#and they killed my favorite background character

[2-old-to-guard]

Yusaf, Joe, Al-Kaysani

Hi guys, and welcome back to TOG Analysis!! Today we shall be deep-diving into the incurable romantic himself, Joe!! Fair warning, Joe is my favorite character and it hurts my soul that so many people mischaracterise him. So this one is personal!!!

First Impression:

Like Nicky, Joe is mentioned before he's seen. He's used by Booker to convince Andy into agreeing for the mission.

His first scene is quite odd because unlike the other characters, the first time you see him is blurred in the background. This is the most reserved Joe is for the rest of the film. Also, the way that Joe and Nicky move in synch is adorable.

His first proper introduction is hugging Andy. Out of all of Andy's hugs throughout the movie this is most affectionate. Joe picking Andy up makes her laugh and it's clear from the beginning how close they are. Which makes sense, from the little we've seen from Andy in the past they are very similar people so it makes sense they are seemingly the closest immortals. Also his first dialouge is telling Andy, she looks great which is sweet!!

Relationships:

I've done a whole analysis on Joe and Booker's relationship here. But to summerise, from the beginning of the film Joe and Booker are shown to be very close. Even though Booker is doing the bet with Nicky, he looks to Joe as he pulls out the money. Later on, when Booker wins, Joe celebrates with him instead of siding with Nicky. This shows the strength of Joe and Nicky's relationship as Joe is able to confidently tease his husband over his loss.

Unlike Nicky, who is more spiritual when it comes to his immortality, Joe is more of down-to-earth. The first time he mentions Andy's break, he tunnels it through the lens of her missing them as a family. This breaks down Andy's walls and Joe's expression after she agrees is so soft. They share many silent looks of agreement through the movie (I'll bring up a couple) and I believe this is because that Joe is Andy's second in command.

Sudan:

The Sudan mission, pre-ambush, serves to display the skill of the immortals. Like Nicky's double kill, Joe's kills here are meant to show how good each of them are at their given role in their team. The pants clean, like catching the bullet, shows the subtle things each of the team do to ensure the success of the mission.

As the team revive, Joe is shown grabbing his gun before showing his face.

This is the first sign of Joe's protective nature, specifically around his family. His first thought is to grab his gun. He also uses it to prop himself up so he can stand up quicker then anyone else. Finally, he is the first to charge into battle and runs immedietly over to Nicky. This is a reacurring trend of Joe's first nature post-death is to check on Nicky. This is the first hint we get that something is not right with their immortality because if they truly don't die, why is he so scared after dying?

Unlike the rest of the immortals, Joe activly cracks jokes.

I love the fact that his jokes make perfect sense for his character, as of course the artist would note the 'touch' of the ambush. He also looks to Nicky after the joke, clearly trying to make him laugh. On another note, I love the look Booker gives in this shot. He's like 'oh god not again'. But on a deeper level, it's clear that Joe senses Andy's frustration and is trying to descalate the situation and make people feel better.

The Dreams:

Joe is shown in the dream with Nicky, as they are two parts of a single whole. Also, I didn't mention this at the time, but when Joe and Nicky are shown the tempeture of the camera goes from red to blue as the dreams as slowly morphing to Quynh's imprisonment, possibly symbolising that they knew her.

I like the detail of Joe's finger tapping during the dream, as if he's itching to draw her. Unlike the other immortals, Joe grabs a notebook and begins to sketch Nile. As stated previously, Joe is focused on the people involved in the dream recognising their faces. He struggles more with the none people parts of the dream, failing to remember her name. His optimism makes him assume that she is a part of a 'medical team'. Joe and Nicky see more than Booker because they've done this more times than Booker but they still miss important peices.

Joe is the first person to suggest finding Nile. He doesn't do it for any spiritual fate-driven reasons but insted wants to find her to protect her. Again, Joe values his family (even someone he's never met before) and wants to protect them.

The Dinner Scene:

During the dinner scene, Nile asks Joe the most questions.

Like all the immortals, he's very honest about their circumstances but he's quite vague with the details. Nile and Joe are the only people of colour in the room so his immortal life is a lot different than Nicky, Andy or Booker. Joe is the one who can prepare her the most about what to expect. But also, was this a subtle joke about Nicky's time in the crusades? He does look at Nicky before saying in and finishes the line with a smile.

This was a very interesting way to reveal Joe and Nicky's past. Referring to killing each other over and over again as just a meeting shows how far both of the characters have come. And when he talks about that, it's seems more an inside joke then an actual gripe. Even without the romantic angle, Joe holds no rage for what Nicky's done and doesn't hold a personal grudge. Their relationship over the whole is a really unique way to explore immortality as without undeath, they never would have fallen in love. Without meaning to, Joe is showing Nile the way immortality shifts how you view the world which is probally more mind-blowing than anything else.

Quynh:

After the group realise that Nile is dreaming of Quynh, Booker immedietly seems to look to Joe.

