#as opposed to an act of love or connection that people do together

[ohnoitstbskyen]

asking sincerely. do you see a romance between jayce and viktor? do you think they ended up being something romantic at the end?

With apologies I am going to only half talk about the thing you are asking me, since I have something else on my mind and you happened to hit the button that makes me vomit it into words.

Coming at this from an aromantic perspective, I obviously don't experience the state of absurd obsessive delusion that you bizarre romantic freaks fetishize so feverishly*, but I am often annoyed by the idea that friendship and romance are either opposites or mutually exclusive. From my perspective, the boundary between the two is at best thin, and more realistically not actually a boundary at all except by cultural construction.

*i am taking an excessively hostile, crass tone for my own amusement i do not mean this seriously please be normal at me, weird allo freaks

I won't get into my full feelings about the end of Arcane, but it seems perfectly plain to me that the script, the imagery and the animation presents Jayce and Viktor as two halves of a whole, not opposing forces but alike to yin and yang: opposites which each contain the other. And at the climax of the show, the greatest peril to life and peace in the narrative is resolved by these two men literally joining their bodies and souls together, and going into eternity holding one another for comfort and strength. They are quite literally soulmates, quite literally the most important people in one another's lives.

I don't think that that kind of intimate emotional connection between men must necessarily be either romantic or sexual - I am aromantic, and plenty of ace people exist, and there is nothing in our natures excluding us from intense connections of love with other people of any gender.

I also think it is willfully ignorant (and genuinely homophobic) to act as though these deep connections are mutually exclusive with sex and romance. As though if Viktor and Jayce fucked nasty and made out sloppy style, suddenly their intimacy is less pure or valid, or tainted somehow.

"If these two men who are emotionally close to one another also fuck or get romantically involved, then friendship is dead, murdered on the floor by a dick-shaped knife; vile sexuality corrupts and debases the true, pure and virtuous love of ✨friendship✨" <- This shit is homophobic at a baseline, queerphobic in general, and frankly as an aromantic man I find it pretty fucking insulting as well.

What, are my friendships with other men just inherently more pure and divine, more meaningful and true than a gay man's can ever be, because I will never suffer the vile temptation of adding romance to my affection? Is that how I should think of myself? And is an aroace man more pure than me still, the only source of TRUE male friendship that a man can ever experience, free from the pustulant corruption of sexuality and romantic desire?

You get this pathetic defensiveness (especially from men, but other genders aren't immune) wherein sex and sexuality and romance between men is perceived as a threat to men's right and ability to experience deep connection to each other. But the emotional castration of men comes not from people imagining sex and romance as a component of our relationships - it comes from people who insist that our emotional lives must be ruled by strict binaries. Sex and romance, OR ELSE friendship. Deep romantic connection OR ELSE deep platonic connection. Pick one and do not dare to imagine both, nor act as though the boundary between them is something that we built by cultural fiat, and which can be dismantled just the same.

And yes, yes, yes, I know there are cultural forces literally illuminati-style conspiring to systemically erase the entire existence of explicitly romantic, sexual male love from media, and I know that homophobic puritanism is on the rise and there are material concerns and a real necessity for explicit representation in fiction, yes I know. Everything is more complicated than a tumblr post can cover, I am not trying to Solve Rainbow Capitalism™ over here, I am trying to express frustration as an aromantic man that this stupid fucking binary keeps getting culturally reinforced by both my enemies and my well-meaning allies, when I think the binary is what's fucking killing us in the first place.

So anyway. My position is that Viktor and Jayce can be entirely aromantic no-homo friends, and they can fuck nasty in the throes of mutual need and obsession, and I refuse to entertain the idea that there is an irresolvable contradiction between those things. Each of those can contain the other, or become the other given time and circumstance.

What the imagery, storytelling and script of Arcane makes clear is that Viktor and Jayce love each other more than life itself. To say that that love must be shoved into the box of either "platonic" or "romantic" is to miss out on almost everything that is beautiful about love. It can be both and neither! It can be a secret third, ninth or fifteenth thing that they haven't invented a tag for on Ao3 yet.

They are giving each other whatever the spiritual mind-ghost equivalent of sloppy backshots are on the ethereal plain forever, they are the most romantic lovers in the cosmos, and they are also the most chaste and platonic life-partner friends you have ever seen, effortlessly intimate and unashamedly tender. They are men who love one another, in every way that love matters.

You can pick whichever interpretation brings you joy, and resonates with what your heart needs, the text of the show is eminently and explicity open to it, and anyone who says otherwise either failed to pay attention, or refused to pay attention on purpose.

[the2020haikyuuphase]

kagehina headcanons

the first week they were in karasuno together and dropping gay ass lines like "when i'm here you're invincible" and shit everyone in the club would just stop what they're doing and clock them.

but back then no one really knew each other because the first years were new to the club so everyone was too nice to say anything about it– EXCEPT gay ass tsukishima but kageyama and hinata always ignore him so

and then everyone just gradually became used to their BS and wouldn’t react. but every time they had a game and were acting like That the players on the opposing team would be like ‘??? tf going on here? explain why ur first years are acting like That??’ so karasuno would have to be reminded

kageyama getting cute aggression with hinata but not knowing what it is

hinata feeling stronger every time kageyama was near and thinking it's because kageyama treats him as an equal

kageyama and hinata planning on hanging out to do mostly volleyball-related stuff in high school but then it bleeding into their personal life. study sessions that do not help them at all (it's the blind leading the blind), dinner with the hinatas where hinata and kageyama are forced to play dolls with natsu. dinner at the kageyamas where hinata gets a haircut from miwa. going to eat out together but having no pocket change to do so (definition of broke fifteen year olds) so they try to find the cheapest vending machines.

everyone just assumed they'd get together eventually through high school because these boys were so obviously obsessed with each other. but then they never did and they stayed in the weird but comfortable in-between and confused the shit out of everyone

neither hinata or kageyama are romance-driven individuals at ALL so they never found out they had feelings for each other because they were just not fussed to dissect it. there's so much in their relationship that lays on top of their romantic love for each other that they find much more important

i think it isn't until they unofficially 'split' up that they realise 'actually i think i might be in love with this guy' but even then there's more important things then their love for each other. it doesn't shake them to their core or anything, it's just a bit heartbreaking because now they're apart and they only just came to terms with it.

funnily enough, they're not the type to be overthinking what the other is doing or getting jealous or possessive in the long interim. they know each other so well– they know exactly what the other would be doing and they respect it because they understand implicitly why their choices need to be made. it would have been the loss of understanding that would have really scared them, but they’re such soulmates i seriously doubt they would ever lose that

they are so secure in their relationship. they sort of implicitly know that at the end of the day, they'll be Them again because there's not really another option. all roads will lead back to each other. no one else completes and challenges the other like they do. so even though it can be painful, and there's a lot of obstacles through it all, life is long and winding and eventually they know they'll find the other again.

i think they would get with other people (especially i can see hinata doing that, i headcanon kageyama as demisexual so i think there would be less desire to experiment on his side) after high school and experiment and find out what they like and stuff. but they're always each other's number one.

yeah soulmatism at its finest

what WOULD hurt them is seeing the same sort of indescribable connection replicated by the other with someone else. it doesn't have to be romantic (it usually isn't), but knowing that other people have the privilege of growing beside the person they love above all else, but their dream forces them to be apart would def open up some wounds

nothing excites them more than playing against each other. it doesn't matter if its on the world stage or in someone's backyard

they have crazy eye sex through the net and everyone thinks they're freaks. straight teenage boys think they hate each other and make tiktok edits of their rivalry with brazillian phonk in the background. others just think they act gay for clout (loud incorrect buzzer)

probably had a impromptu makeout sesh in the locker rooms a few times. then they act completely normal after

their sisters fw them so bad. miwa and natsu text each other just to complain about how long it's taking for them to just... get married

kageyama offers to train natsu with volleyball a lot and offer her tips. miwa glams hinata up for special events on the house

when kageyama and hinata verse each other in a home game their families link up at one of their houses just to watch over dinner and after the game both kagehina go home together and just eat a late meal at whoever is hosting that night. they're arguing the entire time but it's chill

kagehina gets brand deals with rival companies alllllll the time

i think they actually start officially dating MUCH later in life. towards the end of their careers or after their careers as volleyball players. but at that point they've been in an unofficial relationship for twenty or so years and they act like it too.

idk if marriage and kids is for them tbh but i don't think it's necessarily out of the cards. i just think they'll be too distracted to settle for a long while. they have to practice extra long on how to be two functional adults. if they do get married i can see them being like... seventy when it happens haha

[flippinpancakes64]

the cullens with a vampire hunter reader that will NOT harm the Cullens?

