I don't even think that the Aeons abilities are even capable of something like that. Returning life or performing resurrection is such a complicated issue, and I feel like the Aeons themselves would acknowledge that it's not as simple as just "bringing somebody back".

So because I don't think this is something that falls under the scope of what Aeons are genuinely capable of doing, on top of the fact that we've seen the crystal give sentient life to things that technically did not exist before this episode, I fully believe that the Donnie that we see get "brought back to life" by April is not actually him- Instead, this is a physical manifestation of how April remembers him being or essentially a Donnie that was "created" from her memories of him / experiences with him.

Point number three as to why I think this is not the real Donnie and instead of "fake" Donnie. April's relationship with Donatello drastically changes after this episode (At least, in my opinion-). Going back to when she "brought Donnie back to life", I wouldn't be surprised if she was envisioning all of the more positive interactions that she's had with him in the past and a lot of the attributes that she enjoyed from him, rather than the negative ones (i.e. Him disrespecting her boundaries a lot, him disrespecting her autonomy as a person, him stalking her, him constantly getting in between her and other people /primarily Casey but I digress- /, him feeling entitled to her as a person, him giving her pet names that made her uncomfortable and she clearly expressed that / Which this is kind of a niche example, but during one of the Xbox / PS3 videogame titles for this series, there's a dialogue cutscene where Donnie calls her his, "Chinchilla" for the first time I think?? But April very clearly expressed discomfort with that and asked him not to say that about her. Which it really pisses me off that he does it again in Season 3 when she's UNCONSCIOUS, and this game came out either during Season 1 or when Season 2 was airing- Like it's an old game. 💀 /, etc.), especially given that what caused her to break free from Za-Naron's control was Raph telling April to remember Donnie. During that montage, there were a lot of happier moments with Donatello.

I don't think it would be far-fetched to say that she essentially created her "perfect" or ideal version of him as a person-?? And I feel like this is heavily reflected through their dynamic post this episode.

April's not off-putted by some of his kind / caring gestures (Like the image example I provided above, such as him putting his hand on her back-).

During moments of intense grieving and stress, Donatello is giving her space and not hovering around her like he was more prone to doing in the past (In my opinion-).

Instead of it feeling incredibly forced by the writers, April being in close proximity to Donnie feels like a choice she's actively making or okay with. Prior to this, (to me) it felt like the writers would just put April in the same space as Donnie simply because they were pushing this romantic narrative between them. The numerous times that Donnie would have April in his lab during Seasons 1-2 gave off a vibe like he either pressured her to be there or it just felt difficult for her to decline-? Especially since there was a lot going on with her Father during both of these Seasons, and instead of that feeling like a reason she would want to be there on her own, it felt like an excuse to force her to be there- Does that make sense? Not to mention Donnie always being by her side coming across like he was crowding April instead of her actively wanting him there.

Donnie is more actively giving April her space at the same time too / not reacting when Casey is in closer proximity to her than himself. I'm not saying that this technically didn't occur before the aftermath of, "The Power Inside Her", but it just feels different now- I don't know how else to explain that.

I'm telling you right now, this moment from, "When World's Collide (Part 1)" is the first time I've seen them on screen acting this way. There has never been a moment like this one before, where April is joking around and laughing with Donnie and just being overall silly?? 2012 has never done something like this with these two on screen.

All of these instances lead me to believe that April (unintentionally) created her most ideal version of Donatello as a person. Taking away all the things that she didn't like or (rightfully) felt uncomfortable by, and only leaving the characteristics that she did enjoy about him. Which would obviously result in her having a much healthier / drastically improved dynamic with him moving forward.

There's also was only one moment that I feel Donnie was "weird" towards April again like he was in the past, but it didn't last long at all and it only happened once during Season 5 ("The Curse of Savanti Romero"-).

