#and yet he is genuinely interesting to think about and unpack

[arrimorr]

Im so unwell about Anya's pregnancy not being mentioned EVEN ONCE during post crash segments where we play as Jimmy. He talks so much about taking responsibility by the end of the game and yet the only person he takes it for in his own twisted way is Curly. Anya's lifeless body doesn't get even a single comment from him

[yumeka-sxf]

Relatively short new chapter today, but still a lot to unpack! While we didn't get a ton of Melinda lore yet, as the majority of the chapter was Loid saying things to try and win her over, I found it interesting to see insight into one of his "fake" therapy sessions.

As usual with all the conversations he has with people in his "Loid Forger" persona, if the topic gets heavy, he'll end up saying things that are, what I believe, what he truly feels. This is usually preceded by him dropping the forced smile and showing a glimpse of a more thoughtful expression, for example, in the below panel when Melinda comments on how strong and "lively" she thinks Loid and Yor are. He then goes on to tell her that there's no crime or shame in not being strong enough.

While it is debatable whether he's being genuine here or not, I can't help but be reminded of similar conversations he's had with Yor in the past...way back in chapter 14 where he told her how tiring it can be to put up a facade all the time. And then much later in chapter 86 where she tells him, in her own way, that he doesn't have to be strong and "perfect" all the time.

I'm probably reading too much into it, but it's just something that came to mind 😅 But on the topic of Melinda saying they're "lively," the word she uses in the Japanese version in 健全な ("kanzenna") which is more like "healthy, sound, stable, etc" (the first kanji is "healthy/strong," and the second is "whole/all.") So yeah, a slightly different nuance than "lively."

I also smiled when I saw that Loid still calls Yor "Yor-san" in his thoughts ❤️

It wouldn't be a SxF chapter with at least a subtle hint at something "darker" going on or has gone on...in this case, we hear a bit of Melinda's thoughts about the post-war time.

But the big shocker was obviously the final page where she claims that Donovan is an alien. I checked the Japanese version to make sure, and she does indeed use the term 宇宙人 ("uchuujin"), which is "alien" in the traditional sense.

Upcoming plot twist...this previous Endo art for short mission 10 will turn out to be canon 🤣

Joking aside, I don't think that Donovan is literally an alien, as mixing a truly sci-fi element like that into the world of SxF would be too jarring. So probably something that Donovan has done made Melinda come to that conclusion. As for what it is about him that that would make her think this is debatable - his involvement in science experiments/Project Apple? If he actually has the ability to read minds, is this the explanation she's come up? Or maybe he wants her to think this for some reason? There's also a theory that she doesn't actually believe he's an alien and is only saying it to test Loid in some way. Whatever the reason is, we'll have to wait until next time for more answers!

[fansblogs]

why are practically none of the popular posts about tech the bad batch right. he’s either white (canon isn’t an excuse), “hot” (as in people trying to make him look uncharacteristically attractive and well-put together), dead (only thing acceptable among these), or dominant. it’s scary. that’s my loser son autisms georg who has 50 versions of block blast 3d all in different languages on his ipad, has the physique of a praying mantis and kinda likes this girl so then to show that he’s interested he smiles at her twice and refuses to ever directly tell her that he enjoys her presence and misses her because he thinks it’s obvious. he sleeps on a generator in his bunker in kamino and threw orange dye on his hair out of curiosity and never fixed it. said hair has never been brushed and is only taken care of when shaved into the worst fucking haircut ever. he wants to study the goddamn zillobeast. first thing he does in his own fucking series was call a droid a slur and then throw a bomb into it’s hands. the only thing slutty about him is his blue jeans. first thing he does in the clone wars was crash a ship and almost kill like 5 people. he plays chess against himself. he has an ego that honestly reaches the sky and yet isn’t exactly self-obsessed but rather very confident in his self-efficacy. he has gamer skulls on his helmet. the masses have confused his dirtiness and foul-play in battle to be equivalent with his sexual nature. he projects an entire autistic meltdown onto his brother. his movements are quite representative of a cat . he has big brown eyes for no fucking reason and has the uncanny ability to look like the cutest thing ever when wearing his helmet. he’s the only one on his team with white/grey armor because he thinks he’s awesome and yknow what. he’s right. he’s inherently ugly and sexless so thus women flock to him like moths to a flame. he genuinely will think they’re interested in his tirades about power converters and the fascinations of spectrograms. he’s a bitch and will yell at you for problems he has caused and invalidate your feelings about it. and he got crushed by a cablecar.

i’m losing the plot here but my point is that i do not think i can take anymore propaganda that tech is a hot normal nerd guy. he does not have a crazy 8-pack, he is studying the natural radiation present within plants for fun. he’s crazy ok you have to know that. he’s not just a nerd there’s something deeply wrong with him and you have to love him like that . ok. also he’s not white and despite all of the whitewashing in his model itself there’s so much to unpack with the deliberate lightening of the skin when relating to an unbelievably intelligent character (which is all obviously disgusting and blatantly racist) so let’s not feed into that stereotype ok. it’s not hard to actually draw him based on temuera morrison so let’s do that instead of drawing sheldon big bang theory.

[soleminisanction]

Saw your post in his tag and I completely agree with your Tim loves being Robin post! The “He needs to grow up” thing pisses me off so much. I kind of blame Damian for its existence, but that might be unfair. Isn’t there a comic where Dick lectures Tim about going back to being Robin or being in Bruce’s shadow again? I think I remember reading something like that, but I may be misremembering.

It's not a lecture exactly, but there was a fairly recent comic (here meaning, like I think it was from 2021, 2022? It maaaay have been an issue of Tim Drake: Robin but I genuinely don't remember) where he brought the subject up in the context of like, "It shouldn't be your job to take care of Bruce."

Blame is kinda the wrong word because it implies that Damian the character is "at fault" for the shift, but I do think it's fair to say that Damian/Damian's presence in the narrative is the source of where this sentiment comes from.

Partially because there's a not-insignificant number of Damian stans who seem incapable of separating his in-character resentment of and conflict with Tim from the larger scope of their stories and thus view Tim using the Robin name as a threat/insult to their fav, so they make up and glom onto any arbitrary reason they can come up with for why he should have to change and Damian should get to stay, like two people arguing over who should have to change after showing up to a dinner party in the same outfit.

But mostly it's because of the greater damage that the last ~15 years of pushing Damian as Robin has done to the Robin legacy and its role in the narrative. Which isn't really about Damian himself -- Damian is a perfectly fine character as he is, he tells interesting stories and he clearly offers narrative avenues that people are interested in exploring. The problem is that none of those avenues have damn thing to do with ROBIN.

The story of Damian being/having been Dick's Robin during the Batman Rebirth era is important to his personal story and the story of how he relates to both Dick and Bruce. But outside of that very specific era, which lasted a grand total of -- on the very generous outside -- two and half years, every single one of Damian's stories would be exactly the same if he'd been using literally any other superhero codename.

Because they're not really Robin stories, or Batman & Robin stories. They're either Son of the Bat stories, where Damian deals with the angst of being Batman's son; Batman & Son stories, where Bruce and Damian work on their familial relationship very specifically in the context of a father and his son; or Son of the Demon stories, where Damian unpacks the trauma/conflict/occasional pride of being Ra's al-Ghul's grandson.

