#also should i start a tag list

[dear-ao3]

look attempting to get into indycar is all fun and games until i realize i have more followers on this stupid blog than some of them have on most of their social media accs….combined. these are real live famous people. do you know how jarring that is. do you.

[averycutesalamander]

AHHH 11! 11! 11!

decided to combine these into one :)

11: Telling them a dumb joke just to see them smile

22: Listening to them while they vent

“And I’m guessin’ he didn’t apologize?” Boothill drawls, working his jaw.

“Of fucking course he didn’t!” you huff, gesticulating wildly. “He acted like I was the one inconveniencing him – like it wasn't his dog that was off-leash and fucking tackling people!”

“Bastard better be glad it didn't hurt ya,” he mutters darkly, “or I'd need to introduce him to my gun.”

You slump down into yourself, pressing your face into your hands and making a frustrated noise, long and loud. He places a comforting hand on your back, tracing slow, gentle circles to soothe you. Finally, you settle, sighing wearily.

“More trouble than it's worth,” you mumble, rubbing at your temples. “I just need to stop thinking about it. There's really nothing else to be done right now.”

Well, if it were up to him, he'd knock on the guy's door and deck him for being a moron, but you never like it when he tries to resolve minor disputes like this with his fists, so he'll let it go – for your sake.

He hums in acknowledgement, examining you for a long moment as silence descends between you. Your shoulders are still tense, and he can hear that your heart rate is still a bit faster than usual, so you're clearly still thinking about it…

Maybe he can give you a hand.

“What's the difference between a piano, a tuna, and a pot of glue?” he suddenly asks, utterly nonchalant.

You go still under his touch, and when you look up from your hands, your expression is completely baffled. “...Is this another one of your weird fucking anecdotes?”

“I ain't tellin’,” he says, a small note of smugness in his voice. “C'mon, guess!”

You scrunch your brows in thought. “Uh… Something about tuning a piano?”

He smirks. “Close. You can tuna piano, but ya can't piano a tuna.”

You snicker, and his heart swells at the sight of your smile. Then, you raise a brow expectantly. “What about the glue?”

His grin widens as he waggles one finger at you. “Ah, I knew you'd get stuck there.”

He watches in open delight as you pause, then burst into laughter, shaking your head and rolling your eyes in playful exasperation. “That's so stupid.”

He shrugs, unbothered. “It made ya laugh, so it did its job.”

You finally straighten your posture, eyeing him fondly for a moment, a little smile on your face. “You're too sweet,” you mumble, a gentle sort of warmth in your eyes.

He leans forward, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. “Only for you, angel.”

(He'll never get tired of that expression on your face – that look of complete and utter adoration, something quieter than awe but somehow just as grand. He's sure he looks just the same.)

“Hm… What's–” you suddenly snicker, biting your lip in a fruitless effort to keep yourself together. “What's the difference between a garbanzo bean and a chickpea?”

He tilts his head quizzically. “They're the same thing, ain't they?”

“Nope,” you say, broken up by laughter. “I wouldn't pay ten thousand credits to have a garbanzo bean on my face.”

He blinks at you cluelessly for a moment, the gears in his brain churning. Your smile widens even further as you watch his expression shift. In thought, he murmurs, “A chickpea on your…”

The joke hits him all at once, and he bursts into laughter, wild and hearty.

“That's awful!” he laughs, pressing one hand to his face as you snicker.

“It made you laugh,” you sing, bumping his shoulder with yours.

(God, he loves you.)

“Alright, alright,” he chuckles, then clears his throat in a futile attempt to compose himself. “So, a cat and a dog were leadin’ a caravan a’ pioneers…”

On and on and on it goes, until the memory of your irritation fades into oblivion and laughter rushes in to fill the gaps.

(He loves your smile too much to let you stay angry for long, after all.)

@opheliaflavoredinstantnoodles @ikeagroceries @shadowstadium @theswashbucklingspy @cosmo112 @fxngtasy @rinzis

[nickythehickey]

a list of disability representation in the sfthverse (updated/corrected version)

that's right, i'm not done with this yet. bc it still needed improvements, and what better time than now?

im making this version its own post instead of a reblog so that it's all more cohesive and condensed together, and so it's easier to read everything in one place

also, the greatest and sincerest massive thanks to everyone who contributed their suggestions/corrections on the original list (sorry for tagging if that's annoying): @spacedustmantis, @sosbanfach64, @obsidian-sys, @very-confused-alpaca, @fairy-princette, @sw33t-transv3stit3, @ethernitty, @bewilderednobody, @doodle-ratz, @apolloisbored, @local-human-disaster, @dereks-unrelenting-heart, @older-than-the-devil, @y-a-w-p, @radio-and-the-dirt, and @dorydotcom. you all really are very helpful, and i really appreciate the support. this is something i had decided to do on a whim but pretty quickly realized it was important at least to me, so im glad to see it means so much to others too

*for the purposes of the list, "disability" includes physical/mental/developmental disabilities, neurodivergence, chronic illnesses, and mental health conditions

*i still easily could've missed some. i also can't get the patreon rn so there's no patreon exclusive characters. if you know of any more feel free to reply and i'll look into adding them!

canon (either explicit or heavily implied)

bubba (inside the mysterious cube) is stated to be an amputee with prosthetic legs

peter steven (the milkman) is stated to have adhd. since adhd has a large genetic component, that implies that one or both of his parents likely also has it- my money's on david, since peter seems to mostly take after him. peter and david also both have glasses (i think? i’ve seen people say so but if that came up in the longform i didn’t pick up on it)

post mortem, L (the creak in the attic) is mute and uses mime/sign language and possession as forms of aac. he also has an unexplained voice in his head

donnie (the detective vs. the christmas tree bandits) is explicitly stated to have adhd and an unspecified seizure disorder (@/obsidian-sys suggested functional neurological disorder and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, which is what im choosing to go with). "i was never good with numbers" could be interpreted as dyscalculia as well. frankie may also have adhd, bc again genetics

chip (the cardboard stegosaurus) has an unspecified seizure disorder, and while she isn't present, we learn that his mother marie-claire was suicidal

