#bc through no fault of my own the characters i make and like to romance

[bogunicorn]

love opening up tumblr for the first time in a hot minute and immediately seeing bg3 disk horse posts

it's been TWO GODDAMN MONTHS, oh my god i hate it, i hate all of you. fandom was a mistake, i should just try to never like anything. i didn't even get to exist in a fandom space that wasn't passively shitting on me for more than two months.

[fumifooms]

You're always so on point with your posts. On that note, it made me realize that; Considering the themes of desires in DunMeshi. It's also to say that what you think you want isn't what you actually want.

Like, Marcille thinks she wants the handsome prince from the novels she reads... But what she actually wants is someone maybe more like her father who she admired so much. Kind, virtuous, caring to a fault, a family man. Things she later finds in Chilchuck.

Because as traumatizing as it was to see her mother's spiral after her father's death; Her memories of her father itself are some of the most important to her. And it fits with her pursuit to increase her loved ones' lives, because she does want what her mother and father had.

Sipping. I do go over ‘what you think you want vs what you actually want + what you need’ in my (upcoming) Marcille & Chil arc analysis ;) It’s a part of Dunmeshi that I really like and is super fascinating, I’d honestly like to make an analysis-post on the topic: all the different threads and characters in canon that reflect that, desires vs wants and themes of idealization in Dunmeshi, but it’s one of those things that’s just so huge to make. See this is the freaking problem with doing Dunmeshi meta you start talking about the themes or a narrative and everything is so interwoven you get distracted with tangents BUT IT’S ALL COMPELLING AND RELEVANT

I know that’s something laimar does a lot too, the dad thing, with Marcille in a post-canon comic knitting beside him paralleling her parents and whatnot. I don’t know if I fully agree on the angle but there’s definitely stuff to dig at there…

Like I know that I’d like to analyze Marcille’s succubus more, it comes up in my analysis draft but it’s not the point I’m trying to make there so I focus on other stuff but… I always saw the focus of Marcille’s succubus as that she sought out an emotional connection most of all, it’s romantic and courtly in nature but more importantly there’s personality and behavior there and it’s a character she already loves and knows deeply from having read the series, so it’s not like Chil where it’s just a pretty face whose identity doesn’t matter. A friend of mine though, @room-surprise, goes with the angle that it shows she isn’t ready for a relationship and that the appeal is very self-centered, and I def think compelling points are made…

Point I was trying to make, the succubus is definitely at the crux of figuring what it is Marcille wants and craves in someone I’d say, where she’s emotionally at wether consciously or subconsciously, or how she sees herself being involved in romance at least… It’s true Marcille is enthusiastic about romance, but always someone else’s, never hers, and she seems unwilling to examine her own relationships with people. She oversteps boundaries either obliviously or carelessly and doesn’t like change…

And then there’s how complex people’s relationship to fiction can be on top of that and graaaaah

Edit in bc I forgot I wanted to mention this like an idiot: OH and I do think the Daltian Clan serves a role in the general tapestry of Dunmeshi as well, sometimes in in depth ways that Room-Surprise will tackle in their research paper way better than me I’m sure. My understanding of the importance of general Hagreus in a more general narrative sense is that he reinforces the theme of idealization/fantasy vs reality that’s super present through the manga. Beyond just Marcille’s arc and his importance to her he’s designed uncannily close to Mithrun, it parallels real elves and their very flawed military system and the broken people it cultivates vs the romanticized elves put on an aesthetic pedestral in novels, especially considering it’s "general" Hareus

To give some previews of the analysis wip: Thus the succubus targets Marcille’s wish for a perfect knight who could cherish her forevermore, someone safe and known and fantastical, just hers in a way, free to see and construct however she wants because he’s a character to interpret Dungeon Meshi is in part about resisting desires, the irrational cravings, mostly through the character of the demon. I mentioned needs earlier, and to ideals vs wants we also add vs needs, both emotional and physical. And needs alongside wants are what Dungeon Meshi wishes to promote for a healthier person. Dungeon Meshi illustrates very well with the dungeon lords that you can be a slave to your desires. Dunmeshi prones the important of balance for both a healthy body and a healthy mind, and the arc of optimism vs pessimism with Marcille & Chilchuck is one such case <3

Ouuuugh how flawed relationships with flawed people can still be made into somehing good and healthy that make the world brighter…

We’ve gone far from the topic of how her family shaped what she seeks in relationships haha, I think you put it well already though I don’t have much to add on that front Edit in 2: SIKE! I’ll add that there’s an interesting thread in the manga of Marcille maturing and becoming more like her mother, which would be interesting and fun to pair with the fatherhood of Chil. Because Marcille is sometimes a mother figure as well: she’s the mom friend. I go over it here, and since when I made that post I’ve seen more interesting analysis on the topic too, like noticing she hides behind her mother’s portrait in the nightmare chapter, perhaps the inspiration behind her more mature reserved academic persona she sometimes has. Her parents are def important to her so it’s interesting to see how all the dynamics and her own psychology fit into that….

But yeah I think what she (thinks she) wants out of romance has a lot of layers, both conscious and subconscious… I haven’t gone into the bigger picture of how fiction affects her relationships here but it’s the central topic of my Marcille & Chil arc analysis so. She idealizes the trope of the prince charming and finds it attractive but is that what she would actually latch onto… Is it fully superficial, is it more about herself than it is about her potential partner... Is it mainly because she wants to get validation, from being special that she typically gets from high academic performance… We do see she can be rather insecure and worried about others’ perspective of her, that they think she’s not useful or capable enough, especially in the mandrake chapter… Unconditional love perhaps

What is your emotional landscape Marcille. How emotionally intelligent are you. I don’t think she knows what she wants romantically. I think she has a job so she don’t really care about that rn I’m just not sure if we can figure out what she ~actually~ wants on her behalf that might be too many levels of interpretation but idk idk, thinking on it still

[leoneliterary]

I really love one thing most in the new update: you can chastise Nari for calling the Silken Sands a brothel. As MC with a dancer background, my MC couldn't just leave it at that and had to go on a bit of monologue about the dances and performances and how reducing it all to a brothel is demeaning and Nari is confused, flustered and embarrased, but ALSO still has the poise to be gracious and take it to heart. Look MC already has too many flirts going on, but I will make one playthrough (once I have some save slots free) just for her and I will cherish it deeply. Nari is a treasure. She is high born enough that she really doesn't have to react so seriously or humbly, but she does and her respect for life and people esp for a general whose job is to go out and.. kill people, pretty much? I'm in love. All your characters attract me and none of them are really only some stereotype to fill the type cast positions for RO. They all fit into the plot and world so wonderfully and have their own things and emotional turmoils going on. They are so wonderfully rounded and realistic characters, not static at all and willing to see where the narrative and MCs choices take them. It's not instant love, but attraction and then finding out connective points, building a friendship first, not only flirting to amass romance points and getting a confession once you have enough. Meeting your characters just feels exciting. Excuse the rambling, but I took 30min to play that little tidbit of conversation with Nari every which way and I still just love this one particular choice so much. "I apologize for this offense I didn't even realize I was making, while trying to apologize for something else already... that isn't even my fault or your apology to receive so much, but I just feel I have to, bc ... I value your good opinion for some unknown intriguing reason". Yes Nari, give it to MC straight. Or in a curveball you're unaware of yourself?...

I just love her. And the dancer MC getting a chance to break character and defend their original family, too in a way.

I wonder ... where the others listening in on that mild outburst? Do they have opinions on it you could share? Did they take note?

I've kept this ask for awhile just because I really enjoyed reading through it and your analysis of Nari and the MC. I am so so glad you liked this scene and I love how you've described Nari and connected the discussion to how the MC's past and present!

I wanted to give the MC opportunities to have genuine interactions, even in situations where secret about who the MC really is has to be kept.

As for anyone hearing the conversation, they were far enough ahead that they didn't hear anything, but you know what they say about places like palaces. Someone is always listening.

[allgirlsareprincesses]

I'm so curious as to what your thoughts are on acomaf/Rhys. Personally, the reason the second book infuriated me was bc SJM completely shifted Tamlin's good traits onto Rhys, while erasing the fucked up things the latter did (like breaking Feyre's arm 😅), and thus clumsily erasing chances for interesting complex grey-morality characterizations for both characters. Also Feyre forgot about Tamlin so fast it almost made the first book seem useless lol. idk, I just liked Tamlin and feel he was done dirty with the weird lib-feminist makeover acomaf got. I did continue reading the series though. I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable speaking about this, so feel free to ignore this ask. Have a lovely day 💖

Phew! So my issues with the series are NUMEROUS and some day I will go into all the reasons I quit ACOMAF 3/4 of the way through, but for now, let me sum up my problem by comparing it to another modern phenomenon: Frozen.