Another thing that I feel supports this theory is his relationship with Casey. From Season 3 to 4, it really felt like Donnie and Casey were forming a much better dynamic / their friendship had a steady progression. Sure, Donnie would still get annoyed with Casey from time to time, but it felt obvious that he viewed Casey as more of a friend / ally than a rival / "threat". Casey would also actively go out of his way to be around Donnie physically more, which I feel was a good sign of their friendship moving in a more positive direction. But then we get to "Tokka vs. The World", which takes place almost immediately after the events of, "The Power Inside Her" and it suddenly feels like Donnie's friendship progression with Casey just vanishes-?? Their dynamic feels like they're back in Season 2 again, minus the constant arguing about April (At least, from Donnie's perspective-).

A lot of the moments that we get with them during Season 5 kind of reinforce this for me. Donnie's reaction to Casey suggesting they get their hands on a couple of tanks during, "Scroll of the Demodragon", Donnie and Casey essentially arguing about how to deal with Kavaxas during, "The Forgotten Swordsman", Donnie's response to Casey in regards to his ghostbuster rip off inventions and how Donnie went out of his way to say everyone will get one except Casey during, "End Times"- Like, it really does feel as if their relationship regressed after the events of, "The Power Inside Her"- And while that does upset me, since as you all probably know by now I love those two to death, it does make complete sense in relation to this theory of this Donatello being "fake".

All of the progress and dynamic / friendship development Donnie and Casey went through? April was not privy to that. Like, at all. If my theory holds up and April did (unintentionally) "create" or manifest a version of Donatello from her memories of him using the remaining power of the Aeon crystal, then it would absolutely make sense why Donnie is treating Casey the way that he is during Season 5. I'm not saying that April didn't notice or acknowledge that they had a better relationship before the events of, "The Power Inside Her" happened, but she didn't know where that better relationship came from. So if April doesn't know, then obviously the Donnie that she (unintentionally) "created" wouldn't know either- Therefore, there wouldn't be a reason for him to have a better relationship with Casey / there would be no reason why he wouldn't continue viewing him in a similar way to how he did during Season 2. AKA, when he first met him / when Casey first came into their lives.

There are other parts of this theory that are definitely more speculative on my part, such as Donnie not having any memories of events that April wasn't there for- So for example, if the brothers are reminiscing about the Mousers predicament from Season 1, the "fake" Donnie would be confused and not know what they're talking about because April wasn't aware of that situation / probably only heard it through word of mouth if anything- Clearly nothing like this happened in late Season 4 to early Season 5 to support that kind of thing, but there also isn't any evidence to disprove it either. I just think it would be interesting for that to be one of the biggest tells as far as everyone else having their doubts about whether or not the Donatello they see before them is actually the legitimate one-!

This theory also makes me really sad as far as Casey and Donnie goes, because it really does feel like Donnie had to sacrifice one developing friendship for another. Like sure, his dynamic with Casey is all fucked up. but at least he has a better one with April now- 💀 Lmao || There could totally be some holes in this theory, I'm not going to deny that ! But so far, I think it kind of holds up and I just thought I'd share that today- 👍✨ Lmao

(There were so many more screenshot examples that I wanted to give, but I didn't know you can only include 10 pictures in a post- 😭)

[stellarisstars]

Something that’s been on my mind as I’ve lived in the sunturine ao3 tag for the past week is how the fandom (generally writers and fans) tend to depict and interpret the relationship between Sunday and Gopher Wood.

Now I’ve seen a lot of interpretations where Sunday is reprimanded by Gopher Wood a lot either through punishment, emotional abuse or physical abuse. I’m not going to argue and say “oh those are inaccurate and wrong” because I can see how people could interpret the relationship between them like that. I’m here to offer my own perspective on the matter because I think it’s interesting.

I think that rather than abuse, Gopher Wood excelled at manipulating Sunday. He manipulated and carefully crafted situations where his point of the Harmony’s flaws would always be true, example being, when Sunday was appointed as the Bronze Melodia. He knew that Sunday would see how the long-time resident Dreamchasers would affect Sunday, wavering his belief in the Harmony and push him towards the Order. He INTENTIONALLY created such a circumstance where Sunday had very little power and was forced as an observer and the few times Sunday did actually try to help (recall back to when he tried to help someone wanted by the BloodHound Family) he was punished for his kindness, another thing Gopher Wood did intentionally.

