#esp since my younger sisters are learning now too

[1pcii]

ok so i cant work on my wip rn because... in bed so im gonna wax poetic about it instead.

ive always been kinda confused with where alabasta is supposed to be set, in a way its kinda like disneys aladdin in that is just sorta mixes togeather a bunch of swana/se cultures/imagery to create a vauge idea of a 'desert country'. but considering Nefertari is an egyptian name (Nefertari Meritmut being the main example, an egyptian queen and first wife of Ramesses). im going to personally go with that idea.

with that out the way the main thing i wanna talk about... mehndi! (or henna). i personally think it would be so much cooler if the 'X' code was done in it. because the whole resolution to it is that while the X may fade, their friendship dosnt. Mehndi is an art that works of this principal, similar to rangoli. bridal henna for example is super intiquite and significant for the bride(/groom if ur progressive like that) on the mehndi celebration and shadi itself, and yet it fades away. But the specialness of the occcasion doesnt.

theres also the fact that it takes wayy longer to fade, so the drawn out process of that would be more impactful. ironicaly enough, for nami/sanji the most as they wash more often (namivivi angsttt). luffy and zoro being last.

because of all this im really obsessed with the idea of mehdi being a namivivi love languge. its such a wonderful artform to share with another person and in a romantic context tthe artistry and body worship aspects you could add are just. soo good.

also they look sick af in it

[laughing-with-god]

Jhope from hunger games headcanons and his personality too ??? I’m curious how his personality is like ?!?!?

Very quiet when he’s at the Capitol.

One of those people who doesn’t say much but what he does say tends to be important or well thought out. 

He is somewhere in the middle with his Capitol fame.  There are victors who are more charismatic and outlandish and they tend to be the crown jewels, while other Victors like Yoongi are hated for not buying into the popularity contests.  Hoseok is somewhere in the middle of these extremes.  He doesn’t go out of his way to be liked but he also isn’t dumb enough to incite the hatred of the Capitol.

Bites his nails a lot and has an aversion to crowds.  Because of what happened in his games he ended up very anxious, esp when a group of people suddenly come upon him.  He knows he’s out of the arena now but he can’t help the fight or flight instinct.  

Doesn’t go to the Capitol unless he absolutely has to.  But unfortunately, District 8 doesn’t have a lot of victors who aren’t old and senile so he gets sent to mentor almost every game. 

One of the best mentors a tribute could have.  He understands that every kid is different and he never pushes any strategy or alliance onto them unless they come to him first.  It sounds really morbid but he understands that some tributes have simply accepted their deaths and just want to have a peaceful week before the arena, and Hoseok thinks they deserve that much.  

However if they do ask him for help, he’ll practically break his back to give it to them. 

Not the best at getting sponsors but he seemingly has a sixth sense about other tributes.  His instinct and ability to read people are really good.  Like he can look at all the interviews/reapings/chariot rides and point out to his tributes who they can and cannot trust.  So far he hasn’t been wrong yet and it has saved tributes' lives before.  

He also makes a promise to every kid he mentors, he tells them that he’ll pass on any message they want their family to hear after they die and he’ll give them a month's worth of his Victor earnings. Because of this act of kindness, he is by far the most well-liked person in 8.  

He is a big brother first and foremost.  He lives with all his younger siblings on Victor’s Row and tries his best to make up for the parents they don’t have.  The only bright side to him being a victor is that he can now afford to take care of them and none of his younger siblings have to go work in the factories.  

Really protective of his siblings.  Whenever the reaping happens each year, he never sleeps the night before, can’t eat breakfast, and will probably throw up from the nerves of the possibility of his sister or brothers getting reaped.  Every year he cries in relief when they aren’t picked.  

Because he technically is an orphan himself, he has a soft spot for children without parents.  He often frequents the District 8 orphanage to help out with the kids.  Every Christmas he sends loads of gifts to them.  

He also tries to talk the older ones out of putting their names in more times for the reaping just for the sake of food.  

“Learn from my mistake.”

Hates the winter months.  His siblings have to brace themselves whenever snow first falls because they know Hoseok’s nightmares will get worse and he’ll refuse to go outside.  Snow reminds him too much of his arena.  

His voice is really raspy.  I like to think his voice box got kinda fucked up in the arena, and he used to have really bad night terrors where he’d scream his head off. So now his voice reflects that and isn’t as smooth as it used to be.  

Really wants kids but will never have them because he knows his kid will mysteriously get ‘reaped’ into the arena.  Another reason why he acts almost fatherly to every kid in his life whether they be from the orphanage, the tributes, or his own siblings.  

Gets along with Taehyung and only really opens up to him.  He doesn’t know why he likes Taehyung so much, probably because the 11 mentor is so silent, calming and Hoseok has an ability to read people so he knows that Taehyung is a good guy.  Every year at the Capitol when they mentor, Hoseok finds him and shows him pictures of his family, and happily talks his ear off about the last year.  

Hoseok suspects that Taehyung has always wanted siblings.  When Tae was reaped he had absolutely no one to visit him so that’s why he seems invested in Hoseok’s family and sometimes asks questions about them.

Hoseok tries not to be judgemental but he is wary of the career mentors.  He knows that they have just as much blood on their hands as he does his, but he can’t help holding a tiny reservation about them ever since his games.  

Has a soft spot for District Ten bc of his old ally.  

Always has sweets on him.  Whenever his tributes are freaking out before their interview or chariot ride, Hoseok slips them a sweet and just offers them a sad smile.  

 Every year when he gets back from mentoring, he just holds his family for a bit and goes boneless with relief that they’ll never have to experience the things he had to.  

[wshaeil]

*  ◟  ―  🍓cl - clang !! hello , it’s so nice to meet you all - my name is jada , but you can just call me 𝐎𝐇 𝐇𝐀𝐄𝐈𝐋’s mun !! i’m super excited to be here , and hopefully you guys take to me and phoenix’s leader , haeil ! he has a semi - sad vibe , but don’t be fooled, he’s a pretty cool guy ! below you’ll find trivia as well as general connections while i work on te real plots page ! and as always, please like if you’d like to plot alongside me and my boy !! lets go !

     𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄 .  //  𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃.  //  𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓. //

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃.

i’m going to lightly touch on his backstory here but his bio is already loaded w stuff haha so !! i won’t bore you with too many details !!

came from a family w / high expectations of him, to always be the responsible big brother ... and he did ! always was good at school stuff, took care of stuff at home when needed, etc !

but deep down he was ( and is ) not happy w how he felt his own happiness was always sacrificed for others, despite not wanting to admit it & sounding selfish ? but anyways, it got him acting up, and he had a whooole little rebellious streak that was completely out his character !

though he realllyyy enjoyed the rush, his little adventure ended quick when his parents noticed him skipping class & all that ! so his first year of hs they made him join a school club to find better friends, and that’s where he found dance !

there he learned dance and well ... the rest is history !! loved every minute of it, but got a really bad injury that had him out of dances for a while, and it crushed him, but he came back with a newfound true appreciation for it !

time skip, his friends encouraged him to audition when word came around about yuseong auditions and ... voila ! here we are !!

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘.

ok so you’ll have to excuse me as haeil is one of those this . . . and also that characters HAHA, so he’s got opposing personality traits even within himself ! he even is confused by it hee heeeee

also sidenote his younger sister is @wsharin​ !! they’re definitely giving opposites yet crazy type, have quite different personalities, but grwing up in similar environments w each other has kept them very close ! kinda thinks he’s fake youngest out of them, yet fiercely protective of her !

but ! his natural instinct is actually to be pretty wild, outgoing, have fun. he’s the happiest when he can do that, and those closest to him probably know him to be quite the joker when he lets loose.

buuut for years now he’s been conditioned into the responsible leader-type he is now, though it def is his more manufactured side. but nowadays it’s what he reverts to, because he sort of just thinks there’s not enough room in everyone’s life for him to be so chaotic ??

haeil tries his hardest to blend in the background, as he feels it’s what a good leader does and he wants to give the rest of his team the shine. because he hasn’t been dancing as long as most others around him, and had a relatively short training time, he’s still v doubtful of his own worthiness of being in the position he is, therefore he sort of feels like ... he doesn’t deserve attention ?? ( and while this is true to an extent, haeil also needs to work through this constant pessimism within himself and learn to take pride in his achievements !! )

so a lot of times what you’ll see is a man trying to be a leader, with the inner child ( ! ) in him poking through. though he encourages participation from his other members rather than himself, his fans are known for pointing out all the moments he gets jumpy / excited / hyper, and he’s kinda developed this “tsundere” vibe because of it ? it’s not exactly correct but he’ll take it heehee

as a leader, esp on variety, you’ll see him doing little things to make the quieter / less talked to members heard this whole compilation ?? literally him.

if you’re close to him though, you’ll really see he’s not nearly as serious as he seems. he’s extreeemely caring, almost to a fault, w those close to him ? and will take care of literally anything they need. got rent due tomm ? send him your payment info and he’ll send over all he has in his account. but on top of that, he just loves to have fun, and if in an environment that allows, v spontaneous !

def mom friend vibes. doesn't like coffee but loves his morning tea, sweaters, tries to establish a bed time for phoenix, always managing to have remembered that one thing someone else forgot, packing snacks, all the good stuff !

but !! the entertainer in haeil is compleetely different, and largely why he got famous ! a charismatic dancer for sure, enjoys a lot of hip hop as it’s what he’s had most practice in, and whenever he dances he truly has fun !! 

he was so  deep in his own insecurities, and it showed in his dancing, untilll cherry bomb. phew cherry bomb haeil was ... a whole era, and what a lot of people attribute to being his vibe switch that made him 1000x more confident !

despite what many think he loooves aggresive rap. rock & r&b are right up there too. loves music that reminds him he can feel things !!

poor thing ... cannot handle his alcohol. legit tries to avoid drinking altogether bc like one drink and he’s already trying to crawl onto tables. actually loves going out for drinks but avoids it like the plague bc he thinks it ruins his pride lolll

while he claims he's too busy for love - and he genuinely is kinda - he is a hopeless romantic deep down. his mind always drifts to him & his future partner living all suburban w kids who match clothes and having a family dog, all the fixings ... he just wants a cute dad vibe and gets depressed when he thinks of how being an idol is kinda preventing that from coming anytime soon 

this is getting SO LONG WHAT lets move on !!

