#I also like how her determination that is usually a good trait

[randomnameless]

The more I think about it, the claim Edelgard wants to be a goddess/replace the goddess from Dimitri and Seteth makes more sense. Her believing only she can fix the world's problems, believing the world is too sinful because of "those eeevil lizard people", crushing anyone who dares oppose her and seeing human sacrifices as a means to an end/collateral damage. Heck you can see her war as a rapture and those who don't agree with her burn for a thousand years or in the case get killed/vanquished. And after her war if she wins, then she reforms a church under her name and in Nopes she does the exact the same thing after getting rid of the Slithers with Rhea. And considering how cultish her stans irl behave while trying to claim that they're "good people", yeah it all clicks.

The thing is,

The "Goddess" or at least what we know/heard of her didn't even act like Supreme Leader did.

Sure, sources on Sothis's time in Fodlan are biased, either we're told anything about her by Rhea, or by the Mole People.

But I agree, the game gives us some clues about what Supreme Leader wants to be, at least in Tru Piss. With her Manu support, she becomes the figure people look up to and aspire to be, the source of strength the Goddess and the CoS previously were. You also have the explore sections in the monastery, and how she's found where Rhea used to be when she was doing her archbishop things (the audience chambers iirc?), the CoS being "reformed under her supervision" and the final straw on the camel's back is her ending mural.

The rest is her messiah complex - partly fueled by Adrestian nationalism - and her stubborness, Supreme Leader will walk on her path and refuse to look back or even reconsider, no matter the obstacles standing before her, you are either on her side, or an obstacle needing to be removed.

As for the irl devoted fans, lol, I won't consider their behaviour in an analysis of the character, but if we are to talk about the BESF in Nopes, they are also sure they're doing a favor to the world/Fodlan while ignoring a good part of said Fodlan. Nopes!Ferdie comes to mind, with his nonsense about the Kingdom having more crusted generals, or the general fuckery that is the alliance with the Federation, or people being gung ho and looking forward to sack the monastery/cities/Faerghus to earn some fame.

[physalian]

Yet another 5 Character Types The World Needs More Of

Continuing on the list of “tropes the world needs more of”

1. The optimist in denial

This is a character who probably didn’t have the best life growing up, so determined to look on the bright side to escape their objectively crap situation that they’re in denial, not just being annoyingly optimistic. They’re frustrating cases to all the people who care about them because they won’t admit anything is wrong, holding onto a life or reality that doesn’t exist, or perhaps never did, as it’s all they have left.

Example: Todoroki Fuyumi

2. The “peaceful” pacifist

As opposed to harmless, the distinction is important. Demons run when a good man goes to war. This is a character who took themselves off the game board because they know they’d win in a landslide. This is a warrior who left the battlefield because they are the weapon of mass destruction. This is also the character who is determined to be good, even if it gets them killed. I don’t care if there’s already plenty of them, this is good shit and I want more.

Example: Too many and yet not enough

3. The likable autistic

Neurodivergence in media is often the butt of the joke. You like these characters in spite of their “quirks” or you find them incredibly annoying because their “quirks” are their entire personality. Usual representations are arrogant and anti-social narcissists who lack compassion. Shockingly, autism is a spectrum, and a very far cry from sociopathy. No one trait should define an entire character, and that includes neurodivergence.

Nothing specific to do this time, more what not to do. Make them people first, yeah? A person with autism. Not autistic person. There’s a difference.

Example: Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds)

4. Husbands who love their wives

Wow this feels like a low bar. These men who adore their wives, who wouldn’t dare think the phrase “ball and chain”. If he likes his wife, he’s probably a good man altogether. I feel like media is stepping away from the misogynistic kinds of protagonists (assuming their wives weren’t fridged) but I’m talking men who are their wives fiercest defender (socially) and biggest cheerleader.

Example: Gomez Adams, Maes Hughes

5. Unmanicured Female Heroes and Love Interests

Slapping barbie dolls who look gorgeous and can do no wrong aren’t anyone’s favorite character. Let her hair be a little frizzy, let her not wear makeup, give her jeans and a t-shirt and flat. Let her be a little lazy and self-indulgent. A little cluttered and messy without joking about how she’s “letting herself go”.

Let her have some biases, some arbitrary hills to die on. Not every female character but usually characters like this are the jealous villains or the girl who gets dumped for someone prettier.

Example: Toph Beifong, Princess Fiona

—

Oh look I wrote some of these in ENNS haha what a coincidence

Check it out if you'd like~

[lanawinterscigarettes]

Obsessed (Joe Goldberg x gn reader)

Summary: Joe discovers your obsession with him

Warnings: obsessive behavior from the reader, mentioned threats/violence, stalking, breaking and entering, the reader has massive yandere vibes, the reader is a creep/pervert, interrupted masturbation session, Joe is pretty complacent to this once he finds out, implied smut at the end

A/N: the original idea for this came from this post by the amazing @samcvrpenters that I decided to expand on a little. thank you so much for giving me the permission to turn your idea into a full fic <33

Joe was perfect. He was, really. He was charming, attractive, had a good sense of humor: all of which were traits that led him to be the perfect guy. In your opinion, anyway.

You wouldn't say you were obsessed with him. That was an awfully strong word. Though you did tend to care about him more than anyone else in your life, and you thought about him every second of every day, and there was the teensy tiny shrine you had dedicated to him tucked away in your closet where no one would see-

Okay, yeah, maybe you were a little obsessed. But who could blame you, really? Guys in general sucked at best and deserved jail time at worst, and that was putting it lightly. But Joe? He was perfect.

Okay, maybe not one hundred percent perfect. He did have a few small character flaws, but they were minor things that you were able to look over pretty easily.

Such as leaving the door to his apartment unlocked sometimes when he left out. I mean, seriously, he lived in New York of all places. If anyone was going to try to rob a person, it would be there.

You forgave him, though. You were aware he probably had other things on his mind, what with having to manage a bookstore entirely by himself (you didn't count Ethan) and making sure Paco was okay.

There was also the girl he'd been talking to that had ghosted him, but that wasn't nearly as important as anything else (you threatened her with a slit throat if she didn't back off). What? You were just looking out for him. He was yours, even if he didn't realize it yet. You knew it, and that was enough for the both of you. It was one of the reasons why you were so determined to not let anybody tear you apart.

No one could love him the same way you could, you were quite certain. No one could appreciate him like you did. Which is obviously why you trailed after him wherever he went like a lost puppy, though you of course didn't make him aware that he had his very own living shadow.

You didn't want to freak him out. After all, you were well aware of what it would look like if he found out you were stalking him. (Though you hated using that word to refer to your situation. Stalking made it sound so bad, so dirty. You were simply looking out for him, is all).

Just like you were looking out for him whenever you snuck into his place. Although sneaking might not be the best word because, again, he had a tendency to leave the door unlocked.

So what if you went in there when he was gone on occasion and took a few things? It's not like he'd notice a missing shirt or pair of boxers. Or three.

Hey, at least you washed them before returning them. You hoped the smell of the laundry detergent you used would remind him of you just enough without giving away it was you that had washed his clothes.

For the most part, you were pretty clever, always making sure you knew where Joe was before heading over to his apartment to poke around at stuff and making sure to wear a hat and discreet jacket whenever you tailed after him. One way you were not clever, though, was when it came to your feelings. That was how he ended up finding you out.

He'd left early that morning just like usual for Mooney's, which gave you the chance to enter his apartment once he was gone. Technically you really didn't need to break in since you had a key (you were his best friend, after all) but it was hard to imagine that he'd be thrilled upon finding you in his apartment when he was gone, snooping around for no reason.

Everything seemed pretty ordinary, and you were just about to leave when you saw a pair of boxers laying on the floor next to the bed. His boxers.

You quickly glanced around despite no one being there and debated on whether or not you'd have the time to take them over to your place for a quick private session before bringing them back. Nah, you couldn't do that, it was far too risky, you decided even while picking them up, your hands practically trembling with excitement. God, you were such a mess when it came to him and his clothing.

Flopping down on the bed, you held the boxers up to your face and inhaled deeply. They smelled just like you'd imagined that he would. Still clutching the boxers with one hand, you moved the other down your body to the front of your pants. Maybe if you were quick, you could rub one out and be gone before anyone even realized it.

Of course it was at that same moment when Joe himself was walking back up the stairs to his apartment building, having left behind a book that needed to be restored back at his place. All he needed to do was grab it and then he could leave, no problem.

Except it was a problem, because you were already in there, about to masturbate with his underwear.

He paused just outside his apartment, noticing immediately the door was cracked. Had he left it like that? No, there's no way. He locked up before he left, he made sure of it.

A low moan was pulled from you as you rubbed and touched yourself, which just so happened to be the very first thing he heard when he walked in. "Joe..." You whimpered out his name in complete and utter bliss, your head tilted back against the pillows as you shut your eyes, though they quickly shot open again when you heard someone clearing their throat.

"What are you doing?" He asked while averting his gaze, feeling flustered and confused (and a little aroused, if we're being completely honest here). "And are those my boxers?"

This isn't what it looks like, is what you so desperately wanted to say, but you knew he'd never believe that. You needed something that could save this, so what did you do? You admitted your feelings to him.

"I love you," is what you blurted out instead, quickly pulling your hand out from your pants as you moved to hide the boxers behind your back. "I was- I just came over to check on things, and I saw you'd left some dirty clothes on the floor, and I was about to pick them up for you."

That excuse was so unbelievably stupid, you knew he'd never go for it. Luckily for you, he only seemed to catch one part of what you'd said.

"You... You love me?" He questioned in quiet disbelief, his big doe eyes gazing at you with a mixture of affection and longing. He was so pitiful looking, it was cute.

Swallowing thickly, you stood, discreetly dropping the boxers on the floor behind you and kicking them away as you spoke. "Of course I love you, Joe. You're my best friend in the entire world, and you mean everything to me."

He knew it was wrong, that he should panic, scream, kick you out and say he never wanted to see you again- but he couldn't. Because the truth was, he loved you, too.

Before you could respond, he pulled you in for a passionate and loving kiss, one that seemed to reassure you that he wasn't weirded out or offended or mad. You could feel yourself instantly melting into his touch, your hands cupping his face as your lips moved against one another in perfect harmony. If you could kiss him forever, you would.

Eventually you were forced to pull away for air, both of you panting heavily as you rested your forehead against his. "Are you the one who's been stealing all my clothes?" He asked suddenly, something that made you let out a snort of laughter in response.

"Maybe. I always washed them before returning them, though, so don't worry," you playfully replied as your arms moved to wrap around his neck.

"Well, that's good at least." He kissed you again before adding, "Care to enlighten me on just what you were doing before I came in?"

"Oh, I think you know the answer to that already," you purred in a sultry voice, a squeal of delight escaping from you when he suddenly picked you up and carried you over to the bed.

"Maybe you can show me then," he muttered in response, his voice low and seductive. Had you realized things would turn out this well, you would've admitted your love for him ages ago.

It was crazy how this all happened because of your more unsavory habits being revealed before the one person you were trying to keep them from. Him immediately accepting your love with open arms rather than feeling violated or being creeped out only proved to you one thing: that he needed you as much as you did him.

And once this had been confirmed for you in the flesh, there was no way he'd ever be left alone or let out of your sight ever again. You needed to have your eyes on him at all times, if only for your personal peace.

Besides, who could really blame you for wanting to keep him all to yourself? He was perfect, and you were obsessed after all, far more than you'd ever admit.

End notes: I really hope this was worth the wait 🫶

Likes < reblogs | comments are greatly appreciated | requests are currently open

Main masterlist | You masterlist | wanna be added to my taglist?

🏷 taglist: @missmewts @ghot-girl @gilmore-angel @your-next-daydream @alexxavicry @noisy-dumb-piece-of-shit @theonetruepotato87 @caplanreblogsfics @samcvrpenters @bleachxbunny

[youremyheaven]

The Ugliness of Venus

every planet is associated with certain key themes but being under that planetary influence means to experience its very opposite. the extremes of anything is a meeting point for its opposite.

venus is the planet associated with love, beauty, harmony etc therefore it is unsurprising that venusian influence also subjects one to cruelty, ugliness, disharmony, violence and malevolence.

TW: this post will contain mentions of sexual harassment, rape, violence, murder, massacre, genocide, death, suicide among other things so please beware!!!

in my observations I have often found that Venusian natives are often cruel, callous, ugly (i mean this to refer to their actions/behaviour and not just unconventional appearance because "beauty" is a sum of appearance and traits- what we call Venusian refinement) hurtful, jealous and utterly lacking the charisma and hospitality for which Venus is known.

it is disturbing to think of how soooo many well known and notorious sex offenders have HEAVY Venusian influence in their charts. think of any celebrity who has had a sex scandal and they usually have Venusian placements. it's intriguing that no other planet shows up as much (in my personal observations).