There are many ways to interpret this look. The first is pain over being reminded of Quynh showing how much he loved her. The second is realisation that Nile will be dreaming of Quynh over and over for an undefined legnth of time. Both explanations serve to highlight how much Joe loves his family and how strong his empathy is. His empathy is also prevelent in what he takes away from Quynh's story. Without Andy telling him specifically he knows she feels guilt for Quynh, another moment of Joe and Andy' relationship being close. He also expresses empathy to Quynh as he imagines what she is going through:

"Five hundred years in a box... at the bottom of the ocean... would make anyone insane".

The Van Scene:

Joe risks his life, with little care for it, to check on Nicky in the van. His love for Nicky overpowers his self-preservation.

I've decided to do a quick yap on the van monolouge seperatley as I cannot put all of my thoughts in this post. But to put it subsequently, Joe explains his love for Nicky in the practical things Nicky does rather than his physical appearance. His kindness is what Joe loves, a stark contrast to the invader he met 900 years ago.

The Merrick Confrontation:

I think it was a nice choice to have Joe be the one who clashes with Merrick in this scene.

Joe doesn't care about all the things Merrick brings up in this monologue.

"Our work here is all about balance. How do we push the scientific frontiers whilst also turning a little profit?"

Joe doesn't care about scientific frontiers or profit. His primary focus is on his family and Merrick is putting them in danger so he responds violently. It also shows that Joe is very outspoken and voices his anger and disagreements without fear of the consequences. After the stabbing, Joe initiates the headbump to comfort Nicky who is clearly stressed about his almost death.

Having Joe stabbed right after we learn that the immortality isn't infinate works well to build tension and shows how sadistic Merrick is. Merrick is a really interesting character as he is doing the 'right' thing in the wrong way and for the wrong reason. He stands in direct contrast to the immortals, who are doing it right for the right reasons but getting no response (that they know of).

The Lab Scene:

Once again, we have a scene where Joe wakes and his immediate response is to find Nicky.

He checks on Nicky, double-checks on Nicky, then makes sure Kozak isn't hurting him anymore before he relaxes against the table. His next move is to make Nicky laugh, something he has a habit of doing.

Joe, again, is trying to lighten Nicky's mood in a horrible situation. Unlike Nicky, who is trying to disasociate from reality, Joe is grounded in reality but is trying to make the most of it. Possible a microcosm of his approach to immortality.

The Lab Scene Continued:

Like Nicky, Joe is devestated to see that Andy is mortal. His reaction is more dramatic, possibly just because his head is higher than Nicky's but I think it's his more outspoken nature that he is more reactive.

He doesn't talk a lot in this scene because it's discussing the spirtual meaning of immortality, which I have stated he isn't focused on. Instead, he's shouting at Booker for betraying his family.

Joe's line "you are a very pathetic man, Booker" serves to highlight his familial love. Booker viewing himself as alone makes Joe laugh because he understands that not all love is romantic, he's been surrounded by family and therefore he is not alone.

His line in the escape about leaving Booker behind is probally impacted by this notion. 'If Booker thinks he's alone, let him be alone.' But he clearly loves Booker still as he turns towards him and waits for him to get up.

The Final Battle:

This is a quick one but this is the scenes I mentioned of Joe and Andy sharing looks.

Joe double-checking with Andy before making moves show the hierarchy of the team wth Joe being her second. It also shows how much he loves her as he hesitates for the first time in the movie because he is scared she'll get hurt. He cares not for himself but for others (mostly his family).

The Keane Scene:

Joe's scream in this scene breaks my heart everytime I hear it.

I've seen some people act like Joe is this violent man who hunts Keane down and kills him. This grave misunderstanding of Joe's character makes my tummy hurt as it is so much more complicated than that. To start, Keane was being weirdly personal in the fight (kicking Nicky insted of just capturing him). Furthermore, he kills Nicky in a very violent (and controversial) manner. From Joe's P.O.V he's just found out his closest friend is now in danger of being killed, she's currently missing, and the love of his life was just brutally murdered in front of him!!! If he was this violent man, he would've chased after Keane immedietly, but he didn't. He immedietly ran over to Nicky to make sure he's ok.

Credit to Marwan, he conveys Joe's panic and despair followed by immense releif perfectly. You can see Joe's utter terror at the idea that Nicky is gone. Having one member of a couple exact revenge on the murder of their love is a common movie trope and it's PERFECTLY fine then but when Joe who has loved Nicky for NEARLY A MILLENNIUM kills his murderer it's not ok?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Revenge:

Another small detail, Joe seemingly volunteered to jump through the window showing his willingness to put himself in danger to protect his family. Just like in Sudan.

Of course Joe wanted to kill Keane and furthermore, breaking his neck isn't a painful death (though he does do it in a rather dramatic manner). Gina Prince-Blytheood is quoted wanting to explore "What it talks about is that the act of taking a life is as damaging to the psyche as your fear of losing your life for soldiers”. Each of the characters have a moment where they comprehend the violence they have done and this is Joe's moment. He takes no pleasure in killing Keane and Keane had to die as he knew what they were and would come after them.

