#and hopefully people can see where i'm coming from with this and what my intentions with it are

[147days]

valid opinion, and in a lot of ways i even agree, but can i ask why in this instance? i get that ai image generation is very controversial and that it isn’t for everyone. i also get (especially being an artist myself) that a lot of people feel threatened and disheartened by the idea that it can recreate something in minutes that they would spend hours, days, weeks or years working on and putting their heart and soul into. i also absolutely agree that it really, really sucks that a lot of ai is trained on specific artist’s styles and can mimic their work at the click of a button, and how it shits all over copyright. but in so many ways, it is also wonderful and exciting, and we’re only just scratching the surface of what it can do. as a photo editor and graphical artist, my goal with the spike model i created (or with any others i may or may not create) is not to step on anyone’s toes - i’m not going to be posting content outside of the type that i would have before. i’m not suddenly going to pretend i can draw. i’m also not going to just insert prompts, let the ai do its thing, and then straight up post those results and pretend i had any hand in creating anything. i intend on using it to create the base content that i would like to edit - content that is fresh and exciting to me and hopefully others, and then i edit it like i would with any photo or screenshot of this character that i’ve already edited 29435 times these past twenty years, where i spend a very substantial amount of time in photoshop making it my own. 

it’s totally okay if people don’t like it. i will not only be tagging all my stuff where i’ve used ai very clearly, but also always mention it in the description. if people don’t want to see it, they can choose not to. but to me it feels like we’re on the brink of something big and exciting when it comes to this, and over the next few years we’ll really see how and if ai generated footage has any place in the world of art and creativity. i think right now it’s new and overwhelming to a lot of people, but we’ve been here so many times before. i’m OLD old, so i remember working with one of the earlier versions of photoshop and people were outraged at how it could manipulate images and imitate paintings or drawings and felt duped and threatened by that back then, too. i imagine back in the day when photography was first invented, a lot of artists were saying big thumbs down to that out of fear of what it would do to them and their craft, too. but new doesn’t always mean worse, a photograph doesn’t take away from a beautiful painting, a manipulated digital photo doesn’t take away from the power that film photography has, and i think art will always live on, in any shape and form it already exists in, so why can’t it also expand? 

[ovaryacted]

HANDSY

PAIRING: Jackson! Joel Miller x afab! reader || WC: 1.2k

SYNOPSIS: Your cycle is ruining your mood, and what better thing to do than get a free massage.

CONTENT/WARNINGS: MDNI/18+. NSFW. Suggestive content. Titty massage. Slight daddy kink. Established relationship. Joel being a little bastard. Ambiguous age gap (Joel is in his 50s, reader is in their 20s). Mentions of menstrual cycle and female characteristics about the chest. Banter and teasing. No use of y/n.

A/N: Alright, I'm kinda on a Joel Miller streak and I was just thinking about getting my tiddies rubbed by a man with strong & rough hands and this happened. Don't look at me like that okay, this is self indulgent and I just had to alright. Hopefully this is relatable for some of y'all lol. Shout out to everyone who has to deal with periods, you are stronger than the marines. Anyways, likes, comments, and reblogs are greatly appreciated! Dividers by @saradika-graphics.

➣ TLOU was created by a zionist and is based off of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Please refer to this link to learn how you can help the Palestinian people.

NAVIGATION | MASTERLIST | AO3

Another month. Another week of unruly irritation, mood swings, and uncomfortable reactions to anything that breathed too hard or moved too fast. In the hecticness that was your current reality, dealing with the devil’s wrath was supposed to be something that slipped past your mind. Yet, in the efforts of your survival, having a menstrual cycle still took you off guard every time it came punching through your gut.

Tossing and turning in bed, you tried to get in the best position to ease your cramps by curling up in a fetal position. You thought it would make things better, but instead, the discomfort you felt all over your body pissed you off even more. A frustrated grumble filled the bedroom, flinging the sheets away and furrowing your eyebrows at the lack of relief.

Where the fuck is he?

Throwing on a pair of slippers you luckily claimed on a supply run, you shuffled down the creaky stairs of your home and wandered about until you reached the living room. Joel was hunched over his seat on the couch, currently messing with his guitar strings, aware of your presence the moment you hit the base of the stairway.

“Somethin’ wrong, sweetheart?” He questioned you as he took in your features and noticed your pout. You were upset; that was obvious when he found you in bed earlier today instead of somewhere else in the house. Simply kissing your forehead and letting you rest as best as he could, he expected you to come down to talk to him eventually when you had the energy to do so.

Joel didn’t say anything as you came closer to him without uttering a word, slipping your legs over his thick thighs and pressing your face into the curve of his neck. He put his guitar to the side and wrapped his strong arms around your waist, hands instinctively digging into your lower back where you felt the most sore. He could tell from the way you clung to him that it was that time of the month, already having gotten used to your changes in demeanor to see the signs.

“Uncomfortable?” Joel asked again, trying to get a better read on your emotions, but he only received an annoyed grunt in response. “Guess we’re just gonna sit here then.”

He ran his fingers up and down your spine, trying his best to lessen the strain you felt. He could snag some herbs to make you tea later if you were in the mood for it, but right now, a massage is what you could handle. His touch made you sigh with alleviation, focusing on the pressure points along your shoulder and backbone. Even with his attempts, the front of your body continued to ache.

“My boobs are fucking killing me.” You declared out loud, a deep rumble of a chuckle escaping from the back of his throat.

“You need me to massage them?” Joel offered, and his intention of doing that was purely to make you feel better. Though, you couldn’t ignore the slight flutter in your belly at the idea of having his hands elsewhere. 

Giving him a nod, you sat straighter on his lap, holding his gaze as he slipped his hands underneath the flannel you wore and made a beeline for your chest. Joel didn’t flinch at the fact that you weren’t wearing a bra, being told once or twice how freeing it was not to have to deal with the constant friction of clothes against your heated skin.

He palmed both of your breasts and squeezed, his grip just strong enough to calm the throbbing of the swelling from your change in hormones. Your eyes closed as you focused on his touch, allowing Joel to do whatever he wanted with you, what he knew best.

“Feelin’ better?” You heard him ask, humming out in reply. He grinned at your reaction, the hum sounding close to a purr as he pawed at your chest.

Taking his hands out from underneath your—his shirt, you whined, a smirk tugging at the corners of Joel’s lips. Lifting the top of the flannel to rest on your collarbone, his attention went back to your breasts, looking at them with a mix of desire and affectionate pity.

“Poor baby. Hormones got my girl all cranky and upset.” He said, placing a soft kiss on the top of each breast before handling your body once more. You don’t know whether or not he was deliberately teasing you when you were the most vulnerable, but just hearing his voice was doing wonders to soothe your nerves.

You’ve always been fascinated with Joel’s hands since you met him, watching how he’d hold the handle of his gun or insert ammo into the magazine before reloading. His palms were rough, and his fingers were rougher, representing a man who’s lived a long life, who’s done unspeakable things to survive and get to this point. To most, they’d dislike the feeling of having so much of a contrast, but to you, the difference of his skin against yours was almost euphoric.

Joel squeezed with more purpose, focusing on tightening his grasp along the sides where the pain was the most prominent. One harsh thumb came to stroke at your sensitive nipple in gentle circles, pulling a breathless moan from between your lips. The smile on his face widened when his ears picked up the sound, moving to do a combination of deliberate squeezes and circles on the exposed nubs.

The warmth of his touch morphed into something else, need coiling in your stomach and clawing up your throat. As discretely as you could, your hips shifted further into his, craving much more than what he was giving you. Joel couldn’t help himself and brought you closer to him, grinding his hips up into yours. That got your attention, looking into his hazel eyes to find his pupils narrowly dilated.

“If you need me to rub somethin’ else, I can.” Despite the years worn on his face, he still had a certain boyish charm that jerked at your heartstrings when he flirted with you. Or, maybe it was just his southern gentleman persona, ever so willing to tend to your needs no matter what they may be.

“You’re annoying.” You mumbled to him, stubbornly refusing to outright beg for his affection, regardless of how badly you craved it.

“And you’re moody.” Joel kissed you tenderly, drawing away and snickering when you leaned forward to chase his lips for another.

“Let daddy make you feel good. Alright, darlin’?” You nodded dumbly at the proposition of getting something more than your tits massaged.

His eyes flashed with lust, making quick work to peel off the flannel and toss it to the ground. Already growing hard at the thought of having his way with you, he tilted towards you, kissing the column of your neck and letting his beard tickle your skin. You released a shaky exhale, fingers running through his graying hair and tipping your head back to grant him more access to your skin.

“Atta girl.”

©️ ovaryacted 2024. Please don’t repost, copy, translate, or feed into any AI. Support your fellow creators by reblogging, commenting, and liking!

[incorrectbatfam]

WFA spoilers ahead

Content warning for discussion of mental illness

Can I take a moment to appreciate how they showcased Jason's PTSD in the latest ep? This isn't the first time but I feel like this round struck much closer.

Although this is the website where people are open about mental illness, there's still a reluctance to address the "loud" or "frightening" or "angry" or "messy" side of it. Stuff like bipolar, schizophrenia, addiction, PTSD. It's why I'm extremely hesitant to talk about my own problems even under anonymity.

Conversely, there are mainline comics (and other media) that use this category of mental illness as an excuse for characters to go all-out in their aggression. Even if not intentional, it perpetuates the idea that a trigger will always send the person spiraling until either the worst happens or someone steps in as the "hero." It's basically sending the message to people like me that we're a ticking time bomb.

Then there's WFA. Jason's not fully present during his episode. It leads him into a dangerous situation while at the same time he's unable to grasp things like pain. The adrenaline and the overwhelming sense of fear drives him into fight mode. He gets tunnel vision while he's beating up the bar patrons to try and find the Joker. Without getting into details, I've been in Jason's shoes. I've found myself in risky places doing things I'd later regret. All because of the disconnect from reality that makes me believe what I'm doing is necessary. Not even justified, just necessary. Almost like a survival instinct.

And what's so important is that Jason isn't a villain and Dick isn't a savior. Dick reaffirms Jason's trauma and guides him through tangible steps rather than giving broad sweeping advice. Of course there's no one-size-fits-all coping method, but the biggest thing is having somebody in your corner who sees you beyond this bad episode. Sometimes I have that, sometimes I don't. WFA won't show it since it's all about family, but the times I didn't have someone were exponentially scarier.

At the same time, there are consequences that a simple grounding exercise can't remedy—Jason got hurt, he hurt others, and his appearance at Noonan's definitely put him on someone's radar if not the Joker. And they're just as real as his feelings and (hopefully) he's gonna be held accountable. Because that's how it goes in real life. Something sets me off, I screw up, I get bailed out, and once I come down from it I have to fix the mess I made.

Maybe I'm just reading too much into a fan comic. But I know that if a few panels can resonate so closely with me, then it's worth talking about because someone, somewhere is also feeling the same way.