He also purposefully gave Sunday control of Aideen Park and the insane set of rules because he knew that it would affect Sunday, once again, he slowly manipulated and moulded the Sunday we saw in the Penacony quest over years. He made him believe that Robin’s ideals were too romantic, too foolish for so long that he couldn’t even admit to himself or anyone that he likes her songs because of the rules and manipulation done by Gopher Wood.

Yet at the end of it, Sunday doesn’t blame Gopher Wood. He doesn’t seem to hate him or particularly resent him for anything which makes me wonder if there a genuine bond between them but it’s hard to say since there’s a lack of depth on Gopher Wood’s side. But overall I believe rather than abuse, Gopher Wood took advantage of an emotionally well-meaning child like Sunday and manipulated him into a puppet, devoid of any notable traits. It also worth noting that, all of these incidents ended up giving Sunday a saviour complex and seeing himself as expendable/ creating even more hatred for himself, as ive mentioned in my previous post

Of course, this just my opinion lmk know what you guys think too because the power dynamics between their relationship are also very interesting to me

[themoonsjewel]

🎠 NEUVILLETTE—lovebirds of summer unseen.

summers are a sight in fontaine, as lovebirds take on a newfound joy frolicking under the sun's brilliance. oh, birds or a metaphor for people in love? both, actually. poetry, summer and love go hand in hand, as they say.

Peace.

It's a lovely sentiment, floating in the air with it's elegant charm; whispering in love's ear words of mischief as she stirred with excitement. You manage to notice it, although barely, in the way the birds were more social than usual and in the way morning dew hadn't evaporated yet; drawing in butterflies and lovebirds who mistook them as pearls.

Sigewienne did not have time for such idle romanticism, however, although she usually found herself noting down the beautiful words of prose and poetry you'd use for people, things and places. It was a thick notebook full of those now, and Wriothesley had begun dropping subtle hints that he appreciated hearing such flowery words in his tea time.

But for now both were busy, and them being busy meant that you were going to get dragged into matters as well. In a way, you were cherishing the last few moments of peace you'd get before you'd have to return to court cases and resolving issues again.

Not that you didn't have appreciation for your work, but nowadays someone else managed to intrigue you more than the hearings themselves. You were messing up your words in court sometimes, and it was taking everything in you to not start wearing a veil to avoid catching sight of him during trials.

You sighed.

A small lovebird, shaded with beauty of the dusk itself, took shelter from the soft drizzle pouring outside near the end of your desk. She tilted her head, taking in the enormous simplicity of the room with her bead-shaped eyes. But eventually her interest shifted towards you and she chirped excitedly, almost as though trying to start conversation.

You liked to flatter yourself by thinking that lovebirds could sense when people were in love, and hence took a liking to people who were pining for someone.

Leaves know, flowers know, and know do these birds. The whole world knows, except for the person for whom all my poetry is meant.

You sighed, stood up and placed the teacup back on the table with a content gaze. Wearing your coat again, and picking up your files, you mentally prepared yourself to face him as you left your office.

The lovebird took to settling near your now empty yet warm cup as soon as you left, singing away. Perhaps it sang of your romantic yearning and loving gaze.

The drizzle stopped.

Neuvillette was eternally busy. As the head of the nation and personification of divine law itself, you wouldn't expect otherwise. But even when he drank tea or enjoyed rain, the serene thoughtlessness that would usually cloud people's eyes while relaxing never seemed to blossom behind his own. He was always thinking something, useful or useless, with equal depth and emotion.

But he was always attentive, and the owner of quick ears and a smile-lined face.

'Welcome, just who I was expecting, please come take a seat Miss,' he gestured towards the seat opposite to his own, and kept his teacup down as he called for a Melusine.

'Please bring her a cup of-'

'Oh, there will be no need Monsieur Neuvillette. I had a cup before coming.'

He smiled, 'You never quite give anyone the opportunity to offer you anything. Perhaps anything else you'd like? Water, juice, cake, biscuits; anything I can entertain you with?'

'Oh no, I must pick something now that you put it like that. I think half a cup of tea would suffice.'

