#HE HAS LAYERS AND IT WASN'T EXPLORED ENOUGH IN CANON

[borealiszero]

if you think shen jiu is “a rancid, horrible, radioactive level toxic of a man” fine, whatever, but please use an “anti” or “negativity” tag and not his primary tag. thank you!

As per suggestion I have removed it solely bc it might make people uncomfortable.

But also WHAT. DID YOU NOT READ THE DAMN POST HE IS CANONICALLY THAT.

[rottiens]

✮ tags. . sub!kamo chōsō + dom!reader, canon au, female bodied reader, no use of pronouns, established relationship, part of my 'teaching choso new things' saga, praising, dirty talk, aftercare, finger sucking, first time saying 'I love you', reader becomes self conscious and shy at the end, choso is deeply in love with you. divider creds: cafekitsune. wc: 2.6k

You think you are not worthy of the view you have right now. Your breathing becomes arrhythmic mimicking the odd beats of your heart and you think that if you don't blink enough or if you don't control the amount of oxygen rushing to your brain, you could pass out at any moment.

Your fingers get lost in the darkness of his hair, the texture is smooth and clean and slips easily under your fingers. choso's hair is loose because you had helped him wash it just an hour ago, the long strands which, you mentally note cutting when you are in a not-so-compromising position, obscures his gaze and casts a shadow on his face.

His eyes look at you like those of a puppy begging for the next cue, just like a pet longing to be rewarded. If you think your heart will break your rib cage at any moment, it is at times like this that Choso remembers that he has a heart, and that makes him feel closer to being a human, a heart that beats for something more vile than adrenaline in a fight.

With the help of your hands you guide him to where he wants to go, his dull eyes flee from yours only to catch a brief glimpse of your crotch. Just inches from your pussy he can almost taste you in his mouth, for a moment he closes his eyes and lets himself be rocked by the raw scent of sex.

He licks his dry lips, using his saliva as a lubricant for what he will do next. Through your underwear he places a kiss, just above your aching clit that tenses and throbs with the sudden attention. His eyebrows raise and his eyelashes flutter in your direction checking your actions once more.

Your mouth is open. Choso can see your red lips, punished by your pearly teeth, your upper lip catches the tip of your tongue covering the top two main upper teeth and he feels as if he is short of breath.

"You are ethereal," choso muses over the folds of your sex, unsure of what he is doing and yet certain of the reaction he seeks to detach from you.

Ethereal. He learned that word with you, as well as a hundred others you've taught them in the time you've known each other. From the first time he saw you, Choso knew it was love he felt for you. It's just that he wasn't sure of the word until he asked yuuji. It was love he felt for his brothers, for his family, but he didn't think it could also be called love the feeling you bring with you when you walk into the room, the way there doesn't seem to be enough oxygen and the excessive sweating.

You were intoxicating and addictive and you were as nervous as he was when you heard him say he wanted to taste you… choso forces himself to clench his jaw because he's afraid he'll start drooling when he tosses the elastic aside and finally notices how wet you are. He stops breathing for a moment. You were glistening even under the absence of light, the orange sunset tempera justly illuminating your thighs and bare stomach.

Impatiently, he pulls your panties down. Until they become entangled in your knees and he resumes his place and your fingers return to his: on the crown of his head.

He lowers his face to the middle of your thighs and as if enchanted by witchcraft lets his thumb wander along the edges of your pussy parting it and exposing the changing hues hidden there as he continues to explore. The tip of his thumb grazes your clit and you gasp low.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes. Stopping immediately to turn his full attention on you, his eyes coated in a layer of glistening lust.

"I'm fine." Your voice is almost unrecognizable— husky and deep with pleasure. You were aching from how much he had unconsciously delayed your pleasure. "I need you to keep going, you're doing such a good job."

His heart clenches at the praise. "You like it?" he asks, full of eagerness.

"Very much," you reply, forcing yourself not to roll your eyes because that would mean no longer looking at him.

Choso rushes back to explore you again. You manage to escape your underwear by pulling them off of you to place your legs over his strong shoulders, you feel him tense up and push his hips against the bed. Your clit is tucked into his full lips, sucking and tasting it as his hips continue to circle on the mattress of your bed. The action makes you spread your legs wider to give him the space his mouth demands, the pleasure makes you moan louder which catches the attention of Choso who curiously rolls his tongue along your slit tasting you better.

Your body spills over his palate like the sweetest of wines as your body clenches and tenses as he continues the licking and sloppy kissing session. Choso is addicted to the way you react when he sucks that little button so he does it again, pushes his face between your thighs that squeeze around his cheeks; despite this you fail to push him away.

His name rolls out of your mouth like a mantra. Choso hears your compliments, your prayers, between your sobs he manages to decipher the words "please" and "sensitive" however at this point he can't stop to verify what you are meaning or admire your reaction.

This was what he had created. Your wet pussy, dripping over his mouth with each new lick and he wanted… no, he needed more.

The bulge in his pants hurt and the only way to make it better was to rub against the sheets. He's done this before, unsure whether to touch it or not, just rubbed silently against his sheets —his sweaty hair sticking uncomfortably to his face, his sobs muffled by the feathers on the pillow— while he thinks about you, your voice, how your fingers feel around his, your kisses…he can't take it anymore. Choso always ends up ruining his sheets or his pants as soon as that knotted feeling tangles his guts and he knows that if he keeps it up he'll do the same to yours so against his will he pulls his head out of your thighs, as if some unnatural force has done it for him.

You are clearly confused, choso can see it in your face, especially in your eyebrows together and that knot tightens further causing more heat to spill out in the form of a blush on his cheeks.

"What— why?" you ask as you find your voice.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to wet your bed."

It's mortifying the pain and regret on his face. Your stomach contracts and you bite your lip to keep from lunging at him and eating his mouth. How could you possibly have turned out to find someone so adorable? Finally, your eyebrows relax along with the muscles in your face and a small smile takes hold of your lips.

"Lie down. Face up," you order him gently.

Choso does it right away, no need for questions or for you to repeat it again. He is across horizontally on the bed, his arms behind his head elevating his neck to take a good view of you and his feet are sticking out slightly from the bed.

When your fingers catch on the elastic band of his underwear, Choso has to take a gasp of air. He forces himself to inflate his lungs which fill with the musky, sweaty smell that pervades the room and he feels so weak in front of you. Exposed, just like the pulp of a fresh fruit you've just bitten into.

You ride on his lap taking it as a seat and his legs tighten as he feels your weight. Choso trembles with need and even though this is the first time he has been this close to you in this way, he feels the urge to pounce on you to feel you closer.

You push him back onto the bed as you see his intentions, the growl that slips out of his throat lets you know how unsatisfied he is as you let out a mischievous chuckle. Choso looks like a caged animal, he gasps like one; and just like an animal in captivity if you provoke him enough he can actually bite.

"I'm going to show you something," you tell him, chasing the flame you see growing in his eyes.

His pupils dilate and widen as he watches you undo your top and finally take his dick in your hand and arrange it in a position where it rests on his stomach. You get distracted by the spiral-shaped hairs you find on his navel line, your fingertips slipping between them and getting lost in the tangle of tangled hairs above his pelvis. It is only then that you improve your posture to lean forward and sit right on his cock; your wet folds embrace his shaft and it is automatic the way choso drops his jaw in unison as he drops his head back.

Darkness is all he can see for a moment. His forearm rushes to his mouth and his teeth dig into the skin almost automatically, the light layer of sweat matting his teeth and the roof of his mouth repeating the same pattern he has been recreating weeks ago in the silence of the night. Choso squeezes his eyes shut, that snake made of electricity tightens on his thighs and he sobs.

"I'm going to make you sticky…" he warns you in a weak voice, melting into the darkness around him seeking refuge from what's really happening and you find it adorable how much he's struggling to maintain control of his body.

"You're going to cum," you explain sweetly, pulling your arm away from his mouth. "Let me listen to you. Your moans are just for me."

"Is that what it's called?" Choso has a theory that if maybe he makes conversation he can distract himself from the fact that you were moving up and down on his dick, so wet, so smooth, it's like you're dancing. The sensation is new and so different, it's not like anything he imagined before. He rolls his eyes unable to keep them open and thrusts his hips upward.

As he loses control, the black mark that crosses over his nose expands and warps and that along with choso with tousled hair, streaked over the purity of the sheets is one of the most sacred images you've ever been able to behold.

"Yes-" you were smiling, addicted to the reaction you got from him. Riding faster as you feel your own orgasm building.