[amomentsescape]

hello! Are you ok?, I hope so ❤️ (by the way, your writing is wonderful)

I would like to make a request for Yandere Slashers with an S/O who is a mermaid, who usually kills people who dare to invade her lakes, and she kills these people by drowning.

(I'm sorry if there are any writing errors, English is not my first language, and I'm writing this using Google translate)

Slashers with Mermaid! Reader

Yandere! Slashers x Reader

Includes: Freddy, Michael, Jason, Thomas, Bubba, Brahms, Norman, Billy, Stu, Vincent, & Bo

A/N: I'm doing good, thank you <3 I hope you enjoy! (Also, I decided I'm going to remove Lester from the Slasher requests. I'm still very much open to writing for him when specified, but I feel like he doesn't quite fit in with all the other Slashers).

Freddy Krueger

Meeting you was quite literally the best thing to ever happen in his undead life

He likes to team up with you, constantly coming up with different ways you both can contribute to someone's death

You pull them under, and they suddenly wake up in Freddy's world

Your dynamic is pretty ideal too

Whenever you sleep, you can visit him

And he has no issues with popping into your waters just to say hi

He does this quite often, in fact

He is very aware you can take care of yourself, but he still gets worried

You're his

He doesn't trust anyone being around you

Even if your only intention is to kill them immediately

He understands that where you are now is your home, but that won't stop him from doing whatever he can to have you live in his world

He can create the perfect environment for you

Miles and miles of nothing but water if your heart desires

Which hopefully it does

Since he isn't willing to wait much longer

Michael Myers

He never thought creatures like you actually existed

But the moment he saw your strength and darkness, he was immediately drawn in against his better judgment

He visits more often then you think

He's always around, watching

You can feel eyes on you almost 90% of the day, but you never really know where it's coming from

He enjoys watching you swim and just relax

But he especially loves seeing you drag poor souls into the tide with you

There's something so twisted and yet magical about watching you kill

But this fascination is also paired with extreme jealousy

He hates seeing you touch other people

And he almost envies the way they get to be so close to you, even if it means their demise

He hopes to find a way to take you home with him for good one of these times

You told him you loved him, so you'd be happy as long as you're by his side

Right?

Jason Voorhees

Out of all places to meet the love of your life, this one seemed especially unfortunate for Jason

But his feelings for you were strong enough to overrule his fear

He'll sit by the shore with you, hearing you talk and sing old tunes he's never heard before

He loves listening to your stories about the world underneath the current

But this always leaves him with such a deep feeling of sadness

He wants a life where you both can live together and share those memories

But he knows that's nearly impossible

He starts spending more time by the water side than the camp, finding that irresponsible teens like to be by the beach even more than the forest

You lure them in with your beauty and your words, and Jason finishes the job

He'll let you kill too if you really wish to, but he doesn't like the idea of those types of people being so close to you

He barely gets to touch you, so why should they get what he so desperately wants instead?

Thomas Hewitt

In this desert like area of Texas, Thomas has to travel quite far to see you

But the one time he accidentally stumbled upon you, he was smitten

And you surprisingly didn't turn him into another victim like all the others

He was kind to you

And now, he brings you food and stops by as often as he possibly can

You've made him little necklaces out of bones and shells

He wears every single one of them

Your bond only gets stronger each time he comes to see you

But Thomas can only take so much

Why can't you be closer?

He knows the family would love you

And he could make you so happy

His bathtub is big enough for you, he's sure of it

He knows that you won't want to leave your own home for his, but he loves you and knows what will be best for you

He's just got to be patient

Bubba Sawyer

His own family had to go on a search for him after he disappeared for a couple days

But he just couldn't help it

You make him so happy, and the more time he spent with you, the more difficult it became to leave your side

He's tried to jump in a few times to be with you, but you always persuade him out of it

He doesn't know how to swim, and you don't want him to end up like everyone else

That's when he decided that the best option would be to create your very own pond in his backyard!

That way, you could be with each other, and he would never have to say goodbye again

He hasn't told you this idea yet, but he's sure you'd be happy with it

This would also keep you from needing to kill anyone else

You're too beautiful to get your hands dirty

And it's unfair that they get to join you in the water when you won't let him do the same

He can make you super happy with his family, he's sure of it

Brahms Heelshire

He hates this dynamic between you two

He wants you at home with him so you can take care of him, and he can keep you away from everyone else

No one should get to touch you or look at you besides him

He's actually tried to drag you out of the water before, but the prospect of accidentally killing you was enough to make him stop

He never knew he could envy a body of water as much as he does

It gets to hold you, touch you, and be with you at all times

He wants that too, so desperately

Because of you, he's gone from house dweller to nature enthusiast in just a matter of days

Even when you think he's at home, he's stalking around, watching you

He insists it's to keep you safe

In fact, you haven't had to drown anyone in quite a while

And you can thank Brahms for that

The moment he sees a single soul in the area, he drags them off and disposes of them before you even have a chance to see them

He wouldn't dare let you touch another being that isn't him

Norman Bates

It honestly took him a really long time to believe that you were even real

He didn't think mermaids or sirens actually existed, so seeing you for the first time made him pinch himself to make sure this wasn't some weird dream

He also took a while to trust you since he didn't want to fall victim to your treacherous waters

But once he realized you were genuine, he dove straight in all at once

He visits you whenever he can for however long he can muster

Someone needs to run the motel, but God he wishes he could be with you 24/7

He's "jokingly" brought up the idea of you staying at the motel in a pool he could install for you

He just wants to keep an eye on you at all times

He constantly dreams of finding a way to make you human so you two can truly be together

Until you have two feet like him, it will never be enough

Billy Loomis

Doesn't tell a single soul about you

Not even Stu

And it's not because he's embarrassed or wants to see other people

He's honestly just scared that others will either think he's insane or try to capture you

Visits you every day and makes sure to pack his swim trunks so he can join you in the water

Constantly admires you and wants to run his hands along your scales

He just thinks you're all around incredible

But he has this hidden level of anger towards the situation

He wants to walk around town with you, show you off

He wants you to join him on his sprees so you can see just how powerful he can be

And he hates the idea of not having eyes on you at all times

He knows you kill anyone who isn't him, but he doesn't want you getting that close to anyone in general

He spends his nights studying ways to get you to live with him

He'll find a way to have you all to himself, even if it ends up being the death of him

Stu Macher

He actually first met you while you were seducing some poor soul to their death

And Stu was immediately enamored

He comes to see you whenever he can

He sometimes spends the weekend camping out along the shore just so he can spend more time with you

He thinks you're beautiful of course, but he can't help but fantasize what it would be like if you were human like him

You two come from very different worlds, but there's nothing that could keep you away from him

He likes to bring up the idea of mermaids and mythical creatures in casual conversations with people

How they react to it will determine whether they make his hit list

He likes to bring you jewelry and pretty objects from his victims, showing you items that you've never seen before

He talks about how one of these days, he's going to have a house built on the shore so he can be with you

And if you argue against it, he will shut down

The pent up frustration of not getting to sleep next to you every night makes his killings more brutal and his fantasies all the more darker

Vincent Sinclair

Every time he comes to see you, he brings a new portrait or wax figure of you that he made

You flood his dreams and his mind 24/7

He honestly thinks he's under some sort of spell

He doesn't mind that you aren't human like him

He's always felt very different from everyone else, so it's nice for him to have someone he relates to

But his jealousy constantly gets the better of him

Anytime you tell him of some poor soul you drowned, he can't help but feel his blood boil

Even if it ends in their death, he hates the idea of you flirting or seducing these people

The only one who should be receiving that attention is him

Barely sleeps at night

He has snuck to the shore countless time without your knowledge, just watching you and making sure your stories line up with what he observes

Is overall obsessed even more than you know

Bo Sinclair

If anyone saw you together, it would be enough to make them blush

The way you two can constantly flirt back and forth without any hesitation is otherworldly

You could have sworn he must have been a creature like you in a past life

He's so touchy when he's with you, not afraid to get his clothes wet in an effort to just be closer to you

He truly makes you feel accepted as you are and with where you live

But little do you know of his darker nature

He stalks the shore and kills off anyone that trespasses before you even have a chance to get to them

He doesn't need you looking at anyone but him

And he's already been renovating an old abandoned pool in Ambrose for you

You're going to finally be living with him like he's always wanted

You don't know this yet, but he's sure you'll be happy with the idea

It will be a great surprise

[juicedaloe]

Mithrun and brain damage

I'm not sure if anyone is interested in this, but I wanted to make a post talking about why I think that Mithrun has brain damage from a traumatic brain injury instead of him being a representation of other neurological disorders or mental illness. I'm not that involved in the dunmesh fandom so I don't know how common this headcanon is, though I've seen a few people mention it here and there.

This is just my own opinion so if you disagree then that's fine. Some of this is just speculation and I can't say what Kui's intentions were. This post isn't meant to be that serious. I just wanted to talk about it and hopefully inform about how brain damage can affect some people in a way that I hope is interesting and relevant.

This will be kind of long because I like to talk so it will be under the cut. Apologies for the length and how much I ramble. Feel free to give input especially if I got anything wrong or if this is too confusing.

Okay let's go

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is incredibly complex. The long-term effects of a TBI include a wide array of symptoms. Each injury is different, and some people can completely recover rather quickly while others can become permanently disabled, even for seemingly "minor" injuries. What I'll cover here isn't a definitive representation of the experiences of all those who have long-term effects from TBI, nor do I speak for everyone with brain damage.

Here are some long term symptoms relevant to this post:

Alexithymia (inability to process and name emotions)

Inability to process and name physical perceptions

Mood swings and emotional regulation difficulties

Communication difficulties

Social impairment

Apathy about caring for oneself

Lack of motivation

Alexithymia and inability to process physical perceptions

This one is rather obvious. While Mithrun is shown to feel emotions and have physical sensations (for instance, describing his location when he gets lost in the dungeon as "a cold place"), he is also apathetic to how this affects him. This means that his physical and emotional perceptions are reduced in some way. He says that becoming lord of the dungeon will leave someone "empty", showing he is aware of his dulled emotional state.

A good example of this is can be seen here in a bonus comic where he doesn't give much of a reaction to burning his mouth on hot food.

(I love these two a lot, by the way. Pattadol is really under appreciated.)

He is also not able to recognize bodily signals, such as hunger or when he is tired. Despite collapsing from exhaustion and not eating for long periods of time, he still insists he is not tired or hungry.

Mood swings

Mood swings in combination with alexithymia can be an especially disorientating experience. Those who struggle to perceive their own emotions can still feel them even if they don't know how to recognize it.

Individuals with brain injuries often experience drastic mood swings, particularly anger. To those around them, they can appear to go from 0 to 100 in an instant.

