#baseless headcanon time

[tes-trash-blog]

Baseless Headcanon: The Falmer were not ones for grand displays. Even during the height of Falmeri power and influence, one would be hard pressed to find an artisan who accredited themself to a grand mural or an architectural wonder. Priests and healers never claimed sole responsibility for someone's full restoration, nor would any warrior claim to be the leading force in a battle. Certain outstanding folk were recognized, naturally, but it was never a title sought after.

As it was seen by the Falmer, you give what you can when you can, not for glory but because it is needed.

[lilia-calderus-pet-goat]

The Self-Fulfilled Tragedy of Agathario - Study / Analysis.

Agatha met Rio over the bodies of her original coven. She was scared, at first. “I didn't do it.” She said. Rio simply said, “I saw.” In a soft voice, “your power is beautiful. Don't ever feel guilty about your talent. You survived.”

Death was the only consistent comfort in Agatha's life — “this is the me you fell in love with.” Agatha wasn't scared of it, not for a long time.

Why should Agatha value life, when death loves her so intimately? When only Death understands her sorrow? When Death is the only one who tells her that she wasn't born evil—because Death is the natural order of all things?

They did live together, in that cottage, for a while. Agatha, “took power from the undeserving—” who *she* deemed undeserving, as said in WandaVision—and Rio collected the bodies. They never had to be apart. Death was her satellite, orbiting around her endlessly, holding her hand because no-one else would. (“I hold Death's hand in mine.”)

But Rio cannot be present for long if there is no body to collect. She needs to be everywhere, in every place, all at once. So she'd be gone for long periods of time, back whenever Agatha would kill and stick around to see her. Split across the fabric of reality, always reaping, collecting, guiding the souls to their afterlife. She may not be the only reaper—but she's the personification of Death, not merely a deity who carries the title. She is finality. She is the “end,” the “goal” the “completion.” The “telos” where all roads lead to. She isn't “decay” but a cycle coming to an end. Transformation. New Beginnings. Change. Growth. She is thr Green Witch, as all living beings return to the earth that gave birth to them.

Nicky came from Agatha's love for Rio, just as Billy and Tommy came from Wanda's love for Vision. There was no spell, no need for incantation. Nicky came from Scratch. Life from Death, like the Green Witch's trial. And that, indeed, is why he was a stillborn.

And because Rio merely appears wherever there is death—the moment she appeared during the childbirth, even though no one else was around, no bodies to collect—Agatha knew immediately.

Rio was inevitable—and she could offer only time. She bent the rules for the woman she loved, because she couldn't bear the thought of Agatha hating her.

And suddenly, the form she fell in love with was terrifying. Because she now had something to love other than death. She didn't find it to be a beautiful comfort amidst her darkness anymore, but a cruel reminder of her son's mortality.

And though once she killed and stayed—to keep death close—like the protagonist of an ancient tragedy, seeing beauty and eroticism and peace and quiet and divinity in Rio—she was suddenly met with discomfort and fear and grief. And so she killed and ran—to keep Death busy. To keep Death occupied. To keep Death away. To earn more time, to delay the inevitable. To not see her face again. “Why do we kill witches?” - “To survive.”

The same Death that rescued her from her mother's cruel arms and cradled her in hers was now the very reason she couldn't be a mother herself. The very reason she couldn't see her son grow.

The very Death that once re-assured her that she wasn't born evil was now a cruel reminder that maybe she was. And you know why?

Her mother treated her as evil because her magick 'takes'—and 'gives' nothing. For Agatha, that's what evil means. That's why she insults Rio by telling her she gave nothing—she *took.* “And that's usually your move, right?”

And the real tragedy of Agatha Harkness is that her villainy was self-actualized. A self-fulfilling prophecy. Agatha hates her powers, even more so when looking at her son. Because, “I cannot heal you, (Jen) I cannot protect you from what's coming, (Alice) and I cannot divine (Lilia) when she (Death) will return.”

So she hates her power, because unlike the others, Agatha cannot—by design—give anything to her son. She can only 'take' from others. She can only 'give' to *Death,* and that's why only Death has ever loved her. And that, now, to her, verifies her mother's statement: “you were *born* evil.”

Not like other witches—like Jen—the 'deserving.' “I left you alone, because what you were doing was important.” “It was bind or burn.”

Because she couldn't save her son. She never could have. And to Agatha, that's because she was “born evil.” Because she never was living—she was surviving, with Death's hand in hers. Her power could only drain life, not better it. The very song that Lorna Wu used to protect her daughter was a cruel reminder that Agatha couldn't protect ber son.

Agatha could never see Rio the same. She could never face her like she had before. Because now, Death was her deepest shame. And she was Death's scar.

She left the world thinking that she sacrificed her son because it's better to be feared than pitied. Easier to blame herself and blame Rio than to admit and register that it was inevitable.

She slept that night without killing witches to spare Nicky's feelings—because he wasn't evil, like her, and she'd never let him think it like her mother did to her—and she assumee that Rio would wait. That she wouldn't strike in the night. What Rio saw as mercy, Agatha saw as the cruelest betrayal.

Rio never stopped pursuing her even as Agatha could never face her. And their love was so powerful, so passionate, but it couldn't overshadow the pain and the grief of something so human as losing a child. Though despite the baggage, they never could be too far from each other. Even within Wanda's hex, even when Agatha didn't remember her own name—she remembered her deep feelings for Rio. Her love, her hate, her passion. Even when she didn't remember why

Rio can't understand why Agatha doesn't want her. “No-one in history has had special treatment like you“ - “Why don't you want me?” - “this is the me you fell in love with” - Because as The Green Witch, the personification of Death—she is the natural outcome of all things and cannot conceive the human aversion to death. “Evil? You're calling me evil?” She doesn't **get it.** She doesn't find her nature cruel, just as she doesn't find Agatha as “born evil.” She sees her as she always had—affectionately. She bent the rules of the universe for her sake. And so she doesn't understand the aversion at all. She feels rejection. And all she wants is to have Agatha again, who keeps evading her for something she couldn't help. And she's devastated, because once, Agatha loved her for the very thing she now hated her for.

