#I mean ik there's a difference between liking a character and thinking they're a good person

[llycaons]

omg omg these tags

#Jiang Cheng gets the apologies he deserves #Lan Zhan is a piece of shit #yes i said it #i love jiang cheng #Jiang Cheng Loves Wei Wuxian #Jiang Cheng sacrified everything for Wei Wuxian #People finds out the truth about the Core Transfer #They also found out how Jiang Cheng lost his core in the first place.#Serious Lan sizhui and Lan wangji bashing #Wei Ying knows his one true love #Wei Ying apologizes to Jiang Cheng #Madam Yu rules

ik there are people like this who love jc and hate lwj, but lsz is also being roped into this??? WHAT DID HE DO

[anakinstwinklebunny]

Ok, Ik that this is well known by every single soul. But Scott or Sam (whatever, they're ALMOST the same characters to me) as a high school love, with reader being a normal girl and smart one, and them being the annoying popular boy who plays with everyone and is a little rude and mean. Buuuttt, they change completely with reader, they're suddenly sweet and caring, just for them, but they still rude and a little mean. Ugh. A good high school confusing love🎀

Author's note: I think it's a great start to make them fight against each other for the reader. Nonnie, you're awesome <3

Everyone knew the MONROE twins. SAM and SCOTT ruled the high school in their own maddening, cocky way—Scott, all swagger and sharp grins, the life of every party, and Sam, the quieter one, with a brooding intensity that felt both attractive and a little dangerous. They were untouchable, reigning over the school’s social hierarchy like kings, their effortless charisma drawing people in and keeping them at arm’s length. Together, they were a storm—too loud, too intense, too much.

They were mean in a way only the untouchable kids could be—quick with smirks that cut deeper than words, glances that dismissed people as if they weren’t worth the effort. But not with you. You were different.

Smart, quiet, utterly uninterested in the drama that swirled around them, you’d somehow caught their attention. Maybe it was your no-nonsense attitude, the way you rolled your eyes at Scott’s cocky charm in the middle of class or the way you’d flat-out told Sam to do his own damn homework for once. Whatever it was, you’d slipped under their skin, and suddenly, they were everywhere.

It started slowly. Sam would linger at your locker between classes, his dark eyes softening when they met yours, a quiet, almost shy smile ghosting his lips. Then there was Scott, who always seemed to find his way to your side in the library, plopping down with an exaggerated sigh, sliding his notes your way like he was doing you the world’s biggest favor.

They didn’t play their usual games with you. They didn’t dare. Sam’s sharpness softened around you; Scott’s bravado turned teasing, almost affectionate. You saw sides of them no one else did—the way Scott’s smirk faltered when you caught him staring too long, the way Sam’s hand trembled when he reached for yours.

It was confusing, maddening, and utterly impossible to untangle. Because when you were with Sam, it was like the rest of the world faded away. His voice dropped lower, softer, his fingers brushing yours in a way that made your heart stutter. But then there was Scott, who’d lean against your locker with that infuriating grin, his hand grazing your shoulder like he couldn’t help himself, like he needed to touch you.

You didn’t know what you were to them. Friends? More? You weren’t sure, and the twins weren’t exactly forthcoming. And then, one day, things got even more complicated.

Sam was waiting for you after school, leaning against your locker with his usual quiet confidence. He was all soft smiles and lowered eyes, his hoodie hanging off one shoulder like he hadn’t a care in the world.

“Hey,” he murmured, his voice low, his hand brushing yours as he handed you the books you’d dropped earlier.

Your heart fluttered at the contact, but you forced yourself to stay calm. “Hey, you waiting for someone?”

He smirked, his fingers curling around the strap of his backpack. “Just you.”

You laughed softly, shaking your head. “You don’t have to—”

“I want to,” he interrupted, his voice firm but gentle. “Let me walk you out. Make sure no one gives you a hard time.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Since when do you care about anyone giving me a hard time?”

“Since now,” he said simply, his gaze steady, unwavering.

Before you could respond, a familiar voice cut through the air.

“Am I interrupting something?”

You turned to see Scott strolling up, his usual cocky grin firmly in place, but his eyes flicked between you and Sam with this weird sharpness you didn’t miss.

Sam straightened instantly, his hand dropping from where it had almost—almost—found its way to yours. The change was subtle, yet you felt it. The softness was gone, replaced by the guarded, indifferent mask he wore with everyone else.

Scott didn’t wait for an invitation, sliding between the two of you like he belonged there, of course. He threw an arm over your shoulder, pulling you close in a way that made your breath hitch and a great question ring in your head 'what the hell?'. “Come on, we’ve got places to be,” he said, completely ignoring Sam.

You glanced between the twins, your heart pounding, not really knowing what to do. At some point you wanted to stay with Sam yet you couldn't bring yourself to just say 'no' to Scott.

Sam’s jaw tightened, his hands curling into fists at his sides, but he didn’t say anything. He just gave you one last, lingering look before turning and walking away. Just like that

"Asshole" you heard Scott's scoff

It was like that for weeks. When you were with Sam, he was soft, gentle, his touches tentative yet deliberate. But the moment Scott showed up, he’d back away, his affection vanishing as quickly as it came.

And Scott? He was a complicated mass of nature, pulling you into his orbit with teasing grins and over-the-top gestures, but there was something deeper there, something he didn’t want to admit and you, couldn't really catch the meaning of it.

The twins didn’t know about each other—not really. You weren’t sure if they didn’t notice or if they were just pretending not to, but either way, the tension was suffocating, feeling like it chokes the life out of you.

One night, you found yourself alone with Scott in the library. He was sitting too close, his hand resting on your knee like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“You’re too serious, you know that?” he teased, his fingers tapping against your skin. “Life’s too short to spend it buried in books.”

“Some of us actually care about our futures,” you shot back

Scott chuckled, leaning in closer. “You don’t have to worry about that, sweetheart. I’ll take care of you.”

Your heart stuttered at the words, but before you could respond, a shadow fell over the table.

“Am I interrupting?”

Thank God for him saving you

Sam’s voice was low, eyes narrowing as they flicked to Scott’s hand on your knee.

Scott didn’t move, didn’t even flinch. He just smirked, his grip tightening slightly. “Not at all, Sammy. Just keeping your girl company.”

You swore you saw Sam jaw clench, giving Scott this daring look as if he was about to steal something that belonged to him. And as you sat there, caught between them, you realized something: whatever this was—this game, this pull between you and the Monroe twins—it was far from over.

And you weren’t sure you’d survive it.

TAG LIST: @kingdomhate @divineani @haydensprettyprincess @skyguys-princess @catnipaddict @heartscone @haydensbbg @inneedsoffanfics @jediavengers @literally-izzy @anisluvrgirl @slutforfinnickodair @xhunnybeeex @fuckmyskywalker @gallerygourmet @deceptiive @anakinskwkler @bimbo-baggins17 @cookybananas @emotionallybruisedx @diorvalentina @sevinax @throughparisallthroughrome @aniiuv @ritosparty @ninastyless @lily-strnlo @thesassypadawan

[brisquad-unit-4402]

Shu i'm so sorry but i really want to be called "my treasure" by a frenchman 😭

-🍰

master reader, am i tweaking?

i've been sitting on this ask bc i didn't realize until now but shu and zali would be god-tier love rivals. think about it. two dark-haired cuties with purple-pink highlights and the talented smart guy appeal. often get mistaken as calm and composed but shu is straight up silly goofy, while zali is suggestive silly. zali's highly competitive but when shu wants something he's dedicated. one of them speaks french. the other hates the french language

so FUCK IT the girls are fightinggggg

tags: gender neutral reader (some they/them), pre-relationship, possessiveness, jealousy, suggestiveness/briefly implied sexual content, alcohol/drinking, pining, acts of service and gift giving, reader is a vtuber, shu and zali are petty love rivals, surprisingly healthy rivalry, reader only shows up a little this ain’t about them (it’s about them), i take some liberties with irl vtuber activities while still writing for the characters you'll get what i mean

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

you and a handful of other vtubers were invited to an official nijisanji event at a convention

which of course means you get to hang out with your friends in person

of course of course this means there's more than a few, not quite parties but not quite hangouts

the event itself, and dinners, and the convention hall hosting an after-hours gala

"gala" is a big word to describe a ballroom with full masquerade gowns, sports jackets over gaming tees, and the occasional sonic the hedgehog cosplayer

There's something magical, Zali has to admit, about the gala and all its attendees. Who wouldn't feel magical after passing by a gacha game character and Goku dancing to a Final Fantasy song? The ballroom itself is made up of dangling chandeliers, casting a dim, romantic light around the room to match baroque decor. Really, the only difference from a high-class party is the otaku dress code. The pop culture/formal setting combo is a surprisingly good mix, he decides. He's holding a Jägerbomb.

He leans along a pillar next to a grand wall of glass. Moonlight shines through, tinting the chandeliers. Most of the glass is clear but occasional stained glass scatters the light on the dance floor. A nearby mosaic blooms phthalo blue against his shoes. He doesn't need to follow the trail of tinted light to find you; he's been watching from afar since your last conversation with him. You float between small groups of friends, included in conversation but rarely the star, always in movement. Anyone else would have trouble spotting you in the crowd, but Vezalius always had eyes for you.

