#because that’s the kind of person she is lol

[val-the-protoss-simp]

Yeah, so. The best way I can explain my thoughts on these ships (especially Artazun - Artanis/Vorazun) is using one of Avril Lavigne's most iconic songs:

He was a boy

She was a girl

Can I make it anymore obvious?

Like, I'm not trying to throw any shade at all, people can ship whatever they want. But I am yet to meet a person who ships these two that explains why they like them so much in a way that makes sense to me. Because sooner or later, their explanation boils down to "He's a guy and she's a gal so ofc they'd be into each other" as if a straight ship is some kind of default and if a story has a male main character and a female main character, they have to end up together. And I just don't see it. Them as friends? Sure, absolutely, imo they're great as friends, but not as a couple. Alarak and Artanis have way more chemistry with one another. Bit of a hot take but so does Rohana and Vorazun. But Artanis/Vorazun is about as interesting to me as watching paint dry is. It's like when you pick up a mediocre romance book where the girl character obviously ends up with the boy character because That's Just How Things Are no matter of they're good together or not. No thanks. Pass

Kerrinor is a bit more complicated in a sense that the game actively tries to convince you these two are really into each other. But if I had to sum up their vibes, I'd reach for Sk8tr Boy again. "He was a boy, she was a girl, can I make it anymore obvious?" I just don't get the romantic vibes at all off of these two. Raynor frequently comes off as an incel that gives the vibes of someone who'd insist they know better than you and just to listen to them because they know best, while also transforming into the biggest simp in the galaxy in SC2 as he pines over a woman that's obviously not into him.

And Kerrigan gives me the vibes of someone who really does wanna see more in this weird relationship, but more because she thinks having someone to love will make her feel whole and worthy of living rather than that she really wants this. Like, if shit didn't go south and she didn't get infected, I'm 100% that eventually she'd go "Yeah sorry lol this ain't gonna work." and break it off with Raynor. Like, I do think she cares deeply for Raynor, don't get me wrong, and at one point might have thought what she feels is romantic love, but eventually comes to a point where she realises that it's a sense of kinship rather than anything romantic. She loves him as a friend, that is all.

And funny enough, if you know more about his character, you know he had a wife and a son that he tragically lost. Knowing this information and how he's written, Raynor comes off to me as someone who's desperately looking for that kind of love again, albeit without realising, because the time he spent happy with his family was the happiest he ever was and his defeated, depressed ass desperately wants that again. So he seeks that shit and Kerrigan just happens to be there.

You can clearly see that he cares deeply about her, but his feelings of affection are misplaced to the point he doesn't want to see the kind of person she is and instead tries to morph her into the kind of woman HE wants. Which is not who Kerrigan is at all. Revenge is all she has left, no matter what it takes, and Raynor again and again tries to talk her out of it for his own personal wants when she makes it very very clear this isn't something she wants to do and that she cannot just let go of what Mengsk did to her and what that man's choices turned her into. And instead of trying to understand why someone he supposedly understands so deeply would want to kill the man who robbed her off of everything and turned her into a monster that killed billions, he gets butthurt when she doesn't wanna run off with him and live happily ever after. I love Raynor for many reasons, I think he's a well written character in a lot of aspects but this just. Ain't it. If the game treated this behaviour of his as a flaw, I'd dig it. But instead it tries to tell how boo boo poor Raynor is just so unfortunate to want a woman that doesn't want him, even when he ignores everything that's important to her. That's just not doing it for me, fam. I get that the game tries to ram it down my throat as the technically only canon ship it gives us in its five installments, but I can't get behind it. Kerrinor is a big fat no for me, let them just stay friends.

a ship where i see what people see but it is simply not very interesting to me personally it’s like

[nativegirltapes]

the little things angel does for drew

notes: wanted to write this because i feel like i’m always talking about what drew does for angel and not what angel does for drew. not proofread

angel sprays her perfume all over drew’s hoodies whenever she wears them, it’s in a sweet way but also kind of a territorial way. drew thinks it’s cute and doesn’t mind at all, he loves her perfume.

angel surprises drew with a new book every week, he appreciates it soooo much more than angel thinks. usually she’ll give it to him at the end of the week, friday, when they’re both laying in bed kind of doing their own thing angel says “did you think i forgot!?” and pulls out the book from behind her back. the huge grin drew always has on his face makes you get butterflies. “oh baby! thank you!”

sometimes if drew reaalllyyy enjoys the book he’s currently reading, angel will purchase a copy herself and read it so she can talk about it with drew. sometimes the read is kind of boring but she’d do anything for drew :)

when outer banks finally wraps, angel makes a scrapbook of all the pictures she’s accumulated throughout being with drew and visiting set. it’s filled with him and his castmates, behind the scene pictures and of course full of stickers. it took angel a long time but drew absolutely loved it.

when drew has an interview or audition coming up that she knows he’s a really nervous/anxious about, she’ll leave little sticky notes around the house telling him how he’s got this, how special and talented he is, and how proud you are of him no matter what happens.

angel isn’t much of a sappy person, she gets awkward when she has to be all lovey in person. so, instead of telling drew how much she loves her (she still does obviously, but not as in depth lol) she’ll write him a letter explaining how much she appreciates him. usually in the letters she’ll rant about how she knows she’s too much but he never makes her feel that way, and that everything he does for her does not go unnoticed. she makes drew read it facing away from her because she gets embarrassed

[luguangssandwich]

I'm rlly tired rn so idk if any of this will make sense but I've done some sleuthing and rewatched the episode, now with the highly likely chance that Cheng Xiaoshi has dived back too. Hear me out:

Xiaoshi definitely did dive, and I think it started from the moment we saw his face in black and white at 4:59 PM:

And I think he stays until the Vivian arc fades out after they ran away (that was at 3:45 AM according to the clock in the room) I think he left as soon as they were safe and before the 12 hour limit passed. After that, he is back to the same, more naive and youthful person (who doesn't know about Lu Guang's powers) we have seen before the above. Everything he does in between those 12 hours is completely in line with his late S1 and S2 behaviour, I found it extremely uncanny and interesting to watch with this in mind!

Other bits that I found particularly interesting was the conversation after he pulled Lu Guang back to the studio. Qiao Ling asks what they should have for dinner and Cheng Xiaoshi suggests hot pot. We know this is his signature food, but I found Qiao Ling's response odd, because in the original Chinese subtitles she asks him if he's sick, because nobody eats hot pot during such a hot day. It felt odd because she made it seem out of character for him?

There's also CXS bossing Lu Guang around - at this point in time they know each other for a very brief amount of time, but the way he asks all these things of him feels like a future timeline in which they've already gotten extremely used and comfortable as partners and living together.

With this in mind, calling him "Guangguang" doesn't feel like it came out of nowhere anymore.

A few other pieces of dialogue I found extremely sus:

Even Lu Guang is surprised by his out of character behaviour at this point (but also vice versa!).

Now, the way he behaves during the date - I wouldn't say it's completely out of character for a future CXS to act out of his own wits. I don't think this guy's been on a single date in his life lol of course he would freak the hell out in such a situation, during previous dives he at least had the safety of possessing someone else. His empathy never fails so he tries to be kind and guide Vivian home, something a future Cheng Xiaoshi would do as well.

But what REALLY tipped me off is that there is no way a non-possessed CXS would've known that LG would know where he is at this moment in time, because he wasn't told until after this scene that he took a photo. I don't think the Vivian arc happened before (and it's possible it was triggered directly by the changed node when CXS dragged LG back to the studio). Cheng Xiaoshi had no idea Lu Guang would ACTUALLY SHOW UP IN PERSON tho (my guy at this point are u actually even surprised?) and probably just thought he'd call the cops, seeing how surprised he was at Lu Guang's appearance.

I'm gonna post the screenshot of Cheng Xiaoshi with golden eyes again because it really baffles my mind.

I don't know if any of this makes sense and I'd love to hear your thoughts!!

[loojii]

I'm currently watching your previous livestream as I unfortunately missed out on it but I hope these questions of mine aren't any bother for you.

1.) What are the friend groups exactly? Yina and Prim are one, Ivy and Gwendolynn are another but I'm curious if any of the other girls included in your soap are included or have their own kind. (And who'd be easily to befriend or need some time to do so?)

2.) After much thinking, I simply adore the idea of Gwendolyn and Jack. But I am largely curious on how they met/how their friendship began and how it later might turn out. She and Yina probably get along and have fun talking about guys and crushes.

3.) Out of all your ocs, who would you say was the most fun to draw/think of and who was the hardest?

You've been a big inspiration with your work to me and it's slowly been helping me come out from art block. Thank you for being amazing and I hope the new year treats you extremely well!! ✨✨✨

I always love questions :D

1 Here are the friends (I added pictures because I won't expect people to know these girls by name lol)

2 I want to give Gwendolynn more drawings soon! She's very girly so I think she'd chat with Yina too :0 Gwendolynn can't talk with Anna about boys because she'd just get mad (boys are the worst!!)

3 My favorite design is Amari I think! But personality wise I like to draw Yina the most. But overall I like Shari the most (lamp fiancee) :) Ivy was/is the hardest to make things up for so she’s also my least favorite

[imnyt]

https://www.tumblr.com/imnyt/771413432152080384/can-i-ask-yuno-that-marta-girl-that-was-on-raya

I went through her Tellonym a while ago and I kept some screenshots (I went through them rn) and she said :

- She can’t figure him out.