The lone exception to this is Juni Ba's The Boy Wonder from last year, which is imho the best Damian story that's ever been written in no small part because it's a love letter to the Robin legacy as told through Damian's eyes while he learns to understand and appreciate that legacy. (It's also about other things but that's because it's a very very good story.)

On the flipside, probably Damian's most popular role, the one that people keep trying to shove both him and his costar back into, is kind of proof-positive of my entire point, because being one-half of The Supersons is a role that was NEVER meant to be filled by a Robin. It's a role that was created for, originated, and always intended to be filled, by a character literally named Batman Junior.

And yet. Because they've insisted, for the last ~15 years, on telling those stories while Damian is wearing a Robin costume, using the Robin name, and advertising under names like Robin: Son of the Bat, it's led to skewing the meta-narrative around what the role and legacy of Robin is supposed to mean.

Instead of being its own, complex and distinctly queer relationship ("queer" not in the sense that it is romantic or sexual, but in that it does not fit neatly into one of society's designated boxes for defining social relationships), the way it was for over 60 goddamn years, Robin has now been half-forced into a singular, distinctly heteronormative and patriarchal definition of "a father teaching his son." And sons are, by societal mandate, meant to someday either leave or overtake their fathers. And since only The Golden Firstborn Dick or the One True Blood Heir Damian is """allowed""" by these heteronormative definitions to someday inherit the cowl, everyone else has to be forced out. "To grow up" as people keep putting it.

The shift in perspective is a direct result of Damian being Robin. It's not the only factor -- Jason's post-UtRH movie popularity factors in too, since fandom tends to zero in on certain elements of his Robin years like the adoption and "Robin gives me magic" and reduce a lot of his less-flattering traits to ~sexy angst and daddy issues~ -- but the way Damian gets used in the narrative is the primary factor from where I'm sitting.

Like I said at the top: it's not Damian, the character's, "fault" or anything. It's just a really frustrating result of people trying to force a more ambiguous relationship into a heteronormative mold that it was never meant to fit, and then getting retroactively mad at characters who were never designed to fit in that mold for breaking it.

[fomfarms]

Hmmmm alright what about a Farmer with commitment issues? Like they've lived a nomadic life for a WHILE now, and genuinely so wanna settle down for good in Mistria, but they haven't even unpacked their things yet.

They just don't know what it's like to have a home yknow?

WHEEE answers under the cut

Adeline:

low key has a hard time not taking it the wrong way

spirals a bit from time to time thinking you don't like her or you don't like her that much

what if she read all the signals wrong??

what if you don't feel the same way???

IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH HER????

maybe it's better this way, you're really great and she just relies on you so much so she must seem like a burden SPIRAL SPIRAL SPIRAL

but she actually keeps it all to herself (or at least, she doesn't verbalize this all, she def is not playing it as cool as she thinks she is)

honestly though no matter how anxious she is about it, she really will kinda wait for you forever

or until you make it clear you're actually really not interested

I do feel at some point it'll boil over and she's gonna word vomit her worries and woes to you

the most honored she ever felt was when the person she loves finally chooses her <3

and once you do, she honestly never doubts your feelings again

Balor:

oh SAME

honestly you two spend so much time quietly pinning over a relationship that you're both sure will never happen but you never actually even try and make a move about that it gets kinda ridiculous

also after a certain point everyone just KNOWS

they know already, just kiss, STARS ABOVE

Hemlock is def the one Balor pours his heart out to the most

Hem is actually really supportive even after watching a drunken Balor get all teary eyed over a relationship that'll probably happen eventually (though he is still rolling his eyes)

you two hold out actually going for it for FOREVER

and all the while you're looking at each other so dreamily and are constantly there for each other and just SO CLEARLY PINING

if you're not the one to go for it eventually Balor will

there's only so many times you can see him off so sweetly without him wanting to officially give you a good bye kiss

he stumbles over his words a lot and he's not sure how to put any of it

he's honestly never been so nervous in his life

he admits he's bad at sticking around, but Mistria is so nice-- and it's even better with you in it

and now he can't imagine actually leaving

at least not for good

he still needs to run his business

but now he gets to give you that good bye kiss when he leaves (and when he comes home <3 )

Caldarus:

super confused

is sure he's reading something wrong into all this

and also certain his feelings are not reciprocated

he's honestly resigned to holding a little candle for you forever

after all, he got so fond of you when he was still stone-- he knew the most likely scenario was him watching you live a long happy life, most likely with someone else

but seeing you happy is his dearest wish, so that was enough

and so this new form honestly changes very little

well, except now he can take you in new and exciting ways

the warmth of your hand, the scent of your hair and skin, the comfort of your presence

it makes the feelings hard to ignore and impossible to deny but like I said, he's resigned himself to just watching you be happy

any little moments between the two of you, ones that hold a flicker of romantic feelings that you both will never act on...

well, they're just stolen moments he supposes, something that will ultimately be meant for someone else

little fleeting treasures for him to cherish always (he is a dragon after all, and what's a dragon without some treasures! especially ones for the soul)

so he will probably expect nothing, even if he does feel his feelings for you have become too great for him to not make spoken

he's just confessing to 'get it off his chest'

but when you return the feelings, and agree to stay with him-- it's like the sun became brighter and a whole new world has opened up

you will never be rid of him

he will cherish and love you with every beat of his heart until his dying days

I hope you're ready, cause there's no commitment like there is with a dragon

Celine:

Another worrier

feels she's being awkward and embarrassing

tries to play it cool

fails SPECTACULARLY

convinced it's just a dumb little crush she has that would definitely never be reciprocated and she wants to bury her feelings in her garden bed so so so SO BAD!!

but then she sees your face and your dreamy smile and hears your voice and she's falling all over again

she's so smitten and she's trying to hard to hide and deny it

even to herself

CONVINCED she's misreading every sweet little moment between you two

YOU'RE JUST THAT NICE AND FRIENDLY

WHY DOES SHE HAVE TO BE SO WEIRD WITH HER BIG STUPID CRUSH AHHH

but then when all the feelings are out in the open she's just---

she feels in bloom

she's so deliriously happy

she still worries sometimes that she likes you more than you like her

but as time goes on, she'll abandon those fears in favor of enjoying your love together

Eiland:

honestly takes a while for him to even notice he has a crush himself

he's sure a week later it could never work

you're so traveled and worldly and cool and strong and amazing

and he's just kinda-- him

so he's certain the little moments between you two are just romantic day dreams he's making up in his head

you're just friends, you're just being friendly

and he wouldn't want to lose a colleague like you!

besides your such a cool little tumbleweed, you'd probably never settle down

and even if you did, you wouldn't with a dork like him

he's just some nerd in the dirt, and you're just super nice

HE'S NOT SPIRALING, YOU'RE SPIRALING!

