#canon is a social construct

[kaijuposting]

I think a lot of people in fandoms kinda don't appreciate how canonicity is often very fuzzy... and isn't even entirely what they think it is.

For a start, everyone is going to interpret a work slightly differently. So much of what characters are feeling, what they're thinking, what their motives are at any given moment is left up to people to intuit and guess, especially in visual mediums. Different people are going read the same characters and the same scenarios very differently, and when asked to describe what "canonically" happened, might describe very different events.

Some interpretations end up being more popular than others, and are widely considered canon, even though they really... aren't?

Also, internal contradictions are often a thing in media, especially when there's multiple creators, or when one creator has been working for so long they can't remember every detail. What's canon in the movie isn't always canon in the tie-in comic, or the novelization, or the third sequel, or the spinoff cartoon series, or whatever.

Statements by official creators are often considered canon, but since they aren't actually in the text of the work itself, they're what you'd consider paratext. The canonicity of paratext is often debatable, especially when it contradicts the text itself, or is contradicted by subsequent texts, or when it just feels out of nowhere and doesn't enhance anyone's enjoyment of the source text.

Also? Every fanfic is technically its own canon. Your fic might include elements that aren't canon to the original author's work, but they're still canon within the context of your work.

[msfcatlover]

Someone: “But that’s not how it actually is in canon!”

Me:

[i-am-snowils-admiral]

Val when Lex Luthor hires the Red Huntress to hunt down Superman

[atopvisenyashill]

idk why people are mad that baela doesn’t care jace’s daddy is harwin, she’s essentially grown up knowing this fact, and has clearly been fond of him anyway, and like most of the people in westeros in both show and book canon, doesn’t give a shit about it because ignoring it means she will one day be Thee most powerful woman in westeros. like genuinely, why would she care about his legitimacy? what does caring about it get her??

[egotistical-cabbage]

I’m cringe but I am free

[lynaferns]

It's kind of hard to not have the mentally of "it's not accurate anymore, so why bother" because the big voices in the fandom are literally loudly celebrating like "YES! I WAS RIGHT ABOUT THIS! HE HATES HIS JOB AND HATES KIDS! IT FEELS SO GOOD TO BE PROVEN RIGHT!" And honestly, it makes people like me, who just recently had the courage to share my au, scared of sharing it now. I don't want to be constantly bothered by "that's not canon" "no, he wouldn't say/act like that" "you're misrepresenting his character" messages all the time.

I get this feeling, this is how I spend my first year in the community in silence. Which can be agonizing because you feel like you're drowning between popular interpretations that are far away from yours and if you show that you have a different point of view of the character they are going to jump to your neck.

But you know what? There is always someone that will share your opinions, and get invested in your AUs. Besides, you're in a pretty accepting fandom with mermaids, cryptics, dragons, fae, vampires, gods, etc etc, AUs everywhere.

If someone calls you out for not being "canon accurate" you let them know that it's an Alternative Universe and if they keep bothering you, you have all the rights to block them, you owe them nothing.

Besides, people are really fast to point out and say "I WAS RIGHT AND YOU WERE WROOOONG". This happened when ruin came out, they found the Moon plush with Casey's thought about the DCA and people were like "YES Moon was soft in the past and got evil because of the virus, FUCK YOU evil moon enjoyers >:D he's actually good!" (literally saw someone say something like that and it was so random) and it's like, so what??? This doesn't stop me from writing Moon evil, I'm going to write him however I want, I'm not gonna write a f i c t i o n a l character in a way I don't feel right with.

It's ok if you don't feel comfortable in sharing your AU right now but don't let the fear of sharing your art hold you back. I wouldn't be here where I am if I was taken aback out of fear from sharing my art and AUs (AUs in which the most accurate one the animatronics has dart guns and DCA has a whole arsenal in his pants, like-)

Give yourself a little time out of the fandom, let things cool down a little and keep writing that AU, or make new ones you find comfort in, whatever will make you happy do it.

I know it's easier said than done...

[vol-au-vending-machine]

My head knows that for the sake of the narrative they shouldn't bring Hoffman back in any sequel.

But my heart... my heart wants my funky chunky murder boi to escape the bathroom.

[fondcrimes]

the "labru chapter" is the kabru chapter

this is a dungeon meshi love manifesto, but not in the way you think. sorry not sorry for the labrubait

what makes chapter 76 so amazing is kabru’s desperation has little to do with laios specifically. it’s not just about kabru being obsessed with laios and making sure he doesn't cause tragedy, either. I think this chapter emphasizes kabru's struggle with the concept of love and companionship. the point of this chapter is that every critical part of kabru collides at once and renders him useless.

