#but why is it that she’s so much more considerate towards other people for general insignificant things AND she expects me to react in

[acciocriativity]

A MOMMA'S BOY - K.H.J. ONE SHOT

Ateez Masterlist

Pair: Idol! Hongjoong x Non-idol! Fem! Reader

Genre: Angst; Slice of Life AU

Warnings: toxic mother and family in general (Hongjoong's side); implied emotional manipulation; descriptions of past emotional abuse; forced isolation; talks of fear of rejection and abandonment; Hongjoong is compliant with his family actions in a sense, he's neglectful at best.

WC: 1,2 K

N/A: This was supposed to be a reaction for all the members, then I got wayyy to excited with this idea, and the result... well, it's this. Anyway! Thank you so much for all the lovely people who read my stuff, Happy New Year!!

Hongjoong reassured you countless times his mother wouldn't mind your presence for dinner. But her to "not mind you there" wasn't enough for you at all. It was his family first night in Seoul after a long time apart, and you tried to do the sensible thing and give them alone time. He insisted they'd want your presence just as much as he did. It was hard for you to believe so.

In your eyes, his mom never made an actual effort to form a real relationship with you. Instead, she liked to see you try hard to earn your spot in her good graces. She was like the bridge of the family in a way, and your only point of contact to the rest of them, you knew, because she said so the first ever time you talked to her on the phone. It was an off-handed comment, and you didn't know what to make of it at that time. You learned later it was nothing but a simple warning. You had to earn her approval, or you were out. Hongjoong probably doesn't remember the first time she called in your presence, but you were fairly excited to talk to her. You remembered how fun and warm everyone said she was. Well, there was nothing fun and warm in the way she talked to you.

Her presence wasn't as constant as it became lately. Her influence never disappeared, but at the beginning of the relationship, it was the only thing you had to deal with. A mental tightrope that brought so many anxieties and bad thoughts became a real one with real-life consequences.

Hongjoong was tired of arguing about the same thing every single time. He understood to a certain point. You don't want to seem pushy, invasive, or bothersome to anybody, much less to his family. Those same words were used over and over to hurt you at some point in the past. You told him so in tears one night, almost a year ago. He was angry then. In his mind, you hated to talk to his mom, like it was a chore for you to become close to her. In reality, you were only scared to slip up and become that person you believed you were, needy, clingy, and inconvenient to others. Your fears and vulnerabilities were open to his eyes in a way that hadn't been before. He never understood why you had that kind of concern with his family, though. He never saw the pressure you were under. He never really saw his family, his mom, the way you did, the way she used your Achilles heel to keep you away from him and his family.

He never told you how he almost broke up with you, then. And thank God, because that would've been the biggest regret of his life. Deep down, he knew couldn’t be with someone who didn't get along with his mom or his family in general. Oh, but you knew. You noticed the look on his eyes weren't the same. Hongjoong's family were known to be kind, considerate, and generous. They had that in their eyes, some of the boys said so to you. Hongjoong was raised as such, but there wasn't any kindness or generosity towards you for a week or so until the moment he confronted you. It was your first big fight.

After you opened up your heart to him, he promised he'd never allow anyone to make you feel that way about yourself again. And you promised to try more. You didn't want to give up so easily with barely a simple tug on the rug beneath your feet by his mom.

And you tried, tried so much to remedy any bad impression they could have of you as well as make the effort to create good memories with them. But no matter how much you did try, his parents never engaged with you. The barrier was clear to you and you only. The consequences of passing through were rejection and abandonment, and you couldn't bear that.

To the unknown observant, your relationship with them improved drastically. You were explicitly welcomed in any space they were in and explicitly invited to every family function from that moment on. Of course, you had their number, but any conversation you tried to make, face to face or online, no matter the topic, were curt and dry on their end. The implicity message was clear, you didn't get the approval.

The whole way to the restaurant, you tried to calm yourself down. It was a familiar place, traditional in a sense, but warm and welcoming with great food to soothe anyone’s soul. Hongjoong chose it intentionally to make you feel comfortable in your skin. He was attentive to you, caring, thoughtful. That was the reason you couldn't bear the thought to lose him, even if his eyes turned blind when his family was involved. With you alone, he was an incredible boyfriend and friend, and that left you satisfied for a while.

The politeness game was a subtle one, and koreans played it really, really well. It was hard to master, but after so many years interacting with people in every step of the hierarchy ladder, you could say you learned it from the best. Did she just ignore you when you arrived? No, you couldn't say so. She smiled in your direction, but she only hugged her son. It wasn't a subtle move on her part, but it could be excused by many variants.

You checked to see Hongjoong's reaction, but he wasn't looking at you. He was glad to see his mom after so long. You sat instead of waiting for a warm reception from his father or brother. That would've been worse, humiliating even. Hongjoong were beside you, so maybe he hadn't noticed how uncomfortable you became after similar situations kept happening. That's the excuse you used for him up until now.

Whenever you commented on something that was said or asked about something they said, they would be polite but wouldn't engage with you further. His father did that many times, his mother only a few, and his brother barely directed words at you, so he did not have such an opportunity, but you didn't doubt it anymore. It was like the fluidity of the conversation met a brick wall the moment you spoke up. The water had no place to go further ahead, then it had no option but to slowly float along the edge in search for a way out. This was your punishment, their of way of telling you there wasn’t a place for you with them.

When Hongjoong left to go to the toilet, you almost got up with him. Instead, you stayed stiff on your seat as awkward silence filled the table. Well, awkward for you, of course. They didn't seem to mind your presence, unbothered, as they made small comments about the quality of the meat and whatnot.

You held yourself back, aware that confrontation would lead you nowhere but to your way out of this relationship and family. There's was no anger or resentment left in your heart against them, only the slowly realization that you wanted to leave on your own terms and the consequences that you wanted them to deal with.

That thought alone made you smile once again and casually agree that the meat was, in fact, delicious, but you'd rather have a colder meal in the near future.

[ofbreathandflame-archive]

the outcry behind nesta's decision to help bryce further makes no sense when you think about maf and the whole situation with the tarquin/summer court.

bc like...feyre and rhys didn't even attempt to ask tarquin for the book. they literally stole it under the guise of a political meeting. the book (i believe, pls correct me if im wrong) was an ancestral summer court artifact and they stole it. thats why ive literally ignored all of the 'poltical' and 'common sense' motivators people have assigned to rhys. rhys is not a diplomatic person. and to take it a step further: rhys +feyre's actions against the summer court actually does cause tangible consequences that TARQUIN has to step up and take the brunt of - yet he still chooses kindness and consideration and honesty towards the night court. much more a reflection of the goodness of his character than any political prowess on the night court's end. tarquin has to deal with (1) refugees from a whole other court (2) the destruction of his court (for a second time; the people were still rebuilding), (3) the theft of his ancestral weapons without compense and yet his character is still expected to be disrespected in his own home. he asks the night court to leave...and they say no (i believe). feyre literally tries to buck up with him after she literally aided in the destruction of the summer court...for a second time.

bryce, by all intents and purposes, is a much more diplomatic person for even asking (and thats saying a lot bc she's, in general, the worst iteration of aelin/rhys/byrce character trio, on a writing level) because we know the night court would have just taken it if they were in bryce's position. so when yall spin the narrative that rhys + cassian ABUSIVE (lets call a spade a spade here) behaviors are somehow politically motivated to berate nesta, i need us to really think about how the night court would have responded had they'd been in bryce's position.

just something i thought abt yesterday

[topazadine]

Remembering Perspective When Writing Descriptions

Just a short pet peeve of mine, inspired by a shower thought, where I remembered the most terrifying description I'd ever read.

It wasn't bad, or even horror. It was well written.

However. The POV character described his *sister* in a way akin to this (my recreation, not the actual text):

Braden met his sister at the gate. They'd been apart for several years, and in that time, she had truly become a woman. Her curves had filled out, and her red silk dressed strained across her tight figure. Her long black curly hair shone in the late evening light, while her blue eyes watched him intently.

No, this wasn't a brocon thing. The (male) writer was just horny for his female character and ... kinda forgot that his MC, her brother, would not feel the same way.

Now, of course siblings growing up together are going to notice the other one maturing, but it's not going to be ... that. This is how I describe 17-year-old Uileac looking at his little sister, 13-year-old Cerie, in 9 Years Yearning:

She'd shot up in height this past year - almost as tall as him, to his dismay. Whatever they were feeding her in the meronym was quite good for her metabolism, as she'd put on a bit of healthy weight. Her cheeks were losing their baby roundness, and the autumnal light accentuated the sharp intelligence behind her green eyes.

In this description, you can feel Uileac's paternal attitude toward his little sister. "Oh, she's put on a bit of weight and isn't a total twig anymore! I'm glad they're feeding her well. Her face looks more adult. Fuck, she's almost as tall as me now ... I wish I weren't so goddamn short ...."

This is a much more normal way for siblings to talk about each other, if a bit more "dad mode" than the typical older brother.

Siblings who grew up together are not going to say "holy shit I can really tell my sister has become a woman, wow her dress is tight over her curves." If my brother had said that about me while we were kids, I'd throw up and dump a pot of soup over his head.

This kind of thing is generally accidental and has to do with how *you* feel about a character. But the thing is that even the sexiest femme fatale is just going to be Jennifer, The Stupid Annoying Sister, to their sibling. Our brains are literally wired not to see our siblings as sexy if we grew up with them.

There are many other ways that you must take perspective into consideration when writing descriptions. Here are just a few of them.