Why is Venus so brutal, cruel and embracing of the darkness/ugliness of humanity?

All 3 Venus nakshatras, Bharani, Purvaphalguni & Purvashada are Ugra (meaning cruel or brutal, this is a 7 category classification in vedic astrology) nakshatras.

Ugra naks are known to be action-oriented go-getters and people who are very self-motivated and determined. Any quality can manifest in good or bad ways, so the shadow aspect of this determination and motivation is often ruthlessness, callousness, selfishness and arrogance.

This is also the reason why Venusian naks suffer. Venus seeks refinement, so an individual who does not filter out their own darkness but instead indulges in it, is inviting wrath. More than any other planet, Venus punishes its natives quite harshly and publicly. So many people who have been known to be horrible people, have been exposed, shamed and punished publicly have Venus influence.

Venus energy must be handled with care. Since Venus is love, it has a quality where it loves blindly, completely and without judgement but discretion and judgement are necessary in life. It is not good to be absolutely consumed by someone or something without considering the good and evil inherent in it. This makes Venus natives prone to evil simply because they don't see it as such. They think of it as the depths of their understanding of love, beauty and harmony. Beauty in its extreme however is grotesque, its ugliness, its frightening. Think of all those IG models who have the same face, there is a blandness to their cartoonish perfection to their proportions, it fails to evoke feeling, it fails to be memorable because true beauty is distinct and flawed, its intensity, depth and exaggerated proportions because Venus is not mild or lukewarm, it like to go overboard. Think of Angelina Jolie, her big forehead, large cheekbones, strong jaw, big protruding eyes, its a face that calls attention to itself, its not simple or readily accessible, its the opposite of the IG face where beauty is reduced to ordinary everyday blandness. True beauty is individuality.

Venusian natives are often preoccupied with good and evil, the holy and demonic, heaven and hell, this emanates from a deep understanding of contradictions and the need for their existence. Opposites are an illusion, everything is one. Goodness in its extreme is evil and the extremes of evil touches upon goodness.

So now I'll discuss certain specific examples:

Mao Zedong- Purvashada Rising

He was responsible for the deaths of close to 40 million people who died due to starvation, forced labour and others executed by the state due to their opposition of its policies.

Saddam Hussein- Bharani Sun, Venus in Revati (exalted)

Him and his party used violence, killing, torture, execution, arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention, enforced disappearance, and various forms of repression to control the population. Kurdish people were systematically persecuted and massacred using tear gas.

Hussein was publicly executed for committing crimes against humanity.

Hitler- Purvashada stellium (Moon, Jupiter and Ketu), Mercury and Venus in Bharani

I need not elaborate on who Hitler was and what he did bc we're all very familiar with him but yeah he was a Venusian. He died by suicide.

Stalin- Purvashada Mercury Amatyakaraka

I do not wish to elaborate on Soviet war crimes but Stalin had millions of people die, from starvation, torture, indentured labour etc

R Kelly- Purvashada Sun & Mercury

He is a pedophile and convicted sex offender

Marilyn Manson- Purvashada Sun

He's been accused of assault and rape on more than one occasion.

Idi Amin- Purvashada Sun

Idi Amin was popularly known as "The Butcher of Uganda." Amin overthrew an elected government in Uganda with a military coup, using lessons from the British colonial army. He declared himself president and ruled ruthlessly from 1971-1979. Once in power, Amin started mass executions of the Acholi and Lango tribes. In 1972 Amin forced 80,000 Asians to leave the country, which caused the economic collapse of the country since many were business owners. It’s estimated that through his rule, Amin killed at least 300,000 civilians.

Elon Musk- Purvaphalguni Moon

Sexual misconduct charges, labour law violations, treating his employees like trash and being an insufferable asshole on Twitter among other things. Nobody makes $100 billion without exploiting 100s of millions of people.

Jimmy Saville- Purvaphalguni Moon, Mars in Bharani amatyakaraka and Ketu in Purvashada

He was a pedophile who abused numerous children over the span of 50yrs

Peter Townshend- Purvaphalguni Jupiter & Rising, Ketu in Purvashada

He was found trying to access child porn sites

Chris Brown- Bharani Sun & Moon

He's abused several women, most famously, Rihanna

Here's some examples of people who have risen to prominence by playing ruthless people.

Kathy Bates- Mars in Purvaphalguni amatyakaraka

She is best remembered for playing the psychotic nurse in Misery

Anthony Hopkins- Purvashada Sun

He is best known for playing serial killer Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs

I know this is a very polarising topic and to any Venusians reading this, I sincerely do not wish to spread hate or cause harm, I am only trying to point out some of the things I have noticed. Does this mean every other Venusian you encounter is a serial killer in disguise? No Are all Venusians bad people? Also no. I thought it would be interesting to shed some light on the darker side of Venus which is seldom addressed if at all. Please do not take any of these observations too seriously and do not use astrology as a tool to propagate hatred towards yourself or others.

[takemebacktowheniwassane]

i've been seeing a lot of falsettos posts recently deconstructing the fandoms beliefs and firstly

holy fuck thank you, i try to steer clear of fandom (and fandom-izing thereof) drama but this is getting a lot more visible recently so here's some little tidbits for you

whizzer brown is not an unflawed character!

okay so i haven't seen enough dissecting this but!!! in the chess game!

the whole point of marvin using that game to determine the ending of their relationship is because he suspects whizzer is constantly deceiving him and wants to prove it.

whizzer LITERALLY proves him right!

he asks marvin to help him along (yes i know he says he doesn't want help, hear me out, it's a little more complex than that) and takes advantage of the fact that marvin is- like- infatuated with him.

he draws him into a sense of false security then starts throwing accusations at him ("since you need a man!" "what?" "who's 'brainy'," "or witty, move.") until hes able to win, which he does with ease because he's been using marvin having this idea that he isn't smart against him.

of course, marvin's side of this isn't the best either but honestly, for once the fandom should focus on a different character when they think 'insane asshole'. typically we should also probably change our perspectives a little to be more unbiased cuz fr guys, this is getting really.. annoying.

i understand he's the most visibly flawed but that doesn't excuse constantly picking the worst parts of this musical (without other context, btw) to use against him.

and this post certainly isn't here to excuse anyone either i've just got a lot of opinions that i wanted to share while falsettos is.. trending? right?

2. marvin's (headcanoned but still somewhat researched) autism

this one isn't brought up as much but when i do see it around, it's kind of a skewed viewpoint.

while rewatching bits of the proshot i realized a lot of different neurodivergent traits that he shows-

he's helpless during I Never Wanted to Love You and is childish and regressive when he's upset (not every autistic person is like this either, i know this is a bit of a touchy subject so i just wanted to add that).

usually when people depict it i see it either toned down or joked about which is fine when all in good fun, and when its done respectfully.

not here to attack anyone, just here to point it out and say that yes :) he most likely is neurodivergent, but despite that his actions aren't condoned. he's still kinda a dick who needs to get his shit together

3. ..the lesbians also have shit going on?

just putting this out there- I DON'T SEE ENOUGH FOR THE LESBIANS! OR TRINA!

the girls in this musical are like thoroughly neglected and i think that's kind of shitty just assuming the fact that william finn put them in to demonstrate how gender roles put people in degrading positions (and he even makes it more prevalent by showing marvin as something like a misogynistic character who forces whizzer into more feminine roles to show the audience what woman have to/had to go through in society).

anyways, the lesbians aren't just there guys. they have a plotline too. in Something Bad is Happening, you derive a lot from charlotte singing about the outbreak of HIV/AIDS and realize how she operates on a daily basis (she's passionate about her work and takes every bad day as a hit to her life and career, explaining in a way that as a black, jewish, lesbian, FEMALE doctor in this time, everything that goes wrong is immediately brought down on her so much more than it would as any straight white male pharmacist-).

cordelia on the other hand has to handle the fact that her girlfriend is so adamant about her work ethic that she can't actually be super present in their relationship at times like that.

but either way she still sticks by her and is constantly trying to be supportive and endearing despite feeling like she's not amounting to her gf who's basically a hero in her eyes.

i kinda just wanted to bring that up because they mean a lot to me and they don't get enough love from the fanbase, thank you for listening to my TED talk <3

[princessbrunette]

would you please write more for modern ani I love him sm

poorly edited ani with ugly tattoos and piercings but you get the gist ….. have some headcanons

minors + ageless blogs dni im so serious

♡ he’s always in your reach. whether he’s your best friends brother, the guy that works at the garage or tattoo shop, the guy in your lectures that shows up every few classes to sit at the back and chew on his pen whilst somehow knowing the answer to every question. he’s mysterious, but everywhere.

♡ you see more of his tongue that you thought you might. always peaking out to fiddle with the snakebite piercings below his rosy bottom lip when he’s concentrated, or bulging into his cheek when he lets out a sarcastic or pissed off chuckle when someone’s running their mouth. you overhear him speaking with a friend, instructing “just make your tongue flat if it’s too sensitive and more pointed if they need more pressure. i don’t fucking know, it’s not hard.” and you wonder if he’s talking about what you think he’s talking about.

♡ he takes interest in you because of your soft edges and kind eyes and well, the fact you’re his total opposite. he thinks it’s funny to sit on a plush pink duvet surrounded by ‘pointless’ throw cushions and decorative plushies and blankets whilst he’s dressed in all black with his chronic resting bitch face. okay, funny isn’t the word. he thinks it’s sexy.

♡ he’s a little mean but never cruel. grumpy would describe him more accurately. not a morning person, and shoots daggers at anyone who makes loud noises before 10AM. he’s teasing you and poking fun at you before he starts flirting with you properly because he just can’t help himself, bullying is how he flirts. but don’t get it twisted, once he’s in a relationship with you he is uncharacteristically the worlds biggest simp known to man.

♡ obsessive and possessive. you’re both aware it’s not his best trait, but you secretly like it and he knows that. his love language is essentially threatening to kill anyone who looks at you let alone lays eyes on you. if you’re ranting about your day and happened to tell him about someone giving you attitude, it would become very “you’re lucky i wasn’t there, would have beat the fuck out of him.” fast. will also shamelessly pull you closer to him when another guy looks at you, and side eye you with the worst attitude if you dare laugh a little harder than usual at a man’s jokes.

♡ always stuffing his dirty blonde curls under backwards caps, but let’s you take it off him so you can run your fingers through them at the end of the day. he’s a sucker for a head massage. will repay you by making you cum on his fingers.

♡ he’s the cool boyfriend. determined to win over your family even if his tattooed / pierced appearance is a concern. compliments your mothers cooking, talks about sports with your dad, bonds over video games with your little brother or buys your sister that thing she was talking about last time he saw her. even let’s your grandma pinch his cheeks and call him handsome (but if grandmas coming round, he wears long sleeves and takes out his piercings. anything for grandma.) if you don’t get on with your family, he becomes your family and practically kidnaps you into his own.

♡ wont let you pay for anything. respectfully, he does not care if paying is your love language— he was raised to pay for his girl and that’s what he’ll do, arguments be damned. he’ll take extra shifts to be able to spoil you, coming home with grease smeared on him from the garage, kissing your cheek before heading off to shower, transferring “a little something” to your bank account after you were rambling about that skims dress you wanted or whatever it was.

♡ constantly wearing sweatpants and looks damn good wearing them too. black sweatpants mostly, but he pulls out the grey ones when he’s trying extra hard to get laid that night. same goes for basketball shorts, walking around your apartment wearing them with no shirt on, no underwear beneath the shorts, thick and long length practically swinging around. he chuckles when you gasp and call him a slut.

♡ he plays basketball and soccer, always has. but his favourite pastime has got to be pool. he’s become a champion at his best friends pool table— bringing you round to showcase his effortless skill and teach you (mainly because he won’t pass up the opportunity to see you bent over a table and feel you up.)

♡ always needs your full attention when he speaks, so if your eyes drift off from him when he’s talking to you he won’t hesitate to gently grip your jaw and pull your face back to look at him. he’ll do it infront if anyone he doesn’t care, minus your parents of course.

♡ puts in the WORK during sex. he is competitive with himself, and a perfectionist — so he won’t be satisfied until he’s knows you inside out. this means he’s incredibly vocal, if he’s not asking you if you like what he’s doing (“that feel good, pretty? talk t’me i wanna hear you.”) he’s praising you for being responsive (“good girl, good fucking girl. i know baby, you like that shit huh.”)

