#and I've yet to see anyone have a problem with it....other than it being dependent on Narrachara

[funnier-as-a-system]

Hi this might be a weird question but. How do you know if there are Other People in Your Head? Cuz. My partner who is in a system has been walking me thru symptoms of DID bc. They think I might have DID or smth similar bc of some Symptoms I've Exhibited. But I've never noticed anyone else in my head. (Tho. I am a Notably Different Person rn but I still have memories?? Like I'm missing some but I remember things! I'm just. Suddenly a Different Guy)

(Sorry this is probably stupid u don't have to answer this)

It's not a stupid question at all, anon. Figuring out such things can be difficult even under the best of circumstances, so I'm happy to help.

First things first, having DID doesn't always present as "Other People in Your Head". Sometimes, it can be closer to what you describe, where you're just Suddenly a Different Guy on occasion. Depending on where you live, this experience might fall under OSDD-1 and not DID, but for simplicity's sake, let's just call it DID.

DID is different from person to person. Some folks have very separate and distinct people in their head. Other folks feel more like one entity who becomes different people over time, or as one person who has several facets to them, each with their own unique identity. Still others are somewhere in-between. This middle option(s) sounds a lot like what you describe; within the plural community, you'd probably find the most similarities with median systems, who experience less separation between selves and often describe switches* as more like "becoming someone else" rather than "someone else takes over". They may not actively perceive other selves as Other People in Their Head, but still showcase multiple identities (which correspond with different selves) at different points in time, and may or may not experience memory issues.

* a "switch" is what it's called when whoever is in control of the body changes

Speaking of, memory issues can vary in DID, too. Sometimes you may not remember anything that happened while a different person/guy/self was in control, other times you may remember bits and pieces, still other times you may remember everything but feel disconnected from it, and sometimes you may even have no problems recalling memories at all. Median systems often report fewer or less severe memory issues, although this is not an inherent rule of being median.

There's also the possibility that perceiving the (potential) Other People in Your Head is just a skill you haven't unlocked yet, and right now you're only able to notice when your current identity is different in some way to how it was previously. That's common among those who have DID. In that case, working on communication can help. But it's also okay if you're never able to perceive anyone else in your head. Whether you are or are not a system is not dependent on mastering every trick in the book – especially as you'd be hard-pressed to find a system who finds all of them useful!

I'd recommend looking into median systems and seeing if any of that is relatable to you. You may also wish to look into OSDD-1, but again, depending on where you live, this may not be a separate diagnosis from DID, and not all those with OSDD-1 are or are like median systems. There's no foolproof way to determine if you're a system, but I'd say that's your best bet if you want to find systems who can understand and relate to what you're experiencing.

I hope this helps, and I wish you and your partner luck in figuring things out, anon!

[ctheathy]

WRITE ME REDSON X MALE READER 😭 DID I DO IT GOOD NOW!????

Red Son General Headcanons

Redson x Reader

General+Fluff Headcanons

Author’s note: Nuh uh you did absolutely TERRIBLE😡. I should just solve the problem and ban you from my account right now. You even went against my rules dipshi- [The requester and I are friends, don't cancel me]

Possibly OOC, but I tried. I had to depend on the wikipedia for information cause I've never even watched Monkie Kid to begin with. This was really just an exception for a friend of mine.

Redson/Reader [Romantic Tendencies]

[Gender-neutral Darling|Female Darling|Male Darling]

Potential ⚠️TWs⚠️ :

!Male Reader! • Paranoia

The level of priority towards reputation are often known to depend on a rank one was born into or the image they created for themselves over the course of time, which in this case is undoubtedly high... Redson has been shown to hold a lot of family pride and takes any chance to prove his authority over his subclasses. It's safe to say the the demon bull is likely going to have some difficulty swallowing his ego to allow emotional connections to grow and much less legitimise a romantic relationship with someone from the group he has grown acquainted with.

He can also be known to be rather petty and too prideful to accept his flaws. So if happens to be something that irritates you, you're definitely going to end up having one or more squabbles with the son of the Demon Bull King. Especially when it comes to Redson having a fierce temper and such, resulting in him trying to lecture you and get a completely insignificant point across. But I also believe you'd be more capable of keeping him in line instead of if you were to just go along with his behaviour. But it can also cause in a feast of awkwardness, as there have been several occasions where you embarrassingly have to hold Redson back from lashing out at a laughing MK and Mei for calling your arguments a lover's quarrel.

Though even with his high-and-mighty and hostile nature, it is important to remember that as long as a bond is formed, he won't ever actually harm or even remotely think of hurting you. Like, at all. He can be a bit bigmouthed at times, but many of his words should regularly be taken with a grain of salt. He is quick to snap at anyone from time to time, but I believe your presence would definitely keep him tame to a certain degree, as your mere existence just happens to soothe him. So on the bright side, you might be able to kick him off his high horse for the first time during his five hundred years of life.

I can picture Redson having grown up under a domain of regulation where females are generally and more often treated extra delicately due to being more ‘fragile’, so you can expect him to behave firmer, a bit more rough yet open to his real self a lot faster than if you were a female. He'll see you less as a ‘target’ for a lack of better term, and more as a comrade. Plus, if you were to give him the approval he lacked from his parents, it wouldn't feel uncomfortable as long as you have had the opportunity to create a connection. Though primarily, I cannot view intimate scenarios as anything other than plain awkward for a little while. You're gonna have to be the one initiating the hugs with him and give implications to get more touchy feely. Though when surrounded by eyewitnesses, he'll often still end up shooing you away ...you'll perhaps, just maybe absolutely get to hold his hand at most.

I mean, when's the last time you've seen somebody behaving sappy and all goo-goo with the literal son of the Demon Bull King out in the open? He just cannot allow it! Not only for the sake of his dignity, but also to keep up his image so you'll continue seeing him as an almighty demon who has an unnerving amount of political power over any lower rank. As far deep down, hidden within... he wants to appear and be so much more special to you than he'd be willing to admit.

If you were to lack in durability, fighting abilities or overall weapon skills, I can see Redson going out of his way to strictly teach you his ways of strength individually. Not necessarily in a sense to get you to his level, but in order to give you the capability to protect yourself. He would always be there to protect you with ferocious security at a moment's notice [and scold you afterwards for getting yourself in a dangerous situation], but he cannot help but doubt his abilities to ensure your safety at times. Along with fearing for the worst that one time he might not be there to save you. And this singular thought might just be what it takes to make him evaluate how he actually feels about you.

[nova-streyart]

The Thing about Belos Nobody Mentions

There's an aspect of Belos I haven't seen anyone talk about yet: him potentially being on the schizophrenia spectrum, or schizospec for short, and everything that means. Before you say anything, I am a schizoaffective person. This is my interpretation. This is based off my own experiences with this disorder, and my own research.

Analysis and rant under the cut:

=ANALYSIS=

So this all started when I learned that one of the color design pieces had Caleb and the grimwalkers labelled "Golden Guard Illusion". Artists credited in the image itself.

It's weird to me that they're labeled as illusions and not hallucinations, because the latter is what the ghosts actually are. Illusions are images your brain distorts based off something that's there, while hallucinations are images your brain creates from nothing. The fact that these ghosts are actually hallucinations of Belos and not real ghosts doesn't say a whole lot about Belos on its own, because anyone can hallucinate if they experience intense enough negative emotions. But you'll see why I think there's something more to this.

Following this lead, I rewatched the scene where Papa Titan talks to Luz in the In-Between realm in the series finale. After Luz asks him whether her motivation to save her friends and family makes her just as bad as Belos, she tells her:

"Well, you assume Belos' goal comes from a genuine place. But that man doesn't care about anything but his need to be the hero in his own delusion."

Let me give you a short lesson about delusions in the context of schizospec disorders: Delusions are firmly held beliefs that the person experiencing can't be convinced aren't true. This can be extremely serious and life-threatening, such as as believing all your food's been poisoned. But it can also be harmless; it really depends on the delusion. The type of delusion referenced here would be a delusion of grandeur, which is a real thing in schizospec disorders. Such delusions can be serious, like believing you're the second coming of god, or more harmless, like believing you're better than others.

Taking both the hallucinations and the delusion into mind, it's very possible that Belos has some kind of schizospec disorder.

=RANT=

Let's talk about that scene where Belos goes to the grimwalker cave. Notice how the hallucinations are played for laughs? That's problematic. Hallucinations are not something you can just tell to "shut up" and they'll go away. Hallucinations are not things you can interact with. There's already other media with this problem, such as A Beautiful Mind, but the fact that it's in a show that's supposed to be celebrating neurodivergence is hypocritical.

Let's briefly go back to that Papa Titan quote. See how he used the word "delusion" to describe Belos' motivation?Yeah, that's really problematic in the schizospec community. As mentioned before, delusions can be life threatening, so tossing that word around like it's nothing is really frustrating and insulting. The show should have used a word like "fantasy" to get its point across more effectively if it was implying that Belos has a hero complex.