Sexual attraction/orientation

You're going to focus on different things if you're sexually attracted to someone; namely, you'll focus in on things like breasts, legs, abs, etc. You'll also likely devote more attention to describing people of your particular sexual orientation than you would one that you are not attracted to, and you will focus on different things.

This is part of why we hate "men writing women:" they describe every woman as if they want to fuck them. (See the first example.) It has to do with the places that their gazes naturally linger on any woman, which is what they consider important and what they focus on.

But the thing that they miss is that just because we are sexually attracted to a specific gender does not mean we would want to bang anyone of that gender. I am a lesbian, but the way I would describe my mom or my therapist is vastly different than how I would describe a woman I am actually attracted to.

Romantic interests should get a more sexualized gaze; not exploitative, just more in-depth, and with more focus on their figure, specific details, etc. Everyone else should get a more basic look at eyes, hair color, height, build, and so on.

Feelings about a particular person

You're going to be more forgiving and complimentary toward someone you care about than someone you hate. Things that would be charming on a friend will be downright annoying on that one asshole at work who always throws projects to you at 5pm on a Friday.

A lover's thick eyebrows might be called "dashing" or "strong," while on an enemy, they'd be "overbearing" and "harsh." Your bestie's lisp is cute, while it seems babyish on your school rival. Your dad's meandering sentences give him a sense of harmless musing, but they make someone else look like an idiot.

If you have a character that is prejudiced toward a given group, they are always going to describe that group more harshly than they would a favored group. If they don't like authority figures, a police officer leaning toward them will seem menacing, when they wouldn't even notice it otherwise.

It can be very fun to give two characters similar traits but describe them differently based on the POV character's perspective of them. Readers might not even realize that it's the exact same physical feature!

Previous experiences at a given place

When describing settings, we're going to give more attention to somewhere we care about, like our home. I imagine you can tell me about every chip in the paint in your bedroom, or that one weird stain in the floorboard that you've tried everything to fix. Many times, this is a good time to add depth to the character's backstory by briefly mentioning previous occurrences there.

Would you notice any of those things about a place you're visiting for the first time? Probably not. You'll give a more global attention to the scene and provide impressions, not specifics.

Depending on how nervous or adventurous you are, you'll look for similarities or differences to things that you're accustomed to. You might compare it to other places you have been, trying to get a frame of reference.

If you're on a vacation and were really looking forward to coming to this specific spot, you will likely hone in on exactly what you came to see, whether that's the scene from a particular hilltop or a cafe, and this will get the most description.

Current Mood

Descriptions change with a character's mood, even if they've been in that place a millions times. People just notice different things depending on their mood; if they're happy, they'll look for things that support that mood, while if they're upset, they're pointing out the negatives.

For example, consider someone walking into a court room when they are on trial versus when they are there as a simple court reporter. The person on trial is probably going to be glancing longingly at the door, picking out the angry faces of observers (or assuming the observers are angry), focusing attention on the security guards, staring at the plaintiff with hate in their eyes.

The court reporter will likely pick out anyone they know in the room before looking at anything else. Then, they'll check out the defendant and plaintiff with idle curiosity. Since they are more familiar with the room, they'll gloss over the boring details that they have already seen a million times, giving them only a cursory once-over to see if anything has changed.

Current Need

Your character's objectives need to taken into consideration as well. As an example, remember the last time that you really needed to pee while you were out. Were you slowly and casually admiring the scenery? No! You were hunting for the bathroom. If literally anything registered for you, it was anything that looked vaguely bathroom-sign-shaped. Everything around that bathroom sign, and on your path toward the bathroom, got more attention and description to you than anything else.

Your character's interests

When describing a scene, you don't need to take time and define every single little thing in a character's path. It's annoying and overwhelming. You need to give us a basic overview (it's a forest, it's a grocery store, it's an abbatoir) and then hone in on the specific details that your character finds interesting in order to fill out the entire scene.

We, as people, focus on things we care about, things that we feel are relevant to us. Different people will notice completely different things when they walk into the same room. An animal trainer will appreciate a big pet bed and an ergonomic food bowl. An artist will admire the artwork on the walls. A computer nerd is going to roll their eyes at the scuffed-up Mac laptop.

This doesn't mean that you can't describe other things, too; it just means that your character's attention is going to be drawn to stuff that they, in particular, like or dislike.

Things like where a character's gaze lands, how they describe things, and how much detail they give to any particular element are an important part of secondary characterization: how we get to know a character beyond what they do or tell us. It helps to create a fuller picture of their relationships, their interests, and their thought process, and it deserves just as much attention as actions and dialogue.

If you enjoyed reading this, perhaps you'll consider purchasing my book, 9 Years Yearning. No weird sibling vibes I prommie

[acevid]

DRDT X DESPAIR DISEASE

what if the danganronpa despair time cast had the motive of despair disease? well, i’ve made diseases for everyone! (i may write a oneshot for this but to be determined..)

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Teruko Tawaki - Childish Disease. Since her childhood is..probably not the best, considering what information we have about her thus far—it causes her to act childishly and to make up for what had once lost! (And makes her an easier target.)

Xander Matthews - Lazy Disease. This disease is exactly how it sounds. This makes it so that Xander is no longer the energetic and determined person that he is, but rather someone who doesn’t put much effort into things, or sees the reason to care about others too much.

Min Jeung - Confidence Disease. This disease makes it so that Min is completely confident in her abilities and whatever she does. This makes it so that she is much less anti-social towards others, and not afraid to prove anyone wrong.

Arei Nageishi - Cowardice Disease. Because Arei has this disease, she will act meekly due to pretty much everything. Often times another student will see her shaking or on the verge of tears. She can be comforted, but many things can set her off again.

Ace Markey - Truth Disease. This strain of disease makes it so that Ace can only say the truth. While, yes, he can simply change the subject by saying random but true stuff like “It’s cold right now”, but it’s harder to fight the more he does it—and it’s especially hard whenever somebody directs a question towards him.

Levi Fontana - Empathetic Disease. This gives Levi what he’s always been lacking—empathy! And not just any old empathy. His empathy is seriously high, like off the charts. 

J Rosales - Villain Disease. While, yes, making it so that J had some ‘murder’ disease would’ve been funny, considering how she hates murder—that would’ve been too easy. And so, we’ve resorted to making her act like a really bad cartoon villain. Why? Comedy. Makes the show go up in ratings.

Rose Lacroix - Forgetfulness Disease. Pretty self explanatory, Rose simply is unable to keep long-term memories. (..Actually, change that to memories in general, as she seems to forget a lot that happened in a short time-span as well. Such as—half an hour.)

Arturo Giles - Kindness Disease. This disease makes it so that Arturo doesn’t see the ugliness in people, but rather the good qualities about them. He’s rather vocal about this too.

Hu Jing - Antagonist Disease. This causes her to act rudely to everyone, as if she is above them, and cause troubles just so that her classmates struggle. She doesn’t seem to have any want to cooperate with everyone like this.

Nico Hakobyan - Aggressive Disease. This makes it so that Nico is more easily aggravated, and will lash out more. He’s becoming Ace-core

Whit Young - Stoic Disease. This disease makes it so that Whit can no longer use the humor and carelessness that he so desperately loves. In fact, he acts the opposite of how he typically does.

Eden Tobisa - Jester Disease. This is different to Charles’ disease. While he makes jokes and acts somewhat childishly, Eden does so somewhat maliciously. Her jokes always seem to hit hard in someone’s core (and definitely not in a pleasant way). Her way of making others laugh seems to be by putting others down. On the outside, she may look the same—but there is a certain evil aura around her.

Charles Cuevas - Jokester Disease. This disease makes it so that Charles can easily find humour in situations. (He uses so many puns it is ridiculous.) It’s almost as if Whit and Charles switched personalities.

Veronika Grebenschikova - Considerate Disease. Veronika will act respectful towards others, always trying to help and never breaking any boundaries. (Think Ibuki’s disease except she actually has a personality.)

David Chiem - Naivety Disease. This disease makes it so that David believes everything that others are saying—or at least makes it easier to. Because of this trust that he’s putting into others, it’s also much easier to get the truth out of him about matters important and unimportant.

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[seangelfish]

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT FOR A LONG TIME YEIII amh I could ask for headcanons for bae and kanata with a cute mc fem from the town who just arrived in the city therefore she doesn't know anything about paradox or hiphop or the city in general je but she is open to learning new things uvu that would be all ~ thank you

MEETING A NEWCOMER

Featured characters: Allen Sugasano, Hajun Yeon, Anne Faulkner, Kanata Yatonokami ♡ Tags: Headcanons but also a bulletpoint fic, mutual crush, casual romance, she/her pronouns, not really proofread! Not really sure what to write for Hajun, so I'm sorry if it's not up to standard! ♡ Word count: 1,895 ♡ Synopsis: You, a newcomer, was introduced into a city of hip hop. You didn't quite understand it, but you were eager to learn from the people around you.

You have moved here for university, not knowing what this city was actually known for. You just assumed it was any other ordinary city...

Allen, who was one of your fellow classmates at university was an odd one. He didn't look friendly so you didn't try socialising with him at first, but when you saw how he acted towards his friends, you decided to at least try.

You found out that he was just awkward. He greeted you in return when you introduced yourself, but his eyes started sparkling when you mentioned that you were new to the area. He asked whether you're into hip hop, but if you weren't, he had some recommendations for you to listen to.

"Is hip hop that big here?" you asked him curiously.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. "There used to be this place called Club Paradox where..."

