#Even though the screentime was short

[luckyshinyhunter]

⚡🦖I fucking love this suit, the design, the color and weapon goes hard fr!🦖⚡

[fumifooms]

Helki compilation

Helki is a prisoner-turned-servant. He’s a criminal canary and was implicitly one of Milsiril’s charges, and now that she’s retired he’s become her servant.

He must have gotten into Milsiril’s good graces, wether through attachment or convenience, which is a feat considering Milsiril’s a socially anxious recluse. Interesting since it’s not like he seems like the agreeable type, shifty upbeat delinquent style… We really don’t know much about him, not even what crimes he did, so there’s a lot of space for speculation on all grounds.

Edit: Shanghai QnA with Kui gave us a new juicy morsel of info!

Interesting… The original answer in japanese is: パッタドルと同じような杖を使っていました。今も同じものを支給されているのですが、すぐになくすのでもはや携帯していないようです。 That it’s written in japanese seems to say that there isn’t the same double translation issue there was last QnA, so if someone wants to look at the original phrasing and word choices it can be done. Perhaps Helki-Milsiril has a more protégé dynamic undertone than previously thought… "For various reasons", meaning circumstances that made it so the squad had to choose between saving him and saving their own skin, or like, "man this guy’s personality sucks we don’t really like him"? Likely to be a mix of several things, since ‘for various reasons’ implies the situation was either complex or they had multiple reasonings. In either case, the phrasing is very much that Milsiril couldn’t abandon him herself, and so a relationship sprung out of that. Another instance of outcasts seeking out and sticking with other outcasts in Dungeon Meshi. This could mean that it’s a bit less out of personal attachment and more out of a sense of duty on Milsiril’s side as well though.

Still edit: So then maybe him staying with Rin in that comic isn’t that much because of work ethics or that he cares for kids (or maybe he does because he feels kinship to them, alone and mistreated), but because he didn’t want to join the other canaries in that room chatting and laughing… Maybe the isolation was exacerbated because he became Milsiril’s favorite, teacher’s pet style, but I’d also be careful about assuming the others disproportionately dislike him, it could be that they just don’t really care for him. Why? Could be because of his personality, because he’s seen as shifty or unreliable or annoying, if an event, who knows who knows, but I like to think because of the Rin comic that he generally just tends to be a loner, that he’s "weird" in a neurodivergent vibe, he doesn’t conform to proper social behavior which in elven society seems especially alienating. He’s the only one with Rin to think of her sake, not only worth observing/caring for but also asks her to eat, but he does this with an offputting stare, not really emoting, and then well, the infamous alone with her staring munching covered in blood panel. He stands out. I’m a fan of the theory that it was a "Helki? Not that I dislike the guy but I’m not risking my skin for him" situation… Ok end edit back to older observations.

He seemed to be acting out of his own initiative in the Rin comic, he doesn’t look thrilled to be there in many post-canary comics but he also seems content enough. He restrains Milsiril in the Mithrun cleaning comic which is interesting to think of for their relationship.

It’s fun to notice how he’s the only one that didn’t get bored of looking after Rin, and then reports back about her condition… I’d say he was getting used to taking care of kids which would come with the job of serving Milsiril, but then, not enough for him to clean the blood off himself hah. In this way it’s interesting to think about his relationship to the idea of parenthood, he’s probably the closest thing to a father figure/male role model Kabru had growing up, without mentioning the other kids. I feel like he’d consider himself an older brother, cousin or uncle figure sooo much sooner than a father, but even then I do think it’s just his job and he’s not really invested or forming real relationships with any of them much.

It’s curious to note that he’s dressed in canary uniform presumably after having been pardoned and living with Milsiril? Which you can tell by the armor bits (the yellow strips of spider silk). In the Kabru training montage and the Rin comic specifically. It seems very implausible for him to have still been a canary while being a retired Milsiril’s servant and being with her all the time, and the cleaning with Mithrun comic (where he’s not in uniform) happens after Utaya so it could happen after Kabru was taken in but around the time of the Rin comic. So why uniform? It could be one of the best outfits he has, so it’d make sense to wear it around especially if you’re sparring or getting… Blood on you? Could just be because that's how Milsiril wants him to dress. But yeah we don't know when exactly Helki becoming Milsiril’s servant happened. We do see Mithrun’s charge Cithis be tasked with taking care of him, so a charge being given a servant-caretaker role doesn’t seem all that out of the ordinary, sometimes even prior to retiring.

Imo, if he doesn't work for Milsiril he goes back to jail/the canaries/has to try and get a job instead of just tending to her, so Helki is staying with Milsiril because she's the best option for him. He’s her milsiril's personal servant and does mostly dull tasks involved in that. He’s not particularly suited to the role but they’ve gotten used to each other to him so she took him with her, and he does prefer it to canary work so it works out decent for him. I think he’s used to reading her and managing her moods and he’s one of the rare social connection she has.

