#admires him his kindness his sense of self how he talks and presents himself

[wexhappyxfew]

hey! in one of your recent answers to an ask, you said that judy often told her self off for having a crush as a teenager - does she feel any of that hesitation or kind of self-deprivation with rosie?

HEY!!!!!

i would definitely say yes to that — i mentioned something in that previous ask about how judy’s past in a major player in her current present life (and not necessarily in all bad ways) but i would say this is one such example where is DOES affect her in not entirely the best light.

growing up on a farm, with a lack of an education, a whole lot of siblings, stressed out parents and a stress bubble around the house, when things like that DID happen, ie getting a crush and not feeling like she could talk about it with someone. she’d think about it and go over it in her head and then try to detach herself from that idea. there’s that hint of self-deprivation there already. this idea that there’s other, better options and that her having a crush is something she’ll eventually get over. so having that experience in her youth DEFINITELY makes her hesitant with rosie in many ways.

there was a prompt i did a few weeks back where judy is promoted to lieutenant (by rosie’s doing) and she lets it slip a bit that she sorta-kinda-maybe-possible is in love with him and/or loves him and we don’t know what HE thinks of that, we just get judy’s interpretation. but she tells him that ‘no one has ever loved him like she has’ sorta vibes and she realizes ‘oh shit THATS what i said’ and makes a run for it. running from the fact she said that. AND NOW — we still don’t know what their next meeting is and if judy tries to clear that up or make things right. which brings us to that idea of hesitation and self-deprivation. she feels if she were confident in herself, she would’ve ran with it. but having those experiences and having feelings before that she detached from, suddenly she is enthralled with rosie and really doesn’t know what to do.

that’s definitely why the Silver Bullets crew is so important to her — it makes her feel OKAY to have those feelings and she has people who she can talk about them with her. especially about her feelings for rosie. and i think that’s really sweet :) her feeling comfortable enough to open up.

but definitely would say it makes her more hesitant. because things get VERY REAL VERY FAST. and she’s suddenly like — i AM in love with him. what do i do? do i DESERVE this? that’s her biggest question. oh judy rybinski u sweet bean!!!!!!! <3

fantastic question friend! thank you and i hope you enjoyed my response! :)

[yandere-daydreams]

tw - nonconsensual drug use, kidnapping/imprisonment, nonconsensual touching, and obsessive behavior.

One of them put something in your tea.

You think it was Alhaitham – smug, scheming Alhaitham, who never greeted you with anything more than a dead-eyed stare and never kept you for anything less than an hour when he called you aside for a one-sided conversation in his rarely used office nestled in among the highest alcoves of the Akademiya. You didn’t trust him, didn’t like how willing he was to abandon his duties in favor of chasing whatever his fickle curiosity latched onto, didn’t feel comfortable with the way his eyes pried into you when you were alone together. He’d been the one to invite you over to the apartments he and Kaveh shared, too, to ignore your requests to see the artifacts he claimed to have found during his latest expedition in favor of forcing one of Kaveh's well-love clay mugs into your hands. It’d probably been him. It’d make sense, to both your rational mind and the sentimental creature inside of you, if it’d been him.

Which is exactly why the scholar constantly gnawing at the back of your mind – ever-doubtful, ever-distrusting – screamed that it had to have been Kaveh. You liked him more than you liked Alhaitham, trusted him more than you could ever trust Alhaitham, and he’d had just as much time with the drink that’d just barely touched your lips, muttering about Alhaitham’s nonexistent sense of taste as he shoveled sugar into your mug by the spoonful. You admired him, too; unlike Alhaitham, Kaveh threw himself wholly and entirely into his work, his research, and he’d never had to corner you to have your full attention. That was why it was so easy to tell yourself that you should’ve been more careful, that you should’ve been more wary of the threat that presented itself as aid than the one who wore its true colors proudly. It was definitely Kaveh. Or, it was definitely Alhaitham.

Or, it didn’t matter which one of them put something in your tea, because one of them had put something in your tea and neither of them seemed to care.

You could already feel some of the more pronounced effects setting in; your hands limp and numb where they’d fallen into your lap, your tongue dry and swollen in your mouth, your vision already beginning to blur around the edges. You were still sitting at their claustrophobic kitchen table, Kaveh less than arm’s length to your right and Alhaitham far enough to stare you down from a careful distance, but you had to strain to listen to their conversation. “You’re never home,” Kaveh droned, in the tone he only seemed to use when talking to Alhaitham. “The poor thing would die of neglect in the first week. You couldn’t take care of a houseplant, much less a person.”

“Houseplants require a great deal of research and intuition. People tend to be much louder about their wants and needs.” Likewise, Alhaitham was using the tone he saved exclusively for Kaveh; one of self-gratifying neutrality, as if the pedestal he’d put himself on was too tall to let him notice something as insignificant as Kaveh’s frustration. “And it's not as if you can be trusted with this kind of responsibility. Not for any longer than a few hours, at least.”

There was a beat of silence. When Alhaitham failed to go on, Kaveh let out an exasperated groan. “What’s that supposed to mean, scribe?”

“Oh, only that an architect as passionate as you are tends to be easily distracted. I’d give it...” He quirked his head to the side, gaze shifting to something purposefully distant. “…three days before a new proposal catches your eye, and I know how difficult it can be for you to balance more than one project at a time.”

“See, that’s your problem. You think of them as an object that must be dusted off once or twice a week, whereas I see them as my beautiful and beloved lover who I want nothing more than to spend time with.” Something about Alhaitham’s frown quirked, and Kaveh hastily corrected himself. “Alright, my soon-to-be lover. It doesn’t matter – even if I don’t take the first turn, they’ll be in my loving arms eventually, and once they are, they'll never want to go back to yours. I’d tell you to save yourself a heartbreak, but I’m still not sure if you have a heart.”

Now it was Alhaitham’s turn to put on a façade of mock-exasperation, letting out a breathy exhale as he leaned onto the tabletop. “Timing can be very important. Whatever we do, whoever gets to do it – they’re going to set a precedent. Since I don’t want to have another brat under my roof, we have to be careful.”

To his credit, Kaveh didn’t try to deny it, merely leveling the accusation back at Alhaitham. “You? Careful? Which one of us thought he could take the General Mahamatra in a fight?”

And, to Alhaitham’s credit, he didn’t waste his breath trying to fight for his innocence, either. Rather, he turned to you, sharp eyes immediately piercing the very depths of your soul. “(Y/n),” and then, in a voice slightly softer than the one he’d addressed Kaveh with, “What do you think? You’re rational enough to know who’d take better care of you.”

You managed to open your mouth, to pry your lips apart and start to spit out something halfway coherent.

Then, without making a sound, you collapsed onto their table, knocking your mug to its side and spilling Alhaitham's awful tea onto their tiled floor.

Kaveh reacted first, gasping as he gathered you in his arms. You were dead weight, barely able to hold your own head up, but he made an effort to keep you upright, to pretend you were in any way acting of your own will as he pulled you against his chest and raked his calloused fingers against your damp hair. “Aw, look at the poor thing! I told you to use a smaller dose.”

The gratification was minimal, dampened by panic and exhaustion too ebbing to be natural. Something seemed to light behind Alhaitham’s dull eyes, and in turn, something jagged turned in your stomach. “I still need an answer,” he reiterated. You did your best to glare, to thrash Kaveh’s hold, but you could barely twitch, barely keep yourself conscious, and Alhaitham went on undeterred. “We’ll have to ask again once your head’s started to clear. The effect should only last for a few days – a week, at most, to give you time to adjust.”

Kaveh’s attention drifted downward, his lips brushing against the side of your throat. You felt his hair ghost over your shoulder as his head dipped lower, as his heart beat just a little faster against your back. Your eyes found Alhaitham, and for the first time since you’d first met him, his scowl broke to reveal a small, sharp smile.

“Until then, there should be enough of you to share.”

[1d1195]

Dolcezza II

Read the first part here: Dolcezza

Glad we liked the first part so much! More tooth-rotting cuteness, sweetness, fluff, and the tiniest bit of angst.

This part (as is tradition with my second parts) doesn't really make a whole lot of cohesive sense, but the next parts should be a little more put together as a whole.

~6.7k words

“I think I would let her break m’heart,” he told Niall while they cleaned the kitchen at the end of the night about a month after she had moved in. His infatuation never wavered. But he admired her from afar. “I’d thank her,” he smiled to himself as he pretended the gravity of such a statement was a joke. Not nearly as big a deal as Niall knew it to be.

He knew he was staring. From the second he laid eyes on her, the staring started. There was no other way to describe what had happened. Harry was overwhelmed with how pretty she looked. She emanated beauty and kindness like perfume. Harry was sick with how much he adored it. He wouldn’t be surprised if it was her sole purpose in life just to look so beautiful and make him, specifically, speechless. Principessa rolled off his tongue the moment he saw her. Even though she was stunned and uttering a sad little sound of injury that he regrettably caused when she tumbled to the ground. It was instinctive. She was a princess. It was obvious.

But after only a few moments of time spent together... Maybe it was only obvious to everyone but her.

Or maybe Harry was just so overwhelmed it was just one of those things. He wasn’t kidding when he told her. Compulsive. It seemed wrong to call her anything but Principessa.

In the time that she moved in, to the present, Harry was the butt of most jokes when it came to his infatuation with her. “Is that our Principessa?” Niall teased Harry frequently. Especially when he looked longingly out the front window. The restaurant was set up so there was an opening from the kitchen peering over the main room. It wasn’t the biggest restaurant in the world, but people lined up on the sidewalk in any weather every Thursday, Friday, Saturday night without fail. The other nights were comfortably busy, and Harry was so grateful to work in a place as nice as this. Antonio was the best boss and Niall was one of his best friends.

Even more of a reason Niall teased Harry when the pretty girl got in and out of her car parked out front of the building with her phone pressed to her ear or something on her hip carrying it up the steps to her place. It took every ounce of Harry’s self-control not to run out there and take her stuff from her in the middle of cooking something every time he saw her so that he could help her.

Harry knew Niall was kidding but he didn’t like the way he said it. The teasing didn’t feel nice, and she deserved—no needed—everything that had to do with her be the nicest and sweetest thing in the world. “Ni, she’s so pretty and sweet,” he reminded him as they chopped the veggies for the day. Niall smirked at his friend who was staring at carrots and onions like they were the features of her face.

“She is pretty,” he nodded knowingly, toning down the sound of teasing in his voice. It was nice to hear Harry talk about someone like that. It had been a long while since he cared for someone the way he seemed to care for her already. Niall saw how captivated Harry was by her the second he saw her. He knew his friend was totally done for; but it was nice.

For a number of years (and after several bad bouts of heartache) Harry claimed he didn’t have time to fall in love. He worked six nights a week. On his day off, he often found himself at the restaurant anyway because his best friends were there. Work didn’t feel like work for Harry. So, dating would have been a distraction, a complication. Something Harry couldn’t fathom because of how busy his work kept him.

But Niall knew it was really that Harry thought it was too much to bear another heartbreak. Heartbreak that may not even happen, as Niall liked to point out. But Harry couldn’t see it that way.

Not until she was there, knocking Harry off his feet literally and figuratively.

“I think I would let her break m’heart,” he told Niall while they cleaned the kitchen at the end of the night about a month after she had moved in. His infatuation never wavered. But he admired her from afar. “I’d thank her,” he smiled to himself as he pretended the gravity of such a statement was a joke. Not nearly as big a deal as Niall knew it to be.

Harry thought it was fate he always managed to catch sight of her whenever she was outside the restaurant; usually at her car grabbing something or putting it away. Other times, when she entered the restaurant, he was always able to see her kindly holding the door for an older couple or waving to a small child. Harry thought it was some unknown power that drew him to her and made him catch her eye every time she was within vision and distance.

She gave a wave to the host and sauntered through the main room to get to the bar just on the other side of the opening to the kitchen. A perfect view for him to admire her while he peeled veggies for Niall to chop throughout the night.

“Hi Principessa,” he smiled at her through the opening from the kitchen, just as he did every time that she situated herself in his view. Maybe Harry was reading into it. He knew he was a little lovesick with the idea of her. He tried to dial it back as much as possible so as not to scare her. But there were some things he simply couldn’t help.

On Wednesdays, she sat at the bar, ordered a drink, and ate some food. She always asked for a side of extra garlic bread and always asked if she could have a bigger portion (the angel she was, she promised she would of course pay more; she just wanted some for lunch the next day). Harry loved Wednesdays so he could gaze at her extensively from that opening to the kitchen. She usually read a book or chatted with whoever was bartending. Every so often, she would strike up a conversation with someone near her making them fall hopelessly in love with her as well. It was usually a sweet older woman who wanted to set her up with her son who was much too young for her.

Harry couldn’t help the pang of jealousy that wracked his body when someone else flirted with her. There was a bit of possessiveness to his infatuation, but he was good at separating himself from it. She wasn’t his and it was okay. If she wanted to date someone, it had nothing to do with him. He would continue to admire her from afar.

But then she would make eye contact with him. He was already looking at her and her eyelids would droop a little and she would look up at him shyly through the prettiest eyelashes he had ever seen, and he hadn’t once thought about eyelashes in his entire life. “Hi Harry,” she smiled so prettily, it made his stomach flip. He felt like a child, the way his cheeks warmed to hear his name on her lips. He busied himself with another task—stirring the tomato sauce to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot while it simmered. If he could, he would have stared through that opening and watched her the whole time.

Harry was considering quitting his kitchen job so he could be a bartender on Wednesdays just to be another ten feet closer to her. If it weren’t for her kind smile and her sweet voice, Harry would think he was being a bit of an overwhelming presence. But other than making sure all her furniture was properly anchored, he tried to maintain a normal distance from her and only asked her how she was doing each time he saw her. The last thing Harry wanted was to worry her about his presence in her life. Yes, he was effectively in love with her just at first glance. But he wasn’t so enveloped in the feeling that he couldn’t separate himself from it. He would much rather be friends with her than scare her with unwanted attention.

“Go talk to her, it’s slow,” Niall encouraged.

Harry didn’t need to be told twice and hurried to behind the bar and made small talk with her. It took a half hour, and her smile made his stomach churn in the best way. He hadn’t felt this way in so long and he was so glad she was there.

