#although I wouldn't say I hate him - I think he's an interesting character and a lot could be done with him

[bi-harrymort]

yesterday i listened to the order of the phoenix audiobook while doing some chores and i was stuck on a thought about dumbledore i've had for a while but couldn't really articulate...

when i was a kid i liked him - he reminded me of my grandpa.

when i was a teen i became more critical of him and started to appreciate him as a more grey-area character, rather than what he was (i imagine) intended to be - the good and wise, albeit flawed in some ways, mentor figure.

now each year with each re-read of the books i begin to feel more and more irritated whenever he enters a scene... and i couldn't put my finger on why i felt that way (i put the blame of my irritation on fanfiction - reading about different renditions and interpretations of characters influences how we see them, especially since most of the fanfics i read in the hp fandom are, in the least, dumbledore-critical, if not outright dumbledore bashing)

but yesterday a thought struck me, when i was listening to the chapter of harry's hearing at the ministry, and the thought was that dumbledore, in canon, truly seems extremely cold and emotionless...

(many people have already talked about it, but I guess I wanted to maybe touch on some stuff that is not talked about as often?)

albus dumbledore is always kind, pleasant, composed, and presented in a way that is supposed to give us an impression of a very wise, experienced by life and its sorrows, man.

but i think what happened was that his character ended up becoming the opposite of this image.

for example, let's take his first ever scene in the series:

he meets with mcgonagall, and as they wait for hagrid to arrive with harry, they talk...

"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You- Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort." Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."

this is the first instance in which my teeth started to grind. of course, the dialogue serves as an intoduction: mcgonagall has to tell us - the audience - who and how significant dumbledore is; in the same scene showcasing voldemort's significance.

the powerful and frightening dark lord, and the powerful, benevolent opposing figure of the story.

but, at the same time, when done this way, it presents a very... strange character... for when we look at this scene through the lenses of the fictional world dumbledore is damn well aware why he was never afraid of voldemort, and should understand why everyone else is, right?

this line paints his modesty in a fake light... (not to mention a lack of empathy to understand why people may be afraid of voldemort) a way for him to show how unremarkable he is, while clearly knowing that he isn't, all to get the points for modesty as well.

it's one thing to be modest while being aware that you may be in some ways special, its another to be 'modest' without acknowledging it, in which case you're either really oblivious or not really honest. and given the story, i wouldn't say that dumbledore is presented as an oblivious character - quite the opposite actually, given how he always seems to know everything - more than any other character. so that would leave us with the option number two...

"I know you haven't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of." "You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have." "Only because you're too - well - noble to use them." "It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."

why am i rolling my eyes? oh dumbledore, you're so different and awesome and special and noble and good! excuse me i have to throw up.

this happens over and over and over again; save for one or two instances...

but even this i always lumped into a bit of a biased and irrational dislike of a character, and so i didn't think it a sufficient reason to ever bring it up. what did persuade me to write this post is the constant, constant calmness of albus dumbledore.

now, i don't mind passive, calm, composed or, in a similar way, depressed characters. it's all about who they are, what's their backstory, their role in the story, etc.

dumbledore's calmness coupled with all of those other aspects make him into someone very emotionless; emotionless that is veering into ruthlessness. and this trait, we are told and 'shown', is supposed to be the exact opposite of his percieved personality...

he constantly keeps vital information from other people (even if the information pertains to the matters of life-and-death); allows for others (especially children) to fight his battles; shows up only in very critical moments, when he would have had the power to actually prevent some of the events from happening; and is so calm and collected throughout all of the chaos that ensues that he comes off as if he didn't really care about anyone or anything...

he preaches about love and family, and he certainly believes in it to an extent, but his actions and reactions do not fully confirm the truthfulness of his words. he's more like a general of an army - he hates to see his soldiers die, but he's got to let it, he's the only one who knows about the horcruxes - he's the only one who knows how to defeat voldemort once and for all! so he's got to stay in control...

whilst also, in the same breath, preaching about how dangerous having such control is.

telling everyone how he rejects power, claiming he doesn't have it...

whilst being in the position of absolute control.

control that he gained through his knowledge. his intelligence. his fame. his standing in the wizarding world.

he may not be the minister, but the minister heavily relies on him for most of the story... to such an extent that some people don't respect the minister himself. instead they give this respect and power to dumbledore - other witches and wizards treat dumbledore in a way dumbledore claims to reject.

because power isn't only what you do and say. power comes from other people as well. hell, maybe even more so... people give individuals their power.

you may be the smartest and the strongest person in the world and never gain even an ounce of the power that the renowned and celebrated people of the world have.

most of dumbledore's flaws are part of the writing itself - it's a children's book with a child protagonist. he and his teen friends have to save the day...

so, like with voldemort, dumbledore ends up in the limbo between made claims and the 'reality' of the story.

voldemort is powerful, brilliant; a great wizard - whether they love or hate him, other characters always admit that he was great.

dumbledore is also powerful and brilliant; a good man - most characters will confirm it every once in a while, reminding us of this fact.

but that's the issue i guess... or maybe a blessing... the story is what it is, and so when we - the fans - wish to dig deeper, we'll all end up with a thousand different interpretations of the same character, all fuelled by our own, personal understanding of the text, our own personalities and life experiences and our own ways in which we end up interacting with the source material.

so we'll always create unique explanations. some centered solely on the fictional world's perspective, and some combining fiction with the reality of the written book: its genre and possible real-life influences.

the post was supposed to be shorter, but I couldn't leave some of this stuff out... in the middle of writing i considered taking more time before updating and doing more research (maybe even make it into a much bigger project and go through all of dumbledore's scenes in all of the books)... but i decided to table it for another time.

[noellefan101]

Silent Living

Characters: Noelle, Kinich, Lynette, Beidou, Diluc x mute GN!reader

Summary: You're mute, and cant talk? not a problem for your partner, they can find other ways to communicate, and honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

Warnings: mute reader, most of them dont know sign language but there are people where i think they would either have learned it already or will learn it for you, gn reader as always

Note: hehe its kinda hard to write for Noelle tbh, i just can't see her romantically if that makes sense, its like a platonic obsession i have for her. but i chose to write for some girlies bc i felt like it, luv you :P

Noelle

She's a sweetheart and i fully believe she would try to learn sign language the day you meet for the first time. but for the sake of the cute gestures lets pretend she barely knows any words in it, or that you arent the best yourself despite probably needing it heh.

(she would teach you some if so, or learn with you)

In a classic Noelle fashion, she does literally anything for you, though people would normally just have to speak her name, you can't. so she always keeps an extra eye on you to ensure she's there when you need her help. that may be a given, but its truly what shes best at doing.

Loves writing little notes for you, whether its just so you can remember something or if its to invite you anywhere, she loves it. and she has definitely not been carrying pen and paper with her for weeks so you could write notes for each other, no no.

I dont imagine her being the best with words, but is always very good at comforting. so if you need some reassurance or just comfort you can come to her. and you can let her know to be silent by putting a finger over her mouth if you like the silence more. she wont be offended don't worry.

Kinich

Not very good with words and likes silence when possible, so it's very common for you to sit in silence doing an activity together. he's best with actions at least, both giving and receiving, so just doing a tiny chore for him would mean more than words could.

Though it may be difficult to do anything for each other since he's quite busy, and so could you be. but he always has time to sit with you for at least 30 minutes a day and just spend quality time together.

if you ever need anything from him, he has a notebook on him at all times that you're free to write in. Although Ajaw has made a fuss about it being annoying to wait for you, but he'll shut up if Kinich locks him up.

Lynette

She loves the silence you bring. being around her brother all the time can get annoying, no matter how much she loves him, so a quiet tea time with you is often just what she needs. she knows you can feel out of place or left out even since you cant communicate as easily with her siblings. but she is always ready to talk for you.

No matter how much she hates public speaking, and how often she gets her brother to speak for her, she'll speak for you. if there's anything you'd like to say, just write it down and show it to her. she might even know what you wanted to say, by how you stand and how your muscles move. so she will sometimes speak for you before you even get to start writing it down.

She has made sure you're a part of the conversation, not just there and looking around. she might have some knowledge about sign language, but she knows many do not and makes sure everyone understands you.

(she might even ask father if they can get classes in sign language, or at least the siblings of hers that you interact with most often)

Beidou

Maybe not the best at silent communication, but she tries her very best. if she doesnt know sign language she'll learn it, mostly because she feels it would make you more comfortable, but its also something that she may find interesting.

She is very good at dealing with different kinds of people though, so expect yourself to feel right at home wherever you are on her ship. she might even have started teaching her crew how to talk with you properly, whether thats getting you something write down on or learning them a bit of sign language that im not sure of.

Unfortunately it all goes in weird directions when she's drunk, while she talks for you it might be hard to get her to pay attention enough or even speak your thoughts properly. Kazuha is your savior in this case.

Diluc

He has made sure every single maid and anyone he hires learn to speak through their hands. he might even have prepared for it before you started dating, and even some of his staff you have never met before just knows how to speak with you.

Its a given that you're going to be well treated at the dawn winery, but Diluc makes sure you feel the most at home you'll ever experience. you have at least 1 maid whos ready to tend to you in a seconds notice, whether its jsut that you need something to write on or you need to know where you lover is.

Will literally drop anything for you with just a finger on his shoulder. whatever you need, he'll do it. need a hug? no need to even gesture it he knows, someone doesnt understand you at all? he's ready to talk in your place for hours on end.

I might have written it weirdly again sry, im not mute and i just like writing, Luv Ya- Masterlist

You are welcome to reblog and like any of my posts, but you CAN NOT translate, copy or hate on anybody for liking my posts

[luneemeritus]

"pilot Stolas was better!!" no, he wasn't.

"bring pilot Stolas back!!" no ❤️

You want an evil, manipulative, abusive villain with little to no redeeming qualities that is a Goetia and has cool powers? We have two of them: Stella and Andrealphus. If it's only about the 'asthetic', a character doesnt have to be evil to be cool, Stolas's demon form and powerful moments are already amazing, and although he's powerless now, I'm pretty sure he will get his status back at least for a while to make a badass scene.

What the Hellaverse doesnt lack is amazing villains. If critics were so much better and creative than Vivziepop, they wouldn't turn a complex, well written, well designed and well acted character like Stolas into a boring Valentino 2.0 just because the pilot version seemed creepier. Lmao Stella is literally what all of Stolas's haters claim to want, look how well they're handling her. Seriously I've seen people saying that Stella needs a sympathetic reason to be a fucking abuser, but when Stolas (not an abuser) has sympathetic reasons to be who he is and do what he does, it's suddenly not okay.

Stolas is the only character I've ever seen who: sacrifice his life to his lover, and is still called "selfish" and "not enough for Blitz"; is seeing being abused by his wife since EP2-Season 1, even singing about how his life with her was miserable yet he remained strong for his daughter, and people will still claim that Stella turned out to be abusive "out of nowhere"; is forced to marry someone he doesn't love, is abused by said person, spent years alone and enduring that misery, and when he finally chooses to stay with the one person that never abused him, he is an "evil cheater"; sacrifices his own safety and happiness to make his daughter safe and happy, and ALWAYS — always — take accountability when he fails her (or when she thinks he failed her) as any good parent would do, and still be called a bad father (addition: forced to have said child but loves her anyway🤡). Just say yall alergic to character development.