This is more speculation/headcanon on my part, as the strongest emotion Mithrun has for most of his appearances is anger. However one could interpret this as being unrelated as he is seeking revenge for a traumatic experience.

Communication difficulties and social impairment

Not only can naming personal experiences be incredibly difficult with a brain injury, but other areas of communication are often affected as well.

Mithrun is not able to set boundaries for himself even if someone is doing something he would not actually want them to do, which can leave him in a vulnerable position.

People with brain injuries can sometimes have a paradoxical experience when it comes to communicating with others. They can go from being very quiet to speaking at length about one topic, seemingly without regard for the importance of each bit of information. (I see it like Newton's first law of motion. It is hard to start speaking and it can be just as hard to stop.)

I really like this aspect of Mithrun's characterization. Usually, he is very quiet because he has no reason to speak. However, once he starts talking he is shown to be overly specific and goes on for long periods of time. Kabru has to spend multiple days figuring out his story.

In a side comic, Kabru tells Mithrun he should condense some of the personal details that Kabru finds irrelevant to the topic of the dungeon.

Mithrun shares many details about himself because his desire not to do so is gone. This mirrors the experience of many people who have brain damage to overshare and not understand how their words will come across to others. Sometimes they say or do things that are insensitive or inappropriate for the situation.

Caring for oneself and motivation

In the dungeon, Mithrun becomes reliant on others for self care. He also seems especially incapable of motivating himself to take care of his body when he is particularly focused on his goals.

In these panels, thus far he had been fairly receptive of Kabru trying to take care of him. However, he could sense that the demon was close and was too focused on that to care to eat.

Refusal of care and treatment is often an effect of traumatic brain injury. This can be for seemingly no reason, even if the person knows that this will help them. Sometimes people will lie about receiving treatment or doing things to take care of themselves, either so they can avoid it or avoid having someone take care of them.

He knows that eating regularly and not pushing himself too much will help him - he's been told multiple times on-screen - but he still has to be continuously told by others to give him that motivation to take care of himself. He's very apathetic to his physical state, even if it seems his only desire is for revenge and he should be doing anything he can to achieve that.

Other things of note

I wasn't sure where to put this, but while Mithrun's sense of direction is speculated by Kabru to be left over from his time as lord of an ever-changing, confusing dungeon, having poor sense of direction in the way he does could also be indicative of brain injury as well.

While the dungeon is confusing and illogical, he is known to have a poor sense of direction and to get frequently lost by those around him, even trying to exit an entrance he just came through. He is shown to be very intelligent, but memory is greatly impacted by brain injuries which affects a person's sense of direction and location.

Something that really stands out to me about Mithrun is how much the things that help him are particularly helpful to those with brain damage. He is physically capable of performing tasks, but he needs an outside source to remind him and get him started. He relies entirely on routine, and when that regularity is taken away he shows extreme difficulty taking care of himself.

Sometimes, the care that some people need is simply someone else to encourage them or to tell them when to do things. The care that he needs is pretty consistent with a person with a brain injury who does not need a full time caretaker and would prefer to have some independence.

Also, healing magic is specified to not work with brain injury unless the person is killed and revived. Mithrun had not been revived after his injuries, so it is entirely possible for him to have sustained a TBI. I don't think this matters that much because one is still allowed to have headcanons even if there is a magical explanation or isn't really possible in canon, but I thought it was an interesting detail.

In conclusion

Because of all this I don't believe that his lack of self care is due solely to mental illness. While mental illnesses like depression or PTSD can cause a decline in self care, the reasons why the affected individual is avoidant of these tasks differs. These disorders can also cause cognitive difficulties and emotional regulation issues, but not to the same extent or in the same way that brain damage would. I think that he does have both depression and PTSD (both are common after a TBI) but those are not his only disabilities.

And on a personal note, I just think that having a character with brain damage is really cool. Most of the time I've seen it the characters are not given very much respect and they are treated as comic relief and a joke. Regardless of whether you agree with this post or not, it is still nice to see a character with a disability like this.

Thank you if you read all of this. I hope it was easy to understand and I did not ramble too much. I don't have anything else to say but I've been wanting to write this out for a while.

Okay bye

[fruitgummies01]

New Here!

As a new fan of BTS and as someone who is curious/intrigued by the dynamic between jikook, I would genuinely love to know how the fans got to the place where it is now with the ships within the fandom. It's so toxic everywhere, and I'm a little shocked to be honest. I thought Are You Sure would be a cute show that the fandom would be excited to watch, but a lot of fans ignored it when the first two episodes were released (which in hindsight was probably for the best). And since the last episode dropped, there's been nothing but fighting.

For context I became a BTS fan in 2023 and so I don't really know all the history of every interaction prior (I'm still learning). I love every member and root for their success both individually and together as a team. As someone who is just learning about everything (I've been obsessively consuming all BTS content), and when it comes to Jimin and Jungkook's connection, I've seen some of the discourse about them online. To be fair I didn't really have an opinion one way or the other, since again I'm pretty new here, I'm trying to take content at face value. But after the first two episodes of Are You Sure, it feels obvious to me that there is an intimacy there between them. Even in episode three, JK can be seen rubbing Jimin's thigh when they are at the table, something that just looked automatic and natural for him to do. From all their earlier conversations in the first two episodes, to taking care of each other since they were both sick, to the concern, to Jungkook's "you're here. finally". Even though they were filming, it all just felt really real and honest. Plus Jungkook saying he wanted the show to go on for years even after they get out of the military, said more to me than anything else. Jungkook values spending time with Jimin and is already looking towards the future, just the two of them.

As for Taekook, it definitely seems to be the more widely accepted ship (I see so many accounts with hundreds of thousands of likes and followers on so many platforms). Plus there are so many taekook comments under pretty much any content related to BTS, even under content from people who are just reacting to BTS content on youtube or patreon. For all intents and purposes Jungkook and Tae seem to have a beautiful friendship, but I just don't see how people romantically ship them (no offense lol). And it's not because I don't see a connection between them, but because I just don't see how it would make much sense, and I'd want so much more for them from a partner lol. Like what would it say about their relationship if Tae was learning about JK traveling with someone else through a schedule on their BTS group chat, or having to basically invite himself, or how the last group live where JK seemed hyper-focused on Jimin (even though he was already planning to enlist with him), or JK watching hours of Jimin specific content on lives, or planning a travel variety show with someone who you were already planning to enlist/spend every day with, or being all over someone else in bed and repeatedly rubbing their legs (bandmate or not). Like no shade, but I feel like romantically shipping Tae and JK is lowkey insulting to them as people, because they both deserve to a be priority to whoever they are in a relationship with. Also a little confused how fans seem to ignore Tae having been in a relationship with Jennie??

All my confusion aside, I am just really looking forward to watching the rest of Are You Sure, and discovering more about them and their dynamic. I love that Tae joined, even if it clearly shifted the dynamic from the first two episodes, and hopefully all the negativity suddenly surrounding the show won't ruin my excitement and love for it.

[galedekarios]

i was thinking a bit more about the drow twins scene again in relation as to why gale might go along with it if so 'persuaded' by tav.

i've talked about the scene itself already (more than once), and i have seen other people discuss the topic very well, too.

i think i have come around as to why larian has the option there, and why gale might agree to go along with it, despite not only his initial refusal and not wishing to talk or think about it afterwards if tav tries to talk to him about it, but also rejecting every other to open the relationship up outside of this scene.

i have seen people say quite often that gale is toxic, but i honestly think that it leans more the other way around: gale is willing to accept toxicity from his partner to some extent, if it means he'll also be "loved".

one could already extrapolate that from what little we know from mystra's relationship with him, but also from the things he's willing to accept from a player character, including a tav, who, in this scene, can potentially coerce him with a dc 25 persuasion check into a foursome/fivesome without prior discussion.

i think this scene shows where gale is at this point in time, relationship-wise and love-wise. by staying even though he refuses initially, and i think it was intentional (in hindsight) on larian's part.

he endures imo because at least in this scenario with the drow twins, he was included here. asked to participate. he's not strong enough to break up with his partner, if they still extend at least this much to him.

whereas he does break up if tav cheats on him without including him, or he feels the relationship may be subsumed by someone else (i.e. the player engaging romantically with someone other than him, see his reaction to also romantically engaging with any of the other companions).

i do believe he's enduring tav's toxicity here with the mindset of pleasing them. he'll accept this, hopes that they have sated their curiosity now that they are done with their "rutting" as he puts it - and hopefully afterwards the entire affair then can be "confined to the footnotes" of their romance:

Gale: Ahem. I hope you’re not here to ask about our recent, erm, activities. I’d rather those were consigned to the footnotes of our romance, if it’s all the same with you.

i'm sorry if this is incoherent. i'm still trying to order my thoughts about this, but yeah, i just think this is where i land on it.

that even with how badly tav treats him here by springing this onto him, by not giving him time to think and even actively encouraging him not to think about it, he's still acknowledged as their partner. singular. and it's clear this is 'just' a sex thing.

the instances where he breaks up with tav is when tav sleeps with mizora, where he was not included nor acknowledged as their partner, or consulted prior (even as briefly as with the drow twins), or if tav tries to bring someone else into their romance, were he believes he would be lost in the equation of adding another person to what he shares with his partner now.

so here, in this moment, he just does it bc well, his partner told him not to overthink, right.

and he loves them. and he wants to please them. and he might come to enjoy it, just like they said. and it'll keep them happy.

he hopes it won't come up again.

(i should clarify that this is a personal interpretation and one that i’m not comfortable arguing over.)

[kaolovess]

Hello 🤗🤗 can I pls request jealousy and crush headcanons for BTS members? Thank you very much 💞

BTS JEALOUSY/CRUSH HEADCANNONS

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was actually quite confused at this request ( I might be dumb) I didn't know if you wanted like bts having a crush on you and being jealous or both separately. So I just settled on separate. Overall thank you for being my first request, hopefully, this is to your liking!

WORD COUNT: 1,051

JIN - JEALOUSY :

I personally think he doesn’t get really jealous. He knows that you will never try to cheat on him or anything like that. He gets more mad than jealous. It just triggers a button when he sees someone flirting with you. Especially if you get uncomfortable- he’s getting you out of there in record seconds. 

He probably won’t care about you having guy friends either, I mean it’s the same as him having female friends? He will pay attention to how they treat you though.

JIN - CRUSH :

Admires you from afar. Doesn’t even stop staring when you look at him, How could he not though? You are beautiful- at least in his world. You make him question his looks, Yes, you make worldwide handsome question his looks. Ends up confessing at a ramen place.

YOONGI - JEALOUSY :

Why would he be jealous? He’s already had a talk with you about how he would understand if you were to fall out of love, or just like someone else. Hates when people make you uncomfortable, LIke how dare they? How would they like for someone to come up and punch them in the face?

Doesn’t care about guy best friends either, When you mentioned it, he said ‘There just there”.