Like ACOTAR, I have many specific dislikes about the Frozen series, but my main problem with it is the way it cynically uses fairy tale motifs against the audience, but then still wants to claim it is a fairy tale. Frozen's setup gives the audience absolutely zero reason to doubt or distrust Hans (other than the arrival of Kristoff). In fact, Hans and Anna have one of the best insta-love songs from the Disney collection, and it galls me TO NO END that it's a trick, a lie. And then the rest of the movie repeatedly mocks the audience for believing in fairy tale love ("You can't marry a man you just met!"), as if to say everyone who has enjoyed Disney fairy tales up to this point is a sucker. Yet then it expects us to invest in the Anna-Kristoff romance after punishing us for the Anna-Hans one. And meanwhile, Kristoff is about as interesting as stale bread (sorry not sorry, it's true. I love you Jonathan Groff, it's not your fault sweetie.).

So anyway, back to ACOTAR. Book 1 is a straightforward Search For The Lost Husband. Taken on its own, it honestly rules as an example of this Cupid & Psyche tale type. It has the hunter-huntress motif, the jealous sisters, passage into the otherworld, hidden/cursed prince, supernatural helpers, three trials in the underworld, and even resurrection from death. It's literally perfect, other than Rhys marking her and just generally being creepy.

And then the next book PUNISHES the reader for enjoying that. HAHA you fool, you sucker, you got taken in by an abuser! Actually that whole book was a f*cking waste of time and a lie, and what Feyre really needs is this dude who's secretly perfect and who has all the aesthetics of a tormented prince but none of the actual psychological damage (like, say, Tamlin had). And who pursued Feyre not because of any natural affinity but because he knew she was his predetermined MATE (ew ew ew and I repeat EW). And who dictates every f*cking plot point and then magnanimously gives Feyre the OPTION of participating and we're all supposed to cheer because he says "It's your choice" before repeatedly using her and endangering her.

And to the extent that this is another Search For The Lost Husband, why would I want the same story told again, especially when the narrative wasted my time and mocked me for investing in the last romance? I just... really resent the author using those motifs without signaling sooner that she's going to deliberately undermine them (which can be done, in fairness, but it takes more skill than SJM has displayed).

So yeah, that's my issue. It really seems to come from this faux feminism that has a lot of antipathy toward traditional fairy tales, but doesn't know how to critique them without mocking the protagonist and audience alike.

[loosesodamarble]

Hiya Erika 😁!! Ooo for the character ask game may I ask for 1, 6, 13, and 17 for…Yami and Finral please 🥰! (I hope it’s okay asking for two 🙈!)

It's very okay asking for two characters, Lyra! It just means that I'm gonna take a little more time to answer. Hope you don't mind that.

..........

Yami Sukehiro

1) Why do you like or dislike this character?

This is going to sound weird but I like Yami because he's like an older cousin who is told to take charge and watch over the others but 9/10 times he does his own shit since the younger kids can manage just fine and the last 1/10 times is when shit get real like a robber breaking in.

He's an older role model to his squad. But he doesn't act like an authority figure to them. He doesn't force them to follow any rules and lets them take care of themselves to become who they can/want to be. Yami's character is able to balance responsibility and freedom to the benefit of the other characters around him.

6) What's something you have in common with this character?

Is it a cop out if I say me being part Japanese is a commonality between me and Yami (since Hino is the Japan of BC)? Because I can't really think of anything else that he and I share.

13) What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

💀 Skull. No, I don’t think Yami is going to die (if it was about a character dying or being dead Morgen would have this emoji/j). And while I don’t think Yami would be a big emoji user, I get a kick out of imagining Yami typing “your days are numbered 💀” when someone pisses him off through text.

17) What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?

Yami x Nacht. I've joked that they have the energy of ex-lovers and there is potential in that kind of dynamic. Seeing romantic potential in a platonic dynamic is nothing new and that’s something in Yami x Nacht which I can’t find fault with. It’s fine. People make good art for the ship. But I don’t seek out content for the ship (I see it on my dash because of who I follow and because of the fandom tag). And I don’t feel strongly enough about it to make content for it either.

.....

Finral Roulacase

1) Why do you like or dislike this character?

-I like that he's a coward without being an ass about it. If he was some kind of selfish coward that ran at the expense of others, I wouldn't like him nearly as much. -He is loving and forgiving towards Langris, someone who really needs it. I will never not like characters who forgive without hesitation. That stuff is my jam. -Awesome magic. Teleportation is always going to be cool. -He really is a pacifist through and through. His magic can't attack because he's just that kind to his core. -His pacifism doesn't equate to uselessness. He will still do what he can to support those around him who can fight because that's what needs to be done more often than not. -Literally just a cute guy. Looks and personality wise. I want to protect Finral. -In a real life situation, I would want to date someone like Finral. He's fun-loving but also realistic. He's giving but still fights for what he wants (at least post character development). Finral is troubled but not jaded.

6) What's something you have in common with this character?

I too would be chill with my siblings if they almost caused my death. I love my family very much (mostly because they’re genuinely nice people) and I don’t think I’d ever have the heart to hate them regardless of how they hurt me.

13) What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

💖 The sparkling heart emoji. Finral’s got a big heart and I giggle at the thought of shoujo romance sparkles around Finral when he tries to flirt (even when he fails). He’s just got a sparkly personality.

17) What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?

Finral x Vanessa. It’s another case of romantic potential within a platonic relationship. And given how their stories parallel in some ways (both not displaying abilities that their abusive parents desire and running away from home), I understand why people would want to ship them together, for that paralleled lovers dynamic. I get it but I'm not too into it. I've stumbled upon content for it and some friends ship it but I'm not someone who would seek it out or create for it.

[gaiuskamilah]

Maybe if you finish reading s&b you’ll find out the Darkling sucks bc he ended up turning on his own people lmao

Also idc for Malina either but the Darkling entraps, abuses and manipulates Alina who is a 17 year old girl. like there’s literally a scene where he almost sexu*lly abuses her. Idk just thought you should have the full story!

do you.. not think i'm aware of this? lmfao? i guess my fault because i did say that i didn't finish the series but i truly do not care about this especially since it's coming from a watsonian POV and everything i've said about the darkling on this blog so far has been from a doylist approach - "i just think if you want me to hate a character you're gonna have to stop making them leaders of oppressed minorities with righteous causes but for doylist reasons you make them kill babies for your liberal propaganda"

ask yourself: why would the author write the leader of an oppressed people like this? why is alina losing her power and status quo being hardly changed presented as a happy ending? what message is it saying about revolution and the anger of oppressed peoples? and all you'll come to is that it's liberal propaganda. the darkling is not an autonomous human being who can make his own choices, he's a plot device in a story with larger themes and intended meanings. when you constantly show that villains are the only ones who want to enact meaningful change in society (but through comically evil ways) and your heroes are defenders of the status quo, what message are you sending about actual progressive and revolutionary thought? again, think of why people love characters like magneto and erik killmonger, and what they have in common with the darkling.

also: i have all the fucked up lines about darklina in s&b highlighted on my epub copy of it :) because i love and enjoy gothic romance and that's what darklina is. maybe if you read some wuthering heights or flowers in the attic or some actual revolutionary history instead of only YA and choices books you'd gain more reading comprehension skills. idk.

[arom-com]

hi hope this is ok but i've seen sooo many of ur posts tagged as renbrand and i am ... perhaps .... a little curious .... would u like to tell me abt them !!!! 👀👀 (its ok if not ofc)

Ofc!! I sure have been tagging them a lot huh

The short version is that they’re my unhinged lesbian ocs stuck in a murder timeloop

Longer version is this:

(I am not going to be able to explain this in any way approaching coherent) (but I will try!!) (sorry in advance for the Wall of Text)

So RenBrand stands for these two:

Ren Hayashi (23, she/they) university student studying criminal psychology, abandonment issues out the wazoo, Going Through It

Brand Reitveld (26, she/her) local gang leader, Control Issues TM, definitely the cat in whatever cat-and-mouse thing they have going on

They’re in love — it’s not even remotely healthy.