amanda (clarissa's diy wedding) is all but confirmed to have prosopagnosia, or face blindness

according to divorces and teddy bears, the entire north pole elf population has adhd. congrats on the diagnosis luke i mean snowdrop

that one gas station man (the pilot's final flight) and bill hannigan's father (death for a dollar) are both blind

mrs jeffery (the milkman) was blind at the beginning of the scene. they ended up not going with that, but she probably does still have poor vision. she also has a bad hip, the nature of which is never fully elaborated on, so it can be interpreted as a range of physical disabilities

the bartender (the hare who wore a sweater) slut dropped so hard his knees exploded. im not sure what to count this as tbh, but as a person with vague undiagnosed joint fuckery myself, he makes the list regardless

julian (the phantom of hornchurch) is dyslexic

mother xavier (the leftenmost window) has chronic migraines

john hobson sr (the creak in the attic), sam (beetroots and murder), henry (green leaves on a summer's day), and noblin (the bard with a scar) all likely have some degree of ptsd. there's also some implication that beetroot sam has auditory hallucinations

mark (clarissa's diy wedding) for sure has cptsd. very show don't tell, this one is (which is probably why i missed it first time around)

tobias's granddad (wine under the bridge) has very poor vision and, based on body language, appears to use a walker, suggesting mobility issues

sherlock (mystery of the midnight circus & the final baker of baker street) uses a cane. he also appears to have some form of dementia in midnight circus

jericho (no! i always loved that caravan) has an unspecified(? not personally knowledgeable enough to know if there’s a specific one) speech impediment

the pianist (death for a dollar) is missing fingers

mama twilliger (green leaves on a summer's day) has a glass eye

the keeper of the oil (the lighthouse) has back problems. pretty severe back problems too based on luke practically standing sideways to portray it

pinnochio (the grape depression). also should be here but idk what to call whatever his deal is. he's just generally fragile and weak

the-middle-child-maybe-named-johnny (oh no it's a door) has a stutter (i said no patreon, but @/bewilderednobody told me about it, so i might as well include it)

madame petrova (ballet on the battlefield) had an accident that left her with limited mobility, prompting her switch from performing to teaching

inspector whitstable (the haunted diary entry) uses a cane

the thomases (the enigma of the high visionary) are probably autistic. i do not like the use of functioning labels, but i genuinely don't know how else we're supposed to interpret "high functioning boy/dad"

im gonna be bold and move johnny and janae (the neighbor's under the bed) being autistic from headcanon to canon. it just makes too much textual sense. adding that janae is the textbook example of savant syndrome and that johnny all but explicitly has a developmental disorder

headcanons (still implied like at least a little bit but mostly up to interpretation)

*(this section is messy, it's more me sensing vibes than anything else, there's almost definitely some projection in there, honestly you can disregard it if you want. spoilers it's mostly autism bc that's me)

alan (the bard with a scar) says that he can't run fast, maybe implying mobility issues? i like to think so

jimmy (toby's secret pocket) and jeffery (party quirks) are both autistic to me. jeffrey specifically bc he reminds me immensely of how i felt and acted the first and only time i threw a party. jimmy’s trouble with doors could also be seen as him having dyspraxia, which is frequently comorbid w/ autism

titch (the unrelenting aubergine) is practically a poster child for alexithymia and autistic gifted kid burnout (also after being repeatedly told this i took an alexithymia test for myself and learned there's a very strong possibility i have it too. neat). while we're at it derek has some vibes too, but not as strongly

someone in the comments of ballet on the battlefield pointed out alexa stimming after she befriends janusz and i love that so im saying she's some flavor of neurodivergent

alfred ("why did you eat that" flurry) is potentially autistic, that man is so deeply blind to social cues. just like me fr

wine under the bridge in general can be read as a disability allegory if you wanted to, but im unsure if there's anything texually there

because of the way i visualize character designs for sfth, pretty much any character luke played while wearing glasses (like andrew (all eyes on nigel) or fullset o'hands) also wears glasses. im not gonna list them all bc frankly i don't know them all, just know they're included

i like feels like too positive of a word take interest in the idea of annabelle (priscilla's final petal) possibly having postpartum psychosis, causing her violent behavior and ultimately her death

aj's don juan (the merengue haberdashery) seems to potentially have narcolepsy or another sleep disorder? he falls asleep without warning a lot

it's unclear how much of acd watson carries over to watsam (midnight circus/final baker), but acd watson is heavily implied to have ptsd from military service, as well as chronic pain and mobility issues from a traumatic leg injury

i can't imagine john jacob (the off-season) getting shot wouldn't cause some long term problems, both physical and psychological

in the beginning of toby’s secret pocket, toby asks don ciciccio if he’s blind and the don never answers. shrodinger’s visual impairment

corrections (some small patch notes of sorts to directly address things the original list got wrong, for the sake of transparency and to clear up potential misinformation)

in the first update to the list, i suggested that midnight circus watson could have psychosis or a dissociative disorder. this was false, as there is no solid evidence to support it

i accidentally swapped alan and frankie's names when covering tbwas

originally, i said that johnny and janae are like the extreme incarnation of the thing that often happens to autistic people (myself included) where when you're a young kid people think you're mature for your age but then once you're older people think you're immature. i just want to clarify that when i say that, i mean from like a narrative foil perspective, not necessarily in reference to them as people. bc as people that's not how that works

i erroneously claimed that the specific mention of flashing lights in the strip club likely indicates donnie having photosensitive epilepsy. this was not necessarily true

(7/11) added don ciciccio’s potential visual impairment that may or may not have stayed part of his character, i genuinely can’t tell

[moregraceful]

Update they approved my application to do dog fostering within a couple hours because they are always in need of dog fosters of any kind. And I fell to my knees in the fucking club looking at the page of dogs that need to be fostered....there are so many babies and I can't take care of them all 😭

[rbtlvr]

& by the way i literally CONSTANTLY think about how loop uses the partys titles to create distance to remind themself that those arent 'their versions' of them. that theyre not loops party anymore. and yet and yet and yet

