#Sides doesn't really care on a social level about getting figured out

[knox-enden]

THANK YOU FOR EXPANDING ON SONS OF MEGATRON AU (I don't know if its got an actual name, but until it is I'm just gonna call it that if its okay) could I maybe ask how the lambros feel about being related to Megatron? especially Sunny since he's apparently the most like him. Like, since Sunstreaker doesn't exactly get along with every autobot, (assuming they don't know) do you think he gets worried that they would kick him out if they ever found out who his sire was? because he already "acts" like megatron, its "just a matter of time before he turns into him" or some other bs someone would think? (sorry if this doesn't make sense, I'm so tired rn)

Before the war, the twins actually felt really prideful about the fact that the Gladiator Megatronus was their sire. When the war really started to get going, alongside the twins being autobots, they no longer felt that pride. It wasn't shame, as they weren't close to Megatron anyway, but it was a sensitive topic.

In truth, they didn't mean for it be kept a secret for so long. If anyone had asked, they would've answered. But seeing as how long the war's been going on for, it feels awkward.

Sunstreaker doesn't feel worried about being kicked out. Sideswipe does though. Sideswipe cares a lot about their safety. Neither of them really know they're like Megatron. I think only a few bots would see the similarities, such as Optimus. But Optimus just chalks it up to the two being from the pits.

Like, it's known knowledge that the twins were raised by Breakdown and Knockout. But it isn't really something that affects them that often, more than Cliffjumper making fun of them for it. But when it's found out, via Jazz and First Aid, that they're actually Megatron's, it's gets very messy very quickly. The two basically are outcasted by a few of the autobots. More than they're used to.

Any moment of aggression from either of them, that's everyone is familiar with, gets parred up with 'they are megatron's so-' and it's really hurtful. They barely even knew the mech, even before he went crazy.

[necronatural]

The Reigen Arataka Deranged NormalMan Review

Do you ever think about how Reigen has like. A really strange belief in The System and How Things Should Be. Like REALLY strange. Whatever he's got going on is so much weirder than "scammer with a heart of gold".

I think it all comes together if you read the 10th Season 3 omake like, seriously interrogate this:

This is normal, if comedically thoughtful and realistic for a shounen character. This guy talks like a mandatory reporter. What's strange is what immediately follows:

"AS A SPIRITUAL SPECIALIST" DOING A LOT OF HEAVY LIFTING HERE REIGEN

Not only did he hunt down the families of the children bullying his client (insane. where did he get that info), he also contacted the school as if he were representing his own son in order to get justice, and then hunted down a source of complaints when the school fell through.

This is like a genuinely bizarre level of commitment to the bit, and the bit is "the system works, and if it doesn't work, we will find a system that does work, and if we cannot, hell or high water it is my PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY to make the system stop slouching so it works again".

Long thread on the manga with this reading⬇️

Before I start. Reigen adopting Teru is more IC than you think but I don't think it is IC in the way people think it is. I think about this a lot and I think people who do it because they like Reigen aren't understanding how into his bit he is. Guy who talks to social services

So remember the arc that won people over to Reigen despite the fact he's an asshole who takes advantage of Mob and derides him constantly in order to keep him complacent?

He has Mob's phone on his GPS. This makes sense; he's been taking him out and about since he was 11. Very responsible!

Reigen dismisses the "Boss" mistake thinking well, it's a misunderstanding, but it got me in. Yet as soon as he heard they're committing crimes, he VISIBLY puts on his Boss Pants to chastise them. Again, normal so far. I think any scammer with a heart of gold would do this. (And foreshadowing for why he retried reprimanding the Claw Cadres a second time after getting power.)

Again. He's a scumbag. So he leaves Mob to beat their asses using his previous rhetoric. But then!

Reigen's shady morality is more like "people who can take care of things should take care of things". To him, Mob is the Authority on Espers, and can handle conflict like this. Immediately upon becoming aware he can't, Reigen thinks "oh, okay, so the only person who can take care of things is someone who can deescalate". (Pictured: Deescalation)

Okay. Besides the fact this is insufferable as a general concept - YOU just told him to handle it YOU are the source of his stress - his first step in deescalation is to force Mob to back down. Rather than asking him not to fight, he reestablishes "rules" in order to convince Mob he must back down - the same way he tried using what he said to worm his way out of dealing with this shit - and then sets himself up as the authority figure to which the others must obviously defer in matters of His Boy, like a parent accepting criticism at a PTA meeting. This isn't Reigen claiming Mob so much as "in order for them to not attack Mob, they must view me as a representative for Mob".

And like a good authority figure:

Continuing with his phrasing:

If you think about it, this is like...an objectively very strange and incredibly bold approach to this situation. They're homicidal. Reigen is a DERANGED level of Normal Man. He has this image in his head of normalcy, of the world at standard operating procedures, and reinforces it right through an entire conflict. Carceral beliefs don't even factor into this, simply expressing his principles and expecting them to fold.

And they do lol. I keep wondering how Shou must have felt listening to him talk like that

We see a little more of his good side in work; when he was getting so little work it was affecting his grocery bills, this moneygrubbing scammer still asked for like $200 to clear an entire city of hauntings. (His regular exorcisms are around $30). Fair prices are part of his principles of how the business should be. He operates basically at-cost. He mentions he wanted to come out here because he's bored. He's killing time as a career.

Aside:

Just realized he called Mob in last minute so Mob didn't know he accepted crops instead of money. Shigeo didn't like that

So consider that he never got caught here and there was a call on the news to hunt him down at the end of this bit: for the average viewer of the anime, it's just funny, but this is part of the Mogami pre-arc so we've gotten a hold of him by now; he probably holds an inherent belief that the police will intercept him and not Mob. Why wouldn't they? Why would an adult man want to dress up in a highschool girl's uniform? The System will understand.

Not relevant to my point but I like how he realizes what's wrong with Mob way before the final arc, just not why it's happening. Also he doesn't say anything.

With the way his principles are, you really get the feeling that Reigen does his best to avoid culpability specifically because if something happened that was his fault, he'd have to step up to the plate to compensate for that, which is troublesome to him who is a career time-killer. It does not occur to him that an actual bad person and scammer would not step up to the plate as a matter of course. This is his way

What I find really interesting is that this Militant Insane NormalMan does have a sense of wanting something "special", but rather than whip Mob up the way Dimple did Ritsu, he ended up projecting his own values onto Mob, as if he could recreate a special "self" within him. He's always deriding him and baiting him and lying to him in hopes of creating a superb person that a special individual like Mob finds admirable, as if Mob is the authority on his quality of character. Sad! lol

Anyway, it adds a lot more kick to this famous line. Reigen genuinely believes in Authority

Authority works!

And if Mob (the authority on espers) doesn't work, who's the person who MUST step up to the plate [common sense]? You guessed it.

There are other aspects of Reigen's character that everyone and their dog has already picked up on (his self-loathing is the entire reason the way he talked to Mob in Confession arc hit so hard), but this one's my favourite. He's insane

[foxglovepng]

Hello! Can I request for Soulmate AU of your choice for Leona, Idia, Floyd and Malleus? Thank you in advance!