Under spoiler is stage 2 interpretation stuff, bigger speculation, in a reblog I’ll make soon I’ll go over my thoughts for stage 3 interpretation lol. Helsiril I’m coming for you

Translation of the canary hierachy chart used is by Thatsmimi, here

[bouneilly]

Crying at this watari and ryuzaki pic… I know it's from the oneshots but I'd love if we could see more of their dynamic in the anime, they're like father and son…

[guidingthulite]

i'm up to date with the super manga now

[electraslight]

hello! inquiring minds want to know about your thoughts on gus. in particular the mask w the third eye + the third eye you drew him with a couple times. i've always been a little disappointed with how little the show expanded on the stuff we saw in e.g. labyrinth runners and you always have interesting things to say (or make up on the spot :P) about your designs ^^

i love gus!! hes so charming and basically every episode with a gus subplot is good. the stuff about the illusionists graveyard and gus protecting it is really cool and gets me thinking about how much gus knows about magical artifacts (he should be a historian not a teacher when hes older imo) and labyrinth runners is one of my favorite episodes. i think the specific way hunter and gus connect is really well written and i wish wed seen them interact more after that (but i just generally very much enjoy their friendship). I think people often talk about gus as if it was hunter specifically that 'stole' his screentime but like, are we forgetting gus and willow were barely used in favor of episodes trying to teach a 5 year old child concepts hes too young for lol. season one was so poorly paced in comparison to s2 that yeah, i dont think it was hunter that took from gus specifically. you could say the same thing about amity

I do however think willow's very shoehorned 'arc' in s3 would have fit way better with gus, who has 1. forced himself to keep up a peppy attitude and uplift everyone else even though hes terrified for his dad and also is like. 12. 2. has been known to have intense involuntary magic outbursts that can sometimes induce flashbacks of your worst moments ever, and 3. you can still do the thing where hunter talks them down bc like. theyve done this before. like i feel like honestly willow had completed her arc in season 2 and after that most willow stuff was her trying to convince everyone else she was better now. I have a lot of issues with how huntlow kind of erased willow and gus's friendship too, which i always though was rlly cute, but again i digress

back to my gus design, the 'third eye' is facepaint like willow or amity's markings, but while hes using his powers it can appear to move around. hes not pictured with the mask here but he has a set of comedy and tradgedy masks (the blight twins have this insignia too but i havent drawn them casually yet) Gus has satyr blood (his grandparent was one of the last satyrs to interact with witches before they left to live in the forest after their lifestyle was no longer supported. God damn it belos) so his ears are bigger than other witches and hes very short.

anyway. i like gus a normal amount. thanks for asking!

[pyrodolls]

HIII i loved your down bad hcs and figured i'd drop a request 👉👈

can i get some hcs for the lin kuei trio + kenshi w/ a gn!reader who's very clingy?

like someone who'll literally follow them wherever they go just for some physical affection and is very cuddly. bonus points if the reader is talkative too :]

LIN KUEI TRIO + KENSHI X CLINGY!READER HCS

WARNINGS: sfw, established relationship, gender neutral reader, lowercase intended, mk1 characters, mk1 spoilers, takes place after the story and before the khaos reigns dlc cuz i haven't played it yet lmfaoooo

A/N: hey... hey.... how y'all doing... erm it's been a while but here we go with another mortal kombat post!! the last time i posted about it was nearly a YEAR ago y'all i suckkkk i'm sorry. and i'm sorry it took so long for me to write, i just didn't feel like it. but here we are! also apologies for making tomas and kenshi's hcs short, i just don't have a lot of writing experience for kenshi and tomas only has like 2 minutes of screentime ijbol

with BI-HAN, he'd hate for you to be clingy while he is working. he has an entire clan to take care of, and his stress was worsened after kuai liang and tomas's betrayal. even though you may be his spouse, his main goal will always remain with the lin kuei and taking control of earthrealm. but in private, you could be physically affectionate or talk to your heart's desire.

he's not going to reciprocate your affections, though. he's not used to the concept of romance, especially from someone as vulnerable as you. his entire life he was trained to be cold and ruthless. sure, he grew up with kind brothers, but he saw their friendly nature as weakness. he'll often criticize you for being open with your feelings, but that's only because that was what he was taught. he may behave as if he resents your attachment, but he secretly enjoys the domesticity. it delights him that you are so devoted to him. his hatred for his former brothers grows every day due to their betrayal, so having you around him softens his temper, as he requires reassurance that you aren't going to turn on him. (he'll never admit that, though.) he also doesn't mind when you follow him around as long as you do not disrupt his duties or make a fool out of him. keep your affections private, and you'll stay his. you wouldn't want him to punish you for misbehaving in front of the entire clan, would you?

KUAI LIANG is far more accepting of your behavior than his colder brother. he understands that you're clingy because you care about him, so he tries to make an effort to reciprocate your affections whenever he can. but he often worries for your safety as his spouse. he worries that the lin kuei could target you if they find out about your love. you're free to be clingy, but you must keep it private.

he believes your love is one of the last good things he has left in his life. after bi-han's betrayal, his life has been one of little to no rest. having you by his side keeps his anxieties at bay for a short amount of time. you can talk to him as much as you want, and he won't interrupt you unless it's important. he would listen to your thoughts without judgement. he may question you, but he'll never judge. he may not be as talkative as you are, because he tries to show you how he feels with actions rather than words. but he still manages to keep up with you because he loves you. he's grateful to have some happiness in his dangerous life. that happiness is you.