Continuing this train of thought, it gets worse when you consider how Papa Titan- and in essence the narrative- is essentially ridiculing Belos for experiencing a very intense delusion. Delusions are not something a schizospec person can control. I've already seen the fandom mocking Belos for this quality. It was one of those awful memes with the caption "schizophrenia," and had audio of markiplier doing a bit where he was bantering with an "inner voice". Such memes are awful because they're not real experiences schizospec people go through. They're assumptions about our experiences non-schizospec people make about us.

That would be the worst of it, but no, it gets far worse when you consider a few things:

Belos is the main antagonist. That would be annoying enough, considering the plethora of mentally ill villains in media, but nope. The narrative also treats him as this purely evil being who is incapable of any good whatsoever. Which, OK. It's possible for a schizospec person to be a monster. But the fact that the only schizospec representation we have is either of us as helpless victims, or as irredeemable monsters, is infuriating.

Belos is clearly meant to be a foil to Luz. Which, congrats to the show for having a neurodivergent lead, but let me tell you about some of the hardships schizospec people face: In real life, schizospec people are cast out of mental health advocacy groups. Schizospec people are treated as subhuman by doctors and psychiatrists. Schizospec people are demonized and vilified by society. Schizospec people are denied jobs and housing. With all this in mind the fact the narrative chooses to glorify a character with the "right," the "acceptable," kind of neurodivergence while berating a character with the "scary," the "monstrous," kind of neurodivergence is absolutely disgusting.

=CONCLUSION=

I feel like it has to be said that I am not condoning Belos' actions, or trying to woobify him. Belos, as a person, was terrible. No amount of mental illness tacked onto him will excuse any of his actions.

I'm also not trying to imply that schizospec characters can't be evil. I'm just saying that it's extremely tiresome that the only representation we get is either us as victims or as villains.

To conclude all of this, please, do your research before adding something like this into your story.

[artemx746]

What are your thoughts on canon Percabeth?

Hmm, in more recent years canon Percy and Annabeth have gotten on my nerves both as individual characters and as a pairing.

It's probably obvious if you follow me that I did not like Wrath, there's a lot about it that just made me so frustrated but this is not about my opinions on the book but more on it's characterisation. There are people a lot more knowledgeable than me on how both Percy and Annabeth's characters have fallen in their time but I can summarise my own thoughts on them. (I could probably give some thoughts on Grover but that would mean I'd need to reread wottg which... no)

I actually really liked pjato percabeth, as a lot of people did, they were hardly my favourite ship or even my favourite characters but I could truthfully say they were well written as both characters and felt like a natural pairing. And then Hoo came along. I think the main reasons I have for disliking Percabeth in these books would be that they also suffer from the whole 'too many characters, not enough time' thing and also, they're constantly put on this pedestal of being a "Perfect romance" and it just gets so irritating that it gets hard to enjoy them.

Probably not too unpopular opinion (idk I haven't seen anyone else with it but I also don't stray beyond the ta fandom most days): I don't like Percabeth going to Tartarus. Nico? Yes I fw that, but having a whole book where the A plot is percabeth in Tartarus just feels weird. Personally, I think that trying to describe 'indescribable horror' makes them a lot less horrific. Again, not too sure if this is just a personal gripe but I don't see Tartarus as that much of a bad place anymore (esp. after tsats).

There are hoo-era books that do percabeth well, ie. demigods and magicians because they're allowed to be separate characters and work well as a team. Y'know, like how a good relationship is written.

Cotg and Wottg (plus that 1 scene in tsats) all suffer from dumbing down Percy and not giving Annabeth enough time separate from him. The closest we get to Annabeth alone time is the first book of mcga where she's in 2 scenes. In SotD she's there with Percy (sidenote: I don't like how they were written in sotd, bad vibes there I can't really describe it). Dumbing down Percy has a whole lot of problems but it also just loses one of the things I really like about pjato percabeth. Ta server can attest I've lamented about this before but one of my favourite scenes in pjo is the one in SoM where Annabeth fails to spell Cyclops and Percy realised that beneath all her pride Annabeth is still a disabled kid like him. Percy has always been very smart and having him lose that means he loses one of the parts of his character that makes him interesting.

Another interesting thing is that I have read all the main books, there are still some side stories I've yet to read mostly the ghostwritten ones, and I don't like percabeth that much but my friend has only read up to about half of moa if that and he is pretty neutral on percabeth but my other friend who has onky read pjo? She really likes percabeth. It's one of those things that I'd never expect to show how much the writing of them he devolved so quickly

This is getting very long oopsies but my opinion on percabeth depends on the era they are in and if that era is post-hoo chances are I will not like them

[even-in-arcadia]

What is the titular mercy of The Terror: "A Mercy"? If I recall correctly, Dave K has said that it refers primarily to Stanley's choice - but could it not also refer to Fitzjames? The "mercy" of giving the men an opportunity to let off steam, to feel joy in the darkness? And more than that: to give them a project, to make all of those paper flowers and put up the tents and plan their costumes! But, though there is no punctuation in the title, it feels like a question: what IS mercy? It's a very bold title for an episode that ends with a man setting himself and his colleagues on fire! But I think that question is one of the recurring themes that runs through the rest of the show.

According to Shakespeare, in the quote that keeps echoing in my mind,

The quality of mercy is not strain'd. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes.

Ok - it has be good for both the bestower and receiver. Stanley, though - Stanley learned of the lead issue, sure, that's a blow. But there are other medical professionals and numerous other officers on board with whom he could confer. Obviously on the pack options are limited, but without any discussion or really any time to process what Goodsir has told him (in a very cursory manner no less), he makes a choice. He goes to Carnivale and "bestows" his mercy upon all present, in the form of one of the worst deaths I can imagine. And they don't know why, all they know is that they were at a carnival and the sun was about to return: a time of hope! And yet Dr Stanley decides that it is his right to decide that the most merciful thing is to immolate himself and everyone else with him.

Then we have Morfin in 1x07. Morfin has also gotten shocking, terrible news. Arguably his is worse: not only is their hoped for rescue not coming, but he finds this out by finding the frozen, severed heads of his comrades. He's already been suffering terrible headaches. He cannot tell anyone of what he has seen or its implications. And so, in desperation, he asks for mercy: he begs someone to shoot him and put him out of his pain. But they offer platitudes and "solutions" that would at best attenuate his true problems. No doubt Crozier, Fitzjames, et all, think they are being merciful by trying to talk him down, offer solutions. Then: Enter, quietly, Tozer: Tozer, the only one who knows what Morfin knows. (Tozer who has already lost faith in command's ability to save them.) And so Tozer gives Morfin the only true relief that is possible, and he does this because he alone is able to clearly see it clearly that this is not murder, it is mercy - because it has been asked for and then granted.

Goodsir clearly can't see it as such, but he does know this has marked a terrible turning point. I imagine the others present would agree with him. This is the first time, in fact, that we see someone iin the crew ntentionally kill their fellow as a specific target. It's interesting that the first time this happens -- especially given the variety of subsequent assisted suicides and murders -- it IS in an act intended as kindness.

Later, of course, others will come around to this. (These two also parallel the difference between Fitzjames who asks for and is blessed with the mercy of a release from a truly terrible death with and by someone who loves him; and Gibson, who has it inflicted on him by a man who theoretically loved him, as well as he could.)

I've been trying to figure out how to conclude this and I can't. Knowing what we know about their final ends, it is harder to judge. Can mercy be meted out? Imposed? Perhaps the real answer to "what is mercy" is, as in many things, "it depends."

[paikothecateater]

What kind of unique magic abilities do you think Norway and Iceland both have?

They were both born with some and later acquired some, so I'm gonna break this down.

Norway was born with a few abilities, but they didn't exactly begin manifesting right away and when they did, he was more than capable of controlling them. Iceland's on the other hand immediately kicked in and he had absolutely zero control over them. They were also a lot more dangerous than Norway's, so it was really hard for him to even learn how to properly use them without hurting people.

Norway's powers were more psychological than physiological, so he wasn't really risking hurting anyone by using them.

I've mentioned Norway's ability to project thoughts and mess with people's heads, but I never explained it in detail.

His thought projection is pretty straight forward. He has pretty good control over it and it temporarily... Sort of shuts off the other's ability to think because their thoughts are replaced entirely by Norway's for the moment. This leads onto his ability to mess with people's heads and manipulate them into thinking what he wants them to. It's very seamless. You would not be able to tell he did it. He can make people see things too. He actually uses this to allow Denmark, Finland and Sweden to see his creatures. No, I don't personally believe Sweden can see them on his own.

There's also telekinesis but that takes a whole lot more effort and he has still yet to perfect it. He does use it to trip Denmark.

Now, unfortunately, given that his powers greatly rely on his mental and emotional state, when his control of either of those things is compromised, so is his control of his powers.

For example, say Iceland is missing. This is obviously going to cause him a lot of distress. He's panicking so sometimes things around him will begin to shake violently. The radius of how many things are affected depends on how distressed he is.