♡ pussy eating king. will even wear the white tshirt with pink font spelling “PROUD MUNCH” across the chest when he goes out with you that you got him. thinks it’s funny yeah, but likes everyone to know you’re taken care of.

♡ listens to fuckboy music around the clock. when he picks you up in his car, best believe you can hear that brent faiyaz coming from a mile away. his taste is pretty broad though, he just loves the sexy r&b to be blasting when you’re being his pretty little passenger princess.

[ak1sang3l]

always - timeskip!oikawa x reader

chapter 1 - Reassurance

in which your anxious husband FaceTimes you from the Olympic village in need of some reassurance.

content warning: none lol

word count : 876

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

You had always known that volleyball was the most important thing in Oikawa Toru's life. It was a fact as irrefutable as the sun rising in the east. It wasn’t that he didn’t love you, he did, deeply,but volleyball was his first love, the passion that consumed him. And you were okay with that. You could live with being second to the sport because you knew how much it meant to him.

In your three years of marriage, you had also learned two other things about him: he was the most sensitive person you had ever met, and he wasn’t a genius. These traits, while endearing, also posed challenges. His sensitivity meant he felt everything deeply, from the victories that sent him soaring to the defeats that crushed his spirit. And while he wasn’t a genius, he was hardworking, determined to outplay those who were with sheer effort and willpower.

It was the night before the Olympic final, and Toru was going to face Japan. You were in Argentina, the time zone difference making it a late evening for you, but you had stayed awake, knowing that he would call. The reason you couldn’t be with him was bittersweet. you had just given birth to your first child, and although you wished you could be there in person, travelling with your newborn daughter Airi seemed impractical and exhausting, keeping you grounded in Argentina.

When your phone rang, you answered immediately, eager to hear his voice. Toru’s face appeared on the screen, and even through the small pixels, you could see the anxiety in his eyes.

“Hey,” he said, his voice softer than usual. “Are you busy? Is Airi asleep?”

“Never too busy for you. And I just put the little angel down for a nap,” you replied with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m... nervous,” he admitted, his eyes dropping to the floor. “I wish you both were here. I’ve been thinking about her a lot, you know? How much she’s grown already, and I’m missing it.”

“She misses you too,” you said gently, your heart aching at the thought of the distance between them. “But she’s so proud of her daddy, and so am I.”

He managed a weak smile, though the worry lines on his face didn’t ease. “I’m scared,” he admits hesitantly, his voice trembling slightly. “Facing Japan... it’s huge. What if I’m not good enough? They have Kageyama and Ushijima on their team. I’m... I’m not a genius nor am I an athletic monster like those two, you know that.” "I've worked so hard to get to this point in my career. Shit, I even gave up my Japanese citizenship for this. I need this win so much."

You leaned closer to the screen, as if you could reach through it to hold him. “Toru, you don’t need to be a genius to win. You’ve never been a genius, and that’s what makes you so special.”

He looked at you, confusion and doubt mingling in his eyes. “How does that make me special?”

“Because,” you began, “you’ve always had to fight harder, work more, push yourself beyond your limits. Geniuses might have talent, but you have something they don’t, determination. You’re not just playing on the same platform as them; you’ve built your own platform, brick by brick, with your hard work and resilience. You’ve always been able to do that.”

His eyes softened as he listened, his expression shifting from doubt to something more like hope. “But what if I fail?”

“Then you fail,” you said simply, “but it won’t be because you didn’t give it everything you have. I’ve seen you do incredible things, Toru. You’re capable of fighting against anyone, genius or not.”

He was silent for a moment, absorbing your words. “I just... I don’t want to let everyone down. My team, our fans... you. Our daughter.”

“You could never let us down,” you said firmly. “All I want is for you to play with your heart, the way you always do. Win or lose, we’ll both be proud of you. And you should be proud of yourself too, no matter what happens tomorrow.”

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “You always know what to say.”

“That’s because I know you,” you replied, smiling back. “And I believe in you. And so does Airi, even if she’s too little to say it.”

Toru took a deep breath, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “Thank you,” he whispered. “I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will,” you said, your voice filled with love and confidence. “Now get some rest. You’ll need all your energy tomorrow.”

“I will. I love you,” he said softly, his eyes filled with warmth.

“I love you too,” you replied. “And so does your little girl.”

At the mention of her, Toru’s smile grew a little brighter, the thought of his daughter giving him strength. “Kiss her goodnight for me?”

“Always,” you promised.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

[hecate-editing]

Making Characters That Make Sense

Walk-through character template & "how to" guide for writing complex, original protagonists.

If you google "character templates for writing", you'll get a lot of very basic examples that read like a grocery list: eye colour, hair colour, skin colour, positive traits, negative traits, etc.

And sure, filling out this kind of template isn't completely useless - but it's also not particularly useful, either. Choosing whether your protagonist has blue eyes or green eyes isn't going to determine whether readers connect with them or not.

Instead, I prefer to use the below template:

There's some fairly left-of-centre categories here, so in this blog post I'll be creating a character from scratch to demonstrate what each section means and how to use the template effectively.

Primary Goal & Raison D'Être

Fantasy Romance is having a bit of a tournament-to-the-death moment right now, with Hunger Games-inspired stories like Fourth Wing, Throne of Glass, The Savior's Champion, and The Serpent and the Wings of Night in high demand - so that's what we're going to work with in today's blog post.

The story premise and primary goal of the protagonist are almost always interconnected. In this case, the story premise is a tournament to the death - and the character's main goal is to win that tournament, obviously.

But where there's room for some originality is in the raison d'être. This loosely translates to "reason for being" or "purpose". It's the why of it.

For example: what motivated this character to risk their life by entering such a tournament in the first place?

It is sometimes helpful to look at similar stories when thinking about this category. Not so you can copy their protagonist's motivations - but so you can do something different.

The whole selfless-self-sacrifice thing, for example - that's done. At least in relation to this particular sub-genre. We can do better for our hypothetical Maera Mystfang character.

Actually, let's really turn the trope on its head and make her raison d'être incredibly self-centred.

Already, this is character is shaping up to be something a little bit different within the niche of tournaments to the death. Which goes to show how putting a little bit of thought can go a long way, even with something as simple as identifying your character's initial purpose.

Primary Obstacle

Every protagonist needs a goal - and every goal needs an obstacle. This is what gives the story some tension and keeps readers turning the page.

An obvious choice of obstacle for this hypothetical character, since we're dealing with a fantasy romance, would be that Maera starts to develop feelings for one of her fellow competitors.

This concept has definitely been done, but that's okay. Not every section of this list has to break the mould. Tropes exist for a reason and it is totally okay to lean into them sometimes.

However, just for funsies, I'm going to try and put a slightly different spin on this one too.

Instead of the obvious "I love one of the people I'm meant to kill", let's make Maera's (previously dormant) conscience be the problem. Her reasons for entering the tournament may have been self-motivated, but as she gets to know her fellow competitors - admires some of them, even - she starts to second guess those reasons.

Core Traits

A lot of character templates will divide personality traits into positives and negatives - but I don't think this is particularly helpful. It is far too one dimensional - not to mention unrealistic. The key components of someone's personality aren't usually so black and white.

In fact, most core traits are both good and bad at the same time - it just depends on the context.

Instead of being wholly positive or negative, try to think of three core character traits that can serve as two sides of the same coin, with both positive and negative implications to each.

For Maera, I've given her these core traits:

Self-reliant;

Rebellious; and

Good-humoured.

Her self-reliance means that she is incredibly capable - but it's also the cause of her selfishness. She's always had to look after herself, so she expects others to do the same.

Her rebellious attitude means she isn't willing to accept the status quo. But at times she is also a rebel without a cause, causing trouble just for the fun of it.

Her good sense of humour means she is fun to be around, but she also tends to not take things as seriously as she should.

Thinking of core traits in this multi-faceted way not only adds realistic complexity, but it also sets you up well for showcasing character development and growth throughout the story.

Fatal Flaw & Character Arc / Growth

You've probably read negative reviews that throw around terms like "Mary Sue" or "Gary Stu". People tend to be over-zealous with these terms, especially for Mary Sue, but the gist of it is that the character in question is "too perfect".

They're the chosen one, they're good at everything, all the boys like them, etc.

Some characters can get away with this just fine. Look at Aragorn. He's the ultimate Gary Stu but I still swoon every time he opens those damn doors. You know the scene I'm talking about.

Ooft.

But for the most part, you want to incorporate a fatal flaw into your protagonists - because this is what gives them room to grow.

And, no. "I was born to be King but I don't wanna" does not count as a fatal flaw.

Instead, think bigger. Think worse. Think about where your character starts versus where you want them to end up. Think about how you want the events of the narrative to change their world view - or even their initial goal.

For Maera, her fatal flaw is pretty obvious, given her initial motivations for entering the tournament. Similarly, her growth/arc is linked to her primary obstacle, which is developing a conscious.

Her journey throughout this hypothetical story might be learning to appreciate how her past shaped her, while also acknowledging that there are things she can do to ensure others don't have to go through what she did. By being shown acts of kindness, she learns to appreciate their value.

First Impression

Now that we've covered all the "big picture" stuff, let's get into some of the smaller details that give your character some texture.

The first impression category is a hypothetical exercise where you image how your character might appear to a room full of strangers. In dual, multi, or omniscient POVs, you might even get the opportunity to include this impression somewhere in the story.

But even for first-person narratives, it is still worth thinking about, because it will help to inform how other characters interact and respond to your protagonist (at least at first).

For Maera, I've written this first impression as: a fun person to have a few drinks with - so long as you keep a close eye on your wallet.

From this description, we can guess that Maera probably likes to have a good time, but also comes across as untrustworthy. Whether that impression is deserved or not is up to you, as the author, to decide.

There's also a lot of deeper directions you can take this first impression category, too. Like if most people react to Maera this way, but one particular character doesn't, then your readers are going to sit up and pay extra attention during that interaction. Especially when that person reacting atypically is the future love interest.

Spirit Animal

Ah, this one is a fun one!

I always encourage my authors to assign a "spirit animal" to their characters - especially when they're doing multi-POV.

There are two main reasons for this:

It will allow you to assign some very distinct adjectives and verbs with that particular character; and

It is an opportunity to flesh out some additional character traits beyond the core traits.

For Maera, I've chosen "spider" because she is solitary by nature, opportunistic, and patient.

But, more than that, I also like the idea of Maera being the kind of person who knows how to watch and wait. While her first impression might be "here for the good times", her joking façade is actually a mask she wears while carefully observing others.

For example:

Her words were laced with venom. She crawled her way across the rooftop. At some point, weaving lies had become more of a past time that a necessity. Her thoughts were a tangled mess. She didn't bother to conceal her predatory gaze. Inch by cautious inch, she crept forward. Her sanity was already hanging by a thread. If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was spin a good story - truth be damned.

I've never outright compared Maera to a spider in these examples, nor have I made it blatantly obvious that that's what I'm doing. But by peppering these kinds or words throughout the story, I'll be able to subtly create a very distinct kind of impression for her character.

For comparison's sake, let's assign "cat" to the love interest. Examples of possible words to consider in this instance might be:

He clawed his way through the bushes. "What are you doing?" he hissed. The comment had some bite to it, that was for sure. He slunk away into the darkness. His still, unwavering focus was unnerving. He prowled towards her. In a few quick, agile steps, he'd made it across the parapet. He yawned and stretched out beside her.

Of course, not every single word you use in association with a character needs to be related to their spirit animal. But keeping a certain type of animal in mind - and finding opportunities to throw in some subtle messaging through language choice - can be beneficial on so many levels.

It helps to distinguish your characters from one another through the kind of language you use to describe them - but it's also just really, really fun way to add some bonus texture to your characters. Giving your readers some little easter eggs like this is never a bad thing.

Love Language

If you're unfamiliar with the concept of the five basic love languages, then here's a quick visual overview:

Love languages aren't a consideration that's specific to romance. They're important for friendships and familial relationships too.

Because thinking about what your protagonist values most in love is going to tell you a lot about who they are. Especially when you take the question deeper and think about why this is something they value.

For Maera, I've chosen "Acts of Service" because this ties in quite well to her character arc.

In terms of Maera's why, I could easily go with "because this was how she was shown love as a child" - and this is a good enough option most of the time. However, since her love language is very much tied into growing out of her fatal flaw, then I actually want to do the opposite.

Maera winds up valuing acts of service because this is something she craved - and wasn't given - as a child. She had to do things the hard way instead. Hence why she ends up appreciating the kindness of others so much. Such generosity is new to her - and precious.