[escape-from-now]

what r the idolish7 dynamics you think about most and why

I’m a huge fan of the dynamics between the Kujo family + Haruka. I think there’s such an interesting interplay between all of their abandonment issues that makes for a deliciously toxic dynamic. I think the fact that they all crave a normal family structure on some level but also the reason they were brought together is fundamentally incongruous with that fantasy is devastating in the best way. I love that Kujo does care for his children on some level but he also cannot see them as anything but extensions of his dream. I love that Tenn has taken on the responsibility of taking care of everyone even though it’s absolutely not his job. I love that Aya is so desperate to assert her place in the family that she’ll take whatever she can get. I love that Haruka has been forced into the role of an outsider in this dynamic despite being intimately familiar with the family. It’s such a fun and interesting little group I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dynamic like this in a series where it wasn’t like, the point of the story

I’m also of course a big fan of the Nanase twins. First of all, I’m just a sucker for twins. Always been a fan of twins. But also I think the dynamic of having someone who you were attached to for so long, someone who was basically your other half, and then being separated from them is fascinating. I think there’s added factor of you finally meet them again after years, and you realize that in many ways they’re a different person than you thought they were. Or maybe they were only able to change and grow into the person they were always meant to be, but only because you weren’t there. You can never go back to how things used to be, and honestly you don’t want to, but you wish you could wish for that. Also I like the fact that they think they’re both responsible for each other’s traumas. Like the real villain is their parents obviously, they were both children. But they both blame themselves for everything that went wrong in each other’s life and I like that.

Rapid fire dynamics that I’m a big fan of but have much less to say about.

I love 3vale but I feel like most of why I like their dynamic is similar to why I like the Nanase twins dynamic and I don’t feel like repeating myself. And anything I can say about MomoYuki has been said a thousand times before. But they’re good.

I’m also a big fan of Haruka and Tenn on their own. I like their dynamic within the larger Kujo family but also I think it’s fun how they go from one sided rivals to genuinely admiring each other.

On that note I’m gonna stick Ryuu Mina and Tora all in one group for all of their individual dynamics but also as a group. I just love in idol media whenever a character is a fan of another character

Nagi and Riku heal my soul on a fundamental level every time they talk but also the depth given to their dynamic in part 4 was beautiful.

I love Pythagoras, part of it is my wife’s influence but even outside of that I love how they balance each other out and keep each other moving forward.

Shiro and Zool (more specifically Haruka) are very cute to me. I think it’s good that Zool got someone who wholeheartedly believed in them after Ryo.

On that note, I do really like Ryo and Shiro. They got divorced and Shiro got all the kids. I love divorce!

I think it’s really cute how Tenn spoils Tamaki. He is her favorite person and it’s cute.

[welcometoteyvat]

Hello! Do you have any recommendations on Zhongli/Xiao, or Chongyun and Xiao (either romantic or general) fics?

rubs hands together indeed i do. also highly recommend checking out the authors bc a lot of them have other incredible fic for the characters you're looking for!!

zhongxiao

Give me your heart (and I'll show you how to feel) by peredain (M, ongoing, 40k, some dom/sub themes, modern au) i will love modern aus until the end of time and this one has good plot, descriptions, and the feels. also i love that the yaksha group dynamics are fleshed out in this! they're so rare to find

fault lines by viverella (T, 23k, oneshot). scream. the tenderness and tension in this is so gentle. i fell to my knees bc these two old men. zhongli's voice is so nicely written :')

to carve nature at its joints (author commentary) and for services rendered by yelp (oneshots, 1k and 2k) the first is based on xiao's dream eating ability, and the second is about morax's inevitable erosion. the author has such an ability with words and their descriptions of xiao's loyalty, and zhongli's trust. i cherish greatly

bird in a cage by stormyseasons (gen, 33k, complete) i need to finish this but ohhhhhh it is insane,, the tenderness..... it traces xiao and zhongli's past through the archon war. also yaksha dynamics in this are so good

xiaoyun

i linked 4 in this post (please read these they're incredible) but heres more

lonely reflections (complete, 41k, M) and the sequel paper cranes (ongoing, 14k, E) by NocturnalFriend. chongyun's demon hunting expedition in the chasm takes a wrong turn. ive been meaning to read both but have heard v good things

intact by blurredbarcode; oneshot, gen, short and sweet!

reduced to just standing around, how absurd by justafellow04 this one's cute! it's an elaboration of a lantern rite lore bit that says chongyun's yang doesn't actually help xiao and its sweet :-)

also while im here: self promo of my xiaoyun writing exercises lol (v short drabbles of these two in different scenarios)

xiao and chongyun

"I won't let you become me, you'll be so much more" (170k words, ongoing) by snubton, which I think a lotttttt of people are fond of; I haven't read it myself (..writing style turnoff) but I've heard a bunch of good things. chongyun and xiao mentor mentee journey basically

after winter comes spring. 1/5 chapters, unfinished, featuring chongyun's yang energy and a flashback. it's sweet <3

[beigetiger]

Skeletons on the brain

[tofixtheshadows]

9 books I want to read in 2025!

I was tagged my @mossmittens and @cowabungholio !

This was tough, because I've been struggling to find books I enjoy lately- nothing seems interesting, or I try something and don't like the writing, or the story doesn't grab me. I feel like I've fallen behind on what cool new fantasy is coming out, maybe because everything seems drowned in the romantasy booktok tide.

If you see this and you have a fantasy/speculative fiction book (I'm a genre girl) that you wanna recommend to me, PLEASE do so in the replies!!!

I'm not sure who else to tag who's planning to read this year tbh! So if you see this, FEEL FREE TO PRETEND I TAGGED YOU! Even if we don't know each other lmao I'm so serious, just go for it.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros: I've actually been trying to finish it since November because good god it's the worst thing I've ever read. Embarrassing that it was printed on paper. My friends and I have a bit of a bad book club thing going on with it. We've been writing notes in the margins. It's like a million pages and I can only read it in 5-10 page bursts because I keep having to put it down. Do NOT read this lmao

Bordertown/Borderland, edited by Terri Windling: I've been trying to get my hands on these fucking books. They're long out of print, they're not in any of the dozens of libraries I have access to, and shitty used copies are upwards of $70 online. I'm rattling the bars of my cage here. I want to read the original Bordertown stories!