He closes his eyes, sips the drink, feels the cool liquid flush warm under his cheeks. Zali isn't easily swayed by alcohol, but the way you bend over laughing with your coworkers is the real magic of the night.

A shadow in movement meets the cast of the window's caulking. Shu's only pair of nice shoes are an earthy, chestnut brown. Whenever he walks on this ballroom tile it's like a minor villain's theme as they're being foreshadowed, or a kitten learning to navigate with a bell collar.

Zali raises his Jägerbomb halfheartedly as Shu sidles up to the wall. "Shu."

"'Ey."

"Enjoying the party?"

Shu says, "It's nice. Good company."

Zali drinks, Shu does the same. Only now does he notice the glass of soju Shu brought with him, nearly empty, but the sorcerer is focused on one thing. Zali would know, he'd been staring at them just before Shu strolled by. His face is pink. Zali asks, "Are you drunk, Shu?"

"Oh, this?" The soju swirls in its glass as he raises it. "Ike drank half of it. It's not hitting yet."

"You make your infatuation very clear."

"I don't think it was ever a secret."

Zali already knew. The coat incident was telling. He'd never heard Shu say it out loud, though, and his apparent blush feels like a lid over boiling milk.

Across the floor, Zali (and Shu, it would seem) watches Lady Twisty and Klara teach you how to dance. It had started out as the Denauth ladies waltzing while you tried learning visually, but it devolved into a loose swirl between the three of you, decorum forgotten.

Klara holds your hand to spin you, and once you've gotten the gist down, you spin Twisty next. Elegant as ever, Lady Twisty curtsies while you cartoonishly bow to Klara's giggles. She wraps her arm around Twisty's waist and pulls you up by the shoulder, and when Zali focuses on the maid's eyes, he realizes she'd been watching him too.

He's not surprised by this either. You obviously haven't noticed Zali's feelings, but he lets them peek out frequently. He means it when he compliments you, he wants to treat you well. No one has asked him about his true feelings on you, but he'd like to imagine he comes across as a gentleman, unlike Shu's little puppy crush.

Well, no one but Klara. How could he forget. Coat incident.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

The coat incident happened earlier that day when you, Zali, Shu, and Klara walked around the streets together since most of the other livers were busy. You wanted to get inspiration for your upcoming second outfit, and besides, all four of you wanted to explore the city, so you invited them on a shopping trip.

The four of you walked around without a plan in mind, enjoying each other's company while window shopping. For as much as Zali wanted you to himself, Shu was still a good friend, and the last thing he wanted was to get frustrated at him because of his own prerogative. He'd deal with these feelings alone, at least until the day he opens up to you.

He was a master at restraining himself, until he passed by a certain boutique window. He froze a step behind the rest of the group, and called your name. "This would fit you."

The rest of the group turned to look, thinking for a moment. Klara was the first to speak next. She set her hands on your arm. "Try it on, Master Reader," she encouraged.

It didn't take long to find your size, and while the other two were looking around for things to go with it, Zali helped you shrug the coat on.

"I can put on a jacket myself, you know," you had protested, but allowed him to adjust the hood anyway.

He didn't say anything, partially because you were being a little nuisance so he'd be a nuisance right back. A softer feeling overtakes him. If crystals under his skin were the greatest grief he's experienced, then the pure opposite must be what wrapped around his heart.

He slid the zipper together—he briefly thought of other zippers around this lower area but put the thought back like a book on the shelf—and pulled halfway up your torso. Zali stepped back, closed an eye, and held his hands up like a frame as he imagined how you'd look in the corner of your stream setup.

From a professional coworker view, it's fine. If you used your current layout, the white fabric would contrast nicely, but of course you could always commission a graphic designer to match the full outfit. Coats make excellent toggles. Your fans could get creative with making assets for it, and its clean, wintry impression was one completely different from your debut outfit.

From a Vezalius Bandage point of view, the faux fur lining nestles around your hair, and he'd like to flip the hood up and down and back again, curious if it would flop over your eyes or rest perfectly on your head. He liked the straps, which had always been a favorite detail of his, but especially now as it implied a shape in an otherwise conservative garment; it obscured your hips most deliciously. He had always been a fan of imagination. It was long, too. The hem ends just below your backside. Hints of your curves peek out, but he put that book away too before he got carried away at the wrong place, wrong time. He thought of the straps again.

He took your arm, careful to touch the sleeve rather than your hand, and admired the stones inlaid there. The coat was classy and understated, but one sleeve bore a simplistic crystal design in shades of blue. He'd describe it as an attention-getter if you weren't such a natural at captivating an audience.

Most of the stones are small and circular, but he noticed a few diamond shapes not unlike the crystals he dedicated his life to studying. They reminded him of the ones that spurted out of his stream room like houseplants. Just like me, Zali mused to himself. Upon that thought, a tendril of possessiveness had wrapped itself around the blanket of intimacy.

"It suits you," he said. "What do you think?"

Twisting yourself around, the coat shifted with your movements. Even while half-zipped, it fit wonderfully. You nodded, still observing how it feels. "It's comfy."

Behind him, Klara clasped her hands together, the sound jarring him out of his thoughts. The other two must have returned while he fixed your appearance. This was a good thing. He needed the time to reflect on his thoughts, find a way to be honest yet refined, filter his affection into something acceptable. "I like it," Klara remarked with a smile. She nudged the man next to her. "Sir Shu, say something."

Shu made a sound between what and huh. "You look good. Really good. Uh, great."

He's so obvious.

"It's wonderful, Master Reader!"

He's so horribly obvious that Zali's careful plan went right out of the window as he blurted out the one thing that dominated his thought process. "You look like a precious treasure."

Shu seemed to have regained his bearings, yet you never noticed he lost them in the first place. He stepped forward and zipped your coat up all the way. The collar flipped up into a turtleneck, which made you raise your head to uncover your face. "Wh—hey!" You pouted as Shu snickered. "What was that for?"

You lifted up your arms in sheepish surrender. "Okay, I get it, stoooop. You guys, I'm gonna blush."

"Gotta make sure you're nice and cozy. Come here." The zipper could be covered by a flap of fabric, so Shu buttoned you up properly.

You kept your head raised while he fastened the coat together. From here, a strand of yellow from his bangs grazed his nose and lowered eyelashes. The tip of his tongue slightly poked out while he fiddled with a stubborn button hole.

He has a charm to his concentrated face, you'd have to admit, and even if you hadn't considered the possibility before, you understood why the Yaminions think he's an intellectual heartthrob. They're not entirely wrong, but they don't see the antics the sorcerer gets up to off-stream, nor how comfortable sitting in a quiet voice call with him can be. Perhaps this is what he looks like behind the screen during meetings.

Locked in, his hands rose with each button done. His eyes worked their way up, two strikes of galactic purple along your white coat, until they returned your gaze.

You weren't sure what to do with yourself now that he made eye contact. You felt like you just got caught—doing what, you had no clue yourself, but it didn't dissuade the weakness growing in your knees.

Maybe he was clueless too, or he just hid his uncertainty, but Shu's expression shifted before you could pinpoint it. Purple eyes narrowed up as he shot you a sweet, boyish grin.

That was all you could see before Shu pulled the fur hood all the way over your face.

Silken fur tickled your nose as you sputtered, careful not to get a mouthful before you scolded him. "Shu!" He cracked up along with Klara and Zali's snickers.

It was dark, but at least you knew for sure the hood was cozy. By the time you fumbled it out of the way, Shu already wandered off to the front of the store while the other two chuckled to themselves with hands over their mouths.

"It fits perfectly," Klara joked.

"Haha, yeah," Zali said.

He hid his smile just because he was certain everyone would be able to tell it was plastic. In fact, he had half a mind to shove his fist into his mouth just to keep himself from saying something nasty. Jealousy frothed inside him. Dammit. Petty as it was, it was like watching Shu snatch an opportunity when Zali was the one to point out the coat in the first place.

He helped you slip off the coat, which luckily went uninterrupted, though his hand grazed your arm and he had to fight to not hold it instead. He had to fight back a lot of things, really. Neither of you could deny this moment was intimate. As pure as it was for you, Zali saved it for different reasons, to be appreciated alone as he imagined what if he had continued. Fabric under his fingers turning to skin, neat piles of clothes discarded.

But thinking of undressing needs to go on the shelf. So it would remain, just a graze on the arm through sleeves and only a coat undone. You folded it over your arms, a satisfied smile on your face as you glance down at it. 

"I think I'll get it," you thought aloud.

There isn't much browsing after that. You strode to the counter, Klara in tow and Zali a step behind as he tried to shake off the dredges. His resistance didn't last long. Once you placed the coat on the counter and got your wallet out, the cashier shook his head. "No need."

"Don't I need to pay for it?"

"It's already paid for." The three of you exchanged confused glances. Behind the counter, the cashier nodded his head to the side to Shu, who was fixated on a display of cheap accessories beside the cash register. The cashier spoke in Shu's direction. "He bought it. Would you like it bagged?"

You whipped your head around. "Shu!"

He perked up like he wasn't even in the room until you called his name. "Hm?"