YOONGI - CRUSH :

The boys probably told you about his crush, they just got sick of him talking about you for HOURS. I can just imagine his little gummy smile as he watches you from afar. ( is that creepy? ) Tries to impress you too!! :((. The boys end up somehow convincing him to confess his feelings towards you. (even though you are already aware.)

JHOPE - JEALOUSY : 

Jhope is actually pretty hard since I'm not very familiar with him yet, but I'll try!! I feel like he would get jealous, not in an extreme way, He would get jealous of how others treat you. He just wonders if he is as good as the other guy that is talking to you. Hates to see people flirt with you, which makes him worried that you actually like them back. :(((

He barely gets jealous with guy friends, there is not much of a reason for him too. Instead of getting jealous, he is probably besties with your guy friends.

JHOPE - CRUSH :

Gets so giggly when you look at him, He’s just sitting there giggling and you are like “What??”.  Can’t even focus when you're around. He’s just looking at your every single move, smiling. Probably leaves gifts at your doorstep (dw he put his name on them). Tries to find out what you are interested in so he can try it out too. It takes a bit for him to build up the courage to confess, so you end up doing it first.

NAMJOON - JEALOUSY :

I honestly can’t see Joon jealous. He’s a very understanding person, so he knows what your true intention is. He’ll pay more attention to how you feel around that person, Sad? Nervous? Scared? Angry? That’s what he’s looking to find. He just doesn’t want to make the same mistakes that person may be making.

Never gets jealous when it comes to guy best friends, He actually gets along with them pretty well too. You found out once that he was hanging out with them.

NAMJOON - CRUSH :

Tries to talk to you any chance he gets. Also pretty good at hiding his crush, But gets shy so fast when you talk to him.  Randomly comes up to you to ask how your day has been. ( he’s just trying to start a conversation… Sorry anti-socials…) Has a private Twitter account where he just rants about you. He’s pretty old fashioned so he’ll write a letter of his confession and somehow give it to you.

JIMIN - JEALOUSY :

As I said for his dating headcanons, he does get a little jealous but not very much, He does hate to see people flirting with you. It annoys him, Why would they just carelessly flirt with you not thinking about the fact you may have a boyfriend? But aside from the jealousy it reminds him how lucky he is, I mean nobody flirts with a disgusting person.

I know I've pretty much said this for all of the members but it’s what I truly think, Guy friends just don’t make them jealous. 

JIMIN - CRUSH : 

Jimin definitely writes songs about you in his free time, They are mostly just for him to use for singing randomly, nothing more (he doesn’t army to find out about his crush). He probably is too shy to make a move, or he just thinks his clumsiness will ruin something. His confession will be INTERESTING… Will probably write a letter, part of that being because he’s shy. The letter will straight up make you breathless, YOU NEVER KNEW HE WAS A FLIRT!?

TAEHYUNG - JEALOUSY :

Honestly, it’s like 50/50, sometimes he doesn’t care because in seconds he could prove that you are his, or he’s hella jealous. I'm between those 2 but leaning more towards the first one. Probably would care more about getting you away from someone than being jealous.

Again, won’t care about guy friends, and won’t exactly be friends with them but he’ll get along with them pretty well.

TAEHYUNG - CRUSH :

Leaves random romantic poems at your doorstep, Puts “Sincerely, your secret admirer” at the end 😭. and flirts with you whenever he gets the chance. Was actually quite nervous when he was shamelessly asking for your phone number. Winks at you when you catch him staring. Unlike the other members, I feel like when he confesses his feelings for you, he actually does it in person…

JUNGKOOK - JEALOUSY :

I 100% think that he gets jealous like you need to reassure him, that you weren’t interested in the guy that was flirting with you. Like we are all aware that Jungkook is trying to give off “bad boy vibes” (I cringed when writing that)  when he is a complete softie. He might give you the silent treatment too. 🤔

JUNGKOOK - CRUSH :

SHY BOYYY. He gets so flustered when around you :((. Would definitely start stuttering like crazy if you asked him a question.  Tries to impress you 24/7. Asks the boys for advice on how to get you to like him back. You had to confess since he was too shy.

[ramlightly]

if you ever do get around to writing and posting the kink character analysis ramble you mentioned in the tags of the "lapis tops" post i would be very interested in reading it and hopefully other people agree with me

Lol I did get a couple of asks for this! Lets see if I can keep this from getting too long.

Okay so- there is a doylist and watsonian aspect to writing kink for characters, right?

Basil and Dandelion have a sub/dom relationship with kinks like humiliation, voyeurism, and bondage. A lot of this is based around Basil''s complicated relationship with sex and catholicism and his own desires to be submissive. Or Dandelion's preference for being on top and being in charge during sex. That's the Watsonian layer.

But then there is my own desires out of their relationship, where I'm playing with hierophilia and a corruption kink and monster-fucking, these not things the characters would be aware of. This is the Doylist layer and are the foundations is what their relationship is actually built on. Basil/Dandelion came together pretty naturally in that regard. I am their god and I want them to fuck like this

In fact, a lot of the characters I make for Temptations are originally because I wanted to explore a different dynamics and relationships. Ginger was for fem-dom. Thistle was because I wanted a bigger lady and a character that acted a third to Basil/Dandelion's dynamic that wasn't romantic. Hollyhock because vampires are hot. They all grew from those originally seeds, but only because I planted them there first.

There are the character's preferences and my preferences for the characters. A a certain point , the actual characterization begins to get in the way. You can't do the same dynamic of Basil/Dandelion with Malady/Lapis. You just cant. Even when originally I that was I was planning for.

Look at Lapis and Basil: they're both bottoms with masochistic tendencies but they have such different characters especially with their feelings about sex. Lapis is sly, clever, and very very careful when it comes to other people. He isn't interested in being humiliated or being treated as an object, he's far too distrusting. There's just been too many relationships where he got hurt from and he likes having control too much. He's the one who holds the reigns during sex, even with Malady. Especially with Malady. They're both into that.

In fact, Lapis and Malady's attitude towards sex is so much more casual compared Basil's and Dandelions. There is a power dynamic, because all relationships are, but they don't have any angst towards fucking. It's fun, they like each other a lot, so they have sex. I was originally planning on them having multiple partners like Basil/Dandelion do, but, honestly those two are stuck at the hip.

It's what I mean about characterization ultimately trumping my intentions. Malady definitely has developed beyond my original concepts for him (he's such a simp now lol, he was supposed to be cool!!!). But it's better to just let character become what they need to be rather try to hamstring them. It's more fun that way, imo.

I'm sparing everyone from going on another tangent, so I'll end it here lol. I hope that was... interesting? At least it's a peak into how I think about characters.

[m4rried2the-moon]

( PICK A PIC ) ❤️‍🔥 — what about you can best aid the revolution?

Funds for Palestinians 🇵🇸🍉

Relief / Other funds 🫶🏾💖

- what about you can help demonstrate your passion for humanity ? ❤️‍🔥🐦‍🔥

woke up angry opening my phone 🙃(understandably so) and figured that you might be too ! so, here is a reading to highlight qualities about you that could aid in the current revolution . it can be difficult to navigate the trauma of what's happening and shock you into stillness but this reading will hopefully give you a good idea of where to start if you've been in a cycle of guilt and deep empathy . that being said, please listen carefully to your intuition and only take what resonates <3

pile one 🍉

- qualities you have : the sun, strength/justice

- how to use it : the fool (seven of coins), the moon (the high priestess + the tower)

your radiance and brilliance overpowers false truths, injustice. pile one, you have a strength that comes from a forever knowledge of what is and isn't right. this is a deeply humanitarian energy, like a public defense attorney. very "for the rights of the people" and it's about controlling and directing that passion.

you can put this to use by continuing to hold out hope for a better future for this. i see that you have been wanting to start a project of some sorry to contribute to palestine and other causes---keep it up! don't let doubts of nothing coming out of your dedication and commitment stop you from figuring for what's close to your heart. if you know you must do something then do it! any effort is effort. use this drive for justice to inform and inspire others with your radiance.

pile two 🍉

- qualities you have : ace of cups, the magician

- how to use it : two of pentacles, two of wands

you possess a deep and unbridled sense of positive emotional well-being as a strong quality, pile two. your internal atmosphere being as sensitive as it is also marks for powerful manifesting energy. you are well aware of the gift you possess and not even need to be reading this (/j). you are in touch with your spirituality in a way that basically makes you an alchemist of desired outcomes. This also may happen naturally/with minimal intent.

you can put this spiritual sensitivity and connection to the divine to use by expanding your energy into different projects. this may sound overwhelming to some but i can also see this pile as people who are already planning their outreach and discussing with friends/family, boycotting and sharing new info. would say continue to stay encouraged! think about the progress that we've made so far for palestinians and how this will result in a nearly global release! we're so close, do not accept defeat as an option and keep your head up.

pile three 🍉

- qualities you have : three of wands, knight of wands

- how to use it : the empress, ace of wands

ready for action and a planner. your dominant qualities are that of a leader, and it's nothing for you to assess and judge a situation that calls for action. i'm sure you've already been putting your for down in the face of neutrality when it comes to palestine and other causes. you are not easily swayed by fears of the collective and hindering beliefs.

the best way you can use these leader qualities to aid those who can't and themselves is continuing to let your voice be heard and trusting that your effort is working in the best interest of those who need it most. It's clear in your pull that you are taking every chance you can already to stand up for what you believe in---yes! so happy and proud, keep it up! I would say you are already aware you're doing everything you can.

hey guys ! i hope this helped truly & just wanted to say that i know it's hard to see so much anguish and pain on such a global scale but the moment we give into ignoring it, we become a part of the problem. if you've been doing your best to share and inform at least, that's enough. do to the best of your abilities and don't beat yourself up if you're circumstances are limiting to your outreach ❤️🤓👍🏾 okay that's it. love u guys bye

[aclowntiny]

Hiii, can you do svt meeting your parents for the first time?

Hiiiiiiiii!!!! My first request, I'm so excited 😁 I so can friend!!!

(To keep it inclusive, I am putting a bit for *if* there is any language barrier with your parents, but if there wouldn't be, then feel free to ignore that hehe 😌 enjoy queens, kings, all my little monarch butterflies 🥰🦋)

Seventeen Meeting Your Parents For the First Time (Gender Neutral Reader)

Warnings: some slight language is all!

S.Coups

♡ He's simultaneously nervous & excited, AKA get ready to see Seungcheol practically bursting at the seams before you walk into your house. You, for your part, remind him that he's a great guy anyone's parents would love & to think of all the fun you two already had in your hometown that day.

♡ He immediately introduces himself so politely, saying it's an honor to meet your parents and you smile, any vestigial worries you had fading away.