So Death can't fathom humanity finding her cruel. Because she knows she can be gentle, and kind, and patient. Because she has been, a million times over. Because she's the one thing that everyone has in common, as Lilia's Maestra said. But what she *can* fathom is grief—because she knows love—“because what is grief, if not love persevering?” And so grief is a feeling of longing, beyond Death. More powerful than her.

And the longing never stops, even for death. And so Agatha tries to kiss her on the road after the “she's my scar” scene. She can't stop herself. Is it because she's desperate to convince herself that Nicky's soul lives on in Billy, meaning perhaps that Rio allowed it to? Is it because, despite knowing it's not her son, she's vulnerable, and thankful that Rio didn't take him too? Is it because she's reminded of the past—and love is beyond death? Beyond fear? Because grief is love persevering?

Regardless—because I could not stop for death, she kindly stopped for me. And Rio doesn't take advantage of the vulnerability. She reminds Agatha of the raw, cruel, heavy truth. “That boy is not your own.” Nothing is better. Nothing is fixed. Agatha isn't kissing Rio here because she's accepted Death, but because she's denying it. And so it's not real. They can only kiss when Agatha finally accepts Death.

So in the finale when Agatha turns to Rio and kisses her, at first Rio doesn't believe it—that she finally wants her again, that she finally accepts her. As if finally letting her grief settle, accepting it as natural, sharing it with Rio.

She forgives Death, but she doesn't necessarily forgive herself. Because she HAS become a villain, because she has used her sweet boy's innocent song to kill, tainting it as to not face Death all these years, when she was stuck in limbo between blaming Rio and Herself.

Now, she only blames herself. She doesn't let it happen again, with Billy. Agatha embraces Death just as Nicky once did, because she wouldn't.

But she's still not ready to pass on. And maybe she never will be. She is a tragic figure with no catharsis, even as she's faced both hubris and nemesis.

And that is the real tragedy of Agatha Harkness, who loved Death above all and feared it all the same.

[sonknuxadow]

sorry i dont really like the shadow is silvers dad theory/headcanon/whatever and part of the reason for it is that people keep presenting it as an actual thing that could be possible even though it makes no sense and all "evidence" people use to back it up is easily disputed

[forcebookish]

feel like i'm being gaslighted by the ofs fandom like where are all these wild think pieces coming from we can't possibly be watching the same ONE EPISODE of the same drama

anyway,

[spiderwarden]

saying "I love you." or "You are beautiful", or any of the variation thereof the latter, will always get the same response from Minthara. And it is two words, "I know."

[tsugumichikaneshiro]

(kotomichi) (imagining a multitude of things in my head) i dont think kissing or making out or dating or anything like that would make them any better, i think it would actually make them worse, but i think that means observing it would be much more fun & fascinating 😼

[anghraine]

I know that Boromir is explicitly compared to King Eärnur and I know why, but my baseless personal headcanon is that he's not that much of a fan of a king who got himself killed in tactically asinine circumstances rather than prioritizing his people, particularly when the end result of Eärnur's life choices is Boromir himself carrying the weight of protecting Gondor. Boromir's true icon is Tar-Telperiën, the proud unmarried queen who firmly maintained Númenórean autonomy and priorities, but who was the actual ruler when Númenórean forces first showed up on the coast of Lindon to save the Elves and kick Sauron back to Mordor.

The line about Boromir only being interested in lore when it came to military things—well, kicking Sauron's ass out of all of Eriador and forcing him to desperately flee counts as military lore! I imagine that Boromir knows and loves that story down to the most granular tactical details recorded. Whenever some hidebound loremaster goes on about Tar-Telperiën's reign being a period of total disengagement from Middle-earth's problems while Númenor only interceded under Tar-Minastir, Boromir goes from zzzzzz to "well AKSHUALLY" in about a quarter second.

(This is also aro-ace leadership solidarity in my mind, but mostly because Boromir thinks Telperiën's successful navigation of bullshit politics without marrying, while finding time to orchestrate the defeat of Sauron's armies, is awesome.)

[hollowflight-propaganda]

I'm going to become the #1 Sky fan out of nothing but pure spite if I see even one more baseless take about how he's "an infantilizing stereotype" or "written like a toddler." Sorry guys, wof fandom says that if you're a generally cheerful person and/or you like little animals you're essentially a toddler 😔

I was ranting to a mutual about this yesterday, and I think that it hit the nail on the head by saying, "As someone who gets really excited about small things seeing that as childish is literally part of the problem."

Adults can and are able to like "childish" things. Adults can and are able to be optimists. Disabled people aren't "acting like toddlers" if they fall into either or both of these categories. People are allowed to enjoy life however they want, and it's not up to you to decide if they're acting like how they "should" be.

I think that even talking this way about a fictional character can have harmful consequences. It's already hard enough for people to feel like they can express themselves, but if we talk about things like this and immediately equate it to toddler behavior then it'll just make things harder.

I saw a cardinal outside when I got home today. I gasped in delight upon seeing it and talked to it for a moment, and that's because I just always enjoy seeing animals whenever I can. I'm also aroace and nonbinary, so if I was a fictional character would I be an infantilizing stereotype of those groups? Apparently a good chunk of the wof fandom thinks so, because it would be wrong to headcanon Sky as such according to them.

And honestly, I can relate to Sky on the basis of having had a sheltered upbringing. A lot of the time I feel like I'm a lot younger than I am and that I'm out of my depth due to it. Maybe it's not Tui's intention, but seeing Sky being allowed to be himself brings me some joy. And I'm sick and tired of people acting like the mere existence of this side character is a sin because he's a touch too silly for them.