You listened to him ramble on and on about hip hop and these legends called 'Buraikan' who founded these so-called 'Phantom Lives.'

It was all a little confusing, but it had you intrigued. Because of this, the two of you had exchanged contact info so Allen would be able to send you his recommendations. When you were finished listening to them, you would text him your thoughts. Gradually, you started having a taste for hip hop that in your free time, you'd visit record shops looking for songs that you haven't heard of yet!

Allen was always so appreciative of how willing you were to indulge in his interests — in his life. He wanted to show you more about the city and about hip hop, but he also just wanted to spend more time with you.

"I also produce and write my own songs!" Allen said one day, hoping that would impress you. "Would you like to listen to them?"

"Seriously? That's so cool. Of course, I'd like to listen!"

"Alright, just meet me at the club! I'm performing there as BAE with Anne and Hajun."

"C-Club?"

"Oh, haven't you been to a club before? Then I'll accompany you before our performance starts. It'll be fun!"

Why not? you thought.

Allen picked you up before his performance and showed you around the club. It was an interesting yet fun experience, but what you found kind of weird was how he kept holding your hand throughout it all. You didn't think too much of it though. He was probably doing that in consideration of you, so you wouldn't get lost in the crowd.

"So yeah, that's pretty much the gist of it!" he said. "Will you be okay here? We're starting in ten minutes."

"Yes, I'll be fine," you replied. "I can't wait to see you perform!"

"Alright, see you later, (Y/N)!"

Watching him perform live was amazing. You finally understood why people here liked watching 'Phantom Lives.' They were incredible! You were so drawn into Allen's performance that you couldn't see anything else but him.

"Haha, how was it?" he asked you, panting.

"It was so cool!" you chirped. "And that was the song you wrote too? It was great!"

"Hahaha, thanks, (Y/N)!"

So whatever Allen did with hip hop, you were there too. You became closer to him than before that he no longer was a classmate to you, but someone even more special.

Just like everyone else, you were drawn to Hajun's prince-like charms, but you never dared to speak to him. He was definitely on another level than you, and you didn't want to disturb him with your plain, ordinary presence.

However, fate brought you together when Hajun spoke to you first. He picked up clues that you were new around here and wanted to help you familiarise yourself.

Confused but thankful, you accepted his offer. He was like a tour guide, bringing you in his limo around the city. It was kind of awkward at first, but he eased you into it when he would ask you where you came from and why you decided to move. He was friendly, but you could taste the way he teased you too.

After bringing you to so many places, Hajun had asked you if you knew about hip hop or anything to do with phantom lives. When you denied it, he merely chuckled and said that you should watch him perform. He didn't go further than that, so you had to find out yourself what he meant by it.

BAE was his hip hop group where they performed phantom lives at clubs. You entered by yourself, waiting for the show to begin. Hajun was up there on stage accompanied by Anne and Allen. Their performance was spectacular. The way Hajun rapped was something you didn't expect coming from him, but at the same time, it made perfect sense.

"So you made it," he teased. "Did you enjoy the show?"

"Y-Yes, it was good!" you exclaimed. "Those were the illusions you talked about? They were pretty! How were you able to do that?"

"With my phantometal, of course," he replied, showing you the feather ring on his finger. He let you touch it due to curiosity. "Isn't it cool~?"

"It is!" you giggled. "Can I watch you perform again next time?"

"Haha, sure."

Not only did Hajun help you with familiarising yourself with the city, but with university work too. You should be grateful though because he wasn't doing this for just anyone. However, he was also questioning his actions when he thought about it.

He supposed that he was helping you out so much because he was also in a similar position when he arrived in Japan. He just wanted to make your experience here easy for you.

Plus hanging out with someone cute like you was actually fun. He loved answering whatever questions you threw at him especially those relating to hip hop. He always looked forward to your daily greeting in person and text.

Anne had caught an interest to you almost immediately. Of course, it was because you were cute, but it was also because your outfits were embarrassingly plain. They wondered if you'd allow them to dress you up. So one day in class, they introduced themselves.

Once Anne took in the info that you were new here, they were even more excited to become your friend. They wanted to show you everything! Entertainment, fashion, music, everything you were interested in!

And that's how you were introduced to hip hop too.

Taking in the knowledge of the city from Anne was like homework. They dumped everything on you so quickly that it was hard to grasp, but as they pulled you around the city, it was always so exhilarating.

"Oh, I'm also a part of BAE," they said. "It's the hip hop unit I'm in with Allen and Hajun. We usually perform at clubs, but we're going to be competing in Paradox Live next!"

"P-Paradox Live?" you queried. You knew of phantom lives since Anne mentioned those before, but this was different.

"Yep, it's gonna be huge! We're going up against other hip hop units to win ten billion! You'll come support us, right?"

Of course you were.

But standing in front of Club Paradox was intimidating. Everyone around you looked excited out of their minds, but you were the opposite.

"(Y/N), over here!" called out Anne. As you turned, they linked your arm with theirs and led you inside with Allen and Hajun. "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to leave you here," they continued. "But watch us closely, okay?"

Watching Anne perform that night was thrilling. Even when the rest of the units performed their songs, Anne's performance was something you couldn't shake off. The illusions that they described to you through words could not compare to the real thing.

After that, you would always watch Anne in person whenever they were performing with BAE in Paradox Live; cheering them on and voting for them. Anne would always look for you in the crowd too, happy that you appeared in their life.

Unlike BAE, you didn't meet Kanata at university. You bumped into him on the streets to university. You were lost and that's how you ended up at the slums. He thought you were an idiot, but he helped you out anyway.

You explained that you were new to the city, so you still didn't know your way around. Kanata was disinterested, but when you asked him why hip hop was so prevalent around here, his ears perked up.

He explained everything, but he also mentioned how there's 'real hip hop' and those who desire to make hip hop but fail. You were curious about what he meant by this, so you pressed him further into showing you what 'real hip hop' was.

He was about to refuse. He didn't really want to get close to you to begin with, but seeing that sparkle in your eye made him think otherwise. It also didn't help that you were kind of cute.

"Fine," he breathed. "When do you finish uni? I could show you today."

And so he did. After dropping you off at university, he picked you up straight after you were finished. It was evening by then, so the streets you walked on were crowded with people waiting for a team called 'Cozmez' to perform.

He grabbed your wrist and dragged you into some shady underground business, situating you in a corner where he was sure nobody could disturb you.

"Just stay here," he said. "You'll be okay."

"W-Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm performing."

Before you could say anything else, he grinned. "You'll see what real hip hop is, (Y/N)."

And he was gone. You noticed that he was with someone else too, someone that looked oddly similar to him that you just knew he was his brother. When they were on stage, the crowd cheered louder than before.

That's when Kanata started rapping. You watched him intently, your eyes following his every movement, his every word. The music was loud, but it was exciting.

"So this is a 'phantom live'..." you murmured to yourself as you watched the illusions the twins were creating. "It's beautiful..."

You didn't expect Kanata to come back to you right after performing, but he did, asking you what you thought of it. You caught the slight bit of excitement in his question which also surprised you because even if you had just met him today, you already had his character noted down in the back of your mind. He was rude and aggressive, but he was also kind in a way.

You smiled. "It was awesome! I can't believe this is what I was missing out on!" you replied. "You were amazing, Kanata!"

His cheeks heated up, but you couldn't tell as it was dim. "Thanks," he said casually.

"Eh~ who's this?" asked his twin. "Kanata, I didn't think you were that type of person–"

"I-It's nothing like that!"

Nayuta introduced himself because if his brother was willing enough to bring a random girl to a place like this, he was sure that Kanata was a little interested in you.

"Be good to my brother, okay?" he whispered into your ear teasingly.

From then on, you became close to the Yatonokami twins, but you were even closer to Kanata, the boy who helped you on your first day. He became a lot more patient with you as he introduced you to even more places around the city, familiarising yourself with hip hop and the story behind it. It was always so fun learning more things when it was with Kanata.

And perhaps, Kanata was a little thankful that you got lost in the slums that day too.

Intro page | Paradox Live masterlist | Request rules

[kavehater]

She honestly doesn’t do much to make me like her more I swear to God !!!!

Chat is it unnatural to hate your friend 💃

[dnpanimationstudioclone]

Saw your Stolas redesign 🌔. Also saw u said you’d rewrite his dynamic with Blitz. U have a rewrite for Stolas in general?

Why yes I do! I’m still thinking on some stuff but I’ve got some general ideas! Aswell for the other gang but I can talk about the rest another time.

My Stolas🌔✨

Personality, What’s his deal with Blitz?

Mix of the Pilots original regal air and Show Stolas softer moments. I'm leaning towards more busy introverted scholar who's also nobility. Hes also MAJORLY socially akward, which can be a struggle for him, especially as an esteemed royal. Often hiding behind a mask of professionalism and sophistication, expected of a Goetia.

Hes a fairly polite and amiable enough bird man but at the same time, out of it. Basically a guy who had his head up in the clouds or in his case, the stars. Despite usually trying to stay professional to his name, opens up way more to people like Octavia and Blitz.

I imagine he tries his best to be respectful and mannerful, being an esteemed royal and all. To high and lower class ranks. I imagine while he'll make mistakes here and there, tried to be more respectful of imps, even before meeting Blitz and developing.