- He prefers talking in person rather than through messages (that’s why his replies are always dry) and virtual isn’t his thing.

- He’s a kinda shy and discreet man.

- He’s mature and serious.

- According to her, he’s introverted.

- He doesn’t use emojis.

- He doesn’t ask her questions and never initiates the first message, but he does relaunch.

- She was going to pay for the plane ticket, but she’s not sure about the rest (maybe he would’ve paid for the hotel or restaurant?).

- He has a lot of ego, but she said that’s typical for footballers in general.

- He hooks up with girls from other countries as long as they pay for the trip.

- At first, they discussed what they were looking for in a relationship, and both said nothing serious (so he’s upfront and doesn’t give false hope).

- He doesn’t use abbreviations, he writes complete sentences.

- He replies quickly to messages.

- He was genuinely interested in having a proper conversation and didn’t immediately want to talk about sexual things.

- He’s a boring texter.

- He has a high Snap score.

- When asked if he was 🍒 or 🍑, she said, “Why choose?”

- He’s the sweetest/nicest player she has talked to.

- He isn’t good at dirty talk, and she said it’s because he only wants real things.

- He asked her for nudes, but not right away.

- The nicest thing he said to her was, “You’re beautiful 😍,” because it’s really rare to get a message like that from a footballer.

- He has some empathy for girls: he always replies, and he’s kind and understanding.

- He’s a fuckboy.

- He’s hooking up with escorts.

- He’s a gentleman—he might be a real player, but at least he isn’t harming women in any way.

Overall, he wasn’t very interested. Whenever she tried to plan something, he’d say, “come and let’s see,” and didn’t seem enthusiastic. But that’s the case for most footballers. She explains that since they have all the girls they want, they don’t bother making conversation because they don’t need to.

Oh anon, I’m just seeing this.

Thank you lol 💞

[zoobus]

Otome Isekai Roundup

With the new year, I feel the need to make some kind of year-in-review list. So even though I've largely stopped reading comics (the desire to read ebbs and flows every six month), here are the otoisekai that stuck out to me the most in 2024

Crimson Lady/Resetting Lady

What can I even say about the GOAT? As we crawl towards a conclusion, the despair only grows. Death is the only answer, death must be avoided at all costs.

The Villainess Who is No Better than an Extra Cross-dresses to Be a Love Interest

I never talked about this one, namely because I'm not sure how to describe it without focusing on its wokeness. But it is woke. It's bizarrely, strangely woke, as well as genuinely enjoyable, but I keep getting fixated on all the genre-unusual progressiveness, like

BELIEVABLE female crossdressing in a shojo manga

her older brother is fat, a good person, and nobody ever comments on his weight (this point is the most shocking to me honestly)

Older brother is loudly supportive of his gnc sister and male cousin

Unclear if MC is gay, transmasc, or just doing this out of survival, but it says something that becoming a love interest was her *first* response

Boy the MC bewitched in girl form as a child is thrown off by her handsome appearance as an adult, yet awkwardly asks if she wants help breaking her engagement with a man

I forgot, originally he was the stock "sexist love interest who dials it back for his one true love" type, but this one shatters the mold not by making her the one girl he isn't mean to, but instead having him step back from his feelings and step UP as a genuine, actual, fr ally and continuing their friendship. Insane upgrade.

And it all feels pretty organic! They'll hint at complicated feelings from the people around her without grandstanding or molding medieval-y types into 21st century values

Like I can't emphasize enough how weird it is to see a child drawn like this and they're not evil

Behind Her Highness's Smile

I never talked about this one for the opposite reasons of the above. Um. Extremely horny ethicsplay* thriller about a mentally-challenged princess forced to marry a duke (who, in turn, was forced to marry a mentally-challenged princess). What if you were the abused sexy sensual prisoner princess forcibly married to a smoldering tall dark-haired duke AND you had brain damage.

Let me say that I enjoy this story sincerely and that her issues are not played lightly, but it is absolutely going for eroticism. Like oh nooo, you're not mentally competent enough to consent 😉😉 the duke could do whatever he wants and you're too dumb and doll-like to do anything about it😉😉😉 also your maids roofied you😉did I mention your sick bastard brother-king made you like this? And that he takes immense pleasure in that fact?🤫

But I know what you're thinking. Because I was thinking it. For chapters and chapters. "Surely this is a ruse. They didn't actually write a mentally handicapped female lead, not when it's already so horny. This is just to add to the fucked up atmosphere that feeds into everything because there's no fucking way anyone would keep to this premise. Wow she's really committing to the bit lol, not giving an inch. If I were gullible, I would believe they're actually going to fuck. Wait. Was that guy supposed to represent the writer talking to the reader? Hey?"

Did they? Read to find out :)

*I've always hated describing stories as problematic (positive). Ethicsplay, like the story is fucked up. They know it's fucked up, YOU know it's fucked up, and that's why you're here reading it.

A Splendid Revenge Story of a Super-Dreadnought Cheat Villainess

I don't have a lot to say about this one other ​than it's a refreshing revenge-centric OI. It's not treading new ground, but it executes the genre's tropes well. The villains are exaggerated caricatures of hubris, brazen leeches who've forgotten whose blood they've been surviving on, each with their own distinctive brand of arrogance introduced at a measured pace to keep the true hero's OPness from getting boring, all with a unique stylistic flair.

Princess revenge stories are frequently derailed by dull romance or the desire to reinvent capitalism, so the fact that Super-Dreadnought commits itself to smiting Lunaria's enemies without straying from the path makes it a high recommend.

Turning the Mad Dog into a Genteel Lord

I realized I don't have enough screenshots to prove my controversial opinion (that this is less puppy dog bf fantasy and more crypto-age reggressor/caretaker right up until they knew it would mess with the overall light and goofy tone), and I can't say those kinds of things without proof. so. I'll save that for another day.

Anyway. Plot: Priestess Diarin, who is so hot I have more screenshots of her than any of the men, has to tame an abused beast-like 6'8 shredded ex-child soldier into a noble. She's the only one who can change him, she's the only one he can be vulnerable with. Middling plot, heavy slapstick/reaction face-based humor, but everyone is sexy and there are mild to moderate sadist-on-the-art-team impies, so. Recommend.

On an unrelated note can tappytoons please stop picking up manwha with good art? Their translation choices make me unreasonably mad.

If they draw shoes like this, please let Lezhin handle it? I can't take the comma stutters and obvious tone neutering.

[ryssabrin]

i feel like people who don’t like solas or solavellan have such a warped perspective of what the romance is and how fans of it actually engage in it. like i’ve seen a lot of (most likely het dudes lol) on reddit say they tried it to see what the fuss was but felt it was “demeaning” and i’ve seen it described as literally a horror story where solas is manipulating and using and lying to a young impressionable lavellan who gives up her entire identity for him and becomes a complete doormat to all the awful shit he does. that’s never been my experience and i kinda just want to ramble about how i see it and what i find romantic about it?

so full disclosure, if veilguard had come out a few years ago with how they portrayed lavellan and solavellan i might have been pretty disappointed. i think there is a subset of the solavellan fanbase that likes the wolf/halla or student/professor thing and they play their lavellan younger and agreeing almost without question to everything solas says. i see the appeal but i never played my lavellan that way and i really like the dynamic of it when lavellan actually goes against his advice at times. solas is a character that needs to have his preconceived biases questioned. especially in inquisition when he’s still coming to terms with the fact that the modern people of thedas are in fact people lol. so i was concerned at the prospect of my lavellan being taken out of my hands and having to listen to her make excuses for him and submit to everything he says. (which tbf i don’t think is how she actually comes across in dav, but that was a worry.)

however when i replayed my canon dai run this year, i realized i was closer to the age i always saw my lavellan as (early 30s), and as my lavellan is probably the bioware pc i’ve always played closest to my own personality, i took the opportunity to tweak her a bit and make some different choices. i’ve (hopefully lol) matured and grown a lot since i was 24 and so rather than going for the snarky sarcastic cool girl vibes i opted to play her with more diplomatic and caring choices. it made me see the solas romance in a completely new light. rather than some sort of student/professor dynamic or a pride and prejudice-esque rivals-to-lovers vibe where lavellan is fighting for his respect the whole time, what stuck out to me was how much their connection builds simply because lavellan is kind to solas. she hears him out when he wants to give his opinions and advice, she respects his expertise on the fade and spirits, and she offers him comfort and friendship when she sees he needs it. she impresses him because he finds himself wanting to indulge in her closeness. he finds a connection to someone he never expected to and it makes him rethink everything about the broken state he put the world in.

it’s worth noting that lavellan is always making the first move. she kisses him first, she pursues him. he tries to brush off the kiss as a spontaneous lapse in judgement and she doesn't let him. he only ever gives in to her advances, he doesn't make them himself. he calls their relationship "selfish" on his end. he knows he shouldn't be encouraging her but he can't help but long for her companionship. that being said though if lavellan shuts it down he respects it. he probably feels a little relief because the temptation is now out of his hands lol.