When he's shocked or surprised, things can just completely stop. It's not obvious unless someone's holding something and it just refuses to move or if it's raining or snowing and it just... Stops. It doesn't change the physical state though, so it's not like the rain becomes an unmovable solid. You just walk into water.

Iceland's powers are more physical and they're harder to control. Being the land of fire and ice I thought I'd give him some form of powers to reflect that. Fire and ice powers are pretty cliché, but I understand that it's a pretty common headcanon for Iceland's powers.

I wanted to put at least some sort of unique spin on this, but it's near impossible, so I did what I can.

Iceland can change the temperature of his body at will. It's a very wide range, and the switch is near instant. You also would not be able to tell he's doing it unless you're close to him in proximity because it doesn't have any effect in terms of appearance. Norway is particularly fond of this ability because it allows him to use his little brother as a microwave or freezer. Denmark also makes use of this by taking Iceland on his frequent fishing trips. It is a conscious decision that takes effort though, so it's very easy to control.

Iceland also has the standard ability to freeze and ignite things. He had no control over this as a child. Any strong emotions he felt would trigger it. Norway was the one who eventually helped Iceland learn how to deal with it.

This power is much harder to control in general. Even now, Iceland has slip ups. It's heavily influenced by his emotional state. Thankfully the fire responds more to positive emotions like excitement while the ice responds to the negative emotions. Iceland has accidentally lit things on fire before and it's not exactly a great time. It's a huge part of the reason he suppresses his emotions (or tries to) to stop himself from causing problems.

Even if he makes the conscious decision to drop his body temperature extremely low, it won't stop ignition. He's tried, but it doesn't work and it's super painful. He can't freeze and burn something at the same time.

Now that these are out of the way, these two also have traits that while not too magical are still very superhuman.

Iceland has very sensitive hearing. He also has selective hearing, so he can choose to tune out someone who's talking directly to him in favour of listening to what's happening in the next room over. This is also a conscious decision that requires effort.

Norway's intuition is scary good. He can instantly tell when something or someone feels off. Iceland has learned to trust Norway's gut feeling at all times because it has always been accurate.

These are the only two I have on the fly, but there are more.

There are also the powers they share.

They can both breathe just fine underwater. Iceland's vision is actually a little better underwater.

They're both incredibly strong swimmers. This one could fall under the last category, but I'm putting it here. It's not in any way human. They could swim from Norway to Iceland in half a day. They'd be absolutely exhausted no doubt, but it's something they can accomplish.

Here are a few downsides to their natural powers before we get into anything else.

The more worried Norway is about projecting unpleasant thoughts, the more likely it is to happen and it scares the shit out of him. It works a lot like with intrusive thoughts. The more he tries to force it to stop, the more it happens. He has avoided people because of this in the past.

Because of the very volatile nature of Iceland's powers it's very easy for a very devastating cycle to occur. Something bad happens to Iceland, Iceland freezes over everything and is too miserable to unfreeze it which causes him to be even more miserable and so on and so forth until he finally calms down, usually with the help of Norway.

Now, there are powers that they eventually acquired.

Norway has definitely learned more about his magic and is very good with a lot of it. He prefers making magical remedies to spell casting, though he uses both liberally.

Iceland only learns what he needs in the moment. That's how he gave Mr. Puffin the ability to speak human language. He was able to communicate with him before. Mr. Puffin was very interested by Iceland in the start, so he (in a move very reminiscent of meowth from team rocket) learned how to speak through observation, just so he can get Iceland to keep him. It was very broken and it seemed only Iceland could understand what he was trying to communicate, so he eventually gave Mr. Puffin the ability to properly communicate.

When it comes to the magical creatures, Iceland doesn't interact with them all that much. He feels that Norway can get away with being all mysterious and talking to creatures that no one else sees, but he can't. His reasoning? Everyone is already impressed by Norway. Norway is known as this super mystical guy while Iceland would look absolutely crazy.

Iceland doesn't ignore the creatures though. He really respects them and if they were to speak to him directly, he'd respond regardless of who's watching. Specifically Norway's troll has taken a liking to Iceland and watches over him whenever he can.

That's all I can think of at the moment. I can update this later, but that's all for now. Thanks for letting me yap about my children again.

[jackwolfes]

I would love to start writing grishaverse fics but I'm worried about not getting the characterisation correct. I've started with a modern au, which was maybe not the best plan considering it's probably harder to keep the dialogue in character when they're not in their normal setting. Any words of wisdom? Since you seem to be so inherently good at nailing all of the crows 😅

your point on AUs is interesting because 1) i am a big big AU writer and 2) i know some people insist that AUs are always automatically less in character which is just emphatically not true and is often times good old fashioned pretentiousness

but i would say that the key thing to AU writing is understanding the characters in their entirety, as well as how their character changes depending on the situations they're in, and adjusting accordingly. i run into this problem all the time with wylan! so in AUs where his entry into the barrel is entirely different i have to reevaluate how like, scared for his life he'd be basically, and how that changes how he relates to other people

for another example - the way matthias changes as a character in SOC is tied to how far away he is from his (for lack of a better term) cult, paired with the love he is met with from nina and the evidence of "goodness" from grisha (jesper & kuwei). so then that becomes: what is the au equiavalent of the druskelle? how long has it been since he's left them? how long has he known nina, has he met jesper/kuwei, has he had closure yet against brum?

i also think it's suuuuper important with AUs to remember that in the books they are all teenagers and all act like teenagers. if you're writing aged up AUs, certain ways they act will necessarily be different - ie all of them, at one point or another, think way too highly of themselves and/or act like immature gits that don't know how feelings work: if you're aging them up you'll have leeway to temper them a bit. interestingly i think the netflix show does this really well, with wesper especially - wylan isn't flushing constantly when jesper flirts with him because he's already a sexually active adult, etc. it's an interesting case study wrt how to age characters up and keep the essence of who they are

anyway i have wildly different confidence levels for the different crows so don't like, take this as gospel, but if you're interested i jotted down a few of the key things that i keep in mind about each of them below the cut:

mh

matthias is funnier than anyone gives him credit for. he doesn't always mean to be but comedy + matthias = winner

if you're writing early matthias: he is scared and lost and angry. he is in a new country he does not know the language of, freshly betrayed by someone he was never supposed to trust, and kicking himself for being stupid enough to "fall for her tricks" (while also being so profoundly in love that he is angry all over again that he is still "being tricked")

if you're writing later matthias: he is just. fucking. trying. he can see that there is something hopeful on the horizon and has realised that he wants it and will do what he can to make steps towards it. i really like writing matthias as clueless but well meaning, where he's a bit thick about a lot of things but really wants to do better! like your cishet uncle at christmas who is REALLY trying to get your pronouns right because he knows it means something to you but just doesn't have a grasp of how they work, yknow?

his faith is SO important to him, especially as the series goes on and he starts doubting everything. when he's in fjerda he's embedded in it but when he's in kerch, it is the literal only thing he had keeping him going. when he joins the crows, he clings to it as if to prove to himself that not everything he learnt was entirely wrong until he can reconcile religion with loving grisha

wve

if you aren't familiar with the signs of autism, research them. once you have, congratulations! you now have a guide to writing wylan van eck.

wylan is infinitely meaner than anyone gives him credit for. i dont mean snarky, i don't mean bitchy, i mean MEAN. early on, he says some fucking savage things without any real consideration for how jesper feels because he just fundamentally hasn't had real kindness from anyone in so long, which means he doesn't know that he doesn't have to expect cruelty back.

he does not want to be doing anything illegal. he'll do it but won't fucking like it - except he will also at the same time be very prideful about what he's doing. so he'll do it, and won't fucking like it, but by god will he do it well and make sure everyone around him knows how clever he is. he doesn't brag, exactly, but he WILL be smug and will not skimp on theatrics when needed.

the thing that made wylan click for me was someone saying that he is not SHY, but he is RESERVED. at no point is he really actually timid. he gets flustered, and fear/anxiety for his life is fucking rampant, but he is at no point shy with his opinions. he just refuses to show his whole hand and is very much like kaz in this respect.

early wylan is just having the worst fucking week, all the time. like every day is the worst day of his life: he's tired, hungry, scared, anxious, belittled, lonely. a part of him genuinely believes that he'll be able to go home again, which makes him resentful of the how bad his life in the barrel is.

underneath all of this wylan is still a profoundly hopeful character. i think one of the most interesting things about him is that he has an unhindered belief that the world is at it's core good, even though it also has bad things in it, and a fundamental unwillingness to settle for other people's cynicism. he's not stupid, he's not deluded, he's barely even optimistic, but throughout the series he genuinely does seem to believe that there will be a happy ending in some way or another.

jf

if you aren't familiar with the signs of adhd………….