Conflict Response

This is potentially one of the most overlooked character components. Conflict and tension is central to story telling, yet there is so little attention given to creating authentic, original responses to conflict.

The way I see it, there are three main considerations in regards to conflict response:

How your character reacts in the moment;

The unhealthy methods they use to deal with the aftermath; and

The healthy methods they use (or discover) to self-sooth.

When faced with conflict, Maera's immediate reaction is to antagonise. She doesn't like to back down and enjoys creating trouble.

However, in the aftermath, the conflict affects her more than she lets on. She stews on it - and her solution to that is to get drunk until she can forget about it completely.

But even though she sometimes forgets it, Maera has a more healthy coping mechanism at her disposal. When she is surrounded by nature - in the forest, by the sea, whatever - it calms her.

In addition to identifying your protagonist's various responses to conflict, it is also helpful to think about why. Again, this is a great opportunity to insert something unique into their character backstory.

With Maera, for example, let's think about why she finds nature so soothing. Perhaps, amidst a very bleak childhood, one of her fondest memories is of picking grapes in a vineyard.

Perhaps the elderly woman who owned the vineyard was very rude and abrupt - but also quite kind to Maera in her own way. Maybe she would sometimes stitch up Maera's clothes or feed Maera a hearty, meaty dinner - even though she didn't have to.

If you're struggling to think of a real, tangible, unique memory such as this - then it's always helpful to go back to the old classic of write what you know. Think of a real life moment or memory - something that's stuck with you, no matter how simple - then adapt it to your character.

To create this vineyard example, I simply drew on my experience of picking strawberries with my Nonna after school.

Mentor / Idol

I could write an entire thesis on mentors. Or, more specifically, the "death of the mentor" trope - both in its literal and metaphorical interpretations.

But, for the sake of brevity, let's save that sh*t for another time and focus on what's important for a basic (yet complex) character template. And that is:

The Formative Mentor (past); and

Transformative Mentor (present).

The formative mentor (or idol) is someone who influenced your character prior to the events of the novel. Sometimes they're a character the reader will meet, or other times, they're long gone before the novel even begins.

The transformative mentor is a much looser term. It doesn't necessarily have to be a traditional mentor character, but rather it is a character who heavily influences or changes your protagonist throughout the events of the novel.

For Maera, I want her earliest idol to be a random female sell-sword who she crossed paths with. Prior to meeting this sell-sword, Maera was living without hope for a future, surviving on scraps and petty crime.

But after seeing an independent and moderately wealthy sell-sword in her local tavern, Maera got a glimpse into the kind of life that might be possible if she learned to fight. With the right kind of skills, she might be able to earn some decent money for a change - and travel the world.

This is an example of how "mentors" don't always have to be a wise wizard who oversees your protagonist's training and education. Young minds are impressionable - and even distant figures can have a lasting impact.

Just look at all the women who cite Legally Blonde as the reason why they were drawn to law. Elle Woods wasn't even real - but for plenty of young girls, she made an impact.

Similarly, your protagonist's "present" mentor or idol doesn't necessarily have to be a wise wizard either. It can simply be someone who motivates them to change their world view or strive to be better.

In romance, it is more than acceptable to have the present mentor coincide with the love interest - especially in standalone enemies-to-lovers. I know this seems counter-intuitive, since the word "mentor" implies a power imbalance, but it makes more sense if you readjust your definition of mentor to be "inspires change".

However, for Maera, I kind of like the idea of pairing her up with a love interest who shares some of her flaws. I vibe with the idea of making him a bit self-interested too, although for different reasons.

So in her example, I've listed the present mentor as a selfless secondary character. The way I would envision this going is Maera and the love interest team up early on - but somewhere along the way a secondary character saves them both. They're both heavily influenced by this character before this character sacrifices themselves. The aftermath of this incident rattles both Maera and her love interest, and serves as the spark for growth.

I hope you found this template - and very long explanation - useful!

[rainbowchaox]

Qsmp! Chayanne Character Analysis and How it Relates to Pissa

Chayanne is a perfect hybrid of his dads. Yes, Missa hasn’t been as present as philza but this is a truth. In fact I believe Chayanne is one of the best examples of child getting personality traits from both parents. Even if one is absent whether it’s because of reaper duties or literally being kidnapped. Chayanne has traits both from his dads. Even if it’s more visible the traits he gained are from Philza.

Missa is a bleeding heart. I believe Chayanne gained his massive heart. But sharpened with determination and bravery. Not bleeding out like Missa. It’s not usually noticeable because Chayanne is similar to Philza. He shows not tells. But his heart is so kind. Especially for a child. He just wants to protect those he loves and cares for.

Philza like we discussed is a survivor. And utterly paranoid and stressed so much what could go wrong. This isn’t a bad thing as again and again this protected his family numerous times. Philza raised Chayanne to be responsible. To protect Tallulah because of her asthma. Chayanne accepts this responsibility. But he is still a child. He feels so guilty not being able to protect or in his mind not doing a good job. Philza is similar it’s why he represses his love for Missa. He needs to protect Missa as much he can.

Chayanne looks brave but honestly he is just a scared child under diamond armor. He so desperately wants everyone to be safe. Or happy. Or having fun. He can only do so much as a kid though. He loves philza. There’s no question about that. But there’s reasons why missa is his favorite. He’s addicted just like Philza to Missa gentleness. To Missa kindness. Missa makes Philza and Chayanne feel safe. Chayanne feels free to act like a spoiled kid for once when Missa is around.

Chayanne is scared. He like philza wants their family unit to be safe. But he is still a kid. He can only do so much. He loves philza. Philza is his dad. But there’s no question in my brain that he misses missa gentleness. In fact true enjoyers of death family know that Missa is chayanne favorite dad. He actually acts spoiled for once.

Philza needed to be stern with Chayanne. Philza wants his kids to survive. It’s an aspect of Philza that prepared them for how hard life on the island could be. And how dangerous it could get. Philza knows simple mistakes can be deadly and he needs Chayanne to understand that. He is stern because he loves his son so much. And Chayanne wants to make him proud. So he always listen to his dad. Being considered one of the most obedient eggs. Because Chayanne understands his dad point of view and wants to protect.

Chayanne is also very similar to Philza when it comes to his papa. He doesn’t care if Missa isn’t skilled or talented. He doesn’t care if Missa needs protecting. Chayanne doesn’t need Missa to be useful. He is just like Philza. He just wants Missa to be there. Thats enough.

Chayanne never stopped waiting for Missa to return. He missed him but never gave up on the idea of him coming back. And he’s so happy when he can see him. Chayanne is very protective of his dad’s marriage. Which makes sense as he was the first one that how to deal with how they act around each other. He supports them but think they are being dumb about it. He doesn’t see what is wrong with his dad’s clear love for each other. He is a child he doesn’t realize philza being open could lead to missa being in danger.

Chayanne fully believes that Philza and Missa are the best dads in the world. He always had an affectionate home life. Philza and Missa are always loyal and affectionate. And both love him so much. He is just happy his dads are his dads. He wouldn’t want anyone else.

Overall, Chayanne is clearly both missa and philza son. He carries aspects from both of them. And that’s really beautiful in my eyes. Chayanne has pieces of his dad’s habits and personality with in him. And he will make them both proud.

[ravenwind-75]

Healing You, Healing Me for @stein0806

(my part of art trade)

“You know I can feel you watching me right?” Ominis sighed, sensing the presence of the small young woman watching him from behind the large plant in the Slytherin common room. 

Fio blushed bright pink and in her rush to scramble out from behind the plant she tripped over it and fell on her face, tipping the plant and spilling dirt all over the floor. Recently she had been cursed with a massive crush on the Gaunt boy and it had left her in quite a state. She hadn’t been able to sleep for days and couldn’t figure it out. She had decided maybe if she watched him for a while she would be able to determine why she had fallen so hard. The thing was Ominis was annoyingly very aware of her presence and now the tall gorgeous man was trying to help her off the floor making her all the more flustered. But she still took his hand shamelessly. 

“I-I’m fine Ominis, thank you very much. I just lost my balance. And I wasn’t watching you, I-I just came to ask you a question about- about potions. Yes, that was it!” She lied. 

Ominis’s lips curled up into a little smile at her rambling and how quickly she pulled her hand out of his as soon as he helped her up. He dusted the dirt from his robes before casting a cleaning spell which left no sign of her clumsiness which he had become quite used to. It was incredibly cute when she was like this, the usually very serious and quiet witch reduced to a rambling awkward mess. She was more talkative when she was comfortable with someone, something he had learned after he finally started to accept her presence due to Sebastian’s prodding. She was very witty, always with something sharp to say, so a loss of words was odd for her. 

“Is it about love potions? Did Garreth slip you one because if he did I can deal with him for you.”

“No, no, why do you think that?” Her voice was a little steadier now and a tad confused. 

Ominis was a bit relieved, but it also removed one of the reasons she could be acting this way. “Oh, that’s good to hear, Fi, but it just increases my concern. Are you sure you aren’t unwell?” 

“Why would I be unwell?” Fio asked, trying to fake normalcy but when he pressed the back of his elegant hand to her forehead, concern etched in his brow she was very unwell indeed. 

“You just haven’t been yourself lately. You’ve been clumsier than normal, lacking words, and very warm. I believe you got even more flushed just now. Are you sure it’s nothing?” 

Sebastian looked up from the book he was reading, a shit-eating grin stretching from one freckled cheek to the other. “Oh, I know exactly what's wrong with her Ominis, I could tell you.” 

It had to do with potions actually, brewing amortenia was what began her spiraling after what she smelled and Sebastian was practically bursting at the seams to tell since he figured it out. 

The look she shot him however made him quickly change his mind, a flicker of an electric warning in those usually calm hazel eyes. He knew that even at five feet, three inches she could still kick his ass. Never underestimate the quiet girl, especially the one who took on Ranrok. 

Ominis was left out of this visual conversation, so turned to Sebastian expecting an explanation for Fio’s abnormal behavior. Ominis could be quite the worry wart when it came to friends, especially for one he had been harboring secret affections for. But she needn’t know that. 

“What is it, Sebastian? What is wrong with her?” 

“Uhhhh….” Sebastian scrambled for an explanation as Fio pleaded with him silently to stay quiet about her crush. Of course, Sebastian knew about it, being her best friend since the previous year and being annoyingly curious, a trait that had only increasingly grown since he’d known her. Sometimes she told him he should have ended up in Ravenclaw, but he said his ambition was too great. However, his sharp mind was currently coming up short, knowing Ominis could practically smell a lie before it was even uttered. Finally, he just blurted the first thing he thought. 

“Fio was wondering if you’d like to go on one of her adventures with her this evening, but she’s just been overthinking it so much that she made up something else so you wouldn’t come.” 

The look Fio gave him promised retribution. 

Ominis tilted his head in her direction, his expression wary. “What sort of adventure are we talking about? Hopefully, it won’t involve dark magic and dank caverns. You do remember our talk don’t you Fio?” 

Yes, she did. It was when they agreed not to turn in Sebastian. She had argued that she was no better than Sebastian, having learned the dark arts using crucio on her enemies quite often. It didn’t matter if she was harming evil people, they were just as “ innocent” as Solomon. They were wrong in their ways but they still had people who cared about them, they deserved a chance. If Ominis didn't see her as a monster with so much blood on her hands, then why condemn Sebastian for just one murder, something he regretted when she did it willingly?

“Yes, I remember Ominis. I promise it doesn’t involve any dark magic or dank caverns. I know my ancient magic is strong enough. Plus I don’t think the animals I’m rescuing will want to be in any other dark or enclosed spaces than the ones they already will be in.” 

“What do you mean by that?”

“Poachers Ominis, she means poachers.” Sebastian piped up. 

“Poachers?!” Ominis’s voice was sharp. “Poachers are dangerous. You shouldn’t get tangled up with them. I thought you were done with that after Harlow went to prison.” 

Fio sighed. “If only that were true Ominis. But poachers don’t just stop because their leader is gone. I’ve been hunting them for months, just alone, so no one else gets hurt, and secretly.” She said glaring at Sebastian. How long had he known she’d been doing that? 

“That’s incredibly foolish Fio! You could be seriously injured, or killed.” Ominis chided. 

“Which is why you should go with her,” Sebastian said with a wink at Fio. “She needs a strong protector like yourself to keep her safe. You wouldn’t want her to be alone, all by herself out in the Highlands with no one else around.” He grinned as he saw her grow flustered at the thought. 

“I can fend for myself, Sebastian. Have you forgotten how powerful I am?” Fio frowned. 