[piningpercussionist]

Howdy, Pine! Can we get three headcanons for all your favorite Scott Pilgrim characters? :-)

Oh absolutely!!!! Lemme think for a minute...

((FUTURE FUTURE ME: I LITERALLY JUST PROCESSED YOU SAID THREE HEADCANONS IM SO SORRY--- YOU WILL UNDERSTAND 😭))

Okay I had a whole thing here, but we're gonna try this again but slightly more Hinged-- forcing myself to format so things don't get out of hand again. I will HAPPILY elaborate, though!!

((Whoop this is future me. This post is going to be so long if I dont do this, so I'm going to put this all under the cut! I'll try to remember to come back up here with the characters I talk about- alternative, should I not do that, maybe check the tags! I'll try to only tag the people I'm directly talking about))

KIM PINE

sexuality: very likely canonically Bi, I am a very big fan of her being a comp. het. lesbian, though (I get this both from my read of the comics/her character and just me Injecting myself into my favorite characters ✌️)

pronouns: she/her usually, but I think she'd be very open and vibe with they/them (me injecting myself again, but also she's just chill like that. I think she prefers if strangers use they/them for her, and her friends or partners use she/her. I'm undecided if she prefers her partners call her their girlfriend or their partner, though.)

Characters I think she has feelings for: RAMONA FLOWERS, Lisa Miller, (MAYBE Scott Pilgrim, still)

Elaboration on that:

I honestly think I can just. Point at some comic panels for Ramona. And the goat thing again. They make me Unhinged that's how canon that is.

Lisa!!! My beloved!!! I think she had a tiny crush on her in high school and had no idea that it was a crush until way later in life- maybe shortly after seeing her again, actually. But like. She's so obviously smiley and happy when she's around, I really can't help but read it that way! She, at the very least, gets an extreme mood boost in her presence, so she really likes having her around.

Scott Pilgrim.... *scrubbing at my face* okay. Okay. So, I have a couple different reads on her feelings for Scott, they're kind of complicated for me to dismantle. Especially since I haven't started my reread of book 6 (I've been giving my thumbs a break, which I am currently prolonging but I have been DYING for someone to ask me to talk about this series.) I'm going to go with my more canon read and leave it at that I think, because it's already becoming this text wall.

Scott was really important to her, I think. She's this aloof, sullen, bitchy girl and she knows it- and then this dorky idiot walks into her life and they really hit it off! They date, they have really sweet, private moments together- it's everything to her. It's someone loving her in spite of the hard shell she initially puts out, and managing to reach her soft, easily bruised heart in ways no one had before. But then he left so abruptly, and that heart was crushed under the weight of her own ribcage. I think she carried that hurt with her every day from that point- I don't imagine her having a particularly roaring love life after that. I think she kept that hurt bottled, and it made any relationships she DID attempt fall apart. It's a wound she's been nursing for way, way too long, and I think she knows that- that's why she wants so badly to forget about it. But then she goes to Toronto and runs into Scott again at the lowest point in his life, and she can't get herself to step away, because this is the only person who ever claimed to love her in a way she felt. I think her decision to stay was sort of... detrimental to her moving on. If she'd detatched herself and stepped back, maybe she could have moved on eventually- she could have worked on herself, or maybe lucked out and found someone who could get through those walls without a sledgehammer, and she would have been better for it. But that's not what happens. She stayed, and I think the longer she stayed the harder it became to keep herself completely shielding from him, because he's still that same goofy guy at his core- he's just a bit worse than she remembered him being. But damn near everything he does throughout the comics just continues to crush her until she HAS to leave- he can apologize, and she can accept it for the version of him she loved, but he's not enough to convince her to stay anymore. I'm going to cut my canon analysis there until I reread their next scene, rather than just continuing incase my thoughts have slightly changed, but like... man... they hurt me in a very unique way. If it was anyone other than Scott, it'd be tragic. (Maybe it still is, maybe that's the Kim Bitterness talking)

For a brief touch on my less canon take, with Kim being a lesbian: I think Scott would have been better placed in her life as a best friend than a partner, but when you're young, and honestly even when you're not all that young, emotional distinction like that can be so, so confusing. So all of the hurt remains very genuine, because she does love him, just not the way she thought she did.

((Because I do love the trans!fem Scott HC as well, I will say. I feel like it would be really, really funny for Kim to realize she's into women and be like "wow sure dodged round two of the Scott Pilgrim bullet" and then one day Scott shows up having started her transition and is like "Oh hey Kimmy!! I'm a lesbian AND a girl, like you now!!!" And Kim just. Crushes her drink or something in her hand like "oh no... oh no she's attractive again... FUCK FUCK FUCK." Obviously a lot more nuanced than that, though. I should probably clarify that I started answering this ask almost IMMEDIATELY after waking up and also BEFORE I've taken more pain meds. If this post has been or starts to become very scattered again, that's why lol.))

Bonus consideration: Hollie. I can dig her having a crush on Hollie, but I feel like it faded a little living with her, and then shattered entirely after the Jason Kim situation. Even an overwhelming attraction to women ain't savin that one, chief. That's just too severe a betrayal.

The Knives Situation: Oh Boy. So in the original answer for this I had a whole thing done up, lemme try to condense it. Basically, I think Kim woke up the next morning HORRIFIED by what she'd done. Like, dry heaving in the bathroom horrified. And this likely really hurt Knives's feelings, should she see! Which Kim would feel horrible about. I'm undecided on if she just runs from the situation before Knives can wake up, or if they have a sort of agrument/one-sided rant on Kim's part afterward where she just really tries to hammer home for Knives how not okay it was for them to do that- for HER to do that, given their ages and inherent power imbalance. In the event that this discussion happens, Knives absorbed none of it, and probably leaves that conversation a little wounded. I think it would proceed to play back in her mind when she and Stephen are talking at one of Julie's parties later on, though, and she'd probably approach Kim after that to thank her for being a reasonable adult about that, unlike how some of her friends had been. Once that understanding is reached, I think they could be good friends, although Kim probably teases her for how she started to dress like her after they first met.