jesper to me is just doing his very best to get through life without feeling any negative emotion ever for any longer than he has to. much like matthias, he is lost and scared and angry - but instead of channeling this into a pseudo-facist military cult he tries to stop feeling the bad feelings as quick as he possibly can. he has learnt that bad feelings = the worst, and the way to deal with that isn't to embrace them to understand them and move on [because he has also learnt that "bad" means "should be hidden"] so he tries to not feel them at all. he does not dwell on his mother's death or his father's insistence that a beautiful part of himself is a curse. he squishes it down and tries to cover it with gambling and flirting and anything else that'll get him through - except those coping mechanisms always make him feel worse, which he tries to bottle up and cover with a joke and a smile…... etc etc etc

to emphasise: when he covers things up, he does so in the biggest, boldest and most public ways as if that'll prove to everyone else, as well as himself, that he's fine. he doesn't shut up, he's a snarky asshole, and his whole thing is that he refuses to stop moving because stopping let's the bad feelings catch up.

he is both incredibly cynical and incredibly optimistic, which is a strange juxtaposition to get your head around but makes him really interesting! he's described as having "reckless optimism" and an insane hope that everything will pull through - but so often when he talks to wylan he is utterly jaded about wylan's way of seeing the world.

jesper doubts himself and his talents fucking massively. whereas a lot of the other crows are almost too confident about their abilities to do things, jesper doesn't really put stock into his talents! and this again comes down to the fact he has fundamentally not taken the time to learn and understand why he has the talents he has, and only gets to that point at the end of CK.

ig

inej to me is just very teenage girl, by which i mean: she is funnier than anyone gives her credit for, she likes to be right, she crushes on idiot boys [and gets annoyed about it] and truly cherishes her friendships. she is a TEENAGE GIRL, not an all-caring insightful mother figure, and when she supports her friends she leans on them in return just as heavily.

related to that she is also infinitely more like… proud than people give her credit for. this is also similar to wylan IMO but inej takes great care in whatever she does, and while doesn't necessarily try to get all eyes on her, she DOES want the people she's manipulating to know that SHE is the one in control of their fates. but for all she holds power over other people and the next steps in her life [which is key re: taking control and autonomy of her life in the aftermath of her assault and displacement] it is always chased with the knowledge that at the end of it, her saints have the final say and final power.

i think it's also really important that she just does not believe herself to be a good person. like she doesn't, but she's making peace with that and spends a lot of time trying to atone for that by making the world better than she found it.

nz

nina is a notoriously hard character to get right [and also i haven't read king of scars so can't comment on anything but how she's written in SOC/CK] but one key thing about nina that i think jumps out is that she is just. tired. she's so tired by the start of soc because she does not like life in the barrel. she doesn't even like ketterdam! she fucking hates it! she's doing what she has to to find matthias but does not WANT a life in the barrel. her key goal and motivation is to fucking skip town as fast as possible.

it's also key IMO that she has had a very similar upbringing to matthias. it's very easy to see his indoctrination, and i wouldn't say that the ravkan's are quite as bad as the fjerdans considering ideologies and tactics, but as the books go on nina very much discovers that the way she was raised [taken from an orphanage without a say, raised to be a soldier, told to never question anything/step out of line/consider an alternate view] was also not great, which is why she decides to leave and make change on a local level

nina doesn't really hold back what she thinks, especially when she's upset with someone: she will just tell kaz someone they're being stupid straight to their face.

related to that, she is just low-level irritated at kaz for every waking moment of the series

kb

he's not mean, but he's a sarcastic fucker and incredibly blunt about the truth of things. he genuinely does not care about hurting other people's feelings [key with wylan tbh but seen with all of the other crows]

he doesn't volunteer information if he can help it: he likes to have the upper-hand and the last word, but will never show all of his cards until he is absolutely 100% without a doubt certain he's won something

he would rather be shot in the head than show true vulnerability [see: the "who is jordie" conversation]

that bitch loves a grand gesture. he doesn't have a love language so much as he only knows how to express his feelings by doing things for people [see: buying his crush a big boat]

[sunny-speaks]

Hello ! I've read your fanfiction about a 14dwy academical rivals to lovers AU. I loved it... and know I'm obssessed. Could you please give us more headcanons ?

Academic Rivals! [REDACTED] x Reader Headcanons

Ahhh! This is my first ask and I am more than glad to answer! I am so sorry I took so long responding,,, but I do hope you enjoy!

Characters: [REDACTED] from @14dayswithyou x reader !!

(also to @14dayswithyou you can make as many additions as you want to this au, anyone can! a tag or two would be cool,,, but I don't mind not being tagged! i just can't believe i'm the first to write academic rivals-- but ill gladly claim the au!!)

So… [REDACTED], huh? Out of all the people at your post-secondary education institute, you chose the asshat fuckboi?

…Not a bad choice.

What, you falling for him because despite that hugeass brain (and his even bigger dick), he doesn’t make you feel like you’re dumb or inferior to him?

What, you like the fact that he treats you with borderline reverence on the inside yet willingly chooses to joke around and banter with you because it’s attention nonetheless?

What, you like the fact that he’s crazy dedicated to you and would never cheat (unlike a certain *cough* Teodore *cough*) on you?

What, you falling for him because deep down he is crazy, down bad for you and just wants you to want him as much as he wants you?

Well, you’re in for a ride if you even muttered a ‘...sure’ to any of those questions, because boy… does [REDACTED] deliver.

So maybe you say you hate him, but do you really?

Would your gaze drop from his eyes to other places on him and back up to him if you detested him as much as you say?

Would you continue bantering and teasing him like you do if you really wished he were dead?

Mmm, nah. He didn’t think so.

He knows you well enough to know you don’t actually hate him. You just rather think you hate him.

Oh, you loved the tension that came with rivalry, didn’t you?

Don’t worry, as long as you did, he did too. <3

He may have gone to therapy for some of his family issues or deep rooted self-esteem issues, but that won’t change anything in the way he loves you.

He loves you sooo much, and he knows how smart you are as a person and believes in you so much… But he can’t help but worry!

He promised he’d leave his life of lies behind… but until you’re safe, he can’t stop what he’s started…

So, yes. He will ‘obsessively’ love you. But it would be less… ‘secretly following you in real life’ and more ‘just checking through the cameras.’

Something that hopefully you wouldn’t be aware of any time soon.

After all, you had a real communicative relationship with him now!

Why would he jeopardize that?

Better yet, if you ever feel unsafe from other stalkers, you could always stop by his place. He’s probably stronger than you if you want someone intimidating around to scare off the creeps!

“Hey, [REDACTED]?” You hesitantly asked, god, this was embarrassing… But he was the only person that you could go to that would hopefully not ask too many questions about your request.

You hated his guts, but at the end of the day, if you had to admit it (to yourself, never to him, God forbid), [REDACTED] was a dependable guy. And he seemed to respect you at times…

So that meant he was one of the people you trusted.

“Yeah, angel? Do you want some help with tutoring? Y’know, cause I’m sooo smart?” He made some offhanded comments with a snarky tone as he gathered his items into his bag before seeing you were serious. His grin fell. “Ah, sorry. …What is it?”

“Well- Uh— I-” You stammered, regret flashing through your face. Did you really have to ask him…?

No.

It was a problem, hopefully they’d help you out.

No matter how rude or condescending he acted, [REDACTED] was a good person nonetheless. He does realize that there are days you’re not up to bantering with him and leaves you alone… And days where he makes sure you’re not sick under the guise of it not being a fair fight.

Well, they wouldn’t like all this hesitation…

Better to be blunt about it. “I think I have a stalker.”

His face immediately fell to concern, “Shit. You’re sure?” He quickly shoved everything into his bag before swinging it over his shoulder as you gave him a brusque nod. He hesitantly hovered his hand over your shoulder, giving you a worried look, “That must be horrifying.”

[REDACTED]’s lip furled into a disgusted frown just thinking about the assholes out there who had even dared to scare you a bit. It was none of their goddamn business to stare, even breathe the same air, as his angel.

The fact that they had the gall to follow you around? Atrocious.

You let out a stuttered breath, body tensing at the adjective he had used. It was horrifying. You didn’t know where this stalker had come from… All you had known was that there was supposedly a creep on the loose and you didn’t need any sort of pervert interested in you… “I d-don’t need your concern, dumbass.” You gave him a quick, approving tilt of your head, letting him rest his hand on your shoulder, contrary to what you had huffed under your breath.

Something about the warmth of someone else grounded you, tethered you back to the world. It was a lot nicer than that paranoid feeling you’d been carrying with you lately. You hadn’t seen anyone you were close to, not wanting to bother them…

But with [REDACTED], it just felt… easier? You weren’t quite sure.

“I was just… y’know wondering if you might… wanna have me over for a couple days?” You awkwardly chuckled, maybe this was too much to ask of him… How could you phrase this so you didn’t seem too vulnerable…? Especially in front of your jerk rival. “I know you might not handle my presence with you for so long, you might even combust from being so close to me… My apartment just doesn’t feel… too safe right now.”

His face immediately softened, eyebrows unfurling from worry to concern and comforting features made their way to his face. He gave you a small smile, “Angel, you can drop by anytime you want. I don’t have experience with…creeps like that.” His mouth curled into a snarl, but immediately was washed over with a kind smile, “But if you feel more secure with someone like me around, then I’m more than glad too.” He paused, a smirk making its way to his face, “But I hope you aren’t doing this to scope out your competition. Wouldn’t be trying to find a flaw of mine, now are ya?”