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒.

someone who didn’t actually make it / hasn’t yet debuted in the industry, but who haeil reallly looks up to as a mentor ? whether a rapper / singer or just someone he admires, haeil gets depressed every time he remembers the person who got him where he is hasn't even got their shot of fame yet, and who he feels he owes quite everything to. though he’s got the whole leader thing going on, this person makes him act like a whole little sibling.

english tutor !! he genuinely wants to be so much better than he is, and doubts his skills as a good leader bc of it and would loove someone to help him !! also def down to learn from someone who speaks japanese, since he’s learning that as well ! he just wants to connect w more fans D:

someone who lets him lets loossee !! need i say more ?? haeil needs to have some fun and be himself before he pops a brain vessel, and that seems like it’s becoming more and more of a possibility oijdoidjodjod. alcohol may or may not be included iin the equation but if so prepare for chaos personified !

an ex perhaps ?? he’s bisexual so this could go either way, but someone he was w in high school and for whatever reason, it didn’t work out ?? we could give them awkward or tension w angst where they never got closure, or two people who just worked better as friends and maintained a great connection !

someone who he’s truly just ... whipped over ? something about their energy has him wanting to see them more and more and quite honestly, p out of character. openly a simp and just wilding whenever this person’s in the room hours .. let’s go !!

best friends. but i mean like .... beeest friends. they don't have to necessarily go back, not all best friends do, but what matters is them now ! friends who have an incredibly special connection, the type to just .. basically be talking in their own language of inside jokes and such.

for those who might not be from korea / have the closest relationship w their own family, haeil’s got you ! if your muse has always wanted someone who cooks for them, gives advice, or just listens and provides a shoulder to cry on, mr.haeil is the man for you !!

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

i havent been here in a hot second is there a reason for the makoto hate specifically? like the rants go back to p5's writing issues but the spite for makoto seems very specific did she kill someones dog in one of the spinoffs or what?

You're all good. So here's the thing, she did kill my dog-I'm joking.

When I say “I’m the residential #1 Makoto Hater” it’s a joke, partially cause it probs looks that way (and probs cause it might be true, who knows if you could quantify hate then maybe I’m at the top of the leaderboards 8U but you can’t so we’ll never know). But I’m saying it at as a joke, to own myself and everyone here that knows what I think of her, rather than wear it as a badge of honor or some silliness. It’s just a “oh haha yeah there goes Silly, dunking on Makoto again! She’s basically Makoto’s #1 hater haha oh she’s so silly.” (so please don’t look too deep into it, I just want to have fun).

Anyway, me hating Makoto isn’t new, but I do hold a similar ire towards Futaba, Goro (tho I have camaraderie with his fans, I relate to their struggle in terms of my own brown hair and red eye fav and Atlus screwing them over u_u I may hate your fave but I respect you and will be in your corner), and Yukari (as well as Chloe from LiS if you want a non-Persona example). Makoto might be talked about more because 1) She hits my buttons that much faster (Futaba/Goro are more like a festering wound, and when I talk about them it’s hard to pick a starting point), 2) Her fans tendency (early on in the fandom) bringing her up frequently.....was a bad combo with #1 (overexposure+pushing all my buttons really fast=disaster). Obvie not blaming her fans, but it was hard to curate how I was able to curate my content online (esp with gaming news websites calling her “best girl” when showing off a figure announcement or some BS when I just want to know what new games have been announced >.> I can do without you trying to start a waifu war in the comments Siliconera -_-)

Anyway, I think I’ve made my reasons for hating her very clear (you just have to search her name on my blog and you’ll get a ton of essays I’m sure, too many to count). And a lot of it is the failure of P5′s writing. “So it’s just the writing you hate, not the character.” No. Because that doesn’t make sense. Except under certain circumstances (which I’ll provide examples of below with Luke Skywalker), you can’t separate the writing from the character. The character IS the writing, the writing IS the character. If you can’t hate/dislike the char because “of the writing” then you also can’t love/like them either. The character and the writing/writing choices for that character are connected. The writing embodies that character. They are the same.

Now I said there was an exception, and that’s....”different writer/director,” tho it’s not ALWAYS the case (sometimes the new writer really gets the original writing, like Saito for MM.....they are very good at emulating the clusterfuck of P5′s writing). P5′s writing is the original basis for Makoto’s character, that’s her. You can’t separate it from her. Same thing with say....Luke Skywalker from the OG trilogy, that’s him. But then we get to the sequel/Disney trilogy, new writer/director....and yeah that’s a mess (from what I understand OG trilogy=Hopeful and tries to see the best in people, 2nd Disney=Cynic and tried to kill a child, 3rd Disney=Hopeful again for some reason). There’s character development, then there’s just straight up changing the character just cause you need them to be this now. 

*writes how this can apply to Persona spinoffs but deletes because I was getting too off track* Look at me exercising control. It’s probs best I save that for a meta after I’ve replayed all the spinoffs again.

But....if you want me to boil down my issues with Makoto, I hate the message we get from her. I hate the lesson we learn from her. What is supposed to happen vs what happens.  It’s supposed to be about a girl who is blindly following authority and becomes disillusioned with it after being burned by it, on top of “immense pressure” she has as well, and then comes to our side (we know this because Atlus told us). We don’t get that (we know this because we saw the execution). We get two adults, yes TWO ADULTS, one of which is her sister and wants her to do well in school (but isn’t like.....a tiger mom about it, because Sae can’t be TOO horrible because we need to like her later), who in retrospect seems very busy with her job (which gives Makoto freedom), but also feels burdened by her younger sister (in which she has one shitty slip with her and then NEVER again). And the other is a dumbass principal who asks a really strange and stupid task for Makoto that snowballs into bullshit. That’s IT! THAT’S IT! That’s all we get from Makoto and “authority.” Strawmen. We don’t really get much of her personality either (I’m not saying that cause “she’s cardboard” I legit just.....don’t get her? Like I don’t get enough of her to get a solid foundation, you get me?) Like as the player, what we see of her is she’s just studying in the library (Kamo arc), then the principal calls her in, she mentions the rumors about Kamo, he asks her to look into the PT in exchange for a recommendation (to which she’s surprised and says thanks, not no, she looks like she’ll accept JUST BASED ON THAT) but before she can even say Yes (OR NO) he threatens Makoto with her sister, to which Makoto hardens and then agrees. Then she acts like an asshole and yadda yadda stuff happens.

But if she’s supposed to blindly follow authority, she’d say yes, but then they don’t let the character breathe so she can make the “wrong” choice because the Principal goes STRAIGHT to threatening her.......so now the message is muddled, or really it’s non existent. The whole Sae thing is a nothing bag too, it’s just family drama. Her sister is, no HAS to be absent a lot for her work, just so Makoto can have the freedom to be a PT....which means....it hurts her lack of freedom and other stuff associated with Sae being a big pressure on Makoto’s life. You know, I’ve said before they’ve squandered Sae, and that Makoto’s presence really harmed Sae (iirc it was this post). But at the same time, how they handled Sae really screws up Makoto’s character. Neither are allowed to breathe. Neither are allowed to make a true, horrible choice...and then learn from it. They aren’t allowed to have an actual arc. Altus played it safe, took choice away from them, didn’t want to take risks with either character and have meaning. Instead we just have this nothing contradiction thing dicking around until they join our team. 

What really sucks about that....is we got that with the Kamo arc. With Anne, Ryuji, even Yuki and Shiho. Kamo was manipulative, and his manipulation caused people to make....not the best choices, all out of a means to survive. Ryuji physically acted against Kamo, and he got his leg broken, team disbanded, and outcasted. Anne was trying to protect Shiho’s position on the team, which lead to her almost getting harmed by Kamo, Shiho getting harmed, her not seeing the truth about what was going on around her, and she didn’t tell Shiho (because she didn’t want Shiho to think she didn’t get on the team for her own merits), and so on. Shiho didn’t tell Anne what was going on because she wanted to protect Anne from Kamo (and was afraid Anne would, very much blame herself), and her and Yuki and the rest of the teams helped keep quiet about Kamo so they wouldn’t be next on the physical chopping block. This isn’t me blaming them, this is me showing their choices, their attempts to fix their (hopeless) situation, to help themselves or others, and the dramatic irony being it just made everything worse. BUT, even tho Kamo was the real one to blame, each character is aware of the actions that were made, and the consequences of each action (esp Anne/Ryuji/Shiho). And in their CoOps, they identify this, and take strides to learn from it so it doesn’t happen again. That’s an arc. That’s character development. They were allowed to make errors, mistakes, decisions that negatively impacted themselves/other’s. We see a solid foundation of their character from the get go, and how it changes over that small time. We don’t get that with Makoto. The group is like solid concrete to Makoto who is like shifting sand. 

Sorry got a bit off topic, anyway, I hate her message of boasting about her fighting ability but she only harms her friends (outside of shadows, but that’s not special) WHILE ALSO being a damsel that needs someone else to rescue her! I hate how when she gets called out, she wants to drop it, and gives gaslighty apologies, even tho she really ROYALLY screwed lot of people very badly. I hate how she demands us to help, only to literally be a detriment to our investigation. I hate how she gets to fly off the handle without repercussions (despite needing to be cool calm and collected for her job, especially since she miraculously can do that when needed so what the hell????). I hate how the text has her be shitty, say shitty things, be bad at her job, but will turn around and reward her time and time again. 

Sure she doesn’t break the lore like Futaba, or unravel P5′s plot like Goro. But as a character with a message attached to her, even ones that the creators surely overlooked (I’m sure they didn’t intend for her to only hit her friends), it’s simple but very annoying. Fast and easy to see, doesn’t require me to think of P5′s lore as well as the grander Persona lore. Doesn’t require me to dig through text for Goro bread crumbs and then unravel the entire basis of the P5 plot thanks to him. Makoto is easier to get into, it’s smaller scale and more personal I guess. 