You manage to catch his hands and bring them on top of his head trapping him and leaving him helpless before you as you move with pressure on his cock that continues to drip, rub and throb over your clit with each new rotation of your hips, it was painful to feel him so close and far away at the same time, maybe choso felt the same but you didn't want to push him; you wanted it all to happen when he was ready.

"I want to touch you." More than a request, it sounds like a demand, a need, so you decide to give in and release one of his arms, curious about what he will do next.

To your surprise, his hand goes to your cheek. Large, compared to your face, rough and hard from having fought so many times alongside you and his companions exorcising curses, yet it brings a comfort and security in it that compels you to close your eyes and let yourself be guided by the pleasure and intimacy of the moment. Choso crawls along your cheek bone and rests on your lips, with his thumb he squeezes your lower lip which makes you open your eyes as you watch him part your mouth and land on your tongue.

You moan as you take it around your lips. His brow furrows and his throat vibrates with each new moan that he now doesn't want to disguise, your tongue plays with his finger, your teeth nibble at his skin just to tease him and the raw taste of his flesh floods your mouth.

"I'm going to cum," choso says suddenly, using the new word you've taught him.

Slowly, he moves his thumb out of you, cradling your cheek with his hand. You drop into this one, consumed by the act.

"Are you going to cum?"

"Uh huh," he replies with his lip between his teeth.

"For me?" Choso sucks his lip and closes his eyes again, his cock quivering hard between your folds expelling white ropes that interrupt the harmony of his skin and fall onto his stomach… your orgasm hits you almost instantly, as intense and violent as his.

"Just for you," sighs Choso desperately seeking to breathe normally again.

You drop down next to him, tired and sore. Your muscles are cramped and you are sure that tomorrow you will have a long day trying to accomplish the mission thanks to the pain your limbs will feel. It is in the midst of the dilemma of what might happen tomorrow that you realize that choso's warmth is gone and this makes you involuntarily lift your head to check where he had gone.

"Babe?" You flare up at the realization of what he is doing. Choso returns to the bed and takes a towel in his hands which he silently uses to wipe your crotch. You are embarrassed and uneasy, though perhaps not as much as he who looks as if he will start to let smoke escape from his ears.

You opt not to add anything else, let him lie down next to you and hug you from behind and cling possessively to his chest, one arm wrapped around your waist, another under your head.

"You're so beautiful." Choso whispers into your hairline after depositing a kiss there.

"Stop it. I'm embarrassed enough."

"I'm sorry," he replies immediately. You both fall silent for a couple of seconds before he adds, "Oh, wait. That means you really like it so I'm not sorry, you're the most beautiful person I've ever seen."

Oh wow. You had created a monster. You hide for a second in the warmth of his arm, waiting for the flame burning your cheeks to cease before turning to face him.

"Hi." He chuckles gently at the sight of your face again. Unable to erase the smile that takes hold of him. "You're still embarrassed?"

"Choso," you growl, looking up at him from underneath with eyes full of excitement.

"I'm-just telling the truth. You're really beautiful, I'm so lucky to have you with me."

Maybe if you move away from him you can breathe for a moment and let your thoughts flow again, because being so close in that mixture of his sweat and his perfume you can't think straight, you can barely breathe.

"I love you." You let it out suddenly, without thinking too hard. Your tongue breaks free of your self-control to give voice to a feeling you've known since the moment you met Choso.

Choso kisses your forehead, then your nose. And before too much time passes that makes you think this was a mistake;

"I love you too." He assures you. And he couldn't be more sure of that.

[maleficore]

It always makes me feel so ehh when people use chosen!Durge when they strictly mean this bloodthirsty cruel person because be honest, what choice did they really have? Unless you play Durge as being incredibly suicidal and unhealthily self-sacrificing, telling Bhaal they will do his bidding is for the most part a survival choice. Durge as a character doesn't know Withers will just swoop in and bend the fabric of the universe to his will to save them, they have no idea that their refusal won't be the last thing they do. So it makes perfect sense for someone who is not necessarily an Evil person to go along simply because they're scared of dying (and being tortured in the Bhaal's domain forever), but both the game and a large portion of players refuse to acknowledge it.

Chosen Durge is always the baddie, a lost cause, and while that can well enough be true for some characters to me it's just.. boring? Unless you play/write them evil from start to finish, it really falls flat. Where are the blurry lines? Where's the moral complexity? Not everything is binary, but it feels like in Durge's case everyone from the characters in-universe to a lot of people engaging with the story only believe they can be one or the other. Completely different, changed person who would rather die than to endure Bhaal's hold on them or a monster so soaked through to the bone with Bhaal's taint, even amnesia wasn't enough to save them. That's what the "redeemed" and "chosen" shorthands look like to me. Even using [alignment]!Durge is better. Someone saying they made a redeemed!Durge tells me nothing. Yeah they let Bhaal kill them, great. What are they like, though.

Ezra could very well fall under the Chosen category, but he is SO far removed from what that means in the fandom, using it for him would be doing him a disservice. I refuse to simplify him that way, he has too many layers and is too complex as a character to put him in a box like that. Even alignment does a shoddy job at summarising him to me. People don't work like that. They're often self contradictory and don't think before they act. Okay his baseline is chaotic neutral, but sometimes he borders on evil and other times he's so incredibly selfless you could call him chaotic good even. Circumstance and emotions can affect people greatly!

It really just boils down to.. PLEASE try to get out of the black hole of Larian's rushed "Oh shit we need to put a bhaalspawn origin in this" black and white narrative and see just how many galaxies there are to explore. Don't constrain yourself to the story forks they established, you're just hurting your character writing in the long run and putting a big ass sign on them that pretty much makes them get lost in the sea of all the other "redeemed" and "chosen" Durges. They might make good descriptors if you're just crafting characters to play as, but I wish we dropped them entirely. It's not OC language, it's AU language for canon characters who already had all the work done on them by writers and that people at large know well enough to tell there's more to them than that. In here it doesn't work.

And I also consider it kind of TikTok lazy and uncreative to use, but that's just me.

[blues-valentine]

this might be mean but i am glad nini was off the show and a lot of characters were taken off regular status because the show needed fresh story lines after season 2

This is going to be a long answer and probably a controversial one too but I feel now that the show is over I can finally say it. I really agree. And this is in no way shade to the actors but how things were constructed in the show. I feel like it helped the show to just focus on other dynamics and characters. If you take the S1 nostalgia aspect, Season 3 and Season 4 were such a massive improvements after Season 2, which is undeniably their weakest season of all.

I liked Nini, but as a character I feel like she wasn’t giving “main character energy”. It didn’t help either that most of her arcs were individual or about Ricky or Miss Jenn. So when you took her out, she wasn’t really missed in terms of the dynamics with other characters because those improved so much after she left. On Season 3 and Season 4 the group dynamics finally felt like a family and solid friendship instead of separated groups with separated plot lines.

Also, character arc wise, I feel like Nini’s arc ended on Season 2. Her arc has always been about spreading her wings outside of East High and finding what makes her happy. She got that at the end of Season 2 so it feels like it came to a natural conclusion. Nini’s send off on Season 3 was beautiful and a nice tribute to her character and her relationships. Even now, the small details that keep Nini’s character alive are sweet. I like Olivia but Nini as a character just wasn’t memorable enough for me to care. There's not "void" to me because the show has so many great actors and vocalists that were able to shine in Nini’s absence and I am glad. I would have hated if they Rachel Berry-ed her.

A character that benefited the most from Nini’s departure was Kourtney, who was perpetually stuck in the “black best friend” stereotype. Season 3 was such an improvement because Kourt was given an individual arc that wasn’t about Nini and her issues. Plus, Gina and Kourtney’s friendship felt so much more natural and reciprocated as well and her interactions with the whole group, especially with Carlos.

Gina always felt like the hidden female main character to me because her character had so many emotional layers. I’ve always said Sofia is the best actress the show has and is constantly rising the bar in scenes with her other co-stars. Anyone that's not giving her the flowers she deserves for this last season are just crazy.

Now, one of the biggest issues with Season 2 was adding new characters while also trying to handle plot lines for the established characters. It was messy. None of the plot lines were resolved and it was too crowded with most of the new characters staying as one dimensional and stereotypical. The season was dragged out and boring. The best choice this show made was to cut down on some of them for Season 3. I like Big Red but I don't think he was neccesary as a regular at camp. I am glad he wasn't there because it gave Ashlyn space to explore herself and get one of the best character arcs on this show. Same goes for Ricky. He needed new friendships and Jet was a great one to have. I liked Big Red's cameo and it was well placed. Same goes for Seb, I like him but I am glad Carlos was able to have a solo storyline about his own insecurities and also develop stronger dynamics with the group. His friendship with Ricky was great. Seb’s cameo was well placed.