Your body relaxed, as you let out a breath you didn’t know you had been holding. Before you heard his last quip at least.

You let out an annoyed and flabbergasted noise at his quip before rolling your eyes, “Oh? You’d be so flattered, wouldn’t you, [REDACTED]? I don’t even need to scope you out to beat you…!” You stopped before sighing, “But… Thanks for letting me stay at your place, I guess. I’ll need to pick up some of my shit at home before we go, that alright with you… 2nd place?” You jeered at the insult. After all, what were the two of you if not competitors for the highest mark in the class?

Friends? You scoffed at the notion fondly, if he were to ask, you wouldn’t say no.

But that was for you to know, and for him to never discover.

He softly smiled to himself, more than glad to see you back to your nature before looking down at you than winking, “Won’t be 2nd for too long, angel.”

You stared at him, beckoning him with you on your way out of the class, “Gonna walk me to the car? Can’t hurt to have people gape out my intellect without you there to rub it in. We both know I’m better anyway.”

He let out a series of breathless chuckles, “That’s my considerate rival now, always putting my needs above yours… I’m honored.”

“Good. C’mon now, [REDACTED].”

The two of you end up teasing each other, hurling insults, bickering and a bit of everything in almost every conversation.

It’s in your nature to be naturally competitive for some reason.

Maybe [REDACTED] just enjoys seeing how frustrated or worked up you get… It is kind of adorable.

The same goes for him too though…

You roll your eyes at him, a small scoff making it through your voice, “You beat me once. Don’t let it go to your head.”

He gave you a taunting grin, his eyes squinted, light blue twinkling with mischief. “Why? Are you jealous, angel?”

“What-” You made a sound of disbelief. He was acting like a child! “Wipe that stupid grin off your face, idiot! So you beat me by a couple points-”

“And you flaunt it when you beat me by even less…” He mumbled loud enough to himself that you could barely pick up on it.

“Hey! It’s different and you know it!” You huffed at him, “Whatever. Just… stop grinning like that, you look stupid.”

He shrugged his shoulders, a triumphant, lazy grin splayed on his features, “Make me.”

Your eye twitched at his threat. Ohhh, that punk did not just― You flexed your fingers as if that would calm you.

Of course, he had to beat you by a couple of points this one time… It was such a dumb project! You hissed at him under your breath, seeing that stupidly cocky grin on his face.

Why’d you have that dumb main character with little to no trauma, while he got the side character that hides all their insecurities but ends up projecting onto their kids?!

Unfair. That teacher was totally biased.

Giving [REDACTED] more work to analyze… making his grade go up from the research… Hrrr, so biased. So unfair.

He gave you a slitted-eye smile as if to mock your frustration. You grumbled in envy before glaring at him. You grab him by the collar, tough enough to pull him towards you but gentle enough for him to break out by choice, “You wish. What’s it take to shut that stupidly pretty mouth of yours, huh?”

Your eyes flickered between his widened, shocked blue eyes to those soft, kissable lips of his.

You did not like where this was going…

Or maybe you did.

You weren’t too sure, emotions get muddled easily… Love and hate have a fine line after all.

…So do fear and arou-

Nope! 

No way!

Those are not very ‘pure’ thoughts!

You pulled him closer to you by his shirt collar and tilted your head, “Maybe a kiss from a resident angel?” You practically snorted at the remark of that condescending nickname he used for you.

[REDACTED] stared at you, too stunned to speak as you huffed with pride, quickly letting go. You smirked, turning around after winking at him, shit-faced grin all on display, “Clearly, that worked.”

With no one in the class anymore, [REDACTED] was left by himself. Their jaw went slack for a bit before mumbling into his hand as you were far away, furious blush spreading through their cheeks.

“…Was that a promise?”

[eye-in-hand]

Fighting against, and standing up to antisemitism is very important to me. Not just because racism in all of its forms is vile and should be called out, but because antisemitism is something that's affected me very personally.

I talked a little bit about this in my why I'm converting post, but to keep it simple. I was raped by a neo-nazi who kept me isolated, forced me to be financially dependent on him, targeted me when I was 17 years old, kept me in his basement, physically abused me, among other things - because he thought I was Jewish. I am not ethnically Jewish. I'm English and Rusyn. However my entire life I've been perceived as Jewish. It got me bullied, abused, and raped.

So of fucking course when some idiot shows their ass in the one fandom space I had, about how they're sooo antiracist, sooo not bigoted, they just don't want jews, I mean zionists, in their space, of fucking course it's going to make me angry. Of fucking course I'm going to talk about it. Of fucking course I'm fucking disgusted.

It's not my fault these people fell down the rabbit hole of Russian and Iranian propaganda. It's not my fault these people think they get to tell Jews what Zionism means, or automatically assume that not advocating for the genocide of Jews, or being pro- the country where 50% of the Jews (and about 100% of the Jews from the MENA region) live must mean I support killing Palestinians. Or it means that I support genocide. It isn't my fault. Yet I, and other Jews, pay the punishment for it.

No. I don't support genocide. Of any group of people. I don't support violence towards other people based on where they happened to live or what race they happen to be. I don't support imperialism when it's done by anyone. And I FULLY SUPPORT the right of indigenous peoples to have self determination on their native land.

And if you have a problem with that, you have a lot of history to learn, a lot of bigotry to unpack, and a lot of shutting up to fucking do.

I support a two state solution because it's the ONLY way I can see peace happening in an area of the world that has been filled with blood shed for thousands of years. But at the end of the day, I'm a western convert, and my opinion on the Middle East is not as important as people who live there. And there are Israelis and Palestinians who are doing much more for peace than reblogging scam donation posts, supporting Hamas, or harassing Jews online and kidding themselves into thinking they're on the side standing against bigotry. And I support those people. Jew, Arab, or otherwise.

I do not support ignorant fuckwads who think they understand a conflict that doesn't affect them. I do not support ignorant fuckwads who think they get to tell a minority group they are not a part of what that minority group's words mean. I do not support historical revisionism, conspiracy theories, or advocating for the genocide of ANYONE.

And if you have an issue with a Jew telling you that what you're saying is antisemitic, when MULTIPLE JEWS ALL OVER THE INTERNET, have said that the movement you're supporting advocates for the death of all Jews, YOU ARE A RACIST BIGOT. You are the racist bitch you say you hate. You are not immune to bigotry. You are not immune to propaganda. You are not helping anyone with your self righteous virtue signaling slacktivism. You are pathetically ignorant. And I'd feel fucking bad for you if you weren't digging your heels in refusing to acknowledge that you have fucked up.

I don't feel bad for Nazis. I don't feel bad for people who throw Jewish lives away. I don't feel bad for people who throw Palestinian lives away. I have no sympathy for bigots.

By the way, that post wasn't even fucking about you. It says more about you thinking my calling someone out for being racist was about you than it does about me. But this post is about you, and it's the only one you're fucking getting from me. Go fuck yourself.

I know what Nazis sound like. And you sound just fucking like him.

This isn't some stupid fandom drama or some stupid fight between people that hung out in a stupid discord. This is shit that affects real people's lives, and you're perpetuating violence. Disgusting.

[sullina]

hey

are you someone who would like to write but can't seem to get started? Despite being at no loss of ideas?

Here's a tip. Especially for your first work and especially the first draft.

forget originality

that sounds mean now, but listen: every concept imaginable has been done by someone before. There will always be unoriginal concepts in every single work.

But that doesn't make these concepts bad

Because what actually matters is how you use them.

So if you're trying to write something, one of the best first steps you can take is probably just getting laid out what you want to write. Like, what concepts do you want in your work? What things did you like from other works? What characters from other works do you like, and why?

For your very first draft, when you're just starting out, it's perfectly fine to borrow building blocks from others.

Because here's a little secret: unless you're copying one single media word for word, those building blocks will rarely look the same after you've written down your idea and trying to fit everything together.

it's 100% fair to take concepts from other works and use them in your own writing. Because over the course of actually writing your own story, you will also make those borrowed concepts your own.

Sure, it's been done before...

but no one's done it like you yet.

And here's a second tip: if an idea you had or concept you like doesn't work for the thing you're writing anymore, it's okay to let go.

You don't have to throw it out completely, but maybe put it on the shelf for now. Once you're further along with your writing, you might just see the perfect opportunity to reintroduce it in a new way.

I wouldn't call myself an experienced writer just yet, but if there's one thing I've learned already, it's that crafting a story is NOT a straight line. There's bumps and sometimes you go in circles, and then there might be a point where you have an absolute genius idea or you realize that something you already wrote is an amazing setup for this next thing.

So it's not linear. At all. But you have to keep going.

Not everything you write is gonna make it into the final work, but it's still important that you write it. Because you can't make a thing without going through the process of making it. Fails and dropped ideas are as much part of this process as every success and genius idea.