(disclaimer: this post includes a lot of projection/speculation but it's to understand kabru's character arc i promise. for clearer analysis and examination of how kabru's ideologies are constructed, check out this really great post)

kabru is a lone visionary

in ch 76, kabru’s threatened by lycion exposing his true intentions to laios not only bc he wants to prevent laios from joining marcille in her destruction, but also bc laios is also from a short-lived race and kabru needs an ally in his power struggle against elves (esp when the chips are down)

but has kabru really accepted his need for allies in his plight? kabru has spent his adult life suppressing a human urge to connect meaningfully with others. he even keeps rinsha et al. at arm's length in the name of achieving his masculine hero complex/survivor's guilt goals. he's already quite disillusioned bc most adventurers don't have the same goal as he does. so he uses people and gets on their good side for systematic support. he’s well-intentioned and takes care of his party. but the idea that an ally could also protect HIM and make HIM feel safe as well doesn’t really register with him until later on in the narrative bc camaraderie and allyship, at its core, is about acknowledging intimacy. kabru struggles with intimacy sub-textually (his self-neglect and social insincerity) even though he knows how to simulate it to gain others' trust.

but he can’t crack laios, he can’t get him to listen. for lack of a better word, kabru is spoiled by the fruits of his superb perception and emotional intelligence. he also doesn’t cope well with failure (bc his goal is too valuable to ~not~ devote himself to) he puts too much value in conquering laios and when he thinks he's failed, he basically crashes out. the real problem is he still doesn’t understand his true feelings--not feelings for laios, but the root of his desire. the root of his goals and the endless search for companionship.

kabru is a strategic historian

at his core, kabru is a storyteller. he tells himself a variety of stories about his trauma and his goals, which serve as motivation and to some extent, self-protection (as shown in his conversation w mithrun). he deeply understands the role of storytelling in regards to the construction of history and drastic shifts in power.

as an utayan, he understands that the tragedy that overcame his people was not random, but resulted from elven negligence of a disenfranchised people. it is imperative for kabru to cement himself as a voice for otherwise voiceless people. in his story, he has no choice but to handle the hero, if not become the hero himself.

kabru even has a story about his pursuit of laios, mainly that laios is currently the most capable person of defeating the mage and that he must do whatever it takes to ensure laios doesn’t fuck it up. his instincts are right, sure, but at first, he places special value in laios’ capabilities that almost seems unearned… like yes he’s studied the island adventurers with frightening expertise, so it makes sense he would have a good idea about who is the most equipped to succeed. but his early suspicions of the toudens seems to complicate my perception of his knowledge by adding emotional depth and a layer of tinhattery so to speak.

canonically, kabru has been rebuffed by laios multiple times (which is so... lolll) when he's talking with his party, kabru hides behind the excuse of dungeon but he’s been trying to get his attention this whole time. to me it reads like he's got a bruised ego from being ignored and is being a hater about it (so real lol). it's funny bc kabru is usually great at taking shit from others (esp elves) if it means nobody suspects/interrogates his true intentions and he can keep the peace. so why does laios tick him off so bad? now we have to get into the psychoanalysis of it all!

kabru is a cynic

first and foremost, kabru’s cynical philosophy about humans is challenged by the touden mission. but plenty of people don’t care about the impact of their actions, so why does kabru obsess over the toudens at the start? I figured kui changed gears with kabru's characterization following his introduction, but I want to try to connect it to kabru's unresolved survivor's guilt. kabru is the sole survivor of a catastrophe caused by negligence and oversight. he criticizes the negative impact of the toudens' generosity and naïveté and confirms his cynical worldview (the road to hell is paved with best intentions), but still maintains a level-headed perspective. on the other hand, kabru's interactions with laios are tinged with irrational jealousy/resentment/desperation, even prior to kabru learning laios' character/intentions as an adventurer. I cannot emphasize enough that I am employing a neutral definition of jealousy here--it seems kabru is jealous of the freedom to not care the way laios does not care about the fate of the island. this isn't to say laios doesn't care about humans, he does, but he seems so singleminded compared to kabru esp in ch 76. kabru sees laios going to the literal end of the world to save his sister. laios gets to be human selfishly, kind-natured but ultimately self-prioritizing.

kabru correctly assesses motives (besides his own maybe). falin said she’d do anything to protect laios and marcille. laios has been socially rejected by people his whole life, and at first, he only cares about his sister and monsters. kabru has survived horror but only by accident… he doesn't agree with their pov and more importantly, it doesn’t exactly compute with him. the toudens are wholly unaware of their impact, which does not sit well with kabru at all, who understands the impact of negligence better than anyone else, esp how it ends up harming the less fortunate and extremely marginalized in society. it's reminiscent of the age-old trolley problem. while kabru has been the victim of senseless pain, I suspect kabru can’t yet make sense of senseless love. he gets to look down at their cause and call it selfish because it directly contradicts his lived experience.

kabru is an ethicist with a heroic streak

it's easy to glean that kabru wants to be the hero utaya should’ve had. while he's hardcore and intense, but not paranoid enough to do something rash. he uses violence as a means of achieving peace. he's self-aware enough to know his skill limits, which seems rational at a glance but the pressure he puts on himself suggests he views himself as inadequate until he achieves his goal. the races of humans are so split up and he sees that this is a matter of power first and foremost.