[beyond-far-horizons]

Katara’s potential in LOK and importance of older female role-models in life and fiction

This was not meant to turn into a meta and yet has done! Just a disclaimer I’m still working my way through The Legend of Korra but have mostly been spoiled by reading some great analysis on here. So this isn’t meant to be a comprehensive take and also isn’t meant to disrespect the people who like Legend of Korra or this particular aspect of it. It’s just a subject very close to my heart and my work as a creative practitioner, student of psychology and media analyst, so I really wanted to discuss it. 

Contains some spoilers esp for Season 1.

So I’m biting the bullet and getting into LoK despite reservations. I overall really loved Avatar the Last Airbender and Katara is one of my favourite characters. I admit one of my biggest issues with starting LoK was hearing how her character and agency were drastically reduced compared to the original series.

Now I know LoK gets a lot of flak for a variety of reasons and it was always going to be hard following such a beloved series as A:TLA and trying to do something different. However I’m actually enjoying certain aspects including Korra herself, despite the fact she can be bratty and immature at times (which squares with her age and upbringing). I also find the premise of the Equalists and especially their mysterious, terrifying leader Amon really interesting and I just wish the creators had done more with that plot line. (I forever seem to be going on about missed potential in the stories I consume!)

However the more I continue the more I’m annoyed because I realised we were robbed of Badass Grandma!Katara and also more matrilineal mentoring/bonding between her and Korra. 

Spoilers but I wanted to see Katara go toe to toe with the villains esp give her being intimately connected to their history. I wanted to see her deal with the shadows of the past, the history of trauma associated with bloodbending and the Fire Nation and also the very intriguing points Season 1 was trying to make about the role of bender vs non-bender and the Avatar themselves. All things Katara was deeply involved with as someone who experienced inequality firsthand, fought relentlessly to abolish it and was the previous Avatar’s finder, teacher and later his wife. 

Katara being Aang’s first mentor and implied to be Korra’s waterbendering tutor adds yet another dimension and potential to explore. That whole relationship must be strange for everyone involved but I’m always a sucker for female bonds, found family and intergenerational friendships.

I know LoK is about the new cast taking over - Tenzin fills the role of Korra’s mentor figure onscreen and is loved by many. There are lots of ways to tell a story and the creators focused on Korra’s issues with airbending to contrast her personality and development with Aang’s, as well as to flesh out Aang’s family and the rebuilding of the Air Nomads. 

Yet I miss the potential of seeing wise fierce mentor!Katara on screen. We fans love callbacks, so seeing Katara in action as she used to be would be a joy, and older more powerful characters need not overshadow younger ones. For example Uncle Iroh was beloved and integral in A:TLA despite the fact we saw very little of his backstory. He didn’t take over Zuko’s journey, he aided and complemented it. Plus Toph gets her chance to shine.

There was so much to play with, especially in Season 1 (and would have been a nice reference to Aang meeting Katara first and then Zuko and Toph later). So much contrast between Katara’s experience with Hama, her thoughts about her mother, Gran Gran and the reintroduction of South Water Style. The trauma of bad parental/mentor relationships vs the good examples one can use to alchemise negative patterns that A:TLA was known for (see Iroh, Zuko and Ozai for reference). I don’t want to get too far into spoiler territory but all of this links back to Katara, Hama and Water Tribe and I would have loved to see a further exploration of that and a contrast between her loving bond and fear for Korra vs the villains’ and their education. This would have created more depth between Korra and Amon and co (and wow do I wish that dynamic was explored further - does she even know what happens to him??), and between Katara and Korra and their respective journeys to shoulder their burdens and mature as people and women.

Just think about all those juicy, angsty callbacks we could have done to Hama’s haunting episode! How Katara could have decided to be a better mentor than Hama was to her. (Katara was always a good mentor but if there was any issues in her relationship with Korra re Aang etc this could have been a good place for dramatic tension and resolution.) Of course for all we know this did happen but we don’t see it because we don’t get to see Katara’s training with Korra or much of Katara at all in LoK apart from her failing to heal Korra.

Plus I adore badass ladies and badass grandmas, I have loads in my original fiction. I love people defying stereotypes and sadly there is still a lack of stories not only depicting a range of female role-models but female mentoring and matrilineal bonding.

Read the incredible bestseller Women Who Run with the Wolves by Jungian analyst Clarissa Pinkola Estés if you want to learn more about the power of storytelling, myth and female hero journeys and initiation. A key part of that book is how women have been historically and psychologically undervalued and harmed by the prevailing culture for centuries. Also how it has broken matrilineal lines of wisdom and support and distorted cultural values of how girls and women (not to mention boys and men) view the Feminine. This leaks down into our modern day stories via inherited psychological conditioning and unexamined tropes. 

For example - how many ‘wise old men’ figures can you think of in pop culture, myth, fairytale, religion? Quite a few I’d imagine. Now contrast that with the ‘wise old woman’ archetype...I guessing not as many. I’m sure you’ll find a few but I bet more often the words that come to mind are ‘witch’, ‘sorceress’, ‘crone’ etc. 

The Fairy Godmother (I gave you that one for free;) ) is an exception but she is a watered down version of the powerful, ambivalent figures of folklore such as Baba Yaga. Trust me if the Yaga was your mentor, as she was to Vasalisa in the fairytale Vasalisa the Wise/the Beautiful, you ain’t coming out of that encounter with a crystal slipper, you’re coming out it with a burning skull that incinerates your enemies and I’d like to see that tale popularised!

As mentioned Katara did feature in Korra’s life as a support, a vague mentor figure and a healer - in fact she is the one that initiates Korra’s heroine journey by supporting her decision to leave the stifling confines of her compound, go to Republic City alone and learn airbending. She also offers emotional and medical support during Korra’s traumatic recovery later on in the series. But mostly Katara’s involvement is at the peripheries of The Legend of Korra except when she was failing to heal her.

This isn’t to say that comfort and softness in female relationships are lesser than battle prowess or mental fortitude. Or that failure always bad, it is human and can be a powerful narrative tool for character development. I’m not interested in the infallible ‘Strong Female Character’ stereotype and neither is Estés. Her book illustrates that the Feminine encapsulates all of these qualities and many more and looking at the original Katara she was a perfect example of that. She was empathetic, intelligent, powerful, fierce, devoted, flawed, playful, angry.

I guess what I’m saying is that I miss that Katara and I miss the opportunity of  seeing Korra interact with and learn from that Katara, especially as they have so much in common in terms of shared history, powers, culture and even looks. I’m also missing the opportunity of seeing that Katara battle Amon and all the drama and backstory that could have ensued from those encounters! After all Katara took on her mother’s killer, Hama and the Fire Nation (including one angsty honour-obsessed Fire Prince and his powerful sister), you’re telling me she would have just let Korra, her family and friends be in grave danger in the name of ‘leaving it to the kids’ ESPECIALLY since her own history turned out to be so deeply connected to all of this? Nah...

It’s important for girls* to see a range of wholesome female characters and dynamics play out in their media from an early age, especially to rework and combat the historic negative tropes that our culture is still steeped in. It’s also important to address the devaluing of the elderly, in particular elderly women. The Legend of Korra does in fact build on this from Avatar the Last Airbender by having an even greater range of capable women and girls across ages and morality spectrum. Korra herself (who I’m liking a lot more than I thought I would), is a real stereotype breaker. Toph I’ve heard fulfils the ‘wise old (crotchy) woman’ archetype later in the series. I just wish, given how much I adore A:TLA’s Katara, that we could have seen her shine in an elder role too. 

(*I use terms like ‘girls’, ‘woman/women’ and ‘feminine’. I mean these to also include a broad interpretation of the Feminine than just the hetero/cis-normative one, but sometimes it helps when critiquing something to narrow things down esp something so already psychologically complex in a simple meta.)

[mottephobia-imagines]

BNHA as Hetalia Characters (Axis + Allies only)

Hahahahaaaa.. I’m still Hetalia trash 😇

—

Mirio Togata as America

I first put Denki as America but then I saw a post and now I can’t stop thinking about BTT SeroKiriKami so yeah-

Mirio and America have more things in common other than being blond, blue-eyed precious beans that need to be protected

First of- s t r o n g. They’re both canonically some of the strongest characters in their respective series despite their relatively young ages (Mirio being above some pro-hero levels despite still being in high school and America being well America lmao)

Additionally, they both have drive; they have a determination to become as strong as they possibly could, and stop at nothing to get there

Also, they love helping people! Mirio wants to save a million smiles, and America is a self-proclaimed hero (who admittedly isn’t the best but he’s trying okay)

Both of them kinda also have a hidden intelligence? Like, as in one would never think of them to be highly intelligent people because they’re so goofy and energetic

Since it’s implied that both Tamaki and Mirio game in their free time, him and America are also avid gamers (imagine them playing smash together lmao I feel like they’d break all the controllers)

Both v v competitive too (not as much as the next duo tho)- they’ll never back down from a challenge and face it head on with all their might!

Also, they’re basically the blond boy of the month but it’s every month lmao

(In my eyes they’re both cute little golden retrievers shshsjdjskal)

In conclusion, they’re sunshines who deserve the world and more

Katsuki Bakugo as England

Okay fr hear me the fuck out-

I know it’s an unlikely pair

But they have their similarities just bear with me here

Yes, I was initially going to put in Romano for Bakugo (anger issues gang)

But then the more I thought about it, the more I realized that unlike Romano, he wouldn’t back away from a challenge or run at the slightest scare- Bakugo would take that shit and smother it into the ground

And while England may sometimes be portrayed as a prude gentleman type, we can’t forget his history- this man is probably one of, if not the most, ballsy countries to exist (at least back in his prime)

England is smart, calculated and cunning- how could you not be when you’ve conquered nearly the whole damn world?

