#and from there he is unsure if he should try and solve it. due to the possibility of making things worse. or just leave things as they are

[tokoyamisstuff]

omg I definetly need more about the Invincible variants if you may!!

Second Chance At Love Pt. 2

After -> this <- silly lil' adorable idea by @rainydaygotham (but I made Reader a civilian instead).

Variant! Invincible x gn! Reader

Warnings: stockholm-syndrome, mentions of death, angst, (fabricated) tragic backstory, canon divergence, not proofread

A/N: whew, I never imagined you people would enjoy it this much. thanks for all the feedback, it really means the world to me! 💌🐞

"Our satellites found the missing variant, Sir."

"And what?" Cecil unintentionally stared daggers towards Donald, probably due to the stress and the fact that both of them had given their everything those past 32 hours. "Spit it out, damn it!"

Even through the reflection of his glasses Donald's mannerism were an open book for the head of the GDA, and right now he acted like he always did when he was unsure how to deliver troublesome information to his boss.

But this time it wasn't particulary bad news that made him hesistant, but the sheer absurdity of the situation.

"He-he is...with an old friend of our Mark, and...currently not attacking anyone."

The elder man rubbed his temples, lack of sleep being a steady companion in this profession but damn his advancing age sure made it harder to function properly.

"I want him on screen immediately!" he commanded harshly, voice not even slightly hinting the extent of his exhaustion.

This one apparently is more clever than the original Mark if he was able to slip past their organization's surveilance, Cecil concluded as the spitting image of his involuntary ally popped up on the monitor.

The young Viltrumite perfectly blended in with the crowd, sitting in a tiny suburban cafè far away from all the chaos. On the opposite end of the coffee table were you - not an unknown face to the GDA solely because of your affiliation with the world's strongest hero.

Cecil worked his jaw in irritation at the unfitting piece to this mess of a puzzle he was expected to solve. No way one of them came here merely to catch up with an old acquaintace...

...and yet for now, there were more urgent matters that he was needed to tend to first.

"Keep an eye on them and report shall he do anything out of the ordinary." As if this right now wasn't enough. "As long as he's preoccupied we have one less monster to worry about...for now."

Meanwhile you were sitting in front of your still untouched drink, watching your reflection on the liquid surface.

There was a radio running in the background, almost constantly updating you about how the other variants were still wreaking havoc everywhere, laying waste to the world as you knew it while you were trapped here acting as if it's a normal fucking tuesday.

You really shouldnt't be playing all domestic with a man that's just as much of a villain as his alternate selves currently on the run, and yet you keep reminding yourself that the only reason you're still alive is the uncertain benevolence of that very same person.

Trying to convince him to see the error of his ways or maybe even switch sides was out of the question - this Mark, just as the other sociopaths you saw in the news, has totally lost it a long time ago. You should be glad that he currently entertains himself with this little obsession of his, but that's no guarantee he couldn't snap and reduce you to a bloodied pulp any time.

And still, even though you have no other choice, it felt so terribly wrong to have a date - that felt more like a hostage situation - during an international emergency of apocalyptic scale.

Starting to feel sick as reality of your predicament dawned on you once again, you shoved the cup to aside, bracing yourself to interact with your kidnapper that hasn't initiated anything by himself until now.

Invincible on the other hand had destroyed Levi's orb long before finding you, never having disclosed his true intentions of joining this war. Also, with all the damage he's done the other 19 versions of himself would be sufficient, surely their 'boss' wouldn't care if one went astray from the plan. Not that he ever trusted Angstrom to not stab him in the back at some point, so who cares.

Back in the day you always had some spare clothes for this world's Mark in your room, in case he needed them - which was frankly quite often as they tend to get either torn or bloody from spontaneous fights. Maybe it was the sentimental value that made you keep them long after your friendship had ended, but right now they came in handy.

The other Mark nervously picks and tugs on the fabric, not used to wear civilian clothing after what felt like an eternity. It made him feel incredibly vulnerable to present himself this way. For years his costume had served as a barrier between himself and humanity, a symbol that the person he once was had long since ceased to exist so his Viltrumite side could rise.

Still, those familiar clothes, especially since given to him by you of all people, offered a strange comfort all the same.

At least he looked remotely normal like this, but god this man can be awkward at times. Some things really never change, even across different dimensions. Right now he was a perfect picture of misery, looking at you expectantly like a lost puppy that had just been kicked. Almost adorable, if you shun out the circumstances.

An uninvolved stranger would never believe that this is the villain who reduced entire cities to ashes just a few hours ago.

"So" you finally dare speaking up, casually leaning back in your seat as you take a sip of your already ice cold drink."I take it you're not a Seance Dog fan anymore?"

Noticing the bright logo on his shirt, Invincible actually managed to crack a smile - that trademark lopsided smirk of his that seemed more like a snarl now that you saw it after all this time. "Oh, you'd be shocked: The author is actually one of the few people I deliberately kept alive."

He's right, you are shocked not only with the answer, but the delivery as well. Suddenly you regret having pried in the first place. "Just a joke" he adds as soon as he sees the slightest shift of your expression, clutching the edge of the tabletop in frustration until it left a dent of his handprint.

You don't want to laugh. This isn't even remotely funny, and his reaction was awfully concerning as well. And yet you force yourself to snort, nails digging into your palm in an attempt to keep up the facade. "Glad to know you're as much of a weirdo as the original one."

It amazed yourself how calm and collected you could act, despite being as terrified of him as in the very beginning. Maybe you got used to the feeling already, or you had discovered a hidden talent of working well under pressure. May apply for a job at the GDA if you're ever alive and free again.

For the remaining duration of this afternoon, the two of you exchanged trivial stories about the past with your respective counterparts, many of whom were shared experiences. And as much as you tried to deny it, deep down you were aware you enjoyed this conversation more than you should.

There were only mild differences between your two dimensions as it seemed - at least when it came to your friendship, that was.

Invincible was pretty secretive about anything else really, but judging from the bits he threw in between you deduced he got his abilities way earlier than your Mark, which caused his father to never lose track of his original goal.

Occasionally Mark would state contradictionary opinions and you were sure most of it was just him mindlessly repeating the indoctrination his father had hammered into his head through inhumane methods.

You can only imagine what it meant for a gentle, sensitive soul like Mark to be subjected to a Viltrumite upbringing.

The sun was already starting to set when you were scooped up once again, however this time around you weren't afraid of the height in the slightest. You felt his chin resting atop of your head as he carried you through the sky, holding you firmly but carefully like you were a precious porcellain doll - and compared to his strenght you might as well be.

Yet all you could think of was the beauty of the twilight sky, and how oddly content you felt at that very moment.

Your date had promised to bring you to a secret location with a breathtaking view, and he really did not disappoint. It was in the midst of nature, absent of any human intervention. Just the two of you, surrounded by the sounds of the earth and the sight of the most horrible day in history of mankind slowly coming to an end.

Invincible spread his jacket out for you to sit on, and you secretly appreciated the gesture. A murderer, but also a gentleman, you mentally noted. Ironic. He slumped down on the damp grass an appropriate distance away from you, subconsciously starting to rip out some leaves.

You lean your head against his shoulder and he freezes in his tracks at the unexpected display of affection - or at least he hopes it's the absence of fear. For a long while you remain like this, admiring the view and each other's closeness, until you disturb the comfortable silence.

"How did you..." You hesitated for a moment, but then you met his eyes, so completely and utterly filled with genuine affection that caused something to blossom beneath your ribcage which you didn't want to acknowledge.

Even though you were still wary of him, it was hard to stay objective in the proximity of a literal carbon copy of the love of your life in nearly every single way.

"...how did you become like this?"

There was a long pause between your question and his answer.

"I got my powers shortly before my 13th birthday..." In hindsight, after having met the other variants who got them even earlier, it could've been worse. At least he was granted a few good years. "...and from then on, everything suddenly changed. My mom had an 'accident', so my dad was left to raise me on his own. It was-"

Mark's voice cracked, eyes glossed with unshed tears he was long since taught to repress as they were a sign of weakness. "The only times I felt truly happy was when I sneaked out to see you...I think for a long time those visits were what kept me sane. But nothing went past him..."

He balled a fist in the fabric over his sternum, and there was so much agony in his tone that it made your own heart clench painfully. "Dad- no, he's not a father. Never was. Anyways, Nolan tolerated it for a while, thinking I'd outgrow this sentiment and understand humans are beneath us. But when I turned 18..."

A tidal wave of shame and guilt washed over him, making him unable to bear looking at you as he continued his story. "He made me watch...I should've done something, I should've defended you, but...I was so scared of him. I just stood there when he snapped your neck."

The disclosure of the other's fate ultimately caused the panic attack that was seething inside of you ever since your first encounter with this variant to finally unravel. You frantically tug on your collar as you began to hyperventillate, feeling as if it was actually your neck that was being assaulted.

"Don't worry, I took care of it..." Invincible still had his face buried in his hands, and there was an eerie coldness in the following statement. "It took me a while, but I got stronger just to avenge you...ripped his sorry excuse of a heart right out of his fucking chest."

That's hardly a solace for either of you, isn't it.

Mark looks down at his palms as vivid images of his past crimes creep up on his mind, accompanied by a neurotic laughter that could only be described as absolutely broken...

...until you cup his hands with yours, the gesture conveying emotions you would never be able to put into words.

"Everything felt so pointless after you were gone..." he snivels, not resisting as you couldn't help but tug his head towards your lap. "You have no idea what emptiness you left behind...at some point I started doing unspeakable things just in order to feel something, anything to distract myself from the grief..."

You hum in between choked sobs, weeping for this lost soul as you rake your fingers through his hair, listening to him repeat countless apologies. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry...I should've just flown into the sun...I should've been stronger, better...I didn't want to become cruel...I wanted to be good...for you..."

What were you even doing here? Have you lost your mind?! Snap out of it, this is insane!

"Shh...it's enough. Stop tormenting yourself." No. He deserves far worse. Victim of circumstance or not, this man is beyond saving.

"Accompany me to my homeworld. Let me indulge you the way you deserve. Never leave me again" was what he desperately wanted to say, but instead he gulped harshly around the lump forming in his throat before announcing "I'll take you back home soon...phase one of Angstrom's plan is over, the variants will leave and you're safe again."

"Huh? I thought-"

"Drop the performance" he ordered as he fought to regain his composure. "You can speak freely. I meant what I said, I won't hurt you. Even if you hate me, even if you hurl all kinds of insults and accusations at me...I can take it. I'm just grateful for today. I'll cherish this memory forever."

Yes. This was more than he could possibly ask for. He already destroyed the life of your counterpart in his world, it's not fair of him to do the same to someone so precious twice.

Mark doesn't care what happens to him from now on, because thanks to you he was able to make peace with what happened.

"Come." He jolts up as he wipes his tear-stained cheeks clean, not biding you another look as he fears that otherwise he won't be able to pull through with his good intentions. "It's getting cold, we should-"

"No!"

Out of a whim you tackle hug the Viltrumite, who is caught off guard enough to stagger and fall. You softly punch against his chest and he allows you to let it all out, though he has no idea what you're on about.

"You-you're not like those other variants of Mark...please..." Your bottom lip is trembling as you speak, voice wavering with an emotion you couldn't quite decipher yourself. "Don't leave. If you have nothing to live for in your timeline, then...just stay in this one."

"And then what? Go to the Pentagon and say 'hi, I'm one of the Invincibles that ruined simply everything, but now I'd like to stay here'? They'll never believe that I don't have an ulterior motive!"

"So what? It's not like they can contain or even scratch you. And even if they could, I-I'll make sure to visit you every day!" You giggle like an infatuated teenager as you add that last sentence, and even a maniac like him realizes you must've lost your mind.

God, this is all his fault...

"What are you even talking about?" he almost yells, now on top of you and softly grabbing your shoulders to shake you ever so slightly. "Why are you trying to convince me? That can't seriously be what you want!"

"I-I...don't know." You're staring straight at him now, a stubborn determination in your eyes that almost frightens this unstoppable man. Wrapping your arms around his neck to make your foreheads touch, you whisper "All I'm sure of is that you didn't deserve any of this, and maybe...shit, just give us some time to figure it out, would you?"

Mark's hands were hovering over your body, giving it his best to hold back yet it was a lost battle before it even started. He utters vile curses under his breath before finally crushing you flush against his body, lips brushing against yours as if to ask for permission. You're quick to take the initiative, tossing all reason overboard as you give in to this all-consuming madness some might call hope...

...but just when you were about to pull him in for a long overdue kiss, the man that was straddling your waist mere seconds ago had disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The soundwave reached your ears much later than the actual impact, and much to your shock, when you saw not one but two Invincibles - yours having been knocked into a nearby rock formation - you immediately understood what it meant.

"Mark, wait!" you screamed, but your plea went on deaf ears.

After everything your world's Invincible had to endure those past few days, he wasn't even slightly in an amenable constitution. The only thing he was able to feel at this moment was rage, and he needed to direct it to something or otherwise he'd burst.

Sadly the next best target of his fury was the variant right in front of him - a man who not only attacked his homeplanet, but tried to violate someone he once held dear.

Mark will make him pay for trying to harm you.

"C'mon, stand up. Right now all I want to do is hit something...as hard as I can."

[Next Part]

[laugtherhyena]

YEAH i really don't think these two would get along regardless if the tragedy happens or not, tho if Bashira was around by the time the sdra2 epilogue takes place and Minako is actively working on improving herself she would be a little nicer towards her, but the grudge would remain even if not as strong as it was. She'd respect her efforts into becoming a better person, but wouldn't outright befriend her.

I do think she would like Kizuna if she ever got to meet her in -2+2 or in a similar scenario where she's become nicer (default Kizuna would make her roll her eyes and complain about the kind of parenting such troublesome kid must have had growing up) to the point she would really feel towards the struggles she went through growing up and be super nice and friendly to her, sorta how i imagine she treated Akane in canon since she was Ayame's closest friend, tho this liking fot Kizuna would in turn make her dislike the parents that treated her so badly so.. yeah, she's kinda destinated to hate Minako no matter what, crazy.

Not to say she's in the right for projecting her anger towards Kizuna onto her mother, or hating Kizuna for the Ch2 case in general, she is just coping in a pretty shitty manner out of refusing to admit her daughter could commit such cruel crime out of her own free will. She's the kind of parent that adores her child more than anything (specially since Ayame is such a lonely kid so they spent a lot of time together when she was growing up) and refuses to believe they could do something bad because that's her baby! And if something bad did happen then it surely must have been someone else's fault.

Now that I'm free from college for the next few weeks i can finally talk about these two, the headcanon/take on Ayame's parents i made a little while back with help from my friend Poi, Bashira and Ippei Hatano.

-Ayame is their only child, she takes after her father both appearance and personality wise as both of them are pretty quiet and timid people who tend to not speak a lot. In Ippei's case, his often very subtle emotions don't help at all on the matter as it tends to give people the wrong impression that he’s serious and intimidating, but he really just doesn’t know how to express himself and is a pretty awkward dude in social scenarios just like his kid. He is a tad more talkative when around his family and close friends, but even then he doesn’t talk THAT much more but his family knows he cares for them more than anything.

-Bashira on the other hand is the complete opposite of her husband and daughter, very extrovert and talkative, it's from her that Ayame takes her habit of rambling about her interests tho unlike her Bashira will continue talking for hours and hours without getting self-conscious about it. She has a keen eye and can read through her family's seriousness like an open book if she senses there's something bothering or off about them, whenever that happens she will make them open up and try to help them with the problem.

-She wears her heart on her sleeve and is a very caring and emotional person, thought she's as curious as she is nosy and tends to ask a lot of questions to Ayame's friends as she wants to know the kind of person her daughter’s hanging out with, this borderline interrogation is made worse by the fact that she's the kind of parent that will embarrass her kid with childhood stories but Ippei is usually there to pull her aside and tell her she's embarrassing Ayame in front of her friends.

-Bashira owns a flower shop as she's been fascinated by plants and nature ever since she was little, she used to tend to her parent's garden since both had very demanding jobs and were busy most of the time which led to her wanting to know more about plants and study botanics. This passion of hers is so strong that she named her daughter after a flower (japanese iris).

-She’s known for having a “magic touch” of sorts where everything she plants grows beautiful and strong, when tending to plants she never wears gloves of any kind as she feels like touching the dirt and plants with her bare heads makes all the difference.

-These two met at a restaurant Ippei used to work in as a waiter in his late teens because Bashira used to go there often with her friends. The whole reason he was working there to begin with was because this place had a piano in the stage where artists would perform sometimes and he’s always had a love for classic music, so whenever he had closing shifts he would stay there overtime after the restaurant closed to play the piano. There were a handful of times he let Bashira get in after closing to listen to him perform.

-His dream was to pursue that kind of career and become a musician but with the bubble burst and economic recession he decided to take a more stable office job than try his luck in the industry. He does still play as a hobby though! The Hatanos have a piano in their house and he plays it for fun and when he needs to de-stress from work. When Ayame was a child he would often play for her and talk about his passion even if she didn't have much interest in music.

-They're not as close as they were when she was a kid by current time since both of them aren't great at communicating but both know the other does care for them quite a bit even if the lack of words and some not-so-well solved issues are a bit of a barrier between them.

-While Ippei isn't outright not supportive of Ayame’s athletic career, he worries more than he cheers for her after the injury she had in one of her legs because it was a very serious one that could lead to her losing movement/feeling in her leg if she goes too far in training and doesn’t take good care of herself. On the other hand Bashira is still as supportive as ever about Ayame's sprinting, she worries too but much like Ayame herself she is pretty stubborn and being a huge optimist she is certain nothing worse will happen.

-When she was still in the hospital recovering from the surgery he went to talk to her about how it was ok to slow down and that she could still enjoy running and training as a hobby, just like he did with playing the piano. He obviously said that with the best intentions in mind but Ayame was in a very stressful and awful mindset because of everything and ended up not taking it very well, as if her dad was telling her to give up on her dreams, so she ended up yelling at him in the hospital about how she won’t give up like he did and Ippei just goes silent out of not wanting to argue with his kid.

-She apologized shortly after but they haven’t had a proper talk about all this stuff? If that makes sense? It was just a quick apology since neither of them are very good at talking + Bashira doesn’t want to intervene heavily on the situation since she feels like it’s something they need to resolve on their own, just father and daughter. (Though it’s not like their relationship crumbled after this mess or anything, it’s just something that was never properly resolved)

-Both of them died in the tragedy but if they had lived long enough to be rescued by the Kisaragi foundation alongside the 6.5 cast Ippei would have joined the foundation in Rei’s division while Bashira could have become a secretary or assistant of some kind if she didn't dislike Minako to the point of being unable to stand being around her.

-In a non-tragedy setting she would already dislike her quite a bit due to the way she treated her child, but because Bashira developed a strong disdain towards Kizuna because of what happened in the killing game she directs that hatred towards her mother since Kizuna herself is not around. The gist of it is that Bashira refuses to believe Ayame could have been so cruel out of her own volition, “I know my daughter more than anyone else, she would never do such a thing!”, and so blames Kizuna for her death since she was the one who instigated the event. (She despises Akane too, but she's the mastermind so who doesn't)

-Ippei is not the kind of person to hold these kids of grudges + he mostly blames himself for what happened to Ayame because he feels that if he had prohibited her from continuing her training as a sprinter after the injury she wouldn't have been called to hope's peak and subsequently died in the proto-killing game, he would much rather have Ayame hate him for putting a stop to her dreams than her being dead.

[chatlote]

Thank you everyone for all your questions. I will be putting an end to this askblog after this post and returning it to its owner. I didn't know what to expect when I created it, certainly not this… but I guess this wasn't such a bad ending.

Without further ado, here's my replies to all the questions I left unanswered. And goodbye.

During these past few years I had a lot of time to think, and I realized I care about being useful, or meaning something to someone. That's why I kept working at the rehab center after settling my debt with them, though I was never all that good at caring for the people there.

In terms of physical objects, I've come to care about my home and possessions quite a bit. I didn't have many things that were my own when I was the detective prince, but this home is something I worked for and gained all through my own efforts.

Ten years is a long time. I pride myself in being resourceful but even then I'm unsure if I would survive that long.

… Though in some ways I feel as if I've been lost these past few years too.

Watch movies, especially the ones that make me think more deeply about myself. I find the journey to find oneself quite inspiring. The original featherman movie trilogy is quite good at that.

I wasn't miserable in those interviews, but well… I suppose I wasn't quite myself in them either.

In relation to your questions: 1-I have picked up writing, mostly of the mystery genre, I have no plans to publish this, especially since some are inspired by confidential cases, but I enjoy it. 2-I have not travelled outside of Kyoto since moving here, I have not been recognized more than a handful of times, I keep my hair up and dress differently so no one connects the dots. 3-Galaxy Studios Park is just a short train trip away, I loved visiting when they had some special rides and attractions dedicated to last year's featherman movie. (Not that the movie was that good, but it was still fun. The wait for the rides was a nightmare, though.) 4-Yes. I enjoy no longer being in the public eye. It's freeing being allowed to be myself, even if I'm still figuring out who 'myself' is. 5-No pets, but have considered getting them... now that Akira is here (and seems intent on staying) I will have to discuss it with him.

