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makeila04 · 3 months ago

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Disclaimer: I've been thinking about this, and maybe it's just insight. Anyway, it's just an opinion and a way to organize my ideas and perhaps understand this better in the future.

I notice that many people want to see characters through their own modern agendas and values, which, well, you can do; it's your freedom. Especially when it comes to a character like Adler, who is mysterious, dry, and difficult to read. There's no clear answer, so everyone projects their ideas onto him. Again, I don't think it's wrong (and whether it is or not doesn't matter).

But realistically, Activision would never outright say that any of its characters are sexist or racist because it would be outrageous. So they leave a lot of things up to interpretation. Therefore, there will never be a definitive answer.

Does he treat women differently? It depends on how you look at it. Is he traditional? In some ways, yes, but in others, he's more pragmatic than ideological. Does he resent minorities? It doesn't seem like it, but it's not like the game focuses or will focus on that, because it's irrelevant to any Call of Duty.

Adler is a man of his time, yes, but he's also a CIA agent who works with anyone as long as it serves him. Russell Adler is, above all, pragmatic and professional.What bothers me is that many of the people who ask aren't really looking for an answer, they're looking for validation.

Besides, there's a pattern in all these questions they ask me: they want me to confirm or deny a suspicion they already have. 1- Some want you to confirm that Adler is a misogynist. Because they need to see him as the "bad guy" who treats women differently or is more closed-minded. 2- Others want you to confirm that Adler is NOT a misogynist. Because they admire him and want to see him as a fair and modern guy. 3- Some just want to understand him better. Because the game doesn't give enough context about how he sees the world, and you're one of the people who has analyzed his character the most. I honestly love the third type of questions, and they're the ones I answer the most, or because they're repetitive. But I do get questions of the first and second types. They ask, but they're not really looking for an answer; they're looking for validation. They want you to confirm what they already think, and if I don't, they ignore me or keep insisting.

The problem is that I really try to analyze. I seek to understand the context, their generation, their environment, and how that influences their personality. But there are people who don't want an analysis; they want me to prove them right. The problem is… I don't have it and probably never will, and if anyone is looking for validation in my opinions or hypotheses, I recommend they look elsewhere.Adler, Weaver, Woods, Hudson, Mason, etc. are men of their time, practical-minded and unattached to ideologies. There's no clear evidence of misogyny, racism, or whatever, in the game, just their dry, work-focused demeanor because we always see them working, because that's what these games are always about: wars.

I repeat, we always see him working, and Adler is VERY professional and, above all, pragmatic, but he was born in 1937, in San Diego, California, USA!! I have to remind you that he and other white people did NOT go to the same places, schools, they couldn't use the same bathrooms, white people and black people, and they couldn't ride in the same train cars either!?!?!?! Adler was only 30 years old in the late 60s… And things were just starting to change from 1990 onwards… and in 1991 he was already 54 years old. I don't see his mentality changing that much… And I repeat, this is Activision, they're looking to sell, so they're never going to tell us that Adler openly hates Marshall or Sims for being black, or Weaver for being Soviet, when Adler joined the army at 18 and went to Vietnam in his 20s…

The historical and social context in which Adler, or any of his contemporaries, grew up cannot be ignored.

A man like Russell, born in 1937 in the United States, especially in an environment like San Diego, was inevitably raised in a society with strong racial and cultural segregations.

While Adler is a pragmatist at work and doesn't seem to overtly express prejudices in what we see in the games, that doesn't mean he doesn't harbor them on a deeper or more unconscious level. It's also important to remember that he spent his entire life in militarized environments, and the US military of his time had a culture that not only reflected the nation's social prejudices, but in many cases reinforced them.The fact that we don't see Adler openly expressing contempt or discrimination on screen doesn't mean there isn't some of that in his psyche. Activision simply wouldn't show it because it wouldn't sell well today. But considering his age, background, and the time he grew up in, it stands to reason that even if he doesn't openly hate someone because of their race or nationality, he might still have certain deep-rooted biases or prejudices.

There's also the issue of anti-Sovietism. Adler literally joined the army at the height of the Cold War and spent his life fighting both Soviets and communists. His contempt for the Russians is probably as strong as Mason's at the beginning of Black Ops 1. With Weaver, there may be some pragmatism and professional respect, but I doubt that will completely erase their negative perception of him for being Soviet.

In fact, recall that in Black Ops 1, with Mason and Woods, we hear many soldiers distrust Weaver for being Soviet, while they frown upon Mason, Woods, and Hudson for associating with Greg…precisely because he is Soviet. This is proof that the Cold War profoundly shaped the mindset of Adler and the American soldiers of his generation. In Black Ops 1, it's made clear that even within the CIA and the military, distrust of the Soviets was visceral, to the point that even Weaver, who was on their side, was still viewed with suspicion simply because of his origins. This reinforces the idea that Adler is not a "modern man" in terms of mindset. He's neither politically correct nor progressive. His upbringing and life experience made him extremely pragmatic, nationalistic, and distrustful of anything that didn't fit his worldview. If this is how Weaver, a loyal CIA agent, was treated, how would Adler treat someone he considered "outside" his inner circle? He wouldn't say it out loud because he's a professional, but the suspicion would always be there. Now, was Adler someone who openly hated minorities? Probably not in the sense of going out to lynch someone or joining the Ku Klux Klan, but it would be naive to think he didn't have deep-rooted racial prejudices. Most likely, like many men of his time, he suffered from pragmatic and structural racism: 1- Not immediately respecting a Black man unless he proved exceptionally competent. 2- Assuming Latinos and Asians were inferior in terms of skill or intelligence. 3- Considering Russians not just as enemies, but as fundamentally untrustworthy. This wouldn't make him a monster by the standards of his time; he'd simply be an average man of his generation, the Silent Generation.For example, in the CIA, Adler joined the Army at 18, meaning he spent most of his adult life in a hypermasculine, hierarchical, and deeply conservative environment. The U.S. Army wasn't racially integrated until 1948, when Truman signed Executive Order 9981. However, the integration wasn't instantaneous or welcomed by all. White soldiers, especially those from the South, didn't want to fight alongside Black men. When Adler joined the army in the 1950s, there was still strong resistance to this integration. It wasn't unusual for Black troops to be treated as inferiors, assigned to less prestigious duties, and forced to endure daily humiliation. Did Adler learn to see Black people as equals? Probably not. What he did learn was to work with them if they were useful.

This is where pragmatism and professionalism comes in. For Adler, efficiency and results trump any ideology. If a Black man or a Russian is capable, then he can work with them. But that doesn't mean he sees them as personal equals or invites them into his home for whiskey. For Adler, loyalty is more important than race, but that doesn't mean his upbringing and times haven't shaped him. Just because he works with Sims or Marshall doesn't mean he doesn't harbor certain prejudices deep down. He simply ignores them because they are competent soldiers. But if Sims did something to challenge that, Adler would probably think, "Of course, they're all the same in the end." I wouldn't say it out loud, but that bias would be there.

The same applies to Grigori Weaver. Although Weaver is more American, by 1991, Adler will never stop seeing him as Russian. And for a man who lived through the Cold War fighting against the USSR, that's a problem. The Russians are the enemy, and Adler has killed too many to easily make exceptions. Could his mindset have changed over the years?The answer is: unlikely. Adler was born in 1937 and was 54 years old in 1991. By the standards of his generation, he was already an elderly man. And while some people change over time, beliefs formed in youth are incredibly difficult to eradicate. If Adler were a young man in the 1990s, we might think he would have evolved his view of the world. But by 1991, the world had already changed, and he was already a fifty-something war veteran with scars both physical and mental. Why would he change his worldview at this point? More importantly, he doesn't seem like the kind of man who cares about political correctness or adapting.He's not a man who adapts to new trends. He lives in a world of covert operations, assassinations, and dirty wars. For him, everything still works by the same old rules: force, strategy, and manipulation. So if anyone expected Adler to be completely free of racial or anti-Soviet prejudices in 1991, they'd be delusional. He most likely hides them better, rationalizes them, or masks them with pragmatism. But in his mind, racial and national hierarchies still exist. Russell Adler is neither a saint nor a secret progressive. He's a product of his time, shaped by a world where racial discrimination and anti-communist paranoia were the norm. Activision will never admit this because it would be a public relations disaster, but if you analyze the context in which he lived, it's illogical to think of him as a man without biases or prejudices. And most importantly, he had no reason to change his mind. By the time times changed in the 1990s, Adler was already at a stage in his life where cultural shifts didn't matter to him. For him, the world continued to operate the same way it always had: with power, loyalty, and death. Activision gives us a watered-down, marketable version of Adler. But if we analyze it honestly, he's a man of the Cold War, not of the modern era. And I personally hate judging the mentality of the past with modern mentality and values, because that's something I was always taught in history not to do, because it violates the historical context of why people acted one way before and another way now. Continuing with the historical context to better understand what I'm talking about: Russell Adler was born in 1937, in San Diego, California, a place and time where racial segregation and anti-communist paranoia weren't extreme ideologies, but rather the common sense of American society. To understand his mindset, one must look not only at the history of his country, but also at the generation to which he belongs: the Silent Generation (1928-1945). Unlike the Baby Boomers, who grew up in times of social change and revolution, the Silent Generation was raised to respect authority, order, and hierarchies. Growing up during the Great Depression and World War II, they learned that the world is harsh, that rules must be followed to survive, and that questioning the system is not an option. In the mindset of this generation, extreme individualism and self-construction were alien ideas; what mattered was stability, duty, and tradition. This means that Adler not only grew up in a segregated United States but was also raised with deeply conservative and authoritarian values, probably. For him, the world has fixed structures, and those who try to change them are a problem. Adler grew up in a society where Black, Latino, Asian, and Native Americans were second-class citizens. He didn't need to be a white supremacist to believe white people were on top; the world simply told him that's the way things were. This doesn't mean Adler actively hated other races, but it does mean that their respect didn't come by default.

And this is where his pragmatism comes in. The Silent Generation is known for its "duty first, feelings second" mentality, and Adler isn't going to refuse to work with someone just because of their race or nationality… as long as that person is useful.He would never say this out loud, because Adler isn't stupid. But deep down, the idea of white superiority was ingrained as a silent certainty. Adler enlisted in the army at 18, right in the 1950s, a time when the US military was just beginning its racial integration following Truman's 1948 order. But just because a law says something doesn't mean the culture changes overnight. Black soldiers were still treated as inferiors, assigned to less prestigious duties, and southern whites openly refused to fight alongside them. Adler grew up within this military structure, where Black people could be soldiers, yes, but always with a suspicion of their abilities. The same goes for the Russians. In Black Ops 1, American soldiers despise Weaver simply because he's Soviet, even though he's working for the CIA. If this was true of Weaver, how would Adler view the Soviets in general? As the absolute enemy. He can work with them if necessary, but his instinct is distrust and hostility. Let's remember that in Black Ops Cold War we literally infiltrated a Soviet headquarters and Adler doesn't trust Dimitri Belikov, but he knows that he doesn't.

He has no choice. And not to mention that he kills Bell at the end of the game for being a loose end; he was just an asset, someone valuable for his Russian, just like Weaver. Except Greg is still alive because he lasted longer.

And let's not forget that Adler wasn't just a soldier, but a CIA agent specializing in assassinations and covert operations. His job wasn't to be open-minded or question the morality of his actions. His mission was to do whatever was necessary for the security of the United States. He literally kills and silences people.

The Silents are an extremely rigid generation. They were raised with the idea that the world works in a specific way and that trying to change it is either futile or dangerous. When we arrive at Black Ops 6 in 1991, Adler is 54 years old. For young people in the 90s, the world was already changing: 1- Racism was no longer socially accepted in the same way. 2- The USSR was collapsing. 3- New generations were beginning to see things differently. But for Adler, none of this mattered. For him, the world still operates under the same old rules: power, loyalty, and betrayal. Just because the world changes doesn't mean he has. Older people don't usually change deeply held beliefs formed in their youth, much less someone as stubborn as Adler. Activision will never show us this side of him because it would be scandalous, but if we analyze it logically, it's impossible for Adler not to have structural prejudices. Not because he's a monster (although he is), but because he's a man of his time, and his time was different. Russell Adler isn't a hero of modern times. He's a man shaped by the Cold War, segregation, nationalism, and a mindset where loyalty and competition were more important than anything else.Was he an open racist? No. Did he have deep-rooted prejudices? Absolutely. It's a mistake to analyze Adler, Woods, Mason, Hudson, Weaver, or whoever else with a 21st-century mindset. He's a product of his time and his generation, and his world was never ours. Finally, my biggest question: Why would Activision never show these things? Well, because it's NOT in their interest (they're a company, they just want to sell and reach the widest possible audience), and because this is never what Call of Duty was about.