“Of course not darling, I know you have it handled. Which is why I don’t have to do much when I follow you every night,” he smirked. His brown eyes sparkled in amusement at her shock.  

“You follow her?!” Ominis exclaimed, stealing the words out of Fio’s mouth. 

"Of course, I follow her. Like you said, she could get into trouble, and I wouldn't want anything to happen to our best girl. Plus, it's simply enjoyable watching her in action. She's so powerful and talented; it's great fun seeing her put those poachers in their place," Sebastian chuckled.

Fio glowered at him as he continued  “It's amazing to watch her,” he said with admiration, “it's like she's a different person when she's out there. She's so strong and so brave, and-” 

Fio was flushed with embarrassment by now, and rolled her eyes with a groan, trying to brush off the feelings of thanks she had for his secret aide, and the pride he praise gave her. Yet no matter how right he was that she likely needed someone’s help she didn’t want to accept it. 

“I’m fine,” she insisted, “I can take care of myself.” 

Ominis shook his head. “No, you can’t. You like to think you can do things alone but you tend to forget that most of your success has come from others being by your side. If it wasn’t for Natty you wouldn’t have stopped Harlow. If it wasn’t for Fig you wouldn’t have fixed the repository. If it wasn’t for Amit you wouldn’t have-” 

Damn, she had forgotten she had told Ominis all about this. Now he had things to use against her arguments. This made it so much harder. Why did Sebastian have to open his mouth? 

“No Ominis, I won’t let you risk your life for me. I can do this alone. I don’t need anyone’s help.” 

“Don’t argue with me, Fio. It's final. I’m going with you whether you like it or not. And don’t you dare try to slip away; you know I can always find you.” Ominis was dead serious about that. He had always managed to know what Sebastian and she were up to. It was a good thing she had insisted they tell Ominis the truth because he was always there. 

 Fio sighed in frustration. She had no choice but to accept. “Alright, I’ll meet you in the Room of Requirement around midnight.” 

“Meet you then Fio.” 

~~

Fio was quite surprised when Ominis did meet her in the Room of Requirement. She knew Ominis could hold his own after they went after Sebastian in the catacombs but she didn’t think he would purposely go into danger unless he had to. Ominis fighting poachers, what a thought. Yet here he was, ready to go side by side with her into danger, just the two of them…alone. 

Come on Fio, it’s just Ominis. He’s your friend, be normal. Just because you smelt him in your stupid love potion doesn’t mean anything. He might not even feel the same, so stop this now. 

“Hello, Ominis. Are you ready for this?” 

“Ready if you are,” he held a hand out to her. “Shall we go?” 

“We shall.” Fio took his hand and led him to the floo flame, and taking a deep breath dropped the powder into the green fire, and with a swoosh it took them all the way to Posidear Coast. 

Ominis followed her closely, listening to her every careful direction as they crept towards the first camp where a bunch of diricrawls were being kept captive. Fio wasn’t that surprised when she saw the woman who tried to convince her to allow her to keep the rare white diricrawl Gwenerva who now lived in her vivarium buying feathers from them. Fio waited for the woman to leave before she turned to Ominis’s glistening outline to explain the plan. 

“Okay Ominis, first I’m going to start by sneaking in and petrify as many as I can before they notice me. You stay here and only join in if absolutely necessary do you understand?” 

Ominis wanted to object. He didn’t want to send her in there by herself. He didn’t like how they talked, carried themselves, or talked about how they planned to make the girl he knew was her pay for all she had done. Yet she had dealt with them before, she knew what she was doing. She was already upset he had come, and he wanted her to feel comfortable bringing him along. She had proved many times before that she could handle herself, he had to trust her. 

“Alright but if one of them dares to lay a hand on you I’m not going to sit by.” 

“I will appreciate the hand. But if it gets bad, and we’re outnumbered, you must run, no matter what happens to me. I refuse to let anyone die again on my behalf,” Fio insisted. 

Although concern etched his brow he nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. She took a deep breath and turned to creep into the camp alone. She needed to prove to him she could handle the situation. She was determined to make sure no one got hurt, that he didn’t get hurt. 

She managed to take out five poachers whispering, “Petrificus totalus” and snatching up their money pouches before a poacher animagus sniffed her out and pounced. 

Fio immediately threw up a barrier but was shocked when it wasn’t just the animagus dog that bounced off the shield of yellow light but Ominis, who took the bite meant for her, crying out in pain when the creature's teeth sunk into his wand arm, sending his wand flying. 

“Ominis I told you I had it handled!” She scolded him but as she replayed it in her mind she did realize she would have been grabbed if he hadn’t jumped in the way, his body blocking the blow before her shield did. She cursed her distracted mind. She had been so busy worrying that he would intercede that she hadn’t been paying attention to her surroundings. Now she owed him. 

“Get off him you blasted dog!” Her wand flashed out in a fit of anger, and red lightning wrapped around the poacher animagus, trapping her in the throes of pain she deserved for touching him. 

Ominis’s eyes widened in shock as the word “crucio” escaped her lips, the word she promised to never utter again but he didn’t have time to dwell on that when the curse drew the attention of about a dozen more poachers. He felt around for his wand a moment before he felt her yank him to his feet by the back of his shirt with her unnatural strength, thrusting his wand into his hand. The jeers of the poachers rang in his ears, laughing about having two children to kill. 

“I can’t promise I can keep you safe, Ominis, since you blew your cover. Do your best not to die!” Fio snapped, though her voice shook with fear. She was scared for him; she was now at greater risk now that she wasn’t solely protecting herself. This is why she didn’t want him to come. This is why she never wanted anyone to come. If she died it was her mistake, but if someone else died, it was her fault. Her death wouldn’t matter, but their deaths would haunt her. 

Ominis struggled to fight, his arm throbbing and he grew more lightheaded as blood seeped from the wound on his arm. He heard her cry out several times, and his wand told him that she had been struck while trying to block not only the spells aimed at her but also those intended to hit him. He managed to land a few hits, using Accio to pull them closer before igniting them with Confringo—the one spell he truly enjoyed. It was a spell he could cast with a clear mind while still relishing the rush of power it provided. She however was a force to be reckoned with. 

If she wasn’t defending him Fio could end them instantly, she knew that. But she did her best, using her favorite combinations. Glacius to freeze, incendio to explode, and diffindo to smash their frozen bodies into forgotten bits of nothing in the wind. She was still a murderer, but at least she gave them a chance by not using the unforgivable death curse. Ominis had been right when he told her ancient magic was enough. Even if she wasn’t trying to her spells always caused more damage than others, the wild unchecked magic it was. Still, she was tempted but Ominis was right there and Fio already knew she would hear about using the torture curse later. 

“Ominis we have to get out of here. I can’t- I can’t keep this up, more keep coming.” She sounded exhausted, her ancient magic likely very low from how much she had used it. The thunderclouds that had been boiling above them were fading quickly, and the air that had been crackling and thrumming with her incredible power was returning to normal. Ominis knew they only had a short time frame but he couldn’t help but ask. 

“What about the diricrawls?” 

“Forget about the diricrawls! You’re bleeding!” You’re more important than some stupid birds.” Although her tone was firm and sure he could detect the remorse that they would be unable to save the small creatures from their fated deaths. She had a soft spot for animals, one of the things he loved about her. 

Another short brunette who loves animals must be Poppy’s twin. Sebastian had joked once. 

“Okay, what’s the plan?”

“In a moment I’m going to summon the largest lightning bolt I’ve ever made and then we, run.”

He agreed. 

~~

What happened next was a blur of heat and movement, overwhelming Ominis’s senses. Her bolt of lightning had provided a great distraction but when she swooped him away on her broom it didn’t go unnoticed and they were being chased at top speed across the ocean. She was an expert flyer, and Imelda’s lessons came in handy as she dodged the spells that were no longer friendly but it did no good. They would be surrounded quickly if they didn’t do something soon. 

Fio couldn’t believe what was happening. She had never found herself in a situation like this before—one where she felt trapped and unable to take control. She hated the lack of control because it meant she couldn’t guarantee his safety. She knew she had to take action, but what could she do?

The next moment all Ominis knew was freezing cold water and the oxygen being pulled from his lungs in an icy grip. Fio’s hand gently gripped his and she wrote “wait” on his arm with her fingers, calming him. When his panic subsided he listened through the water to the sound of the poachers above shouting angrily.  Fio had pulled him into the water to hide them.

As the voices faded away, Fio swam towards the surface, pulling Ominis upwards. She resurfaced with a desperate gasp for air, Ominis right beside her. They crawled shivering from the water towards a run-down cabin near the edge. Fio wordlessly prepared a fire  before quickly moving to Ominis’s side, taking his arm gently in her hands. 

He flinched at her touch, pulling away. 

“Ominis, you need to let me look at this; it’s really bad,” she spoke softly, her voice gentle and cautious, careful not to startle him. He was wary of anyone touching him, like an abused dog unaccustomed to a kind touch.

Ominis nodded, his face still pale and trembling, letting Fio carefully examine his injury, her heart breaking at the sight. It was deep and would probably scar no matter what she did. 

“Ominis you shouldn’t have interfered,” she sighed, gently brushing away dirt from the bite with the scrap of clean cloth she had in her bag. “Now they’re still out there hunting and looking for us.” 

“So what? You want me to just stand by and let you get injured?” Ominis asked, a note of disbelief in his voice. 

“Yes. If that means you stay safe.” 

“You’re not serious.” Ominis said flatly, a bit angry now. “You expect me to just sit there and listen to you get ripped to pieces by some dog or cut up or burned by spells when I could be helping? That’s suicide Fio! That’s practically allowing you to kill yourself. I can’t do that, you can’t ask that of me.” 

Fio didn’t answer, just pulled a needle and thread from her bag before Ominis stopped her and healed himself instead with a complicated healing spell. She watched in  fascination as the skin began to stretch and put itself back together. 

“Wow, Ominis I didn’t know you were a healer.” 

Ominis scoffed slightly. “I’m not a healer yet but it’s always good to know some healing spells. You never know when a spell might go wrong or when a potion will blow up. Especially when you happen to have reckless friends such as  I do.” 

Fio couldn’t say anything about that. He was right. She was foolish for running into danger alone. But he didn’t understand the  guilt she’d feel. She has all the power in the world but she failed to save someone else like Fig or Lodgok. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she lost someone else. 

Ominis could sense her struggle, her magic unsettled inside her, churning around them anxiously. It felt…heavy. He took the wiggenweld she offered, grimacing as it went down. However, it was worth it when he felt his blood replenishing and his strength slowly coming back to him. 

“Fio let me see yours.” 

“What?” 

Ominis laughed a little at her confusion. “Your wounds, Fi. I heard you get injured. Let me take care of you now.” 

Wordlessly and clumsily she made her way over to him, heart pounding so hard she could swear he could hear it. She willed herself to act normal as he tentatively reached out and felt along her arms and shoulders making her breath hitch. 

Ominis noticed this and how she initially was tense before she relaxed into him. His sensitive fingertips eventually found them, when she hissed in pain. He healed them all quickly enough but couldn’t bring himself to pull away. Her skin was so soft. But he couldn’t help but notice the  scars that lingered. 

“These are from past battles aren’t they.” 

“Yes.” She whispered. 

Ominis sighed heavily. “Please promise me you’ll be more careful. I know you’re strong and brave but you don’t have to do things by yourself all the time... I don’t want to lose you.” 

Fio turned to face him, seeing his vulnerability and worry. She hated to upset him but she couldn’t lie to him either. 

“Ominis I’ll try to be more careful. But I can’t promise you won’t lose me someday. I’m a wanted woman by so many.” 

Ominis looked pained. “Don’t say that. Don’t talk like it’s inevitable. You aren’t going to die, I won’t allow it. I can’t.” 

“I’m not asking you to.” 

“Fiorenza! I don’t care who needs saving, I don’t care that there are dark wizards. I don’t care if I get hurt. I don’t care about any of that. I care about you, that you’re safe. 

“Ominis-“ Fio tried to protest but he wasn’t done.  

“I can live with the fact that dark wizards continue to exist, that poachers are still poaching. But I can’t live without you, do  you understand?” Ominis begged her to listen, reaching out with a bold move to gently cup her cheek in his hand. 

“Ominis, please try to understand. No one else can do what I can. The ministry does nothing and I’m not going to just sit around while innocent animals and people get hurt. Only I can face many alone and survive and if I die that happens. It’s my burden, my honor, and my responsibility. No one else should have to worry. You shouldn’t have gotten involved.” 