Characters: Leona, Idia, Floyd, Malleus

CW: Leona & Idia being haters, Floyd is Floyd. Maybe OOC, Not proofread

A/N: Hello Anon! I am not too familiar with writing for soulmate AU so this will definitely be interesting. I decided to go with the red string one because It's the only one I sort of know.

A/N: I am so sorry if these are short I really do not write for soulmates at all.

If you liked Reblogs and Likes are appreciated <3

🌼🥀

Leona

Soulmate?? PSHHHHH Leona doesn't believe in soulmates. Or so he thought.

His brother met his soulmate and well we all know how that went. Leona had given up on soulmates in general since he could never find the said person.

Going to NRC he didn't think he'd meet them.

When he came across Yuu he saw their strings joined during the spelldrive incident. But that wasn't the topic of conversation that was for another day.

When they came across him again Yuu realized they were soulmates and their eyes gleamed. Leona was like Ugh an was constantly trying to fight it, he didn't really care, but Yuu of course kept pushing. He snapped at them one day and was like

"You're annoying I don't care that you're my soulmate." and then walked away.

Eventually Leona secretly began to miss Yuu's prescense but would never admit it out loud. One day he got fed up and went to go look for them. Some students were ganging up on them and he well scared them off.

"Be careful herbivore I'm not cleaning up your messes again." Liar he would.

At first he hated the soulmate thing, but he's not saying he likes it just doesn't mind it.

Floyd

He is a special case. He doesn't care enough, but he also does care. He's neutral to the soulmate thing, but if he ever did find his soulmate he'd be super stoked to meet them.

When Yuu came to Mostro Lounge to make the deal he found out Yuu was his soulmate then. However he was currently busy so he couldn't do anything about it although he's now super interested in Yuu.

After the whole ordeal he attaches himself to Yuu to learn everything about them, and just to get to hang out with them.

(Yuu literally has to force him to practice because he won't leave their side)

Eventually when they do start having a relationship he's even more loving and affectionate knowing he can kiss and cuddle his little shrimp as much as he wants.

Idia

He can barely handle a social interaction what make you think he will find his soulmate.

He's literally a shut in who is mainly on his computer either programming, doing school work, or gaming he'd not one for social situations.

The only way he found out Yuu was his soulmate was because he coincidentally went outside for club and he ran into Yuu and learned Yuu was his soulmate. Yuu figured it out too and he pulled out every excuse in the book to go back to the dorm.

Bro is not ready for the level 100 boss

Ever since then, he has tried to avoid Yuu. Emphasis on try as Yuu would probably be pushing as he is their soulmate.

Ortho at some point tells him he can't keep pushing away. He won't give up, but Ortho literally invites Yuu over forcing them to hang out.

It will take a while and some work before Idia can work up to the idea of a partner and a relationship, but he eventually does get there.

The second Yuu starts talking about marriage or a baby Idia would ramble about how he's not ready and tell Yuu to slow down.

Malleus

Poor boy has been lonely forever a soulmate would make him feel less lonely and he'd be happy that he has someone to be around. He's been excited to meet said soul mate. He'd been dreaming what they'd look like what kind of person they are what gender they are (Not that gender matters to him)

When he was outside ramshackle and Yuu came out he realized their strings connected. He was happy he found his soulmate and would be even happier if they felt the same way about him.

When he came back from Diasmonia that night he told Lilia he found his soulmate. Lilia was happy so was Silver. Sebek was like WHAT? but he will get over it. (Spoiler he ends up liking and tolerating Malleus's s/o)

Peep Malleus planning the wedding with Lilia as the officiant.

[oraclesraycons]

My favorite yandere characters tend to be the stalkers, the nosy ones that just have to find out everything they can about you, and worm their way into everything. Plenty of the Batfam members have their own ways of fitting this bill; I've seen most people go for Tim specifically for this. However, I would argue there's a better choice for this. Tim is good for the former, but not always the best at being... normal, for lack of a better word.

But do you know who would be? Fucking Barbara Gordon. Nobody talks about her but she's such a good yandere candidate and I need people to see my vision. She's like THE techie of the group if there's a way to find it, bug it, hack it, whatever, she's the one who's gonna do it. She's probably got a whole file she's been working on on the side; where you come from, where you work, your family, your friends, any bit of personal history she could dig up (may vary depending on what she's got bugged and how tight lipped you are), your search history, your grocery list, hell might even have your social security number if you've got one who knows.

AND she has the bonus of acting like a normal ass human being. She was able to hide her identity as Batgirl and Oracle from her father for years, this is probably nothing in comparison. It's simple to move into a neighboring apartment and play the girl next door. Even easier to pretend to struggle moving her things in; surely you'd be nice enough to help the girl in the wheelchair if she asked right? Hauling so many boxes and maneuvering the chair around has got to be exhausting. She promises she'll make it worth your while; dinner can be on her tonight!

(Nevermind the fact she has enough people willing to help they could haul everything up in one trip.)

Has no problem playing up her geeky or nerdy side either, whatever it is you like that'll give her an in. Do you like a specific book genre or series? You might run into them if you visit, or come back another day to help her unpack.

(You will help won't you? You're such a nice person after all! And it's not like she could do anything bad to you. Plus she already looks so exhausted...)

Maybe you'll find a collectable figure from a favorite series (Aw it's your favorite character? She's happy to work out a trade, she wasn't that attached to it anyway. So long as it's yours, she doesn't particularly care what you offer for it either), or she'll offer to play your favorite video game together someday, or even display records of your favorite music albums somewhere noticeable but discreet. Whatever it is that will get you to talk, to open up and even be a little vulnerable to her, Babs will consider it money well spent.

It takes time to build a relationship, for you to really let her into your life, but if Barbara has learned nothing from all her training it's that patience is key. The first time you let her into your apartment she has to suppress full body jitters in excitement. Her instinct screams at her to set up recording devices where she can, but she only has so much time, and she can only move so fast with her wheelchair, so Barbara wills herself to be patient. That can come later, during longer visits, when you trust her more. Game nights, or sleepovers perhaps.

(You've never had a sleepover?! Well now we have to fix that, come on! Lets go gather some blankets and make a blanket fort-)

The first time you take a drink from her without much fuss, it occurs to her she could have easily drugged you and you'd have been none the wiser. She's got no need for that right now of course, but the level of trust and access you give her provide a similar amount of satisfaction.

[deramin2]

Essek constantly gushing about his partner but pointedly not giving his name hits me so hard in the feels.

Two formative childhood experiences for me:

ONE

I was severely, mercilessly bullied as a child at every school I went to even if they're was no overlap of kids, and authority figures either ignored me or directly told me it was my fault. I was socially toxic. Any other kid who publicly associated with me was also targeted for harassment. I was best friends with a girl around the corner but because I was a couple years younger (in itself an invitation for bullying) and a parish, we could never let anyone know we were friends.