I lost the Tiktok now because I blocked OP, but the big argument about "how much pilot Stolas is better" is a lie basically: canon Stolas, (abuse survivor, has the best development of the show alongside with Blitz, a loving father who remained strong for his daughter), is a "loser" (also a twink in a derogatory way, which is funny like, just say the f slur, we know that's what you mean🤡 specially calling a male abuse survivor "coward" and "loser" lmao like we know), while the pilot Stolas is a "manipulative, inteligent, cold villain" uuuuh no he wasn't lol hate to tell you dude, Pilot Stolas wasnt an evil interesting genius that was sooo intimidating, nah he was just creepy and honestly as funny as the canon one. Yeah you just hate the gay owl being well written. Pilot Stolas has 2 minutes screen. Canon Stolas has two seasons of development, he is the better one, I'm pretty sure people who say this don't even remember half of the pilot.

So it's not really about Stolas's actions, or mistakes, or him being a good or a bad person (he is a good person). He could be the most perfect, excellent, flawless victim, the 'wokest' most self aware pure angel, it's still not enough. Because it's not about him, it's about a version of him that never came to be but haters love to whine about it.

[lorsdelapluie]

The doctor's diary.

Pairing: sylus x female reader

Genre: Dark shit going on. Including smut. Please read the content warning.

Word count: 4000+ words.

Content warning: mdni, explicit sexual content (but its chill for now), spoiler warning, mention of human experimentation, cult activities, my own twisted thoughts and theories are literally making this way darker than LADS already is. An oc of mine will appear more often in the next chapters, hate him guys, he is not a good guy. English is not my first language sorry for any mistakes.

Note: This chapter ended up longer than I expected somehow. And it is the first one of a three chapter fanfiction. I tend to write nasty stuff, sex wise but also everything else wise so please be prepared for anything literally. The character Castiel that you will meet in this chapter is my own oc that I made up specially for the LADS universe. I hope you will enjoy to hate him.

Chapter 1:

“You want me to go in the N109 zone ? I thought we weren’t allowed to go th-” 

“We are aware you have been going back and forth between Linkon city and the N109 Zone.” 

You pinched your lips at the words coming from Jenna’s mouth, your hand resting on your hunter’s watch. The times you forgot to turn off your watch comes back to light one by one in your mind. Brushing it off everytime you thought that the HQ wouldn't have the time to check on your status. Her arms were still crossed over her chest as she looked at you straight in the face with her dark gray eyes. You felt like a kid underneath this disappointed glare. You opened your lips to say something, to defend yourself but she raised her hand to stop you from doing so. 

“However, you have mainly been doing this outside your working hours. So it is your private life, and you may keep it a secret if you wish. But since you have been going there multiple times, we figured you might be aware of what is going on there better than we do.” She sighed. You guessed that she wasn't the one behind this idea. Maybe some higher ups that you never had the opportunity to meet.

“So this is why we thought you might be the best suited agent for this mission.”

“Oh uhm… Thank you for entrusting me.” 

“Despite this little disagreement, I am aware that you are one of our best agents. However if you think you might need help, you can still ask Xavier to accompany you. Although he has been quite busy lately.”

“No no no ! Do not bother Xavier for this. I am more than capable of handling missions on my own. As for the mission… Can I ask you what is it that I am meant to do ?” 

“Of course. I wouldn’t let you go into the Lions’ den without information.” She said as she slid her hand on her desk, taking a handful of documents stored inside a pocket and handing them to you. “We need you to participate in an auction for charity.”

“For charity…” you mumbled. You never thought you would see the day of a charity auction being held in the a zone so… uncharitable. You start looking through the papers in your hand, brows furrowed in confusion.

“We are as surprised as you look. As nice as the thoughts around this event are, we are particularly interested in one of the prizes that we wish you would purchase for us.”

Your eyes land on the auction picture of a diary, its cover is made of leather and the pages look old, teared up for some of them. “A diary ?”

“This diary seemingly belonged to one of the most wanted people of our organization. A doctor who previously worked here, in Linkon city, and got too deep in his interest for protocores and their links with people’s evol.” 

“He experimented on humans…” you mumbled as you read the notes next to the picture that the intel team had written for you. "On children..."

“He indeed did. And we would like to prevent this diary from falling into the wrong hands. This is where your part comes in. Buying this diary away from that zone.”

You nodded as you guessed the objective of your mission long before she started explaining the reason why they would go fetch that book in the first place. Plus, that diary might bring you answers you are seeking about yourself. And as you remember your partner's jewel like gaze, about Sylus too. You then raised yours towards Jenna, closing the file between your hands and straightening your back. 

“If you will allow me. I’m going to do the best I can to fulfill this mission.” 

“I know you will. The auction is in three days. I hope it gives you enough time to gather any belongings and travel to a safe place in the N109 zone… If such a place exists.” 

“Do not worry about me. I will be safe.”

You smile as Jenna raises her hand slowly with a peaceful expression as she dismisses you from her office. You exit the room, slowly closing the door behind you before walking to your desk, gathering your laptop and phone on the furniture. You then put the file inside your bag as you were already leaving the building. You would take the time to analyze everything once you were safely in the N109 Zone.

Phone in hand you immediately texted Xavier to let him know that you were leaving for a mission in the outskirts of your beloved city. As your thumbs were patting the screen of your phone, it suddenly started to vibrate. Soon enough the icon of Sylus appeared on your phone, a silly picture of him you took when he dozed off while watching a musical a few weeks prior. You frowned at the VERY convenient timing that he always had and picked up, raising your phone to your ear. 

“Yes ?”

“The twins are going to pick you up at 5 this afternoon. Will you have enough time to be prepared before then?” 

“Don’t tell me you hacked Jenna’s computer again. How many times do I have to tell you to not do that?” You frowned, faking or maybe wanting to be angry about that breach of your private life once again.

“There is no need to get angry at me. Be angry at the twins all you want though. They are the ones who insisted on checking up on you while I was away.” 

“How do they even know how to hack-” you stopped in your tracks as you heard your voice the sound of a bike motor in the background of the call. “Are you calling me while driving ?”

“Now this is a reason you can get mad at me for.” he chuckles as you let out a frustrated sound. “Do not worry, sweetie, I have my helmet on. Just checking on you through earbuds.” 

“Unsafe still. Your attention should be fully on the road.” you finally started walking towards the road that leads to your apartment, going through the usual route that takes you near along a river. “I thought you said you would be the one picking me up after Luke nearly got us in a car crash last time.” 

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, sweetie. But I do have some work meetings that need to be attended to." After a moment of quiet, he continued. “I trust Kieran will be the one driving you three back at home. I will be back before dinner.” 

“Fine. Be careful on your way to your meet up… I will see you later.” you could hear a chuckle, and the picture of Sylus’ grin appeared in your mind. Before he could answer, you hung up. 

You sighed as you crossed the street, pushing the door of your building entrance after entering the password on the door’s pad. Slowly you slid the phone inside your bag, totally forgetting about warning your colleague, and your friends, of the mission that will probably won’t let you have time for chit chat. Once you are inside your place, you quickly pull out a bag from the closet in the entrance, walking towards your bedroom to pack your essentials for the next few days. 

An hour flew by without you realizing it before your phone rang. Luke. As you picked up you hear his cheerful voice coming from outside your building, you walked towards your opened window staring down. 

“Miss ! Your carriage is waiting for you !” the masked man yells waving at you from below, catching glances from other people passing by. 

“Get inside the car ! Can’t you see people are staring at you Luke ?” you frowned shooing him away with your hand. 

“Heeeh. I’m hurt ! Are you embarrassed by me perhaps ?” You wondered if Sylus teasing was coming from spending too much time with them or the other way round. 

You frowned not wanting to let your mind wander at that thought, hanging up and closing the window before picking your bag on your bed and leaving your apartment. Once downstairs you were greeted with no one but the black car with tinted windows that was just in front of the house, without giving it much thoughts you walked to the back of the car and climbed inside. 

After exchanging proper greetings with the twins, and a short trip from Linkon city to the twins’ boss base. 

It was night time now and you were settled down in one of Sylus couch in his apartments. You were going through the file once more, eyeing the clock in front of you from time to time. The meal was soon to be put down in the living room and you were definitely imagining eating alone at this rate. You sighed as you let your head roll on one of the sides of the couch, closing your eyes as you let yourself drift to the sound of the gramophone playing the music you put on earlier. 

“Are you asleep ?” a whisper came above the sound of the music as a finger brushed against your cheek. 

Your eyes opened and you looked up to the figure towering over you. Sylus gazed at you as he was leaning with one hand on the couch watching you slowly wake up from your nap. You slowly straight up, your files sliding from your chest and before you could react, Sylus caught it and put it down on the table next to you.

“Mmm no.” 

“Sure you weren’t.” he smiled as he sat on the carpet next to the couch. “Don’t move.” 

“But the dinner…” you mumbled still drowsy. 

“Dinner is cold by now. I was late and you fell asleep. We are in no hurry anymore.” he says as he takes off his jacket, putting it down on the chair behind him, soon followed by his gloves. You sighed knowing that the man next you wouldn't budge. 

“How did your meeting go ?” you asked as you traced every of his movements with your gaze. 

“Productive. But a waste of time at the same time. We wasted 2 hours waiting for someone who never came. I honestly thought I was going to come back really early.” 

“Would have been better…” you muttered.

Sylus' head turned to look at you with that same grin of his when he catches you being off guard. “Missing me I see.” 

“Whatever.” 

“I missed you too, sweetie.” he muttered as his face was now a few inches away from your face. And as always Sylus was the one to close that distance, his teeth started nibbling gently on your lower lip as he kissed you. His right hand comes to brush a strand of hair away from your face. "I missed you a lot."

There was always this conflict inside of you when you felt the lips of Sylus on yours. A shyness that you wished you didn’t have, pushing you to turn your face away. However the drumming of your heart everytime his lips were on yours made you feel safe. Safe and cared for. The man suddenly started pushing his tongue against your lips, deepening the kiss drawing a sound from you in a sigh. 

“Knowing that you were waiting for me here. Probably lying down on that bed or on that couch…” he muttered as he kissed your lips once again then your cheek and the back of your ear. “I wished I could have just left to join you here quicker.”

“You are… so dirty Sylus.” you whispered as you felt his hand slide on your shirt to start unbuttoning it. When Sylus admitted his excitement for you it always made you shiver. Not that it was rare for him to be so blunt. But being wanted and knowing that he was thinking of you that way, in places where he shouldn’t. God, he was the devil in person and he loved playing with his favorite person. 

“If you want to blame me for the tension rising in this room. Feel free to do so…” he said, lips leaving a trailing of kisses from your neck towards your chest. “I would enjoy that.” 

Soon his lips were not the only thing on your skin, his tongue traveled against you with wet kisses. Teeth sometimes nibble on you, trying to mark you as his. However he knew better than to do that or he would have been met with a warning look. Instead his hand slides away the remaining of your top clothes, revealing your skin to his red eyes ravishing each corner of your body, everytime. 