Basically, through no fault of their own, they got stuck in a long-form time loop (days/months rather than strict 24h) that resets whenever one of them dies, which wouldn’t be too much of an issue? Except a) they’ve never met and don’t know they’re stuck together, and b) Ren keeps getting fucking murdered

Bc!! Ren’s psychology prof is running a secret cult (trying to turn his crim psy students into serial killers, it’s a whole thing, very cringe of him) so she gets killed for accidentally getting in the way a couple times (she doesn’t know about the cult), and then ofc starts investigating, which only makes it worse (I feel so bad for her but it’s also really funny, saddest most pathetic sopping wet oc I’ve ever created)

(Some of Ren’s deaths are also caused by Brand who’s like listen I don’t have a grudge against you or anything but you do keep getting my people killed so I have to eliminate the threat, no hard feelings! And Ren is like I am in abject misery)

(strangers to enemies to lovers except the strangers to enemies is a speedrun and the enemies to lovers is a slow burn)

The story they’re from is sort of a dark mystery-slash-romance (think nbc hannibal meets groundhog day, which is certainly a sentence), and it’s mainly centred around Ren and her corruption arc as she goes from “tired student just trying to finish her dissertation if it kills her” to “codependent mob-wife who kills first and asks questions later”

I’m obsessed with time as a narrative device, and especially time loops, because it can be used in such interesting ways!! And the interesting part about time loops to me is that they’re like,,,,, rube goldberg machines for character development? You only stick a character in a time loop when you need them to undergo a pretty drastic change without a proper catalyst, and it forces them to wear themselves down to their bones, to find the very essence of what they are, and then build themselves back up again into their ideal and purest form of self. (Of course, some people just use them as a tool for romance, but that’s boring!! Boo)

Usually time loops exist to make a character better, because they’re given some kind of epiphany that makes them the best and kindest version of themselves. (Alternatively, they can be used as the cosmic equivalent of a washing machine spin cycle if you’re writing horror) But what interests Me is the idea of using a time loop to make a character worse, which is what I’m doing to Ren (and to a lesser extent, Brand)

And it’s not just corruption for corruption’s sake, either! Ren, as she is, is miserable — she’s completely isolated, unable to achieve any of her goals, and ultimately ends up getting killed in an impersonal way for impersonal reasons — but once the loop begins and she gets her second chance, she starts to wear away at all her self-imposed barriers and boundaries until she can start making her own decisions and being an active agent in her own life. Of course, she’s not choosing to do good, but the best version of herself is not necessarily Good or Kind, it’s just Authentic.

Brand, on the other hand — because she has more support and isn’t as repressed — is experiencing the time loop less as a vehicle for character development, and more as a perpetual time travel fix-it (which is SO fun, having two characters get wildly different outcomes from the same experience). Her problems are more interpersonal rather than internal, so where Ren is using the extra time to understand herself, Brand uses it to understand the world around her (and is thus doing a much better job at actually solving the plot, we love a girlboss).

Brand’s conflicts are with her brother (who I can’t even Begin to explain without adding another thousand words to this post), and (as the leader of the local gang) with the police & the murder cult, which means that a lot of her loops are spent information-gathering (and murdering, dw abt it)

Personality-wise Ren is pretty quiet, she doesn’t like to ask for things which means she gets into miscommunications a lot (people not helping when she wishes they would, people helping when she doesn’t need it bc they think she just doesn’t want to ask), she’s a very “the only one you can rely on is yourself” kind of person, which isn’t exactly ideal for someone you’re stuck in a time loop with but at least it means she never gives up? She also doesn’t really care what people think of her — or rather, she does care, but she doesn’t let it stop her

Brand is suffering from a lethal combination of being the youngest sibling and simultaneously the eldest daughter, so she’s great at asking for help and using her resources but it means that she a) is a little entitled about it, and b) needs to feel like she has perfect control over everything or she’ll die. She’s very possessive and protective over things that she considers hers (hence murdering Ren for getting her people killed, it’s fine they get over it)

Renbrand also come equipped with two sets of narrative foils (Brand’s disabled ex-ballet dancer brother and his bodyguard/love interest, and the cult leader professor and his prized pupil who both hates and loves him for what he’s become) but the word count on this is already obscenely, embarrassingly long so I’ll talk abt them another day maybe

[dulcewrites]

Considering Aemond is characterized as dutiful, perhaps religious, in the show, contrary to how he's portrayed in the books, how do you think the show runners will approach his relationship with Alys? Like, in the books he's more envious of the privileges Rhaenyra's kids have despite being unlegitimate, whereas in the show we can add to that the Faith's idea that bastards are evil, treacherous, whatever. So there's that. (And she even is RELATED to Lucerys, the kid he killed by accident. Something I liked but even if it was justified in his mind for his eye it was sorta underhanded, and his first kill, so I suppose it will affect him in some major way) (also not implying Alys cares about any Strong or alleged Strong at all, but I doubt this wouldn't cross his mind) Anyway, how will that even go? He's betrothed, he's dutiful (in a certain fucked up way), he's losing the Riverlands, he shouldn't fuck things up with the Baratheons, it'd offend then (in the books they were irrelevant in the long game lmao because Borros was such a shitty coward). She's a witch, a true bastard, doing base work. A romance sparkling? A babe? The level of respect he seems to show her, by the end? That seems too far fetched. They'd have to make Aemond spirall, or develop Alys really well (and even then it might be inconsistent) especially considering the screentime. They're will be many more important characters (Black allies) appearing in season 2, and Aegon, Jace, Baela, Mysaria will have more focus now. I just don't see how it could happen without it kinda sucking and either going oh he's forsaking it all or oh she's bewitched him. Because, again, screentime.

I will say, I feel like I might have said this before in the tags of something, but while I do think Aemond does take on the responsibility of following his mother’s orders. I don’t think his dutifulness is necessary natural if that makes sense. We see spurts of Aemond doing things he probably shouldn’t: going into the dragon pit in ep 6, going to claim Vhagar (which of course worked out by he always could’ve like… eaten or something lol), and the three strong boys speech right after seeing vaemond being beheaded for saying the obvious.

Also I think it is not hard for Aemond to look like the “good” child when he is mirrored against Aegon, the “bad” child. And Helaena, through no fault on her own or even Alicent’s most of the time, has a strained relationship with her mom. Then of course we don’t know how daeron is with them. We can assume by stuff in the book that he is well loved by everyone and his family. But he is not around at the moment. So yeah Aemond may have a special relationship with his mom but like… special to a fault.

I personally think based on how they set up the bastard situation for Aemond in s1, on top of some things ewan has said about characterization, I could see it being an actual love story. Not a love story without some strife ofc, but love nonetheless. To me much of Aemond (show Aemond’s) ire for Rhaenyra’s kids comes from how everything has spiraled for him mom, and of course his eye. Now I don’t think he is pro bastards (as a whole) by any means but considering the bastards he knows up until alys, I get why. To me they have painted it so far as less of a “these bastards have my or my brother’s birthright.” And more “these bastard (and their mom) put me and family through shit”. If anything we saw more of that energy towards his relationship with Aegon than the strongs. I think them having Aegon play a part in the bullying about the dragon was central to that.

Just bc he shouldn’t fuck things up… doesn’t mean he won’t. I think Alicent and Aemond are good parallels to each other. They are people who can take a lot on the chin, till they can’t. By the time alys and Aemond meet each other, this is what has happened in Aemond’s life

- he killed a kid (by accident in this context)

- that in a roundabout (daemon is a pos) way leads to his Nephew being killed and his sister going into a deep depression

-who knows how his relationship with will be with family

- his brother/brother’s dragon gets injured, he is asked to step in his place

Now I think all of these things mean he is not gonna be in the most… normal headspace. I think some paranoia about daemon is gonna seep in. Hence why I see them continuing with his attack on harrenhal. Ewan made some really interesting comments about unconditional love, and feeling out of place in his family at times. Idk just the overall tone gives off “but he WILL meet someone who gets that” vibes. It will change him. The same way getting Vhagar changed him.

This is so long winded I’m sorry. But as for how will they go about it. I personally like the idea of Aemond, insert quote ewan said about Aemond seeing enough, first being interested alys/sparing her bc he wants to know how he will die. Alys, thinking she is scaring him, tells him about battle above god’s eye. It all goes from there.

I don’t think much is far fetched with this show. They have shown they can give adequate time to things so we will just have to wait and see. Also I think just based on s1 it is safe to say the writers are intrigued by Aemond as a character. He will get his, and in turn so will alys 🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️

[roosterbruiser]

omg i was just looking through the landlside extra posts, you were going to kill off faye?? omg i must know how/when! i would’ve been unbelievably heartbroken lol xx

ahhhh, guilty....

so it was my plan from almost the beginning for Landslide to be a part of a larger universe. my plan was to write Landslide and have Faye/Bradley be the main characters that the story focuses on. and obviously as much as Landslide is about romance, it's also about grief and loss, right?

and my plan was to then write a story in an alternate universe that focused on Maggie/Jake. I even dropped hints in the earlier chapters about Jake and Maggie being a good fit if things had gone differently.

for example:

“You know, I actually read a Cornish legend about clover,” I say, leaning towards him, “a young maid put a fistful of clover on her head to alleviate the pain of carrying a heavy pail of milk and got instant relief. Not only that, but she could suddenly see dozens of fairies and elves all around her.” 