with the canaries, kabru submits to political pageantry to make a separate case for innocent people. senseless tragedy is unforgivable, but so is the "too little too late" reality of the canary system. he takes on the impossible task of rallying people together to save the dungeon. one read is that he's saving his childhood self from trauma perhaps by saving those like him… he's wishing someone did something before it got bad, wondering why nobody intervened when they had every opportunity to step in. it’s deeper than a sense of duty or fairness, this is about betrayal and retribution.

throughout his life, kabru struggles with the material inequity and limits of love. the human population is fundamentally segmented into a hierarchy due to lifespans and access to power/resources. his mother was the only one who loved him in utaya and she was ostracized because of his appearance and then she was killed due to senseless tragedy. his frustration with the elves encapsulates this idea perfectly, because he is aware of of the limits of their empathy as a long-lived race and adjusts his strategy and rhetoric accordingly. I think milsiril’s love for kabru is genuine, but still infantilizing and smothering due to the racial imbalance. this continues to inform his politics, as he views their perception of short-lived races with contempt. the worst offense is that their bigotry is nonsensical, meaning their hearts cannot be reasoned with.

dungeon meshi is a story about power and politics, yes, but genuine love and acceptance are the catalysts of change and equality. the "invisible gulf" that marcille is referring to is the inability to view other races with love and care. such is the essence of camaraderie. kabru's backstory, family history, and beliefs/motivations raise two important questions for me: who gets to be loved enough to survive, and then to thrive?

kabru is a monster

the emphasis on distinguishing between humans and monsters is quite interesting too. of all sentient beings, who qualifies as worthy of "human" treatment? who deserves empathy and acceptance? kabru seeks these answers to fix the world, but also to justify his place in it.

kabru's lack of self-worth is evident here, but what’s more interesting is he knows many humans suffer worse fates than some monsters. the dehumanization/neglect of fellow humans does not compute, if the premise is humans are superior to demi-humans/non-humans because mutual empathy and understanding. he clings to the superiority of humanity as an appeal to ethos to those in power despite what he might actually believe about himself. to kabru, the true injustice is that humans won’t even save “inferior” humans despite being the same. his unclear heritage manifests as guilt, as he feels directly responsible for his mother's suffering because he is monstrous. then here comes laios, a human who somehow can find it in himself to love monsters.

kabru doesn’t want laios to love him, per se, but laios’ love for monsters and for falin reveals life-altering possibilities for kabru: there is a world where someone could love him even if he were a monster. there is a world where somebody would go to extreme measures just to save him. kabru does not know the extent of laios' trauma but recognizes a sort of kindred spirit but inverse. taking off the ship goggles here--it has less to do with laios specifically, and more to do with what his beliefs/abilities represent for the trajectory of the world (because kabru studies how beliefs/abilities manifest into material reality, after all)

kabru is seeking the power of love

in a different story, kabru would be laios’ archnemesis. they would have a disastrous battle of opposing worldviews in their struggle for dominion. kabru has every right to want to take laios out bc while his affinity for monsters is sympathetic and even charming, it is still a natural threat… kabru has the true hero pathology. he believes he only deserves to live if he can save people for a variety of reasons/traumas. he should do whatever it takes to exterminate laios. but the expectation is subverted in chapter 76 bc we see kabru’s curiosity and ongoing quest for understanding win over his worst fears.

I feel like I’ve been projecting a lot but bear with me... a huge part of kabru’s character is him trying to figure out how to matter to people, or figuring out why people matter to others in general. it’s not to say he doesn’t matter to his friends or milsiril, but why else would he bother with all the manipulative people-pleasing? it would be less meaningful if he had ulterior motives like greed or power, but he plays into people's expectations/desires for a disastrously noble cause. he’s still actively living in his trauma as a deeply traumatized adult. it’s pure serendipity that laios can send him right back to his past and then pull him right out again. I don't think it's crazy to say kabru (correctly) projects a lot of shit on laios bc he doesn’t know how to deal with those injustices and barriers between people himself.

this is also why I believe kabru's beef with laios is as personal as it is strategic. we have to consider the trajectories of their character arcs (their big missions, respectively) in relation to one another as foils. if laios' love for falin can move mountains and do impossible things, kabru is subconsciously drawn to the magnitude of that love like a magnet. his response to cognitive dissonance is quite remarkable as well. at the root of his unbelievable capacity for understanding and curiosity is the deep wound of being unloved and unprotected. kabru does not avoid or run away from his fears, he quite literally keeps running toward them and follows it down to hell. he wants to identify the true source of his deepest wound.

to me, this omake connects his childhood curiosity to his search for love, almost as to ask “is there enough room for me to be loved?" and the same can be said for marcille's character arc/ backstory. her biracial heritage has caused her great existential pain and social isolation.

in dungeon meshi, the issues of protection and justice continue to be interpreted through love. if kabru were to go back in time and save utaya, he would’ve needed incomprehensible magic, a supernatural power to save himself, his mother, his hometown. in contrast, laios' mission to save falin is just one manifestation of the surreality of love, all of the impossibilities it permits. the touden party wade through invisible gulfs to save falin, but also each other. kabru doesn’t hate their story, he just can’t fathom it yet.