He feels that what he does is important(with the grimnoire and other royal duties)...just doesn't think HES important. Thus initially....he didn't consider just how much his actions could have such an impact on others…

In the end...he was just looking for someone who he could be himself around a bit, someone that was interested in him, not as a member of the Ars Goetia. With all the other Goetia and most people, he’s had to put up the big front of being the “Great Goetia Prince”, always held above massive expectations, and even with his daughter Via, felt like he had to keep up things(to be a proper role model and not wanting to get her involved in thing she didn’t have to be in)

He admires how honest and true to himself Blitz can be, not trying so hard to modify who he is around others( not realizing Blitz puts up a mask aswell at first). Also loves hearing all the stuff he knows about pirates and horses. With Blitz, he learns to more honest and assertive in his life, done with living to Ars Goetia standards which already have their own issues in many ways.

His relationship with Blitz also makes him consider his own privilege more and the power he has over people, even if not intentional. He comes to want to fix the classicism issues with the Ars Goetia and become more involved with the social issues of Hell’s system. Blitz and Via def help make him a better person. Aswell as Loona who def rips into him for his stuff.

He def shares OG Stolas’s interests like Astronomy, books, plants etc. I can imagine he’s def shown Blitz the Centaur constellation 🌌

What’s he’s like with Octavia?

Def sweet, like has those moments like you will be okay and bonds with her with Space/stars stuff and nature, she’s def a daddy’s girl and was def still hurt by what happened.

He def does his best to be considerate of Via, and keep her out of his problems. His biggest issue is being upfront, not being full honest about stuff and avoiding the subject, pretending everything’s fine which it’s NOT! In a way, the affair ended up helping him improve in ways a father. Learns to open up more about his problems and being more honest with her.

What's the situation with Blitzo and the full Moon Arrangement ?

Just to be clear, I’m not the biggest expert when it comes to sexual relation, transaction stuff. But I do know a major issue was def about the consent, power imbalance in all this. This is my take on trying to resolve that, and if there’s something I’m missing please let me know. Just wanted to make it clear I def want consent. I've talked to friends about my ideas and they say my take seems alright, let me know what u think.

For mine I'm making it a weekly meeting so there's more time for their relationship to develop

Sex is only a one of Many options Blitzo can "return the favor" for the Grimnoire. Other options can include chaperoning for Loo Loo land as bodyguards, retrieving important errand runs, helping with his gardening etc. It's a fairly flexible arrangement and Stolas made it absolutely clear sex wasn't mandatory(Blitz just finds it as both the easiest and funnest of options...at first)

For Ozzies, Blitzo decided to invite Stolas in hopes to tag along with M&M like double date, killing two birds with one stone kinda deal

What's his relationship with Stella ?

Def still complicated. It was alot like a business arrangement. Both knew they were in a tight spot, but were able to figure a way they could help the other. Stella being the more social and loving the spotlight, took care of most of Stolas social affairs(hosting events, going to events, meetings) while Stolas focused more on the paperwork(grimnoire and celestial studies)

Stella told herself she could be prepared if Stolas wanted to ask to seek others for certain pleasures he coudlnt with her. Affairs and having side relations weren’t uncommon for nobility(there were things such ans courtesans and mistresses afterall) and people have a high standing. But when he went behind her back to have relations with an Imp of all people and letting himself be publicly exposed and thus their reputation, the one she worked so hard to maintain and even hurt their daughter who was led to believe they genuinely loved each other, she was…less then pleased to say the least.

Does he regret cheating?

Stolas isn't defensive about being called out for cheating. Even if it was a normalized thing amongst nobility, he acknowledges what he did was still wrong and hurt people. What he gets angry about is when others make it about that he cheated with an IMP(Blitzo).

Stolas-I’m certainly not a better because I’m a Goetia, so how is being with someone like Blitz, lowering my standards!?

Main Changes?

Def wanted to make him more accountable, resolve some of the issues with his and Blitz’s relationship and etheir does become a thing with him or if it doesn’t work out, end on genuinely good terms

What do u guys think? How would u go about Stolas or his relationships like with Blitz or Via? I'd love to know💖

[coventhewise]

mike’s arc and his “regression”

since s3 a good portion of the audience has complained about mike’s character. as mike’s arc was tied with mlvn during the last two seasons, the dislike towards his character AND the ship has been increasing. these 3 are the most common reasons to why mike has been started to be disliked:

being reduced to “el’s boyfriend”

stepping back from being the leader

his treatment towards will

if you think about it, they would be right if we don’t take byler into consideration. the general audience knows that will is in love with mike, but they don’t actually think that byler could be requited. mostly because most of them believed mike’s infamous “love” confession. despite this, the general audience found this confession corny, rushed, out of place, cliché and unnecessary. the ga is TIRED of mlvn’s storyline, showing much more support to other pairings like lumax or jopper (or even to the jancy/stancy dilemma).

i can’t blame them. if you don’t like mlvn it’s almost impossible for you to not dislike mike since he’s been incredibly tied to his relationship for two seasons.

when you’re aware of what’s going on with byler, you realise the reasons behind mike’s behaviour, hence, you start liking him again. (i know there are exceptions of course, but when we are talking about the general audience they don’t generally have mike as a favourite character, and those who had him as a favourite think he fell off).

now, i’m going to talk about every reason i listed:

—being reduced to “el’s boyfriend”

mike’s focus since season 3 has been el and only her. from the general audience perspective you don’t see nothing more behind his behaviour, just an awful use of his character and bad writing. an extension of el. because that is what it would be.

mike’s plot in s3: struggling with his relationship.

mike’s plot in s4: struggling with his relationship.

it’s tiresome, it’s repetitive.

— stepping back from being the leader

in season 1 and season 2, mike was a crucial character for the plot. he was the leader of the party, he guided and encouraged them. mike was shown as a selfless and caring kid, so it was just natural that people would react negatively to his behaviour in the later seasons. (and it’s totally intentional).

— his treatment towards will

the show wants you to root for will, even if you don’t want to, it inevitably makes you feel bad for him. the audience notices that since mike and el started dating, mike has been treating will bad.

a solution to these 3 reasons:

the only redemption for mike is for mlvn to break up, it’s that simple. every reason for mike’s behaviour roots in his relationship with el. it’s holding back his character and the writers know it.

el, even with mlvn, is liked because she is a character outside her relationship, we have explored a good part of her past and trauma. we have watched her grow in every season, forming her personality, discovering her interests and bonding with other characters.

the ga doesn’t know much about mike outside of mlvn, since it has been his only plot line.

he is reduced to a love interest despite him being a main character. and that is a problem.

to conclude:

if mlvn is endgame (even if they fix these problems) mike’s earlier behaviour will never have an explanation.

you could say that mike gave a reason in his monologue, but as i point out here, it’s safe to assume that monologue was not entirely true.

byler is the only thing that makes sense for his character, it’s the only thing that could excuse his behaviour, it would make him a complex character instead of a “smug son of a bitch” (as hopper said).

[nonbinarypirat]

I promised to do a break down on Azz's and Clara's relationship specifically since the initial post was so long (Iruma's relationships within the love trio) so here it is! This is long compared to my initial post breakdown of the relationships since I am just focusing on these two. And I wanted to do these two right since so many people think Azz doesn't like or appreciate Clara.

As we know, in the beginning the two of them mostly revolved around Iruma. Azz was very much annoyed with Clara's personality, there wasn't much to tie Clara to Asmodeus besides playing, and as they mention in the manga, more than likely they would have never met and/or become friends without Iruma. Iruma was very much needed for the initial start of their relationship. However, that doesn't mean that by this point in the story we don't see they both care deeply for each other outside of just getting along for the sake of having Iruma.

Similarly to Iruma, Clara has enabled Azz to experience more playfulness and childlike fun than he ever experienced previously. Clara is not just some afterthought within the love trio. She is necessary for the two of them to open up more emotionally. Especially Azz. Asmodeus in general is a very closed off person by nature, stemmed from a fairly isolated childhood of no one wanting to interact with him. We see this when the soulmates are first seperated because they have to join other clubs. Azz basically never interacted with the other members unless he had to. It's hard for him to open up and let his excitable, lovely side shine through. Clara is one of the people that inspired that in him because even with just Iruma, Asmodeus wouldn't know how to just let himself be playful. Sure, the first time him and Clara played together was because Iruma asked him to, but that was more than likely the first time he has ever done this.

Additionally, Clara gives Azz an extra challenge. She's not easy to understand and is someone he feel like he must compete with for Iruma's affections (of course that has changed drastically in the latest volumes and chapters). Asmodeus is used to being the best, outshining anyone and anything in his path. He's a young genius. But that means he didn't have something to push him to grow. Clara is someone who is so widely different from him that it causes him to have to strive towards understanding her. When they have to work together for the hell dance, Azz realizes that yeah, she thinks about the world in an entirely interesting way compared to him. And he can learn from this new perspective. Azz has really grown to care about Clara because he knows she can open up sides of him no one else can.

Clara on the other hand learns about more structure then she ever had before. Clara has been on a character development of realizing that yes, unadulterated chaos can be great. But it can also just cause trouble for yourself and for others. She can rely on Azz to shut down some of her more outlandish ideas, not because of meaness but because the situation doesn't call for it (though he'll shut it down in the sassiest way possible of course). She lives beyond the comprehension of most people and that's what makes her so wonderful. But she can go overboard and doesn't tend to second guess things. With characters like this, you need somone/something to stop them before something ends up being a giant mess.

And Clara felt the same as Azz too about the way he thinks. To Clara, he also makes zero sense. That's why she also needs to strive to understand him and be more considerate of his feelings. She understands that emotions and care doesn't come easy to Asmodeus. And she gives him room to express them however he can and gives him the encouragement he needs. She truly is the best at understanding the emotions that Azz and Iruma are experiencing. Her role as the emotional challenger/instigator pushes Azz to understand why he is feeling that way.