Hangman considers my story, cheeks dimpled. 

“So, if I put you on my head, I’ll be able to see fairies?” 

I shrug, blushing. 

“I guess we’ll never know.” 

Penny hands the beer to Hangman and glances at me. I can hear my own heart hammering in my chest. Hangman turns around to rejoin the group, but first sends a wink my way. 

“Maggie would have ate him alive,” I laugh. 

Penny doesn’t laugh--just smiles sadly. The pit in my belly grows. She touches my hand softly, squeezing it. I wonder how much Penny knows. After Maggie, I came to The Hard Deck rarely--first opting for a harsher scene, then no scene at all. Maybe Penny still feels fresh about Maggie. 

“I think I’m drunk,” I tell her, waving myself off, “I should close out my tab.” 

I even had an entire outline written. I was going to have Faye die in the air, too, and it was low-key going to be Hangman's fault because instead of defending Crimson and Clover, he went in for a kill shot (and missed). Faye's seat was gonna malfunction and not eject and Maggie would've grappled with the fact that she left Faye behind. it was gonna be a whole thing.

but then I literally fell in love with Faye. like she is my daughter, my therapist, my best friend, my mom, my sister, etc. I love her! and I was literally sick at the thought of killing her off, especially in a gruesome way like I planned. so then I was like, okay...what if I have her die in her sleep bc there's a gas leak in her house? her house is old...

then I realized that I just....couldn't kill her off. she is everything to me lol. and I feel like I would've pissed all of you off if I spent an entire book making you love her and then just killed her off in the prologue of another book!!

so Faye is SAFE! for the most part, I don't really believe in killing off people anyway (shut up, Maggie) especially if it doesn't aid to the plot!

thanks for the question!! I love talking about this stuff :)

[heartorn]

hello i need to talk about show!colin bridgerton and how he's my favorite and why he is so well written <3

i think colin is the bridgerton who has shown the most character growth out of all of the bridgerton brothers ... which i know is an unpopular opinion (he's sooo hated and it makes no sense to me it makes me wanna cry actually!) but let me get into my thoughts as to why, beginning with season one and the conflict with marina, which i think plays out so well. marina (who i think is a morally grey character who makes extremely hard decisions based on what's best for HER and her children!!) i think when it comes to colin, she was very manipulative ... she has to be in order to do right by her children.

she can see how colin is naive, so she’s very smart in the way she behaves to try and convince him she doesn’t see him that way. when colin tells the ton they’re engaged, the bridgertons are all shocked by this and anthony says “it’s my fault, i should have taken you to brothels, you’re too green.” emphasizing how his family as well as the ton do not take him seriously and cannot see past his “naive but charming and charismatic” persona. further proving this, when marina’s betrayal gets out, he says “i was a fool, marina was the only person who took me seriously, etc” very good set up into the realization that he needs to enter the world and find his purpose!! hence why he travels. this is where his writing comes into play. he’s a writer, he writes to pen as well as his whole family on his travels. despite his efforts, penelope is really the only one who is consistent in her replies. strengthening their friendship. which to me is just so good, its so good ! TO ME !

now season two, he comes back from his travels. his family, specifically eloise, clearly still hold the same view as they did last season. in fact, eloise downplays his letters and writing, and openly tells him she’s tired of hearing about his travels.

however we see the most growth through his interactions with pen. he tells her he spent a lot of his time getting to know himself, he’s sworn off women … given this, why would he even consider pen when he’s very clearly on his own journey (nothing to do w love or romance, he’s learned his lesson from last season. don’t just jump into things, consider options, etc.) great set up by the way, and love the continuity, him learning from his actions and wanting better for himself !! 

season 2 is him realizing he can learn about himself, his purpose, his passions and he doesn’t NEED to swear off women to do this. he’s healing from the transgressions of last season. he visits marina and realizes so many things. she never really took him seriously, she wouldn’t have been happy with him or their marriage bc she did not love him and he realizes he also didn’t love her. again, more set up to him coming to the conclusion that he needs to trust himself, his gut, and to consider that people in the ton are not always genuine with their intentions. which leads perfectly into his conflict with the featheringtons and his realization that there is a person who he KNOWS cares for him, would never betray him, and thinks very highly of him - penelope duhhhh. he’s finally learned that he can trust his instincts, that he’s clever, worthy, and there’s so much more to him than just the charming bridgerton. so he takes on cousin jack and essentially comes out on top, meanwhile, protecting the family of the woman he considers his best friend. 

chefs kiss if u ask me

NOW we get to his mistake, declaring what he does about penelope. he’s coming off of a high btw, he finally feels like people are respecting him and taking him seriously. (a reflection of his own feelings and how he views himself) we don’t know why he says what he says but we do know it’s essential to penelope taking him off of the pedestal she puts him on. 

and so when he comes back from his travels in s3, and penelope is not the penelope he knows so well. it makes him pause. he says over and over she is a “constant” in his life. but when she doesn’t respond to his letters, and is cold to him at the ball, he has to consider why he’s lost her and how it makes him feel. 

it’s all honestly such beautiful story telling and does the friends to lovers trope so well. both pen and colin are young (the major difference to me when it comes to the books) they have a lot of growing up to do and both of them are on their own separate paths to doing this. it’s great writing and really shows how they’ve grown so much from season one and now that they’re a bit more mature, how are they going to navigate this new version of themselves and come together to love each other !! its so good and i love it and i dont get the polin hate train at all i dont get the colin bridgerton HATE !! I REBUKE IT !!

[mayxthexforce]

galen - i love that you're not afraid to make him the strong badass that he is. someone tries to fight him unprompted?? boom!! dead. it's v hard to write v strong characters in the rpc bc everyone wanted to beat them. i have struggled a lot with people wanting to beat maul and them either completely ignoring that he's strong af or being unaware (somehow). but i love that you make sure that it's well-known. kilindi - the weirdest queen known across the galaxy. love her. love a good freak. again, love that you took a bare-bones character and gave them more while managing to keep them true to the content we've been given. kycina - the mother of all mothers. she's giving shmi a run for her money (don't tell anakin i said that). i love her strength and the way you show it/have headcanoned it. it takes so much strength to stand up to someone like talzin, but she did it. and she holds no resentment towards he sons for having to do it. maulkiller - the babiest baby to ever baby. i love, love, love that maulkie was raised to be a killer. created to be a killer - it's literally in his name. but he doesn't want to. not even because someone told him it was bad, but because he just doesn't want to. it's not in him. and i love how you show how he's struggled with that. like he doesn't want to do it, but he can and will if he needs to. and i hate having to see the outcome of that, but you portray it so well!! obi-wan - omg,, i don't know this guy at all,,,, love mr obi. love that you throw 'the most perfect jedi to ever jedi' in the trash where it belongs. this man!! is a mess!! i love how you show his struggles and his lack of purpose outside of other people. and i love the changes you've made to him too. the canon is great and all, but i enjoy the version we've made together much much more. adore your obi-wan so deeply and i'm happy to cling to him for the rest of forever. quinlan - this man literally created romance when he thought "but the devotion remained, repurposed." literally still crying scream throwing up. a line that i still think of to this very day. he's such an interesting guy. i like how daring he is. man is usually in over his head, but manages to work it out. rajeev - the problem causing child - through no fault of his own. i don't know rajeev super well yet, but i love him. and anakin loves him. we haven't written stuff with him enough yet for me to pinpoint it, but can EVERYTHING be an answer?? technically everything could be collectively,,, one thing. roan - MAN IS THE SWEETEST PERSON ALIVE. had anakin blushing and kicking his feet within moments. another one i don't know super well, but love because of you. and we haven't written much with him yet, BUT YOU MAKING HIM THE SWEETEST MAN ALIVE HAS TO BE NOTED. thunder - you somehow made him so adorable that maul instantly did the "if anything were to happen to thunder i would kill everybody in this room and then myself' meme.

(sorry it wouldn't let me send it all together)

what is ONE THING you like about the way i play my character?

Answering in this one so I don't end up writing you two novellas. I'M SO GLAD YOU LIKE MY MUSES! I try not to be too self conscious about my writing but my muses list is either super popular characters everyone has an opinion on or obscure characters that would be OCs if it wasn't for the fact that some aspect of them exists in some form in either Legends or Canon. So that makes me question if I write them "right", but I write them the way I like to and I love that you appreciate it too.