If there's one thing the major video game companies AVOID AT ALL COSTS, it's admitting that their main characters have political or social positions that would be considered problematic today. In the case of Call of Duty, where the protagonists are war-hardened soldiers, it's obvious that the vast majority—especially those born between the 1930s and 1950s—have a conservative, sexist, and nationalist mindset. Not because they're villains, but because that was the norm of their time and environment. But Activision would never say this openly. 1- Because they can't alienate their modern audience Call of Duty is one of the best-selling franchises in the world. Its audience isn't just older people who grew up in the 80s and 90s, but also teenagers and young adults living in an era where sexism, racism, and extreme ideologies are sensitive topics. If Activision were to confirm that characters like Adler, Woods, or Hudson were misogynistic, sexist, or reactionary, there would immediately be controversy on social media, in the media, and in communities. Nowadays, big companies are afraid of damaging their image and losing sales. They prefer to keep their characters neutral or ambiguous in terms of politics and values, so anyone can interpret them however they want. If they said Adler was sexist, they would lose the interest of many young or progressive gamers. If they said Adler was a feminist or progressive, they would lose other gamers who see him as a "tough, classic hero." Activision's Solution: Don't confirm anything and let the public make their own interpretations. What a coincidence, that's what we're doing here. 2- Because the military and the CIA are the "good guys" in their narrative Activision has a close relationship with the US military and other government agencies. The image Call of Duty projects is patriotic and pro-military, because that sells well in the US and other markets. Admitting that its most iconic characters were openly sexist, racist, or misogynistic would put the military in a bad light. For example: - If they said Hudson treated women in the CIA with contempt, or that Woods disrespected female soldiers, the military's image would suffer. - If they confirmed that Mason was politically right-wing or an extreme nationalist, they would create unnecessary controversy. Personally, I think that if someone still thinks the CIA is good, it's either because they're American (even so, many Yankees hate the CIA) or because they're simply ignorant. We have the famous Condor Plan in America, the MK-ultra disaster, and in general the impunity with which they've always operated. Activision is not going to shoot itself in the foot with the narrative. This is still pro-American propaganda in a way, except we always knew that from the start (personally, it doesn't bother me). But we also can't ignore the real facts, or at least I can't, because, as I say, I like to do extensive analysis. Activision's Solution: - Show the characters as "professional" and neutral. - Have them work with women and minorities to give the impression they were men ahead of their time. 3- Because their characters should be "cool" to everyone. Call of Duty protagonists aren't super-deep characters with complex development. They're power fantasies. Most players don't want to control a character with controversial ideologies. They want tough, mysterious, and combat-efficient guys. Otherwise, you'll end up like Concord… and Activision wants to avoid the same thing with its golden goose.

Example: - If they said Woods has sexist attitudes because he grew up in the 40s and served in Vietnam, many fans would stop seeing him as "the cool, tough guy" and start criticizing him. (Although in Black Ops 2 he literally calls a woman "fucking nurse" at the end of the game, but hey, he'll be 95 by 2025.) - If they confirmed that Adler had an ultra-conservative view on the role of women in society, he would lose some of his appeal for many players. Activision's Solution: - Ignore the issue entirely. - If a woman appears, have the protagonists simply respect her (e.g., Park, Dumas). - Don't delve into their political or social opinions.4- Because avoiding controversy = more sales.Video game companies don't have ideologies; they just want to make money, and I can tell you that's literally what I study. If Activision confirmed that its characters have reactionary, conservative, or sexist values, they would get in trouble with the press, players, and social media.

Example of how people would react: - If they said Adler is a misogynist: "Are you seriously glorifying a character who mistreats women? How disgusting."

- If they said Adler is a feminist: "They blew it. Now they want to make it seem like Cold War tough guys were woke. How ridiculous." If neither option works for them, it's easier to just say nothing.

Activision's solution: - Leave everything up to the player's interpretation. - If asked, say generic phrases like: "Adler respects competition regardless of gender." - Avoid any in-game dialogue that makes it sound too extreme in any direction. 5- Most importantly: Because the story of Call of Duty isn't about morality, it's about action. If Call of Duty were an RPG series with deep moral decisions, then they would have to explore machismo, racism, and classism within the military. But Call of Duty is a series of shooters and military missions. Its story isn't designed to question the morals of its characters, but to make the missions feel epic. In Cold War, Adler kidnaps and manipulates Bell in a way that, in any other game, would make him look like a villain. But the game doesn't condemn them or present them as "bad guys," because the point isn't to analyze their ethics, but to show shocking scenes. If this happens with torture, why would they explore the machismo or conservatism of the characters? They wouldn't, because that's not the focus of the game. Keep the story focused on the action and the war, not on the characters' morals. Don't make the player question their actions too much. Avoid dialogue that shows extreme positions. Keep only conversations that provide context. Conclusion: Call of Duty is a military fantasy, not a social analysis Adler, Woods, Mason, Hudson, and Weaver were raised in deeply conservative, nationalist, and sexist environments. If they existed in real life, it's logical to think they would have the prejudices of their time.

But Activision will never openly admit it because:- They can't risk alienating their modern audience. - They don't want the military or the CIA to look bad. - Their characters must remain "cool" and appealing. - Avoiding controversy always means more sales. Call of Duty is a shooter, not an exploration of morality. In short, the Call of Duty characters were probably sexist, conservative, and prejudiced, but the game will never show it because it's not convenient. They prefer to keep them ambiguous and functional, so that each player can interpret them as they wish.

Disclaimer: He estado pensando en esto y tal vez solo sea perspicacia. Como sea es solo una opinión y una forma de acomodarme las ideas y quizas entender esto mejor en un futuro.

Noto que muchos quieren ver a los personajes a través de sus propias agendas y valores modernos, lo cual, pues, puedes hacerlo, es tu libertad.

Especialmente cuando se trata de un personaje como Adler, que es misterioso, seco y difícil de leer. No hay una respuesta clara, así que todo el mundo proyecta sus ideas en él, repito, no creo que esté mal (y si lo es o no tampoco importa).

Pero siendo realistas, Activision nunca diría abiertamente que ninguno de sus personajes es machista o racista porque sería un escándalo. Así que dejan muchas cosas a la interpretación. Ergo, nunca habrá respuesta definitiva.

¿Trata diferente a las mujeres? Depende de cómo lo mires. ¿Es tradicional? En algunos aspectos sí, pero en otros es más pragmático que ideológico. ¿Le molestan las minorías? No parece, pero tampoco es que el juego se enfoque o se vaya a enfocar en eso, porque es irrelevante para cualquier call of duty.

Adler es un hombre de su época, sí, pero también es un agente de la CIA que trabaja con quien sea mientras le sirva. Russell Adler es ante todo pragmatico y profesional.

Si me molesta que muchos de los que preguntan, en realidad no buscan una respuesta, buscan validación.

Además, hay un patrón en todas esas preguntas que me hacen: quieren que confirme o niegue una sospecha que ya tienen.

Algunos quieren que confirmes que Adler es misógino. Porque necesitan verlo como el "hombre malo" que trata diferente a las mujeres o que tiene una mentalidad más cerrada.

Otros quieren que confirmes que Adler NO es misógino. Porque lo admiran y quieren verlo como un tipo justo y moderno.

Algunos solo buscan entenderlo mejor. Porque el juego no da suficiente contexto sobre cómo ve el mundo, y tú eres una de las personas que más ha analizado su personaje.

Honestamente amo las preguntas del tercer tipo y son las que más respondo o porque se repiten, pero si me llegan preguntas más del primer y segundo tipo. Preguntan, pero en realidad no buscan una respuesta, buscan validación. Quieren que les confirmes lo que ya piensan, y si no lo hago, ignoran o siguen insistiendo.

El problema es que yo realmente intento analizar. Busco entender el contexto, su generación, su entorno y cómo eso influye en su personalidad. Pero hay gente que no quiere un análisis, quiere que les de la razón. El problema es que…no la tengo y probablemente jamás la tendré y si alguien busca validación en mis opiniones o hipótesis le recomiendo buscarlo en otro lado.

Adler, Weaver, Woods, Hudson, Mason, etc. son hombres de su época, con mentalidad práctica y sin apego a ideologías. No hay evidencia clara de misoginia, racismo o lo que quieran, en el juego, solo su actitud seca y centrada en el trabajo porque los vemos trabajando siempre, porque siempre se tratan de eso estos juegos, guerras.

Repito, siempre lo vemos trabajando y Adler es MUY profesional y por sobre todo pragmático, pero nació en 1937, en San Diego, California, ESTADOS UNIDOSS!! tengo que recordarles que él y los demás blancos NO iban a los mismos lugares, escuelas, no podían utilizar los mismos baños los blancos que los negros y tampoco podían ir en los mismos vagones!?!?!?! Adler recién tiene 30 años para finales de los 60s... Y apenas cuando las cosas iban cambiando fue 1990 en adelante... y él en 1991 ya tiene 54 años. No lo veo cambiando tanto la mentalidad... Y repito, esto es Activision, buscan vender, asi que nunca nos van a decir que Adler odia abiertamente a Marshall o Sims por ser negros o a Weaver por ser sovietico cuando Adler se metió al ejercito con 18 años y fue a Vietnam en sus 20s…

El contexto histórico y social en el que Adler, o cualquier otro de sus compañeros coetaneos, creció no puede ignorarse.

Un hombre blanco, como Russell, nacido en 1937 en Estados Unidos, especialmente en un entorno como el de San Diego, inevitablemente fue criado en una sociedad con fuertes segregaciones raciales y culturales.

Si bien Adler es un pragmático en el trabajo y no parece expresar prejuicios de forma abierta en lo que vemos en los juegos, eso no significa que no los tenga en un nivel más profundo o inconsciente. También hay que recordar que pasó toda su vida en ambientes militarizados, y el ejército estadounidense de su época tenía una cultura que no solo reflejaba los prejuicios sociales de la nación, sino que en muchos casos los reforzaba.

El hecho de que no veamos a Adler expresando abiertamente desprecio o discriminación en pantalla no significa que no haya algo de eso en su psique. Simplemente, Activision no lo mostraría porque no es algo que vendería bien en la actualidad. Pero considerando su edad, formación y el tiempo en el que creció, lo más lógico sería que, incluso si no odia abiertamente a alguien por su raza o nacionalidad, sí tenga ciertos sesgos o prejuicios profundamente arraigados.

También está el tema del antisovietismo. Adler literalmente se enlistó en el ejército cuando la Guerra Fría estaba en su apogeo y pasó su vida luchando contra soviéticos y comunistas. Su desprecio por los rusos probablemente es tan fuerte como el que Mason tenía al inicio de Black Ops 1. Con Weaver puede haber algo de pragmatismo y respeto profesional, pero dudo que eso elimine por completo su percepción negativa hacia él por ser soviético.

De hecho, recordemos que en Black ops 1, con Mason y Woods, escuchamos a muchos soldados desconfiar de Weaver por ser sovietico, mientras miran mal a Mason, Woods y Hudson por relacionarse con Greg...justamente por ser sovietico.

Es una prueba de que la Guerra Fría moldeó profundamente la mentalidad de Adler y los soldados estadounidenses de su generación. En Black Ops 1, se deja claro que incluso dentro de la CIA y el ejército, la desconfianza hacia los soviéticos era visceral, al punto de que incluso Weaver, que estaba de su lado, seguía siendo visto con recelo solo por su origen.

Esto refuerza la idea de que Adler no es un "hombre moderno" en términos de mentalidad. No es políticamente correcto ni progresista. Su formación y su experiencia de vida lo hicieron extremadamente pragmático, nacionalista y desconfiado de todo lo que no encajara en su visión del mundo.

Si así trataban a Weaver, que era un agente leal a la CIA, ¿cómo trataría Adler a alguien que él considere "externo" a su círculo de confianza? No lo diría en voz alta porque es un profesional, pero la sospecha siempre estaría ahí.

Ahora bien, ¿era Adler alguien que odiaba abiertamente a las minorías? Probablemente no en el sentido de salir a linchar a alguien o afiliarse al Ku Klux Klan, pero sería ingenuo pensar que no tenía prejuicios raciales arraigados. Lo más probable es que, como muchos hombres de su época, tuviera un racismo de tipo pragmático y estructural:

No respetar de entrada a un hombre negro a menos que demostrara ser excepcionalmente competente.

Asumir que los latinos y asiáticos eran inferiores en términos de habilidades o inteligencia.

Considerar a los rusos no solo como enemigos, sino como seres fundamentalmente indignos de confianza.

Esto no lo haría un monstruo según los estándares de su tiempo; simplemente sería un hombre promedio de su generación, la generación silenciosa.

Por ejemplo en la CIA, cuando Adler se unió al ejército a los 18 años, lo que significa que pasó la mayor parte de su vida adulta en un entorno hipermasculino, jerárquico y profundamente conservador. El ejército de EE.UU. no fue integrado racialmente hasta 1948, cuando Truman firmó la orden ejecutiva 9981. Sin embargo, la integración no fue instantánea ni bien recibida por todos. Los soldados blancos, especialmente los que venían del sur, no querían pelear al lado de negros.

Cuando Adler llegó al ejército en los años 50, todavía existía una fuerte resistencia a esta integración. No era inusual que las tropas negras fueran tratadas como inferiores, asignadas a tareas de menor prestigio y obligadas a soportar humillaciones diarias. ¿Aprendió Adler a ver a los negros como iguales? Probablemente no. Lo que sí aprendió fue a trabajar con ellos si eran útiles.

Aquí es donde entra el pragmatismo. Para Adler, la eficiencia y los resultados están por encima de cualquier ideología. Si un hombre negro o un ruso es capaz, entonces puede trabajar con él. Pero eso no significa que los vea como iguales en términos personales o que los invite a su casa a beber whisky. Para Adler, la lealtad es más importante que la raza, pero eso no significa que su crianza y su época no lo hayan marcado.