It was unbelievably easy to talk to her. They talked about the restaurant and how her job was going. It was nice she didn’t have to commute far and got to work from home most of the week. She inquired about the coffee shop up the road and if he had any good recommendations for shopping. Harry leaned against the bar and handed over the food from Niall from the window. She asked him if this is what he always wanted to do. He wasn’t sure but he liked it a lot and for now couldn’t imagine doing anything else. He attended culinary school and Antonio was one of the guest chefs in one of his classes. Harry took to him immediately and wanted to work for him and help however he could. He took over the old Italian bakery that was here before him, from his parents and turned it into Dolcezza and while he kept a lot of recipes it was nice to make it a place of his own.

Harry wanted to spend the rest of his life at the bar gazing at the pretty girl while she ate her eggplant parmesan and garlic bread. He wanted to ask her more about herself. Because Harry got the feeling that people didn’t really check on her. There was also an uncomfortable look in her eye when he asked about her job and her life. It was more evident by the moving herself in nearly alone.

“D’you need help with anything, kitten?” He asked.

The furrow between his eyebrows made her want to reach out and smooth the wrinkle there. Harry seemed distraught. But the idea that he was asking if she needed anything made her uncomfortable in a way that was hard to explain. Her parents relied on her a lot—the oldest of three. Her younger siblings relied on her a lot too. Her sister was always sending her essays to read. Her brother asked her for help on his math assignments at least once a week.

They lived more than an hour away from her and the only time she saw them was when she was the one going to visit them. While there, it made her anxious to see her sister leave their parents’ house, a mess from all of her belongings spread on every available surface. Visiting her brother made her anxious for a multitude of other reasons. She thought he was on the fast track to a drinking problem and was constantly reminding him of such to the point he would say things like “don’t worry, Mom.”

She loved her family. There was no question about it. But it was nice to have space between them. It was hard to move away during college and watch them struggle for a few months without her presence to essentially keep everyone in line. Her mother called her the project coordinator of the family. Stuff didn’t get done without her. It felt like she had to tell her mom and dad how to parent her younger siblings a lot of the time. It was exhausting.

So, space was good, regardless of how much she worried about them and their ability to take care of themselves.

As for her friends, Eleanor moving away was worse than any heartbreak she had ever experienced. It was fresh still and she felt really alone without her there to paint her toes or read trashy romance novels while they had spa nights where Louis would bring them pizza. Other than Eleanor, her friends walked all over her. Eleanor watched it firsthand and was happy to tell her it was happening.

She had to separate herself from the group as well—especially once they finished school because if she didn’t, she would probably be cooking dinner for some of them each week or doing their grocery shopping because they were too lazy.

She had done everything on her own for most of her life. She rarely even asked Eleanor for anything. Eleanor usually forced her help onto her which was a necessity in Eleanor’s eyes.

So no. She didn’t need Harry’s help with anything.

But she sort of wished she did, just so he would chat with her for longer.

“Hey Harry,” Niall called through the window. Harry took a quick glance around the restaurant seeing the dinner rush filling in quickly. Unfortunately, he had to get back to Niall’s side and leave her.

He enjoyed talking to her so much, enjoying her gentle laughter. He wanted to give her a kiss good night.

For as long as he could remember, Harry’s favorite color was always orange or blue. But now his favorite color was pink—the color of her cheeks whenever he flirted with her. “Have a good night, Principessa,” he smiled. A wink to replace a kiss he so desperately wanted caused the color to flood her cheeks and he was so grateful that he got to see that pretty, favorite color of his.

“Night, Harry,” she looked so utterly pretty it made him feel like he was melting.

*

Leonardo was Antonio’s four-year-old little boy. He was full of energy and life and made the restaurant a mess when he was around. His skin was olive-toned and with dark wavy hair. He looked like the prince of Italy and acted like it when he arrived.

It was all hands-on deck when he was around. One second without supervision he would be under a table in the main room or sneaking a meatball from the sauce in the kitchen on a plate ready to be served. At least, that’s how it usually was. Today, Leo was situated at the bar coloring in an activity book with the help of the sweet angel that Harry didn’t think he could possibly love more. But somehow here she was, a delight with kids and another piece of Harry was completely captured by her lovely persona.

“Hey Leo, who’s y’pretty date?” Harry asked ruffling his hair as he passed into the kitchen. Leo held up the book, a few of the markers he was using fell to the floor. He winked at the sweet girl as she hopped down from her seat to grab them. Her face turned that gorgeous pink he dreamed about at his sweet words and the little gesture he made toward her. She grinned back at him with a little eye roll at his kind compliment.

Leo giggled sweetly as he showed off his coloring book. “We’re coloring.”

“Oh? S’lovely. Can y’color something for me t’hang in the kitchen?” Harry asked. He nodded excitedly and went to work on the next page. “Y’on Leo duty?”

“M’babysitting,” Leo explained before she could get a word out.

“Excusa,” Harry chuckled. “You’re babysitting, Leo?” Harry repeated, while she put the markers back in front of Leo and got back into her seat.

“He is,” she smirked. “Mumma and Dadda came in to eat with Leo. Their sitter cancelled and they mentioned they haven’t been on a date since they found out about the baby almost four months ago,” she explained. “So, I asked if Leo would want to keep me company tonight.”

Harry’s heart warmed as it always did because of her kindness. Selflessness. It was overwhelming. “S’nice, Principessa.”

“Prin-pessa?” Leo asked, his little lisp messing up the nickname. He turned his attention back to the girl beside him with wide eyes. She shook her head at Harry.

“Oh yeah, Leo,” Harry nodded affirmatively ignoring her little brush off—noticing that her cheeks were once more warming at his nickname for her. “Don’t y’think she looks like a princess?”

He nodded in agreement. She rolled her eyes again, but the smile and pink of her cheeks remained on her face, which made Harry feel like he had won the lottery. “I’m hungry,” Leo told her.

“Yeah? Want some spaghetti?” She asked.

He nodded. “Can I help make it?”

She glanced behind her at the rush of people coming in and knew that a little one in the kitchen would not be ideal. “Hmm...I think we better let Harry take care of dinner. But after you eat, we can head upstairs and make something yummy for dessert. How’s that sound?”

He nodded. “So, we can keep coloring?”

“Absolutely.”

Harry didn’t want to cook. He didn’t want to move from that window and move his gaze away from the angel sitting at the bar. She was too good and Harry was too in love. It seemed impossible that he would get anything done for the rest of his life if she was going to be around.

But he wouldn’t want her anywhere else.

*

Leo was getting cranky toward the end of the night. He wanted to see his mom and dad and she was struggling to maintain a bit of control. He was in a t-shirt she had from a 5k she and Eleanor had walked for charity. He was missing his mom and dad, and she knew it wasn’t going to be easy to keep him calm until they came to pick him up. By then, he would be sound asleep.

Hopefully.

“Do you want to watch a movie, honey?” She asked as he got more teary and grumpier by the second.

He shook his head. She could see the frustration in his little body. She frowned at his response. “Hey, Leo?” She said softly. “I know you’re upset and you’re missing Mommy and Daddy. We gotta pass the time a little bit so they’ll be back faster. Can you think of something you’d like to do while we wait?”

“Can we color more?”

She had left the coloring supplies at the restaurant. Leo had his own little cubby out back in the staff room behind the kitchen. Harry had brought it back there for her after they left to make their cupcakes. It didn’t seem like something she needed when she moved in because she hadn’t necessarily planned on babysitting. But now she was already considering her Target run tomorrow to get activities the next time she offered to watch Leo.

She was quick on her feet though. “Yeah, let me just...see if Harry can bring it up.”

As she dialed on her phone to call the restaurant, she wondered who would answer. By now she had lived above the Italian oasis for nearly three months. They all knew her name and she was surprised they didn’t have her number saved. “Dolcezza Ristorante, how can I help you?”

“Hi...uh...can I talk to Harry?”

“Harry?” The voice asked curiously. She didn’t know who it was unfortunately. She was hoping it would be one of Antonio’s nephews but alas. She could tell the girl at the other end of the line didn’t like that she was requesting Harry’s attention.

She felt a wave of awkwardness wash over her. “Err...yeah.”

There was a bit of silence, some chatter as whoever answered walked toward the kitchen. She could hear the clanging of dishes and pans, the dishwasher humming as she got closer. There was a muffled exchange of words. “Me?” Her face warmed at the sound of the voice that she was certain she could pick out of a crowd. It made her feel ridiculous that she recognized Harry’s voice.

Even more ridiculous that her heart skipped a beat at the sound of it as well.

“Hello?” He sounded confused as he answered. But his voice sounded so warm. Like someone reading a bedtime story to her. Even though he only spoke one word.

“Hi Harry,” she smiled into the phone.

There was a loud clang from his end as something clearly toppled to the floor. There was an uproar of voices shouting and a few curse words. She had to pull the phone away from her ear at the noise and she glanced at Leo briefly. She was grateful he was feigning calmness as he waited utterly patiently—especially for a for a four-year-old, close to bed time, and missing his mom and dad. “Uh...sorry... Hi, Principessa,” he murmured. “Y’okay? Something wrong?” He asked nervously.

There was a pang of adoration for someone that cared about her well-being. No one ever really worried about her. Except for Eleanor. It wasn’t her fault but there was only so much Eleanor could worry about from a plane ride away. “No, no... we’re fine,” she promised. “Just...I hate to bother you, but if you have a minute, could you bring the coloring book up here? Leo’s missing Mommy and Daddy and wants to color some more to pass the time till they get here,” she explained.

“Oh, yeah. ‘Course,” the sound of the kitchen dissipated as he walked toward that back room to get Leo’s book. “I’ll be right up,” the phone call ended and shortly after she heard his footsteps coming up the steps and a gentle knock on the door.

She hurried to open it, Leo following behind her and peering from behind her legs. There Harry was, leaning against the door frame. Looking like a model even though he was holding a children’s coloring book. “Hi Principessa,” he smiled brightly.

“Hi Harry,” she grinned and knelt beside Leo. “Can you say thank you to Harry?” She asked.

He looked up at Harry. “Thanks, Harry,” his lower lip stuck out and he sniffled rubbing his nose with the back of his hand.

“No problem, lad... y’okay? Y’miss Mummy and Daddy?” He nodded, looking at the floor and turned into her embrace to hide the tears as he sniveled. She rubbed her hand along her back. Harry crouched in front of them as well. She frowned and Harry reached out to smooth his hair down. “I know y’miss them, but y’get t’hang out with this pretty Principessa and color. And when y’go t’sleep Mummy and Daddy will be back,” he reminded him.

He sniffled and rubbed his eye, turning back to Harry. “Can you color with us?” He asked.

“Aw, Leo, honey. Harry’s working right now,” she whispered rubbing his back and kissed the top of his head.

His lower lip wiggled with a threat of tears exploding from him again. “I can stay a minute,” he smiled gently. Leo turned again and reached out for Harry who grabbed him up and cautiously stepped inside the homey little place of the girl he liked so much. “S’different huh, lad? From how Mommy and Daddy decorated.”

He nodded. “Prin-pessa lives here now,” he told Harry with another little sniffle.

“She does, that must mean this is a castle,” he winked in her direction as he settled himself on the sofa and put the book in Leo’s lap. She handed him some colored pencils and let him color in the book on his lap. His little sniffles subsided, and he showed Harry the picture frequently. “Nice job, Leo,” he said encouragingly. She sat in front of Harry, helping Leo color. She tried not to touch Harry, but it was nearly futile with the closeness. She couldn’t get close to Leo without getting close to Harry. She sat on her coffee table facing the pair of boys. Her knees slotted on either side of one of his. She wondered if Harry felt the heat of her body waving off her just by their thighs touching.

Harry was lucky he had to focus on keeping Leo company and making sure he was okay. He can’t imagine a scenario in which they would be in this position, but if it weren’t for Leo, Harry would have focused solely on the way her jeans were pressed to either side of his leg. He watched her color like she was an artist from the Renaissance. Her smile was gentle while she spoke quietly to Leo praising his skills.

It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes, but she stopped coloring almost abruptly. She put all the items beside her on the coffee table. Harry looked at her curiously and she smirked, putting a finger to her lips. She stood, removing the warmth of her leg around Harry’s, making him feel like it was the dead of winter without a coat. He wanted her body back near his.

She slid her hands around Leo’s small frame and her hands brushed Harry’s fingers. He had to restrain the moan that was bubbling in his throat from how much he liked the feel of her skin against his. He thought the warmth from her would make his heart explode. She pulled Leo into her embrace and carried her to the bedroom. Harry followed her quietly and quickly. He stood in the doorway and watched her lay the little one on the bed. She left the door cracked so light could get in and she smiled kindly. “Thank you, Harry,” her voice dripped with gratitude.

Harry didn’t know restraint was an emotion, but he felt it all throughout his body. Every bit of self-control was used to not kiss her over and over until his lips hurt. “M’pleasure, Principessa.”

Harry’s favorite color appeared on her cheeks. “Do...you want something to drink or anything? Before you head back to work—oh my, are you okay?” She asked grabbing his hand and turned it over between his.

Harry had an angry burn on the back of his hand. When he heard her voice on the phone he had a visceral reaction—the adoration for her causing him to spill some hot soup on his hand as he carried it toward the counter ready to be taken to the main room. Harry didn’t even feel it. Working in a kitchen, it was likely you would get burned. Harry wasn’t sure he had any nerve endings in his fingertips anymore.

At least, not until she was holding his hand.

“Oh...yeah. M’fine. Spilled hot soup.”

“I’ll have to remember how hot it is when I order it,” she looked at it nervously. “Can...do you need a bandage?”

“Oh, we have gloves in the kitchen,” he shrugged. It wasn’t a big deal to him. The only thing he could think about was how nice her hand felt holding his.

She frowned which made him sad. “Can... Can I wrap it or something for you? It looks painful and the glove will probably rub it raw or something,” she was already tugging him toward the kitchen, so he had no choice but to agree. Not that he wanted to argue. A few extra minutes with the pretty girl was well worth it. Harry had spent a good chunk of time in this apartment but somehow it was completely new. She released his hand, making him fraught with emotion. He nearly wanted to order her to hold it again. In the kindest of ways of course.