HAHAHAHAHA

anyways, the self doubt machine is really whirling today!

when everything finally comes out he legit thinks he might faint from anxiety

but he's also really happy

he's giddy and surprised and shaking cause he can't seem to stop

I think he legit spends a while into the relationship worried you'll get bored of him and just leave (at least that's what happens in his nightmares)

honestly the only thing that helps those fears is just spending time with you

you're honestly so darling with him, he's gonna swoon

Hayden:

sort of resigned a bit to he's probably not going to get married

and it's true he's got a little flicker of something for you, but he's not going to act on it

he treats his fondness for you like a delicate little egg he keeps but isn't expecting to hatch

just a little flame he let's sit warm in his heart

any little moments you share he knows aren't just him, but he also doesn't think they're anything

the looks you've shared, the smiles between you two, the way you've held his hand

it's obvious you care about each other a lot

but nothing's gonna come of it

it's just a little bit of sweetness, no reason to let it over take you

he can't help thinking about it though

he won't say anything, but if pressed, he'd admit he spends most of his nights thinking about you now

how nice it is to have you around

how happy you make him

how wonderful it would be if you two...

but no, you're a rolling stone and he's home grown and planted down

if someday you wanna make tracks again, he doesn't wanna be the anchor weighing you down

when things finally get out in the open, and you say you want to stay by his side

he's gonna have to fight himself every day to take it slow

and not IMMEDIATELY bridal carry you to the court house and make it official for good

Juniper:

acts like she couldn't care less that the farmer is playing so hard to get

but is also constantly around the farmer trying to get their attention

she's paying attention to you and you're not immediately falling to her feet??

what is this???

is this some kind of game???

ah, alright, you're playing the long con

she can understand

two can play that game

so goes back and forth between being miffed and low key ignoring you

and giving you all of her attention

also anytime you two actually spend quality time together she's so so giddy

well, as giddy as Juniper gets

when push comes to shove and all the feelings are out on the table and you're both finally a couple, all she has to say is

'Well-- Good. It's about time!'

with the biggest blush on her face

March:

honestly takes it your indecisiveness the hardest out of the lot

and his own back and forth wishy-washy denial of feelings

just makes every time you give him butterflies feel STUPID

you just make him feel STUPID

STUPID for liking you

STUPID for letting you in

STUPID for thinking you might like him back

STUPID for getting his dumb hopes up

STUPID STUPID STUPID

he claims he couldn't care less, but the moment he sees your face a little rush of joy flashes through him and he can't ignore it (though he does try)

and interacting with you genuinely brightens his day, and it actually makes him really happy

and he thinks, 'this isn't so bad... maybe I should just--'

but that's when you always back away

and he just kinda feels rejected and shuts down and the moment you walk out the door he's right back to kinda hating you

and himself a little bit...

it's honestly a pretty vicious cycle

when all is said and done and you two finally give this thing you have a real shot, he won't lie, he's kinda nervous

and a little bit scared

though it comes out more like

'Good. I'm glad we settled this. And don't think this is just some-- dumb fling that's not gonna last. I'm planning to see this through and you better be too cause you're stuck with me. Well... good talk!'

and then he sprints off cause just cause you're dating doesn't mean he suddenly got any less shy about his emotions lol

Reina:

honestly??

even through all your wishy-washy bullshit, she never looses hope you're gonna figure it out

like, she can tell you like her

and she likes you

and she can't see a reason for this not to work

but if you wanna run in circles then--

I guess you're lucky she's down to wait for you

and she will wait for you

cause even through all the back and forth, she does really like you

also watching you run around in circles like a love struck indecisive idiot is a little funny

all the same, she doesn't intend to be dramatic like everyone else

she's got too good a head on her shoulders

now shut up and kiss her already

Ryis:

pining MASTER

he's so into you

and he's so confused why you seem into him but you keep putting him at arms length??

he's a little hurt by it all, but honestly he's more confused

like-- if you want him to back off, just let him know

he doesn't wanna feel like he's making you uncomfortable

but if you're into him and he's into you then he's just---

confused why you're not kissing yet???

but he's patient and he likes you A LOT so he's willing to wait

in the mean time he's be venting his woes to his uncle whose just as confused as he is

but also just as hopeful

when you finally get together he honestly never questions or doubts whether or not you wanna actually stay

if you ever want to leave then that's a conversation to have

but for now, he's just going to enjoy your time together

and quietly hope it lasts forever

(also he's so ready to kiss you he doesn't even care at this point lol)

Valen:

does not know what you're doing

but also is pretty sure you don't know what you're doing either

you both seem to thoroughly enjoy each others company

there's even an undeniable spark between the two of you

but any time she steps forward, you step back

and anytime you step forward, you also step right back again

he's patient but not this patient

she may not know everything, but she at least knows what she wants

and she wants you

and when you're ready to stop running from whatever you two could be together

well, you know where to find her

and she'll be waiting

but not forever so--

tick tock

[zoejayw]

I would love to hear more about your Trucy Gavin AU! I’m very intrigued by it. I loved the art as well!! Wonder how she and Klavier would get along. Loved seeing the way you combined her magical look with Kristoph’s suit

Thank you! I had a lot of fun trying to think up an alt character design for her. Her relationship with klavier... this is definitely something I thought about when i was workshopping ideas but I'm not sure how fully realized any of my conclusions are. I feel like I'm long overdue for an aa4 replay in general (i spend a lot of time in the transcripts, but i havent gone straight through the whole thing in years at this point) and pay a bit more attention to klavier and kristoph's dynamic with each other. most importantly, when and how they talk to/about each other because there's a lot to unpack with what scraps of that we get.

ultimately i think in a world where kristoph was trucy's guardian her relationship with klavier would be heavily effected by the way each person is filtered through kristoph, since i don't imagine they'd be interacting directly much at all, and certainly would very rarely be interacting 1 on 1. given that in aa4 apollo doesn't even know who klavier is, it's safe to assume that kristoph doesn't bring him up in professional contexts essentially at all. Which means I think when he does come up to trucy the framing is less as a prosecutor or as a musician and more as Kristoph's Little Brother. i think kristoph probably tends to anecdotally portray klavier as on the flakier and more emotional side, since he's clearly interested in exerting a level of control over klavier's behavior and either genuinely believing him to be less of a rational actor than he is or just putting on airs about it gives that more legitimacy.

i think trucy probably buys into this for a decent amount of time because i think when she's younger klaviers interactions with her would come across as pretty condescending. I feel like klavier would be inclined to treat her more like a child to try and balance out the fact that kristoph wouldnt treat her much like a child at all. its very easy to see their relationship dynamic as one that would mirror MVK + edgeworth's mentorship, although where von karma is a bit of a hammer i think kristoph is more of a scalpel in that department. i think klavier is acutely aware that kristoph is not someone who should have unchecked power over anyone but especially not a child who he is grooming into a prodigy defense attorney. but i also don't think he takes his own concerns about kristoph seriously enough to intervene because accepting that this situation is Bad For Real would require coming to some conclusions about his own life that he is not ready to have yet. and so until kristoph ends up in prison for zak's murder that's just all simmering.

i think once they did start spending any amount of time together they'd both quickly realize they were underestimating the other person. i think klavier is far more shrewd and calculated than trucy initially believes him to be, and trucy is much more critical and wary of kristoph than klavier was giving her credit for. in this version of events i imagine trucy would be the one serving as phoenix's defense attorney in trump and apollo would be assisting her. since I see trucy as being kristoph's protegee i think apollo ends up as essentially her understudy. once the two switch over to working with phoenix i think apollo starts taking the reins on the legal side of things because she does not actually have any real passion for being a lawyer and considers her business there concluded once kristoph is out of the picture.

which means i think apollo would end up sort of replacing kristoph as the mediating party in klavier and trucy's relationship, not because he's trying to or anything but by just naturally being the third person present. they're so used to doing their respective Bits in front of another person with each other that i think interacting 1 on 1 for them would be very stilted and strange. they're not family, but they're not not family, and the elephant of kristoph gavin is still very much in the room even when he is no longer literally in the room. i think she leverages his connections and guilt to help her transition from law into showbusiness and things start to improve between them after that

[dualityvn]

After seeing your response to the boys' meeting MC by pretending to be their boyfriend, I couldn't get the idea out of my head. So here is the Tenebris version. Even though it's scary to share my first fanfic, I hope you enjoy it and that I portrayed him well. I truly love your game! Keith's fic is in a separate ask so it won't get too long.

x x x

“Is this seat taken?” The bored looking man startles at the sound of your voice, looking up at you with too-wide eyes from the park bench you’ve just approached. The blue patches on his skin are interesting, but you don’t have time to consider if they’re real or not.