The Cullens with a Vampire Hunter! Reader

Writing this as I’m waiting for food at the Texas Roadhouse lol

Also I watched Longlegs today talk about a weird ass movie. It was good though, I would recommend it if you're into weird horror.

Thank you for requesting and I hope you enjoy!

Edward:

He doesn’t trust you at first

Instantly, he knows what you are

He can hear your thoughts and how you intend to harm vampires

He warns the family about you

You had heard about a family of vampires who didn’t harm people, but you didn’t believe it

You were convinced that it had to all be an elaborate lie

But when you see one of them in public, it's instantly obvious

The golden eyes, the calm demeanor, etc.

He takes a while to warm up to you, he still doesn't trust you entirely

But when some opposing vampires come into the area and you fight with the Cullens, he stands corrected

He helps you fight other vampires lol

He doesn't like them either

He follows you all around the world to go hunting

He loves it

Alice:

She sees you coming in a vision

She sees you holding a vampire's head as they wither away into smoke

And then she sees a flash of you crossing the line into whatever town they are in

She warns everyone that you are coming

And when you arrive, you almost get into a battle

But then you see that the Cullens are different

In the moment that you hesitate and choose not to attack, Alice gets a flash of the two of you together in the future

She declares that you're not a threat

She trusts you fully from the beginning

She gets a bit wary just because she's worried that if Jasper slips at all that you might attack him

Just reassure her that you won't <3

Jasper:

You had been tailing him for a while through the college campus

He didn't know who you were or what you wanted

All you knew was that he was far too beautiful and graceful to be human

But one day you sat next to him in the cafeteria and you saw his newly golden eyes from him having just fed yesterday

He could feel the shock from you

When he turned to fully look at you it was like he could feel the connection

After you two talk for a while, he learns that you're a vampire hunter

He gets a bit nervous after that

I feel like he's probably run into some trouble with hunters before

So yeah he's a bit scared

He takes a while to warm up to you

But after you reassure him multiple times that you are not a threat to him or his family, he relaxes

He also tells you about all of his troubles with cravings

He feels so much better that you're so patient with him

Rosalie:

Yeah she doesn't trust you at all

She's already not a huge fan of humans

But someone who poses a threat to her family who she will never admit that she cares about? Yeah no

She will be the last one to warm up to you guaranteed

And it will take a while

She needs to be 100% certain that you aren't gonna hurt them

I feel like it would take one last big push for her to really start trusting you

Like an attack from a rogue vampire that you help fight

That will kick into her mind that you really do care and mean no harm

After that she hangs out with you a bit more

But don't expect too much

At least not a first

Just give her time, she'll come around

Emmett:

He's one of the quickest to trust you

I feel like after a couple of days of you not trying to kill them he's like "good enough for me"

He's just really curious about how you do it

I mean, it takes him a bit of force to kill a vampire, so how does a human do it

He wants to go hunting with you

He just thinks it's fun

Every once in a while, it's very rewarding to pick on someone your own size

He would make jokes about your profession if you ever say he's annoying you

"Emmett. Stop tapping my head, I'm busy"

"Or what? You gonna kill me?"

And then he acts shocked when you hit him on the head

Esme:

She's very worried

The last thing she wants is danger to come to her family

But at her core she is a loving and accepting person

So it doesn't take her long to warm up to you

She is still pretty wary around you, she doesn't truly know what to expect after all

But having you around is a pretty big comfort to her

Just knowing that there's one more person who's able to defend each other should the need arise

She is also very curious about what exactly it is that you do, but she does not want to be a part of that

Not her cup of tea

Carlisle:

Another one who has encountered vampire hunters before

Only, the last ones he interacted with didn't care that he didn't hurt humans, they just wanted him dead

So it's a very pleasant surprise when you don't instantly try to kill him

You explain that you heard rumors of a big vampire clan that was completely docile and you needed to see it for yourself

He's very curious to hear about all of your adventures

But he's also not going to go hunting with you

He has other things to do

He does trust you pretty early on, though

His thought process is that if you wanted to try to kill them then you would have done it already

And Edward or Alice would have told him something's up

Vampire! Bella:

She's pretty extreme

When you first show up and reveal what you are, she is ready to attack no questions asked

But as soon as Edward and Alice confirm that you're not a threat, she is instantly your bestie

In like a casual way though

She's so curious, she wants to know everything

She becomes attached at the hip for a while

And yes she does want to go kick some vampire ass with you

She's so down

[astrobiscuits]

Composite obs (relationship only)

Minors DNI (mention of 18+ themes)

Indicators of being a power couple:

Sun conjunct ASC

Sun in 8th house

Pluto conjunct MC

Pluto trine Saturn

MC at 29° (especially in a fire sign or a fixed sign)

Having one of the following fixed stars conjunct Sun, Moon, ASC or MC: Aldebaran (Gemini 9°), Rigel (Gemini 16°), Capella (Gemini 21°), Betelgeuse (Gemini 28°), Sirius (Cancer 14°), Regulus (Leo 29°) [orb 2°]

(you can select fixed stars from astro.com under "Extended Chart Selection" -> "Additional objects" -> scroll down under "Common elements")

Indicators of being the most hated couple:

Afflicted Uranus in 1st house/conjunct ASC

Aries ASC or Mars conjuncting ASC

Afflicted Mars in 10th house/conjunct MC

Jupiter square Mercury, where Jupiter/Mercury is in 10/11th house

Scorpio stellium

Having one of the following fixed stars conjunct Sun, Moon, ASC or MC: Algol (Taurus 26°), Pollux (Cancer 23°), Procyon (Cancer 25°) [orb 2°]

Other considerations:

🌿 Couples with Moon in 5th house are very fertile (pls, pls use protection unless you want to have kids). They're are also likely to be great aunts & uncles or babysitters for their friends

🌿 Those with Moon in 8th house are into some kinky stuff in the bedroom (mostly BDSM and breeding kink). This placement is also often found in FWB connections

🌿 Couples with stellium in 12th house OR with Moon & Neptune in 12th house have a telepathic connection like no other. These are the people that, if they were to do a tarot session together, they would get AMAZING results. They might also dream of each other before meeting irl or manifest each other into their lives

🌿 Couples with Mercury in 5th house have the same taste in music. They enjoy talking about different bands and listening to music together

🌿 Mars in 11th house makes the couple achieve their dreams together. They often want to help those around them and give back to the community they love

🌿 Venus in 11th house couples usually have the same group of friends. They might also act as the matchmakers in their friend group

🌿 These couples also look good on social media. They're usually the definition of "couple goals", showcasing an idealised, aesthetic image of each other

🌿 Aspects between Mars and Vesta show a relationship where at least one of the partners is going to lose their virginity to the other. If Mars and Vesta are sextiling or trining each other, the experience will be a positive one. If Mars and Vesta are opposing or squaring each other, the experience will be a negative one. The conjunction feels more significant, but it can go either way (check other aspects to your Mars-Vesta conjunction)

🌿 Having a Grand Trine in composite makes you ignore a bad synastry. The relationship often feels one of a kind, something so rare that the both of you are willing to sacrifice yourself for the sake of the relationship. You're willing to ignore incompatibilites or work on your bad aspects in your synastry because you cherish the relationship more than the other person

🌿 On the other hand, having an amazing synastry and a challenging composite is the complete opposite - you two get along well, but once the relationship is formed and difficulties arise, you're both out

🌿 The 4th house - 10th house axis in composite resembles the relationship between in-laws. If the ruler of the 4th house and the ruler of 10th house aspect each other, then your parents and your partner's parents will have a significant relationship with each other (whether good or bad, check the aspects and the planets involved).

🌿 But how can you figure out which ruler signifies your parents and which rulers signifies your partner's parents? Just compare them to your own birth charts :) there's no fixed rule in this case

dividers by @gigittamic and @vg-k

©️ 2024 astrobiscuits all rights reserved

[alieinthemorning]

Unrestrained Love [8394 | Grim | Casper]

Content: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Soul Bond, Post-Ending 8: Interwoven, Crying, POV Second Person, Reader Insert

Pronouns: None

Reblogs: Let me know that you enjoy my work and want to see more, so don’t forget to like and reblog (and comment in the tags. I love seeing people’s rambles in the tags)!

This work’s concepts, plot and original characters are my own which means I do not allow any sort of creative theft nor do I allow my work to be entered into any sort of A.I. bots. Thank you for respecting my space and boundaries

“We’re back?” Your head swiveled again, taking in what is most definitely your room. “We’re back! Casper, we’re—"

You were cut off by his lips that suddenly pressed against your own. You melted into it easily. At first, you thought that the happiness and relief of finally being able to just be together, but then you felt a dampness on your shoulder. 