Like I said, Clara is very much needed in the group. I'll fight anyone who thinks she isn't. Because without Clara's brazen approach to feelings, these two boys wouldn't push themselves. Like, sure she group in her toy box because she could see something is wrong with iuma, but it was as much for Azz as it was for him. Because she would also know when he's feeling down about something too. I saw someone call her their safe place on twitter and its true. She's someone they can go to when they just need to talk to someone or vent to. And like a trained big sister, she will pet their hair and listen.

I really hope we get to see just these two interact more as the story progresses as well as Clara Iruma solo time. Because I care about the love trio so much, they are basically free therapy for me. Oh and in case you were wondering, yes I am obessed with Azz wanting to take a picture of Clara in her cute swimsuit. He's so in love with his soulmates it's so cute. I know he has the best icloud service and still has to backup his photos often from how many pictures of Iruma and Clara he owns.

[crossdressingdeath]

Davrin: So who will it be? 1. Harding leads the distraction. 2. Davrin leads the distraction.

Hm, yes, who do I want to send on this discreet mission to get behind enemy lines and distract our opponents while my team moves in? The trained scout who I know from DAI has been taking on tasks that require her to get behind enemy lines without getting caught for over a decade, or the Warden who every darkspawn in the place will immediately be able to sense and whose only justification for why he should go is "there will probably be darkspawn" (there will be darkspawn no matter which team he goes with)? Why the fuck would I send Davrin.

No seriously, I didn't know whoever I sent would die at this point (I knew something bad would happen but I managed to stay spoiler-free enough that I didn't know about the sacrifice), I wasn't choosing based on "who do you want to sacrifice" reasoning. Based purely on in-universe knowledge Harding is the better choice by a pretty significant margin. And that's not a knock against Davrin, to be clear! He's great at what he does! But stealth is Harding's forte in a way it really isn't Davrin's; basically this is a job for a rogue, not a warrior, and him being a Warden doesn't make up for that. If he's going to get sensed by any darkspawn present either way I'd much rather have him with me so I have a Warden at my back fighting Ghilan'nain; if I wanted to avoid him getting sensed by darkspawn entirely (which... I mean I kind of do, but his skills are more valuable than the team's ability to move undetected and it's not like Rook's team is particularly subtle once they get going anyway) I would've left him at the Lighthouse. Sending Harding as the distraction is just the smarter play.

Also Harding dying is more narratively satisfying to me, her arc and general demeanour suits that sacrifice way more than the "I choose to live" vibe of Davrin's arc and especially if you also sacrifice Neve Rook going into that final conflict having lost everyone who started this mission with them is delicious. It's wild to me that Davrin is even an option (he shouldn't be, and aside from any race-related reasoning I suspect part of the reason he is is that they wanted to kill a companion off but didn't want it to always be the same one—if only so that there wasn't one romance where the LI always dies, which would piss off anyone romancing them—and most of the others wouldn't be suited for the distraction mission at all or have nothing in their arc suggesting noble self-sacrifice, while Davrin at least has the Warden viewpoint pointing him towards that), but I really don't think the game is encouraging you to kill him like I've seen some people argue; I think it's very much encouraging you to kill Harding. She makes more sense to send as the distraction, her arc and dialogue bring up that "whatever it takes" motif way more than Davrin's do (Davrin's kind of has a strongly opposing theme of living and moving forward when you survive what should've been your final sacrifice; having him use this second lease on life to sacrifice himself again is just weak), the narrative impact of losing your first companion—the one you started this whole quest with! The only other person who travelled with Varric for any length of time!—is stronger than losing your fourth (fifth if you count Varric, but either way Davrin is very much middle of the pack in terms of order of acquisition), and Assan is a consideration; he absolutely isn't and shouldn't be the only reason to spare Davrin, but the fact remains that people really don't like seeing cute animals die even in fiction so knowing that Assan will die with Davrin will be an incentive to sacrifice Harding over him for a lot of people. Basically sorry Harding but I'm probably going to sacrifice you in every run where I don't romance you. It's just a stronger story.

[multishipperofgaydeadwizards]

Thinking about James/Remus and seriously questioning why it's not a thing cause

1) the whole sun/moon lore I was talking about earlier

2) their shipname would be somn like "moonchaser" or "sunreader" or somn

3) it fits right into the running gag that James has a thing for people being mean to him

4) imagine all the possible angst mhmm mhmm Remus pining over James, finding out he likes his best friend, finding out she likes him back, losing him again and again ooooohhhhh just

5) but they're also perfect cause all Remus ever needs is to be loved and all James knows is to love someone else

6) ok but leave the angst, focus on the fluff. The possibilities omg friends to lovers just this time (minus all the usual angst that comes in wolfstar) and they're both just dumb oblivious idiots in love and it's so cute

7) thinking about all of this now I think what you said is right, people don't ship Remus with anyone other than Sirius but I think that's cause Sirius actually doesn't have many ships left then? Cause think about it like this: Sunreader, Bartylus, Marylily, Evan and Emmeline, Panda and Xeno, where does that leave Sirius? Sure Pete is there but...

8) ooooh ok going down this pipeline, for your consideration: Peter and Sirius. Omg it would make the "Sirius put in trial instead of Peter" thing sooooo much more ansgty ohhoo my brain is reeling rn

9) ok focusing back on moonchaser. They would make such a cute couple honestly. James would read all the books Remus reads and leaves lil doodles for him to find later. He would go to all the quidditch practices he can to support his bf. And he would right poetry and stuff about how hot James is.

10) ohhh They would share glasses omggg poor Remus grows up thinking everyone has shit vision then one day he wears James's as a joke and voila the world in HD

I'm so ngl, your influence on my brain has become on the best influences it has ever had cause omg all this potential all this angst and fluff I love this new me mhmm mhmm

hsirbdij omggggg I love this sm!!! thank you for sharing your brain with me.

sunreader sounds so gorgeous. I'm going insane. I love love LOVE the name!

1) yeah are literally the sun and the moon! they are perfect!

3) lmao. so true. I love the idea of remus being super sarcastic towards james and james swoons at every mean comment and tries very hard not to (he fails miserably)

4) urghhhhh not the unrequited feelings while having to be a supportive bestie trope (my beloved). I can imagine how mad it drives remus to watch them like each other, but being to scared to admit it. imagine the heartbreak when remus sees harry alias the combination of his parents

5) yesss. remus needs someone to love him even through all of his flaws, someone who isn't his parents and james who is literally the embodiment of love

6) "everyone can see it, but them" trope fr. it's them idfk

7) you make a fair point, but there are sooooooo many characters living in the marauders characters that no one ever uses. you could ship sirius with so many characters that no one ever talks abt (I'm currently working on a post with all the characters that I could find so that they're all in one place)

8) peter and sirius my loves <3 no one talks about them (me included whoops-). they have such a big angst potential that people just seem to be ignoring (once again bc most people refuse to leave the wolfstar bubble and just refuse to ship peter with anyone in general)

9) they would be the definition of tooth rotting fluff. they would make everyone sick with how sweet they are. couple goals fr

10) remus is me fr. the day I got my glasses was eye-opening lmao

glad to see that I have this kind of effect on people. I said it to you before but I'll say it again: welcome to the way more funnier side of being a multishipper hehehehe

also: I think I'm in love with you. marry pls, I'm begging 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 (/j... unless)

[fatalism-and-villainy]

Do you think he was ever in love with Bedelia like he was in love with Will? I ask this because Bedelia says they were both the "brides of Hannibal". But Hannibal never courted her like he did with Will, Bedelia came into Hannibal's life much before Will but he never pursued her like he did with Will. Mads said he wanted a future with Will unlike with other people he hooked up with Alana, Bedelia or Anthony. He took her to Italy as a consolation prize when Will betrayed him. Even in Italy H was pining about Will all the time and telling Bedelia how much he loves Will. I know he slept with Bedelia but he probably slept with Anthony too and he slept with Alana, Hannibal is a hedonistic guy who sleeps around. For him sleeping with someone doesn't mean he is in love with them. But when Will confronts Bedelia, she pretends as if Hannibal held them in the same regard which is obviously not true. Hannibal would choose Will over her in a heart beat and even she knows it but yet she acts as if Hannibal sees them both equally. I don't understand why? 😭 Why do you think?why make herself seem like a competition when she is not?

So, a few things.

To answer the first question - basically, no. I think the show is fairly clear on the fact that Bedelia wasn’t an adequate substitute for Will. (Though I will say that the question of whether or not X character was “really” “in love��� with Y character, or - as I sometimes see people writing on, when they fell in love - is not particularly compelling or generative to me as a meta topic. Personally, I’d rather focus on the specifics of relationships, the patterns of interaction characters have with one another, what they represent to one another, etc, than trying to definitively categorize their feelings.) Also, if this is in response to this post, then I don’t really consider the question of whether or not characters were “really” in love, or preferred other people, particularly relevant when shipping something. Shipping to me is applying an erotic lens to a dynamic I find compelling, not about whether the character were “in love” with each other or would make a dedicated or long-lasting couple.