Booker's Banishment:

While we don't hear what Joe is saying in this scene, it is clear from his previous statements that he wants to banish Booker. He probally pushed for the hundred years. As discussed, Joe and Booker were really close and he feels intense betrayel over Booker's actions.

But the final shot of Joe and Booker is him looking over his shoulder. Joe's familial love outweighs his anger and he will probably forgive Booker during/by the end of the sequel if the group shot in the trailer is anything to go by.

Conclusion:

Overall, Joe shares many of the same motivations and beleifs as Nicky but tunnels them in a different way. Joe's motivations are based on his intense love for people, romantic with Nicky and familial with the others. He puts himself in danger to protect his family. Despite what people believe, he does NOT enjoy violence but will fight and kill to protect his family. All of this is perfectly portrayed by Marwan Kenzari and I hope to see more of him in the sequel.

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

I like how you can infer certain character traits and relationship dynamics of the Three Houses cast based on their Budding Talents.

Edelgard, Hubert, and Ferdinand's Budding Talents all correlate. Hubert is skilled in Ferdinand's preferred weapon, the Lance, which is also required for Pegasus Knight certifications. Ferdinand has a chance to master Heavy Armor, which is Edelgard's class type, and he wants to be considerer her equal/her better. Edelgard has skill in Reason, which makes sense given her connections to Thales, but also her spell pool matches her right hand Hubert's being primarily Dark Magic.

Felix is both skilled and sucking at Reason. It makes sense if you make him Mortal Savant, but it also makes sense when you consider Rodrigue is a skilled magic user and learned to make up for the royal family's lack of skill. Given his relationship with Dimitri Rodrigue at the start of the game, he probably refused to learn out of those feelings. Funny enough, the spells he can learn are the exact same as Dimitri.

Constance and Balthus's Budding Talents are the others most prized skill. And considering the DLC classes make use of both on some level, it implies these two have a pretty tight friendship.

Sylvain's also got a Budding Talent in Reason, just like Felix, who he is arguably closest to in the Blue Lions. However, the three spells he learns the exact same spells as Dedue and Mercedes. He and Mercedes share similar Crest related trauma and have a delightful paired ending, and Dedue and Sylvain come to a really good mutual understanding (I'm sad they couldn't have had an A support).

Speaking of Mercedes, her Budding Talent in Bows compliments her Crest's Sacred Weapon, Tathlum Bow.

Byleth has a Budding Talent in Faith, which makes sense given the whole Sothis situation. However, the only other person to have the same Budding Talent is Dorothea, who shares a similar yet different conflict regarding her faith in the Church, and where one of the best ways to increase Faith is Choir Practice, which Dorothea would excel at given her Opera background.

Yuri has a Budding Talent in Bows, which makes sense given his underground roots and at one time being an assassin. What's really interesting is Bernadetta's Budding Talent in Riding. Not only does it make it easier for her to escape (fitting of her character), but Yuri is allergic to most animals. Making her a Bow Knight ensures Yuri can never get the jump on her should he be hired to kill her again, though I doubt he would try, since he hesitated to kill her the first time all those years ago.

There's probably more that can be inferred but this is just some of my favorites.

👀

[cressthebest]

Crimson Rivers thoughts pt. 8

chapter 14:

1. “"Obviously fish have brains. All living beings have brains," Regulus tells him. "Well, except for you."”

ADKDJKSJSKS i’m sure that’s another moment in which regulus wanted to look to sirius as if to say “are you seeing this shit?”

2. 😭😭😭😭 james why are you still figuring out you might have a knife kink?? i been knew since before the arena. plsssss

3. 😭💀 the rocks in jars story

4. 😧 james killed someone for reg. no hesitation. that’s gonna haunt him forever

5. oh god, the tenderness reg uses with james after james murdered someone. he’s so gentle and worried for him. this is gonna haunt them forever

6. in reference to james committing murder: “He has the disjointed thought that his parents must have seen that, as well as Sirius. The last people in the world who would judge him for it, and he still wonders what they're thinking.”

JESUS THAT IS HEARTBREAKING. the people he cares most about isn’t judging him cause they’ve done the same thing. it just hurts

7. god, and now they’re face to face with death eaters. i can’t do this shit anymore

8. 😟😧 oh no.

“James can safely say he doesn't have a knife kink. Blade kink. Sword kink. Any of that—he doesn't have it. No, it's just Regulus he likes, and anything to do with him. When Mulciber has a sword to his throat, it's not sexy at all.”

9. reg’s threats are so scary

10. knowing reg’s loyalty to kill for sirius is fucking wild. he would murder everyone in that arena if it meant keeping sirius safe. and sirius did the same for reg.