El hecho de que trabaje con Sims o Marshall no significa que en su fuero interno no tenga ciertos prejuicios. Simplemente los ignora porque son soldados competentes. Pero si Sims hiciera algo que lo pusiera en duda, Adler probablemente pensaría: “Claro, al final todos son iguales”. No lo diría en voz alta, pero ese sesgo estaría ahí.

Lo mismo aplica a Grigori Weaver. Aunque Weaver es más estadounidense, para 1991, Adler nunca va a dejar de verlo como ruso. Y para un hombre que vivió la Guerra Fría peleando contra la URSS, eso es un problema. Los rusos son el enemigo, y Adler ha matado a demasiados como para hacer excepciones con facilidad.

¿Podría haber cambiado su mentalidad con los años?

La respuesta es: poco probable. Adler nació en 1937 y tenía 54 años en 1991. Para los estándares de su generación, ya era un hombre mayor. Y aunque algunas personas cambian con el tiempo, las creencias formadas en la juventud son increíblemente difíciles de erradicar.

Si Adler fuera un hombre joven en los 90s, quizás podríamos pensar que habría evolucionado su forma de ver el mundo. Pero en 1991, el mundo ya había cambiado, y él ya era un veterano de guerra cincuentón con cicatrices tanto físicas como mentales. ¿Por qué cambiaría su visión del mundo a esas alturas?

Más importante aún, no parece el tipo de hombre que se preocupe por lo políticamente correcto o por adaptarse a las nuevas tendencias. Él vive en un mundo de operaciones encubiertas, asesinatos y guerra sucia. Para él, todo sigue funcionando bajo las mismas reglas de siempre: fuerza, estrategia y manipulación.

Así que si alguien esperara que en 1991 Adler estuviera completamente libre de prejuicios raciales o antisoviéticos, se estaría engañando. Lo más probable es que los oculte mejor, que los racionalice o que los enmascare con pragmatismo. Pero en su mente, las jerarquías raciales y nacionales siguen existiendo.

Russell Adler no es un santo ni un progresista secreto. Es un producto de su época, moldeado por un mundo donde la discriminación racial y la paranoia anticomunista eran la norma. Activision nunca va a admitir esto porque sería un desastre de relaciones públicas, pero si analizamos el contexto en el que vivió, es ilógico pensar que sea un hombre sin sesgos o prejuicios.

Y lo más importante: no tenía razones para cambiar su mentalidad. Para cuando los tiempos cambiaron en los 90s, Adler ya estaba en una etapa de su vida donde los cambios culturales lo tenían sin cuidado. Para él, el mundo seguía funcionando igual que siempre: con poder, lealtad y muerte.

Activision nos da una versión diluida y vendible de Adler. Pero si lo analizamos con honestidad, él es un hombre de la Guerra Fría, no de la era moderna. Y personalmente odio que se juzgue la mentalidad del pasado con mentalidad y valores modernos, porque es algo que en historia siempre me enseñaron que NO se debe hacer, porque es atropellar el contexto histórico del por qué se actuaba de una forma antes y ahora de otra.

Continuando con el contexto historico para comprender mejor a lo que me refiero:

Russell Adler nació en 1937, en San Diego, California, un lugar y una época donde la segregación racial y la paranoia anticomunista no eran ideologías extremas, sino el sentido común de la sociedad estadounidense blanca. Para comprender su mentalidad, no solo hay que mirar la historia de su país, sino también la generación a la que pertenece: la Silent Generation (1928-1945).

A diferencia de los Baby Boomers, que crecieron en tiempos de cambio y revolución social, la Silent Generation fue criada para respetar la autoridad, el orden y las jerarquías. Fueron niños durante la Gran Depresión y la Segunda Guerra Mundial, y aprendieron que el mundo es duro, que hay que seguir las reglas para sobrevivir y que cuestionar el sistema no es una opción. En la mentalidad de esta generación, el individualismo extremo y la autoconstrucción eran ideas ajenas; lo importante era la estabilidad, el deber y la tradición.

Esto significa que Adler no solo creció en un EE.UU. segregado, sino que también fue criado bajo valores profundamente conservadores y autoritarios. Para él, el mundo tiene estructuras fijas, y quienes intentan cambiarlas son un problema.

Adler creció en una sociedad donde los negros, latinos, asiáticos y nativos americanos eran ciudadanos de segunda clase. No necesitaba ser un supremacista blanco para creer que los blancos estaban en la cima; simplemente, el mundo le decía que así eran las cosas.

Esto no significa que Adler odiara activamente a otras razas, pero sí que su respeto no venía por defecto.

Un hombre negro tenía que demostrar ser excepcionalmente competente para ganar su confianza.

Los latinos y asiáticos eran vistos como inferiores en términos de habilidades o inteligencia.

Los rusos no eran solo enemigos políticos, sino seres fundamentalmente indignos de confianza.

Y aquí es donde entra su pragmatismo. La Silent Generation es conocida por su mentalidad de “el deber primero, los sentimientos después”, y Adler no va a rechazar trabajar con alguien solo por su raza o nacionalidad… siempre y cuando esa persona sea útil.

Nunca lo diría en voz alta, porque Adler no es estúpido. Pero en su fuero interno, la idea de la superioridad blanca estaba instalada como una certeza silenciosa.

Adler se enlistó en el ejército a los 18 años, justo en los años 50, una época donde el ejército estadounidense apenas estaba comenzando su integración racial tras la orden de Truman en 1948. Pero que una ley diga algo no significa que la cultura cambie de la noche a la mañana.

Los soldados negros seguían siendo tratados como inferiores, asignados a tareas de menor prestigio, y los blancos del sur abiertamente se negaban a pelear junto a ellos.

Adler creció dentro de esta estructura militar, donde los negros podían ser soldados, sí, pero siempre con una sospecha sobre sus capacidades. Lo mismo con los rusos. En Black Ops 1, los soldados estadounidenses desprecian a Weaver simplemente porque es soviético, aunque esté trabajando para la CIA.

Si esto pasaba con Weaver, ¿cómo vería Adler a los soviéticos en general? Como el enemigo absoluto. Puede trabajar con ellos si es necesario, pero su instinto es la desconfianza y la hostilidad. Recordemos que en Black ops cold war literalmente nos infiltramos en una sede soviética y Adler no confía en Dimitri Belikov, pero sabe que no le queda de otra. Y ni mencionar que mata a Bell al final del juego por ser un cabo suelto, era solo un activo, alguien valioso por su ruso, así como Weaver. Solo que Greg sigue vivo porque duró más tiempo.

Y no olvidemos que Adler no solo fue un soldado, sino un agente de la CIA especializado en asesinatos y operaciones encubiertas. Su trabajo no era ser abierto de mente ni cuestionar la moralidad de sus actos. Su misión era hacer lo que se necesitara para la seguridad de EE.UU. Literalmente se dedica a asesinar y silenciar personas.

Los Silent son una generación extremadamente rígida. Fueron criados en la idea de que el mundo funciona de una forma específica y que tratar de cambiarlo es inútil o peligroso.

Cuando llegamos a Black Ops 6 en 1991, Adler tiene 54 años. Para la gente joven de los 90, el mundo ya estaba cambiando:

El racismo ya no era socialmente aceptado de la misma manera.

La URSS estaba colapsando.

Las nuevas generaciones comenzaban a ver las cosas de otro modo.

Pero para Adler, nada de esto importaba. Para él, el mundo sigue funcionando bajo las mismas reglas de siempre: poder, lealtad y traición.

El hecho de que el mundo cambie no significa que él haya cambiado. Las personas mayores no suelen modificar creencias profundas formadas en su juventud, y mucho menos alguien tan testarudo como Adler.

Activision nunca va a mostrarnos esta faceta de él porque sería un escándalo, pero si lo analizamos con lógica, es imposible que Adler no tenga prejuicios estructurales. No porque sea un monstruo (aunque lo es), sino porque es un hombre de su tiempo, y su tiempo era otro.

Russell Adler no es un héroe de los tiempos actuales. Es un hombre moldeado por la Guerra Fría, la segregación, el nacionalismo y una mentalidad donde la lealtad y la competencia eran más importantes que cualquier otra cosa.

¿Era un racista abierto? No. ¿Tenía prejuicios profundamente arraigados? Absolutamente.

Es un error analizar a Adler, Woods, Mason, Hudson, Weaver o quien sea, con una mentalidad del siglo XXI. Él es un producto de su tiempo y de su generación, y su mundo nunca fue el nuestro.

Finalmente mi mayor pregunta, ¿Por qué Activision jamás mostraría estas cosas? pues, porque NO les conviene (son una empresa, solo buscan vender y abarcar el mayor público posible) y porque call of duty jamás se trató de esto.

Si hay algo que las grandes compañías de videojuegos EVITAN A TODA COSTA, es admitir que sus personajes principales tienen posturas políticas o sociales que hoy serían consideradas problemáticas.

En el caso de Call of Duty, donde los protagonistas son soldados endurecidos por la guerra, es obvio que la gran mayoría—especialmente los nacidos entre los 30s y 50s—tienen una mentalidad conservadora, machista y nacionalista. No porque sean villanos, sino porque esa era la norma de su época y de su entorno.

Pero Activision jamás lo diría abiertamente.

1- Porque no pueden alienar a su público moderno

Call of Duty es una de las franquicias más vendidas del mundo. Su audiencia no es solo gente mayor que creció en los 80s y 90s, sino también adolescentes y adultos jóvenes que viven en una época donde el machismo, el racismo e ideologías extremas son temas sensibles.

Si Activision confirmara que personajes como Adler, Woods o Hudson eran misóginos, machistas o reaccionarios, inmediatamente habría polémicas en redes sociales, medios y comunidades.

Hoy en día, las grandes compañías tienen miedo de dañar su imagen y perder ventas. Prefieren mantener a sus personajes neutrales o ambiguos en cuanto a política y valores, para que cualquiera pueda interpretarlos como quiera.

Si dijeran que Adler es sexista, perderían el interés de muchos jugadores jóvenes o progresistas.

Si dijeran que Adler es feminista o progre, perderían a otros jugadores que lo ven como un "héroe rudo y clásico".

Solución de Activision: No confirmar nada y dejar que el público haga sus propias interpretaciones. Que qué casualidad, es lo que nosotros hacemos aquí.

2- Porque el ejército y la CIA son los "buenos" en su narrativa

Activision tiene una relación cercana con el ejército estadounidense y otras agencias gubernamentales. La imagen que Call of Duty proyecta es patriótica y pro-militar, porque eso vende bien en EE.UU. y otros mercados.

Admitir que sus personajes más icónicos eran abiertamente machistas, racistas o misóginos haría que el ejército quedara mal parado.

Por ejemplo:

Si dijeran que Hudson trataba con desprecio a las mujeres en la CIA, o que Woods no respetaba a las soldados, la imagen del ejército se vería afectada.

Si confirmaran que Mason era políticamente de ultraderecha o un nacionalista extremo, crearían controversias innecesarias.

Personalmente creo que si alguien aún piensa que la CIA es buena es porque o es estadounidense (aun así, muchos yankees odian a la CIA) o porque simplemente es ignorante.

Tenemos el famoso Plan Cóndor en América, el desastre del MK-ultra, y en general la impunidad con la que operan desde siempre. Activision no se va a pegar un tiro en el pie con la narrativa. Esto sigue siendo propaganda pro-estadounidense de alguna manera, solo que eso siempre lo supimos desde el primer momento (personalmente no me molesta.) pero tampoco podemos ignorar los hechos reales, o al menos yo no, porque como digo, me gusta realizar análisis extensos.

Solución de Activision:

Mostrar a los personajes como "profesionales" y neutrales.

Hacer que trabajen con mujeres y minorías para dar la impresión de que eran hombres adelantados a su tiempo.

3- Porque sus personajes deben ser "cool" para todo el mundo.

Los protagonistas de Call of Duty no son personajes súper profundos con desarrollo complejo. Son fantasías de poder.

La mayoría de los jugadores no quieren controlar a un personaje con ideologías polémicas. Quieren manejar a tipos rudos, misteriosos y eficientes en combate.

Sino, te pasa como a Concord… y Activision quiere evitar lo mismo con su gallina de los huevos de oro.

Ejemplo:

Si dijeran que Woods tiene actitudes machistas porque creció en los 40s y sirvió en Vietnam, muchos fans dejarían de verlo como "el tipo rudo y cool" y empezarían a criticarlo. (Aunque en Black Ops 2 literalmente le dice al final del juego “puta enfermera” a una mujer, pero bueno, tiene 95 años para 2025 el nono)

Si confirmaran que Adler tenía una visión ultra-conservadora sobre el rol de la mujer en la sociedad, perdería parte de su atractivo para muchos jugadores.

Solución de Activision:

Ignorar el tema por completo.

Si aparece una mujer, hacer que los protagonistas simplemente la respeten sin más (ej. Park, Dumas).

No profundizar en sus opiniones políticas o sociales.

4- Porque evitar la controversia = más ventas

Las compañías de videojuegos no tienen ideologías, solo buscan ganar dinero, y se los digo yo que es literalmente lo que estudio.

Si Activision confirmara que sus personajes tienen valores reaccionarios, conservadores o machistas, se meterían en problemas con la prensa, los jugadores y las redes sociales.

📌 Ejemplo de cómo reaccionaría la gente:

Si dijeran que Adler es misógino: "¿En serio están glorificando a un personaje que trata mal a las mujeres? Qué asco."