Neuvillette turned to the melusine and nodded with a smile, and she walked away with a cheerful stride. Melusines all adored him; after all, he was perhaps their greatest fan in all of Teyvat. He not only restructured the way they were treated in society, but also gave them the opportunity to live happy and stable lives of honour and dignity.

'Oh, it stopped raining...', you said, gaze catching and getting hooked on to the now cheerful sky as the sun reappeared from behind the clouds, rainbows overtaking the place of slow winds and grey clouds.

🎈

Her gaze was of gentle disappointment as she witnessed the drizzle come to a halt. Her features were still, and appeared to take in the beauty of the world as he drank in her own.

She smiled gently, the crescent moon's shape mirroring on her face forming twin lakes who the illiterate called eyes. Somebody wanted to drown in these eyes, grow the lotuses of their love and become an eternal inhabitant of their plenilune beauty.

'The rain is quite beautiful Monsieur Neuvillette, isn't it?'

He found himself faltering, 'It is most beautiful indeed; It appears you adore the rain more than sunny skies.'

She smiled, pearls peaking from beneath her rose-like lips. 'Ah, yes, I do! It makes me very rom—' she blushed suddenly, making him smile. 'Ah, I mean, very, uh, reminiscing. It makes me very nostalgic, it's a good feeling.'

And as her bright smile was replaced with a shy one, it appeared as though heavens had descended to shade her in the most beautiful of lights. Just then the melusine came back with a cup of tea, the cup being the one Neuvillette had picked out for her to be served tea in.

Both made eye contact then, as they drowned in each other's love.

🌒🌗🌘

'Lady Furina, I'd like some sad books, or drama recommendations.'

Furina looked up, curious. 'But you never liked such media, what happened?'

Neuvillette's neck turned red, much as he had predicted and hence had accordingly covered with a scarf beforehand.

'Someone said they can be quite comforting sometimes.'

Furina giggled, 'Do you plan to flood Fontaine in summer?'

He averted his gaze, gently muttering, 'I mean if she likes floods then we could try that too,'

'What?'

'So, do you have any good recommendations, Lady Furina?'

[braidedhades]

just found out that non-aromantics actually have feelings towards the people they decide to have a crush on. Apparently it’s not like, “hmmm should I consider this person for dating? what are the pros and cons here?” Or like, “I want to be really close friends with that person” But it’s like an actual emotional response or something? An emotion that is different from the “I wanna be really close friends” emotion??

also I just figured out that I’m aromantic

[starry-bi-sky]

Okay so this is almost a direct copy-paste of my earlier reblog but only the Xin Yuan parts, because its long enough to be its own post and i want to share it! It deserves it's own post <3 typical starry stuff to write a 2k word long reblog, unfortunately.

I say almost because I went through to proof read and ended up adding more stuff.

I've been cooking on this idea for the last two days since I saw the Xin Mo!Shen Yuan post but??? I can't find anything on Xin Mo's backstory or how it came to be -- which means that's free fucking plot right there baby. That's a sandbox and im making LIFE SIZED CASTLES. I'm so excited.

The idea of Shen Yuan transmigrating centuries before the events of PIDW as Xin Mo -- but when he wakes up, he's not the sword. He wakes up in the body of a young boy named Xin Yuan. Now it makes sense for this boy to be a demon, but the drama, the intrigue, the spice of Xin Yuan being a human child.

SY wakes up as a boy below the age of ten, and the System tells him where he is, and SY is excited to meet his favorite protagonist -- only to gradually realize that he's like, a thousand years or so before the events of the novel. The rant he gives the system is legendary.

Bc what's the point of getting dropped into PIDW if he's never going to meet his favorite character??? This is a scam! BUT he settles into his new life, he's like, some orphan street rat or some other tragic airplane-esq backstory.

The system gives Shen Yuan his first mandatory quest: become a righteous cultivator. Which was like, kinda his plan/hopes anyways, except! There's like?? No official cultivator sects anywhere? The Cang Qiong Mountain Sect hasn't even been established yet, and there are pockets of cultivators running around, maybe some groups or schools popping up and then sinking back down, but nothing's really taken root!