i feel like there’s also this perception that he’s constantly shitting on the dalish while lavellan just has to put up with it and that alone is reason enough to find the relationship demeaning. he mentions the dalish in one optional conversation chain where you ask him for his opinion on the state of the elves and then in the balcony scene where he realizes he’s misjudged the inquisitor after his personal quest. in both instances, lavellan can stick up for the dalish. in the optional conversation, lavellan can say that if solas had a bad experience with a clan once (which we know from dav is exactly what happened lol), that she’d like to correct that misunderstanding about her people.

it's worth noting as well that lavellan doesn't know solas is the dread wolf when he's criticizing the dalish. from her perspective, he's essentially a city-born elf who had some dalish look down their nose at him for not being a "true elf" like they are, something that not only happens in canon throughout the games and lavellan would be aware of, but literally happens to solas specifically, right in front of you. he doesn't say a single word to mihris and she doesn't know a thing about him other than his face is bare and thus feels comfortable referring to him with what is essentially a slur. but rather than confront her directly about it he just passive aggressively speaks to her in elven almost exclusively for the rest of the quest lol.

far from the dynamic being that lavellan is just putting up with someone talking down to her about her culture, i think it's reasonable to see her view is more that they're both members of the same marginalized group, but from different cultures. his position in criticizing the dalish is not punching down it's lateral. she loves her culture, but is able to recognize it has flaws and not every member in it treats other cultures well, particularly even when they're from the same marginalized group. (and it's also just really meaningful that the first "flirt" option you get in the solas romance is lavellan recognizing that solas has put himself in a very vulnerable position as an elven apostate joining the chantry-led inquisition and with whatever power she has she will make sure that it's not held against him.)

i do think the writing conveys that he does have his mind changed about the dalish at least a little bit, but one of his pet peeves is when people are ignorant and refuse any information that challenges their worldview. as a manifested wisdom spirit, it is a particular sticking point to him to not be listened to when he is providing knowledge. i think criticism of how he is towards the dalish is lacking without taking into account his nature as a spirit. obvs we didn’t know that in dai but we do now. when wisdom isn't listened to it turns to pride. "i told you so," "i'll prove i'm right," "you should have listened to me," etc. etc. he got his feelings hurt when the dalish didn't believe him (and according to dav, literally tried to kill him) and his ego's held a grudge ever since.

when it comes to the vallaslin, to me it’s less about solas wanting to dismantle part of dalish culture (he offers no actual opinion on the dalish during that scene) and more that it clearly bothers him a lot that he fought so hard to free the elves from slavery and the one community of elves that’s closest to the descendants of the people he wanted to free still wears tattoos honoring the very tyrants he wanted to free them from. if lavellan says she wants to keep them and that the dalish reclaimed them and they mean something else to her, he doesn’t argue. i actually don’t like that solas’s post breakup banter with cole implies that lavellan thinks he might have broken up with her over the vallaslin. it’s putting thoughts in the head of my character that i personally don’t see her having. the way the breakup plays out, there’s not a single indication that it has anything to do with the vallaslin. i like to pick the “i believe in us” option because it shows lavellan having some idea that there’s something solas isn’t telling her and that’s the main reason he’s walking away. and the irony of course is that we learn in dav that that was the moment he came the closest to just giving up everything to just be with her.

so when i played through dav with my solasmance lavellan and she talks about what drew her to him it all just felt so right. he was kind and wise and sad but he made her feel like she was the only thing that mattered to him. (and that was very almost true!) there was a passion and intensity to their relationship that made her think he was the person she wanted to be with forever. when she says "i thought i would have followed anywhere he asked me to" you could read it as her saying she would have joined him in tearing down the veil if he asked and depending on your lavellan that might be true (though in the next bit she talks about how she would have been trying to change his mind anyways). but you could also read it as what her mindset was while she was with him during dai. before joining the inquisition, she knew him to be someone that traveled the world looking for lost secrets and history. why would she not have wanted to join him in that? is that not something you do when you're in love with someone?

something else that i find really compelling about solavellan is how solas relates to the inquisitor (not just lavellan) as a figurehead stripped of their personal identity. he knows from personal experience exactly what that's like. in the romances (not just solas's), the inquisitor is able to find someone that knows and cares for them for who they are, not what they represent. this aspect of the inquisitor's arc is honestly why i like keeping the vallaslin. my lavellan wants people to be able to look at her as the inquisitor and see a dalish elf. it's one small act of defiance and in reclaiming her own narrative. so thinking about what she might want to do after her responsibilities to the inquisition are over, it's reasonable to think she might want to just go wherever solas goes? because she loves him and feels like herself around him. even her asking him to let her come with him in trespasser feels more motivated by the fact that lavellan sees solas isolating himself and closing himself off and she's sad about it because she cares about him. that was why she wanted to grow close to him in the first place.

and i genuinely don't think it's all that wild that lavellan still holds a torch for solas 10 years later. i personally was friends with this guy in high school i always had a crush on, and towards the end of senior year it looked like it could actually end up turning into something. but then he immediately left for a summer abroad after graduation and eventually moved out of the country full time for school. we kept in touch off and on and caught up when he was in town, but nothing romantic ever happened. for years after i would catch myself thinking every so often what could have been and what he was up to. for solavellan, they were actually together. they had mutually expressed feelings and though their time together was maybe a few months at most, it was intense and passionate. they split up not because anyone's feelings changed, but because of solas's baggage. it's really not unrealistic for lavellan to continue wondering to herself what would have happened if he had been honest with her sooner. if she could have convinced him to change course. and it's not like she has the luxury of retiring and just not thinking about him anymore. that's not a conscious manipulation on solas's part to string her along, that's just the reality of their situation.

and even with all that in mind, in dav lavellan is still able to have the self-awareness to understand that the good in him that she believes exists and all that they had together and what she meant to him could all just be wishful thinking on her part. that she's giving him the benefit of the doubt "imagining his broken heart" when he doesn't deserve it because it makes her feel less foolish. she's not blindly faithful to him. i just loved everything about that scene and every word out of my lavellan's mouth felt spot on and perfect for how i saw their relationship. i could not have been more relieved lol.

as for the ending, i really really dislike the bad faith read that the only thing that matters is mythal and that he somehow loves mythal more and if that weren't true then lavellan alone would be able to convince him to stop. varric says about solas that he wants to be a hero, but it's easier for him to play the villain because it means he didn't fail, everything bad he's done is a choice. once you've done one bad thing, betrayed one friend, manipulated and sacrificed some pawns, committed one lil genocide, etc. lmao, it becomes easier to do it again. you've already crossed your moral event horizon and now you just have to find an end that justifies the means of all your misdeeds. what i've said about solas before is that what's frustrating is that he does genuinely feel remorse about the shit he does, but he needs to believe it's necessary and he will keep doing it. he needs to believe it will all be worth it in the end. it's not that he thinks feeling sorry makes up for it necessarily, but that he had to do it. he had to be the one taking on all of the bad things to hopefully one day do a good thing and it will all work out.

(as a side note when solas says "i would not have you see what i become" in trespasser i always thought that meant he was going to resort to some awful corruptive magic or something but it turns out what he actually meant was "i'm about to be a real asshole and do some incredibly awful things and i don't want you to see that side of me" which is much sadder.)

so when rook says "you don't have to do this" solas counters with "i've betrayed and fucked over and killed so many people who trusted me and if i stop i will have done that for nothing." so then the inquisitor jumps in with "as one of those people, i'm telling you that you can stop." but then we get to the heart of it. he thinks he failed mythal when she died the first time and was unwilling to listen to her as flemeth. he needs to make that mean something. he needs to justify to himself what mythal made him into. so he needs to hear from his mythal, not morrigan's mythal who has the benefit of the wisdom and hindsight centuries of living among mortals gave her, but his mythal, the one closest to who she was when she died that what he is is broken. that she's the one that broke him and he alone doesn't have to bear the weight of everything he did because of her. it's not about loving her, it's about the specific relationship he had with her. with that baggage unpacked, he's not only able to let go of his prideful need to prove himself right by tearing down the veil, he's also free to choose what he always really wanted: lavellan.

and still! yet again! he does not ask or assume anything on her part. she offers! of her own free will. something that really rustles my jimmies about a lot of solavellan criticism is that people act like lavellan has no agency. that she couldn't possibly make the choices she does of her own accord and it has to be solas manipulating her. that has never rang true to me at all. she always made the first move. i think this more uncharitable read might unfortunately be encouraged by how many actual solavellan shippers play into the wolf/halla thing but i personally don't think that's the dynamic that weekes actually wrote. it is lavellan that pursues solas, not the other way around. and weekes was honestly so careful in how they wrote the romance so that when solas's identity and plans are revealed, it doesn't feel like he intentionally tricked you or took advantage. i actually really like the ambiguity of whether or not they slept together because to me it does feel like that's a line solas wouldn't cross, but i get why that doesn't matter as much to other solasmancers.

i also think there's this perception that solavellan is a ship with an unhealthy power dynamic that needs to be "fixed" in some way or at the very least apologized for before you're allowed to like it. for me it's honestly kind of the appeal? not that there's some goofy dom/sub thing going on lol but that in spite of how "superior" solas may or may not feel to lavellan and the modern elves, he still falls hook line and fucking sinker for her. lavellan has so much more power in the relationship than she realizes. she changes his entire perspective on modern elves and his ultimate goals so bad he had a complete crisis of faith and had to run as far away from her as he could. how could he have broken the world so badly he needs to catastrophically break it again to fix it if it could create someone like her? someone he wants and cares for so desperately? it's the push and pull of him trying to stay away but selfishly indulging as long as he can that's so juicy to me! it's so good and i just wish other people could see that, even if they don't care for the character.

anyways. i don't have a conclusion. i don't want anyone to think i'm vaguing about them. this is honestly the result of some thoughts that have been brewing for a while and a lot of common criticisms i've seen over the years. i didn't want to respond directly to anyone in particular bc i learned my lesson about not doing that waaay back in the shenko fandom iykyk lol. i just really like the ship! i think it's tragic and romantic and lovely and poetic and mythological and all that good stuff. it humanizes solas as a character and makes me think about empathy and compassion and how much faith you can have in someone if you love them. or how it might feel to sacrifice love for something you think you need to do, only to ultimately realize you never did and find that love patiently waiting for you to get your shit together. or to love someone and know they love you back and that they love you so much they had to leave or they would have given up everything they thought they needed for you and then to be able to actually get through to them and get them back. "she could save him if he'd only just let her"! it's a very niche wish fulfillment fantasy and it's me! i'm the fan being serviced!