I don’t consider myself to be beholden to the opinion of Mads, or anyone else in the cast and crew, in my analysis. Their sentiments can be interesting, and can inform readings (and tbh I’ll pay more attention to Fuller than the rest of them, given that I respect his vision as a creator), but they are not canon, and I think treating them as such is stifling to fandom analysis. Furthermore, in this case, I don’t need to consider Mads’ opinion, because… I have the show itself, which devotes considerable attention to Hannibal’s feelings towards Will and puts forth a lot of effort in positioning Will as somehow exceptional to him.

It’s not really clear that Hannibal did sleep with Bedelia. The exact nature of their relationship is pretty deliberately left ambiguous. (My personal interpretation is that they didn’t sleep together, though they were both aware that it was a possibility.)

Hannibal had practical reasons to sleep with Alana outside of his own enjoyment - namely, grooming her as a character witness, and keeping her close such that the threat of him hurting her would keep Will in line (hence his “I’ll give Alana Bloom your best” line after Will’s attempt on his life). I do agree that he doesn’t seem to see sex as sacrosanct, and has no qualms about using it as a manipulation tool, but that’s about as much as the show gives us as to his feelings about it. (It is plausible, given everything else about him, that he’d enjoy it for hedonistic reasons, and that is pretty in line with my own headcanon, but the show itself doesn’t specify exactly, because “how the characters feel about sex” is a question it’s relatively uninterested in devoting a lot of attention to.)

With that out of the way, I’ll get into Bedelia, namely this:

But when Will confronts Bedelia, she pretends as if Hannibal held them in the same regard which is obviously not true. Hannibal would choose Will over her in a heart beat and even she knows it but yet she acts as if Hannibal sees them both equally.

She doesn’t actually, though. In fact, in her interactions with Will in 3B, she's often emphasizing the romantic and obsessive nature of Hannibal's feelings towards Will specifically.

Consider:

Will: You hitched your star to a man commonly known as a monster. You’re the Bride of Frankenstein. Bedelia: We’ve both been his bride.

Will is the one who raises the “bride” comparison, and Bedelia’s answer is to impress on Will the fact that he also should be taken to hold this position. And then later in the episode, we get her saying “my relationship with Hannibal is not as passionate as yours.”

And then in 3.12, we get this exchange:

Will: Bluebeard’s wife. Secrets you’re not to know, yet sworn to keep. Bedelia: If I am to be Bluebeard’s wife, I would have preferred to be the last.

So when Will again raises a romantic analogy for Bedelia and Hannibal’s relationship, Bedelia responds with a conditional, rather than confirming it, and then implicitly gestures towards the romantic nature of Will and Hannibal’s relationship (and the fact that Hannibal seems to value Will more).

So Bedelia fairly consistently maintains that Hannibal holds Will in special regard. And while she seems to have been jarred out of her usual patterns of behaviour with Hannibal in a comparable way to Will (hence the “why is one patient worthy of compassion and not another”/“why is one murderer worthy of compassion and not another” exchange), she doesn’t appear to be carrying a torch for him - when Will asks her if she’s been to see Hannibal, she responds, “I’ve seen enough of him.”

So, as to her motivations - I’d say she’s invested in impressing on Will the force of Hannibal’s influence on them, hence why she pushes the angle of the romantic intensity of their bond. For example, this quote:

Your experience of Hannibal’s attention is so profoundly harmful, yet so irresistible, it undermines your ability to think rationally.

And then her pushing to get Will to accept his culpability in what happened to Chilton, and chalking it up to Hannibal’s influence:

Bedelia: Is this what you expected? Will: I can’t say I’m surprised. Bedelia: Then you may as well have struck the match yourself. That’s participation. Hannibal Lecter does have agency in the world. He has you.

And then, in the wounded bird exchange, there’s her claim that Will isn’t truly a killer, and that his compassion is what drives his violence:

You’re not a killer. You’re capable of righteous violence because you are compassionate. …The next time your instinct is to help someone, you should really consider crushing them instead. It might save you a lot of trouble.

Well, taken in tandem with her emphasis on the intensity of the bond between Will and Hannibal, and on Hannibal’s influence on Will, the conclusion I’d draw is that she wants Will to recognize and recoil from Hannibal’s pull on him and what it brings out in him, and she wants him to direct his compassion towards Hannibal in the form of killing him. (I think her trying to get Will to “crush” the next person he feels the urge to help is also referring to Dolarhyde, ftr, or at least has narrative resonances in that direction, though that ofc backfires onto her).

So, I don’t think Bedelia feels threatened by the bond between Will and Hannibal out of romantic jealousy. It’s more a sense of self-preservation. I have a longer post in me about this, but suffice it to say, that’s why she tries to get Hannibal to eat Will in 3A - because it’s Will or her - and the interpretation that she’s trying to get Will to kill Hannibal in 3B works well as a parallel to that and makes sense as to her motivations. Because she knows that if Will and Hannibal join ranks, she’s toast - and going by the stinger in WOTL, she was right about that.

I hope this was helpful!

[ronqueesha]

Spicy Rook Asks - All of them

I saw this ask meme going around for the past few days, and decided thirsty Thursday was the best time to do my own. And since I was sick as hell during Christmas and still getting over the illness today, this is the perfect distraction!

Here are all of the answers for Nerio and their two partners!

What is Rook’s sexual orientation and identity?

Nerio is openly bisexual, with a preference leaning slightly toward masculine partners. They are a nonbinary elf.

What are their pronouns?

They/them!

Is Rook dominant, submissive or a switch?

For the most part, Nerio/Neve/Lucanis don't have the kind of sex that necessarily needs these kinds of descriptions. However, in the times that they have played around with it, Nerio is more than happy to switch depending on the needs of the others.

How often does Rook spend “alone time”?

Back with the Lords of Fortune, it was a requirement for every sailor to spend at least some part of the day in private. Whether that be alone or with another member of the crew. One of Isabela's oldest directives from LONG before the Lords were even a thing. (it's one of the DA2 banters)

Now that Nerio has two partners, who have very different needs between them, they have found that they generally don't need to spend time masturbating, since both Neve and Lucanis can provide everything they need for each other.

Does Rook have any sensitive spots?

As much as they hate to admit it, Nerio's misshapen right ear is EXTREMELY sensitive. I headcanon that elf ears generally aren't any more or less sensitive than a human's ear normally is, but something in the way Nerio's right ear didn't form correctly has increased its sensitivity a thousand times.

Their nipples are also surprisingly sensitive. Nerio got them pierced while with the Lords, specifically to increase the sensation.

Is Rook down for casual one-night stands?

Back with the Lords, that was basically all they ever had. Nerio had no serious long-term commitments until Neve and Lucanis. As of now, breaking the trust of two people they dearly love seems unimaginable to Nerio, so they aren't seeking any more casual sex with strangers.

Is Rook attracted to anyone (specific person or just negative qualities) they shouldn’t be and why? (bonus points if it’s not their love interest)

Isabela. She is directly responsible for saving Nerio from a life of sexual slavery after rescuing them from a Tevinter merchant galley. More than that, the Lords gave Nerio the freedom to be the person they want to be, not confined to any box or expected role. She also has a TON of money and power that is attractive to a lot of people, not just Nerio, which is a rather large gap in power dynamics. On top of the fact that she is CONSIDERABLY older than they are.

Fortunately, Isabela will never take Nerio to her bed, so this one-sided attraction will never cause them any problems.

Does Rook have any kinks? Do they act on it or just think about it?

Nerio's biggest kink is body hair. I headcanon that elves in Thedas have no body hair of their own. So Nerio has always been fascinated with people who have it. Fortunately, both Lucanis and Neve have more than enough to keep Nerio happy. They love to run their fingers through Lucanis' chest hair, and bury their nose in Neve's bush when they go down on her.

Nerio's second biggest kink is related to the first. They have a scent kink that can sometimes make the other two a little uncomfortable. Nerio has tried several times to fuck Lucanis immediately after a sparring match, just so they can have his sweaty body all over theirs. Or they've tried to get Neve into bed after a long hard day walking the streets of Dock Town. Sometimes Nerio gets their wish to bury their nose in the pits and crevices of their partners, but not always.

What’s Rook’s favorite thing their partner can do for them in bed (hair-pulling, pinned wrists, etc.)? Is there something they don’t like at all?

Nerio's favorite thing, which will be relevant to a question below, is when Lucanis is fucking them from behind, and he rests much of his weight on their back. Pinning them down so they can't wriggle away from the sex (not that they want to) It gets better when the human puts their hand on the back of Nerio's neck, locking them even more in place.

They love it just as much when Neve uses her strapon on them. She's not quite as proficient at is as Lucanis, but she has her own spin on the motion that Nerio adores.

What does Rook like to wear and what do they like seeing their partner in (e.g. lingerie)?

Nerio is 100% a lingerie elf. They weren't able to indulge this for the majority of the game story. But post-game, they absolutely went wild (often with Lucanis' money) buying lingerie of various colors, fits and levels of coverage. From simple bras and panties to elaborate lace and silk numbers.

The fact that Lucanis often wears tailored, expensive suits made just for him is enough for Nerio to appreciate. Especially when he starts removing layers in anticipation of sex. Likewise, Neve has already claimed Nerio's affection with her preference for wearing open shirts with much of her chest exposed.

What is Rook’s favorite part of their partner’s body?

For Lucanis, it's his large amount of body hair. He isn't an exceptionally hairy man, but he has quite a lot of it. And Nerio adores exploring every inch of his skin.

Both Nerio and Lucanis agree that Neve's ass is a gift from the maker himself. They both have spent ample time not just staring at it, but appreciating/worshiping/fucking it as often as she allows.

What is Rook’s favorite intimate non-sexual thing to do with their partner?