Fio tried to stay serious, tried to keep her voice steady but it shook. She almost lost him tonight, the most important person in her life. She couldn’t physically lose anyone else. She almost withered away when she lost Professor Fig, and the thought of losing Ominis was even more unbearable. She would rather die alone than risk him getting hurt. She wanted to let him in, but she couldn’t when she led such a dangerous life. 

His expression softened at her words, his brow furrowing with a mixture of sorrow and something else, something deeper that made her wonder if the feelings he expressed were more than friendship. But that was foolish. He couldn’t love her after all the mistakes she had made. When she still used the dark arts, something he despised. 

Ominis stepped closer making her suck in a breath, his fingers gently brushing her cheek. He couldn't bear to be away from her, even for a second. The thought of being parted from her hurt him deeply as if someone had plunged a knife into his soul. How could she believe she was invaluable? How could she think of herself as nothing more than a tool to serve others? The warmth of her skin was the only thing keeping him grounded in this moment; knowing she was there, safe with him, brought him comfort.

He desired her greatly, yet he was afraid to express his feelings. Vulnerability was something he was not accustomed to, and it left him feeling exposed. Yet it might be the only way to convince her to stop risking her life left and right, recklessly running into danger. He took a deep breath and finally spoke, his voice low, shaky, and raw, so unlike him. 

“I don’t want to be just another person you’re protecting Fio,” he murmured. “But if you’re going to keep fighting alone, then let me fight for you, for your needs. If you can’t promise me that you won’t die, then at least let me be there with you when you go. Let me help carry the burden. I’ll carry it with you, Fio. Please…”

Fio felt a sharp pang in her chest as she gazed up into his earnest star-sapphire eyes that pleaded with her. For a moment she wanted nothing more than to let go, to allow him to be fully part of her world, part of her life. To not struggle alone, to have someone to hold her when the nightmares came, to tend her wounds as he had done just now. But she couldn’t. 

“I don’t want you to suffer because of me,” she whispered, eyes fluttering closed as she allowed herself to briefly enjoy his touch. “You have already suffered enough because of your family. I couldn’t live with myself if I dragged you into this. If you got hurt again, or killed..I’d die.” She sighed pulling away. “You deserve someone who brings light and warmth into your life, not the darkness and cold that comes with bearing a power you didn’t even want. And the dark arts.” 

Ominis scoffed as if what she had just said was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. “You, my darling, are the furthest thing from dark and cold. The smell of your cooking, especially the warm tomato stew you make for me, warms my insides. I feel even warmer when I hear you laugh or hum a little tune. You make me feel the warmest I've ever felt. Your wit and sweet words lift my spirits on days when I'm down. You stood up for me when Sebastian wanted to leave me out of the loop. You've brought so much light into our lives." He reached for her hand, needing to touch her again as he bared his soul. "As for the dark arts, they'll always be a part of my life, and I see you trying to change. No one forgets those spells, and they're not easy to quit. I forgive you.”

Fio’s eyes shot open and her breath caught. Her pulse quickened, thrumming rapidly against his fingertips. No, no he couldn’t be saying this. She needed to calm down. He was so close and his smell was overwhelming. It was as if she was back in the potions classroom again, his scent all around her. It was overwhelming. For a moment she forgot where she was, but his soft voice broke through her panicked thoughts. “Fio are you okay?” he asked. “Please don’t keep pushing me away.” 

His expression and his voice was so vulnerably honest that she couldn’t breath. It was like he was confessing something to her. Something impossible. Something that must be a delusion. The air hummed between them, electrified by something. Something intimate, building up to something they could never go back from. She turned away, trying to compose her burning cheeks, her awkwardness, and how her voice would break if she spoke. His closeness, his words- they were intoxicating. 

“Ominis, you need to stay away,” she gasped, fighting back the overwhelming wave of emotions. “This—this potion, it's clouding everything… I—I can't think straight.”

Ominis was shocked and confused at her words. At first he didn’t realize what she meant but then he remembered the week before and the potions project they had. How she, his small sweet and incredibly skilled partner had become tense beside him, fumbling with bottling the deliciously sweet scented potion that was amortenia. He hadn’t needed a potion to realize his affections, but it seemed that it had put hers into perspective and she feared his reaction. 

“Darling there is no potion,” he said softly, turning her back to him. “At least not this time.” 

She flushed at her mistake and began to stumble over herself for a explanation but he stopped her, a gentle smirk on his lips. “Did you smell something that surprised you on Tuesday?” 

“I-I….yes, yes I did. I didn’t want to tell you, because it’s kind of an overused thing you know? Oh I didn’t know I loved you until I smelled you in some dumb potion. It’s kind of shallow sounding. But I did love you before it’s just-”

“Shhhh…I know. You were afraid to say so. And I know what you mean. I didn’t need a potion to tell me that the smell of seaspray, grapefruits, and lemon was my favorite smell in the entire world. Yet I didn’t say anything. Because how could a girl as amazing as you love me?” 

Fio’s heart thudded painfully in her chest at his words, the sincerity in his voice piercing through her defenses. She opened her mouth to respond, but no sound came out. Her thoughts tangled in a chaotic mess, and she could barely grasp hold of any coherent words.

Ominis didn’t let her speak. Instead, he reached out gently, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his fingers warm against her skin. “Fiorenza, listen to me,” he said, his voice a whisper, but it held a kind of certainty that made her feel like she was drowning in it. “The potion just amplifies what’s already there. So the question is…do you love me too?” 

She couldn’t believe this was happening, that she just heard those words fall from his lips. It was true what he said, she had always known since the Scriptorium. Even though she was scared she didn’t want to run this time. 

“Yes Ominis. I love you, more than I can say.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” He  whispered, his  voice trembling. She loved him? She really loved him. 

She laughed nervously. “I suppose I was afraid. I didn’t want to hurt you or put you in danger.” 

Ominis’s hand cupped her cheek again, his thumb brushing over her skin gently. “Fio, you don’t hurt me. You’ve never hurt me. What hurts is seeing you push me away, thinking you have to do everything alone. You don’t.” He took her hand and placed it against his chest so she could feel his beating heart. “My heart is yours until it stops beating. And I’d rather it stops while by your side. I’d rather lose you or myself while having you as mine than die having not had you at all.” 

“I’ve always been afraid of losing you,” Fio admitted, her voice a soft whisper. “But more so I’ve been afraid  that I’d never be enough for you.”

A quiet chuckle escaped Ominis’s lips, and he leaned in closer, his forehead resting gently against hers. “You’ve always been more than enough, Fio. I’ve known that since the moment I met you. It’s more me who’s not worthy.” 

“Don’t say that again. You’re perfect for me.” She said firmly. 

Without another word, Ominis leaned down, his lips pressing softly against hers. It was gentle, tentative,  as they were both still trying to process everything. But it didn’t stay that way for long. The kiss deepened, a promise, to stop running, to finally trust. 

When they finally broke apart, breathless and their  hearts pounding, Ominis’s smile was tender.

“No more being alone alright? You have me,” he said, his voice low and warm. “Promise you won’t push me away?” 

“I promise.” Fio meant it with all her heart. She had all she needed, all she wanted. With him she wasn’t alone. 

He kissed her again, so gently. 

“I love you Fio.” 

“I love you too Ominis.” 

the end

[xinamothy]

So piglins...

I thought way to long about these guys. They are just so silly.

Anyways some worldbuilding brain dump:

Piglins live in Matriarchal family groups called Sounders, run by the eldest female, her closest elder female companions, and their husbands (who are mainly in charge of raising their sons though may be consulted on certain matters).

Sons will typically leave their home Sounders when they reach near full size as it is an important rite of passage (and keeps the gene pool flowing). They spend their time learning from their fathers before hand and try to survive alone to prove themselves as good potential husbands to other Sounders. Females may also leave though usually it is later in life to found their own Sounders or pursue a courtship.

....

First piece depicts a relatively common family with multiple kids all born of the same litter. Due to the lack of a day night cycle, age in the Nether is determined by size, so if children will be considered different "ages" by largest to smallest in spite of birth order. Both monogamy and polygamy are practicing but differ in frequency based on regions, polygamy is probably more common across the culture. What matters most one (but especially men) remaining loyal to their Sounders but who and how many they marry matters very little. There are some sex specific traits mainly in the "Mohawk" that a majority of men develop and their larger tusks. Some men may also retain a "baby stripe" at the center of their head while women may retain two over the eyes. Culturally the woman hunt, gather food and lead the sounder while men guard, mine, and craft necessary materials. Men will wear their own gold creations and gift them to their wives to prove themselves as good husbands. Wearing a lot of high quality gold jewelry is a symbol of strength and respect.

Second piece is my lesbian wedding piece, the culture is very excepting of non cishet peoples and their relationships. The wedding ceremony often depicts the four "gods" (not a very accurate word, more like demigods and the first ever piglins) called the three wives and husband. They are the wife of hunt, wife of forage, wife of home, and husband (he doesn't get a fun title but he is understood as the one who taught the piglins mining and metallurgy). The wives are considered much more important to everyday piglin culture but the husband still has his place and is considered the leader of men who keeps their culture cycling. During most ceremonies a post will be erected in the gods honor and danced around.

Also wine because wart wine is fun to say. It is definitely not palatable to other races but the piglin like it.

I honestly could make a whole movie just of all my notes of piglin food and mythology alone.

[darcytaylor]

Isn’t it career suicide when at the peak of his fame (because it is rare to be the lead of such a huge show), Luke is not taking full advantage of the exposure?

Choosing to not attend Wimbledon, meanwhile going to fashion week shows, paying to attend an influencer networking event, and bringing his gf along to all of these?

Rationally I don’t think it makes sense. And had Luke been a person as determined and career-focused as Nic or Johny B, you would have seen him fully capitalizing on his success by making appearances everywhere and leading new projects.

But if we look at things from the angle that Luke is very sensitive and anxious (we know he suffer from anxiety and finds life overwhelming due to his ADHD), then forget about making rational decisions, all of his choices regarding work and people to keep close in his personal life would be almost 100% dictated by his anxiety.

For example, he might choose to attend events with clearer structures, less pressure on meeting and talking to others, and more welcoming toward plus ones, so he can always have a comfort person there to support him. I don’t think this is what Wimbledon is about hence he wasn’t seen there.

His choices of people around him seem questionable, but when someone is vulnerable (coping with anxiety in this case), they might appreciate qualities that normal people overlook. Most of us have got the impression that his friends/gf seem off, but perhaps they are the most tolerant toward his anxious nature while others take him for granted.

Perhaps they give him the reassurance and acknowledgment that he craves without any expectations. And from personal experience, those who display certain negative traits (eg narcissism) do thrive on relationships with vulnerable people. There is a dynamics in which the narcissist gives the vulnerable what they don’t usually get from everyone else in exchange for company and loyalty, which I have seen repeatedly in real life.

We love Pen for her intelligence and girlboss power, which match up well with Nicola’s personality in real life. However, I don’t think we are prepared to accept, in place of the dorky cheeky Colin, someone like Luke who is an anxious laid back dude who is pretty much trying to lead a life as free of nerve-wracking moments as possible.

When Nic praises Luke for being kind, supportive, hard working and having no ego, I fully believe she is not lying. She could easily be describing an anxious person who is just nice and trying to do his job well. Nic does have this motherly and assuring nature which allows her to build this great friendship with Luke and they clearly bonded via going through the experience of stepping into the spotlight. Nic has done such an amazing job with handling press and public attention; I think Luke was grateful that she was there to take most of the pressure while he could just happily sit there agreeing and showing support. There is nothing wrong with this. I am sure Luke did the best of his ability.

Realistically, I don’t know how romantically compatible Nic and Luke are. I feel that Nic is good for Luke as a more experienced costar who guides and supports him, and a smart colleague who knows how to work with Luke’s strengths and weaknesses in order to make them both shine. If Luke had chosen Nic as a love interest I wonder if this might be too much for him to measure up. Luke probably wants a relationship as something to complement his life and helps him cope with his anxiety, meanwhile Nic is likely only dating casually on the side while focusing on her career.

Wow, this is a great analysis thank you for sharing!

I do think that Luke not capitalizing more on his career is odd, but I ultimately don't think that it is career suicide. I would also need to know where Luke wants his career to go, in order for me to come to a conclusion. It has been fascinating to look on the sidelines and wonder what he is doing or where he wants to go.

I think that comparing Luke with Nicola or Johnny can be a hinder to Luke, because they are a tough competition and they obviously know where they want to go. Nicola and Johnny are incredible at what they do on all fronts of their career, they are powerhouses and you can see that they know what they want and will go the extra mile to get it. Not many people are like this. I just hope that Luke can look in from the outside and get a better idea as to what he wants and how to get it.