I'm in a Reddit thread for ARG's, they are intriguing, and harmless, but still exciting to try to solve. Unfortunately, I can't participate in many due to parts of the mysteries being related to real world locations.

I think they are nonsense, no one's fate should be decided by another, much less by pieces of paper, they are also obviously just vague enough so that it applies to anyone. Still, I know Akira likes that sort of thing, so I try to not...judge too much.

Taiyaki, I wasn't the biggest fan before, but there's a vendor near where I live, I especially enjoy the matcha flavor since it's not overly sweet.

Boring. I'm stuck in bed because I have a leech clinging onto me, otherwise, I suppose it's an alright day. If you meant yesterday… it was stressful, but it worked out.

I saw this ask before deciding to leave because I realized if I left him to his own devices he would blow up half the city trying to find my apartment.

Thank you, I think. I just wear them when I'm at my laptop, the blue light filter is helpful.

I got worried of what he would do once he came to the town I've started calling my new home. Can you blame me?

It was... alright. It still feels a bit surreal, I'm still not sure if this is happening or a dream. But it's nice to know he still cares.

... Yes. It seems as if you are correct.

I always recommend the classics of the mystery genre, Conan Doyle and Edogawa Ranpo. But... Well, if you like rivalries between thieves and detectives I recommend checking out Arsène Lupin versus Herlock Sholmes.

...Not my type of song.

Turns out he is not as harmless as I previously thought.

I very much doubt that anyone else from the queer community has a similar relationship to ours. If so, my condolences.

I don't think I will be waking up alone ever again. But while I was on my own… I just looked for the small things I still cared about. Working on a rehab center helped. You get a lot of coworkers that are constantly mentioning that as long as you keep going, you will find a purpose in your life again.

And so I have.

---

That was all the questions I received. I will be logging off now permanently.

Thank you again. I was angry at first of how several of you got Akira even more pumped up into finding me, but I not understand your intentions were not malicious ones. We have a lot to talk about still, but I am... looking forward to it, I think.

Goodbye. Goro Akechi, former detective prince.

[bird-in-the-space]

Bayverse Version (Part 18)

After winning the fight against the cons, you feel more confident in yourself. The cons, however, find a new way to obtain you from the Autobots' hands.

(Author's note: I'm afraid I will be putting this series on a break because I suddenly lost motivation, and I'm unsure how the next chapter should go. I start posting more chapters once I figure it out. )

Warnings: (making some stuff up again) and the cons plotting something

------------------------------------

After getting back to Diego Garcia, Ratchet shared what had happened with Optimus and the other Autobots since the situation was solved before they could send backup. He then put you through a check-up even though you didn’t get badly hurt. When you insisted enough, he checked himself since he was the one who got most beaten up. Luckily, he didn’t sustain any life-threatening injuries or anything he couldn’t fix. 

You then received compliments from the bots for standing your ground against the cons.  They did give you a scolding for not following the evacuation protocol, but otherwise, they were rather positive about the whole thing. 

Ironhide smacked you in the back with a grin on his face. 

“Good job, kid. I knew you had it in you,” he said. “And if you keep hitting back, I believe the cons will stop coming after you.” 

You smiled back, hoping it was an outcome that would come soon. 

“But don’t think this means your training's over. Now that you won your first fight against those punks, I think I can push you a bit harder until you’re combat-ready, “ Ironhide added. 

Your smile fell into an awkward one, the thought of more difficult exercises making you feel scared. “Okay, but please not too much,”

You then glanced at Lennox and Optimus. “But how did the cons know we were there? It was like they were waiting for us?” you asked.

“Excellent question,” Lennox said. “We already checked and reconfigured our entire communication system. It should be safe,”

“Well, just to be sure. We should check again—maybe you missed something, or the Decepticons have become more brazen in their spying,” Que said, pressing buttons on the computer.

“Or maybe they’re not spying on us through our communication system,” he added thoughtfully.

“Whatever the cause, we must proceed with caution. Starscream may resort to more brute forward methods to retrieve their intended targets,” Optimus stated. 

“With pure energon in our storage, we’ve made significant technical advancements. I believe that we will be able to develop technology that will grant us a greater advantage over the Decepticons soon enough,” Que revealed.  

“But due to its rarity, and that we don’t have a large supply of it,” he continued. “Perhaps we could try to find another pure energon source.” 

“With enough pure energon, I could refine it in a way that we do not have to worry about refuelling ourselves for months,” Que then looked toward you. 

“(Name), would you be up to hunt down another pure energon source?” he asked. 

“I can try, but I can’t guarantee it would be found, even with my ability,” you replied.

“Perhaps we could narrow our search by observing through the Earth’s natural temperature flow," Que turned back toward the computer, pressing buttons. "I found out that while ordinary energon emits a cold energy signature, pure energon radiates an energy signature that is much warmer."

"By mapping those temperatures and combining the energon signatures, we could pinpoint their locations more accurately," Que then made a map appear on the screen. It was colored in blue and red, and at some points it had blue dots.

“I guess that would work…” You shrugged.

“Let’s not get too over our heads. The cons might have backed off this time, but there is no guarantee they won’t try again,” Ratchet said. “And I would prefer that (Name) does not have to fight to defend herself,” 

Even though you felt a bit confident in yourself, you agreed with Ratchet. 

“Perhaps more security would be in order,” Que suggested. 

“How about we come back you up this time?” Mudflap said as the twins stepped in.

“Yeah! Can’t let the newbie have all the fun,” Skids added.

“Uhm…” You looked at them, slightly baffled. “No offense, but… can you guys do much against the Decepticons?”

“You forget—we’re veterans at kicking Decepticon ass,” Skids said, pointing at himself.

“Yeah! We beat ’em before you even notice they’re there,” Mudflap added, and the two gave each other a high five.

You glanced at Ratchet, who returned your uncertain look.

“How about we add a third one? Just to be safe?” your dad suggested. 

“Yeah. Good idea,” Lennox said.  “You feel like you're up to hunt down pure energon, (Name)?” he asked you.

“I guess…” You shrugged your shoulders. 

“Excellent. The more pure energon we can secure, the better. “ Que said. “I'll pinpoint a possible location for you once I've gone through the map,” he added and started working on his computer. 

Ratchet turned toward you. “How about you go recharge? I think I feel more comfortable that you will leave the base with all your energy levels at the maximum,” he said. 

You smiled. “Okay. I’ll go do that. You rest too. You came back from a fight yourself,” you said.

He brushed you off. “I will be fine. Now go,” he said as he left to do his own thing.

You then looked down at your dad as he stood next to you.

“I’m not sure what to say. One moment you came back from kidnapping yourself, and now you are brave enough to fight them yourself,” he said.

“When did you suddenly become so strong and self-sufficient?” he smiled, his tone laced with a hint of pride.

You smiled. “I’m pretty sure I’ve just been lucky,” 

“Honestly, I’m surprised I even dared to do so,” you stated. “I’m glad, though, since it means my training has paid off. But I’m afraid Ironhide is gonna train me harder,” 

Your dad chuckled. “You got this far. You’ll be fine.” 

“Who knows, maybe you had potential for the army all this time, just like your brother?” he added. 

You smiled before thinking about your brother. “How is Nick, by the way? It’s been forever since I last heard of him,” you said.

“He’s safe. Maybe a few more deployments, and I might invite him to join the NEST,” your dad replied.

“Are you sure you want him to join the NEST?” you asked.

“Not really. But the high-ups are looking to recruit new people, and I’m afraid Nick could become a possible candidate,” he said. “I don’t really want both my kids fighting aliens, especially when you became part alien.”

“Yeah, he’ll probably shit his pants if he saw me right now,” you stated.

Your dad chuckled. “No doubts about that one. Though you are finally big enough to win any fight with him since you used to be so salty about losing every wrestling match with him,”

“Oh, now I’m tempted. Too bad he doesn’t know about NEST and alien robots,” you said.

“And I'd rather keep it that way for a while. How about you go rest?” your dad said. “I think Que will be done pinpointing the energon locations by tomorrow.” 

“Okay. See you later,” you said, going your separate ways. 

While walking, many thoughts raced through your mind. You felt proud for standing your ground against the cons. Doing so might have saved Ratchet’s life. You’d kind of grown attached to the grumpy bot, so you weren't sure what you would have done if he had died trying to buy you time to escape.

More importantly, you managed to face your fear of them. If you hadn’t, maybe you’d be running from them the rest of your life.

Perhaps, from now on, you’ll be a little less afraid to stand your ground.

Out in Earth’s atmosphere, Soundwave, the Decepticon’s communication officer, listened to Earth’s communication lines while being attached to one of Earth’s satellites. He monitored the talk on the Decepticon’s own communication channel.

In Cybertronian, the cons sent to capture you spoke.

“The mission was a failure. The whelp fought back and managed to have one of our own killed,” Long Haul reported. “I think the Autobots have been training them.” 

A growl echoed through the channel.

“This will bring more trouble than good. We need that little bot’s ability, “ Starscream growled. “We need to find a weak spot, something that will give us an advantage and perhaps make the whelp come to us instead. “

Soundwave began reviewing the recordings he had saved after hacking into the Autobot liaison Galloway’s cellphone. The human had neglected to use NEST’s secure lines, allowing Soundwave to easily breach the device and have it record every conversation it heard.

He went through the voice recording Galloway’s cellphone recorded during his visit to the Autobot base. 

He skipped through useless conversations he had heard and the ones that revealed your next location for energon mining operations. 

“I doubt that. I’m here because I read your reports and found out that you handed a fragment of the Allspark to a civilian. Care to explain that brilliant decision?” came Galloway’s voice. 

Soundwave stopped and listened. 

“Really? That’s funny,” came your voice. “Because just a moment ago, you didn’t seem to hear a thing when Que explained why they couldn’t sever the Allspark fragment’s connection to my best friend, and thus why she’s under Autobot protection,” you responded in the recording. 

Soundwave fixated on the terms ‘civilian’ and ‘best friend’. He went through the human databases. He found your old social media and a status that claimed you were deceased to society. Investigating through your old social media platform, he found similar occurrences where someone named Emily was your friend on each one

He then fixated on finding all the files on Emily, her social media, and her files. He even found several pictures of you together, figuring out her status of being your ‘best friend’. 

“Soundwave to Starscream: target’s weak point identified. Emily Walkerson. Revealed to carry a fragment of the Allspark,” Soundwave reported to Starscream, sending him the files. 

“Interesting,” Starscream mused through the communication channel. “An Allspark fragment has imprinted on a human—meaning the Autobots have no choice but to let the human carry it for them.”

“This changes everything.”

“Excellent work, Soundwave,” Starscream said. “Decepticons, prepare for a retrieval. Locate and secure a human female by the name Emily Walkerson.”

“If I may ask, Starscream—what purpose does the human serve?” Long Haul inquired.

Starscream let out a sinister chuckle.

“For bait.”

Taglist: @beirynart@rigbyscar

[jaydenix]

20 years on, Sokka is still one of the best male role models in all of media

We need more young men written like him

What's there not to love about Sokka? As ATLA's resident comic relief guy, crazy shit that happens to him is always a good laugh. He's full of himself and overconfident which combined with a stellar voice acting performance by Jack DeSena makes for a very fun character. But one of the most intriguing things about him is his relationship with manhood.

Sokka begins the show very close-minded on the subject of gender, he believes he's just innately better than woman (especially Katara) because he is a man. At this point he thinks he's on top of the world and he knows everything. After all, he has been put in a great position of power in protecting his tribe after the men left to fight. For what his world currently is his quite on top of things, but his world is about to expand 100 times over.

Once Aang arrives he's tasked with coming along with him and and his sister to head to the North Pole, but early on they arrive on Kyoshi Island and meet the Kyoshi Warriors, this is what begins to break down his superiority complex where he challenges his later girlfriend Suki to a fight and she fucks up his shit. This causes him to unravel what he believes about gender, that he is better than women because he is a man. But his adventure with becoming a man has only just begun.

Throughout the rest of the show, we uncover more about Sokka having to be left behind by his father, he was just barely not old enough to go away to fight and that hurt him real bad, he feels his ability to fight made him a man, but this robbed right out from under him due to his age. Though having spent 2 years stuck without seeing his father and having spent several months out flying around on a bison taking on the Fire Nation, of course he becomes way stronger and way smarter perhaps not dissimilar to how he would've done if he was able to go off and fight 2 years prior. Eitherway, when he finally sees his father and the men of the Southern Water Tribe again at the end of book 2, he's understandably incredibly nervous because he's unsure of how they'll respond. He's left wondering whether they will see him as a man? And of course, they all do, they shake his hand and one of them is comparing heights as he's gotten a lot bigger, he's now an equal to them. They left him a boy, but they reunited with a man. And the classic moment where Hakoda says to him "aren't you listening? I said the rest of you men get ready for battle" like FUCK yeah man Hakoda doesn't even give a second thought here to his son's manhood he just knows his boy is all grown up I love him.

Now, you all know this, so why am I talking about it? Well, Sokka is such an incredibly positive representation of masculinity: his journey to manhood doesn't involve being better or putting down women or anyone for that matter. It even challenges him on this when he thinks thats what it involves. Being a man to him is knowing where you're needed the most, and he fulfils that by trying to bring about peace in the world and helping his friends and others. This is what masculinity should be.

It seems right now a lot of young men are being radicalised into far-right red-pill ideologies which promote masculinity as mistreatment of others. How on earth do we solve this issue to prevent men diving head first into the brazen misogyny of people like Andrew Tate? I don't know, but a lot of people are increasingly frustrated with hardships in this modern world and look for some kind of scapegoat. Now, don't get me wrong, it's really easy to not be a flaming misogynist, and the grievances that the MRA/manosphere lobby enjoy highlighting like idk men being more lonely supposedly? Or not being able to find "ideal" partners because of the woke anti-men feminism mob or whatever? Whereas feminists point to you know things like rape? And abortion restriction? And domestic violence? Real actual issues that affect millions of women all over the world every single day? Undoubtedly I think a lot of men need to do a bit more critical thinking. But perhaps a small part of solving this problem might just be more shows and movies and media portraying young men like Sokka who learn to embrace a non-toxic and healthy form of masculinity. Maybe this will help even just a few young boys not be pulled into these dangerous ideas as they have their own independent idea of how to be a man that was guided through well written and interesting characters. Though of course there's a lot more to it as well, this is just one thing I've thought of.

"One is not born, but becomes a woman" is a common quote thrown around in feminism, and to me Sokka is the perfect example of someone who wasn't born, but became a man through his own good actions.

👏 More 👏 Young 👏 Men 👏 Like 👏 Sokka 👏 Please 👏

[orphetoon]

Different person, I desire info on the ace attorney au

HI SORRY THIS IS LIKE A MONTH OLD AT THIS POINT

idk if i'll ever do more art bc when will i ever be interested in jjba AND aa at the same time again but just for you. the rough timeline of the entire au

PART 1: PHANTOM ATTORNEY

basically phantom blood but without vampires. jonathan is a defense attorney, the assistant switches between erina and speedwagon; first case is probably defending speedwagon. zeppeli isn't a hamon user here, but rather a spirit medium who gives jonathan some training. jonathan can't actually talk to ghosts, his ability is probably more similar to apollo's; maybe he can sense someones spirit 'wavering', aka when they're unsure.

main antagonist is dio, who is the opposing attorney. he's done a lot of shit he's never gotten caught for, but jonathan manages to reveal his crimes in the final case. dio gets sentenced to death, rip king.

PART 2: uh. battle tendency doesn't happen here.

idk how long it would've taken someone to get executed back in ye olde england times but for this au its long enough for jonathan to have at least two kids. one of these is george ii (joseph's dad), the other will create a branch family (aka giornos gotta exist somehow)

shortly after dio's execution, he forms as a vengeful spirit and is able to forcibly possess jonathan and kill him. dio's a bitch tho and continues to possess joestars whenever possible, but due to uh. reasons? he's not able to kill the next generation of joestars until they have had their own kids. deciding that going after the whole lineage would be tiring, dio just decides to focus on joseph and his descendants.

PART 3: jotaro fucks up

joseph manages to spirit train well enough that dio can't possess him or whatever, and lives a long life. holly manages to avoid him as well. jotaro was on the track to be strong enough to shut dio out, but decided to be an idiot 17 year old and try to banish dio for good. by some means both he and dio fail at their goals, and jotaro is stuck with dio...not really possessing him, but giving running commentary 24/7. joots tries to live with it for awhile, but the thought that dio could eventually succeed in possessing him and hurting those around him (aka baby jolyne) causes him to distance himself from everyone.

PART 4: AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

apologies to josuke for stealing his part number.

anyway. almost completely unrelated to all that, pannacotta fugo is a prodigy prosecuting attorney who has one of the highest success rates in the country. he has a found family sort of thing with the rest of bucci's gang, who he's all advised on legal matters at some point. they (sans fugo) run a restaurant; this isn't important at all to the au, i just like the idea. anyway, fugo's life is pretty good, until.

giorno fucking giovanna.

he arrives out of nowhere and quickly becomes the best defense in the country, even tho he's younger than fugo (both of them are too young to be attorneys, but this is aa). doesn't matter if his client is clearly guilty, giorno can get them off the hook (he only takes clients he believes should be seen as innocent, but giorno has his own interesting moral system). these two idiots battle it out in the courtroom, until bucciarati is framed for a murder.

unable to defend him, fugo turns to the only person he can, giorno. giorno completely clears bucci's name, unraveling the truth of the case - aka taking down diavolo, who's organized most of the crimes in this 'game'. since trish is the assistant for this game, she becomes kinda the main character during the final case lol. either way diavolo goes to jail, and both gio and trish are sort of folded into the bucci gang.

PART 5: GHOSTS ARE REAL

the second 'game' would be giorno with jolyne as an assistant; he clears her from the vehicular manslaughter and both of them resolve to solve the conspiracy behind it (it's pucci. pucci's behind it). josuke is here as a side character, being a police detective

the final case involves revealing pucci's crimes and jolyne finding a way to free her father from dio's spirit. no universe reset here lads :)

50/50 onto whether giorno finds out he's actually related to the joestars or not. he still bills them either way

PART 6: feedback investigations

fugo gets his own games but idk a whole lot about the investigations games so uh! lets just say its normal aa shenanigans with the purple haze feedback characters in there as well

[amarynthian-chronicles]

Our Guest Chapter 3 - Part 1

Vampire!Sun, Vampire!Moon, Vampire!Eclipse x Hunter Reader

(You arrive at a sinister and luxurious castle with the innocent intention of checking why its mysterious residents haven't been paying any taxes or utilities for the past several centuries. Very useful excuse for a vampire hunter to have when trying to do some good old infiltrating. The three vampire lords however, fully intend to capture and seduce you, but that is a bit difficult when you keep asking them about their financial books. Will they be able to make you theirs? Are they onto your little schemes and playing along? Will you finally get that plate of cupcakes? We'll find out)

The Grand Duke was graciously guiding you to an area he deemed appropriate for a duel, one of his right hands on your shoulder, his other right hand gently placed on the small of your back.

In your personal opinion, the corridors would have done just fine for such an activity. Eclipse, of course, did not deem them exalted enough and had proclaimed that he would take you to one of the grand halls instead.

We cannot be sufficiently dramatic in a lowly castle corridor, after all.

You had wondered how he would be transporting the heavy chest containing all the weaponry, but he had quickly solved that mystery through another one of his “parlour tricks“, having it dissolve into diamond dust and safely teleport to the desired location in advance.

Practical and stylish, you couldn't deny that.

His remaining arms were elegantly folded behind his back, his stride regal and dignified, perfect balance and seemingly not a single physical weakness for you to exploit. Immaculate composure, absolute control over each movement and gesture. A vampire lord par excellence.

No matter, there was plenty of other useful information for you to deduce.

Rich amber scent, the soft sound of his cloak moving, the faint echo of his steps, almost imperceptible despite his imposing stature. This was very important to memorize for potential encounters in the dark or if any obstacle were to limit your sight. Moreover, with proper concentration and precision, it was possible for you to use a variant of echolocation if necessary. Air movement itself could betray someone's location or if there was an incoming object.

Eclipse had four arms and therefore it was safe to assume skillful ambidexterity, but you were unsure if he would utilize that against you in a “friendly“ duel. You could use his unfair advantage as an argument for potential disqualification if he got too carried away. One should never underestimate the importance of formalities, they could save you even when the cards were stacked against you, all actions of the other party could be declared null and void due to a simple irregularity.

A dull ache in your stomach reminded you that you were still rather hungry, and a more rational part of your mind began to chastise you for agreeing to play around before getting a good meal first, but you couldn't afford to miss out on an opportunity to get to know your foes better. You wondered whether your dinner could simply be delivered to your chambers after you were done with the whole spectacle. Playing with clingy vampires does take a lot of energy.

A clawed finger wrapped around a lock of your hair.

