#do note that half of the relationships here are my hcs and interpretations

[redwayfarers]

AFFRONT

Fandom: FFXIV Ship: Nika/Artoirel Characters: Nika Perseis (WoL), Artoirel de Fortemps, Lucretia Fiore, Mina Fiore Rating: Gen Word count: 1696 Spoilers: minor StB spoilers. part 2 - read on ao3 divider by @saradika

He’d been warned, of course, how difficult this would be. Nika is far from an easy man to get along with on the best of days, let alone in what appears to be the worst state he’s found himself in as of recent history, mentally and physically. He’d been warned, yet he’d insisted, because he couldn’t simply watch as they organised the transport to Ishgard and not offer to help. He couldn’t watch as they carted Nika, fragile and unconscious, away to the hands of Ishgardian chirurgeons, and away from his vigilant eye. 

So he bartered. He told his father it was securing Eorzea’s future if he stayed in Ishgard, by Nika’s side, overseeing his recovery. Maybe he even expected pride in his father's eye for the foresight. He found agreement, but little else. 

Artoirel knows it’s not becoming of him anymore. He knows, yet finds it necessary to justify his actions to his father. Securing Eorzea’s future seems to matter more than the heart of one’s son almost breaking at his lover almost dying. His father has even taken upon himself to bring Nika’s mothers from Limsa, as an additional pair of eyes. 

It’s taken Artoirel a moment to realise how much of a mercy this is. He doesn’t dare interpret it as a sign of care, not quite yet, but he’s grateful nevertheless. Said mothers did warn him about the difficulty of his choice, but he did see the relief in their eyes, knowing that their son has someone steadfast by his side.

He wonders if his own father would share the same relief. For Haurchefant, certainly. For Emmanellain, perhaps. But for Artoirel? The fact he has to wonder at all speaks much more than any answer could. 

But he has bigger things to worry about, such as the hurt in his chest at Nika’s shame-fueled anger that had nowhere to go but to Artoirel. He knows it’s not personal, he even understands the impulse, and yet, his eyes prickle with tears he can’t shed. Relief comes when Nika’s mother rushes in, looks between them and just signals for Artoirel to go. 

Ordinarily, he would’ve been insulted. As it stands, he takes the direction and leaves, though he stops to watch Nika stifle a scream in his mother’s neck. Artoirel hardly remembers what his mother’s hugs felt like. He cannot seem to recall a recent one from his father, either. 

If his insides were a battlefield, they would signal a lost battle. 

Artoirel turns away and walks briskly to his office. He contains any sniffling, and his eyes burn with the effort of holding back tears, but the few gazes he does notice linger. It makes shame burn bright - he’s their lord now - so he picks up the pace and closes the door loudly behind him. Only then does he crumple, halfway across the room to his desk, and the stain of tears follows him as he sits and hides his face in his palms. 

And he cries. He cries, and cries, and cries, cries even as his pride begs him to stop and reason demands he does. It all hits him like bricks, one at the time: Nika’s harsh words, barely audible through tears, that sickening feeling of emptiness and resentment when he thinks of his father, the sight of Nika crying in his mother’s arms and the absence of his own. He feels his hands shake and realizes he’s shaking from head to toe, and cries even harder, because he’s failing his duty. 

Halone save him, he’s failing his duty. He’s responsible for Nika now, and he should be there, in that fucking room, take the yelling with grace, and he should be grateful he’s alive at all to scream at him, not run away–

The door slides open and Artoirel’s blood runs cold. 

“I came to– oh, you’re crying,” a female voice says and he raises his eyes. She sounds genuinely empathetic, which makes him dig his nails into his palms. 

“Madam, I apologize you had to–” he starts, but he hates how his shaken voice sounds. The woman huffs. “If you could just wait for a moment–” 

“That kind of crying isn’t about to disappear in a moment,” she says quietly and Artoirel slumps in his chair. “It’s all good, though. Crying’s normal. Didn’t know you Ishgardians are so uppity about it.” 

He wipes his eyes and looks at her. She’s tall enough to be a Highlander, and her hair is dark and short. She’s dressed in an oversized, woolen coat, and in the dim light of the room, her eyes appear to be two smothering pools of darkness. He suddenly recalls where he knows her from. It’s one of Nika’s mothers. 

“Madam Perseis, I do not.. I do not ordinarily cry before guests,” he says by way of apology. 

“Ain’t a Perseis. Nor a madam.” Great. Now he feels incompetent, ashamed and stupid. “Name’s Lucretia Fiore. I hope my own son’s mentioned me once or twice.” 

“Once or twice,” Artoirel cautiously replies and sniffles. “Shamefully little. He’s never mentioned that your surname is Fiore.” 

Lucretia sighs. “Gods know how little he told you about anything else, then.” 

“I still don’t know what happened to his father, if it’s any consolation, and we have been courting for months now, and have been friends for longer.” 

Lucretia stares. “When he’s less likely to bite my head off, I will have a word with him about it.” She walks over and  uncrosses her hands from her chest. “You’re a lord or something, yeah? Is it okay if I skip the titles and just call you what your name is?” 

“A count,” he corrects and throws his head back against the chair. Not that he’s worthy of the title in this state, anyway. “But please, do not refer to me as such. It’s hardly earned.” 

“That’s how aristocracy works, I think.” 

“It is not a just system, necessarily. Artoirel is enough.” He shrugs. “It is my name.”  

“Good.” Lucretia points towards a nearby seat and he nods. “Just came to say sorry on Nika’s behalf and that he’ll come around. It’s not your fault he almost got himself killed. You didn’t deserve the anger he poured on you earlier.” 

“I am responsible for him now,” Artoirel replies. “For the time being, I should say. For his care. I have seen people.. Do unjust things in their rage, and there should be someone there to listen to that rage.” He pauses. “Not a.. superior. A caretaker.” 

“Very noble of you,” Lucretia says. “But what happens when caretakers get overwhelmed? Taking care of people is hard. Taking care of Nika is even harder. Give yourself a breather when you need it.” 

He simply sucks air in and massages his hands. His head feels full of lead, a heavy pull that drags down to his chest. There is no ‘breather’ when you are responsible. There is no ‘breather’ when you have a duty, towards one’s country, one’s family, and one’s lover. A part of him notes that Nika’s failed in honoring the one he has towards his family. 

But when has Nika ever cared for such things? He disapproves, of course, but Nika’s offense feels lesser than his own. In fact, he might as well have not had a single bad thought in his entire life. It’s a lie, of course. But Artoirel has no strength to grapple with moral qualms right now. 

“He will come around,” Lucretia repeats. “He’s like his mother, says shit he doesn��t mean, does shit he doesn’t mean. He also has her tendency of running away, but something tells me he won’t run away from this one. I won’t let him.” 

“He does resemble her,” Artoirel whispers. The image of them, side by side, comes into sharp focus; the same dark skin, black hair, the same full lips, the same prominent nose. Nika looks so alike to his mother that there is no question that they share blood. But she lacks the scar, and her eyes are the same brown and warm, whereas his are mismatched and sharp. 

There was no sharpness when he crumpled in her arms, though, only anguish. Artoirel recalls his own mother and wonders if his features keep anything from hers anymore or he’s entirely Edmont’s son. He’d been told that he had his mother’s face as a child. But since then he’s grown, and the fullness of his cheeks has been replaced by sharpness. 

But round though it may have been, his mother’s face could still be as cold as his father’s. Cold enough to whisper in his ear that he should reject Haurchefant, cold enough to convince him of it. Cold enough to leave an emptiness when she died. She was only ever truly happy when she played music. 

But both she and Haurchefant are dead. Her hatred does not matter anymore. Artoirel blinks tears away. Lucretia is watching him, gentle, and it makes him want to cry even more. 

“Do you need a hug?” she asks, and her voice is low and akin to a soft wave. She places a tentative hand on his arm. Artoirel doesn’t recall his parents’ hugs. 

