#I might expand on these properly at some point

[cheerycherrycandy-resurrected]

Ash @rainsbasspick wanted some comfort ghoul/ghoulette/papa thoughts so here, have a few of my thoughts on era 4 ghouls, copia, and found family from the notes pile! Hope these distract you a little bit 🖤

I like to think that despite the various upsets in their lives before, they have each other as pack now, and will go to hell and back to protect it.

Below the cut bc I got a bit carried away (no surprise there then):

I think Copia worked really hard when he took over to make his little band of ghouls and ghoulettes feel safe, and just as important, permanent. He had felt temporary, like a replacement for the popular Papa III, and I think he saw that reflected in his ghouls at first. I imagine he took advantage of his takeover to enact some changes around the ministry to make the ghouls feel more equal, everyday things like having the Abbey ghouls and Siblings work together rather than in separate teams. Obviously the new masks helped too, turns out people aren't as afraid of ghouls when they can see their expressions.

With the band, I see him working to set up some kind of "retirement plan" for lack of a better word, so the ghouls no longer in the band could stay together in their pack. Copia finds a way for them to work behind the scenes for the band, rather than having to pick between the Abbey jobs no human wants to do, or returning to their old lives in the pit.

Meanwhile I think the ghouls, especially Dew, see Copia as one of their own, someone who was pulled into everything whether he wanted to be or not, and is trying to make the best of it. He is pack. I always see Dew and Copia as having this special kinship, they've both experienced this feeling of otherness that no one else understands quite the same, especially after Dew's elemental transition and Copia's remolding into Papa IV. I also see them both as quite shy with people outside of their pack, although they hide it in different ways.

I imagine they ran into each other many times in the chapel late at night, seeking affirmations from below that they were doing the right thing. The Dark One may have stayed silent, but I think they got talking, and learned to feel the acceptance they needed from each other.

I see Copia reassuring Dew that his talents were what brought on the Ministry's demand that he play lead guitar, and not to do with him or his elemental capabilities. He helps Dew feel valued as the ghoul he is, and as a friend too, not just for the faceless musical talent the Clergy may have seen him as. Likewise, Dew sees all the same insecurities in Copia and makes sure he knows that despite the whispers and Nihil's comments, he is more than deserving as his place at the head of the church. Dew is adamant that despite any talk of him being weak, this perceived weakness just shows he has a heart. Him being too influenced by his feelings is a strength, that all the ghouls and congregation appreciate his humanity and the feeling of home he creates.

They're both probably quite nervous heading out on their first era-4 tour: new ghouls, new outfits, no Papa. But I see the pair of them huddled together over a phone on the tour bus, watching the videos of them in awe and disbelief at first, at later with pride at how well they're received. I'm sure Dew takes great pleasure in showing Copia all the thirsty (so, so, thirsty...) videos their congregation make of him, teasing him slightly in a way only Dew is allowed to. Likewise I imagine Copia returning the favour, laughing at how everyone seems to think Dew is as angry as his on-stage persona when really it's all bravado and a projected stage confidence. It doesn't stop Dew from smirking and snapping his fingers to make a small flame dance on them, raising an eyebrow as he waves them a bit too close to Copia's moustache in retaliation.

I think the rest of the pack feel the kinship with Copia too, but maybe in different ways. For Rain for example, as one of the ghouls summoned by Copia, I think he seems him as more of a guardian or father-figure. Older, wiser, a protector of the pack from any more human problems the Clergy may throw their way (but better believe Rain has any more physical threats covered perfectly fine by himself though..!). Aether and Mountain maybe took a bit longer to feel the pack connection - at first he was just their new boss, but after they saw how much he helped Dew, they quickly grew to respect him for the loyal friend he is.

I don’t think Swiss has had many thoughts on the matter. Dude got pulled outta the pits by a guy with cool facepaint and handed a pretty guitar. Neat!

The ghoulettes loved Copia from the second they were summoned - they adore their goofy rat man! I imagine both of them can often be found in his office, sprawled across various surfaces trying to coax him into taking a break, making him tea, and rubbing his stiff neck when he doesn’t take one.

Opposite to Rain, I don’t think they see him as their Protector, I think they more want to protect him - real big sister vibes y’know? Like Rain, they have no doubts in their physical prowess against a threat, but unlike Rain they don’t doubt their ability in a mental fight either. Sister Imperator is genuinely confused how Copia manages to work in that office, every time she enters it’s almost unnaturally cold, and there’s always a strange low rumbling sound… Very disconcerting. She makes a point not to go in there too often. Mission success! Cirrus will bring the temperature back to normal, and Cumulus will stop growling, and they’ll cackle to themselves as Copia rolls his eyes and tries not to look too encouraging of their behaviour. He adores them too, they act like the older siblings he always wished he had growing up.

All in all, I think the older ghouls, Papa, and the newer summons are a real little family, even if they’re a bit on an unconventional one! <3

[yanxidarlings]

been reading x reader fics with the slytherins and whenever they are together/interact as a group my brain just goes but what if extreme yandere! slytherin gang, reader gets sorted into slytherin and whether or not they knew the slytherins before, you best bet they have now been claimed as the slytherins' and only the slytherins'. not even just the boys but pansy as well, a whole goddamn quidditch team worth of yandere's (platonic? some platonic? some romantic? all romantic??) that the reader is now stuck with.

honestly bonus points if the reader is vulnerable in some way; magical malady, obscurus, bad homelife, all the more reason for the slytherins to be so protective and possessive.

i high key get the vibe that pansy would kind of wring all the boys in (girlboss pansy ftw) from mauling each other over the reader, that or she actively encourages it so she can whisk the reader away "boys, amirite?" (male! reader, blinking: ).

The Theo's™ are feral when it comes to the reader, especially Mattheo, but put those two together and you've got WWE: Hogwarts Special.

Draco would 100% treat the reader as a live in servant but also be way too eager to impress them, and value their opinion to a concerning degree

Honestly i'm still trying to properly sus Enzo out but i get the vibe that he's fully under the impression that he's the readers favourite. A lil too friendly and comfortably with 'em, a lil too invested in whether or not they're still a virgin, that type shit.

I have seen Blaise portrayed a few times as closest friends with Pansy so from now on I will be rolling with that it's now yanon so you just know these two judge the other bozo's from their high horses as if they aren't just as weird about the reader.

the group wouldn't be scared to threaten, manipulate or gaslight the reader either, you know all the buzz words "nobody but us likes you" "we're keeping you safe" "but you like it, right?" and so on and so forth.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S: Dysfunctional Edition

vibing with this au rn might expand on it later

[pizzaqueen]

One day I will write a fic that is not a first kiss fic, but today is not that day! This is mostly dialogue, but I might expand it at some point. Brief mention of Mary Jane (sorry, I don't know what Tumblr censors these days lol) / rated T

“You know, Steve…”

“I do know Steve.” Steve's lips tilt in a proud smile.

Eddie snorts. “You’re a funny guy. Anyone ever tell you that?”

“All the time.”

“Anyway. Like I was saying: You know, Steve…” Eddie looks at Steve, waiting for him to interrupt again, but he doesn’t, so he goes on, saying, “Sometimes I wish you were a girl.” Why hasn’t he ever told Steve this before? High Eddie is so much smarter than sober Eddie. Steve should know this.

“What? Why?”

“So I could kiss you.” Eddie scrunches his nose up. “But now that I’ve said it out loud, that’s dumb, because I don’t want to kiss girls.”

“Okay…”

“Maybe I wish I were a girl so you would kiss me.” Eddie scrubs a hand over his face, shakes his head. “Except, I don’t wanna be a chick. And, like, I’m basically a dude version of Buckley, except cooler—”

“Robin’s cool.”

“—and you don’t want to kiss her.”

“Well…”

“Wait, do you?”