"You didn't!"

"Don't worry about it."

"Don't act nonchalant, you—why would you do that?"

"I just wanted to do something nice."

"I-I'm grateful. Thank you, but…"

"It's a gift. If you really want it in your new outfit, then it's a good thing to have." He shrugged but he didn't meet your eye. Instead, he glanced at the subtle, shining stones on the coat, forgotten on the counter for something far more important. "You look nice in it anyways."

Klara—who, by the way, had witnessed all this in the boutique—nudged Zali just like she did earlier when Shu first saw you. "That's very sweet of you, Sir Shu."

All this time, Zali was unafraid of his coworkers connecting the dots. He had long accepted that he didn't like lying to others, and his own affections were something he wanted you to detect. His hypocrisy must run deep, though, because Klara's words cemented that he wasn't the only one. Paranoia dripped under his chest. 

The cashier returned to his register. "Do you want a bag, or…?"

And so you left the boutique, Shu by your side, holding a classic THANK YOU bag with your new coat inside.

While they stepped outside, Zali quickly swiped one of the cheap necklaces off the display, a blue crystal pendant. "I'll take this," he said.

"It matches Master Reader's coat," Klara observed. 

There was a silent confirmation between them. 

Sans bag, he ripped the packaging off and slipped the pendant around his neck. It naturally slid under his shirt. Once all four of you reunited, you were locked in a conversation with Shu, so Zali and Klara were a step behind.

Klara spoke in hushed tones so not to disturb you or Shu. "I get it," she said to Zali.

"I see that."

"You aren't very subtle, Sir Zali."

"I know."

"So you do." She wasn't exactly judgmental, but she turned to watch Zali's face. Reading his emotions came to her naturally.

Klara had a way of getting under Zali's skin without effort. It was both Zali's favorite and least favorite thing about her: she noticed what was on his mind and would press him on it, toeing the line between insightful and intrusive. Whatever it was, she was one of the first to figure out Zali's inner thoughts, sometimes before he even realized it himself. "Perhaps you should do something about it."

Zali stared straight ahead. "I'll be patient."

"I'd hate for you to miss your chance." As everyone turned a corner, they could see Shu's lips turn as he laughed with you. She continued. "You never know until it's gone."

"I didn't realize he was a threat until he bought that."

"A threat, now?"

Zali screwed up. 

Klara raised a hand to her mouth to hide her giggles. "But even though you like Master Reader, you weren't bothered by him mooning over them all the time."

"Because I didn't realize how serious he was until now." Zali paused. "How long have you known?"

"Whatever you're thinking, much longer than that. You really aren't subtle at all, Sir Zali."

"It was always an open secret."

"I suppose I figured it out before you did, then." 

He shouldn't be surprised, but for some reason Zali wanted to explain himself. "That doesn't change anything about how I feel. Just so you know," he added lamely.

"Hm." Klara hummed in acknowledgement, and that was that.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Zali switches his Jägerbomb from one hand to the other. The pink tint to Shu's face hadn't faded at all. If he really was blushing, it would have disappeared by now, so...

"Zali." Shu finally speaks up. "You like Reader."

"Is this an accusation?"

"No," Shu says, and Zali is inclined to believe him. "We both do."

"You've made that clear."

"But I have more to saaay," Shu draws out his words like he's cooing over something cute. Considering the object of his affections, it might not entirely be wrong. He clears his throat, certainly tipsy. "It's not like it's up to us to decide what Reader wants, though."

"Is that why you haven't fessed up to it yet? You want to charm Reader."

"You sound like you're telling me your evil plans, Dark Lord Zali."

The medic looks into his drink. The divide between the shot and the pint glass is very interesting all of a sudden. "I'd like to," he admits, and finds the weight lifting from his shoulders. "I want things to work out between us. So I'll wait until everything is right between me and Reader, and I know my feelings will be returned."

"Better act on it before I make a move."

"You know, you're the second person today to tell me to hurry up," Zali remarks.

Shu laughs. "I wonder if that changes anything."

"No, it doesn't. I'll be patient."

"That's a good thing to be."

"I've been told."

Over the last hour, the moon was still rising, but by now it had reached its apex in the sky. The stained glass around them distorted the light, stretching the pthalo blue by Zali across the tile. Shadows continue to obscure Shu from the light, but splatters of red and violet inch closer to the heel of his shoes.

The sorcerer gestured out. Flecks of the stained glass cross over his hand, a dramatic color compared to the rest of his body in the shade. "I'm not going to back down," Shu asserts, "whether you like it or not."

"I would assume so."

He gapes at Zali. "Can't you pretend to be intimidated or something!? You're too gung-ho."

That's what gets Zali to laugh next. "I'm very serious about my feelings, Shu," he chuckles. "I wouldn't give them up for anything."

"Well, I won't either. It would be a lot easier if you backed off or something."

"Try all you like, I'm not budging."

"Me neither."

"It's not our choice to make, after all."

"I'm not denying that, I just..."

Shu runs a hand through his hair. He pinned it up in a simple style that morning, which got messier over the day. Unfortunately for Zali, the tousled look is handsome. Stained glass dyes his features as he turns to face Zali properly, maroon hair over a dusty lavender face, dusky shadow along his back.

"If you're going to be patient," he declares, "then you better be the most patient, dedicated guy in the world if Reader goes out with you. You better give them everything they'd ever want, 'cause I'd do anything to make them happy."

Shu furrowed his brow slightly while Zali analyzed him. Zali had never seen him so dedicated to something while drinking. The stained glass atmosphere amplified his fierce eyes far more than alcohol could ever cloud it. Purple against purple tended to intensify itself.

Zali steps forward, and briefly considers the blue glow that outlined his own figure. If the purple along Shu made his eyes so vibrant, the perhaps his yellow eyes would become ghoulish in the cool blue. Scar tissue pokes out of his stitches, too subtle to notice during the day, the colors become stark as ink on paper in contrasting light. An arrow pointing to the rich gold, if he was feeling generous. With the moon behind his head and mosaic glimmers around his sleeves, it must be bringing out azure and amethyst hidden by his eyelashes.

"I would expect nothing less from you. Reader is very precious to me. If they choose you, then I have faith that you would treat them well." Azure and gold shine. "If you hurt Reader, I will hurt you."

"Mutually assured destruction, then," Shu concludes.

"They deserve wonderful things, Shu."

'I'll be the one to provide them."

"And I'll be the one to be by their side."

"We'll see about that."

Shu seems to remember that it's a party. Suddenly conscious of his soju, he lifts his glass to his lips, thinks better of it, then offers it out. "To Reader's love life. Whatever makes them happy."

Zali clinks his glass to Shu's. "To Reader's love and happiness."

"That's a much better toast than mine," Shu grumbles. They drink.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

bonus!

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

"Master Reader, I want to ask you something."

You, Klara, Zali, and Shu stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the right of way. You were in the front, so you turned to look at Klara. "What's up?"

She tilted her head. "I'm curious. Are you interested in dating right now?"

"Hm." You considered it for a moment, returning to watch the traffic. "I haven't thought about it."

"If someone confessed to you, then, would you accept it?"

"I'm not really sure. I'd have to sit on it, but I have no clue where to start with it at all. It depends on the person." You laugh a little. "Besides, it's not like anyone's interested in me anyway."

"I see." Klara smiled, and behind your back, pinched the other two men as hard as she could.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

✧. ┊ masterpost ✧. ┊ kofi

[forbidding-souda]

Heyoooooo! Before requesting anything, may I say that your writing is truly AWESOME!! Everything fits the character so well aaa I adore it!!! Keep up the amazing work!!!

Can you plz do some head cannons for Korekiyo, Ibuki and Kazuichi being roommates with their S/O in a small dorm? I think it'd be a cute scenario (sorry if it's a bit much :'] )

Shinguuji Korekiyo, Ibuki Mioda, and Kazuichi Souda living with their S/O in a small dorm

just bullet points for this one because i'm a litttllleee head empty. ALSO TY FOR THE COMPLIMENT IT MEANS THE WORLD!!!!!

i am highly qualified to write this. Bruh I have lived in three different dorm buildings bc I did a swap since my first roommate was homophobic LOLZ. The second dorm I lived in was a corner room so we had a lot of room compared to the others gg but the first dorm i was in was TINY as if it wasn't 1.7k a month like dude come on.

I'm an english major and a child development major btw hmu I'm so cool and awesome. Join the discord to see me post about the funny things my english professor puts on canvas LMFAO.

I added in a bit of just college stuff.

-Mod Souda

Shinguuji Korekiyo

❤ His desk is so full of trinkets that he can hardly use it. Probably just studies in his bed.

❤ He'll gift you some and clutter your side of the room, too.

❤ Lights candles even though they're not allowed.

❤ Incense too.

❤ But he has a good sense of personal space and he keeps to himself. Even when the two of you are dating, he understands the difference between his side of the room and your side of the room.

❤ However, you can sneak into his bed :3 he wouldn't mind.

❤ Just don't sleep on his hair plz he leaves that shit sprawled out.

❤ No bc you probably have his loose hair everyone on the carpet swear to god.

❤ Anthropology major obvi.

❤ Takes academics very seriously!!!