[constantineshots]

 *sighs as i get ready to go into rant mode again* not about the tags though. just my usual bullshit, esp bc i agree with the point being made

i keep putting things under read more but dlhljdighss anyways!

i think most of what bothers me about the current run of whatever john’s in ( justice league dark, batman: urban legends, stuff like that ) is that it forgets to tap into the struggles and the past that he actually does have. or anything political.

there are so many things nowadays that he could be frustrated by or get involved in that he would be heavily passionate about. some of these issues, such as people of color being targeted by the police for example, are still prominent in this day and age. if they wanted him to be in the what, thirty-five to forty age range ( even though technically they said he aged slower because of his demon blood or whatever, which is why he was still looking younger when he was like. sixty. or something. so they don’t even really need to de-age him and could have given him every single one of these experiences, but they kept zatanna the same age, and the current justice league dark stuff is kind of pushing them together even though they already have preestablished content that could be built on but WHATEVER ), there is other shit that could be focused on. and yet, they don’t.

you station him in the united states. which seems to be pretty constant, oddly enough. you hand him the house of mystery. okay, fine. but what about the political background that keeps him interesting? sure, he knows magic. you want him to be flashier for the audience. i don’t really care about any of that. i can get over it. but what about the fact he relies so heavily on his wits, or the fact that he would likely fight a cop on his own if he felt the need? so many protests nowadays, so many violations of human rights, and yet comics never touch on that.

even in his own solo runs from nowadays, there’s more of a focus on his relationships and his “man i can’t be with anyone because of this” and it’s a valid point, but it’s also not a necessary one. hell, kit was like “john. do not bring your magical bullshit into my apartment.” and he was like “ok” and that was that ( until. ofc. the end of the relationship, which i can’t entirely say was either of their faults, but john was an ass so. sorry john but. ) so why does it need to be a consistent focus. they want him to be edgy and their dark guy but it’s just “magic makes me need to be alone aaa” or “i want zatanna i wish she’d forgive me” then proceed to have him be a huge asshole to her so i never understand what the goal is anymore.

what’s the point? john doesn’t need to be chasing after people. he doesn’t need to be in a team. he doesn’t need to be in a relationship that doesn’t work and shows it doesn’t work ( with the way he’s being written now, at least, and the fact no one in modern comics can apparently write a romance that seems healthy or that the couple is growing together ). there’s no need to erase every aspect of his history. there’s no need to ignore it. you can bring up his lung cancer, but you can’t bring up everything else that happened in hellblazer? it’s got a lot going on. even if it isn’t everything, there’s a lot of important shit he covers there that should be recognized.

john is a heavily political character. hell, i’m pretty sure he supported abortion rights, and those are being taken away to this day- at least, in the united states. a quick google search told me there was over 1500 officers accused of violence against women in the u.k. you want to modernize him, then give him a political history. our politics nowadays and the things we fight for- it’s still prevalent. john constantine has always been a political character. 

keeping his original political background would be preferred, but if you absolutely have to change it, at least give him a background instead of erasing the struggles he’s been through, the aid he’s provided people, and so on. show the struggles people have because of the systems in place, and show them through him. show him being the guy who’s aware of everything that’s happening around him and the guy who isn’t going to just let people get away with the shit they pull.

sorry if all of this is jumbled. one day i’ll do this a bit more properly, but. for now. this.

spreading awareness on the epidemic was something not many comics touched on. but also, ray goes on to say later on in the issue that people will not care about what the aids epidemic is doing to people until straight people start dying, and by then, it'll be too late to stop it. honestly, he was right. it shows in ever decision being made in the world right now- it reflects on your standard straight white guy. if your standard straight white guy isn't affected, then it doesn't matter.

on another note, zed asks ray if he and john had done anything. it's probably the first hint on john's bisexuality, even if ray tells her no, that he and john hadn't had any sort of relation like that.

[altruistic-meme]

AFTG fic recs

Hi all! I just wanted to share some of my all-time favorite fanfics for aftg, for no real reason other than I want more people to read them and send their love to the authors :) 

Under a readmore because it got. A little long. But please enjoy!

WIPs

Dangerous Habits by LovelyLittleGrim ( @lovelylittlegrim )

Andrew has run into problems while on undercover jobs before. None of those problems were anything like the troublesome runaway that is one Nathaniel Wesninski

Aka: the fic where Andrew is undercover as a hitman for hire and Neil is the guy who hires him. Things get complicated from there.

Undercover Andrew? BAMF Neil? Hitman AU?? Absolutely. I’m in love. The story is just *chef kisses*

Chapters: 8/9

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, past rape/non-con, Drake Spear (who is his own warning), Butcher Neil, 

--

Negotiations by elesary ( @elesary )

This is what Andrew Minyard knows: his brother is dead, killed by a petty Raven prince who has never learned to keep his hands off of Andrew's things. His brother's daughters are his responsibility, a job that is made infinitely harder when their shitty grandparents want custody. Nathaniel Wesninski is a liar, but he might be the only way to avenge Aaron and protect his nieces. All Andrew has to do is watch Nathaniels - Neil's- back as he carves out his own life and identity from everyone who thinks they own him.

Andrew has always been good at upholding his end of the bargain, has he finally found someone willing to uphold theirs?

This fic has got me fucked up, honestly. I’m emotional over it. It’s fantastic.

Chapters: 11/?

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, attempted sexual assault, Butcher Neil,

--

the upper hand by plantelty ( @plantelty  )

Shortly after losing his mother, Neil arrives in the small town of Palmetto, South Carolina, alone in the world and with an impossible plan to carry through.

At the age of eighteen, Andrew ends up helping a boy stage his own death.

-

Just two fucked up boys learning to trust each other during the course of a summer, but also: multiple references to songs, twinyard angst (Nicky tries his best), The Plotting of Neil Josten's Gruesome Demise, and shit hitting the fan in a variety of ugly ways!

The cliffhanger has got me on the edge of my seat, but it is 100% worth the read and the wait for the last chapter!! 

Chapters: 10/11

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Canon typical violence, 

--

The Butcher’s House by Fire_Bear ( @fire-bear )

Andrew thought something was odd with the house the Foxes had to move into after their Athletes' House had been burnt down. He just wasn't prepared for what was actually wrong with it.

For this was a house full of monsters.

Ghost story! Ghost story! Ghost story! I literally think about this fic every other day, it’s fantastic. 

Chapters: 6/?

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: character death (major or minor is unclear), injuries, 

--

Promise of an Unbroken Boy by elesary ( @elesary​ )

Neil is caught by the police with Mary's burning body and is sent to juvie in Oakland where he is assigned to share a cell with one Andrew Doe, who promises him Exy, if only Neil will tell him all of his secrets. With no access to tinted contacts and hair dye, he agrees, it's only a matter of time until he's killed after all. What does he have to lose?

But Andrew's found someone who knows what a promise means, and he'll be damned if he lets that go without a fight.

Ngl this is definitely in my very top favorites -- I LOVE the idea of Neil and Andrew meeting pre-series, and this fic just BLEW my expectations for that plotline out of the waters

Chapters: 14/?