It seemed like this was something she really needed to do. Like it was hard for her to ask Harry for something without doing something for him in return. She gathered the supplies she needed and carefully slathered some ointment on his burn, holding his hand again making him forget all coherent thought. She was so gentle and careful. The burn was no big deal but it was so nice the way she tended to it. It shouldn’t have been such a big deal.

But Harry was undeniably in love with her.

“Thank you, Principessa.”

She smiled looking at his hand in hers. “You’re welcome, Harry. Thank you for helping with Leo. Sorry I bothered you.”

“Not at all, kitten. Y’don’t bother me at all,” he murmured as she smoothed the bandage on his hand.

It was cold again when she released him.

“Well, thank you anyway.”

“’Course. Always,” he promised. She smiled and put the supplies away. She wished she could have asked Harry to stay, but she knew he had to get back. He started for the door and flexed his hand a bit with the bandage wrapped around it. There were a lot of kitchen injuries he had suffered over the years and somehow this was his favorite because she tended so sweetly to it.

“I’ll...see you tomorrow,” she said softly.

“Yeah?” He smirked. “S’not Wednesday.”

She looked at her feet. “I know...but...I like seeing you,” she admitted glancing back at him with those pretty eyelashes and the pink cheeks he loved so much.

Harry was certain this was what winning the lottery felt like. He leaned down toward her and pecked her cheek so quickly, he barely even felt it on his lips—even though there was electricity pulsing through him as he did it. “I like seeing you too,” he whispered in her ear and headed down the stairs before he did something crazy like proposed to her. “Good night, Principessa,” he called over his shoulder.

*

“Eleanor Jane!”

Harry would recognize her voice in the dead of sleep, in a coma, halfway across the world.

Her voice was muffled by the door. As well as the thudding of someone knocking on the door. It was a few hours until they opened and if it weren’t for Harry hearing her sweet voice, he might have missed it or ignored it.

Harry hurried through the main room, unlocked the door, and looked at the three people in front of him. “Oh, you’re definitely Harry,” Eleanor smirked as she pushed past him.

“Jesus,” she sighed and put a hand on her forehead. “Louis, she’s insane,” she said to the guy who sauntered in after her.

“That’s my girl,” he said proudly and nodded to Harry as he brushed by him.

“Hi, Harry,” she smiled softly.

His heart softened. Harry loved the way his name sounded on her lips and in her voice. “Hi, Principessa.”

“Eleanor is in town,” she explained. She twisted her fingers together awkwardly.

“I see,” he chuckled as he glanced behind him to see her friend checking out all the artwork on the walls.

“We have a very busy couple of days. We’re getting a chunk of Louis’ stuff packed up and such. But...she really wants pasta and it’s,” she sighed looking a little ill as she spoke. “It’s the only time we really have...and you can say no. I told her we would just order takeout later—”

Harry understood. She didn’t want to bother him of course. Despite how hard he had tried to explain that she could never bother him. “Course, kitten,” he stood against the door to let her in finally. “Niall and I would be happy to,” he smiled.

“You really don’t mind? Antonio won’t mind?”

“Not at all, Principessa,” he promised pressing a hand on her lower back as he guided her further inside to join her friend.

“I told you he wouldn’t care.”

She rolled her eyes at Eleanor as the three sat at the bar.

Harry helped her onto her stool in the most chivalrous and gentlemanly fashion, Eleanor was grinning ear to ear as he did. He squeezed the top of her arm and winked as he headed back into the kitchen. “D’you want eggplant?” He asked through the window, and she blushed, then nodded. It made her feel warm that Harry knew what she wanted. Even though she had ordered it once a week since she moved in. “Eleanor, Louis? What can I make?”

“Cacio e pepe sounds good to me,” Louis smirked looking over the menu.

“Oh, I’ll take anything you want to make Harry. I’m not picky.”

He nodded and started preparing the dishes. Niall glanced through the window at the sight of the pretty girl and her friends. “You’re a mess,” Niall laughed.

Harry shrugged but there was a smile plastered on his lips.

“So, Harry, I hear you’ve really taken my best friend’s interest.”

“Eleanor, shut up,” she hissed, covering her pretty face with both hands.

Harry smiled, his cheeks warming. “Yeah? S’good. Can’t get her off m’mind either,” he winked at her through the window. Eleanor giggled and Louis rolled his eyes at her forwardness.

But Harry saw the splash of her pretty irises peek through the space between her fingers as she registered what Harry said. “You can’t steal her from me,” Eleanor said knowingly. “She’s my best friend.”

“Would never take her from you, Eleanor,” he chuckled with a shake of his head.

While Eleanor and Harry chatted like they had known each other their whole lives as well, she tried not to think about how Harry said he couldn’t get her out of her mind.

Tried.

She very much failed and thought that maybe she wouldn’t mind falling harder for Harry.

*

Harry was organizing the bar while the three of them ate. She was used to the pasta—of course it was delicious, but it was easier for her to pace herself knowing if she wanted, she could have more at any hour of the day.

She nibbled on her garlic bread—the extra portion that Harry had placed in front of her with a wink.

Eleanor was picking at Louis’ and hers at the same time. “Aye! Eat your own,” he said protectively and pulled his plate toward him so Eleanor couldn’t reach. She frowned and turned her attention back to her best friend, stealing some of her pasta and snagged a piece of garlic bread. She passed a piece to Louis and finally tried her own meal. “There’s been no sign of your stalker, right?” Eleanor asked as she put the first bite in her mouth. “Oh, this is delicious,” she moaned. She didn’t get to remark on how good the pasta really was because her comment was overshadowed by Harry’s head snapping to attention at the words coming out of the best friend of his Principessa.

She tilted her head back to avoid Harry’s eye contact. She hated bringing up this topic. Especially in front of other people. Even if Harry was slowly becoming her favorite person now that Eleanor wasn’t around, Harry was going to get worried. That was the last thing she wanted. “I could strangle you,” she murmured to her friend.

“What?” Eleanor frowned.

“M’sorry t’eavesdrop,” Harry said apologetically holding two bottles of wine in each hand as he restocked the wine cooler. “Did...did y’say stalker?”

Her cheeks turned pink. Eleanor frowned and turned back to her best friend. “You didn’t tell them?”

She sighed heavily and shook her head. “It’s nothing,” she shrugged.

Harry’s eyebrows rose to the middle of his forehead. He begrudgingly turned his attention to Eleanor assuming that she would give him the details for such a worrisome topic. Eleanor sighed. “Maybe you can convince her. There’s this guy who follows her.”

“Not now,” she grumbled. “He doesn’t do anything. He just... follows me.”

Harry felt utterly uncomfortable with such a statement and how neutral she seemed to feel about it. His heart started to beat erratically at the thought of something happening to her. He wanted to handcuff her to the bar just so he could keep an eye on her. Harry put the bottles into the cooler while Eleanor filled in the full details. He listened with rapt attention. She ate her garlic bread and pasta as if this was a normal situation. Truly, nothing to worry about.

Louis added in a few details as well. “There haven’t really been any events that were... scary,” Louis added for her benefit. Eleanor glared at him viciously. “But it makes El and I pretty uncomfortable. Really worried,” he told Harry with a smirk to Eleanor as her glare softened at his words.

Harry, on the other hand, was nearly shutting down with the influx of information. His pretty Principessa. It wasn’t fair. It was scary. He couldn’t believe she wouldn’t lead with that. “Principessa, s’not okay.”

She sighed, rubbing her temples. “He hasn’t followed me since I’ve moved,” she put her forehead on the bar.

Harry frowned and made eye contact with Eleanor. “Hmm...”

Eleanor patted her back. “You’re fine. We all just care about you,” she rolled her eyes. “I know that’s a hard thing for you to consider,” she smirked with a shake of her head.

“Jeez, El. Why don’t you just stab her,” Louis chuckled.

“I like Louis more than you,” she murmured into the bar.

She flicked the back of her head and looked at Harry.

“Harry,” Eleanor smiled sweetly.

“Oh boy,” Louis chuckled sipping his drink.

“Don’t you dare,” she hissed looking up at Eleanor and tried to put a hand over her mouth to keep her from talking to Harry.

Harry thought it was funny, even if his heart was racing with worry. “Would you mind keeping an eye on her?” She fluttered her lashes sweetly as her best friend turned bright red with embarrassment. Harry smiled softly.

He didn’t want to upset the poor thing when she already seemed so distraught. Harry knew a bit about her but didn’t know everything, obviously. It was abundantly clear that she would rather die than inconvenience someone on her behalf.

“Of... of course,” Harry nodded at Eleanor. “But... m’sure she’s... sounds like she has it under control,” it tasted like sour milk to say those words. He wanted to say something along the lines of he would sleep outside her door and walk her to and from the grocery store. But Harry wasn’t her boyfriend—even if he was already, completely, and obviously in love with her.

Even if she wasn’t ready to notice just yet.

“Ugh, you have him fooled too,” Eleanor frowned.

She smirked patting Eleanor’s back. She turned to Harry for a moment and met his gentle gaze. It made her feel soft. When he pecked her cheek, or held her hands, each time he touched her lower back, or when he was coloring with her and Leo. Harry made her feel so completely warm with the smallest of touches and now he wasn’t even touching her. She was frustrated Eleanor brought it up. Even more frustrated Harry was worried about her. He had plenty of more important tasks to deal with than worry about her.

But she didn’t want anyone to worry about her. So, if asking Harry for help every now and again appeased Eleanor...

“Harry,” her voice was so soft and gentle. He was captured immediately by her voice and gaze. “Even though you’ve already done about a million ridiculous things for me,” and he very much had not. The little tasks he did to help her move in weren’t anything. Chatting with her, making food for her, and even coloring with Leo were all easy and nothing special. They weren’t even the bare minimum because they were so easy and simple. He wanted to do more for her. “If... if it’s not too much trouble,” it looked like she was struggling to say whatever words were in her head. It seemed ridiculous that she was going to ask Harry for help solely to make Eleanor feel better. Not even herself.

But he wasn’t going to make her say it when it clearly frustrated her to worry about herself.

Maybe he could help her understand that it wasn’t a big deal to worry about her, eventually.

“I’ll keep an eye on y’Principessa. S’pretty easy when I can’t stop staring at how pretty y’look anyway,” he winked and headed to the kitchen hoping to leave Eleanor to gossip about something other than the guy following her best friend.

He caught a glimpse of his favorite color painting her face while Eleanor was giggling and hitting her arm with excitement through the window.

But most importantly, he saw the faintest smile on her lips. Like she was happy that Harry cared for her even a little bit. Hopefully with every little baby step, Harry would convince her she wasn’t a bother.

In fact, he hoped to convince her that she really was a princess in his eyes.

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[mdhwrites]

Recently, I've been poring over the 'TOH critical' tags and, as someone who wanted to properly watch the show, seeing just how many flaws the writing and characters have kinda turned me off from even starting for a bit. Before I found these tags, I would have assumed Owl House was some kind of flawless untouchable masterpiece. Now, I can see that it is immensely flawed. Not bad, but flawed. It has great ideas that it just spaffs up the walls. In some cases that I've seen, it goes against its own message, which brings me to the point of this.

The show seems to have a message of 'be a weirdo! Be who you want to be and don't let anyone tell you to be something you're not'. This 'be yourself' message is fine in a vacuum, but then there's a character who's treatment in the show goes against this. Hooty! From the moment he's introduced, Hooty is presented as a weird creature. Even other people in the Demon Realm find him unnatural. He's kinda in his own world, and he says and does things that are weird. This would work well for the message, but the problem arises from other characters' treatment of him.

Everyone fucking HATES Hooty! They loathe him! They call him names, they hit him, they put him down constantly, the works! Everyone holds him in open contempt! I wouldn't really have an issue with this at first, but Luz also takes part in some of these actions. It would be one thing for negative/antagonistic characters to be doing this, but the self-proclaimed 'weirdo' main characters? She seems annoyed by Hooty's very existence. Don't get me wrong, he IS annoying, but he's also just being himself. He's a proud weirdo and doesn't let anyone stop him from being who he wants.

Why doesn't Luz love him?

He is exactly the type of person(?) who she should feel connected with. And the fact she joins in on some of the bullying is real shitty. Keep in mind Luz was ridiculed and ostracised for being weird, so her then turning around and being all dismissive and annoyed by someone who is, for all intents and purposes, just like her is shitty.

Personally, I would have had it that Luz really likes Hooty. She admires how he's so unapologetic in his weirdness. You could even still have Eda hitting him and calling him names, which Luz calls out. She knows what it's like to be put down for just being yourself, and she's not gonna stand to see someone else get the same treatment.

Or, another idea, Luz starts out sharing Eda's view on Hooty and being annoyed by him. One time, he does something or shows Luz something he's proud of. She calls him or it or both stupid, and Hooty just....cries. I don't mean overblown waterfalls-out-the-eyes crying, I mean he turns his head down and looks visibly upset.

Luz sees that her words have genuinely hurt Hooty. This could be her realising that Hooty isn't just some weird talking punching bag to hurl abuse at. For his weird actions and appearance, he's a person too. Her being mean to him just for being himself, she realises, makes her no better than her bullies.

Then, to make this even more shitty, the characters DO start being nicer to him later on, but only after he's proven himself useful. So that's a good message, isn't it? 'Love is conditional!' It really makes the 'found family' aspect of the Owl House residents feel all the more forced.

Tl;Dr It's okay to be a weirdo, unless you're Hooty!

(But that's just me! I hope all of this made sense and you can decipher what I'm trying to say😊)

So the short answer to this is that Hooty is essentially character/thematic assassination on... Everyone? Because the show wants to say "Be who you are! Have freedom! Express yourself!" Hooty however is constantly mocked, belittled and literally hurt by others with at best an apology. People treat his portable form as gross despite that letting him experience more of life and the one time people begrudgingly acknowledge he is truly good, they then force him to promise to not repeat the helpful behavior. He is not allowed freedom, expression or to be himself without ridicule, EVEN BY LUZ.

This... However has a bigger problem. Hooty is a bit character after all. If you want to claim he doesn't matter because he's just a joke... There's okay precedent for it. The problem is that then you have to ask what he's mocking. After all, gag characters are all about mocking a certain archtype or the like. King's whole point is to mock children who think themselves as self important and point out how deluded and funny that is, or how funny a deluded sense of self grandeur in general is, at least in the first season. As such... What is Hooty?