11. 😧 shocked. oh my god. jaw dropped. reg is just hacking at mulciber with a hatchet

12. ✨evan✨☺️🩷

13. whoop there it is. in reg’s mind, he mistakingly referred to james as his boyfriend. it’s downhill from here

14. oh god, james is using his “it was self defense and murder is grotesque and not always clean” speech that he used to give to sirius all the time. i wonder how often he’s had to tell that to himself in this arena

15. GOD NOT THE FUCKING BEAR TRAP- JFC CAN THEY HAVE ONE MOMENT IN THIS ARENA???

chapter 15:

1. reg called james baby ☺️🥰💞

2. “"Sirius, you're going send something to fix him, or so help me, when I get out of here, I'm going to rip all of your hair out right from the scalp until you're fucking bald."” LMAOOO REG IS SO PROTECTIVE OF HIS NOT BOYFREIND THATS GONNA HAVE TO DIE ANYWAYS. and he threatened to make sirius bald 😭😭😭

3. “"I like you," James declares cheerfully, and Evan winks at him.” EVAN AND JAMES FRIENDSHIP EVAN AND JAMES FRIENDSHIP EVAN AND JAMES FRIENDSHIP

4. “Sometimes, healing is harder than being hurt.” godDAMMIT he’s right, and that cuts deep into my soul

5. reg and sirius are so like me fr in hating change. for them it’s the needing stability after a childhood of not having it, and for me, it’s autism.

6. reg is absolutely insane sounding and i’m 2000% on board for it

7. reg is willing to kill because they scarred james’ face but still says he hates every breath james takes. bitch. wtf do you mean you hate him? do you not get it yet?

8. 😐 bitch, yet another self indulgent moment that reg calls a parting gift

9. evan and reg team!! 🐈‍⬛🫱🏻‍🫲🏾🐍

10. comparing james to the sun >>>>>>>>>>

11. reg being the best seeker during hide and seek 👀

12. EVANNNN NOOOO

13. 😧 evan says he’s reg’s friend. shit i’m about to sob at one am as i’m writing this. and reg jsut lost the best friend he never got to have

14. god, reading from sirius’ pov now IS making me sob.

15. LMFAOOO I SHOULD NOT BE LAUGHING OVER THE BURNING TREE

16. shame on me for not realizing that the author of crimson rivers also wrote just lovers. i just realized that. like, while reading authors notes. i feel so fucking stupid rn

[foxprints]

Not sure who it beat the futz outta but I'm sure they deserved it

[shaxxophone]

[my-thoughts-and-junk]

reading dungeon meshi

[parkeryangs]

😍❤️‍🩹❤ for woe.begone!

😍Character you have the biggest crush on

matt :] hes my wife nobody gets him like i do etc etc lol but i genuinely think his place in the story is so compelling. for one, beyond mike's initial curiosity EVERYTHING only happened because of matt. to save him, then to keep him safe, AND YET he's still kept at a distance of actual involvement in base, despite his clear interest/drive to help

❤️‍🩹Character who deserved better

FELIX. god. his "experiment" in the felix chronicles is, in short, incredibly fucking tragic and i love him so much. felix's curiosity about the what-could've-been is imo perfectly reasonable with regards to both his ability with time travel tech and his family hisotry, and while he didn't go about it in the best way, him being villanized (by ty in e131) is awful, considering tyfelix's typical dynamics, the circumstances of the iteration experiment, and additionally how ty himself handles a lot of issues at the compound

❤️Favorite character

chance! i think this answer could change depending on when you ask me lol but i've been incredibly enamored with him for a long time. the way he approaches his involvement in events is so interesting. he just wants to keep his head down and do his job-- but he's breaking the rules and sneaking into red flag cabins to save his friend, which are...very contradictory lmao. i think he's motivated by a sort of "protective" instinct, but its intriguing given his passivism(?)/"avoidance" otherwise

x

[themyscirah]

Reread historia again

It's still so good

[agdragonfulday]

Thank you @lostredsupergiantstars for tagging me 💖

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Who to tag; Who to tag

@advictoriams @peachzaquiribinx @dbzebra

[leezuhh]

i hate the event structure that so many gacha games have where specific storylines will be locked behind temporary events because what do you MEAN nu carnival has extremely essential character background/lore locked behind an event that legit hasn't rerun since i started seriously playing it last winter

[winndycakes]

Winndy Rambles And Gushes About Chuck Tingle

Wanted to ramble a little about one of my favorite authors, creators and overall just super rad people; Chuck Tingle.

Like many people, when I first heard of Chuck, I took him as some sort of meme. A troll, a joke, someone not to be taken seriously. After all, the majority of his works are "silly short erotica stories around dinosaurs, cryptids and even living concepts and items". How COULD this be serious? It's a question I asked before, years ago, and one that many still do to this day.

One holiday season, a friend had made a post on FaceBook saying "first five people to comment I'll gift you a book". So I did. The book I got was a physical copy of the "Space Raptor Butt Invasion Trilogy" by Chuck Tingle. Since I had a book of Tingle's now, I really had no excuse to not read it for myself.