Si dijeran que Adler es feminista: "Lo arruinaron. Ahora quieren hacer ver que los tipos rudos de la Guerra Fría eran woke. Qué ridículo."

Si ninguna opción los beneficia, es más fácil simplemente no decir nada.

Solución de Activision:

Dejar todo a la interpretación del jugador.

Si se les pregunta, decir frases genéricas como: "Adler respeta la competencia sin importar el género."

Evitar cualquier diálogo en el juego que lo haga sonar demasiado extremo en cualquier dirección.

5- Lo mas importante: Porque la historia de Call of Duty no es sobre moralidad, sino sobre acción.

Si Call of Duty fuera una saga de RPGs con decisiones morales profundas, entonces tendrían que explorar el machismo, el racismo y el clasismo dentro del ejército.

Pero Call of Duty es una saga de disparos y misiones militares. Su historia no está diseñada para cuestionar la moral de sus personajes, sino para hacer que las misiones se sientan épicas.

En Cold War, Adler secuestra y manipula a Bell de una forma que, en cualquier otro juego, lo haría ver como un villano. Pero el juego no los condena ni los presenta como "malos", porque el punto no es analizar su ética, sino mostrar escenas impactantes.

Si esto pasa con la tortura, ¿por qué explorarían el machismo o el conservadurismo de los personajes? No lo harían, porque ese no es el enfoque del juego.

Mantener la historia centrada en la acción y la guerra, no en la moral de los personajes.

No hacer que el jugador cuestione demasiado sus acciones.

Evitar diálogos que muestren posturas extremas. Mantener solo las conversaciones que dan contexto.

Conclusión: Call of Duty es una fantasía militar, no un análisis social

Adler, Woods, Mason, Hudson y Weaver fueron criados en entornos profundamente conservadores, nacionalistas y machistas. Si existieran en la vida real, es lógico pensar que tendrían prejuicios de su época.

Pero Activision jamás va a admitirlo abiertamente, porque:

No pueden arriesgarse a alienar a su público moderno.

No quieren que el ejército o la CIA se vean mal.

Sus personajes deben seguir siendo "cool" y atractivos.

Evitar la controversia siempre significa más ventas.

Call of Duty es un shooter, no una exploración de la moralidad.

En resumen, los personajes de Call of Duty probablemente eran machistas, conservadores y prejuiciosos, pero el juego nunca lo va a mostrar porque no conviene. Prefieren mantenerlos ambiguos y funcionales, para que cada jugador los interprete como quiera.

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kerryweaverlesbian · 11 months ago

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I love your Daphne Allen posts; all of your posts talking about characters struggling with gender and sexual identity are so well written and thought out, especially genderqueer!Dean. Do you have any other thoughts on Daphne, no matter how small? I love hearing about your ideas ♥️

[Anon is referring to this fic and this poem]

:") everyone is nice to meeeee, thank you ❤️ I'm going to call Daphne he throughout this so don't get confused. I don't have bonus headcanons about him at the moment, I usually construct those for minor characters as I'm making a fic about them, but I'll talk broadly about my thoughts about him under the cut (it got long LOL).

I think Daphne gets to me in particular with gender, because:

a) Meet My Girlfriend by Transgenderism was the first time it really clicked in my head that you can just. Choose. To change your pronouns. If it makes you happy. And you can still be a lesbian. So he's linked in my mind with that revelation.

b) pulling some man out of a river and marrying him on the spot is PEAK compulsory (cis)heterosexuality. Like. Ah yes :) God has sent me a man to solve my problem and he doesn't know what Being A Man is so he's Safe plus 'this is normal heterosexual behaviour I'm pretty sure [it absolutely is not]'.

(Reading Adorned With Smoke For Clothes by lesbiansailor, where Daphne prays for salvation [from being a lesbian] and there stumbles upon "Emmanuel" and is like 'oh okay' really sank into my brain, that's definitely what happened.)

c) I've always loved 'teaching someone how to be human' but the sweet, sweet juice of "teaching someone how to be A Man when you are insecure and unhappy about your own gender role"? YUM YUM YUM. The act of finding yourself through the other!! That's how. To get a little introspective lol. That's how I tend to work through figuring stuff out about myself. There is someone in my life and I think to myself "ah they might be _. This explains me thinking about it so much." And then like 3-5 months later I'm like wait. I think I am _. Lol. So I can project that projection onto Daphne, but with bonus resentment because I love resentment it's so fun to write.

d) obviously him being partnered with Castiel, who I view as a secure trans man (he "became a father", he went from agender to man, he literally changed from a female vessel to a male one, many people in fandom have said this. He literally invented free will to choose to be a trans gay man ❤️*). Having someone SO sure that he's a man even when he lost ALL his memories and didn't even know how to use a toothbrush at first AND when he's doing manhood "wrong" and sensitively and queerly, to a transmasc Daphne that's got to feel like "he doesn't even care about what it means to be a man so I have to care about it for both of us and I still don't get to be one!!! I don't want to think about it!!!!"

e) the way prescriptive religion ties in with him, doubting his gender role means doubting God which means potentially upending his entire community and being so fucking lonely. We only see Daphne for like. 1 minute of screentime lmao so it is for the best that they didn't pile on more side characters but it gives the impression that he doesn't have any friends**, which makes me think about how Marge Simpson doesn't have any friends (highly recommend the Lola Sebastian video about Marge) which makes me think about (my) fear of becoming a housewife with no friends.

So, I think Daphne is afraid of being himself with the (justified!) fear of losing his present community, but in trying to avoid that, he can't get truly close to people and thus causes that lonliness anyway. A vicious cycle...

f) Daphne is a character firmly discarded by Supernatural - which is fine, I don't want every 3 second character to keep coming back or we'd have 100 Cole's and I couldn't stand 1 Cole - but finding love for minor characters in spn has become a particular fascination of mine ❤️ mostly due to the sapphicnatural community 🧡 With the meta context that minor characters are not only disregarded by the characters amd writers but disregarded by GOD, for a character like Daphne who throws himself so firmly into faith that he marries a man whom - I cannot stress enough - he found in a river, that dramatic irony is so delicious. He's putting his life in service of a guy who, if asked, might not even remember his name. JUICY.

And e and f together beg the question, if it doesn't make him less lonely and if God [who is also a misogynist just btw] doesn't care what he does. Why is he putting himself through the agony of the closest. If his life is so flimsy that he can marry a stranger like it's nothing, why can't he pursue a life that makes him HAPPY?

g) Johanna Marlowe's performance of Daphne....she [the actor] just looks so strangely afraid? Daphne had just been attacked, but even when he's safe and looking up at Emmanuel, there's something fearful there I think:

Like maybe that's just how her face looks, but there's also the way she decided to touch him glancingly, hesitant and fleeting. Look at her physicality choices in her one scene. If I were just attacked by a demon and my spouse came and untied me, I would probably, like, hug them and find reassurance in them? But Marlowe says no. I will touch his face as quickly as possible and then let him drag me around. They're not even holding hands!! He grabs her wrist and she makes a fist! I never noticed that before that's crazy. Anyway this may have been directorial just to get through the scene quickly, there's a lot to get through in the episode, but regardless of the practical reasons behind her performance, it is Text and it is Strange!

And finally. I realised I do actually have a small headcanon. I think Daphne's transmasc new name is one of three:

Emmanuel (he chose the name, he should get to keep it!); Samson (biblical, raised according to the instructions of angels, had his dark night of the soul from his beloved cutting his hair [PS I think Daphne grows out his hair through transition]); or he keeps Daphne. He can still be Daphne if he wants. You can do whatever you want forever!

I also think he keeps his faith in God. His logic is that he asked for salvation -> Emmanuel appeared -> Emmanuel's questioning of his life brought him to true understanding of himself, and this must be holy.

*(I actually think Cas can also be attracted to women personally but this post isn't about him)

** also the fact that no one talked him out of marrying Emmanuel lmao

***Also from the Wikipedia recounting of the bible version he might be really into bondage??? Get it Samson!!

#Daphne Allen #kiss kiss kiss!!!#this was fun to think about!

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peach-fiz · 2 years ago

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I actually didn't even bother watching the second season of Loki because of the cheap marketing and inconsistent storytelling.

It just felt like the plot was lifted off somewhere it would have made sense, and a character with a similar ego was replaced with Loki and goes through an arc that might have made sense for a blank slate character, but not someone who already has a backstory.

Loki doesn't even feel like Loki after three episodes in S1. The whole point of having a show like that just seems to be about the TVA and Sylvie.

Also the whole genderfluid thing. They 'confirmed' it in the promo and had a line in the script that went completely against anything they just said.

I knew at once that the writers, directors and other parts of production were really just pulling it in different directions and it would probably sound like a jazz trumpeter and a metal guitarist trying to improvise after knowing each other for 15 minutes.

I've been meaning to watch it just so I can have educated opinions on all of it but it's just,, so hard to get into. I definitely agree the marketing was cheap, they did with the 80s McDonald's like they did DB Cooper!Loki and made it centric to the advertising because McDonalds was also getting something out of it which is kinda ass seeing as realistically Loki Laufeyson would burn 6 of them down before he ate in one 😭

I personally don't like either of the major ships in the show but the forced Sylki shit in season 1 really got to me. Like not only did she completely replace him as the main character in HIS show, she's also a variant of him who he wants to make out with and overall it just reads as lazy writing and it's extremely disappointing that Mike Waldron has been put in charge of Multiverse of Madness and The Kang Dynasty since, due to the popularity of the Loki TV show. I was talking to my boyfriend about this last night but it kinda reminds me of the complaints people had ab the last Indiana Jones movie but opposite? Like everyone complained his best friend's daughter was gonna replace him bc she's a Mary Sue and she rlly isnt, she's more reminiscent of Marion in Raiders of the Lost Ark she just doesn't wanna fuck him. But the difference is Indy is a character who's majorly blank for little boys to project themselves onto. Which is great!! It works for those kind of movies, but they're not character development centric like the individual mcu movies tend to be. Loki is characterized in a way that he's drowning in identity issues and family problems and he experiences growth in every installment whether it be positive or negative. It doesn't make sense to take the formula of an Indidna Jones movie where he meets up with a woman who's typically a love interest and has her own issues that are only slightly touched on because that's not the focus, and they go do the plot.

Sylvie is not an Indy Girl, they straight up are trying to replace Loki with Sylvie. And you can tell the character wasn't supposed to have as much importance as she does in the show bc the character was worked on more after the actress they chose was buddies with a producer ( and this is no hate to the actress I'm sure she's delightful everything I've seen her in in terms of interviews has been lovely ).

I also absolutely agree they should've just made a tva mini series to introduce the tva rather than bringing back a dead character who soon will not make much sense anyway because Tom Hiddleston is getting older (and also he deserves to branch out in his career).

The genderfluid thing was a cash grab and it sucks ass, they just want money for acknowledging things already canon in the comics, same with confirming him as bisexual.

My boyfriend is actually writing a fic on ao3 called Find Me that's rlly good if you want Loki content that isn't related to the show.

(YES this is shameless promotion sshhhhshshsh) but fr the loki TV show makes me more confident in my screenwriting bc t h a t got put on disney plus. I'm also working on a Loki show rewrite in my spare time!!

#kid loki #loki (marvel)#loki and thor #loki laufeyson #anti loki show #anti lokius #lokius #anti sylki #tom hiddleston #screenwriting #fic rec #loki fic #logyn #logyn fanfic #mike waldron #peachy rants #long post

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chronotopes · 1 month ago

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17 & 18?

17. Have you ever made any OCs to help you through something personal?

ALL THE TIME LOL i mean i made aivide in college and idk if you have read aivide the prequel but that character's biggest problems clearly stem from my two biggest concerns at the time which were a) my sort of soul crushing academic support center job that i still cared about so much it hurt and b) my penchant for falling in love with beautiful tall women whose life goals involved evil jobs and wanting to change their minds about the jobs. occupational hazard of going to college near northern virginia. although the funny thing about aivide the prequel is that aivide's relational problems in that novel map far less well onto my own problems at the time than govy's do. so it goes!

anyway the og draft of vital light was also a very very self-inserty 'i'm gay and sort of in love with my best friend but trying to move past that and be okay with accepting the future' journey and all that gay shit but these days i don't think it's an Issue Story for me. i guess i did come back to working on it after a very critical implosion point in my life but it was only 'helping me through something personal' in the sense that it was helping me think about something other than my evil job or The Life I'd Just Had. I like writing main characters who blow up their life in some way by choice, because I rarely blow up my life and when I do it's not by choice.