TOMAS is similar to his brothers as he does not wish for your affections to be public, for safety reasons. however, he makes it very clear that he is appreciative of your clingy nature and never fails to turn beet red when you hug him. while he is busy building the shirai ryu, he has much more free time than his brothers. he enjoys going on walks with you and hearing you talk for hours. he stays engaged and asks questions and laughs along at your jokes, even if they aren't funny. he isn't as energetic as you are, but he attempts to reciprocate your energy the best he can. he grew up with bi-han's harsh criticisms and kuai liang's gentle guidance, but he's never had someone always excited to see him like you. you never fail to put a smile on his face and brighten a dark day.

KENSHI is now a government agent, so he often comes home to you at different times every night. he feels guilty for making you wait for him so late at night, but his concerns wash away the moment you run to hug him. he has a dangerous job, and he can handle himself despite losing his vision, but it doesn't stop him from worrying about you every time he leaves the house. just like the lin kuei trio, he wants to keep your relationship private, so you aren't hunted down like he is. he feels bad that you can't have a normal relationship with him, and it has gotten you in a few arguments, since he believes you deserve better. but ultimately, it's always worked out in the end when you reassure him that you're happy with him and nobody else. he doesn't care that you're a bit clingy, he appreciates that you care about him. it breaks his heart when he has to push you away for his job, but he just wishes to protect you, since your relationship is the best thing that's ever happened to him.

[niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian]

It's too bad Ambrosius didn't have as much screentime in the movie compared to the other characters, this scene, while bittersweet knowing how much his life has changed in such a short amount of time and he is stuck at a crossroad with what decision he has to make, was also pretty funny knowing that he is just as energetic and unhinged as Ballister and Nimona are alot of the time even though he doesn't show it.

[kujakumai]

On the subject of being good with children, which characters do you think WOULD be good babysitters?

YUGIOH CHARACTERS AS BABYSITTERS, RANKED

TOP PICKS:

Seto Kaiba runs an entire company dedicated exclusively to safely entertaining children, and unless his parks are getting continually sued I believe he knows how. Your kindergartner is not only safe with him but will probably leave knowing how to play chess and write in C++. He may allow them to play with knives, but only if they're 9 or over, plus he has all the emergency numbers on speed-dial.

Hiroto Honda babysits his niblings on the regular. Can warm a bottle and change a diaper. A level-headed and practical guy. He’ll be fine as long as his friends don't drag him into a horrible game-themed deathtrap. Don't ask why that caveat exists.

Rishid Ishtar is safe, experienced, has dad energy, however he will crumple like wet paper at the first sign of conflict re: ice cream for dinner / no bedtime / blood-soaked cross-country quest for revenge / an extra episode of cartoons over the screentime limit.

Ishizu Ishtar would make a great babysitter. I don't really have a quirky joke here she just would.

"MAYBE"S

Jonouchi used to watch his little sister and I think he'll do about as well as any other teenager you're paying minimum wage, and with a lot of earnest enthusiasm. Your child will be fine at the end of the night, though they will probably have eaten some junk food and played a T rated videogame.

I do not think Atem would know what to do with a baby, and may panic about it, though if you have an older child he will be happy to offer a rousing speech and some deep-voiced mentorlike advice while teaching them to play board games. Not a bad choice, just try not to leave him with anyone under seven.

Yugi knows zilch about kids and often appears a little annoyed by them. Same general rules as Atem--do not leave him with a baby, but he'll probably just teach an older kid to play shogi or something.

Mai Kujaku will put the kid in front of the television and order pizza while she paints her nails. Honestly, though, what more are you paying her for?

Listen, I love Anzu. I do. She’s smart, driven, and big-hearted, but she is also sort of short-tempered and impatient, and patience is like 90% of child-rearing. Please do not ask Anzu Mazaki to watch your children. She WILL say yes because she needs the money, and she WILL go into it with optimism and gumption, and yes, both she and your child will both be in one piece at the end of the night, but it will be clear from both of their frazzled expressions that she lost most of her sanity an hour in after the fifth "Why?"

DEFINITELY NOT

Ryou Bakura would in theory be a perfectly good, if kind of spacey, babysitter, but you cannot trust him to remain Ryou Bakura, and the other guy is definitely not someone you want anywhere near your children.

I don't think Marik Ishtar has ever interacted with a child for very long and the number of people he talks to that are even his own age is in the single digits. And he is definitely not getting spat on or dealing with any bathroom stuff. I'm not saying he can't figure it out but the learning curve is going to be steep.

I have to put Yami Bakura here in principle and yet for some reason I think it wouldn't go that bad? I mean he definitely doesn't care about the safety of your child. And he may enlist them to the armies of darkness. And he's not cleaning anything up. But he's like, a weird socially awkward over-the-top guy? And children love those? Honestly I think they would both have fun. For at least an hour until everything goes horribly wrong.

Please do not summon Zork Necrophades to babysit your child.

[wenellyb]

The reason why I think we'll get a significant Bucktommy scenes is because it's the same franchise that gave us this amazing Tarlos scene even thought Rafael Silva had limited screentime in the first season of 911: Lone Star

It is one of my favorite Tarlos scene even though it's so short (too short), they had just "broken up" but we learn that TK called Carlos, and Carlos came😭 and they patched things up without any words, but with so much being said at the same time.