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

I have no other place to yap this to so I apologise in advance.

I find it interesting in Alhaitham and Kaveh’s voicelines they tend to talk about each other A LOT in a way of complaining. Such as in Alhaitham’s Good night voiceline where he says that he’d prefer that Kaveh wouldn’t be home at all because all the chaos and noise he makes in the dead of the night. Or in Kaveh’s Good Morning voiceline where he says that he hopes that you don't run into someone who ruins your day first thing in the morning.

I guess it’s what makes other people think that they despise each other’s company. Yet they’re always viewed as a pair and Alhaitham could’ve kicked Kaveh out of the house ages ago. But what’s your opinion on that?

Hiya! there's no need to apologise, this is a safe space for all haikaveh! When I tell you your ask is scratching my brain I mean ITCHING, I have so many thoughts about this part of their dynamic so thank you for enabling me <3 This turned out to be rather long, so I hope it’s helpful to you!

The contention in both Alhaitham and Kaveh’s character stories and voice lines seems to be to create intrigue about the two as individuals, and, in turn, their relationship.

Alhaitham’s ‘good night’ voice line instantly serves as a contradiction to his character. It’s interesting, and telling, that Alhaitham, who is essentially Kaveh’s landlord, and mentions this within his fourth character story, alludes to Kaveh by using ‘roommate’ rather than ‘tenant’. ‘Landlord’ evokes a position of authority over the tenant, whereas ‘roommate’ indicates an equality between two people sharing a house – since it’s Alhaitham who advocates for the term ‘roommate’, it’s telling that, as opposed to what Kaveh believes, Alhaitham wants to establish equality between them.

In terms of what Alhaitham says in this voice line, it explicitly raises a contradiction in the form of a question: if Alhaitham is truly bothered by his roommate’s antics, why doesn’t he simply evict Kaveh?

This is relevant as this question is also posed when we initially meet Kaveh within the Archon Quest, as Kaveh states he dislikes Alhaitham’s personality, to which Alhaitham responds by saying if he bothers Kaveh so much, Kaveh always has the option to move out of the house – to which Kaveh perceives as a threat, only to then dismiss this as Alhaitham ‘changing the subject’, which seems to mean that this ‘threat’ is taken as baseless. As this isn’t called back to, this seems to be the case.

There is no real threat of eviction, and regardless of their disputes, Alhaitham ultimately gives Kaveh no ultimatum to move out. In fact, as discussed here (page 27), as we are meeting Alhaitham and Kaveh for the first time, Alhaitham allowing Kaveh to live with him contradicts his established character of living a life free of inconvenience. This instantly creates intrigue around his and Kaveh’s dynamic – who is Kaveh to Alhaitham for this exception to be made to Alhaitham’s peaceful way of life?

(An additional note of interest is that Alhaitham’s solution to the noise problem seems to be more uncomfortable than calling on Kaveh and telling him to stop his work. Alhaitham says that he’d rather not wear his noise-cancelling earpieces to bed, implying that he does so when noise is a problem at night. However, there’s no mention of Kaveh being stubborn when confronting this issue, which is why he takes to wearing his ear pieces, or any mention of confrontation at all. From this voice-line, it seems that Alhaitham avoids interaction by opting for the least comfortable option, which can be a contradiction to his character. As this is a rather brief voice-line, it’s difficult to ascertain why, but I like the idea that Kaveh is productive at night, and Alhaitham prefers not to impose on Kaveh’s work process – but this is more a headcanon than evidenced interpretation.)

Returning back to the contradiction within this voice-line, at a surface glance, this does appear to be a general complaint about Kaveh, and this can be found in Alhaitham’s lines about Kaveh, and also when discussing Tighnari. Alhaitham refers to Kaveh as ‘overly sensitive’, and ‘constantly making a fuss’.

These can easily read solely as complaints, but when looking to the original CN translation, another interpretation can be found here. Alhaitham describes Kaveh as ‘caring’ or ‘tender’, which is exactly how Kaveh is described within the 3.6 special program (as per minimushiroom on twt), which can allude to how Kaveh is considerate to a fault, in that this serves as a detriment to himself.

This can be seen in Alhaitham’s other Kaveh-centred voice-line, in which he describes Kaveh buying keychains in order to provide meals for sick children, even though healthcare is free in Sumeru. Alhaitham clearly holds the view that this was a redundant action, as Kaveh, being in debt, most likely doesn’t have the money to spend on such investments that are, evidently, dubious.

As Alhaitham provides a rational view here, this contrasts with Kaveh’s act of generosity fuelled by emotion – which highlights the contention Alhaitham has with Kaveh, in that Kaveh places himself in dangerous situations for the sake of others. However, as this can be perceived as a solely derisive line, this essential context is lacking, and can be easily misconstrued. (I think the EN translation here also coincides with this narrative, as minimushiroom notes that the original CN has Alhaitham refer to Kaveh’s sensitivity in a positive way, rather than contemptuously, as the English can be interpreted as.)

Kaveh, similarly, can be seen to complain about Alhaitham in his own voice-lines. This can be seen in the 'Good Morning' voice-line you've mentioned, where Kaveh complains about having to see Alhaitham in the morning, which 'ruins' his day. Additionally, Kaveh's voice-lines discussing Alhaitham refer to Alhaitham as ‘infuriating’ and not wanting to give Alhaitham the satisfaction of thanking him, despite Alhaitham helping him out. However, there is more nuance in these voice-lines than Kaveh simply ‘disliking’ Alhaitham, as this dislike is never stated - rather that he and Alhaitham have a difficult relationship in comparison to the ‘close’ friendship of their past.