Silly little things: If anyone's familiar with Night in the Woods, do you know the part where Mae's like "that's not drums... that's a computer..."? I feel like that has Kim energy. To me.

Also I think Kim sucks at Rockband- I know that releases like, way afterward or something so far as comic timeline goes, but bare with me, okay? It's my silly little headcanons! Anyway, she'd suck really, really bad on the drums, since so far as I can recall, they don't REALLY correspond with the music. If her friends force her to play, she demands either the mic or the bass, because "fuck you Scott, you try playing their stupid fucking drums." He proceeds to play flawlessly, much to her chagrin. She fairs better on the bass, but only a bit better than the drums, since her fingers aren't quite used to the movements.

Kim didn't think she liked cats for a while, mostly because she was only ever around them fleetingly, and generally in the homes of people who should have been cleaning their litter boxes more regularly. After hanging around Ramona's house more, though, she discovers she really love them! She feels a sort of kinship watching how they actually behave, and I think Gideon ends up warming to Kim very quickly, which probably helps with the very quick turnaround on her opinion. I think it'd be funny if sometimes, when Kim's over, Scott will try to beckon Gideon over to him for cuddles or affection, and the cat will just. Stare at him entirely unimpressed before jumping up into Kim's lap with exaggerated purring and chin rubbing before curling up for a "nap." Kim was in awe the first time this happened, and Ramona finds it ceaselessly amusing every time it happens. ((Funny additonal scenario: once after this happened Scott was whining to Ramona, who was coming to join them on the couch, looking generally very sad/cute/pathetic, and overcome with a sort of playful evil, Ramona proceeded to sit by and cuddle up to Kim as well. Kim immediately froze up and went bright red and wide eyed, Scott's jaw probably dropped before he dove into a theatrical, exaggerated spewl about the betrayal of it all, and Ramona just got to blissfully enjoy Kim cuddles while giggling at both of their reactions and petting Gideon.))

Conversely, I don't know how Kim feels about dogs. Like, I don't think she hates them or anything like that, but maybe they fill her with a sense of pity, for their associations with unwavering loyalty. Something about that specifically runs too close to things she considers about herself, at times, maybe. Idk, just kinda spit ballin here.

I think she does like rats! And mice. Idk. They're cute little guys and I like them, let me have this--

Oh man... just Kim's section is so long. And I have other characters to get to,,, buckle up I guess--- I mean, I did start with My Girl, so maybe the others will be shorter?

((This is future future me again... this is where I actually went back and processed the ask properly :') I have no words to describe my current emotional state beyond that I am trying really hard not to burst into a little fit of laughter at myself and wake my roommate--))

Three! Three headcanons!! I can do this (restraintrestraintrestraint)

Okay! Let's try being Normal About Media- and just as a note, they aren't really in any particular order, beyond Kim being the first because she IS legitimately my favorite, I think. Idk she's very Me.

Ramona Flowers

1. She doesn't really do labels, for things like her idenity; she does think pride flags are pretty, though. Scott got her a bi flag once and she decided to keep it and hang it in her room for this exact reason, though she did explain to him that she doesn't really consider herself anything but herself- Ramona Flowers. He's very understanding about that, although a little confused in the typical Scott manner! They eventually come around to just considering it being his flag, when he comes to terms with himself (yeah, spoilers, I HC him as bi)

2. Her hair actually does have magic properties to it that prevent it from getting absolutely butchered by all the bleaching she does- she doesn't know how or why, though. Maybe it's less magic and more to do with the supplies themselves? Unlike Scott, she's not as meticulous when it comes to reading the status effect labels on things she uses or consumes.

3. Of her former partners, I think she does have genuine lingering feelings for Roxie. So far as the comics/movie go, she simply repressed the hell out of them and plays the Deny Deny Deny! game, but so far as the show goes, I think she's come to terms with the fact that she still loves her, but horrifically fumbled her- she doesn't want to hurt Roxie like that again, so she's unlikely to ever try things again between them, I think. Not unless Roxie was the initiator, and even then, it'd take some coaxing.

Bonus 4. She absolutely has feelings for Kim. I feel like maybe further into their relationship she'd 100% ask Scott like "hey... you know your really hot friend Kim?" and proceed to discuss with him if being in a polyamorous relationship is something he could get behind. Maybe it'd happen after a period of time with Kim living with them too, or something.

Roxie Richter

1. She gets ALL the girls- all of them. She's an unholy TERROR for men where she lives, because she is notorious for giving women the night of their lives and making them never look back so far as dating men goes. Now, I don't think she deliberately breaks up people or goes after "straight" girls or anything, but it's probably something that's happened on accident before, so she's A Menace. I will say that she might deliberately swoop in and woo a girl she knows is taken if it's extremely clear that their relationship is just Not Right- like if she's seeing clear signs of abuse, or something. She isn't intending to get with these girls when she does this, but she is fully intending to get them out of shitty situations. She's even turned girls down after their (ex) boyfriends have stormed off in a huff, simply out of respect for them- she'll try to give them advice, and if they're adamant in trying New Venues, she might play matchmaker where she can, but she isn't really comfortable sleeping with them after doing stuff like that- to her, it feels gross, maybe even exploitative.

2. I actually don't know if this is meant to be canon or not, because it's noted alongside some of her sketches, but she's german/japanese in my eyes- but raised in the states. She knows English the best, and some German, but she doesn't really know much Japanese, much to her own agitation- she just struggles with it a lot, for whatever reason. She can kind of read some things, but if she tries to speak it she runs the risk of butchering the words. I personally further HC her dad as German and her mom as Japanese- dad by process of elimination, mom based loosely on how I read some of her and Ramona's conversations in the comics.

3. She is in fact whistling the tune in the show intending it to be from the Robin Hood movie- in fact, I think I'm going to HC it as one of her favorite animated films from childhood. (... do I HC her as a furry now?)