“Not lately.”

“So, you guys…”

“No.”

“Right. Well, I don’t wanna be a girl—”

“Eddie.”

“—but I still wanna kiss you, and I can’t as a guy, well I could, but—”

“Eddie!”

“What?”

“I want to kiss you.” Steve’s lips twitch and he adds, “As a guy.”

Eddie opens his mouth, closes it again. “You do?”

Steve nods, pushing himself up on one elbow, leaning over Eddie. Leaning down, so close, and, oh, he’s going to—

Eddie pushes a hand in Steve’s face. “Wait. Why didn’t you ever kiss me before then?”

The next words Steve says are muffled by Eddie’s hand.

“What?”

“I said,” Steve says, moving his face so Eddie’s hand is cupping his jaw instead, “because I didn’t know you were gay.”

“I didn’t know you were gay.”

“I’m not. But I still want to kiss you.”

“You…” Eddie’s brow furrows. Does that make sense? It has to because Steve wouldn’t say it otherwise. He looks up at Steve, still leaning over him, so pretty and right there and he wants to kiss Eddie and Eddie’s head is still pleasantly fuzzy from the weed they smoked and, wait, why is he just looking at Steve?

“Okay, yeah,” he says, “that works for me,” and slides his hand to hook around the back of Steve’s neck, pulling him down for a kiss. “I’m so happy you’re not a girl,” he murmurs against Steve’s lips.

“I’m pretty happy about it too,” Steve says, and then he kisses Eddie properly and they stop talking for a long while.

[multidimensionalguidance]

What do you need to know? Pick-A-Pile✨

Left to right; orange flower (1), pink flower (2), and blue flower (3).

Pile #1

ten of swords, the sun, the knight of swords, and the three of swords

There was or currently is a difficult situation that you are overcoming. It has been draining, and exhausting to the point where all you have energy for is laying down in bed. There was some sort of betrayal that occurred, wether from someone else or yourself. You are now in a state of surrendering and feeling the ending of the situation. But guess what? Acceptance is exactly what will bring you joy and success. Understand that what happened was meant to happen, let the feelings flow out, and allow space for light and hope. Once you do, you will feel mentally ready and clear to dive directly towards what caused the pain, and properly heal it. You are now standing up for yourself. No more tears left to cry. You are now seeing things from such a logical way, that there’s no confusion to what led you towards feeling defeated to begin with. Seeing things for what they are can be painful, but choosing to head straight to it with no fear of losing something is exactly what you need right now. You will feel better and might become overprotective of your heart, but you know what? That’s totally fine. Your heart is your biggest treasure, and not everyone or every situation deserves to receive the type of love that only you can provide.

Pile #2

king of swords, the sun, ace of pentacles, and two of pentacles

You are on a very powerful analytical mindset right now. Your mind is clear and sharp. There could be a masculine energy in your life with Air (Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius) or Leo placements that fits this description as well. There’s a lot of joy and success that is either coming your way or already with you at the moment. This could either be from a new job, promotion, venture, or extra money that allows you to not only plant a seed for future financial benefits, but also allow you to balance out your finances in general. If you find yourself needing to cut down some expenses, it won’t budge or bother you. Actually, you’ll see it as good and necessary, hence why you’ll be able to balance things out better. Overall very positive energy radiating from you, the masculine energy that’s approaching, or the situation that’s heading your way.

If the masculine energy is not a romantic partner, they could very well be someone who could come offer you a work opportunity. Someone very intellectual, fair, and whose words carry a lot of authority.

Pile #3

three of wands, ten of pentacles, page of cups, page of pentacles

You are either looking forward to expanding your horizons towards finances or wanting to cross borders, meaning, travel (particularly where your family or ancestors come from). Nonetheless, there is an expansion that will be felt in your life when it comes to long term financial success, family, and relationships. There is a potential suitor for you, perhaps someone that has a crush on you, and wants to make it known by taking a step forward. They could be a wealthy foreigner that you meet while traveling, that doesn’t take things too fast, and is quite dreamy when it comes to love. They will make careful, steady, yet romantic steps towards you. If its not a partner, then it’s definitely some sort of venture that you will take on that will give you financial abundance, and allow you to confidently manifest or master abilities to ensure your future is held on a strong foundation.

Thank you for reading! I truly hope these messages are able to resonate and reach exactly those that need divine clarity. If not, do not worry, it will come your way regardless.

[vm-haunts]

Me: haha I'll just make up a timeline for this crazy crossover idea.

Me, a week later: what the fuck what the fuck how did I end up with so much plot how is it still expanding oh my god stooooop.

Aaaanyways. I don't know if I'll ever got it properly written, but this monster of a plot bunny now covers several major events and I'm losing my mind...

But anyways, cliff notes version on the plot and how far it stretches:

..

College trio was involved in the dionesium (aka Lazarus water) research, and somehow they're actually the more ethical bunch. Which is saying a lot considering.

DP events happened but they encountered and got help from several DC magic users during it. Budding occultist Sam for the win. (no agit yet and no phantom planet either)

The GIW got somewhat reformed, thanks to the help of Team Phantom's JLD friends. However at some point they got new management. Now instead of destroying ghost, the new comers are interested in the correlation of ecto-contamination, liminality... And secretly, in the increased success rate of induced metagene activation in liminals. Yikes, they somehow got worse.

Again, the Fenton parents are somehow the ethical ones here, despite everything. They refused to work with the new branch of GIW, stuff escalated (don't they always), and now they're dead. And in ghost jail. At least Vlad is there with them for the heartwarming reunion.

So Team Phantom ended up faking their death and goes on the run while raiding GIW bases, and along the way they found a weird guy (Jason). Weird guy's mom showed up and. Well guess they're involved with assassin cult's power struggle now, at least they get to help a guy out.

More shenanigans later they ended up with some monks in the Himalayas, and- wait Danny what do you mean you know them? Oh yeah Plasmius's little stint with the Infi-map... Gotta love time travel.

Anyway, after Danny got scammed for long overdue property damage fees and Jason got a pair of cool swords, they met Talia again and she brings news! Totally no ulterior motives or anything :) (Sam called her out to her face and she just smiled)

Jason, considerably more chill in this au, is still unhappy about... Well. Everything in Gotham.

Cue the Red Hood stint but with much more control and less blood shed. Which ironically made RH more intimidating because he moves like a ghost(duh). Especially when Jason's main act of revenge is 'pranks', which reads as mild psychology warfare actually. But hey the bats did that to themselves, he did nothing wrong (besides being a drug lord).

Red Hood peaceful mode does however attracted some unwanted bird themed attention, the Owl's not the Robin's. And well, undead Talons sneaking around undead experts, what could go wrong?

Everything apparently. Because on top of the Rh stint, Jason is somehow also infiltrating the Court of Owls now. As his real identity Jason Todd-Wayne no less. But the real suprise is Danny running into his parent's old researches, and. Well, the poor talons need help, might as well join in with the infiltration.

Some more shenanigans later it ends in Jason and co. quietly turning the talons against their old masters, and oh boy did they overachieved the goal of getting a foot into Gotham's crime world. Must be Danny's Fenton luck.

Ol' Batsy is very very not happy about that development by the way. But he can die mad about it as far as Jason is concerned.

...

The end. Of part one.

Stay tuned for part two, where we cross AGIT with crisis.

And massive thanks to @taddy-cat, a large part of this is inspired by the lovely discussion with you!

[imagobin]

🔯Zoldyck Family HCs🔯

I wish this had been explored more in the actual manga, because to me the Zoldyck family is one of the most intriguing things in HxH.

We did get this chart which is very interesting, but I wanted to expand on it with a couple more headcanons and speculations. Doesn't include Maha, Zigg or Grandma Zoldyck cause there's too little info on them (Seriously Zeno, where do you keep your wife?)