“You are quiet and pensive, my dear. What devilish strategies are going through that lovely head of yours?“

“Oh, nothing, I am just working on a masterplan that will help me steal all the cupcakes from your kitchen. Beware.“

“How dastardly of you. Has this been your plan all along?“

“All is permitted when one's objective is to acquire treats.“

You blushed as he pulled you closer, placing a part of his cloak over your shoulders as if he were sharing a blanket with you. The gesture was intimate and the soft texture of the fabric reminded you that you couldn't wait to finally take a nap after dawn breaks. One couldn't sleep while the vampires were still awake, after all. Even Sun needed a short rest, despite his eternally insomniac ways.

Eclipse continued to play with your hair, combing his fingers through its softness.

“An intriguing statement, morning star. Are we using a narrow or a broad definition of treats?“

“What would be the broad one for you, sir?“

His hand temporarily left your tresses, claws tenderly sliding down your cheek, passing the jawline and finally caressing along the silken skin of your neck. Your pulse was right under his touch, warm and nectarous blood concealed by such a fragile barrier. The most precious parts of a flower had nothing other than delicate petals to protect them, after all.

“For now I will say that it is open to interpretation.“

Electric tingles danced along your spine and you closed your eyes, fully aware of the rather compromising position you were in, having such a vital area exposed to the tender mercies of a vampire. However, the cacophonous chaos of fear and panic were silenced by the symphony of curiosity, wondering how far he would let you go on with your little performance.

“Forgive me for being so bold, my lord, but if an objective bystander were to interpret the way you are looking at me right now, they may assume that I qualify as a treat in your books.“

“I never made an attempt to hide that I consider you a special type of treat that I intend to savour eventually. There is a proper time for everything.“

“Really? In that case, I warmly suggest you head on to the State Intellectual Property Office to inform them that you created a way to have your cake and eat it, too.“

“Oh, do they offer rewards?“

“Licenses, patents, exclusive rights and such.“

He leaned closer, whispering in your ear, completely concealing you in his cloak as he did so. A playful purr came from him, his eyes alight with mirth.

“Exclusive rights to enjoy our treat whenever we please?“

Your cheeks were ablaze from the sudden closeness, his touch offering pleasant sensations to coax you to relax in his arms. Eclipse's presence was indeed a feast for the senses, the strength of his body, the soft fabric of his fine garments, the timbre of his voice, eyes of gold.

Now, now, do not lose your head just yet. You had anticipated his amorous behaviour, nothing out of the ordinary and all according to your calculations. You told yourself to remain focused, no matter the temptation.

Still, you did not push him away yet. Certain concessions had to be given to keep a vampire lord's interest alive, which is why you indulged him and his brothers when it came to their silly courtship shenanigans. Moreover, it was of crucial importance to continue extending the metaphorical olive branch and show no direct hostility. Antagonizing them could only cost you everything in the end.

You cannot lead monsters astray if you get devoured along the way.

“You are free to apply, but make sure to fill out all the forms correctly or they will ask you to do the paperwork all over again. Bureaucracy is a silent killer.“

“The prize is worth the toil. Although, why bother with such administrative nonsense when there is a myriad of other tools at our disposal to help us mark that delicacy as our own? Quick, effective, delicious, a bond stronger than death.“

“Fair warning, sir, I won't be held liable if eating the treat too fast ends up making you feel unwell. You may direct all of your medical complaints to my nonexistent secretary.“

“Cheeky little thing.“

“I only speak the truth.“

“We can handle whatever you have to offer, be it heaven or hell, bitter or sweet, a true gourmet appreciates all that stimulates the palate.“

“Even poison?“

“Give me every last drop of it to study and analyze, allow me to memorize its structure, I shall cherish it like liquid jewels.“

“Such things you say, lord Eclipse.“

“Permit me to keep entertaining you for the rest of eternity, I promise it will be worth your while.“

You closed your eyes as one pair of his hands squeezed your hips, the other pair rubbing at your sides to ease the tension in your body. Honestly, you had half a mind to simply ask him for a massage. After all, Marquis Moon had been pretty good at it, maybe the same talent ran in the whole family. You hummed, showing contentment, and the Grand Duke took it as a sign to keep playing with you.

Ghostly kisses were placed along your neck, your jawline, then his lips finally settled at the sensitive corner of your mouth. He wanted a proper reaction, waited for you to concede and lean closer to form a proper kiss, but you remained perfectly balanced on that fine line between stern professionalism and playful coquetry.

Eclipse reached for your hand and you allowed him to do so. His lips lingered on the sensitive skin of your inner wrist, right above the pulse. A hint of red circles appeared in his golden eyes, desire and thirst providing exquisite torture, the hymn of your blood calling for his primal instincts to awaken. He spoke, voice darker than the night:

“Has anyone else tried to make you theirs?“

“Alas, I am married to my work for the moment.“

“Are you now? Work does not warm your nights nor does it provide a proper appreciation of your charms. My brothers and I would love to offer a solution for such a glaring problem.“

“If you insist, you may submit a written application and I shall review it when I have the time. Possibly right before sleep.“

He continued to nuzzle your inner wrist, almost as if waiting for your radial artery to tell him your secrets.

“Be careful who you allow into your thoughts before slumber. We may follow you to the lovely realm of your dreams, and there is no escape from your own mind.“

“That works both ways, my lord. If I cannot get out, then neither can those that are there with me. We will be sharing one big happy nightmare together.“

It was difficult to determine who was leading the metaphorical dance. By all logic, he was the one that should be granted the role of the hunter and subduer. And yet, there you were, seemingly allowing him to have his way, but simultaneously keeping your distance and messing with him. Will-o'-the-wisp, fairy light, sneaky nymph trying to lead him across a broken bridge and doing your best to convince him that you only had the purest intentions. He wondered how many beings of the night had met their demise by following your siren song right into the light of the sun.

Nevertheless, he was delighted with your nonsense. You were absolutely adorable. Darling Red Riding Hood trying to outsmart the Big Bad Wolf and the Twin Hunters.

Aggressive mimicry was a common thing in Nature, predators pretending to be prey, but he had never seen someone in your profession apply such a tactic before. It was far more common for people in that line of work to focus primarily on making a direct onslaught, quick and sudden attacks, unexpected raids. A somewhat reasonable logic. After all, the objective of an average “totally legitimate tax inspector“ was to accomplish as much as possible in the short amount of time they were given. They were always plagued with a sense of urgency, needing to act before their more potent enemy retaliated.

You, on the other hand, were playing the long game. Entering the belly of the beast, making yourself comfortable, confusing everyone around you and acting as if your presence there was the most normal thing in the world. The risk of death hanging over your head, danger all around you, two wrong words and one wrong move away from being caught in your little scheme, but there you were, at ease in the eye of the storm.

Eclipse had encountered plenty of humans in his long existence, yet none had managed to provide such an interesting object of study. It was pure absurdity, your actions were both calculated and whimsical, you had created a conundrum specifically designed to awaken a vampire's curiosity, giving them a riddle to solve, grains of sand to count. It was the equivalent of handing them a piece of paper that had “turn around“ written on both sides, using their own obsessive nature against them.

Clever tactic, Y/N, wonderful novelty, finally a breath of fresh air on the scene, he applauded your effort. No matter, he would find a way to tangle you in your own web, nicely wrapped up as a gift for all three of them and they would take very good care of you. One may even say that they were saving you from the fate of potentially falling into the hands of the more ferocious members of their kind.

In a world of debauched immortals, a human with blood as sweet-scented as yours would be a priority target. Special little gems like you were rare, akin to very expensive bottles of wine, and undoubtedly many beasts wouldn't miss on the opportunity to get their hands on you. It was not uncommon for various Lords and Masters to bring forth a captive human during banquets to be shared with their esteemed guests. Bleeding a prized prisoner and distributing their blood in crystal glasses was a sign of being a good host.

He couldn't let that happen to you. A star's place was in the sky.

Nevertheless, he had every intention of making it clear to you that you had an obligation to descend from the heavens each time he or his brothers called for you. You needed to be taught some humility and gratitude for their kindness, it was only fair. Respect held the same value as gold.

As for your side of the playing field, dear Y/N, all was going according to your plan. Well, with a few modifications in comparison to the initial version, but things were as they should be and you still had your head attached to your shoulders, so good for you.

Balance mattered most, your modus operandi was simple in its essence. Dance for them, keep them intrigued, enthrall them, but never let them truly claim their prize. Never forget your advantages nor your weaknesses, both were useful tools in their own manner.

Regular vampire hunters were terrified of placing themselves in a passive position and therefore they would lose plenty of opportunities. Error in philosophy. One simply needed a change of perspective.

The dynamic of predator and prey completely shatters into a myriad of mirror shards when the parched predator writhes in agony, while the prey smiles sadistically, just out of reach, just enough for the predator to dream of a feast that will never come. The former becomes the one who begs the latter for mercy, a single drop of blood to keep him from the abyss of starvation. The prey begins to dictate when the predator gets to eat, pulling at the newly made leash as they pleased.

Of course, all of those tidbits of wisdom had come to you after years of practice, intense study and certain other unpleasant situations that had given you a more detailed insight into the inner workings of elite vampire society.

You had been in a very unfavourable position when you had first entered your line of work. Lost, inexperienced, driven only by the strength of a promise and the power of determination. Trial and error had been your initial mentors, holding you by the hand as they introduced you to the more chaotic aspects of the supernatural, assisting you in finding a stable musical rhythm in a dissonant world of death, darkness and deranged tomfoolery.

The brutal world of vampires and hunters was madness incarnate, completely different from the comfortable environment you had known for most of your life. Your home and your family meant everything to you. Playful ghosts and poltergeists, a kind harpy, a supportive werewolf and a gentle bear yeti had done their best to raise you, giving you all of their love ever since you had been left on their doorstep as a child. You had to persist in your endeavours of making the world a safer place for those that wished to live in peace, both humans and benevolent supernatural beings alike.

Undaunted, you had kept marching onward, making your way through the hellish landscape of reality, walking from page to page of the book that was writing itself as you went along.

Still, you had never been truly comfortable in the role of the protagonist, on display for all to see and for all of your foes to know who you were. You desired privacy, the veil of secrecy and the infinite knowledge of the narrator, always present yet never seen. And so, you had adapted accordingly.

Discretion and disguises. Observation and mimicry. The camouflage and wisdom of serpents, the patience and humility of spiders, the continuous flexibility of plants in the wind, ethereal skill of ballet dancers, the silent presence of ghosts, the endurance of ice and the softness of freshly fallen snow, all of it had contributed to the development of your own special philosophy of dealing with powerful opponents.

You were very well aware that you had been blessed with blood far sweeter than that of most humans and therefore you were perfect bait. Your blood had become an important part of your arsenal, on par with blades bathed in holy water, hawthorn stakes, needles, toxins and your trustworthy hand mirror that could create temporary illusions.

Well, even your umbrella that had met its untimely demise in the wind. There had been a small dagger hidden in the handle, and you were rather fond of such a practical weapon. Alas, you would have to procure a new umbrella of that sort. May the old one rest in pieces.

There were many practical ways of dealing with ravenous creatues of the night when desperate times demanded for desperate measures, especially when you needed a quick way of getting a particularly problematic group away from an inhabited area. Weapons were only useful when their target was in range and when one was certain that there would be sufficient success. Confidence was the downfall of the mighty and you had learned that vampires were most confident when they had a bleeding victim in their line of sight.

One time, you had made a few cuts along your forearms, allowing the precious nectar to flow, an invitation to the fountain of life, then you had waited for them to flock. You still remember the sight of glowing eyes in the dark alleys, all of them summoned by your scent, enchanted by the sight of your wounds. You had simply walked away, tricking them into believing that you were on death's doorstep, luring them to follow you to an old underground bunker.

You had stood in one of the dark chambers below ground, hearing them come, hearing them cackle as they thought you were trapped with them. When a sufficient number of vampires had arrived, you had pressed a button on the wall, causing the entrance doors to close, sealing all of you inside, much to the confusion of the entire congregation. Who in their right mind would willingly trap themselves with monsters?

You had been perfectly calm, your eyes colder than death as you struck a match and held it up to activate the fire alarm, sprinklers raining holy water upon every person in the room.

It goes without saying that such a thing had been akin to a rain of acid to them, agony unlike any other, to the point where they barely had the strength to retaliate against you. Sufficiently weakened, they had been powerless against your hawthorn stakes. Problem solved.

Of course, something as simple as that could never work on someone as potent and ancient as a vampire lord. They demanded a completely different treatment altogether and the process would be harrowing. Going against the Celestial Coven was nothing short of insanity and, by the heavens, you were definitely a few cards short of a full deck, Y/N.

Your gracious host noticed that your mind seemed a bit distracted, so he decided to get your attention again.

Eclipse made a swift gesture with his hand, akin to a magician performing a trick. A decorative hair comb appeared in the palm of his hand, adorned with miniature diamond stars and crescent moons. You barely had time to admire its beauty, for he was already positioning it in your hair, adjusting it to stay in place.

“There we go, icing on the cake.“

“I do hope you won't slice me open like one, sir.“

“Preposterous, my dear. You would complain too much and I am just a simple old gentleman that values what is left of his hearing.“

“I'll be taking your word for it. Otherwise I shall be suing you in a civil case for damages and additional compensation for emotional turmoil.“

“You will sue me from beyond the grave?“

“Do not underestimate the power of being petty. Also, you're in pretty good shape for a simple old gentleman, though. What is your secret? Do share.“

“What type of answer do you expect? Macabre rituals, nefarious deeds, unforgivable crimes?“

“Possibly. Unless you wished to say that the key to eternal life is the simple act of getting plenty of fresh air.“

“I would also add the act of surrounding oneself with beautiful company. Therefore, I must thank you for extending my lifespan.“

The whole exchange was absolutely absurd, an immortal flame having a conversation with a whirlwind of snow, one delighted by the whimsy of the other. Two opposite forces, none capable of making the other expire, acid and alkaline, cancelling each other out as their energies meet, dancing in a perfectly neutral zone together.

The mad scientist within him appreciated the way the structures of your souls formed bonds with one another, evolving, changing, approaching a beautiful alchemical transformation.

And yet, each time he tried to fully grasp at the core of your essence, far beyond the area he had been given permission to visit, the soft snow would turn into hard ice, denying him access, refusing to be his playmate. The Night remained incapable of claiming the Morning and Evening for itself, condemned to forever linger on the blurred border where dark blue bleeds into pink and vermilion.

Perhaps a change of tactic was in order.

To your surprise, he moved away, giving you a pat on the head. He then slightly ruffled your hair to tease you. As expected, you had the expression of an offended royal as you tried to get your tresses back in order. You two continued to walk side by side, raindrops making gentle sounds on the glass windows.

Eclipse spoke:

“Do you perchance play chess, morning star?“

“I was never a fan of it, believe it or not.“

“Really? What did that poor innocent game do to you to merit such a low regard?“

“It takes itself too seriously.“

“Do elaborate.“

“One wastes a lot of effort and there is very little payoff. What do we do and what do we gain? Moving a single piece in a limited direction and then having to wait for your foe to do the same thing? Unrewarding. Where is the cost and benefit balance in that? I'd have better results by simply telling the opponent that there is a bomb under his chair and that he should forfeit the game.“

“Morbidly practical. Is there a bomb, though?“

“I am probably bluffing, but he doesn't have to know that.“

“A creative as that is, you would still be avoiding the rules of the initial game, almost as if admitting that you cannot win by ordinary means without cheating. You could put all of that cunning to some good use by figuring out how to capture the enemy king.“

“It is rather unfair that such a stagnant piece decides the game. Catching other pieces is far more fun, they are dynamic and interesting. A challenge. Players are far happier when they capture a rook or a queen. Who would want to go around in circles afterwards to get to the king?“

“I cannot help but notice the mentality of a bounty hunter. Little mercenary on their merry way to collect whichever toys had caught their fancy that day.“

You gave him a rather stern look, your playfulness disappearing, your voice embodying the spirit of Winter.

“I do not appreciate being compared to bounty hunters and mercenaries. They deserve their own circle of eternal damnation. Those who place a price on life know little about its true value.“

You were truthful. You despised your “colleagues“ and you had little empathy for vampire hunters that worked for money. There was nothing more vile than shedding blood for a fee.

You deemed their morals to be as low as that of any other villain. Blood purchased for cash, loss of life placed in proportion to monetary gain, protection given only after a transaction had been made. Unforgivable, deplorable.

Eclipse had sensed a change within you, whimsical snow becoming a downpour of rain, threatening to drown all in its path. He had hit an unexpected sore spot. Interesting. He wanted to know more, he needed that information. For research purposes, of course.

A good alchemist knew when to introduce a proper catalyst and induce a certain reaction. External stimuli held immense power over inner stability, regardless if he was working with inanimate matter, living tissue or spiritual energy. Too bad he didn't have his gold-rimmed workshop goggles with him. Safety measures were important, especially when dealing with a special little star like you.

“Forgive me for being so bold, my dear, but is it not counterintuitive for someone in your specific profession to scoff at monetary value being attached to living beings? Financial inspection is hardly the pinnacle of morality.“

“Potential tax fraud is not really an act of charity, either. Besides, it is important to contribute to the well-being of general society.“

“I would say that my brothers and I are doing an adequate job of keeping worse evils at bay. We are a necessity in the grand mechanism of the universe. Therefore, the cosmic forces permit us a few acts of self-indulgence from time to time.“

“A mountain of lesser evils shall never reach the tower of the greater good, lord Eclipse.“

“Look at you, child of Spring and Winter, all wise and mighty on your high horse. Beware, for the beast's loyalty to the rider is fickle and one day it might rear up and run off, leaving you on the ground with a broken neck.“

“Bold of you to assume I hadn't already survived many falls, sir.“

“And you always get up and pursue the same madness?“

“There is no other route for me.“

“I do hope the Revenue and Audit Bureau values your heroic work. Which bright mind in that fabled insitution had decided to send you, morning star? Are you certain they had your best interests at heart? No good deed goes unpunished, regardless if you are a noble warrior or a mercenary.“

“Does it truly matter? In the end, I act within my discretion and according to my own sense of duty and justice.“

“A tax inspector with a conscience. I suppose I have seen it all now.“

“I lose no sleep, sir. Unlike the others.“

“Such a relief to hear that your slumber remains undisturbed. It would be a shame if dark circles were to appear under those beautiful eyes.“

Fate had a very bad sense of humour for even allowing such a topic to appear in what was supposed to be a casual battle of wits. You had to pull yourself together. You were on a job, you had to keep your mind stable and collected. Nevertheless, the comparison still bothered you. The mere insinuation was enough to cause a miniature storm in your mind.

You had your own reasons for entering the perilous world of hunting monsters and villains. Your actions were born out of necessity and it sickened you that there were scoundrels out there that had turned such a vocation into a lucrative career, having their wealth and glory built upon the bones of others. You had no qualms with going against your own kind in order to protect peaceful communities of supernatural beings from corrupt hunters.

May the heavens have mercy upon such people, for you had none.

You had certainly not given any all of those years ago, when hunters had shamelessly shown up at your house after being tipped off that preternatural creatures were living there. There had been no glory nor honour in that situation. Only a terrified child trying to protect their home and their family, first blood on their hands, tears in their eyes, dead men all around the room, broken vases, torn curtains, shattered mirrors. No winners.

No, no, none of that, you had to keep the balance. Sorrow was a terrible emotion, one that had a corrosive effect on both the joyful mania of Spring and the stern rationality of Winter, dragging them both into the depths of woe, an ocean of overwhelming despair.

Your emotions had momentarily melted some very important protective barriers on the threshold of your mind. Inconvenient timing, especially when there was an obscenely powerful vampiric telepath nearby.

Your luck, Y/N. Tragic.

Focus. You took a deep breath, commanding your inner chaos to freeze in time, each particle of rain suspended in the air, reminiscent of tiny crystals. Not a proper solution, dark clouds were still covering the sky of your mind space and more rain threatened to follow.

Honestly, you truly were blaming your empty stomach at this point. Mood swings and hunger went hand in hand. You sighed, knowing that you had to repair the damage caused by your words. It would be ludicrous to have all of your efforts sink over one moment of emotional weakness.

“I apologize, sir. I was unnecessarily rude and snappy, my anger was not meant to be directed at you. Probably just low blood sugar levels. I will be fine after dinner.“

In your temporary moment of grief, you had failed to notice that Eclipse was far from offended.

The Grand Duke was a scholar and an artisan, gifted with infinite patience, confidently strolling through the darkest forests towards his goals, shadows and monsters bowing with infinite reverence as he passed them by. Master of self, master of all.

Eclipse did not fear setbacks and obstacles, he welcomed and encouraged them, embracing each difficulty as if it were a dear friend. He would then proceed to dissect and disintegrate them, transforming them into something new, all in the name of the eternal cycle of alchemy. One had to place a problem under a microscope, analyze it, extract every particle of new information from its core.

So far he had only been able to read the exterior parts of your soul, the outer courtyard and surrounding areas of your mysterious sanctum. It was a magnificent facade, but he desired to visit the forbidden gardens of your fortified inner castle. Eclipse wanted access to memories, dreams, desires, and the only thing that could truly create such a key, the only substance that could open the cruel gates, was none other than the precious nectar of life that coarsed through your veins and arteries.