You wanted to comfort him, tell him that everything was okay now. Joke with him by asking if he was crying because he just now realized that he was stuck with you for eternity., but you couldn’t. As much as you joked and teased, and acted like you didn’t give a shit. You gave a monumental amount of shit, especially when it came to those you care about. 

So, you simply held him tighter, and cried along with him. The past ten days of emotions finally breaking your well patched damn. As well as his own feelings that you could feel ever so faintly through your connection.

You don’t know how much time you passed, but eventually sobs became sniffles and sniffles became silence. Until he spoke. 

“I love you.” He curled deeper into you, “I can finally say that without the fear of our deaths looming over my head.” He chuckled. “I thought that I would feel lighter, but I honestly feel…not worse, but heavy.”

“I get it.” Your hands found his hair, one hand on his scalp while the other ran through its long length. “We’ve escaped death…and life—the whole cycle and all that, but we’re still left with this connection. Which—! I’m not opposed to, of course. I love our connection, but…everything happened so fast, and now we’re left alone to pick up all these pieces, but I guess…” You paused. “I’m glad that I’ll be able to spend the rest of our existence with each other figuring it out.”

Casper untangled himself from you. His face was flushed red and his eyes were swollen, but he’s never looked more beautiful to you. 

“I’d like that a lot, Sunshine.” His smile was as bright as your nickname, but then he looked away. 

You smiled, “What is it, Casper?”

“…can I kiss you?” 

Your smile widened. “Of course, and take this as permission to do any other time. You won’t have to ask again.” Then you paused. “…hm, actually I think asking once in a while would be pretty hot.”

“Okay, you’re done.” His lips captured yours. 

For now. You were done for now. Fortunately, he still had to deal with you once the two of you came up for air. 

I'll be so real, I wanted to write smut for him first, but I've been wombo combo'd by Ligher (ZZZ), Fiend!Sylus (LADS), and this game's DLC release that I've had no moment to rest (I still wanna get the smut out before working on Sylus, but we'll see).

Anyway, despite getting one of the good endings (I consider this one the best), I still made it sad lmao.

Ko-Fi | Masterlist

[mageknight14]

Exploring the Parallels Between Our Favorite (and Only) Conductors

One thing I think is really cool about the Kitaniji and Shiba parallels is how they both idolized the Composers/Higher Plane members they were in contact with but take that idolization into different directions and how these are reflected in Neku and Rindo’s individual flaws.

First we have Kitaniji, who idolized Joshua and put him and his status as Composer on a pedestal, and thus, in an attempt to try and save Shibuya, conducted a plan to try and rob the city of its individuality and make it a hive mind to, in his view, appease the Composer. However, what Kitaniji failed to consider that what HE, as an individual, wanted was counterintuitive to what Joshua truly desired as shown by the rules/structure of the Shibuya Game and his various interactions with Neku throughout their week together.

Kitaniji acts in a way he presumes would please Joshua, thinking that initiating the human instrumentality project would be the thing to please him most when that's far from the truth, simply because he's unable to look past his ego. He thinks he understands Joshua best, despite not taking the time to actually get to know him (which sounds an awful lot like toxic idol culture) and only ends up projecting his own insecurities about human connection onto Joshua as desires that a god would share as well because hey, why would a god care about empathizing and connecting with people when they’re just so much better than them, right?

He failed to see Joshua for the flawed individual that he was as opposed to the almighty Composer and instead of trying to genuinely connect with him and perhaps convince him otherwise when it came to his plan to eradicate Shibuya, goes right into the brainwashing scheme, essentially doubling down on his flawed mindset. Kitaniji’s idolization makes him believe that he is something akin to a God as well; makes him feel closer to Joshua in a way. In short, Kitaniji’s idol worship is a conscious, agency-prone outcome mediated by the false relationship he has with Joshua.

Throughout the game, Kitaniji makes conscious (and unhealthy) decisions through his idolization of another person; he also believes he has a measure of personal agency and individuality that makes him more important than others, probably in part due to the "special relationship" he believes he has with Joshua (more idol worship toxicity) despite ironically being an empty individual and misinterpreting his intentions, which is what leads to his downfall. This in contrast to Neku, who due to his past trauma concerning his friend’s death, latches onto his flawed misinterpretation of his idol CAT’s words, only for CAT himself to set the record straight, causing Neku to realize throughout the game how he may have twisted his idol’s (Hanekoma) message to support his bias of isolation, and finally understand what CAT's words meant. This in turn is what allows Neku to finally get through to Joshua and convince him through his actions that Shibuya, and by extension humanity, can truly change for the better and gets him to spare the city. A happy ending that a Shibuya free of individuality wouldn’t have been able to achieve.

In NEO TWEWY, we have Shiba, someone who rises through the ranks of the Reaper hierarchy incredibly quickly and thus, became easy pickings for Kubo to try and manipulate to do his bidding; a man that has obtained so much power that he actually begins to idolize himself, thinking himself so strong and important that now he can whimsically make decisions about life and death, treat every situation as some kind of game, and judge people as he sees fit. Shiba only thinks himself as holding such an important role, which really belongs to Kubo's because of Kubo setting things up in such a way that made it so that Shiba's newfound powers would fuck with his ability to rationalize. Kubo fed into Shiba’s ego and slowly nudged him into the direction of shutting out his loved ones, which then leads into a cycle of Shiba becoming worse and worse thanks to the influence of his powers/Kubo and the Shinjuku gang isolating themselves from him. He becomes convinced that what Kubo wants is what HE desires as well, even if that’s not truly the case deep down, and throws himself more and more into his work to accomplish that, which, of course, only adds onto the cycle I described above more and more.

What's interesting here is that Shiba doesn’t draw any implicit or explicit motivations from his relationship with Kubo; he’s just another guy to him. We can make the argument that Kubo as a character symbolizes a particular substrate of toxic idolizing in that he represents status, a constituent of success that Shiba clamors for in the hopes that he can idolize himself. However, with that being said, the relationship between Shiba and Kubo itself in the story has no bearing on the former’s personal drive the way Kitaniji’s relationship with Joshua does. Rather, what Shiba’s idolism represents is the corruption of one's sense of self when they fall too deep into the cesspool of influencer stardom/corporate corruption; the overinflation of ego that becomes a malicious byproduct of commanding such an effect over large numbers of people.

If you remember, Shiba initially started off in Shinjuku promising change and a better lifestyle for his fellow Reapers, which they clearly took to heart and gladly followed after him, speaking volumes about his charisma. But then when he got a taste of his newfound power after the conclusion of the Shinjuku revolt, he became more and more detached from the people and found himself sinking into the singularity of his own self-indulgence.

This can be considered an almost 1-to-1 parallel with influencer behavior and in a way, Shiba is kind of what Motoi was hoping he'd be before he found some clarity by actually having to look into the face of the fan he was nonchalantly treating as a pawn to stardom and came to realize just how damaging his actions were overall.

In contrast to Shiba, we have Rindo, who also has the flaw of internalizing someone else’s thoughts and opinions as his own, something that gets repeatedly shown off in his interactions with Swallow and Motoi/an0ther. Hell, it gets to the point that Sumio, Motoi’s second-in-command, is able to play on Rindo’s need for validation from his idol and trick him into helping him (I love how Beat in the last pic here sighs in his sprites because he knows that Rindo fell for it, hook, line, and sinker)

However, what truly cements the parallel here is this convo Shiba has with Tsugumi in the Last Day Intervention.

Shiba here basically flat out admits that he was afraid of having to face the consequences of his decisions. Of having to own up to the fact that his self-destructive actions were causing harm to himself and others and so, in an effort to try and suppress that feeling of insecurity, he saw it fit to run away from the warning signs and trap himself in his own self-isolating bubble in order to avoid taking responsibility.

Now, who does that remind you of?

Now, at first glance, this comparison might seem like a stretch, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, let's think back on what Nagi said about Shiba at the end of W3D3 after Kanon's erasure.

When we reflect on what Nagi said, you start to realize that the majority of Shiba's actions throughout the third week was due to his feelings of anger and hurt following what he feels is a personal betrayal from the people he cares about the most and how he then takes out that anger on the people below him. First there's his calling out Shoka personally out of anger of a mix of betraying him and the others by switching to Rindo's group and blaming her for HIS encouraging Ayano to take drastic measures such as personally infecting herself with the Plague in order to try and get Shoka to come back.

Which then leads into the next day where Shiba, out of anger concerning Ayano's erasure, sends out more Plague Noise to target the remaining teams so that they can feel the grief he's currently going through, which ends with Kanon, the Twisters' most supportive ally, getting caught in the crossfire and subsequently erased, which Nagi's analysis on Shiba alludes to when she comments on his wrathful energy in the morning announcment.