Nerio had no idea how to cook for themselves when the game starts. On the other hand, Lucanis is an exceptional and well practiced cook, and he volunteered to teach Nerio the basics. These lessons have slowly become more intimate the longer they go on. Nerio doesn't even necessarily need instruction anymore, but the two of them love it when Lucanis stands behind his elf, guiding and directing them, gently holding their body and their hands.

Nerio first offered to massage Neve's leg months before they were officially together. They had learned several techniques with the Lords, since many sailors had limbs amputated in their line of work. And massages were a great way to relax/bond/deepen relationships. Neve eventually let them give her leg the massage, and that sealed their romance. Ever since then, it's a regular thing for

What gets them both in the mood?

Nerio doesn't need much. As I mentioned before, getting Neve or Lucanis sweaty is the FASTEST way to get them horny. But Nerio isn't picky, and doesn't need any specific behaviors or outfits, etc.

Lucanis needs the most time to get himself in the mood. He prefers planning things in advance, like setting up an elaborate date night to precede the rest of the evening in bed. And during that date, Nerio and Neve's presence, their bond, and their closeness will get him going.

Do they prefer foreplay or are they impatient?

Related to the above, Nerio doesn't REALLY need foreplay. They're much younger than both of their partners, and can get ready much faster.

Likewise to the above, Lucanis needs quite a lot of foreplay. Starting with some flirtatious interactions during the date night, up to some intense foreplay before the actual sex begins. Fortunately for him, both Neve and Nerio are quite skilled at it.

Neve prefers foreplay for sure. She has some insecurities about her body, mostly related to her leg and the vulnerability that comes from being her true naked self in front of her partners. Neither of her partners have ever made her feel bad about her leg, and often engage in foreplay specifically to get her mind off any lingering doubts.

Who is usually on top? Do they switch?

Nerio can switch if their partners ask for it. But the truth is that they find the most satisfaction on bottom. Receiving anal sex from Lucanis or Neve's strap.

Do they have names for each other in bed?

Not really. Sometimes the three of them engage in very light roleplaying where Nerio is called "elf", as if they were a treasured elven servant attending to their human masters' sexual needs.

There have been a few times that Neve's nickname for Rook, "trouble" gets used in bed. But it's not something they frequently do.

Are they adventurous in bed?

Also not really. While the three of them sometimes experiment with toys, light restraints and other kinks, it's not a huge thing. And it often ends quickly before they go back to regular sex.

Nerio's obsession with hair and smells is probably the strangest part of the trio's sex life.

Do they have a favorite place?

Anywhere there is privacy. None of the three of them are interested in having others see what they do. So long as the space is private and there's enough room for them all, that's what counts.

That being said, the times the three of them have rented expensive Antivan hotel rooms, with huge and extremely soft beds, tend to be the most memorable and fun.

Are they into (consensual) pain?

Nah. As I said in the adventurous question, the sex the three have tends to be mostly vanilla with very light exploration of other kinks. Pain isn't something Nerio is into, and neither are their partners.

What is the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to them in bed?

Have they ever had a threesome? If not, would they? With whom?

That's pretty much the point of their entire relationship! 🤣

Morning or evening?

Evening, for all three. Lucanis generally isn't into spontaneous sex, and Neve needs a lot of time to fully wake up. And besides, the mornings are when she does a lot of her work. Nerio also needs a lot of time in the morning. Not to wake up, but to ensure their hair and makeup is perfect. If only so they can have their hair and makeup ruined by the end of the night after some vigorous sex.

Have they ever been caught?

Not all three. Nerio and Lucanis have been caught getting frisky in the Lighthouse's pantry. Not exactly having sex, but there was plenty of nudity and touching that would have absolutely become sex if Taash hadn't barged in looking for a snack.

Are they into dirty talk?

To a very small extent. I'll explain it a little more in the next question, but Nerio is very vocal during sex, but not the kind of vocal that's capable of dirty talk.

Neve and Lucanis are very much into praise and vocalizing things they like. They can spend quite a long time before sex letting their partners know exactly what they like and what they want. Which can be dirty depending on the context.

Are they loud or quiet together?

Nerio is VERY loud during sex. Especially when receiving anal sex or having their nipples played with. Their sounds are wanton and feminine, and only get louder the closer they are to cumming.

Neve and Lucanis have grown to enjoy these sounds, especially since it's so easy to tell when they're pleasing their elven partner, or when they need to change things in order to give them the most pleasure.

Do they have a safe word?

The three of them generally don't have the kind of sex that most people think requires a safe word. When they do play around with kinks, it's usually in a soft way that can easily end by simply asking to stop, or gently pulling back.

What do they usually do after? Are they a couple that likes to cuddle?

Cuddling is 100% mandatory in Nerio's bed. If for no other reason than they want to bask in the sweaty, musky glory of the aftermath, breathing in the scents they love so much. While they run their fingers through the sweaty hair of their partners.

Lucanis and Neve also love to lay back and relax, enjoying everyone's company with conversation and bonding. Even if the elf between them makes themselves a lovable nuisance with their fingers and nose.

[gayuu-the-necromancer]

How are the suitors relationship with Kate in ikevil? Like can you describe it if you have leisure time?

If we put the whole creepy aspect aside, all the male leads are extremely kind towards Kate. They don't want her to be a part of their dark world so they all make sure she's safe and happy as long as she is with them.

Now this is just my general view about the characters based on William's route.

William- He wants Kate to be more open and more selfish of her desires. He doesn't want her to shut herself inside her room for the whole month until she leaves. He wants her to enjoy herself, eat her favorite food, do her favorite things, say whatever she has on her mind etc. He talks to her in a very gentle tone with a smile, not ordering her around, and instead, comforts her like she's a child. He finds her asking him so many questions really cute. He finds it funny when she openly admits that she loves food. In the end, all he wants is for Kate to get along with everyone in the Crown.

Liam - Liam is also very considerate of Kate. His lovely child-like personality eases Kate very much and it feels like Liam, according to her, is the easiest one to get along with out of all the Crown members. He has this very charming aura that attracts people. Liam sees Kate as his friend and was also ready to help her with her 'mission' in William's route. He was worried about Kate when she was stabbed in William's route. He kept telling Roger that he couldn't protect her when she was stabbed right in front of him and William.

Harrison - So far Harry's role in William's route is to warn her about things. Like saying 'William's affection is like rain'. There is no biggg role like saving her from the jaws of death or something like that.. He's there in the background with other members. He also doesn't see Kate as some kind of burden when she comes with them on their mission. Like when she doesn't understand something, he doesn't mock her or leave her in the dark but instead explains what they're doing and why they are doing and when she thanks him politely, he's stunned. Later she also asks if Harry telling lies is his own way of protecting his loved ones and Harry was again stunned.

Elbert - This man does some things in William's route, which if you look out of context, it's hella creepy. But when you find out that he did it with pure intentions, you'll think it's a little too much. Elbert is still so confused because he thinks Kate is beautiful but doesn't know if she is the 'most beautiful thing' he is looking for. Therefore El keeps asking Al if Kate is actually beautiful or not and Al keeps saying 'No, she isn't' because if he by chance he says 'yes' El would be literally ready to lock Kate in his room and also kill William. Yes, I'm not joking. Al literally says "Let's not have bloodshed within the Crown, shall we?"

Alphonse - This guy has a confusing personality. I haven't yet seen a scene where he shows genuine care for Kate. Yes, he also comes to help Kate with her mission along with Liam and Harry, but not because he wanted to, but because El forced him to. Other than that, he just teases her by saying some creepy things and that's about it. I don't know if he actually cares about her or not. Maybe he does and I just didn't notice it.

Roger - He was the one who took care of Kate when she got stabbed in William's route. After that they all have a party to celebrate, Will's return and Kate recovery and Kate thanks Roger for saving her, and Roger just shakes his head and congratulate her. That's all I can say about him.

Jude - This guy has like two whole scenes with Kate in William's routes, but I know this guy better than any other Crown members. He's a cocky bitch. Yes, he is arrogant, swears a lot, and acts like he doesn't care. There is one scene where Kate goes with Jude and Ellis to persuade Brian for a story-related purpose and Jude tells her that she has 3 minutes to persuade Brian and if she can't do it within that time limit, he will persuade Brian in his own way and she will have to stay quiet. No exceptions! But even after 3 minutes he still kinda lets her have her way because she tells him that she wants to persuade him without using violence and Jude is like 'Yeah, whatever'. That's all. He doesn't treat her like she is less than him or anything. He treats her equally as he treats all the other members of the Crown. If anyone tries to attack, he will stomp that guy unconscious and then acts like he didn't do it for her.

Ellis - Like Liam, Ellis is also very caring towards Kate. He keeps on worrying when she is not happy, so he does everything he could to make her happy. Like when they went on a mission to kill Avalus, Kate faints, and when she woke up in Roger's lab, Liam and Ellis were ready to bawl their eyes out because she didn't wake up for a long time. Ellis also gives her a chocolate, saying that something sweet will make her happy. The 4 of them, then spend time together talking about random things so that Kate forgets the gore she witnessed in their recent mission.

Victor - He's more like the dad of this game. He is the one who asks how Kate actually feels about William. He also cheers her up with his magic trick when she feels down. Victor is also the first guy that comes to Kate's mind when she wants someone to talk to and he is always ready to listen to her. He also encourages Kate to go and save William if she wants to and not only that, but he also encourages some of the Crown members (indirectly) if they want to help Kate with her mission. Then he also prepares a party for all the Crown members and Kate later on. SO yeah, he also cares about her.