And one final tip for you. Choose a medium to write in that you actively like doing, and doing a lot. By this i mean: writing on your computer is convenient for sure, but it's not the only way to write.

I've found that I fucking love writing by hand with a fountain pen, and it's something that I can do for hours at a time. And don't get me wrong, I do like typing on a computer and I'm not half bad at it, but going back to fix typos? Super annoying. it's fine if I'm making a short tumblr post like this (though i probably have a different definition of "short" than most people), but the outline of my current work in progress is almost 80 pages now. if that were digital, it would probably be more like... 40 pages or something, depending on the font and size, but my point is that digital typing, while convenient, is also annoying to me, personally.

And, ironically, also too quick. I like to think as I write and with digital typing, i have to focus too much on actually typing, but when I'm handwriting, i don't have that problem. I can go relatively quick and it's not like I don't make typos while handwriting, but crossing out one letter and putting the correct one over it is much faster than having to backspace and re-write an entire word (I could use the arrow keys but like. who has the damn time. too fiddly.)

My point here is not that digital writing is terrible and sucks, my point is that if you're gonna write, then you're gonna be doing the action of writing a whole damn lot, so make sure you can do it as comfortably as possible. For me, that's handwriting, for you, it might not be.

...if there's anyone who WILL spring for handwriting though, let me give you one final piece of advice: it might be wise to not go for pretty notebooks, for fear of "ruining" them. I knew this from myself already, so i instead went for regular notebooks, the kind that i used to use for school. The paper is good quality and the fountain pen that I have feels so nice when writing on it. You might think "but that's just small stuff!" and yeah it is, but small stuff can quickly become very very big stuff if it's building up over months or years.

[bleedingcloud]

9/19/24

Anyone who knows me knows that for one, I always say I'll be succinct, and I never am.

Anyone who knows me also knows that I'm a very reserved person. Someone once told me that I'm the queen of deflecting. (If you see this, ily).

Truthfully, this has been one of the worst years of my life.

Irreconcilable grievances amongst a myriad of conflating factors have cast over the wonderful things that I have encountered and experienced this year.

I have always attempted to be a kind and altruistic person. My intentions have always been a pure display of my intrinsic desire to put action behind my words, show up in a multitude of ways for others, and prove to them that there are people who care. It is meaningless to me the amount of time I have known an individual. I will always go out of my way to bend over backwards to disprove theories of isolation.

Regardless of how hard I try, I cannot change this value. I am a problem solver by nature and I want to help. I would drop everything and anything to drive hundreds of miles to be there to show you that you're not alone.

The weight of my endeavors has never felt as fruitless as they have felt this year. This is not to say I have felt any regret over anything I've done. I am a firm believer in people doing things because they want to, not because of some arbitrary obligation.

There are people dependent on me. I don't mean in a "my friends need me!" kind of way, but rather dependents that require financial, emotional, and physical presence. My survival is contingent on the dependency of others.

I feel like this year I've had such a disconnect in reconciling my past and future in this weird space of purgatory.

In spaces of academic elitism, I struggle to connect, having gone to a Title I-funded public school system for the duration of my youth. I make attempts to cut through the class gaps and prove my worth as an academic. These efforts find me in good faith with my professors, but studying alone for hours is nothing more than an outlet to distract from the fact that I am alone. Academia has always been my coping mechanism. I can throw myself into hours of reading and work, and the academic gratification feels fulfilling.

I turn to those I miss and love, but at times, it feels there are these unspoken distances or spaces between, or maybe I have grown away. I am incredibly appreciative of those still in my life that I do love and care about.

My family is a mess I wouldn't attempt to touch in this venting session, but know they're always on my mind, in the most gut-wrenching and painful way.

I've felt this year has just been me being squeezed for juice and there's nothing left for me to give. My cup has not been refilled. My attempts to fill my cup have been going back to my previous mention of ensuring others don't feel alone.

I have been told you cannot martyr yourself, but I cannot conceivably conjure up an alternative purpose. My life is not for me - it is simply a vehicle to help others. That is what gives me purpose.

I have loved and I have lost so much this year. I have reached out absent any responses. It has been incredibly difficult for me to reconcile how I could have so much love in my heart and yet feel so innately alone. I have committed social suicide with the potential intent of committing the real deal. I have attempted to drown the weight in my heart with any means necessary to make it go away. I have screamed and cried and pleaded with G-d or whoever else would possibly hear my cries and tell me it was going to be okay.

I have done some incredible things this year. I have loved and enjoyed and indulged and learned so much. I would not write this with the intent to paint a false image. People have done so much for me and shown me so much love. I'm just trying to keep moving forward. I am searching for alternative means.

The most gut-wrenching pain I have encountered this year has been my expression of love and care in its entirety to those around me and receiving not an iota of love back. Giving my all to someone or something and being met with disillusion and moments of exclusion. I’ve always felt marganilized in various spaces throughout my life, but never as much as I have this year. I am not enough for spaces of elitism, but how could I not be enough or maybe even too much for camaraderie? This is my elegiac moment. I ask for nothing. I should expect nothing.

I'm going to keep pushing through because I know my love isn't wasted and I know my efforts might be fruitless, but they mean something to me. Despite how different I crave to be, despite how much I want to absolve myself of altruism, I cannot. These factors are far too intrinsic to erase.

Hearing someone tell me how much my words, actions, or efforts meant to them make it worth it - gives my life meaning.

If you need me, you know where to find me.

[legobiwan]

Can we talk about the weird emotional dependency subplot? While Luigi needs Mario to feel safe, Mario NEEDS to protect Luigi. And I swear I love their bond, but it's also interesting to see that they both learn the same lessons from their respective points of view. Mario can't always be there. Luigi can defend himself. They will both be fine as long as they are a team and work together. And then we have Bowser, as a harmful representation of the consequences of emotional dependence in a bad way

Yes, let's please do so!

This all kind of ties in to this idea I've had about Mario for a while, in that he needs to be the hero. Not because he wants the accolades or wants to be "better" than other people, but because he is driven to protect and save those he loves.

Of course, this applies to Luigi 100% more so than most, and you have to wonder, in a future/alternate plotline where Luigi shrugs off some his anxiety issues, if Mario would find himself adrift absent the daily imperative to be his brother's protecter, to prove to Luigi, to his father, to Spike, to anyone - that he's capable, that he's not a loser. (Don't get me started about how this would manifest in the Super Paper Mario storyline, we would be here all night).

And the thing with Luigi is, yes, he's anxious and lacks confidence and totally uses his brother as an emotional crutch. And Mario, due to his own issues, ends up enabling this reaction by constantly playing the protector.

So yes, they, in a way, learned a lesson by the end of the film, Mario having to depend on Luigi to not immediately die via Bowser and Luigi stepping up and consciously overcoming his anxiety issues to improv a surprisingly effective defense (there's a whole other post concerning Luigi's subconscious badassery that I will not be able to address until I can gif the hell out of this film).

This being said, at the end of the day, Mario is still lauded as being a hero and Luigi (as far as we can see on screen) gets little to no acknowledgement, any positive reinforcement, regarding how he stepped up. (Fanfic can and I assume, will, solve this problem, which I dearly hope is addressed in some way in the inevitable sequels).

And yes, there's Bowser, who has a kind of parasocial relationship with Peach, a woman who he has very little (at least according to the film) real contact with prior to his marriage proposal, yet bases an entire invasion plan on. Crazy.

There are a lot of these little teases to larger themes - emotional co-dependence, family, public vs. private persona, societal expectations - that are briefly addressed in this film which might be part of the critical issue with the pace, yet why it resonates so well (aside from being an unapologetic romp through the Mario Universe).

[time-to-yar-har]

So I've been talking about my Knowledge White AU with people on a few different servers and thought that I would share some of that info with ya'll:

Sanji:

Sanji will, of course, be different in this AU than in canon. For staters Sanji will be less girl crazy and less hostile toward men. Like he will still be polite to women, but not simping levels. While being kind of cold/rude to men he doesn't know well and neutral and/or polite to men that he knows very well like friends and found family.

Sanji would also be more willing to actually fight women too, but would go out of his way to end the fight with as little damage as possible to his female opponent.

Though Sanji still bickers with Zoro because that shit is iconic (and they are an old married couple). With Goji repeatedly asking if they're flirting or something (for the lolz).

Goji would help with Sanji with his self-esteem by continuedly pointing out that Sanji is just normal, not weak. Along with how impressive Sanji's combat progress is.

When Sanji sees how annoyed Judge is at Goji calling him by his full name (after he and Goji meet up with their family again), he does the same as middle finger to their sperm donor. Sanji also does the same thing to the rest of his brothers, as in calling them by their full names. (Which also annoy Ichiji, Niji and Yonji.)

Goji:

While Goji does help Sanji with his self-esteam, he would start to think that he (along with Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji) are broken because they don't have a heart like everyone else.

Emotions, like many other things, is something that Goji wants to figure out and understand. So he does so by pretending to have those emotions and doing his best to act appropriately depending on the situation. (And the emotions that Goji has the most problems with are fear, kindness, compassion, empathy, sympathy, and pity. (Basically the emotions that make it easy to connect with and understand others.))