---

🪭Kalluto🪭

Starting with Kalluto because he's the youngest and also gets very little time to shine.

It is commonly agreed that he cares about Killua a lot and wishes he'd pay attention to him, and I think so too.

His relationship with Illumi is possibly one of mentor and apprentice, they go on missions together and Illumi supervises him to make sure he carries out assassinations properly, without toying with his victims too much.

We don't see him interacting with Milluki at all aside from flashbacks, but the two might have a pretty positive relationship. I think it still means a lot to Kalluto that his shut-in brother would take time out of his day to go on walks and play with him, even if that hasn't happened in a while.

As for his relationship with Silva and Zeno, I do like the idea of both father and grandpa being proud of Kalluto for mastering Nen at such a young age, though Silva might be a bit disappointed that Kalluto disobeyed him and became part of the Phantom Troupe.

---

🧸Alluka🧸

Such a sweetheart aaaa I wanna see more of her and Killua's future adventures.

Ever since her ability was discovered by the other members of the family, Alluka's either been used to get something (Looking at you, Milluki), or feared. Silva and Kikyo definitely fear her powers, and Zeno probably does too. Though... I have a weird feeling that unlike the rest of the family, Zeno would be like Killua and at least respect Alluka's pronouns, if she likes 'she/her', Zeno doesn't see the problem with referring to her as a girl.

I think Alluka on the other hand really wants to love the members of her family, despite how horribly they've treated her. She probably doesn't even understand why they all became so cautious around her at one point.

The only family member that Alluka does not like is Illumi for... pretty obvious reasons. Illumi isn't subtle at all with his desire to control her and her powers; plus, Illumi's hurt Killua the most, I don't think she could ever be okay with someone who's hurt her big brother so much (even by Zoldyck standards).

---

🪀Killua🪀

Not much to say about Killua since we see him interact with most of his family a bit more in-depth... aside from Kalluto-

Killua has definitely always favored Alluka over Kalluto, despite how much the youngest Zoldyck strives to get his attention. This is probably because of how close Kalluto is to his mom.

Killua finds Kikyo annoying, and definitely doesn't trust her, so since Kalluto spends a lot of time with their mother, by proxy, Killua can't bring himself to trust his younger brother either.

Aside from Alluka, whom he obviously trusts deeply, the other member of the family he trusts the most is probably his grandpa; Zeno clearly favors him and seems to be more supportive of Killua's choices compared to the rest of his family.

---

🎮Milluki🎮

Milluki my beloved, how I wish you weren't just the butt of a joke 90% of the time.

Physically speaking, he's probably the weakest Zoldyck besides Alluka, so he's most likely afraid of the other men in the family, and would definitely not want to get on their bad side.

He obeys and respects both Silva and Zeno, but I also think Milluki would like to be treated like Killua by his grandpa, that's why he shares his invention ideas with him; he wishes Zeno would praise him some.

Milluki is 100% a mama's boy, he cares about her so much, he definitely had the strongest reaction out of everyone when his mother's safety was threatened by Nanika's powers. Despite this, Kikyo doesn't seem to give him any particularly special treatment, again, that is reserved for Killua.

He's most definitely also the unlucky middle child, I think he was definitely put to the side once Killua was born; his family fully focused on Kil since he's the heir, and left Milluki to kinda do his own thing. I feel like this consequentially brought him to be jealous of Killua and all the attention he gets.

I swear he's even worse off than Kalluto, cause at least he's got his mother's love, Milluki's basically neglected even by Zoldyck standards.

---

📍Illumi📍

Man's the family's workaholic, you can't change my mind, he's also a little fucked up, but we love him for it.

He definitely cares about his whole family in his own twisted way. That includes Milluki too, they were the first two Zoldyck siblings so until Killua was born, they most definitely spent a lot of time together. Illumi doesn't really understand his brother, but he humors him.

His relationship with Kikyo is never really explored, but I see them as being definitely close, not as close as she is with Kalluto, but close. They share the same mindset when it comes to Killua. Illumi was also her first child, so she definitely poured her heart and soul into training him into being the perfect assassin, and it definitely shows.

Illumi's dynamic with his father and grandfather is definitely one of mutual respect, they may not agree on everything, but they trust each other's strength. Silva also appreciates Illumi's dedication to the family's business.

---

👒Kikyo👒

M'lady- okay no girl needs to take a chill pill, her fashion tho, on point.

Obviously her view of love is completely warped, growing up in Meteor City and marrying a world-renowned assassin didn't do her mental health many favors. But just like Illumi, she does love her kids deeply in a really twisted way.

She plays favorites, Killua and Kalluto are the ones she cares about the most, and with how dismissive of Milluki she is, he's probably her least favorite, kinda tragic since Milluki loves his mother a lot... but then we have Illumi, where does he stand? Kikyo cares about her first born child of course, she's very proud of him, and trusts him a lot with keeping Killua in check, since they seem to share opinions on how he should be trained. She wishes he'd spend more time with her for sure.

Her opinion however is way too often brushed off by Silva, not because she's a woman, but because she's not been raised like a Zoldyck, she doesn't fully know their ways, so she's not seen as a valid voice. It's an unfair treatment, and it really pisses her off.

---

☄️Silva☄️

True winner of the 'Father of the Year' award, along with Ging, great job you two.

Silva honestly has evil mastermind vibes, he cares about Killua, but also wants to constantly control him and test him in his own way (the needle was a massive proof of that). He's just a lot more subtle with it compared to Illumi and Kikyo.

He loves his wife, no doubt, even if he doesn't show it very often, I think the man is prone to small displays of love, and definitely shows it more with his actions than his words. (Him agreeing to let Alluka out of her room because he doesn't want Kikyo to die is definitely the biggest display of this we've seen canonically, he's aware of how dangerous Alluka's powers could be, but he still chose to risk the consequences of that over sacrificing his wife).

His relationship with his other kids is not really explored that much, but I believe he's mostly satisfied with all of them. I don't think he's super disappointed in Milluki either, but he definitely doesn't expect much of him, he does wish he'd take things more seriously.

---

🐲Zeno🐲

My favorite anime old man! I really wish people would pay more attention to him, he's cool as hell.

Zeno is probably the most chill man in the family, maybe cause he's old, but he's definitely the least likely to snap back at any of his family members.

He has a very strong set of morals, with him not wanting to cause any unnecessary deaths and all. I feel like because of this, he silently disapproves of Illumi's ways, especially regarding his Needle People, and the older brother's desire to control Killua.

Zeno doesn't really think much of Kikyo, he acknowledges her skills and such, but doesn't really go out of his way to interact with her. These two have definitely had their disagreements, mostly because Zeno tends to act on his own without consulting anyone, let alone her, which inevitably angers Kikyo.

He is quite proud of all his grandchildren, even if he's mostly focused on Killua. Much like Silva, he is happy that Kalluto mastered Nen at such a young age. He also sees more potential in Milluki, but wishes he was more committed to the family's business and used his genius to its full potential.

---

[aziraphales-library]

Hi!

I was wondering if there are any fics where the ending is still the same (aziraphale goes to heaven, crowley stays on earth) but they properly discuss it and understand each other’s choice? This may be a bit too specific so no worries if you don’t know any.

Thank you 💕

Hey! Here are some fics where the ending is the same, but they take some time to talk a little more first...

The Other Side of Forgiveness by JazzRazzberry (NR)

Crowley should leave. He should really go now, before he does anything worse than what he’s already said and done. Before he gets forgiven again. He should go, the Bentley is outside, he can drive and drink until he forgets. Before he does something stupid. Before he kisses Aziraphale again. He should just go. Although. Might as well bare everything to his angel before he’s gotta leave forever, right? Aziraphale is still looking at him with those eyes, those damned eyes.