Maddox and Jet were the best additions this show has ever made. And I don't take anyone seriously if they think otherwise. After season 2, the show needed changes. A new enviroment and characters that added value. Maddox and Jet gave us a new dynamic and instantly felt like a part of the group because they weren’t there to just exist temporarily, they pushed the story lines of the existing characters forward. The show needed a canon sapphic character and Maddox was perfect and relatable. Her arc with Ash goes down as one of the best on this show. Jet was great and Adrian's vocals are show stopping. Not only did the siblings added a much needed representation but were very easy to love. Even Val, in her minimal screen time, added actual value to the story lines.

And now goes to EJ, he was not going to be a regular part of Season 4 since he isn’t in East High anymore. It was the natural progression of his character. His appearance this season felt very well placed with where his character was. It would have been very weird to find an excuse to keep him at the school just for the sake of keeping him as a regular. Glad they didn’t do it.

So yes, I think a lot of the changes were necessary and made this show better.

[sitp-recs]

HP Rec Fest, Day 28

I’ve been reccing underrated fics since this blog was created and so I thought “there’s no easier @hprecfest prompt than this one” lol famous last words, this post took me ages to prepare 😂 I was initially overwhelmed by the amount of fics that came to mind, and going through my bookmarks and old recs only made it worse. How was I supposed to shortlist?? In the end I gave up and decided to rec 2 Drarry fics + 2 rare pairs. I could have included so many more but I really didn’t want this to become a tl;dr post and these rec blurbs are already going out of control, so here we go!

Day 28) an under-rated fic:

Drarry

In Dreams by @moonflower-rose (E, 38k)

Harry wasn't expecting to ever see Draco Malfoy again. He also wasn't expecting to walk into a political conspiracy that morning either, but apparently that's exactly what the day has in store for him.

I’ve screamed quite a few times about this fic (see my rec here) and every time I do it’s in the hopes that more folks will stop whatever they’re doing and go feast on this. not only a delicious and intriguing case fic with Rosie’s trademark epic dialogue and superb sense of humour, this also wins the award of best fic opening I have ever read. the way I gasped at chapter one and am forever haunted by its utterly devastating ending oh my god!!! my heart belongs to this gritty Harry, and the slow burn is masterfully crafted within the urgency of their teamwork to solve the mystery combining comfort, grief and hope in a thrilling, poignant and perfectly paced adventure. plus, the emotional payoff is chef’s kiss, honestly I cannot recommend this enough!

Survival of the Species by @romaine2424 (E, 47k)

Draco approaches Harry on the 9 ¾ platform, after their sons have boarded the Hogwarts Express, and invites him over for tea. The discussion they have leads them on an adventure that neither could have expected. There be dragons! HPDH compliant but before any other canon info had been released.

considering this masterpiece was published back in 2007 I think I’m allowed to say this is definitely a formative story when it comes to the creature genre, more specifically Veela fic. I first read this a couple years ago and my jaw legit dropped at the amount of world-building and carefully researched lore that went into this. so detailed and intricate and different from everything I’ve seen before or since, I was truly fascinated and couldn’t stop reading. kudos to the amazing slow burn covering years of their struggles stuck together in a dragon cave and having to rely on each other to survive. I loved seeing the hardships and how they genuinely came to care for each other, definitely one of the most moving and convincing Veela love stories I’ve read in the fandom.

Rare pair

With a Look by earlybloomingparentheses (Ginny + Deamus, E, 5k)

Now, twenty years old and done with boys and looking forward very much to putting her hand down some lucky girl’s shirt later this evening, Ginny looks at Dean Thomas’s gold-painted fingernails and feels heat pool between her legs.

I think about this fic every now and then - such a sensitive, thought-provoking and beautiful homage to the 🏳️‍🌈 community. the visceral and contemplative tone takes it beyond your regular PWP, and I’ve rarely seen gender and queerness explored quite like this. seeing Ginny figuring out and owning her identify is mesmerizing. her voice is powerful, sexy, earnest and articulates so many complex and layered feelings - I was particularly moved by the inner turmoil of not looking “queer enough”. I’m sure this fic will be eye-opening and comforting to so many people out there, and that’s why I never cease to rec it. an intimate character study, a sinfully hot and self-indulgent threesome but above anything, a poignant love letter to the queer community.

Passion, Patents, and Pen Pals at the Ministry by @violetclarity and @yrfrndfrnkly, art by @anaxandria-writes and @veelawings (Hermione/Pansy, T, 32k)

After an extremely ill-timed lovers'-tiff-turned-food-fight at the Ministry leaves her less one boyfriend and suspended without pay for six months, Hermione pleads for some position–anything–to fill her days until her suspension is up. The good news is, her temporary position in the Magical Games & Sports's Ludicrous Patents office is just down the corridor from Harry's office in General Inquiries. The bad news is Harry's officemate is Pansy Parkinson, the Ministry's operations are shockingly outdated, and every altercation between Hermione and Pansy winds up a headline in MoM's internal rogue gossip zine, Hot Goss.

rivals to secret pen pals to lovers yes please?? this hilarious Pansmione is a ship triumph and yet criminally underrated. I had a blast getting into the world of Ministry gossip & politics, and immediately fell in love with all the characters, l especially with this lovely meddling Harry. it’s SO MUCH FUN to watch poor him (and Blaise omg what a duo) in the middle of a ladies’ tug of war. I’m impressed by the amount of world-building especially around their workplace, not to mention all the side interactions and the fun, organic slow burn. I love this take on identity porn with tons of banter and Pansy and Mione connecting through their shared worldview and feminist principles, such a power couple ✊🏼 the mix of semi-epistolary, witty dialogue, dorky meddling friends and mild angst make for peak entertaining, I laughed non-stop and cheered so bad for them. femslash ftw!!!

[rose-tinted-vision]

1, 11, 14, 16, 17, 19 for the behind the scenes of fic asks! ((this is hualianisms, i can't send asks from my sideblog🥲))

Hello @hualianisms!! Thank you for the asks (๑>◡<๑)

What was the first fandom and/or pairing that you wrote fic for?

(／。＼)...am I going to embarrass myself on main today because the first fic that I published on ao3 was for the ReoNagi pairing from Blue Lock, but I technically wrote fic for Inazuma Eleven when I was a wee little child. What was yours?

If you could only write angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your life, which would it be?

Definitely angst, it comes easier to me than fluff or smut 〜(＞＜)〜

If you were stuck on an island with only two characters, who would you pick?

Only two? That's a hard choice >_< Shi Qingxuan (TGCF) and Yu Shisan (A Journey to Love), probably. SQX can just whisk us away~

What is your most underrated fic?

I'll take underrated to mean not doing as well as I thought it would since I really liked this? It's a toss up between one of my Link Click fics (Qiao Ling centric, S2 canon compliant) and one of my earlier Mysterious Lotus Casebook fics (Gen, LXY/LLH centric). I really enjoyed the process of exploring what went on in Season 2 of Link Click through Qiao Ling's eyes, and thought that there weren't enough fics featuring her, which is why it's a fic that's really dear to me. As for the Li Xiangyi centric fic (i must admit that imagining pre-canon stuff is a favourite of mine), I wanted to explore the process of Li Xiangyi becoming Li Lianhua, and how he had changed so much over ten years. It was fun to imagine him traversing the jianghu and picking up various skills along the way! But I do understand that Genfics aren't for everyone, so it's okay. I do have more recent ones that aren't doing that well but I have...complicated feelings regarding those

What fic are you most proud of?

(I also cannot simply choose one, my bad).

I have this ShiGuang fic that was loosely inspired by a manhwa called "The tale of the Yellow dragon", that was nearly complete by the time the S2 finale came out and I figured, why not throw Lu Guang's lines in there? and it fit, so I was really happy with how it turned out :D Another fic that I'm proud of is Tales of Tianji Manor, mainly because I wasn't sure that people would enjoy a fic told from Madam He's pov, but the fandom was so nice about it ^^ and it was fun to explore the OT3 dynamics from her pov!! and (last one, I promise!!) I was really happy with how the ZhanHua fic turned out :D Zhan Yunfei was one of my favourite side characters, and explore his ten years of yearning and devotion was interesting.

Who is the easiest/hardest character for you to write about? Why?