[spirit-lanterns]

Angey...have you ever wondered what if there was an alpha Xueyi?Cause all of a sudden my ass is thinking she was an alpha before she died because of shuhu(emanator of abundance)and how does she even handle like a rut if she is in a robot body.If she like went into a rut and then had to switch to a different body because the old one is busted does it like carry over with her?That and my ass is just horny for this woman who barely has any screentime or content anywhere.

-🪻

Hmmmm. I’d say Alpha! Xueyi would still display alpha-like tendencies even in a puppet body. If she were to experience a rut, it won’t be as intense as it was in her previous body, but she’d still experience an urge to be with her mate and just bask in their prescience to calm down. In comparison to alphas with a regular living body, I can see Xueyi handling her ruts a lot better since her new puppet body can handle the intense body temperature better. (Though, this doesn’t mean she’s immune to her ruts, as she still expresses a desire to be connected with you)

If her body gets damaged during a rut, I can only assume the feelings carry over to her new body, so she’d still experience a rut period even after switching. Sorry Reader, your pussy is still getting a pounding even after Xueyi was put out of commission for a while 😭😭

Lmao, imagine Xueyi breaking for a short period of time (like a week) and while she’s getting fixed or transferred into a new body, you think her rut will go away by the time she wakes up, but no. Instead, she wakes up even more pent up than ever and immediately calls for you to bend over because she’s one week late on her rut and needs to catch up with you…

[nights-at-crystarium]

Hooooo boy ALRIGHT *rubs my hands together*

I'd already committed to making Fragments when I realized that building up a new character (wol/oc) could be done through other characters. Perhaps that's not even needed in some short and simple npc ship story, which this story's grown out of. My ambition's proportionate to your support and encouragement, seeing that people like what I do, I felt more confident to indulge and go deeper, write a proper ShB love letter, as I like to refer to Fragments nowadays.

At the same time I don't wanna overhype something that's never been in the plans. I'm adamant about keeping this story focused, anything that gets more than 1-2 comic panels is relevant to Vivi in some way, hence you won't see, let's say, a detour to uriancred even though I ship them. Try to please everyone, end up pleasing no one. If we at some point asked ourselves "what does this have to do with wolgraha?" that'd mean the story's lost its direction and crawled apart. And, why, yes, wolemet has EVERYTHING to do with wolgraha, glad that I realized it before it was too late!!

That being the logical reason, I also can't force myself to write about those who don't quite make it to my blorbo tier. Alisaie gets a lot of attention, while Alphinaud's just. There. Sorry :'> Still he has reasons to stay out of this, they just don't vibe that well with Vivi.

I may be unable to give equal amount of screentime and thoughtful approach to everyone in the ShB cast, but those who got lucky to be relevant to Vivi AND feed my brainworms will get their due tributes.

There's a risk that you won't unsee this once I point it out: the comic's still in the introduction phase where I shamelessly grab a character to tell something about Vivi. Of course I'm trying to be subtle, I also must respect said character, consider what they would and wouldn't do. ShB has brilliant, masterful characterization that's super easy to work with imo. Everyone feels like a person, you just analyze them a bit, see what makes them tick.

Speaking of real, I just can't imagine them sitting at a dining table in their battle outfits. What the fuck. No. Hence I gave them some casual clothes. I like it when things are grounded, when they make sense. I ask a lot of hows and whys.

On the topic of the Scions (not) being yesmen to the wol: that's simply the whole premise of Fragments, they mix like oil and water with Vivi. The writing process went like: Vivi falls for Exarch. Why not for ARRRaha? He doesn't only like Exarch, he likes the First as a whole. Why? He's happy to leave the Source behind. The Scions belong to the Source. Scions = duty = bad for Vivi. Why duty bad for Vivi? Oh he's just a pathetic piece of shit who wants to be Free. I gave him the archetype of a manic pixie dream boy from the start, then I just overanalyzed what it means for a guy that's supposed to be a selfless nodding hero.

Conflict's more fun to explore than total agreement. Are we there to be entertained, or what? That being said, conflict for the sake of conflict could become just as bland, balance is key as they say.

[sleepynoons]

shoko x f!reader, sfw

cw: mentioned gojo x geto, smoking

notes: first time writing for a female character! though it's an ambiguous relationship... (the crowd boos) in my defense, i love tragic yuri. potentially a projection of my own struggles + confusion with my queer identity. i guess we'll never know! :D anyway, gege akutami, i can confidently say, you FUMBLED THE FUCKING BAG with ieiri shoko. give my hot doctor queen some screentime - you have 5 chapters to do something. Do something about it.

SHOKO WATCHES as ash falls from the butt of her cigarette, which she taps with quick raps of her pointer finger. she’s surprised she’s remembered to put it out at all. you made a big fuss about it when you came home later than she had one evening and caught her smoking indoors. she rolls her eyes and takes one last puff, thinking back to when the two of you had just become roommates.

you used to be the primary doctor over at kyoto jujutsu high but had quit after a short two-year run because you were overworked and exhausted. the two of you met up for drinks right after you quit (you literally called her and utahime up twelve hours after submitting your letter of resignation), and she mentioned briefly that her home was always a mess. you suggested the idea of living together, and she didn’t have a reason to reject your offer. 

anyway, you’ve become a bigger pain in the ass than she had anticipated. yes, you’re a big help when it comes to chores, but you’re also so insistent when it comes to her lifestyle. not that she bothers to listen to you, but you frequently nag about her smoking, drinking, lack of eating, so on and so forth. 