One of the ways that Goji tries to better understand emotions is by getting his hands on as much information about psychology as possible. And while it doesn't help him much with understand emotions, it does help him with better understanding people.

Goji's personality is a deadpan genki archetype. He acts friendly, playful and energetic, but in a more laidback way. Yet he can be a passionate dork when curious about something and wanting to learn about it. Though he will be more like the megane-kun archetype at first before taking on a genki persona later on.

Goji will be butting heads with Zeff over his sexism and calling the old pirate out on it. Because logically, sexism doesn't really make sense to Goji because there are plenty of examples of women being just as good as, or better, than men.

When Goji learns about nicknames he starts to insist that those he's close to call him by his nickname and also gives nicknames to the people he's close to (in order to help breed familiarity and get people to get attached to him). His said nickname is Go-Go. Which kind of helps him hide from Judge because his insistence of the Straw Hats calling him Go-Go has made the World Government think that's his name. (That annoys Goji because that's a nickname and only the people he's close to can call him that, and he's sure as heck is not close to anyone in the marines.)

Goji tends to give nicknames based on a person's name. Like his nickname for Sanji is San-San. The other nicknames he has for people (that I've figured out so far) is: Patty=Uncle Pat Robin=Ro-Ro Franky=Frank Chopper=Choppy Zoro=Zo-Zo Nami=Mi-Mi Luffy=Lue Usopp=Uso

Though if Goji doesn't like someone he calls them by their full name. (Since usually using a person's full name=being distant with said person.) This means that when he (and Sanji) meet up with his family again, he calls Judge "Vinsmoke Judge" instead of "father". (And as you would imagine, this annoys the hell out of Judge.) Though since he's on better terms with his brother than Sanji, he just calls them by their given names.

Since Goji wasn't sure if Judge would let him go or not, he faked his death. He also dyed his hair to same shade of blond as Sanji's hair to better blend in. And when he joins the Star Hats, he makes sure that half or all of his face is covered to better help hide his identity (though usually its the top half of his face covered by goggles similar to a ski goggles/glasses) to make sure that Judge doesn't think that he's still alive.

Goji would totally be BFFs with Robin and probably ask her how to read ancient languages/poneglyphs. Yet whether she's willing to teach him in another thing entirely.

[bibiana112]

Kinda weird question- do you have any links to people talking about Mira from ZTD and ableist stereotypes? I mentioned that I was uncomfortable with her portrayal but kinda fumbled it and made some other ND people in chat uncomfortable. I searched for various keyword combinations but most of what I'm finding is like "and not to mention the ableism with Mira" and doesn't elaborate lol.

Not weird at all! And uh, you see, there's a recent post I made where what I complain about is the very fact I've never seen anyone post too in-depth about her at all, I'd love to see posts that do elaborate on that but I do not have any that I know of right now, sorry :/ hopefully someone else who sees this can point to one? Okay!! After some tag searches I have found exactly one post who kind of gets into it I like this take still would love to see. more than just one but hooray

And like though I complain I couldn't elaborate much on it myself I don't think, I believe most of the posts people make about Saito from aitsf would apply since it's a different uchikoshi take on the very same trope of "emotionless characters who cannot function without killing others" I guess he's a worse portrayal though since she's at least not stated to get reward brain chemicals when killing people and I guess her case also has the added layer of "femme fatale" to it? Which either makes it less bad or worse depending on where you approach it from As I said I am not doing a good job of being coherent on this oh and also there's her being "redeemed" and "cured" in the epilogue which in on itself is kinda not great to imply it just goes away like that and honestly I personally don't even buy it I think she'd just be like oh okay Akane over here has like a thousand reasons to hate me after all that oh and what's that she's the leader of a super wealthy underground organization who's organized one of these death traps before yeah no I'm better off going to prison I'll be fine there lmao bye

But I'll say as an autistic person with relatively low empathy I usually see a character who just doesn't understand other people's feelings and wants to feel them too and is just trying to survive despite getting no help and I just kinda go hm. yeah. shout-out to roxas kingdom hearts shout out to mary from ib shout out that's why I started hyperfixating on media art helps me with understanding others a great lot and Mira is just in a story too badly executed for me to care or even begin to wrap my head around tbh like god she's so fucking terribly used as a plot device in every conceivable way that it makes it difficult to see past it and into what she could possibly be if it weren't for the stereotype of equalling low empathy with no compassion what's with her killing off screen in ways that wildly deviate from her stated m.o? why or how was she even in cahoots with Zero why was that a thing? Honestly her dynamic with Sean could have been better fleshed out could have done something interesting about robot child and his aspd big sis but we just kind of don't get any attention brought to the subject of emotions and the authenticity there of except for the "reveal"...

YOU KNOW WHAT that's probably one huge reason it feels so fucked up actually! Like the whole fucking game is written so you could experience it in whatever order you want and therefore Mira being a serial killer at all is something that though not very well hidden it also cannot be a topic of discussion or explored Ever ever because the player may not have seen the fragment where that is revealed yet- problem being the menu design of that game sucks so bad and practically everyone gravitates towards the same few more interesting looking thumbnails first and then the rest is kinda just there, I mean that is part of the reason A Lot of characters feel half-baked I think but also I think it definitely does impact perception of her character specifically probably The Most and then there's just the general not being given nuance not being able to see the minutiae of how that disorder manifests in her character aside from the killings about how she acts aside from being overly flirty trying to lure in Eric but that affects pretty much all of the new cast we don't have last names and in her case we barely have any backstory at all like Saito is a harmful stereotype sure but we get So Much Context for him that people still love talking about him and delving into different aspects of his life since we have that very well telegraphed in the narrative meanwhile for Mira all we can do is fill in the blanks guesswork that only highlights the worst aspects of the surface level portrayal we got and ultimately that people just don't care enough to dissect because there isn't much there character wise once you remove it

[lemonhemlock]

What r ur thoughts on jace/baela and luke/rhaena

I've talked more about my feelings on Jace and Luke here. My issue with these pairings is that Baela & Rhaena are basically subsumed within Rhaenyra's abusive takeover of Driftmark.

Jace and Luke are bastard children who know they are bastards, as well as everyone else around them. As the eldest child of the eldest child, Baela is the one who should inherit Driftmark, even by Andal law. If Baela is unable, for some reason, to carry on her duties as Lady of Driftmark, the seat passes to Rhaena.

Rhaenyra inserts herself in the line of succession by placing Luke as the ruling lord and relegating Rhaena to the position of wife. She takes Rhaena's inheritance and gives it to Luke instead. I would have a problem with that, personally. Wouldn't you? Wouldn't anyone?

Black stans refuse to view this relationship through the lens of feudalism and patriarchy. Rhaena's power in Driftmark is dependent on the goodwill of her husband and how well they get along. If Rhaena dies in childbirth or by some illness, Luke can marry whomever else and place his non-Velaryon children on the seat of House Velaryon.

Baela & Rhaena also have many Velaryon relatives disgruntled with this arrangement. In the books, Rhaenyra orders Daemon to murder Vaemond and feeds him to her dragon. Viserys then orders the tongues of other additional five Velaryon cousins removed. How do Baela and Rhaena accommodate that very brutal abuse of power within their betrothals to the two people for whose benefit this abuse occurs?

Very prevalent is the notion that they have the potential to become two loving, respectful relationships. However, an honest appraisal of these pairings shouldn't seek to sweep these circumstances under the rug. It's a very valid source of conflict.

Another gripe of mine is that neither Jace, nor Luke, seem preoccupied in any way with the girls' actual feelings on the matter. They should be aware that this outcome is unfair for them, yet they have no reaction other than being pleased to be betrothed. This may be due to screen time limitation or it may say something damning of their characters. We will see if this develops somehow in S2 with Jace. He is fighting in an actual war for his mother's inheritance, yet he was/is willing to deny his future wife's sister her own claim on her inheritance?

I'm not saying that Jace/Baela and Luke/Rhaena wouldn't have personalities that would mesh or that, on a personal level, they wouldn't get along, but we couldn't and shouldn't divorce their relationships from this socio-political context that affects all of them directly.

A student of the Jace/Baela & Luke/Rhaena dynamics should, therefore, pose the following questions, when regarding these pairings. Are the girls content with this arrangement? Why? If not, how do they manifest their disgruntlement? Both of them seemed very willing to side with Rhaenyra; Baela even wants to fight on dragonback for her. Why?

You might say that Baela gains an advantage from this whole exchange, because she gets to become Queen at some point. Is future queenship for Baela a fair price to pay for denying Rhaena's status as an heiress? It would have been fair and lawful for Baela to become Queen AND for Rhaena to inherit Driftmark. Instead, Rhaena cedes a considerable amount of power in order to cover up a lie.