I'd say the hardest is Di Feisheng's (MLC) pov for me, I'm not sure if it's writers block or burnout, but trying to wrangle his character has been a challenge lately. Another would be Ning Yuanzhou (A Journey to Love), because the man thinks so damn much, and he has to be a leader, a lover, a father and a brother all at the same time. Oh and Yi Zhi Hua's (White Cat Legend) tone is quite tricky for me to grasp...

easiest would probably be what I call the "simp characters" (not that I'm calling them one-dimensional, it's just that they have Prioritised that One Special Person): Fang Duobing for one, he has a rather straightforward personality, he places his family and Li Lianhua first, and he's honest about his feelings. Qiu Qingzhi is another. (it's harder to see beneath his layers but) imo his motivations were mainly to protect Li Bing. and I just really like to write Yu Shisan, the man loves so deeply and freely.

[enchantra35]

Reflections on V4 & V5 of RWBY by a first time watcher

(Lengthy post ahead)

Hi, it's be again, back on my bullshit. First of all, I'd like to say that I didn’t expect my first post to get that much attention LOL. I'd like to clarify (again) two points:

First, I agree with most people's explanations. I didn't mean to sound like I was accusing fans for not thinking that bumbleby would become canon. My intention was to point out to some earlier hints, and I realize now that I could have used some better phrasing. As I explained elsewhere, when rwby aired, I was too young to know anything about the state of queer representation in media at the time. Now of course I know better, although I never got to experience that kind of anxiety - at least, not to that extent. My second point is that I was mostly referring towards homophobes and incels who were trying to persuade shippers that bumbleby wasn't happening, and not to fans who couldn't be certain due to the overall circumstances.

With that said, the aim of this post is mainly to discuss some things I've noticed while watching volumes 4 & 5. There wasn't much I wished to comment on after finishing v4 as I found it very transitional, so I decided to do one unified post for both volumes, especially since someone suggested to watch these volumes as one. Let me now get to the main points I'd like to mention.

-Edit: I forgot one of the most important motifs imo; the moon. I noticed how each volume it looks bit by bit more ruined, showing how the world below is also falling it chaos and society as it is known is destroyed. Also, it's eventual (potential) complete destruction will make the nights darker, symbolizing the triumph of evil. I love subtle details like that.

- Ozpin's and Crow's dynamic really reminds me of Dumbledore and Snape. Ozpin in particular reminds me very much of Dumbledore - and I definitely don't mean that as a good thing. Although he clearly has good intentions and he's a "good guy" per se, sometimes it feels like he's using his students as sacrificial lamps for the greater good. Personally, I'm not exactly font of the idea of pushing the fate of the world onto the shoulders of a bunch of teenagers. Oscar is still a KID and all he's ever known is how to be a farmer and suddenly he's sharing a body with one of the smartest and most powerful people to ever walk the earth and their fates are suddenly intertwined. That's so insane. And on top of everything, Ozpin isn't 100% honest with him. I'm glad that Yang confronts him about keeping secrets. I will give it to him however that he's honest enough to admit his mistakes.

-Raven is probably one of the most fascinating characters. Can't say whether I like her or hate her, but there are so many layers to touch upon. It's interesting how she's constantly trying to prove to others - and essentially to the viewers as well - that she's cruel, smart and calculating (and she definitely is all those things) and that she doesn't care about trifle things, but ultimately she fails, as it is evident by the end of volume 5. She does care about Yang (although she has a very strange way of showing it) and her tribe most of all. She's also smart enough to see Ozpin's shortcomings.

- I liked how they explored Yang's trauma from loosing her arm and how she copes with the loss. "A part of me is lost" is such a powerful statement and it points to how everything has changed, but Yang accepts it.

-At the same time, that girl has no chill with that prosthetic arm. She straight up dismantles it off her shoulder just to win the wrestling against Nora (and later on to elude Mercury. I bet that if anyone asked her to give them a hand, she would just toss it on their feet then laugh her ass out. She's so silly, I love her.

-With that said, I wish they could have explored a little bit more of Jaune's trauma, but still I think we see well enough how Pyrrha's death has affected him. But why the FUCK did they have to give him more trauma in order to unlock his semblance? Another of his friends almost dies before his eyes, give that boy a break, good Lord.

- Ren and Nora 👀. I love me some good childhood bestdriends to potential lovers. Their background is so tragic but there's something about then growing up together that makes me feel things. I love their dynamic and I think it's pretty hilarious (collected, quiet guy and loud, silly, powerful girl). It was nice how they gained some catharsis when they finally killed that monster. And the symbolism when they hid under similar building where Nora tried to calm Ren down? Literal tears.

-"I was struck by a lighting and I lived. What a Wednesday" GIRL WHAT, LMAO

- I really enjoyed Blake's and Sun's dynamic, whether someone sees them romantically or platonically (for me personally it's the latter, but that's besides the point). Sun has always been a great friend, and although he can be really annoying sometimes, he is there for Blake and he's able to make her see things clearly and persuade her that isolating herself isn't a good thing. I feel like without him around, things for the Belladonnas would have been very different. He's a bit of a himbo, but I love him.

-The angsty Bees got me really well this season. Yang's anger is definitely justifiable and she has every right to be upset.

-"What if I wanted her to be here for me?" BITCH-

-Weiss pulling the "what's that supposed to mean?" every time the Bees are being angsty will forever be funny to me. The OG Beekeeper.

-That said, I think that she explains Blake's point of view really well and I liked how she reached out to Yang although "they aren't that close" (her words, not mine) and seeks to comfort her.

-Did I say that I hate Weiss's family? (Except maybe Winter, but the rest can go burn in hell). I'm GLAD Weiss realizes that ream RWBY is her true family. You love to see a good found family trope.

-Genuinely CANNOT stand the Bees this season /j. Blake seeing her team again and the only person she calls out for is Yang? And Yang's puppy eyes when she sees Blake again? WHY ARE YOU GAY?

-One of the funniest lines was when Crow was like "How can six children make so many noise while having dinner?", like BUDDY, you just answered your question. Tired uncle Crow for the win.

[greenerteacups]

How do you feel about the fact that Bellatrix was Voldemort’s concubine/lover?

This ask prompted a real coleslaw of emotions.

Top level, I can't take the Cursed Child seriously as canon. I'm a purist about text to begin with — no word of God or adaptation can change what you put in the original books, and if the author wanted the text to be different, they had their shot — but, even if not, the Cursed Child is bad. Like, it's My Immortal type bad. It's the kind of bad that makes you glad it didn't come out closer to the original books + movies, or it could have had a Game of Thrones-type cratering effect on discussion and fandom. The Albus/Scorpius dynamic is cute — everything else about it sucks. It is a no-fly zone for good ideas. The Golden Trio are all twisted into funhouse mirrors, Voldemort has a daughter, and most perversely, the absolutely horrific mutilation of Cedric Diggory's character (in no world did that boy become a Death Eater! he was KIND AND DECENT! and he DIED ANYWAY! that was THE FUCKING POINT!!!!!!!).

Second layer: let's say that Bellatrix/Voldemort is canon and explored beyond the writers going "whoops gotta find a working womb for Voldemort's kid." That's a really interesting dynamic. It's a horrible dynamic! It's a motherfucker of an age gap to begin with, and it would have started when she was in her late teens to early twenties! Plus, she was married. To another man. So that would have to be explained? Because she obviously wasn't always so mindlessly devoted to Voldemort that she couldn't entertain connections with others? But that's not to say that I'm against it as a narrative decision. Tom Riddle is (captain obvious moment incoming) a Bad, Bad Man, and the idea of him seducing a younger woman is actually an understandable extension of his connection with his followers that's not explored in the books. Because, like: the Death Eaters are a cult! Riddle runs a death cult. Cults use sex to manipulate members. One of the oldest tricks in the book.

Third layer: this could be a kind of interesting move for Riddle, who as a villain is never developed all that much, and doesn't have much in the way of humanizing qualities. Because Riddle is anti-love as such. He doesn't believe in it, and if you believe Dumbledore, he's not capable of it. (I don't really love this take on the character, but I think that Riddle thinks this is the case, and Dumbledore is so grizzled and jaded by the years that he believes him. Dumbledore's great failure with Tom was never seeing past the person Tom wanted him to see — or, rather, looking at Tom and seeing Grindlewald when he should have seen Harry.) So for him to harbor enough affection for Bellatrix to take her as his (only?) lover, when he doesn't seem to need it to convince her to join him (and he doesn't really need her support, anyway) creates a wrinkle in the Story of Voldemort as we're told. It suggests that either Tom or Dumbledore (or both) is lying about his capacity for love— or at least his capacity for human attachment. And that Tom isn't so unique as either of them would like to believe.