Hooty is Sheldon. Not literally but spiritually and this is gonna get kind of rough but here me out. For those who don't get the reference, Sheldon is the main autistic representation in The Big Bang Theory. He is also the most antagonistic force within the friend group. Not because he's evil or anything but because he his own certain ways of doing things and ways he looks at things and as such actually has a lot of episodes about expanding his perception of the world and of others learning to understand who he is and why he is the way he is. The show is actually shockingly respectful in this way, at least most of what I have seen of it, and I can portray this with the best joke I can recall from the series. It also will help me later in why The Big Bang Theory is better than TOH at one certain element people REALLY want to say TOH is great about.

The setup is that the other three main dudes are at a white board, discussing plans to go so see a movie. Every plan they devise runs into a road block because of allergies, time, etc. like that, not even only just because of Sheldon's quirks. However, then the lead, the Ross of the group, stops and goes, "I see it." The others squint and look closer before he adds, "It's the only way." The other two agree... And then they all just leave without Sheldon coming with. Sheldon pauses, looks at the board and goes, "They're correct. It was the only way."

I LOVE this joke... Because it's not mean AT ALL. One might think if they're overly sensitive that it is. I mean, how could they leave their friend behind!? But Sheldon is very honest and up front about his quirks and habits. These guys know him well enough that they know better than to force him out of his comfort zone. That he doesn't function that way. Sheldon KNOWS THIS TOO. As such, when presented with the options of telling Sheldon they can't go because they can't go without him or still having a good night and not making their friend feel bad for being why they couldn't go out, they choose to go out and Sheldon agrees that it was the correct option. They respected him while still living their lives.

And this is because The Big Bang Theory's pitch is not to be offensive to nerds like many online people like to make it out to be (I fucking hate people who call it 'Nerd Black Face') but to just make fun of us like any sitcom would. Sitcoms are parodies of real life. They always exaggerated characters we know are somewhat true. We know a Kramer, we know a Ross, we know a Barney, we know a Lorraine. Are they exactly like this? No, it's cranked up so that it's a comedy, that's the fucking point. But this comedic framing also allows it to be honest about ALL sides of nerd dom.

Sheldon is BY FAR made out to be the most successful, intelligent and wealthiest of ALL the guys. Also, all the guys are doing well in their fields and monetarily. Do they have widespread fame and acclaim? Not really but they're not discredited or anything, they just have interdepartmental bickering. That's accurate from literally every scientist I have seen talk about the subject. It's genuine about the good and the bad of the nerd experience while being entertaining.

So what the fuck does any of this have to do with The Owl House? And especially Hooty? It's actually quite simple. While TOH champions having a nerd protagonist, it presents the 'gentrified nerd'. The convenient nerd. They know about fanfiction but won't force you to actually hear about it. They have interests but not hyperfixations. They don't ever get lost down a rabbit hole because they're passionate about something or just want to tell you a neat fact.

Do you know who does though? Hooty. Hooty just wants someone who is willing to listen about his day. He has some weird quirks to how he behaves and he likes some strange things like bugs. He will talk to you for hours on a subject, randomly and just because he can and might forget that you might have other things to do. To me, those are very, VERY accurate parts of nerd life... And we're supposed to fucking HATE Hooty for these things. Remember the only person, in the ENTIRE SERIES to actually befriend Hooty instead of treating him at best as a convenience is Liltih... At the start of her becoming a joke. The only person who shows him real, genuine compassion... Also becomes 'The Cool Aunt' who hyper fixates on niche architecture and has her trauma of working the EC mocked as just being really bad at her job.

It is, genuinely, kind of gross to me. I've actually talked about this before that the show is so hyperfocused on a very specific, very small set of people for who it approves of, which is essentially whoever fits into Luz correctly, that anyone who felt excluded by the show is extremely valid. And yes, Luz has a montage at the start of silly, over the top and extreme behavior... That doesn't continue. At all. The one time she subjects someone to an Azura rant is to torture Eda enough to go to the Convention and that's only because they were already on the subject because King was interested. She quotes Azura but quickly and doesn't lose the thread. She might say a cute word like 'Snorses' but not even enough to make a break in the conversation.

She is convenient. Gus is only interested in human stuff when it's convenient. Willow will put aside her interest in plants when it's inconvenient. Amity just stops giving a shit about being an intellectual AT ALL post her getting a crush. Hunter wears a wolf t-shirt and gets into Cosmic Frontier enough to cosplay it for Halloween... But only Halloween. These are people who are extremely socially acceptable in every way.

Which... explains why nerds love them actually. See, I think Big Bang Theory does deserve criticism, it is by no means perfect and I would be VERY interested in hearing what the Jewish community thinks of Howard who is easily the most problematic character in the show but not all of the criticism is genuine. I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that we're used to a side, gag character representing the kind worst parts of us... But we're not used to being the focus. We can laugh at all the broke bitches who show up in Sitcoms or the jock failures who are meatheads, etc. like that... But laugh at ourselves? Why would we do that? Why would we allow that? We're better than what this show depicts, even if we're not.

It is inconvenient to the narrative we wish to tell ourselves that we are still the outcasts. That are we not part of the dominant culture and so it is unfair to mock our interests and lifestyle. But like... Marvel movies have been the biggest blockbusters for well over a decade and no one bats a fucking at that. D&D is quickly becoming a household name due to its ever expanding influence. We are not the outcasts anymore. Being into a weird cartoon is not some shocking thing like it was 12 years ago when Bronies first made people aware that this subculture of nerds existed. Times are changing but we still wish to see ourselves as only the victims, even as more and more our spaces show that they are just as evil, corrupt, manipulative and cruel as any athletic superstar or pretty boy actor's club.

A lot of these nerds want to believe they are Luz. Never wrong, never giving anyone a reason to dislike them, and always just passionate about the things they like, never annoying. And you know who those people would mock? Who those people HAVE mocked?

Hooty. Because he's more real. He's the demon they wish they didn't have to face in the mirror. See you next tale.

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

I really do want to re-emphasize this: FUCK HOWARD. Big Bang is NOT good for the jewish community and I don't think if I watched it nowadays I would be able to tolerate his depiction AT ALL. Also, Raj is also probably all sorts of rough too. I'm ONLY defending the nerd portrayal part of Big Bang.

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[accio-victuuri]

excerpts from this article/interview with WoF director related to Wang Yibo ( “"War of Faith" director Yao Xiaofeng: I took the energy from Wang Yibo and transferred it to Wei Ruolai”) :

From 2018 to 2024, "War of Faith" took a full 6 years from preparation to release. During the period, it went through shelving, postponement, and repeated adjustments after the filming started. It was not until the joining of Wang Yibo, Li Qin, and Wang Yang that this project, a project years in the making came to life.

The turning point of things happened in November 2022. At that time, a friend recommended Wang Yibo to Yao Xiaofeng, and the two teams made an appointment to meet together.

Previously, Yao Xiaofeng only knew that Wang Yibo was a very popular artist. He had also doubted whether such a young actor without professional training could sustain his performance? Will you be unable to calm down? Can there be a common language?

But when I saw Wang Yibo for the first time, all these worries were shattered.

He found that although the young man opposite had gained huge popularity, he did not feel any elation. He just sat quietly in the corner of the sofa in the office, rarely speaking actively and spending most of his time listening. When asked about his preferences, Wang Yibo simply said: "I like speed." In his eyes and words, in addition to being humble and sincere, there is also an urge to become better.

So Yao Xiaofeng asked Wang Yibo: "I have a young man here who is performing a Republican drama in Shanghai. Are you interested?" Wang Yibo also expressed interest on the spot.

This originally planned simple meeting lasted from noon to dark. After the meeting, Yao Xiaofeng said firmly to producer Zhang Shuwei: "This is him. This is the actor I want."

The original version of the small house that Wei Ruolai rented was relatively spacious and cozy, but Yao Xiaofeng insisted on making the space even more cramped. Only in this way can we present the living beings at the bottom of the class who had difficulty transcending classes at that time, and form a sharp contrast with the ten-mile foreign market of Shanghai.

Wang Yibo and Wei Ruolai

In Yao Xiaofeng's view, Wei Ruolai is a clean, young and passionate young man with great "tenacity". Wang Yibo's innate temperament made Yao Xiaofeng see the perfect fit between him and Wei Ruolai, and made Yao Xiaofeng interested in the role of Wei Ruolai. The inspiration for the second creation.

He had previously learned that Wang Yibo relied on his talent and energy to make his way from Henan to the world step by step. In order to allow the audience to be more involved, he wrote Wang Yibo's enthusiasm on Wei Ruolai, strengthening the contrast between the two worlds of Qibao Street and Shili Foreign Market, as well as the workplace environment of the Central Bank.

In the story of "War of Faith", there is not only the feelings of family and country, but also the story of how an ordinary young man hesitates and chooses between two forces and finally finds his self-worth after working hard.

"I like children who have goals, struggles, ideals, and pursuits. These are the qualities that young people should possess. So I admire Wang Yibo very much. He has been working hard to transform. I hope that young people can also see from Wei Ruolai — When you see your own shadow, you can gain some enlightenment." Yao Xiaofeng said.

Yao Xiaofeng once said that the drama "War of Faith" incorporates modern people's way of thinking, making the characters in the drama more three-dimensional and giving the audience a greater sense of involvement. Therefore, during filming, Yao Xiaofeng never "teaches" actors how to act. Instead, he talks to Wang Yibo about the background and context of each scene. What kind of environment is Wei Ruolai in? This inspires Wang Yibo's truest feelings and makes the character closer to the actor himself.

"For example, when he saw himself wearing a pair of torn socks, how can children today have such an experience? But I let the props cut the socks, and after he put them on himself, he immediately caught the most realistic reaction."

After giving his true reaction, Yao Xiaofeng will discuss with Wang Yibo again. What different emotional levels does Wei Ruolai have at this time? This is also his rigid requirement for all young actors, that is, the feelings and reactions given in each scene must be different.

"When we work with actors, we don't have an unchanging performance template, because I think that is a guilty conscience and a lack of confidence. I don't know when to express myself, so I will act in a comfort zone way. Secondly, All accomplished actors must conquer the audience with their charm. Only when the audience believes in the character and likes the character can they be infected by his charm. In this play, as the chief producer Dai Ying said, Wang Yibo — is young but not raw, I hope Wang Yibo can express it truly and let everyone see a simple, simple and immature boy." Yao Xiaofeng said.

During the filming, Wang Yibo's role was very important. Not only did he have a lot of professional lines, but he also had to shoot from the first scene to the last scene every day. But Yao Xiaofeng discovered that Wang Yibo had never read a script on set, said he missed lines, and could reproduce his true feelings in different situations with sufficient preparation.

The scene where Wei Ruolai gets up to prepare for the interview in a rental house on Qibao Street was filmed less than a week after filming started. After the filming, Yao Xiaofeng cut out some clips. After the two of them watched it together, they both felt very satisfied and built up their confidence. Less than a month into filming, Wang Yibo had his first major scene. Yao Xiaofeng still remembers that after filming this scene, all the staff present applauded Wang Yibo.

Yao Xiaofeng always believes that as long as the candidate is right, more than half of the work will be completed.

"Confidence is built on each other. I gave him confidence and he gave me confidence, so it did not affect the shooting. In Yibo, I saw his most sincere pursuit of performance, just like he became a stage actor from a child — the king of movies, so I also believe that he can become a very good actor in terms of acting. If there is a suitable subject in the future, I hope to cooperate with Wang Yibo, Wang Yang and Li Qin again."

Detail control and self-expression

In addition to "realistic control", Yao Xiaofeng is also an extremely detail-oriented person.

In the Qibao Street interview scene, there were only a few lines in the script that read: "Wei Ruolai hurriedly put on clothes to take the exam in the morning." But Yao Xiaofeng was stunned and shot more than 20 scenes, tearing up the calendar, brushing teeth, and talking to Aunt Zhou The dialogues are all added temporarily.

The coat that Aunt Zhou gave to Wei Ruolai, Yao Xiaofeng insisted on replacing it with one that obviously didn't fit. This is because Aunt Zhou runs a laundry and handles clothes for various people, so she found a coat for Wei Ruolai to wear to give him some face. It is this ill-fitting coat that has been accompanying Wei Ruolai to explore the world.

Wei Ruolai's leather shoes must be worn until they are unbearably worn; the brush under the bed must not be used all year round; the tooth powder must be squeezed into a box; after Wei Ruolai washed up, Yao Xiaofeng even messed up Wang Yibo's hair, and the cotton-padded jacket also Wear it wrapped up. It is these details that can highlight the sadness of a lower-class people.

In the end, this scene, which lasted less than two minutes, took three full days to shoot. According to the original announcement, the shooting time for the opening of Qibao Street was one week, but it actually took two weeks. "Everyone was crushed, but everyone was very excited after watching the film. The actors were also excited. Wang Yibo performed very well. I think it was worth it." Yao Xiaofeng said.

[sapphic-agent]

Let's Talk About Izuku Midoriya

As most of you know, Izuku is my favorite character in the show. But dismissing my bias for a second, there are a lot of issues with his character. Mainly, how it's handled within the story and the negative affect it tends to have on the overall plot.

What I think really dampens Izuku's character is a lack of depth. Fellow Izu fans hold your fire... let me finish.

The lack of depth wasn't always a problem. In season 1, he tends to have a lot of lines that indicate complex emotions. When he's walking home after Bakugou's suicide-baiting, he shows at least a little contempt for what was said even if he tries not to take it to heart. Hell, even during the suicide baiting itself, he reacts with anger and intends to stand up to Bakugou even if he is forced into silence by fear. During the bus ride to the USJ, Kaminari and Asui are (rightfully) observing that Bakugou is a dick and Izuku is surprised at the swap in their roles. In the Battle Trials, he's guilty when Bakugou accuses him of purposely hiding his quirk, but also confronts and outsmarts him, knowing that beating Bakugou (standing up to him) is the only way he can even start to become a hero.

(This is evidence that at some point Izuku was aware that Bakugou's actions weren't alright and wanted to condemn them, he just didn't have the strength or confidence to go through with it. This entirely disappears later in the series with no reconciliation of those feelings)

We don't get many scenes like this later on. Izuku takes Bakugou's insults and attacks with no reaction or just a nervous one. And we never, ever see him attempt to stand up for himself against him.