Kaveh describes their relationship being a ‘mixed bag’, of both negatives and positives, as well as establishing a thorough understanding of Alhaitham, where other people may misinterpret Alhaitham as they ‘don’t know him well enough’. Additionally, Kaveh notes that he knows that Alhaitham can present himself in a more ‘likeable’ manner, but that Alhaitham refuses to do so, which refers to Kaveh’s contention with Alhaitham discussed within his character stories. This, in turn, generates curiosity, as it appears that Kaveh holds an in-depth knowledge of Alhaitham that the player isn’t privy to.

Referring back to Alhaitham’s ‘Good Night’ voiceline, the question raised is, if Alhaitham has a problem with Kaveh, why doesn’t he just evict Kaveh? And the answer can be found by digging further into Alhaitham’s character stories. Looking to Alhaitham’s fourth character story, it states that he is aware of the dissatisfaction Kaveh may have with their living arrangement but  that ‘it matters not to him’.

This means that he is aware that Kaveh may be unhappy with having to rely on someone else for a stable livelihood, something which his pride doesn’t naturally allow, but that this is also exacerbated due to their previous falling out and the current contentions Kaveh has with him.

At first, this can seem rather abrasive, which does fall in line with Alhaitham’s egoism as this doesn’t directly impact ‘the self’ (discussed further here), however, what immediately follows is Alhaitham’s belief that he and Kaveh are mirrors, in that his own perspective of the world will be enhanced - in the og CN, ‘completed’ -by Kaveh’s own world view.

The implication generated here with the explicit term ‘mirror’, is that, just as Alhaitham benefits from Kaveh, Kaveh, in turn, can benefit from Alhaitham. (As a side note, it is interesting then that the voice-lines in question can be seen to mirror each other – Kaveh mentions Alhaitham in ‘Good Morning’ whereas Alhaitham mentions Kaveh in ‘Good Night’.)

Returning back to Alhaitham’s character story, rather than merely reflecting each other philosophically speaking, I’d say that this also points to their respective progression as people, not just scholars.

To me, this is reminiscent of what Alhaitham says to Kaveh in A Parade of Providence – being ‘correct’, ultimately, doesn’t matter, as there is no ‘correct’ path in life, meaning that there is no ‘correct’ philosophy to shape and guide a person. Rather, Alhaitham asserts that, ultimately, their opposing philosophies are not the issue that exists between them.

The issue that does exist, then, can be surmised from Alhaitham’s actions during the event (discussed further here), in which he researches into Sachin to gauge his influence over Kaveh’s father journeying into the desert, with implicit hopes of providing closure for Kaveh, and potentially assuaging Kaveh’s guilt. This is a personal act with a personal motive; the underlying motive being concern, as opposed to an assertion of ‘correctness’.

In my opinion, I think Alhaitham’s actions during A Parade of Providence are a direct reference, and fulfilment, of Kaveh’s fifth character story. I’ve discussed here that the main reason for the ending of their friendship was them asserting the correctness of a philosophy over the other, and proposing one philosophy as the ‘solution’ to the other’s perceived flaws.

Here Alhaitham can be seen to use Kaveh’s past as the reason for his excessive altruism, implicitly referring to Kaveh’s guilt over being the supposed catalyst for his father’s demise. This final comment of Alhaitham’s appears to be the first time this has been mentioned between them, and it’s enough to be perceived as weaponisation – leading to Kaveh severing their friendship.

In A Parade of Providence, Alhaitham is shown to only have taken the role of commentator to research into Sachin, whose research we are told (by Kaveh), he has no explicit interest in, and it is heavily implied that the only reason he looked further into Sachin, was to prove to link between Sachin and Kaveh’s father. Alhaitham seems to want to absolve Kaveh of this past guilt in hopes that Kaveh will stop placing himself in the cycle of self-sabotage.

For me, when viewing this as a parallel, it highlights that Alhaitham’s motivation in speaking out during their days as students was out of concern for Kaveh, although while holding egoism as ultimately beneficial, and therefore perceivably ‘correct’. The ‘issue’ they’re currently debating is not expressly stated, and although it is unclear if Kaveh understands the implication (as discussed here), as ‘correctness’ has been overturned, there seems to be little left than the personal.

Relating this back to Alhaitham’s fourth character story, for me, Alhaitham referring to Kaveh as a mirror isn’t just referring to Kaveh as a scholar, but a person as a whole. As Alhaitham seeks to improve himself, personally, through Kaveh, it seems that he hopes to be able to benefit Kaveh in turn.

As for Kaveh’s complaints regarding Alhaitham, these can be contextualised within his own character stories. As Kaveh ultimately severed the friendship between him and Alhaitham, Alhaitham offering Kaveh to live with him, despite Kaveh revoking his previous understanding of Alhaitham (as discussed here, page 67), causes Kaveh to be overtly suspicious.

In Kaveh’s Old Sketchbook, it is mentioned that Kaveh believes there to be an ulterior motive for Alhaitham inviting him to share a house, as he believes that Alhaitham wouldn’t do something for someone else without an exchange.

Kaveh, then, openly distrusts Alhaitham due to this unspoken motive, and although he takes on chores to ease his sense of guilt of being a perceived burden, a contention arises here. Due to their previously ended friendship, and with how Alhaitham hurt Kaveh, and how Kaveh may believe he hurt Alhaitham (discussed here), Kaveh sees no reason for Alhaitham to want him around – he treats their relationship as an exchange, asking what Alhaitham could possibly want for him.

Although Alhaitham views Kaveh as a mirror, and therefore, respects Kaveh’s perspectives, Kaveh can potentially view their opposing philosophies as a negative rather than a positive as he had done in the past (as discussed here), as it, perceivably, was what led to the end of their friendship. In this, Kaveh views Alhaitham as disparaging him and his views. As mentioned in his character story, he has no reservations in telling Alhaitham of his debt as Alhaitham has already seen through him in the past, and yet again, upon meeting at the tavern.