If he asks someone how to become a cultivator, there's no straight answer. No "oh you can go to X to do that". He's pissed! How can he become a cultivator if there aren't any schools around to teach him? Deus ex machina, that's how.

Out of sheer luck, SY manages to help save a rogue cultivator, and promptly gets adopted by said rogue cultivator, who gives SY the name 'Xin Yuan'. He is ecstatic. And you know what? It's actually pretty fun!

He's getting to travel the world of PIDW in its early stages, and gets to see the building blocks for the eventual main story. He's discovering all this local flora and fauna that are foreign to his old world and unmentioned in the book, and he's learning cultivation! Granted, its unsafe, newly(ish) discovered cultivation, but it counts!

Wistfully, he thinks about perhaps he'll do something grand and get his name carved into legend. Something that would eventually help the protagonist later down the line in his quest for revenge.

The system remains silent to his thoughts.

But Xin Yuan doesn't take much stock in that daydream anyways. It's nothing more than fantasy to him; wish-fulfillment. He does discover however, that he is positively brimming with spiritual energy. Overwhelmingly so.

It's both a blessing and a curse, as it puts a strain on his meridians if he's not careful, and leaves him prone to qi deviations for the exact same reasons. He already has a heart demon or two from a few traumatic experiences in the past.

(bc hey! angst a day keeps the writer sadism at bay, and all that)

I'll say he's about... eight when he gets picked up by the rogue cultivator, who I'm calling Lin Kai bc he deserves a name. They travel around PIDW up until Xin Yuan is twelve, where he goes through a traumatic experience that results in a heart demon.

It's after that that Lin Kai decides to put a stop to his wandering, and find a place to settle down to raise Xin Yuan in. Coincidentally! They settle down in a nice mountain region that's thriving with spiritual energy. The mountains at the time were called something different, but they will be eventually known as the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect

Coincidentally, the mountain Lin Kai and Xin Yuan end up on is Qing Jing Peak. XY does not realize that the mountain he's on is Qing Jing. The System does not tell him. But he likes it there, more than he was expecting. And as much as he's traveled around, he really does enjoy being in one place.

He has a tendency to go down the mountain and help the village setting up down there, and when he's a teenager he starts venturing out more and more.

Xin Yuan forgets sometimes that he's in a novel, especially after settling down on Qing Jing peak. The system becomes remarkably quiet since there's no quests for him to do and not a ton of opportunities to get B-Points. He cultivates with Lin Kai, helps tend to the garden they're growing, goes down to the village to play with the other kids.

There's one boy he's best friends with, a boy whose not all that good with words, named Liu Zhihao. He's got potential for cultivation though, so Xin Yuan drags him up the mountain when he can so that Liu Zhihao can sit in on lessons with Lin Kai. He drags him all over the forest at the foot of the mountain to go look at bugs and animals.

(One time, when they're fourteen and Liu Zhihao has been learning cultivation for a few years now, Xin Yuan drags him out of bed late one night to go look at the stars. Xin Yuan tells Liu Zhihao about ascension -- something that still feels like a far off dream to many in this time -- that night, while they're sitting on the wet grass.)

("We should ascend together." Xin Yuan tells Liu Zhihao, jade eyes gleaming. Never let it be said that Xin Yuan doesn't love deeply, no matter what kind of love it is. He was always so lonely as Shen Yuan, Liu Zhihao is his best friend. "We'll become immortals, and then we won't ascend until the other is able to.")

(Liu Zhihao stares at him silently, his face unreadable. Then, quietly, he asks; "Promise?")

("Promise.")

When he starts adventuring outwards, further away from the mountain and the village, Liu Zhihao sticks to him like rice. Not that Xin Yuan's complaining, that's his best friend after all, and Liu Zhihao has become a formidable cultivator. He deserves to show off his skills.

He starts making something of a name for himself by the time he's, like, 18 -- although that name is in its baby steps, along with Liu Zhihao. They're slowly growing renown.

Perhaps XY uses his knowledge of PIDW and cultivation in general to help make advancements in the cultivation field. Although the system prevents him from sharing too much, it doesn't mean he can't practice it himself. Perhaps he's one of the first cultivators to develop a golden core. One of the first known immortal cultivators. One of the first to have a spirit sword.