kabru is a skilled strategist and communicator. and does not listen to his heart or body until he’s absolutely forced to do it. he has insane goals and expectations for himself and will go to great measures for those goals. as cerebral and cold as he might seem, it’s critical to understand that his character arc is about love too. in my opinion, it’s almost as if he’s trying to change his reality in hopes of finding love. my favorite thing about kabru is that he has all the narrative makings of the perfect misunderstood villain who self-destructs at the end of the story. but kabru is too smart for that, too focused on the big-picture impacts and the historical trajectory of the cause. instead, kabru finds the wherewithal to stand down once he understands that laios is capable of loving humanity like he does, or that he could help him see the value in humanity at all.

to love is to understand, and then to surrender.

[rqbossman]

Rules

Hey everyone, I thought it would be a good idea to establish some ground rules to guide interactions on here so without further ado: 1) I get to change and or ignore my own rules as and when I like. It's my blog so tough. 2) I won't even consider answering an ask unless it meets the following criteria: a) I haven't been asked it before on Tumblr. b) It is worded as a question. c) It does not ask me to rule on canon for content I make. d) It does not ask for takes on real people. e) It has a positive tone (seeking to become positive counts) f) It is not a callout (e.g. why are you so rubbish etc.) g) It is not asking for confidential information on business and/or Intellectual property h) It is not just rephrasing a previous question because people didn't like the answer. i) It's respectful. j) It is not just a veiled story request (e.g. why don't you make these characters kiss etc.) 3) This is not a press conference or an interrogation. If you want to ask serious questions about Rusty Quill and other proper topics send them to mail@rustyquill.com 4) If you DM me I will ignore it on principal. Not because I don't like you but because I am receiving so many that I can't be fair with it and it's just generally unwise anyway. 5) Remember we are all human. That means we can make mistakes, change our minds, be flippant, have a bad day and give bad advice. Please show a little grace rather than trying to catch people out. I do not support dogpiling in any situation. 6) Be kind. The fastest way to get yourself blocked by me is being unkind even if you are in the right. Some of the cruellest and regrettable actions I have ever seen have been fuelled by righteous indignation. 7) Be wise. Internet culture moves fast. Not everyone knows everything you know and not everyone needs to know everything you know. You aren't helping me if you appoint yourself "chief brainbox educator supreme" and try to school people on how things should be. Let's just all keep it chill yeah? 8) Be patient. This is not my job. This is barely even counts as a good idea! I run my social media when I can but I don't have deadlines and I don't have sociability quotas. I might do a flurry of activity when I have time then go quiet for months. Just go ahead and assume if I am not posting it's for a good reason. 9) One question per person. Don't worry it doesn't annoy me, its just I don't know if its fair me using all my social media time budget on a single person and leave others unanswered.

This is hardly a complete or exhaustive list and no doubt I have made some tragic tumblr newb error but it'll have to do for now. I am happy to take constructive feedback on these but don't expect quick turnaround on anything.

[gendertrickster]

in homestuck isnt gender canonically a bootstrap paradox

in a sense. calliope/caliborn perceived gender roles as an inherent truth of reality rather than the social construct it was, which ended up projecting itself through the narrative forces those two represent and causing the construct to have existed to begin with, oppressiveness and all. and this worked heavily into caliborn's favor because his fated foe, vriska serket, is one character most affected by her gender role, and she dies trying to adhere to it. on the other hand, though, is the character caliborn is implied to be most weak to: davepeta, the sole textually transgender homestuck character with no room for interpretation. so yeah gender is sort of implied to be another one of lord english's tools of oppression, and canonically speaking, any character that circumvents traditional gender structures has an edge on him

[anmaje]

I have so many Thoughts about S&co Sherlock Holmes, so have my headcanons:

- He was raised, at least partially, by his grandparents. Maybe by the french, maternal grandmother(NAVA). His oldtimey poshness is wonderful, but I can only explain it with some oldmoney, eccentric pensionist giving him a weirdly free, yet emotionally constipated upbringing.

- The houseplants of 221b and a are in pristine health because of him.

- He doesn't have any actual diagnoses. This is basically canon, but I'm putting it on here anyways. He doesn't, but Mycroft does. It's the classic instance of the more "severe case" or "more affected" sibling getting the help they need. And the symptoms of the other "less affected" sibling are overlooked. He also self medicates, which makes sense if he doesn't have access to prescription meds.

- He only wears clothes that fit. Oversized or skinny styles are the inventions of Satan himself. They're straight from sensory hell, and Sherlock agrees with me. He's very picky with fabrics too, preferring natural to synthetic. He detests wool against his skin though, so he wears tights, or long underwear beneath wool trousers in winter. He also gets a lot of clothes adjusted or made by a tailor(Who also did his grandparent's tailoring).

- He shaves his legs and armpits aswell as his face every day.