He’s proud and maybe a bit too egotistical, and while lacking the anger issues and probably dead vocal cords of Bakugo, he sure as hell matches him in the pride and power aspect

Bakugo, on the other hand, is literally top of his class; boy is a nerd and has a perfect record

So he’s by no means any less smart than England, maybe a little more reckless, but he’s 16- you can’t exactly compare his mindset to a country’s

Even so he does act quickly on the battlefield, much like England assessed situations very precariously (most of the time)

Both of them would probably look an opponent dead in the eye and tell them to do it, bet you won’t pussy ass

On a lighter note tho, they’re two blond, spiky-haired tsunderes who are way to proud and smart for their own good

They also both listen to rock/punk so there’s that too

foreverfurrowedbrowclubTM

Aoyama Yuuga as France

I know I just said SeroKamiKiri is the BTT but once again hear me out

I couldn’t not put Aoyama in as France

It’s literally a match made in Heaven guys cmon

They’re both sparkling, flamboyant and fabulous blondies

Although sometimes their attitude can be interpreted as holier-than-thou, really they just know that they’re amazing and don’t care what people think (we stan confident kings 😤)

They also know that they deserve the best luxuries in life, and definitely won’t settle for anything else

In terms of courage, they’re pretty much on the same level; they get scared easily and will more than likely either back out of the challenge or give up the moment they feel tired

The difference is, France will never regain whatever bravery he had before the French Revolution, but Aoyama is slowly building his courage up in his journey to become a hero

They also take things in stride, willingly or unwillingly (whether it be an ugly outfit or a defeat, they won’t be a sore loser lmao)

While not necessarily flirty like France, Aoyama can still charm people with his whims. Also, their relationship towards people that they can’t charm kind of mirrors one another? (Might be reaching here lmao)

I do think though sometimes that Aoyama shows some similarities with Poland/2P!Romano, but he has the most similarities with France so 🤷🏻‍♀️

Toga Himiko as Russia

You may say she’s more like Belarus but nay nay I say

Belarus is the more kind of ‘stoic’ cruel in my mind; she doesn’t show much emotion besides annoyance and getting angry

Russia however

He’s ‘childishly’ cruel- looks innocent but is capable of some horrible, monstrous things.

Even though his face says otherwise, he does take some glee in torturing harming others (like, a lot)

Toga also does this, but in a much more obvious way lmao. She’s a villain, who drinks blood, there’s no doubt she hasn’t killed anyone. She also takes a lot more pleasure from hurting people than Russia does

They not that close with people, but the ones they are close to they are immensely protective of (Toga and the LOV, Russia and his sisters)

They also are capable of being highly intelligent, knowing more than what people think they know (Toga helping Twice our, and I high key headcanon Russia as a manipulative and cunning bastard who’s done many horrible things to people to get his way)

(I still love you Ivan)

I think this goes without saying but they’re really really violent

Russia just likes using his magic metal pipe of pain, and Toga likes her knives

They also have some really shitty pasts that have lead them to be who they are today

They may look cute on the outside, but they are oh so very cruel on the inside

Shota Aizawa as China

Haha, old man syndrome-

These two have more in common than you’d think

First off, they have that wisdom that comes with age, and are trying to get the younger ones to learn it (Aizawa does this better lmao)

I can totally see them complaining about ‘kids these days’ even tho they’ve done the same shit back then-

Along with wisdom comes cunning and craft. I headcanon China as a low key genius, so he’s probably on par with Aizawa, if not better (in terms of battle strategy and such)

Even though they come off as strict, all they really want is the best for their students/siblings

They’re both physically strong (China was probably once hella jacked, and Aizawa speaks for himself)

They do tire out quite easily tho so there’s that

Both have a penchant for cute animals like cats (Hello Kitty’s a cat don’t @ me)

On a darker note, they’ve both suffered losses of close friends. While China has definitely lost a lot more, Shirakumo’s ‘death’ still took a huge toll on him. Likewise, China has lost all his ancient friends over the years, making him the last one left (except turkey and Mongolia they don’t matter rn)

Tenya Iida as Germany

You cannot tell me this isn’t also a match made in heaven

They’re literally, at their very core, almost the exact same person

Iida is a stickler for rules- he follows every single one of them. Any and every. Pretty organized too, if I do say so myself

Likewise, Germany is also very strict with rules and regimens. He’s also canonically OCD so mans cannot stand messes (people or things)

It may make them seem like pains in the neck but really it’s the only way they know how to interact

Also have some angsty connections with their brothers

Although not as easily provoked as Germany, Iida can still be just as terrifying (mans tried to kill Stain I mean come on-)

As with nearly all of these characters, they’re both strong as hecc

Also, I feel like both of them are somewhat pressured by what their other family members have accomplished and want to achieve the same thing (Iida coming from a family of superheroes, and Germany really looking up to his father and brother and wanting to be like them but less yknow)

They don’t really know how to communicate well?? Like, of course they can talk and hold conversation but they have difficulty with most social interactions (it’s adorable)

More often than not the louder voice of reason within their friend group (Everyone in the Dekusquad besides Deku himself is the voice of reason lmao, and Germany is a no-nonsense kind of guy)

Smart bois (In Gakuen Hetalia, Germany is said to be one of the smartest students and tutors Italy, and Iida tries his best)

All in all very awkward and loud losers beans that need to learn how to not be so stiff lmao

Shoto Todoroki as Japan

Y’all already know I had to pair the introverts together

Calm, collected and reserved- these two mind their own business like it’s a sports championship lmao

Even though they may come off as intimidating sometimes, in reality they’re just shy and don’t really know the basics of social interaction (more than Germany and Iida lmao)

They’re both fairly strong, too (Todoroki with his icy hot quirk makes him one of the most OP characters in MHA imo, and Japan definitely doesn’t carry around a katana just for show)

Very very convoluted and not so great childhood (Think the sengoku period was Japan’s childhood so he was basically torn up as a kid while Todoroki had to deal with Endebitch)

Also both pretty smart??? Like, high key they’re both very intelligent and skilled

Both their friends are slowly helping them get out of that super duper introverted mindset, but the poor bbs are still trying to learn how to be a lot less stiffe

They’re also really into architecture esp traditional Japanese architecture (canon in both)

I honestly think they’d get along pretty well if they met, tbh

(Japan would get him into anime and manga and the bookworm in Todoroki can’t resist)

The strange circumstance of Italy

Honestly, I could not find anyone in MHA that was remotely similar to Italy

I was very close to putting in Mina or Nejire, since those two come to mind whenever I think of bright and bubbly (Maybe Kirishima too, but it just doesn’t fit)

So while those two are pretty much the most fitting I feel, they don’t completely encompass his character enough yonow?

Like, I genuinely cannot find anyone who is similar enough to compare him to

So for now, until I can find a suitable pick, Italy won’t have a MHA character to be paired up with 😔 sorry guys

—

What do you guys think? Do you agree or do you think different characters should be put in place?

If this gets enough notes, I might make a part 2 including female nations and the others (or whatever characters you guys request)

Requests are still open! You can ask for edits or character imagines/headcanons!

[ryuijsakamoto]

I just would like to take a moment to talk about my fave headcanons i have for all the characters

Akira:

he is the most OVER DRAMATIC bitch on this earth

he definitely did theatre at some point in his life

after his arrest he sometimes gets really nervous and has trouble conveying his words. he stumbles over them and cant convey his point well

ann and haru like to braid his hair sometimes

when he was younger he faked not being able to see so he could get glasses, it didnt work tho

so hence now he wears fashion glasses

he had braces in middle school

there is One(1) picture of middle school akira. One

he 1000000000% believes in ghosts and has since he was a child

aliens though? not real.

takes lots of selfies when he moves back and sends them to his friends often

biggest flirt but if u flirt back with him he. Dies cannot talk his face is fully red and hes hiding behind his hands

takes every opportunity to visit his friends 

claims hes not a sap but futuba swears she saw him crying over a handwritten thank you card from ‘’that one arcade kid names the kind or smth’’

Ryuji:

when he was a kid he has a fluffy mess of hair similar to akiras and it was the cutest thing ever

he needs reading glasses but no one knows because hes embarrassed by them

he likes to doodle on papers, hes not an artist but he likes to make dorky quick drawings in the corner of his paper

he has trouble focuing sometimes and likes to tap his foot silently or draw lines on paper to help him focus

calls yusuke and akira pretty boy by habit, it started as teasing but then it just became a Habit

he keeps every gift his friends give him and therye very dear to him

he has akira help him dye his hair

when one of his friends is gone / in danger he doesnt dye his hair again until he knows theyre safe

his mom sewed his purple jacket for him herself

he likes to cook and bake

he hold his bros..bro come cuddle me...he very affectionate with his friends and casually touches like hugs, hands over shoulders, etc.

sings to himself when hes alone

Ann:

she has a pretty popular instagram account

she has really bad handwriting

like ryuji, very affectionate 

she loves beanies and wears them especially in the snow

likes to make pointless arguments with ryuji sometimes, stuff like is water wet?

likes to curl her hair over breaks, thinks it looks cute

she loves to watch sappy romance and drama shows / movies

she stress eats

hates when people attack her friends on her instagram 

she has pet fish 

she picked up gardening from haru, its only a small plants and she forgets to water it sometimes but shes trying her best

Yusuke:

he is secretly a sucker for cutely decorated sweets

he had a small anime phase, not that he told madarame, but he has a box full of his old anime drawings and he will Never show them to anyone

he, like ryuji, sometimes drawes in the corners of his papers

unlike ryuji his are more detailed n not as dorky, its usually a detailed flower pattern or something of the sorts

he straightens and dyes his hair

his room? full of art pieces and posters u cannot see his original walls

he always has his phone on dnd and forgets to check it for days sometimes

he has 5 pairs of the same shirt, each one for a different occasions (they all look the same though...we dont ask why)

when he gets too worried over his art and stuff usually his friends will drag him out of his room and make him go eat with them

his friends pictures in his phones are hand-drawn little sketches he did

when hes concentrating really hard he puts his bangs into a ponytail so they dont fall in his face

so clumsy. he trips over everything

Makoto:

got through school before highschool without having to study

is not good with change

loves cute plushies and clothes

is Tired please give her a break

when Sae notices shes overexerting herself she makes sure to leave some of makotos favorite food and a small note for makoto on her bed

she just loves her sister very much

actually really likes spicy foods

u mention around her youre having trouble in school? not getting enough rest? forgot your lunch? Mom Mode Makoto activated

when shes alone she can curse up a storm

likes to play poker

is really good at talking to people and keeping up frienships

after highschool she is always busy u wanna hangout? she has 2 available days for the next 5 months