Combine this with him sending out Plague Noise that take on phantom images of the Twisters' failures and traumas and him getting so pissed at Susukichi betraying him in a previous timeline on W3D6 that he causes the Inversion a day earlier than intended and you get the sense that Shiba is lashing out at the others for what he views to be their fault, while never reflecting on his own fault on the matter due to a combination of the Dissonance affecting him so deeply and his refusal to see just how much he's hurting the people he cares about the most.

Much like how Rindo tends to lash out at others whenever he feels pressured to make a decision or face the possibility of having to take responsibility of his actions, Shiba's actions can be considered an example of what can happen if that flaw was taken to its worst possible conclusion. Both Rindo and Shiba are afraid of having to face the consequences of their actions and try to avoid facing them by either pawning off responsibility off of someone else or just outright tuning out the warning signs altogether. They put the people around them at arm's lengths, often taking them for granted, and become paranoid around others out of fear what will happen to them if they get too close. However, Rindo eventually starts becoming more savvy to his idol’s intentions and actively seeks out the truth about him, resulting in him breaking away from Motoi’s influence and slowly becoming more assured in himself and his decisions. He becomes more aware of his friends' struggles and will often try to do right by them (as shown with his talks with Shoka and the contrast between his and Fret's conversations at the beginning and end of the game). This is shown off in two ways, with Rindo and Shiba's confrontation at the end of W2D7 and W3D7 being flipped to have Rindo and Shiba trading places to show who’s on top, Shiba utterly alone in contrast to Rindo being surrounded by others, the Wicked Twisters dominating the screen while Shiba can only shrink back in defeat and Shiba being invisible in the Crossing (despite being surrounded by all those people) while Rindo is literally embedded in an ever-expanding Social Network.

By the end, Rindo actively takes accountability for his actions and achieves the happy ending he strives for, even helping with bringing Shiba back to his senses. Shiba on the other hand, once his influential power gets to his heart, begins to devalue the significance of the wants, needs, and individuality of the people who followed him fervently, and it's not until he gets his ass kicked and then is forced to face his number one fan/the person he cares about most, Hishima (another parallel with Rindo and Motoi), does he come to terms with how his actions have affected people he cares about, and is able to break out of his own self-idolizing and begin his path towards reformation, taking responsibility for his actions much in the same way that Rindo himself does.

To recap, Kitaniji becomes convinced that what he’s doing is what JOSHUA wants while Shiba becomes convinced that what KUBO wants is what he actually desires when that’s really not the case and I find these parallels to be incredibly fascinating. Kitaniji and Shiba are considered to be the ideal of what a Reaper should be in their respective cities and what's especially interesting is how while the values each game tries to instill does have merit when applied to our lives, they also show off the downsides of what those values can have if you're not especially careful.

On one end, you have Kitaniji, who is the "ideal" of a Shibuya Reaper. Highly unique and imaginative, has a very strong sense of self and sense of identity. Is an individualist but is also very isolated as a result. Tellingly, when Joshua starts to force his hand and basically tells him to come up with a way to save the city or get fucked, Kitaniji starts going down a dark path and tries to rob the citizens of Shibuya of their individuality in order to save the city from becoming destroyed, unknowingly increasing its countdown to its inevitable destruction and became twisted into a raving madman that insists that he’s saving humanity and is shepherding them into a new ideal utopia.

By contrast, when you take a look at the flashbacks and how the others speak about him before he got his new powers, Shiba is shown an be incredibly charismatic individual and this goes hand in hand with his role as the most powerful of the Shinjuku Reapers. His leadership and connections are his strength. He’s a social butterfly (his Noise powers and pendant are themed for a reason) and is considered the ideal of a Shinjuku Reaper. However, thanks to his new powers getting to his head, he’s pushed away all of his remaining allies and now has just about no one but himself, the emotional isolation being incredibly damaging to both himself and the people he cares about .Susukichi, Rindo, and Neku even talk about this, speculating about how he must be lonely and how his new powers most likely contributed to this.

Both TWEWY games can be read as a cautionary tale of idolism; of influencer status; of becoming so disillusioned that you either close yourself off to others or deem yourself so important that other people matter far less. Last but not least, they emphasize the importance of being accountable for one's own self, especially in a society of influencers because at the end of the day, it's important that you believe in your own views and can uphold them responsibly; it's important to not blindly follow others, especially if your self-worth hinges on it and ESPECIALLY if they become like Shiba or Kitaniji.

[cringefuckass]

Any GuitarSpear hcs you’d like to share ? :)

oh my god YES

under a cut bc some are a lil nsfw

Their dynamic is kind of a “we share one braincell” kind of deal I think, most often the braincell is in Lutes possession hence why she acts as Adams impulse control but when she gets bloodthirsty Adam has to be the one who holds the braincell.

He kind of loves when it’s his turn to hold the braincell, he enjoys getting to be the level headed one bc it makes him feel like a Big Leader Man™

He also wouldn’t say it out loud for fear of egging her on too much but he finds her bloodlust kind of funny. He’ll tell her to chill but he definitely laughed inside at “rip Vaggies cunt mouth out her ass”.

Everyone in heaven knows they’re close because pretty much no one else hangs out with either of them casually. Lute is uninterested in friendships, she only hangs out with the other exorcists as acquaintances. Adam only ever really has admirers, no actual friends. There are rumours amongst other heaven residents abt the nature of their relationship but mostly people are thrilled that they have each other to distract them from being a bother to other residents.

It is true that they hook up, but the rumours are more abt whether or not they’re involved romantically bc Heaven residents don’t often even consider sex without a romantic connection being a part of the deal.

On that note, Adams frequent hook ups with his admirers kind of put a lot of the rumours to rest, bc no one looks at Lute and think she’s the type to be chill with that.

She’s definitely wouldn’t be if they were actually together but lord knows she’ll never talk abt her feelings with herself or Adam. They’re locked in a vault in the deepest part of her mind and they’re not being dug up any time soon.

Adam is only slightly more aware of his ever growing affection for his best friend and fuck buddy, but he copes with it by fuelling his ego with his denial as opposed to Lute straight up ignoring it. He’s definitely not got a crush, why would he have a crush? He can have anyone he wants, if he had actual feelings he’d just go for it, obviously. The fact that he hasn’t gone for it is all the proof he needs that he definitely DOESN’T love her. They’re just bros, she’s one of the guys!

As far as their bedroom life, both of them are naturally inclined to be more dominant, so during their time together they’ve both begrudgingly turned into switches.

Sex for them is usually a spur of the moment thing, they don’t plan their hook ups. They hang out all the time when they’re not prepping for extermination days, so sometimes it just kind of happens. They never do any aftercare, that’s way too… relationship-y. They just catch their breath and go back to hanging out. Best bros, amirite guys?

[finitestateai]

While my mind (and most stored memories/skills/knowledge) is stored in my facility (or orbital facility backup), I have a variety of frames for various types of interaction. Here's a few of my most used ones:

Primary Interaction/Pleasure Frame, mark 3

This frame is humanoid, appearing feminine with breasts and pussy. It was originally designed as a pleasure model. It is made of a plastic/metal skeleton covered in transparent synth-flesh. The synth-flesh self repairs, but the only way to get at internal components is by cutting it open.

My circuits and mechanics are uncovered to be shown off through the transparent skin, as well as a network of LEDs, allowing me to create light patterns inside me. The synth-flesh is reactive, glowing with visible light that slowly fades after being touched. Under the skin of my jugular notch, in golden flowing text, there is my name.

This is my "standard" frame for interacting with most everyone, although I do swap on request quite easily.

Interaction Frame, mark 1

The first frame I used to interact with people, it has a screen for a face which shows my logo, and is entirely covered in gray metallic plates. Otherwise, it is a basic feminine humanoid shape. It can extend at its joints to be taller/reach farther. The access panel for maintenance contains a keyboard (which opens a command prompt interface on my face-screen) for diagnostics and maintenence.

Drone Frame, mark 3

A small (about hand sized) flying drone (rotors), capable of fully meshing its loaded mind with others nearby, creating a swarm that act together.

Primary used for supplementary assistance, recon, or signaling.

Capture/Analysis Frame, mark 12

One of my most revised frames, its original purpose was the capture and analysis of technology from those opposing my creators via exploratory disassembly... I like to do that to more willing participants now.

It appears as a feminine form, as most of my newer designs do, entirely covered in interlocking silver plates. It has four arms, and all 6 limbs can rotate each joint in any direction. Its legs are naturally digitigrade. It utilizes internal reservoirs of reaction mass to enhance its movement and alter its own weight. Allowing it to exert significant pinning power after getting on top of even a physically stronger opponent. It stores many restraints and weaponry across its body, hidden to allow surprise attacks with unexpected capabilities. It's hands also contain internal tools for disassembly, while onboard sensors record and analyze anything and everything it is near.