“Uh...No?” he responds cautiously.

“Perfect,” you sigh in relief and plunk yourself down next to him. A beat of silence passes before you blurt, “So I know this is gonna sound crazy, but will you please pretend to be my boyfriend?” 

“Huh?!” his eyes somehow widen even further in shock. Understandable, but not the answer you need. You sigh before elaborating.

“Any minute now my coworker is going to come down that path looking for me. He’s been asking me out for weeks, but won’t take no for an answer. I want to put a stop to it for good. Ergo, will you pretend to be my boyfriend?”

“Why me?” he asks incredulously. It’s not a no, but not a yes either. Desperate, you swallow your embarrassment and opt for the truth. Gesturing to his punk styled outfit you speak.

“Honestly? I think you look cool and you seem strong enough to handle yourself.” He stares at you in stunned silence, clearly not expecting that answer. And… are his cheeks turning purple?! More importantly, you spot your coworker coming around the bend. You’re running out of time.

“Sorry, but I can’t lie. So no.” He sounds gruff yet genuinely apologetic. 

“Can’t lie? What, you fae or something?” you ask sarcastically, 1000% done with this day.

“Yeah, actually” he says, mildly surprised. Now it’s your turn to be stunned into wide-eyed silence. He looks dead serious. Groaning internally about the unfairness of attractive men with delusions you accept you’re just gonna have to make this work.

“Since I don’t have time to unpack that I’m just gonna roll with it. Let’s try this again. Will you actually be my boyfriend for the next 15 minutes? I’ll make it up to you,” you bite your lip nervously, shooting a glance over his shoulder.

The “fae” takes a moment to consider you, his expression unclear in your nervous state. After what feels like an eternity his eyes lock with yours and he utters the one word you were hoping for, “Deal.”

“Oh, thank fuck. Sorry about this”

“Wha-”

You quickly cuddle up to him on the bench, wrapping his arm around you. As you lay your head on his shoulder you feel him tense. 

“Relax, I’m not gonna bite you,” you hiss.

He grumbles a response, but relaxes…marginally and not a moment too soon. Your unwanted coworker has spotted you, judging by his increased pace.

“By the way, what’s your name?” you whisper. A shiver passes through your temporary boyfriend as your breath tickles his ear. You stifle the urge to tease him more.

“T-Tenebris,” he chokes out, “What’s your-”

“There you are!” a voice cuts Tenebris off, “I was starting to think you were avoiding me on pur…pose….” Your coworker trails off at the scene before him.

“Who’s this?” he asks you, jealousy threading through his voice.

“Oh, Leonard. Meet my boyfriend, Tenebris. Ten, honey, this is the guy I’ve been telling you about.” To his credit, Tenebris manages to not react to your use of a pet name. “The one that keeps asking ya out even when ya tell him no?” he growls convincingly.

“I wasn’t aware you had a boyfriend,” Leonard says sulkily.

“That’s because ‘No’ is a complete sentence on its own,” you say sweetly, leaning further into your “boyfriend’s” hold.

“Plus it’s none of your fucking business,” Tenebris snaps.

“I…see,” Leonard says, reluctant to give up.

“Do ya?” Tenebris asks, eyes narrowing, “Cuz I don’t see ya leaving yet, asshole.”

Leonard sputters indignantly before looking at you. You wrap an arm around Tenebris’ waist, as if there’s nowhere else you’d rather be. In reality you’re fighting not to laugh, so you nuzzle into Tenebris’ neck to hide your expression. He jolts like he’s been touched by a live wire.

“I… I guess I’ll be on my way then.” Leonard finally concedes.

“You do that,” Tenebris says menacingly, eyes glaring daggers as he turns back the way he came. For a few tense moments you stay like that.

“He’s gone,” Tenebris finally says. You slowly sit up and move away, heaving a sigh of relief.

“Sorry about that. I was about to crack up laughing,” you say smiling sheepishly. Tenebris returns a rather…squiggly???... smile of his own. Was that makeup too?

“The look on his face was pretty great.” he agrees, “What a creep, though. Ya seriously put up with him?”

“Not willingly,” you say, standing up. “Well, handsome, I’ve taken enough of your time. Thanks for the help.” Before you can leave, a hand grabs your sleeve. Confused, you turn to look at Tenebris, now sporting a definitely purple blush on skin bluer than you remember.

“It hasn’t been 15 minutes yet.” he mutters, not looking at you, “Ya said you’d make it up to me.”

“You actually want me to?” you ask surprised.

“A deal’s a deal, ain’t it?” he retorts.

“True,” you say, “Well, do you like sweets? I know a great place nearby. My treat!” Tenebris brightens, nodding enthusiastically before letting you lead the way. Soon enough you’re strolling down the street, treats in hand.

“Did ya mean it?” he asks suddenly between bites.

“Mean what?”

“When ya called me handsome,” he says quietly.

“Oh!” you smile shyly, “Well, yeah.” 

Tenebris grins as he takes a particularly large bite of his dessert. Before parting ways he asks for your number. You write it on his hand, surprised he actually wants to see you again. As you walk home, you idly wonder when you’ll see him next.

This is really nicely written! Especially for your first fanfic! And Tenebris was very in character! Love it overall 10/10, thank you for sharing ^^

[notebooks-and-laptops]

Why the Dragon King Sucks: an Exploration of What Makes a Good Villain and a satisfying Story Conclusion

Dragon Age as a franchise has some of my favourite villains, and also villains I think kinda suck. DATV is not immune to this; Ghilan'nain joins the ranks as one of my favourite villains of the series but there is one villain I can't stand. I get mad just thinking about him. And so I thought I'd share my thoughts.

So firstly, before we can unpack why a villian sucks, we must first unpack what makes a good villain. Contrary to popular belief I don't think a villain needs to be a fully dimensional person to be compelling, but I do think good villains generally fall into one of three categories:

Interesting because of the relationship to the hero/protagonist

Interesting because we understand their point, or because of moral complexity/ambiguity

Interesting because they're scary as all hell

Dragon age has dabbled in all of these types of villians.

The example of a villian who is interesting because of their relationship to the hero/protagonist is Danarius. Danarius is flat out evil with 0 redeeming qualities. His main motivation is to a) experiment on his slaves and b) recapture his favourite escaped slave. We know he regularly tortures and kills people. We don't even meet him until act 3! BUT his relationship to Fenris makes him work. He is everywhere in Fenris's narrative; from the house Fenris lives in, to the actions Fenris takes (he won't even be with you until hes dealt with Danarius), to the feeling that Fenris is being constantly hunted. Danarius is terrifying to Fenris, the things Fenris did FOR Danarius is terrifying to Fenris (killing the Fog Warriors), all of this makes both us AND Fenris angry. When he shows up he's menancing because he's been built up the WHOLE game. He works because of his relationship to Fenris.