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, Underage, attempted rape/non-con, canon-typical violence, 

~~~~~~~~~

Complete

The Nameless Monster by kanekicure ( @kanekicure )

Nathaniel Wesninski wants nothing more than to see his father dead and buried. But when his father promises him the title of The Butcher, Nathaniel quickly realizes that his destiny of following in his father's footsteps is closer than ever before.

So of course, when he gets forced to go undercover for the Baltimore police, he starts seeing what living could truly be.

-

Andrew Minyard is a newly recruited police officer for the worst precinct in Baltimore, who is dedicated on hunting down the notorious Butcher and his unnamed underling. But when Neil Josten is thrown into his midst as his civilian consultant; he starts to realize some things don't quite appear as they seem.

I love the story telling -- the secret identities, the plotting, everything.

Chapters: 14/14

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, Butcher Neil, implied/referenced rape/non-con, implied/referenced child abuse, implied/referenced slef-harm (I believe there is a scene that is somewhat detailed on this subject), some characters also get drugged at one point, 

-- 

that’s just something people say by nanatsuyu ( @theoctopusnods )

Neil makes the mistake of stealing the wrong car. Andrew makes the mistake of offering a ride to a liar. They both make the mistake of turning the whole affair into a road trip ‘home.’

Gonna be honest; the summary does not give a big idea as to what is in store and i am SO GLAD I gave this one a try so i’m telling you that you will be too

Chapters: 24/24

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: implied/referenced child abuse, panic attacks (somewhat grahic descriptions of)

--

The Story After You by kanekicure ( @kanekicure )

Andrew Minyard does not understand how Riko Moriyama landed Neil Wesninski.

How the snot-nosed, small dick, rich brat, second son of the Moriyama family who also just so happened to own the largest EXY gear and merchandiser company in the world “RAVEN” - had landed smart mouthed, quick witted, stupidly blue eyed Wesninski, was beyond him. Well, unless Wesninski was a gold digger, but Andrew doubted it.

-

Or; how Andrew Minyard says he doesn't get into messy situations, until he meets Neil and suddenly he is in the most messiest possible situation ever imagined in his life - oh and also, he might be becoming a homewrecker.

Ok I am behind bc I haven’t read the final chapter of this but!! I love the story, it’s very emotional and moving, and I love the characterization in it.

Chapters: 10/10

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Abusive Riko/Neil, abusive relationship, implied/referenced rape/non-con, implied/reference child abuse, implied/referenced self-harm, graphic depictions of violence, some descriptions of injuries/scarring, 

-- 

This Complicated Life by 5a5b5p5 ( @andrewsbutterflyknife )

“This is exactly why I don’t want you and Andrew to meet,” Aaron says grumpily. “You two would get along far too well.”

Neil grins. “I just like pissing you off,” he says, “It’s not my fault your brother does such a good job at it.”

—

Neil doesn’t expect much from his Sophomore year of college, but when he becomes a waiter at the Palmetto Bistro, his life gets a whole lot more interesting. As it turns out, maintaining friendships new and old as well as navigating an interesting relationship with the head chef of the restaurant—who just so happens to be his best friend’s twin brother—is a lot more complicated than he’d thought it would be.

A much more light-hearted fic than most of the others! Includes a secret relationship, and also chef Andrew >>

Chapters: 10/10

Rating: Mature

Warnings: 

--

When I Fade, Keep Me in Your Memory by demesh 

Neil Josten has a secret: he can flicker out of existence.

He can vanish with the turn of a thought; click his fingers, and suddenly he’s not there anymore. Invisible and untouchable, he becomes a living ghost.

Having promised his mother never to let his ability go, Neil teeters the line between faded and real, a person and an echo. He can’t risk getting hurt.

But then, one day, someone sees him when they shouldn’t be able to.

 A (flower-shop) AU about how a faded and lonely Neil finds it in him to become someone real.

Another fic that I need to catch up on ;; but anyway it’s amazing and I love Neil’s ability in it, it’s so well explained and well-written about

Chapters: 12/12

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: mentions of past abuse, panic attacks

--

12 Ways to Woo a Minyard by NikNak22 ( @knickknacksandallthat )

Neil is a math nerd who, by a stroke of dumb luck, falls into a group of friends that are the closest thing to family he’s ever had. So, when he tells them about his new mysterious crush, he shouldn’t be surprised how immediately they come up with a plan to help win them over. One they insist that if Neil follows it, he’ll have them falling for him in no time. But things don’t always go to plan – or do they?

Nicky wants to set him up with someone else. Matt and Jeremy are confused but supportive. Allison and Seth offer lewd suggestions, while Dan does her best to keep everyone in line. Jean and Renee know something, Aaron doesn’t really care, and Kevin just wants Neil to join the lacrosse team.

But one thing’s for certain – whether Neil’s successful or not, everyone’s got money riding on this.

The romance-trope-filled fanfic of my dreams. Sometimes you just need a fic of pure joy -- this is that fic. 

Chapters: 14/14

Rating: Mature

Warnings: 

--

finders keepers by moonix ( @annawrites ​ )

Andrew meets Nathaniel through a scavenger hunt app. As their team takes part in a hunt that sends each of them to creepy, abandoned places alone to solve clues and gain points, Andrew and Nathaniel begin a little treasure hunt of their own. The anonymity of getting to know each other in small increments, never meeting face-to-face, allows them a level of intimacy neither are used to. Meanwhile Renee’s friend Neil is acting weird whenever Andrew shows up…

This was one of the first fics I read for aftg!! And BOY what a great start!! All of the little pieces and parts that work together, and just the scavenger hunt itself is fantastic! (I also REALLY wanna know if there is an app like this out there because I would be down to do that)

Chapters: 8/8

Rating: Mature

Warnings: (these all come from the author:) “mentions of historical abuse in a mental asylum, mentions of suicide, mentions of murder and kidnapping, morbid facts, creepy abandoned places including a haunted house at a theme park with disturbing rooms, special appearance of a creepy clown doll, fatphobia and some introspection on body image/complicated relationship with food, mention of self harm scars”

-----

Scared to Live (But I’m Scared to Die) by Major_816 ( @major816 )

Neil Josten goes to the Nest for Andrew, but he stays for a lot more.

~

"I'm sorry Coach," he muttered.

"For what kid?" Wymack shifted. "You've got to give me something to work with here."

Wymack watched the thin traces of sorrow as paper exchanged hands and he was looking down at a contract with the Edgar Allan Raven's.

"I signed them Coach, I'm sorry."

~

The one where Neil doesn't come back from Winter Break.

It is VERY dark, and is one of very few fics that I have actually been almost unable to read one of the scenes, so DEFINITELY pay attention to the warnings -- both these, and the ones provided for each individual chapter. I did go through the fic to collect as many warnings as I could find in the chapter warnings, but be sure to take care of yourself.

Chapters: 36/36

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: rape/non-con elements, implied/referenced rape/non-con, discussions of rape/non-con, canon-typical violence, graphic descritions, physical abuse, panic attacks, descriptions of injuries (often graphic), psychological warfare, dissociating, psychological torture, physical torture, use of knives, alcoholism/alcohol abuse, pain-induced delirium, rape/non-con, emotional self-separation, suicidal ideation/thoughts of suicide, emotional distress (which sums up the whole fic and also me while reading it), handcuffs/chains used as restraints, referenced/implied abuse towards animals, vomitting, begging, excessive use of painkillers, drowning, waterboarding, physical restraint, mutilation of an animal, mild hallucinations, non-con drugging, sleep deprivation, starvation, humiliation, the Butcher, 

Also one of the first fics I read and 100% my absolute favorite fic!!! Which is adfjhsd a little worrying, considering, but it is what it is. Anyway. This fic absolutely wrecked me, and while it is technically complete, there is a sequel in the works! So! But I am so so excited for the sequel, and I am working on rereading this. It’s amazing. 1000/10.

[realcube]

trying to be nice to their crush hcs

navi | masterlist | taglist

thank you to 🍦anon for this cute request!

characters: tsukishima, kyōtani, sakusa & suna

content warning: swearing & sexual references 

kei tsukishima 

♡ this is all yamaguchi’s fault （︶^︶）

♡ he found out tsukki had a crush on you bc he mentioned you a lot in conversation so yamaguchi interrogated him for answers then lo and behold, the beanpole had a lil thing for you 

♡ you sit in front of tsukishima in homeroom while yamaguchi sits beside him so when you leaned back and asked him if you could borrow a pencil and he spat back a snarky remark about you being too irresponsible to care for your own pencils, yamaguchi hastily offered you one of his own before scolding tsukishima 

♡ he explained to his clueless friend that being nasty to people isn’t a good way to get them to like you 

♡ so perhaps he should be nicer :)

♡ honestly, tsukishima would’ve just looked yamaguchi straight in the eyes and went ‘no’, if it wasn’t for the fact you shot tadashi the sweetest smile anD PLAYFULLY BLEW HIM A KISS AFTER HE JUST GAVE YOU A DAMN PENCIL LIKE WTF 

♡ after that, he decided to give up his current personality and pick up a new one 

♡ jk jk 

♡ but he had to binge a whole bunch of those youtube psychology videos that are like ‘psychological tricks to make people like you’ and ‘THESE 5 MIND TRICKS WILL MAKE YOU THE MOST POPULAR PERSON *EVER*’!!

♡ spoiler alert: he wasn’t the most popular person but perhaps that was bc he only went to the effort of using those tricks on you 

♡ god bless him; he tries hard, he really does. (not his best, just hard)

♡ but you don’t have to be extremely observant to realise that he’s began acting different around you and of course, it confused you seeing tsukishima being nice