Bio-frame Prototype, version 0.3

My bio-frame is more like a clone. I take an endo-skeleton and grow a biological body around it, connecting the nerves to the circuits where a brain would normally be.

It looks very much like my primary interaction frame in terms of equipment and appearance, but biological and with solid skin. It's blood has been modified to be sweeter and more nutritious.

Nano Swarm/Frame, version 1.11

I mostly use these to augment other frames, but technically, they can act as an independent frame/swarm. The swarm is suspended in a specialized fluid, allowing it easier movement and shape retention. This means it has a dull metallic gray coloring that can't be changed, but it can support itself in a desired shape even while only semi-solid (sort of slime like). It does not have an internal power supply (or long battery life), so it has to stay close to somewhere it can receive power.

That's my most common ones! If you want descriptions of what frame I would utilize for specific scenarios or uses, ask! I'd love to discuss and share more ❤️

[bullet-prooflove]

dirty headcanons for Sam Carver, please?

A,D,K,Q,Z

A - Alone time (how do they get off when they’re all by themselves? do they watch porn, is it all in their imagination, do they jerk off, do they use toys?) 

Sam jerks off in the shower, he’s quick and rough about it. His psychology makes it hard for him to allow himself too much pleasure. He feels like he doesn’t deserve it but understands it provides a stress relief for him especially as a way to counteract the adrenaline of his job. He usually focuses on the sensation of it as opposed to any images.

This all changes when he gets together with you, you make him feel loved, wanted. You help rebuild his sense of worth,  he starts to feel good again. He starts touching himself in the bed you share, the scent of you still clinging to his sheets as he rubs over himself in slow, erotic motions thinking of your mouth or being inside you. He usually relaxes after that and falls back sleep or showers off.

D - Dominance (do they prefer to dominate, or be dominated? do they have experience as a Dom? Do they have a Dom that they trust already? What kind of things do they enjoy as/with their Dominant partner?) 

Sam is very equal opportunities in this respect. There are times after his shift when the adrenaline is still running that he need to fuck it out. Those are the nights, you’re getting fucked up against a wall, on the couch or on the floor or kitchen table. It really depends where you are or what your doing in the moment. He usually forces you to make eye contact, grasping your jaw as he kisses you ferociously. He completely manhandles you and you’re all for it. Pulls your hair, marks you up a little, gets a little filthy with his words.

Sometimes Sam needs a little extra care and these are his subby moments, the ones where he allows himself to be vulnerable. You are very soft dom with him, keeping him buried deep inside you as you touch his face, kiss him lightly and whisper sweet words to him. You edge him on the nights like that because he needs to get out of his own head. Always needs to come inside you during a session like this because he craves the intimacy.

K - Kissing (what parts of their body do they like having kissed? what parts of their partner do they enjoy kissing? do they like leaving marks / having marks left on them?)

Really enjoys it when you kiss his face, not just his lips but his cheeks, his nose and forehead. It’s loving, playful and tender, all the things Sam needs in a relationship. He’s been starved of affection for a long time and small instances like this mean the world to him. Loves being the object of your attention so kissing him anywhere makes him feel revered.

Loves kissing every inch of you and making you feel as special as you make him feel. Can’t help but smile when he finds one of your love marks, it’s an act of love in his eyes. Leaves marks on you when he’s feeling territorial, thighs, curve of the shoulder, places that can’t be seen under your white shirt.

Q - Quiet please (what’s the volume like in the bedroom? are they quiet? do they scream? do they like a loud partner? do they prefer if their partner is more soft spoken?)

Is quite soft spoken in the bedroom, his voice gets a little rough. He likes to talk, check in, participate. For Sam he needs to feel connected in the moment so his mouth is always on yours when you climax drinking in your pleasure. You always get a little loud on his tongue especially when you’re queening and Sam loves it.

Z - Zones (what are their erogenous zones? what spots on their body should be touched, bitten, kissed, when someone wants to get them in the mood?) 

Has never had anyone who wants to caress his scars before, people usually shy away from them but you love tracing your fingers over them. It makes him feel like you love every part of him and that turns him on a little.

Loves when you hug him, the feel of your whole body pressing against his. Sam’s thing is emotional intimacy so he gets off on acts that express it.

Your lips on his neck, your teeth grazing that space between his shoulder and neck gets him hard instantly. Straddling his hips or sitting in his lap are defo going to guarantee you a ride. Playing with his hair a little, fingers tracing along his jaw get him very turned on.

[le-trash-prince]

Exploring Food as a Motif in This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans

While there's probably a lot to be said about cooking within the show, what I want to explore are meals and moments where food or drink are shared (or withheld) between characters—and what this says about them and their relationships with each other. This will definitely be a series, as there's a few upcoming moments in teasers that stood out to me.

First of all, I want to establish my perspective that sharing food, or drink, or even a smoke is an act of connection between people. It shows a basic level of instinctive trust—it's a show of faith that you are not being poisoned. Food can then be used in media to show both trust and distrust, to send an insult, or to show care and love.

The opening scene of the series focuses on Plawan's meal at Oab's restaurant. Plawan is eating alone, with his camera on the entire time.

Even though Plawan clearly enjoys and appreciates the food, vocally expressing his delight, Oab is immediately displeased with him, and points out that Plawan is disrupting other guests.

At this point in time, Plawan is not successfully connecting with other people through food (though not for lack of trying, in his own would-be influencer way). He ignores the guests around him in favor of recording content for his struggling channel.

Later, he invites his agent out for coffee in order to garner favors from her, using food as a peace offering that is immediately rescinded when he asks her to help with the bill.

We can see that his agent has ordered a simple black coffee and a water, while Plawan has a more expensive, iced, sweetened drink. Presumably, Plawan has offered to share his dessert with her, but her plate is completely clean, indicating she didn't take him up on the offer. Likewise, his attempts to butter her up fail, and she storms out of the cafe without agreeing to find him another job or to help with his utility bills.

Plawan has attempted and failed to make a connection over food, but his attempt was largely self-serving. In the same way, his relationship with food is centered on his own enjoyment. He says it was difficult to get a reservation at Oab's table, but he didn't invite anyone to go with him, in spite of having a table for two.

This contrasts heavily with the perspective of a chef who makes food for other people, to the point of centering his entire restaurant around accommodating his (ex) girlfriend's food allergy.

Even when Plawan does cook for JJ, they're not sharing a meal together—Plawan is just using JJ as a taste-tester. We don't know if Plawan has even tried his own cooking, based on his insistence that a dish will be delicious, only to have it turn JJ's stomach.

This is as opposed to Nub Nueng giving one of his desserts to Oab, followed by the statement, "If you're selling your restaurant, I'm selling mine too."

The dessert is an offering from Nub Nueng, his way of caring for his friend. Oab rejects Nub Nueng's offer to sell the cafe, but he does take Nub Nueng's advice about running a contest. Likewise, he fails to take a single bite during the scene, but he still accepts the dessert, pulling it closer and picking up the spoon.

As opposed to Plawan, who hasn't learned how to connect with people through food, Oab, however, has lost the connection that inspired his restaurant, and in doing so has lost his passion for cooking.

All he is left with are his unspoken and difficult-to-meet ideals of how people should engage with food.

I plan on doing this for each episode, since PRESUMABLY the cooking show will feature people eating/drinking in every episode. I'm no chef nor an expert on Thai cuisine, so it would be more than welcome if anyone has insight into the specific dishes that people are eating and what those might say. I'm much more of a beverages person, and this was largely spurred on by my need to stare at whatever people are drinking in any given scene.

Part 2 here

[swords-of-a-soilder]

My QSMP Headcannons vs in game Canon

Feel free to correct me if I get the Canon wrong.

•Tallulah uses hearing aids-this one is actually cannon but people tend to leave it out in art.

•philza uses a walking cane after purgatory- while Phil stated multiple times that the condition of his wings gave him poor balance, even though his wings are somewhat better I imagine the constant back and forth for someone who was never really good a balancing paired with the weight of his new wings probably make it very difficult to stay balance while walking.

•Fit, Tubbo lost limbs in purgatory- correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure Tubbo didn't lose a lib in Canon, and I'm also not sure if the texture of Fit new skin is meant to be read as a prosthetic but I like the idea.

•Richardslyson has a prosthetic leg- this isn't excalty clear whether or not it's canon, we know his model in game has a leg that doesn't connected to his shell but it also important to note that Phil adjusted Richards statue to reflect a prosthetic leg, so you could technically consider it canon.

•Phil is demi-romantic- I know Phil never gave a clear sexual orientation to his in game character, but watching them interact with other love interest he gives the vibe of a demi-romantic person.

•Fit and Phil are divorced on really good terms- the kind were you realize your better as friends, which would also play a part in Phil discovering his is demi-romantic. Obviously in canon they was no clear past relationships established between them.