in fact, you’ve taken it upon yourself to take care of her, as if she’s a dying house plant that you’re nurturing back to life. you pack her two bentos every work day, one for lunch and the other for dinner, the meals never identical. you replenished her bare wardrobe with new turtlenecks and work pants because she’s “not steve jobs,” and it’s not like she has an excuse to wear the same thing every day now that you’re doing the laundry and ironing. this is all to say that you’re too involved, too knowledgeable about her mode of operations, for her liking. 

throwing the cigarette onto the floor, she extinguishes it with her foot and heads into your shared apartment. 

not even two steps into the foyer, she hears you call from the couch, “the bath’s ready!”

shoko shrugs her shoulder bag onto the floor next to her heels and pads over to you. “why are you still up?” she asks.

you peel your eyes away from your phone to smile at her. “i was waiting for you,” you reply, a smirk tugging at your lips. 

she heads to the bathroom and says, “go to bed.” you just giggle in response.

in the bathroom, shoko shimmies out of her clothes, brushes her teeth while avoiding her reflection in the mirror, and grabs a towel. when she sinks into the bath, she realizes you’ve added a few drops of jasmine and ylang ylang to the water to help her decompress. somehow, you’ve even managed to figure out her favorite aromatics.

your relationship is peculiar, to say the least. roommates but more. not lovers, of course.

shoko’s long distanced herself from such relationships. she barely has an interest in making friends, let alone find a lifelong partner. yet, upon some introspection, she finds her own behavior and attitude towards you… odd. you bother her, but she hasn’t put a stop to it like she normally does with others. she’s not tired or bored of long conversations with you. even though she’d like it if you gave her some more space and privacy, she doesn’t prevent you from learning more about her.

it’s not that she’s unguarded; she has deliberately lowered her guard around you.

she sinks deeper into the bath, blowing bubbles in the water as she thinks.

she doesn’t love you. (what does being in love even feel like?)

she does like having you around.

ten more minutes of half-conscious musing later, she gets out of the bath and prepares for bed. when she exits from the bathroom, she finds you still sitting on the couch, doom scrolling and humming an inane tune. but this time, she also smells the familiar scent of smoke and bitterness.

she glances at the living room table and spots a small dish. you’re smoking, she realizes.

“i thought you didn’t approve of smoking indoors,” she says.

you look over your shoulder and chuckle. “i’m trying to see what all the hype is. smoking really isn’t all that, you know, shoko?”

your roommate walks over to sit beside you. “you’ve never smoked before?” she asks.

you shrug. “no, i have, when we were much younger. but i remember choking on my first time, so i never bothered to try again.”

“so what made you try this time?”

“you.” you say it so effortlessly. then, you beam at her before scrolling to another video on your phone.

shoko is unsure how to react, so she just leans her head on your shoulder. does she have that much of an influence on you? probably not. it’s common for people to pick up on mannerisms and habits of those around them.

she recalls her high school days with gojo and geto. those two were undeniably close, and they frequently behaved like one another. when she caught wind of the nature of their relationship, it all seemed to make sense – they looked and acted exactly like a couple should.

she wonders if the two of you are anything like her classmates. do you share the same sense of humor? do you have your own language – your own catchphrases and inside jokes and syntax? do you enjoy being around her? does she know you the way you know her?

does she want to know you?

she’s feeling a slight pinch in her temple. she’s not in a rush to figure things out.

shoko reaches across you to take the cigarette from your grasp, acutely aware that she’s taking a breath from where your lips were just moments ago.

“i want something savory tomorrow,” she says.

you nod your head. “i know.”

of course you already know she hates sweet things. she puts out the cigarette.

[arcane-ruined-my-gut-flora]

Please tell me I'm not the only one who has problems with this season's pacing, especially act 2. I'm still enjoying the show but I'm so sad they didn't get more episodes to take it slow with the narrative, especially considering they're adding a ton of new stuff to the story and the lore.

Heavy spoilers ahead!!

I feel like Ambessa is taking too much space, for one. I love her, but with all her screentime she's not even doing much. We could've had more Caitlyn time, some introspection, a look at how she feels about her "relationship" with Maddie. Does she have nightmares about Jinx? Does she dream of Vi? Does she see Vi's eyes in Maddie's?

Or, we could've gotten Caitlyn's thoughts about Ambessa and everything she's doing. Does Cait feel guilty for endorsing her methods? Does she see some sort of twisted maternal figure, someone who guides her like a seasoned soldier while also appearing as an overall stable, mature figure she can rely on?

I'm also sad we didn't get actual Emo!Vi. On YouTube it felt like it was a montage of multiple scenes, but turns out that's all that there is to her. What's her relationship with Loris? What does Loris say about her declining condition? Does Vi see Vander in his face, in his company?

And don't get me started on Isha. I still grew to like her, despite the short screentime she has, but I feel like they wasted her by killing her off now in the last episode of Act 2. We saw her with Jinx, but not enough. Did Jinx flinch away from her in the beginning? Did she try to put some distance like she tried to push her off during the fight in Act 1? Did Jinx let her in begrudgingly, telling herself she doesn't want to curse another person but knowing she's actually curious and maybe even fond of her company?