[kenobiwanx]

Happy New Year!!! 🌟

First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you. Thank you for supporting me and my art. This past year was a good one for me, and that's thanks to all of you!

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I live by my art. This is my full-time job—it’s what pays my bills. And 2024 started off great: I received commissions every single month, something that hadn’t happened in previous years. That was a huge change for me, truly life-changing. I’m so grateful to everyone who decided to spend their money on my art, to trust me with your ideas, characters, and stories. It means SO much to me, and I say this from the bottom of my heart. I put everything I have into creating the best art I can for you, truly. When you message me saying how much you loved it and how much my work means to you, I cry for real. It moves me deeply. So thank you for all the kind words and support.

This is going to be a long message because I feel like I need to thank you and share a bit about myself. So, if you read all of this, you're a warrior, lol.

I don’t usually share much about myself or my personal life, but here are a few things. Well, I’m from Brazil—you probably already know that. I’m a self-taught artist, and honestly, I’m like that with everything I know how to do. I love learning on my own with the resources I have available. When I set my mind on doing something, I go all in. Drawing came into my life as a form of therapy, a way to focus on something other than my negative thoughts. I’ve always been a very anxious and depressive person and went through a lot of trauma that made things worse. Since I didn’t have the resources or support to seek professional help, I tried to find my own way—and that’s how I learned to draw!

I won’t say I’m 100% okay now because life hasn’t been easy for me. I lost my mom to breast cancer six years ago, and it had a massive impact on me and my mental health. She was my rock, my world, and losing her was devastating. She fought the disease for five years, and during that time, I was the one taking care of her, keeping the house running, and looking after my two younger siblings. I was just a teenager, but I suddenly had so many responsibilities. It messed me up a lot, but if I had to do it all over again just to have more time with my mom, I would.

I wish she were here to see how far I’ve come with my art because she was the only one who supported me back then. I know she’d be so proud of me for not giving up.

I used to do realistic traditional art before, spending a whole month on one piece. It was fun for a while, but it was just a hobby—I only sold a few pieces to family members. Then, in 2020, during the pandemic, I decided to switch to digital art. I wanted something that gave me more freedom to express myself creatively, and digital art offers that. So, I started learning. And guess who became my muse for this journey?

Yep, Pedro Pascal, lol. From my very first digital drawing, he was my go-to subject. And let me tell you, those early drawings weren’t great, poor guy, lmao. But thank God, I improved! I’m still drawing him to this day, and he’s been a huge reason I’ve gotten so many commissions since most of them are of his characters. I’m incredibly grateful to him and the roles he plays.

Anyway, I’m working on rebuilding myself, trying to move forward, achieve my goals, and take things step by step. This Christmas, I was able to buy a huge drawing tablet, which was a big milestone for me. I used to do everything on a small tablet, so this was a major upgrade—and it’s all thanks to everyone who commissioned me this year. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I hope 2025 will be just as good. I hope you’ll all stick with me and keep asking for commissions, lol. I wish you all the best in life, that you achieve everything you dream of, and that you stay healthy. Please take care of your mental health too; it’s just as important as your physical health.

I have a lot of personal projects I want to work on this year—art ideas I’ve set aside for years that I hope to finish in 2025.

This year, I plan to open commissions every month. The only exception will be if my waitlist gets full before I open them officially, like who Dm me to reserve a slot earlier, which happened in December. My DMs are always open!

I’ll also be updating my price sheet, adding new information to my terms and conditions, and increasing my prices. It’s been about two years since I last updated them, so it’s time. But don’t worry—it’ll only be an increase of about $10-$15. I still want to keep my art affordable for everyone.

I’ll sort all of that out in the coming days, so stay tuned for updates!

My January waitlist is already open, and there are a few people in line. If you want to reserve a spot, feel free! Just keep in mind the price adjustment I mentioned earlier.

I think that’s everything! I know this was a lot of text, lmao.

Thank you again, everyone! Happy New Year, and I love you all! And I love you, Pedro Pascal!

[unpopularly-opinionated]

"Cover her face and show her body alongside the other examples. Do you think the average Joe would pay to see it?"

Yes? Bro, what do you mean, she's gorgeous. At first I thought maybe big tits were your metric, but Zendaya and Zoe Saldana have more or less the same body type—tits included—so what separates them aside from their faces?

Eartha Kitt I can't speak to since I don't really recall ever watching anything with her in it, but I sure hope you weren't implying Halle Berry is getting remembered for any stellar performance in acting as opposed to her looks because, let's be honest, her looks are the only thing being remembered.

Zendaya I can admit hasn't received any great acting roles either. Personally, I still think her career is young. She's obviously rising fast right now so I think it's only a matter of time before she's given a really big role as a sort of test case to see how well she can really act. Maybe the Odyssey movie is that, though given how male-centric that story is I'm kind of hoping that's not intended as her big breakout film lol.

I must've missed something bc can anyone tell me why everybody's talking about The Odyssey lately

[burningcheese-merchant]

If the Beasts/Ancients had signature pokémon (or were pokémon themselves) what do you think they would be? I just know White Lily needs to be a fairy type

Do you have the slightest idea how happy I am to have gotten this ask

Time to flex my encyclopedic knowledge + almost 20 years of playing Pokémon

(Note: gonna stick to just assigning types to them, if that's ok)

A N C I E N T S

Pure Vanilla as a Pokemon: Normal/Psychic (thought of Normal/Fairy, but I thought Psychic may suit him better bc of his magic + the Light of Truth + the association with intelligence/knowledge the Psychic type has always had)

Pure Vanilla as a trainer: The very first Pokemon that came to my mind was Audino. Something about Vanilla says he'd be an Audino guy. I'm not even sure what it is, Blissey would probably be slightly more fitting, but I keep imagining him being besties with an Audino and it's adorable to me

Hollyberry as a Pokemon: Normal/Fighting, I think (or perhaps Fairy/Fighting, because of Fairy's power over and invulnerability towards Dragon)

Hollyberry as a trainer: Hmm... Bastiodon kind of feels like the easy way out tbh. Tinkaton would be funny (but suits Princess a lot better imo). Chesnaught reflects her fighting style and personality pretty well... Chesnaught it is

Dark Cacao as a Pokemon: Dark/Fighting for sure (I considered Dark/Ice as well, but I just can't ignore the Fighting type for him. I feel like I'd be committing a crime if I did. Also, I don't think he's actually from the Great Icing Ridge? It's not super clear, but Might of the Ancients made it seem like he was a traveler from somewhere else. That could perhaps be used as justification for shelving the Ice type for him. (Also also you don't NEED to be Ice-type to live in cold places, plenty of other types seen in snowy biomes in Pokemon)

Dark Cacao as a trainer: Man would be rocking a Kingambit, change my mind

Golden Cheese as a Pokemon: Ground/Flying, duh. (Or maybe Rock/Flying? Ground seems better idk)

Golden Cheese as a trainer: It's hard. There are so many Pokemon that would suit her imo. Sableye. Diancie. Persian (Kantonian or Alolan, doesn't matter). Unfezant (female, the Pokedex repeatedly lists them as superior fliers). But... keeping with the lore of both CRK and Pokemon... I think, after she wakes up and reenters the world, all Golden should have is the one Sigilyph left in the entire desert, who chose to be loyal to her and the kingdom to the very end and beyond

Just want to note that Golden Cheese would be besties with Olivia and you cannot change my mind on that

White Lily as a Pokemon: Grass/Fairy with some Dark-type moves available in her movepool as a nod to her being Dark Enchantress, change my mind

White Lily as a trainer: FLORGES! WHITE FLOWER FORM! RAAAAHHHHHHH

B E A S T S

Shadow Milk as a Pokemon: Dark/Psychic, duh

Shadow Milk as a trainer: this one is tough tbh. Malamar? Banette? Zoroark (Unovan)? Probably Malamar due to its natural malevolence and hypnotism powers tbh (but the other two are so compelling... why did I limit myself to an ace for each of them...). Also, I think he would've had a Slowking as a hero

Eternal Sugar as a Pokemon: leaning towards Fairy/Poison, latter because I've already been imagining her as a succubus of some sort and Poison suits that better (yes I know she has wings, Flying is a basic bitch answer and not all winged Pokemon are classified as Flying-types)

Eternal Sugar as a trainer: Komala is right there... but so is Musharna :/ (lots of "dream eater" Pokemon would suit her probably. Which is funny bc most of those are Ghost-types lol)

Mystic Flour as a Pokemon: Psychic at the very least. Not sure about a second type though... (or just make her Mewtwo from the anime/movies, they've got the same genocidal emo attitude lol)

Mystic Flour as a trainer: Girlie gets an Espeon, the end. (Maybe she knew Jirachi once upon a time)

Burning Spice as a Pokemon: Fire/Fighting (thought of Fire/Dark too, but... same deal as with Cacao, if I didn't add Fighting I'd probably go to jail)

Burning Spice as a trainer: Incineroar Incineroar Incineroar Incineroar Incineroar Incineroar Incineroar- (he'd suck ass as a trainer though, just because I know he'd treat his Pokemon terribly, the same way he mistreats the Wild Spices...)