“Your skin is covered in goosebumps. Are you getting worked up sweetie ?” he says smiling, his lips resting against your chest. A thumb sliding against one of your nipples. “I bet that if I slide my hand in your pants, I might find it dripping with excitement.” 

“You are too sure of yourself.” you said trying to keep your voice steady as his lips brushed against your other nipple. 

A low chuckle vibrates through his body at your answer. “Always so feisty, kitten.” he murmured, pinching with two of his fingers the nipple he had in his hand. 

“Then… Shall we take a look ?” 

As soon as the words left his mouth, you closed your legs, preventing his hand from sliding under your pants and between your thighs. His hand stopped mid-way, resting against your lower body. He slowly quirked up his face, arching a brow with a smile. 

“Getting shy ?” he asks, fingers fondling with the zipper of your pants. He soon pulled it down. “You know I don’t particularly enjoy you playing shy. I’d rather have my feisty kitten biting and fighting me than hiding away.” 

Asshole you thought. 

“Should I take out the ropes like last time ? Pull your legs apart ? I thought you learnt how to behave.” he said with a smile. “Or did you enjoy this so much that you want to try again ?” 

Losing control from time to time was nice. But not tonight, you needed the contrary. You need to feel in control of your body. The next few days were gonna be stressful. One of your hands dared to come rest on his cheek as your legs opened against his hand. 

“Good girl..” he said, his lips coming to nuzzle against your hand. And as usual when a kiss comes first teeth soon follow. His fingers able to slide under your pants and underwear come to slide in between your folds feeling the wetness of yourself under his burning gaze. 

“Just as I thought.” he smiles as one of his fingers pushes inside you and you answer with a moan. His lips nibbling on the flesh of your palm, eyelashes brushing against your fingers as he starts going back and forth with his fingers inside of you. 

Your head resting against the pillow of the couch, eyes closing as another moan came from between your lips as he pushed another finger inside of you. The fingers of your hand slowly extended to grasp onto strands of the man’s hair, while the other came gripping on the back of the couch. 

“That’s it. Let yourself go, kitten.” A growl soon followed when you tug at his hair when his thumb rested against your clit making small circles as he never stopped pumping his fingers in and out of you. 

You arched your back, the stimulation of his fingers rubbing against that one G spot inside of you and his thumb massaging your clit made you see stars. You tug on his hair once again in another sound, coming under his watchful gaze. 

“Sylus…” 

“It’s okay. I’m here. I’m always here.” he answered, coming to put a kiss on your forehead. 

Once he pulls his fingers out of you, he slides a hand under you to carry you against him. You look up at him, arms sliding around his neck to secure yourself. 

“And you ?” 

“Oh ? Are you asking for more, sweetie ?”” he chuckles as you frown at him. His lips slowly come against your own to kiss you once more. “This is what I wanted. Nothing more for tonight. But I can not promise you anything just like this for tomorrow.” A devilish smile spreads on his lips. 

“Did you have a shower already ?” 

“I did… Earlier.” you answered as you rested your head against his shoulder. “What about food ?” 

“You are hungry aren’t you.” He said as he settled you down on the bed. “Tell you what. I will come bring you some food and you can enjoy some while I take a shower. Sounds good ?” 

“Sounds good. I will try to not eat everything.” You smile. 

And just like that three days passed. Now you were standing in front of the door, arms crossed on your chest and Sylus blocking your way with his hands on his hips. 

“I will not change my mind Sylus. I need to attend this auction alone.”

“What if I’d like to be charitable tonight?”

You scoff. “Please. You just want to keep your eyes on me.”

“I want to make sure you are safe and sound.” 

“And I told you I can defend myself. If the HQ knows that I am attending an official mission with the boss of Onychinus, I could get in trouble. Because they will keep an eye on me ! Just like you do.” 

Sylus sighs. You could be so stubborn. He slowly raised his hand to pinch his nose’s bridge. “Take Mephisto with you at least. He could help you in any case of an emergency.” 

“That noisy little…” you were met by a glare that was telling you to not push your luck so you resigned. “Okay.”

“Good.” As soon as you agreed to his terms, he snapped his fingers and Mephisto almost appeared on your shoulder. Resting his claws against the fabric of your dress. “I will drive you there. And I will be there again to pick you up soon after Mephisto lets me know the auction has ended. Understood ?” 

“Yes mom.”

He chuckles before pushing the door open, letting you leave the safe base first to get to the car parked in front of the entrance. He soon followed and got inside the car to start driving across the dark streets of the N109 Zone. Mephisto was awfully quiet, head turning around at each corner, as if the bird was already on a mission analyzing what was around him. You stared mindlessly at the street lamps barely shining some cold light on the pavement beneath them as you fondle with your bag between your fingers. 

You were stressed. Stressed to not be able to bring back that diary. What if you came back in Linkon city with nothing to offer but the news that another potential monster had this fucking diary between their hands. How many children would have to suffer from experiments and be kept in the dark before they all stopped ? Without realizing it, you started clenching on your accessory. And the hand of Sylus left the gearbox to come rest on your thigh in an attempt to soothe you. 

“Do not be anxious. People coming to those kinds of fake charity auctions hunt down people like you. Nice face, seemingly weak and rich.” he said. “Mephisto is a sign that you are under my watch but he can’t dissuade them from doing anything if they are crazy enough to try.” 

“So I need to appear confident…” 

“Exactly. I know you can do it. After all, you showed me your acting skills more than once.” he pressed his thumb against your thigh as he kept looking at the road in front of you. “I’m not here physically but Mephisto is my eyes. And I’ll keep an eye on you.”

“I know.” you sighed before taking another deep breath. It will be okay, you thought, Sylus is right. You had to have faith in yourself and in him. It will go by so quickly, you won’t even realize it. 

The car slows down and you are now parked in front of an immense building, maybe even taller than some of Sylus’s ones. You look up from your seat as Mephisto mimics you. “Where are we ?”

“The place of the auction. The HQ of the Eurydike cult. Weird bunch of fuckers.” 

You hummed before pushing the door open, before closing it you looked at your partner flashing him a smile. “I will be back.” He softly smiles back waving, asking you to be careful once more. And you closed the door, walking towards the entrance of the building, taking out the invitation out of your bag to show the bodyguards that you were allowed to enter the place. 

As soon as you stepped foot inside, you were faced with a display of wealthiness and laughter coming from every corner of the giant hall. You were taken aback, thinking for a second that the only man you thought was this wealthy in the N109 Zone was Sylus. The hall was made of black marble with golden cracks, contrasted by high white walls that reflected the light of the candlesticks. Hanging banners here and there with an unknown insignia, and false plants hanging in green. You looked around, looking for a sign indicating the location of the meeting. But unfortunately the place was badly indicated, this auction was probably a place of regulars. However you spotted some people whispering about getting their place already to get closer to the stage, and you figured it would be the best idea to follow them around. Which you did. Everyone here was accompanied, and you were alone. Well accompanied but by a bird that started to get agitated. The sound of your heels against the marble under your steps was ringing in your mind. You stopped near a waiter, grabbing a glass of champagne. You needed to relax, you needed to look like you belonged here. Alcohol might help you settle down. 

So you went to sit at the first row, crossing your legs as Mephisto left your shoulder to take place on the chandelier hanging above your head. You could see some of the objects being displayed on the stage in front of you. Vases, stuffed animals, jewelry and… Wait. Was that one of Raphayel’s painting ? You frowned while taking your phone out of your purse to take a picture. Before you could press the button, you felt a tap on your shoulder. 

You flinched, turning around. “Miss. Sorry to bother you but you are not allowed to take pictures in this room.” A man with green eyes gazed upon you. He was tall, his hair and lashes almost hiding the gaze that you could feel burning on your face. His face did not seem upset, nor angry. Good… The last thing you needed was to attract angry people. 

You smiled. “Sorry, I just wanted to make sure that painting would interest my husband before I start bidding on it.”  

“Oh ?” He looked up at the stage staring at the painting of the seashore painted with different shades of blue and orange, with the silhouette of a faceless woman dipping her feet in the water. “Hm. It is indeed a wonderful painting. From a very famous painter from Linkon City. Although it is one of his earliest works.” 

“Are you familiar with this painter ?” you asked, interested in the knowledge of the person in front of you. To faint uninterest you slowly raise your glass to your lips looking away from the man.

“Familiar would not be right. We are acquaintances.” He then looks down at you smiling as he circles around the chair to finally sit next to you. “Although we haven’t seen each other for many years.” 

“I see.” you nodded looking at that man dressed in white, your eyes landing on the cross shaped brooch on his tie. You swore you have seen this insignia somewhere. “And you are ?”

“Shh little miss. It’s starting soon. We will have all the leisure to chit chat after that auction is done.” 

The auction began, and you drank the rest of your drink before waving to a waiter to come and get rid of you. Under your seat as under that of all the other participants was a small booklet with the passage numbers of each work or object. The one you were looking for was in last place. A sigh escaped from your lips as the first sums of money were thrown out of control. 

Beside you, still stood this same man, his left leg crossed above the right and his hands clasped on his knees, looking at the scene with a satisfied smile. With the light down, you took the time to linger on her face. He had it very hard, like a man who had to face situations that those of Linkon city did not have to face. But this sweet smile on his lips came in contrast with the portrait that could be made of him. You wondered if Sylus knew the man. You slowly raised your head to look towards Mephisto who was looking straight at you under his watchful red eyes. Just like his master. 

An hour and half passed, and you were starting to get numb to all the money that was being spent. The man next to you also did spend some money. He bought the painting you were eyeing earlier. And then came the mention of the diary. 

As soon as you could, you raised your hand to bid. With a glimpse of mischievousness, the man next to you raised his hand. Followed by some other people in the room. After nearly a minute of bidding, you raised your hand again. 

“Please stop playing sir. My husband is rather interested in this diary.” you muttered to the man next to you. “Stick to your paintings.” 

A suppressed laugh came as an answer as your bid was registered as a final answer. The hand of the man next to you extended towards you as the lights turned on. “It’s a pleasure to be doing business with you, little miss.” 

You frowned looking at the man’s gaze. “Business ?” 

“I am the owner of this building and the organizer of this auction. My name is Castiel, pleasure meeting you.” 

You gasped as you came to shake his hand. Dear god, why did you have to talk like that to the man who setted up a charity auction. This is why his brooch reminded you of something, it was literally plastered in the hall. 

“I am very sorry for my-”

“No offense is taken. Should we talk privately ? I will give you this diary your husband so wishes to have.” he lets go of your hand, getting up before offering his arm. 

“Yes.” you nod as you get up too, sliding your hand on the man’s arm. You were so giddy with the idea of success that you nearly didn’t realize Mephisto was cawing. 

However if you didn’t notice, it was not the case of Castiel that turned his head up towards the bird with a frown. He then asked the security to take care of it, and before you could step in and prevent this from happening, you were dragged into the man’s office. 

Once in his office, he let go of your hand. He headed towards the back of his desk, unlocking what sounded like a chest. In the meantime, you take the time to look around. The place was dark, but golden and green touches enhanced the place. You were basking in a warm light which contrasted with the cold atmosphere that was outside the sacred building. You did not move from the entrance, waiting patiently for you to be given what you had bought. 