Lisa Miller

1. Disaster Bi! She's a bit of a Menace and she knows it; she likes to rile people up, but she can't really take what she dishes out. Like, if she'd done the kind of seductive teasing she does to Scott to Kim and received any sort of flirting back, her brain would shut down and she'd need to reboot. She doesn't know how to handle when someone else takes the reigns, which is why it was so easy and fun to play with Scott- he was too stunned/shy to play back, which she enjoys. Not to imply she doesn't enjoy having her brain melted a little, of course.

2. I think she makes it big after she heads to America! Or at least, bigger than she was. She sends her friends back in Toronto signed copies of movie posters and CDs and things when she can- she doesn't expect them to keep them, although she loves it when they do, but at least in Scott's case it's sort of a "incase of emergency, please sell" sort of situation. He does not, obviously. (Ramona probably does, though, both from admittedly petty lingering jealousy and because they just don't have room for all of it; Scott rarely seems to notice anyhow, and the money usually goes towards rent or random gifts for him anyhow)

3. I forget if everyone's sudden absence is noticed when they Poof briefly during the finalt episode of the show, but if it is I feel like Lisa starts to talk to Kyle, since he's in front of her, like "hey, what exactly happened there-" before looking out over everyone else who reappeared in their seats and noticing Scott is actually up there with them. She spends the rest of that night chatting up him and the league, and maybe even scores an in with Matthew for getting a foothold in her acting career!

Matthew Patel

1 . He absolutely has a dedicated cult following for his theatrical works, and it's warranted! He's genuinely good at what he does, and his passion is clear as day; any production is lucky to have him, and he knows it, which can kind of lead to butting heads behind the scenes. I feel like he might come across to his fellow performers as full of himself, especially given his proficiency with one man performances, but he truly is just deeply, deeply passionate about his work, and he wants to feel that passion with anyone he works with, too. He NEEDS his energy matched to feel like it's going to be a grand performance, and he simply doesn't notice how off-putting this can be for his coworkers as a result.

2. The demon hipster chicks have always been the visual age they are now, even when Matthew was a kid; he viewed them as older sisters growing up, and they're very protective of him perhaps as a result. At his current age, they're his best friends and personal body guards- they'll descend like rabid dogs on anyone that steps out of line around him, if he doesn't call them off. Sometimes it's a bit much for him, but they're usually pretty good about understanding when they do and don't need to interfere on his behalf.

3. Ya know I'm not sure if it's a HC I've seen at all but I could really vibe with trans!masc Matthew. I would love that for him, truly.

Scott Pilgrim

1. Look... I really love any trans!Scott headcanons. Like, any direction, I've said before; I genuinely have such a problem figuring out which version I enjoy best: he's trans!masc and has been all along, or trans!fem and Ramona eventually helps to crack that egg. But also, while I'm saying this, he is. So stupid. Not like maliciously stupid in this sense, absolutely not, but I feel like he's the kind of person to like. Run into someone from his past post their transition, with THEM coming up to HIM to be like "oh long time no see, Pilgrim," and then he would say something to the affect of "oh, you have the same last name as (DN)!!! Are you related? Kim, Kim!! Do you know if (DN) had any siblings?" while Kim and the other person just stare at him deadpan for a bit before bursting into laughter at his expense. He would then proceed to be really confused and just not get it, either until they explain it to him or like, he'd just suddenly sit up in a cold sweat later that night realizing what he did like "oh my GOD that WAS them, I said their dead name at them like seven times!! I am Going To Hell!!!" (And Ramona would just kind of blindly, lightly slap around in his general direction, like "honey you're not going to hell for basically affirming the effectiveness of their transition, go the fuck to sleep. They would've said something if it was a problem." Idk, that's just how he feels to me.)

2. When he has his own money for things, and space living with Ramona, he spends it on video games or video game related merch- it's probably a lot of patches and t-shirts, but I can see him starting to collect plushies, too! Like some of the really old kinda silly looking Sonic plushies, for example? If I had my Knuckles one on hand I'd use him as an example, but I think he's in storage somewhere :(

3. Gets into really heated arguments about video game mechanics and stat stuff where applicable; like, Ramona has to drag him away or else he will actively start fighting people kind of heated. He can hold chill conversations, but if he feels like he's being talked down to about a game that he's REALLY into, like Sonic Adventure (he has the director's cut!)

Wallace Wells

1. MENACE TO SOCIETY. He's comparable to Roxie in this way except he is so much worse (I say this affectionately <3) because he does just straight up, in canon, do things like steal Stacey's boyfriends! And that's his friend that he's doing that to! So I cannot IMAGINE what mischief he gets up to when he goes out drinking. He's probably ruined so many lives, naybe even marriages. What am I saying, maybe? Definitely. And he feels no remorse about this! In his eyes either your man was already gay or you needed to treat him better, sweetie; he HAS been rejected before, so clearly his charms can't ruin what ain't already broken.

2. While he does have feeling for Scott, which is basically canon I don't even want to hear it, he KNOWS better. Like, he'd been living with Scott for a while, so he knows if they were legitimately dating he probably would be even more sick of him than he already is. When they were still living together, though, there were times where he couldn't help but wonder if it would really be all that bad... right before Scott comes in and does or says something that just highlights for Wallace that he's making the Sane choice. Besides, Wallace is (and i hate using these terms but I straight up don't know what other words I could possibly use) a sugar baby; he can't keep up being both a sugar baby and Scott's effective sugar daddy (HATEHATEHATE THAT WORD) while ALSO paying rent. It doesn't really work out that well, especially with him having, at the time, such a shitty apartment to begin with.

3. I feel like Wallace really enjoys his nightlife and getting to sleep around, so I'm unsure if this is something still in play while he's with Mobile, or if he respects Mobile enough to do away with that entirely. Like, different situations work for different relationships, so if Mobile is fine with it then maybe it's something that continues! But taking into account the sparks from the show, maybe he'd actually be really fine being exclusive with Mobile. Especially given how well their future selves seem to be doing. Idk! Basically the sum of this one is just that, if Wallace is exclusive with Mobile, he misses be a bit of a whore, but he's very happy where, and with who he is, now.

Envy Adams

1. She gives me vibes.. queer vibes... in some sort of direction.... idk if I'm fully behind her also being a comp. het lesbian or just labeling her a disaster bi, but I also get a vague sense of gender fuckery. It's entirely her name thing, probably, but I can see Envy being genderqueer.