His pride rebels, naturally. But this whole situation is ridiculous enough as is and his head feels as if it’s about to burst from the pressure of recent events. He thinks of Nika in the other room, his sharp words play in Artoirel’s head in a loop, but he cannot find it in him to be angry. He thinks of his father calling Aymeric his son, without a word in Artoirel’s direction, but he cannot find it in him to be angry about this, either. 

All he can do is endure and hope it goes away, like any duty-bound son of Ishgard would. 

“I do, actually,” he says at last, and Lucretia shuffles until she wraps her arms around him, and Artoirel melts against her and this time, he doesn’t bother to hide his tears. 

Because all he can do is endure, and maybe, enduring does not have to mean being strong at all times. 

What an odd notion. He’ll take it anyway. 

[greaterspawnislands]

I have questions about Philza hardcore season 4 lore

Can you tell me about Godess Rose's personality? I saw a theory that she is who sent Philza to the birdhouse but she seems too aware and kind to do that, I think.

The other gods in Philza's HC lore seem to have straight forward personalities: Ender King: Greedy, Blaze Empress: Badass, Ocean Overlord: Himbo

Also how do the gods view Philza? Is he like a a stray dog you see at work sometimes to them or a coworker or a flying bug that likes to hear their stories?

Okay so touching on the first bit, her connection to the birdhouse. My interpretation of it was not that she sent Phil to the birdhouse maliciously, but touched it in a way to protect him. It's in the little details - note the way that Cucurucho placed a security craft door at the end of that stream, and when Phil 'woke up' there the first time, the door was a wooden door covered in vines. I think that whatever the Federation tried to do to Phil, Rose actually interfered and softened that blow, maybe by sending Phil to dream of the hardcore world? There's still some fuzzy stuff in there - why did Rose obscure herself from Phil for so long, et cetera, and I don't quite know what to make of that yet. perhaps time will tell.

Here's what we know about Rose as far as her personality: she's the oldest and the most powerful of the gods, and she is first and foremost a pacifist. But she's a pacifist insofar that like. her primary goal is protection of her realm, and she doesn't take any of the ender king's shit when he tries to fuck with them. in phil's hardcore world, he built a pumpkin farm which he covered with a big void spike, identical to the ones that pop up from the floor of nethervoid (all of which are from ender) and he had the overworld void spike sliced in half by rose, as she put a very swift stop to the Ender King trying to take over her Greater Spawn Islands domain. So, she's a pacifist, and she's also a caretaker - see how she restored Flowerfall when the Ender King took that from the Ocean Overlord, she did that for Ocean since he wasn't awake to do anything about it himself, though iirc she was a little peeved by his sleepiness that led to inaction.

She's a pacifist, but very far from a doormat, she just prefers to use her powers to heal and restore rather than to attack. But she still went along with Ocean's plan to flood the End, and so on. Protection is really her primary goal.

And as for how the deities view Phil...honestly that's something we're still learning in QSMP. In Hardcore, Phil doesn't reallllyyy interact with the deities At All. speaking strictly canonically, hc!phil entered the world after all of the great events between the deities occurred, and he functions as an archeologist/historian as he explores the world. While cc!phil is building all of these big projects, hc!phil is more like...uncovering them, and learning about the histories of these realms as he does so. hc!phil doesn't actually come in contact with the deities ever, that's not something phil ever rps during hardcore portions of his stream. So the relationship that q!phil has with the deities is something we're still learning about, but what we know is that Phil remembers enough of Rose to know that she's a safe presence, and he remembers enough of Ender to know that he's fucking terrified of him and his abilities. But what we've seen in those streams is pretty much all we've got.

[arofili]

what do you think of childhood best friends russingon? doesn't necessarily have to be your hc but i was curious on how you'd view and interpret this

im the person from before, i wanted to clarify i was talking of russingon childhood best friends to lovers! im not sure how i hc their relationship as being platonic and friendship-ish before actually getting together so i'd like to know what you think of it!

Yes anon, I absolutely have headcanons about this!!! Have it in timeline form, since that's how I've written these down, lol. All events are headcanon unless italicized, in which case they are canon.

(Note: Fuck Tree Years, all my homies hate Tree Years, I completely disregard their absurdity, 1 Tree Year = 1 Sun Year in all my timelines because otherwise none of this shit makes any sense. I know I'm not great at math but Tolkien was WORSE.)

~~~

Y.T. 1279: Fëanáro weds Nerdanel...first in the woods on a camping trip, then officially a month later.

1280: Birth of Nelyafinwë Maitimo to Fëanáro and Nerdanel...less than a year after their ~official~ marriage.

1292: Ñolofinwë marries Anairë, without a hint of scandal. Theirs was an arranged romance that grew from mutual like into a genuine fondness and eventually a deep love.

1293: At a family event, Ñolofinwë mentions that he and Anairë are considering having a child. Fëanáro immediately decides he and Nerdanel are having a second child. Ñolofinwë muses that he is considering following the pattern established by their father and Fëanáro himself and giving his child a -finwë name; he also might incorporate “káno” from his own amilessë if the child is a boy, perhaps something like “Kánafinwë”? Fëanáro takes careful notes.

1294: Birth of Kánafinwë Makalaurë to Fëanáro and Nerdanel. Anairë, pregnant with her first child, is furious he stole their name; Ñolofinwë appeases her, though he is also upset, and reverses the word parts to form the name Findekáno.

1295: Birth of Findekáno Astaldo to Ñolofinwë and Anairë.

1299: Arafinwë marries Eärwen. At the wedding, Ñolofinwë mentions that he and Anairë are considering a second child. Fëanáro rushes to outdo him by producing a third. (There is some scandal regarding A/E, but that's not particularly relevant here.)

1300: Birth of Findaráto Ingoldo to Arafinwë and Eärwen; birth of Turcafinwë Tyelkormo to Fëanáro and Nerdanel; birth of Turukáno Núrondil to Ñolofinwë and Anairë. A great celebration is held to honor the birth of three new grandchildren to King Finwë, one to each of his sons. While the adults are busy with the babies, Maitimo (20) volunteers to look after little Findekáno (5). The two quickly take a liking to each other, and Findekáno’s lifelong adoration of his elder half-cousin begins.

1315: Birth of Angaráto Poldoro to Arafinwë (85) and Eärwen (115). At the celebration of his birth, Maitimo (35) and Findekáno (20) meet again and become proper friends. Maitimo offers to tutor Findekáno, which their fathers somewhat warily agree to.

1324: Maitimo (44) and Findekáno (29) invite Tyelkormo (24) to accompany them on a hunting trip. Tyelkormo falls in love with the wilderness and the sport; Findekáno falls in love with Maitimo—or, at least, realizes it now that he has someone else interrupting his time with his best friend.

1330: Maitimo turns 50. Findekáno (35) gives him a kiss as a begetting day present.

1342: Very much aware of his feelings, Findekáno (47) gives a willfully-oblivious Maitimo the epessë “Russandol.”

1345: Findekáno turns 50. Remembering his own 50th begetting day, Maitimo (65) returns the gift of a kiss, and realizes that he is in love.

1346: Findis weds Elemmírë. At the wedding, Findekáno (51) confesses his feelings to Maitimo, who is terrified by the implications and possibilities. Maitimo distances himself from Findekáno, but living in denial only strengthens his feelings...

1350: At the party celebrating Findaráto, Tyelkormo, and Turukáno's 50th birthdays, Findekáno (55) and Maitimo (75) reconcile. Platonically. Of course. A few months later Maitimo breaks down, confesses his feelings, and they finally get together.

1380: Maitimo turns 100. Findekáno (85) asks to marry him. Maitimo turns him down; they fight. They both independently turn to Findaráto, letting him in on their relationship, and he gently pushes them back together.

1395: Findekáno turns 100. Again, he asks Maitimo (115) to marry him. Maitimo admits that he wants to, but raises concerns about politics and their families. They fight, and Findekáno ends things. Heartbroken, Maitimo confesses what happened to Makalaurë (who already guessed what was going on with those two); Findekáno does the same with Írissë (who, likewise, already knew). Their siblings tell them to get over themselves; after only a few days, Findekáno and Maitimo get back together.

1485: Fëanáro threatens Ñolofinwë with a sword. He is judged by the Valar and exiled to Formenos for 12 years. Finwë elects to accompany his eldest son to Formenos; Ñolofinwë takes over as king-regent of the Noldor. Maitimo (203) and Findekáno (188) despair of there ever being a “good time” for them to come out with their relationship, even putting the Laws and Customs aside. In a moment of passion before Maitimo leaves with his father to Formenos, they elope. They decide to keep their marriage a secret from all except those who already knew.