❤ Will just walk around in long sleeves regardless of the weather.

❤ If you're the type of person to study and not go to the dining commons then he'll eat there and then bring you a to-go box.

❤ Definitely keeps sake in his mini fridge.

❤ Isn't on the snap story.

❤ Ask before you use his stuff because he's probably gonna start tweaking if he notices something out of place.

❤ He does not like showering in those dorm showers. He'll probably go to the gym or something.

❤ Probably uses a computer bag instead of a backpack.

.

Kazuichi Souda

❤ Your stuff is his stuff now.

❤ Pushes your beds together. (LMFAOOO)

❤ Mechanical engineering major perhaps. Ngl I only know two of them and idk what they be learning but it sounds about right.

❤ Never does his laundry on time. He leaves it in the dryer.

❤ He doesn't clean for the RA checks either.

❤ And he definitely doesn't care about privacy when it comes to changing. He's just gonna get naked in front of you fr.

❤ He gets doordash a lot.

❤ Will wait for you after class. Or he might have the audacity to just crash one of your lectures.

❤ Walks around the dorm in his underwear.

❤ I'd like to imagine he brought a mirror in the room so he can add the braids in his hair in private awwwww.

❤ Sharpens his teeth in the other bathroom tho gg.

❤ You can spell his cologne from your bed.

❤ Keeps his textbooks on the floor near his bed but the dorm is so small you almost trip over them.

❤ Doesn't take out the trash either.

❤ Uses the campus gym all the time.

❤ If he's not in the dorm he's either at class or hanging out in the gym.

❤ If you do yoga then you can easily convince him to do yoga with you.

❤ His fits are probably firrreeee. But I imagine he wears the same shoes every day.

.

Ibuki Mioda

❤ Will ask to keep things on your side of the room.

❤ You will be in class and then come back to her sleeping in your bed.

❤ Ibuki plz stop dying your hair in the public sink please you're staining the sink PLEASE.

❤ Doesn't even raise her hand in class she just starts talking. Which ik is normal but she like . will just start talking.

❤ Music major? Or is that too obvious. Could be pop culture too. I'm leaning more towards pop culture.

❤ Goes on long rants about like 2300 about what she did in her classes.

❤ She talks as she studies. Is she even studying? You can't tell.

❤ Study date except it's her talking the entire time with Canvas open but not looking at anything.

❤ Probably leaves her pajamas on the floor when she changes in the morning. You can just put them back on her bed for her.

❤ Like Shinguuji, she will also just have her loose hairs everywhere.

❤ She is a bit of a pervert and is like "you can change in front of me :) it's okay :) you can change in front of me :)" (pleading).

❤ Is going to use your body wash without telling you.

❤ Probably plays her music hella loud and the RA will have to knock bc of complaints LMFAO.

❤ ^ Also rents a vaccuum at 3AM and uses it.

❤ Probably gets opps bc of this ^

❤ If she wears a school uniform in Danganronpa then I'm gonna headcanon that she wears merch of the college.

[fadewalking]

Opinion on the Solrook ship? 👀

I like it, in theory. I ship it, in theory. I think there's some really great narrative potential with Solas and Rook, who as we know, are basically mirrors of each other. And that is super compelling, naturally.

It's in practice, where the ship becomes challenging. Mirrors, especially the kind that they present to each other, are uncomfortable to look at.

Solas looks at Rook and sees an allegedly idealized version of himself (more or less). A version that wouldn't sacrifice the ideals that form the bedrock of his lifelong rebellion against tyranny. A version that's stronger than him, spiritually, because they are more adaptable, and willing to take risks in a way Solas isn't (willing to be wrong).

As much as Solas admires that about Rook, he also kind of hates it. I mean, he's spent his entire long lived existence, forcing himself to believe that he knows what's right because he's afraid to be wrong, and what that would mean (that everything he's ever sacrificed has been unnecessary). And Rook forces him to contend with that reality. It's frightening in a way I think few people really appreciate. Rook represents a profoundly terrifying realization for Solas, and it's way easier to meet that with anger and combativeness rather than to just... accept it, let alone grapple with it to the extent that he could fall in love with Rook because of or in spite of it.

Rook on the other hand sees.. what? Themself, but worse? lol. What they might turn into if they let their convictions drop, or if they make too many excuses, or if they let pride and pragmatism overtake their compassion and morality? For Rook to look at Solas and fall in love with him despite that.. It's very "I can fix him", or maybe even "I can overlook that", lol, which is not me criticizing Rook, ik it sounds like I am, but what I mean to say is that it's just very ambitious, and love would never know more obstacles than those between Rook and Solas. Because, let's also not forget the parallel Solas and Rook draw in-game between their dynamic and Solas and Elgar'nan. In ways we can't ignore, if we're going to say that Solas and Rook can fall in love, then we have to look at how that might reflect from Solas and Elgar'nan's relationship, and that becomes very uncomfortable, doesn't it?

Now put your pitchforks down, because I'm not saying that they're the same thing. Solas and Elgar'nan are vastly different characters, and the only reason I even bring it up is just to illustrate the kind of gap Solas and Rook would have to cross to get to each other in a place of love and romance. It is not so extreme as Solas and Elgar'nan, but the parallel is made for a reason.

Aside from all of that, Solas in VG is more guarded than ever. And the very very last thing on his mind in that prison is love in that way. If you thought he played hard to get in Inquisition, babe you ain't seen nothing yet. But, as discouraging as this all must sound, I do actually see a path forward for them, even if that path is extremely narrow. I think the ship is... possible. And as a writer, I'm willing to explore that.

I tell this to all Rooks who come looking to ship with my Solas: It's going to be like playing Romance on legendary difficulty. If they're okay with the uphill battle of their fucking lives and no guarantee of success or a happy ending, then they are more than free to try their luck.

Also. I shan't name drop. But some people in this fandom are... less than desirable in the way they talk about and represent the ship, and that, imo, ruins a lot of the optics for shipping it, in the same way that the fandom at large has mishandled Solavellan so egregiously that it puts a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths just on instinct. But that's just my opinion.

In reality, I ship Solas with anyone who has chemistry with him, or at least the good potential for it, whomever that might be. It's that simple ♡

[kurosagileo]

alrighty its post mortkranken thoughts time! under a cut so that spoilers are easier to avoid

(did one for obscuary here)

for a spoiler free thought first off, though, i think the time between episodes both works for and against the story. it's a good pacing so far imo, even if it's disappointing there's not much to do in the game between episode drops. there's enough time to let people analyze the most recent episode and secrets revealed, come up with guesses as to how things connect, and when that starts dying down, there's time to hypothesize about the next episode because teasers have started dropping. Game wise, there's time for people who have been playing for a while to get farther in cases so that once the episode does drop, it's easy to go through whenever you're ready. On the other hand, the time inbetween, the teasers can possibly hype a episode up a bit too much, i think that happened with obscuary and may have contributed to how the episode felt unbalanced (at least to me). High expectations mean there's a lot that could go wrong when things end up differently. I don't think they should release the episodes sooner, that would be an overload, just something i've been making note of and trying to not expect too much from a new episode so that i enjoy what comes out rather than being disappointed with what didn't

spoiler wise, i'll follow the format i had for obscuary!

jiro is winning the idgaf war and i absolutely love that for him. I think the writers did a good job of makng him the straight man to yuri's antics and thoroughly enjoyed scenes with him

yuri... is so silly i love him sm i want to kiss his cheek so that he bluescreens on the spot. i love that he seems like he's gonna be a scientist with questionable morals leaning to the evil side but then he ends up being so expressive about every little thing. he's smart but not manipulative mastermind ike if he's thinking something you Will know it

there's an interesting dynamic between the two which I'm looking forward to learning more about. Some of the few times where Jiro outwardly emotes are during interactions with Yuri. (Also with pc with the body lmao)

now for the story content, not an analysis of what things might mean but just overall storytelling

I think this did well with bringing the standard back up from the obscuary episode. for my thoughts on that, feel free to check out the other post i made. it was far more balanced with the investigation driving things, mc getting closer to the two ghouls, and the progression of mc's curse for the overarching story. the cameos from all of the other characters was exciting to see while going through, and was great for showing how different characters interact with each other. I think each of those small moments showed a lot about the characters.

for a few examples: alan's regrets for not saving naoki, highlighting how much he values being able to save people and blames himself for not doing enough even when he couldn't stop it; leo taking the documents, seeming to just do it to be antagonistic, but actually genuinely helping out both mc's investigation and alan's ass if the files went missing; ren and ritsu talking about ramen in the store, they're getting closer despite ren not liking working at his job and always complaining that ritsu is there, clearly they're starting to become friends; the three vice captains meeting and the absolute tension there

i could go on, each of those little cameos was meaningful imo, not all of them served to progress the main story, but they're important to see, to show how the ghouls are interacting with each other and how they act when mc isn't investigating their house

I think the investigation portion was a little rough near the end. The case wrapup wasn't as satisfying as I'd like, I think the best two episodes for that so far were vagastrom and sinostra, but the framing of it makes sense considering yuri's stigma. (specifically the part of the wrapup where we found the patient was behind things, the fight at the end was something i really enjoyed) It's something that lets yuri process everything instantaneously, so it makes sense that the answer is just given in a monologue, even if it ends up being somewhat unsatisfying. Yuri is a character who likes his monologue, and he's found everything out and is confident in his answer. I don't think that he would present the information in another way