Also, it adds a wrinkle to Bellatrix's character, too: even if they met when she was an adult, there's manipulation happening there that's clearly one-sided and unequal. or at least, there probably is. and if it's consensual, or if she aggressively pursued him— that's interesting, too. my point being: this isn't a bad idea, necessarily. it's a bad idea because i don't think the writers of the Cursed Child thought about any of that when they were trying to find a womb for the Voldebaby.

[bluegekk0]

Is there anything about your au that you haven’t had the chance to talk about because it hasn’t been asked?

hm, this is a bit hard cause im pretty sure i share a lot even if not directly asked about it hahah

though i supppose a topic i might have only mentioned in passing and never talked about in detail is feral pk and his sexuality. sure, he was married to the white lady and is now together with grimm, but it's not as simple as him being bi/pan. i actually headcanon that he was closeted gay for most of his life, and in the most complicated way possible (as expected since it's pk). the marriage to wl, while they had a strong emotional bond, wasn't actually true love, not on pk's part at least. he just wasn't aware of that, as he grew up an outcast and never had a chance to explore his sexuality and feelings. when he changed forms, the white lady was one of the first beings who showed him kindness, and he enjoyed her company, so he assumed that it was love and married her

was he lying to her for the duration of their relationship? you could say that, yeah, though he wasn't fully aware of it. i think she eventually realized that he wasn't romantically or sexually into her as much as she was into him, so i imagine it was part of their divorce. though i headcanon wl as someone who's very understanding, so i don't think she would be mad at him for that. it would hurt, yes, but in the end she couldn't really fault him for it as it's something he clearly hasn't figured out himself. plus he never cheated on her (sure, there was the dalliance between him and herrah, but it clearly never went anywhere), so she had no reason to actually be angry at him

as cheesy and self indulgent as it might be, it was grimm who helped pk figure it all out, though again, it was way more complicated than it probably should have been. because pk was convinced that he and wl were in love (even if he clearly didn't know what that meant exactly), he didn't think too much of grimm's attempts to woo him, most of grimm's subtle (and not too subtle) signs fell flat as in pk's eyes they were close friends. he did feel strange around him, the weird feeling in his stomach wouldn't leave him alone for as long as grimm was in the room, but he was clueless enough to never make the connection. he didn't feel the same way around his wife, so it couldn't have been love, right? it had to be something else, maybe grimm just had that aura to him? he was a higher being after all. that's how he explained it in his head, at least. was it silly? absolutely, but his brain just works like that

he wouldn't truly connect the pieces until after the hibernation, when he had a lot of time to think back and realize how much he missed grimm. i think that's when he realized they weren't just close friends and that there was something more to their relationship, but at that point he thought it was all for nothing, as he believed he would never see grimm again (and even if he did, so much time has passed, he was convinced that grimm already forgot about him). so when he learned that grimm was still in dirtmouth, he had to take the chance and confess his feelings, and luckily for him, they were still mutual

i realize this may seem like a dig against his canon relationship with the white lady, or a cheesy attempt at making his relationship with grimm "the right one", or maybe even me being a contrarian for the sake of it, but it's not like that. i think wl is a neat character, i don't hate her, i actually love the wholesome fan content between her and pk, plus i do think they were happy together (well, until the vessel thing at least). i just think it adds another layer to feral pk and his whole thing of putting everyone else above himself. he was so occupied with his idea to create a kingdom, to help the bugs in it live the best life, to save them from potential danger, that he never took the time to think about himself, even something as obvious and simple as whom he loves. plus it goes well with the idea that by trying to be someone he really wasn't, he was lying to everyone else and causing them pain. he wasn't as great of a king as his subjects thought him to be. he wasn't as flawless as hollow saw him to be. and he didn't truly love the white lady the way she loved him. because he never figured out who he truly was, he unintentionally made everyone around him suffer. there's a lot going on in his head that might not make sense, and i think that adds more depth to him. at least for me personally

i apologize if this isn't something you were hoping for, anon, but i really wanted to talk about it cause it's been on my mind for a long time haha

[jynxd]

GET TO KNOW THE MUN

what made you pick up the current muse(s) you have? ━━ (quick note that I will only be sticking too my main muses as I have many.) So when I was first getting into Arcane and wanted to rp, I had pretty much had Jinx in mind. I instantly fell in love with her as a character and she fit the role of the kind of characters I love to write. Of course I didn't have the knowledge of league to go off of, just Arcane and that was all I needed. I realized it wouldn't be as easy to get traction, as she diverges from canon, but I have been fortunate enough to meet people who love the direction. This has only made me fall more in love with her and how I connect with her.

Silco was another muse that fit the bill of characters I tend to write, so it was very much a given. Not only that but Immediately connected with him as a character because of how complex he was. He wasn't just some big villain. He is in entirely 3D, he has emotions and things that drive him and then there is the clear love he has for Jinx. I basically wanted to explore all of those elements as well as add my own.

Ekko at first was added in because I wanted to write someone who was on the opposite side of Jinx and Silco. Initially he was just going to be this typical "heroic" type muse, that wouldn't divulge too far from canon. However, very quickly I discovered that there was so much more I could do with him. Now he has become a muse I actively spazz about and He's just as much of importance as Jinx is.

Lastly, Vi was someone who'd Id thought about because I wanted to add a unique approach to her as far as arcane went and have just kept going from there!

is there anything you don’t like to write? ━━ I pretty much write anything for the most part. I think the biggest thing, since I tend to write darker themed muses is that most of the time I don't like to write kidnapping threads unless they are plotted out and make sense. (Aka don't assume because I have darker muses that they have kidnap you do to a thing unless you something like an ekko to a jinx or silco, etc.) Stuff like political ones I also don't do but that's because they don't keep my attention.

is there anything you really enjoy writing? ━━ There are a great deal of things I love to enjoy to write, but my favorite has to be angst in general. There is just something to be said about highly emotional moments that make you want to tear your heart out that gets to me. With the kind of muses I have that sort of thing comes easy. Really just any kind of plot with compelling stories that have multiple layers of emotion and actions are also just the way to go.

how do you come up with headcanons? ━━ A lot of the time my headcanons from intrusive thoughts, actually. Like sometimes a thought or idea will come to my head and from there I deduce whether its a decent idea or not. As far as initial ideas, images can help with that too, whether it be looking at still image or watching something. Then those form into big headcanons for each of my muses. If its something major, I also discuss it with friends and work out the kinks of it. (It's always very fun to be able to geek out about the ideas too!)

do you write in silence or do you play music?  ━━ I absolutely have to have music when writing. I've tried to write in silence and honestly the silence is just too much. I don't do listen to specific songs or playlists based on muses, but I usually listen to my preferred genre of music (usually rock or metal as they usually pump me up which helps.) If a song doesn't fit the mood I will skip it, though this is rare.

do you plan your replies or wing them? ━━ I am a mixture of both methods. Before the actual writing a plot or idea is discussed, and from there a narrative is kind of set of how we semi want it to go. However, I am big on letting the muses guiding the plot further. Its nice and unpredictable because sometimes it goes the way you think it will and others the muse will give me the middle finger and go the opposite way. And there is nothing more thrilling than that. After all some of the best stuff comes from that. I usually also react para by para.

do you enjoy shipping?  ━━ I used to be big on ships, like the sky was pretty much the limit. However, as I've gotten older that's kind of changed. I've become a lot more picky with who I ship together. Romantically it heavily relies on how my muses are with others, in cases of Caitvi it is very easy in regard. It also helps if we as muns communicate actively, and the longer we know each other the more it all clicks. (There is at least one or two cases of this.) Outside of romance I have a bigger love for familial and platonic ships, hell I even explore more complicated ships that don't just fit under a certain dynamic. That said I am always willing to discuss possible shipping.

what’s your alias/name?  ━━ Bli

age? ━━ 30

birthday? ━━ 10th September

favorite color? ━━ Dark Green and Red

favorite song? ━━ Oh that's a tough one but lets see I currently have a few! Symptoms of being human by Shinedown, The Pot by TOOL, My Demons by Starset, Meat and Great by Ice Nine Kills. Hell at at his point any song by Ice Nine will get me.

last movie you watched? ━━ School of Rock

last show you watched? ━━ Hannibal and Ghost Hunters

last song you listened to? ━━ Bad Things by I Prevail

favorite food? ━━ Lately I've been really loving Lasgna, especially if it comes from Olive Garden (the bread is soooo good). :p

favorite season? ━━ Temperature wise it's Spring/fall because its perfect temperature. Aestheically Its winter because so the snow, plus I like bundling up.

do you have a Tumblr best friend? ━━ I have a few people I am very close with. One special one is @runes-menagerie but of course Rune is more just that as she is literally my better half and puts up with my shit. @ferinehuntress and @shimmerbeasts I am extremely close with, there isn't a single day that we don't really talk to each other! Another who like those two but from a different fandom that I'll say here is @deathxproof. I talk to them just often! Other names that I consider good friends are @blackrosesmatron, @zaunseye,@playgroundmonsters, @restrainedhungr. There are others I've spoken to and I really love most of those I write with!!!