A tight embrace to say goodbye by yellowdaisy2023 (G)

Aziraphale can feel the lump forming in the back of his throat. His eyes sting with unshed tears as he turns, looking away from Crowley. His whole body is turned away from him, almost as if he’s closing himself off. It breaks Crowley’s heart. In all the years they’ve known each other, after all the fights, they’ve never done that. They’ve never closed each other off. Crowley takes a step back, ready to leave his angel forever, when he sees the slightest shudder in Aziraphale’s shoulders. Crowley pauses, watching carefully. It happens again, a small shake in the usually tense shoulders. He’s crying. Or Someone on TikTok pointed out that Aziraphale was about to sob before Crowley kissed him and I ran with it

This is Not an Apology (This is Not a Goodbye) by ThisIsWhyILoveReading (T)

After watching Aziraphale leave for Heaven, Crowley drives to his newly-reacquired flat and decides to sleep his pain away for the next few centuries, at least. Unfortunately, a certain angel shows up at his bedside and they are forced to try and Talk Things Out.

the choiceless hope in grief by Addicted2Demons (T)

"Don't go." The words are ripped from him involuntarily, a swelling need rising behind his breastbone and expanding like a balloon at a rapid pace, terrifying him in its intensity. He wasn't going to say that; it hadn't been a conscious thought, but there the words are anyway, writhing in the air between them, screaming out. Crowley stops, but doesn't turn, hand poised to turn the knob of the bookshop door, shoulders pulled up to his ears. Guarded. Hurt. Tender, inside, Aziraphale knows. He's always been so tender. A heart he was never supposed to have torn and bleeding in his ragged chest for centuries, possibly millennia. -- or -- Aziraphale has just been kissed by his demon for the first time. He suddenly, desperately, can't let him leave the bookshop without doing it again.

Things Left Unsaid by very_normal_abt_this (G)

S2 finale compliant fix it fic. Aziraphale decides that the first conversation with Crowley about going to Heaven was terrible, and that there are other things he needs to say to the Demon. Before he leaves.

one last nightingale by blackeyedblonde (E)

“Listen,” Crowley says abruptly from where he’s standing by the door, pointing above their heads. “Hear that?” They’re running out of options, he’s running out of time to make Crowley listen, and in his mounting panic somehow all the angel can do is bluff. “I don’t hear anything!” he says in huffed exasperation. The true weight of that silence wedged between them slugs Aziraphale somewhere beneath the breastbone when he realizes, dazedly, that the grandfather clock behind him has stopped ticking for the very first time in more than three centuries. “Nothing…at all,” Aziraphale breathes out, eyes widening as he whips his head around to gape at the forestalled clock. Upon turning again he searches Crowley’s face for some sort of affirmation, for any kind of clue that this is the trapdoor he’d been haplessly hoping for. “My word. Did you just—?” “Sure did,” Crowley retorts, lowering his arm so it slaps against his side like a limp fish. Outside the world continues, Soho going about its business as usual, but even the old metronome across the room on the angel’s desk has stopped its waving arm mid-air. “Now start explaining, we haven’t got all day.”

- Mod D

[mdhwrites]

THE. HERTA.

The writers from the Intelligentsia Guild wanted to give me an extra title. Something like "Herta Prime" to separate me from my puppets. How banal. Are the puppets not "me" as well? So, I gave them a suggestion — if they dared to write that, then I would call myself THE Herta. It's short, simple, straight to the point, and elegant.

Esteemed member #83 of the Genius Society, human, female, young, beautiful, attractive. It's said that she lives in the far edge of the Cosmos, almost never leaving. Sounds like her appearance this time... must be to deal with an issue that has to be handled herself, right?

Image and above text taken from Hoyo's English account on Twitter.

OH MY GOD I'M HYPED! And just this alone already feels right. I'll admit when I first saw her I went "Teen Lisa" at the design... But it's a teenager which is kind of major to me. Framing her that young fits exceptionally well with who she has been throughout the entire game. Hear me out:

When we first meet her, she's a petulant, uncaring brat who just wants to play with her toys and hardly cares for people who don't make her life more fun. A bad ending to Star Rail's beginning is sticking around and Herta losing interest in you because of the lack of change. All she cares about is her simulated universe.

By the time Ruan Mei is there though, she's spent a lot more time at the Space Station than she ever has before. She now has a group of peers she has been working with for a long while, something implied she hasn't done really, much like Ruan Mei. But instead of just taking charge and telling the others what geniuses they'll recruit, she's asking for input, wanting their thoughts, stuff like that. She is learning her game is more fun with more players.

A sidequest in Penacony pushes her the next step where she is given a heavy weight. A weapon used to destroy entire star systems. She doesn't mock the scientist, the gift or the weapon like she might have at the start. She treats the Stellaron in us as just a weapon to be played with after all. No, she solemnly tucks it away for later, respectful of the wish that someone who can maybe use it for good have it. It's a responsibility that she must accept, properly, with no one like Asta to shirk it off to. Instead of trying to ignore it though, she treats it with respect.

Finally, we have the Unknown Domain which has a LOT to it about Herta potentially opening up due to it being about something so critical to who she is... But the one I want to zoom in on is the ending. For someone who saw themselves as so high and mighty, who theoretically treats the universe as a curiosity to be replicated, who can only be interested in the strange and unknowable, the curiosities of existence... She gives a mundanite comfort. Thanks someone who could never approach her understanding for giving her the first step into being who she is. She knows it's a simulation but she feels that weight enough to feel the need to thank the simulation regardless.

And now she deems something so important that she comes herself? What could that possibly mean? She needs to kiss Ruan Mei? I can't even begin to properly guess but I am excited to put it mildly because we have gotten to see this teenager, some loli bait doll, become a young woman and now we'll get a physical manifestation of it and I LOVE IT.

Also, just a shout out to the description perfectly explaining why she's Ice Erudition again. "The puppets are me." So why would she be anything other than just a refined, perfected version of the puppets? Also she uses a keyblade/staff which makes the Kingdom Hearts fan in me happy and I'm just SO curious what we're going to see with her. A Herta who summons other Hertas? Does she spin with the key? Is the portal cat an actual thing to her? GIVE ME MORE INFORMATION STAR RAIL!

But for now, I am just excited to let my mind expand thanks to this first turn of her key to let us see who she will be. I just hope it's as exciting when she opens the door properly. See you next tale.

======+++++======

A reminder my asks are open and I'd love questions about Star Rail or even story ideas! I struggle more with concepts to write about for Star Rail far more than I wish I did and I'd love to hear your all's thoughts for a font of inspiration.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[faulty-writes]

I love your work so much! The way you write headcanons is honestly the best I’ve seen on tumblr lol

Would you be able to write headcanons of Iida, Midoriya, and Bakugo with a nervous and introverted GN Reader who’s a foreign exchange student struggling to learn and speak Japanese properly, like to the point they have to constantly repeat themselves thousands of times slowly for anyone to understand and wanting to learn more? Reader’s got the basics down obviously but ya know, they’ve gotta expand their knowledge on bigger more complex words, slang, etc. Maybe add in a sprinkle of reader being shamed by their peers for their lack of knowledge on Japanese.

[ Thank you so much for being a fan of my work. Truth be told, I'm not even sure if I write headcanons the "correct" way, but who cares! If it works, it works, right? Anywho, I enjoy this idea very much. Learning a new language is hard. Although I always joke I speak three languages which are Swearing, Sarcasm, and English. Notice how English is the last one, haha. Anyways, I hope you enjoy these headcanons! ]

It wasn't easy being a foreign exchange student, but as an inspiring hero in the making, you wanted to enroll in one of the best hero training schools and that was none other than Yuuei High. There was a small problem though, you were nervous and a little anti-social, introverted as some may say, and this made communicating that much more difficult.