I've been told I should be upset at her for this, but it wasn't her fault. It was the other children who made it a fact that she would be harmed by publicly being my friend. She didn't make those rules, we were both just honest that it existed and there was nothing we could do to change that. The best we could do to survive was at least protect her. And that benefited me by actually having a friend.

So if we talked about each other it was"my friend." No names. No acknowledging we knew each other in public. No introductions to other friends. Keeping that divide up was necessary to survival. I had a couple friends on the same freak level as we and we were in fact targeted with additional harassment to get to the other person. It was a legitimate threat to live with. At some point I just stopped thinking it was ever necessary to reveal who my friends or family are unless it's both explicitly relevant and necessary.

TWO

I learned to use the internet in the late 1990s when anonymity was considered a best practice. Don't give out your age, sex, location, or other identifying information. You don't know who is on the other side of that screen or what they will do to you if they know. Sperate your online and offline worlds to protect yourself.

This helped reinforce experience one because clearly adults also acted like those kids and this just normal human behavior no one will ever put a stop to that you need to be on guard for at all times. Build in air gaps so if one of you is compromised it's harder for the perpetrator to get to other people you care about. Defending them through anonymity is a way of showing you love them.

Also since some family are searchable through have state government jobs that right-wing nut jobs chips target them for, I wanted to make sure they couldn't be connected to me as a queer trans disabled person active online. In case something I said led to them being targeted.

(This is correct advice, even though it flies in the face of modern online conventions. There are tons of malicious people on three internet who will target you and anyone you love if they decide to hurt you.)

RESULT

By default, I refer to people by their relationship to me, not their name. My friend, my partner, my parent, my family, someone I know, etc. Often I avoid gendering them to make it even harder to identify them. I have to consciously consider if the person I'm talking to has any reason to know my associate's name. Blacklist everyone, then whitelist exceptions.

I do this even if both people know each other because the specific association feels dangerous. Better to be viewed as acquaintances than a meaningful relationship that changes how either of us could be viewed. It's not even really a judgement on thinking the person is untrustworthy, I just don't want to spend any extra energy thinking about it. It doesn't even feel relevant because my relationship to this person fellas like it conveys more information that actually matters.

ESSEK

Essek knows both he and Caleb are being targeted by powerful people who have shown they will target loved ones to get to them. Additionally, tensions between the Empire and Dynasty are still high and it could very easily compromise how their own sides view them if it's known that they're romantically entangled with someone from the other side. It could also blow each other's cover and make their meeting places more vulnerable to attack. Especially if their enemies know they could hit both of them at once.

It's genuinely dangerous for their connection to be known, so they don't name names. It's not even a matter of whether Bell's Hells would intentionally misuse that information, but what they also could just let slip to the wrong person. It's not really worth the risk when "my partner" is all the information they actually need to understand him.

My guess is that Essek said "Bren" is hiss partner because they already know a Bren sent them to Astrid. And since Caleb no longer uses the name Bren it would be much harder to connect them. It would have caused more questions, more prying, and more risk to give no name for his partner when directly pressed. So he gives a truthful but less dangerous answer. The anonymity is an act of love.

[sharpth1ng]

Hihihi sharp, sharpie, sharp guy, sharps disposal! Silly sharp man, I sent an ask for writing tips not too long ago, and I am yet again asking. Nay, BEGGING 🙏. If you have. Any writing tips. On Stu’s character. Ouhg. What’s your thought process on writing him?

Anything helps/nfta

If I mischaracterize him I will cry, broski. Jelp.

This is a little late but maybe it will still be helpful.

The way I see Stu hes someone that copes with positivity and humor. If someone he cares about is upset his first instinct is to make a fool of himself to distract them. He's an extremely social person because he finds people entertaining, even though he cares for relatively few of them.

I dont consider him a psychopath but think that relative to the general population he has high levels of cognitive empathy and lower levels of emotional empathy. This means that he's good at understanding people, and because he can understand them he can manipulate them, but he doesn't necessarily feel for them.

For example he's bummed to lose Tatum because he enjoyed spending time with her but he doesn't experience deep grief after her death. The emotional empathy he does experience is extremely selective, and most of it is directed toward Billy.

Put this all together and you have someone who is extremely socially capable. He knows how to fit in and get what he wants out of people. A lack of emotional empathy means he doesn't experience much guilt or shame. Guilt and shame are social emotions, to feel them you have to care what people think of you and how you affect them, and Stu mostly doesn't.

All of that said, Stu has the capacity for emotional empathy, he isn't neurologically incapable of it. I see this as something that kind of atrophied or got shut down through a combination of societal privilege and parental neglect.

The dark side of all that social energy and a history of neglect is that he still craves attention and affection, but he knows better than to just fully be himself around most people. If he did that he wouldn't be able to pass as normal, so thats where Billy comes in.

Similar to the way that Stu is special to Billy because he's the only person who really knows how fucked up he is, it's the same for Stu. Billy is the only person thats safe for Stu to fully let loose with, the only person fully capable of giving Stu the attention and affection he craves.

In that way they're pretty co-dependent, and Stu specifically isn't even trying to hide that dependence. Some people decide from a young age that they're going to be an astronaut or a doctor, and then they devote everything to that until they get it. Stu decided from a young age that he was going to be by Billy's side, however he was allowed. For the most part Billy is his first priority.

I think the paradox of childhood neglect is that you want attention and care but you don't actually know how to be cared for, and it can feel a lot more comfortable to care for someone else than to let them care for you. In some ways Stu can focus on Billy because it's more comfortable than focusing on himself. He understands Billy and I think he enjoys the special relationship he has with him. Even before they're romantically involved he knows that Billy gives him a kind of attention he doesn't give anyone else and that feels incredible.

So that's kind of the way I see his emotional motivation and internal psychological state, that's what I use to figure out how he would respond to various events in my writing.

In terms of his dialogue and internal voice he's jokey, he sees and delights in the absurdity of situations he's in. He uses a lot more slang than Billy and will choose silly turns of phrase just to make people laugh and because he thinks they're funny. He's a fairly sensory person but not as much as Billy, and he's a lot better at identifying his own emotions than Billy. Billy will describe emotional reactions in terms of their physical correlates (eg instead of saying he's embarrassed he'll say he feels sick and his face is getting hot) whereas Stu is often able to just identify that those things mean embarrassment.

Again in contrast to Billy he prioritizes pleasure and joy regardless of what that might mean about him. As a result he's not likely to spend much time in denial about his experiences and he mostly doesn't bother to make excuses to himself about the things he desires. He's pretty brave, he's willing to sacrifice a lot for what he wants and he's ok with a little bit of suffering, even if it's not the kind of suffering that turns him on.

Alright theres your Stuart essay 😭 i hope you find it helpful!

[bl-bracket]

Best Siblings Semifinals: Black & White (Not Me: The Series) vs Minoru & Tane (Our Dining Table)

[Submitted Reasons Under Cut]

Black & White: "White literally takes on Black’s life in order to figure out who hurt him, and when Black wakes up, he does everything in his power to make sure White is safe (even if it isn’t necessarily what is right or what White might want, but Black gets there eventually). They have an established twin connection that’s so strong that Black wakes up from a coma when White fucks his nemesis. Even with their separation at such a young age, it’s clear that they are some of the, if not the, most important people in each other’s lives. Also, I think it’s really interesting that White learns so much about who he is and what he believes through posing as Black, and a lot of their individual strengths and weaknesses balance each other out super well."