Tagged by: @ferinehuntress and @shimmerbeasts (kind of stole really lolll)

Tagging: Anyone I mentioned here already and anyone who wants to do it.

[lykegenia]

For the ship meme: Alistair 😍

Hoooo boy do I have opinions about this guy 😂

How I feel about this character: My first love, the first videogame character I ever got truly attached to, and the focus of many a thought since I first heard him being snarky with that mage at Ostagar. On the surface his character conforms to a lot of fantasy clichés, but pay a bit more attention and there are so many compelling layers to unwrap. He has flaws but he's also so earnest and emotionally intelligent, I'd never met a male character like him before.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: I'm a fan of any Alistair x Warden ship, though Cousland and Amell/Surana have some of the best material to play with thematically. I've also seen Alistair x Bethany done well, and Alistair x Inquisitor - basically he's great to ship with anyone who makes him contront being raised by the Chantry or being turned into a political figure against his will.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Honestly, I like Alistair and Leliana. To me there's a sibling dynamic there that's good for both of them.

My unpopular opinion about this character: Not to poke the bear, but Word Of God from David Gaider is not enough to convince me his mother was anything other than a serving girl in Redcliffe Castle, when a) the weight of canonical evidence in the games and the secondary material points towards it b) the series of contrivances and coincidences required for his mother to be anything but a serving girl in Redcliffe Castle strains credulity c) his story arc and character growth heavily rely on his thoughts about his origins and wrestling with the idea of unquestioned hereditary power when it creates situations like the one he fears his mother found herself in and d) the writers never did anything in the games - the primary canon - to explore any alternatives or consequences for him if his mother wasn't a serving girl in Redcliffe Castle.

Obligatory Alistair Opinion Disclaimer: The above opinion does not preclude the possibility of Alistair being biracial, half-elven, or anything else, nor is this an attempt to impose the above opinion on others who do not care for it.

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: I really wish hardening him had taken more than one conversation on his personal quest, maybe a second approval-esque mechanic that hardened him gradually depending on what dialogue options the player can choose during big decisions like whether to kill Connor/Isolde, or who to put on Orzammar's throne. It would have felt more natural than just telling him "tough titties" when his sister ends up not liking him.

My OTP: My OTP for him is unsurprisingly Rosslyn Cousland. I've talked about their relationship before, but I love the ways they complement and strengthen each other, and learn how to grow together even in universes where they get off to a rocky start

My crossover ship: I've never really thought about this tbh, and I haven't come across any DA fic that was specifically a crossover meeting characters from other universes.

A headcanon fact: Poor Alistair is mildly allergic to pears. They make his mouth itch when he eats them, which annoys him because he likes pears.

--

Send me a character or a ship!

[cwarscars]

Han, my dear, if it wasn't for you, then none of us would give much attention to Heidegger (at least I know it would be my case). He was a character I remember from the OG and which I thought was nicely designed in the FFVIIR and... I stopped there. 'Nice, they kept his laugh', I thought when the trailer got out.

And then I met you and - honestly, I cannot stress this enough - you have essentially removed this veil from my eyes and I saw Heidegger for the first time as you do: a multi-layered individual with deep-rooted issues, fiercely loyal to company & country and with so many other traumas and details that make him only human (and not a monster).

I am always in awe at all the sources of inspiration you have for him, at how insanely credible your thoughts his PTSD and other war-related issues are, the way he was brought up, came to marry and then divorce - honestly, for me, your Heidegger portrayal is THE Heidegger portrayal. I don't mean this to dunk on anyone else (or even SE), but because the way you have put him together makes so much _sense_ in my mind that I have a hard time disconnecting your Heidegger from canon.

As far as I'm concerned - his first name is Magnar, he comes from Junon, he has a rivalry with Godo, a behemoth gave him the trademark scar, he has two daughters and a divorce wife. I love everything about your timeline for him and always will. If anything, SE should give you royalties for the superb work. <3

(( mari ♡

i messaged you already kinda buggin out a lil over this but i want it on my blog (ALONG WITH ALL YOUR LOVE CAUSE YOU ALWAYS GIVE ME LOVE BECAUSE YOU'RE PRECIOUS & THE BEST) just so i can keep that tag open whenever im feeling stale on my writing or a little crispy with my portrayal. it always means so much to me how much time you've given me and my heid (i say my heid because at this point, i don't know how much is canon aside from his abusive streak to his soldiers & his shinra simping lmao).

but honestly, ive said it before - i'll say it again. i wouldn't be writing him without the support from yourself and others. like, i always talk about how hard it is writing a hated character. he isn't a villain in the same sense as sephi/roth / the turks. they're 'likable'. everything they do is okay because they're young & hot. i know they're more complex than that and personally, i like them a lot too! but it's difficult fighting the battle of there being zero fanart for the character. zero fanfics (aside from ooc / fetish fics). it's tough seeing people make jokes constantly about the character that you like & when i say jokes, i don't mean 'lol seph is a cat' i mean 'lmao could you imagine if him and shinra were GAY lol GROSS' (it's so immature it makes my eyeballs strain).

i know that was a mini rant then, but it always makes me feel a little embarrassed to have such a fixation on such a generally disliked character. makes me feel weird & unwelcome in the fandom haha.

but to know that there are people like you - people who haven't only said 'haha ok, this crazy cookie is doing something w/THIS character' but people who have actively allowed me to explore elements of his character? to get him married? to allow him fatherhood? like BRUH-

it makes my heart warm & fuzzy. i'm sorry i don't always show it & i'm sorry i sometimes get all weepy on the dash about things but it honestly does mean a lot to me.

mari - yourself and others absolutely contributed to me bringing him back & despite any hangups or embarrassment i have over the character. fuck, even in squeenix do some fucked up shit like make him about stolen valour (i REALLY hope they don't) or turn him into a coward (which im prepping for with pre-emptive unwritten headcanons) - he's always going to have a special place in my heart.

not because of playing him but because of the people i've played him with. ♡

[bladedwoe]

honorhearted asked : 💖 for a reason TO date my muse (wasn't sure if you would answer this for Astrid over here, but I'm curious lol.)

To date or not to date. / @honorhearted -- accepting

        So far, I haven’t explored Astrid in really any romantic relationship (only the realm of FWB, complicated feelings, that sorta deal where there’s a level of toxicity). I’m open to it if the chemistry is there, but because I haven’t explored that side of her and she’s still a relatively new muse that doesn’t tell me everything about her, my answer might change over time. If the person isn’t involved in the Dark Brotherhood, Astrid will likely see them through the lens of “How can this person benefit me?” So there’s a level of toxicity and manipulation in the mix. Astrid does kind of look at the Dark Brotherhood in this own way as well, but ultimately, Astrid has more care and compassion for those in her group than outsiders. If you are outside of that, you will likely see a different side of Astrid than people in the Dark Brotherhood. With the Bastrid ship, we can see a bit of Astrid maybe developing feelings, or some sort of compassion, with our whole Bradford idea, but I think her vulnerability will be a slow progress to unravel until anything is set in stone. Outside of the DB, Astrid can be guarded about her feelings involving love and affection. 

        In general, I am interested in seeing a more compassionate side of Astrid. I don't think I toy with this side of her that often. To me, Astrid is a ball of string I’m still trying to unravel, but I really like the idea of Astrid being a mentor to someone and showing the more compassionate side of herself. She’ll still be sly, charming, and everything, but I think it’ll show some sides of herself we don’t witness often in her threads.

        Enough of my rambling. Why you should date Astrid:

        Astrid is really protective and does have a huge heart under all those layers. As I stated before, Astrid has multiple masks to where sometimes they all combine into one, or when one mask slips off (like her role as leader), the other masks of herself crack under the pressure and she loses herself. So how huge her heart is might not be seen under her passive-aggressive, manipulative, coy, and charming ways. She will kill almost anyone for the right price, but if someone has a backstory similar to hers (or feel as if they are an outsider), it’ll pull on her sympathies. For those she calls friends and family, she will defend them to the very end and may give up her life for them in the process. At any moment, Astrid is willing to put her life on the line if the Dark Brotherhood is on the chopping block, but she prefers other alternatives. So, in essence, if Astrid loves you she will defend you and protect you to the end. She will always be in your corner.