(or maybe he already does know what he wants and it's not the Nicola or Johnny level of fame, so he is stepping back. Or maybe because of PR moves he fucked up and is not invited to things - although I don't think that is the case, but at the end of the day I have no idea)

As far as the friends that he keeps - I can take a glance at their online personas and gather information about them to come to a conclusion, but I also know that social media can be very misleading and will never tell you the whole story about people. It may be ignorant of me to judge them, but then I also know that they are the ones responsible for creating what they put out into the world.

Luke has been friends with them for a while now (especially Rory) and that alone can be very comforting. Just knowing that they know you on a personal level and you can be who you are regardless of anything. Especially if you have anxiety (I suffer from this as well), knowing that you don't have to mask or hide a version of yourself, lets the anxiety fade into the background a little.

Luke has also stated that he is a very empathetic person. Even if he sees friends/people in his life have questionable actions, an empathetic person will/can try to look past that. A narcissist would thrive on that and easily be able to take advantage.

I completely agree that Luke was grateful to have Nicola on his team. To have her by his side in all of the craziness that Bridgerton can bring. Nicola is smart and compassionate, she knows what she is doing.

As far as Luke and Nicola being compatible? I have no idea. Since we only see a very small part of who they actually are, I can't say what their dynamic would look like if they were a couple or if they would/could thrive together. I do think that they compliment each other professionally and that could be a good sign/starter for a romantic relationship.

[sonicasura]

More info on the Nobody Like You AU! I figured why not expand more about it! Now let's get started!

Edit: Someone actually made a fic of this on AO3. (They got my permission btw!)

Kafka's Kaiju form looks similar to canon but with the differences I mentioned in Always A Kaiju. His adult form is around 70 meters in size, he has large obsidian wings outlined by luminous green bone, a long tail ending with a scythe-like blade, long jagged dorsal plates that go down from his neck to tail, and completely green glowing eyes bearing X shaped pupils. A huge contrast compared to when he was a little kid.

Kid!Kafka basically looks like a chubby baby version of his canon kaiju form. The man was barely corgi sized at the start! He really began to grow once he started to reach adolescence. Traits such as his wings, tail blade, and unique pupils begin to crop up during his teenage years. (Yes he does take Soshiro for a flight a few times.)

Kafka knew his size would eventually become a problem. It's more difficult to sneak around and he couldn't sneak onto Hoshina Clan property anymore as he would be so easy to spot. He never thought about trying to become human until Kafka eavesdropped on an outdoor viewing of Ponyo.

Whenever he's in a slump, the Kaiju often sneak over to an outdoor movie theater and watch whatever they're playing. An argument for Soshiro was enough to warrant this. Kafka knew he could shift his body but it's an ability he never bothered to test.

Watching Ponyo gave him enough determination to try. He wanted to continue seeing Soshiro and his foster mother Sakuya. Thus Kafka got to work in figuring out how to become human. From experimenting with his shifting abilities to reading up on human anatomy.

Although one thing Kafka really needed to improve was human interaction. He has only spoken to two people and that's not enough to help him blend in. Thus the man often sought out people to talk to once he got used to moving around as a human.

Kafka's most important ally in this endeavor is Mina Ashiro. He had accidentally bumped into her during a walk. The kaiju in disguise noticed how lonely she seemed to be thus struck up a conversation. Mina would quickly become his best friend and gave Kafka some pretty solid advice on certain things.

This includes how to court Soshiro as he had no clue on 'dating'. It was a very pleasant surprise to learn his lover would be in the same Division as her. Mina was also Kafka's Maid of Honor for their wedding.

Now he hasn't told her what he really is. Kafka had learned how much Mina hated kaiju and was honestly scared that their friendship would end if she ever found out. He hated lying to her but knew nothing good would come out of telling the truth. Soshiro usually has to reassure Kafka about the topic. However this was a secret only his husband could tell and he wouldn't push him to make such a decision.

Kafka joins the Monster Sweepers for two different reasons. The first being it pays quite well as he does need money to spoil himself and his mate. His second reason is that it's a quick meal. Kafka often dug through the trash when he was younger because it's where a good chunk of a kaiju corpse goes after clean up.

The company wouldn't care much if portions mysteriously disappeared over time and he's least likely to get in trouble should he be caught by taking the job. Similar to Mina, he cherishes the bond he shares with the Monster Sweepers. Kafka's less scared of asking 'hypothetical' questions about his true form to them than her.

When they became adults, Soshiro did ask his lover just how big his kaiju form had gotten. Cue one impromptu (and concerning for the Hoshina) middle of nowhere country side trip. A thought proven right as he watched Kafka turn into a 70 m titan. The himbo obviously cracks a monster movie joke to ease the tension. Nothing like a laugh to help Soshiro deal with the fact he's in love with the next King of the Kaiju.

Hibino became a middle name for the couple once the two married. It was too important for Kafka to replace as it reminded him of his human foster mother's kindness. Even moreso because she perished during No.6's attack.

One of the few times Kafka ever went berserk against another Kaiju. He was lucky that he kept himself in check enough to stay at a human size and avoid detection. Soshiro took some months off to comfort his lover for his loss.

Kafka has met his lover's family when he got a good grasp of human interaction and his human form. Thus he avoided the whole approval process when Soshiro announced they were dating. One of the things Kafka took up to impress them was cooking.

He does experiment with different ingredients which includes kaiju meat but he reserved that bit to himself. Snacking on human food made the man quite the foodie. Plus he loves seeing Soshiro smile as he offers him a homemade Mont Blanc.

Kafka makes his appearance during the Tachikawa Invasion. Soshiro had invited him over for the party. Kafka stealthily dispatched some of the wyvern kaiju without being spotted but he had to transform to stop the bomb.

Everyone made assumptions about the Vice Captain's husband being replaced. That is until Soshiro raised his sword at them when some officers aimed their guns at Kafka. Only the Third Division knows the truth about the two lovers under Mina's orders. It's one of the few times that Soshiro was glad for his family's influence.

The Defense Force is eventually told once a case is built for Kafka. With how things are ramping up, it would be a matter of time anyway. Soshiro would rather strike first with his husband's approval than leave it up to fate.

@noodlesbf-blog @iceclew @omniithe-deer @renard-dartigue @drmarune @kafkahibinomybeloved @terra-sketches

[lifeandtimesoftrying]

The overlords’ persuasion, the Morningstar’s power, and what this means for Charlie

Hazbin Hotel's been rotating in my head since the finale and I have capital-t Thoughts about the worldbuilding (and its implications). So!

Hazbin Hotel’s power system is fundamentally divided into two parts: the overlords, whose abilities are fully tied to and determined by their connections with other denizens, and the Morningstars/other Hell-born aristocracy, whose abilities are innate and unchanging. I think this is why Lucifer is incredibly powerful while not really having power, the overlords seem to be running the show, and Charlie’s character has a lot left to come.

(This got pretty long and there are spoilers, so I’m putting it under a cut!)

Lucifer doesn’t have much authority—the meeting to decide the fate of hell is attended by only the overlords, other demons repeatedly dismiss Charlie (often even using her relationship with her dad to do so), and when we do finally meet the King of Hell himself, it’s when he’s engaged in a hobby which he clearly has a lot of free time for. When Charlie needs large numbers of allies, it’s Alastor and Rosie who coordinate to get them for her, and Alastor is terrified of Zestiel but told Lucifer “fuck you” to his face. Lucifer doesn’t have any control over his subjects.

However, he is still incredibly powerful. He and Charlie, whose powers presumably came from him, defeated Adam, and in the finale sequence he conjured the foundation for a whole hotel without any strain.

The overlords function in the exact opposite way: their powers are gained through their various relationships with other people, and can be influenced as such. Most obviously, Carmilla Carmine explicitly tells Vaggie that the best way to fight is for love, but Rosie is powerful because of the ways she can provide for people and gain their loyalty. Alastor’s known to have bought souls to do his bidding, and the Vees are all themed around ways to influence people (pornography, TV, and social media), and at least one of them also has contracts for souls.

“Hell’s Greatest Dad” illustrates both the overlords’ and the aristocracy’s perspectives. Regardless of how authentic Alastor is being in his claims in the song, it can be assumed that he’s doing everything he can to convince Charlie to work with him, and Lucifer is doing the same. However, their approaches are polar opposites.

Lucifer’s persuasion relies on his innate abilities: he calls himself “the big boss of Hell himself,” and says that he can help “with the punch of a pentagram / I wap-bam-boom, alakazam / Usually I charge a sacrificial lamb / But you get the family rate.” This emphasizes both his familial (and unchangeable) tie to Charlie and his inborn abilities, which come up again when he says “there’s no substitute for pure angelic power.”

The reasons that Alastor cites for why he should be chosen are all based in the actions that he’s done for Charlie, and the resulting relationship that they have because of those actions. He emphasizes his consistency (“who’s been here since day one”) and reliability (who’s been faithful as a nun), both of which are good traits for an overlord to have.

I think this contrast is why Mimzy has to show up when she does: there is no way to resolve the argument about whether to choose that which has been built or that which you were born with. And that’s because of Charlie. Charlie’s dad was never mortal, but her mom was. None of the overlords have been called immortal, but many of them are confirmed to have been mortal. A large part of Charlie’s arc in season 1 is her learning how to connect with the people around her and get them to believe in her. She is, in many ways, beginning to function like an overlord would. With one major difference.

We know that Husk used to be an overlord, most likely one of gambling. Gambling is really three things: chance, skill, and being able to read other people without them being able to read you. And from what we know of overlords, getting that status requires all of those traits. Chance and skill exist in any field, but the ability to see past other’s facades without revealing your own hand is incredibly important here, to the point where it’s Alastor’s whole shtick—a smile is a way of staying in control.

But where overlords try to read those around them while keeping their own feelings hidden, Charlie always has her heart on her sleeve. When she goes to cannibal town, Alastor’s advice that she always smile quickly stops working, and only after she’s processed her feelings about Vaggie by talking with Rosie is she able to convince people to follow her.

But this is still only half of what she’s potentially capable of. We haven’t seen her try to battle anyone on her own and win—the closest we got was Valentino, but she quickly backed down from that. Since a second season is scheduled, my bet is that it’ll follow her learning the extent of her innate powers, and how to pair them with her connections to others—after all, she is the only character with both mortal an immortal lineages.

[princeasimdiya12]

Return to Nyan Nyaight Love-A Happy Ending in Sight?

Before I begin my analysis for Episode 9's NNL segment, I would like to thank everyone who reblogged my previous post and left kind and wholesome compliments about my analysis. It really warms my heart that so many of you guys enjoyed my thoughts on these segments. Especially if they helped provide a clearer understanding of what thematic purpose they serve in the Bucchigiri series. I'm more than happy to help and I appreciate the compliments.

Secondly, I'd like to thank @saph-yells-into-the-void for providing a majority of screenshots for me to use. Even though you didn't mind not being credited, you still deserve it for these great screenshots!

So just as a quick recap, the NNL segments serve as a Greek Chorus as they parallel the main story of Bucchigiri by using the customer's relationship with Jasmine to symbolize various relations and plot events. This time, their relationship parallels the main relationship of the series: Arajin and Matakara.

Episode 9: A Heartfelt Reunion

The segment starts with the customer being nervous as usual about whether he should go in, only to hurry inside as to avoid being spotted by Arajin who's on his way to the bathhouse. The customer is greeted by the receptionist who is still uneasy with him avoiding Jasmine. And even the customer himself looks less indecisive and more somber when he's asking for Pu'er instead of Jasmine.

As I mentioned in the Episode 1 segment, the customer is meant to symbolize Arajin while the catboy receptionist represents the colorful delinquents that Arajin encounters. And even though the first episode had Jasmine stand in for Mahoro, this time she stands in for Matakara.

The receptionist describes Jasmine as being strong-willed, clingy, and too much at times. Many of which are traits that are associated with Matakara.

-While Episode 9 shows him slowly succumbing to Ichiya's twisted therapy sessions, it's worth noting that it's been several days since when he first merged with the Blue Genie til then. So it's worth noting that Matakara lasted a good while before succumbing to Ichiya's will. And even before that, it was his strong will that helped him become stronger and find a place among Minato Kai while also evading the shadows that constantly haunted him. His determination in becoming stronger helped him to evade those shadows; maybe not vanquish them but not to succumb to them either.

-The clingy and too much at times qualities seem to go hand in hand as most of Matakara's screentime has been spent trying to reconnect with Arajin while holding him on a pedestal. Even as Arajin kept pushing him away, Matakara still clinged on to his idealized version of his best friend. One who constantly inspired him to be a Honki person and do the impossible. The too much at times part also works since Mataraka just wouldn't stop gushing over Arajin to his other friends or tries to force Mahoro to talk with him about Arajin and his involvement in Siguma Squad. While is very much a sunshine puppy boy, he can be quite overbearing when it comes to his old friend.