~~~

...I have more, but then we're getting out of courtship and into canon territory, so I'll stop here :) Hope you like my thoughts, anon!

[datastate]

Dude, it’s fine for you to have your own headcanons about characters. But don’t go expecting people to cater their’s to fit your preferences.

If they want to make characters childhood friends, there’s not a whole lot you can do about it

well yeah obviously "there's not a whole lot you can do about it" - i never expected a rushed, half joking post would suddenly cause some fan-wide revelation. i'm not saying 'oh how dare you think differently than me' w this, i never intend for my posts to sound like that, i was just noting (and had planned to delete, until i got this ask, where i then want to keep it up a bit longer for context) that a lot of the time childhood friends is not something i, personally, enjoy because it seems to lose a lot of potential in those relationships or underplays their own hc

i did not intend for it to gather any attention, i did not intend for it to be reblogged. i literally don't actually care how people interpret characters, so long as they aren't being creeps about it and i'd have to block them. i was talking to myself on my own blog. surely there are more obnoxious people to talk down to (like, idk, the casual racists who use every tag possible with actual intention to get into people's heads with their own negative comments)

i do enjoy seeing different interpretations, believe it or not. i just noticed how many things need to be stretched to [fit common trope] with certain characters and wanted to make light of it because i found it funny how vastly different my view of this trope is. a lot of the things i post here are meant to be lighthearted

that said, i do apologize if i did make anyone reading it feel uncomfortable or self-conscious for liking the trope. i am just someone who likes to stick closely to canon, but i don't want that to discourage anyone who likes being more creative with it. as long as you have fun with it, that's good! i've been there. it's whatever <3

[makeste]

this is pretty random and you don't need to answer it, haha, but could you share your personal hcs regarding platonic todobaku with me??? 🥺🥺🥺 i'm in need, LOL, and your takes on characterization and relationships on bnha are always so spot on, so... i hope you're having a good day/night!!!!!!!💖💖💖

thank you so much! sorry it took a while to gather all of these; my TodoBaku headcanons weren’t as immediately forthcoming as my general Baku headcanons were. but here goes. the first half of these ended up being more just my general thoughts about their relationship than actual headcanons, but I eventually steered myself back on track.

first of all, this is important to note: when Katsuki says in ch. 241 that “there’s no correlation between time spent [together] and friendship”, it’s not purely out of denial. this is something he genuinely believes, having learned it the hard way growing up. for someone who seemingly led a pretty charmed life for most of his childhood, Katsuki hasn’t actually had a particularly sunshiny experience when it comes to his friendships. all of his closest childhood friends eventually left him (Tsubasa), turned on him (Deku -- from his perspective lol. obviously this wasn’t actually the case at all, but it’s how he interpreted it, and it definitely had a big impact on him emotionally), or abandoned him (that long-fingered kid, who notably fled and never looked back when the sludge monster tried to eat Katsuki back in chapter one. like, thanks for nothing, my dude).

so it’s not surprising that all of these experiences would have a profound impact on Katsuki’s ability to trust other people and accept them as real, genuine friends. in its own way his childhood was almost as isolating as Deku and Shouto’s. it’s only since coming to U.A. that he’s started to make real friends again for the first time since kindergarten. and even then, in the case of Kirishima and Kaminari and Sero, even though I think he does consider them friends, he still isn’t very open with them. because he’s learned the hard way that that can lead to hurt, and I think he’s very hesitant to ever let himself be vulnerable to that again.

but having said all that, Shouto is still absolutely correct when he says that they’re friends. and the thing is Katsuki knows it too, but he’s just reluctant to admit it. partly because the part of his brain that processes everything as rivalry isn’t sure whether Being Friends With Shouto = Losing To Shouto (IS THIS A TRAP??), and partly because of everything else I just explained above. even though by this point he knows Shouto pretty well, well enough to be reasonably sure he’s not just gonna be another fakeass groupie who turns tail at the first sign of trouble, there’s still a part of him that’s hesitant to admit that connection is there, because doing so opens him up to potentially being hurt again at some point. goddammit. why is this shit so complicated.

meanwhile on Shouto’s side of things, this poor lil bubba never had any friends growing up to begin with, so he’s not nearly as paranoid or prickly as Katsuki is. instead, he’s still discovering for himself just what friendship is all about. the interesting thing about Shouto is that since he never had any childhood friendships, in a way, the friendships that he’s making now at U.A. are his childhood friendships. and so they tend to be straightforward and uncomplicated in much the same way that very young children’s friendships are uncomplicated. “I like this person; I am going to make them my friend.” boom. done. friendship is mad easy yo.

and he does like Katsuki! sure, his personality is a bit unconventional, but there’s a lot to admire about him even so, and they actually have a lot in common! they’re both rather introverted. they’re both very serious, and I think this is something that Shouto particularly appreciates, because jokes and idioms and playful insincerity sometimes fly over his head just because he doesn’t have a lot of experience dealing with other people. but Katsuki NEVER jokes around, and he is never insincere. he says what he means, with the exception of insults, which are 90% more bark than bite. and so once Shouto figured that out, it became very easy to figure out how to interact with him. aside from that, they’re both close with Shouto’s Other Best Friend Midoriya, they both have incendiary quirks, and they both tend towards the quiet side (yes, even Katsuki) with the occasional burst of hotheadedness (maybe a bit more than “occasional” when it comes to Katsuki’s end).

and like I said, there’s a lot that Shouto admires about Katsuki as well. he really respects how determined Katsuki is, because he himself lacked any sort of clear goals for quite a while growing up. all he knew was that he didn’t want to end up being like his dad. but Katsuki is someone who has always known what he wants, and he goes after it with a singlemindedness that Shouto is almost envious of. he’s also very intelligent and quick-thinking, and Shouto knows he can rely on him in a tight spot. he’s also honest, and surprisingly principled, and while he’s definitely not the nicest guy around, I think Shouto can recognize to some degree those same types of walls that he once spent so much time building up around himself. and so he knows that to a certain extent, Katsuki’s hostility is just a front. and I think he’s both intrigued by that, and drawn to it. because every so often when Katsuki’s guard does drop and his better self briefly shines through, Shouto can see that he’s someone worth getting to know.

anyways, but enough of my rambling about their relationship, and on to the actual headcanons. first of all, I firmly believe in my heart of hearts that at some point during all of those mentally and physically taxing weekends spent training for their provisional exam, they have each fallen asleep on the other’s shoulder during the ride home. Katsuki was actually the first to do it, and it was only for a couple of minutes, but when he woke up he was absolutely mortified. but much to his relief, Shouto never said another word about it. (and if Shouto still remembers the warm, cozy feeling in his chest during those few brief minutes when Katsuki was dead to the world, with his face smoothed out and completely trusting and his breathing strangely in rhythm with the movement of the car, and if doing so brings him a sense of calm that’s hard to describe, well then, that’s no one’s business but his own.)

anyway, so because life is Just Like That, eventually of course the reverse happened. and with anyone else, Katsuki would have violently shoved them aside without a second thought, and he was almost gonna do the same here, but then he remembered he owed him (because he really did keep his mouth shut about the earlier incident, thank fuck), and so he didn’t. for almost two whole minutes, anyway. whatever. that’s more than generous, really. meanwhile no one else knows about this except for Aizawa, who was chaperoning them that day, and took mild notice at first on account of it being unusual behavior on Katsuki’s part, but then immediately forgot about it afterwards. he was proud of them both for upping their napping game, though. he respects naps.

both Shouto and Katsuki were actually scared shitless during the test of courage at the forest training camp, and if Katsuki hadn’t been kidnapped and everything had instead gone on as normal, they would have both had trouble getting to sleep that night. Katsuki actually can’t stand scary movies or ghost stories (fyi this is canon according to the third light novel, and EXCUSE HIM FOR HAVING A HEALTHY RESPECT FOR THE SUPERNATURAL. you wanna go and get your own dumb ass cursed or dragged to hell or whatever, BE HIS GUEST). whereas Shouto has next to no experience with them and doesn’t really see what’s so scary about ghosts because GHOSTS AREN’T REAL DUH, but even he feels a little unsettled when an undead swamp girl suddenly rises from the depths and crabwalks towards them in the middle of the woods.