Silent Salt as a Pokemon: Dark/Steel. Like. Come on lol

Silent Salt as a trainer: Something else that would land me in prison is not giving Salt an Aegislash lol. Or maybe a Bisharp. And a Corviknight. (Perhaps he would have met Cobalion while he was still a hero)

I'M STARTING TO IMAGINE A POKEMON AU NOW. LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME. I'VE GOT, LIKE, EIGHT OTHER AUs I'M JUGGLING IN MY HEAD ALREADY. NOW I WANT TO MAKE UP ANGST FOR GOLDIE AND THAT SIGILYPH. WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS

(you can atone for your sins by asking me for full teams for each of these good-for-nothing short stacks)

[chaoticbardlady99]

Nobody's Fool (Astarion x GN! Reader)

Synopsis: You and Astarion couldn't be happier, but unfortunately, other undead are not very considerate.

CW: Mentions of sex, gore, violence, mentions of Astarion's past (Dead Dove), brief character death

Author Note: Hi! I am sorry that it has taken me so long to post. I have been struggling with some health issues, but I am excited to be writing again. This is short and somewhat unedited because I didn't want to chicken out on posting lol.

Also I don’t care what anyone says- Gale is THE sassiest next to Astarion

Thank you for your likes, comments, and reblogs! They are always appreciated!

Part 5 : Part 7

 The crèche has been genuinely one of the worst experiences of Astarion’s entire life. 

 Okay- maybe that isn’t true- but it was stuffier than a Vampire’s den in there and he would know. 

 There wasn’t a single friendly or charismatic person there, but he did find out that Lae’zel is somehow considered Charismatic amongst her people. 

 Oh- he also graffitied a painting of Vlaakith. That was very fun- in spite of the earful he got from Lae’zel and then he had to sit in the prisons for a solid 30 minutes before you were able to convince them to release him. 

 However, it seems worth it when he tracks you to the river and finds you in your underwear- talking to Karlach as she cools off and simultaneously warms up the water.

  Astarion wouldn’t say he is in love with you- that seems like a gross exaggeration- but he certainly likes you more than he has ever liked anyone before and that is a really big deal for him. 

 He also really, really enjoys kissing you and having sex with you. 

 Maybe it’s because he had to wait for so long or because he had actually felt like a nervous virgin when he silently asked you if he could. 

 You make him feel pure- you make him feel like the sun. 

 “You seem exceptionally chirpy and you haven’t heard a single word I have said, have you?” 

 Astarion feels himself melt at your coy smile and the blush that colors your cheeks is positively delicious. 

You are positively delicious. 

“I- no, sorry, K,” you scratch the back of your head sheepishly, “I guess I am a bit distracted.” 

“It wouldn’t happen to be because of a very sexy vampire staying in your tent lately, would it?” 

 Something about Karlach’s face seems to upset you and he feels himself freeze.

 Are you unhappy? Do you not want to be with him? Are you thinking about something or someone else entirely?

“It’s not like that,” you say firmly, “and while he is indeed very sexy, that’s not why I like him as much as I do.

“He’s very smart, silly, and sweet. I could probably listen to him talk for hours about law and crime- some of the fancier words I don’t understand, but it is so fun to watch Astarion talk about something he is passionate about. He lights up like the full moon!

“I trust him and I feel safe with him,” you are even more red now, “I really enjoy his company and think the world of him.”

  If Astarion had a beating heart, it would be racing right now. He feels lightheaded from the praise and he wants to race out from his hiding spot. He wants to tell Karlach to beat it and then he wants to kiss you, touch you, savor you- as much as you will allow him to. 

 He has never ever been praised like this before. It disgusts him and exhilarates him. He distrusts it and believes it all in the same breath- much like how he feels towards you. Not that you disgust him, more so his growing affections towards you. 

 Astarion never wanted to be in this position with anyone and he didn’t think it would ever happen- especially not with you. You are far too sweet, kind, and empathetic for him. Certainly far, far too good for a bloodthirsty monster such as himself.

 “Hmmm okay, but you had to have done something.”

  You almost blush even harder at her question- crossing your arms and staring up at the sky.

“We did end up… making love,” Karlach shrieks and claps with excitement, “it was wonderful and magical.”

 Astarion doesn’t stop the goofy grin that breaks open his face.

  It was wonderful AND magical! 

 Not two things he would associate with having sex with him. Usually he would associate it with a death sentence. That first kiss seals his victims’ fate, but this time it seals his future getting to enjoy more intimacy with you. 

 And you are picky and you want to be with him. He wonders what your idea of special is. A bed? A nice spot with a blanket and some wine? Maybe sprawled out in front of a warm fireplace? 

 Sex in public? What about on a Selune altar? Your orgasm could be your offering and- if Astarion is feeling generous- he may even give the Goddess a bit of credit for bringing you together.  

“Is he as good as he says!?” She exclaims, “was it gentle? Soft? Rough?”

 You look like you are going to explode from embarrassment alone. He is very, very curious to hear what you have to say. 

 Was he good? Did you enjoy yourself? Was he too aggressive?

“It wa-was very sweet,” you stutter, “and soft and just perfect. He is perfect.” 

 And that is the adjective that seems to strike him with loads of guilt. His initial intentions were not positive and he had meant to use you. He is not perfect- he is a manipulative, horrid monster and he doesn’t deserve you.

 Or maybe he does? Maybe he doesn’t have to be a monster- maybe he doesn’t have to tell you about his initial intentions at all. As long as you are both happy- does it really matter how it began? 

 No, he decides, I won’t hurt them anymore. I- I still have my desires to have their help killing Cazador, but my own feelings…

 He hates to admit they have changed from something coy and disingenuine to puppy love sick and he’s tripping over himself to talk to you again. He doesn’t not like it. It’s just a feeling he has never had before. 

 You and Karlach are suddenly walking towards his hiding spot- dry and in your clothes. You will probably be heading back to pull your hair back, but he has had an idea. A silly little gesture really.

 Astarion makes it back to the tent before you do and he opens a book- pretending he’s been here the entire time. 

“I’mmmmm backkkkk,” you sing and do a gentle spin, ending it with a curtsey, “and I am re-beautified! I no longer smell like a crèche. 

“For the rest of today at least.”  

 Astarion's smile threatens to split apart his face. You look radiant as ever and while he just saw you, he still feels like it’s been hours instead of merely seconds. 

 He puts his book down and gives you a disgustingly adoring kiss on your forehead, then your nose, and then kissing your lips deeply. Astarion read that in a romance novel recently and the recipient seemed to enjoy it in the book. He is very grateful that you seem to enjoy it too.

 You have your arms thrown lazily around his neck and he holds you close to him, his hands threaten to undo the all the hard work you put into getting redressed. He is starving and he needs you- he wants to touch you- provide you with more wonderfulness and-

“TAV!” Gale’s voice pierces through the air outside of your tent, “dinner is in five and I got that bread you like!”

 You look so annoyed and while Gale can’t see you, you still put on your sweetest most appreciative face.

“Thank you, Gale! We’ll be there in a second!”

 Astarion huffs in annoyance- realizing that he isn’t even going to have time to do your hair as nicely as you would probably like. He can’t be all that mad though- your stomach does announce it’s desperation for sustenance with a loud growl. 

“Heh,” you scratch the back of your head, “I suppose all it needed to know is we have good bread.”

“I am very happy for you to have your ‘good bread’, my Dear,” he teases, “but first, I wanted to do something for you- if you would allow me.” 

 You tilt your head curiously- an adorable smile on your face- and you allow him to guide you to the front of the mirror. 

  His lithe fingers go to work, braiding your hair and enjoying the happy humming that leaves your lips as he works. It’s not perfect, but it will do for now.

“There,” he says shyly, “we don’t need our fearless leader catching a cold because their wet hair wasn’t properly put back.”

  Your hands find the braid and you look over your shoulder- the brightest, biggest smile on your face.

 You lean forward and kiss him- it’s far too short for his liking, but he knows it’s time for food.