Erotica normally isn't my thing (I'm pretty ace and grey aro too), but very quickly, I was charmed by the prose. As you read Chuck's stories, there's a fact that becomes very apparent. Chuck Tingle is a great writer, a really great writer. How he writes, how the words flow together, one sentence going into the next. The characters, the plot, the little bits of lore, dialogue and all he puts in... You quickly begin to see; this is NOT a joke.

It is not a meme. He is not trolling you. It is art. Passionate, sincere, genuine art. And it's beautiful. The more you read, the more definitive it gets.

I will admit, I have read aloud many a Tingler for friends and others in Discord servers, both to share my joy of Tingle with others, but also, it is fun to look at how different his works are. It's fine to laugh along with them even.

The moment that really was like... angels singing, light shining down and there's bishi sparkles and a heavenly soft pink background appearing for me though was the summer Chuck Tingle released on of his first full novella's; "Trans Wizard Harriet Porber and the Bad Boy Parasaurolophus". Like many, I was crushed and gutted at JKR's extreme turn to committing to transphobia (and of course the hindsight of realizing... the HP books and universe were not as kind and welcoming as I remembered growing up). So when Chuck Tingle (in one weekend mind you) came out with a 50k novel affirming trans people and their belonging in not just queer spaces, but being on this Earth, as fellow human beings, it was... affirming. It was the welcoming feeling I had gotten with the original HP books all those years ago, but it was real. (Also please read both Trans Wizard Harriet Porber books. They're delightful, fun and the magic system Tingle creates is so, so cool and interesting).

The next thing that got me just mega hype for Tingle was his first foray into horror; "Straight". "Straight" is Tingle's answer to the ever popular trope and genre of zombies and the apocalypse that comes with them, and what a fun turn of tables he takes on them. Zombies in the Tingleverse are not undead beings, they're not humans afflicted by a virus, instead a strange cosmic event happens once a year, when one night, all cishet people on Earth get this animalistic, violent urge to brutally harm and even kill all queer people. I won't get too spoilery about it but it is a very fun romp, and as someone who has been fatigued by zombies, it is a welcome new perspective.

Not long after this, Chuck came out with two full, traditionally published horror novels; "Camp Damascus" and "Bury Your Gays". Both are very different experiences in horror, both a joyful celebration of being queer and your authentic self even in the face of those looking to silence you, permanently if they must. I had the pleasure of meeting Chuck (twice!) while he was on tour for both of these books, getting my copies signed (along with my copies of the Trans Wizard duology and my beloved copy of the Space Raptor trilogy) and was able to tell Tingle myself just how important he is to someone like me; another queer autistic creator. (I was also one of the few people to win the little mini games he gave, twice, but that's a different story).

Ultimately that is what I am trying to get at. Growing up, and even for all of my 20s, there wasn't really someone like Tingle. Someone unabashedly authentic, themselves, queer, open and imo most importantly, joyously so. One is often told "just be yourself" but that can be hard to do when it seems like the world is against you for one reason or another.

Seeing a creator like Chuck shows how important it is to have such a presence in the world, and I was glad I got to tell him myself. I've had a lot of hardships in life, a lot of losses, a lot of grief, but someone like Chuck is there to tell you to keep trotting and remind you; Love Is Real.

And that's truly the ending message:

Love Is Real.

[asha-mage]

BingLiuShen au where Shen Qingqiu's fevered heteronormativity poisoned brain decides that the best way to avoid dying for the crime of being a heterosexual male in a stallion novel is to pretend not to be heterosexual and thus not a threat to the protagonist's harem. He figures if he can hit that sweet spot where his (supposed! Not real at all!) sexuality is just a quirk of the beloved mentor then the narrative will have no choice but to keep him alive. Airplane might be a hack, but he's exactly the sort of hack who would put in a token gay character, then shunt them off to the background, only to be trotted out again when he's getting flack in the comments for sexist, homophobic, and/or generally shitty writing decisions.

And for Shen Yuan, whose stated life goal is to idle away the hours in luxury and occasionally bask in Binghe's protagonisty coolness (in a very heterosexual way of course!) that would be the perfect out. There's just one problem- how does he demonstrate his (definitely fake!) homosexuality without playing into homophobic tropes and getting himself killed for offending the genre's aggressively het sensibilities?

The answer? Pretend to be pinning away silently in unrequited love for another man. It's perfect! All he has to do is drop a few extremely subtle hints in Binghe's hearing implying having feelings he would never act on for say, Liu Qingge, and he'll be golden. After all, what person attracted to men (which he isn't!) wouldn't fall immediately in love with the Bai Zhan War God? It has the added benefit of proving what a good Token Gay he is by the fact that he saved Liu Qingge's life without any expectations or hopes and without ever even revealing his (supposed!) feelings.