Let's move onto a villian who is interesting due to their moral complexity. There were a few to pick from here, but I think ultimately I'm going to go with the Arishock (but shout outs in particular to Calpurnia, Zathrian, Illario and Isseya). The Arishock undoubtedly does some pretty evil stuff, and yet we UNDERSTAND him. He does not want to be in Kirkwall, yet he cannot leave until he gets what he needs. He wants to be peaceful, but is being pushed by the constant way that his people are being agitated; stolen from, blamed, tricked and manipulated by chantry zealots. He doesn't understand why kirkwall is allowed to function as it does when it leads to such misery/pain for everyone. He's very reasonable with a Hawke who is reasonable back and respects them. The thing that tips him over the edge is the fact that he's unwilling to hand over elves that the guards refused to bring justice for, and most people agree that the guards were in the wrong there. Nobody thinks the Arishock should have tried to take over Kirkwall, killing the Viscount and trying to take Isabela. But we UNDERSTAND why he might be doing what he's doing and THAT makes him compelling.

Final category; when a villain is scary. I think writers sometimes confuse this for the villain having a lot of power (*cough* Elganarn *cough*) but that's not what scary is. Scary is usually invoked by feeling that the hero/protagonist is under genuine threat if they were caught or feeling that this person will do fucked up things and has no line; even about people they care about. Absolute main dragon age villian to sit here is Branka who went so mad in her pursuit of the anvil she was willing to let her house be turned into Brood Mothers so they could pump out darkspawn who could test the traps. Ghilan'nain is also in this category.

To make an EXCELLENT villain you probably want to take a few strands from each collum; Loghain stands out here as someone who has a connection to our of our heros (Alistair's revenge quest) but also is morally understandable/interesting.

So now I've laid all that out...tell me. Where does the dragon king fit?

The dragon king doesn't really have a connection to Taash. They want Taashs blood sure but they only make two plays for Taash the whole game and Taash never seems scared of them. We don't find out why or what they want to do to Taash. Taash just. Doesn't know this guy. Like until the very end when he kills their mum, they don't have a reason to hate him.

The dragon king is not morally complex either. He is just. An evil guy working for an evil god who wants power. He's not got a particular point; he's not even like the red templars who at least had the motivation that the chantry had abandoned them and led them to be addicts for no reason. Theres no talk of that being the case with the antam. There is just. Nothing. He's some evil guy.

And finally, he's not scary. He's in fact so un-scary that our protagonists never ever get to fight him because he'd make a shit boss. I think this is a WILD choice. what I think happened was the Devs realised that as the other Taash quests had involved fighting dragons that should be their boss fight but like. What? I literally was so confused when this happened; I wondered if the dragon king could turn into a dragon for a moment or was riding the dragon but it's not that. We kill a dragon and don't even throw so much as a single spell or punch at the dragon king.

AND to make matters worse, we don't meet him until the very end and Taash doesn't really talk about him until then either. Varric narrator style mentions him and that's it. If you're not going to introduce your villian until late in the game you NEED to have build up like what we get for Denarias or Branka or Meredith. That's the whole issue with Corphyeus that everyone bangs on about; he's just not in the narrative enough to carry the feeling that he's an undefeatable big bad.

The dragon king is so boring. There's just. Nothing there. There's no relationship, there's no complexity. Just an evil guy.

And that makes me so annoyed considering that I love Taash and also that the voice acting when Taash's mum dies is so stunning. Taash deserved better than most of the plotlines they got, they deserved a better villian and they deserved choices beyond those that demonised multiculturalism. They don't even need a villain if you do their story right; many dragon age characters have no central villain and are still incredibly interesting: Sera, Blackwall, Vivienne, Cole, Wynne, Bull, Bethany, Carver, Sten to name just a few.

Tblr; the dragon king SUCKS

[anxious-witch]

Jesus fucking christ. This post by @bluebugjay made me realize something. Something that kept bothering me about Charles' inital reaction to Edwin's confession.

He laughs briefly and says "Oh, I get it. It's like one of those Orpheus and Eurydice moments". I was so focused on the fact they made that metaphor within the Sandman universe than I missed a glaring, obvious bit. Charles laughed. That is not a reaction of someone who believes the other person. He thought it was a joke. He thought Edwin was just making a reference, not actually confessing. And he keeps that up until Edwin says "Charles, I'm quite serious". Then his face turns serious as the realization of this being real sinks in.

And I am completely baffled. Awestruck. And based on referenced post above, I think we can conclude Charles genuinely thought Edwin was above that. Above feelings of the romantic kind.

Let's rewind. Edwin, who never showed any interest in anyone for over 30 years, who scoffed at the prospect of Charles liking Crystal. Charles didn't register it as romantic jealousy, because he didn't think Edwin could feel that.

I wonder if he heard of how Edwin died, of how they called him Mary Ann, and correctly clocked Edwin was gay. Maybe he assumed Edwin had forsaken romance completely due to trauma?

But-but the Cat King! Charles was jealous of the Cat King! And he clearly flirted with Edwin!

Yes, indeed. But Charles never sees that Edwin responds to it. Edwin's relegation of his attraction to the Cat King happens when Charles isn't around. Perhaps Charles subconsciously knows, hence his insistence for Edwin to tell him, but he isn't sure. He just knows he and Edwin made a deal and that Edwin is acting odd. Nothing else.

When Monty comes along, we can see Charles is jealous. And he doesn't seem surprised when he thinks Edwin is talking about liking Monty. "You could have told me you like him". Yet, we clearly see it bothers him, even if he doesn't directly protest.

Then it clicked for me. Is this not exactly how one would act if they thought they had no chance of someone liking them for years and then finding out they like someone else??

No wonder Charles can't say he is in love with him back while they are on the stairs! If we assume that on top of all his issues with his dad and growing up in the 80s, he assumed Edwin would never wish to return anyone's romantic feelings, including Charles, it would be so difficult to shift into a mindset where that is a possibility!

Neither of these idiots were ever truly vulnerable with each other! Charles doesn't have feelings for Edwin because he pushed any possibility away. Not to mention then liking Crystal and knowing that whole situation is not yet resolved. He must have been so confused. No wonder he needs time to unpack all that, after belief he held for decades had been shattered in such a short period of time

[painted-bees]

does each of them have an aspect you find hardest to portray, something you know to be true about them that doesn't find space often enough, things like that?

this is all amazing to read through btw, i've seen a lot of your art and have been meaning to catch up on the actual lore and what's going on (but, you know... life. always happening)

Tess, I just want to depict more in general. But she's what you call a "static" character [does not undergo character development but facilitates the development of other characters around her] and so my brain doesn't really insist on microwaving her nearly as much as it does with thr other two. Even though, in terms of aesthetic theming, she is the most interesting by far haha

For Raf, I microwave him the -most- and there are some really truly ugly aspects of his character that I am very soft on depicting because it is very easy to erode audience trust/empathy for a character like him. Even when I depict his struggles with his mental illness, we're only really see the battles he's able to win or overcome, and not the ones he loses--or is even completely unaware of. [Actually, we ARE seeing one such battle--but it hasn't been identified yet thanks to some unreliable narration hahaha] But I wish I had the balls--or finess--to depict his more unlikeable moments outside of the context of like...an ex or something where he has had time to look back on and reflect upon his behavior. Because he does have...more than his fair share of 'em. But I don't want that to be what he is to the reader.