You were learning Japanese slowly, and as such, you struggled to engage in conversation with others who often snubbed you. Until you met Tenya who initially noticed your struggle with comprehending his language. "Pardon, perhaps I could be of assistance?" He patiently encouraged you to practice pronunciation and grammar. He even went as far as to tutor you and provide you with structured lessons and resources.

He remained gentle and encouraging through your struggles with learning Japanese and offered kind words and praise for the progress you have made. You appreciated the comforting environment he provided and felt as though you could speak to him without fear of judgment.

"Perhaps these will assist you in your attempts at learning various Japanese slang terms, and such," he suggested, placing various books in front of you. While somewhat overwhelming, Tenya suggested that learning the slang terms might help ease your anxiety. He also continued to ensure that making mistakes is essential to the learning process.

While most were respectful of your learning process, there were a few select students who chose to shame you or insult you whenever you attempted to engage in conversation. Tenya, however, was quick to intervene and address the issue firmly as was his duty as Class President and often lectured them on the importance of empathy, understanding, and respecting you as a foreign exchange student.

Tenya continued to celebrate your achievements, especially when he noticed your confidence in the Japanese language rising. "I am quite proud of the resilience and persistence you displayed in overcoming the linguistic barriers you've faced!" Of course, you knew you wouldn't have accomplished what you did without his support and guidance, and hoped he would always be your friend.

Izuku immediately notices your struggles with speaking Japanese, but being the person that he is, tries to approach to help. Although his shyness got the best of him and despite patiently listening and trying to make sense of your words, his face burns red the entire time.

"I c-could try to h-help you...if you w-want, I mean...I've never tutored a-anyone before but um..." He knows that learning a new language takes time and patience, both qualities he possessed and as an aspiring hero, he couldn't just abandon someone he knew needed help.

Since English was one of the courses provided at Yuuei, Izuku decided to make his self-initiated tutoring sessions with you more fair by allowing you to teach him some phrases either in your native tongue or English in hopes that it would provide a supporting and engaging atmosphere and show you that you were not the only one struggling with a foreign language.

Although Izuku had the fierce heart of a hero, he normally avoided starting conflicts with other students, but this went out the door when he witnessed others shaming you for your language struggles. "H-hey! S-stop that, they're still l-learning and..." He'd try to keep a stern demeanor, and while he knew that defending you was the right thing to do, usually he'd drag you away before things escalated.

On more than one occasion, Izuku would stay up with you, engaging in late-night and casual conversation in Japanese to help improve your conversational and social skills. Uraraka and Tenya would always volunteer to help as well and provide pointers to you if needed.

"I m-mean even All Might, v-visited the U-United States and he k-knows some foreign l-language skills so I thought maybe...t-this would help you too." He thought incorporating hero-related terms into your lessons would help give your language goals a more heroic feeling thus giving you the motivation to conquer them.

A growl rumbled in his throat. "Shut the hell up already!" He snapped, making you stumble away from him. He hated it when you constantly repeated yourself. Hell, even he could admit he wasn't the most patient individual, and hearing you repeat word after word, phrase after phrase was irritating.

Despite his annoyance, and the fact that he was one of the few that tended to put you down because of the language barrier between you and him. He wasn't so ignorant as to ignore the determination and effort you put into learning Japanese and frankly, he was kind of impressed. Of course, he'd never admit that.

"That's not how you say that dumbass!" He snapped one day after hearing you, yet again, struggle with a certain phrase when engaging in conversation with someone else and he wasn't hesitant about correcting you as well as listing off other phrases he knew you had trouble with, unintentionally becoming your personal tutor in the process.

You had a lot of textbooks and practice books regarding the Japanese language and when Katsuki looked at them, he was severely disappointed. The books in question were too proper and lacked useful slang that permeated the Japanese language or at least how he spoke it. So, he took the time to teach you said slang terms, but you weren't too sure you'd make use of them.

"Soooo Baku bro! I heard you're giving Y/n language lessons!" Eijirou exclaimed one day, making Katsuki growl in response. "Yeah, what's it like teaching a foreigner anyway?" Kaminari chirped in, not realizing how insensitive he sounded. "Shut the hell up dumbasses!" Katsuki snapped. "That...idiot is putting in more effort than either of you with your damn schoolwork!" Hell, he should know. He had tutored them on occasion as well.

Although you assumed you wouldn't use the slang terms Katsuki taught you, there came a day when you found yourself in an argument with another hero student who happened to be using some foul terms to describe you and your home country. You ended up using every slang term Katsuki had taught you in response and when he learned about this, he felt oddly proud of you.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

I'm going to expand on one more deranged (very unlikely) theory before I go to bed.

So, many people have pointed out that Fyodor's last words were Jesus' as well, shortly before he died and was resurrected three days later. @originalaccountname makes an excellent point that the other side of the Page was set to be activated on the next full moon... which is in three days.

But I also suggested that Fyodor did something to Sigma - and here's how we can merge these theories, through the power of flex tape and my egregious lack of sleep.

Here's the thing about Fyodor's ability. We still don't know how it works but many people have commented on how he only seems to use it on non-ability users - and it kills them instantly. Blood spurts from their heads. We've never seen him use it on an ability user... so many people assumed it couldn't kill them. When Fyodor lets Sigma take the information from him, Sigma sees everything and passes out, comatose from sheer information overload. But it's entirely possible this is not the only thing Sigma "received". Fyodor simply allowed him to read whatever he wanted, and his ability also works through touch. Is it possible Fyodor's ability activated too?

If that's the case, what did it do?

Well, this was where I kept saying - guys, I think the split personality has an element of truth to it. While that performance was all an act - perhaps it draws from the truth of Fyodor's ability. Maybe the killing people part... is actually the ability not working the way it is supposed to. Then what else could that action of allowing Sigma to read him (and thereby making contact) be, but some kind of precaution in case he were to die?

I'm suggesting that Fyodor's ability may involve some kind of possession. A possession through corruption over time.

If that's the case, it would make Fyodor something that perhaps was once human but is no longer - if he's been surviving by transferring himself to others through his ability, then might it be said that he has ceased to be truly human? We know abilities require human souls... but what if both a person and their ability were to transfer to another body - would the body not have to be suitable to harbour an ability? It implies ability users are the only ones who are suitable "hosts"; for people without abilities, they cannot take the strain of the invasion of Fyodor's being and die instantly.

Fyodor is likened to a demon or conjuror. If he is able to hijack others' bodies, then that's rather like a demonic possession. What does this have to do with Crime and Punishment? Well, I won't speak on the book itself, but I will say that in Dead Apple, Fyodor says "I am crime" and his ability responds with "I am punishment".

He sees the two concepts as "close friends". Crime as the body, punishment as the ability. Two possible interpretations - one, Fyodor learned how to cheat death using his ability, which is a "crime" that he commits to carry out his "punishment" on those who are sinful (this "crime" could've been learned by poking around human brains, which may explain why he knew how to give Ivan and Nathaniel a lobotomy lmao). The other is that the "crime" is whoever he happens to be inhabiting (as an ability user, he sees them as sinful innately), and the "punishment" is inflicting his ability on them to corrupt them and take control. In other words, his true punishment can only be inflicted on ability users - death is not punishment and is seen by him as release.

There's also the final words he says, which are Jesus'. I want to go back to Sigma for a second. A man written into existence from nothing for some as yet unknown purpose... Is it possible he will awaken three days from now?

If so, it's possible he could use the Page on the full moon, goaded into it by the piece of Fyodor that was transferred to him, in order to actually, properly resurrect Fyodor, and/or slowly take over Sigma's body and mind as he gains more control from the inside. That is all.