(Although I don't know the logistics of any of this since my knowledge on xanxia/cultivation stuff in general is all still pretty new and google wasn't all that helpful lol.)

Either way, its my excuse to eventually make Xin Yuan come across as ethereal to other people. Peerless beauty SY for the win. Hs wifebeam is too strong, Xin Yuan has a line of suitors following after him and he's completely unaware of it. The rest of history is not.

Demon realm stuff has been stirring up since Xin Yuan was a kid, but at the time it was rare and in the beginning stages. Its been steadily ramping up and the system is sending him on more and more treacherous quests -- some of them mandatory, some optional. SY doesn't often take the optional ones unless it comes with a sufficient B-point reward.

for all intents and purposes though, he's a wandering rogue cultivator with Liu Zhihao, going from place to place to either help a town or village, or to discover more creatures or artifacts (although there aren't that many). Just all around living his life. He participates in a few major quest lines that are sure to get him mentioned in legend, even if it's a background character way.

(Unbeknownst to him, rather than being a side character in these legends, he's named directly. You can't become one of the first immortal cultivators and NOT get name dropped for clout.)

He has a spirit sword named Shā Mó, (杀 shā - to kill/weaken/counteract/reduce) (魔 mó - evil spirit, demon, possession). He routinely goes back to QJP to see Lin Kai, or to rest when traveling has worn down on him and he wants nothing more than to sleep somewhere he knows he'll be safe in. It becomes more frequent as Xin Yuan becomes more famous. Liu Zhihao often comes with him.

it all comes to a head though when the rifts between the demonic realm and the human realm become too great, and the balance between both realms becomes unstable. A demonic emperor's influence, wanting to merge the two realms so he could conquer both to satiate his own greed.

Typical evil king stuff. This comes to a climatic head in a great battle between every cultivator available and the demon emperor's army. Xin Yuan was one of the many who helped lead the charge.

In the end, it was Xin Yuan who ends up defeating the demonic emperor, but the rift that the emperor used to cross between worlds is destabilizing as well. Except instead of trying to close, it's getting bigger and bigger, threatening to swallow the heavens and earth and demonic realm whole.

You know how Yue Qingyuan's soul is bonded to his sword due to a qi deviation? Let's take it a step further >:)

Xin Yuan uses himself and Shā Mó to close the rift. However, it takes all of his spiritual energy to do so, as well as him filtering the demonic qi into his body to redirect it back to the demon realm.

In the end, Xin Yuan and his beloved sword Shā Mó fuse. Xin Yuan's soul becomes trapped in the sword. His physical body is unable to handle the immense amount of power it takes to close the rift, and is destroyed. He is immortalized in legend by his grieving cultivators.

(Liu Zhihao ends up ascending alone. He ascends with the hope that one day he'll see Xin Yuan again, even if it's in the face of someone else. Lin Kai does not ascend, too weighed down by the grief of losing his son.)

Xin Yuan, now Xin Mo, falls into a stasis. He's very confused and disorientated when he regains 'consciousness'. The system has been silent for most of his life, only popping up to give him mandatory quests, hints, points, or to answer any questions.

But once he wakes up, it cheerfully pops up again, congratulating him on completing the origin story of Xin Mo. SY freaks the fuck out. he'd shake the system screen if he could, but he doesn't have arms. or legs. or eyes for that matter.

He can sense his surroundings, but its all like imprints to him. He can sense the energies, but he can't see anything. It's all very disorientating and horrifying after years of being human. Like a sensory deprivation chamber.

The closing of the rift and the cycling demonic qi tainted both Sha Mo and Xin Yuan irreparably, and it did some kind of damage that resulted in SY needing to feed in order to use the spiritual powers. Kinda like how Xuan Su uses YQY's life force for it's spiritual energy, but instead of feeding on his own lifeforce, Xin Mo feeds on others.

The rest is history. Xin Mo is originally tied to the story of Xin Yuan -- believed to be all that remained of the man after he sacrificed himself to keep the realms separate. It's believed that the force of the realms closing permanently infused Sha Mo with demonic energy, turning it into Xin Mo.