Katsuki has on rare occasions been so drained by provisional lessons that he goes into autopilot and forgets to pretend not to be friends with Shouto, which can result in them having completely normal conversations for minutes at a time before he eventually regains enough of his senses to realize he’s fraternizing with the enemy. this is how Shouto learned about things like Katsuki’s favorite foods, and his love of hiking. the latter is actually one subject that Katsuki can go on and on about if you get him started, and Shouto very much enjoys hearing about it and never tries to stop him.

by contrast, Katsuki never intentionally seeks to gain any new knowledge about Shouto because he feels like he already knows way more than he ever wanted to. however, this doesn’t stop him from absorbing knowledge against his will by simple osmosis, and then discovering to his dismay that he’s retained the information afterward. this is why he also knows Shouto’s favorite food in return (although to be fair, I think everyone in Japan knows Shouto’s favorite food), as well as other tidbits like the fact that he likes strawberry-flavored things (because he always gets the same brand of strawberry milk from the vending machine during their lunch breaks). he hates himself a little for both noticing and remembering these stupid little details, and would rather be kidnapped again than ever admit to Shouto that he does.

Katsuki thinks of Shouto as “Todoroki” in his head rather than “IcyHot” or “Half n’ Half”, and has to make a conscious effort to use the nicknames whenever he addresses him out loud. more and more often he finds himself forgetting to do so nowadays, much to his dismay. Shouto was pleasantly surprised the first few times it happened, but quickly stopped taking notice of it, as he’s come to realize that the way Katsuki addresses people carries very little meaning regardless, since something like 75% of his actual feelings are conveyed through his actions rather than his words.

Katsuki does wish that Shouto had had the decency to choose his surname as his hero alias rather than his given name, though. he lives in fear that one of these days he’ll be required to call him “Shouto” while on duty. number one hero or not, there’s a good chance he would resign from his internship at the Endeavor Hero Agency before he ever willingly agreed to that.

and last but not least, the number one thing that Katsuki would rather jump in a freezing lake than admit to Shouto or even himself is that he actually cares about him too. and has even mostly forgiven him for wussing out at the last minute during the sports festival. he still doesn’t fully understand why he did it, but he gets that Shouto was Going Through Some Stuff, and okay yeah, he can admit that his family situation is pretty fucked up, so whatever. there’s an uncomfortable feeling he gets whenever he’s reminded of this; sort of a weird, squirmy feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever the subject of Endeavor comes up, or whenever he sees Shouto talking to the man himself. it makes him feel restless and on edge, and he never knows what to say or do afterwards, especially if Shouto goes all quiet and sullen and reflective. he wants to scream at him, or slap him on the back of the head, or grab him by the shoulders and shake him; whatever it takes to snap him out of it and ease the tension. but he knows that’s not the right way to handle it. and more to the point, he knows that he’s not the right person to handle it. and sometimes, if he’s not quick enough to squash the feeling when he senses it coming, he wonders how Shouto would react if he ever found out what Katsuki used to be like back in elementary and middle school. and he wonders whether Shouto would still be so dead-set insistent on calling them friends. and then he does squash out the thought, as viciously as he possibly can.

anyway so that turned weirdly angsty towards the end whoops. not even sure what happened there, since this is supposed to be my cute and funny ship, while BakuDeku greedily hogs all the angst for itself! lol my bad. but don’t worry, they still love each other, and Shouto is still fond and soft and equipped with bullshit-radar, and Katsuki is still rabid and in denial and a dumbass.

[urmomsstuntdouble]

Congrats on 100!!! 💕 maybe for the writing request a hc list or maybe a character analysis on nyo Romano? 👉👈

of course! and thank you! this is sort of a combo of both? but here ya go, i hope you like it!

her name is chiara leandra vargas. i feel like maybe that didnt need to be said but also the name lovina, while similar to actual italian names, annoys me because its just tacking an a onto the end of lovino which isnt a name. i do think lavinia is kinda cute tho, although my favorite L names are leandra and larissa. 

i dont think italy had an equivalent to the Women’s Land Army (in Britain and the US, during WW1 and WW2, female civilians were organized into little farming communities to replpace the labor shortage caused by men going into the military), but that’s basically how i imagine her fashion sense is. just. this

also related to ww2 she was 100% in the resistence

she cuts her own bangs

one of her many jobs throughout history was a rollerskating waitress. i have absolutely no historical basis for this. it is the Vibe

on another fashion note, she tends to either dress similarly to the style of the WLA uniform or like. she’s trying to win at fashion week. 

chiara also makes the majority of her own clothes, with a preference for sewing by hand. i think that the nations are sort of treated like royalty by their governments, i imagine she’s had a lot of very nice clothes throughout the years, and there are certain things that she just misses, and modern technology can’t recreate her faves, so she likes to make stuff for herself. her level of involvement for getting the materials really varies too. if she’s feeling it, she might go out and shear a sheep. if that’s not the vibe she’d just as easily go to a fabric store and buy a couple meters of cotton. 

this is sort of related to another hc but she does not give a flying fuck about how feminine her wardrobe is anymore.

as an immortal woman, chiara tends to not particularly care about gender as a concept. she’s south italy, what more do you care, ya know? i think her relationship with her gender is a bit complex but also as simple as “well italia is feminine so it makes sense that im a woman.” like a lot of the female nations, i imagine she’s very strong and hasnt always been taken seriously by even the members of her own government, so it’s been hard, but she genuinely doesnt care anymore how people see her. because of that, she’s a much lighter person than she used to be, to the extent that other nations will comment on it. like...i think when she met russia again in the 20th century he was like wow you’re so chill what did you do to chiara? you know? and though she’s not like, fully happy and at peace with everything related to her gender, she’s just sort of over it, ya know? 

she has an interesting relationship with religion. i think she sees herself as being A Very Good Catholic™, but is she though? once again, as an immmortal, i dont think chiara’s very attached to religion as a concept, mostly because she cannot go to heaven, because she cannot die. well, she could, but she’s over 2000 years old and she doesnt look like she’s going anywhere soon, so. at this point she just sort of goes with what the church says, and if she disagrees with that, will make her own interpretation of the bible. and if she doesn’t like what the bible has to say, she’ll fall back on her own opinions. she has a little bit of catholic guilt about it

she’s definitely got some weird feelings about catholicism and how people can use it in ways that hurt others. its a bit conflicting, because the vatican is literally in her heart but she also doesn’t really like everything that comes out of it. at the end of the day she sort of prioritizes being a good person over being a good christian, although that’s not really how she sees it in her own head. 