18. If you’re comfortable with it, talk about the first OC you can remember making.

I had some blink and you'll miss it characters for school projects and when i was about ten i had a complicated series of ocs shared with a childhood friend who were all based off the late 2000s gmail emojis (so their names were all like blushy and maddy and shit, i think the villains were the sunglasses emojis and they were the shades family). but the first like OC CULTURE oc was called tiffany wiralod, she was a self insert for the enchanted forest chronicles universe/later a more general purpose self insert and wiralod stood for 'writing in roleplays and lover of dragons.' i had several stories in my head about her but she ended up being a protagonist of my first novel which was a sort of magical girl adventure set at a camping trip very closely based on the one my school took us to in sixth grade. aaand since we're DOING THIS doing this here are her screenshots from the bio i made for her. i hope you enjoy and appreciate this raw glimpse into what was wrong with me at age 11 <3

#asks #DEEP LORE ALERT #the minor losses we think of as dooms

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eeblouissant · 1 year ago

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Catching up on new fics and need to say that I love how you used consent as this unspoken theme. I don't have a problem with other fics in the fandom, it's so cool that there's any fics at all still being made for a 40 year old show and I love what people are doing, so hopefully it doesn't come across that way but I feel like your Dorothy is truest to the show. And I really like how you explore her vulnerabilities but, if this makes any sense which it probably doesn't, in a loving way? Both in the tone of your writing, you can tell you care about the characters and their backgrounds, but also how she's always got a safety net with the others overall, so even if she breaks or falls she won't be left to hit rock bottom, but how that also means you can dig into those more traumatic themes and hints from canon and let her be less than angel or someone who needs those reassurances etc. Your fic that centers around Dorothy's smoking habit is one a constantly thing about that encapsulates all this, it's probably my fave fic for the whole fandom. not even 2000 words but there are so many layers and it's all so Dorothy and bittersweet and feels so true and it never feels rushed or forced or superficial.

anon 🥹🥹🥹 anon !!!!!! I’ve been smiling so much my face hurts !!!!!! Oh my god, you have absolutely no idea how much this all means to me, i don’t even know where to begin!!!!!! Thank you for the (very) happy cry :’) very very happy & very appreciative. I really can’t express just how much this means !!!

I can’t believe people have really seen beyond the surface of what I write (i thought I was insane, adding in so many layers but sorta kinda failing to articulate them properly, or so I thought? I was sure that I was kind of just living in my own head here 😅), but wow, it means the world to hear.

One of the shows biggest themes, and one of its most important imo, shows that women “of a certain age” can and do have healthy & active sex lives/a healthy relationship with sex. And while I’ve seen a good few (incredible 👀 by the way) fics talking about or portraying this between the girls, whether you seen them being platonic or romantic - i had yet to see fics touching on the topic while also displaying Dorothy’s trauma/how she would respond. The body always remembers, the mind may heal, and heal Dorothy has - but there will always be a sort of response, memories hidden just beneath the surface. I like to imagine it like crumpling up a piece of paper - you can unfold it and lay it flat, press it flat with a book if you like, but the wrinkles, those memories, will always be there. That piece of paper isn’t ruined, just wrinkled. A little more delicate. Dorothy’s just a little more delicate than the others. And that part of her is so so soooooo criminally underrepresented and glossed over imo. (Since we’re on the topic of vulnerability, everyone go read @/hecatesbroom’s essay on vulnerability in tgg RIGHT NOW !!!!!!!!! you will not be disappointed!!!!!! someone teach me how to link things neatly please 😭)

I don’t know if it means anything (or if this is too personal) but I write and speak about Dorothy as a survivor of very similar trauma, so I tend to project a little onto her (while also trying my best to stay true to her character, i have this thing about sticking to canon very strictly haha. But while I was working out my portrayal i definitely pulled from bits and pieces of my own healing journey). I like to take my negative experiences and use them in my art as a sort of coping mechanism, so at least I can make something good of them? Does that make sense?

Anyway - I’m really really glad that the consent theme has seemed to get through (to more than one person, too! ahh :’) ), and that it was clear there’re many more layers there. Dorothy is gentle, she really is so gentle. I think lots of us can be blinded by the facade she puts up, and I truly believe it is a facade - one very well perfected after years of putting up - but behind closed doors she really isn’t that. She presents herself as the “fixer”, “the great balloon pricker”, but she needs to have that safety net ready & known more than the others I think. Purely because of her experiences leading up to (now, canon, etc)

ahh & i had completely forgotten about that fic, oh my :’))) i really don’t have the words - you’re just too sweet 😭🤍🤍🤍🤍 i wish I had added more to that one, but I’ve never really enjoyed writing looooonnggg pieces like that. About 2000 words is all I’ll ever manage, if that 😂. It’s been a good few months since I’ve read that one over, i never read my work over after it’s published, so I can’t comment on it the same way I just did the last.

thank you thank you thank you for this you have no idea how much it means :’) i will be thinking about this for the rest of ever,,, truest to the show??!!! Watch me sob right now

#my heart is so full :’) thank you anon dearest #i literally rambled about nothing here lol. anyway this inspired me to go edit the second chapter of that recent fic ?! thank you #I’ve been meaning to start polishing that!#the golden girls #dorothy zbornak #asks

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ace-does-stuff · 2 years ago

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Lesion

Summary: Kyle is getting tired of Kenny dying every other day, and the only thing that can stop Kenny from going on his patrols is the wound he wakes up with instead of a scar, and even at that, it's not very effective

Warnings: injury, body dumping, Cartman calls them fags but thats expected, character death, panic, relationship problems intertwined with Kennys vigilantism/death curse, check Ao3 port for full tags

Authors Note: I woke up at four AM yesterday and chose violence, have some k2, Cartman is also here cause his dynamic with Kenny is fun to write. Anyways, if ya'll enjoyed consider dropping a reblog or checking out the Ao3 port, it really means a lot

"When do you plan on not getting fatally wounded?" Kyle asked from the passenger seat.

Kenny, who was still wrapped in his Mysterion outfit, simply shrugged from the backseat. His head was propped against the door and his blood spilling onto leather upholstery, "When the world stops being terrible."

"You two are so lucky I have truck," Cartman scoffed from the drivers seat, eyes locked firmly on the road, "Really, lugging around a dead body in a hyundai would not work."

"It's a subaru," Kyle corrects with an exasperated sigh.

"I'm not dead yet," Kenny snapped to the best of his ability, the gash in his abdomen made it harder to do that, "But really, thanks for helping Kyle with disposing of me."

"That's what friends are for," Cartman answered with, briefly raising his gaze to the mirror to catch Kenny with a smirk. The blonde tries his hardest to return it despite the agony coursing through him. He reaches for the stereo, "Any song requests? Otherwise we're just hoping the radio is playing something good."

"The Offspring," Kenny answered with, "Or Green Day, whatever you have a disc of."

Cartman hands the CD book to Kyle whose flipping through the pages already. The hum of asphalt and tires is comfortable enough to lull Kenny into a false sense of sleep. He's tugged from said semblance of sleep when the start of a track starts to play right beside his head. Kyle glances past the headrest and Kenny's breathing is starting to slow down, the constant rise and fall accentuating blood that shimmers in the low light.

He undoes his seat belt before awkwardly climbing into the back and trying his very hardest to not nudge Cartman. The last time he did he was forced sit in a pool of Kenny's blood on the ride home. He isn't quite sure how he manages to fit in the back, some of him is pressed against the back of the driver's seat, some of him is on the ground- it's uncomfortable, but he endures.

"I think this is illegal," Kenny said, he would gesture to how Kyle is 'sitting' but he can't.

"I think dumping your body off a bridge almost daily is also illegal Ken, whose keeping track?" Kyle asked as grabbed Kenny's hand, sliding his fingers under the hem of the wrist to rest on his palm. His hand is cold, Kyle's fingertips are warm, it's a contrast that would be worrying to anyone that doesn't know how often Kenny dies.

"Good point," Kenny said, he brought his other hand to rest on Kyle's, "Love you."

"Love you too," Kyle answered with quietly.

"Can you fags please shut up while I'm driving?" Cartman asked on a groan.

Kenny just grinned and look he met Cartman with was nothing but mischievous, "I dunno darling, can we?"

Kyle gives a hum, "I'm afraid not my love, we simply cannot shut up," He briefly pressed a kiss to Kenny's cheek and the blonde laughs a bit.

He winces after the laugh dies down, "Hurts to laugh," He keeps laughing though, because the fact it hurts to laugh is humorous in itself. Kyle's hands come to press on his wound and the mix of sweat against raw nerves stings like a bitch, he bites his tongue instead of screaming.

Cartman just rolls his eyes and turns up the stereo.

Kyle wraps his arms around Kenny's torso to the best of his ability and squeezes. Not super tight, he doesn't want to speed up the process of blood loss. Kenny weakly returns the gesture, knocking the side of his head against Kyle's.

"You are not patrolling tomorrow," Kyle said quietly.

Kenny gives a hum, "Maybe."

-/-/-/-

Kenny gives a wave as he goes falling off the cliff into the icy river below.

Cartman waves back, Kyle does not.

"See you guys later!" Kenny shouted up mere moments before his head goes under and he closes his eyes.

He swears he hears Cartman call back, "Don't be late for work!" before everything goes dark.

Kyle just watches as the air bubbles up and the near still water clouds with a deep red. It's washed away along with Kenny's corpse, it floats to the top, but most know to leave his body if they find it. Kyle leans against Cartman and he hates the fact he does but it's cold outside, and he's convinced Cartman is constantly running a fever with how high his body heat is. The brunette slings an arm around Kyle's shoulders but doesn't dare drop his hand anywhere lower than an upper arm or pull the redhead closer.

"Do you think he'll ever stop?" Kyle asked quietly.

Cartman shrugged, "He's been doing this since grade four, being a hero, dying, coming back, and repeating the cycle."

Kyle tensed, "He's been dying since grade four and you didn't tell us?"

"You didn't believe me," Cartman said, "I tried to tell you guys, I even had pictures. Still, you thought I was lying, and look at us now! Dumping your boyfriends body like a couple of chums."

"We are not chums," Kyle snarled out as he glared at Cartman, he shrugged.

"How dare I assume that doing illegal activities together would help us bond? How bold of me," Cartman scoffed, he lifted his arm and stepped away. Kyle simply pulled his jacket a little tighter, "Trucks still running, it'll be nice and toasty when you're ready to leave."

Kyle stayed to stare at the water until Cartman got impatient and started blasting the horn of the truck. Only then did Kyle begrudgingly sit up in shotgun, leaned against the window. Normally this is where Cartman changes the CD and sprays disinfectant on the backseat, he doesn't tonight, he just lets the tracks play and the scent of blood stagnate.

-/-/-/-

Kyle wakes up and the bed is empty, he can hear Kenny meandering about though. He rolls over to where he knows Kenny sleeps and the sheets are still warm, and wet. The sheets are wet. That snaps him awake, he sits up and sniffs the air, it has a tang to it.

He glances down to the sun bathed sheets to find a splatter of pooling red, it's splashed across the blankets and sinking into the mattress. It's saturated enough to cling to his clothing where contact was made, the splotchy hues trail across the carpet and the door handle has blood smeared across it. Failed suicide attempt? He knows that Kenny does that sometimes if he's having a really bad day, or if he knows Cartman is gonna be pissed off.

He drags himself out of bed and makes his way down the hall, he follows the bloody finger prints trailed across the walls. It's straight out of a horror movie but it does nothing to deter Kyle. The bathroom door is left open and he finds Kenny sitting in the bath tub with a once white towel wrapped around his abdomen while he hyper ventilates.

"Ken?" Kyle croaked out.

Kenny snapped up to meet his gaze and he eases right away, "Something is really wrong."

"I can tell," Kyle said as he rubbed his eyes, staring at the fluid along the base of the tub. He walked over and dropped down in front of Kenny, "You've never woken up and bled out in the bath tub."

"Can you call over Cartman, he's sort of the expert on this shit," Kenny asked desperately.

"Do I have too?" Kyle asked.

"He keeps records on this shit, he's being doing it since day one," Kenny said, "I don't remember all of my deaths man, if anyone would know if this has happened before it would be Cartman."

Kyle gave a heavy groan of annoyance, "Fine. Take off the towel and your jacket so I can look for shrapnel."

"I don't think there's any bullets left," Kenny said as he tossed aside the towel. The glistening gash was much smaller than it was last night but it still glimmered like uncut rubies. It went no deeper than the muscles, but the pulse of organs underneath was still visible. The heady scent of blood intensified.

"I still should clean it up a bit, wrap you up in some bandages," Kyle droned on.

"Call Cartman first," Kenny said.

Kyle rolled his eyes, "I'll go do that, if it's within arms reach get a towel ready."

-/-/-/-

"I've seen this before," Cartman said as he looked at the wound.

Kenny heaves a relieved sigh before pulling his shirt back on.

"Then what does it mean?" Kyle asked impatiently.

"Kennys gonna die and stay dead for a while," Cartman said, "This happened a couple times leading up the muscle deterioration when we were younger. I'd say he has five, maybe six, more deaths before he doesn't wake up."

"So I'm just gonna be dead for a bit?" Kenny asked.

Cartman nodded, "Shouldn't be longer than a month when it happens."

"Thank fuck," Kenny said.

"He's gonna be gone for a month?" Kyle asked, he sounded distraught at the notions.

"It's one month, you'll be fine," Kenny said, resting his hand on top of Kyle's.

"Stan's still gonna be here, I'll be here, but you hate me so scrap that, Craig and Tweek are gonna be here," Cartman listed, raising a finger for each name, "It's not like you'll be alone, just don't go chasing him into the afterlife."

Kyle nodded, "Okay."

"I'll be more careful, promise," Kenny said softly.

"Are we all good here now? Confusion cleared up?" Cartman asked as he started on his way to the door, stepping backwards as he went.

"Everythings good," Kenny answered with, "Thanks for dropping by."

"It's what friends are for," Cartman said.

The second the door shut Kyle leaned heavily onto Kenny, arms wrapped around his shoulders and holding him tightly. He yanked the blonde onto his lap just a bit.

"Hey, Ky, it'll be alright," Kenny said gently.

"Please don't die," Kyle answered with quietly, voice impossibly soft, just below a whisper.