Minoru & Tane: "Minoru and Tane are both wonderful characters and they bring so much complexity and sweetness out in each other. They've been through one of the most difficult losses imaginable together, the death of their mother. Being a parental figure to his younger brother isn't always easy for Minoru, and it doesn't always come naturally. But he always puts Tane first. When their mother died, everything else in Minoru's life was put on hold so that he could help care for Tane, including his social life. But he never resents Tane for this or takes it out on him. This might seem like a one-sided relationship, but it isn't. Tane has a lot to offer Minoru in return. He's an extremely sweet little boy who absolutely adores his big brother. His creativity, his humor, and his absolutely lethal level of cuteness bring joy to Minoru's life in a way nothing else does--until they meet Yutaka. Even then, Tane is the reason they got to know Yutaka in the first place. In lots of different ways, he creates the conditions needed for Minoru's relationship with Yutaka to be established, not least of which is the way their shared affection for Tane gives them something to bond over. But that's only one of the ways that Tane brings happiness, liveliness, and charm into Minoru's life. Bottom line, these brothers love each other immeasurably, are incredibly adorable together, and make each other's lives better every day."

[battlinghurricanes]

I have a laxeel-ish au in the back of my brain where Laxus and Gajeel happen to cross paths while doing different jobs when they're teenagers. The fairy tail / phantom lord rivalry is only escalating and they're very well aware, but they're both so rebellious that they hang around just to spite it.

They'd be the absolute worst influences on each other, a situationship straight outta hell. They meet up specifically to cause problems on purpose and make as many recklessly bad decisions as possible. They're perfect enablers and they insist they hate everything else about each other and only like fucking with them. They're on the exact same wavelength of hating everyone and wanting to burn the world down.

Repressed, spiteful, traumatized Laxus is ravenous for the relief of someone egging on his bitter impulses, who appreciates that he gets to make his own choices, and that includes destructive ones. He rants about Ivan and Makarov and instead of getting pity or being brushed off, Gajeel's like "yeah, fuck those guys they sound like pieces of shit, do you wanna go burn down a dark guild base with me to make their lives a little harder???"

Around him, Laxus can shrug off the social pressure he struggles with because Gajeel makes a point of being an even more unpalatable freak, they don't care at all what the other one does, and Laxus gives 0 fucks about impressing him.

Even when he won't acknowledge how bad of an environment phantom lord is for him, Gajeel wants to get out of the guild whenever possible. When he turns up in rough shape, no matter how bad or apparent, Laxus doesn't get on his case or ask intrusive questions that would sooner drive him off than change his mind, so he gets some breathing room he feels like he can actually count on.

He's unfazed by Gajeel, doesn't care, so he doesn't look at him in disgust like so many others, appalled by him in many ways he's earned, but in others he never deserved. The excuse to act out and cause hell with Laxus gives Gajeel a taste of independence and confidence he's desperate for.

They get black out drunk together. They beat each other up. They skinny dip. They cause untold property damage. They always side with each other. They get banned from 2/3 of the bars in Fiore. They scare people so bad they won't gossip about them so no one knows any of this. They're always at each other's throats and swear they hate each other, but never doubt that they'll come together in their love of bullying someone else. The pair of them can scathe and intimidate a person into anything, an utterly ruthless and unhinged duo of assholes.

There's some kinda tension going on, but any real intimacy would require a degree of coherence that they definitely don't have. Gajeel says he's down to fuck and Laxus really isn't, very on edge when he says it. But he doesn't press, just looks him over and goes "mmm... yeah, figures" and Laxus is immediately trying to strangle him to death anyway.

At some point they end up getting arrested by the magic council for the longest, most absurd laundry list of charges imaginable. One thing went south then, 3 days later, they've broken laws nobody knew existed. Makarov comes with bail and they're handcuffed together, less than fully clothed, covered in dirt, confetti, and an uncomfortable amount of blood. Catastrophe level situationship. Less for them than for everyone else.

[xstarlightxstarbrightx]

Neuvi headcanons

MY BBGRL,,, MY LIL CUTIE MANS WHO I ADORE,,,, i love him so much he's so fuCKIng CUTE dude, lil dragon mans sksmefkhjrshefkj. i swear i'm a normal individual w/ these characters

list of current h/c's: - i feel like he's socially anxious?? like ok, listen, he's GREAT w/ any formal situation, but THE MOMENT it gets casual he PANICs on the inside bc he's like 'wait what's the right and wrong thing to say'. - following that, i feel like when he's in a casual conversation w/ ppl and starts getting panicked, i feel like he's learned to tap his cane twice on the ground to signal to any of his closer companions that he's freaking out. like a "get me out of this situation please" type deal. - this ties into my belief that he's got anxiety regarding smaller scale things. like if he makes a small mistake on something or breaks an object, he feels SO BAD and panics as he tries to figure out how to fix it.

- knowing this, i feel like he feels a bunch of emotions, he just doesn't know how to like,,, put them into words? read below - a yearning for learning,,,, actively seeks out how to label his emotions, but how does one define their feelings? Emotions are not equated to logic, and yet they're a part of human experience, so what is the method to label that which is so intangible yet so real? he doesn't know yet, but he's figuring it out and i'm so proud of him :)c - overprotective in his own way. like he's been putting a lot of stuff on his shoulders so ofc that includes him being sensitive towards people he cares about being harmed. - prideful! he doesn't think he's prideful, he just is Proud Of Things, but tbh i get a bit of a "dragon pride" vibe from him. it's silly goofy and rears up the most around certain Archons. - GOOD DAD. NEUVI IS SUCH A GOOD DAD. IF A MELUSINE COMES UP TO HIM TO TALK ABT A THING, HE IS THE MOST ATTENTIVE LISTENER. HE'LL ASK QUESTIONS, TOO, TO TRY AND LEARN MORE. oUGH i love him he's SUCH a gOOD DAD - afraid of losing everything; Neuvi didn't really realize he had so much to lose until he almost lost it, and now he's like even more scared to lose anything else. - anxious of closer connections. Neuvi wants to be closer to people; he really likes humanity, and he wants to reach out to people. but he's afraid, bc if they ever err away from the side of justice, they may end up in his court. no matter what happens, then, is him sentencing them not a form of betrayal? neuvi ponders this a lot - MOVING AWAY FROM SAD THINGS: y'all i'll be SO real, ppl are so used to Neuvillette being in Fontaine that, when he's Outside of Fontaine, unless they Know Him on a personal level, no one recognizes that he's the Iudex of Fontaine. like not even actual Fontainians register it, bc, like, why would the literal Iudex Leave his Natural Habitat of the Court of Fontaine??? - side note, average ppl are intimidated by him. like most ppl look at him and go 'if i approach him, i will be arrested for war crimes bc CLEARLY he is a PRINCE' (which is the best and funniest shit) - 'unrelated'; Neuvi doesn't talk to a lot of ppl outside of his closer friend group, i think u can understand why - such a hard worker,,, honestly probably overworks himself and doesn't even realize it. - WHICH LEADS ME TO HIS HOBBIES HEHEHHEHEHEHE - ARTIST,,, you CANNOT sit there, after Lantern Rite, and TELL ME that HE DOES NOT start looking into the arts. THIS MAN would ABSOLUTELY get into painting and poetry and shit. he likes watercolors and he ADORES POTTERY (THAT FUCKING LADLE??? I CRIED OVER IT IN MY TEAPOT FOR 30 MINUTES HELP) - loves books and stories. like seriously they're kinda actually really fun for him to read bc he sits and breaks down what is and isn't accurate abt them (crime/detective books) and he gets invested in romance books (he's CURIOUS okay??) - bc he reads Fontainian romance books, any and every romantic gesture is like,,, awkwardly sappy? like he'll do small scale things bc he's a lil nervous baby, but it's THE SAPPIEST of the sappy. - fashion lover. Listen, this man could arguably wear whatever he wants and he chose to wear THAT???? he's a fashion lover / makeup master, and i will die on this hill. - he would laugh at Cyno's jokes, but only AFTER Cyno explains them.