“Thank you, Astarion. I love it,” one more kiss, “now, let’s go eat some good bread!”  

***********

  Dinner had been wonderful and he is pretty sure he made love to you afterwards (he’s never been so mind numbingly passionate with another before), but he has begun to face the reality that his feelings for you are very real, very strong, and very terrifying. They are a bit exhilarating too, but in a good way. You are the eye of his storm, but he doesn’t deserve you. His initial intentions were cruel and those feelings were false. 

 You would likely kick him to the curb if you ever found out so he is determined for you to never find out. Only, that makes him almost feel dirtier. He hates lying to you- he hates the idea of it so much it makes him feel ill. 

  The heavy feeling in his heart and the silence is probably not great for Astarion’s mental health, but it does allow him to catch the sound of something lurking in camp. 

 Gently untangling himself from you- he peers out towards the now dim camp fire and is met with the sight of two Death Shepards and a plethora of Ghouls. 

“Tav,” he whispers your name, panicking, “Tav, Darling, you need to wake up now.”

 They had all thought the path was entirely clear of problems so they all decided to rest after the horrifying events of the day. 

 The ruin they found had seemed perfect and sheltered from this type of nonsense too. He supposes this is what they get for letting their guard down. 

“Darling,” you finally begin to wake up, “we have a problem on our hands.” 

 You stretch and rub your eyes, crawling after him to peek out of the opening of the tent. He hears your heart stop before it begins to gallop. Your worry only seems to amplify his- Astarion wants you to feel safe in his presence and to be confident that he can protect you. 

“Shit,” you whisper, “we can’t take the entire group by ourselves, but I am not sure how to wake the others without alerting them to our presence.”

 You and Astarion can’t- but he certainly can. 

 “I am going to sneak out the back,” he whispers, your eyes turn as wide as saucers, “do not leave until I come back for you.”

“Astarion-“

 He is already ducking out from behind the tent- using one of his two rings to cast invisibility. First, he sneaks into Gale’s tent- poking the wizard in the cheek and covering his mouth before he can scream in fear. Astarion’s spell wore off and well, he’s a vampire. Not necessarily the most welcome sight in the middle of the night.

 Unless it’s you, but he is exceptionally worried about you and him right now and not dying painful deaths. It would be your first and his second- it’s certainly not on either of your bucket lists. 

 “I need you to keep me invisible,” he whispers, “there are a few unwelcome, undead beasties outside.”

“Shouldn’t you join them?” Gale hisses in his tiredness.

 Astarion’s response? Pinching his nose.

“Okay-okay- WILL YOU CUT THAT OUT!?” his voice almost breaks out of his whisper. “I will keep you invisible! Just don’t get me killed.”

 “No promises.”

 He manages to get everyone up- even Lae’zel- without being stabbed through. Everyone had begun to put on as much of their armor as they could and he headed back towards your tent. 

 He doesn’t see the Death Sheperd in time and it lunges for him, but he isn’t ever hit. Instead, he is suddenly tumbling to the ground- barely catching himself in time.

 His adrenaline kicks up and he kills the Ghoul nearby that attempts to take him by surprise. The rush of gore and the fight makes him feel invigorated- alive. 

 Your scream of pain slows time down entirely. The sound of metal leaving skin and your shield clanking to the ground makes his stomach turn.

 All he can do is watch as the massive greatsword is shoved through your chest and Ghouls begin to leap towards your crumpled form. 

  Astarion has fought hard before- not frequently, but he would say Nere was a bit difficult considering they were surrounded by a pool of death. However, nothing could compare to how much blood lust and rage he feels right now. 

 Karlach is right by him- both of them going blow for blow and the others are taking care of the rest of them. You haven’t moved at all.

 Even worse- your heart isn’t beating and the smell of your blood is so pungent he could choke. Usually he loves the smell, but it’s making him violently ill right now. 

 He cries through the fight- infuriated and heartbroken. He knows you will be back here soon, but this wasn’t supposed to happen. Astarion was supposed to protect you.

 The others are taking care of the fight when he finally decides he can’t take it anymore and he goes racing towards you. 

 Your eyes are wide open and your face is frozen in shock. He sobs- pulling you towards him and shielding you from the gore until someone can save you.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, so so sorry,” he gasps into your neck, his hands are stained with your blood and so is his white shirt, “please wake up, please Tav- I am begging you.”

 He doesn’t know why he is trying- he knows it’s no use, but right now he needs you so horribly. He needs to know you are alive and that you are here- that you aren’t gone forever. 

 That the best person to happen to him in a very long time hasn’t been lost entirely. 

 “Astarion?” Shadowheart’s soft voice sounds miles away, “I need to look at their wounds and revive them.”

“Then do it,” he snaps.

 He hears her take a sharp inhale, “I can’t do that while you are holding them.” 

 Astarion is afraid to let you go, but he does. He gently sets you down on the ground and he closes your eyes- not able to see you in despair a moment longer. 

 His patience wears more and more thin as Shadowheart takes her time healing your wounds. He is trying to extend the patience you would be extending her- he knows hurting Shadowheart’s feelings won’t help you recover from this devastation. 

 He chokes out a laugh of relief when your heart begins to beat again and color begins to fill your face. Your eyes open wide and you begin choking and coughing- blood coming out of your mouth. You don’t stop until you are able to breathe again. 

 Karlach is cheering- everyone is saying how relieved they are and how brave you are. Wyll says that you really took one for the team.

 That’s how he finds out it’s his fault this happened to you. 

 You had seen the Death Shepherd when he hadn’t. You had been keeping watch from the tent.

 You proceeded to misty step in time to push him out of harm’s way, but not yourself. First, your lungs popped. Second, you felt your heart burst in your chest. Third? 

 Well, you don’t seem all that keen on talking about it- eventually just walking back to your tent. The two of you have been laying in silence since.

 Everyone else may not have noticed, but he sees your trembling hands and he can hear how tight your chest is when you breathe. You don’t sound like you can catch your own breath. 

 Everytime it seems like you are going to say something, you seem to choke on your sentence.

 “Darling?” He says softly, “I’m here- what do you need?” 

 You break down sobbing, your face pressed into his chest and your hands clutching at the front of his shirt. Astarion wraps his arms around you- between him and the blanket, the world cannot find you.

 It can’t- no, it won’t- hurt you here. Not in this little sanctuary you have created together. 

  You are quite simply a mess. He doesn’t blame you. He can remember dying for the first time and then coming back. Granted, the experience is probably not quite the same, but it is surely jarring nonetheless. 

“I’m sorry,” you say, your voice almost a whine, “I should just be happy-“

“Fuck that,” he says with far more heat than he meant to, “you experienced the single worst experience any mortal person could have. You have nothing to apologize for.”

 You seem surprised- blinking away your tears and smiling up at him. 

“Thank you, Star.”

 “You know how you can truly thank me?”

“How?”

“Never sacrifice yourself like that for me again.”

“Astarion-“

“Please.”

 The obnoxious parasite in his brain wriggles behind his eyes and he can feel your request for access. You are confused and you don’t understand why he is so upset. 

 Simply put, and he shows you, he is not worthy of you or your kindness- your sacrifice. He would rather have been the one experiencing the agony of the Death Shepherd’s brutality than watch you die ever again. 

 “I can’t promise you that,” you whisper, your fingers wipe away the tears he didn’t realize he was shedding, “I like you too much to watch you get hurt like that.” 

“My Dear,” he whines and your heart speeds up, “it hurts me even more to see you hurt. I would prefer to be stabbed through- if I am being entirely honest.” 

 “I suppose we are at a crossroads then.”

 He huffs in frustration- he knows he won’t be able to win this battle against you and that you won’t stop trying to protect him. It just means he will have to double his own efforts to protect you.

“Fine, but you need to wait a very, very long time before dying again,” he says sternly, “or actually- you need to avoid dying all together. That would be preferable.”

You laugh weakly, “don’t worry, I agree. I’m in no rush to do that again.

“But I did see my parents for a bit,” your voice is so soft it’s almost a whisper, “they are happy and safe so I suppose I am grateful for that.”

 On a normal day, he may have some quip or tease you for it, but he recognizes that this is something you are sharing with him and only him- it’s his to keep safe.

“I am very happy for you, my Love,” he presses a kiss to the top of your head, “I am glad you were able to get some closure.”

 You nod happily and the silence is not uncomfortable. He was almost certain you had fallen asleep until you speak up again.

“They like you,” your voice is nervous, “they think you are pretty neat.”

 Astarion snorts- releasing a short laugh. The reality is that that scares the piss out of him, but hey- at least he won the parents’ over in whatever hypothetical land death took you to within your brain.

“Neat is a new one,” he smiles, “I may keep that one.”

“You should,” you murmured into his neck, “it suits you.”

 Your idle chatter settles eventually- only the sound of your snores can be heard throughout the tent. Astarion rubs circles into your back, counts every single one of your breaths, and listens carefully to the sound of your heart beating in your chest.

 No matter what happens in the future- Astarion will never allow that to happen to you again.