♡ If your he and parents don't speak the same language fluently, he may rely on you a little bit to help bridge the gaps, but he really wants to do his best, so he tries to say anything he can himself and make eye contact with your parents. Will absolutely try his darndest to compliment their house, what they feed him, everything!

♡ Seungcheol is so caring and used to managing lots of people, so he immediately jumps in with offers to help or even serve your parents. They thank him, but insist he sit down because he's a guest. Neither you nor your boyfriend miss the glance they shoot you, one that says seems like a keeper to me.

♡ My gosh, we all know he's a family man too, so when they ask him about what he wants in life, if he wants to get married or *hint hint* would you guys give them grandchildren, and he says yes, he'd love that, hopefully three sons and a daughter if he can get (y/n) on board, well shoot, they'll practically help him pick out rings then and there!

♡ He sighs in relief as you guys leave, a big smile on his face. "That went well!" You exclaim, taking his hands in excitement. "I told you!" "You're right, I knew to trust you~" "I think my parents will want to see a lot more of you," you joke. "I don't have a problem with that," Seungcheol responds. What a man!

Jeonghan

♡ Oh you already know this man is going to WIN YOUR PARENTS OVER. He's pretty ready TBH. Honestly, while his heart is beating faster, it makes him so happy to be meeting your parents, that almost overrides the nerves (almost). You're so sure they'll love him, it fills his heart, too.

♡ He comes with a gift for your parents, this generous guy! He brings flowers for your mom and a drink you tell him your dad will like, which they happily accept.

♡ If there's a language barrier, he does his best to convey how thankful he is to them to be visiting the home of your family and how well they raised you. If you have to say it for him, he greatly appreciates how flustered you look repeating his words, barely resisting the urge to pinch your cheeks in front of your mom and dad.

♡ He helps you set the table, meeting your eyes as you lay everything out with a deep gaze because this all feels so domestic and as a loving homebody, it's perfect. Where you guys are almost fades away in his mind until he hears your mother thank him, shooting back up and away from you to look at her once more.

♡ Goodness me this man is an intent listener. He truly enjoys hearing the stories your parents tell and has very clear answers to their questions. He knows what he likes to do and is mature enough to answer with confidence that he wants a committed relationship, a future with their child if you want that, too- which you of course agree you do. He also delights your parents by answering the grandkid question, getting a bit flustered but happily telling them if you were down, he loves the idea of becoming a father of two personally.

♡ They can see as you sit together how much love Jeonghan looks at you with. It just totally fills up his eyes and the way he turns to you. So much so that when you go over to where the dishes are being washed, your father having been chatting with the two of you, she tells you she's never seen someone so loving with you. When you tell your boyfriend how he touched your mom's heart, he almost tears up, but instead settles for just about yanking you into the house and cuddling the heck out of you. He also thanks you for the experience, it was very sweet even if there were awkward moments at first.

Joshua

♡ "Meeting the parents is always the hardest part!" Joshua exclaims, though his tone sounds half-joking, not despairing. You chuckle at him, leaning a bit closer. "Be for real, Joshua, have you ever had problems with people's parents?" "No," he admits, "they usually seem to like me." "Then don't be worried," you tease him.

♡ Joshua knows a little bit of a handful of languages, so while the chances of a big barrier are sort of small, if it's there he'll probably ask you how to say all the most basic and polite things so he can properly let your parents know he's grateful to them for opening their home to him.

♡ And that's exactly what he does, says thank you before introducing himself, and right away you see your dad is pleased you're in the hands of a polite young man. He says their house is pretty, too, which your mom never forgets ever.

♡ When it's time to eat, Joshua pulls out your chair for you, leading you to flash a victorious grin to your mother, who looks down and chuckles, giving an amused little head shake. You're so proud of this one.

♡ Eloquent and calm of a speaker as he is, Joshua doesn't seem nervous as he gives explanations to what his parents want to know and describes how he enjoys playing the guitar, some of his favorite experiences he's had with you, like the time he took you skating, and even his favorite parts of living in LA and how it compares to Seoul. The whole time, though, one of his hands has reached for yours under the table and is gently holding it like you're his little anchor.

♡ "Why couldn't you have done this the first time?" Your parents joke to you, a message you surreptitiously relay to Joshua. "Your streak remains intact," you tell him. "So I'm a keeper?" He asks, eyes shining at you like you were a trophy he'd won. "I knew that without them," you shoot back, leaning in to give him a peck on the lips, "but now my parents know it too."

Jun

♡ Jun's nervous, but also finds meeting the parents super endearing, so he has some extra energy buzzing as you get ready. He can't wait to see if you look like your parents up close and personal and if their mannerisms are like yours. People have senses of how they are similar to their parents, yet they can never see it all. The way you guys move, the faces you make, all of those are things Jun can't wait to see.

♡ If he has any trouble communicating with your parents, he'll probably get inquisitive, like asking them what they call things or checking with you to make sure what he says is right. May accidentally slip up and call something by its Chinese name in a moment of confusion, but everyone has a good laugh, even Junhui itself.

♡ He tells your parents he can see where you got your good looks from :)))

♡ They ask him questions about his hobbies and work and stuff, so he ends up showing your parents some really impressive dance moves, getting shy when he sees the surprise on their faces, but it gives him some energy. Soon, he's doing impressions of other Seventeen members, giving a colorful picture of his bandmates that makes them laugh.

♡ Something they enjoy about Jun even more is the stories he tells about his little brother. They can tell he's caring and could be a family man: someone they could see themselves trusting with their child. He loves his mother, too, which is clear in the adoring way he talks about her. Definitely a few son-in-law points for Jun lol

♡ You can't help but tease him after you get back in the car. "Oh, you've done it now." Jun's face falls. "Did I make a mistake? Was someone upset?" "No, you love your mom so much my mom's really going to want you as her son now!" "O-oh." Jun blushes, but he can't stop smiling and showing you affection all night, whether it's holding your hand in the car or giving you a hug as you walk.

Hoshi

♡ Mr. Kwon Soonyoung wants THE FULL CRASH COURSE. He'll want to know things your parents like, any pet peeves they have so he can avoid doing them, this man will be studying like it's final exam week! You laugh after a while at all the effort he's putting in considering how to bring up your dad's favorite sport or the movies you guys love to watch. "Don't worry, you're a total people person, Soonyoung. And don't try to pull the introvert card on me, that's different!"

♡ A language barrier would put a slight damper on everything just because all his little tips and pointers he gave himself would be that much harder to bring up, but his desire to connect with people and energy shine through and through no matter what! He probably finds an excuse to give your parents a dance show hehe

♡ He takes such good care of you, all but hovering over you which your parents think is cute. The whole meal you guys share, he's making sure you're getting enough and asking what your favorite is both to make sure you get it and to try a bit himself :)

♡ When talking, Soonyoung stutters a fair bit, but manages to slip in a few of the mentions he wanted, making a reference that lights your parents' faces up with joy and yours with pride. Points scored, tiger!

♡ After dinner you guys start playing a game at your boyfriend's suggestion; he wants to get some of his energy out, his leg having been bouncing all dinner. Plus, if your parents ask him a ton of questions he might pass out. Games are more fun! He suggests your favorite game because he knows how much you like it, giving you a knowing look that your parents catch and smile at.

♡ The game seemed to be a good call of an icebreaker, you and Soonyoung strolling out of your parents' in high spirits. You're holding onto the tall frame of your boyfriend, who's waving brightly and enthusiastically with that adorable grin you loved so much. "Looks like you had a good time." "Yeah, but did they?" "My mom texted me and called you cute, so I think you won some points." Soonyoung leaps in the air, then grabs you and kisses you joyously, giving a whoop. "Your studies paid off," you giggle.

Wonwoo

♡ Wonwoo is naturally a more reserved person, so he worries that it's hard to grab the spotlight in social situations, but you reassure him. "Are you kidding? Think of all the boisterous people parents meet when their kids are young. I'm sure my parents will be refreshed by you- you're smart, reasonable, kind..." "Yeah, that's true, I am huh?" You just laugh, head falling onto his shoulder.

♡ Just as you said, you have an intelligent boyfriend, so even if he isn't able to fluently speak to your parents, he did some research and can pick up things to say to them pretty quickly, especially if you do any on-the-go translations.

♡ Your parents ask him some questions, naturally, like what Wonwoo enjoys doing. Their eyebrows raise at first when he says he likes to play games, but when he starts talking about reading, they look pleased.

♡ Like duh they are, this guy actually takes care of himself and manage living on his own like an adult and has an international driver's license and can handle interacting with them almost like a peer??? King.

♡ He makes an offhand comment during dinner to reassure you about something and that's when he really sees your parents light up because this man knows and understands you deeply- it's a subtle thing about you that others haven't picked up on or worked with and there he was getting it like it was nothing.

♡ "I think they're happy with you," you commented when the evening was over. "You think so?" "Yeah, they cut the questions and got into deeper stuff pretty fast. I could tell they respected you. My guess is they call me tonight or tomorrow and tell me they're glad I chose you." "Well, I have to say I agree with them there, too," Wonwoo tells you with a smile and a quick hug.

Woozi

♡ "What if they don't like me?" Jihoon asks, shooting you a nervous glance. You just laugh. "Jihoon, everyone likes you. Have you seen any of your members lately?" "Yeah, I guess they do, but I'm not dating any of their kids. They don't even have-" Resting a hand on your shoulder, you give him one more firm reassurance. "Trust me, don't try or anything. Just be yourself and get to know them."

♡ If Jihoon and your parents speak different languages, he may rely on you a little bit, but the last way he wants to come across is too dependent on you, so he may push himself further out of his comfort zone than he usually would.

♡ He's extremely polite, almost to the point of being formal, so you take the reins of the conversation at first to loosen him up, telling him things about your parents that he can bond with them over or even straight-up hyping him up to them.

♡ Of course, you inevitably bring up music, enjoying the smile that breaks across Jihoon's face, shyly at first at the praise and spotlight, but soon he relaxes, passion flooding into him as he forgets himself just a little. Your parents have their own styles of music and favorite artists, so of course they want to know if your boyfriend ever listens to them. They're impressed to learn how many songs he really writes, that his group has a producer within it, not just singing whatever they're given. Your heart swells with pride as Jihoon gets more in his element.

♡ Your dad and him get chatting, just sort of going down a rabbit hole, but it makes you laugh because they sort of have similar temperaments??? They just sort of shoot the breeze after a while, you guys chilling after you ate with anything you wanted to drink, sitting on the couches.

♡ Jihoon still wasn't sure as you guys left what your parents were thinking. "You did fine," you told him, "they were relaxed, which is a good thing. They felt at ease." "You could tell?" "Oh, yeah, they weren't being fake at all. They stopped feeling weird when you did!" "Well, that was thanks to you." "And you! Believe in yourself, darn it!" Jihoon just laughed, shaking his head. "That's why I love you."