she prefers to wear looser clothing. stuff that hides the shape of her hips and chest. this is because she’s often been told that she couldn’t fight or that she shouldn’t fight, because she’s a woman, but if you tell miss chiara vargas not to do something. She Will. i know that in hetalia canon female characters are shown to be soldiers too, like hungary, although im not sure if that’s the most historically accurate. i also think it might’ve been harder for nyo romano, because a lot of romano’s character is defined by his relationships with veneziano and with spain, during which both of them try to protect him from harm at every turn (screams in veneziano trying to make sure romano doesnt have to stress himself out with work while also implying that he thinks romano is lazy and incapable and thereby making him even more stressed because he thinks his brother hates him-). so if nyo romano is operating under those same frameworks and dynamics as her male counterpart, i think that spain and vene might have tried to fight for her a lot. that annoyed chiara for obvious reasons but also did wind up. preventing her from fighting a lot. i think that she was definitely involved in all military conflicts involving south italy, but not necessarily fighting for all of it, you know? anyway, all that is to say that i think she’d have people to sneak around if she wanted to fight, so she would need to disguise herself in order to do so. 

side note while she was like. an infantryman or whatever she definitely used that as a chance to explore her bisexuality. chiara would make a damn fine soldier and village girls think so too

lactose intolerant but still eats so much cheese because as south italy she legally has to. she suffers in silence because soy/almond/oat milk dont cut it for cheese. however, if she’s feeling a coffee with milk, she will use one of the non-dairy alternatives.

has had a crush on half of europe at some point

also had a thing with cuba for a time. borrowing the hc from the cumano server that cuba re-taught her how to speak spanish but The Correct Cuban Way and now she’s like. fucking carribean sounding. whenever chiara gets in a fight with spain she’ll lay on the cuban accent extra thick, because its fun to watch isabel pull her hair out sometimes :)

amazing singing voice

really good at makeup and only uses her skills for things that are sexy and evil

writing requests

[kalypsichor]

all things must pass [ beatles x reader ]

summary: Moving on is easy. The hardest part is finding a reason to stay.

prompt: If you vibe with it, maybe hcs or something about beatle!reader reconnecting with the guys after the breakup? warnings: none

masterlist

see end for notes

For half an hour, everything is like it used to be.

You’re all still in the industry making music and crowding the charts, so it’s no surprise when the ex-Beatles are invited to some big shot gala in London. It doesn’t take long for you all to gravitate towards each other; you find Paul at the refreshments, he waves Ringo over from the table, and the three of you find George blending into a potted plant near the back.

The champagne loosens lips and bubbles into easy laughter, low chatter about the week and the news. Ringo is the most laid-back. He still plays on your guys’ albums. It’s him, really, that acts as a conduit of conversation between the group, insulating any tensions below the surface. You tease Paul about his new look and George, mostly content to just listen, jumps in from time to time with a dry remark that makes everyone chuckle.

“Having a little meeting without me?”

Half an hour is all too short.

Your little circle breaks open and accepts a fifth: John. Yoko isn’t far behind.

Acerbic. That’s what it is. Everything from his stance to the set of his lips, crooked and tight. His words, too, although those betray what his eyes try to hide: hurt.

“Not at all.” Ringo smiles and gestures with his glass. “We were just waitin’ for you to join.”

John ignores him, stares steadily at Paul. Ringo’s grin doesn’t falter, but you’re standing right next to him. There’s a little gap between his sunglasses (prescription, he says) and you can see the smile lines smooth over, pulling down a slight furrow between his brows. To anyone else, the slight change would be unnoticeable.

You suspect that Ringo’s sunglasses help him mask more than his worsening vision.

“How are you, John?” Paul settles on. Yes, that’s the safest option, the blandest one. John knows this, if his dry chuckle is any indication.

“Fine.”

Yoko melds into his side and John’s arm curls around her as she speaks. “And you, Paul?”

“Oh, great.” Paul scratches at his beard and as if on cue, Linda appears at his side. “We’re startin’ a band, actually.” They share a smile, one that immediately makes you feel like an outsider.

No one says anything for a while. The party goes on, the murmur of noise parting around you all like a stream would a stepping stone.

“We’re doing good, too,” you say, itching to break the silence. “Ritchie’s been busy, running ‘round our studios, eh?”

Ringo laughs. George only lifts the corner of his lips and stares into his wine.

“It’s like Liverpool all over again,” Ringo says. You all laugh except for John. There’s nothing else to do. It sounds like canned laughter on television, and the thought drops your expression.

Paul picks up the conversation again. It’s like throwing a life raft into the ocean, but none of you know what you’re trying to save. “So, George. Congrats on the triple album. Number one here and in the States, yeah? You beat the rest of us to it, you bastard.” George smiles and shrugs. “Guess we should’ve listened to you more in the studio.”

You can see the life raft sinking.

“Yeah, you should’ve,” George says. Simple as that, but the words still make you flinch. There’s no sharpness to what he says. George isn’t angry. No, he’s moved on. On to finally having his music out there, on to being heard. You’re torn between being happy for him and wanting to grab him by the shirt collar, grab all of them, and drag them back to how it used to be.

No, you’re not that torn. Happiness is the obvious choice. And you’ve moved on all the same, going your separate way.

Do you miss it? Being an ‘us’? At first it felt like being torn into pieces, but with every day that’s passed you’ve found it harder and harder to want to go back. There were the disagreements, the fights and the lawsuits. Just as bright in your memory is all the laughter, real laughter, and the wonders and excitement of being at the top together. The toppermost of the poppermost. But as you’ve gotten older, you’ve come to realize the naivete of holding onto things. Change is only natural. Change comes with growth. And, sooner or later, you had all known you’d grow out of the Beatles.

Yes, moving on is easy. The hardest part is finding a reason to stay.

Ringo goes first. Pats you all on the shoulder and ambles off to the bar for a drink or two or nine. He’ll see you at the studio next week, yeah? His words are slurring into each other but you know his drumsticks won’t be missing a beat. George follows him, murmuring about making sure Ringo gets home okay, and catches up to the man with long, easy strides. He doesn’t look back.

That leaves John and Paul and their wives. And you. John looks at Paul. Paul watches John. Yoko stares up at her husband and Linda smiles apologetically at you. What she’s sorry for, though, you have no idea.

You can’t find anything to say that won’t fall to deaf ears, so you say your good nights and turn to find your way to the exit.

The sound of your name being called from behind slows your steps. It’s John. You look around for Yoko but he’s walking with you… alone. Your confusion doesn’t go unnoticed.

“She’s getting our coats.”

You nod and come to a stand still, searching his eyes. He’s struggling to say something. You’ve known John long enough to know better than ask what. He has to find it himself.

“Didn’t get to ask earlier, but. How are you?”

It’s not what John really wants to ask, you know. “I said I was good,” you say carefully.

“Right.” John nods and clears his throat. “And the others, they’re alright?”

Your gaze softens at his obvious embarrassment at the question. Your hand finds its way to his. “Yes, John. Everyone’s okay.” Then, more quietly, “We miss you.”

Like being shocked, John tears his hand away from your hold. His face is flushed, eyes guarded but sharp. Piercing. You don’t look away, no matter how much it hurts.

“Fuck off,” he sneers. His words are loud, rising tone attracting attention from some of the other guests. It’s always been like this with John—hot and cold, one second vulnerable and vicious in the next. “You think I want to hear your, your- what, sympathies? Don’t fucking lie to me. I know you’re all glad to finally get away.”

A hand on his shoulder—Yoko. The touch seems to drain the anger from him and he deflates, chest still heaving a little from his outburst. When his eyes meet yours again, they’ve gone flat. Uncaring. His default, you’ve learned over the past decade, for whenever he starts caring too much.

Not that there is such a thing.

“We’ll see you,” Yoko says as though nothing has happened. You just nod and watch her lead John out of the doors and into the streets. Before they step outside, though, the passing glare of a car sets their silhouettes aflame; two people with smiles for no one else but themselves, noses almost touching, eyes closed.

It’s time for you to go, too. Tomorrow will be another early morning, another late night. Before you step out into the dark that swallowed John and Yoko, you look back over your shoulder. Paul is still standing where you left him. His head is turning back, not from looking at you, you know, but from watching the others leave. He looks so small from far away. Just a man. And Linda in front of him, with her hands on his shoulder, seems almost to be the only thing keeping him standing. She says something to Paul and he finally moves on. They disappear into the crowd of partygoers together.