The foreshadowing in this chapter was...... well it could've been more subtle. I kinda wish that while Jiro was leading mc through Mortkranken, there would be more attention drawn to multiple things, aside from exactly what would be relevant. I think that may have also led to the unsatisfying reveal

the very ending with the assembly was also well done, imo. it reiterates that the faculty want mc to gain the trust of the ghouls and is doing so. but it also calls into question where that request is coming from. right now, mc is very much being used by the faculty. she was pushed into the investigator role, pushed into being a student, pushed into earning their trust, threatened with a possible punishment for not being able to prove it. it serves her as well to grow close with the ghouls and be an investigator, and she clearly is, but I really don't think that's anywhere near the reason the chancellor put her in that position. we always keep the spy thing in the back of our minds while reading, while she's essentially also advertised as a spy to the ghouls

the phone call between hyde and sho was both surprising to see, but also not. Sho has a campus chat with hyde where he says that he's using hyde to get ahead any way he can. Learning that hyde is giving secret missions, it's unsurprising that Sho is one of the students he's using. I think this would be too obvious for the whole spy/traitor thing, however... there was one other campus chat that came into my mind, the one between subaru and leo. Subaru's waiting for MC for lunch, Leo approaches and sees he's got food from Sho's food truck, and comments on how Sho is really good at the friend act. Acting like he's a friend to customers to convince them to buy more. While the likely reading is Leo just lying to mess with Subaru (and honestly I wouldn't doubt that), I think it could also be that it's a true analysis of Sho.

He is good a the friend act. Sho has no problem lying to someone to appear nice. He did it to an old lady looking for a train station in the vagastrom episode. Leo told her he had no clue where it was, Sho gave her instructions and after she left, Leo asked how he knew and Sho told him oh I didn't. A lot of Sho's flaws are looked over because he's nice, when he is kinda an asshole a lot. I don't think that he's using a friend act on Subaru, but it's genuinely hard to tell. The scene at the beginning of the episode was cute, but depending on how you read it, it could be Sho playing it up for the bet with Leo.

I doubt the phone call from the end will actually be how we learn about the traitor, but I also think that Sho has a lot more resources than most to be a traitor

[marshmallowprotection]

hii!! im sorry i know youve probably answered this before but, i just finished ray’s ae for the first time, good ending and normal ending (cried at the proposal scene.) and im wondering what you think the future for the rfa is after both the good and normal endings?

ik in the normal ending they talk abt holding parties again but do you think they actually do it? and what abt in the good ending? or at the very least, do you think the rfa will stay in contact in both endings?

one thing that i really love about mystic messenger as a whole, that brought me to love the game so much in the first place, is the beautiful found family aspect they share. and i just really hope it stays that way in rays ae!! thank you for taking the time to read this, im super emotional after doing it for the first time :,)

Aw, thank you for reaching out to me with your question! I'm happy to hear you finally completed the RAE, too! It's a huge testament to the fact that this game, even years after being released, still has so many players going through these story arcs for the first time ever! I've definitely talked about these endings in the past, but I can't say that I've ever had a definitive answer for the future because there's many factors at play and countless avenues the characters can go down.

I don't think the RFA is going to split up by any means, but in both the Good Ending and the Normal Ending, life is changing for every member in different ways. Jumin and Jaehee are going to continue either working on his bid for the government or heading back to the company C&R depending on the ending. Jumin either becomes the youngest politician in the country, or he gets to take back control of C&R and the company flourishes under him. Jaehee is his assistant, either way.

Yoosung's heading out to study in France with his baking passion in the Good Ending, though it can be presumed that's not the case in the Normal ending, similarly speaking with Zen, in the Good Ending, he's survived the attack on his personal character and landed a huge ticket to perform on Broadway! But, we're not led to believe that's the same case in the Normal Ending. This is because the Normal Ending is always... well, normal. It's not perfect, but more along the lines of a bittersweet moment.

Saeyoung, Saeran, and MC are okay no matter what. The difference between the endings stems from one thing. Saeran getting closure from hearing his father's story is the bottom line. Whether you like it or not, that's what he needs to find peace and close that chapter of his life, but if he doesn't get that, he's not upset. He's still as happy as can be, but there's always a little feeling in the back of his heart that wonders what he might've learned if he could've heard his father say something.

Saeran and MC don't go on their honeymoon in the Normal Ending, but it's clear that they've gotten a house together. With the garden he always dreamed of having, no less! It's unclear who bought it, I would assume Saeyoung, since I can't imagine Saeyoung living in a different house from his brother. But, I digress. When it comes to what Saeran, MC, and Saeyoung are doing post-RAE, there's not too much when it comes to where they are narratively that changes in that regard.

Jaehee, Yoosung, and Zen joke about starting up another party again in the Normal Ending, that's for sure, but it seems like that's the last thing on their minds to go through with for now. I don't think it's out of the question to think they could hold parties again, but I do think it's going to be a little while before they ever get to that point. I mean, think about everything they just went through... six months after the last party? No way! They're not in a position to hold a party again that soon.

But, all of these characters genuinely care about making a difference in the world for other people, and I don't think they are going to turn their backs on people in need when they can do something to help. They've spent so much time helping everyone that they've neglected themselves, so I think they need to focus on that first and foremost before they consider running another party. 

Give it a couple of years and you might see them hold another party again once they feel ready to do so. You also have to remember that keeping these parties is also a reminder of the two people they lost—the people who betrayed them. It brings up the memory of V and Rika, and… to be honest, nobody in the organization wants to think of them at that point because it’s a sour note.

They have time to figure out how they feel about it and how they can confront those feelings when ready for it. I don't think parties are out of the question. I just really think it's important for everybody to focus on themselves for a little while before they open up this box again. It takes time.

The RFA isn't a family because of mere circumstance. They don't need the organization to have a reason to reach out to each other, and their bonds are much stronger than just being members of the RFA. They are a family, meaning nothing will ever tear them apart. Sometimes, your family travels to different places but that doesn't mean they don't love you or never want to see you again. You're not going to see your family every day, but that won't change the feeling of love you have for them, will it?

I'd like to think most people know that distance doesn't change love. So, in conclusion, to answer your question, no matter if they hold parties or not, they will always be a family and nothing will tear them apart.

[pillbug-agere]

this one is for you green momo pfp user who's url I forgot ♥️

JJK agere headcanons!

☆ they're all so silly... baby coded... and OH SO fucked up... Poor guys.

☆ to start off with an odd one I think Ichiji would be a really good CG? He's stern don't get me wrong but like,,, he'd care.

☆ at the very least he'd be cool with it, and drive ppl places if they wanted :}

☆yuuji! Our main character <3 and oh so traumatized...

☆he's for sure a regressor and he needs it so bad. probably older ages, 5-7?

☆very cheerful kiddo mostly, but when he has a bad drop he has a BAD drop. Tears for hrs and even after he'd be shakey...

☆ when he's feeling better he likes playing w/blocks and toy cars, usually together. He builds rase courses for the cars <3

☆ would play nice with others & is always up to sharing his race courses if someone wants to race their horse, dino, etc. or if they want to play an entirely different game!

☆actually has like- zero gear at all. Two cars (one orange and one blue :}), comfy sweatpants and a hoodie, and a set of blocks is all he has (someone will probably rectify that soon, lol)

☆ there isn't a little at jujutsu tech that doesn't like colouring, so there's a small box full of art supplies and colouring books in a closet somewhere.

☆the regressors have a sort of code of honor between themselves: 1. never tattle on someone if they're trying to regress without a cg, 2. letting someone know you regress is a job for you and you alone, nobody else gets to spill the beans and 3. if you find little gear, return it DISCREETLY and don't make a big deal out of it.

☆not the healthiest, but regressing means showing weakness/vulnerability, and most sorcerers are explicitly conditioned against that.

☆it's sort of an open secret at this point, but nobody bothers anyone hasn't outright said 'hey, I regress and I'd appreciate some company' about it.

☆hmnn.... personally im not a fan of sukuna as a cg headcanons, but just consider... four arms... he can carry u on his hip while having a set of arms free for doing whatever else...

☆mahito is a silly billy& I think he'd be (well, ok. ik he's a terrible person in canon but jsut...) a p. good caregiver... a bit confused but he's got the spirit yk?

☆ nobara and megumi are yuuji's (reluctant at first) caregivers every so often.

☆nobara paints yuuji's nails whatever color he wants and she (mostly) doesn't complain when her nails are a little more messier.

☆megumi's very insistent that his divine dogs are not pets, but ends up bringing them out anyway. doggy cuddles >>>>

☆the 2nd years... dude I love those guys so much...

☆inumaki... regressor and a cg interchangeably. he'z my favorite character so ofc I have to let him be both

☆regresses to a WIDE range. never babyspace but like... 3-10 I'd say. toge backstory go crazy when gege drops it trust 🙏 (I am delusional) he had such a bad childhood forever and ever

☆just as verbal when regressed as when he's big. tuna tuna... etc...