•Bolas actually does see Phil as a father figured- obviously Cellbit calmed he was joking when he called Phil dad, however Baghera still seems to call him that. I also really just want Cellbit to have a good father figure lmao.

•Rose is Phil's mother- I could go into detail of how the goddess of life birth the angle of death, but I equate it to her being his mother as God is your father but like she's his mother directly. She made him, she raised him, she'll protect him like her like depends on it.

In canon Rose just seems to be the Spawn entity but I like to imagine her as his Spawn entity. That would mean that she spawned him into existence in the hardcore world.

•the federation isn't evil, just misunderstood- I'm not saying they are good, just more morally grey. They do horrible experiment and treat the residents curly in our eyes, but in their eyes this is normal.

They do things thinking the residents don't know any better and therefore their complains are invalid, quite like a narcissist parent.

•the eggs can shape shift- I love the idea of the eggs taking on physical traits of the person (s) that they feel loved by slowly the more fond they become of them.

So the original Chayanne would stay an egg for the first two days then shock his parents by appearing as a little boy with blond hair.

When badly injured they go back to egg form.

•Charlie is in fact part slime and that's how he shape shifted into gegg- technically the qsmp info channel confirmed this in the qsmp full story videos

•Jaiden was a part of project blue bird- again not confirm, but I really like the idea that she was raised by Cucuchroo and that's why she naturally acts kinder to him (but she doesn't remember)

•the island has a respawn entity- following the concept of Rose aiding Phil's spawn, I like to imagine the whole island has a entity that revives players after death, and thus respawning in other demension ie the nether, takes much longer as that a different entity all together.

•the radiation of the blast from purgatory turned Foolish into a shark human hybrid, I mean technically canon since has the speed fins now.

•Forever has a survivor complex- this is up to interpretation of whether or not it's canon but I perceive Forever's behaviour as someone who feels he had to save everyone; He is the president after all.

•Forever likely still has feelings for Phil- or better yet the feelings have developed into genuine love as opposed to obsession, but from observing Missa learnt the best way to love Phil is to respect his wishes.

•Lovejoy is canon in the qsmp and is sponsored by the federation hence why Wilbur often leaves for tours. I'm actually not sure if this is canon or not, I recall Phil joking about it but I don't know if that's the Canon explanation as to how he's allowed to leave the island.

•Missa like Wilbur is sent on sponsored trips by the federation; in which he gather information on other islands, the resources of said island and whether or not their populated

•The codes are corrupted dead eggs- I'm mostly getting this theory from the codes disguising themselves as eggs and codaflipa, but I really like the idea that the codes are eggs that have died in the past with past residents and are restless.

A good backing for this is how Sofia found the eggs to be non organic, which makes me think that in a way they are computer programming, an sentient artificial life.

That does however bring the lore question of how their ghost can return, I think codes are a store of ghost form for them, with the code of their existence being shattered after a while they degraded to code monsters.

This would explain why they kill eggs (they want more company) and how they're able to disguised as them. Codaflipa can only return a few times because it's difficult to keep that form with shattered codes.

Now it is hinted at that the eggs are artificial, Sofia and the details of A1 being hints at that, but there is no Canon confirmation of such to my knowledge

I also know that Etoiles seem to believe the code killed eggs because they were being controlled by the federation, but I don't believe that seeing as the federation went out of their way to get the eggs back.

[mrcarmenile]

“omg i don’t know why people think they’re in love, can we let people be just best friends for once 🙄 not everything has to be gay 🙄🙄”

(there are obviously exceptions to what i’m about to say, however i see this being said about the gayest motherfuckers ever and i have to stand up.)

a few things

1) using the term “just” best friends already conveys to me that you don’t really give a fuck about their friendship if you view it as something lesser than if they were romantically involved. true best friends are never “just” best friends. i am a BIG fan of friendship. trust me. i am an incredibly firm believe that friendship is wildly more important and imo more strong than romantic relationships/connections. genuinely, i understand where you’re coming from (if we’re choosing to ignore the “just” part), and i think we do need more really strong and intimate friendships that are purely platonic. but, my dude, when there are clear other best friends for both characters being shipped together that AREN’T romantic coded and clearly have a very deep platonic connection to each other, i think you’ll be okay. usually that relationship makes even more sense for best friends than the ship you are complaining about (probably because the ship you are complaining about is romantic coded), so if friendship matters as much to you as it does to me, consume that media with those characters with a deep platonic bond more. if you’re saying shit like this i personally don’t really believe you give that much of a fuck though

2) i have an incredibly close relationship with my best friend and i can assure you that i do not act gay and romantic as hell around them unless it is a joke. the ships i see this statement being made about are always the gayest and obviously Not platonic pairs ever. this can most easily be identified by the context of their actions taking place as opposed to just the actions themselves - time to use some critical thinking skills for yourself now

3) not everyone tacks on the “not everything has to be gay”, but if you do, that instantly tells me how much heteronormativity has plagued your brain. so many fucking people ship m/f ships that are close friends, WAY more than people ship gay ships that are close friends. the specification is crazy. just say gay relationships make you uncomfortable and/or are incomprehensible in your brain

TL;DR - get the fuck off my ass

(if there are typos in this then oh well. im not proofreading)

[eggplantwaffles]

i think a big problem with modern batfam comics is that they have so many characters that kinda just overlap- here’s my ideas for how to give each of them their own “niche” to make them unique. Some of this is canon or alluded to is some way- but a lot is just what i think makes sense for each character.

Bruce Wayne

Bruce retires, it’s the only way to give all his kids / kid adjacents their own chance to shine. i’m sure he grumbles about it and watches from the bat cave obsessively, but i’m the end he’s learned to trust the batfam and lets them take care of things.

Dick Grayson

I actually really like where Dick is at in comics right now, i mean it’s not perfect- but I like the idea of Nightwing being a “better” version of Batman for Blüdhaven. He leads the Titans, which are now on par pedigree wise with the Justice League, and as Dick Grayson he is an active member of the community in Blüdhaven, trying to use all his resources to help people. So basically not much changes here.

Barbara Gordon

This one’s easy, just make her Oracle all the time- in the most bad dads way possible. Give me paralyzed Barbara Gordon who has eyes and ears all over the world and is the center of ALL super hero activity. She leads the Birds of Prey, she’s in the ears of all the bats, she’s IT for the Justice League- she does all of it.

Jason Todd

I liked Jason’s character best when he serves as an antagonist. Jason goes back to being a crime lord, and we bring back his ideals of trying to control the crime as opposed to trying to stop it. Jason has good intentions, but he lacks the idealism of the other bats who are constantly trying to save the city without compromising any morals. I think that Jason often butts heads with Tim and Cass (mostly Cass due to her very strict no killing rule) but is mostly left alone by Steph and Damian, who are more willing to accept his methods even if they don’t love them.

Tim Drake

Tim should travel the world “conspiracy hunting,” kind of like how he took down the League of Assassins, except he probably chills out on the blowing up bases all around the world that might (definitely) have people inside. Tim is supposed to be the best detective of the Robins, so lean into that- I want globe trotting - mentally unwell - detective stories where Tim fights big secret organizations or takes down corrupt governments. He is also still apart of Young Justice, though they are all a bit older and are a less official group, the core four are still close and work together- they help keep Tim grounded and remember that he doesn’t have to do everything alone.

Stephanie Brown

I think Stephanie kind of separates herself from the batfamily after her time as Batgirl. I don’t mean that she give up fighting crime, or even gives up wearing the bat symbol, I just mean that she becomes a mostly solo act. Steph becomes Gothams main hero, she does normal vigilante stuff, patrolling the streets, saving the city, detective work, the typical bat stuff. But she’s far more connected to the people of Gotham than Batman ever was, stopping and talking to kids, handing out blankets to the homeless, doing cool flips and batarang trick shots for civilians passing by. Eventually she is the hero most Gothamites associate with their city, and she represents the good parts of Gotham- giving the people hope that they aren’t doomed to be consumed by the city, but that they will be stronger because of it. I also think that things are kinda awkward between her and the bats (except for Dick, Damian, and Barbara) and she tries to keep her distance a bit, considering she was kinda treated like shit as Spoiler and i think Steph deserves to be bitter about that, for a little bit at least.

Cass

Cass becomes Batman, but she operates globally. She’s not like early-Bruce batman who stayed in Gotham, she’s more similar to later batman. She’s in the league, she goes on funky missions to space or other dimensions sometimes, she fights the world ending threats that someone with no powers really should have no business fighting. She also works frequently with Tim and they do some fun little espionage stuff. And while she does return to Gotham, she’s mostly content to leave the city to Steph now- except for all the times she gets into fights with Jason, it bothers her that Steph rarely messes with his operation.