But, like many stories do when faced against the tide of time, things get lost; chipped off; changed. Xin Mo is steadily separated from Xin Yuan, especially once it becomes clear how parasitic the sword really is, until they are all but separate entities themselves and the origin of Xin Mo's creation all but forgotten.

The years blur together when Xin Mo is not being wielded, and at first Xin Yuan was agonized by the fact that he stole the lives of all his wielders. He knows it's only a novel, but his decades spent in this life have softened him, and he's grown attached to the world around him.

But time erodes the mind like water erodes stone, and he becomes numb to it, then eventually anticipating of it. He forces himself to remember what he knows of PIDW's plot, and kinda fixates back on his old obsession on Luo Binghe. But while PIDW stays in his mind, his memories as Xin Yuan fall to the wayside.

Not forgotten, per se, but... tucked away. The system prevents him from forgetting fully.

Xin Mo isn't fully a demonic sword either i think, but instead harbors an ugly cocktail of both spiritual and demonic qi. Special circumstances and all that. Everyone just assumes he's a fully demonic sword because that's usually at the forefront, his spiritual qi weakened from the initial fusion and from years of not being fed spiritual qi. It's part of the reason his wielders always end up destroyed by him, other than the whole, yk, 'overwhelming qi' thing.

Nobody would recognize Xin Mo's human form as Xin Yuan other than some truly ancient demons. Of which Meng Mo might. But even that's iffy because there's a lack of surviving paintings of Xin Yuan, but also because of XM's demonic appearance and supposed lack of connection to XY.

Xin Mo has never spoken to his wielders before, not in the same way he does Luo Binghe. He tells Luo Binghe this, and he also tells Luo Binghe down the line that he is both spiritual and demonic -- something he also never told his wielders because there was no point to it.

okay okay i've got to end it here because its already gotten ridiculously long -- of which im both apologetic and unapologetic for -- but i DO think the Shang Qinghua and Shen Yuan meeting (and reveal) would be fucking hilarious. Especially if SY has learned how to pop between sword form and human form by then -- although i guess it doesnt matter either way because SQH's reaction is still the same.

And that reaction is internally screaming and going "hey what the FUCK?? WHY DOES XIN MO HAVE A HUMAN FORM??? WHAT IS THIS??? SYSTEM??? EXPLAIN???"

meanwhile from his place on the sword hilt xin mo is squinting at Shang Qinghua in bewilderment and going "aren't you supposed to be dead" but doesn't pay too much mind to it because its not like its going to change anything.

...up until he catches shang qinghua going "WTF" silently from his little corner while all eyes are off him. One moment SQH is standing beside his king, and the next he's been tackled to the ground by one wild-eyed, human-shaped Xin Mo.

everyone, including SQH, thinks Xin Mo is going to kill him. It is a surprise to everyone when he does not, and instead dissolves into deranged, uncontrollable laughter after spitting out some phrase in some ancient tongue and watching SQH's eyes grow wide in recognition.

[shallowseeker]

It's true that we sometimes mimic people we admire, or we take on the style of someone we want to like us, or even that we get inspired to be better people by love interests who give us new things to hope for...

But in some case, we unconsciously mimic people we feel connected to, that we feel more alike.

Jack sensed Dean's raw fear, his primal emotions, and despite everything that was going on in his life (humans considering him a threat, angels trying to kidnap him, demons trying to kidnap him, Princes of Hell wanting to use him to open monster worlds)...

...Dean is who he chose to emulate.

While Jack modeled his "look" on Cas, I think he's subconsciously drawn to Dean because he IS like him (emotionally). It's not forced. It's not an act. It just is.

Dean senses this too. It's why the initial "you don't think I can be saved."

[wiihtigo]

these frauds

[non-operator]

Death Mark II thoughts

I'm like 8 months late, but I finally finished it-- and by finish, I mean I watched a playthrough.