OKAY I,,, I THINK I DID IT,,, i had so much written i'm dying please i love him so so so much. my itty bitty squishy bbgrl i cannot wait to explain why and how he joined the party / poly it's SO silly, this entire thing is my favorite i have been yapping abt them for a MILLENIA

[bucky-h0e]

Yes, I used Lilo and Stitch to quote the family that Bucky makes in this fanfic. Honestly, I think it just fits them so well.

There is a taglist, just respond if you'd like to be added! These are headcannons and scenarios revolving around Bucky and Human! Alpine. I'll be used she/her pronouns for the character and there will be a vague description of her in some scenarios.

Enjoy the series!

Serendipity Masterlist

Main Masterlist

How Bucky Met Alpine

It all started when Steve went back to Peggy. Steve was Bucky's family and now he was on his own.

He and Sam worked together sure, but that didn't mean there wasn't any tension there.

They definitely weren't on the level of living together, so Bucky found a place in Brooklyn after he got is pardon.

Quiet, the landlord didn't ask a lot of questions, cheap. It was perfect.

Almost perfect.

There was one neighbour that seemed to annoy him, though they'd never really talked before hand.

They lived opposite each other, so it was a surprise they hadn't seen each other before when Bucky was viewing the place

He'd seen a glimpse of her on moving day, lugging boxes onto his floor and dumping them inside the open door of the apartment.

On his second, maybe third run up from Sam's car - not that there was actually that much to move in - the lift had been occupied so instead he went up the stairs.

He was a super soldier, it's not like it would tire him out too bad.

Walking through he door, he caught a glimpse of his neighbour.

A young woman, maybe 21? 22? Long hair, wearing an all white outfit

In New York? That was brave.

She kicked the door closed behind her before he got a better look at her but he didn't care, he was more annoyed at the fact he had a young neighbour.

he didn't know if he'd be able to handle loud music and parties every night

he was stereotyping of course he knew that but he couldn't help it

a young girl living on her own with absolutely no parental watch, you just know there's going to be some sort of rebellious action

little did he know, his neighbour was a social recluse

and very

VERY

nosey

so nosey in fact that whenever she hears Bucky's door go, she's up and looking through her peephole wondering what the fuck is going on

she's bored and this is her only form of entertainment because how does this man function

she never sees a lot of groceries, never sees any takeout's delivered to his place, and only ever sees him with his friend or with Yori

and yes, of course she knows Yori

they gossip together on the weekends when they do their laundry at the local laundromat

but she knew who he was, knew who James Barnes used to be, what he used to do, who he lost

she knew he was on his own

like her

so, why couldn't they be on their own together?

she had watched him adapt his life from war to peace, and felt bad that he had no one to talk to about it

yeah she was a kid but she wanted to help her neighbour

she just couldn't figure out how to interact with him

not like she could just knock on his door and say "hey you have trauma and I have trauma lets bond over trauma together"

that would just be way too mentions of trauma

she could say "hey I've been watching you for a couple of weeks and you seem just as depressed as me lets be best friends"

but that would more than likely end up with a door slammed in her face and a restraining order

luck was on her side when one day, her pizza was delivered to the wrong address

she'd been waiting for an hour, normally she wouldn't have even gotten it delivered, she would have gone out to get it herself but the poor baby has a cold

fuck going out

she heard the knocking on the door and couldn't help but get to her feet and look out the peephole at the two people in the hallway

she may be on deaths door but she'll be damned if she doesn't know what on earth is happening right outside her door

"Yeah this ain't mine"

"bro c'mon just pay for the pizza, my boss will kill me if I get this delivery wrong"

"it's not mine, i'm not paying for it."

opening the door she grins because finally

her pizza is here

and she can interact with the Bucky Barnes

"it's mine"

she tried to seem cool

really she did but there's only so much you can do when your face is all red, snot dripping down her nose and her hair in a greasy messed up bun at the top of her head

the pair looked at her and she handed the delivery boy the money, sniffing hard as he left

"...."

"...."

neither of them had closed their door, neither of them had spoken

somehow they had gotten into a staring competition

it's really no wonder because we know Bucky loves those

but Alpine was STUGGLING

"Why are you staring"

"...."

"Dude seriously"

"...."

"Okay you're making me sweat, can you stop?"

she starts panicking and opens her pizza box to stuff her face, not taking her eyes of him

"See what you're making me do? Stress eat. this is all you, i can't stop staring- will you just blink?!"

she felt like she was in an interrogation

like all her deepest darkest secrets would come out

and some of them did

"OH MY GOD FINE I STOLE THE COUPONS FROM MRS GALWAY'S MAILBOX BUT SHE DOESNT EVEN EAT SHREDDIES SO IT DOESNT MATTER"

what

the fuck

bucky can't help the quirk upwards his mouth does, a small chuckle leaving his mouth before he can stop it

"This is really uncool of you man, why are you laughing at my MISFORTUNE"

"you steal coupons i don't think you can really talk about being 'uncool' kid"

This girl all but choked on the pizza slice she'd been stress eating

Bucky Barnes just called her uncool

the

audacity

"I am the coolest person in this building"

"you just confessed to to theft"

"so?"

"i didn't even say anything to you"

silence

braincells hard at work trying to reply

"....I-..... shut up"

"What's your name kid?"

"You called me uncool, you don't get to know my name"

she turns and closes the door, Bucky laughs and does the same

they managed to somehow bump into each other even more after that, with Bucky asking if she stole anymore coupons and Alpine challenging him (and losing) to staring contests

it always ends with her telling him to fuck off and closing the door annoyed that he wins

does he get paid to stare or something

she practices in the mirror because god dammit she will win one of these days

she loses to her reflection

how is it's even possible she doesn't know

but she swears at that mirror every day for a week after

he still asks for her name, she still doesn't give it

annoyed that he called her uncool and hasn't even apologised for it

or taken it back

"Seiously, I can't keep calling you kid, you gotta have a name"

"I'm not telling you my name, you'll just have to guess."

too much effort

with a frown he shrugs

"Fine, I guess I'll just call you.... Alpine"

"You just named me like I was your pet, shocking behaviour Sarge."