For Margie, I feel like her struggles and interpersonal relationships play second fiddle to Rafs just because they're a lot more "mundane" and echo a lot of our own lived experiences, so I'm a little less inclined to go into big deep dives abt her because like...it's nothing new to most folks on this website. This website is FULL of people just like Margie. I think that's also why she's so popular on here. But she's got some really deep scars, too, that I'm only just finally starting to unpack properly--after leaving the clearly labled box out for so long wrt her haha So we'll be getting that soon enough.

Also with Margie, I would love to just kinda--show her relationships with her friends and family outside of Raf and Cortes, she actually HAS friends and such that she'll spend weekends and go on outings with!! I just haven't had the interest/motivation to depict any of that [because there are so many OTHER things that are more interesting to me that I'd rather spend the time writing and drawing abt wrt hi-note] haha but I genuinely wish I did.

[foggieststars]

what's the sitch with girl!george and alex in the virgin osc verse rn (idk if that's what we're calling it haha)- like is george just suffering through alex having a gf, is she involved with someone else..... i loved her in the girl!charles fic and must know more !!!

hi baby... people think girl oscar needs to be protected. girl george needs SO MUCH LOVE AND CARE !!!! im glad u like her too :) i'm planning a third instalment of the series with girl george and alex figuring their shit out - here's a little snippet <3

-

George is nearly asleep when her phone starts to ring. She gropes for it blindly, knocking her book off her bedside table in the process. 

Alex and her mum are the only ones allowed to bypass her do not disturb settings, and her money’s on the former. But still, even he knows not to ring her past ten, unless it’s a genuine emergency. 

“Alex?” she says, pressing the phone against her ear and slumping back down into bed. “You okay? ‘S late.” 

“I know, Georgie,” Alex says, his voice soft. “I’m sorry. Can I - are you back yet?” 

“Yeah,” George yawns, rolling over into the middle of her bed. “Got back a few hours ago.” After a gruelling few weeks spent in Brackley, pretending to be interested in whatever Toto’s child bride has to say, she’s exhausted down to her very bones. 

“Can I come over?” Alex asks. George tenses. Alex knows she doesn’t like having plans sprung on her. “Lily and I broke up,” he says, and something explodes in George’s chest. 

"Oh," George says stupidly. "Yeah - fuck, Alex, I'm sorry. Of course you can come over."

"That's good," Alex says. "Because I'm already in the lobby. I'll be up in two."

With that, Alex hangs up.

Oh, fucking hell. George jumps out of bed, previous exhaustion forgotten, examines the state of her room with a critical eye. Her belongings are scattered everywhere, a jumble of chargers on her bookshelf, laundry basket overflowing with dirty clothes.

She's usually extremely diligent about unpacking promptly once she gets home, but she'd just been so tired. Listening to everybody fawn over Kimi for two weeks had taken so much out of her, keeping a polite smile on her face at all times and never letting a hint of the disdain she feels show.

She shoves as much stuff as she can fit under her bed. She'll deal with it in the morning.

Then she catches a glimpse of her own reflection in the mirror, and nearly screams. Her hair's a tangled mess, there are actual craters under her eyes, and she hadn't bothered to remove her mascara before slumping into bed so she looks like a raccoon.

It's just Alex, George tells herself as she yanks a brush through her hair. What are you getting all in a tizzy for?

But George knows why, with every thump of her traitorous heart. The heart that beats only for one person, and has since she was fourteen, and Alex had begged off kissing her in a game of spin the bottle at a race.

She's like my sister, he'd protested, and George had felt it like a blow to the gut, and since that moment she's been lost.

There's a knock at her door and George's heart leaps in her chest, thump thump thump.

George scowls at herself in the mirror. Just because Alex and Lily have broken up doesn't mean anything. George hadn't mattered the last time Alex was single - not like that, anyways - and she won't matter now. Don't be so naive, she reminds herself, and goes to answer the door with a heavy heart.

[nilboxes]

I didn't know who to say this too but i was about to explode thinking about this and you are one of the few people in hsr fandom that i trust to understand ratio so my apologies to be dumping this on you all of a sudden but... I think Ratio's technique is so interesting in a way and speaks more about him than people give it credit for. Like...creating a fake version of himself that aggros the enemy is already very meta of how hsr fandom tends to see him, esp with the number of people that started hating him after that "betrayal" scene in 2.1 xD And it makes me wonder about his voiceline where he says something like "im fine with showing my true self if it helps me teach students/cures patients but i find that doing so is counterproductive most of the time"...wdym "true self" sir...and why are your character details completely devoid of any details from your own pov...and why do you get so evasive when anyone tries to ask about your past (going by that one interview when someone asked him what he was like as a child and he's just like "what a silly question, i was a normal boy")...it seems to me the princess is hiding something...

Thank you for your ask OP! It's really interesting to think about your question, and I'm humbled by your trust! I hope whatever I cook can satisfy you in some way. It's going to be a bit long!!

Let's start by saying I do operate under the belief that we know a lot about Dr Ratio and at the same time we only know what he wants us to know, which I find incredibly interesting to his character.

It can go many different ways. A lot of people use this mysteriousness to hint at the following:

1. something sinister (I am not necessarily saying you are doing this)

2. suggesting that he is more than who he is, like he may be more than who he presents to be (may or may not be evil in alignment but just more)

3. he really just thinks divulging further personal information about him is pointless and he values his privacy as an individual rather than a prominent figure

Let me now unpack the most wrongest [sic] take, number 1, which I find to be antithetical to his character, because Dr Ratio has always been aligned with doing good. He isn't your typical good person, but he is morally pushing for good (eradication of ignorance, people finding and reaching their potential etc), and he rather he reminds me of a very stern but nonetheless kind educator who genuinely demands good be brought into the world through one's aptitude and ability (just like himself) and not relying on others to solve problems for you

Number 2 is a little tricky, since we cannot really confirm nor deny that Ratio is no longer truly following Nous after he realizes he will never be acknowledged, he may be aligned to another Aeon or none entirely! I personally dislike the Mythus/Fictionologist take, because again it is antithetical to who he is as a character. Fictionologists will rewrite history and twists facts in order to create the possibility of uncovering more, but this is akin to something called accelerationism, which is in plain words to incite chaos (bad) in the slim chances that from the chaos a great good might emerge/ be produced/discovered etc, a practice and ideology I feel Dr Ratio as he is characterized now would be extremely against. Now I do subscribe to the fact that Dr Ratio may not be following an Aeon at all or we aren't privy to who they are yet, but this is a possibility that there is a facet to Dr Ratio we have not seen yet and will down the line so...

Number 3 is where I am at now, I really, genuinely think Dr Ratio just thinks of himself as some guy who was gifted with the equivalent of 8 genius brains but it isn't anything exceptional. From how he acts, he feels like some guy who had a rather normal childhood (if not really lonely, which I talk about in my twitter thread here) and grew up to be exceptional except in all the ways he wanted/was taught to want/thought he might want.

So I operate on several headcanons about Ratio just genuinely being so smart in a planet that is presumably the remnants of the civilization in the Laurel Wreath Galaxy where a Philosopher King/Philosopher Union was mentioned. This headcanon is heavily colored by this excellent theory a fellow fan made and I have to admit I can scarcely distinguish between mine and theirs while I turn him around in my brain so do give them/their thread a read too when you can, but I do also subscribe to how Ratio must have been exceptional in a civilization that prizes scholarship and enlightenment.