Hope this was at least coherent. I can barely keep my eyes open I'm so tired

[chubbychiquita]

I think what's so endearing about watching you turn yourself into lard is that everything around you shrinks to accommodate. As you keep getting bigger, your world will keep getting smaller. And you'll get to be the centre of your own little self-indulgent universe

One day, you won't be able to leave the state- what airline could accommodate 600lbs of ass? What seat could you even afford when your whole paycheck goes straight to your thighs?

One day, you won't be able to leave your town. At some point you'll be too big to properly drive. How long before squashing your enormous frame into a car for longer than a trip to the drive thru becomes irresponsible? You might as well stay home

One day, you won't be able to leave your house. Do you really think you'd want to waddle further than your front door with so much food on demand? Do you think, when bending down to pick up the bag gives you chest pains, that you'd even be capable of that?

One day, you won't be able to leave your bed. Suckling a steady flow of liquid calories from a tube as you struggle to draw enough breath to expand your bloated chest- sitting up kinks the hose, and there's nothing worth seeing beyond the ceiling anyways

Getting fatter and getting off will be all that's left to you in the end. You'll keep growing, your world will keep shrinking

And one day you'll be trapped

😩🤤🥵🥵

[aqueousablution]

(March 2023) GRODAHAJ (Zamtrios if he BLÅHAJ)

Original post body under the cut:

If I ever have enough money to commission a big plushie someday, I'd love to get a BLÅHAJ-esque Zamtrios plushie made. It'd be 1 meter long like a normal BLÅHAJ, but instead of being fuzzy, it would be made of a smoother, cool-feeling fabric like you might find used in bedding (especially pillowcases), in reference to Zamtrios being an ice-element monster. (Addendum: Maybe if I have enough money I could also commission a Zamite based on those 55 cm mini-BLÅHAJAR?... actually, how do you capitalize "blåhajar" and other Swedish pluralizations in proper IKEA product formatting? Maybe "BLÅHAJar"? I think I got it right the first time but it looks... off. All the more reason to ignore IKEA's insistence on capitalizing all their product names, I suppose.)

I'm half-tempted to learn Blender properly so I can model it and put it in my hunter's room in Sunbreak as a mod (or more realistically a 6th-gen MonHun game, considering how long it's likely to take me to learn all the necessary steps), but that seems like a bit of a long shot.

Transcript of notes below the cut:

-

GRODAHAJ (Zamtrios BLÅHAJ)

[ frog ][shark]

overlapping fabric? embroidery? (pointing to texturing on top of GRODAHAJ's head, which lines up with darkened gills around where BLÅHAJ's are)

100 units¹ long (100 cm, or 1 meter)

like the gills on BLÅHAJ (pointing to a darker part of the aforementioned texturing)

folds that expand when inflated (referring to a cross-section of GRODAHAJ's belly, showing the folds, which are deepest in the middle of his belly and shallowest closest to his sides)

white eyes like Zamtrios in-game (pointing to the eye of the inflated GRODAHAJ)

inflated... how?²

- same fabric as a nice, cool pillowcase ↳ in contrast to BLÅHAJ being warm & good for Winter, GRODAHAJ is good for cuddling in Summer; he is an ice-element monster, after all! - no ice armor mode ↳ needs to be cuddly, not "badass"

As far as I know units are never labeled in-game in MonHun, so all the fan wikis tend to just call them "units" (if they call them anything at all, as opposed to just listing the raw number like the games), but they're pretty clearly centimeters based on some official sources and comparing sizes in-game. Thus, a 1-meter-long plushie (like BLÅHAJ) would be 100 units long.

My initial instinct is to just inflate it the old-fashioned way, but maybe there could be a cushion-like insert? If so, how would you conceal the fastener for the pocket such that it wouldn't be uncomfortable to cuddle (maybe hide it in a fold, and just not worry about it when it's inflated since it's too bulky to cuddle at full size)? Though that problem also exists with the valve for an internal balloon, not to mention the logistical issue of how to inflate it (inflated like a beach ball? That'd be a bit shit IMO, especially since some people struggle with those for various reasons).

[mageknight14]

The Dangers and Flaws of Idolization: A NEO TWEWY analysis post

Transplanting and expanding on a thread I made on Twitter to fit within a Tumblr format.

One of the most interesting aspects I see in NEO TWEWY that I don’t see many people touch upon is the commonality between Rindo, Fret, and Shoka in how they look up to others as role models while simultaneously being blind to their flaws/who they actually are up to the end and how the game's themes are reflected in those relationships and today, I'd like to showcase why.

First, we have Rindo and Motoi. With that relationship, the game makes it pretty clear that Rindo looked up to Motoi as An0ther and used his words as encouragement to get through his own daily life and anxiety. The kid could barely decide what he could even eat for dinner before he had come across the account, so if you thought his current indecisiveness nature was bad, he was even worse before the events of the game.

However, what I find interesting is that even though he constantly spouts An0ther's sayings in an attempt to try and steel himself for the challenges he faces, he thoughtlessly does so and only lives by the sayings half-heartedly, since his indecisive nature and fear of responsibility prevent him from committing all the way. I think it's telling that despite claiming that "don't miss your chance to make a friend" is one of his favorite quotes, he's constantly at odds with the idea of bringing potentially new players on board the team even before he gets the chance to properly know/meet them and grimaces at the thought of the structure of the old Reaper's Game in the original.

Keep in mind that Beat saved Rindo's life at the hands of Susukichi at least two whole days ago before this occurrence.

Nagi’s Dive into his head on W1D3 actually does a LOT to reveal aspects of his character: he puts other people at arm’s length (besides Swallow due to their online anonymity) because he’s afraid of the fallout of what would to happen if he got involved with them.

"What if I end up taking on more than I can handle? What if other people end up dragging me down with them? If I just stay at the sidelines and shift the blame onto others, I won’t get into trouble for this."

"I'm in a group project; everybody is contributing and making decisions about how we should go about doing things. I keep my mouth shut and refrain from pitching in despite maybe thinking some of their ideas misses the point of the assignment, because God forbid my ideas could be helpful (or maybe they won't; that's life, but I won't know unless i speak up). We end up handing in our project and whoops, we got a C-. I guess I'm not responsible for receiving that grade because I never made a decision, therefore I shouldn't be accountable for my lack of contribution. It just makes sense."

If you've known/are a person that have had similar thoughts to this mindset, then congrats; you know/are a Rindo Kanade in real life.

This culminates into him latching onto others he finds capable and taking the relationships around him for granted, tying other people's worth to their prowess in might or influence. After all, why bother relying on yourself and others when you can just rely on someone else for you to solve your problems? Especially since it means that if everything goes south, YOU won’t take the fallout for it. After all, they’re clearly much more capable than you are.

To get back to his dynamic with Motoi, Rindo looks up to him immensely after finding out that he was his idol an0ther and came to value his input regarding matters within the Game. So when he eventually finds out the truth and is forced to confront the fact that his hero was nothing more than a content thief and a schemer who would trample over others just to survive, he’s understandably heartbroken.

However, instead of just leaving it there, the game decides to flip the script and have Motoi legitimately apologize to Rindo for his actions, leading to the lad in question learning to recognize that Motoi is ultimately an incredibly flawed human being instead of just writing him off entirely, (even giving him another chance!) and is, in many ways, a mirror to Rindo. Like Rindo, Motoi was deathly afraid of responsibility and the fallout of letting other people down, leading to him copying and pasting other people's quotes so that he wouldn't have to face that possibility. This aspect of himself only got worse when he got trapped in the Reaper's Game for multiple loops on end, forcing him to become a worse version of himself, lying, cheating, and backstabbing just to survive and even looking towards becoming part of the Reapers, the same group that trapped him there in the first place, just so he wouldn't have to be Erased, un a manner that's eerily reminiscent to how Rindo would took towards overly relying on others so that he would make it out okay. In that sense, Motoi is a look at what a grown-up Rindo would look like if he didn't take the lessons he learned within the Game to heart, which is part of why the latter decides to take Motoi’s copypasted quotes and apply them to his life in a positive way, deriving his own meaning from them so that in a way that contrasts him following them in a shallow manner from before.