And who the fuck are the members of the peanut patrol? We saw Loris, but barely heard him talk in the beginning. Vi would never open up to a stranger, let alone an Enforcer (even though it wasn't exactly clear he's one), but the first time they met and drank their asses off we could've had something meaningful. Loris asking a question that makes Vi think, maybe regarding Cait's proposition, or offering an external point of view whether it's to convince her to join or not.

Maddie does it, by mentioning the fight Caitlyn put up to get the badge, but some more convincing wouldn't have hurt. Vi is infamous for her stubbornness after all. And who is the other guy? I hope they'll come back in Act 3 with some more information, but even then it feels too late if you consider everything that's happened with Maddie and Loris off camera.

The Black Rose. That's it. That's my umpteenth problem with this season. I have nothing against this new part of the plot, it's actually pretty interesting, but it's clear we don't have much space for it with everything that's happening. It's cramped in there, it's the reason why we have so much Ambessa and so little Mel. It feels like we're watching two different series/seasons edited together, because the "arcane waking up" was pretty much enough of a twist for me.

The arcane waking up, Viktor becoming Jesus, Jayce becoming Judas. Yes, we'll see more in act 3, but it means we won't see as much of everything else as we could've.

This series was about Zaun and Piltover, about the collision between these two very different worlds that are also two faces of the same coin. We don't see much of the Jinxers and their rebellion, we don't see how Piltover is reacting to the new administration. We talk too much about Noxus and I don't feel the tension between topside and undercity even though it's theoretically growing to the point of snapping.

It's extremely sad, because season 1 left a brilliant, positive memory in my mind. Its writing was top level, and it still would be if only they had a little more time, a couple episodes more, a bigger canvas to work on.

I still love the show, I'm still in love with the characters and I know it's not complete so I can't judge it in a definitive way. Yet it stings.

[jerreeeeeee]

actually its kind of crazy how little we actually see the starblaster crew interact with each other. like other than tres horny boys and each of the pairs in that trio, and like, arguably lucretia and thb, barry and lup, and lup and taako, most of the relationships between the crew are only a few lines, if anything? like obviously in-universe they're all really close and griffin says that (time enough to grow indescribably close), but there's a lot we don't see. like, taako & barry, for example, have a handful of moments, lines we can point to that show they are really close (you're my family, taako, can i speak frankly?), but as far as actual screentime, there's really very little.

and even those i mentioned before, like, lup has more screentime with barry and taako than with anyone else, there's the whole little legato monologue about her and barry's relationship and she has (comparatively) a lot of scenes with taako, but also, as a character, she's only around for maybe a sixth of the show, so there's just not a lot of time to work with?

and that's not to mention the relationships we can figure were probably present in-universe, but literally never see, like lup & davenport. and on that note, i actually can't think of any other pairs who don't interact at least once, but still, very rarely. like now i'm considering davenport & barry. who we hardly see but there is the fact that barry cast command on him to drink the ichor. it's one line in the show and the implications are never really mentioned but there's a lot of significance to be wrung out of this one tiny interaction. barry condemns lucretia's methods of stealing agency from their family in the service of the greater good, but when he thinks it's best for davenport, does the same on a smaller scale? barry doesn't have the time to try to convince him to drink, he needs davenport back to himself now, because davenport is someone dependable, a leader, someone who barry knows will be capable and decisive and relieve him of the responsibility he's been shouldering by himself? that barry knows davenport won't begrudge his use of the spell, because he'll see it as pragmatic, necessary, assistance, and forgive him for it? none of that is necessarily supported in canon but it can be extrapolated from, again, kind of a throwaway line.

the non-thb crew have presence and are important to the narrative, but most of that comes from thematic significance rather than them as individuals, you know? we hardly see lup and barry and davenport (maybe arguably lucretia too, though we see more of her than them), but we see the echoes of their decisions and their goals and their love for the rest of their family and the way they shape the story.

but actually, even that's not entirely accurate, because as significant as they are in that way, their presence isn't only due to that, they're full characters too. they have personalities and depth and connection, they're not only plot devices. like, maybe griffin needed to explain why lup was missing, and that's why she became a lich, and her needing to be a lich is why she and barry had their romance, but also, if that were all there was to it, the legato monologue wouldn't exist, the best day ever wouldn't exist. those are scenes designed to build lup as a character through her connections to other characters and to the central themes of balance, not to fix plot holes. it's just that all of that character building takes place in a pretty small fraction of the show compared to tres horny boys, who have the entire thing. idk its interesting and impressive how some of the deepest characters and most profound relationships were developed in a very short amount of time

[fr3sh-tragedies]

Headcanons

[Inside Out 2] Valentina [Val] Ortiz x Female Reader

Summary: General and romantic headcanons for Val with a female S/O.

Word Count: 1.87k Content + Warnings: None Category: Fluff + Slight Angst || Headcanons + Drabble

[A/N]: Not sure if I'm going to write consistently for her since she got so little screentime and we know very little about her, but I did want to at least share headcanons and a small drabble.

Enjoy!