Although Alhaitham perceivably views him unfavourably, and his comments and complaints appear to propagate this interpretation, Alhaitham also seems to have no issue with keeping Kaveh around, and interacting with Kaveh, regardless of the problems Kaveh expressly has with him.

To Kaveh, it could be that as Alhaitham has already seen the worst of him, and appears to have no real issue with their stilted rapport, there is no point in donning a front and using niceties. He is open with his issues with Alhaitham, and, in turn, Alhaitham is open with him.

This appears to be a dual negative and positive for Kaveh, as he describes Alhaitham’s constancy as ‘the most unshakable part of one's past is a friend that will never change’. In this sense, his unsteady rapport with Alhaitham is reliable, and therefore, has no reason to change.

Clearly, there is a large disconnect between Alhaitham’s view of Kaveh and how Kaveh perceives Alhaitham’s view of him. As previously mentioned in the discussion of A Parade of Providence, there is an unspoken ‘issue’ between them, and this can be interpreted as dire misconceptions borne from miscommunication.

As discussed, Kaveh and Alhaitham reference each other a lot in their respective voice-lines and their character stories. This alone is enough to connect them, regardless of the cruciality of their mirror motif, as they are key figures of each other’s past, present, and seemingly, future. Despite this, it’s as you say, there’s a common perception to view them as mutually disliking each other, and, to me, this is based upon their first initial interaction, and the way they refer to each other in their own character stories and voice-lines.

It’s notable that Alhaitham refers to Kaveh in his voice-lines when Kaveh is not explicitly relevant, such as in his Good Night voice-line, and, most interestingly, when Alhaitham discusses Tighnari.

This could be because Alhaitham knows of Tighnari through Kaveh, but as this connection isn’t stated, it reads as Alhaitham mentioning Kaveh for no other reason than to complain about his perceived naivety regarding relations with others. But as this is a voice-line designated to discussing Tighnari, it’s interesting, and incredibly noticeable, that Alhaitham then discusses Kaveh instead. It’s similar to what Kaveh can be seen to do, and is observed to do by others, in relation to discussing Alhaitham.

When it comes to Kaveh, however, his complaining of Alhaitham can be seen to link with his process of dealing with troubles in his work. In his Hangout, he states that he takes his work to heart because he cares about it, which is expressed in the same quest in which Kaveh and the Traveller run into Alhaitham in the House of Daena (discussed further here, page 219).

Drawing a parallel here can further contextualise Kaveh’s complaining of Alhaitham – if Kaveh truly disliked Alhaitham, there seems to be no reason for Alhaitham to remain so relevant to him, both in conversation, and in private thought. Additionally, Kaveh is described as an empathetic person, and when dealing with others, he is thusly seen to look for another perspective rather than act on his own subjective perspective.

Looking at his voice-line on Dori, for example, expresses his distaste for Dori pressuring him for Mora due to his debt, however, he also empathises with her, and states that he senses there must be a reason why Dori acts in such a way.

In contrast, this empathy can be perceived as missing in his treatment of Alhaitham, and therefore Kaveh complaining about Alhaitham can be perceived as blatant dislike – which contradicts Kaveh’s benevolence and empathy, which A Parade of Providence particularly stresses.

Kaveh’s treatment of Alhaitham can be seen as deliberately contradictory, as it can cause the player to question why Kaveh reacts in such a singular way to Alhaitham, just as why Alhaitham reacts in a singular way to Kaveh.

In reference to Alhaitham, whilst Alhaitham tends to complain about Kaveh in turn, his actions reveal him. He invites Kaveh to live with him, gives no eviction date, pays for Kaveh’s tabs willingly, (supposedly) buys wine as an apology, and goes out of his way to ensure dialogue with Kaveh – which contradicts his own character stories, in which he appears to favour solitude, and only greets those he considers his friends ‘with a nod or two’.

Moreover, Alhaitham is established as considering Kaveh a necessity to his ‘peaceful life’ he seeks to maintain (as discussed here), and can be seen to implicitly consider Kaveh one of his priorities within his Story Quest.

The idea that Alhaitham dislikes Kaveh seems to stem from Alhaitham being taken literally when voicing an opinion, or an issue, or simply joking, in reference to Kaveh – despite his character stories highlighting that Alhaitham often uses sarcasm in order to subvert expectations.

Alhaitham expressly states that he prefers to be seen as inscrutable, and unknown, by the general public, and uses subversion as a means to do so. In these character stories, Alhaitham openly encourages speculation of his own words.

Without this context, it seems easy to simplify Alhaitham to purely speaking factually when first addressing Kaveh in the Archon Quest – stating that having to explain things to Kaveh is ‘a nuisance’, and yet, it is overlooked that Alhaitham stays in the House of Daena, regardless, knowing Kaveh would find him again.

On the whole, in my opinion, Kaveh’s feelings towards Alhaitham cannot be simplified to ‘dislike’ as this is dually an inherent misunderstanding of his character, and of his and Alhaitham’s relationship, just as Alhaitham’s feelings towards Kaveh cannot be simplified to ‘dislike’ for this same reason.

In the beginning, Alhaitham and Kaveh are not supposed to be perceived as friendly, as Kaveh denies the association of ‘friends’, and Paimon describes them to the Traveller as ‘problematic’.

The reason for this is due to their character arcs being intertwined – the core issue is posed in Kaveh’s fifth character story, in that the question is raised if a compromise can be reached, if both sides of the mirror, can be balanced. At the beginning, they are entirely at odds, but even footing must be found.