☆i like to think he can say names too, so- he'd say them a lot. sometimes gets frustrated when he's trying to get his point across and someone's not getting it.

☆bigass oral fixation. chewing on his hands, his cheek, his collar... it's the first sign he's slipping for sure

☆a lot better w/younger littles since he feels less like he has to talk (nobody's gonna b upset if you don't man...)

☆he learned JSL at one point but doesn't like to use it for various reasons, but can still understand it if some1 uses it when nonspeaking (i hear nonverbal isn't the right word anymore?)

☆maki... caregiver/not that invested tbh. tried age dreaming a few times but didn't like it. likes giving tours (is that the word?) of things, talking abt some item or space like you've never seen it before.

☆panda... I'm not 100% that he'd have the capacity for regression, and even then I'm not sure he would even need it. would be a Great caregiver though. pretty lenient, chill... candy before supper etc.

☆yuuta... the poor guy. I think he's a regressor only, but doesn't actually do it that much. Maybe he slips just a little and doesn't even notice. regresses when tired (or more accurately, regresses when he has a break from things to be doing. the exhaustion hits him all at once like a wave).

☆maybe him and inumaki can regress together :}

☆I like Nitta :> I think she'd be an ok caregiver but I don't have much to say about her

This was a lot more than expected... maybe I'll make a part two?

[mayday-jd]

alr I lied I gotta talk about smth else quickly

• so remember when I mentioned branch's reaction to the country song when they entered lonesome flats??

yeah now let's talk about how poppy reacted

poppy hears the song then concludes that the country trolls are miserable and don't know how to have fun

and what better way to make them have fun?? force them to listen to pop music.

cough cough barb parallels COUGH

ofc that doesn't work the country trolls are appalled by their pop medley

all of them... except for hickory

I think poppy was drawn to hickory because he was the only one that seemed to along with what she had to say without any complaints basically he said what she wanted to hear so she trusted him wholeheartedly

now let's actually get into my favorite part of this movie

• I LOVE THE FUNK TROLLS HOLY FUCKING SHIT

I don't think you need a genius to figure out that these are black folks LIKE LOOK AT THEM AND LISTEN TO THE QUEEN ESSENCE

guys the vas of the royal funk family are all black. ik maybe doesn't mean anything BUT MAYBE IT DOES ALR

anyways no matter what race the funk trolls may be they still play such an important role in this movie and let me tell y'all why and how

thru their encounter with the funk trolls, our pop trolls duo (yeah biggie left) learn three important things :

- differences do matter, they're a part of our identity and it would be wrong to ignore them

- even with those differences and origins, trolls still can be multiple/different things (ex.: cooper who says that he's pop AND funk, prince d who identifies as a hip pop troll which is not on poppy's outdated ass map)

- yeah that story poppy heard from the pop trolls' perspective?? yeah no that's not how it actually happened

explained beautifully by anderson .paak's song, the pop trolls stole all the strings, used them to make their kind of music and cut out the other trolls from the music scene

in the words of prince d

"That's just the story cut out and glued by the winners"

AND YES THAT'S HISTORY FOR YA

different retellings, stories of what happened from another pov because guess which perspective you read from the history books?? the winners.

poppy hears all this and y'all idk if it's because poppy's voiced by anna kendrick but this is where all I could think about of was white saviour complex

because this girl is still all about uniting all trolls so they'll live in harmony and yes it comes from a good place but she's just not getting it and fucking hell 😭

she does get the message at the end of the movie after finally meeting barb and speaking of her....

• barb is awful and that's what makes her a great character

as we all know barb's plan is so "unite" all troll nations under the rule of hard rock which is not uniting that's just assimilation

where poppy's desire for every troll to live together in harmony all united by music, barb's comes from a sense of superiority and maybe even pity

evident by every moment she steals a string, barb comments on the other trolls' music with insults which justifies why their music isn't real music while hers is

what's funny is that barb and poppy are very similar

they both really want to prove themselves as good queens, they desire for all trolls to be united and, even if poppy won't admit it, they both see their music as superior tho that degree of superiority is very different

where the similarities end are that barb doesn't want everyone around her to say what she wants to hear, she wants ppl to be real to her, meanwhile poppy refuses to hear anyone else's voice because it's different from hers

which leads to another difference between the two, poppy learns to listen to others because

"A real queen listens." (both said by her and branch)

now let's talk about that finale shall we??

[flaming-thing]

You are hosting a dinner party! Attending are six characters from The Dragon Prince and six other characters of your choice. The menu is done, the invitations are sent… all you gotta do now is make the seating chart! Who is sitting next to whom and why?

Ok this is a long one:

I made a diagram:

Characters from tdp are in blue, other characters are:

• Hiccup Haddock from httyd

• Anne Shirley-Cuthbert from Anne with an E

• Gon Freecs from Hunter x Hunter

• Toph Beifong from Atla

• Calypso from Epic: the musical

• Veronica Sawyer from Heathers

Reasons:

Amaya, toph and rayla together because they all have similar senses of humor, I think some amazing jokes would happen if those 3 where sat together

Callum and rayla together because those two have attachment issues and who am I to separate them?

(TW: VERY VERY BREIF MENTION OF SLIGHT SA IN NEXT PARAGRAPH finishes after the dashes)

Calypso in between callum and veronica because they've all had very different relationship experiences (callum is hopelessly devoted, veronica was assulted/manipulated and calypso is slightly obsessive) so I feel like it would be interesting to see how they interact in regards to that

-----------

Gren, hiccup and soren together because it would be hilarious. I mean can you imagine those 3 in a room together?? I would watch a show that was just those 3 interacting for hours

Astrid and soren because those two would just be good friends I think

Astrid, Anne and gon because they're all fascinated by nature/the world so some cool discussions would come out of that group

And ik I put myself at the head of the table but in all honesty I would just slowly travel around and shove myself into the different groups at really unreasonable times like in the middle of conversations

(Also WE ARE HAVING CAKE ITS DECIDED I WANT CAKE AT MY HYPOTHETICAL DINNER)

[teaveetamer]

Shipping and liking in fiction don't really need to be consistent imo, like you can like black chocoloate and dislike white chocolate even if they are both chocolate but that doesn't makes you an hypocrite so liking a character that does something and not another character that does the same thing or as a similar personaily falls into taste, the only moment where i would disagree would be if they tried to justify it by draggin down the other people who ike what they dislike

My blog archive can attest to this, but I've always hated the "you wouldn't hate so-and-so if they were a man!" or "but you like this character who did something I think is the same!" arguments.

If the character were a man, then they wouldn't have been written with misogynistic dev bias in the first place, AKA they would be a completely different character, or at least handled in a completely different way.

Just because you can draw some surface parallels between characters doesn't mean they're the exact same. Even if they do the exact same thing that doesn't mean they're treated the same, which factors into how much I like or dislike them.

Like we'll just take the example of Arvis for a second. Surface level he and CF!Edelgard do a lot of similar things. They:

Conquer a continent

Ostensibly for the good of the people

Through extremely dubious means (killing or trying to kill the MC, stealing sovereign territory that they are explicitly not in charge of by force, etc.)

Which would realistically have serious and far reaching negative consequences for the people conquered (death of able-bodied men to work the fields, trampling of crops, requisitioning food from the poor and hungry, civilian deaths as tends to happen in war, etc.)

While allying with a shady evil cult who want to bring about the destruction of humanity

They attain their goals

And the narrative implies that everything went well in the immediate aftermath and everyone was kind of chill about it despite point 4 above.

And I don't like Arvis, but I don't dislike him as much as Edelgard either, and that's because of what happens next in Arvis's story:

Arvis realizes he was never as in-control as he thought, and in fact he was completely played by an organization far more powerful and intelligent and dangerous than he realized

He has a significant fall from grace, basically becoming a puppet for the evil cult

Everything he worked toward is in the gutter and things actually become significantly worse for the people living in his empire. Not only that, he has to witness his family ripped apart and used as pawns in the game he was unwittingly, hopelessly outmatched in from the start

He has a come to Jesus moment and realizes just how badly he was outplayed and how much worse he made literally everything for literally everyone with his actions

And then he spends his last moments helping the MC try and defeat the evil he unleashed. While it's not necessarily a redemption or even sufficient atonement, there is at least the understanding that Arvis understands just how responsible he is for everything that's happened, and that he needs to do everything he can to try and fix it

Meanwhile Edelgard's story in CF is:

She gets everything she wants no matter how brutal or vile her methods are or how much pain she causes to the people around her

And then the game ends with absolutely no acknowledgement of that or consequences for those actions

Like... Yeah. I don't like either of them, but why would I feel the need to criticize Arvis for the bad shit he's done? When Arvis did bad shit the plot made him fuck his sister and turned his son into a literal demon god who hunts children for sport. Not only is the game fully aware of the bad shit he's done and takes every opportunity to point out how shitty he is, Arvis is fully aware of the bad shit he's done and takes the opportunity to atone for how shitty he was once he realizes this.