Futuba:

she has braces. she despises them

a very picky eater

sometimes she falls back into her old habits of hiding and isolating herself, when that happens shes learned to text someone and they sit outside her door and talk to her untill shes feeling better

cries easily, especially over characters and shows

has a phantom thieves fan account

when morgana and akira move away she gets a cat plushy because she misses her friends

shows everyone so many fun online things, discord? they have s discord gc because of her

akira has to remind her to drink water and fix her posture too much

wants to cosplay

shes really nervous for her first day of school but joker texts her all throughout the day even if he got in trouble for it

surprisingly a morning person

Haru:

she Runs on caffeine

likes to spoil her friends, yusuke spent all his money again? heres enough to get home and also buy a 3 course meal 

works at a plant shop even though she doesnt really need to because she loves being around plants

plays piano and cello

touch starved pls hug her PLEASE

likes to fish

cutest laugh please protect her

also dabbled in acting, though hers was more classical stuff like shakespear

she loves golf and swimming

knows how to fight and will do so if needed

she bullet journals

Akechi (in general + if he got to stay with the pt):

actually doesnt have a strong opinion on pancakes, just was really feeling like eating pancakes that day when he overheard morgana

he loves the praise he gets but the spotlight is exhausting

shido told him long hair didnt look good on him once so now he refuses to cut it out of spite

loves to watch gordan ramsey, thinks its hilarious

Bottles up his emotions like crazy

actually really caring towards his friends, always checking up on them and making sure theyre taking care of themselves

loves shit talking his dad, esp with ryuji haru and yusuke who join him and shit talk their own father figures

he wears colored contacts

writes poetry, no one knows this though

cannot back down from a bet, tell him that he wont eat that spoonful of wasabi? hes choking it down with tears but at least he proved you wrong

kinda very incredibly petty

a big fan of mythology, he looked into it after getting his loki persona

loves movie dates with the phantom theives

[honeybelon]

⌠ KATHRYN BERNARDO, 22, DEMIGIRL, SHE/HER/THEY/THEM ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, HONORA BELONIA! according to their records, they’re a SECOND year, specializing in LINGUISTICS, CULTURE, AND KNIFE FIGHTING SKILLS, SWORD TRAINING, PRECISION SHOOTING, FIREARMS & SWAT TRAINING ; and they DID NOT go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of (clear film for highlighting textbooks without mess, constant eye-rolling, fancy by iggy azalea on the flute, and shopping bags haphazardly strewn across a meticulously arranged bed ). when it’s the cancer’s birthday on 07/17/1997, they always request their CREMA DE FRUTA from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation. ⌿ jess, 21, she/her, cst ⍀

technically my sixth babe!!! and they’re not leaving after a semester!!! ( unless :eyes: .... im kidding jksdsf )

background: born honora liezl belonia soliman in malolos, bulacan in the philippines to gelo and petra soliman. honora is the second of three sisters, the others being aira (the oldest) and sonora (the youngest). 

and besides the occasional faded memory deep inside their brain, that’s pretty much all what honey remembers about their family. because by the time she was five years old, her maternal grandparents walter and mona belonia had taken her with them back to the us. jacksonville, florida to be exact. and since then, honora ( lovingly nicknamed nora at this point ) was the pride and joy by walter and mona. 

while mona was a bit uptight, she still tended and cared for nora. when nora wanted to try cheerleading, mona put her in. walter, whose attention wasn’t always on the two since he worked many, many jobs, always tried to be there during nora’s performances. besides cheerleading, nora became interested in dance, having watched the movie “honey” and decides to nickname herself after the main character since it still works with ‘honora’. ( and bc ‘nora’ made her feel a bit old )

growing up, there wasn’t anything too unusual. at least, not to honey. however, walter had begun to teach her how to forge signatures and handwriting as a form of bonding, along with imitating pop culture figures to near accuracy. during the summers, esp when she was younger, they would play pretend and by the end of their playtime, the three would have cash or free items to take home.

mona, on the other hand, put honey into the ‘strangest’ classes and workshops. by the time honey was in their teens, she had double the certifications and qualifications than anyone else in the immediate area. she did like having them on her resume since she worked part-time in high school when she didn’t have cheer stuff going on ( babysitting, dog-walking, and tutoring ) 

when not doing cheer or work, honey is usually preoccupied with dancing. with the rise of social media and youtube as they grew up, they too post dance videos and had a foot in the online dance community and half of her friends were also in the scene.

as senior year approached, honey naturally began applying to colleges. having received acceptances from various colleges (and a scholarship for cheer at U.F.), honey .. wanted to go in another direction. since she’d been nurturing a dance career, honey had wanted to go to l.a. to try and make their mark. she was talented enough and she knew in her head that the skills she’s learned with her grandparents meant she’s equipped enough.

but her grandparents didn’t quite like it. and that’s when mona came clean about the family legacy. 

mona had been a gallagher girl in the past. she met walter soon after graduating, after he had pocketed her coin purse and she caught his wrist before he could get away, it was love. walter doesn’t quite do those things now ( he works “legitimate” jobs now ) and mona is long retired from her agency. 

she had explained that she wanted to take aira, since it was clear that petra had no plans to pursue the world of espionage, but petra refused. when honey was born, they tried again. still, petra refused. when sonora was born, they still tried and again, petra refused. mona explained that petra just didn’t see the importance of keeping it in the family. taking honey away had been a test, at first, for petra and gelo. but when they only called mona about honey a mere week after they had taken her, well ...

needless to say, honey didn’t take it too well. honey felt like a pawn. but at the same time, she remembers pretty much her entire life with her grandparents and realizes that while it started out so sour, it turned out .. nicely. if it wasn’t for the fact that mona has pulled honey into the world of espionage by forcing her hand ( mona turning in an application for gallagher on her behalf, for one ), the three could’ve parted ways nicely.

[ put in another page on how honey dealt with / what she went through during the first arc sjdhs ]

personality: honey ... is annoying. she’s basically if drew and rizo had a lovechild and then trained by lisanna. sort of. the thing is, she’s actually really chill. she does the annoying act on purpose to sike other people out, which helps her own hidden insecurities as a gallagher student that didn’t go to prep school. honey’s mostly over it now though. mostly. 

uhhhh quirks? most likely to leave drunken voicemails in various languages, aspiring cosplayer but cant sew for shit so rip honey’s dreams, closet weeb, favorite voice to imitate is probably the man that says “let’s get ready to ruuumble” during boxing matches, reads anything she can use in a conversation, also very likely to stay up to date with what the gossip blog says and very likely to let what it says influence what she thinks about you, “don’t tell me to shut up, you shut up, i can’t shut up because i still have things to say and you don’t so --” yknow..like..knock her out pls

the tru bi icon, but only bc she rocks the colors whenever she can

wcs at the moment:

hookups ( a first for my babes i think??? i call it growth!! )

close friends who she gossips like hell with

exes!!!! 

rivals or enemies 

anyone who has swung by florida or jacksonville.....if you’ve met, honey’s hard 2 forget!!! < thats a good ass motto i luv it

anything, honestly. this took too long ksjh ily ty for reading!!! hmu <3 

[autumnslance]

Lmao I got three I'm particularly curious about for you on the character meme. Thancred, Lahabrea, Igeyorhm. XD Feel free to do as many or as few as you'd like of course!

You asked for it. We’ll start with That Damned Rogue. The Ascians will be below.

This of course got long, so behind a cut it goes:

Thancred

First impression: I started in Gridania and took like 2 years to finish ARR 2.0, was already spoiled on the possession angle (I spoiled myself, no big), and had just @erickgage‘s affectionate joking summary of Thancred being the guy who shows up 5 minutes late with Starbucks to all the early battles. So I didn’t really get to meet the guy ‘til the Waking Sands.

And honestly, he was stereotypical generic bland anime prettyboy competent guy. His 1.0/ARR model is…just sorta there. He was a flirt, also generic as heck. Really didn’t register too much, until I finished 2.0 finally and then went hard on the MSQ through the patches and into HW and StB 4.0, when I finally caught up to content.

Impression now: Godsdammit.

My first replay through the game was on PunchyCat, starting in Ul’dah, which meant I got to meet Thancred much earlier. I was immediately amused by his nickname for Nanamo, and Papashan’s assessment of the witty Archon. I was more into the lore, getting the first lorebook and reading the short stories on the main site, and playing through all at once instead of piecemeal over months/years made things make more sense. Thancred hits a lot of tropes I commonly like in a lot of characters, so he jumped up to being a favorite.

Gunbreaker suits him as a tank job (thank goodness he can stop trying to tank warmachina as a rogue, ffs Thancred), and tanking in general suits him when it comes to fighting for those he cares about.

I’m interested in the ShB story mentioning why he wears white in all his gear iterations; I’d previously made a post about his color choices and that aspect of character design, but having a lore explanation for his affinity for that color was interesting. I didn’t think his HW model suited him, honestly; way too rough mountain man hobo. His model in ShB is closer to his ARR model, but different enough, and imbued now with actual character, that he’s a bit more visually interesting and while still pretty typical handsome anime protagonist in appearance; his true personality just comes through a lot more.

I’m still forever mad about the unintentional character ‘ship with Aeryn, tho. It took a 3rd playthrough for it to happen.

For myself, mind, when I got into playing and learned his canonical age, it was at the time the same difference between myself and my younger brother. My assessment of the Scion “family” with Thancred being the middle child (esp his behavior pre-HW) maybe helps that. I’m getting to a point, really, where I look at the characters under 35 and think “OMG disaster children, all of you.”

Favorite moment: Oh goodness. There’s some good ones.

‘How was I supposed to know all my girlfriends would track me down and show up at HQ all at the same time: a master class in how to not to deal with multiple paramours by Archon T. Waters.’

His dramatic reappearance and duel with Ardbert in HW 3.1.