The future offered so many possibilities. Your blood on his lips, your blood under a glass lens, something to both savour and study, granting the bliss of a drunken haze where he could grasp at secrets yet uncovered. Exquisite, truly as if observing a star and the many stages of its life in the celestial plain.

He placed a hand on your cheek, his touch unusually tender.

“Morning star, look at me.“

And you did. No matter how brief our grief, human instinct would forever urge us to seek comfort and relief. Even if a monster were the one offering it.

There was something marvellously ironic when it came to the old saying about the eyes being the windows to the soul. It just so happened that vampires were very talented when it came to sneaking through windows and captivating the minds of their victims with their gaze alone.

One single second of eye contact, one glance into the fields of the mindscape, that was all that he needed to latch his claws onto the windowsill of your inner sanctum, crawling within, as if entering the precious chamber of slumbering prey.

When you had first arrived on their doorstep, his initial attempt had failed, your spirit strong enough to banish him from its sacred realm. The keys that had been used to unlock the gates of your mind at that time were Curiosity and Infatuation. Short-lived results. The current key was Sorrow, far more potent, but he was aware that you would eventually command him to leave once more. Therefore, he had to use his time wisely.

A majority of vampires possessed psychic abilities, but none had ever reached Eclipse's level. His true kingdom was the Subconscious. Desires, dreams, memories. The echoes of Self were not merely present in the “head“, but also coursing through the body, dynamic and ever-changing. Our blood remembered each moment of stress, joy, terror, pleasure, it contained the collective experience of each and every cell it had ever paid visit to on its journey.

A few drops of blood were enough for Eclipse to form a bond that could grant him infinite access to the psyche, and what better way to immortalize such a union than by binding the blood to the intricate structure of a glowing jewel?

One may say that Eclipse's magic was an inverted version of Sun's, both being a subset of a vampire's natural telepathic power. However, Sun focused on external illusions, tricks of the eye, visibility and invisibility, colours that existed in the reality around us, controlling the perception of others and making them see what he wanted them to see.

Now, let us resume with the Grand Duke's perspective upon entering the foyer of your mind. Well, the outskirts would be a far better word.

Springtime paradise along the border, gentle dahlia flowers of all shades and hues resting in the labyrinthine gardens, each flower containing a gem in its center, emotions and memories stored within. Dahlias were members of the Asteraceae family, coincidentally once more affirming the astral motif that had been so prominent about you.

Eclipse's cloak billowed in the wind as he walked through the field, the flowers around him turning to ice as soon as he went past. The environment had made it known to him that he was not welcome. Snowy mountains were in the distance, where Winter reigned, the horizon a deep midnight blue, a layer of pink and violet aurora borealis undulating like gauze in the faraway skies.

He kneeled down, wishing to caress the soft petals and inspect the gems residing in each bud. And yet, as soon as his clawed fingers reached for a pink bloom, cruel frost took over, denying him access. Within seconds, the initial vernal bliss was replaced with a realm of crystalline plants.

“My darling doth try to hide behind the frost of wintertide.“

Ominous clouds gathered above, undoubtedly remnants of the storm he had caused earlier. Soft thunder, subdued, yet resolute. Raindrops made their way towards the ground, but suddenly their progress was hindered and they froze mid-fall.

Enchanted by such a display, Eclipse held up his hand, gathering a few icy raindrops that were floating around him. He inspected them. Beautiful, clear, cold, almost akin to a diamond. No, not a good fit, diamonds did not fully encompass your personality. He had never had such difficulty determining the proper jewel for someone.

Frost had begun to gather along the fabric of his cloak, spreading into a myriad of intricate patterns, almost as if trying to entrap him. He grinned, waving his wrist and summoning miniature flames to remove the glistening verglas from his garments. The environment was sentient and it seemed quite offended by his actions, and for a second he could have sworn that he heard an indignant “hmpf“ echo across the fields.

A spectral version of you appeared in front of him, an embodiment of your subconscious mind, subtle annoyance present in the apparition's glowing eyes. Your inner Self commanded the raindrops to condense together and form a blade of ice, swinging it towards Eclipse. Suave as ever, the Grand Duke caught the sharp edge between his fingers as if it were as gentle as a feather, using a minimum of his strength to shatter it into a plethora of crystal shards.

Before your inner Self could properly react, Eclipse grasped their hand, bringing it to his lips for a kiss, acting with the ardent reverence of a lover.

“Wonderful security system you have here, my dear. Point already taken, I am not wanted in your kingdom. I shan't be disturbing for long tonight, we have plenty of time to enjoy our happy little nightmare together.“

Blushing and flustered, your inner Self scoffed, disappearing in a gust of smoke. Wrought iron gates materialized from the ground, blocking Eclipse's path from the rest of the area. He was about to turn around and leave, but suddenly he could hear the whispers of the past coming from the other side of the fence.

It was not for his ears, not for his eyes, and he was fully aware of it. Nevertheless, he approached the gates once more, bearing witness to the many shifts and changes of scenery. A quaint old mansion appeared in the distance. It had a sophisticated style, but one could definitely see the signs of Time taking its toll, several parts falling into disrepair.

You, or rather a memory of you, were sitting on a garden bench, reading, an additional pile of books waiting for your attention next to you.

A trio of silly poltergeists with propeller hats appeared above your head, giggling as they snatched your book away. You looked upwards, surprised, slightly irked, but not truly angry. In a way it reminded Eclipse of the same look he would give to his brothers when they were teasingly reminding him of that one time he got stuck in the castle's secret passageways.

You reached for your book, but they merely floated away. Suddenly, a ghost of a fox-like pirate manifested to chastise the poltergeist siblings for their mischief. The trio made a little apology and returned the book to you, after which they all managed to land on your head and read along with you.

A bear yeti with kind eyes and a gentle smile came out of the house after hearing all the commotion. He was accompanied by a stern werewolf lady that was assisting him as he walked, helping him keep balance, his limp indicating an old injury that had never properly healed.

The whole group assembled around you, keeping you company as you began to read out loud for them all. A cheerful harpy joined you soon after, bringing a tray of cupcakes for everyone to enjoy.

Interesting. Very, very interesting.

Eclipse pressed his palm against the cold metal of the gate lock, assessing its strength. Impossible to open, not without the key that only your precious blood could procure for him. Such a mind, playing between two extremes, as enticing as the cogs within a clock, as unfathomable as the power of a nascent star.

The skies began to clear, clouds dissolving into oblivion, replaced by the gentle pink and blue hues entwined in their eternal celestial dance, impossible to tell whether it was early morning or late evening. Nevertheless, the legendary star was visible, watching over all.

Loving memories seemed to serve as a stabilizer for you, a comfort that brought equilibrium. Eclipse's golden eyes looked down at the frozen plants once more, having noticed that a single dahlia flower had freed itself from its glacial prison, tender petals showing off their magenta splendour. The gem in its center reflected the astral majesty in the sky.

Without further ado, the Grand Duke reached to claim his prize, holding the flower and the gem in his clutches with the fervour of an astronomer that had finally discovered a new world.

“Ever-changing star sapphire, pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. Do pardon my intrusion, but I will require your esteemed assistance in the process of reaching your owner's core, I hope you do not mind. Shall we?“

With a silent yet sinister laugh, Eclipse transformed into a shadowy phantom, his spectral form making a final bow to show reverence to your inner kingdom, before disappearing completely.

Mere seconds had passed in the “real“ world and thankfully your conscious self had not even realized he had paid your mind a little visit.

You moved his hand away from your cheek.

“As I said, I will be fine after dinner, no need to worry about me. You seem rather focused, though. Is there something stuck in my eye, sir?“

“Yes, but I scared it away.“

“What?“

“Oh, look. Here it is.“

You tilted your head in confusion, blinking at him as if he were mad. Well, he probably was, but still. Eclipse made a few elegant gestures with his fingers, not unlike earlier when he was conjuring that beautiful decorative comb for you.

An oval star sapphire appeared in the palm of his hand for you to see. Its colours were shifting from pink to blue, forming lovely shades of indigo when blended together, before parting ways once more. As accustomed you had gotten to Eclipse's magic, you would probably never fully get used to it, the sheer limitless absurdity of it.

“I was wondering what stone to use to make a perfect ornament for you and I finally found it. This little treasure represents you in every sense of the term, my love.“

Instinctively, you reached for the jewel, but Eclipse moved his hand out of your grasp.

“No, no, you haven't earned it yet.“

“Wasn't it supposedly mine in the first place, though?“

“Pardon, I should probably change my wording. I meant that you haven't earned it back, yet.“

“And I can earn it back how?“

“Either defeat me in our duel or in a chess party. Here, an additional incentive for you. Another one of our infamous parlour tricks.“

He made a circular motion with his finger, commanding the matter of the gem to morph into whichever shape he desired, going through various forms before settling for the elegant shape of a chess piece. Magic and beauty notwithstanding, you were slightly disappointed with the type of piece he had chosen. Eclipse noticed your displeasure and spoke:

“No need to pout, my dear. It will be all yours, I promise.“

“Why am I a pawn, though?“

“You need to work a little bit to get promoted from pawn to queen.“

“Rude.“

The storm outside had subsided in the meantime, but only for the moment. After all, it had to clear the stage for the tempests that were yet to come.

AO3

[cipher-legal-and-ethics-dept]

Development Questions for Couples: Experimentalshipping, Part 9

Questions used Full backstory Part 8

Under what circumstances would they want to be left alone by their partner?/They’re going through something incredibly difficult—perhaps they’re very sick, have lost a loved one, or have gone through a traumatic event. Do they ask for or accept support and care from their partner, or try to isolate themselves?

[I'm combining two questions into one here because they overlap.]

When Colress wants to be left alone, he has a habit of not directly asking for it and instead just running off on his own. Considering that this also happens whenever something popped into his mind and he has to pursue that thought/idea right then and there, you usually can't differentiate these variants, unless you know exactly what's going on. As for the circumstances that prompt this behavior, it's basically anything happening that Colress feels he has to work out and process on his own first. This can be completely harmless, like the latter variant, but also bigger things, like something major went wrong or someone died or whatever.

While going through something difficult, Colress is usually receptive to support and care from his partner, but he isn't sure if he should ask for it. Growing up as an only child at home and an outsider among peers, he's used to relying on his own problem solving skills in any given situation. For the most part, it's not a matter of pride that he's unsure about asking, he simply feels that he doesn't fully grasp when it is or isn't expected or appropriate. Because there's once again the underlying theme of worrying that he'll be "too much to handle". If Colress decides he wants to ask his partner for care/support, he will do so more shyly than usual, noticeably different from his usual direct and seemingly jolly and carefree attitude.

Ein needs his regular alone time regardless of circumstances. If anyone, partners included, attempts to deny him that, he immediately gets grumpy and starts building up resentment due to feeling "caged" and like others are "demanding" things of him when he isn't ready or willing to comply. Still, there are circumstances that prompt an immediate retreat, and these mainly include any situation in which Ein feels overstimulated or whenever he feels the need to focus - as suggested by the latter, this isn't a rare occurrence. He's pretty similar to Colress, needing to work things out on his own first.

While going through something - anything - difficult, Ein's default response is essentially: Isolate, ignore, ibuprofen. He doesn't want anyone's pity, opinions or advice, he just wants to pretend nothing happened and go on with his day, numbing whatever stress, pain or grief he feels with hard work and, if necessary, his semi-legal secret stash of medication. And well, all of that is best achieved by not asking for care or support from a partner or, if they offered already, decline it. In fact, if the partner in question is particularly determined to help, Ein will fight back until they give up. Or miraculously manage to make him give up.

~

Are they okay with public displays of affection? Do they like them?

Colress is pretty okay with PDA. It's not a must have for him and sometimes not exactly convenient - for example when he's busy, currently has no hands free or can't have anyone holding on to him - but he appreciates the gesture and enjoys exchanging some quick affectionate touches when he can. If not, he declines gently. If, however, someone decided to mess with him by deliberately touching him when it's inconvenient, Colress would eventually get upset with them and reject the advances. All of this is not to say that he never initiates PDA himself, because he occasionally does.

When this happens, Colress likes to place his hand on his partner's arm or shoulder or put an arm around them or simply on their upper back to suggest a hug. He does this either in passing or when he's near them for an extended amount of time. Another thing he enjoys doing is little pecks on his partner's cheek, lips, forehead or parting; since he's rather tall, he has no trouble reaching. Colress has joked before that the gloves he typically wears are for handling Ein on his grumpy days, in case he decides to bite.

The funniest thing when it comes to Ein and PDA (the couple stuff, not the device used in Orre) is that we have a more-or-less canon answer: When he encounters Wes and Rui and either sees them hold hands or suspects them of doing it (depending on whether you want to interpret his "accusation" as literal or exaggerated), he appears to get mad about it, as suggested by his mocking/snarky/sarcastic behavior during this interaction. It certainly fits into the picture of being the scientist who closes the door to hearts.

Now, you could absolutely interpret this as Ein just being a hater and a hypocrite who is completely fine when his own hand is being held, but in my experience anti-PDA people tend to also not like doing it themselves, so this is what I think about Ein as well. He hates PDA, he doesn't want to be involved in it and he doesn't want to see others doing it. However, I still think that Ein has his moments of hypocrisy, at least in the sense that he's totally willing to hold on to Colress or wrap an arm around him if he sees someone else trying to flirt with his hot boyfriend, just to tell them to back off. Over the years, he's even learned to accept some casual PDA from Colress (and only Colress). And yes, Ein bites.

[synergysilhouette]

How "Mystery Inc." ruined the gang (and what they could've done to fix it)

Lemme just say: this series was one of the best (if not the best) Scooby Doo shows for it's storytelling, but the storytelling is also what I'm frustrated with; the gang are given personalities that I wasn't a big fan of upon rewatching, and it's a shame, since there were opportunities to explore the characters' psyches rather than having them feeling like random takes on beloved characters.

Fred Jones--I'm about to get a lot of negative attention for this, but I HATE this version of Fred. Since the 21st century (and even the late 20th century) the charming, intelligent, and sociable Fred Jones is nowehere to be seen, usually being portrayed as cocky, ignorant, or in this case, flanderized. In "Mystery Inc," Fred is socially inept, and while someone told me this may be because he was intended to be autistic, the show contradicts this in episode 6 of season 1 where he has a crisis over Daphne missing. He says "guys don't have feelings" and has this very weird sexist moment out of NOWHERE. It's never explained what made him feel this way, which is frustrating since the show did have the potential to show it. Along with this, Fred has an unhealthy obsession with traps. Like, it's not even funny; it's just annoying, especially since it was a big plot point when losing the planospheric disk. Mayor Jones--Fred's dad (no spoilers about that)--is shown to be distant from his son and discouraged Fred from solving mysteries so their town of Crystal Cove could thrive on tourism. THIS RIGHT HERE explains it: Fred's only parent figure is emotionally distant, leaving him to believe that men don't have feelings and thus shuts his out, relying on traps, something he can control and he can only blame himself for if they disappoint him. But no; it's a "kid's show" and thus the parents aren't involved unless they're directly tied to the mysteries at hand. His obsession with traps and emotional dissonance are instead reduced to quirks--annoying ones, might I add. Such a shame.

Daphne Blake--I'm ENRAGED that her main storyline was about her relationship with Fred, especially since he never feels right for her due to the aforementioned reasons. Even when he got better with acknowledging his feelings, it always felt like Daphne deserved better. But that's not what my main point. My main point is this: Daphne comes from a family of rich and successful people, including four sisters who look like her and who she has iffy relationships with (they seem either not that close or antagonistic). It makes her insecure, and her feelings for Fred strengthen in order to rebel against her family's perfect wishes for her...but we rarely see the "perfect" image take hold. Throughout various versions, Daphne has proven to have MANY skills and interests, but "Mystery Inc" doesn't capitalize on this like they should. Ideally, they would've shown that Daphne is Ms. Perfect, and that she's unsure of what she wants to do in life because she's scared of her family's reaction (remember: her dad fainted when she said she and Fred were engaged). I wanted Daphne to explore herself before falling for Fred--and I wanted Fred to be a character worth her time. This is why the series finale felt so weird, since Daphne is now successful and her sisters are underachievers, but this is never a dream Daphne expressed having.

Shaggy Rogers--Shaggy is portrayed more or less the same as all his other versions, but it's the details that make him less likeable for me. Noteably, he's been shown to have difficulty making decisions, particularly in his relationship with Velma. He allowed her to control the relationship and stressed out in order to try to keep her and Scooby happy. This is a lot of Velma's fault, but I'll get to her. With Shaggy, the show could've explained it by showcasing his confusing upbringing; his father is lenient and easygoing, while his mother is more strict and condescending, especially where Scooby is concerned. Shaggy being the loner due to a lack of social skills would've made sense since he was always worried about pleasing others and didn't want to put himself in stressful situations, as well as his deep connection with Scooby--plus Scoby isn't a normal dog; his speech, diet, and physical abilities mimic humans, so Shaggy treating him like one makes sense. And IDK how long they've known each other, but Scooby also has longevity and no health issues in sight, mimicking a human Shaggy's age.

Velma Dinkley--Just like Fred, I haven't liked her 21st century interpretations. She's frequently bitter, cruel, and insecure, with the exception of "What's New," where she's just insecure (didn't like that aspect, though). She also engages in a toxic relationship with Shaggy and devalues Scooby. Now it was confirmed by someone at some point that Velma was closeted, which led to a forceful relationship with Shaggy that she desperately tried to make work. This doesn't excuse how she treated him (did she apologize, or was it just Shaggy?), and I assume her treatment of Scooby stems from her use of logic in every situation. Once that whole "Nightmare on Elm Street" episode came out, she had a mini-breakdown about the lack of logic in a supernatural situation, which could imply she was treating Scooby like a normal dog as a coping mechanism. Again, an apology was appropriate. However, how she acted around others, similar to the rest of the gang, could and should be traced back to her parents. They LOVE the supernatural--or at least what they can monetize from it. They lie and embellish things at their job to make it more interesting, and Velma takes pleasure in exposing the truth. It makes sense that growing up with people who do business by "stretching the truth" can make one jaded and cynical about life, but again, it's never explored for Velma.

Scooby Doo--Scooby is probably the least damaged of the group in this show, imo, however my main issue with him does seem to be his inconsistency. His "dog? Where?" takes on a new meaning here, as the story is more serious and deep (except for the aforementioned issues), and they gloss over an existential crisis for Scooby: he acts like a dog one minute and a person the next. He has no worries like humans do aside from monsters and has typical dog mannerisms, but is quick to be offended or confused when people reduce him to a simple dog. While his feelings are understandable, he never sticks to them, expecting to be treated like a person whenever his feelings (or his appetite) is at stake, and a dog the other times. Given Scooby's various talents, I think it would've made more sense if he rarely ever acknowledged being a dog and audibly expressed his displeasure at not being seen as a human rather than it being a gag. It'd make him seem less contradictory and hypocritical when he's upset with Shaggy trying to spend more time with Velma than him.

[usagirln12003]

Shuichi Saihara: Hogwarts AU

Shuichi Saihara is a Pureblood wizard that was born on the 7th of September 1982 and started attending Hogwarts on the 1st of September 1994, being sorted into Ravenclaw house.

He has a Willow wand with a Unicorn Hair Core.

He has a Non-Corporeal Patronus.

His favorite subject is Charms and his least favorite is Defense Against the Dark Arts.

He was one of the Ravenclaw Prefects of his year and eventually Head-Boy.

Shuichi appears to have quite a serious and polite personality. He often has negative remarks, frequently blushes and suffers from a cold sweat. With his unsure demeanor, he has a tendency to assume that other people can do things better than him, and he comes across as quite unreliable at first glance. Among the students in his year, he is a boy who stands out for his submissiveness but also for his level-headedness.

However, Shuichi can also have a stronger attitude at times when the situation calls for it. He is the first to immediately suggest to not tell a professor and instead to figure out who Junko's successor is in his second year and goes to great lengths to figure out who they are, showing an affinity towards proactivity. His hat is an especially sore subject for him and he dislikes to look at other people's eyes, which is why he wears the hat. When meeting Miu Iruma, she accused him of being a pervert with no reason, causing him to angrily yell at her to leave him alone. She had said that boys wear hats to hide their staring, which is obviously very poor reasoning, and Shuichi angrily told her he doesn't need an excuse to wear a hat.

Even though he is skilled enough to get the nickname The Detective with his superior ability and insight, Shuichi lacks self-confidence, as he claims he hasn't accomplished enough to be called a famous detective. He also feels he doesn't deserve his nickname because he only happened to solve a murder case by chance, frequently referring to himself as "kind of a detective", although Kaede Akamatsu says she doesn't believe something like this is possible. After graduating, he also feels inferior to fellow detective, Kyoko Kirigiri, who possesses far more experience as a detective than him. However, he later reveals to Kaede that his biggest issue with detective work comes from the first murder case he solved, which gave him a fear of uncovering the truth, which is something a real detective would never have in his opinion. He fears the guilt, consequences and the hatred he might receive and the pain he might cause if he reveals the truth.