The frustrating thing about Edelgard isn't that she does bad shit. It's that the game never wants to engage with that bad shit beyond surface level "woe is me" pity speeches. Not only that, but it takes every opportunity to try and make you pity her, the person inflicting all of this suffering, instead of empathizing with the people she is inflicting suffering on. Like? Can you just imagine if FE4 stopped dead in its tracks and Seliph looked at the camera and said "Gee I know Arvis killed my dad and fucked my mom and brought the apocalypse on us and all, but actually I think he's kind of dope and I wish we could have walked hand in hand together uwu"? Holy fuck I would clown on FE4 so hard for that shit.

And I'd like to say I'd feel that way about a male character in the same situation, but honestly? I can't think of any. And that's because I feel like female characters are either the most evil, vile creatures to ever exist or they're handled with kid gloves and the narrative is terrified to criticize them in any way. It feels like writers are less afraid to write flawed-but-not-irredeemably-so male characters, who can have their flaws not only front and center but also a core part of their narrative.

And if I wanted to go deep into it and draw parallels to real life... look at how often we're expected to give men (most often cishet white men) the benefit of the doubt in society, and how often women are not afforded that privilege. E.g. if a man yells then he's just having a bad day, but if a woman yells she's a bitch and a horrible person. Fiction reflects our society's attitudes in real life. So men get to be nuanced and flawed and women get to be either an Angel or a Bitch, and a lot of writers have no idea how to write anything in between those two points because they actually believe that's all women can be.

[fandoomrants]

for the send me a character can you do diego hargreeves!! sorry ik its third hargreeves in a row >_<

Hey, no problem and sorry it took me a bit but I was busy.

Here we go:

1. My opinion about them.

It took me a while to get to actually like Diego. I mean, I saw him at first and thought he's cool but then to actually start liking him... I think it was around his scenes with Grace. They were so heart-warming. Idk what's this thing where I love children-parent dynamics, I have good relationship with my parents, lol.

I think from all of them, he has the biggest "hero complex", and desire to prove himself since he's "Number 2". It's mostly shown in season 1, where he and Luther kind of fight for the leadership, and I think it's something that translated from his childhood, to his adult life, as we see him constantly trying to do some big heroic act (especially s2). He can sometimes get a tiny bit annoying even, but it's fun and it's just another way to express his own childhood trauma, I guess.

But yeah, altogether, I like him. Especially in later episodes/seasons, where his character got more development. (Here's maybe a good moment to say I like almost all of them.)

2. Who do I ship them with.

I love him and Lila! She's yet another character it took me some time to start liking, but I absolutely adore them as a couple, and their dynamic. They're both so unwell but they somewhat compliment each other. They can't "fix" each other but they don't make the other worse, and I feel like just the presence of the other one, makes them more considerate and responsible. I can't wait what's it going to be like when they have (a real, this time!) child.

However, I also liked him and Eudora's dynamic and I was eager to learn more about them. I was so shocked when she died. I would have loved it if we got to learn more about them and their history, they were so different but there was something there. Kinda the exact opposite of Diego/Lila but that's what actually made them so intriguing.

3. Platonic relationships.

Already mentioned but I ADORE him and Grace, and their interactions. There is just something so soft about how he calls her "mom", and I feel like he truly sees her as his actual mom. And he can be vulnerable around her, the way he isn't around others. I feel like he can put aside his desire to prove himself when she is there. It broke my heart how he had to be the one to "end" her life in s1, but at the same time, it felt much more important that it was him. Because he fully understood the meaning of it, and he did it with... Some weird affection. I think, had it been anyone else, it wouldn't have had the same impact. And then, the way he started stuttering the moment he saw the real Grace in s2, and she was nothing like the one he knew, yet he still called her "mom"! Ah... My heart!

I love his dynamic with Klaus. I feel like, maybe the two of them were keeping in touch, at least slightly more than the rest of them, before season 1. They have a true sibling dynamic, and it's odd how they both give "younger sibling vibe", yet Diego is somewhat protective when it comes to Klaus, however non-verbal it might be.

And I want to see more about his dynamic with Victor! I feel like they were once close but then things changed and they had a really rocky relationship. And Victor and Luther cleared some things between them but I want to see Diego and Victor actually bond as well!

And then there's Luther. I just laugh at them interacting, most of the time. Especially in s1, they were ridiculous. I feel like they both become a bit childish around each other, no matter how serious the situation is, because that's something from their childhood.

4. Unpopular opinion

I think that his powers are actually pretty cool! Like, I love knives! I know in the comics he has different powers, but I'm fan of the show, and I find this one better. Also, it was never explicitly stated what his powers are, and I believed it's controlling metals, but I checked, and it says it's "controlling flying objects", in any case, it's so badass! I know that this, compared to some of the other things the rest can do, isn't classified as that much of a superpower, but I still like it, and maybe if I could have any of their powers, it would be this one!

5. HC I love.

I'm pretty sure it's not a HC at this point but I like thinking that Diego really wants his family happy and together, just like that (kinda ridiculous) hallucination in s3 showed. I think this is also connected to him and how he truly sees Grace as a mother, and how he looks after Klaus and drives him around, etc. Even for the short while when he thought Stan is his child, he wanted to be a good father. He's really trying to be a tough guy but is actually a softie that wants a real family.

6. HC I hate.

Anything suggesting he has something for Grace, duh. I can close my eyes for the adopted siblings having sth for each other, but not that. Not with their dynamic.

[ro-botany]

Bonus Content & Bloopers for the fake marlear screencaps

(I love behind the scenes stuff ok can you really blame me)

Ripping animations to help with some basic expression work was..... it was an adventure.

The first image above is an attempt to blend Marth's "surprise" and "smile" faces together but I uh...... Hit the wrong setting in the dropdown. I nearly died from laughing too hard pff.

The Alears there are what happens when you import the characters face rigs with different settings (still screaming at myself for that one) and then try to use a facial expression from one of them on the other one of them. That was supposed to be an :0 face.

The FEH players among you may have recognized the setting of that piece as the scenery for S supports in FEH! Figured if I'm setting the scene in Askr anyway I may as well go for the cheekiest spot. :P

While it probably would've looked great if I'd modelled all that out, after the effort that went into getting the character models looking good I really just did Not have it in me to do that, so this scenery is... A complete and utter lie made of layered image planes.

This was part of why I opted to crank the depth of field so much in the final piece. Helps hide that everything aside from the guys themselves are crusty PNGs. :P It does a half-decent job of looking like a 3D scene even in motion though, so long as you don't rotate the camera TOO far.

I REALLY liked how these close shots of Marth and Alear for the first pose turned out, but in the end I didn't think they fit with the other two poses. There was a timeline where I modified the expressions a bit and made fake dialogue boxes where they're talking about how surprised and happy they are they can actually touch each other in Askr, but I didn't feel confident enough to write in their voices for that.. So in the final shots that story just gets to be implied in their poses and expressions instead.

For the hug shot, I feel it is important to reveal that Alear's head is clipping halfway into Marth's shoulder and armour there. It's fine though. Animate for the camera, professionals always say! If it isn't gonna be viewed from every angle it doesn't have to look good from every angle. :P

Engage renders their characters' eyelashes and eyebrows ABOVE their hair, no matter what, in order to help the readability of facial expressions. I wanted to stay true to that look, so I had to render their eyebrows and eyelashes separately and then combine them in post. Enjoy eyelash-free Marth and Alear. :P

You can also see some areas there where I had to manually fix some shading and outlines in post, too. Blender has a bug with rigging right now that was affecting the face shading in odd ways, so I painted over that; and the inverse hull method I've been using for most of the outlines is very much imperfect and needed touching up in some areas, lips especially.

Since these character rigs were.......... We'll say not intended for use in Blender, they were fairly tedious to get posed right. No rotation or location constraints. These were joint-only rigs with no connections between bones so you couldn't use the auto-IK feature to, say move the whole arm at once. (Which made hand posing the WORST THING EVER AAAA EVERY FINGER JOINT MOVES INDIVIDUALLY why did i pick TWO poses where hands were a critical component)

Part of my process ended up being doing rough sketches of what the final shots were going to be first, so I could keep in my head what sort of poses and expressions and camera angles I was going for. And by rough I mean ROUGH. I kept laughing looking at these little egg head guys for reference as I worked.

Engage's models also come with some "extraneous" bones; "piv" bones that I can't figure out what they do, spots where weapons and shields can snap to, "vol" bones for changing the thickness of specific body parts as defined in the big XML file of character proportions buried in the game. Unfortunately these bones overlap the actual posing joints in many cases, so until you get fed up enough to find and hide them all, you'll try to move the character around and end up doing shit like this by accident

(Me too Marth, idk what the hell his skeleton is doing either)

And as you may have noticed - no particle effects in these behind the scenes shots so far! That's because I both A) couldn't for the life of me figure out how to do that smoke effect, and B) couldn't render a particle system with anywhere NEAR the number of objects I would need to get a similar look to the game. So, I drew those in post! Shoutouts to the random sparkle and smoke brushes in my collection, you're the real ones.

[aspiringsophrosyne]

Episode 10: The Kill Box

You ready for a fight? We got ringside seats, soda and popcorn. Just make sure you've got your splash guard ready to go.

The Good.

When the illusion over Whitestone is disturbed and ripples...that's a beautiful visual effect. This show's at its peak when it portrays magic so well it inspires wonder. Exandria is a gorgeous world; it's so gratifying when it's done justice.