I have also seen the argument that, at least in this situation, Rhaena "gets something". If Baela inherited Driftmark, she would get "nothing." But how true is that? Rhaena is the daughter of Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velaryon, not some random nobody. She can make a good match for herself in the marriage market, REGARDLESS of what Baela does or does not do. Rhaena will inevitably marry anyway and became a wife. How is that different from being Luke's wife? It's the same position with the same amount of privileges. My point is that Rhaena could have become Driftmark's ruling lady and now she is consigned to consort. Which she would have become anyway, albeit for a different man.

[athousandbyeol]

discussion #2 (only friends): topmew as each other's reflection (analysing their clothing choice + identical colours)

the only friends series hashtag on twitter has been continuously bombarded with new updates. photos upon photos of the drama's bts are popping everywhere, arousing excitement and speculations. everyone is excited to see where the story goes and just what on earth p'jojo and p'nine have in store for us.

in this post, i want to address a trend i've been observing between mew and top's clothing styles, as well as the colour choices. it's riveting to discuss the similarity between top and mew as we see more pictures of them together. i personally think the attire and colours are very pertinent to their relationship, character traits and dynamics.

(warning: a very long [and messy] discussion ahead.)

let's look at mew and top's clothing styles as individuals beforehand.

their individuality

mew

so, this is the first picture of mew (from q4). from this introduction photo, he's wearing something particularly simple— bland. a white sweatshirt/knitted shirt, slacks, possibly a pair of sneakers and his glasses. the most prominent colours we see in this photo are white and black. very basic. resembles the fundamental understanding of the world, humans, the law, etc. white (the good) and black (the evil). mew is a mix of both. but as the white shirt is on top (no pun intended, hehe), it's safe to say mew is dominantly white than black, meaning he's good > evil.

side note: another thing i notice about mew's clothing style is he's always wearing two layers of clothing. an undershirt and a bright-coloured shirt. it signifies the complexity of his character, as well as his reservedness and timid personality that's very different from top. i think his initial styling choice is important because he'll revolve once everything falls apart.

yet, this picture also hides mew's evil side really well, and that's his glasses. mew isn't entirely smiling. he's smirking. behind those glasses, is the mew no one knows. perhaps, he's not as good as we think he is.

for now, what we see is an angelic side of mew that bewitched top into his knees. he's white and he's untainted. this is before top comes into his life.

top

top is very interesting to me because this is also the first picture we see of him, and he's wearing a white sleeveless shirt. as i've mentioned, white often personifies kindness, purity and innocence. it's intriguing to see this colour on top when the trailer shows top is everything but kind (at least to the dictionary description of the word. i believe kindness can be very subjective and depends on the situation/environment too).

but later, we're seeing more of top and the colours he's often associated with, mostly dark colours like black or blue.

this infers to top being more on the dark spectrum. i'm not saying he's entirely evil or innocent, but judging from the trailer, top is a fuck boy and he knows that. the colours he's assigned to portray his possible characteristics very well: cunning, manipulative, selfish, apathetic.

he's also wearing only a layer of clothing. nothing too fancy. a stylish shirt with slacks or jeans. very simplistic. illustrates his personality as someone who takes everything without much thought (i don't know if this can be proof but when he says to boston, "you introduced me to him. why are you mad? are you jealous?" it gives me an inkling that top never sees himself as the problem. it's always other people. not him. he guilt trips to his benefit. it's not impossible that he does this to mew too.)

side note: however, i do believe top has his own demons to fight, thus, resulting in him being a heartbreaker. it's either he's a (pathetic) narcissist, or he's very lonely. i'm inclined to he's a loner and a rich spoiled brat that gets everything he wants and never gets a no from anyone. also from the trailer, we see him consuming an alarming dose of medications/drugs. he's either suffering from a mental illness or dealing with substance abuse. that would be so intriguing and gives a clearer explanation of his actions, thought process and character traits.

different colours: top and mew (slowly) merging into one

so, one day, boston comes up with an idea that will change everyone's lives: he introduces top to mew. prior to this, we know mew and boston are (best?) friends while top and boston are fuck buddies.

in their first encounter, their clothing style and colours are very different. mew in his usual bright-coloured clothing while top in his darker/earthier colour.

they are completely from two different worlds. they are on opposite sides of the universe. but as the famous saying goes, opposites attract, top is attracted to mew as mew is to top. and if this is like any other romantic story, it will be so cute and i'll be cheering for them. it's not the case for them, though.

many speculate that this scene;

leads to this scene;

because they're seen at the club in the same attire;

they're wearing completely different colours and styles. but the kiss breaks that wall of individuality and we can see them slowly morphing into each other/becoming each other's reflection after that fateful encounter. it's more evident after this as they begin mirroring one another in terms of their style and colour choices.

matching colours signify unity and love

firstly, mew and top are both wearing shades of blue. as always, top wears a darker hue while mew wears something lighter. but there's harmony between them because they're tuning into each other— the same colour— blue. this is the result of their reciprocal love.

i want to believe at any point in their relationship, top does like mew too. as equally, as maddeningly, and as head over heels as mew is. and the colour of their clothes is proof (to mew). i speculated mew has a very traditional and conventional understanding of love/relationship. mew asking top, "can you wait? i think we can be more than a one-night stand," convinces me that mew doesn't want top to only be his bed friend. he wants something serious with top. something sturdy. an established relationship.

colours are one of the biggest forms of symbolism. every colour has its own meaning. choosing a colour for every character/situation/ambience is very significant because it speaks so much of the character and storyline. therefore, mew and top wearing identical colours signify their love for each other. they are equal at this point— their feelings are.

the impact of their love: analogous clothing choice and colours

it's so mindboggling to me that top is so much like mew now.

i've said this before but top is (maybe) a simple-minded person. a self-centred guy. he wears one layer of clothing and that's it, while mew will always wear two sets of clothing.

but what has happened to top?

he's wearing something very mew-coded here.

he's becoming like mew in the sense that he's (without realising) being tugged and entrapped in mew's aura/power. there's a study that shows you'll slowly adapt your loved ones' likes/style/way of speaking, etc. it's happening to top. he might not realise the impact mew has on him (yet), but at some point, he will. sadly, when that time comes, i think it's already too late.

i'm unsure of its relevance, but for now, i stand by the fact top is adding more layers to him as his feelings for mew heightens. it also symbolises top's openness to embrace his truest self and face the demons within. mew changes top; mew's love and kindness and empathy have touched top's cold heart.

while many think top is in control of their relationship, i believe mew is the true mastermind.

from these photos, i see less of the cunning top, but more of the lonely and desperate-for-true-love top.

and they're wearing similar colours in these photos too.

(top looks like he's in love and my heart is breaking.)

this is very cute and i really want to believe this is forcebook and not topmew. but it's topmew. and how wonderful. they're wearing similar stripey shirts too.

the impact of their love: mew's transformation

mew went from wearing something like this;

to this

(taken from lookjun's ig story)

mew is wearing the opposite of top's first photo we saw; a black singlet and a necklace. fascinating.

mew will never wear this combo. he's never the fleshy type. never the one to show skin. but i think this is the start of mew's rebellion and possible revenge.

i don't know if i can call mew's intentions an act of revenge, but he must've been so broken to know top and boston's affair even after they dated. the narrative navigates us to believe mew will undergo some life-altering experience after the (possible) break-up. so, this photo is like mew rebelling against top. the way to take down top is to be top.

he may or may not wear something else (since this is just a random video taken bts, after all). but still it's cool to know mew's discarding one layer of himself; symbolising he has lost a part of his soul— top.

sidetrack: the current topboston, the never-colliding worlds

this photo in particular catches my interest because it's top and boston on the lift (probably to a hotel room). however, top's expression surprises me because he doesn't look happy at all. it must have something to do with mew or boston said something top hates or they're discussing their relationship (?) like in the mock trailer.

but what makes me ballsy is top is wearing something very bright— very mew— while he meets boston.

i find it weird at first. but then i realised— this should be the moment we know top's feelings for mew are very strong and he won't let mew go.

it's very different from this picture of top and boston practically eye-fucking while mew is innocently wishing to be with top forever. (top, seriously, if you're a bastard we all think you are, i'm going to resent you.)

there's still this lingering connection between top and boston. but i do notice their colours never really complement each other. it's meant to be that way because this is a very one-sided relationship— never a symbiotic connection— more like a prey-predator or parasitic affinity.

conclusion

colours and clothing styles are important in understanding the depth of topmew's relationship. i see many writers associating specific colours with their characters because it adds a deeper 'flavour' to their craft (for example; p'aof's last twilight. the colours he uses in the trailer are insane).

essentially, when creating a character, making a character profile is the first (and the most important) step. hence, assigning the character to wear a certain colour or put on a certain style has so much to do with the story and the dynamic between the character and their surrounding.

i'm excited to keep an eye on topmew to see if my theory fits the intention/narrative the directors/scriptwriters have. they can't just ask these characters, not only topmew, to wear something without having any significance, yes?

(or i'm just over-analysing everything because my literature brain is forcing me to look deeper and deeper into this)

whatever it is, topmew will hurt me and make me smile and i'm scared to wait for that day to finally come.

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