And you, alone, disappear into the night.

- - -

what a short request. but it caught my imagination in a whirlwind, which resulted in this!

@ the anon who requested this, it’s probably not what you had in mind. sorry! but i’ve been reading a lot about the beatles and their stories and i wanted to put some of my thoughts to writing. well, not really my thoughts, but my interpretation of the aftermath. their relationships with each other and how they changed and fell apart is fascinating and convoluted. i hope i did it all justice... and i hope some of my symbolism didn’t fall short...?

lemme know your thoughts on this different sort of fic in the comments or by submitting a sentence or two! i’d love to know :)

[adventure-hearts]

I was asked about this topic recently, and, being bored out of my mind, I felt inspired to use it as a starting point for a new series! I hope to share my current headcanons about the personality types of the Digimon Adventure universe’s main characters, according to different personality systems: astrology, Enneagram, MBTI... feel free to suggest any other typologies you’d like me to explore in the future.

In this first post, I’ll try to explain which of the Sun Sign personality archetypes I find more likely and interesting for each character. Consider this this an update of my previous headcanons, post-tri. (and post LAST EVOLUTION Kizuna).

1: DIGIMON ADVENTURE + ZODIAC SIGNS

Taichi - Aries

Yamato - Aries

Sora - Pisces [semi-canon]

Koushirou - Aquarius

Mimi - Leo

Jou - Virgo 

Takeru - Libra

Hikari - Pisces

Daisuke - Sagittarius

Miyako - Gemini [canon]

Iori - Capricorn

Ken - Cancer

Meiko Mochizuki - Virgo/Libra

Maki Himekawa - Scorpio

Daigo Nishijima - Leo

Note: Every single headcanon is highly subjective and even I will probably change my mind about it. This is only a PROPOSAL.

If you’re interested in my interpretation and methodology, read on!

Canon Clues 

Although there are no official birthdays for the characters, several Adventure materials have provided “goalposts” where we can fit some characters’ birthdays. I strive to make my HCs as canon-compliant as possible, so it’s important for me to take this info into account.

Miyako is stated to be a Gemini in 02.

The official synopsis of tri. Indicates that Taichi is 17 years old during the series, suggesting the has an April-June birthday.

Sure, you’re free to ignore this little nugget if you prefer, but I personally like to think there’s a reason they mentioned Taichi’s age explicitly — something they never did before. They also never mentioned the explicit age of any of the other characters.

Funnily enough, the DALEK official website and novel lists the character’s ages during the events of the film. Since the film takes place in the summer of 2010, taking those numbers at face-value would require us to believe all 8 characters have birthdays in the first half of the year. 

This contradicts the explicit on-screen information about Jou’s age in the original series (see below). 

I’m proposing this should be interpreted as their “average” ages, rather than precise ages at this specific moment in time — after all, in Kizuna it’s more difficult to identify the characters by their school year, like they always did before.

Sora’s birthday is canonically before the events of Our War Game. The film takes place during the spring holidays, which typically begin around the third week of March.

Sora having a March birthday is so universally accepted by Japanese fans that it’s even on her Wikipedia page. I wouldn’t be surprised if more recent writers took that information into account, post-OWG, and portrayed her accordingly. 

Notice that Pisces is only the more likely option considering the canon timeline and Sora’s personality — Aries (late March) and Aquarius (mid-February) could fit as well. Hence why I consider this choice [semi-canon].

Jou, who is a 6th-grader, mentions he’s 11 years old during Adventure. This suggest his birthday would be after August 1.

Ken is supposed to be 9 years old in August 2000, when he’s in Year 3, suggesting he has an April-August birthday.

This is different from other guidebooks which only list the characters “average” ages, because this lists Ken’s precise age during a specific event.

I believe Ken being exactly 9 years old went to the Digital world is deliberate, since Osamu is stated to be 3 years older than Ken, hadn’t yet turned 12 when he died.

Again, except for Miyako, Sora, and Jou birthdays, I can understand why fans chose to ignore any of this.

Personal Notes

My method isn’t about finding a putative “Official / True Birthday” — that never existed, at least for the Adventure eight. It’s about finding birthdays that work within the limitations of canon (see previous section). 

My HCs are based on the personality / character archetypes represented by the the zodiac signs. In theory, any Chosen Child could be understood as representing a specific symbolical archetypes.

The problem is that the Adventure characters are quite complex and often deconstruct traditional archetypes. This explains why it’s so hard for fans to agree on which sign they are supposed to represent. I should also note that anime series seem to understand astrological archetypes slightly differently from the Western mainstream tradition, which explains why typical anime zodiac signs sometimes feel a bit “off”. 

Nevertheless, some archetypes are so strong that most of the fandom seems to have reached a consensus: Jou/Virgo and Koushirou/Aquarius, for example. Then you have textbook examples of archetypes like Gemini/Miyako (unsurprisingly canon), Taichi/Aries, and Hikari/Pisces. But even there is a lot of room for disagreement and subjective interpretation!

*

The 02 writers clearly intended Daisuke to symbolise Fire, Miyako Air, Iori Earth and, due to the Dark Ocean connection, Ken Water. In fact, it’s super easy to place those four characters into any traditional 4-group personality types, such as the four temperaments, Jung’s types, blood types, ABCD personality, etc. 

My HCs respect this, and ended up creating two polar opposites within the team: Daisuke/Miyako (mutable) and Ken/Iori (cardinal).  

*

It’s tempting to ascribe 12 main characters = 12 signs, but post-tri. I’m inclined to do something different and not put myself into such a limiting framework.

For this reason I repeat some signs, and I don’t have any Taurus character (sorry!).

*

My MAIN innovative choice is that I suspect Taichi and Yamato might represent the same sun sign.

Now, I understand this is an extremely controversial opinion. It isn’t a possibility I thought about until quite recently.

But Taichi and Yamato being “different but the same / two sides of the same coin” is incredibly well represented if both of them correspond to the Aries personality archetype. 

After all, they’re the leaders, the heroes, the Knights in shining armor. This explains their incredible similarities, despite superficial differences. as well as their love-hate dynamic: the rivalry, the union, the way they complement and balance each other out in an almost instinctive way.

Here are some examples of the Aries/Aries dynamic from the literature... 

Both of you are independent individuals and you don’t like feeling “owned” by anyone. Neither of you can tolerate being dominated or bossed by anyone else, so you probably make your own decisions, and direct your own lives. You respect one another’s autonomy, and a relationship that is based on constant togetherness and dependency wouldn’t suit either of you. Sometimes, however, there is too much emphasis on individualism rather than on being close and nurturing the relationship. You both have proud egos, and are sensitive to criticism. Almost inevitably you will compete with each other, and in small doses this can be invigorating. But it easily becomes nasty, and one of you is likely to get hurt. If you’ve ever seen two rams locking horns, you know what I mean! You either respect one another immensely or detest one another – rarely anything in between. (X)

If your relationship has been built on the basis that you are equals, the fire element produces tremendous vision and industriousness. Your combined power and effort could well be a force to be reckoned with — but again, only if you both learn to subdue your own ego in the service of each other. Remember, you can’t always be right. You need to try hard to see things from each other’s perspective; this will help the two of you become a great partnership over time. (x)

When Mars clashes with Mars, the result can be full-scale war, with all flags flapping, bravely and colorfully. Occasional flare-ups are bound to occur when these two are thrown into close, daily proximity, without the relief of some separateness in their association. But there will also be some glorious Highs to offset these Lows. (...)  It's been said that Aries people have a way about them. They do. Their own way. Yet, despite that sometimes antagonistic Martian exterior, they'll sense each other's desperate need to be appreciated and liked. When they get together, they may struggle for leadership, but the experience will supply some well-needed lessons. The shock of living with someone - or being around some- one - as innocently thoughtless, selfish and aggressive as one's self, is sure to soften any battering Ram, although there may be a few scars to show for the les- sons in living thus mastered. Aries hearts always carry more scars than the Rams ever show, or openly discuss. (x)

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? The more you read, the more this pattern begins to make sense. Try to watch the Dark Masters arc, the Agumon-is-kidnapped mini arc, tri., and even Kizuna with this possibility in mind, and you’ll understand what I mean.