I’ve noticed a shift in online discourse after Cyno’s second story quest, as the progression in Alhaitham and Kaveh’s relationship is noticeable – deliberately, due to the flashback scene within their house (which I’ve discussed in detail here, page 122). To me, it’s more common to form the assumption that Alhaitham and Kaveh dislike each other in the Archon Quest, but with recent developments, and, hopefully, future ones, this perception is being overturned in online communities. Perhaps that’s just wishful thinking, but I’m still hopeful!

[pinnedmother]

OH MY GOD ITS YOU!!! i remembed reading your headcanons on messmer on a03!!!!!!!! thank you for feeding our messmer nation with your crumbs they are delicious !!!! a sort of open request but I'd love to see how pursuing a romance with messmer would be when rellana is there too, sorry I love a good drama ! keep up the good work ! cheers !!!

Thanks! I'm happy to hear that you enjoy my silly little writings.🤭 Thank you for your support and for this wonderful request! It’s an interesting one.

Being cut off from the Lands Between and unable to return to her family, Rellana didn’t had much to do, but to aspire to build a new one with the most worthy candidate. So she spent all these centuries pining for Messmer with him seemingly oblivious or indifferent towards any and all advances of hers. She thought him to be prudish and reserved, one to deem the relationships between any brothers-in-arms inappropriate. An impenetrable fortress that merely needs a right approach to conquer. That, or long years of besiegement. Thankfully, she had all the time in the world.

But then you waltz in. Barely do anything, and somehow manage to claim his heart in no time and with such ease (from Rellana’s POV), it’s insulting.

Rellana couldn’t comprehend what you did that she couldn’t do at least twice as good? (writing this, I thought about “Tears to shed” song from Corpse Bride, imagine Moonrithyll comforting her lady through her lovesick depression) If you had any hopes of getting on Liurnian princess’ good side – you can throw it out the window and forget it altogether. She’s always bitter when you’re around: sardonic, and spiteful, and as cold as the moon itself.

Despite being highly intelligent and smart, much like her sister, her INT falls down to 0 when it comes to love and the loss of it. She’s frantic, careless and desperate, still somewhat collected, but not as coolheaded as her usual self.

At first Rellana hoped this silly infatuation of his would soon past. But it simply doesn’t. In her perturbation, she tries to reason with Messmer, reminding him of his status, saying that you are unworthy and that he shouldn’t bother with the likes of you. He listens calmly and silently, waits until she said all she wanted to say out of respect for one of the strongest and most loyal knights he has. Then he assures her that you’re more than worthy and that Rellana’s worries are baseless; he is a man of his own mind after all and he’s well within his right to choose a lover.

If she goes far enough to accuse you of charming him with a spell, Messmer would finally lose his composure. Not only is she insulting your dignity, but his intelligence as well. With a raised voice he’d address her as a subordinate, not a friend, and ultimately send her away to Castle Ensis to keep performing her duty and not go out of line.

Of course, it makes the princess all the more angry and hurt.

If you have at least some battle proficiency, she WILL challenge you to a duel, it’s inevitable. She knows that Messmer highly values strength, and if she’ll put you down to your place, he’ll certainly forget all about you and finally, finally return her feelings. Little does she know, he does value the strength, but in warriors, not in partners. So no matter the outcome, it’ll only serve to endear him to you even more: if you win, he’d be pleasantly surprised by your skill; if you lose, he would personally tend to your bruised body and offer his comfort.

After some time Rellana gives up, realizing how fruitless her attempts are and how damaging this desperate pining may become to her reputation in the long run. She still cares for Messmer deeply; she’s his loyal sword after all. And she also still despises you, yet bitterly acknowledges your victory.

[dark-fics-4-you]

okay first off, i love you and your works so so much, seriously i wait for you to post new stuff😭 second off id loveee to see some dark rafe as a boyfriend headcanons; i know you'd do an incredible job<3

thank you so much for the kind words!! <33 love youuu 🥰

dark!bf!Rafe Cameron Headcanons

warnings: smut, coercion, dubcon, manipulation, location tracking, jealousy, violence, drinking and drug use, overstimulation

dark!bf!Rafe would spoil the everloving hell out of you at the start of your relationship. When you were with him, he refused to let you pay for anything "i just want to treat you like the princess you are, baby." This included food, clothes, lingerie, jewelry, and even a brand new iphone when you accidentally shattered the screen of your old one.

little did you know, your boyfriend had set up your phone before he gifted it to you, making sure that your location would be visible to him at all times, and that he would be able to see anything that you texted to anyone.

Rafe always wanted you to spend all of your free time with him. he would constantly show up at your house to pick you up for surprise dates, taking you out shopping or to an expensive restaurant of your choosing.

Anytime you questioned how he always knew that you were free when he came by, he always had an answer, accompanied by a sheepish grin, “i guess i just know you that well, y/n/n.”

Rafe hated the fact that you had guy friends, mood instantly souring anytime you mentioned wanting to hang out with them. It was hard enough for him to tolerate you hanging out with your girl friends, but Rafe felt especially protective of you around your male friends.

After seeing you talking with one of them at a party, much too enthusiastically for Rafe's taste, your boyfriend waited till he could talk to your friend alone before he threatened to break his nose if he ever saw him talking to you again.

The next day, when you sat on the couch gazing at the hurtful text from your friend that said he wanted nothing to do with you anymore, your boyfriend rubbed circles in your back as you cried into his chest, hiding the triumphant grin that tugged at the corner of his lips. "it'll be okay baby, I'm here to support you, and I'm not going anywhere."

You and Rafe didn’t get into arguments a lot, but when you did they were ugly screaming matches, baseless allegations of cheating berated at you as you sobbed, trying to calm your boyfriend down.