Shen Qingqiu gets about a week of feeling like a genius after putting this plot into motion before Liu Qingge starts showing up at Qing Jing with small gifts and pastries and asking to spar, and well. In between melting down (because how on earth did he put it together from the grand total of three entirely ambiguous hints he dropped!) and trying to stay composed (because even the straightest guy- which he is!- would get flustered by having Liu Qingge smiling at him Like That) he figures the only rational thing to do is just Commit To the Bit, resign himself to one day becoming cultivation partners with Liu Qingge and retiring together into the background of future plot shenanigans. Their are clearly no other possible ways of dealing with this situation, and hey being with Liu Qingge of all people isn't bad. That's a fan favorite character and he's stupidly handsome and brave and kind! Shen Qingqiu could do a lot worse, especially in a world like PIDW. In fact given the alternatives, Shen Qingqiu's could probably consider himself incredibly lucky. Objectively that is. From a purely 'guy trying to survive this dumb novel' point of view. It would be an honor to have Liu Qingge's arms wrapped around him. If he where into men of course.

Meanwhile you have Luo Binghe in the background of every scene the two are in with a forced smile, internally speed running the '*fork in garbage disposal noises*' to 'I just want my Shizun to be happy! I swear!' to 'actually Liu-shishu is really nice I can see what Shizun sees in him' to 'oh no I think I want to be in the Middle Of Whatever That Is' arc.

(And of course, Binghe at the end of the day IS the protagonist, and after much trial and tribulation, is supposed to get exactly what he wants...)

And all the while you have Liu Qingge, utterly oblivious to the mental anguish and gymnastics of his shidi and shizi, who just keeps turning up at Qing Jing, because he really does like Shen Qingqiu and even if that first date was his sister's idea he's found he really does enjoy spending time with Shen Qingqiu, and also Shen Qingqiu's sticky first disciple who despite the crocodile tears is actually clearly pretty strong. He has no idea that Shen Qingqiu is silently picking out drapery for the future house while Luo Binghe tries to rationalize his out of control heartbeat as a completely normal side effect of the sparring match they just fought (Which he only keeps challenging Liu-shishu to make sure he's strong enough to protect Shizun! He swears!).

WIll the three of them ever figure it out and get their act together? Sure. Will they do it before the Conference/Abyss arc upends everything? Absolutely not.

[noahsresources]

DETAILS ABOUT OCS !

send an emoji/description of emoji to learn more about a writer's oc! many of these are taken from my munday asks meme, because i thought it would be fun to make a version for characters too! the prompts are categorized by emoji type and given descriptions in case anyone can't see the symbols. can be used for roleplayers and any general writers alike! for roleplayers, these can also be used for your interpretations of canon characters if you so desire as well!

𝐎𝐁𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐒. 💭 THOUGHT BALLOON — what is your oc's MBTI, enneagram, and/or other personality aspects (if known/interested in)? 🚗 CAR — does your oc have a driver's license? can they drive/operate any automobiles/machinery besides cars? ✈️ AIRPLANE — does your oc like traveling, or do they consider themselves a more homey person? 🎮 VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER — what are three of your oc's favorite hobbies? 💍 RING — does your oc have any piercings? do they want any (more) piercings? 🖊️ BALLPOINT PEN — does your oc have any tattoos? do they want any (more) tattoos? 📚 BOOKS — what level of education has your oc most recently completed/is currently in (GED, undergraduate, grad school, phd, etc)? 🎻 VIOLIN — does your oc play any instruments? what is their skill level (beginner/intermediate/advanced/virtuoso/etc)? 🩹 ADHESIVE BANDAGE — does your oc have any physical and/or mental disabilities? 🩸 DROP OF BLOOD — what is your oc's blood type?

𝐒𝐘𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐋𝐒. 🎶 MUSICAL NOTES — what type of music does your oc like? do they listen to music very often? 💯 HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know. 💤 SLEEPING SIGN — is your oc a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? how are their sleeping habits? 🔱 TRIDENT EMBLEM — can your oc swim? do they enjoy swimming? 🔺 RED TRIANGLE POINTED UP — does your oc know how to use any weapons? 🔶 LARGE ORANGE DIAMOND — does your oc know cpr? do they have any other medical expertise? 🚫 PROHIBITED — does your oc drink/smoke? do they do it regularly, or is it more on occasion or for special events?

𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄. 🌈 RAINBOW — what is your oc's sexual orientation/gender identity? what pronouns do they use? 🎄 CHRISTMAS TREE — what is your oc's favorite holiday? 🐶 DOG FACE — does your oc have any pets? 🐈 CAT — does your oc prefer a wide circle of friends or a few close friends? 🐷 PIG FACE — what is your oc's favorite animal? 🐉 DRAGON — what is your oc's favorite mythical creature? 🍃 LEAVES FLUTTERING IN WIND — what is/was your oc's favorite subject in school? 🌴 PALM TREE — does your oc have a green thumb? do they enjoy gardening? 🍎 RED APPLE — where was your oc born? do they still live in/around their place of birth or do they live somewhere else? how do they feel about their birthplace?