Sure, order to accept this theory, you have to understand Yamato as a more atypical reserved / sensitive Aries (influenced by a Cancer Moon, perhaps?) and Taichi as a more “pure” Arien type. Yamato is more like a baby lamb, right? (don’t tell it to his face).

You can make a very strong argument for Leo!Taichi (that was my initial HC as well) or Yamato as almost anything else. I wouldn’t disagree. But why not come up with a fresh perspective to explain these two? 

Oh, and in case you’re curious, their (canon) Japanese Zodiac is also the same: Dragon, the direct equivalent to Aries. 

*

A note about tri.: typing Maki and Daigo seemed straightforward enough. Maki is the stereotypical Scorpio antagonist, and Goggle Boy Daigo’s partner evolved into a literal lion.

I couldn’t resist the idea of making Meiko a Libra, considering her digimon partner is literally the Libra and Meiko is the 9th member of the group. But  personality probably fits other signs better — it’s very tempting to type her a Virgo, the polar opposite of Hikari. She could also be the missing Taurus element (Mei as the literal May Queen). 

The truth is... I can’t decide!

*

Disclaimer: There is zero scientific evidence for astrology and, as far as I’m concerned, it’s only interesting as a tool to analyze fictional characters in symbolic /archetypal terms. My headcanons are based on extensive reading about astrology, its symbolism and psychological profiles; I’m happy to share my sources (they’re not from pop astrology). But I’m also aware of the Barnum effect. We are all biased; there are no right or wrong options. Everyone’s conflicting headcanons are equally valid.

Feel free to ask questions or request more in-depth explanations for my suggestions, but FFS don’t start arguing with me and insisting I’m “wrong” based on other people’s equally subjective and disputable headcanons.

*

BONUS: Sun sign Archetypes / Personality Keywords

Aries

Aries at its best : Brave, assertive, pioneering, quick, determined

Aries on a bad day: Aggressive, hard-headed, selfish, impulsive, impatient, brutal

The Aries archetype : Prince Lancelot, the brave and romantic rock star of King Arthur’s court

The Aries stereotype : The rage-a-holic in the pickup truck who just gave you the finger after cutting you off on the freeway

Gemini

Gemini at its best : Curious, inquisitive, quick witted, communicative, inventive, clever, adaptable

Gemini on a bad day : Verbally cruel, deceptive, disloyal, restless, doesn’t follow through”

“The Gemini archetype : The jester; clever and mischievous, your wit and agility are your best defense

The Gemini stereotype : The meddlesome neighbor, snooping and eavesdropping

Cancer

Cancer at its best : Family-oriented, nurturing, intuitive, domestic, maternal, sensitive, sympathetic, emotional, patriotic, retentive, traditional

Cancer on a bad day : Moody, touchy, oversensitive, negative, manipulative, overly cautious

The Cancer archetype : The universal mother

The Cancer stereotype : The smothering mother

Leo

Leo at its best : Regal, creative, magnetic, performer, generous, inspiring

Leo on a bad day : Vain, domineering, attention seeking, insecure”

The Leo archetype : The benevolent monarch

The Leo stereotype : The shallow playboy or party girl

Virgo

Virgo at its best : Discriminating, thorough, scientific, clean, humane, scientific, analytical

Virgo on a bad day : Picky, critical, petty, self-centered, hypochondriac, gloomy, pedantic

The Virgo archetype : Sherlock Holmes, with his staggering powers of perception and analysis and his earthy tweed jacket

The Virgo stereotype : The quiet, slightly geeky scientist or secretary with horn-rimmed glasses and a repressed manner

Libra

Libra at its best : Refined, artistic, diplomatic, sociable, peace loving, persuasive, just

Libra on a bad day : Fickle, over accommodating, argumentative, indecisive, insincere

The Libra archetype : The diplomat

The Libra stereotype : The gigolo or “kept” man or woman”

Scorpio

Scorpio at its best : Determined, probing, brave, passionate, insightful, empathetic, penetrating, investigative, powerful

Scorpio on a bad day : Jealous, suspicious, sarcastic, secretive, vengeful, manipulative

The Scorpio archetype : The magician, able to transcend the laws of nature to achieve transformation

The Scorpio stereotype : A secret agent, skilled at investigative work and most comfortable working behind the scenes”

Sagittarius

Sagittarius at its best : Philosophical, adventurous, freedom loving, scholarly, funny, honest, athletic, traveler

Sagittarius on a bad day : Crude, blunt, know-it-all, arrogant, superior, intolerant

The Sagittarius archetype : The wayfaring stranger who transforms a community with his knowledge and wisdom before moving on

The Sagittarius stereotype : The clown who trips over his gigantic shoes and throws pies in your face

Capricorn

Capricorn at its best : Responsible, authoritative, traditional, pragmatic, hardworking, economical, serious, mature, ethical

Capricorn on a bad day : Domineering, stubborn, inhibited, unfeeling, fatalistic, judgmental, unforgiving”

“The Capricorn archetype : The wise elder

The Capricorn stereotype : A cranky old man or woman who keeps yelling at kids to “stay off my lawn!”

Aquarius

Aquarius at its best : Independent, genius, iconoclastic, rebellious, logical, scientific, progressive, intellectual, humane

Aquarius on a bad day : Eccentric, temperamental, unpredictable, cold, opinionated, radical”

“The Aquarius archetype : The charismatic rebel who wins over his fellow men by thumbing his nose at authority

The Aquarius stereotype : The mad scientist

Pisces

Pisces at its best : Sympathetic, compassionate, emotional, intuitive, musical, artistic

Pisces on a bad day : Impractical, timid, procrastinator”

The Pisces archetype : The mystic

The Pisces stereotype : The flake

from Kent, April Elliott. “The Essential Guide to Practical Astrology: Everything from zodiac signs to prediction, made easy and entertaining”.

[redbeanboi]

Excerpt from “Un Sospiro”

Sneak peak at my upcoming Giorno/Reader fic titled Un Sospiro, for my dear beanie babies!!! A Business Before Pleasure spinoff fic. 

Fic summary: They say that “Mozart makes babies smart,” but who’s going to tell Giorno that Mista accidentally got him tickets to listen to Franz Liszt for two hours?

Arranged marriage awkwardness galore!!! Title taken from one of my most favorite piano pieces of all time, Franz Liszt’s Concert Etude No. 3 in Db Major, better known by its nickname “Un sospiro.”

“There,” you sighed, finally satisfied with the arrangement you’d set for the toys in the nursery.

Truth be told, the baby was not born yet and they wouldn’t be playing with the toys until they were at least several months old, but something compelled you to organize them by color and height as soon as you returned from your visit to the doctor that morning. Plucking at a plush elephant’s ear, you hummed. Yes; this would do. For now, at any rate.

“Finally happy with those ridiculous stuffed toys?” your father asked dryly over the phone. “I’m sure they’ve gotten enough attention from you for today.”

“You’d be doing the same if you were here,” you shot back into the mouthpiece. “And it’s called ‘nesting’ for a reason, Patri.”

“Oh yes, of course. How silly of me to forget,” he sighed. “But I do hope this child will be appreciative of your attention to detail… But… do you need any other toys? Or perhaps I should send one of those silly contraptions that they make—oh, I can’t remember what they’re called. High chairs?”

“You seem rather dedicated,” you taunted. “Excited, even.”

“Of course I am. I never did meet my first grandchild.”