Tags: @preciouslittlebhaalbae @xxgrimripp3rxx @alice4wonderland2812 @therobishow @m1ster1e @tragicdruid @katsutoria @aristenfromwarsaw @avabjorna36 @frankie-mercury @golden-baby

[heroictoonz]

So these are my tags on my old blog but since I was prompted and I like to talk

I personally headcanon (and have for a very long time) that the casual populace views and believes Shezow to be a goddess of some kind. The way I see it is that to keep secret identity secret every time a new Shezow comes along no one says it’s a new Shezow even if she looks a bit different Shezow is still Shezow and we all know it’s not a copy cat cause same powers to a T (more or less, I do also think as the line goes Shezows add more and more of themselves to the ring and pass on more to the next). So for a superhero to be alive for THAT LONG like having cave drawings about her found by archeologists there’s no way in hell shes just a super powered mortal

So people start to tag her as a goddess and it sticks. People view her as a walking deity here to help protect them on the streets. It’s why the term “oh my goddess” instead of “oh my god” became more popularized in this universe because they had a REAL and VISIBLE god among them (in their eyes) so she has a huge impact on the culture thats also why shes one of the more popular heroes because shes not a person to them shes basically idolized. She has comics, she has toys, she has full cons dedicated to her. We dont see that of other heroes she’s something else to the general public

I know theres plenty of stuff in canon that can debunk this hc but i like it i like to view the world building like this and flesh it out in fun ways for myself tbh lol

I love how She-Zow becomes like two feet shorter and nobody acknowledges it. A grown woman is suddenly a teenager and everyone’s like “yeah, that checks”

[k-tarotz]

i’m wondering how ni-ki views iroha from illit? thanks!🤍

this one actually feels refreshing

two of wands, ace of swords reversed, the emperor, ten of wands reversed, eight of swords reversed

okay so please know I am being as nice about this as I can be. I do not have ill intentions, and Ni-Ki’s energy is quite laid back as well, not serious or mean, I am just a straightforward person that says it as it is. so please do not misunderstand me. 🫡

so, I genuinely do not keep up with illit so I do not know how old this lady is, but he seems to view her as a child. someone childish, in need of some growth. not that he looks down on her at all, but it’s that he recognises some patterns in her behaviour that teenagers usually do? though, he might view her behaviour as younger than her age. - I would tell you, but like.. I don’t know her age. Like 2-3 years younger? -

but like, there isn’t anything malicious in his energy. it’s just like when you grow up and realise how oblivious you were to the adults around you when you were a kid, you know?

although I do think he views her in a mostly positive light, I will tell the more negative aspect of his view because I like giving honest readings even if some people might not like the reading itself!

he wants to like her, he can’t. - in a platonic manner. his higherself is just highlighting this. -

although he views her as a bright, sweet and cute kid, he also views her as two faced. not based off of nothing though!

he knows her idol personality vs her idol personality, and he seems to view it as polar opposites. so if her fans like her, they are kind of deceived without knowing much of who she actually is behind cam.

ni-ki seems like the kind of person who has strong boundaries, but is always himself, even when it comes to showing who he is at cam. even when it comes to his idol image. in his eyes, if people misunderstand the kind of person he is it’s on them, it just means they are very different from him.

he is an observant person, so he noticed how was her behaviour can change at times. it’s not that he is hung up on this or that he is being ill towards her in this, it’s just that he could have a personal bias towards people like this because of his own experience! it’s the feeling of ‘oh, that reminds me of ____’, so there is a negative feeling based on association, but he doesn’t hate or dislike her, he knows it would be ridiculous to behave like that lol. his energy seems more to be cautious. he seems like a guy who tends to overthink things and be in his head a lot, won’t lie. - ironically this is bc of engenes. -

on another note, I do believe he has over seen her pretend to be sad or ‘a victim’ towards her members just to get attention even though she was completely fine. - his words not mine, don’t shoot the messenger!!! - I think he views this behaviour as childish, immature and overall disrespectful to the other person’s time.

his mentality seems like ‘I wouldn’t do that, so if someone does that there has got to be something bad about them.’ this boy overall seems to have a lot of trust issues that sometimes hold him back from accepting people for who they are. it’s like he constantly subconsciously looks for the bad in people in order to see if it’s worth his time? weighting pros and cons, regardless if he plans to befriend them or not. this could come from his own mental health issues to be honest, so if he sees anyone posses qualities he once had that he hates there is an immediate discomfort and dislike created in him. if someone tries too hard for attention he doesn’t like it because he simply thinks its dishonest. as a kid he might have been dishonest but he reflected and grew out of that.. so when he oversees her pretending to be sad just to occupy some of her members time and attention he could just view her as kind of putting on an act? I am trying to be respectful about this but to be honest he views it as incredibly fake.

regardless, the pros out weight the cons! because even if he sees the negative in people he sees the positive as well, his view isn’t black and white. he looks at her as a sweet, bright, pretty, hardworking and kind person.

perhaps he seems to like how nice she is to her fans? there is this desire to be as considerate or thoughtful as her, to connect with fans as easily as she does. he doesn’t seem envious at all, rather motivated to take steps forward to becoming kinder or more interactive with his own fans as well!

It’s just that he wishes to see more of those positive traits if that makes sense!

this view seems to be made all based on sudden encounters in the work place, not direct interactions! They don’t seem to be close at all to be honest with you here.

that’s all! and with this being said I don’t hate this girl at all, I don’t know her. her energy seems really kind, gentle and youthful! I also do not hate ni-ki either, I have seen this boy grow up and I would never suddenly send any hate to him looking at how much people love to do that. I just gave a honest reading is all.

sometimes people are not compatible at all personality wise even if they do respect each other sincerely. and that’s okay! my words could have just made this seems heavier than it is, his view doesn’t seem to be deep rooted 🫶🏻

– Candy

[kindheart525]

Awhile back, I entertained the idea that Allan Red perhaps had a dysfunctional upbringing, one filled with messes and a lack of personal space that led him to be the extremely organized and independent critter we know and love today. At the time it was a vague concept, but I found it super intriguing and have decided to finally tackle it for myself. If you know any of my MLP work you know I love making family/backstory headcanons like this, so it was only a matter of time before I started doing it with the smiley guys.

The difficulty of Allan’s life started with the divorce of his parents. His father, Red Red (pronounced Ray-d Red), is much like who his son grows up to be: a financially stable critter who organizes his life in spreadsheets and keeps his home very clean. His favorite drink is water and he’s generally boring and unremarkable. Despite this, he is the most hated man in the city. As a lawyer, Red was tasked with defending a critter who was notorious for being charitable and friendly to the whole town…until a legal misstep got him the death penalty. It later came out that that guy was a serial killer (he was executed over a parking ticket) but the damage was done. When he divorced his wife, everyone sided against him in the custody battle, not over his parenting abilities but because of his “crime” of condemning a beloved icon. But also Red’s busy work schedule is not conducive to parenting and he’s generally not great with kids, treating them like mini adults more than anything. He could have fought harder than he did but his lack of emotion contrasted with his ex wife’s heartfelt pleas turned the favor towards her.

Red’s story is kind of silly lol but his ex wife’s is much less so. Despite getting primary custody of her son, Lucy became kind of a wreck after the divorce. She hopped from job to job despite her ex’s generous child support payments, but she was overall managing alright…until she met Kevin Costner (not to be confused with the actor). He was a gruff man but she saw a warm heart in him, especially since he had a son of his own to care for. But in reality, he’s an alcoholic who’s horrible with money and doesn’t pick up after himself. His son Topher is shaping up to be the same way but perhaps worse, as he seems to break things on purpose and scream constantly just for the hell of it. Allan had the misfortune of sharing a bedroom with him in their parents’ tiny house, and he couldn’t get any peace with him around. Topher stole his things and got up in his space and would not give him an inch to himself. Kevin (or “Bastard Kevin” as Allan calls him) disciplined Allan for standing up for himself much more harshly than he ever corrected his son. Lucy made excuses for the both of them and tried to make them bond as a family, but that wasn’t happening. Even when Allan caught her crying about how she’ll never be able to retire or have a clean house, she insisted, and still insists, that Kevin is the love of her life. She couldn’t be convinced to leave him. Nobody was ever hit but it was still a bad situation. Allan, who initially felt the sting of his father’s supposed “abandonment,” quickly put those feelings aside to focus on surviving each day in the Costner household.

To make matters worse—or better, depending on who you ask—Lucy ended up pregnant with Kevin’s baby. Cassadee (legally Casserole because Kevin was drunk filling out the birth certificate) is the apple of her mommy’s eye. Lucy was thrilled to finally have the daughter of her dreams, a girl to balance out the male energy in the house. But to Allan she was just another source of noise and messes, and he was unlucky to be tasked with much of her care since Kevin and Topher were useless and Lucy was barely holding it together. This time only solidified for Allan that he never wanted to be a father. In fact, he wanted to be as far away from children as possible. He wanted to live alone like his father, who he was finally starting to sympathize with.

Allan eventually struck out on his own. He worked his ass through college, financially supported by his father but trying hard to become completely self-reliant and finally pursue his dreams of becoming an engineer. Once he was an adult he did everything to stay out of Mother and Bastard Kevin’s house, not even joining them in quarantine when the pandemic hit. Now Allan is doing well, living each day with relief that he gets to go through life mostly on his own terms. Even the chaos of work usually rolls off of him because at least it’s not like what he grew up with, although he’s very particular about keeping everything in order and can get rather defensive in personal confrontations. Mother and the other Costners still ask him for money, but he doesn’t feel obligated to give them any because Bastard Kevin is guaranteed to drink or gamble it away. 