“This book was retrieved from a bad man’s hands.” His voice broke the silence that was installed between you two. “If your husband really is interested in this script, you should be careful of him.” He said as he got closer to you handing the overused diary. 

“I will keep that in mind.” you nodded before taking the diary out of this man’s large hands. 

He smiled, flashing his perfect teeth to you. This close, you could see the eyebags between his vibrant eyes. A shiver ran up your back. “I hope our paths will cross again, little miss. If charity is what you are looking for, we could always use new members.” 

Charity… “Sure. I would love to stop by once again. The fate of the N109 zone is very dear to me afterall.” You smiled. 

He hummed. “Smart girl.” his fingers brushed your chin before you stepped back. “We should get going, your husband will surely show up in about a few seconds .”

Before you could answer, Castiel’s hand was on your free wrist and was dragging you out of his office, back into the auction room and in the middle of it stood Sylus. A visibly displeased Sylus. Almost angry. He shouted your name as soon as you came into his vision. The man with dark brown hair let go of your hand softly, placing his hand on your naked back. 

“You should go, little miss. I’d hate for your husband to scare away my guests.” 

You mindlessly nodded as you felt a sensation creeping up your back, and you almost trotted back to Sylus, pushing through the bodyguards preventing him from getting closer to their leader. Once in arms reach, the white haired man pulled you under his arm, hiding you beneath his coat. 

And yet as you were leaving the scene, you could feel Castiel’s gaze burning holes in your back.

[vikkirosko]

Hi can I get this with helluva boss characters, fizz, Ozzie, Stella, and stolas? Thank you! ❤️

Headcanons Traumatic mutism

🦉 Stolas x Reader 🎩

Stolas rarely interacted with sinners. He was an aristocrat and he rarely had the opportunity to communicate with them until he met you. You were a quiet and calm person and during the whole time of your acquaintance you didn't say a word. At first it seemed unusual to him, he even thought that you were mute, and only after a while he found out that you didn't talk for a reason

You went through a lot of traumatic events when you were still alive, and since then you have been very emotionally traumatized. Even after your death, you remained silent. Stolas was very worried about this, but it wasn't something he could change with magic. It was up to you whether you would speak again or not

You saw each other often and Stolas always treated you with warmth and care. You supported him by communicating through notes and it meant a lot to him. When he came to visit you again, he saw that you looked worried. Stolas was afraid that the reason for this was that something had happened to you, but to his question you only shook your head negatively and took his hand. After that, he heard a voice. A slightly hoarse voice that hesitantly told him about love. Your voice

Stolas did not immediately understand what exactly you said, but when this realization came to him, he hugged you tightly, smiling radiantly. He was sincerely glad that you spoke, although it was obvious that it was difficult for you. He was willing to wait as long as he wanted until you said something again

🦉 Stella x Reader 👑

Initially, you met Stella because you seemed curious to her. You were an ordinary sinner, but something about you seemed interesting to her. However, during the whole time of your acquaintance, you have never uttered a word. It annoyed her for a long time, because she did not understand why you were silent, not even guessing about the true reason for this

She found out from one of the servants that everyone you talked to claimed that you never said a word. She didn't know what was going on in your head and why you were silent, but at some point it stopped being a big problem for her. It seemed like something she sometimes used for herself

Stella often brought you to the house where she lived after the divorce process with her husband began. She felt calmer around you, especially after telling you for a long time how much she hated Stolas. On one of those days, you approached her, trying to stay calm. She frowned, waiting for another note, but instead she heard a hoarse voice belonging to you and telling her about love

She was surprised that you spoke at all. She started to think you were dumb, but you weren't. However, Stella was even more surprised by your words. It was the first time someone had said words of love to her with such sincerity. She understood that you wouldn't get anything if you told her about your feelings and you knew it too, so she was sure of the sincerity of your words, and this made her soul feel warmer

🎪 Fizzarolli x Reader 💟

Fizzarolli and you met when he went to town for a rare time. You were surprisingly silent, despite the noise of the city, and even when people tried to talk to you, you used notes to communicate. Despite that, you were nice and friendly, even though some people were repelled by what you didn't say. However, he was not one of those people who would be afraid of this, so he was glad to meet you and start communicating

A few months later, he found out that you didn't talk because of the events of the past. It happened even before you died, even then you stopped talking, and it stayed with you even after death. Even in Hell, you couldn't bring yourself to talk. Fizzarolli knew perfectly well that there were things that left deep scars not only on the body, but also in the soul, so he tried to support you morally, showing that you were not alone, and next to him you could not worry about anything

You spent a lot of time together and during one of your joint movie screenings, he noticed that you were very worried about something. He didn't understand the reason, but he paused the movie to find out what happened. First you looked at the floor, then you took a deep breath, exhaled and looked at him. He was expecting a note, but instead you spoke. Your voice was hoarse and quiet, but you still spoke, you said words of love

It took him a few seconds to understand what you said, realize it and hug you tightly. He was delighted and sincerely glad that you spoke. Fizzarolli was glad that you started taking steps towards recovery. It was important to you and his support helped you a lot

🐓 Asmodeus x Reader 💕

Your communication with Asmodeus began at one of the parties he hosted. Your friend brought you there, but you were uncomfortable. You ran into Asmodeus and he was surprised when instead of the usual words you communicated using notes. You were able to talk a little and he invited you to meet again. That's how your relationship began

Few of his acquaintances understood why you were communicating. For all the time you didn't say a word and you were very different from Asmodeus, but none of them knew that you were an interesting conversationalist and that it was really nice for him to communicate with you. A few months later, you told him that the reason why you were silent were the events that led to your death. These events are so strongly imprinted in your memory that you still have not found the strength to speak again

He tried to create a comfortable atmosphere for you when you came to him. Quite often you sat together in his office. He was busy working when you came up to him and pulled his sleeve uncertainly. He looked at you and smiled gently. He was waiting for a note, but instead you spoke. It's the first time you've spoken since you were in Hell

You quietly said words of love to him. It was obviously unusual for you to speak after such a long time, but Asmodeus hugged you tightly, smiling. He was glad that you felt quite comfortable and safe next to him, since you decided to talk. He quietly told you that he was glad that you were gradually starting to talk, because it really was an important step for you

[howlsofbloodhounds]

Is yugo a proshipper/neutral? Genuine question because they’ve done some… questionable things in the past (shipping frans, using slurs they can’t claim in a comic (the f slur).

I mean I came across a post that said they were pretty chill with someone shipping epic with freaking Xgaster in march of this year and I was like??????? (Dude?? 1. That guy is an alternate version of your abusive father. 2. He’s basically Cross’s father (y’know your canonical best friend?)  who also abused by him. like what????)

(here the link btw https://www.tumblr.com/yugogeer012/745992208927293440/im-very-interested-in-how-yugo-reacts-to-the-fact?source=share )

And I find it weird that they seem to chill about that, but if you try and bring up epic in any way possible they lose it since they have unbridled hatred towards him and his fans. (bonus points when someone talks about shipping epic and cross, heck shipping epic with anyone male tends to make them annoyed, despite some early art depicting epic FLIRTING WITH METTATON) 

(also here the link: https://www.tumblr.com/sanicpluushy/761634810556039168/can-we-see-epicsans-flirtin-i-do-imagine?source=share ,

and my thoughts : https://www.tumblr.com/talonsirgo/761779011986800640/this-is-even-funnier-when-you-scroll-down-to?source=share)

I'm pretty sure they wiped Epic and his papyrus out of the comic just so they wouldn't have to deal with them anymore.

At this point i've already blocked them for their hostility towards all things epic/epic being gay/shipping him with xgaster and the whole frans stuff. I mean dude, even comyet is grossed out by anyone trying to ship ink with a gaster or his fathers (who are gasters and aren't even related by blood. Not that it matter tho, it's stil gross).

Come on yugo. You're better than this

(oooh btw did you se my where i @ you?? I found some pretty interesting analysis on cross thats been agreed upon by jakie herself, unfortunately it was done by the creator of dreamswap eugh.)

I don’t know if they are or not, because shipping Frans (or used to) and using f slurs while they actively seem to really really hate any gay ships but is very okay with lesbian ships seems a little strange. Potentially fetishizing perhaps, although maybe they’re just annoyed if they were constantly bombarded with sans x sans questions and stuff.

I don’t know Yugo, haven’t finished reading any of the Epictale content and i haven’t scrolled all through the blog, so I can’t say for sure. Maybe someone with more knowledge on this can chime in.

Although, after reading one of the links you sent me, i think you might’ve misread something.

The asker and yugo didn’t say they shipped Epic x XGaster or were okay with that, they say were okay with Epic Gaster x XGaster. No alternative sons being shipped with alternative fathers, although DILFs (im using this word just because they are both fathers not because i personally want to fuck them 💀) who are the same person are being shipped and yugo at least doesn’t mind or doesn’t care.

I don’t know what their issue is with their own characters and people liking them, but I think yugo probably needs to set some boundaries with fans if they haven’t already.

rather than getting annoyed when people inevitably ship best friends and one of them is their character who they make flirt with men, perhaps they should just ask people to not send them questions about sans x sans ships, or crepic if it really makes them that uncomfortable. and if anyone does, just delete the asks or comments or reblogs.

getting annoyed when people bring up or ask about the characters you made seems pretty strange to me, it’s just a sign that people really like your character enough to be obsessed with them, but i can understand if they got annoyed if epic was all anyone focused on and not any of the other characters. but in that case, they should probably just delete anything they get about epic (from fans) they don’t want to see or answer.

but to allow your emotions and fans like of your character to cause you to change a story, or erase or get rid of the character, just to spite the fans/character or just so you don’t have to deal with them seems very odd to me. perhaps yugo needs to take a step back from the Epictale “fanbase” and stop engaging with it.

they can’t control what fans do with their work and characters as soon as it leaves their own eyesight, and they’d be better off not stressing over it. and fans should respect them, and stop bringing fandom stuff to them like ships or asking their opinions on ships—no one needs a creator’s opinion on a ship.

epic is a different thing, since he’s literally a character in the story, and a sans at that—which of course means people will bring him up and ask about him. if they don’t want to answer anything about epic, they should make that very clear and then don’t answer. Not answer just to give annoyed, passive aggressive replies. I think it’s sad when creators allow a fanbase to taint and affect their feelings about their work.

{ @talonsirgo }

[tbhyknow]

𝗦𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗡𝗨𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 .ᐟ

summary, it was raining. and this time around, izumi didn't brought his umbrella. thankfully, he came across someone who does. unfortunately for him, it was the person he 'hated' the most.

featuring, izumi sena w/ gender-neutral!reader (romantic)

tags, (mostly) fluff, one-sided rivalry, just izumi things, implied childhood friends, izumi in denial core, mandatory ooc tag

notice, i feel like this idea could work for another character like tsukasa but.... idk izumi's the first guy i thought of when i came up with the idea.

(name) (lastname). oh, how izumi dreaded that name every single time he hears it.

there's not a particular thing about you he doesn't like. maybe it was your face or your voice, even the way you walk, but he seems to hate something in every aspect of your being... irritating. much worse is that his unit members teases him for it.