The arguments always ended the same way though. With you laying face down, ass in the air, head pushed into the pillow as your boyfriend took out his frustrations on you, not stopping until you had came around him five times

Afterwards, he held you in bed, kissing you tenderly and whispering into your skin, “i’m sorry y/n, you know how jealous i get, it’s only because i love you so much” and like the trusting, naive girl you were, you believed him wholeheartedly

Rafe was always super handsy in public, even if you voiced discomfort, never one to shy away from public sex as a way to tell every guy in the Outer Banks that you were his girl

Fingers wandering under your short skirts at house parties, a smack on your ass when you bent over at the golf course in front of his friends, fucking in his truck with the windows open before picking up weed and blow from Barry

You didn’t particularly like Rafe’s coke use, and had tried to bring it up to him many times, but he always knew what to say to turn the sympathy back towards him, “you know i’ve been having a hard time with my dad, princess. i feel like you and coke are the only thing that can calm me down. i just need it a little longer and then i’ll quit, i promise.”

Every party the two of you went to was an opportunity for him to show you off, and he had a habit of never letting you leave his side, arm firm around your waist, always stealing kisses and nipping at your neck to remind everyone who you belonged to, glaring at any guy who looked at you funny.

Rafe would pour you drink after drink, offering you hits off his blunts and pressuring you to do lines of blow in between. He loved how you always got more touchy with him when you were drunk. Not only that, but you allowed him to get more handsy in public than if you had been sober, “relax, it’s a crowded party, y/n/n, everyone’s hooking up.”

Rafe always loved to push your boundaries, testing the waters of what he could get away with

He would wrap an arm around you, supporting you as you drunkenly stumbled into the nearest unoccupied bedroom, before gently helping peel off your clothes as he kissed you, silencing your worries about leaving your friends behind, “i can’t think about anything else but you right now y/n. you don’t get what you do to me.”

Desire clouded your mind with his every caress, and before you could think it over, your ‘no’ had turned into ‘just the tip’ at his suggestion

And yet, every time, you found yourself in the same position, thighs shaking as you came around his cock, moans muffled by the ringed hand at your throat, “mm there’s my girl. felt like you needed that.”

His favorite punishment for you whenever you pissed him off by getting too close with his friends or acting like a brat was overstimulation.

Rafe caught you off guard every time, delving between your thighs with a playful smirk. He kissed and nipped at the tender flesh of your inner thighs before he would eat you out, slowly pushing his fingers into your dripping pussy.

After the first orgasm, you were already a panting mess. But you were surprised when he didn’t stop, quickly pushing you over the edge again, large hands firmly clamped around your quaking legs.

By the third, you realized what he was doing, already so overstimulated that you were begging him to stop, tears streaming down your face as he lapped at your sensitive clit. The pleasure building inside you at every thrust of his fingers had you coming again and again

No amount of tears or apologies could ever stop him, “you wanted to act like a slut, so don’t be surprised when i treat you like one, sweetheart.”

Rafe was only satisfied after you sagged against the bed after your seventh orgasm, finally allowing you to catch your breath as he peppered gentle kisses all over your body and face, whispering praises and telling you how much he adored you. “my perfect y/n. i never want to let you go.”

[shigayokagayama]

post the teru parent headcanons pretty please 🧎

ok my basic thoughts on these people are that theyre not like. uniquely shitty people. theyre just rich people who had a kid more out of obligation than actually wanting a kid. like it was just a milestone in their life the same way as graduating school or buying a car would be. they just figured they could offload most of the responsibility of actually raising him onto paid help because like. thats what people with money do. they dont really think about how badly having a rotating cast of people caring for you and only getting attention from the people who are supposed to care for you when you accomplish something will fuck you up because a lot of parents just. dont think about that. like youre more worried about them doing good in school and not getting in trouble than you are the long term consequences of your parenting style, and that especially goes for rich folks who want to be able to brag about their kids to their peers.

more specific baseless headcanons: i see them both as tech startup ceos who got really lucky and made something that got bought out by a big company when teru was relatively young and went from being "yearly vacation to the bahamas" rich to "private jet" rich in a very short period of time. i think both his parents have really bad relationships with their own families. i see his dad as being born into money and having a similarly distant relationship from his own parents as he has with teru meanwhile i think his mom was more like. upper middle class who didnt really get money until she married her husband and started a business with him and i think that her turning into her "too busy to maintain familial relationships" self caused a huge falling out between her and most of her family and she stopped talking to them when teru was little (specifically i think she kept dumping her son at her sisters house to babysit then just leaving for days at a time when their company was in the process of getting bought out and her sister got sick of it)

[failedpotato]

Random EoW Zelda headcanons (no major spoilers!)

- She’s only about 12-14 years old, a tween. I personally can’t interpret Link or Zelda in this artstyle to be older than 14 maximum

- She’s a terrible cook! Not just because she grew up in a castle with professionals to prepare her food every day… but even if she wanted to, she just hasn’t got the knack for it. Besides, Zelda struggles a lot with the different textures of foods and is generally quite the picky eater. Both of these are reasons why she loves smoothies!

- Although a good person at heart, she has a habit of acting rather spoiled and stubborn. The stubbornness translates into the strong willpower that drives her adventure in EoW!

- This is so ridiculously specific, but every time I read the abbreviation “EoW” I automatically think of the name Eowyn. I’m just saying…. If she ever had to make up a fake name to stay undercover, this would be her go to alias.