Taking out his frustrations by soloing the Coerthas cyclops boss so we can get on with the Tournament and fight Raubahn. (Side Bonus: pre-tournament when he jokes about fighting for the other team to even up the odds, and then: “It looks to be a veritable who’s who of the Eorzean Alliance. The only question is: who came to watch and who came to fight? Hmm…Nanamo. Definitely Nanamo.”)

Making sure Urianger knew he was still part of the team post-Soul Surrender climax.

“All right, which one of you triggered the obvious trap?” Also learning he can hold his breath for 10 freaking minutes–but still gets to be jealous of the WoL, Lyse, and Alisaie for their kojin blessing.

That dramatic teamwork with Urianger to knock Ran’jit down the pit in Rak’tika.

That frickin’ Trolley duty and it’s aftermath with the completed checklist of anime death markers and then just sitting there battered and bleeding and smiling and then giving Ryne a name and a headpat and “You’re family.” Bastard.

Idea for a story: Have you seen my Ao3 account? *grumbles*

Unpopular opinion: While he likely used drinking as a bad coping mechanism at times in ARR’s patches, I doubt he ever really went to blackout, as losing control to that extent, after having been controlled and probably losing a lot of time while possessed, would be awful. We see him drink a few times, but I don’t think he is/was an alcoholic.

I also agree with @ahlis-xiv that his flirtatious persona was mostly adopted. While he probably does have a healthy libido and enjoys time with paramours (that Urianger keeps a handy list of), there’s a lot that’s likely exaggerated, allowed to be assumed, and otherwise used as a cover, given his specializations. It’s also noteworthy how he’s mostly acting the same even after being lost in the wilderness, right up until our foray into the Antitower. The wit/humor gets toned down a lot, but the flirting is cut out entirely after that. He still charms some ladies in the First, based on incidental dialogue, but that seems a general reaction to him being a handsome hero type rather than any intentional flirtatious act on his part.

Favorite relationship: Thancred and little sister types. I do wish we’d seen more of his relationship with Minfilia outside of informed moments and the short stories. I feel like he has a semi-older-brother relationship with Lyse, too, given their antics in the 2.0 patches (particularly the “Hoary’s fighting the WoL, come watch!” and Thancred not even considering how one of his girlfriends would see him sending Lyse to retrieve an item until after and going “oh yeah, whoops”). And now there’s Ryne, and she is totally running things if you watch their background conversations/body language. But that’s kind of where Thancred likes it; find a girl who needs a protective older brother and do what she asks and whatever she needs.

I do have a special place in my heart for the expanded broship with Urianger that Shadowbringers gave us, though. I’ve already spoken on that one.

Favorite headcanon: Everything people assume about how he spoils the nutkin. And really, focusing on taking care of and doting on a pet would be good therapy. Goodness knows he needs it.

Also I assume he and Hilda hooked up at least once during the HW patches. Part of that expectation and cover, sure, to immediately flirt with the pretty, tough, half-elezen guard captain. But also, he spent however long mostly alone, and then only with the Vath and a nutkin for company; the guy was probably touch-starved and lonely and just needing a connection to another person he could relate to (that wasn’t a bug).

Otherwise, again, have you seen my Ao3? Ugh. Damned snarky smart rogues…

————

Lahabrea

First impression: Laughing Organization XIII-wannabe is obvious villain. Wonder what their deal is.

Impression now: So much lost/wasted potential thanks to being stuck as the ARR villain when it was so hastily rewritten and acted, and so little was decided on the Ascians and their motivations yet. A lot of what we learn now retroactively makes him more interesting. The fact he was a workaholic who looked at the workaholic Scion and went “ah yes; that one will do, perfect” makes me laugh.

Favorite moment: I like his interactions with Elidibus. And I am actually fairly fond of his theatrical reveal in Praetorium about the Ultima Weapon, the Heart of Sabik, and casting Ultima.

Idea for a story: Maybe stuff while he’s possessing Thancred. Maybe stuff between then and the Reactor. I dunno; I’ve been enjoying a lot of others’ stories about our first Ascian antagonist.

Unpopular opinion: Dunno if this is unpopular, but some of the retroactive information is to excuse why he seemed so much less powerful than other, later Ascians, but I do think the Speaker could be quite devious and powerful, if he had better writing around him. He suffers for being from ARR.

Favorite relationship: I am not ashamed to admit I am a Lahabrea/Igeyorhm shipper and Hades Ex seems to agree with me so there.

Favorite headcanon: The Speaker likely also had a good singing voice. Another thing good about possessing a man whose primary cover was a bard–excuses to indulge that.

————

Igeyorhm

First impression: Wannabe-Organization XIII also hires women, cool. Wonder if she’ll get to do anything?

Impression now: I’m sad so much got cut from HW; as great as it was, a lot got left on the editing room floor and it shows in spots–particularly where the Ascians connect with the plot. We learn much about her retroactively as well, including how she worked for/with Lahabrea thanks to being the one to wreck the Thirteenth, and change Ascian policy on how to bring about Rejoinings. I still wanna know more about her.

Favorite moment: You beat the whale, good job–thanks, that’s my key now. It’s such a perfect dick move. Excellent timing and taunting. 

Idea for a story: Maybe some of her inner thoughts working for/with Lahabrea. She was a raised up shard, so does that mean they found the scattered pieces of her original soul and force-merged them? I doubt it, since Emet-Selch mentions raising up those who are a piece of the previous office holder, but I wonder if it came with imbuing the new title-holder with some of those memories and knowledge. Perhaps she wonders if some of her interactions/feelings/whatever with Lahabrea are her own, or her tapping into her previous life’s memories. Something to think about, anyway.

Unpopular opinion: I dunno, she shoulda gotten to stick around longer? Or been allowed to do a lot more? Should have been much more of a presence in HW, but I don’t think that’s unpopular so much as unconsidered.

Favorite relationship: Lahabrea is really the only one she gets significant interactions with. Though I wonder about her interactions with the other few women in the Ascians.

Favorite headcanon: See above with the story ideas, really; she didn’t get a lot of time onscreen so there’s a lot of room to make things up, and retroactive info from ShB to make her more interesting, or at least her situation as an upraised Ascian.

[gasoliya]

*air horn noises*

this is a massive post, so if you’d like to see some of the wanted connections i’ve typed out for my girl soliya, please read through the cut!! if your’e interested in any of them, please feel free to like or comment!!

let’s get writing, y’all!!! and come in here and catch this snuggle (and these plots)!

if you want a quick and dirty run-down of soliya, please click here for my intro where i talk a little bit about her past and bio! if you want to read her bio (it’s pretty short!) click here! but if you want both the live action and the replay...read both B^)

a few things to say - i know i have alienated her to a degree since the highest population of muses are in their early to mid 20s, but that’s why i purposefully wrote her as a traveler to offset some of that!! so that this way, at least she’d be able to travel around to the other nations and make meaningful connections with a whole variety of people!

also - these titles are all song titles/lyircs from songs on a playlist i’ve had on repeat for the last few days in quarantine. some are directly applicable feelings/vibe wise, others are just the right feel in the title itself and not necessarily the song lyrics apply to the plot! (wow this feels like krp tumblr in like, 2014). sidenote: i am a very flexible rper, and am comfortable with nsfw themes but PLEASE let me know if you are not! would never want to make any of my partners uncomfortable and PLEASE do not try to push yourself if it’s something you don’t like to/don’t usually incorporate!

LASTLY, i’m 100% down to plot out original connections too! and if you have a plot or role that you think liya might be able to fill for your muse, just let me know! but the below are certain connections i’d love to see for her c’:

now, onwards & upwards!

--

the other side x. (m/f/nb! any age! 2 open!)

for how angsty that title sounds this plot is not angsty at all LMFAO. while traveling with her father i imagine that she’d make some friends that she consistently seeks out whenever they’re in that nation! soliya is pretty relaxed and friendly, especially since that’s the whole point of a diplomatic visit. plus, just traveling to all the different air temples and nations, you naturally make connections! she probably tries to get to know as many people as possible and make as many connections as possible - plus a tour of each place from a local? heck yes! post-black sun, as she’s going through and getting the feel for how each nation is, as a representative of the air nomads and on her father’s behalf, i can imagine she’d be so fucking worried for all of the people she’s met and knows! this also allows us for current plots and past plots!! at the moment, looking for 1 muse for each spot from the other nations to start!

fire nation: open! 

water nation: open! 

earth nation: @zuerga​

way you move x.(m/f/nb! +/- 6 years! 3 open!)

sometimes you just gotta get out excess energy! what better way to do so than a friendly spar? love the idea of our muses passing the time not just with companionship, but with some bending sparring! learning the tricks and the trades of each other’s bending styles, and pushing each other to be even better. there may not be a need per say, to train, but it’s always nice to keep your skills sharp and learn more about each style and person! i think soliya would be fascinated by the other types of bending out there, especially the particular and unique subsets of each, and also by how each person’s own style affects the moves/impact/force! since she’s also on the older side of the spectrum, could definitely see her being a mentor type not just to other airbenders, but also just in tactical elements/critical thinking during spars, etc. post-black sun...there may be a need to spar for the intents of training. but also - check ins on status, health, is there anything that i can do for you?

fire nation: open!

water nation: open! 

earth nation: open!

love me less x. (m/f/nb! younger sibling! open!)

cough, so this requires the making of a muse, and i will put this on a wanted connection ask to the main page maybe like...a few days after i first start but like...this is a big part of liya’s origin story! i go over it here and here, so i won’t make this too long, but yes! i would SO LOVE someone to work this in their bio if they’d like and we can play out the various interactions pre, during, and post the incident. liya holds SO MUCH guilt from the accident and will probably never fully forgive herself, especially as she gets older, as the more mature she gets, the more obvious it is to her how much of a shithead she was as a teen. and even now, in her relationship with her bending and her personal relationships (esp. romantic) she’s guarded to a degree, even almost 15 years later.