"ne, secchan, why are you so obsessed with (name)?" ritsu had brought up during practice break. the other knights members looked towards izumi who froze upon the question asked, midway picking up his water bottle.

"ha? obsessed?" izumi turned his head, furrowing his brows as a tick mark appeared on his forehead. why is he even bringing this up?

arashi chuckled from her side of the room, folding her arms over her chest. "oh, don't mind izumi, he's always been like that when it comes to (name). especially back when we're still kids." she then shook her head, "although i am interested to hear your feelings about (name)."

izumi clicked his tongue, his mood only souring as they pester him. "tsk, what's there to even talk about? feelings? i don't have any feelings for them. they're just so annoying that it's distracting me from my work."

leo tilted his head, "distracting? how?"

izumi opened his mouth, ready to spit out whatever reason he could think of to excuse his hate towards you. and yet something comes out, his vocal chords felt weak against the lump of muscles in his throat and his heart began thumping in an odd pattern when your face pops up in his mind.

what could he say about you? you're... you. as weird as it sounds.

he shook his head, sighing. "... do i need a reason to not like them? they're just... too much."

"sounds to me you have a crush on 'em." ritsu teased, causing the others— leo and arashi —to start teasing him too.

"a crush? i didn't think of that before, but that sounds about right!"

"little izumi is growing up, so cute~"

"it's ok, we still love and accept you for who you are."

the grey-haired boy felt his face flush in embarrassment, he opened his mouth to shout at them and tell them off but the words keept dying in his throat, not letting him speak properly.

"shut up, will you? there's nothing right about me crushing on them! i hate them." izumi huffed, turning away and hiding his face to avoid any further teasing. "there's no way i'd ever like someone like them. so annoying..."

even as he said that with such confidence, his face was still red as a beet and his heart continued to beat weirdly.

i don't get it. why do i feel like this? it's irritating. he bit his lip, closing his eyes and trying his best to clear his mind, to set his heartbeat normal again. but when he did, all he could see was your face. your disgustingly pretty face.

eventually, practice had resumed as usual. but each time he glances at the miror, he could see a mirage of you sitting in the background and clapping your hands to support him.

his heart wouldn't beat normally again.

.

.

.

the following weeks were not... the best weeks izumi had faced. everytime he was out with arashi, leo or ritsu and there was coincidentally an advertisement with (name)'s face on it, they'd point it out and call him out in it.

thankfully, tsukasa couldn't care less about the whole ordeal but lately he's been getting on izumi's last nerves by reminding him to focus on idol work instead of his little crush... it didn't take long until nearly the entirety of new-di knows about it.

and just like every other day, he carefully making his way out of the ES building after having to deal with the knights' teasing, he was immediately greeted the sight of thundering grey skies and the heavy pitter-pattering of rain.

just great. just exactly what he needed.

and unfortunately for the usually responsible izumi sena, he did not bring an umbrella with him.

he sighed, running his hand through his grey locks and tugging on them out of frustration. without no other choice, he stood there under the frigid, concrete shade with the cold seeping through his clothes. he crossed his arms and looked at the sky, waiting for the rain to end.

he waited, and waited. and waited some more. then 30 minutes pass and the sky has gotten darker and darker with no sign of the rain letting up anytime soon.

does he need to make a run for it? seek shelter under tree shades, rest for a few minutes before challenging the rain again until he reached home?

izumi groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "i should've checked the weather app." he muttered to himself. "when will this end?"

then, a voice responded. "from what i could see, it doesn't look like it'll be ending soon." a familiar, teeth-grinding voice responded to his rhetorical question.

izumi glanced behind him, his gaze sharp and indifferent as it landed on your smiling face before moving down to the automatic umbrella in your hands.

he watched you move closer to the edge of the porch and open your umbrella. the bright red umbrella standing out in the bleak, grey atmosphere. you turned your head towards him, your smile gentle and warm in contrast to the harsh weather.

even in your presence, you managed to make the rain what once was ruthless and unrelenting on its fall on earth, look like a drizzle.

"wanna share?" is what you only said to him, offering your hand towards him. for him to take and join you under the umbrella.

izumi flinched, but managed to hide it well underneath his aloof expression. he expected you to just leave him there, offering a half-hearted good luck. after all, you must not like him too, right? izumi sena and (name) (lastname) never gets along... or at least that's how he perceives it to be.

he hesitated, staring down at your hand, unsure if it was worth it. when was the last time you guys held hands before? or was there even a time when you two did that? izumi couldn't remember. no matter how weird the nostalgia the scene gives him.

then, he sighed and shook his head. "fine. but if my clothes get wet, you're going to clean it." he threatened casually and took your hand.

he nearly slipped on his way to find cover under your umbrella and glared at you as if you were responsible for it. "give me that." he, without a warning, snatched the umbrella from your hands and held it up. "it's better if the taller person held the umbrella.

you chuckled, "such a gentleman. although, you were always like that, i guess."

"what's that supposed to mean?" he glanced at you. his hold on your hand gentle but firm, a subconscious act on his part.

"nothing, nothing. let's just hurry up before the rain gets worse."

.

.

.

"hey, hold my hand!" a young boy shouted at another child, reaching out his hand towards them while the other was occupied holding an umbrella.

the child sat on the wet concrete, merely looking up at the grey-haired boy with an expression akin to awe. the boy, seemingly not appreciating the wait, glared at him and puffed his cheeks.

"hey, are you deaf or something? take my hand before i take it back!" he threatened, although at that moment, it seemed unlikely he'll do that.

the rain continued to pour down in them, the pitter-patter ringing loud throughout the empty street. then, snapping out of their trance, the other child finally took his hand and held onto it tightly.

the boy pulled them up with all the strength a kid his age could muster and kept them close under the safety of the umbrella.

"jeez, you're so reckless. falling down like that." he scolded them, shaking their head like a disappointed parent. "next time, hold my hand much tighter. just like that. i can't have you falling again or else i'll get in trouble."

he didn't get a response other than them squeezing his hand. he squeezed theirs back in response, as if to reassure them that they'll be fine. the boy looked away, hiding the growing blush on his face from them.

"come on, let's go. the rain might get worse."

notice, is this in game lore accurate. ik he's obsessed with makoto in their childhood days but this js came to me in a fever dream and ooooough i js need to write this. also we js got hit by like 4 typhoons, but that ok im a winner and i rlly like winning 🫶

likes, reblogs && general feedback r appreciated!

[yuseirra]

**alien stage final round spoilers**

I really enjoy looking at the feelings and relationship dynamics between characters when I see a work. I feel I got a better grasp of/understood that aspect after seeing that most recent alien stage video, so I'd enjoy talking about it. Before I begin, I respect all the canon interactions and appreciate what they give us. The major "ships" for this, I am aware of, they are all very valid and I find all of them intriguing and interesting to see!

This particular stage, I feel, shows a really good insight of how Ivan and Till's love's are conveyed in contrast to each other.

Ivan appears to be very mannerly and he's very kind towards the fans, giving a lot of fanservice, he's the "good boy" of the group (excluding Luka who's simply "made for the stage") while Till tends to be the rebel. He swears towards the aliens, tries to run away, and does the unexpected on stage, he's a loose cannon as they say, but when it comes to "love", their attitudes tend to be the complete opposite.

It appears that Ivan's feelings towards Till is very complex for it to be defined simply as "love"(although I believe it is) although he's reserved on the outside, I feel he's the one has the hardest time dealing with his own emotions, since it does exist, but even he himself can't actually make out what they are. Idk how it's been translated but I saw him defining what he had towards Till as "shallow(얄팍한)" and apologizing to him as being his victim of it, I think it's the contrary. It's way too muddled and complicated, the artbook also mentions that he'd be the only one who can know what that feeling he has towards Till is. And I'm not even sure if he himself does in a complete sense. What I can see is that he does care. However, it seems like Ivan doesn't know how to care for Till in a way that'd come across to Till in a way that he'd like. In turn, he keeps acting in a way that'd provoke him to make the guy look back at him. He ruins the flowers Till treasures that he's received from Mizi, punches him, follows him around, nudges him, and acts pretty imposing and unpredictable when it comes to Till, he does things that Till doesn't want. It's out of his interest and fondness but it just can't come across to Till as a good thing. He doesn't hate him (he's still pretty fond of Ivan when I read the artbook) but finds him annoying. The artbook defines Ivan's feeling as one-sided, and sadly, it is very much that way. Ivan is the one that looks most mature out of the 4 kids that grew up together (Sua, Mizi, Till and Ivan himself) but they phrase Ivan as someone who's grown in terms of body but has never matured from being a child (P 208, 211 in the artbook) The problem here is that he never learned how to express his feeling properly. It always... ends up in a way that hurts Till. Till fails to comprehend or make out just what's happened as he sees Ivan dead in the final moments of stage 6. While Ivan manages to achieve his desired results of having Till finally look back at him, that's also all he gets. It was predictable, though. I feel like they'd have had a much friendlier relationship if they grew up in a normal, humane environment. In the end, Ivan does realize he's being selfish. I personally believe it's both selfish and selfless, a bit similar to how Sua was towards Mizi. They do things for the other but also, they do realize it's what the other party wouldn't enjoy/fully comprehend while they do it. But they can't help it since they want the other to survive.

Till's feelings for Mizi has been always there, I kind of feel it could get overshadowed a lot from how immensely big and impactful Ivan's actions have been portrayed throughout the series, but I really appreciate how they acknowledged Till's feelings for her's also something that's very genuine and what's gave him light. I read that the idea that Till had a crush on Mizi was there from the very early stages of development from the artbook. That's a crucial part of his character. And unlike how the usual "reserved and gentle" Ivan can get pretty aggressive to get a reaction out of Till (nothing against Ivan, just analyzing) Till's love is also pretty much unrequited, but he acts very selfless and gentle towards Mizi, he never does anything that'd.. affect her in a strong sense except for trying to express his feelings through music. While Ivan pokes, punches, grabs, kisses his love to get his attention, Till tends to blush and run away. This guy is very aware of what his feelings towards Mizi is, yet I think he understood his position and how much Mizi loves Sua so he keeps at a distance. His commentary about Mizi is that he believes "she's the most beautiful being in the entire universe and he felt reborn when she smiled at him." Oh wait?? he's an INFP??? REALLY??? Looking at the artbook and..;;hshshg to imagine an INFP acting like him.. oh, he must have suffered A LOT;; I guess he was always on edge in those harsh conditions then. His feelings towards Mizi didn't really come across so much either, as it is said she thought Till was evading her, she wanted to be more friendly with him being the jolly and sweet person she is though.