General

Generally laid back and extremely kind-hearted, Val is usually the one her friends rely on for advice, comfort, and support

She has a cool temper, and it’s hard to get her genuinely worked up over something

She trusts most people easily because they trust her easily

She has a very open personality and welcoming nature, so it’s not hard for people to let their guard down around her once they’ve known her for a short while

On top of being trusting towards other people, she’s also trustworthy herself

Any secrets or issues someone decides to share with her stay with her. They don’t leave her and make it to anyone else unless said person explicitly says it’s okay to share what they’ve said

Val is an extremely patient person, especially when it comes to her friends and family

She tends to keep an open mind about everything and never shames others for the things they enjoy, so long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else

In regards to those she’s close to, she can be very teasing and often jokes around about the smallest things

Because of how much she trains and competitively plays hockey, I have no doubt that she’s got a bit of muscle

She’s definitely lean, but I’m sure in real life she’d have a decent amount of muscle, especially in her arms and legs

Aside from hockey, I can see her having other aspirations and hobbies

While exercising, she’d probably like to listen to music, specifically old bands she used to like listening to in middle school and the beginning of high school

This interest in old music was sparked to life again after meeting Riley and talking about “Get Up and Glow”

On top of this, I can see her listening to podcasts while studying, especially ones that revolve around her interests – mainly hockey

I also like to think she enjoys video games, even if she’s not the one playing them

There isn’t a specific category of games that she prefers. She enjoys them all

We saw it in the movie: this girl is extremely friendly with others

She likes making sure others feel secure around her, and her Wiki page literally says one of her main dislikes is peer pressure, so she makes an effort to be accepting of almost everyone

It deeply concerns her when she takes notice of people not taking care of themself, so she’s quick to offer any help she can

She’s extroverted, and often encourages other people to try stepping out of their comfort zone when it’s necessary

She’s a kind, confident, caring person who just wants to see the best in others, though she isn’t one to shy away from standing up for other people or herself

Romantic

Love language (receiving) would absolutely be quality time, and likely words of affirmation as well

Love language (giving) would be a mix between three: quality time, words of affirmation, and physical touch

She enjoys getting to spend time with you whenever she can. Whether you’re joining her team during one of their hangouts or not, she wants to be with you

Her favorite thing is seeing you smile or fully brighten up the room when she compliments or encourages you somehow, so she makes sure to do it often

She’s not touch-starved, but does enjoy physical contact and affection, which is clear throughout the movie as she does things such as draping her arm around someone, standing shoulder to shoulder, and bumping people with her shoulders and hands

If you’re someone who loves physical affection, you don’t necessarily have to ask for her to provide it

She can read you like a book, so she’s almost always able to tell when you’re wanting her near you

Need a hug? She’s there

Want to cuddle? Her arms are pulling you to her in an instant

Craving a kiss? She’s leaning in regardless of where you are or who’s around

Even if you aren’t directly asking for her touch, it’ll be there. During hangouts – or even out in the hallways – she’ll have her arm draped around your shoulders or waist, or have her hand resting on the small of your back

If you’re someone who prefers to have your own space most of the time, she’ll respect it 100%, only stepping over that occasionally if she’s genuinely worried something’s wrong. She’ll hold you close to her and try to get you to talk to her about whatever is troubling you, then she’ll let you go once you calm down

She’ll still stay near you, but she’ll give you your space again

If you have a hard time initiating or expressing your want for some kind of touch, she’ll simply ask you or encourage you to either explain what you’re wanting or show her, assuring you that she won’t judge you for it

I can’t decide whether or not she’d have any proper relationship experience considering how devoted she is to hockey, as well as the fact she’s only 17-18, but from how she treats others throughout the film, I think she would be a great partner. She’s shown to be kind, empathetic, and patient with others, and she doesn’t shy away from standing up for people

Gifts from her aren’t necessarily common, but they aren’t rare either. She’ll take her time when picking out a gift for you, wanting it to be meaningful and special

She thanks you plenty of times if you give her a gift because she wants you to know that she truly does appreciate it, even if it’s something small

Arguments aren’t very common with her due to her open-minded nature, but even when they happen, they aren’t harsh and often they’re not over something serious. I can see her having playful arguments with you more than anything, solely because of her more laid back attitude

However, she isn’t one to hesitate to put her foot down if things get aggressive. She’ll defuse the situation or step away from it until you’re both able to think with a clear mind. Her moral and core beliefs are strong, so even while she tends to be open-minded with others, there are certain times where she won’t put up with it

She’s often the one who cheers people up. Because of her protective and caring nature, she often stands as an emotional pillar for others and will happily help them through whatever is troubling them

There’s no exception for this with her partner. She’ll often check in on you, even if you’re having a good day, and will consistently give words of encouragement to help boost your confidence

Regardless of what’s going on in her own life, she’ll always be a shoulder to lean on if you need it

Dates are a weekly thing at the very least. She adores getting to spend time alone with you, and dates are the easiest way to do so

While most of the time she’ll invite you over to stay the night and do simple things such as watching a movie or ranting about whatever comes to mind, other times she’ll take you out to restaurants, arcades, carnivals, libraries, cafes, or anything that she thinks you’d enjoy

Now, during most instances, she isn’t one to show off. She enjoys impressing you, but she often gets too absorbed in what she enjoys to think about showing off – namely hockey

There are times here and there, however, where she might do something slightly flashy during practices, even though she earns teasing from her teammates about it. She always shrugs them off with a smile, though. She knows they like you and mean well

Overall, she’s a patient, kind, and understanding partner, and she’ll do everything she can to make sure you know just how much she loves and cherishes you

Like she did just about every weekend, Val had invited you over to stay the night, and just like you did every weekend, you said yes. You had arrived at her house a few hours prior and were now sitting with her on her bed, rambling on and on about one of your latest obsessions. You hadn’t realized that you weren’t really letting her get a word in, but she didn’t mind. She always enjoyed listening to you talking so passionately about the things you enjoyed, and just looking in her direction confirmed that.