And no, I don't count Deku vs Kacchan Part 2. Izuku was practically forced to defend himself as Bakugou would have attacked him either way, and his entire role in the fight is going on and on about his admiration for Bakugou. Izuku isn't standing up to Bakugou, he's being placed in a situation where he's forced to help develop him. The entire episode is solely for Bakugou's benefit while shoving Izuku into a corner.

But even taking a step away from Bakugou for a minute, Izuku also becomes more one dimensional in regards to Uraraka.

I've said this before answering an ask, but in the beginning of the show Izuku was the one who was attracted to Uraraka. He was flustered by her kindness and reacted bashfully to her hero suit. And for some reason this... goes away. The last time he gets even slightly embarrassed around her is the licensing exam when she appears jealous of Camie (Toga). Not only that, it feels like all of that transferred to Uraraka. She was the one who ended up becoming bashful and flushed and embarrassed, which would make sense if Izuku's feelings didn't almost entire disappear. It does both their characters a disservice; Uraraka is reduced to a more one-dimensional love interest (don't @ me for this, she has her moments and I love her) and Izuku loses another aspect of his character.

I would even say this is present with Todoroki on some level. Izuku was supposed to be his first real friend and they barely interact. Which is even worse considering they're both part of the "main trio." It would have been so easy to play them off of one another since they're supposedly best friends and should be the closest two in that trio. Their friendship was one of the starting points of the entire series and their connection is an integral part of both their characters. Yet they both interact more with Bakugou than one another.

(For comparison, look at Bakugou and Kirishima. They're in a multitude of scenes together and we see how their relationship develops over time. We see their companionship and how Bakugou comes to trust and rely on him. We don't get anywhere close to that with Izuku and Todoroki.)

Over the seasons/volumes (whichever you consume), Horikoshi has dumbed Izuku's character down to crying, defending others, and being self-sacrificing. And these aren't inherently bad traits for a main character, but they weren't all he had in the beginning. He had more personality and he had stronger feelings. Taking that away from him cheapened his character.

Another failing of Izuku's character is how him being quirkless is blatantly ignored by the series.

This was an integral part of his character. It's what separated him from the vast majority of people in the show. It destroyed the only dream he ever had. He was discriminated against for it. It defined his entire existence for the first fourteen years of his life.

And it's never talked about.

Okay, I shouldn't say that. It is used to draw parallels between him and Shinsou (and Aoyama later on). But other than that, Izuku really doesn't acknowledge it. For someone who would grapple with not being good enough for OFA, him not really dwelling on being quirkless is odd.

In a series about the corruption of society, it's strange that the discrimination the main character faced from that society isn't talked about. In fact, outside of Melissa (she's legit the only character who was born quirkless and stayed quirkless, everyone else who's listed quirkless had their quirks taken away or received a quirk later), the series doesn't really introduce quirkless people at all even though they make up 20% of the population (and that isn't a small number by any means, that would be 1.6 billion people in 2023).

Yet this issue that was very present in the beginning of the show is just... swept under the rug. Like everything Izuku went through because of it just doesn't matter. A four year old came to the realization that he was beneath his peers by society's standards, but Izuku just doesn't talk or think about it ever again.

It not only ignores the very real trauma and struggle the main character went through, it also shuns a very important piece of world building. Having Izuku born quirkless was the perfect way to introduce this problem with society. But no, other than his dream being ruined and Bakugou's bullying, Izuku doesn't struggle with this in any other way. We only have vague implications of what he went through growing up quirkless so we can't imagine what it's like for the other 1.6 billion people.

This ties into his lack of depth, but a lot of the time it feels like Izuku's only relevance is to be a prop for other characters. Bakugou is obviously the main one and I went over this in the apology analysis. But Izuku doesn't respond to his apology in any way, we never get to see his thinking or how he was affected, and then he faints at the end. Izuku is a puppet in place to further Bakugou's development. This is also present in Deku vs Kacchan Part 2; all his thoughts are centered around admitting Bakugou and propping him up.

As much as I hate it, it somewhat makes sense for Bakugou. But it's utter insanity that this is extended to Endeavor as well.

Back during the Sports Festival, Izuku displayed disdain for Endeavor. He was aware of what an awful person he was and how he hurt Todoroki. Yet for some reason he then tells Todoroki that he thinks he's ready to forgive him.

This is completely out of character for Izuku. For one, he never inserts himself into others' business unless it's to defend them. And up until that point he hadn't said a word about Endeavor; not to comfort Todoroki and not to abhor his actions. So why in the world would the first thing out of his mouth about him be that Todoroki seems ready to forgive him?

It's almost like he's acting as a mouthpiece for Horikoshi, indirectly telling the audience that Todoroki no longer holds any resentment for Endeavor. Izuku's relevance in this scene as Todoroki's best friend should not have been to assume that he's ready to forgive his abuser.

He also verbally defends Endeavor against Dabi. Even though he knows how abusive and neglectful Endeavor was to his children. Condoning Endeavor while disparaging Dabi makes no sense for Izuku's character. He was defending Shoto too which makes sense, but there was no reason to add Endeavor into that. Just because Endeavor was his mentor (for like three weeks if that) doesn't erase what he's done.

To make Izuku ignorant of this was a slap to the face of his entire character.

Even in his own major arc, Izuku gets the shaft. Dark Deku was a major let down because there was hardly a deeper dive into his character. He was on his own with the past OFA holders for weeks and we barely see him talk to them. Him cutting contact with Toshinori when we didn't even get to see them interact much made no sense (Toshi didn't even try to find him afterwards which was so out of character). The top 3 heroes allowed him- a fifteen year old student- to run on his own without even trying to talk him out of it.

And what's supposed to be an honest attempt to get him to come back and trust him turned into 1A a) physically attacking and ganging up on him and b) allowing Bakugou to goad and insult him. And he wasn't even close with all of 1A for nineteen of them to do this. This should have been restricted to Iida, Todoroki, and Uraraka (and maybe Tsu and Aoyama). He has issues with showing vulnerability in front of people, why om Earth would it make sense to blindside him with his entire class?

(The only part of Dark Deku I truly enjoyed was Uraraka sticking up for him at UA and Kota and that woman he saved earlier running to comfort him and show their gratitude. Although Eri not being there is very weird.)

Like I said above, I love Izuku. But I absolutely hate the way he's been handled by his author. He deserved an actual well thought out character arc and a lot more focus and attention. He deserved to have more intricate, complex relationships with other characters that weren't his childhood bully. He deserved to be treated well in his own story.

[mecachrome]

your oscar primer was absolutely brilliant, thank you so much for posting it!! well-researched, well-written, and a good balance of educational and hilarious. if you want to share, i’d be very interested in reading any of the parts you mentioned that you cut out, like george-admiring, oscar’s psyche, etc, but no pressure ofc 🫶

omg no thank you so much for your kind words, i appreciate it a lot!!! :D andddd let me see... honestly i was just going to add a few more quotes & anecdotes from other people about his personality but i ended up incorporating most of them into the primer (e.g. mark's), but in general i think it's really charming how Every Single Adult who has ever worked with oscar throughout the years is so deeply and immediately convinced of his maturity. i did work in most of this old ask but it has a few extra quotes in there from mclaren personnel! anyway more below the cut:

i guess really the thing to Me about oscar is like...... idk if this makes any sense but i personally love how he's naturally a really gracious and diplomatic person but is also deeeeeply self-assured and objective, which on one hand means he presents as quite humble when he doesn't make excuses for himself or get caught up in deceptively high results, but on the other also means he refuses to give anyone else credit for his own success; if you remember me briefly mentioning prematax in that post he talks about it in the f1fs pod where he basically goes i didn't win because of PREMA, in fact i've NEVER LOST TO A TEAMMATE, SO. like any racing driver that is def a big source of pride for him, and i think it speaks to the "silent killer" (per lando) side to him, the guy who mark says "falls asleep" when hearing stories of his (championless) career, who said that he supported mark out of national obligation growing up but—let us not forget—vettel was the one winning everything back then anyway, who says he put even more pressure on himself to win his final race in f2 despite having clinched the title 2 races prior because he felt the innate urge to prove that he wouldn't simply ease off the gas pedal and still had it in himself to subjugate the field one last time.

along these lines oomf and i have discussed before how he and alex rank similarly on the kind/nice dichotomy in a way that is slightly diametric to lando, wherein he is always willing to offer tidy bits of sympathy for someone else's struggles but doesn't ever really envision any of them as relevant to his own experiences, because getting caught up in that "external noise" would be a waste of time (even with logan in the f3 finale it was honestly kind of like "aw man that sucks, i'd hate for it to be me... ANYWAY"). like not to maybe exaggerate his interiority but i enjoy that he carries an amount of hidden tension that he obviously consciously decides to not take reactionary measures over—though that doesn't mean it isn't there, it's just very well regulated (unrelated but he does actually work with mental coach emma murray, who also works with scott mclaughlin and whom he says helped him center himself at the end of his eurocup season). but he's still very... unfiltered about when he's been disrespected in an unperturbed, straightforward manner, like saying otmar confronting him on the sim over being promoted to the seat was "bizarre and frankly upsetting," the face he made when he was told they'd overtaken alpine in the standings in 2023, telling the kids in that hp tuners interview that the renault engineers treated his first f1 test too nonchalantly, etc. 😭 like every interview back when he was a reserve driver was soooo "i'm gracious about being stuck in this role but also i've proven myself way too much to Not Hate This Compromise and i'll be pissed as hell if i don't get a seat next year"... i'll stop here but basically he is truly a master of balancing gritted-teeth conviction with his tactical charm and it is one of my fav things ever about him!!!

also another quote i love is this one from david sera about his driving style, because 1) i love the correlation between it and his personality/calmness, 2) i'm obsessed with the dynamic of his early rc days helping nurture a style of "finesse" in his driving throughout his junior career that may not have appeared naturally if he'd only begun racing in karting (and subsequently how he had to learn to not get "muscled around" after moving to europe), and 3) of course as a noted jb22 appreciator i love when people note similarities in his inputs to jb because it is delicious to ME:

Coming from a remote control car background where concentration, finesse and smooth inputs, these were the traits we saw in Oscar in the cadet category. [...] You would often see other drivers have an advantage in the early part of the race, driving more aggressively, but Oscar had a more calm approach.

c__c but back to the first part of the ask and our good friend russell jorge, i'm mostly obsessed with oscar's reactions to his performance at the rollercoaster that was spa 2021 and the fact that he's been so vocally appreciate of george "outperforming" the car he was in. the 2 instances of the word HERO on his twitter:

and then this quote in an interview he did in 2022:

"[Success] is definitely not just defined by just world championships, and if you can outperform the car that you're in—I think George Russell has been a very fine example of that in years previous, you know, constantly getting the most out of that Williams and of course Spa. (laughs) Bit controversial, but he got a podium at the end of the day! And even without that, he qualified second, he outqualified everyone except Max in a Williams, which, you know, is an unbelievable result."

also george being the only f1 driver (i think) to tweet him for his f2 title :saluting_face:

AND ALSO THEM SHARING THE ANECDOTE OF THEIR AWKWARD FIRST MEETING ON THE FAST & CURIOUS POD??? aka oscar was told in his april 2023 ep that they were going to interview george next and he was like oh ok you can ask him about our "slightly left-field introduction," and then they had george on who was like oh yeah i met oscar for the first time washing our hands together in the bathroom on our way to the ausgp in 2020 😭 what a way to meet.

[theerurishipper]

Hey I have a question I read some takes that Adrien is a supposedly good liar? How though are there any examples..I always just assumed people never put two and two together with his identity is because he doesn't connect much with the class nor does Gabriel so it made sense in my head. I'm sorry if I don't actually make sense I just assumed that if even one of the classmates kept getting closer with him maybe he'll open up. I thought that'd be Nino but like I feel that he's so much more closer to his girlfriend and with Kagami that scene where she backed him into the wall and she said that wasn't the real him when he did goofy poses made me uncomfortable and sad for him. Marinette kind of disappoints me as a love interest like that time he was in the park on the bench and she decided that this was the perfect time to give him a present made me annoyed like I understood she has such a huge admiration for the guy and will climb mountains for him but I thought she'd get past that and they'd have like a one on one you know a talk. Usually the love interest would start to bond and grow closer but like I feel she's more into the relationship for herself because of this whole fantasy she builds up in her head it's why their relationship kind of a bummer.

I don't think Adrien that hard to get him to open up to but again this is my own opinion. I don't know really I just feel if someone like a teacher, classmate or even Master Fu get him to open up more and more and they start to bond. I feel like all he wants is a relationship to not be so conditional if someone kind enough allowed him a shoulder to cry on or even acknowlege his habits or when he's in a bad mood I think it'd work I ain't sure though. I wish the dude had more male friends.

I don't really get why the classmates just think Gabriel a strict dude when he seems pretty abusive. Marinette especially she knows how strict he is especially in season 5 and the whole adrigami thing and even with Chloe mom lol I think abuse or parental abuse just doesn't register an actual thing in her mind which is weird lol.

I don't watch Miraculous religiously lol I just watch it sometimes so if my takes and memories are wrong please forgive me. I am so sorry for this being a long ask I ramble way to much.

No need to apologize anon! Feel free to ask me anything.

Personally, when I say that Adrien is a good liar, I don't mean lying in the traditional sense. He doesn't do a lot of actual lying (except when it comes to his secret identity), but it's more than he doesn't really reveal his true self to anybody. He doesn't fake his personality per se, but he only shows people the parts of himself that he thinks they will like because he's been conditioned to believe that he has to conform to everybody's expectations of him and be perfect for them. It's why Chat Noir is so different from Adrien Agreste™, because he's always performing in every part of his life. And putting on a mask at all times isn't the best way to connect on a deeper and intimate level with the people around him. I think Adrien's friendships with Nino and Kagami and everyone else is real, and whatever he shows them is genuine, but it's still not all of him, and he still feels the need to hide the parts of him that he feels they won't like. His relationship with Ladybug is an exception (obligatory until Season 4 disclaimer) because while he's still putting on a performance, it's not for the sake of pleasing her.

You mentioned his closeness with Nino, and I always felt that Adrien was more at ease with Nino than anyone save Plagg. He was more relaxed and at ease with Nino in like, Seasons 1 and 2, enough to show a little more of himself, and I got the sense that he was a little more open with Nino. Then Rocketear happened and Adrien pretty much shut down on that front and started to put on the mask even more, and their friendship never was the same after that.