♡ what irritated you was how dismissive he was being of your questions though, as he was clearly trying to lead you to believe that you were crazy and he’s just always been a nice guy 

♡ but as soon as he figures out that he angered you, he’ll instantly switch back to him normal self - draining his mind of the hours of phycology studying he did last night to just pretend like it never happened 

♡ and if he’s feeling flirty, he might be extra mean to you （￣︶￣）

♡ also he makes a mental note to never take yamaguchi’s romance advice ever again 🙄

♥　♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥

you sighed, removing your hand from your bag after desperately rummaging through it in search of a pencil once again - deja vu. once you accepted that a pencil wasn’t going to materialise out of thin air, you peered over your shoulder and tapped the corner of yamaguchi’s desk, who wore a suspicious grin which you decided against questioning. 

“yamaguchi, do you think i could borrow a pencil again? sorry, this is the last time, i swear. i’ll be sure to get some on my way home after school tod--” 

yamaguchi dropped the line him and tsukishima had rehearsed many times beforehand, while clutching his pencilcase dear to his chest, “woah, (y/n). you’re so irresponsible. sorry, i can’t lend one of my pristine pencils to someone who is too forgetful to remember to buy some; what if you forget to return it to me?” 

tsukishima cringed at how forced it sounded but he couldn’t help but admire yamaguchi's dedication to his role. this allowed tsukishima to swoop in, pencil in hand, “here.” that wasn’t in the script but he panicked! okay, now, eye contact. 

you just sat there and stared at both of them with the most dumbfounded look plastered on your face. what just happened?  why were they both acting like they were in drama class?  and why are they both so bad at acting? they’re both passing performing arts for fucks’ sake!

kentarō kyōtani 

♡ sorry but i firmly believe kyōtani is the sorta guy to be extra mean to ppl he fancies smh

♡ the rest of them just act (somewhat) like themselves around their crush but kyōtani is himself2 (himself^2)

♡ like one time yahaba found you trembling in your locker bc you had gotten mud on mad dog’s white shoes so he chased you through the hallways of the school, threatening to trek mud on your forehead 

♡ yahaba took it upon himself to investigate as to why kyōtani was so rude to you and he got his answer as soon as he mentioned your name to mad dog and the boy’s face immediately flushed red 

♡ so after practise, yahaba schools mad dog on how to get chicks (⌐■_■)

♡ in short, his advice was ‘good guys get laid’ and for kyōtani’s understanding, ‘good’ and ‘kind’ were interchangeable 

♡ mad dog wasn’t completely oblivious to how he treated you and he was aware that he was far from ‘kind’

♡ although he usually doesn’t listen to people in general, yahaba seemed to know what he was talking about so he figured there was no harm in trying to be nice 

♡ but ngl, he just spent the rest of the day wondering...what is kind?

♡ after a few messages back and forth with yahaba, he figured that the best place to start was by apologising for - y’know - chasing you around the whole school 

♥　♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥

“oi!” kyōtani bellowed through hallway, paying no mind to the students that cast him dirty looks as his sights were locked on you. standing unsuspecting by your locker, stuffing your textbooks into your bag until you heard his deep voice echo through the hall, to which you visibly perked up and began frantically looking around.

he marched towards you, hands in pockets and when you noticed him out of the corner of your eye, you were more than ready to drop all your shit and bolt away. but he didn’t let you as before you were able to take off on your heels, he grabbed your shoulder and spun you around to face him - then he noticed your hands raised in defence by your face and your head hung low.

his heart sank and his grip on your shoulder immediately softened, “i’m not gonna punch you, idiot.” he spat, rolling his eyes and gritting his teeth, trying to appear angry in hopes you’d mistake his light blush for pure rage. 

“i just wanted to say that i felt bad for chasing you through the halls yesterday - you didn’t stand a chance so i guess it was a bit unfair.” he said, frowning as you replied with silence so the duty fell on him to fill it, “and i got the stain out, anyway so.” 

more silence. lovely.

suddenly, he puffed his cheeks out as his eyes snapped to meet yours and he roared, “ARE YOU GONNA FUCKING SAY SOMETHING OR ARE YOU TOO BRAINDE-”

“are you wearing eyeliner?” 

and that was the true story behind why you missed last period, because you and kyōtani had a 30 minute conversation about eyeliner and make-up, then he convinced you to skip the rest of class with him so he could buy you ramen as an apology gift.

so yeah, he figured that perhaps he should try being nice more often.

kiyoomi sakusa

♡ he didn’t need someone to tell him to be nicer, he’s just predisposed to attempt to show kindness to someone he is fond of

♡ in his mind, showing kindness, respect and stripping himself of all his personality = the only way to be desirable 

♡ (ofc this takes place before he meets atsumu tho lol)

♡ so it’s not the realisation that’s the problem for him, it’s the execution 

♡ like how is he supposed to be nice without either sounding creepy or condescending? 

♡ *cut to sakusa practising in the bathroom mirror* ‘your hand looks- no-’ he scoffs, flicking cold water onto his face, ‘your hair looks cool- pretty- nice?’

♡ *camera pans to sakusa laying in bed, staring intently at the ceiling while imagining vivid and scarily detailed scenarios about ways he could mess up while talking to you* 

♡ *camera zooms in on sakusa’s face as he manifests a nicer version of himself*

♡ he might - depending on how insecure he is - watch one of those psychology videos or read a wikihow for help

♡ but other than that, he independently tries to alter his personality in order to gain your favour bc..true love ?

♥　♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥

you smiled as a basketball rolled up to your feet during gym class, followed by the sound of someone approaching you and upon raising your gaze, your eyes met sakusa’s unmistakable black ones. his face hovered only a few inches away from yours due to the fact you had both reached down to pick up the ball at the same time.

he quickly pulled himself away, tucking the basketball under his elbow as he adjusted his mask so it properly covered his face to ensure that you didn’t see the light blush slowly spreading across his cheeks. he then proceeded to blurt out what he had been rehearsing for the past few nights, “oh, thank you, (y/n). your hair looks lovely today, by the way.”

you giggled, holding your hands firmly by your side to avoid fidgeting and making it obvious that his sudden comment flustered you, “thanks, sakusa. and, if we’re handing out compliments today, i didn’t know you were good at any sport other than volleyball but you’re doing surprisingly well at basketball.” you joked, your lips slowly curling into a cocky smirk, “though, i don’t think you’d stand a chance against my team.” 

god, you’re such a tease. you make it so hard for him to be nice to you. so, of course, your comment returned his ability to utter almost every sarcastic comment that comes to mind - screw being likeable. “you think so?” he quirked a brow, tossing the ball onto your lap then pacing backwards, “go on, then.”

rintarō suna

♡ it was probably those tips on social media that told him he has to be nicer 

♡ and plus he saw terushima get all the chicks and he was just sitting there like ‘where are my bitches at? 🥺’

♡ anyway, all the guys on social media that had girls lining up outside their door always had one thing in common: misogyny  obnoxious personalities !!

♡ and his whole personality was a sacrifice suna was willing and ready to make for just a crumb of cooch  🤲

♡ though you weren’t exactly his crush yet, suna thought you were the best person to carry out this experiment with bc he heard through the grapevine that you had a crush on him so perhaps this would make you happy

♡ he didn’t prepare much beforehand though which he immediately regretted as soon as he approached you bc admittedly, his game plan of ‘be self-assured but friendly’ was a bit vague 

♡ so he basically just had to bullshit through a whole, awkward conversation with you while wearing a forced ‘bold’ smirk which, in reality, looked as though he had just seen tiddies for the first time 

♡ hardly self-assured or friendly 

♡ also, the fact you thought he was playing a prank on you must’ve drastically altered the results of his experiment 

♡ at one point he says something extremely stupid you’d just quit playing along and just blurt out ‘wtf is wrong with you today’

♡ to which he’d be like ‘ahaha, nuthin much bbg, how bout you?’

♡ THE EXPERIEMNT ISN’T OVER UNTIL HE SAYS IT’S OVER OKAy?!

♥　♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥

you rubbed your temples in order to soothe the throbbing headache suna gave you simply by existing. like yes, you had a crush on him 10 minutes ago - but that was before he came up to you and started acting like terushima on dodgy medication. “oh and your skin is glowing bab--”

“jesus christ, rintarō, shut up!” you cried, gripping the edge of your skirt to prevent your self from delivering a swift punch right to his stupid face. he’s seriously gotten on all your nerves at this point; firstly, by spamming your phone in the middle of the night asking for homework answers (accompanied by cursed memes) as he actually managed to wake you up. secondly, by acting so oblivious to the fact you clearly had a crush on him and now, this!

heat rose to his cheeks in embarrassment as his creepy smile instantly fell right back into his resting bitch face, “this isn’t working, is it?” 

“what’s not working?”

suna scoffed, rolling his eyes - his façade having evidently disappeared. “this.” he sighed, looking around as if someone was going to save him before his eyes finally settled on you and he was reminded of what he wanted in the first place, his sparkle was rekindled for just a moment which caused him to blurt out, “just fuck me already, i’m not asking for much.”

[geometricalien]

OKAY I finished Life is Strange True Colors and it's time to give my hot trash opinions that no one asked for :) (spoilers will be below the cut)

I avoided almost everything released about this game because I did not want any spoilers whatsoever and I think that served me well.

I also came in with an open mind, I gotta say I was weary since deck nine had all of the control and I didn’t particularly like before the storm that much it was fine though.