DK

♡ "I want them to love me! (y/n), how do I get them to love me?" Shaking your head, you smile. "Just be yourself, Seokmin, that's all you had to do to get me to love you."

♡ All Seokmin's nerves manifest in the form of giddiness and awkward humor, so you try to still him as he cracks semi-self-deprecating jokes in the car by holding his hand and telling him to trust you, that you wouldn't have taken him home if you thought it would go badly: heck, most people wouldn't even stay with their partner if they thought it would go so bad at home!

♡ With the possibility of your parents speaking a different language, he'll definitely be extra nervous, but try to say as much as possible. He tries to work in as many jokes as he can and be extra expressive in other ways to get his point across, which is pretty much how he is naturally anyway. No matter if your parents and him speak the same language or not, they'll be laughing a lot together!

♡ One thing you can tell your parents appreciate about Seokmin besides his natural joy and humor is that he's attentive to you; he serves you once your meal is ready, gets you your drink, and makes sure you're situated before lifting a finger for himself. Your parents are visibly pleased by the way he values you.

♡ A member of the 'hey, let's play a game :)' squad because what better way to lighten the mood and take pressure off of everyone talking and performing, right? Will absolutely let your parents pick what game, though, even if he's never played it. "What's parcheesi? ...I mean, yes, that sounds great!"

♡ He pretends to faint when you leave, and as you laugh and play along, "picking him back up", you ask him how he honestly felt. "I had a good time. Do you think they did, too?" "Well, they laughed a lot. I think your story about Hosh at the pizza place really got them hooked. I told you, remember? I was confident your lovable ways wouldn't fail." At that, your boyfriend blushes. "If it wasn't for you, I totally would have spilled your drink everywhere and probably wouldn't have shaken your dad's hand." "Yeah, but they didn't see either of those things, so you're good."

Mingyu

♡ Get ready for charming guy! Mingyu isn't worried about meeting your parents. Well, there's a small, little teensy tiny part of him that worries he'll do something embarrassing, but he's confident in himself.

♡ If you didn't know your boyfriend so well, you'd be surprised at how boldly he just goes up to your parents and greets them, like wow, so... professional???

♡ Mingyu views a potential language barrier as a personal challenge, something he wants to put work in to overcome. That's probably one of the first things he'll say, in fact: that he wants to work on being able to speak well to your parents for everyone's sake.

♡ From that fear of embarrassment, the closest thing he does to anything like that is just a funny misspeak, and though he blushes everyone laughs so it's really not even all that!

♡ The thing he impresses your parents with besides being outgoing and respectful in his greetings is that Mingyu can cook! As you guys eat dinner, it's something he can bond with your parents over and gain an extra few points of mother's approval with because who doesn't want their kid to score a man who knows his way around a kitchen? Plus your mom mouths to you when he's not looking that he's handsome, lol.

♡ Mingyu gets a huge grin on his face the moment you leave. All you can do is smile and roll your eyes. "They liked me, didn't they?" "Well, if you could tell, of course I could! We both knew they would. You're the most outgoing and mature person I've ever brought home!" "And I cook, too~ What a keeper I am~" You smack his shoulder, but also kiss his cheek because what can you say, he's right? You wouldn't have brought Mingyu home otherwise.

The8

♡ Minghao doesn't usually care what people think, like he is who he is and he's secure in that, but hey, no one wants their partner's parents to hate them you know? 🤷🏻‍♀️ he doesn't make some grand plan or worry about establishing a pretense, but just hopes they can see how much he loves their child, too.

♡ If there's a language barrier between them, Minghao puts his all into listening and being intentional with how he interacts with your parents, but he also appreciates that you don't leave him alone with them forever if that's the case, keeping the line of communication open.

♡ He gets kind of shy and smiley because you start hyping him up, reminding your parents what an amazing artist and all around talented man he is, asking if he would show them pictures of things he's made.

♡ Hope your parents have pets, because this man will absolutely melt everyone's hearts with how sweetly he interacts with them, holding them so gently if they let him and giggling at anything adorable they do!

♡ Your boyfriend also has the sweetest view of the future, like the way he talks about his own parents and how their love story really inspires how he wants to live, and of course your own parents love that. He is able to come across as the kind, mature person he is, and no parents can be mad about that!

♡ He also manages to make them laugh with a few choice impressions of the other Seventeen members, and when you leave you congratulate him on how well he did, that you could see how your parents relaxed and enjoyed spending time with him. "I think they're really sure now I'm in good hands. But warning: they'll probably try inviting you around whenever they can!" "That's alright with me. I want to get close to the people who raised you into who you are." How did you get so lucky???

Seungkwan

♡ Seungkwan looks like he wants to throw up on the way to your parents' home. Volunteering to drive was clearly a good call. "Sweetheart, you're amazing with people, what are you so worried about?" You chuckle, grabbing one of the hands he has folded in his lap. "Well, I've heard stories about your mom, and-" "My mom didn't like my last boyfriend because he was a dick, ok? He barely would talk to her. You're going to be leagues better." "That's true, I still can't believe how he treated you," Seungkwan comments, gripping your hand now that he's successfully distracted, "If I ever saw him, I'd-" "Yeah, yeah, save that, my mom'll love that, she still hates him."

♡ If there's any language barriers with your parents, Seungkwan is an amazing boyfriend to have. Even though he's nervous, he immediately smiles and does his best to communicate with them. He'll try using any amount of your parents' language he knows and isn't afraid to repeat things they say to him to learn. He even makes jokes about his own mistakes or just starts talking in gibberish when he's confused, so that breaks tension and lightens the mood too!

♡ His usually affectionate ways stiffen and fade, though, at least at first, because he doesn't know how his parents will react if he touches you, even though he prefers innocent affection like holding your hands in his, putting his arm around you, or giving you a hug from behind. He just doesn't want them to beat his ass lol

♡ Just as you called, Seungkwan is such a naturally outgoing and funny person, he has your parents laughing with the way he tells stories and listens to them intently too, smiling and interjecting little things like "oh really?" and "wow!" so they know he's really giving listening his all.

♡ The moment you guys finish dinner, he starts cleaning up without any discussion, and though they make him sit back down, you and Seungkwan can both tell how much your parents appreciate it. He tries to still make things easier like collecting and stacking dishes he can reach from the table, which makes your mom especially smile.

♡ The one time you bring up your ex in talking about somewhere you went with him, Seungkwan manages to throw in a small shade, his expression contorting hilariously as he does it, which your mom does in fact love. They have a mini shade session and that's how you know Seungkwan is in. You make sure to tell him that when you guys leave. "See? I told you, you're amazing, my parents are open-minded anyway, there was no way it would go badly! They'll probably want to talk to you now whenever we call." "That's alright with me, your parents are fun to be around. I see where you get it from," he comments, wrapping his arm around your shoulders now that your parents can't see.

Vernon

♡ He's wide-eyed the whole drive, lowkey looking like he's on another astral plane. "You ok?" "Yeah, I just...can't believe this is happening. It's kinda crazy, I've heard stories about your parents, but now I'm going to really see them." "They'll like you," you tell him, a joking smile crossing your face as you elbow him, "they'll be happy I'm finally with someone chill."

♡ If your parents have pets, Vernon totally becomes immediate besties with them, which endears your parents to your boyfriend that much more. He's quiet and gentle with them, and showing a respect for life is a good sign in their eyes.

♡ He'll know already if there's any potential of a language barrier. It intimidates him, especially since he's already a pretty quiet person, so he may do a lot of talking through you, but everything he says is sincere. Probably tries to make a joke to make up for it.

♡ Vernon is one of the more inquisitive ones, asking your parents questions, too. Not interrogating them like they'll want to do to him lol, but he wants to know what they enjoy, how long they've lived where they lived, just little things like that to help him understand them. I mean hey, they're strangers too, you know?

♡ You're different around your parents. More relaxed. You lived with these people for how many years, after all? Vernon smiles, feeling like he's truly seeing you in your element now that you're home. You crack some super goofy running joke you have with your family that has him in stitches, and it finally helps him shake off some stiffness and formality. They may be your parents, but they're also people, you know?

♡ He gathers info about your parent's humor and interest, probably finding a meme or something he read that breaks the ice a little more so he can relate to them. They love it if he already knows anything about their interests. When you and Vernon finally take off, he tells your parents how nice it was to meet them and thanks them for having him. You tell him as you guys pull away that he did good. "You were so easy, they'll love you for that. No shmoozing or anything. I can tell they had fun." "Well," Vernon smiles, "I did too."

Dino

♡ This man right here??? Is absolutely DETERMINED to make your parents love him, whatever that takes. You'll probably have to remind him that trying too hard and showing off will have the opposite effect. "Trust me, my first boyfriend was like that. It didn't work," you told him with a laugh.

♡ Chan wants to overcome any potential language barriers, so he'll probably keep things concise but as charming as possible, like interjecting small jokes and compliments when he can just to make your parents smile and show he's making an effort.

♡ When they start asking him about goals and passions, that's when he really lights up. In his mind, that's his time to shine. He tells them that he's still learning, but working to improve himself and grow every day, explaining that performing is his life, but he never wants that to come at the expense of neglecting their kid either! He wants to take care of you! If you have to translate this, my gosh he'll have you getting shy and blushing, trying to keep down his own satisfied smile at this because he doesn't want to seem cocky.

♡ He'll probably be another one to suggest playing a game with your parents to help break the ice, making everyone comfortable and releasing some of the interrogation pressure.

♡ This particular game you happen to beat his ass badly at, which honestly just gives your parents that much more to be proud of you for and laugh at so Chan can't even be mad, he just joins in! Your joy is infectious, negating his competitive side...for now. The next game, it's so on. He probably teams up with your mom to take down you and your dad, which they have a lot of fun with.

♡ "That was fun, right?" "Yes," Chan sighs, arms falling around you, "but I'm kind of glad it was over." "Uh oh." "What?" "I hope you won't be disappointed if they want to do this again. They're going to want to be close to you, you know." Chan puts his hand under his chin, pretending to think. "Well, if it lets your mom and I get revenge for that cheap move you pulled, then I'll do it!" "There's the Lee Chan I know," you grin.

[axenyan]

Hey!

I hope my ask won't come off as mean, I am coming here with genuine curiosity and love!!

I personally never saw the appeal in Ritsu and feel SUPER curious to see how other people (esp. ritsu enjoyers) see him! :0 What is it abt ritsu that makes him as appealing to you as he is! I have a hope that maybe reading someones enthusiasm and love for a character rambled on in text will help me find affection for the character too! :] (Happened with Leo.. tumblr made me a Leo enjoyer 😔)

- A huge kaito and zenji enjoyer

(Feel free to ignore this ask! I'm just curious <3 and again, sorry if this comes off as mean in any way ;;)

Hello!!

No no no, this didn't come off as mean! In fact, I'm super happy I received this ask🥺 I need more people to know how baby he is.