        As referenced, Astrid’s inner sensitivity isn’t always apparent, but Astrid can be a good provider and caretaker if need be. She’ll work hard to keep you comfortable. She’ll stay up all night and forsake her own sleep schedule to listen to all your problems. Astrid can actually be a really good comforting figure when it comes down to it. This might be a weird side of the “healing your inner child” concept, but basically, Astrid is more empathetic than it seems. 

        Astrid is polyamorous, but she’s loyal. If her partner isn’t comfortable with her seeing other people, she’ll respect that and keep the relationship monogamous. Just because Astrid leans towards polyamory and has a flirty personality doesn’t mean she’s unfaithful. Arnbjorn says Astrid forgets to mention him, but as we see in her canon media, when he’s off fighting Cicero, her voice dips into a concerned intonation when she asks the Listener to go off and make sure he’s alright. She asks multiple times about Arnbjorn and it really shows that he means a lot to her because until then, we never saw Astrid this concerned or emotional. 

[m-to-z-andbackto-m]

My Turn >:)

1. It's between Horror (Sour-Apple-Studios) and Killer (Rahafwabas) I can't decide... Whether you should live or die-

- They're Sillies Your Honor

- Horror's story is unique, his AU isn't simply "Oh we're scary!", there's a whole reason things turned out a certain way and he's super unpredictable as a character! He has a weird moral compass and you'd feel bad for him if he wasn't trying to slice your ear off... Also he's objectively pretty... 👉👈

- Killer is also unpredictable, weird, and very complicated as a character, you have layers, upon layers, upon layers of attributes and issues on this man, he's almost impossible to understand and in my quest to learn, I ended up adoring him <3

2. Uh, Uh, Uh... Nightmare... (Joku) Yeah... Not canon one though he's... A pelvic hole...

- Love his tragic story and the concept of DreamTale is simply exciting, this also includes Passive!!!

- Don't stray too far from canon, I like Dark's version because he's like, still doing his thing but also defying fate by being the best boss ever??? Hell Yeah.

- Joku did an amazing job making a hatable character but the fans had their own plans as per usual 😭

3. I wanna say I love all skeletons equally but still, Ink (Comyet/MyeBi)

- I guess I'd be call a kinnie because I do relate to him so much like???

- Issues with regulating emotions, hyper and enthusiastic, especially about art/creations, enthralled by the Multiverse(s) and the limitless capacity of creativity, it's all so wonderful! And also being forgetful, annoying, and stupid sometimes 😭

4. I honestly can't decide so I'll go with Dust/Murder (Ask-DustTale) because he's been catching my attention lately

- I used to not like him back in the day because he was everywhere and Idk, I just didn't understand him much as a newbie

- He grew on me, he's a very intricate character and has a lot of trauma and issues to unpack, which, I don't think canonically he would have that chance, he's an overall sad but lovely guy

5. I'll go with Cross (Jakei) because I don't give him enough attention </3

- Also a very layered character, lots has happened, he's uber unique

- Angsty and edgy but also fun and silly! And very redeemable, I feel like he's the most normal one when it comes to behavior and mental state, still, uber trauma to explore, and most willing to accept affection out of the edgies! And least likely to kill you-

- UnderVerse inspired my second OC/My first UTMV OC

- He might've lost his universe BUT HE GOT A WHOLE MULTIVERSE TO TELL HIS STORY!!!

Bonus: some years ago, when I was little, my top five were probably Blue, Ink, Dream, Geno, and maybe Cross, oh how I've switched teams 😭)

I just realized something.

My pfp is nightmare, I have several posts ab nightmare, I draw nightmare a lot.

Am I secretly obsessed with nightmare and just denying it bc horror is better???

Nightmare is a cool guy, even tho he is kinda evil. I’ve liked many posts ab nightmare.

Does that mean I like nightmare?

Horror is better tho.

Here are my top 5 sanses rn!

1.Fresh (THE COOLEST AND SILLIEST!! I love him sm ((platonically tho, I like to think he’s Aroace)) :])

2. Horror (AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!! Ahem. Thank you.) ((this means I love him a bagillion times))

3. Reaper (*prettily sits down and blinks with comedically large eyelashes* I love him /romantic /starts playing careless whisper /suddenly has a rose in my mouth)

4. May or may not be Nightmare. Idk I really like nightmare. I mean, he’s pretty cool and has sick powers!!! I may or may not love him!!!! (Please help me it’s 12am please knock me out cold)

5. Outer sans :3 (SPACE BOY SPACE BOY SPACE BOY EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE)

But of course my number one, above all of them (including fresh) who isn’t sans is ofc GASTERUWGSOWBSODBSOWSOSBSOSBSOSBSOSBS

(I should really be going to sleep rn)

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

dave filoni is amazing and brought us one of the most incredible pieces of star wars media. i love the jedi but holy fuck, some of you in this fandom are just so rabid and bitter. we are allowed to critique things the jedi did and doesn't mean we're anti jedi! things can have nuance.

the jedi are also portrayed very favorably in tcw. we see how much they care about the clones, we seem them acting like a family and being wise and brave. portraying them as flawed just makes them more interesting and layered, it doesn't take away from how good they are.

rabid pro-jedi blogs are making this fandom as hostile as those awful anti-jedi blogs. can you all please just start being normal???

Anon, are you aware that I made a pretty long post saying exactly that (minus the rabid and bitter part) a while back? Here, you can check:

That's me saying Filoni doesn't hate the Jedi and TCW portrays them very positively and he contributed to that.

Or how about this one, about allowing the Jedi to have more nuance:

That's me saying I find frustrating the lack of acknowledgment of how messy some aspects of the Order and that's me talking about adoptions.

Or this one.

Or THIS ONE:

And here's what I said about why their flaws aren't my focus though (and why it bothers me when those flaws become the focus of canon):

I’ll explore the Jedi’s flaws when I write, but I’ll always, always, always talk about how good they were a lot, lot, LOT more. And the reason why is quite simple: I feel like Jedi criticism is nitpicky and pointless, because talking about any flaws of theirs is not only beating a dead horse, but beating a horse that’s so dead it’s been decomposing for fifteen years.  Everything has been said on the subject of the Jedi’s faults - most of which I don’t agree with, but some that I’ll readily recognize (because again, they’re not meant to be perfect). But what is the point of talking about what the Jedi did wrong after a while? Even supposing they were half as flawed as the fandom makes them out to be (which they aren’t) so what? They all died. Their children died. Their history, art and philosophy were completely erased from the galaxy. Most of their legacy was forgotten.  Whatever punishment they might have deserved for not paying enough attention - or too much - to a prophecy, for failing to untangle Sidious’ web, for being blind to a lie or another when they were too busy dying on the front lines to see clearly, for failing to save all the clones, for failing to protect all the Padawans… Whatever punishment this all deserved, they received a hundred times over. 

I don't LIKE that the narrative that's being pushed more and more is that 'they were too beholden to the Senate' when it offers no other viable alternative for what they should have done and their indictment comes from a character pulling the strings of the Senate in the shadows so that the freaking 'coming darkness' he's """"warning"""" them about can become a galactic dictator.

I don't hate Filoni. I may poke fun at him and be annoyed at what he's doing, but I don't hate him. TCW wasn't just a Dave thing tho, GL was still around to supervise, and the more I see of Dave's work without GL around, and the greater creative freedom he gets, the more I'm disappointed that this is where Star Wars is going. That's all.

But point me to one of my rabid posts please. The majority of my TOTJ posts (if that's what this is about) have been either positive, nitpicky or neutral.

I'm not making the fandom "hostile" by disliking things sometimes, anon, I'm making MY blog SALTY. And I either tag that salt, or I don't tag much so that the salt doesn't show up in the general tags so that people in the fandom who don't agree won't have to see it.

If I'm not behaving 'normally' according to you - and you're perfectly entitled to think that, I AM pretty bitchy - you can stop seeing my stuff pretty easily. But please don't come at me anonymously to put a larger fandom issue onto me.

[pynkhues]

SOPHIE!!!! TELL ME MORE!!!!

Okay okay okay, LOOK.

Let's start with Roman.

Roman Roy

Well, for starters, in canon, he definitely had some weird pseudo sexual relationship with his personal trainer in s1 (did his pt jerk him off like Gerri asks him in 2.07??) and 100% would've had a threesome (well, tried to have a threesome) with Lawrence and his boyfriend if there was more of an opening.

Putting that aside though, I think when he was learning that he wasn't necessarily that into p in v sex, he would've pretty desperately and chaotically explored, well, options, y'know?