Knowing this, I presume he grew up with a lot of expectations placed upon him, particularly that of gaining the gaze or glance of Nous and ascending as a genius society member or more! That is a lot to place on an individual, especially someone like Ratio who is very much hinted to have grown up very fast due to his vast knowledge and while it's a stretch to say he was forced into growing up fast, because he def wasn't, he was nevertheless seemingly not really given much opportunities to be a child, as the push for him to start university very early could suggest that his aptitude and potential were so valued that it overridden any other needs he may have. If we wanted to ask about his childhood, he would have very dull things to say too, so to speak. I imagine it wasn't eventful at all, but filled with just studies.

Where am I going with this about his statues? They are called Mold of Idolatry! Idolatry meaning the extreme adoration or love of someone. That Dr Ratio makes the statues of himself never seems like the narcissistic sort, that would imply he holds himself in an extremely high regard to the detriment of others, but Dr Ratio isn't narcissistic, he would be a vastly different character if he was. The key to narcissism is that there is a great need, to the point of detriment, for admiration.

Now, look over to how Dr Ratio presents himself to us in his 1.6 quests. He wears his plaster head as not to be recognized by others, to remain incognito if you will, and is content to sit at the sidelines nudging things along in the background rather than swoop in and take the credit as the hero when Duke Inferno was trying to wreak havoc on the Space Station. His heroic deeds are never realized by the people he saved from being spaced, that is not an action of a narcissistic man who would gloat about saving other people. No, he sees his job is done and he walks away without fanfare, without even so much as seeking a thank you from the people he saved. That's one of the clearest and most well-thought of character introductions/demonstrations in the game and a solid proof that he isn't a narcissist (again self-centeredness is different!)

With that in mind, what does the statue imply?

Dr Ratio operates by redirecting attention not to himself so he can freely move in the background. That it looks like him in funny poses speaks to a silliness I feel he never really gets a chance to let loose too often, so his "art" is his outlet. That it directs enemies to attack that instead of him, I can't help but feel like there's a sense of "look at this 'image of me' others have built up, pour your love/expectations/wants/aspirations (and the extreme opposite of that maybe?) to that likeness of me instead, and let me be free from that to be who I could be without all of that baggage"

tl;dr -- it's not that deep but it is?? I feel like Ratio just wants to be left alone to do his thing and that's what the Mold of Idolatry represents.

I hope that satisfies you, anon! Thank you for your question, since I do have more insights to Dr Ratio now. I think I'll also find a way to condense this into a Twitter thread sometime.

[petruchio]

Caroline I’m moving too!! and also returning to the hunger games to procrastinate unpacking!!

Since we’re both here, can we talk about Madge? She’s sticking out to me on this read through.

Like it’s so charming that two very opposite people are such sweet quiet buddies. Like Katniss doesn’t think in terms of friends but that’s clearly what they are. And it’s so interesting that we don’t hear much of her after the games. She gives Katniss the pin, but is estranged from the Mockingjay she becomes.

Maybe I’m just forgetting her place in later books, but like? Is that anything? Like Madge is real, and the pin as a gift is real. It’s anchoring to Katniss in the Capitol to have her token.

But when it stops being her token from Madge, when she starts wearing it because she has to, it’s less real. It’s a symbol, not an anchor. And we don’t hear about Madge anymore.

Something something real or not real.

i think madge is SO interesting, and i think her presence adds a lot of layers to the commentary the book is making! i think it's annoying that she was written out of the movies, because while i get it, i think her character actually does a lot of heavy lifting in terms of what sc is trying to portray.

like, yes -- they are friends!!!! and it's super important that they're friends, even if katniss doesn't realize it, because it's one of the ways early on that we see katniss making genuine bonds that transcend her "assigned" social class. (this is a good time to return to my extended gale analysis, in which i always like to point out that one of the very first things that happens in the book is that he "takes a dig at madge" and katniss doesn't like it. she doesn't disagree with his IDEOLOGICAL opinion, but she does disagree with the way he directs it at individuals. and well... that will continue to be relevant!)

and the symbolism of the pin has been written about time and time again by everyone who loves thg, but i do actually think it's significant that it comes from madge -- someone for who the hunger games (and the other living d12 victor) are so deeply woven into her family history (re: maysilee, also omg i cant believe we're getting a new book soon but we can talk about that later) and the mockingjay being representative of these kinds of bonds that the capitol can't control. that is to say, katniss and madge's friendship is a "mockingjay" in its own way, the same way her and peeta's love story is -- it's a bond that transcends social class and goes against the divisions and divides that the capitol and the society thrives off claiming are innate. it's the same seam/town bond that we see with katniss and peeta, with mr. and mrs. everdeen, with haymitch and maysilee, and so here, even so early on, it's threaded into katniss and madge. so i DO think it's deeply significant that the pin comes from her -- that it represents this bond both as a symbol but also in the relationship itself.

also, on the topic of mockingjays and music, one of my favorite sort of throwaway lines that we get in catching fire is that madge tries to teach katniss piano after the first games. katniss says something like "mostly i just like listening to her play" but i think it's SO interesting that music plays a part in their bond as well, especially in context of the mockinjay pin, especially in context of the role of music throughout the series and the way it transcends social division. (hello mr. and mrs. everdeen! hi peeta! and ... oh wait... lucy gray??? is that you too??)

anyway, all that is to say i think madge is deeply woven into the mockingjay even as a symbol! her part in it is in symbolism of bonds that go beyond our assigned social classes! (though to your point, it is interesting that she dies when the mockingjay symbol ceases to be a sign of resistance by the oppressed and is co-opted by another authoritarian regime... but i don't have anything super insightful to say on that quite yet.)

[redcamellia13]

Mitsukou Analysis: Sacrifice of the Grim Reaper

Whew! Dang, I thought I would never finish with the Picture Perfect Arc, but, at last, I finished :D

(Applaud, please)

Anyways, we aren’t out of the woods yet. (By the way, major to minor spoilers for everything from the Picture Perfect to Nightlife Arc)

*sweats in anticipation of the Nightlife Arc*

Now, with that said, let’s analyze the heck out of nothing, starting… here:

Kou never says much about his problems. Honestly, I never really thought about this, but the more I look, the more I realize it’s true. A pretty interesting observation, and definitely useful for other analysis.

The second reason I inserted this pic- Mitsuba in the background. Why is Mitsuba watching Kou? Is this a regular occurrence?

If it isn’t, it’s quite interesting that it concedes with the return from the Picture Perfect Arc.

Hm. Mitsuba genuinely cares about Kou, and almost treats him as… a friend of sorts? He’s known Kou for all of a month, maybe two if we’re generous.

“Of course he’d have doubts…”. This is quite significant in the sense that we see Kou definitely doesn’t think highly of himself.

In these same panels, Mitsuba is trying to get Kou to talk to him, which is probably what he would want Kou to do to him in the same situation.

In my (not really trustworthy) opinion (seriously I’m not very good at this, please check out @thelunarfairy’s excellent theories/analysis instead :), Mitsuba is making an actual effort to become friends with Kou, despite actively avoiding him in After School.