That was when he realised she knew who he was

she knew who he was

and still talked to him

he can't help but keep his distance after that

but, she keeps watching him nonetheless, making sure he's looking after himself

he still doesn't eat properly, she thinks

and it annoys her

if he starves to death before she wins a staring competition

she will kill him

it all came to a boiling point when he came home, mumbling angrily about his therapy session and about having no food in the fridge because he was too annoyed to go to the store after the session

his door slammed close and she stopped for a minute

she'd never seen him that angry

so, with all the determination a 21 year old can muster to care for a 106 year old

she cooked him dinner

it was simple, she'd say if he asked

she'd cooked to much

that old cliche

but in reality, she had no idea what she was doing

in the end she made some sort of chicken fried rice

it wasn't much but it would do

when Bucky heard the knocking on his door he contemplated not even answering

probably a lost delivery boy

when it happened again

and again

and again

until

"OH MY GOD ARE YOU FUCKING DEAD?!"

a genuinely panicked screech from the hallway

groaning he opened the door and stared at the girl, catching her hand before she could bang on the door again

"You're very persistent"

"YOU'RE ALIVE THANK GOD"

she nearly went to hug him, but he stopped her by putting a hand on her forehead, keeping her at a distance

"You're a weird kid"

"Shut up and come eat dinner with me, I made too much"

and he would have said no

but she looked genuinely upset at the fact she thought he was dead, a hand resting on her heart

"..."

"i'm taking silence as a yes."

with that she grabs his arm and drags him to her apartment, barely letting him close the door

Whilst she went about sorting out their dinner, serving it up and getting them some drinks

in the meantime, Bucky took a look around, awkwardly, as you do

it was a normal apartment for someone living in their 20s. Not too clean but not too messy, nothing indecent thrown around the place. a few empty cans but that was it

mail on the counter in the hall

Bucky took a chance and glanced at it, maybe he could get her name if he just looked

Alpine

what the fuck

"What are you doing?"

man drops the letter and looks like a deer caught in headlights for about three seconds, looking at the grinning girl

wait- grinning?

"You're a bit late sarge, I looked at your mail the first day you moved in."

what

the

fuck

"You looked at my mail?"

"You can't exactly talk now can you? now come on, foods up."

they sat and ate the dinner she cooked together, talking and getting to know each other, teasing about the fact she thought he was dead

it was nice

it felt like... he had Steve back

he had a family

but he couldn't help his curiosity

"You aren't... scared of me?"

she shrugs

"You could have broken my whole damn arm when i tried to hug you earlier, you're not a monster Sargent Barnes. I trust you"

there it was, the words he'd always needed to hear

you are not a monster

he nods silently, looking up at her as she takes their dishes to put in the sink

"Hey kid?"

"yeah old man?"

"You're pretty cool, y'know that"

"..."

"Nice try, I'm sticking with Alpine"

"Damn it"

[undercover-monsterlover]

I just found your blog and im in my jojo era so i am SO thankful you do jojo matchups you are my savior thank you <3

So! I would like a matchup from JJBA please and thank you! I'm female, fine with any pronouns but i prefer she/her! I'd like to be matched with a man ty

I'm a very optimistic person in general, but certain things just tick me off so badly i can't help it. Most of the time im sweet and kind, im basically the mom friend. I lovee getting to know other people but i struggle with the whole social thing. I'm a sensitive person and i WILL cry or atleast tear up if watching sad movies/shows. I'm an amateur voice actor, it's a passion of mine and i love doing it! I also rlly like going trough my fav characters and looking at who their vas are then get giddy when i hear them somewhere else lol. I also love love drawing even if im not the best and i also LOVE reading, be it manga or books. I could yap about my fav things forever, but i kinda never do because i always think it just annoys people and nobody cares about what i have to say, so i just sometimes bring things up nobody else knows of and they stare at me like 👁_👁. My love language is physical touch for sure i loveee cuddling and holding hands and shit.

I honestly have a kinda specific type even if we don't take appearance into account, that's a different story. I seem to gravitate toward men who are the most childish, loud, overconfident (deserved or not) people on the planet it's honestly so noticeable too if i look at my fav characters. I just want a funny, silly, goofy man.

I'm 5'3 and have looong wavy brown hair that kinda curls up at times. I also have some big ass green eyes, freckles and a shit ton of birthmarks, like i have atleast 3 on every body part. My style is honestly just casual, i basically wear hoodies or oversized shirts 24/7 bc theyre comfy.

Uhh yeah i hope it isnt too much to ask for :3 ty in advance!!

Alright, I'd match you with...

Jean Pierre Polnareff

I felt that Polnareff was a strong match for you, especially given your type. I wanted to match you with someone who is loud, funny, and overconfident, but knows how to tone it down just a touch when appropriate, so you have someone that fits your type, but is still good for you and doesn't wear you out in the long run. I'd say especially in the beginning, Polnareff does most of the social heavy lifting, he could talk to a brick wall for an hour without caring, so it makes it easy for you to get to know him, and become comfortable around him, before you start opening up in return. We know he's a very forward person, so you never really have to struggle to figure out what his intentions are, or decipher complex social cues, what he says is pretty much what he means.

It doesn't take long for Polnareff to consciously decide/realize he likes you beyond just a friend. He especially loves how optimistic you are, he can be a touch reactive, even moody, so your outlook reminds him to look on the brighter side of things. Throughout the show, he's very sweet to the girls and women the crusaders come across, so I think he would take that to the next level with someone he actually knows likes. Opening doors for you, pulling your chair out, generally being very attentive. He's definitely a romantic, and he'll remind you that's because he's a Frenchman at every opportunity.

He is just insufferable during the flirting stage. He is always trying to show off for you, and blatantly at that. Straight up flexing for you, letting you feel his muscles, making a show out of lifting or carrying things. You'll never have to carry luggage or shopping bags again in your life, and he'll probably tell you that point blank. And god does he love to make you laugh. You wanted someone funny? Well he can definitely provide. Even if what he's doing isn't exactly funny, his unashamed attempts to get you to laugh will make you do so anyways. Every ten minutes you'll hear "watch this" only to watch him go off and do the most random bullshit. The others hate it, but you find it cute, he's very eager to please.

I think it wouldn't be too long before he confesses to you, he isn't a very patient man, and he's made it pretty obvious he likes you anyways. I think Polnareff would also unintentionally try to move the relationship forward very fast, you'll have to remind him to take things slow if you don't want a proposal within a month. He probably bought the ring before he even confessed anyways. Polnareff is also very fond of showing affection physically, he's always got an arm slung around your shoulder, or waist, or leaning you against him in cars, stroking your hair, holding hands, anything where there's skin on skin contact. He doesn't want to leave you alone for a second. You'll have to remind him to tone down the PDA if you don't want to be making out in public. And god, the pet names are almost embarrassing at times. "Mon amour, Mon trésor, lumière de ma vie, mon puce." If you ever respond with your own French pet name for him you're being smothered in kisses, btw, use that information wisely.