Next up, we have Fret and Kanon, who form a interesting parallel to Rindo and Motoi's dynamic. Whereas Motoi is a look at one of the worst possible paths that Rindo could take if he didn't learn how to properly deal with his flaws, Kanon actually tries to coach Fret into becoming more true to and genuine with his actual self. She also shows herself to be a genuinely affable and honorable person even in spite of the bad first impression that she had given at the beginning of the game by stealing Rindo and Fret's pin for herself.

However, that's only the surface level stuff, as the game actually goes deeper with her character. While Kanon at first seems to be true to herself and genuine at her core in a way that Fret isn’t, we can see from the Dive into her head on W3D3 that she’s holding back a LOT underneath the surface.

"You always did have a way of destroying things" tends to get glossed over by some and for those who do look at the words, they seemingly come out of nowhere and can be seemingly brushed off as her just being under the influence of the Plague Noise. However , when you look back at some of Kanon’s actions and her words towards the Twisters (accusing the Twisters of sabotaging Fuya and making Motoi drop out of the Scramble Slam against his will, her mood changing when she finds out about Fuya challenging the Ruinbringers in one timeline as opposed to her more cheerful attitude towards Fret when she didn't find that out just yet, her acting suspicious towards the Twisters regarding their prowess as a team, etc), the implication is that she doesn’t just resent the game as a whole but also secretly the Twisters as well.

The thing about the Player teams is that they have formed an unspoken agreement where the top 3 teams (sans Ruinbringers of course) keep their footing by sending new players and other teams to last place, which the Wicked Twisters screw up just by existing. Their synergy and impressive Imagination powers (well, Fret, Nagi, and Sho’s at least) threaten the balance the teams have struggled to keep up for so long, hence why Kanon initially just sees them as another team to point snipe before she changes her mind on them. And while the Twisters do almost bring about change by beating the Ruinbringers, it ultimately doesn’t even matter in the long-run due to how incredibly rigged the Shinjuku game is and as a result, the DRS are eliminated, getting rid of Kanon’s and Motoi’s safety net.

Imagine this from the players’ perspective: you’re stuck in essentially what is a never-ending death game but you’ve got a system going where you can at least stave off your deaths for a bit longer. Then a couple of kids come around and throw that whole system entirely out of whack. And you think, "well, at least they can take out the top team and give us a fighting chance, right?" Only for those hopes to also get dashed because the rules are just that rigged. Like Kubo said, life ain’t fair and the afterlife sure as hell ain’t either. W1D5 and W2D4 are excellent explorations of this kind of mindset as it showcases the player teams falling victim to their desires and abusing their powers as a result of being stuck in an endless loop of playing the Game over and over again with no hope of escaping, as well as highlights paints certain comments made by the leaders in an even darker light.

With all of this in mind, it’s honestly no wonder that Kanon resents the Twisters but what’s interesting is that she tries to keep this resentment under wraps because she knows that it isn’t fair to them. They’re just kids after all who would have no idea about all of that. Hence why she admonishes herself in her Dive for wishing that they had just wipe out the Reapers altogether and why Fret is shown to be hurt hearing her inner thoughts about the Twisters in a way that’s pretty reminiscent of Rindo’s reaction when he found out about Motoi.

And finally, we have Shoka and Ayano. While it’s pretty clear that the two do genuinely care for one another, it’s a relationship that’s been tragically scarred by the events surrounding Shinjuku and the Reapers in general, resulting in a mutually unhealthy dynamic. 

What I find interesting about the relationship is that while Shoka gets pissed whenever Rindo insinuates that Ayano must’ve treated her badly, she sadly realizes in another convo that she doesn’t know much about Ayano on a personal level or what her interests even are.

In spite of how close they are and how much they mean to each other, Ayano still put up emotional walls and closed herself off, never allowing herself to be on equal footing to Shoka and instead just be someone who guides and mentors her over the 4 years they were together.

This is due to her feeling betrayed by Shiba/others while simultaneously using Shoka as her one stable point in life regardless because everything is going up into chaos surrounding the Shinjuku Reapers and she finds herself unable to trust anyone around her anymore. And Shoka herself doesn't even realize this until the end when it’s too late because she was just happy to simply have Ayano by her side without thinking deeper about her and their relationship as a whole due to her own emotional issues and troubled past.

When it comes to children from broken homes, they are prone to imprinting on any adult figure that interacts positively with them and in Shoka's case, this is exactly what she did with the Shinjuku Reapers, especially Ayano.

A running theme throughout all of these instances is how they all involve the younger generation looking up to the adults in their lives as idols as opposed to just role models and thus fail to see them for who they are as actual human beings. And by the time they that finally do, it's too late for the adults.

You also see nods towards this theme via the Shinjuku Reapers and their relationship with Shiba or Shiba’s (who himself is parallel to Rindo if his tendency to subconsciously take on the values of others and mistake his as his own was twisted into the worst possible outcome) relationship with Kubo, with Hishima even flat out stating as such. "You fell at the feet of an idol like an utter fool", indeed.

And this all fits, as well, into NEO's larger theme that even as a 'follower', you have to question the 'leader'. Role models aren't bad -- but idols and failing to recognize their limits/flaws/toxicity are and will end up screwing you over in the long run if you aren’t careful. And I think NEO did an excellent job at exploring the little nuances that come with that, from Kanon’s internal resentment she knew wasn’t fair to the unseen distance between Ayano and Shoka to Motoi being a complete deconstruction of it all. It shows the good and the bad of idolizing someone too much. It shows how you can see the real them and turn the image you liked into something more with Rindo, or how to hold them in your heart while moving on like Shoka. It's okay to acknowledge the flaws and shortcomings of the people you look up to. Hell, it’s probably healthy to do that in some ways. As long as they’re still a good person or even helped you grow, you can still celebrate the good they brought

[kristeristerin]

Big Illyrian Baby

AN- Just a little drabble I wrote to try to improve my ACOTAR/Reader writing. I intend to go back over the first two chapters of Pretty Little Liar to make them better at some point. The tenses are a mess. 

I wrote this with @aroseinvelaris in mind. Thank you for being so kind and encouraging as I start reading/writing on Tumblr. <3 

I might expand on this at some point but for now it was fun to write something a little fluffy tonight. 

Summary: You try to take care of Cassian when he’s sick. 

Words: 343

--------------------------------------------------------------- “Stop being such a damned baby,” you sigh, bringing the small vial back to Cassian’s lips. 

“M’not,” he mumbles and pushes it away. “You’re tryna poison me.” 

You bite your lip to suppress your smile as you try to give him a stern face. “So, you’re telling me that Cassian, Lord of bloodshed, General of the Night Court’s Armies, Second strongest Illyrian alive, is scared to take a little medicine?” 

He scowls at you, “M’the strongest Illyrian.” 

You shrug at him and smirk, “I don’t know, I think Azriel would probably take the medicine without fighting me.” 

His frown deepens as he takes the vial from your hand and swallows the red liquid. “There, you cruel creature, do you like me more than Az now?” 

You laugh and brush the hair back from his forehead. “You’ve always been my favorite, Cas. I am just worried about your fever. I’m sorry I hurt your pride.” 

“S’ok, as long as I’m your favorite.” his eyes flutter shut as you continue to run your fingers through his hair. You’re convinced he’s fallen back to sleep when he opens one eye and looks up at you. “So, you think I’m sexy?” 

You hope he can’t properly see your blush in the dim room, “When did I say that?” You move further onto the bed and begin to braid his hair the best you can in his current position. 

“You said I was hot.” Cassian leans into your touch and soon his head is in your lap. 