Earlier, I said it was a good move to split the party because it serves the intervening episodes well. But that choice gives us something fun here, too. In the original, everyone was waiting in the wings to see if Grog would win or need to call for backup. Because the rest of the group needs to get to Restruun to help, and because the gnomes are spotted and threatened, the stakes get raised considerably. Half of Vox Machina is in dire straights and the calvary isn't guaranteed to arrive in time.

Note: in the game, Matt described the spike as going through Grog's shoulder. That's till bad, mind you. Much worse in real life than tv and movies would suggest, but I can't stand seeing it go through the gut. You could conceivably miss organs in the shoulder at least. Here? Not so much.

It always a pleasure to see Pike be bad ass. According to the episode commentary they actually slowed down her face bashing because otherwise it would've been a little much. Even then it's still sufficiently brutal.

Always good to hear Ike. And Liam was right. Grog's absolutely gut-wrenching (no pun intended) vulnerability sells this scene. Grog's usually a sillier character, but Travis is just as capable of making a character hilarious as he is playing them so that they break your heart.

And of course, the iconic as always call to rage. Even more hype here than usual.

I will never complain about this show's fight scenes. You can feel the difference between Grog fighting Kevdak before he rages and after. Likewise, the difference between fighting Kevdak before he swells up with the magic of the Knuckles and after. The hits' power and the weight of the impacts as Grog is slammed around the arena makes you flinch like it was you getting hammered to the stones so hard they crack.

The choice to have the rest of the crew come in, with no fan fair, in a corner of the screen where you could easily miss them...mwah! Beautiful. It feels organic, and it makes you feel excited for noticing it.

But once the fanfair starts....their silhouettes on the roof, the closeups, Grog's call to arms.....AH! I knew we were getting something special for this episode. The fight is sufficiently gruesome on both sides, and everyone gets to show off.

The episode would not have been complete without the Willingham Poke Ball drop. It was a particularly clever move by Laura in the game and seeing it play out was just magic. The rise and payoff of the music, that shot of bisected Kevdak when the smoke clears....there's no word but epic to describe it.

Keyleth is adorable, and the Raven Queen is a cockblock.

That last isn't the good thing. But it does make for a nice set up for what comes next.

The Bad. (Or at least, not so great.)

The only thing I could've possibly wanted out of the fight that I didn't get was a bigger sense of danger. The stream version felt incredibly tense throughout, as it was essentially a timed mission. The goal was to kill Kevdak (no mean feat) before the rest of the Herd killed them.

I get that this was basically a chance for everyone to get to be badass and go buck wild. And I support that. But getting just a little bit closer to that stream level of tension would've been nice.

This is why I think Percy's "This isn't going well!" falls flat, as from what we could see it was going pretty damn well up to that point. And even after it just wasn't a curb stomp in Vox Machina's favor. A better line might've been "The tide's starting to turn!" Or, if they really wanted to be cheeky: "They're getting a Second Wind!"

I'm also a little sad we didn't get a variation on Scanlan's Hold Person from the stream. Even though I appreciated the little nod to it via Vex's bramble shot, that move lacked the accidental ironic significance of the original. Grog got kicked out of the herd by his uncle for protecting a gnome. Only for a gnome to be instrumental in said uncle's defeat. It was so good!

Nitpicks:

What was Kaylie doing there at the start of the fight? Afterwards she just disappears. If you wanted to show that she was keeping an eye on Scanlan, it would've made more sense to have a shot of her watching from a distance. That way it isn't weird that she isn't in the fight after she said she wasn't letting Scanlan out of her sight.

~*~

After the fight in the tavern with Vex and Keyleth catching up: DUDE!! Talk. To. Each. Other. Give me my banter and character relationship development!

~*~

There isn't a full version of "When the Bald Man Cries" on the soundtrack. Release the full version, you cowards!!

~*~

Kaylie's speech to Scanlan could've been rearranged a bit so it served as a smoother transition into her revelation.

Instead of this:

Kaylie: I'm actually not too different from yourself. I grew up in Kymal, but I moved around a lot. Scanlan: Ooh. Kaylie: My mum gave up all her savings for my education. Scanlan: Uh, oh, oh, yeah? Moms are the best. Kaylie: Mine certainly was. You know, Dr. Dranzel spun many a tale about you, Scanlan Shorhalt. Scanlan: Yeah, I mean, that's not surprising. That guy seemed like a bit of a fanboy. Kaylie: But most of his stories I'd already heard... from my mother.

We could do this:

Kaylie: I'm actually not too different from yourself. I grew up in Kymal, but I moved around a lot. Scanlan: Ooh. Kaylie: Even more so when I joined up with Dr. Dranzel's troupe. You know, he spun many a tale about you, Scanlan Shorthalt. Scanlan: Yeah, I mean, that's not surprising. That guy seemed like a bit of a fanboy. Kaylie: But most of his stories I'd already heard... from my mother. My mum, who gave up all her savings for my education. So that I could play and travel the way I do. Scanlan: Uh, oh, oh, yeah? Moms are the best. Kaylie: Mine certainly was.

Not perfect, but I think it flows better.

Down to the last two, folks. Then the fun really begins.

[surplus-of-sarcasm]

ive tried to write women so many times but have failed to the point theres barely any female characters in my stories. and im very aware this is a flaw in my writing because i dont hang around women often and the only long term contact with a female i have is with my family members i dont know how to write female characters on a personal level because i can never relate to them. this sucks ass but correct me if im wrong i think its better to not write female characters at all than write a shitty possibly offensive one even if i dont realize it

Hi.

Okay, here's my take on what you're saying. I know for a fact that the most difficult things to write are things/situations/environments we know so little about. And it's even harder to get it right when it's a more sensitive thing, if yk what I mean. A huge perspective shift like this is definitely a challenge because men and women are quite different.

Here's the thing. I'm not trying to pressure you into writing them, but I'm telling you that even if you have problems with them now, doesn't mean you have to give up on writing them completely. If not writing them at all is your final decision, then that's still okay, still your call in the end, but if you do want to write them, it's very possible.

I know I write both male and female characters, but the first time I ever officially wrote smth that wasn't for school, it was with a female protag because ultimately, I see the world from the eyes of a woman. When I decided to write a male character for a more serious project, I realised I needed to research it. And lemme tell you that again, not every piece of advice in a writing help article is always applicable. It's largely based on the author's own personal experiences. They're more like tips than rules you must adhere to.

Please note that I've spent considerable time around men I'm close to in my family, I had male classmates and currently have a friend who's a guy, so that definitely helps. And it's completely understandable that you haven't spent enough time around women to grasp more about them Ig. My male characters are not exactly copy-paste of these men/boys either, but some of their traits and mannerisms may be connected.

And you not relating to them is completely okay. I'm not very likely to relate to parts of my male character's life that come with him being a man, but what I can relate to is what makes him human. There is definitely an overlap in several traits between men and women. For example, the way I would feel angry abt smth would be different from how a guy Ik would feel angry about the same thing. The key is simply to avoid bad cliches.

Again, I'm not trying to get you to write them if you really don't want to. Forcing yourself to write smth you don't want to definitely won't help, and won't create good pieces of writing. But just in case you wish to in the future, you can practice and research and test it out, and fun fact, part of it involves a little bit of winging it. I've done this for like genres/ideas I haven't tried before, and surprisingly it actually works. But, tbf, it's a lot more difficult when the issue at hand is the opposite gender.

And answering your last question, while it doesn't mean you must give up completely and you will never be able to do it, I can agree that no representation is better than a poorly represented character. Though, there is a chance you might be too harsh on yourself, since Idk exactly what any female characters you've written are like.

And about my reblog on that post abt writing women, Ig it was more aimed at people who've never tried or misrepresent women by applying a crap ton of harmful stereotypes to them. You seem to have made a genuine effort, so that's a pretty good thing.

Sorry for the long post, and thank you for the ask.

[cloudwisp]

Oh dear Hazel, I want to hear your opinion about this issue I'm having right now. 2 days ago, my sister's friend confessed that she likes Sylus but the thing is, I was not happy. I felt a pang in my heart. And right now, I'm having thoughts of I may not be good enough liking Sylus or in reality, he wouldn't choose me he would choose my sister's friend. And I mean they would be a good match overall bcs in a way they're both similar, and I am the complete opposite of him. Ik I'm making a big deal out of nothing or all this bcs of a video game character? but it's just the way I feel, he just means so much to me, what do you think I should do? ☹️☹️☹️

- 🌧 (anon)

Oh sweet nonnie, I am squeezing you gently 🥺🤍 Your feelings are absolutely valid and you haven’t done anything wrong, sometimes our mind will whisper mean things to us :(( But I will say that comparison is the thief of joy and your friend also liking Sylus doesn’t mean you love him any less or that he may be a better match for one person or another.

The great thing about self-shipping is that there���s so many different personality types that work well with a character and we see these dynamics across media and especially in fanfics all the time!! So what’s between you and Sylus is nothing short of special and belongs to you both and no one can take that away. I’m positive the amount of love you pour into Sylus will surely be reciprocated tenfold. You are wonderful just the way you are and he loves you dearly 🤍