2. She probably hunted Lynette down after that show- an arm was likely Not Enough to quite satisfy that rage. Especially since she didn't get the satisfaction of beating Todd more thoroughly herself, since Scott stepped in. Conversely, for the show canon, Wallace has a target on his back for the rest of her life, as far as she's concerned, even in a world where her feelings for Todd were just misunderstood- she considered him her best friend, and you don't get away with hurting her friends like that unless you're her.

3. I think I'd like to HC that some part of her regrets booting Scott from the band the way she did back in college? Maybe not immediately, or even soon, but I feel like sometimes she would think about him and their relationship as a whole and just feel bad, Idk. Like, she doesn't want to get back with him at all, but I could maybe see her offering to promote Shatterband (or Sex Bob-Omb, in the show,) or even play with him as a genuine apology instead of a coy trap somewhere down the line.

Knives Chau

1. Look... look I know I'm about to sound like a broken record... comp. het. lesbian or bi. HEAR ME OUT: her puppy dog love for Scott is really just that- something cute and innocent, but very intense, especially once he cuts her off in that honestly really brutal manner. Teenage heartbreak is messy- even if you feel like it was real, true love you had, you can often realize later in life that what you felt was just admiration, or something else innocuous like that. I think she reaffirms it to herself as a deep and true love because of how intense the pain of that breakup was, paired with everything that comes after, and I think the show really highlights that for me? Because in the show, with Scott out of the picture entirely, she's just a lot less intense about it. I think after playing music and hanging around his friends, she realizes she didn't really love him all that much, just thought he was a cool older guy and liked that he took an interest in her, even if she recognizes how wrong that was now. ((I probably have more articulate thoughts on this but I am really starting to feel the lack of pain meds so I need to get through this--))

2. Knives is really good at rhythm games and things like DDR or, when it's eventually released, Just Dance. Like, freakishly good. She picks them up just as well and just as quickly as she did her instruments.

3. With how quickly she picked up her instruments, she kinda gives me honor student vibes? Idk. I feel like it'd be a little stressful for her later on, because I do think her passionate drive for music makes her grades take a slight spin, but she just gives off that energy for me. Knives is a lot smarter than people give her credit for, I think, Idk.

... yes, I am very normal about media... spending 3 hours on 1 ask that offered me a lot more simplicity than I can apparently manage...

[acaciapines]

rereading random bits of descendants of olympus (as one does) and. vera <3 still soooo obsessed with how she takes lupa's divinity. like MAN.......there is something to how shes had to scrape and claw her way into every single good thing shes ever had. that she's never just been able to KEEP these things, that she is always always always fighting for them. and so of course she takes divinity. she wants to LIVE. and in this world where the fates themselves are trying to control her, its like--yeah. maybe you do need a gods power to finally get like, at least a year of the life you want. the life you werent supposed to have. forever thinking about vera's one line in her chapter thats like 'of course the fates are losing power. because they'd never let someone like leo into my life.' YELLS. FOREVER.

also have we talked enough about minnie I THINK WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT MINNIE--

[finickyfelix]

What kind of idiot decides to handwrite his outlines despite having joint pain in his hands*? (The answer is the idiot typing this right now.) (*: also in a lot of other places, not just my hands, but my hands are most relevant to outlining.)

I tried switching hands in the middle of outlining when the pain got too bad, but when I tried writing with my left hand it was almost completely illegible, so I had to just admit defeat and take a break. I am most definitely not ambidextrous.

Unfortunately I can't just type my outline because... I don't know, I just can't think of plot ideas the same way as easily when typing. I don't know why. My brain simply refuses to outline properly when I try to type it. Hence why I must destroy my hands instead.

Anyway, besides that tiny obstacle, the outline is going great. Half of it is me trying to come up with explanations for plot holes from the first book though.

I can't wait until I can finish the outline and get to the actual writing though. Because then I can type.

[kingbeeleth]

also, here's a list of writing scripts for the phantomilian language:

the script shown original dtp textures, art, and comics, and possibly in moonlight museum too (nobody knows anything about this one, and neither do i)

the script used in la-lakoosha and the terminus of tears (based on english alphabet)

the script used in joilant (based on english alphabet but also japanese romanisation; key was released in kprs digital artbook)

the script used in volk (based on english alphabet; key was also released in kprs digital artbook)

the script used in the wiimake (based on english alphabet; the ending credits cutscene has a key for it in the book)

WOOOOOOOO you’re so real!! thanks so much for bringing all of them up!!! ^_^ ill try to take a look at them later if i have the time and remember

i have seen the klonoa @ blog posts about at least one of the scripts already but i haven’t taken a close look at any of them. i should check out the art book at some point

i need to replay dtp + lunateas veil again at some point to re-familiarize myself with what everything looks like. the script used in joilant is the most memorable for me since it’s on all those signs (and also because the jungle slider intro cutscene will always be in the back of my brain)

[kaurwreck]

do you have a favorite literary ref in bsd or is that a cruel question to ask

This is so hard! I like lots and lots of them, for different reasons. If I had to choose only one, and if I were to be sincere, Gin might be my favorite literary reference. I really love how much her namesake short story reframes Akutagawa's character, especially when comparing his Beast iteration against the version of him in bsd's main timeline. O-Gin also just really neatly and cleanly encapsulates what I love about Akutagawa's Kirishitan mono, including his affection for the Holy Fool trope.

To be more silly, I really love when Atsushi tell Tanzō Tonan that he has to feed his chameleon to escape the conversation with Tonan upon realizing Tonan wasn't being forthright (just ahead of the Decay of Angels framing the Agency). There are two references here that I adore (1) the reference to Chamelon Diary, in which Nakajima Atsushi semi-autobiographically recounts receiving a chameleon from a student and also his epiphany on how to live absent objective existential meaning; and (2) the reference to Tonan-sensei, a short story by Nakajima Atsushi about his beloved uncle, whom I also adore.