- If you ask him about his sexuality/gender identity you'll get a "that's none of your business". If John asked him, he'd get a "labels limit the vast expanse of the human experience". In truth he doesn't fucking know, it's weird and muddy, like the rest of his identity. He's read every book on the subject, watched so much porn, had a lot of one night stands, but ultimately comes up with: sex and relationships get in the way of my work, so I'll ignore that. Gender is a social construct, so I get to decide what a man is. And I'm queer, I guess.

- Dogperson

- He plays Mendelsohn for John, like in the canon. Not because John has asked him to(John doesn't know who Mendelsohn is), but because he's made a careful study to garner John's reaction to different composers. He's been doing the same with Mariana, and is slowly but surely honing in on Mozart. Both of these composers bore him, but he doesn't care when it's for his friends <3

- Despite not liking to dance (solitary cyclist part 2), he's very good! He was forced to do ballet and ballroom dancing as a kid. He's mustering up the courage to ask Mariana to dance salsa with him on their next pub escapade, but he always puts it off.

-FRECKLES. A LOT OF 'EM.

[loveushijima]

ushijima bf hcs!!! like how would he be as a bf?

thank youuu!! <33

ushijima wakatoshi as your boyfriend!

fluffffffffffff, clueless ushiwaka | female reader

a/n: hi pookie bear im so sorry but i have no idea how to write headcanons so i hope this is acceptable n i did ur request justice <3 😭 also not proofread!

Let’s start from the beginning:

Ushijima would not understand that his feelings for you are more than just platonic.

In the beginning, Ushijima would see you as a great friend to have.

But overtime, he would start to feel weird. The slightest touch you give him would send electricity all over his body, he’d memorise your daily schedule and subconsciously alter his path so he’d be able to bump into you more, and he’d take notice of the way you smiled or the way you put your hand up to cover your lips whenever you laughed.

He thought your smile and laugh were beautiful and contagious, why would you ever feel the need to do that?

Ushijima wouldn’t think much about it, he’d brush it off as him treating you nicer because you’re one of his only girl friends.

Tendou, however, isn’t that dense.

Tendou took notice of the way whenever something reminded Ushijima of you, he’d immediately ask out loud, “I wonder if she’d like this…” or, “If she was here right now, she would probably enjoy this very much.”

He sighs, his friend is not very adapt to his own feelings.

Tendou has a loooooong conversation with Ushijima before Ushijima finally realises that his feelings for you aren’t purely platonic.

“Wakatoshi-kun, do you get butterflies in your stomach whenever I lay a hand on you?”

“No.”

“Do you ever think my smile is beautiful and contagious?”

“…not really.”

“Ouch. But there you go, Waka-kun!”

“Ah.”

Ushijima isn’t the type to beat around the bush and get shy and blushy once he comes to terms with his feelings. Actually, he would be the type to not confess to you at all in case the confession completely ruins the friendship. But with Tendou’s relentless peer pressure, Ushijima eventually gives in and asks if you’d be available to meet around the dormitory buildings one evening after all classes at Shiratorizawa Academy has ended.

There, he confesses.

“I have feelings for you.” He confesses… rather bluntly.

“Oh?”

“Yes. I would rather we just pretend this did not happen and go back to being how we normally were before this confession.”

“What???? But you didn’t even let me answer!”

“Oh. My apologies, go on.”

“If you would’ve let me talk, I would’ve accepted your confession! Idiot.”

Ushijima blinks in surprise and lets a small smile spread across his features.

“Thank you for accepting my confession.”

Now, Ushijima Wakatoshi as a boyfriend:

You would 100% be his first girlfriend, so please be patient! Whatever he says or does that gets on your nerves, he promises he means no harm — he’s just super oblivious.

Canonically, Wakatoshi is very well-mannered and polite. The epitome of a gentleman.

However, sometimes social cues fail him and his low emotional intelligence can be the death of him. Sometimes he can appear too blunt or aloof.

“Gosh, how did I fail this test?”

“I think you did not study hard enough. Try harder next time.”

“😡.”

He genuinely thinks he’s giving you constructive criticism and helping you out but in actuality, all you wanted was a listening ear.

There are certain things you have to be upfront with Wakatoshi about, such as certain wants. Wakatoshi is an upfront person himself, so as your boyfriend he’d be more than grateful if you just communicated your feelings to him straight up with no filter.

Setting all that aside, he tries so hard for you.

“So when I say, ‘Oh noooo, I failed a test!’ What are you supposed to say, Toshi?”

“I can’t believe you failed. That damned professor did you so wrong. The school system sucks.”

“Yes!!!!!!!!!” And you kiss him all over his face after his new and improved response. He smiles and leans in even more.

Wakatoshi’s love languages would also definitely be Acts of Service and Gift Giving.

He isn’t a man of many words, so he tries to make up for the lack of poetry by showing you his love, through his gestures. It could range from the bare minimum such as holding the door open for you, pushing your head gently onto his shoulder if you were nodding off to sleep, or whenever you’re both walking on a path beside an open road with traffic, he makes sure you stand safely inside and he stands on the side nearer to the road.