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒. ❤️ RED HEART — what are three of your oc's positive traits? 🤍 WHITE HEART — what are three of your oc's neutral/questionable traits? 💔 BROKEN HEART — what are three of your oc's negative traits? 💘 HEART WITH ARROW — what and/or who do(es) your oc consider the most important to them? 🧡 ORANGE HEART — does your oc tend to prioritize family or friends? 💛 YELLOW HEART — how many languages does your oc speak? what language(s) are they learning, if any? 💚 GREEN HEART — does your oc prefer being inside or outside? 💙 BLUE HEART — does your oc have any cool/special powers and/or abilities? how are they with magic, if it exists in their world? 💜 PURPLE HEART — what is your oc's ancestry/genetic background? 🖤 BLACK HEART — has your oc killed or seriously wounded anyone before? have they broken someone's heart and/or broken someone's trust?

𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐒. 🎂 BIRTHDAY CAKE — when is your oc's birthday? how old are they? what are their sun, moon, & rising signs (if known)? what about their tarot card, ruling planet, & ruling number (if known)? do they fit the typical traits of these sun, moon, & rising signs? 🍝 SPAGHETTI — what is/are your oc's favorite food(s)? 🍰 SHORTCAKE — what is/are your oc's favorite sweet(s)/dessert(s)? 🍦 SOFT ICE CREAM — what is/are your oc's favorite ice cream flavor(s)? 🍔 HAMBURGER — is your oc good at cooking? are they good at baking? which one do they prefer? 🥯 BAGEL — what does your oc's typical breakfast look like? do they usually eat breakfast? 🥪 SANDWICH — what does your oc's typical lunch look like? do they usually eat lunch? 🍛 CURRY AND RICE — what does your oc's typical dinner look like? do they usually eat dinner? 🍸 COCKTAIL GLASS — what is your oc's favorite alcoholic drink, if they can drink? ☕️ HOT BEVERAGE — does your oc prefer coffee, tea, hot chocolate, milk, water, or some other drink? how do they like to take this drink (ex. coffee with milk, hot chocolate with whipped cream, a specific kind of tea, etc)?

𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄. 😊 SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES — what are your oc's career/general life desires? what do they want to get the most out of life? 😖 CONFOUNDED FACE — is your oc an introvert, an extrovert, or an ambivert? do they let people in easily, or are they more reserved? 🤔 THINKING FACE — what are some of your oc's quirks/mannerisms? 🧐 FACE WITH MONOCLE — is your oc more logical or emotional? 🤓 SMILING FACE WITH GLASSES — is your oc chatty or quiet? are they at ease in social situations, or are they more shy? 🤩 FACE WITH STARRY EYES — is your oc a planner, or are they more spontaneous in their actions? 😥 SAD BUT RELIEVED FACE — is your oc prone to getting stressed out, or is it easy for them to keep their cool? 😓 DOWNCAST FACE WITH SWEAT — is your oc open-minded or stubborn? are they inquisitive or do they prefer to keep to their bubble of knowledge? 😞 DISAPPOINTED FACE — does your oc attract others, or do they tend to be left alone? 🤒 FACE WITH THERMOMETER — does your oc get sick easily? 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 FAMILY WITH MOTHER, FATHER, SON AND DAUGHTER — how many people are in your oc's immediate family? how many people are in your oc's extended family? do they have aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc? who in their family are they closest with? are they close with their birth family, or do they have a found family?

[demilypyro]

Ok so as someone who knows very little about sonic characters that aren't the main cast. Can you explain to me who Surge is? (I am asking you to infodump. I understand I could just check the wiki but then you wouldn't get to talk about a character you like)

Alright you asked for it. Long post attack.

So Eggman had this protege named Doctor Starline, who had a falling out with his mentor and hatched a plan to kill Sonic and replace him with a new hero, one who would take Sonic's place in the eyes of the people but be under his control.

So he kidnapped a random girl off the street (no name or history known at this point), filled her with a bunch of cybernetics to give her superpowers, and slowly brainwashed and trained her into becoming essentially Sonic's equivalent of Wario.

This was Surge the Tenrec.

As Sonic's so-called "imposter," Surge is like an exaggerated version of Sonic. She has his heroic heart, but also his temper, his pride, his irresponsibility, his rudeness, all turned up to 11. She's got the standard super speed, as well as electrokinesis - lightning powers. She's accompanied by Kitsunami, or just Kit, a blue fennec with water powers and a similar background, but who was based on Tails instead.

As part of their brainwashing, Surge was conditioned to hate Sonic. As Surge's backup, Kit was conditioned to want to support Surge in any way he can.

Surge and Kit eventually found out what had happened to them, how Starline had kidnapped and brainwashed them, and were planning to betray him. Before they could, however, Starline was killed, after being thoroughly trounced by Eggman, leaving Surge and Kit free to do whatever they want.

When Surge finally encountered Sonic, she blamed him for what had happened to her. She holds him responsible for always letting Eggman survive to come back another day, leading to ever-escalating conflict. While before she had no real reason to hate him beyond her brainwashing, all that baseless animosity now had a foundation, and she's wanted to take him down since. Surge and Kit have had several fights with Sonic and Tails already, and while they were defeated each time, it's clear they pose a real threat.