Whenever Shuichi feels depressed, he tends to stay in the owlery and doesn't eat nor shower and at times he can even feel suicidal, but he can get moving with his friends' support. With Kaede assuring him that she believes in him and he should be more confident in himself, Shuichi promises he will try although he's not sure if he can. After Kaede decides to put all her thoughts on him and believe in him prior to her murder, and with Kaito's assistance, Shuichi's timid veil breaks considerably and he even stops wearing his hat, feeling that it was "getting in the way". He begins to show more profound confidence in his abilities and when interacting with other people. He always takes a very large role in every single investigation after the first one, choosing not to look away from the truth anymore and keep his promise to Kaede. He also becomes noticeably more vocal than before, displaying immense outrage during after revealing to his friends that Kaede was killed unjustly by Junko's successor.

Shuichi is also shown to take romantic relationships very seriously. During his second year, when Kaede asks him if he feels uncomfortable about women and romance due to seeing so many tough adultery cases in his detective work, he fiercely denies this and says he would never be unfaithful. In general, Shuichi is shown to be a bit shy about romance, but also very supportive and willing to make the other happy even if it's just dream-like situations. Since he is a bit submissive, some other Hogwarts students tease him by calling him a masochist, as he often looks so pleased to obey orders (mostly from Kaito). Miu uses this as an excuse to boss him around and Shuichi looks a bit saddened that everyone thinks of him like that. When he hanged out with Miu for the first, he even obeys Miu's non-serious suggestion and plays tricks for her like a dog.

It's later revealed that Tsumugi manipulated Shuichi's memory to make him think like the "weakest detective ever", with lots of room for character development. His original personality before boarding the Hogwarts Express was shown to be a somewhat nervous and disturbed person, who was a big fan of Junko Enoshima and the killing game she orchestrated during her Hogwarts years. He stated that he was willing to do anything to be a part of one himself and was shown to excitedly plan ideas for gruesome murders and his own detective-themed murder. Though, it should be noted that it is left unclear whether or not this is true and it could have been a lie made by Tsumugi, as pointed out by Shuichi.

However, against Tsumugi's expectations, it turns out that while Kaede was the perfect protagonist for the killing game's plans, Shuichi is actually the type of protagonist needed in order to truly end the Killing Game and Junko Enoshima's influence for good. In the end, he decided to give up both hope and despair, abandoning the game by refusing to vote, and ultimately ending it. While he lacks Kaede's optimism, strength, and charisma, he is also notably smarter than her.

[sergeantsporks]

Aroace Hunter Week Day 5: Heart of (Galder)Stone

“Come on, guys, it’s starting in like. Five minutes.” Hunter bounced on the balls of his feet, watching as Gus and Willow slowly, agonizingly slowly, wrote their names on a sign in sheet. “C’mon, c’mon.”

“We’re coming, we’re coming,” Willow laughed, “I haven’t seen you this excited since Camila told you about Cosmicon.”

“Grimwalker. Researcher. Grimwalker. Lecture. Answers.”

“I thought we solved all of the identity crises? I mean, if you haven’t, we are totally going to help you through it, I was just—”

Hunter shook his head. “Oh—no, this isn’t about what I am and what that means, nothing like that. It’s just that there aren’t a lot of books about grimwalkers, and, you know… if there are different life expectancies, or weird diseases I can catch, or abilities I have, I want to know. You know?”

“Oh, totally,” Gus agreed, “Personally, I am still holding out hope for stone skin.”

“I told you, stonesleepers only turn to stone when they sleep.”

“Stone skin,” Gus whispered, waving his hands and walking backwards into the lecture hall.

Hunter shook his head, following him inside and plopping down in an open seat. “You think she’ll sign something if I ask?”

Willow sat down next to him. “Probably. Authors love signing stuff.”

The lights flicked out, and a single spotlight flicked onto the middle of the stage, empty.

“Grimwalkers,” a rich voice echoed, “Myths and Legends? Or are rumors true, and they walk in our midst still, hiding as witches to avoid a scrutinizing eye?”

Gus and Willow both nudged Hunter with a giggle.

“Shhhh,” he hissed.

A young witch with bright red hair and brown eyes walked into the spotlight. “Hi, all. I’m Dr. Trap, and today we’ll be going over basic grimwalker build, how to recognize them, how to care for a grimwalker should you find one—”

Gus held his hand out for a fist bump. “Dude. I promise I will follow all of the care tips for my grimwalker.”

Hunter fistbumped him as Dr. Trap continued.

“—and, of course, points of weakness.”

Hunter coughed. “What?!” he whispered.

“Pflbt, I already know your weaknesses. Your feet are ticklish.”

“Gus.”

“Now, Grimwalkers are created using a variety of ingredients. Selkidomus scales, palistrom wood, the lungs of a stonesleeper, a bone fragment from the creature you’re trying to recreate and, of course, a galderstone to function in place of a heart. They can appear in almost any form, but you can recognize them by their magenta eyes.”

Hunter’s hand went to touch just under his own eyes, now brown.

“Grimwalkers are not the only creature with this eye color, though, so it’s important to note other characteristics. One, of course, is immunity to boiling water, stemming from the selkidomus scales that make up their skin.”

Gus raised a hand. “How about stone skin?! Do they have stone skin?!”

Dr. Trap laughed. “Ah, no. Besides their immunity to boiling water, grimwalkers are otherwise rather soft-skinned, or at least as soft-skinned as their ortet species. Excellent question, though. Stone sleeper lungs do not give grimwalkers any advantages or disadvantages as far as we are aware, but to capture a live grimwalker is pretty much unheard of in this day and age, and the resources to make them are scarce, so research is limited. Now, if you’re reluctant to throw boiling water on a creature you are unsure of, there is one last tell. Grimwalkers historically have displayed little to no love for their parent species, thought to be due to their galderstone heart. When approached by other members of their parent species, they are standoffish, cold, and brush them off, unless driven to do otherwise by an underlying motive. While they can imitate the affections and relationships of their parent speices, Grimwalkers do not truly love or care about anything other than themselves.”

Hunter’s gut dropped, and his chest seemed to constrict.

“I—” he gasped, looking frantically between Willow and Gus, “No, I—I wouldn’t—I don’t—”

Gus’ jaw clenched, and he stood up, taking Hunter’s arm. Willow got up on his other side.

“Come on,” she whispered firmly, “I don’t think Dr. Trap actually knows very much about grimwalkers.”

They started moving towards the exit, but Dr. Trap’s eyes seemed to follow them up.

“Now, as for grimwalker weaknesses, that varies based on their parent species, but we can learn a lot from the only known natural predator of grimwalkers.”

The doors slammed shut, and Dr. Trap’s skin started to roil and shift, flipping around until her bones sat on the outside of her skin, covered in tiny mouths. Her hair cascaded down her back, solidifying and turning into a spine of spikes, extending into a tail.

“Me.”

“Oooooooooooooooooooooookay, time to go!” Hunter yelped. He grabbed Willow and Gus’ hands, teleporting towards the door.

“Ohhhhhh, Dr. Trap,” Gus groaned, “I get it now!”

Dr. Trap—whatever she was—leapt forward, landing between Hunter in the door. Before Hunter could flashstep again, her tail lashed out, slamming into his chest and sending him crashing back into the seats. He plowed through three rows before coming to a stop, wheezing for air.

“Hunter!” Willow yelled, drawing a circle. Plants cracked through the ground, but Dr. Trap leapt up to the ceiling, drooling from her thousands of mouths. Where her spit landed, plants sizzled and melted.

Gus hurried to Hunter’s side, hauling him up to his feet. “C’mon, man, let’s go!”

Hunter pushed Gus away. “Look out!”

Dr. Trap landed between them, lashing at Gus with one claw to keep him back while her tail snaked around Hunter, squeezing him tightly. Hunter teleported out, only for thick, wet droplets to splatter against his leg. He stumbled and fell with a howl as the acid burned, eating at his skin and muscles. Spots blinked across his vision, and he hauled himself forward on his elbows, pulling away from Dr. Trap. Her tail crashed down on his back, pinning him to the ground.

“You’re a miserable, heartless creature,” she hissed, “And they’d be better off on their own than with a monster like you.”

“GET! OFF!”

A whole tree erupted from the floor, throwing Dr. Trap upwards. It grew around her, sealing her in with a howl.

Willow scooped Hunter up, carrying him out of the auditorium. “I’ve got you.”

“You’re gonna be okay,” Gus promised, “We’ll find a healer.”

Hunter closed his eyes, focusing on just breathing and not throwing up on Willow. “Mhm,” he squeaked.

One healer, two hours, and three different ointments and potions later, Hunter limped out of the healing clinic with a prescribed painkiller potion and his leg swathed in bandages.

Miserable, heartless creature.

“Hey—Hunter!”

Gus and Willow caught up with him easily, walking slowly to stay in step with him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. I’m okay. I’m…” Hunter buried his head in the crook of his elbow to hide the tears blooming in his eyes. “I’m fine.”

Gus grabbed him in a hug, and Willow wrapped her arms around both of them, squeezing tightly.

“That thing didn’t know what she was talking about,” Willow said fiercely.

“Yeah,” Gus agreed, “You’re our friend.”

“That’s the thing, I can’t… I still don’t know how to do… all this. She was right, I’m just… I’m just pretending to be your friend because I don’t want you guys to leave, I want you to stay, and I don’t know how this works, how any of this works, and I don’t know how to—to actually be someone’s friend, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry I don’t know how to love and how to—to be a friend. I’m sorry that I’ve been lying to you. I just… didn’t want you to go. You guys are… you mean the world to me, and I mean that, and I—I don’t want to lose you. I want you to be happy, so I try to make you happy so you don’t leave and… I’m sorry for being selfish.”

“Um…” Gus wiggled out of the hug. “Hunter, uh… I’m pretty sure that’s what friendship is. Like, really.”

Willow nodded, letting go. “Yeah, Hunter, I mean…” She twisted her hands. “I get being scared of being abandoned. But you’re our friend. For real. And that isn’t going to change.”

Gus lightly punched his arm. “None of us know how friendship ‘works,’ we’re all just… making it up as we go.”

“But what about…” Hunter clutched at his chest. “… you know…”

“Doctor,” Gus said urgently, “The patient! Does he have a pulse?!”

Willow snatched up Hunter’s wrist. “It’s there, nurse! He lives!” She snorted, dropping his arm. “Hearts are just muscles in our chest, Hunter. What yours is made of or what it feels doesn’t change anything. You’re still our friend.”

Gus opened and closed his hands. “She wanted to eat you. Everything she said back there was just to hurt you. Take it from a vegetarian completely uninterested in making you into soup, you’re a pretty good friend. Stone heart or not.”

[selenitesdawn]

Silenced (pt.3)

pairing : max mayfield x reader

warnings : angst, curse words

summary : max and y/n have been best friends for years, although they are quite the opposite from one another when it comes to communicating. y/n has always had the habit of talking a lot. which usually has never been a problem for max. but sometimes all it takes is the wrong moment.

words : 1.3k

notes : this was a request <3

previous part ┊ next part

Thursday

After the not so successful confrontation with her best friend, Max was at a loss for options. Considering the fact that out of all people on this planet, Max was the one who knew y/n best, it should have been easy to find a way to fix things. But despite hours of overthinking and plotting, nothing really seemed to be the right approach. Especially since y/n has been acting differently towards everyone. During english class this morning, y/n would only reply to Max with one or two words at most. At least when the redhead was lucky enough to get an answer at all.

Due to Max’s helplessness, she decided to talk to someone who y/n was closest to besides herself, hoping that they could help solving the issue. In all honesty, Max was too ashamed of her own actions to let the party know what exactly was going on. Dustin had already asked her what the hell was going on with y/n, since they’ve been ignoring all of their friends. Even the entire Hellfire Club. Which made Max worry even more about y/n’s emotional condition. But Max just shrugged her shoulders and acted oblivious when Dustin asked. She was trying to avoid any other member of the party after that. At least until she fixed the y/n-problem.

After school Max made her way to the only person she could have asked for help.

“Hey Eddie.”, Max greeted the teenage boy, almost in a shy tone. She had just entered the club room of the Hellfire Club, where Eddie was preparing things for his DnD campaign.

Eddie, who was standing in the middle of the room, scribbling something in his notebook, shot his eyes up at Max and a bright smile started growing on his face.

“Mayfield!”, Eddie spoke in an excited voice. “What a surprise to see you here in this very room. Come in and be my guest.” He opened his arms widely and walked backwards to sit on his Dungeon Master chair. Putting his notebook aside, he gestured to the chair next to him.

Max slowly walked up to the table, taking a seat next to Eddie. Sitting there, she remembered that she in fact did not prepare what to say. A hundred different options to begin this conversation started racing through her head, leaving her speechless in the end. But the boy next to her noticed Max’s helpless expression on her face and decided to break the silence instead.

“Have you finally decided to join our circle Mayfield?”, Eddie questioned slightly expectant. He tilted his head to the side and gave Max a huge grin.

“Uhm..”, Max started shaking her head, “Not exactly.”

The redhead took a deep breath and straightened up in her seat.

“I’m here because I was an asshole to y/n and they’ve been acting different lately. Like-“

“Out of the norm? At least for y/n ?”, Eddie asked, interrupting Max.

Max just nodded her head in response, unsure of what Eddie already knew. The boy got up and started walking around the room. Max’s eyes followed every step he made.

“They’ve told me about it Mayfield. The day it happened. They said that you hurt them really badly. A day after that, they started ignoring all of us. Wouldn’t even sit at our table anymore.”, Eddie replied as he turned his face towards Max again.

After Max’s emotional outburst, y/n stormed out of the bathroom and made their way towards the school’s exit. They could only hold back their tears for so long until they would burst. All they wanted to do was get home as fast as possible. On their way out though, they ran into Eddie Munson. Almost stumbling over his feet, Eddie caught y/n from falling last minute.

“Woah, careful there y/n. Why are you in such a hurry?”, Eddie asked as he put his hands on y/n’s shoulders.

“I-“, was the only word y/n brought out, before having a breakdown. They started sobbing uncontrollably, much to the surprise of Eddie who has never seen y/n cry until then.

“Hey hey, it’s alright. I’m here.”, he said as he took y/n into his arms.

Max shivered at the thought of y/n having a breakdown in school. She knew how much they hated crying in public places.

“I-.. I- know. And I tried to apologize but… I know I was a total dumbass for what I did.”, she managed to stutter out, scared of what Eddie would think of her. They’ve only talked a few times before, since Eddie seemed to be some kind of brother figure to y/n. But most of the conversations just consisted of Eddie and y/n trying to convince Max of playing DnD.

To Max’s surprise, Eddie returned to the table and sat down right in front of Max. His eyes were more soft than before, his face showing no sign of anger or grudges.

“Shit happens Mayfield.”, he said, folding his hands together. “Especially since y/n basically, metaphorically, puts you on a throne. Your every word is worth gold to them, you know.”

Eddie tried to give Max a small smile, showing her that he wasn’t angry with her.

“Let me think… How can I help you with this.”, he mumbled while getting up again, walking back and forth in front of Max. “So you already tried to apologize but it didn’t work. You know, it helps telling the other person what you did wrong exactly and why it was wrong instead of just saying sorry…”

Following Eddie’s train of thought, Max noticed that she in fact only told y/n that she didn’t mean what she said. Which could only be a bunch of empty words.

“Or you could apologize for forgetting your friendship anniversary, which would have been this Monday.”, he finally said, sitting down on the table.

Max gulped. That was the special day y/n was talking about. Somehow Max forgot a day they’ve been celebrating for years now.

“Oh god.. that’s bad.”, she whispered to herself.

“Y/n admires you Max. They love everything about you. What you do and what you don’t do.”, Eddie started telling, putting his hand on Max’s shoulder. “That’s why they take your words and engrave them into their mind. Which until then, always had a positive outcome.”

He took his hand back to himself and rested it on his leg, looking around the room again.

“The reason y/n joined this club in the first place, is that they have always felt like an outsider. Someone most people would find annoying. I remember the first time they started ranting through one of our meetings. And they started apologizing to me later after the meeting was over. They said that they tend to be annoying. I of course told them that they didn’t need to apologize and that I don’t find them to be annoying. You know what they said?”

Max shook her head in response. A lump was already forming inside of her throat.

“They said that the only person who lets them be exactly who they are until now, is you. That you’ve told them multiple times to not apologize for the way you are.”, Eddie replied, giving Max a bright smile. “They said that they should have listened to you.”

Max tried her best to hold back her tears but a few sobs still came through. Eddie tried his best to comfort her by encouraging her with words but ultimately they ended up just sitting in comfortable silence. After a while, Max spoke up again.

“I need to fix this.”, she said sternly.

“And you will Mayfield. I’m sure of it.”, Eddie comments confidently.

taglist (which i almost forgot, sorry) @alonezz @incorrectbriiiii @yourssincerelyj @sadiesgf69 @fromthedt @hoeforthemarauderss @blooping-you-again

[startanewdream]

Don't drink and kiss

For @everythinghasreason. Happy (early) birthday! 🎈🎉

(Link on AO3 later)

Rated T; 2.5k.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You didn't kiss me last night," Lily says, the words leaving her lips before she can control herself, very much like everything she remembers saying the night before.

Specifically an impromptu admission of exactly how she feels about her fellow Head Boy, who looks at her now with a startled expression on his face, the grin he had been spotting ever since she had first seen him in the morning slowly melting away from his lips. He watches her face as if he is trying to read her thoughts—and isn’t happy with whatever he is seeing there.

For a moment she thinks James will turn his back to her, ignoring her altogether, but then he shrugs, putting his hands in his pockets as if to keep him from messing his hair, and his face rearranges its features in the most carefree expression he has ever spotted.

"You were drunk," he says as if she needs a reminder, as if her head hasn't been buzzing all morning.

"So?" Her voice is still relenting on a strange bravado. Lily wonders if the alcohol is still fuelling her. "So were you."

"So I was," he agrees slowly. "And perhaps I'd rather snog someone who will remember it the next day."

"I would have."

James blinks, unsmiling. "I don't think so."

"I remember talking to you. And I… I said things, James. I know I did."

His eyes flash with something she doesn't understand. "That bit about how you can't stop thinking about me? Pretty sure you were talking to the firewhiskey."

His tone is teasing, but Lily hears the heaviness and while she'd thought that James would find some joy in hearing her confession, a sudden fear grips her heart. Perhaps she misunderstood everything: their banter, their conversations, their distracted touches. Their flirting. Perhaps he was never flirting back with her.

Shame floods her. Now she understands why he hasn't kissed her. Gods, how foolish did she act?

"Yeah, I drank too much," she agrees, voice dry, accepting his easy way out. "I will pay more attention next time."

He takes a second longer than necessary to answer her. "Already planning the next hangover, Evans? I am actually impressed."

She laughs, humourless as it is.

"One can never promise something they won't fulfill, Potter."

James looks at her, eyes searching for something in her face that Lily doesn't understand, before he takes a step back.

"You are right on that," he says, chagrinned, and with a nod from his head, he turns away from her.

She can’t help but feel as if she disappointed him somehow.

______

Lily picks up piece by piece what happened that night.

It's like solving a jigsaw puzzle. The borders she already has, all those pieces that remind her how loose she had felt with the first taste of firewhiskey, fuelled by a desire to do something daring.

James is there in those pieces, telling her to go easy even as he is already tipsy with his own shots of alcohol. It was his cautious caring warning that made her get her second taste, urging herself to just tell him how she felt.

By the third shot she called him for a dance, though they didn't dance as far as she remembers—the alcohol was enough for getting her the nerve to do it, not the ability. She remembers how they mostly tripped over each other, laughing and falling on a couch.

There is a gap between the fourth and the fifth shot, but she remembers that by the sixth shot they were together in a corner of the room, and staring at him, the words spilled out of her. The alcohol had acted as some kind of protection, a barrier against any fear, as Lily told James exactly what she had been feeling for him for a while now.

That's how far Lily has, so she collects the other pieces by hearing conversations, asking nonchalant questions to her friends, to his friends.

No one seems to know all the details, but from Mary she gathers how they slowly danced at some point that Lily attributes to the fourth or the fifth shot. Remus mentions watching James returning to their dorm very late in the night, grinning as if he had just won the Quidditch cup. Dorcas asks her if they are going out because she saw them holding hands at the end of the party. Sirius grumpily tells her she is a fool and refuses to say anything else.

Lily has a good picture by now, incomplete as it is. If her jigsaw puzzle was a painting of Hogwarts, she would have the lake and the forest already, but the castle, the center of the puzzle, it's still blank.

Then her dreams help her.

They don't make sense and at first Lily blames her imagination for just shaping everyone’s comment into what she wants. From Mary's comment, Lily dreams of her arms around James' neck, playing softly with his hair while he holds her waist, their feet moving together though they aren't really moving. Dreams aren't supposed to be this sensorial, but she swears she wakes up feeling his musky scent, the softness of the curls of his hair, as if he was there with her.