“Cassian, I said you have a fever,” you don’t hide your laugh at his pout, “You big Illyrian baby.” 

Your fingers still in his hair when he wraps an arm around your waist and nuzzles further into your lap. “Will you stay with me?” 

The vulnerability in his voice melts your heart. “Of course I will. Get some rest, I'll be here when you wake up.” 

You reach and pick up a book from his nightstand, surprised to see it’s a romance novel, and settle in to read while he naps. 

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

hori constantly acts as if he isn’t the writer and has full control of the story and it pisses me off to no end. gonna drop some examples below. these are from the street wear profiles from the manga.

sen kaibara - “I love his Quirk, so I can’t wait to portray it more.” he’s acting like something/someone is actively holding him back from doing so.

tetsutetsu tetsutetsu - “I hope I get to show him in action more.” once again, acting like something is stopping him. side note, why tf did he give him that name. it’s just so lazy. and it’s not even funny. just annoying to say and annoying to write.

hanta sero - “He’s mostly just for one liners in the background, but he’s a good guy, and I’d like to feature him more. At some point. For sure.” and then proceeds to never do that.

this might just be me being bitter abt all the amazing characters he’s completely disregarded and disrespected. this might just be me not understanding what it’s like being a mangaka. but it still bothers me.

i just hate how he’s created this insanely interesting world and amazing characters and never expands on anything bc he’s too busy sucking bakugos dick.

speaking of bakugo, as someone who has narcissistic tendencies, he’s a textbook case.

he obviously has some sort of inferiority/superiority complex and a mild to severe case of a god complex. at best he’s dismissive of people who he sees as inferior to him, at worst he’s downright cruel.

his “nicknames” are all just fucking insults aimed at peoples insecurities.

raccoon eyes/horns: mina was probably bullied for her appearance and then her so called “friend” exclusively calls her names that poke fun at her appearance.

bird brain/bird face/other bird names: tokoyami has probably heard it all at this point but once again bakugo making fun of heteromorphs.

dunce face: denki has shown to be insecure about his intelligence and once again his so called “friend” mocks him for it.

tentacles/arms/octopus: again, mocking heteromorphs.

tail: i’m beginning to see a pattern here.

ears: ok how has no one pointed out how most of his nicknames are him basically just calling them slurs.

i don’t think bakugo has ever called someone their actual name. maybe a handful of times? but it’s like a massive event when he calls someone by their actual name.

exclusive calling people insults isn’t exactly heroic.

anyway rant over i just needed to get all this shit off my chest.

No, no honey, go the fuck off.

I will say as a writer, I have experience with 'my characters have a mind of their own' and that through writing our plans have to change because the characters adapt more, but I will also say that Hori dropped the ball BIG TIME.

I am firmly of the belief that he had to have been pushed into making some choices by the publishing company because like... dude! You have so much cool stuff and you focus on Bakugou? The 'rich kid with superiority/inferority issues' you find in every drama?

All the insults is just another tick in the 'let's be honest no one would like this guy in real life' column, and it is so fucking funny to me that people try to romantisize that shit. Hell, look what everyone does to the name Deku.

'Oh he couldn't read it properly'

Did you watch or read the manga? Cause he did, and realized that it could also mean this.

'He called Izuku Zuku before'

No.

'It was after-'

Nope, before the diagnosis, also the fact people try to use it to excuse it is fucked up. It would be like calling me the r word for my autism as a 'fun nickname'.

(I will say I know people with the same first and last name in real life. Some own it, some go by a middle name. I think it's funny that his name is Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu)

I saw someone say Bakugou has face blindness but even then you're right. Why the fuck is he making those jokes? He's like that white friend who makes racist jokes you ignore but will say someone is being sensitive when he gets called out.

Bakugou is just... ugh. He's so boring. My anger towards him has become: you're just a dull little man.

[artbyclo-again]

Rambling about character development in the new digital circus episode because holy moly i have a lot of thoughts

god this episode was so wonderful for fully rounding out the characters so far because we got to see parts of each character that we didn’t really see as much in the pilot

(im gonna put a cut so this post doesn’t take too much space but i talk about each of the human characters here)

i could make a whole separate post about pomnis development this ep but she especially is a great example of this; she spends almost the entire pilot panicking (she has some moments like with ragatha where she tries staying calm and figuring things out but she’s still clearly stressed the whole time) meanwhile in this ep despite how she’s still miserable in the beginning, unlike the pilot where we mainly saw other characters (mostly just ragatha and sometimes caine) reassuring/guiding her, she has a moment to calm down and we even see her empathize with another character and try reassure him.

i feel like her little heart to heart with gummigoo is a turning point for her this episode, it helps her realize and talk about her own worries of feeling like nothing to the other castmates and it gives her more confidence and comfort having someone going through the same issue, it’s after this that she seems more open to the other castmates particularly ragatha compared to how much she seemed to shut down interactions in the beginning of the ep or just not respond. and then!!! seeing how they still hold a funeral for each abstraction to remember them shows her how much the other characters still care and value eachother and that would soon include her as well!!

speaking of ragatha we also see her still going with her same habits in the pilot; focusing on putting the other performers first, comforting them and in pomnis case, trying to sweep the whole “you leaving me” thing under the rug despite still seeming hurt by it and pomni still feeling guilty. this is how she copes but we see how much these habits backfire on her; they don’t properly communicate and talk about what happened in the pilot, pomni doesn’t fully apologize because she spaces out while ragathas talking (i can imagine this might bottle up for the both of them and lead to conflict later) and despite her good intent she unintentionally comes off as patronizing “i’m not a child you don’t have to hype me up”

in the pilot ragathas more of a comforting/guiding character but in this episode we see her worry about pomni the whole time knowing how horrible her first day was but with how overwhelmed pomni still is she’s not able to reciprocate any of ragathas interactions. We see how this stresses ragatha out because again helping others is how she copes, she doesn’t know what to do when this doesn’t work and immediately thinks of the worst, that pomni doesn’t like her until kinger reassures her that she just needs time

AND SPEAKING OF WHICH, KINGER!!! ITS KINGER WHO REASSURES HER he’s still pretty out of it like we see in the pilot but he has that moment of being a more grounding figure for ragatha which is really nice because again we mainly see ragatha being the one trying to comfort the other characters! and it also gives a lot more insight into his character; despite his memory issues and trauma he still cares a lot about the other characters and tries helping and giving them advice when he’s able to

we also see more of zoobles character even though they were barely in the episode. they were pretty blunt and uncaring towards the other performers in the pilot but spent the entire episode off screen preparing kaufmos funeral!

jax and gangle weren’t super different from the pilot but there were some parts of their characters that were still expanded on that’s worth talking about i think

jax was just….. a lot more aggressive this episode then the pilot LMFAO we already knew he was gonna be an ass so it’s not really a surprise but it’s fun seeing the more chaotic parts of his personality; not just that but in the pilot there was a moment when kaufmo was being put in the cellar where he looked mad but they definitely emphasized his mask breaking more in this ep when they mentioned the funeral. I really think he cares about the abstractions a lot more then he lets on but he doesn’t want to be seen in a emotionally vulnerable way and that’s why he didn’t attend the funeral. i think he’s such a jerk to the other characters because he doesn’t wanna get attached to them because there’s always a chance they could abstract so i’m really interested on how he’s gonna develop later down the line

we got to see gangle with her comedy mask!! in the beginning!! i loved her screentime but there isn’t much i can think of to say at the moment but we did see some of her art too which is so cute to me and also upsetting because she drew her and kaufmo laughing becAUSE SHE FELT GUILTY ABOUR NOT LAUGHING AT HIS JOKES 😭😭 i like to think she draws art for the other characters pretty frequently…

anyways thanks for reading i just really needed to ramble abt this ep i really loved it