I'm not good at analysis, and English is not my first language, so this is just me rambling about why I love him. I also apologize for the grammatical mistakes I may have made >_< hopefully I can still get my points across!

Alright, let's go~!

I haven't posted the full pic of this art anywhere because it's an eternal WIP.

∘₊✧────────✧₊∘ How it all started ∘₊✧────────✧₊∘

A friend showed me Ritsu's introduction post because she thought Ritsu looked like the type I would fall for in terms of design, and she is absolutely right.

However, upon reading his quote, I was unsure if I would like his personality, so I took my friend's recommendation with a grain of salt.

∘₊✧──────────✧₊∘ Getting to know Ritsu ∘₊✧──────────✧₊∘

At the beginning of Sinostra chapter, I was still 50/50 about him because he is, ugh..... 😭 We never met him before, and yet he already had our info?! Not just ours, but everyone's?

Plus, bro keeps yapping and is also a bit forceful... That's annoying as heck. But then I remembered I have another favorite character with quite a similar personality: Sebek Zigvolt (Twisted Wonderland).

I tried to see if they had similar traits, and apparently, they did.

Apart from being in their first year of high school (baby!!!), they are resilient, pay careful attention to their appearance, talk a lot, and are keen on achieving their goals... but they're also a little obsessive about it, and the way they do their things could come off as annoying for other people.

And I was like... oh, hm. I'm starting to see a pattern here.

Then I continued reading the story and noticed several moments where Ritsu got flustered, for example, when Taiga called him out because of his handwriting.

It's one of the points where I realized he might be my next mistake... because I like characters who are difficult to handle and get flustered when being teased or when things don't go their way. 😭 Those characters make me say "I love you, you are so cute, but why are you like this??!" 😭 I feel like I can freely pinch their arm when they start being silly. 😭😭😭

After reading Sinostra chapter, I paid more attention to his campus dialogues and home lines. I had a discussion with my friend, and we concluded that he actually has good intentions, but the way he does his things is unusual. I think that's what makes him unique (albeit creepy at times 😭).

I'll take his affinity lv2 home line as an example:

“You’ve lost your notebook? Just a moment. …At 9:04 AM, it was inside the photocopier. Yes, I do have that information recorded.”

I mean, who the hell does that? I appreciate the help, but why does he know the location of our missing notebook just from his recording? Why?😭

∘₊✧──────────────────────────✧₊∘ Moments that make me go uefhuehgfu💞💞💞 ∘₊✧──────────────────────────✧₊∘

Being a little twerp aside, I like how he can be understanding(?) and open to new things.

He has a line like this. This is from the summer lines.

“You want to go and watch the fireworks? A rather childish request, but all right. So? Where would one go to view them?”

He thinks our request is childish but he agreed to go!!! Usually, a prideful character like him would just brush us off, but he didn't...

Another example is his ramen talk with Ren in episode 7. It seems he isn't used to eating food like instant ramen because he's been eating ramen at an actual ramen shop, but he is willing to try it. He even did his research before buying. 🥺

∘₊✧─────────────────✧₊∘ How I personally perceive him ∘₊✧─────────────────✧₊∘

Now that I've learned more about him, I think he is:

A good boy with a clear goal but a questionable way of executing his plan.

Adorable and round... I want to poke his cheeks.

Inspiring! I like how studious and organized he is. I even started writing more in my journal because of him.

Willing to try new things! I admire this about him!

Cute-- wait, I've mentioned that. Okay, he is silly. Please look at his action in episode 8 where he was mostly with Taiga. He did his best to keep a watch on his captain, literally doing everything he could, like using his stigma to be a doorstop 😭

In short, I find him endearing. I want to slap him at times but I still find him endearing. I don't know if it's a suitable word to describe it, but it's how I feel about him. `(*>﹏<*)′

Again, this is my very personal take on his character so I might be biased at some points, but I hope this could help you find a thing or two about Ritsu!

[scrollonso]

First Kiss (Race 2)

A strollonso AU where 18 year old rookie Lance Stroll falls helplessly in love with the notoriously mean world champion. (1.4k words, no warnings) [@v3lnys]

last part - masterlist - next part

Quali came to an end once again, the feeling slightly tamer than the first time as Lance pulled back into his side of the garage, Nico not far behind.

He was slightly disappointed he qualified p10 but it'll be fine as long as he can actually finish this race (and hopefully get points for the team this time.)

He heard Nico talking to his engineer on the other side of the garage and decided to go over, not having much to do on his side.

"Seriously, the wheels locked up like twice. You were watching and I know you noticed so the fact that you're ignoring the issues is bullshit-"

Maybe not the best time to stand around.

He decided instead of hanging around with Nico he'd just walk around the paddock, his race suit hanging by his hips as he walked by the other teams garages, seeing how busy everyone else on the paddock was. He could tell some people were quick to go home but he wasn't ever in a rush to get back to his hotel room, it was usually boring anyway.

"Ah, Lancito, I was just looking for you" There it is. The voice Lance looks forward to hearing as soon as the race week starts, and most likely the reason he decides to stay back as late as he does

"Nando, Hi" He flashed a smile at the long haired driver, stoping in his tracks so they could walk together

"Nando?" The shorter man echoed, catching up to Lance as they both continued walking, steps in sync as they made their way around the paddock

"Well, I figured it was only fair for me to give you a name since you gave me one" Lance nodded as he spoke, afraid the older man had a problem with it, it was quite childish, he wasn't sure why he even called him that, Fernando worked just fine, it was a silly nickname

"I like it, Sounds good coming from you." Fernando smiled up at Lance, wrapping an arm around his shoulder to pull him down to his level "Guess we are friends now, eh? Coworkers do not usually have special names for eachother"

Lance nodded again, he supposed Nando was right. He turned to look at him as he continued to speak, rambling about many things but all Lance could think about was how good he looked. He'd never really examined the Spaniard like he was doing now, sunglasses propped up on his head, holding his hair out of his face, it seemed like he had just shaved that morning, the shadow of his facial hair barely visible, his lips curved slightly upwards as he talked, his hair curling in every direction but somehow he made the messy look seem intentional

"What hotel do they have you staying at, Lancito?" Was the first thing Lance really heard after spending god knows how long just staring at Fernando. How embarrassing.

"Uhm- Mövenpick? I think, Otmar has my keycard somewhere." Lance hummed, having lost the keycard to the hotel in Bahrain Otmar had decided it was best to put Nico and Lance in the same room and "look after" Lances keycard until they headed back.

"Ah, I see. I didn't realize they'd put drivers in different hotels."

"If you miss my company so much you're welcome to come along, you know I get special priviliges because of my dad" Lance joked, at this point he was so used to people belittling him to just being his fathers son that he had started to do it as well

"Ah, don't say that Lancito" Fernando almost scolded him, moving his hand to tap the back of his head "You forget I'm world champion, I could buy another hotel ticket if I wanted to."

Lance laughed, nodding in agreement, there wasn't anything stopping Fernando from doing anything really, after he left the paddock he could go wherever, do whatever, it's not like he signed away his soul to F1 so moving hotels wouldn't be a big deal "I know, I know, but if you ever want free stuff, Mr. World Champion, you know who to ask" Lance hummed, taking his turn of having his arm around Fernandos shoulder "These are the perks of being friends with a nepotism baby"

"I'll take your word for it then" Fernando laughed, accepting the change of positions, it wasn't very comfortable reaching up to drape an arm around Lances shoulder anyways.

A comfortable silence fell over them, neither feeling the need to add anything more, it was odd, how well they had clicked. They got along better together than either of them did with their teammates but no one was complaining. Lance liked having someone to go to outside of the Racing Point garage and Fernando liked having someone he felt like this towards, whatever "this" was. They were snapped back to reality when Otmar finally found Lance

"God kid, I was looking for you. Nico's about to head back so I figured now was a good time to give you the key" He pulled out a think black card and handed it to Lance "Don't lose it this time, alright?" He asked, not letting to just yet.

"Alright, I'll attach it to my arm, okay?" Lance joked, turning back to Fernando "Think about it, really, if your hotel gets boring you're more than welcome at mine." He said before making his way out of the paddock, catching up to Nico so they could leave together

Odd was all Otmar thought, he didn't realize his driver had gotten so close to Fernando, he'd thought maybe it was just press, or maybe some plan the Spaniard had, but he had nothing to gain from staying late and just sitting next to him.

Lance tried not to be disappointed when night came and went and Fernando had decided not to come, it was silly, but a part of him was looking forward to seeing him outside of the paddock, outside of the blue and yellow.

They were so busy before the race that Lance hadn't even managed to catch a glimpse of the Spaniard let alone talk to him, before he knew it interviews were over and he was in his car, lined up in the fifth row, Nico barely behind him.

Fernando was right in saying Malaysia was going to treat him better, he had managed to make up three places and actually get points for his team in his second grand prix.

It felt great, even though it wasn't a podium like Fernando had gotten getting points waa a big deal for the rookie (driver and team).

The debrief went smoothly considering how both Nico and Lance finished the race with no major problems, as they gathered their things and the team started to leave the garage one by one Lance couldn't help but notice the blue in the corner of his eye. He turned his head and smiled when he confirmed it was in fact Fernando

"Good-" Lance started, trying to beat Fernando to congratulating eachother was proving to be difficult

"You did great, Lancito" Fernando commented, walking into the garage now that it was practically empty "Your overtakes are pretty decent for a nepotism baby, eh?"

Lance laughed, hitting Fernandos arm "Guess you did pretty good for a world champ then, huh?" It was nice, the banter they had, if anyone else joked with him jow Fernando does he was sure he'd take it the wrong way but with how Fernandos treated him since they met he had no doubt in his mind that every jab he made towards him was lighthearted.

"Any plans before Australia, Lancito?" Right, Lance had forgotten there wasn't another race for two weeks

"I'm not sure, I always end up somewhere though" He laughed, leaning on the counter behind him, using his hands to prop himself up "How about you, where are you going, Nando?"

"Me and Mark, Mark Webber, were planning on spending the break in Australia together"

Right, he forgot Fernando was close to Mark, the driver who's seat he took.

"Could you tell him I'm sorry?" Lance hesitated to speak, wondering if the Australian was mad at him for ending his career early

"He doesn't mind, trust me, if he wasn't okay with ending his career he would've signed with someone else." Fernando consoled the younger, patting his shoulder after he finished "Don't worry your pretty little head, alright?"

Lance laughed, shaking his head at the comment in efforts to ignore the pink tint covering his face "Alright, Nando."

[svsss-fanon-exposed]

I really appreciate your continued emphasis on people being free to enjoy canon and fanon as they want while providing accurate canon information! All the asks and PSAs you've shared on that recently reminded me of a fic where sj actually WAS innocent, even wrt abuse. They had to make an a/n how it was their spin deviant from canon so it'd be great if they could stop getting nasty messages pls. I just think we should all foster a nicer fandom environment, so I love what you're doing~!