Rather than attempt to write an essay on Tonan-sensei and his influence on Nakajima Atsushi, I'll simply include a roughly translated version of the short story's Wikipedia synopsis:

The story depicts the protagonist, who secretly harbors self-loathing resentment towards his uncle because he shares similar mental characteristics with himself, but through his interactions with his uncle as he faces death, he gradually sorts out his critical view of the coexistence of love and hate and comes to realize the deep love he has for his uncle that lies dormant within him.

I will also include below a snippet about Tonan (referred to also as "Tan") from Nakajima Atsushi: His Life and Work, a dissertation submitted to the University of Hawaii by Nobuko Miyama Ochner in May 1984 (the date is relevant, because Ochner-sensei was able to speak to some of Atsushi's then-living family and friends to piece together his biography):

[Nakajima Atsushi's grandfather's] second eldest son, Tan, was also a scholar of Chinese. A bright boy, he was able to read the Chinese classics at the age of six and compose poetry and prose in Chinese at thirteen, according to the Japanese system of reckoning age. He was a proud, uncompromising, and impatient man, who never married, and who seemed to be always pursuing the impossible. In a short piece entitled "Tonan Sensei" (Tonan was Tan's pen name), Atsushi describes his uncle as having the virgin's beautifully clear, pure eyes— "the eyes of a man who is always dreaming an impossible dream." Tan, who revered General Nogi Maresuke (1849-1912), was an "amalgam of fervent patriotism and the temperament of a traditional Confucian scholar." He was greatly concerned about the future of Japan and China, as well as of Asia in general, confronted with the onslaught of the Western colonial powers.

...

In his articles he laments the ignorance of Chinese culture and tradition on the part of the Japanese diplomats in China, and criticizes their excessive reliance upon Western sources of news information. He felt that the peoples of Japan and China must unite in their efforts to repel the outsiders from East Asia; he went to China at least two times to try to enlist Chinese support for his vision. One of the prominent men he met was the scholar Lo Chen-yii (1866-1940), who later wrote an introduction to the posthumously published collection of Tan's poetry and prose, Tonan sonko. Atsushi is said to resemble this uncle most.

[salty-an-disco]

Yeah, sure, gonna do this too. Here’s a list of some of my ships and also just some dynamics I’m really fond of:

Gonna start with my explicit romantic ships, ranging from OTP (my personal description of an OTP is a pair I cannot imagine in any other relationship) to ships I’m just very fond of.

ContraHero (duh, my OTP of all time)

ParaCold (smth of a secondary OTP, I’d say, since I also can’t imagine them in any other relationship lmao [at least, long-term])

Foreign Body (Quiet/Stranger) (I can’t imagine the heart not being Stranger, tbh, and also, smth about the both of them having a ‘monstruous’ form aksmdjddj)

Skeptunist (it’d be a slooooooww and LOOOONNNG burn, but I think the progress would be so interesting and the eventual relationship so weirdly sweet)

Ghost Lily (Spectre/Witch) (reaching OTP to me, ngl, as I can’t bring myself to be invested in other relationships involving them lmao)

Sweethearts (Smitten/Damsel) (have no problems imagining them with others, but this is still my primary ship for them)

Eternal Challenge (Stubborn/Asversary) (same situation as above)

Aaannnnd that’s it for explicit romantic pairs I think, I’m. actually a pretty picky shipper akmaksmdjkdmd

Now let’s move to what I call my OTBesties. When you ship them, but in a ‘they’re besties!!!’ way :D

Dark Comedy (Contra&Cold)

Strategy Game (Skeptic&Cheated)

Shining Shield (Hero&Para)

Bare Root (Wounded Wild&Thorn)

Nightmare&Spectre

Witch&Hunted

Hunted&Stubborn

Mending Hearts (Smitten&Broken)

Prisoner&Cold

Spectre&Paranoid

Confined Minds (Prisoner&Skeptic)

Thespians (Oppy&Smitten)

Hunted&Stubborn

Those are the ones that actively takes up more brain space, and ones which I most rotate around my head. Here’s some general dynamics I like exploring:

North Star (Cold/Oppy): their toxic yaoi wouldn’t last a year and be horrible for the both of them (mainly Oppy), and I’m all here for it.

Smitten and Skeptic, while not in OTBesties tier for me, is also a friendship I’m very fond of. I think they’d have coffee in the morning together.

Nightmare’s possible dynamic with anyone would be so interesting to explore, but especially with Tower– just. imagine the chaos

Speaking of– also Tower’s dynamic with Razor. Put her in the same room with some of the most relentless and violent vessels, I wanna see what happens

Wraith and Cheated would be an interesting dynamic when taken out from their chapter’s context tbh– Wraith is resentful because of how she’s been treated and only resorted to those drastic actions because that’s what you left her with. I think Cheated would sympathize with that and realize the hand he played (if you get him in her chapter) to get her like this.

Oppy and Hunted feel like they’d have a weirdly close and strong bond. Not OTBesties or explicitly romantic, but a secret fourth thing

Oppy and Contra have beef at first sight to me. They either completely ignore each other, or swear to make the other day’s worse, whatever they feel like atm

Also– since me and the folks in the discord started headcanon that while alive, Narrator could’ve been groomed by a cult and that’s why he has such a deep fear of death, and think eternal bliss is the best alternative for that– I’d like to see more of his dynamic with Broken. In a what-if scenario where they both got over enough of their bagage to have an actual conversation together, I think they’d have a lot to talk about.

Also, shout-out to my Happily Single Tokens, aka, characters I hc as non-partnering/not interested in romance/‘just not in the mood for it, dude’:

Cheated, Broken, Thorn (aro hc for her caught my the throat and won’t let go, I’m sorry Modeus), Prisoner, Narrator (AroAce and romance-repulsed king, tbh), and Hunted

[disorganizedkitten]

Sometimes I wander onto blogs of fandoms I'm not in just to explore. I like looking at the fanart and the dissertations and the fics and wondering what goes on in canon

Seeing how much I can figure out

Or I'll jump into a new fandom tag on ao3 and get the full weight of foreshadowing without the dramatic irony because I know NONE OF THESE PEOPLE

NONE OF THESE EVENTS

Your dramatic-irony-foreshadowing clues don't work on me!!

it's incredibly fun, 10/10 do recommend