The thing with Kagami is that she was right about Adrien. Chat Noir isn't his "true self," it's a persona based on him acting out in the way he's never allowed to as Adrien. And the model Adrien is a persona crafted based on the demands from his abusive father who expects him to be perfect. Kagami isn't able to see under Adrien's mask, but she's able to understand that he's putting on a front, and she wants him to quit it.

Marinette kind of disappoints me as a love interest like that time he was in the park on the bench and she decided that this was the perfect time to give him a present made me annoyed like I understood she has such a huge admiration for the guy and will climb mountains for him but I thought she'd get past that and they'd have like a one on one you know a talk. Usually the love interest would start to bond and grow closer but like I feel she's more into the relationship for herself because of this whole fantasy she builds up in her head it's why their relationship kind of a bummer.

This is exactly the problem I have with canon Adrienette. Marinette literally doesn't even know that Adrien is putting on an act, and she literally thinks he's perfect. It was so funny to me when Pretension made Gabe out to be so wrong and evil when he accused Marinette of falling wholesale for Adrien's performance, because Gabe was fucking right, damn it.

The problem is that the show never challenges Marinette's view of Adrien. She doesn't have to learn to look past his masks and see him for who he really is, he just up and tells her thanks to an Akuma's influence, and then he spends the rest of the time in Season 5 pursuing her, so she just gets handed her trophy boyfriend without having to put in the effort of getting to know him as a person. The show never wants Marinette to be inconvenienced by *checks notes* learning to see Adrien as a person, and it just wants her to get her dream relationship without an effort on her part to truly understand him. She's not much different from the rest of her class or any of Adrien's fans, because they all just see what they want to see and what he shows them. By virtue of them being the endgame, Marinette should have been special in that she tried to look past the masks to understand the real Adrien once she realized his "perfection" was a front and an act, but she didn't. She remained as delusional about him as she always was and got the relationship dropped in her lap. Thanks, I hate it.

I don't think Adrien that hard to get him to open up to but again this is my own opinion. I don't know really I just feel if someone like a teacher, classmate or even Master Fu get him to open up more and more and they start to bond. I feel like all he wants is a relationship to not be so conditional if someone kind enough allowed him a shoulder to cry on or even acknowlege his habits or when he's in a bad mood I think it'd work I ain't sure though. I wish the dude had more male friends.

I don't think it's that simple for him to break out years of being conditioned to conform to other people's needs, but the fact remains that, you know, no one even cares. Kagami was literally the only one who cared enough to try and understand him, and even she was made to spend Season 4 as Adrien's bitter ex (not Kagami salt, I love Kagami, this is just writing salt). The rest of the class admits in Felix that they don't really know him, and they never really seem to try to get to know him either. They do care about him, but not that much, you know? Everyone is honestly content to keep seeing him as the perfect guy, and no one tries to see the real him. Like I said, I feel like he was a little more open with Nino in the earlier seasons, and he's more open with Plagg, but that's about it. He was a little more open with Ladybug, but that also went down the drain in Season 4 because of the Ladynoir conflict. It took an Akuma for him to open up to Marinette. I don't blame anyone for falling for his act, but they clearly don't really care to get to know him either. I think you're right in a way, that he would be a little more willing to drop the act if someone tried to understand him, like Nino and Plagg. But no one cares, unfortunately.

I don't really get why the classmates just think Gabriel a strict dude when he seems pretty abusive. Marinette especially she knows how strict he is especially in season 5 and the whole adrigami thing and even with Chloe mom lol I think abuse or parental abuse just doesn't register an actual thing in her mind which is weird lol.

Tbf they don't know much about what goes on inside the Agreste household, and they are just kids, so I understand that they wouldn't be able to completely recognize what's going on with Adrien. But the show itself doesn't think Audrey and Gabriel are abusive, and Marinette is basically the mouthpiece for all that, hence the solution is that apparently Chloe and Audrey should just bond, and Adrien should be fed a lie that Gabriel is not a bad guy actually. Marinette seems to have a pretty black and white view of the matter, and since she comes from a loving home, it doesn't really register to her that parents can be so awful. But the show frames Marinette as in the right to push Chloe and Audrey together when what Chloe needs is to get the hell away from that abusive person. It tries to frame her as right for gaslighting Adrien into loving his abuser. It's pretty nasty stuff.

But that's just my opinion. Honestly, I think the best meta on this subject is this excellent post by @fearlessinger. It's a wonderful analysis, I highly recommend it.

Thank you for your ask!

[tiramegtoons]

What u like about snatcher? If he ask u to make a deal with him, would u take it?

I love everything about him.

Like- you wouldn’t believe

I love his design

The ghost like shape paired with the protruding hair around his neck resembles a lot like a snazzy high upturned collar, similar to what a lot of villains wear (especially Dracula) and it’s a very nice touch

And that dorky toothed grin and the uh.. clawed hands.. <//<

He’s so silly (handsome)

He sure makes a good presentation.

His voice

Oh BOY OH BOY-

And then his booming evil laughs, chuckles and jolly laughter makes my heart flutter ✨✨✨

And his voice is surprisingly also soothing.. I could listen to him talk endlessly.

His character(OUGH)

I love how he’s usually laid back and casual until he gets caught off guard and his short temper will show which- smug grin

His hot and cold personality,

How he’s the biggest tsundere ever, and I’m fully convinced the prince inside of him hasn’t died completely(hehe softie)

His quick wit, dark and sinister charm about him and a playful sense of humor.

He’s a bookworm and an educated fellow,

At least for the most part I think.

I just know he pretty familiar with law.

The fact that he also surfs the internet is so funny to me,

I love how powerful he is and how he basically kind of does what he wants when he wants to most of the time.

And like most villains he is self indulged, but I admire that. And that confidence coming from his inflated ego sure makes him pretty attractive. 👀

The fact that he gets down personal right away and charismatic in his conversations with his so called contractors(hello there fool hehe please hand over your soul or die okay understandable have a good day), but also needs time for himself.

(Yup, definitely an ambivert-)

His backstory(death) as well.

I love his loyal minions too, they are so cute and are just like their big boss.

What’s not to love about him? 💜

And of course! I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to do some favors for him.

[silverdune]

panoramic ink | j.ww

"it was not just his art, however, it was also him as a person."

minors dni. ageless blogs dni. blank blogs dni. you'll be blocked.

genre: slice of life

character(s): jeon wonwoo

tags: tattoo artist!wonwoo, character study, wonwoo owns his own parlour, references to self-doubt and self-esteem

summary: wonwoo is the acclaimed owner of panoramic ink; he never quite knows how to feel about the attention, though he takes much pride in his work;

a/n: (long sigh third time's the charm!) basically i imagined wonwoo with a tattoo pen in his hand and got an urge to write tattoo artist!wonwoo.. forgive me i might be insane. (this has taken three tries to upload pls work 😭)

There is a certain majesty to the way Wonwoo casts off each work of art.

Whenever he is done with a client, he allows himself just a few seconds to sit back and admire what he has done in the hour, half-hour, half-day on some occasions, before giving them a swift nod of the head and thanking them for their patience. Often it is the clients themselves bending over backwards to thank Wonwoo for the beautiful creation now adorning their skin, but one could say he is a humble man.

Maybe too humble.

His portfolio has seen the attention of the most acclaimed artists. Although he is not one for spotlights, he modestly appreciates the compliments and kind gestures his customers have given him, be it thank you cards, an odd gift here and there he insisted should not have been bought for him, or even the one or two dinner invitations he ultimately declined due to busy work schedules. In reality, he had become incredibly overwhelmed with the response his work had received.

It is not just his art, however, it is also him as a person.

Wonwoo has a reserved personality, though many of his close friends would say that beneath it all is someone with the wackiest sense of humour anyone had come across. When not engrossed in his work, he could crack a joke out of nowhere that would send everyone reeling, but to most, even the more loyal customers, he is a stoic individual with a meticulous mindset and a fixed pensive expression. That is the way he prefers to present himself, and nobody questions him or makes him feel less because of it. In fact, sometimes, the quiet is welcomed, and it is that kind of atmosphere Wonwoo always promises in his shop.

The music is low, and it is always the same playlist. Consistency is key in Wonwoo's mind - that playlist is just as much for him as it is intended to be a calming presence for the client. If anything different were to be played, it would throw him off course. He knows it like the back of his hand, and it helps maintain the right ebb and flow of such an environment.

He always welcomes the customers with an amicable smile and a quick back and forth over how their week has been before he gets down to work. Formalities are important, and light conversation is nice, but small talk is a concentration killer for Wonwoo. The second his eyes are on the design and the pen is in his hand, he is taking the marathon to the end without a single word spoken. The commitment is admirable to anyone who sits in his chair, and they would never complain if it meant he could focus.

But Wonwoo believes himself too detached. There are times, more often than not, that he would like to be able to engage in the odd chat during a session.

During the long days, when the clients would be taking a break from a sleeve, he would use that as an opportunity to talk to them more. A surprise but a pleasant one nonetheless. It makes him wonder if he ever painted himself as an unapproachable person, one that not even a regular would want to talk to. But with each moment that the thought passes through his head, it is effectively quashed by his naturally easy going nature, and the odd times he does smile through the trance-like state that zaps all emotion from his face.

Panoramic Ink is his pride and joy. Between the sound of the bell above the door whenever it opens and closes, the patrons whose eyes constantly light up at the sight of their completed tattoo, and the friends who surround him and support in any way, shape or form they can, Wonwoo could not dream of being anywhere else.

And though he would not ever admit it, the majesty of his masterful work puts him at the centre.

The beating heart of Panoramic Ink.

× tristeetconfus (ave). do not repost. ×

[ceterisparibus116]

Hi! I hope you are doing well!

So, I was having a low day recently and went and read through my Ao3 inbox to cheer myself up (it really helps!) and came across some of the interactions I had with you in the comment section of the Ella series (they're so delightful, it warms my heart <3), in where you at some point responded to something I had commented with:

"Okay I *do* think Foggy sees himself as not being that mature, and I actually have a ton of thoughts about that and how it relates to Foggy comparing himself to Matt all the time…….."

And I'm still really curious about your thoughts about that topic, so if that's something you would want to expand on, I'll be happy to hear it!

(This is also kind of related to people underestimating Foggy and Foggy underestimating himself, which I have a lot of feelings and thoughts about myself.)

This may be my most self-indulgent ask, but I love Foggy as a character and I love how you write him and I just want people to talk about him more!!!

Thanks bye <3

First of all, I adore our back-and-forths in the comment sections of our various fics! Life has really gotten in the way of those for me recently, but I hope I can dive back in soon.

Warning: you say this is a self-indulgent ask, so I say this is a self-indulgent novel of an answer! ;)

Poor Foggy! First, I don't think he's actually more immature than Matt, but I do think he sees himself that way: both at a superficial level (Matt did better in school, Matt learned a more reasonable language than Punjabi, Matt is physically fit, and Matt presents himself more "seriously" from his word choice to his sense of humor to his fashion), and at a deeper level. I'm going to explore the deeper level more.

Overall, Foggy strikes me as fairly insecure and lacking internal stability compared to Matt. Matt may struggle with guilt and he may get overwhelmed (usually due to his own wild choices), but Matt is generally resolute in his convictions about who he is and what he's supposed to be doing, even when others disapprove.

Foggy, on the other hand, seems to view himself often through the lens of other people's expectations. If you're familiar with the Enneagram, I think Foggy is a Six, but a Six with a lot of Three tendencies. It's a rough mix. Sixes care about security and stability, both in life and in relationships. Meanwhile, Threes not only want to impact the world (an ambition Matt shares), but they want to be recognized and applauded for it (an ambition Matt decidedly does not share).

This combines to make Foggy fairly dependent on external stability. He wants a comfortable job without curveballs. He wants relationships defined by honesty and trust and little to no change. He also wants status and he wants others to admire and appreciate him.

Whereas Matt can have his whole world (jobs, relationships, status, etc.) turned upside-down, and remain (usually) sure of who he is.

To illustrate, look at Foggy's approach to his career. I'm not sure whether Foggy chose to pursue law because he loved law, or if he chose it simply because it was something more impressive and lucrative than his family's profession. But either way, he seems haunted by his family's disapproval and confusion. He feels the need to justify himself to them. I think this need to justify himself is part of why he was so willfully blind to the evils at L&Z: if he could just "make it big," he could prove to his family that he'd made the right choice.

As he indicates in S3, Foggy is pretty dependent on Matt's strong moral compass except when it comes to Daredevil, since Foggy has no problem disagreeing with Matt over that. This is why, as soon as Matt disappears, Foggy goes right back to working in a big law firm - where, as he admits himself, he doesn't actually care about any of his clients.

And what is the picture we have of Matt and Foggy's friendship, prior to the revelation about Daredevil?

Matt and Foggy both recognize that Matt is more studious than Foggy;

Matt outperformed Foggy in school;

Although Matt briefly followed Foggy to L&Z, Foggy made the much more drastic (and permanent) choice to follow Matt to N&M;

Matt wins most of their arguments (I assume, based on Foggy's comment about Matt never saying he's right - it was an exaggerated joke, I'm sure, but I think there's a kernel of underlying truth to it);

When it comes to basically all of their decisions as a firm (taking Karen's case, taking Prohaszka's case, etc.), Matt's beliefs overrule Foggy's;

Matt sets the safety ground rules for Foggy (and Karen), not the other way around, and;

Once Foggy realizes Matt is sure to find out about his "Nancy Drew'ing" with Karen, he openly seeks Matt's approval (whereas Karen is more defiant in the face of Matt's disapproval).

What's fascinating is that from Foggy's perspective, Matt is always the yardstick by which Foggy measures other something is good or bad. This is just as true when Matt's urging Foggy to do something apparently reckless (like starting their own firm or taking on clients who can't really pay them) as when Matt's urging Foggy to do something apparently sensible (like being more careful with his sleuthing).

One explanation for this is that Foggy is keenly aware of the strength of Matt's convictions. As someone with fewer well-defined and well-tested convictions, Foggy seems almost too quick to believe that all of Matt's decisions are born out of his strong moral compass, such that even when Foggy isn't quite happy or quite understanding Matt's position, he figures: "Well, he's probably saying this for a good reason."