Or, it could be things more evident to show you he loves you. Such as making you bento boxes from scratch (all the ingredients fresh from his farm, of course), letting you wear his jacket if you get cold and blushing because of how cute you looked in it, or sometimes just being present with you. During the weekends, if he doesn’t have volleyball training and you have some errands to run, he offers to follow you and help run some of the errands on your list to make your life easier — it warms your heart but you always decline and tell him, “You don’t have to! I can do all this myself, Toshi. How about you just keep me company for the day while I run these errands? I would love to hear more about that match you played last Friday against that one school!”

He loves you so much.

As I mentioned before, Wakatoshi is not a man of many words. So, he would definitely enjoy the idea of gift giving very much. It doesn’t matter what you’re talking about, it could be the manga you and Tendou were currently reading together or how many different types of rice you could name, Wakatoshi listens to every single thing you talk about.

And he remembers.

Wakatoshi walks up to you one Monday morning, a bag in his hand and his normal aloof expression on his face. He hands you the bag and you look up at him confused. You open up the bag and gasp loudly, beaming ear to ear as you pick up the box from inside the bag. It was a figurine of the main character in that manga you and Tendou were reading. You jump into Wakatoshi’s arms as his aloof expression turns into one of fondness. He could stay in that position forever if God wills.

Remember the bento boxes Wakatoshi would make for you? He’d 100% remember your favourite type of rice and use that specific grain type for your bento boxes.

Wakatoshi remembered all the small, funny and mundane things about you, but sometimes that’s all you need. Everyone always remembers the exciting and thrilling things, like that one time you shop-lifted or that one time you got into a disciplinary case. Wakatoshi felt like a breath of fresh air from all the chaos. It felt nice to have someone remember your favourite flowers, or your favourite type of rice.

It’s a type of love that’s so innocent and pure, and sometimes that’s the best kind of love.

Wakatoshi would also definitely share more about himself with you than he has with anyone ever. He would tell you about his father leaving, his left-handedness being his mother’s biggest shame in life, and if he ever feels overworked or burnt out at times with volleyball. Wakatoshi was never one to moan and groan about his problems, but he just felt so safe with you, as if he could tell you anything and you’d still be there with him every step of the way. He felt so, so safe with you.

He’d want you to tell him about your problems too if you are ever facing any troubles. He wouldn’t force it out of you but of course he hopes that one day you’d be comfortable enough to share more about yourself with him. Wakatoshi really wants to know more about you as the relationship progresses more.

Wakatoshi is definitely the type of boyfriend who’d walk you to class in the morning and back to the dormitories in the evening. He’s a busy student — being the captain and ace of the volleyball team and juggling his academics was no easy task, but he always makes sure to accompany you whenever he has free time. Wakatoshi could spend just 5 minutes with you and he’d already be in a better mood after chatting with you.

The Shiratorizawa Volleyball Team Year 1s™ thank you for your service, as ever since their captain has gotten together with you, he’s become better vocally during trainings and so much more approachable. Of course he’s not hooting and hollering across the gymnasium, but he actually mumbles out a small “Nice kill.” now if impressed by one of his members.

One time Wakatoshi told Goshiki that his serves that training session were good and the junior swore he heard angels singing and he almost ascended to heaven on the spot.

You definitely brought out the best in Wakatoshi, and he loved you for that.

[allwaswell16]

A One Direction fic rec of fics like the book Red, White & Royal Blue as requested in this ask. The fics all have varying combinations of the main tropes of the book (enemies to friends to lovers, royalty, famous/famous, and/or fake relationship). You can find my other fic recs here. Happy reading!

- Louis / Harry -

💙 Queen of Arizella by seducedbycurls

(M, 277k, omegaverse) Harry is King of Arizella, he needs a Queen and who better than an omega on the run from death? Louis will learn to become the perfect Queen -the perfect fake Queen, but only for a few months.

💙 The Greatest Thing by @infinitelymint *

(E, 163k, canon) Harry and Louis haven’t spoken since the band broke up when a dangerous combination of Niall Horan, tequila, and an ordained Elvis impersonator means that the two of them have to embark on their biggest publicity stunt to date - together.

💙 Façade by written_with_no_end / @written-with-no-end

(NR, 133k, famous/famous) An AU where Louis is the lead singer of The Rogues, Harry is the lead singer of White Eskimo and both are sick of being in the closet so kiss one night to fuck with the media.

💙 Lightning Strikes The Heart by @fournipplesau , @justalarryblog

(E, 130k, historical) As expected every year, the Lockhart House hosts the season’s opening ball, and its invitation is the motive of the hustle in town, and every family hopes for the invitation. This year is no different, but this year everyone's attention is focused on the new Duke of Montgomery, His Grace Harry Edward Styles, and whether he will attend it.

💙 Paint Me In A Million Dreams by green_feelings / @greenfeelings *

(M, 112k, famous/famous) When Louis sacks the role Harry auditioned for in Scorsese's next big film, their irrational feud starts. Who could have guessed it would get even worse when for promo season, their teams decide to present them as a couple for publicity?