I got too much dirt to come clean Closets full of skeletons that you don't wanna see Will you judge me? All my ugly? I won't blame you if you do

me & your ghost x. (m/f/nb! any age! 2 open!)

after the accident with her younger sibling at around age 16/17, she went into a period of self-isolation for about 4 months. 3 of which were spent on air temple island, and one in which she soul searched at the other 4 air temples (nesw). after she comes back home she’s ready to take on her father’s teachers on self-discipline and applying it into her everyday life & demeanor. that probably takes about another 4 months of intensive learning/meditation/isolation, along with traveling to other air temples for training with other airbending masters which comes to a total of 8 months in which she is just MIA. the idea for this plot would probably be that she is significant is some way to your muse - be it a big ass crush, an older-sister figure, a mother figure???, an incredibly strong friendship or any other dynamic, and when she just disappears without notice (i feel like she cycles through all the nations at least once every 2 months or so, stays for at least a few days) your muse is just “what the hell?” primarily a pre-black sun plot for the drama and character development, but that probably also means that by now (almost 15 years!) their relationship is hella strong and they’re very, very, close!

spot one: open!

spot two: open!

good news x. (m/f/nb! +/- 2 years! open!)

emotional support. someone to talk to, to confide in. this is someone, one of the VERY few people (maybe even the only one?) that she would confide in and talk openly about her feelings with, regarding the accident. i imagine this is a - after her 8 months of isolation/soul-searching, they’d meet for the first time, exchange kind of stilted pleasantries, and then just *emotional breakdown* as soon as they hugged. she’s be 17 at the time, so this is someone who would need to be about the same age/maturity to be able to handle it (or not!!! lmfao!!!!) and comfort or just, be there to help her work through it as she wouldn’t want to talk to her family about it - they’re just too close to the situation and their reassurances always feel a bit fake (to her).

similar to the above! primarily a pre-black sun plot for the angst and drama and character development, buy they’re super fucking close by now (or do they have a fallout???) so whatever we decide, it’ll affect what their relationship is like post-black sun!

I spent the whole day in my head Do a little spring cleaning, I'm always too busy dreaming Well, maybe I should wake up instead, A lot of things I regret, but I just say I forget Why can't it just be easy? Why does everybody need me to stay? [...] Well, so tired of being so tired Why I gotta build something beautiful just to go set it on fire? I'm no liar, but sometimes the truth don't sound like the truth [...]  Good news, good news, good news That's all they wanna hear No, they don't like it when I'm down

roxanne x. (m/f/nb! +/- 3 years! open!)

the general gist of this plot is like...liya, in her head: man, fuck this asshole!

it’s that person that just gets under your fucking skin for some goddamn reason. be it completely different values, incompatible personalities (which is some a1 shit cause she usually gets along with most), or they’re just flat out hostile...something makes it almost impossible to stay calm around this person. they just dig at her finely shaped walls, and though she’s spent YEARS cultivating her self control and discipline, this person always gets her so close to breaking it and having her lash out (aka returning back to her younger days), but she’s not going to let them get the best of her (right?)

post-black sun...honestly i have no idea LOL. this would probably just have to be worked out in more detail with whomever takes this plot! as the undercurrents of why they don’t get along can be attributed to many different things (pure unadulterated hatred? simple annoyance? hate chemistry?), which would then affect how they are/interact after black sun!

Goddamn, Roxanne Never gonna love me but it's alright She think I'm an asshole She think I'm a player

--

alright let’s make a right at this stoplight into sad bitch hours! beep, beep, we’ve arrived! (i’ve been listening to a lot of sad ballads don’t mind me)

details: i’d always imagined that liya’s had 3 significant heartbreaks/relationships in her life. why three? because it’s a magic number and there are 3 main sad songs that have been in rotation on my spotify!

when we were young x. (m/f/nb! +/- 1-2 years! open!)

*krp writer voice* childhood sweethearts...*aza voice* but with a twist it doesn’t have to be requited if you don’t want it to be! i’m totally down for the longing childhood sweetheart/crush dynamic but if that’s something you’re interested in! i’m down for liya to be the one with the fat ass crush or it can be your muse too! but at some point i imagine they do go it a try, but it does end cause they’re...young and dumb (lol). but it’s your ‘i didn’t want to lose you as a friend, no romantic relationship is worth losing you forever’ dynamic but they’re already past that point!!! but is it of no return? especially with recent events? they obviously care for each other very deeply still, and i imagine that they still keep in good contact, and now that they’re older it’s easier to brush off/get over, but did all of those feelings fade completely? who knows! you decide (pre-black sun)! post black-sun...hold the ones your love a little tighter.

Everybody loves the things you do From the way you talk to the way you move Everybody here is watching you Because you feel like home You're like a dream come true

all i want x. (m/f/nb! +/- 4 years! closed!)

CLOSED: @ddmaiga​ unrequited in a way (?)!!! i don’t have hard opinions on who is who, but they fall into a relationship naturally (probably either instant chemistry, same interests, shared spaces, same opinions, yanno, the way young adults fall in love). but one of them keeps holding back because yanno!!! they’re BARELY young adults (think 19-23)!!! and while one is ready to deep dive, the other one gets cold feet and things end...not badly (but it could if you want it to!) but things just aren’t the same. it’s not a BAD breakup but it’s one that’s never really resolved because neither was willing to completely hear the other person out, and seet things from their perspective. it felt like neither was willing to meet the other halfway *sad violin music* so it’s a breakup with lots of loose ends! even better if we can make up situation in which they HAVE to interact and it’s awkward as hell (pre-black sun)! post-black sun...cue situation in which they have to interact probably LOL

And there's one more boy, he's from my past We fell in love but it didn't last 'Cause the second I figure it out he pushes me away And I won't fight for love if you won't meet me halfway

bruises x. (m/f/nb! +/- 3 years! closed!)

CLOSED: @gataash​ i’m gonna keep this one a bit shorter and only give the gist, as i’d really love to flesh out this plot via...well, plotting! essentially, they/she fell really deeply in love (i’m thinking she’s like, 26-28 during this), as in - ‘i may actually end up marrying this person’ kind of deep. they’re not co-dependent by any means, but they’re attached at the hip whenever they’re near each other, and i think this would probably be a relationship that’s REALLY steady for at least like, 3+ years, but whatever the exact reason, something comes up and it’s related to her incident when she hurt her younger sibling as she’s naturally incredibly guarded about this (i mean hey, she went into a self-isolating state and didn’t airbend for about 4 months after it happened). they fight, she tries to keep calm, ends up losing a bit of that control, and VERY VERY MILDLY injures the s/o, but due to the precedence and the guilt and lasting trauma from all those years ago, she breaks down, ends it, and runs away (aye) and plays the avoidance game for as long as she can manage.

post-black sun...there’s no way they’re not going to reach out to each other, just to make sure they’re okay. (wow this wasn’t that much shorter...darn it, self...)

I've been holding on to hope That you'll come back when you can find some peace 'Cause every word that I've heard spoken Since you left feels like a hollow street [...] There must be something in the water 'Cause everyday it's getting colder And if only I could hold ya You'd keep my head from going under

[queenofthefaces]

For character headcanons, Steven from SU?

1) sexuality hc: you know I’ve never really thought abt steven’s sexual/romantic identity, and I think it’s jus bc in terms of SU I focus a lot more on other characters with shipping, prob bc Steven and Connie is a ship I support and it’s essentially already canon, and I prefer shipping scenarios where I can explore a non-canon ship falling in love? I have very few ships where they’re already canon, even fewer where I engage in fan content w the ship if it’s canon :0

But with Steven, I think....well, maybe he’d be pan? I imagine Steven as someone who never really needed to think about his attraction, it just *was* and he just let it be/let it happen, so he wouldn’t necessarily label it hyper specifically if he labeled it at all. He’s attracted to he ends up being attracted to and doesn’t really think abt it. (Which is why I go w pan, bc for me at least a way to interpret pansexuality is jus like. Who are u attracted to? ¯\_(ツ)_/ whoever I’m attracted to)

2) otp: connverse!! The way those two are handled in the show is really wonderful ;;o;; I love how they’re close friends first, and the romantic stuff doesn’t feel like it stresses them out bc it’s smth they’re exploring together. Instead of having the pressure and fear of a crush on a friend, it’s this mutual, slowly blooming relationship of two ppl who care abt each other a lot and just want to be together in whatever way works for them

I can’t super see other ships w Steven, mostly bc his dynamic w other gems doesn’t really feel like they’re equals? Like I think I’ve seen Steven be shipped w peridot and spinel, and it feels like they’re unequal bc Steven was the one kind of....”fixing” them or he had the emotional upperhand, but with Connie they were both equals the entire time bc of how their relationship was founded (when they were both younger and just as lost/confused as each other)

(Plus I prefer those characters w other ppl lol)

And I also don’t think the show has enough development with Steven and someone like Peedee for me to think it’s believable as a ship, I just don’t know enough about peedee or his friendship with Steven, and considering how much I know abt Steven it again feels uneven—it feels odd to me for someone so uninvolved in steven’s journey to be the person I’d ship him with?