As of the last episode, Arajin made his true feelings for Matakara painfully clear and how he wants to avoid him at all costs. Only now the rest of the cast have taken notice and how much it's effecting Matakara given his refusal to talk to his other friends Zabu and Sakigake mixed with him running away from home. It's become a serious problem and they're all worried about him.

Something peculiar about the receptionist's behavior, and the whole scene overall, is how it's played for dramedy.

The receptionist treats the customer abandoning Jasmine as something tragic and how badly it's effecting her. There's soft music at play as the receptionist speaks his heart out about the cat's distress and how only the customer can help her.

But at the same time, it's just so ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous! There's no reason that the receptionist should need to be so invested in the customer's preferences in cats. They haven't actually bonded with each other apart from letting the customer in so he can spend time with the cats and spend Lord knows how much money. This is his job so it shouldn't matter which cat some random, pathetic everyman chooses to play with since he's still getting paid rather handsomely at the end of the day.

But it does matter to him.

Maybe (as far as we know) the receptionist doesn't know the customer very well but he (supposedly) knows that Jasmine truly misses him and is miserable without him. The receptionist could try to make Jasmine feel better herself given that he sees her more often and knows more about her. But he knows that she holds the customer in his heart and implores him to go back to her.

And while the Minato Kai boys don't care much for Arajin or flat out tell Arajin to patch things up with Matakara, they do make it clear that their friend isn't doing so well after their falling out. He's in need of help and they unfortunately can't do anything about it given how they were brushed aside. And even Mahoro, who also happens to be a colorful character that Arajin met when he entered the Ichizu gang life, has also picked up on Mataraka's despair and wants him to feel better. She clearly doesn't care for Arajin but she knows how much he means to Matakara, someone who understands her when it comes to valuing an older brother figure. She even flat out orders Arajin to go see how he's doing.

Something to consider is that while the Minato Kai boys and Mahoro have their respective but serious scenes with Arajin, they still have their quirky (questionable in Mahoro's case) personalities at play. Such as Sakigake singing his heart out in the bathhouse with Arajin while in his birthday suit to Mahoro having a tea party with a blow up doll of her big brother before learning about Matakara's brother. They're still weird and silly but they show how much heart they have and how they can empathize with someone who's at their lowest. And while they might not be the best person to help out, they know that Arajin is the best person to help them out.

Just like how the customer is the best person to help out the upset cat. And what does he choose when he's asked a second time?

He loses his mopiness for just a moment, becomes slightly more confident and chooses his precious Jasmine. Much to the receptionist's jubilation.

I'm gonna be leaning on the optimistic side and say that this will foreshadow Arajin reconciling with Matakara.

As much as I find Arajin to be a detestable and disappointing human being, I will admit that he is capable of growth. Particularly with bonding with his old childhood friend.

Right after defeating Akutaro, we see Arajin help out a grievously wounded Matakara while mildly complaining about it. We see them being on speaking terms during the Pro Wrestling Episode and Arajin even took the time to teach him how to make gyoza. Not to mention that Arajin was also willing to stick around for Mitsukuni's Welcome Party. The guy is not a good person (ESPECIALLY towards women) but he is capable of becoming better. Maybe at a snail's pace, but it's possible.

And we see those glimpses of growth in Episode 9 with him secretly admitting that there was one person (Matakara) who actually would like his rock for a gift.

So I want to be an optimist and say that Arajin will be able to save Matakara from his despair and they'll reconcile. Maybe accepting that he took Matakra's feelings for granted and how he should have treated his former friend better. How he was acting like a dunderhead and how he doesn't expect to be forgiven after treating him like yesterday's trash. I don't know if the puppy boy will forgive and accept Arajin again so quickly after everything that's happened (it actually would make for an impressive writing choice if Matakara chose not to accept him right away but with their being hope that they'll be friends in the future) but their relationship status will be a hopeful one.

Random Thoughts

When the receptionist brought up how the customer has seen other cats, I had two thoughts in mind. The first is from the Group Date til now, the customer has seen other cats at NNL apart from Pu'er.

The second is that this could be an implied parallel to Ichiya. I don't have enough information since we don't know much about Honki People and the Pasts of the Two Genies, but it's possible that Ichiya has encountered other masters in the thousands of years from when he was human to the present. The other cats could have been masters that Ichiya encountered and tried to possess to take revenge against Senya. But as the receptionist claims, Jasmine kept waiting for the customer. In this case, Jasmine was Senya. Ichiya's oldest friend who still longs to see and reunite with him after so many years of separation and regret.

Another thing I want to bring up is how conclusive this segment feels. It feels like it was wrapping up the plotline between the customer and Jasmine. I find this odd since this happened in Episode 9 and we supposedly have three more episodes before Bucchigiri is officially over. Does that mean we won't get more NNL segments in the final 3? Or will we still get them but in different formats? Like an epilogue of the customer bonding with Jasmine (along with getting an official reveal of who she is) or maybe we get a new customer who's set up to meet another cat potentially foreshadowing a final plot point in the series.

And those would be my thoughts on this segment. No lie, I did not expect this to be this long. But given how conclusive this NNL segment was, I felt there was alot to say about this. And what did you guys think of this segment? As before, feel free to reblog this if you agree with what I wrote, disagree or have another interpretation for this scene. So if you think of something, please say that you know.

"Do you know? Do you know? Do you know what this means?"

[thelazyhermits]

Got some info about Ace's relationship with my Yuu that I wanna share underneath the cut.

Okay, so I've mentioned before that Ace has a crush on Yuu, but he's in total denial about it. Since that's all I've really said on this subject, I thought I should provide some more details.

For starters, the main reason Ace is in denial about his crush is cause when he came to NRC he was bound and determined to steer clear of girls and romantic relationships for a while cause of how things turned out with his ex.

While Ace still ends up befriending/getting close to Yuu anyway, his feelings about not wanting to have a romantic relationship anytime soon haven't changed since he really does wanna take a break from all that.

That's why he keeps telling himself that his feelings for Yuu aren't like that. After all, there's no way he could seriously fall for a delinquent tomboy like her. He just gets flustered cause Yuu is good at getting those kinds of reactions outta people.

Ironically, this is why Yuu won't ever catch onto Ace's true feelings since she truly believes that she's the exact opposite of his type.

Yuu partially believes this cause of the typical quips he makes about her being a tomboy and a delinquent, but another reason is cause, from what she has heard, she's nothing like his ex, whom she assumes is the type of girl that Ace is usually drawn to.

(This is just my personal opinion, but I consider Ace to be the most normal guy of the NRC cast cause he really is a stereotypical teenage boy as compared to all the other guys who definitely aren't what I'd consider normal lol

For that reason, I think it'd be funny if his ex was just as normal as him. Plus, it seems like a reasonable assumption based on the little info he has given us about her, such as how she loves cute things/animals and hates action/horror movies and would rather visit and take pictures with theme park mascots rather than ride thrill rides, which are common traits for a lot of girls in anime/manga.)

Yuu is well aware of the fact that she's not normal. That's why she fits in so well at NRC lol 😂

She considers herself the exact opposite of a normal girl thanks to her cage fighting background which makes her come across as a delinquent to most people.

Plus, she acts like a mother hen, which is another thing that Ace often complains about.

Yuu also loves to tease/fluster Ace cause his flustered reactions are always so cute, and considering how unaccustomed he seems to be to such treatment, that makes her assume that his ex never did that and that Ace was the one who did all the playful teasing in that relationship.

The only traits she shares with Ace's ex are a love of cute things/animals and a fear of horror, the latter of which was one of the things he complained about cause he enjoys those movies.

That's why the idea of Ace ever having a romantic interest in Yuu has never even crossed her mind, and it likely never will unless someone other than her brings up this particular topic.

(Not even the fact that Ace will check her out whenever she's wearing cute clothes or clothes that show off her skin/muscles will lead Yuu to thinking he has a serious interest in her cause Yuu is unfortunately so used to guys staring at her thanks to her time in Japan's underworld that she just thinks that's normal, although she knows Ace is nothing like those guys.

Yuu just thinks Ace is being a stereotypical teenage boy since it's not like he's the only one she'll catch staring at her lol)

What makes this so funny is that both of them are wrong cause its these unusual qualities about Yuu that leads to Ace developing a serious crush on her.

No matter what how much he implies otherwise, Ace actually loves how strong and muscular Yuu is and how she can easily kick his ass. He finds that extremely attractive, although he'll never actually admit it out loud.

(This is my HC since I just can so easily see Ace falling for a girl who can kick his ass. Like I'm not saying he's a masochist since he definitely doesn't like being in pain, but I could just easily imagine him finding a powerful woman to be extremely attractive.

He also seems like the type who lowkey likes muscles and cant stop staring at them when they belong to someone he finds attractive.

I just love the idea of Ace just totally melting after either getting bridal-carried or pulled into an embrace where he can get wrapped up into some strong muscular arms XD

Also, I think Ace would totally swoon and get extremely flustered if Yuu was ever to pull off something like crushing a watermelon with her thighs 😂)

Another thing Ace really likes about her is the fact that Yuu can give as good as she gets. Contrary to what Yuu believes, Ace loves a girl who's good at teasing, like him.

(Another HC of mine is that Ace wants the kinda treatment he dishes out, so while he'll never admit it, he loves it whenever Yuu flusters him via teasing and physical affection.

So a scenario where Yuu pulls Ace into her muscular arms and whispers praise/words of affection into his ears is basically an instant KO to his heart 😂)

Regarding Yuu's mother hen tendencies, Ace does find them exasperating at times, but he also really enjoys being doted on. This boy LOVES being spoiled and just thrives whenever he gets all of Yuu's attention in moments like that.

While Yuu's fear of horror is a bummer, Ace honestly doesn't really mind it too much, not as much as Yuu thinks. He just hates that he can't experience her clinging onto him while she's scared since he really loves when she relies on him, and he wants her to come to him for comfort, which is not something Yuu regularly would do under normal circumstances due to her independent nature.

Out of all of Yuu's distinct qualities, it's her fiercely independent nature that Ace really has the most issue with cause he dislikes when she doesn't rely on him when she should.

While he sees nothing wrong with her being independent in general since I do think he'd like that in a girl, Ace doesn't like how Yuu typically tries to do everything on her own and doesn't willingly show much weakness around him since she always tries to be tough around her sons.

My HC is that Ace's love language is acts of service cause he's the type who doesn't wanna be vocal about his affection since he can't be honest, so instead, he shows his feelings through his actions, albeit subtly since he doesn't like doing overt displays of affection either cause he finds them embarrassing.

His ideal way of showing that he cares is being there when the person he likes needs help, and he "grudgingly" lends a hand since he just can't leave them alone.

Despite the complaints he'll make to save face, Ace truly likes being relied on, so it annoys him when Yuu doesn't do that a lot during the first half of the school year since relying on others is something that takes time for her to learn how to do naturally.

He especially hates whenever it looks like Yuu is relying on someone other than him, like Jamil, who's the first person whom Yuu becomes truly comfortable relying on, so there's definitely some jealousy there on Ace's end.

Despite this, Ace still ends up crushing on Yuu anyway, although it was a gradual development that started with Book 1 events when Yuu helped him out and stood up for him during the unbirthday party and just steadily grew as the months passed.

Fortunately for Ace, this crush never really causes him any trouble since he's so good at shoving those feelings to the back of his mind and being in denial lol

Also, in the end, things end up working out rather nicely for Ace since he's able to get the best of both worlds with Yuu.

By that, I mean, Ace is able to enjoy getting lots of Yuu's love and attention without having to date her cause of her affectionate nature and the fact that he's one of her sons, making him one of the people who gets the most of her affection/attention.

This is truly an ideal arrangement for Ace since he gets all of the good parts of dating without having to worry about committing to anything lol

The only real downside is that he doesn't get Yuu all to himself like he'd prefer and has to share her attention with the rest of her sons.

At the start, when this little family was coming together, Ace was not a fan of this turn of events since he thought that all Yuu needed was him, Deuce, and Grim, but eventually, he does come to accept that Yuu has other people in her life that she also cares about.

Of course, Ace is still quite possessive of Yuu, just as much as Grim, but he's in denial about that as well, which just makes his behavior all the more exasperating to Yuu lol

In summary, Ace is a total Yuu simp and is absolutely crazy about her. This boy is down so bad lol 😂