Polnareff LOVES to listen to you talk, no matter what it's about, and since he's also a chatter mouth, you'll go back and forth for hours. The yap sessions are unmatched in their longevity and intensity. He's often guilty of not actually processing what you're saying, letting it go in one ear and out the other, he just likes the sound of your voice. Maybe even more than he likes the sound of his own voice. And he of course loves your voice acting skills, he thinks it's funny, and cute. He keeps trying to teach you French, so you can "broaden your voice acting options" but he really just likes hearing your accent when speaking his language. He thinks it's sweet how excited you get over voice actors, but god forbid you ever mention someone having an attractive voice, or any show or movie with them is being blacklisted. I have a feeling he'd be a touch jealous overall, which might cause some tension in your relationship if he's not careful, but a conversation should fix that anytime he's going overboard.

Polnareff isn't as interested in books as you are, though he'd never tell you or refuse to let you read to him or talk about it. The manga how we, that he can get into. He's always been into comics and cartoons, so manga isn't unfamiliar to him, and he'll always read your favorites if you ask. He thinks it's adorable when you cry during movies, and he has to stop himself from laughing or cooing at you when you have tears in your eyes, but it's hard for him when he happens to look over at you during a sad screen and you're just staring at the screen with tears in your eyes.

He's always found you attractive, and he never chills out about it no matter how longe you've been dating. He thinks you have just the prettiest eyes he's ever seen, and your freckles are so cute. He seeks out your birthmarks like a scavenger hunt, and if he's feeling even more affectionate than usual he'll make sure to kiss everyone of them. He loves giving you his clothing, since you find oversized clothes comfy, but mostly because he loves seeing you wear his clothes. He may "accidentally" leave his clothes around your place so that you can keep and wear them.

Overall, your more temperate personality is very compatible with his more impulsive one, you keep his mood and his ego in check, and he makes sure you're always happy and tended to.

[thingsareswinging]

Speaking of Hellenic myth

I'm currently ill, and to distract myself from being ill I broke and got Hades II in early access. I have Thoughts, below.

In brief: it's an iterative improvement on the original's gameplay, with the beautiful visual and audio design one can expect from Supergiant, with a vivid and sharply-written cast, and one very specific problem in that this is probably the first Supergiant game where the gameplay is actively fighting the narrative.

In long:

One of my favourite things about Hades is the fact that the story is actually pretty low-stakes. Nobody particularly cares about Zagreus' mission, other than finding it annoying. We find out fairly quickly that Zagreus isn't fleeing anything more horrific than being made to work at his dad's office doing a bullshit desk job, and Hades (lack of italics indicating the character) isn't abusive* so much as he's emotionally stunted. Zagreus can jump out the window, break a bunch of stuff, die ignobly, and when he gets back to base nobody is that bothered. Likewise, he can die over and over again and it doesn't matter, he can kill every boss over and over again and it doesn't matter, because everyone's in the afterlife already, there's literally nowhere else for them to go. It's a story that gels perfectly with the roguelite gameplay.

Hades II has preposterously high stakes, and without getting into specifics everyone at your home base wants you to succeed, and it's hard to escape the feeling that I'm disappointing them every time I start a run just to pick up some more materials. I was half expecting the game to be set in a groundhog-day loop, which would have at least explained some of the weirdness (like how the game has to bend over backwards to explain why the bosses keep coming back to life, seeing as they're not exclusively souls of the damned this time) but it doesn't appear to be doing that. In Hades II, every time I fail a run I'm wasting all these characters' time, and that makes the expansion of the social rank side activitives really weird. I mean, yes I would like to take Odysseus fishing and hear a nice voice actor say fun lines, but it feels like the story can't excuse Melinoe taking those kinds of breaks.

It's still good and all, and I'm sure there's a way for the finished game to tie everything together nicely, but it's just very clear that this is the first sequel Supergiant have ever done, to my knowledge, and it's left them with a level of narrative dissonance they've never really had before.

*Massive asterisk: within the context of the setting. Yes I know Hades and Zagreus hit each other with weapons and Hades exhibits behaviour that would be extreme red flags if he was a human, but the game consistently points out that these figures are not human and do not have human reactions to things.

[brongusthearcanist]

At this point, on any social media, if I see people getting legitimately huffy over who would beat who in a fight, I just block. I don't wanna see powerscalers like ever. It endlessly bothers me that the only thing people seem to care about in fantasy is who's the strongest. As if that's the point of the characters or story. We aren't talking about themes or critiques or character arcs, just "number is higher over here!". Your math is fake, your understanding of lore is abysmal, your critical thinking is stunted on a fifth grade level. And guess what motherfuckers, it's literally pointless, Sailor moon wins every time. Every. Time.

It's ruined a lot of media in general. I was really into the first season of Jujutsu Kaisen, but the second season is just a powerscaler's wet dream. The animation is gorgeous, but the plot moves way too fast, there is no time for our characters to react or feel things unless it's in the middle of a fight sequence. Characters are dying like flies and I couldn't give shit cause no one has time to sit in the consequences. The narrative doesn't even pretend to care about the ramifications of the plot unless it has to do with who is stronger. Also the magic system is incredibly convoluted even though it has clear rules. These rules aren't really consistent so the audience can never really predict the use of magic. Because every user has their own set of unique rules, the show relies on telling us these rules rather than letting us figure them out, which makes every fight seem... One sided. A hard magic system should be able to be understood by the audience, this creates stakes cause we know what characters can't and can do, so when they solve problems with magic it doesn't feel like cheating. But jujutsu sorcery is just cheating. Watching the show just feels like I'm watching a 6 year old dictate fights and powers on the playground and he won't let anyone but his character win, rewriting the rules every time it looks like he might lose. And the conversations around the show are just as bad.

[m34gs]

Meags, tell me something. What’re Idia and Kalim’s ways of comforting each other when one of them gets upset? Are there any secret tricks they’ve learned about each other to bring the smiles back?

Hi Blue! I'm glad you asked!!!! I've actually explored a couple different things, and I like to try working through different methods in my writing.

When Idia's upset, I think there are a couple ways to comfort him. If Kalim can get the conversation to a topic of interest that Idia is passionate about, that might be an effective distraction for things that are temporary disturbances (such as feeling embarrassed about how others perceived him that day, stressing over a level he's struggling to beat on a game, worrying about social interactions, etc). Getting Idia to light up and talk about things he enjoys is one of Kalim's favourite things to do, and once Idia starts talking about what he loves, it's so easy for Kalim to sit and listen. Words of praise and affirmation help too, but he has to be careful not to praise Idia too much, or Idia will swing from depressed to cocky (and not really in a good way).