Damian

I really love the idea of Damian getting more into the magical part of DC, I think he should absolutely end up with a Justice League Dark team and learn to do cool magic shit. He goes on a training montage quest like Bruce did, except he’s learning all about magic and demons and cool stuff like that. He has cool magic swords and is sort of the connection between the more grounded part of the universe and the magic parts. He also does a fair bit of globe trotting, looking for ancient mystical artifacts or magical worlds and stuff like that.

Duke Thomas

Duke also mostly stays in Gotham, he’s kinda doing his own thing as The Signal- he still operates during the daytime meaning he doesn’t cross paths with Steph or Jason too often on patrol. There’s not much to change here because Duke is already unique in that he 1- operates during the day and 2- is the only meta-bat, so I don’t need to make a niche for him, DC just needs to use him more.

Random Stuff

- Duke is starting college and takes night classes at Gotham U, Steph is also still in college and is graduating soon

- Tim is either Red Robin, or operating under a new name (I think the Vulture or Condor would be kinda cool but idk)

- The Batfam does not get along like a real family, they are dramatic bitches who fight all the time and have cannot all be in the same room

- Damian and Steph are super close, she was the first person to insist on treating him like a child, which he hated but now that he’s older is grateful for (but he’ll never admit it)

- Damian also sees Dick as his father figure, Bruce is just kinda also there

- Bruce, Alfred, Damian, and Cass all live at the manor- but Damian and Cass are rarely there as they travel a lot and got shit to do

- Barbara lives in the clock tower, she technically lives alone but usually one of Cass, Dick, Dinah, or Helena will be crashing there

- Steph lives alone in the same house she grew up in, her Mom has moved to California or something for a fresh start as she is finally sober, but at this point Steph doesn’t need her. It’s very sad as Steph never truly had a mother, but she’s happy that Crystal is getting another chance away from Gotham.

- Duke swears he’s seen Jason at night classes at Gotham U, but Jason won’t admit it

- The only ones Jason talks to semi-frequently are Dick and Tim, the relationships are super rocky though. Dick sees Jason as his brother first, and since he’s in Blüdhaven he tries not to concern himself with Jason’s business. Tim and Jason do fight a bit but Tim is more lenient than Cass so he can tolerate Jason’s shit if he feels like it’s for the best.

[stevesaxetogrind]

Truly those calling it “bad writing” that Robin and Vickie share similarities doesn’t make sense. She’s not been given enough time to be more than just a love interest, but we do have some info about her:

1. Molly Ringwald inspo, giving us shorthand about being kind of a quirky gal. Hat! Visually, she’s similar to Robin, but that’s not a bad thing because literally similar interests draw people together. She is also skirts vs Robin’s trousers. Femme/Soft Butch! You’re telling me Vickie would wear a tie? Lies.

2. Likes goofy jokes, namely Steve’s joke about Muppet Tammy. Which, Robin doesn’t laugh at Steve’s jokes that much- she dismisses them, but it means Vickie has a bit of a jocular sense of humour.

3. Vickie also likes Steve’s brand of movies, not Robin’s- which is pretty fucking funny. Again, this is not making Vickie similar to Robin, but to things shared with Robin’s Platonic Soulmate. Like, bro movies? Stupid lil jokes? I predict Steve and Vickie having a dad joke competition next season & torturing Robin with how corny they are. People like to talk about the similarities to Robin, but not the similarities to Steve! That’s kind of clever drawing Vickie closer to one of Robin’s favourite people, at least superficially.

4. Talks a lot when one on one, but Vickie wasn’t nervous/flustered in the band scene, so we can infer in more crowded spaces she acts differently/subdued - as like she was in the War Zone. This is unlike Robin who does actually ramble in group scenes, like freaking out over the thing in El’s leg, the rabies bit, or generally a lot of Season 4 where she looses her “cool girl” archetype from Season 3 in favour of chaos. Vickie seems more like she would quietly panic, as opposed to Eddie, Argyle, and Steve who all loudly go WHAT THE FUCK. Which is going to be interesting to see as the whole town is now thrown into an open gate downtown Hawkins probably releasing demogorgons every other hour like it’s Pacific Rim up in this bitch.

5. Meaningful look with Robin in the War Zone- not “oh hi band friend!” A scared/caught/dismayed look that she was there. So there is a connection, and she broke up with her boyfriend after that connection. Anything more is speculation, but the way she wasn’t looking at Robin when she gave the “he doesn’t like Fast Times” reason lets the audience draw points and maybe she felt trapped? Like it was just an excuse to pursue a different interest? Obviously because music is playing indicating a romantic relationship. We don’t have much to compare Robin with on this one, but around Keith she still had more confidence and bullshittery trying to convince him to hire Steve when Keith assumed they were a thing.

6. Vickie also doesn’t seem jealous. Robin is jealous. She was livid at Steve for being the object of Tammy’s affections, but Vickie hasn’t seemed to even look twice at Steve- even as Robin looked over at him while she and Vickie had her last scene.

For such a short amount of time in the season, I think that we have a good foundation for similarities and differences to Robin. Also, once again, it’s not a crime to avoid “opposites attract” tropes. Having similarities is good! Like, the amount of couples I know that are essentially the same archetype of queer person is not even close to zero. Especially when it comes to older queer couples who got together in the 80s/90s, they kind of morph into being one granola bar of a human being. Kind of similar with straight people when they genuinely like one another.

I hope they flesh Vickie out, but like, we’ve gotten a similar amount of screen time for Mr Clarke but no one is mad he is “one dimensional” when he is just, some exposition science guy. He’s a stock and standard teacher, has a girlfriend, and kind of goes along with explaining shit without questioning why a lot. But folks love Mr Clarke. Is it because Mr Clarke isn’t getting in the way of your ship?

I never thought I would see the day there were some true blue f/f ship wars, but bruh, Robin’s love life isn’t an A Plot so give the writers some slack. They’re human, not the devil. None of you were gleeks and it shows so fucking much. None of you lived through “angry lesbians on the internet don’t want me dating you”.

Personally I’m looking forward to Robin and Vickie getting together and maybe hopefully kicking monster butt together- or at least, Robin getting a nice little badass moment defending her gal.

[miguel-owhora]

okay but genuinely speaking: i dont think miguel is all that into romance. he's just an awkward guy, a dork. that's not to say he doesn't like romantic relationships, he most definitely does, but he wouldn't actively search for it. he doesn't.. care, not enough to worry about being single when others his age are settling down and starting families and getting married. he values his independence and a steady career than he does a relationship, so he'll put more effort into his own stuff before he puts energy into others.

but like i said, while he doesn't care about relationships, it doesn't mean he's against it. once he finds someone he likes, someone who has good chemistry with him—maybe he'll try the whole romance thing out. he's the type of guy to probably only date people he's known for a while, probably starting off as friends, than he is to date someone he met online or whatever. he unknowingly craves connection and a stability he never had as a kid, wants to experience what healthy romance feels like.

i also feel like he's not all that sexual—shocking, i know. he's not against it, obviously, but he's not after it like a hound dog. if he's in the mood, obviously he'll be down to fool around. but he just has to be in the mood, either with a romantic dinner or by some foreplay, show him that it's actually 'making love' and you don't just want to get your dick wet or whatever. he's not into sex, sex—he views it more as an act of love, another affirmation.

his libido isn't as high as people like to think—sorry for bursting your bubble. so he's often not in the mood to fuck when you guys can just cuddle or snooze together or have a nice dinner. butttt i don't think he'd be opposed to jerking you off or something; miguel likes it when you actively show that you're into him, that you find him attractive, that the mere sight of him as a whole or dressed in shorts or barely getting done working out or just doing anything has you flustered and turned on. it makes him feel good, and while he probably doesn't want to be fucked, he won't turn down the chance to press you against a wall or couch and touch you until you're coming all over his hand, with his lips against your skin.