Kenny took a stiff inhale and exhale, "You know how the curse works, it likes to strike me down."

"Don't go on patrol tonight," Kyle demanded, voice coming out frail despite the intention of sounding stern.

"I won't," Kenny lied, he needed to go on patrol, he needed to. He's not sure if he'd be able to sleep if he didn't.

"I need you man," Kyle said, knocking the side of his head against Kenny's, a mirror of the blondes usual motion of endearment. He heaves a shaky sigh, "It was rough last time you were gone for a month, don't do that to me."

"I'm gonna have too eventually," Kenny said as Kyle traced along scars from previous deaths, he had so many. Some were pale, some weren't, some bumped up others were flat, tracing them was something Kyle did frequently.

"I know," He answered with quietly, "Really wish you didn't have too."

"I'll stop going on patrols for a couple days," Kenny said, after tonight of course. He had to do one tonight, he needed too. Call it a compulsion, call it an obsession, he needed to do it.

"Thanks," Kyle said.

"Want me to make some waffles?" Kenny asked as he shrugged off Kyle's grip just a bit.

"Sure, I wanna help you out with that though," Kyle said as he lifted up Kenny and hoisted him over to the kitchen.

-/-/-/-

"Oh fuck you," Mysterion said as he glanced down to the knife jutting from his thigh, "Do you have any idea how hard it's gonna be to explain this one to my boyfriend?"

The assailant stood in shock, that usually worked.

"See, I promised him I wouldn't die tonight, or go on patrol for a little bit," Mysterion said as he paced around, "I have friends, Super Craig, Call Girl- they'll pick up the slack while I'm off duty, but explaining this to my boyfriend when I'm supposed to be sleeping beside him at home? Do you have any idea how much trouble you've landed me in?"

"You, you aren't worried about the knife?" The thug asked shakily.

Mysterion laughed, "No, god no, something like this? It's nothing pal," To prove a point he tugged the weapon from his limb and didn't even wince as it came out, "I'd suggest some barbs if you'd like it to hurt, maybe even get stuck," He trailed a finger along the sharpened and bloodied blade, it nearly cut open his glove, "It is rather nice as is."

The assailant just stayed silent, scared, intimidated- this was rather unexpected. They knew Mysterion was not to be messed with, but they didn't know it went this far.

"Two options bud," Mysterion said before pointing the tip to the bad guy, "You run, or you die; three seconds to choose."

They couldn't move, despite really wanting to live.

Mysterion gives a hum, "Tell Damien Kenny says hi."

Before they can even choke out a 'What?' there's a knife jammed between their eyes, digging so deep into cartilage it near instantly killed them. Airways blocked off, blood spilling into their lungs, skull ruptured, they die, just like that. And Mysterion is highly aware of how it feels, they should be thankful he didn't choose a worse death.

He watches them drop before kicking aside the corpse and leaving one of his many calling cards, this time it's a sticky note with his insignia on it. He heaves a full body sigh before starting on his way home, if he's lucky he'll make it back and Kyle won't be awake. If he's unlucky, Kyle will be livid and Kenny will be sleeping on the couch for the following who knows how long.

He walks down the streets and alleys with minimal limping as he goes. It's deep enough into the night that random civilians are somewhat minimal, and those that are out about are drunk, maybe even blackout drunk. He keeps his gaze lowered and he only lifts up his head when he hears the sound of a horn blaring right beside him.

He looks up to find a very disappointed Cartman glancing down at him from his truck window. He gives a nervous smile.

"Get in," Cartman barked as he popped open the door.

"Just crawl over you?" Mysterion asked, "Might get blood on your pants."

"I do not care, just get in," Cartman said, "It's the middle of the night in December, you're gonna freeze to death before you bleed to death."

Mysterion shrugged before hauling himself up, one hand on the door and the other at the side of the drivers seat. He flops his upper half onto Cartmans lap, awkwardly pressed between the steering wheel and his friend. The brunette yanks him the rest of the way with little to no care about the wound on his thigh.

He pulls the door shut and turns the heat on a little higher, "You weren't supposed to patrol tonight, Kenny. Kyle told me."

Kenny shrugged before pulling off the hood, slumped in the passenger seat comfortably. The hot air is blowing on his face and he didn't realize how cold he was, "He asked you to look for me, didn't he?"

Cartman nodded, "He did."

"Dude, how could you side with him?" Kenny asked venomously, "I'm gonna be in so much shit over this."

"You've seen Kyle mad, you know exactly why I did what he said," Cartman said defensively as he shifted into drive, "Unlike you, I do not come back from the dead."

Kenny gives an amused hum, "Fair point, fair point," He tugs off his gloves to rub them in front of the heating vent, "Thanks for picking me up man."

"Hey, it's what friends are for," Cartman answered with, reaching over to playfully punch Kenny in the shoulder. He held back a little bit of force, there could be a bruise there, and he would also be in shit if he worsened any of Kenny's wounds.

There's a sigh, "Fuck man, I swear, you're the most dependable person in our quartet."

Cartman just laughs, "The only reason I make sure you're getting dumped somewhere nice is because you lent me your playboys in grade nine," He's lying, he repaid that debt in cold hard cash on the same day it happened. He glances from the road to Kenny, "You are the only one that I've picked up from the strip club in a thong, covered in body glitter, I'd say that makes us a bit closer than the rest of the gang. Consider yourself lucky I still haven't told Kyle about that fiasco."

Kenny's face burns red at the memories of that downright outrageous event, "Fuck, that was a crazy night."

"Yeah, you told me all about it," Cartman said as he rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for everything," Kenny said quietly.

"It's my job," Cartman said, "Not really, but someone has to actually take care of you, unlike your boyfriend."

"Take that back," Kenny snapped venomously.

"You know what I mean, he makes sure you're feeling all happy and mentally stable, I pick you up from every event you don't want him to know about," Cartman explained halfheartedly, "I'm making sure that you're body rots somewhere with dignity, and that you don't freeze to death."

"I know," Kenny said, he rolled his eyes a bit as he spoke. There's a brief pauses, "Man it's fucking cold outside."

"That's why I was blasting the heat," Cartman said, giving a light chuckle, "I'll stick around in case he kicks you out."

Kenny refuses to look out the window, he knows what he'll see, "Well, wish me luck."

Cartman reaches over to place a hand on Kenny's shoulder, a familiar and silent affirmation, "You'll be fine."

"Thanks," The word comes out quietly before Kenny pops open the door and hops out.

He walks around the truck and he hates the fact his prediction was near entirely correct. The front door is open, golden glow of inside lighting shadowing out Kyle's form as he leans against the door frame. He's holding a mug of coffee and Kenny just knows that the redhead is holding a very disappointed look to go with it.

Kenny comes to a halt at the front step, a few feet of distance between him and Kyle. He can't bring himself to choke out a 'this isn't what it looks like' in a feeble attempt to sustain his dignity. It wouldn't even be worth it, there's still crimson oozing down his leg and he can't just say it's paint or some other bullshit excuse.

"Am I sleeping on the couch tonight," Kenny asked.

"You're sleeping in the bathtub so you don't get blood on the couch if anything," Kyle answered with, humor rested on his voice despite all odds.

"No blankets?" Kenny asked.

"I'm joking, but you better not have any more wounds than that one," He gestured vaguely to the gash in Kenny's thigh, "I'm cleaning you up and buying a padlock for the front door tomorrow morning."

"Ky, you know how important these patrols are," Kenny said, his defense was desperate and he hoped it showed on his voice.

"I do, thanks for not dying," Kyle said.

"You're mad, aren't you?" Kenny asked.

"Oh I'm absolutely fucking livid, you're lucky Cartman hasn't pulled out yet cause I would have your head mounted on a wall by now if he left," Kyle answered with, voice perfectly even and without a single waver in it.

Kenny gives a nervous laugh, "I just, there was a lead, and Wendy was on a date, and Craig is on vacation."

"Bullshit, and bullshit," Kyle answered with, "But, I'll let it slide tonight."

Kenny pursed his lips, "How much trouble am I in?"

"I'm not your mom, you tell me," Kyle scoffed.

Kenny stayed silent.

"You are in so much fucking trouble," Kyle answered with, "If you want me to leave reservations uncanceled then get your shit together and don't go on patrols for six fucking days- it's not that hard!"

"But I need too! It's, it's," Words dissolved in Kenny's throat, "I need too."

Kyle sighed, "Yeah, I thought so," He steps out of the way, "Put your bloody gear in the sink and wash off the wound."

Kenny hesitantly enters and makes his way upstairs. He tosses his gear in the sink and runs cold water and scrubs until the blood seeps into clear fluid. It stings when soap hits the wound and it feels wrong to be sitting in a fluorescent lit bathroom all by himself cleaning up the wound. Kyle's usually there with him, he feels like he's a teenager all over again, cleaning his wounds in the dead of night and hoping that he didn't wake anyone up.

Kyle knocks on the door frame and Kenny glances up, he looks like a deer stuck in headlights. Kyle tosses him a dry towel, the blood stained one. Kenny dabs away the excess soap on his leg, waiting for someone to speak.

"I still love you," Kyle said quietly.

"I know," Kenny answered with, "But, I gotta die for a bit, can't be avoided."

Kyle slid down the door frame till he was sitting on the floor, opposite so he could face Kenny who was leaned against the sink. He heaved a sigh, "Can you please try and last one week?"

"I will," Kenny said, "I promise that I won't miss our anniversary dinner."

"Thanks," Kyle said quietly, he slid over next to Kenny, "You're terrible at cleaning wounds."

"Well since we got together you usually help out," Kenny answered with as he held out the towel to Kyle.

"I've let you grow soft and weak, how cruel of me," Kyle said with a laugh. He dabbed at the edges of the wound carefully.

Kenny leans himself against Kyle, "Love you."

Kyle gives a hum, "I love you too Ken, I just wish you'd be more careful."

"I'll try," Kenny said quietly.

#south park #south park fanfiction #k2 south park #sp k2 #kyle broflovski #kenny mccormick #eric cartman #writing #fanfiction #fanfic #tw character death #tw injury

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artimeanatheart · 5 months ago

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Aaron Character Analysis-Book Two Part One

I love this book. It's not even my favorite in the series, but it does a fantastic job of setting up everything that happens in the rest of the series. The rest of it wouldn't be possible without this book. And part of what makes it cool is that the antagonist wins. Aaron wins and gets what he (thinks he) wants, while Alex loses.

Aaron did some terrible things in this book and I try to treat him fairly in my analysis. I love his character arc and where he ends up, but he had to go through this stuff first to get there. I do my best not to overly apologize for or excuse his actions, but my thoughts are definitely colored by the fact that I'm obsessed with my boy.

Oh, and I'm probably going to take a day or two off from posting between books. I need time to reread each one and get my thoughts together :)

Anyways, obligatory spoiler warning for the rest of the series and Quests.

Aaron, Mr. Today, and Character Continuity

You thought I was done talking about Aaron and Mr. Today? Nope! I never will be, and especially not in the book where Aaron kills him.

I'll start off by saying that it can be hard to see the person Aaron is capable of becoming in the person he is in the early books. And on a first read or a surface-level read (and there's nothing wrong with that) it doesn't seem like there's anything there. But there are small hints of who Aaron could, and does, become, even in the book where he is arguably at his worst. And I think that's part of what makes his redemption arc later on work.

And to talk about a cool little bit of character continuity I noticed, we have to talk about Mr. Today.

"He [Alex] shook his head and said softly, 'but Mr. Today, what if I don't want to have a lifelong battle with my brother?' He lifted his gaze once again. The mage pressed his lips together, and then slowly pushed back from his intense pose and sat in his chair once again without a word, perhaps stunned by this, the simplest question he'd never considered."

Something to understand about Mr. Today in this book is that he is projecting his own traumas onto Alex (and also totally manipulated Alex into take the Head Mage position). He had a lifelong battle with his twin, so he thinks that Alex will, inevitably, also have one. It doesn't even occur to him that Alex might not want that.

"He [Aaron] walked until he was out of sight of Artime, cursing Haluki and Mr. Today and his own brother for being the cause of all the bad that had happened to him."

Interestingly, Aaron also has a habit of projecting his issues onto other people, particularly, but not only, later in life. Like with Thisbe in Quests. He thinks she's going down the same path he did and wants to protect her from that. Even in this book, I think he's projecting a lot of his hatred for his own creativity onto the Artimeans. He wants to take them down because it's easier to blame them for where he's at than it is to blame himself.

"Mr. Today nodded solemnly. 'Never forget, my boy. I chose you for this. There will always be times we struggle, make bad decisions, even fail. What's important is not that we fail, but that we learn and grow. And that we know that there is always someone out there who believes in us.' Alex nodded. Mr. Today continued. 'Whatever problems you may face, you must know this: I do believe in you.'"

One last parallel, this time between Alex/Mr. Today's last scene together, and Aaron/Ishibashi's last scene together. In this one, Alex and Aaron are mirroring each other (which is actually something that happens relatively frequently in Quests). The last time Alex and Mr. Today ever talk to each other, we see Mr. Today reaffirming his belief in Alex. He knows that Alex can do this. He's proud of him. During the scene on the back of the ghost dragon going to see Thisbe with Aaron and Ishibashi, we see the same thing. Although, honestly, that one's a bit more meaningful because Aaron and Ishibashi have more history and a healthier relationship than Alex and Mr. Today (I will talk about Alex and Mr. Today, but that's a topic for my Alex character analysis). We see Ishibashi making sure that Aaron knows how proud he is of him. We see Aaron thanking Ishibashi for believing in him. In both instances, it's heartfelt and sweet. And bittersweet if you know what comes next.