💙 mirrorball by cherryboys

(NR, 102k, famous/famous) When Harry is asked to fake date Louis Tomlinson, an actor he hates because he bad mouthed one of Harry's songs in the beginning of his career, he is opposed to the idea.

💙 white winged dove by duchessy

(M, 100k, arranged marriage) Pressured to marry in order to save his family from financial and social ruin, Louis finds himself caught between wanting to be selfish and doing what he needs to do for the sake of his sisters, if no one else.

💙 king of my heart by wildestdreams / @thelavendrhaze *

(E, 83k, adaptation) A Red, White, and Royal Blue AU where Hollywood elite, Louis Tomlinson, finds himself falling for the closeted Prince of England.

💙 A Night in Hollywood by Sax246

(NR, 71k, famous/famous) Louis quickly comes to realise Harry is only enjoyable on the screen and not in-person. When the two get caught in a fight by paparazzi at a celebrity party, the media goes crazy, and they are forced into a PR-relationship against their will.

💙 don't want no other shade of blue by padfootyoudog / @louisisworthit

(E, 58k, omegaverse) it was foretold that Alpha Prince Harry would be mated to a beautiful male omega with eyes that could rival the stone amethyst, but Omega Prince Louis refuses to believe it.

💙 Need So Much of You by @lululawrence *

(NR, 46k, canon) the would-have-been canon compliant, fake relationship, friends with benefits, friends to lovers fic where Louis wonders if this thing going on with Harry is going to break him or change everything for the better.

💙 walk my days on a wire by sunshiner *

(E, 38k, famous/famous) when actor Louis Tomlinson used to daydream about dating Harry Styles, this is not what he had in mind.

💙 (we will be) as if chosen by @alivingfire *

(E, 35k, secrets)  Under the watchful eyes of millions, Louis has to figure out how to keep his carefully constructed house of cards from falling, and the first step to accomplishing that is to keep from falling in love with the irritatingly charming Prince Harry, who just won't stop showing up and trying to whisk Louis out of the constraints of his boring life.

💙 Lies & Liability by 4ureyesonly28 / @evilovesyou

(M, 34k, historical) Harry Styles wishes that he will enter matrimony out of true love, no matter how favourable the match with any which alpha may be.

💙 Sail into the Sun by orphan_account

(E, 31k, Prince Louis) Louis needed a way out, Harry needed a husband. It was a mutual agreement. Doesn't mean they have to like each other.

💙 Dancing With Masks by @softfonds *

(E, 18k, famous/famous) With awards season coming up and new films on the way for both of them, Harry and Louis' managers decide it's time for them to date for publicity. 

💙 rapture in the dark by stylinsonsupporter

(T, 13k, hate to love) Harry does the Winter Girlfriend routine with Louis instead.

- Rare Pairs -

💙 Love Like This by @reminiscingintherain *

(E, 32k, Zayn/Louis/Liam) A Zouiam RWRB AU, featuring Louis as the First Son, Liam as the Prince, and Zayn as Liam's friend and equerry. 

💙 Be My King (I'll Be Your Queen) by transteverogers *

(E, 15k, Zayn/Liam) That one where Zayn's a royal bad boy and Liam's his PR agent/Personal Assistant and basically everyone knew they had feelings for each other before they did.

[penny-anna]

talking about transformers again over the weekend n my friend suggested on Cybertron all machines should be people. no constructed machines just people who turn into different machines.

anyway my proposition is that this is canon but the spaceships and stuff are all lobotomised transformers. the lobotomising is done immediately at birth so its viewed as humane and the whole thing is socially normalised.

[dotster001]

Quiet End

A/N: Your first non canon, custom content end is here! I've tagged everyone from the of tag list, and everyone who voted for this particular end. If you wanna add your vote for the next one, you can do so in the comments here.

Chapters: Part One Part Two Part Three Choose Another ending

You have to do this! It's all you've been talking about for a week!"

"I just can't!"

Idia was all dressed in a suit and bow tie, but stubbornly standing outside the door to the restaurant. Ortho gave him a pleading look.

"Idia! Come on! Pull it together! You'll always regret it if you don't go in there!"

As Idia was about to send out another string of curses, when an angry Grim, wearing a bow tie, and holding a clipboard, slammed open the door and stomped over to Idia.

"Shroud, pull yourself together or, I swear to the seven, Ashengrotto and I will have a reconciliation, and you'll never have another chance with Y/N!"

With that shout out of his system, he stormed back into the restaurant, probably to try and tell the band and you that "your date" was still coming.

Idia was still frozen, but now it wasn't just out of social anxiety, it was the anxiety that if he blew tonight, he blew any chance of future nights with you.

"Okay, that's it," Ortho said, pushing Idia.

"No…"Idia said through gritted teeth.

"Initiating thrusters," Ortho said, and Idia heard the thrusters kick in, and felt Ortho's pushing get significantly stronger.

"No, no no!"

Once Ortho had pushed him through the door, he let him go, and escaped back out, leaving Idia to make eye contact with you and the band. A smile bloomed across your face, and you waved at him.

Idia took a steadying breath, and robotically walked over to your table, taking a seat.