All that said True Colors was beautiful. It has excellent graphics, compelling characters and side plots for each character, the power system was new and cool. I wasn't sure how being an empath would translate but it worked well in mechanics, was epic, and suited the theme of not just the game but Alex.

I played for about 10 hours Thursday with some breaks to stretch and get food. So needless to say, I was having a great time.

It has excellent sets and even though the power mechanics are exactly the same each time it's still fresh and creative in how these emotions can shape the world around them.

This is just a personal nitpick nothing actually important, the town is a fictional Coloradan small town and as someone who grew up in a neighboring state with similar small town/mining/outdoorsy communities- or visiting them- the town buildings were fantastic! I loved main street, I've been in towns with that exact same style. But the flower bridge and the deer were just... a tinge over the top, it felt like you were trying to sell "Paradise" way too hard. But besides that I loved the towns vibe!

I felt... a little burnt out being able to play all of the chapters at once, I think part that made the lis community so strong was that it had time to build and react to the episodes together. It gave us time to theorize and make fancontent. Versus binge gaming and shot like a bullet into the air, done too quick. I don’t feel as connected to the characters because I’ve only been with them for 14 ish hours vs months

NOW THAT BEING SAID- the pacing was good, it gave us the reins being able to free roam the map at nearly all times and it never felt like we were being dragged down

Overall, True Colors is a great addition. Had amazing voice acting graphics, characters, and themes. I definitely recommend checking this game out

Spoilers now abound:

Going back to an earlier comment- almost all scenarios where you used Alex's power in depth were fresh and interesting. My favorites being Ethan, Charlotte, and Eleanor. I bring this up because Duckie's was the most dull- which you could say matches because he is normally the life of the party so... feeling empty or dull makes sense for him. But then Pike’s was also similarly lacking in environment, so it didn’t feel as fulfilling

I loved loved loved episode 3. The larping was so much fun and I was tickled with the turn based fighting. I especially loved when Ethan made the world come to life, my heart lifted in pure joy.

The two main romance interests are... interesting. Ryan's insight and caring nature drew me to him the instant we met while Steph sort of came off... as separated? But as we became friends with them both it became super hard to chose. And at the end seeing their reactions to the bomb drop showed so much characterization. Steph's ride or die and Ryan (in my playthrough) just had someone challenge his entire life view of course that's hard to take in within 30 seconds. I got that religious gay trauma, I get it.

This is where I feel spacing out the episodes could've also helped with our fondness of characters. After Ryan didn't believe me I didn't want to pursue him anymore, my affection was weakened

However I chose to forgive both Ryan and Jed despite feeling like I missed the character development to reasonably make that decision. I understand this entire game is shadow work for Alex and it is growing her emotional intelligence by miles but I think I would have preferred more sign postings from the game saying "hey bc of your choices you are growing" which wasn't really true because-

Alex was suppressing her sadness, fear, and anger from her traumatic youth. So in episode 5, reliving all of those moments were the chance to level up in emotional intelligence. It felt odd to learn exactly everything at the very end but again it's okay because she was suppressing just like Jed which made her able to understand his emotions and walk him through them

TALKING ABOUT THAT TALK WHO GOT GIFS??? I NEED TO SEE HER EYES GLOWING AND FLICKERING WITH COLOR

I loved the parallel/bookendings of chapter 1: Side A and chapter 5: Side B, I'm a sucker for that shit

It's obvious that alot of care and heart was put into this game, it has layers and the more you peel back the more it reveals thematically

Now I got to compare it to my biggest criticism of LiS and Before the Storm, and ultimately the reason why I love LiS2 more than either of them. Does your choices actually matter?

LiS? No. The game ended with an ultimatum that made all of your choices in the end not matter and LiS is sold as a "your choices actually matter" type of game so seeing that be a load of malarkey always puts a bad taste in my mouth

Lis:bts? No. It's a prequel. I can admire the idea of "life may be futile but make the most of it" while you can and that definitely encompasses Rachel's side of bts. But that doesn’t negate the fact that this is more a game with a straight plot than LiS

LiS2? YOU GOT 4 ENDINGS AND YOU CAN ONLY CHOSE 2 AND ITS NARROWED DOWN TO HOW YOU PLAYED THIS GAME- THATS WHAT I CALL A CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE/YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES

True Colors? I think TC lies somewhere between LiS2 and LiS in this aspect. Its definitely very railed, I think in every one you will get Jed to confess, so it depends on how you go about convincing him, romancing, and deciding your future to... well... decide your future. I can't fault it. It left it up to the player to decide and to not be screwed over by our previous choices (cough cough) and that is the crowd pleasing choice.

So, in the sense that it all feels very railed until the last 15 minutes when they spin us on an ice rink and say "freestyle baby"- it's fine. I'm not mad about it. But it does make me wonder what would've happened if we don't have any of the committee members on our side? Would we leave town effective immediately? Would the truth even have gotten out? Because if that's true... I would bump it up in the "does your choices matter?" 

You make choices and those choices have consequences, sometimes out of your control. That's what LiS2 perfected and what I want to see more in this franchise. 

[writingonesdreams]

Hello, hello and happy sts to you, dreams! :D What is your favorite character dynamics in Sky of Shards and Tears of Iron? Which pair do you like working with the most, and why? What about their dynamics do you find interesting/fun to write?

Omg, this question was made for me. Though I don't think I can assign them an order of importance, I love them all for different reasons :D.

Character dynamics in Tears of Iron

Zephyr and Leander - this is a core dynamic, because they just complement each other so much. What's wild and unapologetic about Leander is peaceful and calming about Zephyr, and they push each other forward with playful rivalry, but they also let their competetivness get too much sometimes, which becomes a problem with Zephyr becoming so self-hating after his injury and being so secretive and ashamed of it. Esp because what would Leander think, right? He liked me cause we were equals and partners, and now he will see me as a burden... Which isn't all that unreasonable conclusion with Leander's biting remarks, unsensitive honesty and lots of angry bitterness. That was never directed at Zephyr ofc, but they really need to rethink their roles and how much they can rely on each other. It's a slow painful process I love to come up with. :D

Zephyr and Skye - this is the main romance of the story, with them being each other's core influencing characters for their arcs. Zephyr made Skye feel secure enough to follow her dreams and realize her wants and she did just that and found peace and support in him she needed to get to her own feet as an adult. And then he starts to push her away and act distant and Skye ofc thinks it's her fault and hates she has come to need him so much, morphing into the realization he doesn't trust her enough to rely on her. Which needs to get adressed, bc Zephyr making decisions of his worth for others is not okay and Skye can give him exactly what he needs.

Skye and Leander - ahh my soft sport for core trio main characters is showing. Skye and Leander really don't like each other, being tolerant only for Zephyr's sake. Then Zephyr gets distant and troubled, and this gets them closer for the first time. But this is still difficult, because Skye is jealous of his close bond with Zephyr, with them being childhood friends and knowing each other the best, and Leander is scared Zephyr will get away from him now that he has a girl (a girl he doesn't get one bit on top of that). But they have this arguing thing going on that gets better, when Skye realizes it's Leander's way of interaction, for he is unpleasent to everyone so it's not personally against her (not all the time at least) and gets enough nerve to stand up for herself and their fights get more teasing and friendly as he starts to respect her, which also for him means she gets into his inner circle of friends and there is hardly anything more endearing than loyal Leander.

Zephyr and Kieran - this is my teacher-student duo of the season. A gifted but raging temperamnetal teen that has his existence to burn into the face of the earth and a calm disciplined older brother figure that is too skilled and dedicated to get riled up. Zephyr enforces Kieran's right for training as a candidate for the Dragon Knight Art against Hal and believes in him, when he has no else to do that for him. And Kieran will taw and find himself unable to fight the person that wants him to win and gains faith in people.

Hal and Skye - Skye woke him up from his grief sleep. Skye got him interested in participating in life again. He regained his hope through Zephyr, but he stayed for Skye. Hal struggles with the academy and teaching the Art, cause the legacy he is carrying is enormous and the need to do everything right paralyses him. But she is there, every night for their little tea talk, and she comes with sparkling eyes from the library too big to read and ideas how to make magic more accessible and people more honest and creative with the Islands. They are similarly disconnected from the world, but fascinated observers and she shares with him things she wouldn't with others, cause he is quiet and listens and she doesn't think he cares all that much, so at least she coaxes him into abstract philosophical discussions, and he isn't sure he should care after the frozen wasteland his heart became, but he does for her and they keep each other afloat and close. If Zephyr's confidant is Leander, then Hal is this for Skye, they just don't know it yet.

Thanks for the question, this was fun :D