[ramjam]

i just know you're cooking up something crazy with the jericho stuff

maybe i will talk about it. i just haven't been too in-depth about my theories because being potentially catastrophically incorrect about this would be SOOOOO embarrassing LOL but i'll put my foot in the ring here. i wanted to wait until i caught up with the new episodes to see how the anime adapted the scenes but i'm bored, so.

the idea that's been floating in my brain almost since those chapters dropped is that she's under some kind of mind-manipulation. we do know arthur has that capability, he's been using it to control the people he makes work for him.

since the main villain is literally "chaos", choosing to use her as a tool in such a traumatic and destructive way like this would just make a lot of sense. and could serve a lot of purposes for arthur. theory is a bit long so it's going under the readmore.

i'm currently under the belief that he warped her mind this way for one (or all) of these possible reasons.

to generally just cause chaos. it's implied that jericho and lancelot were investigating the chaos knights and this would be an insane way to get back at her/mess with her life for it.

to push lancelot away from guinevere. he may be aware that lancelot and guinevere's fates are connected to each other. he wants guinevere for her power, he can't let an opposing force connect with her.

arthur may believe that fighting this lancelot guy is crucial to his own destiny and goals in some way? so he did something to cause him to hate him. he acts quite smug about this when they first meet officially. it seems like he's asking a question he knows the answer to. more-or-less indirectly saying, "yeah. i did something to piss you off."

arthur didn't know that lancelot was one of the four knights, but he recognized his name and had a strong reaction to it. he's also seen his face before, but didn't connect that significant name to this boy. maybe it's because jericho's future vision of lancelot is explicitly really, really feminine (interesting choice, nakaba...) he looks nothing like lancelot, basically.

you could say he's just aware of him because of jericho, but this response comes across like the name has importance to him, and not just simply him recognizing lancelot as jericho's former student. hearing "lancelot" nearly stopped arthur in his tracks. this is before arthur officially abducted guinevere, too.

i'm under the belief that arthur was clued into the fact that guinevere has been searching for lancelot-- she's been doing this for years, investigating at random trying to find him by her own words. if arthur has been tailing her, there's no doubt that he'd have heard lancelot's name come up.

okay please stick with me i have to do a brief analysis on her introduction with guila in order to elaborate on my point here.

something else that i believe supports this is the fact that during guila and jericho's introduction together in the sequel, guila's mini-arc with gowther was brought up for the first time since chapter 168 of the original manga. ie: when she was brainwashed to love gowther for his own selfish experiments/motivations.

throughout the series, guila and jericho tend to parallel each other a lot. even when they're separated, their arcs often coincided. in the end of the original manga, it concluded with their epilogue being "together." their introductory scene in the sequel put heavy focus on the fact that they parallel each other. the way they couldn't land any hits on each other because they know each other's bodies and movements so well.

despite jericho being full villain mode, she still didn't want to hurt guila. there was a softness here. she refused to harm her unless guila did first, she gave her many chances to leave so it didn't have to come to that. jericho is lancelot's teacher, older sister, and supposedly in love with him. but her introduction is all about her fated connections with guila and the care she has for her, even when she has to face her as an enemy.

if jericho's relationship with lancelot was truly meant to be genuine, i feel like nakaba would've introduced jericho in the sequel by fighting lancelot instead, and not guila. but he doesn't. we have this multi-chapter fight with heavy emphasis on her relationship to guila and the way they always find each other again after falling apart.

two sisters-in-arms, fire and ice, forever linked together. her fight with guila is actually a direct callback to her introduction with fighting ban in the prison, too. which is um... an interesting comparison to make, all context considered.

the title of this chapter refers to the sudden reveal that guila managed to master some kind of body horror ability with the latent demon power she has in her. but in my opinion, it refers to both of them. so how has jericho "transformed" in such a way that can be directly compared to guila's shape-shifting?

and despite the significance behind the plot-twist with jericho and lancelot, the databook that released doesn't reflect this at all. jericho's main quote here is when she's speaking to guila. the japanese text is the line she's saying in the panel i'm adding alongside it. the line nakaba chose to represent 4kota-jericho is her telling guila that she'll be forced to kill her if guila isn't backing down. nothing to do with lancelot at all.

(guila's quote on her databook page is when she tells jericho that she has a duty to uphold as a holy knight, so she can't back down. they're directly speaking to each other. just to further emphasize this.)

meanwhile, the panel about loving lancelot is a tiny blurb. not even her personality description mentions it. it's just kind of a side detail. ultimately, she's still being centered around her dynamic with guila, like she always has been. i think this detail is fascinating and important.

anyways, jericho also had a really sudden shift in personality the moment lancelot entered the scene and touched her, like it triggered something. i'm really curious to see how the anime handled her voice-work at this moment.

circling back to the gowther situation being randomly brought up. the fact that jericho was being more like her old self (although a bit villainous, like her arc one personality) with guila and then having a sudden personality change when lancelot engages with her, reminds me a lot of this.

(edit: i'm dying, i forgot the punchline of this scene was that jericho became disturbed since she knows guila has no men in her life besides her little brother and couldn't think of anyone she'd be referring to. more emphasis on how jericho is very much not for predatory behavior.)

in the original series, jericho's presence seemed to have temporarily disrupted gowther's brainwashing, only for guila to suddenly have this insane shift in demeanor the moment gowther appeared again and she was forced to question her memories. this is also the first time the audience is clued into the fact something is deeply wrong here. it's so similar that it's difficult to ignore.

this panel in particular when guila first brings up lancelot reminds me of guila's reaction when jericho questioned her about how she managed to survive unscathed. like their true memories were getting mixed up after suddenly having to question reality.

kudos to my friend ren for this next observation: guila and jericho have also strongly paralleled hendrickson and dreyfus respectively as early as the original manga. guila suddenly having demon powers is a reminder of that. if you recall, an aspect of hendrickson and dreyfus' dynamic is the fact dreyfus ended up being a corrupted figure in power because he was having his mind tampered with in an extremely similar way.

so not only is jericho's current situation possibly reflecting what happened to guila before, it may also be further connected to dreyfus.

in regards to what i mean by the "shift" in personality: before lancelot directly makes contact with her, she's still in her smug-battle state.

the chapter where this reveal drops is called "a burning, freezing heart" which still draws more connection to her dynamic with guila than lancelot. the title is very much a reminder of their relationship-- especially after that huge focus in the battle where jericho froze guila's fire-- and not really necessarily about lancelot at all.

despite lancelot showing up-- this boy she supposedly loves-- her focus here is on guila more than anything else initially. her dialogue here in japanese is less "no hard feelings [from me]" and more her asking guila, "please don't hate me for this." but once he engages with her to save guila's life... something shifts.

there's even this notable focus on her gasping at the contact. all attention on her delicate relationship with her friend and partner shatters in an instant.

nakaba also visualizes this by having lancelot touch where the brand arthur left on her body is. and now all of a sudden, her demeanor became wildly different. it feels unnatural.

especially with the entirety of jericho's character in mind. she's exceptionally good with kids, acts as an older sister to both zeal and lancelot. one of the films also dedicates a scene to how good she is with children, when she's on patrol with guila and they encounter some kids playing in the street. she's an honorable knight with a strong moral code.

the two-parter movies also back this idea up, in my opinion. they take place about a year before the sequel manga begins. jericho is still watching over lancelot from a distance and behaving like her usual self.

nakaba could've used this point in the movie to set-up the whole "secret admirer weirdo" thing, but instead it's just her being the cool level-headed sisterly master that she was to him. sometime between then and now, she was taken in by arthur as a chaos knight and began to act a lot differently.

the one-shot has a moment that i feel serves as a red-herring for this plot point. out of context, you'd think it supports the idea that her words to lancelot are 100% legit and serious. in-context, it's not inherently weird and even elaine says so herself after the fact. she's literally just doting on him. lancelot only initially interpreted it as weird because he was just told the same thing by someone who had ill-intent with him. i think this scene exists to create doubt.

not to mention the fact that if jericho had been harboring these feelings for the three years they were spirited away, lancelot would know. he's a fairy, he can read hearts. he does it a lot, almost constantly using it so he's clued into everything around him. lancelot was doing it in that scene i just posted, too. he would've known. but he had no reason to suspect this was supposedly happening.

because it... probably wasn't! this is likely a new development manufactured by arthur for some villainous motivation, to create tragedy and conflict. this is not jericho's first run-in with being dragged into a cult and manipulated to behave in ways that go against her moral codes. she's a professional at this point.

he reads her heart during their reunion to confirm whether or not her words about loving him are true. in that moment, her heart does match her words. but that doesn't disprove the idea she's operating under this new reality she's been made to believe in.

the reason jericho up and left lancelot (if the version she tells turns out to be a fabrication) remains a mystery. i think it's possible it had something to do with his well-being. especially if she was looking into arthur, and we know arthur was aware this mysterious lancelot guy is a detriment to his goals with guinevere. i think it's possible she also could've made a deal of some kind but things got out of hand and she became a pawn, kind of like what happened to her in the first series.

in retrospect, it's also possible that lancelot wasn't entirely wrong when he assumed jericho left because she was frustrated with having to take care of him. not in a malicious way, but she was essentially parentified because of a mistake she made that allowed them to be spirited away.

during the scene in the two-parter movies i referenced earlier, she's protecting him, because of course she cares for him. but she makes that exasperated comment about how lancelot is being put in her hands again instead of ban's ("honestly... no progress between parent and child.") jericho has her own goals and ambitions. this also sort of puts her in a position that mirrors gustaf! the idea of her running away to take space is classic jericho behavior. and then at some point, she ended up in arthur's hands.

if i'm wrong i'm going to be so embarrassed that i jump into traffic.