*******

“One day, you’ll present your son—my own grandson— to the rest of the Commission. He’ll be treated like royalty, that is for certain—”

“What if I have a girl?” you asked. 

He laughed. “You and your husband will probably have boys and girls, and plenty of them—”

“And what if I only have girls?”

“It’s highly unlikely.”

“But what if?” you wondered.

“Well… In that case, I suppose Don Giorno would appoint Signore Mista as his successor until another suitable candidate came along.”

“And then everyone would hate me.”

“No one could ever hate you, trisoru,” your father insisted over the phone.

“My husband would,” you replied quietly.

“Why would you say that?”

It would fare better for you if you changed the subject. “Nevermind what I said,” you dismissed, plopping down into an armchair in defeat.

Giorno had been distant even earlier on in your marriage, and truth be told, little had changed since you announced your pregnancy to him. But several months earlier, you were convinced that your relationship with Giorno was beginning to improve. Perhaps he had felt unease by your aloofness, for Giorno had taken it upon himself to reach out to you with small gestures—attempts at conversing with you and becoming better acquainted with you, presenting you with gifts and a vase full to bursting with flowers every week and, most importantly, taking you out to dinner and spending time with you. 

In just a few weeks, you managed to share a few stories from your days as Don Vittorio and Cosa Nostra’s principessa, relating each tale with a level of comfort that surprised even your husband. Wishing for more, and perhaps thinking that it was time you fulfilled your end of the agreement, you suggested to Giorno that you try to… well, have children. And while Giorno agreed that it was time to start a family, you hadn’t expected him to withdraw once you announced your pregnancy to him.

Naturally, the event had erased all of the progress you’d made. Suddenly Giorno was too busy to even eat dinner with you, and when you proposed he attend your doctor’s visits with you, he had immediately offered one of his own men to accompany you in his stead. All of this you related to your father, and time and time again, you were told that it was all a simple misunderstanding. 

But it still could not explain why Giorno kept his distance or remained awfully cold when before he expressed an earnest effort to establish some relationship with you. 

“Is this about that business with your husband shying away?”

Frustrated, you pushed yourself to your feet, hobbling past the bassinet and towards an open window. You could use some fresh air.

As you finally reached the window, you leaned against the sill and inspected your appearance through a mirror several paces away. Moments like this were clear reminders of the fact that you were carrying your first child; even at sixteen weeks, it was rather obvious that you were soon to be a mother. Your waist had thickened significantly, and at times it was easier to simply slip into whatever loose fitting clothing that you had on hand. There was no need to buy new clothing, however, not until the next visit. Most of your clothes fit rather well still. That will change soon enough, you reminded yourself. You were nearly halfway through the pregnancy, though you often forgot that crucial detail yourself.

Nearly there, you thought, sighing. Sixteen weeks on your own thus far—and all with no family, no friends, and certainly no husband at your side. Would it always be like this?

“Can’t I stay with you until the child’s born?” Giorno would hardly notice your absence.

“You should stay with your husband, who, need I remind you, is the father of this child. He’s your family now.”

A shot in the dark, you noted bitterly.

“Y/n?” asked your father.

“Yes?” you asked, still staring into the mirror, half-listening.

“I don’t know your husband terribly well, but from the times I’ve spoken with him over the phone… I’m sure he doesn’t bear any ill-will or hatred.”

“I should hope not,” you joked lightly. “We did manage to get this far along…”

“Perhaps you ought to speak to him. He might not even realize what he’s done.”

Finally you pulled away from the sunlight, sighing as the curtain fell back against the window and certain you had found peace when you saw a shape move in its reflection. The drapes were still swinging when you spun on your heel and glanced at the door, which to your surprise, hung ajar. Had you forgotten to close it?

Whatever myths people made when it came to pregnant women and their memories, you were almost certain that the door was securely shut the moment you entered, having followed the same procedure you carried out whenever you called your father. The last thing you ever needed was for someone to overhear you share a few laughs with Don Vittorio. Maintaining your image as a dignified Signora was of the utmost importance to you, after all.

You were still pondering the question of whether you’d left the door open when your gaze fell upon a familiar tube of French hand cream sitting on the table just beside the door, barely used since the doctor’s visit this morning, when… when I had asked Don Giorno to hold onto it for me.

For several seconds you stood there, gaping at the door until you took slow, leaden steps towards it. You swallowed hard and prayed that it had just been your imagination. It was the wind! you told yourself. Just your silly pregnancy hormones playing tricks on you. The wind pushed it open, you idiot.

Softly, you pulled the door further open and called out. “Hello?”

Whoever it had been, you’d been too slow to catch them, but… You were convinced you had seen the edge of your husband’s coat swish around the corner at the end of the hall.

-------------

A/N: I really like that last line I spent a lot of time on it and I hope you like it because i think it’s neat!!!!! also the asterisks are a mark, as I’m currently adding stuff to that original space. it’s not going to change much of what’s already going on there, so not to worry, my dear beans !!

but poor reader!!!! pregnancy is terrifying (you can lose teeth and break your back!!! yikes!!) and she’s been doing it all alone!!!! but!!! you may notice that bits of this fic make references to this hc list from a while back. giorno picks up at scene 2 so hopefully that gives some insight to his very very cold behavior.

if you want to listen to Liszt’s Un Sospiro here are some of my most favorite interpretations of it (1 and 2 and 3) !!! it’s so beautiful and i hope you like it too !! mayhaps you can give it a listen when you read chapter 1 in its entirety!! the third link is handy if you want to see how the hand crossings look. it’s so complex but beautiful and it sounds so—and basdbkjjbkb i love classical music!!!

how was the food my children!!!! I hope it was to your liking !! :’)

[theclaravoyant]

why did you have to make Kevin bisexual? what is with this obsession with making one half of any ship bi? some people are just gay smh

… there’s a lot to unpack here, but first off, I’ve actually never made any kind of reference to Kevin being bi, so I assume you’re referring to this headcanon I have about Kevin’s former partner, Daisy (***who to be clear is a character I have made up, I haven’t got any magical extra spoilers or anything, and if I did, I’d be tagging “b99 spoilers”).

secondly, I don’t “have to” do anything and I don’t have the power to “make” Kevin anything. Plus, 13 notes doesn’t exactly suggest I’ve even had a sweeping effect on the fandom interpretation of his sexuality. AND once again I didn’t actually say anything about bisexuality in that post - in fact, it’s my headcanon that he is indeed homosexual but that Daisy was his partner before he realised & came to terms with this. He liked her because she was pretty, intelligent, etc, and assumed that was what love was or at least where it grew from. ie it’s my headcanon that what Kevin was experiencing with Daisy was not a hetero expression of bisexual attraction but was actually compulsory heterosexuality. Men experience it too and I’m just now realising that I have literally never in my life seen a post to that effect.

anyway, thirdly, to briefly address the “obsession” with making one half of any ship bi… there’s a whole range of reasons for doing that, but some of the most important to me is that such headcanons are often made either a) by bisexual people who want to see themselves represented and/or b) by non-bisexual people who want to promote a healthy relationship between homo- and bisexual people (or even straight & bi people, but since we’re talking about an m/m ship that’s where my brain went first), since bisexual people/characters have been treated as the illegitimate stepchildren of straightness and gayness for so long and often shunned, even by gay people (including lesbians). Many lgbt+ headcanons are created from a place of wanting representation and to feel welcome, and explicitly bisexual headcanons are a huge part of that.

(not to mention, many bisexual “headcanons” are actually canon and one side or the other or both doesn’t want to admit it)

ANYWAY in my Gay Opinion that’s what’s up, and while indeed “some people are just gay,” (including, imo, Kevin) some are not, and we all (including us gays) need to respect that.

~Clara

ps - this is by NO means saying that you shouldn’t hc Kevin as bisexual, in case that wasn’t abundantly clear. I personally don’t think of him as such, just as I also prefer the lesbian Tahani hc to bi Tahani while we’re on this note, but both are 100% valid and I love you all.