After all, a teenaged Roman would definitely want to know why Stacey Baker sticking her hand down his pants at summer camp made him want to fling himself into the sun.

(If anyone was to ever ask, it would definitely be because her parents only ran the third biggest bank in America, and his dick has standards, okay)

So he, y'know, fooled around with guys, and the luxury of being out at boarding school in the middle of Tennessee while Shiv and Kendall were stuck with dad in Manhattan meant he could do it really whenever he wanted.

And he did.

A lot.

Guys and girls and people who were both or neither, whoever, Roman didn't care. What Roman wanted was the experience, and what he wanted was to - - y'know. Get off. Like a Norrmal.

And he did even if he wasn't ever entirely comfortable. Managed to grit teeth through it, and he maybe was never really into the sex part of it, but he liked the stuff around sex. Liked the flirting and the tension and the touching and the way he could move someone. Liked the way they could make him move too.

And honestly, he worked out pretty quickly that what someone was packing didn't really matter.

Nah, what was more interesting, what made it more fun, what got the heat pooling low in him was the kinda weird shit. The not taboo, but maybe taboo when you're fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, and getting a little friendly with players on the opposite team, or the freak in the mascot costume, or your siblings' friend, or the college work experience kid is sorta something that gets you talked about.

(And come on, Roman'll be the first to admit getting talked about gets him off).

And it escalated as he got older – through college and into the real world – only when he was seeing dad on the regular again, there became this other layer of it too.

The sort of parallel need to have someone on his arm that dad would like.

Fuck, after Kendall brought home Rava - - then it became an even bigger deal. So Roman started dating girls like her, and almost-fucking other people - weirdos his dad would hate - loud women with buzzcuts and leg hair, and guys that work for Sandy Furness, and, shit, better, guys who work for him. Guys who work for Kendall.

(Also, okay, Nate, once).

Anyone he can talk loud and fast with, who can jerk off beside him and know that saying they fucked a Roy will be better than the truth, so will spin their stories and keep Roman's reputation exactly where he wants it.

Keep him being talked about in just the way he wants to be.

Shiv Roy

I mean, she canonically has sex with women as seen by her attempts to have a threesome with one in 2.10

And come on, party girl Shiv Roy? She had a rep of her own once upon a time, before Tom anyway.

Okay, after Tom too.

It's not like it's a thing. Shiv just likes to get off, and half the time, women are better for that anyway. Better at least than the corporate cocksucks and limpdicked liberals she meets in her real life anyway.

Hell, that's even how it started in a lot of ways. Back when she was at Spence. There were no guys around except her brothers' friends or dad's colleagues' sons, who all had 0 appeal, and enough girls stared at her at school anyway, and Shiv just figured - - well, it was experience, right?

And so what if she liked the way Mandy Menkle chewed on her pencil, or her skin felt like it was on fire every time Lyla Curtin pressed her arm, her thigh, against her's in the yearbook committee meetings?

It really wasn't a thing.

But Lyla's her first kiss, but Mandy's her first everything else, and sometimes Shiv daydreams about them living in Paris together. Bohemians like Djuna Barnes.

Of having her cake and eating it too.

But y'know, then she caught Mandy totally embarrassing herself in front of Stewy at her birthday party, and it's not like it was a betrayal or - - god, a rejection, because they weren't ever anything like that, but still. Shiv had called it, and figured she'd outgrown the phase anyway.

Or not really, because college was a whirlwind of guys and then when they got boring, girls, and then both at the same time, and Shiv rolled between them but always made sure she left before she could really feel anything.

And then she was working in politics and fucking around with Nate, and she met Lisa at a fundraiser, and she didn't chew on pencils like Mandy Menkle, and she definitely wasn't like any of the women at college or at the clubs, so maybe that's why waking up in bed with her the next morning already felt like trouble.

Felt like it even more when Lisa kept in touch.

When Nate did.

Even more so when that cornfed guy she met at a Waystar mixer did too, all teeth and earnestness.

Vaguely Shiv remembered Paris fantasies, of having her cake and eating it too, and she thought no, not a reality.

(Or maybe it was. after all, she's her father's daughter, and didn't her father raise her to know reality was what youmade it?)

Kendall Roy

Again, starting canonically, one of his first scenes in the entire series involves him offering to blow Lawrence to make the deal go through, so the Roy bros are definitely gay for Lawrence, I think we can all jot that down.

But okay okay okay, Kendall Roy is straight.

Mostly.

Not really.

Maybe not at all? I mean, come on, expecting this guy to have even the vaguest clue of any part of himself is Not Realistic, but y'know, he can kind of admit to sometimes thinking about Stewy - - or - - y'know what, no he can't.

Not even when they're fucking.

It's not that he's homophobic, but also his dad has this plan for him and Kendall wants to do the Plan. The Plan's important to dad which means it's important to Kendall, and a big part of that Plan is get married, have kids, preserve the Roy family line, because the first born's not - - y'know

Producing an heir.

And he loves Rava, he really does, because she's beautiful and smart and funny and she touches him gently which is something Kendall never thought he needed (still doesn't want to need, not really, not ever), but the heir isn't coming, and the drugs aren't working as well anymore, and sometimes what Kendall needs is Stewy's mouth and Stewy's body and all the ways Stewy knows him.

The worst him.

The him he doesn't like that Stewy for some reason still does, and it's not that he's gay or bi or whatever (even though, okay, maybe sometimes he thinks about other guys too, but who doesn't?) it's just - -

They're just his people. Stewy and Rava. Other people have people. He's allowed to have them too, right?

Connor Roy

I mean, not to stereotype here, but his mom ran a dance charity.

Connor was around artsy people, so Connor - - y'know, he'd say he was around people of all types and predilections from a pretty young age, thank you very much.

And y'know, Connor isn't adverse to sampling.

In fact, Connor would even say it was important. He likes the finer things - his parents raised him to be worldly after all, and a part of being worldly is being open to experiences.

Although to be honest, the opportunity never really presented itself.

Not for lack of trying of course, he was in college in the 80s, so y'know, he was exposed to certain Things.

It's more that he sort of always ended up distracted, or the guys wandered off, or only wanted to talk about his dad, which honestly is still a bit of a turn off to this day. He doesn't get why the golden trio are so into it.

Anyway, it wasn't until he really got into Napoleonic history that the thought to explore really took hold for him though, because Napoleon might not have approved of homosexuality personally, but he appointed Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès his First Consul, and he was openly gay and decriminalised homosexuality in France, and y'know, that really got Connor thinking.

Thinking he should play Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès in the Napoleonic Society re-enactment of the writing of the Napoleonic Code.

(He could play Napoleon of course, but honestly, Connor's simply too peaceful and moderate to play the leader. His right hand though? Pretty great. Also he's too tall to play Napoleon).

He gets the part, of course, and he's method, y'know, so talks to the production coordinator about how to really lean in to the role, and long story short, there's a bit of a Connor-instigated circle jerk backstage.

Whatever, they're all into it, and Connor thinks he probably prefers feminine hands on his dick generally, but there's a certain appeal in the grip and technique, and he forces the cast and crew into a debrief that makes everyone want to melt through the floor.

But still, they don't exactly stop doing it, and Connor's always down to make the day a little better.

Logan Roy

Look, Logan's done whatever he's had to to get where he is.

He was born with nothing, but long ago decided that he wouldn't die with it.

But still, he's fucked around less than people think. He likes the relationships he's had, and he's never been the sort to get his rocks off just for the fucking sake of it (nah, that's all Ewan).

The way he's always wanted it, liked it, is with people who just sort of - - fuck.

Fit with him.

Connor's mother, Caroline, Marcia, Rhea.

He doesn't cheat for the sake of cheating, he cheats because something feels real, and what's sex when something feels real? A handshake really.

Get off and leave something behind.

Live inside the other person for a bit, a lifetime, who cares. Just occupy a space for a moment.

And that's the thing with Gerri and Frank.

They've known each other for a really long time, more than forty years now, and Gerri and Logan fucked it out of their system long ago, but she's also never really wavered.

Frank though, he's there then he's not, he's an ally, a backstabber, the greatest friend and the most knowing of enemies, and okay, so maybe something that started off as a few quick strokes back in '86, has been a process of swings and roundabouts over the years.

Never real sex, never really more than hands, but Logan would be lying if he said he didn't know the texture of Frank's palm, or the weight of him in his hand.

Whatever, it's business, it's sex, it's sometimes the only way Logan knows how to communicate any sort of intimacy.

Frank gets it.

(Frank feels it too)