The outcome for these two are very similar but different. When I watched Till's fate..(yeah, I was shocked he almost NEVER stood a chance against Luka despite how good he is too;;) I think I felt sad, but I was.. also happy for him that he realized Mizi does genuinely care for him. What Ivan got wasn't mutual, Till didn't understand.. and he was engraved, but as a source of trauma (I find this inevitable though seeing how that stage played out). Mizi smiled at Till and he was so happy to see her again he immediately lit up and tried to reach out to her while the stage was still going on, their eyes meet, the way Ivan and Till did on the previous stage, but it was welcoming and out of glee. Of course the one Mizi loves is Sua, but it was sweet to see Mizi really caring for Till as a friend. He's also what she's wanted to save, and Till was suffering after he thought Mizi was gone, but he got that sense of relief in his last moments. There was a comment I found that I found was quite insightful about this situation. He doesn't ask much in return, he always was that person that'd accept and appreciate what she gave him. Was that really enough for Till? I'm not sure but, he was still happy from everything Mizi had given him. I do see Ivan having a harder time being the same way because Till would have been so focused on Mizi to look back at him if he was as passive and accepting as Till was to her, and besides, I think the type of "love" they have may not exactly be the same although it can be categorized as "love". "Love" comes in many different forms and it grew in ways that were affected by their environment and personalities. I appreciate how that was depicted. I feel Till's love towards Mizi is just as powerful as Ivan's love towards Till was, it displays the different types of one-sided love.

I can talk about Sua and Mizi's dynamic too, with that I'd be talking about all the four major ships (I talked about Hyuna and Luka in another post earlier!) but maybe I'll do that another time.

However, I'd still like to mention what I found interesting in the artbook! They say that Sua wanted to protect Mizi's naivety and shield her from reality, because she found salvation in it. It was a place of escape for her, they say (p44) she gave Mizi hope that there would be a good ending, and that's how Mizi completely broke down the moment Sua was gone. Mizi really didn't see it coming while Sua actually did as she sang. Sua wanted to remain in that moment forever with Mizi, they say (p39) she depended on Mizi as much as Mizi did for her. The artbook gives out a really good insight in terms of about how the characters feel about things and it's very colorful and thick and great to see in general, so I recommend you to buy it if you are interested in the series. I'm not a hardcore fan of this piece (yet) but it was still worth every penny to me so, I bet it'd be a gem for those who really care for it~

[plusvanity]

Metalion was arguably one of Pelle's closest friends in Norway, and the very same person who saw Pelle trying to drown guinea pig in a jar, then putting it in the microwave. That story would have never been known if not for Metalion. He decided to share it, which points to him NOT being the "Pelle was an angel" type of person.

Yet he said that Pelle only pretended wanting to kill the farm cat and said he actually believes Pelle could have caught the cat if he wanted but pretended it was too fast for him. He also expressed belief that Pelle was actually fond of cats "in his own twisted way".

(Metalion was also the person who received the famous rant from Pelle about the inclusion of Garfield comic in the Slayer mag, with the accompanying "I HATE CATS" drawing where he put Garfield in the meat grinder).

What do you think about this? Do you agree with Metalion or you think he could have been wrong? I could have asked you this in dm but I feel like reading the discussion if anyone wants to add their two cents.

I definitely feel like Pelle was trying harder than his metalhead peers to seem brutal, tough, cold and 'evil' and his harsh antipathy towards cats is, in my opinion, the easiest way in which you can tell he's purposefully exaggerating his image.

Now, I wouldn't say he was an angel either. He was very complex as a character in the scene and I'm glad we have this story from Metalion to contour a wider view on Pelle's personality. I wouldn't consider him evil or an animal abuser for killing a rodent, but the way in which he carried out the act is quite interesting for a few reasons. If I recall it correctly, he was drunk when he did that. We all know that alcohol allows disinhibition and promotes reckless/ unthoughtful behavior. I see him as having fun and wanting to see 'cool and brutal' to his friends, so his sporadic decision to microwave the hamster must've been born from the wish to impress. And what wanting to impress really means? To belong.

I very much believe that a lot of Pelle's actions and declarations originate from his wish to belong, to be perfectly integrated into a small group of friends that he made. And this could be traced back to being bullied in school, having low self-esteem and being emotionally neglected. These are some of the conclusions that I tend to have when looking back at his history and relationship with others.

I don't have any way in which I can prove or disprove this, but my gut feeling tells me that Pelle wasn't sadist, cynic, or evil in the slightest. I believe he was, in fact, a sensitive person and sensitive does not equal 'angle' or innocent. I think he was forcing himself to be more intimidating than he was in reality because of a tough lesson that he's been taught since early in his life.

Another aspect of why he might be pressured to maintain this exaggerated act was because of the environment, after all the black metal scene was designed to capture 'the worst' in people as a backlash to conformity and normality. He couldn't be less aggressive, less brutal, less 'cool' than his peers, not when he finally had the chance to express himself in a way that could be appreciated by those who shared his feelings.

If Pelle was indeed prone to violence and aggression, it would've shown and there would've been stories about this, but there are none. The only person he ever hurt was himself, and this is not because he couldn't hurt anyone, because he could if he wanted to, but he took it on himself as a mindful decision.

Although self-destructive behavior is common for people with low self-esteem, it is not the rule. Many people lash out on others for their own feelings of self-hatred. (Vikernes for example)

I don't see the possibility of him secretly liking cats this far-fetched because exaggerating about just how much you hate something is sometimes a good indication of how you actually enjoy something that you're very ashamed of.

To sum this up, I think Metalion was observant enough or lucky enough to see beyond Pelle's shocking acts of impression. I see that instantly cooked rodent incident as something isolated, pushed by the circumstances in which Pelle was at that time rather than part of a continuum of cruel events.

I think Pelle had a limit when it came to seeming cool, and this would make a lot of sense if h indeed chose not to catch the cat at the farmhouse when he could just do that.

Some people take their frustration on smaller creatures because they need to punish a lesser being than them the way they've been punished by a bigger being. This is an antisocial mentality. Pelle could have done so, if he wanted to many times, but he didn't. Also, most antisocial acts are committed ALONE, not with friends, or at a party, or in any social circumstances and things like that don't stay hidden for long, so eventually people start noticing. This is clearly not Pelle's case.

[kursedmayo]

I HATEEEE it when people say Falin and Laois are EXACTLY THE SAME. NO THEY ARE NOT, WHAT.

LISTEN TO ME.

Falin is soft spoken. Shes the type to get spoken over. Her presence is faint and she's hyper conscious of other people's emotions and very much empathetic- up to the point that she would retract herself to make room for other people and generally more than self-sacrificial, her first thought is to rush into danger without considering it- unlike her brother who will at least analyze the situation first. This is why people like her so much, it's because she knows how to temper herself. She's wouldn't come off as intrusive, she doesn't dump people information about something unless they show her interest first. She's weird, but she stays out of people's business. That's Falin.

Laois is different. He doesn't mask- or at least, he rarely does, and he's a lot less aware of people's true emotions because he spent his childhood ostrasized and unable to connect with other people. This is why he's too much, he's overcompensating from everything he went through. Now that he's a bit safer from petty bullies and has some friends, he lets himself blurts things out and generally rarely considers how other people would perceive his words before he says or does things, because that's how we went through his entire life. This is why he accidently says offensive things without meaning to. From what I can tell from the Manga, he still wants to befriend people while not being able to understand them as much as monsters, so unlike Falin he's more likely to overstep people's boundaries and speaking over them while attempting to get closer- something which can bother people because they get trapped in a conversation where they don't want to be in, like Toshiro/Shuro.

(I also think this is why he was in such disbelief when Kabru said he was interested in Laois and wants to know him, because usually it's always the other way around.)

People like Falin more not just because she's a girl but because she's empathetic, calm and knows how to handle people despite being odd, so she comes off as charming. People don't like Laois because he's more hyper- especially if he likes you and is taking about his interests, PLUS he's not just odd he very obviously acts and says freaky shit, so it's easier to dislike or be annoyed with him.

Disclaimer, I don't dislike him, he's a wonderful character with relatable issues and to be honest, he kinda reminds me heavily of a friend of mine actually, but as someone who relates more to Falin I HATE the fact that the story spends so much time building up what Falin is like only for people to say that "SHES BASICALLY A CARBON COPY OF LAOIS!!!".

It kinda reeks of accidental misogynistic fandom behavior because tell me why you are unable to seperate a woman from her familial relationship and similarities with a man instead of awknowledging her as her own person even though the fucking story built up Falin's characterization over the chapters as someone who is CLEARLY different although similar to her brother.

GOD. I'M SO TIRED.

[restinslices]

Ive seen your Lin Kuei Brothers hc about movie reactions and they re hilarious. I watched Mean Girls the other day and thought about their reaction watching it. I bet Bi-han would stan Regina lol. What do you think?

This is short because tbh I don’t really see them liking it😭. I added a little Drabble cause this took so long.

Although the idea of him being a Regina George stan is conical, I don't really see him enjoying movies like Mean Girls 

I'm not sure what movies he'd like or if he's more of a book guy, but Mean Girls is campy fun about highschool drama. I just don't see him being interested 

I'm not sure any of them would really be interested in it honestly. Mean Girls isn't just a girls movie but these are men who are in their 30s-40s and just don't give me Mean Girl stan. Yk?

I just don't see him liking it at all. He's checked out the entire time and when he's told it's a classic, he doesn't understand why 

It's not the worst movie he's ever seen but it's not his favorite. He'll never go out of his way to see it again 

A party pooper fr 

I don't think he'll be like “this shit is ASS!” because you like the movie but I can see him being like “well it was certainly a movie”

I don't know😭. I wanna say he'd like it, but it doesn't seem like his vibe. I'm sorry ���

“Did you like it?” You asked once the movie was over. The answer? No. Honestly, halfway through the movie he completely checked out and if you hadn't announced that it ended, he wouldn't have noticed. 

“It was a movie” he answered simply. He went to get up from the couch but you grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. A random spout of strength that contrasted how sad you looked. 

“You didn't like it?” 

“I'm in my 40s”

“So?”

“So, it isn't for me”. Your frown deepened and he couldn't understand why. It was just a movie. He could understand why you liked it. It had childhood memories attached to it. He didn't have any memories attached to it, so to him, it was just a movie. 

“You suck ass” you finally said and crossed your arms. “I'm watching it again”. 

“Have fun with that”. 

I don't think he hates the movie but once again, I just don't see any of them truly appreciating it 

Teenage drama to him just isn't exciting. He's older so when problems arise he starts giving logical answers 

“How does Cady not see that she's also becoming a mean girl?”

Because that's the point of the movie Kuai 

He'll watch it maybe a few times with you if it keeps you happy

In canon he has a wife so I'm sure he knows that sometimes you gotta endure for them

I think his favorite character, if he had to choose, would be maybe Karen because she's just tryna live life based on my memory 

He's glad he understands the references you make now 

So there's positives  

Not his cup of tea but he likes that you like it 

“This is a classic, you say?” Kuai Liang asked. He meant for his tone to come out friendly and curious, but in reality it came out unsure and a little judgmental. Unfortunately for him, you noticed. 

“Shut up! You didn't like it?!” he couldn't understand why you were so surprised. He liked some movies but the movies he liked were nothing like Mean Girls. 

“I didn't say that”

“I cannot believe you. We're gonna watch it again until you like it”. Kuai Liang was tempted to get up and go do literally anything else, but when you snuggled close to his arm, he figured there was no harm in trying again. As long as he was close to his favorite person. 

I can see him being the brother that understands the message the most 

For some reason people debate on who's actually a mean girl. Whether it's Regina, Cady, Janis, ect. 