From Dorcas' tale, Lily dreams of steady hands, of feeling the callousness due to years of Quidditch practice, of a warmth that ran from his body to hers as they experimented holding hands, fingers intertwined together. He holds their joint hands, raises them and places a kiss at the back of her hand. Then he brings their hands over his heart; it’s beating fast, and it's because of her.

Neither Mary or Dorcas' tales were so colourful, so vivid, but Lily dreams of it and the edges of the castle are visible by then.

But no one tells her anything else and still Lily dreams more.

She thinks of hazel eyes shining with her confession, a hand touching her face, putting strands of her hair out of her face and leaving a trace of fire where he touches her.

She thinks of a sigh, hand falling back and a hopeless voice. You are just drunk, Evans, you don't mean that.

But she does, and she tells him and she makes a dangerous promise. He stares at her for some time, still unsure, but she knows there is only truth in her face. Then he believes in her, leans closer very slowly, still giving her plenty of time to draw back, to give up, to say she doesn’t want this.

Lily doesn’t remember much from that night, but she knows she wanted that kiss. She wanted him, long before she got her first taste of alcohol.

Her puzzle is almost complete, only two or three pieces missing that she can’t seem to place right. It feels as if she is assembling that puzzle in the dark, hoping the pieces will fit but unable to see the whole picture. She thinks of soft lips and warm hands, taste of firewhiskey and a musky smell, her name in a sigh, being held in place to keep from falling apart and she knows she would if not for him.

Her heart quickens when she realizes there is only one last piece missing, and a longing for something she should remember, but can’t, floods her.

A week after the first Quidditch match—a week during which, almost displicently, James avoids her—Lily seeks for him at last.

His friends are there in the Common Room, talking quietly to each other, but James isn’t in sight. She approaches them carefully; Remus and Peter nod at her, but Sirius frowns unhappily, giving her the same hard look he has thrown at her all week.

“Hey,” she calls, keeping her voice light. “Do you know where James is?”

“Why?” Sirius asks, crossing his arms and ignoring Remus’ nudge. “Decided to mess up with him a little more?”

Lily bites her lip. “No, the opposite.”

“Quite late for that—”

“He went for a fly,” Remus says, cutting Sirius. “You might find him in the Quidditch pitch.”

“Thanks,” says Lily, looking outside. The sun is setting. Then she glances back at Sirius. “I really want to fix this.”

“Then stay sober,” he says, and Lily flinches, but she supposes Sirius is right.

The walk to the Quidditch pitch is long, and her heart paces up with each step Lily takes. She knows what puzzle she is finishing by now, and she knows what piece she is missing, but despite her best efforts, she can't find it.

It bothers her a lot.

No wonder James is mad at her.

She doesn't see him flying in the Quidditch pitch and she is almost going back to the castle when she spots a lonely figure in the benches. She would recognize that messy hair anywhere, so she ventures the stairs to reach him.

James doesn’t turn to look at her, not even when the benches crack under her weight, doesn’t blink when she sits next to him and she wonders if he could recognize her from a distance as well.

“No more flying for today?” she asks, her voice light, eyeing the broomstick next to him.

He shrugs. “I didn’t actually fly. Thought about it, but then…” He grabs a bottle on his other side, lifts it in a mock salutation. “Drinking was better.”

And to prove his point, he takes a generous sip of the bottle.

“Getting drunk alone? That is just sad, Potter.”

There is a soft sight that could be scornful, but just sounds sad. “Tried getting drunk together. Didn’t work for me.”

She swallows dryly. “No, I guess not. I...I really messed that up, didn’t I?”

At this, James finally looks at her. His hazel eyes sweep over her face, in search of something that he doesn’t seem sure about, because he asks: “Did you remember after all?”

There is the faintest hope in his voice and Lily hates herself for being unable to give him the answer she wanted to have. “No.”

“Oh.” He runs his hand through his hair, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opens them, his face shines with guilt and regret. “Look, Evans, there is something—”

“We kissed,” she cuts him off, nodding, knowing it even as her mind is unable to actually grasp that memory.

James tilts his head slightly to the side and Lily wonders if he did the same while they were kissing. She has been wondering a lot these days, hating that blank space in her mind that she wishes more than anything she could fill.

“We did,” he admits, but there is none of the particular happiness Lily would associate with it. James looks just miserable. “And I am really sorry about it, I didn’t want to take advantage of—”

“You didn’t,” she assures him, fidgeting with her hands, fighting back an urge to just hold his hands.

“You don’t even remember it, Lily.”

“I remember enough. I remember telling you how I felt.”

“That was the firewhiskey talking, not—”

“The firewhiskey gave me courage, not words. What I felt—what I feel—had nothing to do with how much I drank.”

He shakes his head stubbornly. “Still, I should have known better. I shouldn’t have—”

“There is only one thing I’m truly sorry, James. And that’s for promising you I would remember and then—”

“You didn’t.”

“I broke my word,” she agrees, sorrowful. “Can… can you forgive me for that?”

He blinks, staring at her for a long minute before grabbing the bottle next to him and reading the label. “Maybe there is some kind of insanity essence here.”

“What?”

“I can’t believe you’re saying you’re sorry for forgetting it, not for what we did. I spent this whole week feeling horrible for leading you—”

“Is it so hard to believe that I fancy you?”

His gaze strays back to her.

“It depends. What have you drunk today?”

Lily smiles softly. “I haven’t had a sip of alcohol today.” She hesitates a second before sliding on the bench, closer to him. “I can let you get close to check if you want.”

James almost smiles too. “I’ll trust your word.”

“James—” she touches his hand now, watching him carefully for any sign he is repelled by her, but she finds none. His eyes fall to her hand and he watches with fascination as her hand traces his fingers, climbs over his arm, reaches his neck. She touches his hair, sees him shuddering under her touch; his skin is warm with the alcohol. “I really like you. And I would very much like to kiss you again for the first time.”

He sighs, his smile tender now. Lily expects him to move even closer, to close that annoying breach between them, but instead all he does is hold her hand, leaning into it and closing his eyes, before he kisses softly her wrist, over her pulse. His lips are warm.

When he opens his eyes, James just shakes his head. “I’m seeing you double and while it’s actually very nice seeing two Lily Evans, I think I should go.”

“Sure,” she says, hoping to not betray her disappointment. He rises, swinging dangerously on the spot, and she takes a step closer. “Help?” she offers.

James nods, accepting when Lily places her arm around his waist, steadying him.

The walk back to the castle is silent, but Lily doesn’t think it’s heavy. For all his silence, James seems to be only thoughtful. They ignore everyone else’s look and because he doesn’t complain, she helps him get back all the way to his dorm, until he is sitting on his bed.

James holds her hand as she is turning to leave him alone. His eyes are burning, but if anything, he looks only resolute.

“Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?”

“Is this alcohol talking?” she asks teasingly. He grins.

“You know, alcohol gives courage, not—”

“Not words,” she finishes for him. “I’d love to go with you. With one condition.”

“I don’t throw up over you right now?”

Lily laughs. “That would be nice, yeah, but actually, I would reinforce a non-alcohol policy.”

“Only butterbeer,” he agrees, beaming. And then before she can say anything, he approaches her face, tugs strands of her hair behind her ear and places a kiss at her cheek, his lips barely touching the corner of hers.

For the warmth that spreads from where his lips touch her down her body, Lily feels drunk again.

“See you tomorrow, Evans,” says James, laying more comfortably against the pillow in his bed, lips curved into a hopeful smile.

“I’ll wait for you with a Hangover Potion,” she promises him, watching him fondly.

“And that’s why I love you,” he whispers, sighing, and he closes his eyes, falling into a quick sleep.

Courage, she thinks. Not words.

Hopefully he will remember this little declaration the next day.

[shihalyfie]

Shounen anime character archetypes, and how the Adventure and 02 characters don’t entirely follow them

Adventure is a kids’ show, and so it’s only natural that its characters would have certain surface archetypes common to others in the genre, like “the impulsive leader” or “the cool-headed rival”...except it actually doesn’t, really! It was actually a deliberate decision to make the characters go against their archetypes, and even the ones that did toe closer to it still had a number of nuances that distinguished them greatly from what you would usually expect from these kinds of characters. A lot of this was a deliberate attempt to make the characters relatable, so that it would allow each and every one of them to have their own unique strengths that their usual archetypes wouldn’t generally allow them to.

To be clear: tropes are not a fundamentally bad thing, especially since fiction very much relies on them to communicate (Adventure and 02 sometimes being so contrary to media expectations that they often frustrated viewers for not apparently making sense), and moreover, there are tropes that still are very true to reality (for instance, although the archetype of the “crybaby child” wasn’t in this series, many people have stated that Tomoki in the significantly more conventional Frontier was no less a realistic representation of what a child his age might do in an unfamiliar world). It’s also quite foolhardy to claim that Adventure and 02 never indulged in tropes at all, of course. However, things that fall outside the conventional mold are much more difficult to find proper representations of, and there’s an unfortunate trend of many (especially those in the mainstream who don’t quite remember the series well, or mainstream press) often pigeonholing Adventure and 02′s characters back into those tropes because that’s what you’d normally expect of them, sometimes to the point of negatively comparing them to other things -- and that’s just something that really isn’t fair to the series!

Disclaimer: Note that the following post works first and foremost off of the original Japanese version, so if you’re coming purely from the American English dub, there may be some substantial differences in what’s described (most noticeably in regards to Mimi and Daisuke).

Taichi

While shounen media has been a lot more willing to change things up a lot since Adventure first aired in 1999, the general idea you get of a shounen protagonist is a hot-blooded one who charges recklessly into everything on impulse. Taichi definitely fits a handful of the traits on principle in that he’s a passionate sports boy, and one who takes an “action-first” philosophy and often acts on impulse, but there’s a lot more nuance to that than you might expect.

Firstly, it would be very off to pigeonhole Taichi as the belligerent type to like fighting and to charge into everything thoughtlessly, because while Taichi does get cocky in the midst of battle while riding the adrenaline, he’s not the kind of person who likes fighting enemies just for the sheer sake of fighting and defeating them (and, in fact, it would probably be incorrect to say this about any Adventure or 02 character). As is pointed out by Koushirou even when Taichi is at one of his most haphazard and reckless in Adventure episode 16, Taichi’s actions are still always out of consideration for others, and he’s the kind of selfless person who in fact only hits his most reckless points when he’s cracking so much under the pressure of needing to do things for everyone’s sake that he even throws himself into the fray out of self-sacrifice. Even during the late points of the series in Adventure episode 45, he felt that the method of “pushing forward despite everything” was the best way to repay the sacrifices their Digimon friends had made for them -- he has a tendency to advocate for actively doing things because he firmly believes that sitting around doing nothing won’t solve anything, or would result in more victims. He has had introspective moments of weakness (see Adventure episodes 17, 20, 21, etc.), and it’s specifically because he has to reconcile the facts that he knows nothing good will come out of being a sitting duck, but he also has to figure out a way to do it that won’t accidentally cause collateral damage.

Taichi is “impulsive” in that he tends to play things by ear, but that doesn’t always mean he advocates for the most aggressive solution -- in fact, there are times where he’s often too chill and is picking the simplest and least complicated thing to do for now while he tries to figure it out later. Plus, it’s not like he recklessly charges into battle against everyone’s wishes -- the few incidents he does are explicitly marked as his moments of weakness, and in fact the reason he gets into conflicts with Yamato so much during the early part of the series is technically because he’s taking the time to argue back at him and try to make his point instead of just going ahead and doing it anyway.

Taichi doesn’t have that much of an ego! Adventure episode 28 reveals that he’d never even thought of himself as the group’s “leader” to begin with, nor did he necessarily think he should have the position (by all means, despite how unreliable he was at the start of the series, responsibility belonged to Jou as the oldest in the group). But Taichi has a remarkable knack for seeing things on the bird’s-eye view, and that’s what makes him suitable as a leader -- not in the traditional shounen sense of just aggressively pushing everyone forward into battle, but looking at the full picture and making judgment calls, delegating jobs, and bringing people together. It’s a much more true-to-life description of what a “leader” needs to be beyond what media (or even real life resources, honestly!) would usually suggest, and Taichi being someone naturally suited to this position encompasses most of his personality -- it unfortunately makes him not very good at seeing the little things in front of him, but he’s capable of assertively and firmly making decisions for the sake of everyone’s welfare.

And even when Taichi does hit the general shounen lead trope of being on the argumentative or irritable side, a lot of it has to do with the fact he’s a bit of a playful troll who doesn’t take things seriously enough, not that he’s brash and wants to start a fight -- he sometimes makes insensitive remarks because he was under the impression others shouldn’t be taking it so seriously (”it was just a joke!”), or he gets defensive when someone (usually Yamato) calls out his plan for not being that great. But on the flip side, the fact he treats people equivocally and without distant weirdness allows him to have a sense of charisma to bring people together (it’s the very reason Koushirou was willing to approach him to begin with), and because he has a priority of pushing everyone forward productively with a sense of firmness, he’s able to conclusively make judgments and decisions during times others would hesitate. Even if they turn out to not be great decisions in the end, they’re still decisions that he consciously thought through to at least some degree, made for the sake of helping everyone and pushing them forward.

Yamato

Yamato’s archetype is one that goes down to appearance -- the cool-looking, bishounen rival who advocates for a more “rational and cold” approach in contrast to the lead protagonist’s hot-bloodedness, who looks down on him for being stupid and irrational, and refuses to get near anyone due to looking down on them (or the concept of having friends in general). This is to the point where his own voice actor saw his design and immediately expected him to be this archetype to the point of worrying that he might not be able to pull off this role, only for himself to find out that Yamato is the exact opposite.

Yamato is, in fact, one of the most openly emotional and compassionate people in the entire original Adventure group, and given that Taichi is actually someone who often is too chill and doesn’t take things seriously enough, Yamato is actually the one who actively instigates fights with him and escalates things to physical levels, because he perceives Taichi as being inconsiderate. His first focus episode (Adventure episode 3) has him completely go off his rocker for Takeru’s safety, but while Takeru definitely elicits the most extreme reactions from him, he really does escalate fights immediately the moment he feels sufficiently offended on others’ behalf. So in other words, “rational and cold” are just around the last words you should be ever using for Yamato.

Moreover, what seems to be detachment from the others ends up ultimately just being a byproduct of awkwardness -- even as early as Adventure episodes 6 and 18, he had no problems openly laughing and smiling with the others, and it was just his prior lack of friends beforehand that made him unsure of how to open up to others. Adventure episode 51 has him directly say in words what his actual reasoning for his awkward behavior and friendless background was: it wasn’t that he didn’t want to be near others, he was just so obsessed with being independent and self-reliant that he felt that he shouldn’t be dependent on others. He liked others’ company, and he didn’t look down on them at all -- he cared a lot about the others’ welfare, he was just averse to the idea of actually being emotionally dependent on others, until he was able to be snapped out of that mindset and able to understand that relying on others doesn’t indicate a personal failing.

These kinds of characters usually are fueled by some kind of pride or condescension, but in fact Yamato doesn’t have that at all (in fact, you could more accurately say that it’s insecurity more than anything). Even when he openly breaks down into a crying mess in front of everyone (he has the highest cry count in Adventure, at that!), he doesn’t seem to have any shame about having exposed some of the rawest parts of himself to the others -- think about how this archetype would usually get embarrassed about people finding out they’re “soft” -- and there’s no evidence that he has any sense of superiority whatsoever.

By the time of 02, since he’s portrayed as having become openly sociable and cheerful, for all intents and purposes, the only thing he has left in common with the archetype is just the fact he seems to be really into a sort of edgy aesthetic. Otherwise, he’s just as emotional as ever, makes even some of the funniest facial expressions in 02, is on fantastic terms with Taichi (it is very important that the single punch he lands on him is purely in a sense to snap him out of it and not made out of anger or condescension), and, really, if you want to say that he has a responsibility of reining Taichi in, considering Taichi’s penchant for being a little too assertive about his decisions, it’s just in the sense of lightly reminding him not to get too ahead of himself, which is not any worse than keeping an eye on a cat with a track record of getting into willful trouble. This is especially because, after all, Yamato is someone who has compassion for others’ welfare and feelings -- and that includes Taichi, too.

Sora

This kind of character is usually thought of as the “badass action girl”, especially since Sora is established as also being rather physically active much like Taichi, but one thing that often comes with this sort of character is that they often “have it together” all of the time and are seemingly implacable in personality. Adventure goes out of its way to indicate, even as early as episode 3, that while it is true that Sora has it together and is capable of pulling her own weight, she is also not a saint -- that is to say, she’s capable of having moments of pettiness, poor judgment, or irrationality like any other flawed human being. In fact, her first focus episode (Adventure episode 4) has her outright look down on Piyomon for being, in her mind, overly mushy and clingy and not really up for the job of protecting her, only to be proven very wrong at the end of the episode.

One thing Adventure and 02 don’t shy away from is the concept of “selflessness to the point of self-destruction” -- it’s good to be kind and considerate, but at what point are you doing so much for other people that you’re not properly taking care of yourself? In Sora’s case, the problem is defined as compulsive -- even when, in Adventure episode 26, she claims herself to be an inconsiderate person who doesn’t care about anyone and is incapable of love or affection, it’s revealed that, despite consciously thinking that, she’d still gone out of her way to help everyone behind the scenes in the last few episodes because she still couldn’t stop wanting to help people. Even her own flashbacks (and rather inaccurate testimony) about her past with her mother have a constant thread of her working for others’ sake more than she’s doing anything for herself.

In other words, being this image of a perfect, well-behaved, reliable person whom everyone can depend on no matter what is actually pretty unhealthy for her, because she’s capable of cracking under the pressure and not being allowed to be, well, a normal human being once in a while. Being that sort of person requires constantly catering to obligations (real or perceived) to others, which she’s unfortunately capable of falling so deeply in and not thinking of herself at all to the point she gets self-destructive. Because her problem with this is so bad, Jou and Yamato reaching out to her in Adventure episode 51 literally just involves reminding her about the sheer concept of personal will and volition, because without that, she’d basically considered herself a piece of the situation who does everything she does because that’s what she has to do.

And yes, indeed, a “lead” female character in this position would usually be played up heavily with the main lead male character, because media traditionally loves to hint that the sheer existence of a male and female lead with any kind of relationship whatsoever means that they have to be fated to be in love, but given the philosophy of not wanting to apply tropes unless there’s an in-universe rationale for it (of which “pairing the main male and female leads” is directly cited as one potential such trope), it is true that just because Sora knew Taichi from the soccer club and is usually the first-listed female character in Adventure doesn’t really necessarily indicate she should be obligated to fall head over heels in love with him (especially because they don’t interact nearly as much as you’d expect two characters with that kind of backstory to, and Koushirou, who’s also from the same club, hangs with him much more prominently) -- and in fact, when the issue of her love life does come up in 02, it’s treated as a very non-dramatic issue that becomes a background element of the narrative, which is not how you’d usually see the issue of romance or a love life usually treated in the kind of media that loves to bring that front and center most of the time. While the fanbase loves to treat it like it was some kind of love triangle, that kind of reading actually requires an extra dose of interpretation from a very ambiguously portrayed situation that ultimately isn’t given much fanfare by even the characters in-universe, because, really, two fourteen-year-olds dating is...rather commonplace and not actually that big of a deal, especially when compared to something like preventing monsters from blowing up the city.

Koushirou

Adventure actually has two plays on the traditional “nerd” character, separating the archetype into one who’s good with data and random trivial information (Koushirou) and one who’s good at rote memorization and doing practical calculations that are good for school environments (Jou). So already, there’s a bit of subtle nuance in the fact it makes this distinction at all, in that there are different ways to be “smart” -- Koushirou’s depth of knowledge is significantly less practically applicable than Jou’s in most ordinary situations and isn’t tailored well to institutional expectations like school and exams, but he has a much wider range of things he knows about and ends up more directly pertinent in regards to his knowledge about computers and data analysis.

In any case, a “smart” character would often have an angle of being condescending, i.e. lording over others that they know so much more than them and knowingly being showoffs as a result, or actively disliking people and considering machines to be superior. In the case of Koushirou, however, it’s established that while he does have a certain level of intimidation around other people and find himself more comfortable around his computer, and while he can get absorbed in gathering information or rambling off about things because he’s passionate about it, he doesn’t actively dislike nor look down on others (rather, he’s actively intimidated by them, according to Adventure episode 38), and he states outright in Adventure episode 10 that he doesn’t want to spurn Mimi nor does he care about his computer more than he cares about others, he just genuinely thinks that what he’s doing right now will benefit even Mimi in the long run, too.

Koushirou may not be experienced in dealing with other people and may be a bit uncomfortable in high-pressure social situations, but at his core he’s a very kind and compassionate person who cares about others! The fact he’s constantly polite to others isn’t just out of awkwardness, but also out of a genuine desire to keep courtesy and distance, and as the series goes on it turns out he really is as polite and humble as he sounds -- he’s doing it because he’s shy, not because he considers himself above the others, and by Adventure episodes 38 and 54 he says that he would like to be able to speak more casually and be closer to others, it’s just that it’s going to take some time for him to do so. And even if he does mess up a social situation, if he’s informed he’s messed up, he’s easily capable of taking this to heart and trying to do better (which makes up all of Adventure episode 10 when he eventually realizes he went too far with Mimi). Just because he may not be fantastic at handling the fallout doesn’t mean he doesn’t fundamentally care or want to minimize harm to others. Not only that, he’s also one of the youngest in this group, and for all it’s worth, he shows every indication of being properly respectful of his elders from his position.