Another explanation for this is just how Matt presents himself. Even when Matt's advocating for a more reckless choice, he presents his cases with logic. No one wants to argue with Matt.

And finally, I think this is explained by how much Foggy cares about what other people think in general, and about the stability of his relationship with Matt specifically. Foggy doesn't want Matt to think of him as selfish or reckless, and he doesn't want to disagree with Matt and cause turbulence in their relationship (...until, of course, he does).

What does this have to do with Foggy feeling like he's immature and comparing himself to Matt? Well, people like Matt are impressive. Don't we all aspire to be the sort of people who will Do The Right Thing simply because it's the right thing - even if it costs us comfort, safety, and other people's respect? The convictions of someone like Matt can be convicting, by which I mean: they cause you to be sharply aware of your own shortcomings.

And so Foggy feels immature simply because it's hard for him to feel mature compared to someone who's always right and always so self-assured about it.

Now, I'm someone who always wants to learn from things. What can we learn from Foggy and Matt? Mostly, I think we can see the pros and cons of caring about what others think. Though not the focus of this essay, Foggy's well known for the fact that his strength lies in his people skills. He can befriend and persuade pretty much everyone he encounters, and can somehow maintain a large network of people on whom he can rely as different needs arise. That's an awesome strength that those of us who are more introverted or shy can try to pursue. At the same time, a weakness is when caring what others think erodes your beliefs, and/or your ability to stand on your beliefs. The Matts of the world don't run all their decisions through a series of tests: "What will so-and-so think? What will so-and-so say? Will so-and-so understand what I'm doing and approve?"

The best thing to do, I think, is strike a balance between the two extremes. Don't let other people determine your beliefs, but do make time for other people and invest in them. Do what is right even if it's uncomfortable, but also surround yourself with people who will make that experience relatively more comfortable. Be prepared to lose relationships if the alternative means compromising your morals, but also recognize that we can always learn from others.

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

What are some of your hcs?

Hooooooo, boy I've been waiting for this one! I have too many to count, so here's some. I present to you:

Peter Parker x Felicia Hardy Couple Headcanons

Peter and Felicia may not look it, but they’re the perfect ‘opposites attract’ couple.

Peter is the most frugal, sensible person on Earth. He still wears t-shirts he brought in high school and considers Chinese Food a guilty splurge. And somehow he managed to bag a girlfriend with literally the most expensive taste ever.

Felicia wears only brand name. Her favorite handbag costs more than his rent. Half the time she looks at him and is like 

Originally posted by blondebrainpower

It isn’t until he starts dating her that Peter learns to relax and treat himself more. Felicia has to literally force him to take time off and pamper himself and take care of himself. Felicia Hardy is the self-care queen.

If Peter won’t treat himself, Felicia will do it for him, goddammit. (Even if that means stealing something and treating him to it.)

But on the flip side, being with Peter teaches her that not everything has to be glitz and glamour to be great. She starts enjoying eating in more than going out restaurants, if it means that Pete is cooking. She admires how resourceful he can be. 

And she also pays his rent on occasion. He gets flustered every time.

Talking about opposites attract - Peter is a night owl. You’d think the girl with the cat name would be the nocturnal one, but no. He just has so much shit to do. It’s really not odd for Peter to be hitting the mattress just as the sun is coming up. Felicia however, early-fucking-bird. Like it’s borderline ridiculous.

She’s a ‘2-hour workout to start the day’ kinda girl. The kind that makes a smoothie bowl and listens to Meg Thee Stallion at 7 am to ‘get in the zone’. Her alarm goes off at like 4:30 and she’s just up and at ‘em. She bullet-journals, she meal-preps. Peter envies how much Felicia has her shit together, but he has no idea how she does it - considering he’s the superhuman one.

Talking about being superhuman - Peter does doesn’t realize how good he has it until he starts dating her. Felicia is human. She doesn’t have super strength. Which means she actually has to work-out. Everyday. Intensely. It makes Peter realize how much he takes for granted. Sure, he has his Spidey-sense. But she’s all technique, and work, and gold medals.

Watching Felicia do her daily gymnastics, weight-lifting, MMA training, it just blows him away.

Felicia loves using him as a sparring partner. Peter’s humor makes him super-encouraging. He’s the best trainer ever. Peter doesn’t actually need the work-out, but he still comes along often. They’re the couple at the gym that are just super in-sync. It's like a daily mini-date for them.

After they’ve been dating awhile Peter has to move in to Felicia’s place, because Felicia’s enormous closet wouldn’t have fit in Peter’s small-ass studio.

It takes Felicia 3 weeks to get in the habit of calling him ‘Peter’ and not Spider. She still does it on occasion. She’s purposely call him Spider if she’s trying to seduce him, or worried about him.

Their apartment is just…chaotic. It’s not messy, but it’s chaotic. Peter’s science work, cork boards of superhero detailing, Felicia’s art and canvases - she was a art major after all. Between her closet, his tech, their superhero gear, and Felicia’s art, the Hardy-Parker apartment always has something odd going on.

Holy shit, do these two get competitive. Especially when it comes to gifts. They constantly try to one up each other with gifts. They take holidays like Valentines Day and Christmas very serious. Birthdays are even worse. Even Date nights too.

They're always trying to surprise the other and put a smile on the other's face, and considering they've both done the 'secret double life thing' they're really good at hiding presents from each other. Surprises and little gifts are their thing. Even if Peter can't afford it, he still tries to find cheap but sentimental gifts for her, and their date ideas are wild. (Indoor skydiving, anyone?)

Peter is Felicia’s biggest muse. I HC that Felicia is a Fine Arts major, with a knack for art forgery. They have multiple paintings of Peter in the style of famous artists like Picasso and Van Gogh.

Felicia has multiple cats, whom tolerate Peter to varying degrees.

Prior to their engagement, Peter saves up to buy Felicia a promise ring. She wears it constantly. 

Prior to moving in together, Felicia ‘ironically’ collected Spider-man merch. Peter thinks this is funny, and he’s kind of gotten into it too. In an ‘ironic’ way of course. They have matching Spidey pajamas.

At one point in time during college, Felicia was apart of the Spider-man Fan Club. She says it helped her learn his fighting strategies prior to meeting him. She doesn’t tell Peter this information, and when he finds out she nearly dies from embarrassment.

Whenever Peter’s not looking, Felicia will put on his mask because she thinks it’s funny.

Felicia took a fashion course in college. She designed her own costume and does all the repairs on Peter's suit. She usually has to make him a new one every 6-12 months.

Felicia and Peter have a routine of watching the Daily Bugle every night and making fun of J.Jonah from their couch. Sometimes they’ll boo him or throw popcorn at the screen.

J.Jonah hates The Black Cat more than he hates The Spider-Man. Unlike Peter though, she loves the attention. Black Cat openly has beef with J.Jonah and will instigate the man on-sight. Peter really tries to dissuade her from doing this. She keeps doing it anyway.

Their relationship gives off ‘Excuse me? He asked for no pickles.’

And since this is long Imma just leave it there. But thanks for asking this! It was so fun to write out and I'll probably make another of these because I just have so many.

kk bye y'all! :)

[someonetookmyawesomename]

Hi! Sorry if I'm being a bother, but I just finished Son of a Witch and Out of Oz, and I noticed that Liir only refers to Candle as his 'wife' (the family tree in the beginning of the book says otherwise), but he's always very creative with his nicknames for Trism. You're kind of the expert on these things, and I was wondering if you noticed them too.

Oh this isn't any trouble at all! I'm actually happy to see a new person get interested in Liir/Trism!

Anyway, I DID notice that Liir's way of referring to Trism is much more colorful compared to Candle! Though NGL, I haven't read the books in a hot minute 'cause Uni is kicking my ass, so my recollection of details may be hazy, but I'm gonna tell you anyway HAHAHAHAHA

I think Liir refers to Candle as his "wife" because he feels devotion towards her. As the mother of his child, and the first person to care for him when he became an adult, she's played a very big role in his life. He calls her his wife because she's basically the only person he knew who's willing to put up with him and hasn't abandoned him.

Throughout his youth, Liir has struggled with his loneliness and despairs the fact that "Nobody will ever come looking for him". When Candle arrives, he's no longer alone and he finally has someone waiting for him whenever he goes somewhere.

On the other hand, Liir is much more creative and flowery with his thoughts about Trism, because he's completely and utterly besotted. Unlike his feelings for Candle, Liir's feelings for Trism are brought by attraction, not necessarily devotion.

I mean, if you read the books, Liir goes to great lengths to reminisce about Trism's looks. From his blonde hair to his apparently very nice ass (I still think it's hilarious Maguire added this detail), Liir spends an inordinate amount of time admiring Trism's appearance.

Not only that, bur Trism also plays a very impactful role in Liir's life. While Candle may have given Liir the domestic life he always wanted and spent roughly 2 decades with him, Trism is the one who is present during the turning points in Liir's life, not Candle. So it makes sense that Trism takes a lot of space in Liir's head.

Trism was the one who told Liir how to enter the military. He helped him complete his plans. Finally, when liir had to pick sides during the climax of his life, it was Trism who told him to "make his own choices for his own reasons". Basically confronting him head-on with his biggest flaws, his lack of initiative and self-identity.

Unlike Candle who is mainly a comfy person Liir can go home to, Trism is the one pushing him to take action throughout his life. They may not have spent that much time together, but every encounter they have sends their lives spiraling into a completely different direction. That's why I think Trism takes so much real-estate in Liir's mind.

Those are my thoughts anyway. Glad you decided to ask me! I'm flattered you think I'm an expert on this, but I'm really not TBH. I'm just a zoomer who's completely in love with the relationship between a neurotic witch boy and his sexy but really full of himself soldier BF.

I hope I gave a satisfactory answer, and feel free to give your own two cents! Don't worry about being a bother too! Talking about Liir/Trism is a stress-reliever for me!

[simlit]

2, 3, 4, 8, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25 for Ven

What architectural or design aesthetic would best suit them?

british colonial; reminiscent of the period in which his was born, there’s a sense of familiarity, but the infusion of the cultures they borrow from is the distance he needs from too much of the “traditional”: one | two | three

If your OC likes art, talk about which piece they would love best.

The Tortoise Trainer by Osman Hamdi Bey; Having lived life traveling the world, and his deep-seeded hatred for his homeland, I think Ven would love art outside the Eurosphere, as well as things that break the mould. He’d have deep reverence for art of different cultures, from Ukiyo-e to Sudanese ceramics. Because he made his home in the Caribbean, he’d love the pottery, stonework and sculpture of the indigenous people throughout the islands as well as South America. This? Very Ven.

If your OC were to live in some other time period, which era would they be best suited for?

Contemporary; I think Ven would do best in the time period with the least amount of restrictions. Where there's freedom from tradition and less focus on things like status and class. A place and time where he can get lost and just be part of the crowd instead of belonging to some larger institution.

What trait do they find most attractive/appealing about others?

Genuine kindness and empathy.

What sort of role do they take on in relationships, either familial, romantic or platonic. i.e. are they a defender, protector, nurturer, etc.

A supportive role. He's very much the "rock" they lean upon. He offers a sense of comfort and reliability that his family comes to depend on. Both a listening ear and a crying shoulder.

What is one thing that they only let those closest to them see?

His guilt. Even though he spends much of his later life attempting to make amends for it, he presents himself as someone who is always happy and optimistic. A lot of that is his true nature, but it's also a mask he uses to hide his own pain and regret.

How would their life be different if they had never met their partner?

He wouldn't have lived very long, obviously. But that aside, he wouldn't have settled down. Having a family and staying in one place only really occurred to him after he met Naida. Had he intended to live on, he would have just kept up with his lifestyle of collecting wayward souls and tried to help them as a way of repentance.

What was it about their significant other that made them fall in love with them? Was it a single eye-opening experience or many gestures over time?

Her empathy and her perseverance. Similarly to Taryn, actually, Ven admired Naida's ability to overlook her own personal pain in favor of others. Despite her difficult life, she still had a deep ability to care and sympathize his plights, even if he thought he didn't deserve it.

What is some advice or guidance they received that had a big impact on their lives or outlook? Was it a positive or negative impact?

The person who had the single biggest impact on his life is without a doubt Artrice. She guided him through the darkest time in his life, and helped set him on a path to redemption.

Which “tortured artist” does your OC share the most similarities with?

Is it too cliché if I choose Johnny Depp? Don't care, doing it. I think Ven is selfless to a fault. He has engrained manners, but he also has a natural desire to entertain people and make them happy. He can brighten an entire room just with his presence, but on the other hand, he's a deeply self-destructive person. He's lived through a lot of abuse, some pushed upon him, a lot self-inflicted. He’s lost himself and spiraled, but inevitably he fights to get his life to a state of normalcy. Something he can live with, even if begrudgingly. 

[tiredassmage]

*inhales*

iT’S FREE REAL ESTATE.gif @eorzeashan​ I’ll bite because I would also really like to rotate this idea in my head, ponder them in an orb, etc. Also - I have no idea if any of this makes sense, but they sure are some thoughts. Hopefully even half of it checks out, lol.

Like, honestly, I’m a little obsessed with rotating the psuedo Alliance alert situation in my head, it’s delicious. And I think it’ll also found my opening statements. I might just end up walking us through Tyr’s thought process in response, tbh. It’d be important to him to resolve in some fashion or another before they get to figuring out what they want with each other in the long-term.

So, firstly, Tyr is hellaciously ride or die when it comes to fellow Intelligence operatives. Agree or disagree on how the fall of Intelligence should or shouldn’t have been handled, how the Empire runs, whatever the debate of the day might be, but they were the only family that ever mattered to him. Intelligence backed him, they looked out for him, they sought his success.

Tyr never has a reason to balk at abandoning his name to be Cipher Nine because what, structurally, was his family in his youth wasn’t much more than that - a structure. It wasn’t a home. It was a place.

And for all I’ve pondered about Tyr being more loyal to ideals than individuals, it’s maybe a weird mix of both. Tyr burns his ideals for people, yet he’d still go behind someone he loves for a long game of protecting them - these are all things that make it difficult for him to deeply bond with someone that wasn’t either present for what he went through and who somehow remained largely non-judgemental (we’re looking at you, Vector, the greatest MVP the agent ever has), or someone who just... gets how it is to be an agent.