#the unwanteds #unwanteds #aaron stowe #aaron stowe meta #Mr. Today #unwanteds quests #alex stowe #ishibashi junpei

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dragonsaltartales · 2 years ago

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Doesn't really have to do with the transgender aspect, but adding onto Snorpy's character analysis! (Love your entire post btw, art included!)

Long post + spoiler warnings for the end of Bugsnax

Snorpy's ability to interact with others really shines in the Escape Snaktooth section (and we don't even get to see it!). HE is the one that made and handed out every contraption to the groups. HE is the one that taught them how to use it. It's clear he even had a conversation with Cromdo in the midst of it all. (Likely betting him money as a way to get him to corporate, implying he understands the ones around him deeply, despite the distance he holds them at.)

And all of this in the past is something Chandlo never would have seen. It was work related. Floofty would have been there and was fully aware of their brother's capabilities. Which is exactly why they're so keen on not giving into his fear and actively fighting him on it. Chandlo doesn't deny it, just ignores it or acts like he doesn't understand. (In the bad end, he even mentions destroying the Grumpanati, implying even he believes Snorpy to some degree.) Floofty is fully aware of what Snorpy is capable of, and hates seeing him put his mind to work against what they deem are delusions.

The ending likely doesn't do Snorpy any favors in the sense of putting his efforts into those sorts of inventions. Even if he gets over a secret organization actively being out for him, the bottom line is that his paranoia paid off in the end. It saved the entire crew. It WASN'T delusional when the worst case scenario actually happened. Maybe Snorpy would be best suited for crisis work after recovering...? 🤔

Anyways-

Another point in Snorpy character analysis.

Snorpy lives inside his head. It's something I deeply understand and relate to so so much. He overthinks every situation, every interaction, every bad or good thing that happens. He has to go in with a plan. He has to work up to every moment in his life. And this causes him to become reclusive, work focused, and detached from the world around him. When you're spending every moment thinking about the future, there's no time for the present, and no time for the others around you. Chandlo mentions on broken tooth that he feels like Snorpy is getting farther away from him, but he doesn't realize that Chandlo is just one of the many things Snorpy thinks way too hard about. Because it's all in Snorpy's head. His whole LIFE is in his head.

It's what I love so much about Chandlo and Snorpy's relationship. They ground each other. Chandlo brings Snorpy to the present while Snorpy challenges Chandlo's concept of strength. They're opposites in SO many ways, but damn if they don't work together.

Anxiety disorders will fester and grow without help. Snorpy's avoidance tendencies only fuels his fear to be greater. Chandlo does help a little, but he's not capable of tackling the deeper issues. The root of the problems, his trauma, and possibly a chemical imbalance. All of that is something Snorpy needs professional and guided help with. Life coaching can only do so much, albeit it will be a great tool through Snorpy's recovery (which we all know Chandlo is going to be a part of.)

That's all I got for now. Thanks for coming to my TED talk. Of course I'm not a professional psychologist by any means and I'm only taking through my own experiences. 👌 There's so much I relate to with Snorpy, and a lot is likely projection, but hey, it gives me fun character analysis things like this!

Theory on why we headcanon specific characters as trans more often than others, using the Fizzlebeans as evidence.

Identity based character arcs vs... other stuff based character arcs.

Warning this is EXTREMELY LONG

Starting by analyzing Floofty, as they are my expertise.

Floofty is a scientist with no help, no funding, and ambitious plans. They come across as cold and uncaring, when in reality much of their shortsightedness comes from caring too much. Not for those closest to them directly, of course. But the greater good, and grumpuskind as a whole.

Their previous line of work suggests that when they had more resources, they spent more time helping individuals. Making prosthetics is a HIGHLY variable process, each individual limb that needs one being EXTREMELY different, even on the same person. Therefore they would need to be attentive towards individuals by necessity, even when making scientific breakthroughs. I don't think they'd have amazing bedside manner but I only bring this up to stress that Floofty is capable and willing to care for others should the situation call for it. However, they probably don't feel like they can afford to care after the events that cost them.... everything.

I assume they got their awesome career position through work during school, proving themself academically in a way that their.... abrasive characteristics wouldn't interfere with. Now that they have nothing, they're trying to get it back the same way they got it, by proving themself through actions.... but who they are and how people perceive them is directly responsible for their lack of help on Snaktooth. Actually, who they are likely made it near impossible to rebuild their reputation when inevitably grumps will think they are either chopping test subjects up to make murder machines or a confidentiality liability. They think their work should speak for itself, and who they are shouldn't matter. (They might even believe that they don't matter. It's already clear that their work is worth more to them than their own life.)

Realizing what they mean to others, who they could be to them when they let go of the big picture importance, and how they can help like they so desperately want to is integral to saving them. Let them forget that they are in fact, a grumpus, the very thing they want to save, and they might as well become what they study. Bugsnax.

...

Snorpy, however, as I've stated, is pretty much the opposite. Where Floofty rejects themself, Snorpy protects himself.... prepare for a staggeringly less complete analysis thanks to Not Literally Being Snorpy. Snorpies and Snorpy experts in the notes please contribute.

Snorpy is an engineer whose inventions are held in great esteem in Snaxburg, and yet he believes the world is out to get him. (By the world I mean... the grumpinati) The grumpinati is, in fact, not out to get him, and it takes incredible amounts of jumping to conclusions fueled by intense fear for anyone to shrink their world that small.

It's implied by his previous work that he was previously much more capable of... interacting with the public? being seen? than he is now. Like I mentioned, constructing prosthetics requires a lot of individual time and care, and a lot of interacting with many different grumpuses. But now? He is driven by fear. I can't even blame him, he's clearly deeply traumatized. How would you feel if your life's work was taken and warped for something you found cruel and evil all while you still depended on them for your livelihood? And you already probably had some sort of anxiety disorder?

Moving on, he is actually able to work perfectly fine. In fact, nearly every grumpus is seen using something he invented at least once? Despite inventions like The Knife Shot and flammable tripwire moments he's well liked by the town and everyone trusts his work to... work. But he's so absorbed by his own perceptions that it's impossible for him to take praise or even socialize without suspicion.

Even the relationship he holds most dear, and integral to what we call "Snorpy" is up in the air for him. I can only imagine he didn't ask for clarification or confess to his romantic feelings towards Chandlo out of fear. Fear of what exactly I can't say, as it's probably every possible factor that that course of action would change.

And... well. His main problem is never solved. Shelda is right, he needs therapy. Extensive therapy. But... he still improves. Part of why he does all of this is to protect Chandlo, and hide all of this from him... but after fighting Daddy Cakelegs it becomes a lot more clear to Snorpy that Chandlo is trying to protect him and knows a lot more than he gives him credit for. He's a lot closer to and more equal to Snorpy. Snorpy doesn't have to spend and sacrifice every fiber of his being to the bugsnax to protect who he loves.

That being said, who he is has nothing to do with his character arc. He's Snorpy, he's a nerd, he is an engineer. None of this is brought into question. Floofty's very status of "grumpus" is called into question through their experiments. (on an esoteric level. kinda. bugsnax are weird.)

What they share is their interactions with other grumpuses and how important actually letting themselves connect with others is... but that's something Everyone shares at least a little.

How does this relate to transgender headcanons? Floofty's arc features their identity very heavily, and calling the identity of the self into question is extremely transgender. Sometimes the definition of transgender. At the very least, a part of the process. (everyone is different)

That's why I think Shelda, Chandlo, and Wiggle are so popular for trans headcanons despite not necessarily doing anything outside their gender's norms. Their arcs heavily have to do with who they are and how their actions reflect that. Gramble and Triffany have a little bit of this but I can't rule out their gender non-comformity as the reason.

Of course, everyone is transgender to at least one person in the fandom because there's nothing proving anyone is cis and this fandom is very very queer.

#cheru talks #bugsnax #floofty fizzlebean #snorpy fizzlebean #analysis

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ladespeinada · 2 years ago

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having finished watching the bear in the early hours of the morning, i have some thoughts rattling around in my head that i need to jot down because they keep distracting me from work, lmao. spoilers under the cut

→ i had fun! it was emotional! it was stressful! i was entertained and then i had to suppress the feelings of familial relatability brought up in ep. 6! → MARCUS!!! TINA!!! NAT!!! EBRA!!! RICHIEEEEEEE!!!!! All going through their own shit, changing, emotional, relentless, scared, nervous. I especially loved Richie this season and he had a speech in ep. 1 that broke my heart ("I'm 45, I've been here a long time, you feel me? I mean, you know what the fuck you're doing, you know. You love all this shit. It's fun for you. I don't have that. I'm afraid imma wake up and you guys are all just gonna cut—just drop this ass.")

→ Sydney, light of my life. Her fierce ambition, so obvious and strong in S1, got tempered by doubt and distrust in her partner, by the gradual recognition that she is doing so much, too much, by herself. I don’t think it bodes well that the last shots we get of her, she’s ralphing after opening night service—after an intense kitchen set-up that tests her limits and shows who she can and cannot trust. (Giving Carmy in NY, throwing up before service vibes). And honestly? I wouldn't be mad if she really, really starts doubting her partnership with Carmy and just dips.

→ Anyway, I came back to add that Sydney, despite her doubts and not-unfounded fears, is such a positive source for those around her. We saw it in S1, when she gave Marcus a confidence boost, when Tina sought her approval after initially being very hesitant about her. And that faith in others just increased in this season, and god, to be around someone like that, who lifts others up no matter what, is so rare. I love her so much. (And her carrying around that book the whole season! Just holding onto courage and confidence, letting it shape her leadership.)

→ I'm so happy Natalie wasn’t relegated to glimpses this time around. She's present and focused and involved in dismantling her family’s trauma and history, and I love that for her. I also love her and Syd's relationship (them almost being synchronised in saying Carmy Problem) and her interactions with Fak, lmao.

→ Tina at culinary school! Tina with reservations about her place but thriving and finding inspiration. There's a moment where some of the people in her class all go out, and they invite her, and when she meets them at the bar, they've all got a nasty judgemental face (it's def an age thing) but then she EATS THEM UP at karaoke with a beautiful song in English & Spanish, TINA TE ADORO.

→ I immediately re-watched Marcus's episode and I want a spin-off series where he stages at different world-renowned bakeries and lives his best patissier life.

→ That Variety piece that said Carmy was the least interesting character in this show was RIGHT ("It’s no coincidence that these weaker points tend to involve Carmy, a character perfectly rendered by White who’s still the least interesting part of his own show.")

→ Speaking of: the romance between Carmy and Claire (which we all unfortunately saw happening after the trailer, and is fucking annoying, and yes part of it is because I love Syd & Carmy together, but also because the showrunners pledged no romance in the show which would have been fine, too) is BORING. So boring. I know Claire is going to get a lot of hate and honestly, it's barely fair because she's just not developed as a character at all. Beyond being someone Carmy knew in his past, and who is now stealing his time and energy away from the restaurant, there's not much to her. She's written with so little dimension, and exists purely to be Carmy's lil girlfriend and it's disappointing. She could have at least been fucking interesting.

→ Carmy's so angry around the time of the opening, and he projects it onto everyone else, and it's really his own fault that he's not aware of what's happening in the restaurant. → Okay so another thing—Sydney talks about how much she wants a Michelin star, how it’ll make The Bear a true destination spot. And rudely, Carmy goes, “you really want one of these bullshit stars?” to which Syd says yes, I really do, and this fucking dickhead tells her: “you’re gonna to have to care about everything, more than anything” AND HE STILL LET HER DOWN!!!!!!!! The more I think about it, the more upset I get.

→ Also, Michael doesn't haunt the narrative the way he did last season—his presence is so faint. There's moments, of course, but it just feels like something is missing or off. I had expected some sort of sentiment to come to the surface towards the end of the season at least, some sense of acknowledgement that maybe he would have loved The Bear, or hated it, or something, from literally anyone—Carmy, Nat, Richie, someone—but nope, nothing besides the cannoli.

→ Episode 6, man. Episode fucking six. Natalie Berzatto, you deserve peace.

→ Anyway, overall there’s a sort of bite missing in this season. The looming threat of Cicero has been softened a lot and yes, obviously internal workings at The Bear are the new obstacles but it doesn’t feel quite the same. Maybe it's a lack of tension, or a lack of anxiety? I don't know how else to explain it.