Left with only each other, and having no real goals beyond taking down Sonic and Tails, and no hints to their past, Surge and Kit became a neutral force of chaos, not affiliated with either Sonic or Eggman. While Surge has the desire to be a hero, she can't let go of her grudge toward Sonic, and Kit's obsession with helping Surge regularly shows itself to be unhealthy, which may lead to a falling out between them in the future.

Since their first appearance in the Impostor Syndrome mini-series, they've made regular appearances in the main comic starting with issue #50. They've been making waves, establishing new rivalries and inciting new conflicts. Sonic wants to believe there's good in Surge, but she's a tough nut for him to crack.

Surge is one of the series' best original characters. Surge is cool, has an interesting origin, and she contrasts Sonic in a way that gives ample opportunities for new stories. She's got a good heart, but she's carrying around a ton of trauma and animosity she doesn't know what to do with. She's scrappy, resourceful, and more introspective than you might expect. And by often being positioned as the underdog, she's very easy to root for.

I was always a bit uninterested in the Sonic series at large, but Surge really got me on board. She really made me a fan.

She's my favorite Sonic character.

If you're interested, look into the Imposter Syndrome mini-series, which leads right into Sonic IDW issue #50, or you can just read Sonic IDW from the start.

Okay bye

[deepsi0]

"Good ending" AU again! (meh, it needs a better name)

I know there is no "sky" in the Underground, but yellow characters with yellow corn would look terrible on a yellow background, so yeah

And btw, Flowey is my favorite character in Undertale! I'd try to keep him as a pet even if he just killed me

[takaraphoenix]

I saw someone refer to Steter as a comedy relief duo earlier and it just completely sent me, because that's just... so far from what Steter is, in canon?

As I'm currently rewatching the show, it has shot up into being my favorite ship on the show because of the gravitas it has.

It's a ship that highlights Stiles' fearlessness in such intriguing ways, in canon. From the boy who yelled at a feral Alpha in the school, to their first face to face meeting at the hospital, when Peter recognizes him, knows him, acknowledges him ("You must be Stiles", as though Stiles' reputation as the one who figures things out proceeds him, as he is the first one to put together that Peter is the Alpha).

There's nothing comedic about the scene on the lacrosse field, when Stiles is kneelng beside Lydia's unconscious form and Peter... for reasons beyond comprehension... decides to curl his claws beneath Stiles' chin and guide him up. Not grab him by the arm and haul him up, not command him, not demand.

This is... sensual, filled with tension, and I don't even necessarily mean the sexual tension (even though the imagery of Stiles kneeling before Peter and Peter grasping his chin is something that I find hard to not see a sexual read on).

Peter kidnaps Stiles into the parking garage to force the boy to track down Derek and, sure, the "His username is Allison? His password is also Allison?" - "Still want him in your pack?" is absolutely iconic and is comedic... how do you boil that entire exchange down to "comedy relief"?

The way Peter offers Stiles the bite - Peter, who so far, only took whatever he wanted, never asked or offered - and doesn't force when Stiles says "No". Even the way Peter catches Stiles on the lie is a moment of tension and revelation on Stiles' part. The way Peter acknowledges Stiles as the clever one.

The season 1 finale? When Stiles sets the survivor of a horrific house fire on fire? Absolute riot, huh. It's vicious, it's cruel - it's everything.

And when Peter is resurrected? Sure, Stiles sarcastically asks if someone can kill him again and sure, Peter snarks about living in a cave system. But even in that episode, these brief comedic moments are absolutely overshadowed by the way Peter and Stiles work together, figure out what the vault is made of, then call Scott to warn him and Derek, by finishing each other's sentences. Two brilliant minds working together, on the same wavelength.

The next time they interact is when Peter tells Stiles about Paige, explains what the blue eyes mean. It's one of the more heavy and serious moments in the season, aside from all the death scenes. It's a big lore drop and character background on both Peter and Derek. And it's Stiles this information is shared with. It's a serious moment and even as Peter tells it all, Stiles doesn't trust, sees past the silver tongue and that too is part of the appeal.

When Peter and Stiles work together to save Cora's life in the hospital, while the Alpha Pack is hunting them down? Blind trust. Stiles asks Peter to help him and Peter doesn't even ask, much less quip, he just follows Stiles' lead and they work together.

Now, I'll admit, I haven't seen seasons 3B through 6 in six years and hey, maybe they'll be a real Abbott and Costello in season 4 and I'm just not remembering it, but damn it all to hell if the first half of the show doesn't present them as two clever minds challenging each other, with a growth from terror and pain to respect and teamwork.

I understand and respect not liking a ship, but I am genuinely baffled when people deliberately misinterpret a canon to suit their needs. Always makes me wonder what alternate reality's version of the show they were watching, surely not the same as me.