Tomas can see that multiple characters are mean asf

Now once again, I don't see this being his cup of tea, but hate is too strong of a word 

Dislike is too strong of a word 

The movie is just eh to him. It's just a movie. He won't suffer if he watches it but he'll never choose to watch it on his own

I can see him lying about how much he enjoyed it so he ends up watching it a lot more than he wants to because you keep putting it on 

Even if this isn't his favorite movie, he definitely thinks the first is better than the sequel 

That shit was ass 

Mean Girls is entertaining. The sequel… no❤

He watches it with you because it lets you spend time together. 

Honestly you could put on a shitty booty ass movie like Teen Wolf (2023) and he'd watch it if it kept the two of you together 

“Sooooo… thoughts?” You leaned back in your seat and look over at him with hope and happiness in your eyes. He internally winced. How could he destroy that shimmer in your eyes?

“I loved it!” he lies. His heart swells in his chest when you clap your hands together and give him a toothy grin. By the Elder Gods… you were far too cute for him. Now he certainly couldn't tell you he didn't particularly care for the movie! You'd look so sad. 

“I'm so glad! We should get matching pink shirts! We can wear them on Wednesdays!”. Tomas kept his forced smile on his face. Internally, he wasn't sure what can of worms he opened. All he knew was that it was too late to close it back up. 

“Sounds great” he mumbled. “Maybe we can watch the sequel I've heard about”. Why did he keep talking?

You scoffed. “Sure. I guess we can suffer together”. 

Suffer? Oh boy… 

[aamy2100982]

I was scraping my brain on why I liked Lee Prince as Venom

I was thinking that it's not just because, although he is a disgusting bitch, Lee is actually kind of an attractive and interesting character who was wasted by being written off shortly after his first appearance and currently only popping up occasionally in unproductive ways.

But because in fact, the symbiote is given a personality throughout his comic.

Something I hate about writers giving the symbiote to a new character is that many don't really use the symbiote as a character, but rather as an item that gives a power buff to the main character. And the symbiote is left as a shell with no feelings, perspectives or thoughts.

Everything that happens through this comic is toxic as hell... But IT IS something

I like that they give this perspective to the symbiote where they're really not in control anymore.

And I also find this little form of the symbiote very cute.

I think it means a lot. Because if you notice, when the symbiote was with other hosts, it used to talk to them from inside their head, often not needing this visual representation of the symbiote separated from its host, but just in text boxes.

The symbiote's small form is a way of representing how inferior it feels with Lee, and the fact that it speaks to him from outside its body represents how detached they are as host and parasite.

It is a good representation of the symbiote I think so. Because it is a big and very resonant change.

Think that after this comic (issue #1 - #6 Venom 2016) we had the "this is a love story" comic

(issue #150, also 2016)

That is just:

Eddie: I did bad things that I didn't think I would do after a long time. All this has happened since I got back together with my partner.

Father: That sounds like shit, you should stay away from that person.

They leave the Church, Symby manipulates Eddie into thinking that it only do what Eddie wants, what "they" want, fight Scorpio, Eddie is left unconscious.*

Symby proceeds to try to kill the father for telling Eddie to stay away from them.* (he didn't die tho)

Do you see what I see?

I'm going to assume no. Lee Price's comic is literally the opposite of this. And I find that incredible. This comic was literally after the symbiote was taken away from Lee Price, but it really hits home. Because this isn't the first time Symby has done similar things to control Eddie.

Like giving him cancer to make Eddie believe he needs the symbiote or getting really jealous when Eddie tries to meet other people. Even if it's not in a romantic way.

I think we all collectively hate Lee Prince, but I wouldn't say his comic was bad. I wouldn't say he used to be a bad character either. It totally reimagined what the symbiote can be and I think that's great. Not every writer takes the time to explore the symbiote as a character when it's not with someone other than a Brock (Eddie and Dylan) or Flash, sometimes. So it's great what they were able to do with Lee even though it was little to no time.

I hope they do something interesting with him

Or at least let him die in peace.

[yansimstorythatiwillnotworkon]

Gema Taku

Name: Gema Taku

Gender: Male

Class: 3-2

Club: Gaming

Persona: Teacher's Pet

Reputation:

Overall: -13

Liked: -50

Respected: +10

Feared: 0

Crush: Musume Ronshaku

Strength: Weak

__

Gema seems to be a "meme" sort of character. Not as any sort of old video game gag or anything, but more so a character you're supposed to hate just because the character is unlikable. I'm not sure if there's a term for it, but the list of attributes is really just: Bad temper, generally unattractive appearance (although that is debatable), 'doomed to fail' story or history, already disliked by other characters, the negative "otaku" stereotype, even, and so on and so forth.

Thanks to the lack of effort that has currently been put into the majority of the students, this is how Gema Taku as a character has been left. I won't ramble on like some activist about how "harmful Gema's character could be to people with similar interests" or anything, but I do agree that a lot of the stereotypes that YanDev has used has really been just that- baseless stereotypes.

The only thing I'm grateful for regarding the information we were given for Gema was the fact that "his parents are disappointed in him". It certainly says numbers about why he is the way he is. If his parents being disappointed in him is a known fact, then we basically have the problem. Not just one but both parents giving up on their child would worsen any kid's bad habits.

That is why Gema has bad habits like terrible posture, always holding onto a gaming device, poor hygiene, a nearly chronic bad mood, and so on and so forth. Everything is caused by something, and Gema being a bad person is caused by having bad parents. I like to believe that the kindness he receives from his peers does genuinely help his mental state and how he views the school. Although, considering this is his last year, I also think that he might be paranoid that he won't be around these kind students anymore.

His parents did always tell him that the world wouldn't baby him and his horrible attitude. And right now, Gema might not be willing to put that to the test.

[call-me-copycat]

What do you think each rooftop squad was like in high school? This isn't Aizawa exclusively, it is him plus his friends.

Sorry if I'm reading this wrong, but are you asking what they all were like? If I'm wrong feel free to send another ask! (⁠；⁠^⁠ω⁠^⁠）

Shota:

Before meeting Shirakumo and Hizashi he appeared to be a bit of a loner

Definitely strikes me as someone who dealt with confidence issues, he never really looked too eager to be in class (considering how much work it is to get into the Hero course, naturally everyone there would be the most motivated individuals you could get, so he sticks out)

He probably got these issues from his quirk - I'm going to assume that having a quirk that can't do anything but take away other quirks (which children are extremely fond of their 'gifts' when getting them) wouldn't be the most... Popular

Not really shy per say, just quiet and antisocial

I saw that meeting Shirakumo and Hizashi was just what he needed, a welcoming and motivating environment so he could break out of his shell a bit

Sad to see him retreat back into it after Shirakumo's incident :⁠-⁠(

Hizashi:

Very excitable, the type to feel very strongly

As much of a goofball as he may be, many forget that he's in the hero course at one of the best schools in Japan - he's extremely smart!

We know that he knew Shirakumo before they both met Aizawa, so he probably matched Shirakumo's energy as well ⁠(⁠๑⁠¯⁠◡⁠¯⁠๑⁠)

He's a goodhearted kid, definitely very observant

I feel like hanging around Shirakumo so much lead to him putting his friends lives and feelings on a higher pedestal than his own - this is definitely seen after Shirakumo's death

He's the support friend, the friend that was always there for Aizawa to lean on

Many tend to push him to the sidelines, but I believe he's a much deeper character than we get to see ♪⁠～⁠(⁠´⁠ε⁠｀⁠ ⁠)

Shirakumo:

I have never seen such a "perfect" character other than Mirio and Deku

He likes sunshine and certainly acts like it (о´∀`о)

He's shown to be very caring and compassionate, so I'd say he's a high empathy person, also most likely very observant

Hearing that his grades weren't "anything to write home about" I like to think he's more of a hands-on type guy, preferring actual combat training than being in class

I don't think he even knows what shame feels like honestly - I've never seen him flustered or embarrassed, he's very open and extremely easy to read (most would probably know that I'm referring to that time he started changing clothes in front of his class)

I like to think he's drawn to challenges, hence why he probably set out to be friends with Shota. Shota stuck out like a sore thumb and avoided most social interaction, and Shirakumo, ever the one to want to help everyone and drawn to challenge, set his eyes on him

So naturally Hizashi must've gotten tangled in as well

He's also a very interesting character, ahh I wish we saw more of him! I really like Shirakumo!

Rooftop Trio Overall:

With Hizashi and his loud nature, Shirakumo and his habit to interact with everyone and everything, and with Shota sticking out with his antisocial demeanor, I wouldn't be surprised if these guys were the stars of the class

Even if that meant they were a bit infamous

I cannot see their classmates liking them that much, Hizashi's loud and blunt, Shirakumo's shameless in every sense, and Shota's off-putting and cold. They probably knew how they were seen as well (^^;) They wouldn't be hated per say, but rather a mild annoyance

I had a group like these guys in one of my classes that I took for the 4 years I was in highschool (so recently), a loud, good natured group essentially (there were 4, one of them a little quieter like Shota) so in a sense I got to grow with my own rooftop trio :⁠-⁠)

It was an extremely high level class too, which adds on even more since although this group joked and goofed, they were still very smart ^⁠_⁠^

Thanks for the ask! I hope you have a lovely day! (⁠ ⁠╹⁠▽⁠╹⁠ ⁠)

I love these guys so much (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠)

[chippedshake]

Ponyboy's narration pt. 2

Okay so.

I was going to make one post about all of the characters from the Outsiders as narrators but then I started with Ponyboy and saw it was too long a post. Then I started writing Ponyboy in two parts: how he influences the reader and what could've brought him to being an unreliable narrator, but I started with the how and saw it was too long a post.

So this is the second post about Ponyboy’s unreliable narration

This is the post where I talk about how Ponyboy influences the reader (i.e. what tehcniques he / S.E Hinton uses to change the reader's perception), and now this post is about what aspects of his personality brought him to be an unreliable narrator.

Just as a warning: almost everything I'm about to say is subjective (although heavily based on logic) and based on the way I interpret a character.

So without further ado:

What has brought Ponyboy to be such an unreliable narrator?

First of all, we have to consider that Ponyboy's only human. As I mentioned in my first analysis, I wouldn't be able to recite the conversation I had with my friend at the bus stop this morning, much less one from several weeks ago. When Ponyboy writes his English theme, it's been at least a couple weeks since Johnny and Dally died (I saw a detailed timeline somewhere; if I find it I'll link it), so everything has a certain degree of uncertainty.

But that's not the interesting part, because not all first-person narrators are known for being unreliable, while all first-person narrators have this degree of uncertainty that comes with everything being a recollection of facts.

I think that Ponyboy's unreliability can be boiled down to two main points: low self-esteem and struggling with social cues.

Struggling with social cues is a bit simpler to explain, so I'll start with that.

As I said in my other post, Ponyboy states his opinions as absolute facts. But often his opinions are misguided: he thinks Dally doesn't love anyone, and Darry doesn't care about him, both of which are eventually proven wrong. Those are both conclusions he got from taking interactions at their face value, not realising what the other two were thinking.

Darry yells at me? He must hate me. Dally doesn't show his love? He must not feel it.

Since the narrative corrected him on a couple times he failed to read social subtext, we can't assume he's right the other times he tells us what a character is thinking with absolute certainty. He could perfectly well be wrong, only he hasn't been corrected yet.