As you waved your hands around with each word, you failed to take notice of how she moved to lie down beside you, head resting in her hand. Soon, after recalling all you had said, you paused and let out a small, sheepish “oh.” You turned to her, ready to apologize for your endless blabbering about your interest. You froze, however, upon seeing the way pure love, care, and admiration filled her eyes as she gazed up at you, a gentle smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Shyly, you smiled. “Sorry,” you still managed to blurt out. She shook her head and waved your small apology off. “No, don’t be,” she replied just as softly. “I love hearing you talk. Plus, you always have this beautiful little smile when you’re talking about things you like.”

Face reddening with her words, you scratched lightly at the back of your neck. “Are you sure you don’t mind? I don’t want to annoy you.” She rolled her eyes with a smirk. “You could never annoy me.”

Wordlessly, she patted the spot in front of her, inviting you to lie down as well. You did so and gazed over at her for a while. “So what happened next?” She asked, already settling back against her pillows to relax as she listened to you. Gleefully, you started up again on your rambling, excitedly explaining the things you liked and disliked as she stayed there, studying every little crease in your features as you smiled and laughed and talked.

Regardless of how long you continued to talk, there was no doubt that she was hanging on to every word. She chimed in here and there to solidify the fact she was following along, asking genuine questions and keeping notes of how you reacted to certain details.

As you finally ran out of the things to talk about, you fell silent, expecting to see her asleep beside you. When you turned and rolled back onto your side, you instead found her staring softly back over at you, that small smile gracing her lips never faltering. You grinned back, taking note of how her pupils were blown with love as she focused entirely on you. For her, you were the only thing she cared about in that moment.

She adored the sight of you in front of her.

She adored the feeling of you when she reached out to pull you into her chest.

She adored the almost intoxicating scent that greeted her when your body met hers.

She adored hearing you murmur a few smaller details you had forgotten to mention.

She adored the way your fingers traced out random patterns against her back.

She adored the way you were always there for her, how you never judged her once, how you gave her all your love and trust. She adored you, and only you.

[sl-walker]

Self-Promotion as Distraction

Want something to read? Here's my stuff that I'd rec, along with what kind of mood it's good for. Feedback adored if you read any of these and wanna give it.

Supernatural - The (Second) Book of James - Long Good if you like stories written before Season 9, tons of angel lore and metaphysics, angel-vessel relations, Jimmy Novak, a story told backwards-and-forwards, and something with a very bittersweet ending that is not actually the ending. Some warning for tragedy, of a sort. If you love Cas and Jimmy, though, it's a hell of an adventure, especially if you like Cas as a total badass.

Star Trek: The Original Series - The Arc of the Wolf - Long Good if you love your Trek stories very grounded and humanistic. Pretty much the life story of Montgomery Scott, it's very much a Scotty story first and a Trek story only sometime after that. There's drama, humor, high seas piracy, friendship, found family and even if you don't actually know Trek very well, I've been told you don't need to in order to enjoy it.

Star Wars - Witness me - Long Good if you like Maul and specifically Obimaul, especially with the more Legends lean on Maul's characterization. Basically an AU where Maul was captured after Theed, the series doesn't ignore the fact that Maul was cut in half, so it's very heavy on the psychology and relationship building. It also has a whole gamut of emotions explored, and beyond the Obimaul, you also have found family and friendship building and an absolutely awesome cast of clones in Blackbirds: Year One. Probably my most popular work, and not entirely without reason.

Star Wars - Undersong - Long-ish Good if you like id-fic! A Sith AU where both Obi-Wan and Maul are raised by Sidious before escaping together, it's largely written in a serial format, with short chapters and a lot of momentum. Good if you don't like long, dense chapters, but do like a story with some real rollercoaster emotion. I enjoyed the hell out of the supporting cast, and so does everyone who reads it, too.

DC Comics/JLI - Past Resolution's Power - Mid-length Good if you want a shorter tale but with teeth. The prequel series to Stardust, this one primarily looks at the short span of time between the book Justice League: Generation Lost (and Booster Gold Vol. 2) and Flashpoint, mostly centered around Booster, but also with Rani and Rip and Michelle and Guy. It's a pretty heavy and genuinely mature story, though it's got its light spots, too. Also called the Mk. I timeline, as its the first.

DC Comics/JLI - Carbon Cycle - Long Good if you want something long, involved, sometimes incredibly fluffy and definitely filled with warmth. The Mk. III timeline -- meaning the third reboot, versus the Mk. I timeline above -- takes place mostly around DC's Rebirth era, on the notion that the characters aren't getting cleanly reset every time and instead that there are these echoes from past lives. The main story, Stardust, is Booster/Beetle slowburn, lots of funny but also lots of sincerity, and later on some heavier stuff creeping in, but the supporting cast has some serious screentime, too.

How about you, Tumblr? GIVE US YOUR DISTRACTION RECS.