None of that is Allan’s responsibility anymore. He’s got his own life to live now.

[sunthyme]

🎆 New year, new headcanons!! 🎆

Hey, so I've been a bit dead for a hot sec, apologies for that. Hope y'all are having a good break! Now, for something that's been in the works since August (drum roll please)...

🎉 REDONE TWST HEADCANONS!! 🎉

First up, yet again...

♥️ Heartslabyul ♥️

WAHOO! Ignore that you can clearly see which I had to redo lol, that's going to be a bit of a theme as I looked back and wasn't super happy with some so I redid them until I got it right.

Since y'all know the characters this time, I'll be just adding new or changed things to my earlier posts. :D

Enjoy!

♥️ Riddle Rosehearts ♥️

So pretty much nothing changed from the original with Riddle, I just made her look better. Yippee!

Added thing for my University Headcanon/AU is major and I see Riddle being an English and Law major.

♣️ Trey Clover ♣️

Once again, nothing really changed except for the fact that I learned to draw him better. I gave him a labret piercing that I think would have been one of Cater's first piercings, which thankfully went well.

He'd obviously be a Culinary major.

♦️ Cater Diamond ♦️

Speaking of Cater, this one was a bitch to draw. I literally redid him three times, send help. (I'll reblog this with the extra between version for y'all to see)

A new headcanon for him is that he's the kind of character that has his eyes closed for the most part and only opens them when he's like super serious. I just felt it fit him. (I'll also attach that in the reblog)

He's very heavily gyaru inspired (shout out to @/Cayfourdiamonds on Pinterest, I loved his edits of Cater and they were my inspo) and I wanted him to curl his hair in the mornings, princess curl style. He has naturally straight hair and the freckles are indeed fake.

He's a Cosmetology and Communications major.

♠️ Oki Chiang ♠️

She's a Sociology major and her birthday is October 4th (Libra). She's apart of the Poetry Club (OC club).

Nothing much changed here either, though I tinkered with her skin tone to amp up the contrast and shifted to blue to a darker hydrangea-y colour.

(Edit: I forgot, I have UM for my ocs now!)

Unique Magic - "Who Are You?": Creates a mist as Oki recites the spell that induces confusion. The confusion will last up to two hours after the mist fades, depending on the strength of the person affected.

♣️ Luna Madden ♣️

Another one I had to redo twice because GOD, the in between was SO UGLY!! Ew. Anyways, way cuter now! I gave him swirly eyes for funsies and trimmed down the colours in his makeup so it's more cohesive.

They're an Art and Psychology major and their birthday is January 22nd (Aquarius). It's in the Science Club.

She uses mobility aids, alternating between a cane and braces depending on the day, due to Multiple Sclerosis (an autoimmune disease that impacts the spine).

Unique Magic - "It's Tea Time!": Conjures a pre-set tea table fitting Luna's desires. The bigger the table and the more items, the harder it is for Luna to make.

♥️ Ace Trappola ♥️

Oh boy, another redone one. I went a bit ham with his design, I really wanted to make him look like a heart. Found the braid idea on Pinterest, as one does, and ran with it. He's so cute, he looks like a heart lollipop. Also, I gave him braces because I love that idea so so much!

He's undecided in his major.

♠️ Deuce Spade ♠️

I adore how this one turned out, he's my son and my boy. Nothing really changes aside from style improvement and I gave him better bangs.

Also an undecided major. (Adeuce twinning frfr)

♥️ Bunnie Chrona ♥️

She's a Psychology major and her birthday is June 30th (Cancer). A part of the Track & Field Club.

Ooh, she's so cute, I love her sm! I gave her vitiligo and stripes in her hair to imitate those splotched black and white bunnies that are so adorable. I did make the interesting choice to give her blue eyes, not for any particular reason, they just contract the red undertones well.

Unique Magic - "Killing Time": Bunnie's speed will increase for an hour, making her go at an inhuman speed.

♦️ Ness Benoit ♦️

She's a Drama major and her birthday is May 25th (Gemini). They're in the Film Research Club.

Finally, Nessie! They also had an in between but they actually looks more like the OG than that one lmao. Gave her some little devil tail earrings and just made the hair confirmedly into a wig. Also gave them a lil fang :3

Unique Magic - "Devilish Charm": Allows Ness to appear differently or say different things to different people. It takes more energy the more people she is using it on.

Stay tuned for Savanaclaw, up next!

[helluvagirlboss]

With S2 over l wanna see what we’ve gotten so far!

1. We got something of a Stolitz duet in “Mastermind” and as great as that was, I’d like to see a duet where they’re actually singing to each other and are the only ones singing.

2. We got that Octavia solo in “Sinsmas” and she killed it! Still waiting on the duet with Stolas and given how things ended with them, that is for sure going to be a song that breaks our hearts, especially if they take inspiration from “More Than Anything” from Hazbin.

3. With the reveal of Millie’s pregnancy, I’m getting the feeling that that Moxillie duet I had hoped for is looking pretty likely. And a proper duet would be a fantastic way to explore their relationship now that they’re out of the honeymoon phase.

Now that we’ve covered ground with what has been made canon, I’ll add some more songs I’d genuinely like to see.

11. A Blitz and Barbie Wire duet, assuming Barbie’s VA can sing. There’s so much about their dynamic that could be communicated through song and I’d be stoked to see it.

12. A trio number between Millie, Moxxie, and Blitz for the funsies. This show started with them, I think it’s only fair that we get to focus back on their dynamic for a while.

13. And under that umbrella, I hope Millie and Moxxie each get a proper duet with Blitz, because like I said, the series started with them, and it’s only fair that we get to see it explored more.

14. Another Octavia song where we get to learn more about her as a person. Honestly we need to explore more of Octavia’s character in general and I’m hoping that’s what S3 is for. Also because her VA, Barrett Wilber Weed, is a legend. But if “I Will Be Okay” is the only Octavia solo we get, I’ll be fine with that too.

15. And in that vein, a duet between Loona and Octavia. These two have a lot in common but also they have a world of differences, with an even larger class divide than Stolas and Blitz. I think a duet between them would be a great way to express their dynamic and how they meet in the middle.

16. More villain songs in general. Striker. Andrealphus. Stella. Satan. Give me all of them lol.

17. If they can get all the Sins (barring Lucifer because Amazon Prime sucks) in a room, I wanna see what a group number between all of them would look like because that would be cool as hell and probably be very funny.

18. A lullaby song by Tilla, not exactly like “You Will Be Okay” but a song that shows us what kind of mother she was to Blitz and Barbie. A song that gives us more reasons to care about her.

19. A battle song between Blitz and one of the main villains, preferably either against Striker or Satan. Other than the Loona and Millie duet, this is the one that I think is least likely to happen, but I’m allowed a little self indulgence, okay?

20. A Blitz solo song, preferably a more serious one. Of all the main characters in this series, Blitz has sung the least (second only to Loona) and that’s most likely due to Blitz being allergic to vulnerability. So the first time Blitz gets a solo, I want it to be, not necessarily a ballad, but a chance for us to see how far he has come in letting his walls down. Because once he sings on his own, he will be bearing his soul to us.

Once we get halfway through S3 I’ll update this with either more song hopes or to go over what has been made canon.

Helluva Boss Songs I Hope To See in the Future

1. Another Stolitz duet, whether it be romantic as hell or if it’s the extremely “make-you-blush-while-listening-to-it” horny song that Sam Haft teased for S3.

2. I want Octavia to either have a solo or have a duet with Stolas. Based on the S2b trailer I believe we’re probably getting a Via solo so that’s great, but a duet with Stolas would be heartwarming (or heartbreaking depending on what Viv decides to do to us lol).

3. A proper Millie/Moxxie duet, one similar to “Crooked” between Fizz and Asmodeus. We haven’t had a proper one since “Oh Millie” from the pilot and since the pilot is no longer canon, a true blue duet between the two is lone overdue (I swear I didn’t intend for that to rhyme lol).

4. While I know Erica Lindbeck confirmed we’re getting a Loona solo next season, I would also love for her to have a duet with Blitz because I feel the show would benefit from Loona showing and telling her dad how much he means to her.

5. A Blitz and Fizzarolli duet. This is one is less serious than the previous ones, I just want it because I think it would be funny as hell and I wanna see these two have a good time.

6. A villain song where Stella is manipulating Via, think “Mother Knows Best” from Tangled vibes. I think it would be great for Stella to establish herself as an intelligent and formidable villain, and not just a raging bitch.

7. Jumping off that I would also love a villain duet between Andrealphus and Stella because I think it would be fun.

8. A song battle between Moxxie and Striker. I just wanna see these two face off again music style especially if it’s during a physical brawl.

9. A Millie and Loona duet because I wanna see more of their dynamic.

10. And finally a group number by I.M.P. We’re long overdue for a badass group number from the members of this wacky murder business and I’d be hyped.

And that’s all for now! I’m sure I’ll think of more! Let me know what you guys think :)