[1anxiousbeancrying]

I may get hate for this but this is my opinions on characters in the spider verse movies. And feel free to disagree with me. I will only be talking about the movies portrayal of characters not the comics so I may like a character more in the comics but not in the movie. And another thing I'll take into consideration is plot importance. These are just my thoughts on the characters in general like morally, personality, and how they make me feel

Miles Morales: main character so he immediately gets some points, his story in the first movie was amazing, and it kinda leaks into the second film with him trying to find his place as Spiderman and he has had some of the best moments in the franchise. It makes me so excited for them to rap up his story in the next one. 10/10

Gwen Stacy: her story has been one of the best parts of these movies as it perfectly shows why she does and act the ways she does in the movies from the loss of her best friend and that fear holding her back till miles appears and her conflict with her dad fueling her to stay with the spider society and her later facing her problems instead of running away from them makes her and amazing character, also her fight with the vulture was one of my favorite parts of the movie. 10/10

Peter B Parker: he was good in the first film with it shows his problems in his own world and Miles helping him overcome some fears like having children and in the second him having mayday showing he got his life together, but he loses major points for the second film. He did nothing important only hurting miles and I understand her joins Gwen at the end to help him but hes constantly bringing his child to battles and did nothing when Gwen was being sent home to a place where she had no safe place to stay and where her dad had tried to shoot her. Like my guy you are an adult Atleast try and say something.4/10

Peni Parker: absolutely adorable in the first film and very helpful in making and new goober her and spider are so interesting and her dynamics with porker and noir is so cool, it made me so sad when her Fathers mech died. While she didn't do anything important in the second film the movie did a great job of showing she had changed, I can wait to see more of her in the next film. 7/10

Spider noir: I definitely think he's over rated but I can see why. his design slaps and he was quite funny in the first film, they did a great job in showing someone from a black and white world trying to adjust to a world of colours, he was a good character with some great lines despite not doing anything of much importance to the story, him throwing a car at tombstone was badass though and his relationship with peni was cute. Maybe my opinion will change on him in the next movie though. 6/10

Spider ham: I don't really feel anything towards him he had some good lines and his fight with scorpion was great but other than that he didn't really do anything, hopefully this will change in the next film. 5/10

Miguel O'Hara: here's where people may disagree with me. I like the concept for his powers and I think he's a great antagonists to Gwen and miles but other than that I don't care about him as a character. Im interesting to see what happens with him in the next film but I ain't to fond of his design, and his cannon even theory is fucking shifty, like bro the reason the world collapsed was because you replaced a dead person not because you stopped one event. Also he should not be treating children the way he does in the film , like dude you were a father wtf. And the hype around the character also puts me off him as well. 3/10

Jessica drew: I actually really like Jess, while she didn't do to much in the film, it was still enough to get me interested in her character from her first interaction with Gwen showing concern for her and later becoming her mentor. When Gwen gets sent home it shows her slowly swaying away from Miguel , the film actually shows a conflict within this character which a lot of characters seemingly don't get, and makes me wanna see how she's handled next film. 7/10

Hobie brown: I like Hobie he's just over rated as fuck. He makes the new watches for Gwen and the gang and also helps miles get free but other than that, he hasn't got much of an individual story in the movie yet, he just felt like a side character, which technically he is but most of the other spiders don't have the problem for me. I think I heard where seeing more of his world in the next film so hopefully it gives us more insight to his character, but I also feel like once again it's the fan girls which are ruining the character for me. 5/10

Pavitr Prabhakar: I loved him his introduction was incredible and and entire section of the movie in mumbattan was incredible, with the black hole forming in his world, it provides his character with a secondary story behind the main movie one. Him joining the gang at the end of the film even with his world collapsing shows how good of a friend he is, miles helped him so now he's gonna help miles, while he didn't do to much in the movie they did a great job of setting up his character for the next one. 7/10

Margo kess: I absolutely love her design and she wasn't in the film enough, the only thing she really did in the movie was let miles go but it had a big impact, I can't wait to see her on the team in the next film. I'm also sick of people putting her and Gwen against each other the besties deal with it. Her score would be higher I just haven't seen enough of her character yet. 6/10

Miles g morales: badass entrence and it was a really cool ending to the film, thought were don't know anything about him yet as a character so I can't really rate him yet. 4/10

Spider cat: 10/10 no questions asked.

[an-au-blog]

People often talk about the main or relevant characters in Horrid Henry.. but I don't think people realize just how interesting some other characters are.

Gurinder, Nicola, Soraya, Linda, and Susan, all members of the secret club, are overshadowed by Margaret. But there's so much to them

We know nothing about Soraya's dad, just her mom, and according to the books, it seems their relationship is up for interpretation, but it does seem like her mom supports her, and she has a bunny rabbit that we see twice in the show, the way she gently holds it and so close to her body might just be me but it seems she's very loving and caring towards it. We see she's one of if not the nicest girl in the secret club, while there's not much to explore, her special interest for music and singing is something I feel can be explored, call me crazy but she also seems autistic coded to me ( as an autistic person )

Nicola strays from the norms of the show, both in terms of mannerisms, gender, accent, and relationships, they're not exactly anyone's friend, they like messing with people and watching the world burn seemingly just for the fuck of it. Whether they're just an ass or have reasons for it, it would still be nice to see more of them.

Linda, in the books, is confirmed to have a SHIT sleep schedule because of her parents, making her sleep at the wrong time, but yet even when asleep, according to that Mastermind episode, she's still conscious of her surroundings in some way and is still able to learn, and even as seen in another episode, she can work well while drowsy, even at her age. So we have her parents and her insane intelligence and skill to explore.

And oh

Gurinder and Susan.. I'll save the most complex for last.

Susan, Margaret's little puppet, het shadow, her magnet, we almost never see Susan alone or away from Margaret, she does whatever Margaret does and just copies her sometimes. We see she's nicer, more apologetic, considerate, and isn't just some broken record, but she lets Margaret take lead and do whatever she says. We don't see her have any other friends, we don't see her talking much to others at all, and Margaret doesn't exactly seem to care, in the red roof hang episode she seems to notice how Susan goes unnoticed but doesn't really care, she gets pissy with Susan over small mistakes and slip ups.. and she just takes it

Now. Remember when Susan said that her mom got her to change her little sister's diapers all the time ? And now her littlr sister is vicious ?

The way she responds to and follows Margaret, the way her little sister acts, and that line about diaper changing alone could say a lot about her life.

Gurinder

Where are your parents.

We've got confirmation of the others' parents existing minus Nicola. What about you ?

You've mentioned your mother twice, we've never seen her. You never mention a father figure.

And if the wiki is correct, how are there so many siblings in your family ?

We've seen Gurinder at that Happiest Family contest, and alone

When the official Twitter account talks about parents, we never hear about Gurinder's family. Is it possible Gurinder's parents are gone ?

We rarely hear him talk about his family in general outside of a mention of his little sister.

And he seems very obsessed with his appearance, likely more than Margaret, even the smallest thing like a needle can make him worry, he's very nervous about it, but why is that ? What makes him seem so obsessed and nervous ? Almost everything revolving around his character relates to beauty and we don't go much into it.

And what sparked the implied friendship between him and Henry ? Out of everyone in the secret club, he seems most comfortable with Gurinder

And will we ever talk about his transmasc coding ?????

There's so much unanswered about the other club members

Perhaps an AU can exist where we have a spinoff of watching the other characters like the other 5 SC members to get more lore on them

Aaaaa! I love overanalysing bg characters!

About Vicky, I was actually so surprised that she's Susan's sister. It's very interesting to me because they seem so different and not even as in a "sisters who act and like different things"... but maybe I'm looking way too much into it. I feel like their family situation is interesting and I'm assuming that the kids kind of self-parent and maybe that's why Susan is so easy to latch onto Margaret, because she doesn't have to be the one making the decisions or taking care of things. (Even though she's kind of used as a secretary anyway... though that would still mean she's not completely in charge because she doesn't take the executive decisions and I'm not a big sister but I've been in a position where I have to decide everything and take charge and it's really tiring sometimes...)

Nicola is very interesting because, yes, they are an agent of chaos and don't really fit in either of the two clubs/gangs. But what stunned me was that in the first episode, when she was asked who she wanted as a "guide", they chose Henry because (in my opinion) she thought he would be an easy mark. It was kind of evident that the teacher wasn't very fond of him from the start, so blaming him would be easy? She didn't expect so many people to back her up. And they wouldn't have! If it weren't for the oddly fitting circumstances that gave him the perfect alibi. It's mind-boggling how well she deduced that situation and later on, she keeps reminding the audience how observant she is and how well they can strategies (especially for a kid this age). She's kind of the best type of antagonist - always in the shadows and lurking I love Nicola so much!

Idk about Gurinder's gender, but I love that both the Secret Club and the Purple Hand gang have a member that is on good terms with the "other side". (I'm talking about Brainy Brian.)

Here's one of the boys I love seeing: Brainy Brian is also really interesting to me because, in all 7-to-10-year-old logic, he shouldn't really be considered as cool as he is. And yes, I'm getting into stereotypes here, he asks a lot of questions in class, and as far as I remember he also reminded the teacher about homework/tests, but he's also well-loved and treated as an equal. And I get that it's (again) strongly stereotypical, but I love seeing him do all his smart shenanigan stuff and the rest of them getting all invested in it (like in that one ep where they made a machine to pass on a message for Henry).