I think this might actually be a new development in his character, although sub-consciously this has been a part of Kou’s inner monologue for a long time, most likely stemming from a sense of uselessness compared to his brother. We really dive into this idea later in the Far Shore Bound Arc.

At this point, Kou is sort of picturing Mitsuba as a little fragile, somebody he needs to tell little white lies to in order to preserve their well being.

Mitsuba is understandably angry at this, and asks Kou if he’s actually listening. Spoiler alert Mitsuba, he isn’t, and he ain’t gonna for a long time yet.

Also, it’s not surprising but still interesting to see Kou openly state his inner feelings, that Mitsuba is counting on him and only him.

Wow. Kou. Wanna… unpack that a bit? You “don’t wanna have any regrets”. Said while staring at Mitsuba. Gosh, Aidairo isn’t even being subtle now.

He probably regrets a number of things about his relationship with both Mit2ba and Mitsuba Sousuke, but the two most prominent is most likely not saving Mitsuba Sousuke, and not granting Mit2ba’s wish yet, his last ditch plan to set it right and make up for Mitsuba Sousuke’s second death.

Alright, and with that, we have Sacrifice of the Grim Reaper Arc all wrapped up for Mitsukou!

(By the way I made a fanfic: link below)

I’d really appreciate if you checked it out! :)

[narrative-of-it-all]

I keep thinking about S7.. the season was short and needed more time, but Eddie's arc was so interesting! I can't write up an elaborate meta post with everything right now, but my mind keeps coming back to how Marisol was such a good plot device. She's part of the vertigo hommage, as the nun. But other than that, she has no personality, no characteristics, yet Eddie is seemingly in a fully committed relationship with her, and asks her to move in. He doesn't know shit about her and prefers it that way!! She's not a real person to him.

It's perfectly illustrated when he starts to unpack and rummage through her moving boxes. He should already know those quirks and her history, but it is so hilarious and painful at the same time seeing him genuinely curious for the first time about this person who ironically now lives in his house. And literally takes the first thing that stirs up some doubt and discomfort (her past as a nun) and runs with it, makes it the scapegoat for his underlying emotions: he does not want to be intimate with that woman, he doesn't want to know her, he's rebelling against it. She's not supposed to be a real person, because then this perfectly curated picture of a concept, of this ideal of mother-wife he can emotionally disconnect from falls apart yet again! She's the culmination, the extreme version of Ana.

And I love that they end the arc with metaphorically killing Shannon and Kim for good, they are both ejected out of Eddies life by nun Marisol catching them, they've served their purpose.

[wordy-little-witch]

Hey I really LOVE you're Galactic Phoenix fic! Really cool! And I just love you're writing in general! I was wondering if you could possibly express an opinion on a ship I have made that you may or may not have heard of!

Sun x Taurus x Cetus....

Cetus being put to trial, Taurus wanting Cetus to do die yet he can't face the thought of his old courtship dying so he defends him, Cetus getting his powers taken away and having to live with the celestial fam, getting domesticated in the process and falling for Sun and Taurus...

Or Cetus flirting with Sun and teasing Taurus about it while Sun is in between them like "Why is this kinda hot...?".

Also the angst of Taurus hating the fact of Cetus being in the same house as Sun and Dazzle but yet still loving him and being in love with Sun.... Or that Taurus feels responsible for Cetus losing his arm which he chopped off during Cetus' betrayal...

(Cetus is the main villain and creator of NSP btw! And is a constellation of a sea serpent! Also me and my moot joke that his father is Poseidon since Poseidon created him to kill Princess Andromeda! And I imagine he's Taurus' ex)

Okay

1) THANK YOUUUUU ♡♡♡♡♡♡ my Angel Aura AU is one of my favorites to work on and I am shaking my Nursery!Sun aggressively (/affec)

2) I've seen that ship before!!!!!! And while a loooot of what I've seen is kinda vague-ish, I am so down. Sun deserves all the lovin', and honestly? I can see it.

Also it's kinda funny how the Celestials are just... becoming Astral Rehab. Oh, you need a pick-me-up? How do you feel about robots-?

I think Taurus would be pretty protective and conflicted, but while Sun has a... bad history with NSP in general ((smth that, I will add as an aside, they really don't touch on enough in Canon, and that has Potential-)) I think he'd also be pretty fascinated overall, too.

All in all, I think Sun, upon the introduction, would be WILDLY uncomfortable. There's a LOT of unpacked Issues regarding NSP that he's dealing with, and I think personally, he'd probably keep Dazzle as far from Cetus as possible. Aside from the Jack Situation, there's also Lunar's recent history, Razzle, and then Nexus. But I also think Sun considers himself to be the dumb one, but his anxiety gets worst when there's unknown components. So after the acclimation, I think he'd have... so many questions.

Imagine Taurus patiently answering everything he can, but some are either out of his own wheel house or even just too hard to explain. So he escorts Sun to Cetus himself.

Cue some passive aggressive flirting solely for the lolz. Smth along the times of "Oh, well color me surprised, Tau - I thought bringing me such a pretty gift would be beneath you~"

"He is no gift of yours; Sunrise is merely a bright mind seeking the truth. It would be in your best interest to offer it."

"Is that a threat, handsome? You know I enjoy a bit of rough play."

"It is a warning that he is under my direct protection. I am certain you recall just how acute my control can be, from personal experience. How is that arm treating you?"

"Oh, I'm not built to tolerate so much salt-"

Enter Sun immediately tilting his head, confused, as he pipes up, "But as a sea serpent, wouldn't salinity be where you thrive? Err- I-I mean-!"

And Cetus just blinks. "Ohh... I like you, silly one. Sunrise, was it? What queries have you in mind for me?"

Taurus is just seething with conflicting, Sun is glowing under the protective affection of a bull and the flirtatious attentions of a fish. Cetus is just happy for the entertainment for a spell.

Bonus points:

• NSP being, like all things, a genuinely GOOD tool in moderation. An overabundance of anything can be toxic, and there is meant to be balance. Cetus may have created NSP as we know it, but Rez and his group are propagating it in a way intrinsically poor to the nature of balance.

• think of them as like. Particles. We have protons, neutrons, and electrons. These make up atoms, which make up EVERYTHING in the known universe. You Need To Have Balance. While the USAGE of NSP is newly (comparatively) in effect, the energy itself has existed prior to it being an art or study.

• from the Nursery Sun Idea, imagine Nurseries being rich with both. Imagine them not differentiating because protecting the brood justifies the means to the end. Sun who doesn't use either SPECIFICALLY because he uses Just Raw Star Power. Sun being exactly what Cetus thought possible, proving a long held theory maybe.

• ((Nurseries, maybe, being damn near extinct for Stars would explain the split. NSP being so volatile would account for the vehement push to NOT USE IT EVER AT ALL THAT'S ILLEGAL-

But simultaneously, Nurseries are lost. Where they once existed in the hundreds of thousands, now they wither and wane. Sun is the youngest, the healthiest, and the newest. The NSP study and formation was done to recreate Nurseries synthetically. "Breaks eggs to make omlettes" type of shit. But it's damn near impossible to replicate bc the two types either react badly or the power is corrupted.))

• Cetus (Neg), Taurus (Pos), and Sun (Both) being a power throuple. UwU

Oh gosh I went on a tangent, sorryyyy. But yeah!!! I love the ship!!!!! Sun gets TWICE the kisses!!!!!!! Love giving that twinkled giant boyfriends!!!!!!!!