This is most evident with Johnny.

I think everyone in the fandom pretty much agrees that Ponyboy mischaracterises Johnny, portraying him as much weaker than he really is.

Some examples of Johnny's characterisation:

He was the gang's pet, everyone's kid brother.

...

"Me and Johnny'll come," I said. I knew Johnny wouldn't open his mouth unless he was forced to.

...

Then for the first time, really, I realized what we were in for. Johnny had killed someone. Quiet, softspoken little Johnny, who wouldn't hurt a living thing on purpose, had taken a human life.

I'm not saying that Ponyboy is 100% completely off when he characterises Johnny because that would be stupid. I have no authority to say he's wrong because Johnny doesn't exist and I don't personally know him.

I do however think that Johnny isn't exactly like Ponyboy says, simply because he was proven wrong with both Darry and Dally, so I have no reason to believe him about Johnny. It probably holds a nugget of truth, or is a reasonable misinterpretation just like Dally and Darry, but isn't the complete truth.

Now this is bridging into full-on speculation territory, but I think that Johnny changed how he was around Ponyboy. As someone who is currently sixteen and has an almost-fourteen-year-old little brother, I am not my real self around him. Of course, the situation is different, but I think that when you interact with someone younger than you, there is a conscious or subconscious filtering process.

Johnny might be quiet, but being quiet doesn't have to mean being the gang's pet or everyone's kid brother. Ponyboy probably misinterprets his silence for a sort of weakness or softness that I personally don't think is there.

Does that classify as a tangent? I think that classifies as a tangent. Idk guys I just love Johnny. I should dedicate a post just to how characters are mischaracterised and how I think they really are.

*adds to drafts*

Anyways...

Where was I?

Right, Ponyboy not understanding social subtext and social cues.

Basically, I think that there's a lot of times where he thinks someone means one thing and he's just drastically misinterpreted what they mean, only he never realises he's wrong. Not all that deep.

Now for the good stuff: Ponyboy's low self-esteem.

Why do I think he has low self-esteem?

Because I have low self-esteem and project onto my favourite characters

For a variety of reason, really. First of all, I have never met a teenager that is genuinely not insecure at all. Everyone’s uncomfortable with how they look and insecure about their abilities, and I think every teenager would be a very unreliable narrator as well as an insecure one.

And, well, Ponyboy is at the very least humble because

I get put into A classes because I'm supposed to be smart

It drives my brother Darry nuts when I do stuff like that, 'cause I'm supposed to be smart; I make good grades and have a high IQ and everything, but I don't use my head.

Ponyboy, at least at the beginning of the book, only ever says he's "supposed to be smart", not that he's actually smart. Cherry says he's smart. Darry says he's smart. Soda says he's smart. But Ponyboy never says he's smart.

Now, there's a lot to be said about how Ponyboy views intelligence (writing one post just brings me to fifteen other ones I want to make), but I think that even assuming he views intelligence as a negative trait, there are lots of ways to say "I'm smart", at least one of which shouldn't remind him of the negative connotations. "I'm good at school", "I'm school smart"; if he wanted to avoid saying "I'm smart", there were other ways.

 There was another column about just Darry and Soda and me: how [...] I made the honor roll at school all the time and might be a future track star. (Oh, yeah, I forgot — I'm on the A-squad track team, the youngest one. I'm a good runner.)

Ponyboy only ever tells us he regularly makes the honor roll and might be a future track star when it's absolutely indispensible. He doesn't like to brag about his accomplishments, much like someone who doesn't think they're important accomplishments.

He tends to devalue his own accomplishments and strong spots while exacerbating others'. (heh did you see that I used exacerbate in a sentence and it sounded natural)

We've all laughed at how much he waxes poetic on Soda's looks, but that is an example of him bringing attention to someone else's positive traits while mainly paying attention to his own flaws. He criticises his own looks in the opening monologue while constantly complimenting Soda's. He says he has a good build but he's still small for fourteen and talks a lot about how much muscle Darry has.

That isn't to say he doesn't criticise other people, he does, but he's constantly comparing himself to others and using their virtues to point out his own flaws in the most teenager form of self-hate I've seen.

I think the most interesting and possibly compelling argument for Ponyboy's insecurity lies with how it ties into the narration.

Ponyboy tells us that Steve, Dally, and Darry hate him at the beginning of the book. He thinks that three out of six people in the gang hate him.

That's nice.

Now, Dally and Darry are proved to actually care about him, but with Steve we're just left with the original assumption.

Let's take a look at the evidence, shall we?

I liked Steve only because he was Soda's best friend. He didn't like me — he thought I was a tagalong and a kid; Soda always took me with them when they went places if they weren't taking girls, and that bugged Steve.

...

Steve shook his head. "Me and Soda are pickin' up Evie and Sandy for the game." He didn't need to look at me the way he did right then. I wasn't going to ask if I could come. I'd never tell Soda, because he really likes Steve a lot, but sometimes I can't stand Steve Randle. I mean it. Sometimes I hate him.

...

Steve flicked his ashes at me. "What were you doin', walkin' by your lonesome?" Leave it to good old Steve to bring up something like that. 

That's it. That is all the evidence we have that Steve dislikes Ponyboy.

Ponyboy's opinion when he's introducing him, a supposed "look" (might I remind you that we've established that Ponyboy cannot read social cues), and Steve being... worried about him? In a way Ponyboy doesn't like?

Where have we seen that before?

(In case you haven't figured it out: that's exactly what happened with Darry)

And every other time Steve appears, there is absolutely no reason to think he dislikes Ponyboy. They seem friendly even.

Am I saying Steve is never annoyed at Pony? Absolutely not. If my best friend's little brother tagged along to all of our hang-outs, I'd be pissed off too. But there's a big difference between not wanting someone three years younger than you to tag along when you hang out with your best friend and genuinely hating them.

But if you have low self-esteem, you look at any signs of someone being lightly annoyed at you and take that to mean that they hate you (speaking from experience).

What this means for the storyline is that Ponyboy will undermine his own abilities and give the impression that his relationship with other people is worse.

So, in conclusion, Ponyboy is an unreliable narrator because

He's only human and can't be expected to remember everything perfectly

He is very, very bad at reading social cues and understanding subtext, so these are often mis-explained

He has low self esteem and therefore undervalues his own virtues and assumes other people have lower opinions of him

[noblesixjm04]

Comfort characters gonna comfort

Reader: *Rambling about their favorite hobby/interests. Hands moving wildly as they speak. Their eyes bright and a blinding smile on their face as they talk to John.*

John: *Thinks it's sweet and kind of adorable. He's mostly just comforted by the fact that you feel comfortable enough with him to talk like this.* *It's nice for him to just. Feel normal once in awhile outside of blue team.*

John: *Is also confused on how you just as quickly stopped as soon as you started. Falling in on yourself as you ring your hands together.*

Reader: *Embarrassed that they had managed to talk for so long and John hasn't gotten to say anything yet.* *A lingering voice hissing at them that he doesn't care. That they've made a fool of themselves yet again.*

Reader: "I'm. I'm sorry."

John: *Is now both confused and concerned.* "Sorry for what?" *Doesn't like the fact that you're no longer holding eye contact. A sure fire way to tell that you're nervous or embarrassed over something. If anything he could almost hear your pounding heart.*

Reader: *Swallows thickly. Nervous by the stare that John is giving them. They consider lying or brushing it off but they knew better than to do that. John is capable of sniffing out a lie like a bloodhound.* "For talking so much?"

Reader: *Shrugging their shoulders. Trying to get rid of the tension there.* "I know it's not something you care about and I've probably taken up your time when you could have been doing something else." *They are rambling now.* "And I know that what I've got to say isn't all that important."

Reader:*Nearly jumps a mile high when John lays a hand on their shoulder.*

John-117: *Low-key pissed. Not at you but at whoever made you believe such nonsense.* "Who said that?" *His voice is low and even. Face void of emotion save for the muscles clenching in his jaw.*

Reader: *Squirming in their seat. Still unused to John's intense way of caring even after having known him for a while.* "Who said what?"

John-117: *Leaning forward in his chair so that he can be more on your level.* "That what you have to say isn't important." *He pauses. Eyes searching over your face.* "Who y/n." *He's using what you jokingly call the 'master chief voice '. The one that leaves no room for question. The one you hate to be on the receiving end of cause it means that you have to learn that you are cared for.*

Reader: *Wants to look away but can't. Both comforted by the fact that John cares but worried about what he might do.* "It's nothing Chief. Really."

Oh now you've done it.

John-117: *Nothing?* *Slides the hand on your shoulder down your arm until your hand is in his.* "It is never nothing when someone makes you feel this way y/n."

John: "No one deserves to be demeaned like that. You should have never been made to feel that way." *His knees bump into yours as he moves closer.* "Never will I take anything you say as "not important." You are allowed to be heard. Be seen."

John: *His hand squeezes yours. A calloused thumb soothing over your knuckles.* "You're allowed to be yourself with me. Always."

John-117: *He pulls away although he does not want to. Reaching for his helmet he had taken off to better hear you with. Wanting to hear your voice without it's audio filters.* "Now. Who?"

Reader: *Watches as Master Chief stands up. Golden visor looking at them.* "An. An old friend I'm no longer friends with. David Hawthorne."

Reader: " Chief I haven't talked to him in years. Why does it matter.... Who...."

Master Chief has left the chat.

A few days later

Reader: *Is humming along to Welcome to the Jungle as they clean their gun. * *Startles when they feel a hand on their shoulder. Really they should be used to it by now from how often people do it while they're lost in their own little world.* "Sorry about that! I had my earbuds... In."

Reader: *Immediately frowns when they see who it is. Almost putting the earbuds back in so they wouldn't have to listen to him.*

Reader: *Now standing with their hand on the back of their chair. On guard as they speak.* "Hawthorne."

David H: *He looks. Well scared as he shuffles from foot to foot. Brow glistening with sweat. He keeps glancing to the right.* "M'sorry."

There's a noise in the back.

David H: *Louder now. His face is paler than snow.* "I'm sorry." *You see his adams apple bob up and down as he swallows.*

Reader:*Confused.* "Sorry for what? What are you even doing here? Last time I checked you were on some distant colony planet."

David H: *Glances to the right again.* "For the way I treated all those years ago. For what I told you. I'm sorry. I know I can't make up for it but I'm sorry."

Reader: *Everything clicking into place as they remember their conversation with John.* "I. Okay then." *Honestly they didn't know how to respond. Never expecting an apology from the man that made them feel like the worst human In history.*

David H: *Curtly nods. Glances to the right. If anything he lost more color in his face from that last glance before he took off out the door.*

Reader: "Okay then..." *They look to where David had been and almost cry as a warmth bloomed in their chest. From happiness, from knowing that they were cared for. They don't know.*

All of Blue team is standing there. Leaning against the walls or in the Chief case against the back of a bench. Arms crossed as he, and them, kept a watchfully eye on reader as David gave what they thought was a less than ok apology.

Reader:"Thank you."

Master Chief: *Nods then motions for blue team to follow after David.*

John: *As he walks past reader. Lays a hand on their shoulder, squeezes, then leaves to follow after his team.*