I’d be fascinated to be a fly on the wall when these two would talk about ideals though, when the subject of Jadus inevitably comes up because it’s an almost inseparable notion.

Sure, dealing with Sith is something that still manages to set Tyr’s nerves on edge in a general sense given everything, but Jadus in particular can almost shut him down. It’s one of the first things that flashes through his mind when Jadus talks about fear - operatives do not thrive on fear. It can’t be what controls them or it doesn’t matter how good you were in simulations or training, it’ll all leave you to your own. And I think it eventually loops into how he balks at the idea of losing control.

Unfortunately, he kind of trips into a self-fulfilling prophecy when that’s his gut reaction to Jadus’s philosophy. Eight doesn’t. Perhaps ironically, Tyr would call it his conviction that he’d admire (he’d mean every word). It’d be such an interesting conversation for someone to be able to walk Tyr through the view that knowing fear is perhaps the first step, but to overcome it is, in a way, to know it - and, no, while he still wouldn’t like the idea of dealing with Jadus, that re-frames it tactically, strategically. It should have been his next instinct to kick in that generally does in the field - sure, feel things, but feeling and doing are two completely separate matters. One isn’t going to resolve without the other. Jadus isn’t... exactly normal though, lol.

In that way, how could he not respect Eight for doing something he failed to do? (There’s that idea of conviction again) And, also... the inevitable guilt of not being able to finish the job himself. Tyr hates leaving people behind. He doesn’t just give up on people he cares for or respects in some way. Come hell or high water, he’ll figure something out - even if it’s supernova self-destructive to pursue.

Kinda... short way around all of this, does Tyr trust Eight to catch him when he trips? Unquestioningly. Does he let Eight lead him into that cave despite the way his throat constricts at the very thought of facing Jadus again? Yes. He doesn’t have to trust Jadus. He does trust Eight. (Tyr and his... odd capacity to trust fellow agents despite their largely untrustworthy profession)

Is Eight pretty? Yes. : P

There’s a part of this that will likely feel like the same grief and regret the Minister has about what Eight had to become in all of this, but Tyr doesn’t have to leave things lie and he’s certainly no quitter. Whatever else he is or isn’t, the need to try to understand won’t let him leave it lie. Because he’d never be comfortable living with himself if he walked away. It was his job to start, he has to be there for however this ends.

But he’d also need to figure out if he’s robbing Eight of something if they pursue Jadus. Because if he is, can he really live with that? Tyr lost everything when they shut down Intelligence. Hell, it’s part of why he’d be so damn driven to find Eight, find someone else that made it out of all of this to whatever other side ended up awaiting them. The apprehension might be worth living with if he’s got at least one person that can understand what the hell it all was to go through.

And stars knows Tyr needs someone who can keep up with the way he can’t figure out himself. Hold on I wrote a line in a recent wip that I feel like I could also fit to whatever they’d have going on:

In the dark, it’s easier to hide and easier to tell the truth.

Something something not needing to be that honest in the shadows because it might hide your tells, something something that lack of pressure and established intimacy makes it easier to share nonetheless. There is an undeniable draw to someone who understands that experience that, ironically or not, makes Tyr far more comfortable with trusting his soul to those individuals.

Anyway, I have no idea if they’d do something good or make each other worse, but it’d be pretty neat of them either way, I think. xD Honestly, once they come to some sort of consensus about Jadus, Tyr won’t think twice about trusting him and I think they could have a lot of fun being obnoxious chameleons rising to whatever challenge meets them. Just expect Tyr to keep checking in occasionally. He can’t exactly figure out what he wants beyond all of this spy business stuff, so it’s important to him to keep a pulse on what a partner wants. In a way, that similarity in them might lead to a lot of “I don’t know’s” about it, but, hey... That’d be okay, too.

[monkeydra]

Sending you a star for the “director’s commentary” meme - give us the backstage info about any of your fics~

You get the backstage info on three fics because I have exactly zero self control! This is going behind a read more. Sorry, I got a little excited XD

First up is homing

So I wanted each scene to lead into the other with alternating present-past scenes, alternating dream-memory scenes before transitioning into present/reality and past/dream at the end. I wanted there to be some detail in common to tie one scene to the next one, and I mostly wrote a scene and then chose the detail in common.

I wanted to write this for the "come back to me" line and also the scene where Kinn wakes to a reunion with Porsche among the carnage Porsche created to rescue him XD I didn't go too deep into the description because Kinn is pretty desensitized to murder in general at this point and also I wanted it to be a "yeah yeah the murders by my husband to protect me we've all seen it" kind of thing. I had a lot of fun writing Kinn being generally unaware of the situation but Porsche was asking him for something so he just went with it XD For the last scene I thought simple would be best. Also I think I've done an Inception AU in most fandoms I've been in

Next up is you love me; i'll listen

So back in my teen years I played Crisis Core and I've been insane about it since then. Specifically there's a scene where Sephiroth says he doesn't want to believe Genesis would be involved in something so petty, Zack said then don't, and Sephiroth easily and simply replied, "Very well, I won't" and that scene has been in constant replay in my head for over a decade. He had met Zack so little time ago and already he had such trust in him that Zack told him to do something and he just. Did it. Without question. And then this fic almost didn't get done, because my computer crashed with the first draft. Then the new trailer came out and I got a burst of inspo to finish this.

"Sephiroth tore his eyes away from the digital board displaying his stats..."

I've always headcanoned that Sephiroth's senses are also much stronger than the average soldier so some situations that are unpleasant for most people are borderline sickening to him. And I also wanted to hint at this kind of uneasy truce where Sephiroth is very much seen as "property" even while being a monstrously powerful and greatly admired hero. I also really wanted to go for a dynamic where Sephiroth's honesty is pulled out of him by Zack just being there, because he knows, at least subconsciously, that Zack is safe. He says things without fully thinking them through, and he does what Zack says automatically because Zack wouldn't tell him to do something if it'll hurt him, and this is one of the few times Sephiroth feels safe. He's also not entirely aware that he's crushing on Zack yet. On Zack's end he's still learning how to read Sephiroth, but he doesn't need to understand him completely to accept him. He sees him as his endearingly strange friend, and he's happy Sephiroth is accepting help (and letting him in)

"Somehow, Zack coaxed him out of the data room."

So another line that I haven't talked about as much but also gave me brainworms is when Angeal comes back to help and he says "Sephiroth have you lost weight?" (and Sephiroth just turns his head away). Sephiroth is a very tall man, and proportionately muscular, so he'd have to lose quite a bit of weight for it to be that visible. I think Zack doesn't like to focus on his own negative feelings as much, and would rather throw himself into fixing his friends' problems, while also this being a little urgent because Sephiroth would have to not be eating to get visibly smaller. And while he might be a bit silly and oblivious at times, he'd probably pick up on Sephiroth's sensitivity re: his senses, hence the mildly flavored soup

"Tomorrow was his day off, he remembered."

Also I think Zack would be on a mission to give Sephiroth the affection and loving indulgence that he was pretty obviously deprived of. In the section where they sleep in, I actually wrote the waking part first (in that section, it was the second scene I wrote overall) and then wrote the rest of it

"The meeting passed in a simultaneously lightning fast and syrupy slow pace..."

In the catatonic section, they're in Sephiroth's apartment, and Zack was waiting for him because Sephiroth had let it slip that he finds Zack's presence comforting (and Zack has seen flashes of how he looks when he comes back from those meetings). Sephiroth is very much taking Zack's encouragement as permission to ignore Hojo (basically replacing his voice with a more loving one)

"Sephiroth slid his coat off his shoulders..."

This was just me sneaking in my bottom!Sephiroth agenda

"“Look at me,” he heard as he gasped awake..."

This was the third scene I did and I knocked it out so fast, and also based on a line that gave me so many brainworms. Zack pointed out to Aerith that his eyes are the color of the sky so she would have a less scary association with it (I'm also a zaertih fan, in case anyone was unaware), and I wondered if Sephiroth would have his own association with it. He would have grown up under polluted Midgar skies while also having seen the sky in other places, so I think Zack's eyes would invoke a feeling of freedom for him. I also wrote a lot of these scenes with Zack's physicality in mind, and with the headcanon that Sephiroth would find Zack's almost equal build a comfort. I was a little more obvious here, and I specifically brought up his physical strength and it's similarity to Sephiroth's because of my "Zack took out a kill squad with his bare hands fresh out of a coma and took down most of the Shinra grunt army, and also successfully defeated or fought to a draw some of the strongest fighters in this series, and I'll remind people because I think they're too blinded by the sunny smile to remember" agenda. Did I go all in on that agenda? Not really, but I like to at least include hints of it

"Sephiroth looked out the window, towards Shinra mansion..."

I just want Zack to pull Sephiroth back from the edge, man. I'm a softie. And also, Zack does get angry, so I wanted a scene where he does. He gets angry, and can be downright ferocious when he wants to be, and at this point Sephiroth knows it. I pictured his objections at the end as being more nominal. Objectively he knows it'd be insanely difficult to keep him anywhere he doesn't want to be, but his chains were always more psychological in nature. Zack just kind of took a battering ram to them.

As a side note, Genesis is on thin fucking ice with Zack in this by the end. He recovers and they run into each other later, and he's trying to apologize without actually apologizing to Sephiroth while also being Very Fucking Careful because Zack super clearly feels no reservations about fighting him again. Just goes from golden retriever to doberman the minute Genesis is in the room

Last is one of my favorites, Fic Bites - KinnPorsche

I might expand some of these. Potentially. No promises. But I did really enjoy them and I do generally have worlds thought out behind these mini fics, and some of them I think would be fun to play in

Royalty

I think their relationship dynamic would be kind of a pendulum situation, where the deeper their class difference, the more reverential Kinn would end up being in response. And I think a key aspect of why Kinn falls so hard for Porsche is with Porshce, he's enough as he is, hence the last line

Arranged Marriage

Kinn falls in love with his husband and decides to turn their initially shitty situation into a better one by giving them a new courtship, one that actually reflects their desire to be with each other (jury's out on if they can keep their hands off each other. It very much becomes a Schrödinger's tradition thing, where the parts they like they adhere to because tradition and the parts they don't they ignore because they're married already). Kinn does have more doubts here though than he did in canon since in this case Porsche was forced to be with him, so it takes him longer to trust that Porsche really does love him

Victorian

This is unrelated to the previous one. In this one they had a whirlwind romance which had the unfortunate side effect of not giving them time to prepare Porsche for the realities of being in this kind of spotlight. It causes a lot of strain, since Porsche is being watched and judged on a scale he's never experienced before and is fighting through it because he loves Kinn, and Kinn is in a constant state of terror that Porsche will realize he's not worth it and is fighting not to self sabotage

Hanahaki Disease

This is based on the post where instead of hanahaki being "my feelings are unrequited so I'll die" they're more of a seasonal allergy thing that won't go away until you confess, no requiting required. Kinn has been in a state of constant sniffling and sneezing and coughing since he met Porsche, and Kim has been done with it for almost as long. Everyone except Kinn very much knows Porsche returns his feelings

The Mummy

This was inspired by the "Fine!" argument in The Mummy, only, you know, more dramatic. Kinn strong armed Porsche into helping navigate the desert so he can find the treasure, and falls extremely hard as per canon. Imhotep absolutely thinks Porsche is Anck-Su-Namun reincarnated, and Kinn is having a meltdown from worry because he's not used to worrying about someone who isn't his brothers and they've never been in this level of danger. Porsche meanwhile cannot lose anyone else. He can't.

Fake Dating

Corporate spy!Tawan dated businessman!Kinn to steal company secrets, and now he's going to be at a gala/business function that Kinn is going to. He refuses to show up single and give him the satisfaction. Enter Porsche. He figured why the hell not, he'll even make some money out of it. It's a little bit rough until they start bonding, and then they fall for real, naturally

Detective Noir

So Kinn is very much the Vulnerable Femme (Homme) Fatale With A Case Here. He and Porsche met in Greece and started it as a fling, but then genuinely fell for each other. Kinn was not only scared of his own feelings, but scared of what being in his world would do to Porsche, so he ghosted him. But wait! Someone is now trying to kill his family, and he's terrified they might succeed with his brothers. He needs someone to find out who it is, and he (foolishly, he feels so foolish) knows he can trust Porsche (he can). They gain a deeper understanding of each other and never stopped loving each other, so Tension Abounds

Time Loop

Porsche is stuck in a time loop of a day when a rival gang invades, and if he, any Theerapanyakul bro, or one of his bodyguard buddies dies, it starts again (because I want them to make it out alive. Chay is not involved because he's off at uni, so he's not in danger). He is clinging by a thread at the end due to trying to keep several people he loves alive, and on top of that not only witnessing Kinn die, but witnessing Kinn break if one or both of his brothers die

Pushing Daisies

This is the first one I wrote for this set. The image stuck in my head, and I was pretty proud of how it turned out

Soulmate

So I actually put thought into the colors here! White symbolizes purity in some cultures, and I think there is something very pure and simple about his desire for his father's approval. He also, without realizing it, craves love in general, and doesn't know how to ask for it or even how to recognize it. It just exists in him. However in other cultures, white symbolizes death. I thought that dichotomy suited Vegas well.

Porsche of course got gold. Gold is precious, gold is wanted, gold is valuable. His touch on his soulmates' skin literally turns them gold, leaves inherent worth behind. He is madly desired and treasured. Gold also can symbolize compassion, a trait that bursts from him freely and is in conflict with who he has to become now that he's in the mafia (gold being pushed at and covered in white and red)

Kinn got red, which of course can symbolize rage and violence and danger, but is also love and passion, which is a combo Kinn embodies and struggles with throughout the series. I think he and Vegas would have similar struggles of seeing their marks as leaving behind signs of death and violence, even as they enjoy seeing their marks on their soulmates.

Gods

To be perfectly honest, I only wrote this one for the line about Porsche being a sun god and more beautiful than any nymph or muse.

Superpowers

Vegas can manipulate electricity. Kinn is mostly invulnerable (he can be hurt, it's just incredibly difficult). Porsche is a healer. They can work through most of their problems, except one. Kinn keeps throwing himself between them and attacks, even if they could dodge it.

Anyway I got entirely too carried away, but this was fun XD