- Here’s also a kinda baseless idea/theory that could apply to every Zelda game. It’s known that every girl born to the royal family is given the name Zelda. But wouldn’t it make sense for them to have distinct middle names, to be able to separate them from each other? This Zelda’s full name could be, like, Zelda Eowyn Hyrule… the third. Because why not

[sonknuxadow]

I believe that IF Silver IS a descendent of Sonic/Shadow/Amy/anyone else, he's a descendent via adoption because the only Sonic character that I accept having kids is Vanilla.

honestly part of the reason im not a fan of the ideas of silver being a descendant of other characters we already know is because i just dont see why its necessary for them to be related ..? idk i just dont think anything that could be gained from him being shadows kid or sonics descendant or whatever is worth losing part of whats already compelling about silver and also making things super confusing. plus none of the pairings of already existing characters people have suggested as silvers bio parents make any sense, usually because its impossible from a timeline perspective but also because theyre always picking characters who would NOT have kids either in general or with the specific people theyre being paired with

[tevanbegins]

Folks. Relax. Breathe. Just enjoy Buck and Tommy with your whole hearts. Soak up all the excitement and buzz about them. Spread the love you feel for them all around. Don't engage with the hateful losers in any capacity. Block out any form of negativity when you see it. Don't give a flying crap about what the losers think and the nonsense they make up. Don't stress about their baseless opinions on the actors or the personal dynamics among co-stars. Don't give them the slightest amount of importance. Don't argue with them. Don't give them any explanations. They will never stop. Don't waste your precious energy on them. When you react to them, you feed them. They are not worth your time. If they intrude on your safe space, kick them out of it and forget about them. Protect your peace. Drown out all the hatred with a flood of positivity. Like and share all the stuff you love. Leave kind, appreciative comments whenever and wherever possible. Talk endlessly about the joy Buck and Tommy's story brings you. Convey your heartfelt appreciation to Lou/Oliver if you can. Thank Tim for giving us this amazing storyline. Gush over all the delightful scenes. Ramble about your theories and headcanons. Write fics, create art. Have loads of fun. Just don't let anything hamper your enjoyment of the ship and the show. The haters are already fighting a losing battle, and when we completely stop reacting to their stupidity, it's going to be just them banging their empty heads against one another's. We on the other hand, will keep winning. And we deserve to be unabashedly happy about that. So let's do just that and ignore everything else! ✌🏽

[hollowed-theory-hall]

do you think harry runs warm or on the colder side for Body temperature?

Hello 👋

So, it's a little silly, but I do have thoughts about this, and my knee-jerk, no-basis headcanon is: cold, but not extremely so.

But I tried to find book quotes/science to back me up or contradict me on this idea.

So, the science of why some people are warmer or colder is mostly due to metabolic rates (but like everything in the human body there could be other factors). This is affected by exercise, genetics, height, and fat percentage in the body.

Harry in the books, is very thin in the early books and still quite lean with little to no body fat in the later books — this pushes him to be on the colder range of body temperatures.

That being said, he is pretty athletic and in good shape physically, plus he is a teenage boy — all factors that point to a higher metabolic rate and therefore a higher body temperature.

Men in general tend to run warmer than women due to their circulation, also pointing to Harry running warmer.

That being said, if we look at some scens of Harry having to deal with heat:

“I’m not ill,” said Harry. “I think it’s a warning ... it means danger’s coming. ...” Ron couldn’t get worked up, it was too hot. “Harry, relax, Hermione’s right, the Stone’s safe as long as Dumbledore’s around.

(PS)

On the whole, Harry thought he was to be congratulated on his idea of hiding here. He was not, perhaps, very comfortable lying on the hot, hard earth, but on the other hand, nobody was glaring at him, grinding their teeth so loudly that he could not hear the news, or shooting nasty questions at him, as had happened every time he had tried sitting down in the living room and watching television with his aunt and uncle.

(OotP)

Harry, while not a fan of the heat, he can handle heat well (better than Ron can). (Not that it's that hot. I mean, the hottest day in the summer of 1995 was 95.360°F or 35.2°C, which is hot, but not that hot)

Versus being cold:

Harry’s eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. 

(PS)

October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces. The skies and the ceiling of the Great Hall turned a pale, pearly gray, the mountains around Hogwarts became snowcapped, and the temperature in the castle dropped so far that many students wore their thick protective dragon skin gloves in the corridors between lessons.

(GoF)

Now, Harry should be accustomed to cold weather, but it seems like he hates cold more than he hates heat. He can handle the heat well enough, but cold pains him more even when it isn't extreme. This implies his body temperature is lower since he is more sensitive to cold than to heat. At least, that's the impression I got, but I'd hardly call it conclusive evidence. More like a semi-baseless headcanon.

Also, as death and everything related to it is described as cold in HP, I feel, symbolically, Harry should be on the colder side, just a bit.

I mean, the inferi's skin is cold as death:

But though gashes appeared in their sodden rags and their icy skin, they had no blood to spill: They walked on, unfeeling, their shrunken hands outstretched toward him, and as he backed away still farther, he felt arms enclose him from behind, thin, fleshless arms cold as death

(HBP)

The Horcruxes are cold:

the Horcrux that currently lay against the bare flesh of his chest. Curiously, it had not taken heat from his body, but lay so cold against his skin it might just have emerged from icy water.

(DH)

The dementors bring the cold with them:

The balmy evening was suddenly piercingly, bitingly cold. They were surrounded by total, impenetrable, silent darkness, as though some giant hand had dropped a thick, icy mantle over the entire alleyway, blinding them.

(OotP)

The vale of death is described as having cold air around it:

Unsupported by any surrounding wall, the archway was hung with a tattered black curtain or veil which, despite the complete stillness of the cold surrounding air, was fluttering very slightly as though it had just been touched.

(OotP)

So, with all of Harry's connection to death and him being marked by the AK curse, it just feels right he'd be on the colder side. Not much, not super noticeably, but I can imagine Harry, like, poking Ron to get his attention and Ron jumping and complaining his skin is freezing, you know? Like, by comparison, it would feel cold to him because I'm pretty sure Ron is on the warmer end of natural body temperature.

(Hermione is also colder in my mind, either as cold as Harry or even colder, I feel).

But really, it's up to whatever headcanon you choose, this is just my preferred one, 🤷‍♀️