Moreover, while Koushirou is so heavily associated with his computer, the series doesn’t take long to establish that the computer really is not the focal part of his character as much as it’s the concept of “gathering and analyzing information”. However much knowledge Koushirou had gained prior to the series, and whatever tech skills Koushirou may or may not have (if you look closely, his tech feats aren’t actually that impressive within the scope of Adventure and 02, and a lot of what he does in terms of tech feats is heavily outsourced), are considered relatively unimportant in comparison to his actual attitude about it, which is that he never stops wanting to learn more or dig deeper into things whenever something’s piqued his curiosity. The conflict in Adventure episode 24 that establishes the true, functional meaning of the Crest of Knowledge has very little to do with computers at all, but rather Koushirou insatiably pursuing more about the Digital World itself and Gennai, and, really, the topic could be anything as long as it’s new and interesting -- it’s just that computers (especially ones connected to the Internet) are a convenient place to gather and analyze different kinds of information, and the Digital World happens to be an absolute treasure trove of new things to discover.

In other words, Koushirou knows a lot of things not because it gives him some status of superiority over others for being “smart”, but rather because he’s genuinely passionate about exploring and learning about things, and you can also see it in the difference between the way he approaches “gathering” information versus “disclosing” information. During times he’s focused on gathering or analyzing information, he focuses on it and tends to shut others out because he wants to make sure he’s uninterrupted and can get every little detail out of it, and whenever he’s talking to himself, others might sometimes get lost in his rambling, but whenever he’s put in a situation where it’s of importance that he explain to others (examples being Adventure episodes 19, 28, and 42), he clarifies when people have questions, sometimes checks to make sure everyone’s still following, and, in general, has no sense of condescension about the fact he knows more than them, with the implication that wants the others to be able to understand and appreciate the information he’s passionate about.

Koushirou is also one of the most visible seniors in 02, because as someone whose defining trait was “curiosity and inquisitiveness”, it stands to reason that he’d be the one most curious about what his juniors are getting involved with, what’s going on with the Digital World, and anything else to do with it (hence why he occasionally asks his juniors to test things for him, such as in 02 episode 17, and hauls himself all the way down to Tamachi to pick Ken’s brain about anything he knows in 02 episode 33). Again, like in Adventure, his character portrayal actually has very little to do with computers, despite what the imagery and archetype would suggest -- it’s more about how he’s now become able to take a leadership role like that of the computer club and start coordinating and organizing people to be able to figure out even more things, while also being able to personally unravel more of the mysteries behind the Digital World and the story itself.

Mimi

Coming from a background of being a bit pampered and spoiled, Mimi aligns a bit to the “pretty girl” archetype that generally has a few things associated with it -- someone who might be a bit materialistic or fixated on appearances, and someone who’s a bit condescending or high-horse in compared to others. So it’s interesting that Mimi is actually portrayed as, for the most part, not that absorbed about appearances or materialism (it’s not to say she doesn’t care at all, but any references she makes to appearance are vanishingly rare in the series, and she’s even willing to warm up to the Numemon or Scumon/Chuumon and not hold grudges against them), and in fact all of her “complaints” that she makes in the early parts of the series are meant to be in line with what an average child would have in her situation. Complaints like “I don’t like this” in reaction to little things like having to get dirty or endure something tiring aren’t complaints she makes because she looks down on it as much as she’s just had a very sheltered upbringing that hadn’t involved a lot of hardship, so now that she has to grit her teeth and go through a lot of difficult things, she simply has low tolerance and high sensitivity and is having difficulty coping.

Beyond that, Mimi is consistently portrayed as likeable and devoid of malice or condescension towards anyone -- so much to the point that even at the beginning of the series, she saw no reason to look down on Koushirou or make fun of him when her classmates did, because she didn’t see why she should. Mimi is said to be someone who is so naturally likeable that she has no problems making friends with anyone, which is why she’s the one who’s able to gather together allies at the end of Adventure -- because she lacks condescension or malice, and is compassionate enough to never get on the wrong foot with anyone, everyone ends up able to get along with her with no problem. As one of the youngest in the group, she’s polite to her elders and uses proper honorifics on everyone, and moreover any lashing out she does is purely defensive and not aggressive towards others. She lashes out because she doesn’t like herself or her friends being hurt, but otherwise she doesn’t care to do anything cold or rude towards others, nor have a grudge; her first focus episode (Adventure episode 6) involved her having absolutely nothing but "they don't seem like they're having fun" towards everyone making fools of themselves in front of her, and she even goes as far as to outright call them her “friends” at a time in the series when everyone barely knew each other! This is also why 02 depicts her as having already made a ton of friends in America (such as Michael, or the attendees of the huge party in 02 episode 14) despite having been there for only a year; she’s that likeable to the point she can get along with people from even an entirely different country easily.

Mimi is “extremely empathetic”, which means that she won’t cause harm or pain to others because she herself feels their pain when they’re in trouble or hurt -- the closest she got to being on a power trip was her “princess” mental health crash in Adventure episode 25, which almost immediately led to her having nightmares about everyone feeling betrayed and potentially hating her and turning around in less than one night. Hence, she won’t do anything to hurt others’ feelings, because she herself feels hurt if she does. However, that means that once the Dark Masters arc kicks in and many of their friends are hurt and killed in the process, her feeling every bit of that makes her the first to take it the hardest and become unable to fight (and, by extension, is very tied to that “extra sensitivity” that made her so sensitive to pain or unpleasant experiences at the beginning of the series). Mimi is consistently portrayed as a pacifist, and while many other shounen battle series would portray this as a weakness, Adventure episode 50 establishes that while it of course isn’t good for her to sit around doing nothing, it would be inhumane to force Mimi to personally participate in something that causes her so much pain, and instead may be better channeling her abilities to bring people together by amassing allies and contributing to the struggle in other ways. While Mimi does eventually get herself together enough to participate in the direct fighting in Adventure and 02, she never gets portrayed as someone who enjoys it for the sake of it besides the end goal of protecting others, and in 02 her ability to bring people together and not hold grudges is a much more significant influence on her juniors (especially Miyako).

As a side point, this kind of “pretty girl” character is often also stereotyped as being rather lacking in common sense or airheaded, but while Mimi certainly isn’t the paragon of intellectuality compared to some of the others in the group, she’s never portrayed as particularly lacking in common sense, and in fact her sense of empathy and sensitivity makes her very able to “read the room” and say things or act in ways that are in fact extremely helpful to others. “Emotional intelligence” is a fairly prominent character trait for many characters in Adventure and 02 (particularly in regards to Digimon partners), and, especially in a narrative where the characters are dealing with a lot of stress and emotional issues, is no less important of a role in terms of figuring out what’s going on and figuring out the best possible solution for everyone going forward.

Jou

Jou’s got two archetypes going on here: one being the “studious nerd” type (touched on earlier in Koushirou’s section), and one as “the oldest and therefore most responsible” -- except we quickly find out that Jou is extremely stress-prone, often high-strung, and not particularly put-together (especially because, as it turns out, he’s actually the youngest of his own siblings, meaning he’s not particularly used to being in the role of the oldest). Nevertheless, he takes his role as the oldest very seriously, but the way it’s played is interesting: while he initially seems like the type to hold his position as “the oldest” over everyone and act as if they’re obligated to treat him with respect, Jou actually doesn’t have any indication of caring that much about status or esteem as much as he considers himself obligated to fulfill the role of the oldest and take care of everyone. Hence, why he’s willing to even throw himself recklessly on a Unimon in Adventure episode 7 -- he’s a very selfless person whose main drive is to protect others and help people more than he cares about his own status.

That extends to his role as a “studious” person too -- someone like him who comes from an “elite” family of doctors would often be portrayed as someone who themself cares about the prestige and honor of being a doctor, or at least is proud of being an honor student over everyone else, but there’s no indication in Adventure or 02 that Jou has any interest in the act of studying itself or the status that comes with it as much as he considers it part of a “comfortable routine” that’s integrated into his life, especially compared to the stress of being in an unknown world (Adventure episode 6 even has him preface his statement with “don’t laugh at me,” acknowledging how unusual it would normally be to miss something like studying). Adventure episode 35 has him be mostly rather unfazed about getting a bad grade, past an initial (understandable) bout of disappointment, hinting that this whole affair is actually him going through the motions moreso than he has any real attachment to this lifestyle. Jou doesn’t have a condescending bone in his body, and in fact a lot of his behavior has heavily to do with high stress and a feeling of obligation to help others.

Eventually, via his brother Shin, Adventure episode 38 clarifies the reason for Jou’s behavior of being the “studious type” yet also not really being into it all that much -- Jou’s doing this out of his obligation to his family more than he even personally cares about it, and the “elite” track of being a doctor was never something he personally wanted as much as something his father wanted of him. So in other words, Jou had no personal investment in status and thus can’t be motivated to do something with passion unless it’s something he personally has a reason for wanting to do. He certainly was very motivated to throw himself recklessly into situations where he could sacrifices himself for others in Adventure episodes 7, 23, and 36, because it was a no-brainer that he wanted to help people, but something like the status of becoming a respected member of society is comparatively nebulous and vague to him, especially since, as per Adventure episode 38, he has a phobia of blood that makes the profession outright uncomfortable to him.

Because Jou is the kind of person who wants to do his best for others’ sake and help others, it’s only when he rationalizes that with his father’s desire for him to be a doctor that he’s able to form a desire for it -- namely, the Dark Masters arc has him witness pain and death, and combined with him outright coming to terms with the fact that he's not that great at fighting to begin with (in Adventure episode 50), he decides that the Digital World is rather lacking in healers and that he needs to be there for them. Hence, why his goal to become a doctor is still “unexpected” in its own way, because he’s not doing it for the status of becoming an “elite” doctor the way his father wants him to, but rather one specialized in helping the denizens of the fantasy world that society isn’t all that aware of. It’s also why, in 02, he seems to be fairly unfazed by the prospect of having to temporarily ditch his studies in order to get Gomamon or his juniors out of a pinch -- because if he allowed there to be casualties on his road to becoming someone who can help people, that’d be pretty hypocritical.

Takeru

The “designated kid character” usually manifests in one of two ways: one who’s an immature brat who often causes a lot of trouble, or one who’s much weaker than the others and holds the others back from constantly being emotionally overwhelmed. While neither of these are really things you can blame a child for being at this kind of age for being (especially in such a stressful situation), Takeru is nevertheless neither. Mainstream media, and sometimes even people in the fanbase itself, will talk about him being a “crybaby”, but Takeru’s moments of breaking down into tears or having extreme emotional reactions in Adventure are actually quite uncommon (Yamato’s moments of such outstrip his by a landslide, and almost all of the situations Takeru ends up that way aren’t particularly more unusual than any of the other characters in this cast, especially Mimi).

In truth, Adventure episode 43 makes it clear that Takeru detests the idea of being a “ball and chain” holding everyone back, so, as a result, he’s going out of his way to be “put-together and well-behaved” -- hence, why he, as one of the youngest, keeps on his best behavior in front of his elders and has a constant sense of responsibility. Moreover, there are multiple indications that he’s covering up his own emotions to unhealthy extents as part of his attempt to be so “put-together” -- he has moments where it’s obvious he’s thinking about the impact of his parents’ divorce (a freeze-frame in Adventure episode 3, his reminiscence in Adventure episode 12, or his talk about dislike of “family” getting separated in Adventure episode 26), but constantly tries to veer away from the topic or even lie about it (see Adventure episode 12 where he basically pretends he doesn’t remember anything at all about his young childhood despite the fact that we as the audience are shown that he very much did).

The fact that 02′s incarnation of Takeru has him show a lot more viciously negative sides of himself may catch one off-guard, and it’s sometimes been said by observers that he seems to have taken a mysteriously nasty turn in his personality, but, in fact, Takeru’s habit of being dishonest about and hiding a lot of negative emotions had existed as early as Adventure -- observe him blowing a complete irrational fuse at the well-meaning Tokomon/Patamon in Adventure episodes 22 and 33, just because things had hit him a little too closely (the latter episode is especially notable because Patamon’s statement had been completely innocuous for the most part, only for Takeru to suddenly get angry at him). Such a thing isn’t something you would have expected from an eight-year-old child, given that the archetype is usually portrayed as “innocent”, but it had remained largely unaddressed by the end of Adventure, and it’s only natural it would have gotten worse over the three years in between Adventure and 02, especially as Takeru became older and more independent. When Iori points out the strange “duality” between the kind and cold sides of Takeru in 02 episode 34, he’s really just directly stating what had been going on since the very first episode of Adventure.

That said, it’s also not like Takeru’s trying to be dishonest or guilty of subterfuge -- it’s just that his coping mechanisms are very poorly developed and that he’s constantly trying to keep the peace and come off as pleasant while suppressing all of his negative emotions under a smile, only for things like anger and personal grudge to explode all at once at inopportune times (his punching of the Kaiser in 02 episode 19 being the most famous, but you can see traces of it emerging even beforehand in 02 episodes 11 and 13 whenever things get a bit too personal, to the point it almost jeopardizes his ability to help Hikari in the latter). Hence, why the positive development for Takeru by the end of 02 involves him becoming someone who’s better able to express his thoughts and feelings with the help of Iori, who, despite being younger than him, is also significantly more blunt and straightforward.

Hikari

Being tied to a Crest that’s linked to “life itself”, Hikari comes off as the sort of saintlike figure who has purity of heart all the way through and has nothing but peaceful thoughts about everything. However, a lot of her appearances in Adventure were heavily impacted by context -- other than the fact she was sometimes held back by illness, Hikari was otherwise portrayed as an ordinary playful and cheerful young girl, and there are multiple layers to her character added or enhanced in 02 that indicate that she’s not quite the saint that her archetype would suggest.

For one, like with Sora, we again see how “excessive selflessness” can actually lead to self-destruction if left unchecked: Taichi states outright in Adventure episode 48 that Hikari’s penchant for putting others before herself means that she won’t do anything for herself even if it results in self-harm. Hikari herself confirms this in 02 episode 31, stating outright that she compulsively cannot express her own feelings even if she wants to, to the point she’s outright jealous of Miyako for being able to do so. Because she’s so inclined to not burden others and to work for others’ sake instead, when something bad is about to happen to her and only her, such as the Dark Ocean-related incidents, she can’t bring herself to do anything and is forced to either rely on others’ help or simply resign herself to her fate.

That said, Hikari is also not characterized as someone who’s passive in general; because this passivity is tied to “excessive selflessness”, anytime the issue has to do with anyone else’s sake, she doesn’t hesitate and will even be firm in taking a stand. She’s so assertive that she even momentarily freaks Miyako out in 02 episode 18! In the end, it’s a textbook case of “it’s easier to do it when it’s for other people, but harder to do it when it’s for yourself, especially when doing it for yourself means bothering others,” and this is also something that had dated back as early as Adventure, when she’d made a lot of fairly independent decisions about things she felt strongly needed to be done, like giving herself up for everyone's sake in Adventure episode 36 (very much against her friends' will), or standing up for the Numemon in Adventure episode 49, or even being much quicker to accept the inevitable need to kill an enemy than the emotionally wrecked Miyako in 02 episode 44, because they’re all things she truly and strongly felt needed to be done for the sake of others.

Plus, it’s also not like Hikari’s such a pure-hearted, saintlike person who can do no wrong even at the base level -- 02 episode 6 indicates that she’s not above toying with Daisuke’s feelings for her in order to get what she wants, and in general, the fact she’s aware he likes her but isn’t doing anything about it has both the nuances that she probably doesn’t want to hurt his feelings but is also capable of exploiting an extra level of leverage over him as well. The fact that Hikari is seen as “charming” gives her a certain degree of power of persuasion to get her way, and it seems she’s quite well aware of it...

As the younger sister of Adventure’s lead protagonist, Hikari’s often also stigmatized as having some kind of unhealthy fixation on her brother, or a brother complex (also a rather common anime trope among “younger sister” characters), but this kind of reading requires a huge amount of exaggeration and extracting the relevant lines out of context; at no point in Adventure or 02 is Taichi and Hikari’s relationship portrayed as particularly unusual relative to a reasonable level of concern a pair of siblings that get along should have, especially since any behavior that is particularly notable or unusual or dependent is strongly contextualized as having to do with the above issues regarding Hikari being potentially self-destructive if left to her own devices, and how both Taichi and Hikari react to it (hence why the problem is ultimately addressed most effectively by Miyako, who has no real personal stake in the siblings’ relationship).

Daisuke

Daisuke has been stated outright by Adventure and 02′s director Kakudou to have “the most anime-like personality”, and it is true that even going beyond his base profile, a lot of his characteristics are much closer to that of an idealistic shounen anime protagonist than Taichi’s are, including (as the article in question points out) that he’s a lot more “hot-blooded” on principle but suddenly loses his head when around a girl he likes. Past that, however, there’s a lot of depth going on that reveals that Daisuke is in fact quite the deceptive character.

The first thing you might realize after watching Daisuke closely enough is that while he may initially seem aggressive, he’s actually not very assertive or aggressive at all, especially in the earlier parts of the series. It's very common for the others to shut him down or overturn his opinions in the earlier parts of the series, no matter how much he may ostensibly seem argumentative about it -- he very quickly backs down, at worst seeming a bit irritated, or even going into full-on disappointment with “Oh...okay...” Hence, why Kakudou refers to him as being “prevented from doing very much in the first half,” because for the most part a lot of the decisions made by the group in said first half are made by the entire group in agreement more than they’re made by him specifically, and becoming someone who can make more firm statements is a major point of his growth throughout the series. The first major moment he’s able to do such a thing is 02 episode 20, where, despite everyone’s opposition, he continues to assertively put his foot down that he doesn’t want to pull back when doing so could result in more victims -- and that ultimately becomes the start of him starting to be more confident about doing things even when others disagree with him. Even when he does become more assertive, at no point is Daisuke ever said, in-universe, to be the “leader” of the 02 group as much as he’s simply the one giving them the drive to move forward while they all work things out as a group.

Beyond that, another point that comes out of this is that Daisuke is actually a very deeply emotional person, which means that he has very strong emotions in every direction, including those of empathy and kindness. In fact, similarly to Mimi, Daisuke’s “abrasiveness” and “lashing out” are more defensive than him ever going on the attack, since he usually does this when he feels like he’s being put on the spot, or insulted, or is suspicious. There’s a reason I like to compare him to a puppy with a louder bark than its bite -- said puppy might bark at anything it doesn’t like or understand, or get pouty and offended at times, but also will immediately switch to open adoration or genuinely wanting to make you happy, and that’s also Daisuke in a nutshell. You may notice that he never, ever says anything condescending towards others nor does he dunk on them without reason, and 02 episode 7 indicates that if he realizes he’s stepped over the line, he won’t hesitate to apologize -- something that Taichi, who often veered into the insensitive, was rather bad at doing. Moreover, whenever something deeply hurts him, he also becomes genuinely, truly upset about it -- see him openly weeping over Wallace’s problems in Hurricane Touchdown despite having just met and bickered with him, and him being very audibly on the verge of tears during the situations in 02 episodes 20, 26, and 43 (Kiuchi Reiko’s acting especially brings this out). He’s a dramatic person with an extreme emotional reaction to everything, and that often means blowing small things out of proportion, but it also means that he really, truly does feel for others and care about things with large stakes.

In addition, someone who’s this sort of “hot-blooded” would usually also be portrayed as self-absorbed and arrogant, but Daisuke reveals as early as 02 episode 8 that he’s actually extremely humble -- he knows when he’s out of depth, acknowledges when others are better than him (such as knowing even from the very beginning that he was likely to lose against Ken and the Tamachi team), and actually just enjoys being around others on sheer principle. Read between the lines and you’ll realize that a lot of his behavior actually comes not from arrogance but rather insecurity -- he doesn’t expect anyone to adore or respect him, rather, he ends up running himself in circles trying to impress others (especially Hikari) because he wants the validation of them considering him cool. Hence why he never looks down on anyone nor insults anyone, because he’s much more confident in their awesomeness, and every time he’s around elders or respected seniors, he immediately takes a much more well-behaved and respectful tone in general. For all it’s worth, he’s a pretty deferential person, and has a genuine appreciation for even the little things in life, which is why he’s okay with running a ramen cart in the future -- sure, it’s not super-flashy as a career, but it makes him happy, and that’s all he wants.