#the bear hulu #the bear spoilers #the bear fx

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the-travelling-bitch · 3 years ago

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but they are minor

i was honestly waiting to see when i'd get an ask like this; looks like i can cross it off my list for 2022

anyway, since i'm in a good mood and you've not been overtly rude, i.e. no slurs or death threats, i'll humour you

[i believe you’re talking about my bllk fic bc i don’t have anything else on here yet]

first of all, i'd like to stress that if we were talking about real life people, then i'm right there with you

but we are talking about fictional characters, not people but characters; both the defintion of fiction ("something invented by the imagination or feigned", merriam-webster) and of character ("one of the persons of a drama or novel", merriam-webster) support the idea that we are talking about made-up stories which are meant to be seen as a different entitiy or aspect from real life

the way i see it, fictional characters are merely a more defined blank slate with certain characteristics already set in place (although even those characteristics get thrown out of the window by some); they're a canvas the consumer of that medium can project thoughts or ideals or headcanons onto; that's why every character imaginable has been dragged into a hogwarts or soulmate au, characters who are canonically dead are suddenly alive and kicking again, etc.

i'd argue that authors are doing just the same with their characters as well; they create one and than just put them through all sorts of trials and tribulations like e.g. a post-timeskip era

take haikyuu!! for example (because it's also a sports manga/anime): the first 369 chapters were about the highschool volleyball team, so canonically speaking they were minors; but the second chapter 370 drops they are suddenly not anymore and that fic where 28 year old business man kuroo testsuro comes home to his partner and they decide to have kids is suddenly more appropriate than before? because the person with the magic pen drew the character at an age people already imagined them before? (also idk if such a fic exists, i'm making things up as i go... look at me using my imagination to expand upon a character /lh)

i think it's plausible blue lock will have a similar post-timeskip era some day, for all we know muneyuki kaneshiro might already have the characters’ futures planned out but we're just not at that part of the story yet

also, to bring this back to my content, when i say the characters are aged up in both my mind and the fic, then i mean it; and, i'd like to think you can also see that in my works, for example characters who own their own house, drive a car, move in with someone or have successfull careers... all things that are generally speaking adult things to do (because that is more appealing to me)

but that is just my opinion; fictional characters are canvases for people to project onto and if i want to live in our shared house with my professional striker boyfriend who loves me very much and occasionally rails me into the next year, then i will... here in my mind, on this page but unfortunately not in real life (the most unrealistic thing about this is being able to afford a house in this economy but i digress)

tl;dr characters are like schrödinger’s cat dead and alive at the same time /j

if you don't share that opinion, that's fine, we can both go our seprate ways and coexist; i just can't support people who throw slurs at others, mostly creators, or tell them to k*ll themselves over a piece of fictional literature written in their free time with no profit whatsoever (i'm not saying you are that kind of person anon, this is just a general statement because i've seen other writers receive much nastier asks)

if you are the kind of person who does that... i don't think i'm the problem here

to close this off, i'm willing to have a conversation about this as long as everyone remains civil and open for arguments from the other side; if you just come in my inbox to argue without even wanting to hear the other side out, i'm sorry but this is not the place for you

toodles ッ

#˗ˏˋ– meet & greet #people who say such vile things while not showing their face are cowards #point blank #again general statement #not in this case specifically

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neomedievalist · 2 years ago

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hi aleph sorry for putting p5 in your inbox. im going to say shuake but Also I ask you (optionally) to consider it from the perspective of someone who merely played the game and didn't interact with the fan community

how do you even approach shuake in the year 2023. man. your point about the fan community is an extremely fair point to make bc like. like i was saying before SO MUCH of persona fanbase is so warped based on fan perceptions of characters and its like. distill it and wash that away what do you have left (a shit game) (sorry) but like.

okay this hardly needs to be said but obviously the way persona fandom approaches shuake is EXTREMELY yaoibrained. like, the things that the strongest most powerful fujoshi archmages on tumblr are concocting? What on earth. like. and this ties in to awful fan characterization of akechi, lol. i think there really is, to be honest, a particular inherent problem in fan characterization of shuake (aside from the standard) in which you sort of smooth out the edges of akechi and make him more palatable and acceptable to put him in a relationship. fanfic is wish fulfillmnt at its core and i think...its not unreasonable to say a lot of people are projecting onto him and the healing they wish they could have, but its at the expense of his own character. like, people datamined akechi in therapy and then fucking ran with it. im going to say it outright: shuake is a really interesting pairing that i dont see working in any way. but its the same, or similar way that i dont see jonwalt ever working in any way (yes i see your second ask :3) i think its fun to explore but if i see you writing about a domestic life with them im like, lol. Lol.

on that note, im gonna be completely honest, as much as i love marigolds, i think the actual shipping parts of it are boring as hell unnecessary and i do not care about them, and this is a fic that ive repeatedly said has the best p5 characterization and writing ive ever seen and singlehandedly fixes p5 writing lol. the marigolds author expertly crafted a situation in which shuake would work and would be healthy (not perfect, but a lot better) and it genuinely is just like.. i am not invested in this? i am invested in this because of akechi's healing but part of akechis healing is like, talking to people who aren't akira? Lmao? sorry bit of a tangent.

honestly, its kind of impossible for me to think about what it would be like without the p5 fandom. can you imagine playing through the entire game while never seeing a shitty persona 5 meme? well i can honestly say it probably would have occured to me and i'd like it as a ship but it wouldn't be really that significant to me honestly. at the same time my experiences are clouding it! so i really cannot say.

lots of text here. anyway. p5 fandomwise, theres never been a more yaoibrained ship in existance EXCEPT FOR SOUYO. however, in terms of actual p5 canon, just slightly to the side of yaoibrained, as its not unreasonable to see it by any means but you do have to be a specific type of person to build that up in your head to something larger

#data

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realcube · 4 years ago

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characters dealing with a deep sleeper! s/o (_　_)。゜zｚＺ

characters: bokuto, oikawa & saiki k

tw// swearing, fluff, mentions of death, illness, funerals, sexual references

Kōtarō Bokuto

he literally thought you died

this was your first time sleeping over at his home and last night, y’all were stuffing your faces with treats until your stomachs ached

you had mentioned several times how you were feeling sick - even after bokuto took you out for a late-night run - but he just told you to take a pain-killer and sleep it off

but now he was kinda regretting not calling someone to help

like what if the sickness was a symptom to a deadly disease which took you overnight?

plus, he had tried everything he could think of to wake you up: he shook you, he blasted music from his phone, he opened the curtains to allow blinding light to shine on you, he flicked spits of cold water onto your face and he literally wafted cookies around the room in hopes you’d catch the scent

but it was no use as even after all that, you didn’t move an inch

he tried to check your pulse which he believed to be on the wrist but he couldn’t think it

so either he was too stupid to find the exact location or......you didn’t have a pulse

he’ll admit, it was an eerie thought that there could be a dead person in his bed rn but even he considered that a rather outlandish idea

how could a person as healthy as you just die overnight? so he did what any reasonable person would do in that situation-- no, not call a doctor

he held a funeral for his beloved s/o 💀

he gathered all five of the plushies laying around his room (all of which were owls) and lined them up on the foot of the bed

‘we are all gathered here today to celebrate the epic life of my partner, (y/n) (l/n).’ he sobbed into the sleeve of the black blazer he had pulled out of his closet, ‘gone too soon.’

silence. but in his mind he was met by a chorus of ‘aww’s and whimpers from the crowd

‘i loved them. (y/n) was my rock; they helped me through some of the hardest points in my life--’

his speech was cut off upon hearing one of the audience members pipe up, ‘bo, what are you doing?’

a wave of excitement washed over him as he scurried up to the line of guests, closely examining each one, ‘i didn’t know y’all could talk!’

you rolled your eyes before leaning forward and gently tapping the back of his head, ‘it’s me.’

upon laying his eyes on you, healthy and alive, his lips curled into a foolishly large grin as he immediately pulled you into a tight hug, ‘(Y/N), you’re alive!’ he cried

you gasped at his rather dramatic reaction before slowly melting into his embrace, ‘yes, i am.’

as your lips parted from the skin of his jaw and he slowly let his arms fall from your waist, you finally inquired, ‘did you hold a funeral for me?’

bokuto’s eyes-widened at your ‘crazy’ suggestion, ‘uhhhh, nooooo.’

if his elongating of each word wasn’t enough to show that he was lying, the dead giveaway would have to be the sheet of A4 paper with ‘(Y/N)’S FUNERAL 😭’ written on it that was stuck to the door with blu-tac

ignoring his completely false reply, you leaned back on the bed and picked up on the owl plushies, gently stroking it’s soft fur, ‘are these the guests? why are there only five?’

bokuto shrugged, picking up one himself and absentmindedly attempting to balance it on your head, ‘seven; if you count me and you.’

you giggled, about to make a inquire about the names of each guest until bokuto suddenly through his arms around you again

‘why didn’t you tell me that you are such a deep-sleeper before?! i was so worried - i thought you died! please never die on me again, (y/n)?’

you smiled, pulling back to plant a sweet kiss on his cheek, ‘i promise.’

Tōru Oikawa

he would take advantage of this opportunity lol

the first time y’all slept over together as a couple, he had no idea that you were as deep of a sleeper as you actually are

like he thought you meant ‘i sometimes sleep through my alarms’ deep-sleeper

NOT ‘IT TAKES A WHOLE NATURAL DISASTER TO WAKE ME UP IN THE MORNING’ DEEP-SLEEPER (/h)

anyway, at first, he’d probably just freshen up while you sleep: take a shower, wash his face, brush his teeth, floss etc so he’s no longer effected by that ✨morning crust ✨

but when he pokes his head out of the bathroom and noticed that your sleep asleep, he tries to blow-dry his hair bc he knows how much you like it when it’s all fluffy

but his blow-dryer was quite loud so he put it on for a few seconds to see if it’s wake you up and just as he expected, you were still sound asleep

so he blew-dry his hair until it was that soft texture that you liked so much- all while you were still like (∪.∪ )...zzz even though the blow-dryer was making a racket

you were still sleeping and upon looking at the time, he realised that it was completely fair considering it was currently half past 8 and he had just woken up extremely early for some unknown reason

he didn’t want to wake you so he was just doing to go out for a run or make breakfast until he caught a glimpse of himself in mirror

o.O

despite his puffy hair and pearly-white smile, he still looked sloppy

but it was definitely bc of his stained, torn, washed-out pyjamas tbh

he was just wearing an old T-shirt that he’s had for god-knows how long and a pair of grey sweatpants; it wasn’t a look

he had no idea what possessed him to wear such casual nightwear while you were at his house - especially when you chose to wear something so relaxed yet titillating - but he knew that he needed to change

after a while of rummaging through his nightwear drawer, the best he could find was a pair of white, silk, loose-legged trousers which he had bought for a halloween costume many years ago

it was pretty classy though :)) he was sure that you’d like it

however, he still couldn’t find anything to wear on his top half but there is no fashion problem oikawa can’t solve

thus, he went shirtless ( •̀ ω •́ )✧

he also threw on some jewellery too, just for the lols

you weren’t awake yet thought, so after he set up some candles to create a ‘mood’, he just sat next to you on the bed, scrolling on his phone and anticipating your reaction once you woke up

for a moment, he thought that he might’ve went when too far but upon taking a look at himself in his front-facing camera, he realised that there was no harm in spicing things up

once he noticed one of your eyes slowly flutter open, he quickly tossed his phone to the side and turned his body to face you, shooting you a kind smile and he gently ran a hand through his fluffy hair, ‘morning, angel~’ he cooed

you grumbled your greeting in response, then proceeded to rub your eyes to make sure you were seeing him correctly, ‘what are you wearing, tōru?’

‘can a guy not dress up for his special someone anymore?’

you rolled your eyes, playfully slapping his chest and going to hop out of bed until he pulled you back down against the sheets

a faint gasp escaped your lips but you were quickly hushed by oikawa pushing his finger against your lips, ‘you’re not going anywhere, (y/n).’

Kusuo Saiki

this was the first time you ever slept over at his house or next to him yet y’all had been dating for year and a half

he was just scared that he might accidently do something crazy in his sleep (bc of his powers ofc) and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt you 🥺

you were patient with him though but bc y’all had never woken up together before, he had no idea how deep of a sleeper you are

he thought it was cute at first bc you were laying there like the beauty you are, lookin’ all serene and calm and stuff

but after a while, he got bored on his own #•̀ ︿ •��

also, you promised to bake macarons with him for breakfast and he was hungry as hell, still he didn’t want to eat without you but if he didn’t wake you up rn to make macarons, he’d surely starve to death while they were in the fridge

on any other day, he’d just try do it himself but when you helped him make food- it just hit different 😍

‘(y/n), wake up.’ he spoke into your mind using his telepathy, while light nudging your arm, ‘i’m hungry.’

you didn’t reply, seeming completely knocked out

he tried the next best thing, holding his annoying alarm noise near (but not too close) to your ear

still nothing, though

his last human attempt was aggressively pulling your blanket away but even after that you showed no signs of waking up so he realised that he’d have to resort to using his physic abilities

he considered using his astral projection to possess your body but he felt as though taking over your body might cross a few boundaries

but he did try duplicating himself so he could shake you from many different angles but it was still no use

he continued to use his telepathy to try wake you up but it didn’t seem to work either

after multiple different attempts of using his powers to try wake you up; here he was, standing in the middle of some dystopian, apocalyptic scene - alarms ringing in the distant along with sirens, screaming, honking and wails. everything around him seemed to be engulfed by flames which created thick, smoky air

he wasn’t really sure how he got here but he was pretty sure it started around the time he tried to form an energy ball

whatever 🤷‍♂️ it’s no biggie

he jumped back in time so he was standing next to your bed once again, exactly where he left off before he created the energy ball

he stared down at your sleeping figure and let out an exasperated sigh as he realised that he’d have to employ one of his most dangerous tactics

he really hoped it didn’t have to come to this

‘(y/n), if you get up right now.’ his voice rung through your head, ‘i speak with my voice.’

just like that, both of your eyes shot open as you hastily sat up on the bed

‘do it, saiki!’ you cheered, a foolishly large grin plastered on your features

and he couldn’t help but smile too

curse you for being so cute

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