It's been a year, but just in case: Spoilers Below

I think it's pretty significant that in order to get the true ending, Yashiki has to make it extremely clear to Sakamoto that his relationship with Michiho and Himeko is completely platonic. In fact, it seems that this is the only difference between the Good and True Ending.

In the Good Ending, he doesn't get that message through and that leads to Sakamoto pushing The Departed even harder to distance themselves from Yashiki, ultimately leading to her demise. I think this outcome happens because Sakamoto's insistence that the two girls keep their distance still expresses to The Departed that there is still a real possibility that they can get together with Yashiki. And as much as they want love and marriage, I don't think that was their ultimate desire-- and I don't think Departed!Douryou was lying when she said she disapproved of student-teacher relationships.

So then, Yashiki making Sakamoto understand that his rapport with the girls comes from concern for their safety and taking their worries seriously rather than anything else is what turns the tide. That Sakamoto allows Michiho to continue to investigate with Yashiki implicitly tells The Departed that Yashiki isn't interested-- and as such, he won't take advantage of their love (for him).

When The Departed died, their excitement for marriage and (most likely undeveloped) love for their chosen grooms were exploited by the adults they trusted. At that age, even if they later turned to feel indifferent or even hate their husbands in time, it was a time they should've been allowed to cherish those emotions. Kind of like that one reading of Romeo and Juliet, where the tragedy lies in the fact that children were not allowed to experiment with love due to the adults and the situation around them. I think this is also shown with how Departed!Douryou just wanted Yashiki to acknowledge Departed!Michiho loves him even if he can't accept it. Just because he knows that it is a love that will fade or immature, it is a real emotion to the girls experiencing it and it would be cruel to disregard it; unlike the priests who took advantage of these feelings to arrange the marriage only to ignore them once they started the ritual, if that makes sense.

(It might also be why Sakamoto later apologizing and allowing Departed!Michiho to continue investigating with Yashiki plays into her survival and the True Ending achievement: before while she was worried about keeping the girls safe from a potential predator, Yashiki has already made it clear to her before this point that he's not interested in them, but her main issue laid in how the situation could be misconstrued from an outside perspective regardless of intentions; even if she did accept that Yashiki wasn't going to go after the girls, she was largely worried about the girls' reputation and future-- as well as the school's. It's only when Yashiki makes it clear to her that his concern involves the general student population with all the "disappearances" as well as actually listening to his (temporary) students that Sakamoto relents. The priests had been preoccupied with tradition and the appearance of the brides, even the standards of choosing the grooms and brides were based on social reputation, somewhat reminiscent of Sakamoto (even if she genuinely cared for the students, it was in a way that overlooked their actual thoughts and feelings [i.e. the rising fear of The Departed or in the girls' case, wanting to be listened to]). So Yashiki's stubborn compassion and perseverance created change in the girls' environment that gave audience to their voice in a way.)

Which is all to say: The Departed truly let go of their grudge and "changed" for the better/"chose their humanity" because Yashiki had been a safe person to love-- not because he would love them back, but because he never would. The "marriage" in the True Ending then is a way for The Departed to safely live out a romantic daydream without the fear that they'll be hurt by it, as they had been when they were sacrificed. And I think it's Yashiki's adamancy on maintaining that boundary as well as making it clear to the adults around him and pushing for them to change their focus to treasure the girls' opinions that pushed The Departed to hold hopes and dreams once again, which they entrusted to the real Michiho and Himeko.

[lloydfrontera]

tfw when you write an entire novel with two protagonists that spent the entire plot getting closer to each other, becoming best friends and eventually both of them deciding they would rather die than allow the other to not live a long, fulfilling life, their friendship carrying most of the emotional weight of the entire plot and the emotional climax being one of them sacrificing his life so the other can live and then the other crossing literal universes to find him, a tearful smile in his face as he confesses how much he missed him. which is the scene you wanted to write and show the most because, again, this is the pay off to the slowburn you've been writing in the entire novel and what everything has been building up to since the very first chapter. and then you end the novel by having them share a smile, finally confident they'll be able to have a happy future.

but you also just gotta have one of them marry offscreen because everyone knows you can't be happy if you're not in a het marriage with kids lmao it's whatever it's okay i'm fiNE-