"Sorry I'm late," he muttered.

"It's totally fine! I'm just happy that you're my date. The last date Grim set me up on was with Azul, and, well, I'm sure you heard how that went."

Idia nodded. The entirety of NRC had heard the story of how Grim had been roped into a contract with Azul, so that Azul could date you. Only a select few knew the truth, though.  Azul had begun construction on a second branch, which meant his income was slightly lower this quarter. And Grim wasn't that good at business math. Which meant Idia was in.

"You're happy it's me?" He asked, unable to hold eye contact with you.

"I mean, yeah. Of course I'm happy it's you! I like you. Quite a lot," you grinned, and his hair turned a deep red as he buried himself in his hoodie like a turtle.

As if the moment couldn't get anymore overwhelming, you looked over your shoulder at Grim, who was yelling at the singer in the band, and then leaned in enough that he could deeply inhale your scent.

"Wanna get outta here?"

….

The two of you were quietly walking along campus. Neither of you spoke, but neither of you needed too. It was a comfortable silence.

At length, Idia muttered," I quite like you, too."

You looked startled, but then smiled happily.

"I'm so happy, Idia. Thank you."

"Why? I'm just a loser otaku, with freaky blue hair…"

"Sevens, Idia! You're sweet, you're smart, you're funny, and despite how you feel, you're quite hot. Like that jawline could cut glass, dude."

He looked at you, not convinced.

"My god, I have to do everything around here," you said with a groan, before grabbing his face and kissing him.

His eyes widened in shock, but as he watched, you seemed to be enjoying the kiss. So he closed his eyes, and just took you in, letting the moment be.

"Y/N! Shroud!" 

You separated, and he couldn't stop himself from chasing your lips, until he realized that the angry sound was Grim.

"Both of you skipped out on your rather expensive date, so I just had to pay the bill. I expect rapid reimbursement."

You raised an eyebrow at Grim, then rolled your eyes.

"Whatever, Grimmy. Your money comes from me anyway."

"Don't sass me! This has been a rather stressful evening! We're going home, and neither of you gets to see each other until you've learned your lesson."

He stormed off, and you made to follow, but not before leaning in to Idia and whispering, "Let's do this in your room next time."

His heart was so full as he watched you leave, a dreamy sigh on his lips.

....

Tag list-@shytastemakerthing @stygianoir @leonia0 @lleoll @eccedentesiast-sapphic @supertmntgirl @cxsmicdustdreams @aethermostbeloved @krystalkiller25 @asmallbean3 @theneurodivergentdummy @candlewitch-cryptic @smilingfox22-blog @phantomgaming1920 @the-dumber-scaramouche @noidonothavetimeforthis @bontensbabygirl @xxoomiii @somany-fandoms-solittle-time @bre99 @stupidsimp @sus0daddy @a-small-tyrant @imlost-sendhelp @mizukiblogs @i-like-forgs @astral-ami @homestuckotaku

[phantomrose96]

My favorite part of Sham Sacrifice is that I'm interpreting Jack and Maddie as not even realizing the worst horror. "Oh, our son died and he didn't realize/is in denial", but not yet "Our son knows he is a ghost, and he's heard everything we've said about ghosts." (I actually formed this comment in my head before remembering they know about "Phantom" and would realize that's Danny, but like. "dissociative personality". there's ways for denial to make that work.)

Damn, Vlad really was 19 and horribly ill and the show wanted us to side against him/find him pathetic for having "pimples". Damn.

So Danny and Vlad are just dragging their corpses around in an intangible/invisible state whenever they're not using them. Overshadowing a person and there's also a whole ass other human body in there just shifted over a bit.

(Sham Sacrifice: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2)

Good good good good good!!!

Yeah the leap from "our son has died and we killed him" to "our son is the ghost we've been tormenting" is Right there but like, they're still grappling with the Stage 1 of this horror. The rest of the onion is waiting.

Also big yes about Vlad. I was talking with the friend @ghostfiish about this and canon SURE makes Vlad's lab accident out to be like "Oh man this guy got GHOST acne--scary teens amiright? Totally killed his social life because, acne? amiright?" and it's so blasé and unserious and dismissive of Vlad. Strips his dignity and makes it like it was almost funny. Then Masters of All Time comes around and makes it known to the audience hey ecto-acne is fatal.

We only really got Jack's dismissive version of events but... I'm not exaggerating canon at all when I say Jack's utter recklessness in turning the portal on while Vlad was in front of it, along with its botched construction, caused it to malfunction and blast Vlad in the face, infecting him a case of lethal ecto-acne and ruining him so badly Jack basically never saw him again. Jack killed his friend and doesn't even think it matters. Come on!!

This is not to dismiss -gestures at everything Vlad's ever done- but I'm not leaving this on the floor. I'm bringing it to the Hey can we talk about this? table.

Also spinning that last paragraph around in my head. Fascinating idea of there-but-not for the human body when halfas go ghost mode. Is it right there underlaying the ghost form, or not? None of this is natural, not even for a ghost.