Yeah, I personally might be a book-canon purist, but I can certainly recognize that not everyone feels the same way-- and at the end of the day, it is fiction, what people want to do with canon and fanon is up to them and really has little to do with them as a person. I hold authorial intent in really high regard, but no need to bully those who don't, and who want to rearrange things.

Of course, for something like you mention, I would advise using some kind of tag to indicate that it's off-script. Especially since SJ's abuse of LBH is an integral part of the story the novel is telling, changing things like that changes the entire tone of things.

If a fic where the characters are intentionally OOC gets popular, then people will inevitably start going to that fic's portrayal and mixing that up with canon details (this is, probably, why there is so much apologism and denial of SJ's canonical abuse of LBH in this fandom, though it certainly wouldn't be the specific fic you're referencing alone and is probably a combination of many different factors). I personally don't like portrayals like this, but if a writer is changing it for their story, then who am I to judge or harrass them over it? The only issue comes when it spills over into the wider fandom perception, and you have people swearing left and right that SJ had nothing to do with the fake manual (he did) or didn't actually mean to abuse LBH or want him dead (he also did, and this can't just be contriubted to unreliable narrator since it comes from his own perspective in the extras). So I think an a/n at the beginning is a good idea in situations like these. If writers don't want to spoil things, just simply tag that the character is OOC compared to canon-- no need to go into specifics, and readers will know going in that the portrayal isn't meant to be a take on canon or aligning with it.

No one knows how popular their fic will become, after all, and if it gets into the wider fandom space without proper context, things like "Shen Jiu was just treating LBH normally for the time period, he wasn't abusive, LBH was just a self-obsessed person trying to demonize him" become mainstream, widely held beliefs.

Of course, this is what my blog is for, hopefully rerouting some of those ideas, pointing back to the sources where the divergence happened, so that people can see that while they may enjoy this canon-divergent depiction, that they shouldn't bring it into canon-based analysis. I think sourcing fanon is very important for this reason-- better than just saying "you're wrong" is being able to say "this is where the idea came from."

At the end of the day, a deliberately off-script, ooc portrayal should be tagged as such and AO3 provides those tags for a reason. There's nothing inherently wrong with writing characters OOC to change a story. People can write what they want! It's the writer's job to make relevant information known, and the reader's job to filter it out and just not read things they don't like. I'm so particular that I put down probably 80 percent of fics I read before I even get through the first few chapters. That's just me though! I'm a canon snob! Other people have no issues and that's fine.

As long as things aren't skewing into abuse apologism in regards to the canon-universe, there's literally no reason I can't just ignore things I don't like, and there's no reason other people can't do the same with things they don't like.

Anyway, don't harrass artists and writers in the fandom. If you feel it absolutely necessary to leave a comment in regards to an OOC character portrayal, don't be mean about it, just say something like "<Character Name> seems to be a bit OOC here, is this intentional?" but even then, it's really not necessary to come into someone else's space like that. Make your own posts, write your own fics.

There is no reason to assume malice when there are other explanations. This is hard with topics like abuse apologism, but people also need to remember that this is fiction. SJ was abusive in canon, but he's still not a real person, and if someone wants to write a version of him where he's not abusive, then that portrayal can easily be treated as a version from an alternate universe where things were different. This is not the same as saying a person in real life isn't abusive, because in this case, it's not apologism-- it's literally a different universe where the rules of the original canon don't apply. In fictional and fandom spaces, it's a lot easier and better off to just give people the benefit of the doubt.

As long as you're not claiming that his canon behavior wasn't abusive (since that's about behaviors now, and not just a fictional story), it literally doesn't matter what people write in fanfic.

Authors, tag your fics with everything you'd like your readers to be aware of, because when a reader opens up a fic they're probably expecting the characters to follow canon unless stated otherwise.

Readers, read the portrayals and stories you like. Don't read the ones you don't. If something isn't tagged correctly, and you find out you don't like it after reading, just close the fic and stop reading.

No one should ever be harassing anyone else over fandom for any reason.

[hogwartshotel]

putting on my trauma therapist hat

Full Moon spoilers under the cut.

Okay so if people are mad at Blitzø after that episode, send them here!

I am, in real life, a licensed therapist who works with PTSD, so I feel like I have some hopefully helpful perspective to offer here.

I've started to see a some "I get it, Blitzø has issues, but he fucked that whole thing up", and I want to talk a bit more about how PTSD works. If any of this resonates with you personally, I recommend seeking a therapist who specializes in trauma!

There are five categories in which we expect trauma to effect people's beliefs about themselves, others and the world, long-term: trust, safety, power and control, intimacy, and self-esteem. So let's take a look at those in this scene. They do overlap.

Trust. That heartbreaking line where Stolas says "I didn't realize you thought so lowly of me" is a result of Blitzø expressing that he's never had complete trust in Stolas's intentions. Hard to blame him -- trust is something we first learn in early childhood. Imagine trying to learn trust from someone like Blitzø's dad. People often have difficulty trusting not only others, but also themselves and their own judgment.

Safety. This really ties into power and control below. Imagine that Blitzø's whole personality has come from a desire to keep himself safe -- he's good with guns, he's his own boss, he doesn't have close relationships so he can't be rejected, he puts on an air of over confidence. Having any of that challenged can shake his whole set of beliefs about himself and the world.

Power and control. When something traumatic happens to us, we can often feel ourselves. We often try to limit our experiences to ones we feel we have control over, because our brains convince ourselves this will keep us safe. We've seen Stolas come to realize that their arrangement gives him more power over Blitzø than he's comfortable with. We've also seen Blitzø attempting to exert his own power -- by keeping Stolas at arm's length, by being the one to direct their sexual encounters (not saying that you need to have trauma in order to be dominant), by doing everything he can to keep the sex interesting so that Stolas won't end the deal. Stolas is doing the right thing by giving Blitzø the crystal, but it freaks him the fuck out. He's already figured out how to have power in the situation, and he's been operating under the assumption that Stolas also likes having this power over him (that part is more theoretical, but I see Blitzø as someone who assumes that everyone thinks the way he does about this shit). So having that dynamic suddenly changed makes him panic. It triggers a fear response. He reacts in a way that assumes it's a game or a trick. The idea that someone would willingly give up power sets of alarm bells in his mind.

Intimacy. Obviously, this is a big one in their dynamic, and it's going to tie in a lot to esteem. It is very common for folks with trauma histories to have difficulties forming intimate connections -- if you've read the above stuff about trust, it's probably easy to see why. In his part of the duet, we hear Blitzø acknowledging that the situation is feeling a little complicated, but that he's going to avoid that by focusing on the sex aspect. The idea of emotional intimacy is terrifying to him.

Esteem. Blitzø does not believe that he is capable of being loved, or that anyone who gets to know him will want to stay with him. We see a lot of that in the "bad trip" scene back in season 1. Hearing Stolas express feelings for him is terrifying. I'm not sure exactly what goes through his head, but it might be something like "I'm going to fuck this up," "he's lying," or "he doesn't know what he's talking about."

So. Imagine all of that getting triggered at once. I'm not saying that Blitzø handled it well or that he isn't responsible for his actions, I'm just saying it's really understandable that he didn't handle it perfectly. Quite frankly, I thought it was going to go a lot worse -- he does get angry and say hurtful things, but we immediately see him regret it and reach out to Stolas, and I was expecting him to need a lot longer to stop being angry. I am curious to see if he's going to go to a self-destructive spiral ("I always do this, I fucked it up again, why bother even trying") or if he's going to break the pattern and figure out a way to make it right. Seeing as the next episode is called "apology tour," I'm guessing we're going to see the latter -- but that is honestly huge character growth.

[dead-boys-club]

You characterize everyone really great! Except Touya don't you think you write him a little too expressive? it just doesn't seem very fitting.

I'm not sure if I should say thank you or...

So, I'm not going to do what I did with Hawks and write you a whole book ( i lied ) on why I write Toya the way I do. However, I'll give a little piece:

Dabi was a mysterious, sarcastic jackass. Dabi was a cover. A persona. He didn't exist. He was built to mask intentions until Toya got where he needed and wanted to be. It's very simple.

Toya, on the other hand, in case no one's noticed is very emotional, very expressive and talks waaay too fucking much. I mean, we spent like 7 pages with him monologuing. He's not.. some emotionless, dead inside jerk and I also refuse to write him as some overly sexualized nympho - it's kind of tiring seeing all these characters reduced to nothing but sex and bad clichés. I mean - he's a super traumatized, unstable dude with a mental issue here and there, who actually enjoyed hurting people, but he's not a sociopath. However, he's also not in denial about a single thing. He knows what he went through, he knows what he's doing, he knows he's a little unhinged.

However - you're talking about a kid who basically just wanted attention and approval, who wanted his dad to be proud of him. Lmao, I hate to break it to you anon, but half the people I know, including myself, are very familiar with this kind of situation and the trauma of it. ( if you feel the need to come at me for the burning alive part, you can take your smart-ass right to the block button and not waste my time. )

I really, really hate that I have to keep repeating myself about these characters actually having depth and being more complex than you give them credit for.

Do you even understand what its like to be a deeply traumatized person, who sought those things and ended up so fucking disappointed that you became someone else? That you stopped trusting, stopped loving - you just kinda broke? The scenarios and reactions I've written for him with a partner convey someone who finally found someone else that isn't pushing him away, isn't screaming at it and is accepting how he wants to deal with things. And I've also made it clear in my writings of him that it confuses the shit out if him and he doesn't just accept that someone loves him and is proud of him... because how the hell is he supposed to know how to react to something he's never had? I didn't just.. make him into a character that changed over night and is good and happy, etc etc. No. Because I know better and I'm not going to shit on a character with complexities stemming from trauma and mental disorders.

As someone with a handful of mental problems, trauma out of the ass, that relates to this character on a pretty scary level - I refuse to write him on the surface of what Dabi was supposed to portray. I will continue to write Toya the way I always have and if you don't like it, that's perfectly fine. I'm not asking you to like it or change your OPINION, because that's what it is, but you will not come onto my page and tell me it's wrong. Lmfao.

I'm sorry that you want some shitty, second hand surface level Dabi writing that I refuse to give. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Hopefully you find another writer who will do that for you.

( Let me clarify: I am 100% shitting on how this opinion was brought to me. I'm not shitting on people that write him that way, not everyone spends 179395 hours in a fixation obsession over a character; I do. Write how you want. Write how it makes you happy. But don't go to people and talk to them like this.)

You could have easily written something like 'you characterize everyone really great but I don't agree with toya. can i ask why you characterize him like this?' Literally could've just asked. Not 'oh this is great except this one this one is wrong'.

If it doesn't seem fitting to you, that's okay. Then my writing isn't your taste. Go find someone else you enjoy?