So in other words, Daisuke likes people, and he likes his friends a lot; it’s just that his tendency to need validation from others, combined with his emotional tendencies to get really dramatic about everything, makes for a surface temperament where this isn’t immediately apparent. Even his original motivation for fighting comes not from liking fighting, but from his frustration that he wasn’t strong enough to protect others three years prior (also reiterated in the Adventure novels). In the end, pretty much everything he does comes from a desire to protect others and help them, which means that he of course resents those who hurt others, and it’s why he takes Ken exploiting his otherwise admirable abilities for harmful purposes so personally in 02 episode 8. Hence why Kakudou described him as having no evil in him, and that “the only thing bad about him is his head” (i.e. he’s not very smart) -- because once you get past the initial abrasiveness, he’s extremely friendly, all-loving, and loyal, and he isn’t malicious nor does he hold significant grudges.

Even Daisuke’s penchant for being “an idiot” is played a bit differently from the usual, because it’s consistently shown to be a byproduct of the fact that he’s “simple-minded” and doesn’t do well with complex thinking or overthinking, which, in many ways, is an asset as much as it’s a drawback. It means that he doesn’t do well with complex problems and isn’t very intellectual, and it also means that he gets overly suspicious at things that aren’t what they seem or aren’t being straightforward (which is why he initially gets so antsy around Takeru and Wallace, especially the latter, whom he was suspicious of before he started flirting). But it also means that he won’t easily get distracted by platitudes or overthinking, which, during situations where the simplest answer is the correct one, will sometimes conversely result in him being the smartest person in the room. Being so simple-minded gives him a certain degree of pragmatism; while everyone else is getting caught up in moralistic issues of forgiveness or non-forgiveness, Daisuke, who doesn’t get hung up on things like grudges, becomes the most open-minded towards Ken because he practically observes that Ken is not causing problems anymore and thus should be allowed to take responsibility for his mistakes, and also successfully dissuades Ken from recklessly throwing away his life in 02 episode 26 because, as “symbolic” as that kind of penance might be, it’s also very unproductive and will make things worse for everyone. It’s also why he’s one of the first to emotionally come to terms with the potential necessity for killing enemies in 02 episodes 25 and 43; it’s not like he enjoys it, but he’s the first to point out that if they hadn’t done it, even more victims would have been taken.

And as for Daisuke’s interest in Hikari: it’s basically there as a character note as to how Daisuke will completely lose his brain cells and bend over backwards when he’s trying to impress someone he has on a pedestal, and it becomes completely irrelevant to the plot and not even brought up after 02 episode 35, so while it’s not something that vanished completely (especially since it makes a return in post-02 material), it’s also treated as an example of one the many weird hangups that Daisuke will put aside when other things become more important, and an ultimately fairly shallow thing that he hasn’t thought through very clearly (he never directly asks Hikari out nor verbally expresses having a particular crush on her at any point in the series because he’s so wishy-washy about it, which is why she’s so easily able to dodge it), rather than a guiding part of the narrative or his character.

Interestingly, Daisuke’s unusual position as a shounen lead is hinted at even in franchise meta; you might notice he’s the only lead Digimon protagonist to be so heavily associated with blue instead of the warm colors of orange or red, and when you think about it, despite having Taichi’s goggles and supposedly having the “hot-blooded” personality, you could draw just as many parallels between him and Yamato, who’s also friendly behind all of the initial awkwardness and is also a passionately emotional person.

Ken

Really, the single most unusual thing about Ken’s character and his character arc is the fact that such a plotline even exists in the first place. How many series would take the main antagonist of the first half (not an underling, but the actual primary antagonist) and not only reform them but also turn them into the best friend of the protagonist for the second half? And not even in a “begrudging edgelord rival” sense, but legitimately the person who becomes a straightforward best friend with no standoffishness and full-on social-life supportiveness to the protagonist?

In any case, the entire concept of the Kaiser and his story is unusual even from the get-go -- we’re initially introduced to him as an “evil genius”, which is a common villain archetype because it’s very terrifying to have an enemy who’s one step ahead of you, but the Kaiser ends up being rather pathetic -- he’s constantly losing territory to a group of elementary school students, his “tactical abilities” have no real sense of scale beyond a soccer field sort of affair, he’s incredibly petty and will make irrational decisions just because his pride was wounded (see 02 episode 8), and seems to have no real long-term goal besides conquest for the sake of it. Eventually, 02 episode 20-21 reveals that he’d been doing this entire thing because he’d thought the entire thing was a game -- in short, he wasn’t taking this seriously at all, and the entire affair had been tantamount to an eleven-year-old throwing a tantrum.

The point being made here is that the facade of the so-called “evil genius” is significantly less brilliant than it’s made out to be, and, actually, when you think about it, Ken’s initial reformation is mostly kickstarted by himself and Wormmon moreso than it is the other Chosen Children, because while they’re there to drive the nail in, Ken had already been emotionally falling apart and realizing he wasn’t cut out for this for the entirety of the last handful of episodes, and it was ultimately his own realization and mental breakdown that did the honors -- the other kids were really mostly doing cleanup duty at the time, and Daisuke’s influence on him is more important to his process of healing than it was the initial calling it quits. Moreover, as we get to see Ken more in his proper element in the latter half of the series, it becomes apparent that the “true personality” of Ken is actually the more assertive, level-headed one, whereas the Kaiser was the childish and fragile facade; Ken is significantly more comfortable being in his normal element to begin with, and he’s not standoffish or edgy because he doesn’t even like being condescending. If anything, the Kaiser was a manifestation of him forcing himself into an uncomfortable mold in an attempt to emulate his brother, so of course he isn’t going to feel comfortable doing that once all is said and done.

While Ken in the second half does initially express some traits that can be misconstrued as standoffishness, because he’s significantly more level-headed and assertive in this state, it becomes clear that he’s not doing this because he looks down on the others or anything; it’s just that he has very strong opinions on what he thinks needs to be done, and he doesn’t hesitate to explain why he feels this way when he’s asked (he says outright in 02 episode 25 that he believes they shouldn’t be responsible for cleaning up his mess). 02 takes a stance of favoring the concept of “taking responsibility for one’s mistakes” over “penance and punishment”, so even though Ken himself does have moments of devaluing his own life due to his sins (such as in 02 episode 26), ultimately, he states that his primary goal is to fix the mess he started, and he’s not averse to working with the others for the sake of that goal. If he does initially push the others away, it’s simply because he thinks he’s burdening them too (and, likely, that he doesn’t feel he has the right to be around them), but even when he’s at his most irrational about this in 02 episode 30, he turns out to be fairly capable of being reasoned with in pretty short order. So he’s not standoffish or “edgy” just for the sheer sake of it nor for drama, and it’s why he ends up on a very conciliatory relationship with Daisuke and the others by the end of the series, with very little, if at all, in common with the usual “rival” archetype you’d expect in this kind of series.

Considering that Ken is characterized as “kind” and “soft”, it’s easy to not realize that he’s actually one of the most assertive people in the group, and more so than Daisuke (note that he never seems to be all that easily intimidated even when the universe seems out to get him, and in 02 episode 29 he even offers to do the “dirty work” of potentially having to kill an enemy in lieu of the other kids if push comes to shove because he knows they’re uncomfortable with it). Although the issue of the Dark Seed makes it ambiguous as to how much of his turn into the Kaiser was supernatural interference and how much of it was himself, either way, the series doesn’t try to absolve Ken of his sins just because there was something extra pushing him over the edge -- again, the series operates less on “fault” than it does “responsibility” -- and when you look at these kinds of traits, you realize that the Kaiser existed because Ken had always been capable of this kind of aggressiveness, he just doesn’t do it because he doesn’t want to unless it’s necessary, nor does he like it. It’s also why he banters so playfully with Daisuke in most post-02 material -- like many of the other characters in this narrative, being “soft and kind” doesn’t mean he’s necessarily a saint, he’s just someone who willfully chooses to be a good person for the most part.

Miyako

Miyako is a character who has a lot going on with her at once, having a ton of traits that you normally wouldn’t see combined into one character because they usually occupy separate archetypes (and, in a textbook case of reality being a lot less clear-cut than fiction, she’s the one character out of this group said explicitly to be based off a specific person). The fact she’s outwardly aggressive may make you think of the “badass action girl” type, but she’s also the kind who gushes over hot guys and fits the stereotypes of the “materialistic girly-girl”, and on top of that she’s a computer specialist working under Koushirou who begs the image of a “nerd girl”, and, unlike all of these archetypes, she’s a rather sloppy mess of a person who ends up loudly running her mouth, being prone to panic, and spitting out the first thing on her mind without restraint. On top of that, these traits tend to mix easily, so as much as she’s in-your-face about trying to physically fight things, she’s also the kind who’ll aggressively hug or dote on anyone she likes (which is a lot of people). Miyako is closer to the shounen brash hero archetype than even Taichi or Daisuke are, and yet is also closer to the “materialistic girly-girl” archetype than Mimi is at the same time.

Much like Koushirou, the part about being good with computers is much less of a prominent part of her character arc than you might initially think -- she herself doesn’t actually bring it up much during the course of the series, and, much like computers are an outlet for Koushirou to follow his thirst for knowledge and insatiable curiosity, Miyako’s connections with computers and tech have a lot to do with how she constantly goes out of her way to be helpful to others, such as being helpful to Koushirou as his junior, or helping out Iori’s mother with their computer (02 episode 1), or helping Yamato’s band (02 episode 29), or getting to do something helpful for the group in general (Diablomon Strikes Back). She’s not particularly show-offy or even all that fixated the actual subject as much as she’s proud of the fact she got to do something helpful and useful, and it ties deeply into her personal struggle with how to be capable of doing good for others when she’s actually not the striking image of a mature, put-together person who would usually be good at that kind of thing.

Miyako is consistently portrayed as having a complex about her “aggressive” tendencies -- she negatively compares herself to Mimi (02 episode 14) and Hikari (02 episode 31), on the grounds that she’s less put-together and more insensitive than them, and labels herself a “bad partner” for being such a sloppy person (02 episode 18). She does not want people to get hurt because of her actions, especially because whenever she loses grip on herself like this, that’s something that’s very liable to happen (which is exactly what happens with Hawkmon in 02 episode 18), and her tendency to be judgmental or to have no brain-to-mouth filter means she can be occasionally insensitive (see 02 episode 31). She even ends up fostering an idea that Hikari must be thinking of her badly, while she’s at it (02 episode 31)!

The end result of Miyako’s character arc is that, while she ends up needing to adjust the more negative aspects of her personality that involve causing trouble for others and being insensitive, that doesn’t necessarily mean that she has to completely change her personality to accommodate that. Hawkmon assures her in 02 episode 18 that he likes her the way she is, and, as it turns out, Hikari and Miyako both realize in 02 episode 31 that Miyako’s in-your-face, aggressive personality is very helpful when dealing with someone who’s so closed-in and repressive like Hikari, because it means Miyako has the right temperament to go out of her way and reach out to her despite how high of a hurdle that would normally be. On top of that, a consistent thread from the beginning of the series is that her over-the-top antics bring the group proper cheer, with the kids genuinely enjoying the vibrance she brings with her dramatic Digital Gate entrances, and multiple significant scenes indicating that her being dramatic and silly will make people laugh and be happy. So in other words, Miyako is capable of being emotionally supportive and helpful while also being her aggressive and messy self, and there’s no need for her to have to change herself drastically to resolve the supposed “contradiction” that one might initially think this poses.

Miyako’s also generally the first female character billed in 02 (mainly because Hikari’s returning from Adventure), but she isn’t particularly teased as having any romantic relationship with Daisuke; not that they don’t have a compelling rapport, but any idea of them having any real feelings for each other isn’t exactly stated to any significant degree over the course of the series. Miyako herself comments on multiple people being attractive over the course of the series, and it’s interesting in how this is played; the earlier parts of the series involve her completely losing her head and getting weirdly hung up and fixated on her targets of attraction to the point of getting derailed over more important matters (see 02 episodes 6, 8, 14), whereas she’s later able to express this in a lot more straightforward of a manner without being weird about it (02 episodes 38, 39), and so in the end, it’s not exactly a fundamental sin for Miyako to be open about the concept of attraction, especially as it ends up not really having a huge place in the overall narrative, which is consistent with Adventure and 02 not really treating romance or attraction as if it’s such a game-changer for these kids at this point in their lives.

Iori

Iori is the youngest in this entire group of twelve, and yet carries himself with a sense of maturity that goes far beyond his age, to the point he even comes off as one of the most mature in the 02 group despite being younger than all of them by a significant margin. Even taking into account the concept of the “precocious kid”, however, Iori’s not only polite but also very stoic and stern, meaning he often can come up with some really passive-aggressive or stern remarks (completely in polite Japanese). Of this entire group, the youngest one is the most likely to completely roast you with some well-timed statements.

However, one important fact to keep in mind is that Iori isn’t doing this because he’s “naturally” stoic or emotionless, but because he’s deliberately suppressing himself in an attempt to be well-behaved. (A really big clue in the Japanese version that Iori’s facade is “slipping” is that he ends up losing his composure and using casual Japanese instead of the polite form that he so constantly adheres to.) This is something that partially comes from his upbringing from his family, especially his grandfather, but even said grandfather is concerned that he’s a bit overkill in this regard (see 02 episode 6). By all means Iori should be allowed to express himself a bit more freely, but he keeps restraining himself and trying to be well-behaved in front of all of these elders that he develops a complex over the one time he allowed himself to act excited and cheerful in 02 episode 16, to the point the episode ends with Submarimon basically dragging him out on an undersea trip so he can enjoy something for once, dammit.

Iori is described as “clumsy at expressing himself as a child”, and 02 depicts the problem that comes out of the flip side of a young child being so mature that they have more comfortable company with older kids than kids their own age: Iori is outright isolated from his peers because of how different his mentality is from theirs (02 episode 3), and moreover, his stubborn insistence on doing things a certain way to the point even his grandfather thinks he’s overdoing it is, in fact, his own way of being “childish”. He’s basically trying to follow the honorable principles he wants to follow from his family, but taking them to their logical extreme because his view of the world is too simple-minded from his lack of life experience. Hence, why he develops such a black-and-white view of morality trying to categorize people into boxes of “good” and “evil”, and why he ends up trying to follow principles to pretty impractical extremes such as thinking that a single white lie is going to send him on a path to moral debauchery. In short, he’s a young child trying to deal with very abstract concepts much bigger than him, and dealing with it in a very simple-minded, overly reductive way befitting that of someone his age.

However, one thing Iori does acknowledge is that he’s probably not going about this the right way, and that he needs to understand more about others if he wants to do better. From the very beginning of the series, Koushirou (02 episode 2) identifies him as someone who has a “curious mind” like himself, but while he initially expects Iori to be like him in terms of being curious about the Digital World, Iori’s “curiosity” ends up manifesting more in terms of wanting to know about how humans work and what’s the right thing to do. This is how he ends up breaking through to the very convoluted and repressive Takeru, because he has the drive to poke through Takeru’s many layers and figure out what’s going on with him, and it’s how he eventually manages to become more open-minded about the issues surrounding Ken and Oikawa despite initially having been so hostile to them. All things considered, “understanding morality” is a pretty heavy burden for someone who’s supposed to be the designated kid character!

[saintofswords]

tell me abt ur scorpion boy 🔫🔫🔫

Oh wow, I'd be happy to! I'll try to post some highlights of the current adventure the group is wrapping up under the cut!

Alright, so my character is a Shosuro courtier named Maekawa Kenji. A big thing for him has been the tug of war between wanting to be a good, dutiful samurai and of being as decent of a human being as he can. As you can guess, a lot of issues have arisen during our campaign because of this. He's slowly been moving more towards the side of goodness, likely in no small part due to the influence of the Lion shugenja in our group. Said shugenja is a pretty noble samurai and an all around decent person, so he's been a great influence. A big thing for Kenji in most of the previous adventures has been balancing secretly doing the right thing (helping the commonfolk, the downtrodden, etc), while also accomplish whatever tasks the Scorpion have for him.

This conflict has all come to a head in the current adventure we are playing, in which he needed to solve an issue with a certain lord of one of the Imperial family's castles being unable to pay their taxes. The Imperial Family sent Kenji (He rescued a lost child of one of their nobles awhile back) to fix this, with no clear instructions about how to do so; he was simply told to get the castle to paying the taxes again. Upon his very first day at the castle, he learned that a coup was being planned, and set himself in alliance with one of the leaders of the coup, the Steward of the castle. Lots of social manipulating later, The big conflict between the insurgents and the lord of the castle's forces is going to occur, with Kenji having played the field the entire time, unsure of what to do, having simply pushed and pulled here and there in the hopes of pulling out as much corruption as he could.

Lost, he goes to secretly meet with the other Scorpion in the party to discuss what should be done. She believes the lord of the castle should be killed, and Kenji reluctantly agrees that it's for the best. They agree to plan more later that night. Kenji is dragged off by the rest of the party to help with something, and she heads off on her own. She often does that.

Some more things happen and we are brought in to the chambers of the castle's lord afterwards. His court shugenja has been doing a terrible job of his duties for a long time (he was in with the Steward, it was intentional sabotage), so the party's Lion is just doggedly pursuing him with evidence from our investigations, trying to get the court shugenja locked up or executed for his crimes. Kenji, wanting to keep that piece on the board, urges the lord towards mercy when the Lion is out of earshot. He's now, unbeknownst to our Lion, betrayed the trust he has for Kenji. It's not come out yet, but I think the Lion is on the cusp of potentially discovering that. Even if he doesn't though, Kenji really regrets doing that to his friend.

Fast forward to the morning, and there is an invading force outside the castle-the Steward's allies! Kenji worriedly slips away from the party and goes to check on the lord of the castle (He later realized the man was not NEARLY as bad as his reputation had suggested), only to find out from the lord's niece (his heir) that the lord of the castle and his wife were slain in the night. The other Scorpion is also missing. Kenji, worrying about where his fellow Scorpion is, and what she has or hasn't done, sets out towards the battle in hope of negotiating. This doesn't happen, and Kenji will be forced to align himself in the mass battle about to occur.

Unsure of what to do, but feeling that too much of his honor is at stake to simply abstain from fighting, Kenji looks to our Lion. He hopes the Lion will choose a side, and Kenji can follow after him. The Lion abstains, instead waiting in the castle to serve as a medic for the wounded after the battle is concluded one way or another. Kenji, feeling that he needs to do what is best for his Scorpion ally, allies with the coup. As does the ronin in our group, simply wishing to join what he thinks will be the winning side. One mass battle and the coup has succeeded, with the niece slipping out of the castle unnoticed at some point. A new daimyo is immediately installed by the lord above the castle's last lord, and she promptly has the Steward executed for being such a treacherous snake. Things seem good! The party (minus the one missing ofc), are called into to meet with the new daimyo and they advise her about the situation of things and how best to move forward. Finally dismissed for the night, after one of the longest days of his life, Kenji returns to his quarters to find a letter.

"I expected more from my friends. The way of the Scorpions is to serve the best of the empire. Putting traitors, murderers, and backstabbers at the head of power is not the best for the empire. I will see you all after [niece] and I meet with the Imperial Family. Goodbye, Kenji."

The trust of two close friends has now been lost.

We stopped at that, so I have no idea what is going to happen for my character next, but he is NOT feeling happy right now. Mission accomplished, and all he had to trade for it were two of his only true friends and comrades!

[josnhoes]

Would love to see some more of the Hypnos x modern!insomniac from Hades game👀

Sorry it took so long to get to this.

A reminder of what the prompt is about: Desperate for sleep reader takes to a pagan friend and asks how to ask a god of sleep for well sleep. One weird ritual later and they finally get some sleep, but their dreams are filled with a strange lanky floating man asking weird questions. They don’t know why people jumped ship on the old religions and no you are not going to go building shrines to every greek god in the house of hades…okay maybe Nyx and Thanatos and Hypnos if just to keep peace. But seriously every dream he pops up.

The hcs:

-Reader fully believes Hypnos is a result of stress. Who would believe a God of sleep would attach to you after all. You're just a random person with insomnia. Ideally for this idea Reader wouldn't believe in most religions. Dabble in belief of some after life but unsure on it all. (Besides if you need some invisible deity threatening you to be a kind and good person maybe you should reevaluate yourself. Kudos to those who believe in religion and follow them in the way they are supposed to be and not republican Christian style. Yes I have salt with religion)

-Things get really bad for Reader when they start seeing Hypnos outside of dreams. A spectral figure with millions of questions who's voice you can't make out as if struggling to be there at all. Obviously you jump to thinking your crazy. Until your pegan friend convinced you to sit down and meditate.

-Hypnos has a mission and since you're the only human to have been able to communicate with him..a living one anyway.. he's using you to do it. That mission is to find out what happened to the realm of humans.

-Apperently due to a lack of believers the gods have lost their powers. The underworld is falling appart at the lack of souls and Hades wants to know how it's all happening.

-You have exactly 0 answers to that. But end up sharing your body with Hypnos for him to learn through you.

-Real awkward when Hypnos gains control of it briefly and floats around in it correcting your friends rituals. Like dude you're a God and all but it's your body.

-So now you have to balance your normal life, while sharing your physical body with the God of sleep and try to solve a mystery of where all the dead are going.

-You just wanted to sleep now you're stuck in a supernatural buddy cop movie wishing you'd just gone to the damn doctors.