If he's having a dull day, something that will cheer him up immediately is going to a shelter and snuggling all the cats and kittens. Idia loves cats. He always wants to pet them. So, sometimes, when he notices Idia is stuck in a little rut, Kalim will plan a date where they go to a shelter or a cat cafe and snuggle all the kitties together. They always end up leaving with the biggest smiles on both their faces.

But, when it's big things, like regret over what happened to Ortho or feeling completely down on himself and his own personality, distraction isn't the answer. Neither is talking (it takes Kalim a little bit to figure this out initially). Idia tends to withdraw and he won't feel up for conversation. But Kalim can't just let him mope with his headphones and music on all day, alone. So, he comes to visit his boyfriend and he snuggles up to him on the bed. Sure, Kalim may fall asleep like that, and Idia may be left awake with his boyfriend cuddling him, but it's the warmth of Kalim's body, the solid weight that says "I'm here and I'm not leaving you", the closeness of someone without the pressure to be social...those are the things that comfort Idia in that moment.

Kalim doesn't express sadness very often. He's generally very cheerful. But that doesn't mean he doesn't also need comfort at times. Initially, Idia is clumsy at it and he feels awkward. He doesn't quite hit the mark every single time, but honestly even the fact that he's trying makes Kalim feel a little better. Idia is known to be a bit of a recluse, but it's been shown again and again that he can - and WILL - come out of his comfort bubble for the people he cares about. That will extend to Kalim. I think when Kalim is feeling a bit down, or insecure, Idia would start with little things, like having a date night, gaming together, getting snacks and just hanging out. For little things, like being worried over grades or being lonely, that will definitely help Kalim. Kalim loves people and he hates eating alone. Idia would definitely step up with little one-on-one dates. And he would, in an effort to make Kalim feel really special, try to find some events the other would like to go to and do one or two more public dates. Kalim is very aware how introverted Idia is, so all the effort put in means so much to him and makes him feel over the moon with joy.

When it comes to the heavier stuff, like Kalim's conflicts with Jamil, or his own internal worries of being incapable of doing things on his own, that's where Idia finds it a bit more challenging. Kalim needs talking, not just distraction and affection. He wants to talk about his feelings and he wants to be able to sit and just feel. This is not Idia's strong suit, not in a positive way. He's used to brooding, sure, but he's not used to talking things out and turning over and exploring the uncomfortable side of things. But he tries. At first, he's awkward as hell and he stumbles a lot on his words as he tries to talk with Kalim and get Kalim to confide in him, show he's listening to Kalim and provide support. Eventually, though, he realizes he can visualize it like a video game. Of course, he doesn't reduce his boyfriend to strats or dialogue lines or anything like that, but when he pays attention to the way Kalim talks and tries to view what he's saying through the lens of an MC trying to comfort a friend or love interest, the little bit of distancing himself from the situation lets him feel more confident in understanding and formulating a reply. It takes the nerves out of the equation and allows him to focus completely on Kalim.

Those are my thoughts! Thank you so much for asking, I really enjoyed answering this 💜💜💜

[dogwittaablog]

I think he’s aimed for girls beyond his social status for sure. But not physical appearance. Hear me out imo the most gorgeous girls still get with good looking guys who aren’t model level gorgeous all the time. Look at any supermodel and who they choose to date. Very few men are equally gorgeous as their gf/wife and this is true among regular men as well. And Nols is objectively a way above average good looking man but he’s no model so I don’t think looks was a problem. Talking about social status - the insta girls/models he DM’d would only seriously consider a DM if it came from a very big public figure or athlete. Unfortunately guys who have money and status are the only guys these girls would look at. And models don’t really go for hockey players for some reason like the best a player can do is Dixie damelio apparently so it is what it is.

Just my opinion he's definitely tried with girls that were physically more attractive then him, he's not an ugly dude for sure but theirs no doubt some girls he’s went for (influencer or not) have just been better looking. It’s just a fact.

I do understand that he doesn't have the same kind of "clout" he had before because he's not active in the league. Even though he isn't an A list celeb or a super known athlete he is still able to get the attention of micro influencers and smaller accounts. Reality is too, half these girls probably don't care if he even plays or not, as long as he comes off or is known to have $$ that can be enough for most lmao.

At one point Paige Lorenze was liking photos of him, vice versa. The interaction probably wasn't that deep, who knows if DM's were even exchanged. Though that's a good prime example of someone who's physically considered more attractive and has a bigger social stat then him, that has given him attention.

BIG side note: This topic of discussion just reminded me of when Jake Virtanen and Chloe Grace Moretz dated for a short brief time LMFAOOOOO.

[septembersghost]

https://slate.com/culture/2023/06/taylor-swift-matty-healy-dating-breakup-the-1975-backlash.html I feel like this gets it and doesn't get it

okay, so the entire situation is, to borrow a phrase, a lot more nuanced than that, because i don't think it's fair or right to tell people who were hurt and disappointed and mad about his behavior or her association with it that they were wrong for feeling that way, or overreacting. that's silencing and othering and dismissing very real concern and emotions. the way she frames his behavior is disingenuous at best ("odd jokes" at the expense of a vulnerable and marginalized group are still prejudiced and harmful here, that's an awful excuse). at the same time, the sheer amount of blame that eventually landed on taylor, and was somehow by comparison minimal for him, was also unbalanced. (fauxmoi HATES HER, it's unhinged over there! blind worship and blind hatred are two sides of the same frightening coin). it's not this simple, condemning bigotry matters. but i do think the author makes a point here:

A cultural preoccupation of the 2010s was trying to figure out the moral relationship the average audience member had to the art and entertainment they chose to read, watch, and listen to. People were rightfully disgusted to realize the degree to which cultural production had been used to whitewash brutality and abuse, particularly in industries like Hollywood and music, where a few people really can and do act as kingmakers. They felt betrayed to realize that people who had crafted sensitive and insightful pieces of art simply seemed not to care about real actions in the real world. But in the 2020s, this impulse has mostly run aground, exhausting itself. Decisions about what music to listen to, or movies to watch, or books to read have little to no wider moral implications for audience members because, as individuals, they don’t really have the power to change the world in which these cultural products exist. Moral disgust, however appropriate, didn’t ultimately imbue their choices with moral weight.

[...] We think that art is tied up with the moral aspects of life because, on some level, it is. The trouble is that for the average audience member, this sense of disgust resolves into the individual, binary choice to engage or not engage. The desires that accompany even justified moral repugnance—for people to be “held accountable” for what they’ve done, for instance—usually have no real way to be acted on or fulfilled, except through public agitation. What remains is rather an anxious instinct—if I go to a Taylor Swift concert or post about her on Twitter, will people think I’m a bad person?—and a punitive wish to see somebody suffer for something, at least once.

the line between accountability and valid criticism to moral outrage and punitive demands is thin at times, and the biggest issue here was not in criticizing taylor for making a bad choice nor disgust with m*tty, it was in punishing *each other* and using social justice language as a weapon to deem people good/evil/valid/invalid for being fans of her music. our sensitivity and empathy towards one another is important! but morally judging and punishing and tallying fandom against one another is not the healthy or helpful way to go about doing that.