Though I can see the potential for an interesting ship in both cases, I just think connverse is the stronger contender bc of how well they were set up and developed :0

3) brotp: the relationship between Steven and amethyst developed really wonderfully and shows how much Steven has grown up ;;o;; in early seasons it felt like Steven was a little kid w a rambunctious sister who’s about a decade or two older than him—they goofed around but it wasn’t really a serious relationship between equals

And then as Steven grew older and developed further his relationship with all the gems matured—but his relationship with amethyst was recontextualized so that they’re both the underdogs together , and I love the concept that as Steven grew and learned to use his powers, he still looked to amethyst for guidance and support, which makes her feel important bc they can both support each other

Their friendship just means a lot to me ;;o;; 💕💕💕

4) notp: uh idk prob shipping Steven with garnet or pearl. With amethyst or some of the other gems (like the aforementioned spinel and peri) I can see someone having a dynamic of adult Steven + the gem and it being fine. It’s not my ship and I don’t really like shipping Steven with the gems but I can see it. But him with garnet or pearl feels really squicky to me, mostly bc those two felt much more parental in their relationship (esp with garnet) but also bc of their hangoups over home world/rose just would make a romantic relationship feel too messy for me. I personally hc garnet as aromantic, and I prefer pearl w amethyst bc I love a potential development between them where ame was someone pearl never idol worshipped and they could grow as equals

(Can u tell I love ships where the characters are equals/on the same level in terms of emotions or power? Yeah)

5) first hc I think of: hm, again this one is kinda tough bc I don’t really engage in su the same way I do other fandoms and I think it’s jus bc of how story driven it is? So, hm. It’s hard to come up with a hc that isn’t me speculating on smth that I want to come up in the future episodes or that’s already accepted canon; and I think a big reason is bc Steven has a specific identify related character arc that’s ongoing rn, if we didn’t have su future I could prob have an easier time w this but yanno

Anyways I think one hc I have is the idea that Stevens like, never been to a traditional schooling system, and he was mostly taught by Greg and Pearl. I like to imagine he wouldn’t ever really need a formal education and wouldn’t ever get one, but maybe in the future he’d get his GED online bc of legal stuff esp w his relationship to Connie (marriage, buying a home, children etc) like it would jus make things easier but I don’t think it’s necessary

Or hc that there’s weird parts of his biology he’s jus never thought of? Like he doesn’t particularly need to brush his teeth bc he’s never had a cavity and can’t actually get cavities? Or his wounds healing too quickly, esp internal injuries—like Steven who’s had internal bleeding that just goes away in five minutes w/o him noticing. And on that regard, Steven having a literally inhuman pain tolerance

6) one way I relate to this character: I don’t think I’ve really related to Steven on a personal level, except for maybe the idea of “the loved ones you looked up to aren’t perfect and your relationship with them can shift bc of that” HAJSKDKFLG

7) thing that gives me secondhand embarrassment abt him: uhhhh....,I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve really gotten secondhand embarrassment from Steven since early early seasons where he was really young and naive and a little dumb. Now I’m just.....wincing in sympathy for him bc he desperately needs to talk to someone. Boy needs therapy BADLY

8) cinnamon roll or problematic fave: he’s a PURE CINNAMON ROLL. As in, he’s definitely got flaws, of course, but I think in interacting w him it’s more along the lines of “he’s a good person with a lot of issues and flaws to work through eventually”

I think I take this question as like, how do I prefer to portray him? And how tough am I on him w characterization and stuff.

(Send me a character and I’ll fill out one of these hc questionnaires)

[sterlingun]

Character: ― Nicholas ‘Nik’ Sterling Faceclaim: ― Theo James Age/Pronouns: ― 33 | he/him Occupation:  ― Lycan Alpha Hometown/District: ― born in Downtown, Houston / lives in Upper Springs, Houston

HEADCANONS

Though there’s no real blood relation between Nik and the old Alpha, over the years spent with the Lycans he’s grown to admire the man and regard him as a father figure he desperately lacked all these years. With the old Alpha growing weaker day after day, eaten away by the illness, Nik is terrified of the thought of losing him too, he still considers him his compass and most trusted adviser.

He still hasn’t given up on searching for his sister - even though the odds are against him, he believes he owes it to her to never stop trying, whether he finds her dead or alive. It’s the only remaining loose end from his youth, when his father was still there to wreak havoc on their lives. 

His brother used to show him card tricks when they were kids, and when he joined the Lycans - he left behind a worn deck of playing cards that Nik is still very attached to. It’s the only physical memory he has of his brother. After that, especially when he was on the run he focused a lot of his efforts on card tricks and learning to cheat his way to a win. It was a way to make money when he was on the run, and you can still see him absentmindedly playing with cards to this day, especially when he’s thinking about something, or something is bothering him. 

He wears black leather gloves a lot, and it’s very rare to see him without them - probably only closest to him have seen him without them. When he was a young boy his father would make him and Ethan hold a scorching hot iron bar to ‘test their durability’. It’s not a fond memory for Nik, and neither are the scars. Besides, he’s worn them so much they’re pretty much a part of his image these days. 

If you’re even remotely familiar with the way he walks, you’ll know he has a very specific gait. He tries to compensate for it, make it seem languid and aloof, but it’s still visible, especially on a bad day. This is the result of the first time he tried to kill his father, when the old bastard left him with torn ligaments and a broken patella. 

He’s got a thing for fast, expensive cars and has a garage by the house filled with whatever he’s passionate about currently. Do not start talking about them, because he won’t ever stop - you’ve been warned. He’s quiet usually, but oh boy this topic is a black hole. 

A bit of pyromaniac, if he can set it on fire and has a reason to - he will. And he prefers matches over lighters when it comes to lighting his cigarettes. He won’t ever admit it, but it’s got a lot to do with how he ended his father’s life. 

Watches are his thing. Majorly. You walk into his closet and there’s an entire section dedicated just to expensive, limited-edition Omegas and Patek Philippes and Piagets and god knows what. He thinks it adds to the whole look, plus to be honest - he’s a nerd about this stuff. Also another topic where you do not want to get him started. 

Likes to read a lot. Even if he had no formal education, you can strike up a conversation with him about pretty much anything from philosophy to literature to technology. I think he kind of values knowledge a lot, and it’s his biggest regret he had no chances to actually study and learn about something. 

His biggest vices are whiskey and cigarettes. You can always see him with one or the other, or both - depends on the situation. 

He has a set of two expensive silver guns that were given to him by the old Alpha and he will protect these things with his life. The story goes that Nik’s mom gave these to the old Alpha for their 10th anniversary, but the old man wanted Nik to have them and to remember that even though she made some bad choices, she did love Nik too. 

He’s got a tattoo on his back that says ‘Death before dishonor’ and on his chest a tattoo mimicking a scar from tiger’s claws hides a bullet wound he’d received fighting his father. There’s some small silvery scars on his back, he’s had them since childhood and isn’t too keen on discussing them. 

100% blames himself for losing his sister and the death of his girlfriend, he can’t be reasoned with when it comes to these topics, and even though he won’t admit it - he still has nightmares about both, as well as the death of his brother .You could probably classify him as a chronic insomniac, but try convincing him of that...  

WANTED CONNECTIONS

The Sister - She’s someone he’s lost a long time ago, and he never quite forgave himself for letting their father take her away. He’s spent the years since she’s been gone actively searching for her, either himself or through other means. I feel like he thinks of her as this pure thing from his childhood, untainted by their father because she was kept protected by their mother from young age. I think it’s a complicated relationship, because long ago he probably resented her for being their mother’s first choice while he was left behind, but there’s too much love there to truly ever allow himself to feel that. He wants to find her, but he’s terrified of what life has done to her innocence and well-being, and even more terrified that she’s died along the way because he wasn’t capable of finding her.

The Brother/Sister in Arms - Someone he connected with when he first joined the Lycans. It could either be someone who was suspicious of him at first, or someone who accepted him right away. I think it would make an interesting dynamic either way. Because it was tough for him at first, he was used to being alone and completely incapable of trusting anyone, a bit too familiar with violence given his age, had connections to the Reapers (even though he was obviously against them) etc. So he either butted heads with this person at first or he was trying to shoo them away because they attempted to reach out to him. But now he appreciates that they stuck around through thick and thin and they’re one of those rare people he’d trust with his life. Either male or female I think it could work either way I’d just be super excited to see this happen!

The Ex-brother/sister-in-law - Okay this is something I would love to see happen. Nik blames himself majorly for his late girlfriend’s death, because he pulled her into this life and refused to let go because he’d found someone he felt safe with for the first time. Now this could go either way - this person could be angry and resentful because they blame him for what happened to their sister, or they could be like 'she wouldn’t have listened even if you told her to leave’ because they know how stubborn she was and how much she cared about him, so there was nothing to be done and it was just a tragic story. Anyway this is my shit, there’s angst either way and I’m ready for it.

The Friend from Before - Someone he met and ran with for a certain period of time after he escaped Houston and before he came back and joined the Lycans. I think it opens up a lot of doors - like this person could now be back in town, or they’ve been here for a while, maybe they’re a Reaper (ooh drama), or unaffiliated, or want to join the Lycans, idk the possibilities are endless! I’m just excited about someone who knew him from before, I think that would make for an interesting dynamic to expore esp if there’s angst and someone left someone behind…

The Ex - Okay just like the one before, I’m leaving this pretty open to interpretation. It can be as casual or as angsty as we wish, we’ll just figure it out. I mean that journalist girl he fell in love with was his more serious thing, but he’s not that young I’m sure there’s been a lot of people along the way. It could be his crippling issues that got in the way, or both of them had crippling issues (entirely plausible tbh), they might have been too explosive for each other, or he wanted to protect them… It could be someone like the Friend from Before, so like during that time period (which would be super interesting actually!), or someone from Lycan he’s on bad terms with, or good terms? Honestly, sky’s the limit I just love exploring different dynamics and also heartbreak and also why people don’t end up working together.

The Mentor/Mentees - Ok the old Alpha was his mentor, but tbh I would like to see someone played who took him under his wing back then, like showing him the ropes, teaching him things, practicing with him, building him as a person etc. I just dig that okay? I dig it the other way around too though, so if anyone is willing to be his mentee and go through that stuff, I'm so there for it. Because he sees himself in a lot of the troubled people so he’s always there for it, even through it’s sometimes tough love. We can always work out the dynamics so that it fits both characters, but I would just love to see it happen. I think it brings out the protective/caring side in Nik.

More, more, more!! - I might add things on as I go, but honestly if you have an idea for a connection (does’t have to be one of the above) please feel free to reach out! We’ll work it out and tbh nothing’s set in stone.

THE STORY

He was born in Downtown, Houston - dirt poor trailer park kid who was still too young to be bitter and resentful about the cards he’d been dealt. His father was a petty criminal, hell-bent on trying to impress the Reapers, just as he was hell bent on spending what little money they had on gambling, or beating them and their mother. All in all - his childhood was a bleak series of weeks and months and years, spent alongside his older brother and a younger sister. 

Their father tried to groom Ethan and Nik for the life of crime, wanting to introduce them to the Reapers from a young age. But as soon as those two were capable of thinking for themselves, they realised most of it was just senseless violence and a promise of a life of subservience. They played along to an extent (training-wise) but generally rebelled against him even if they’d earn a beating after that. 

Eventually their mother disappeared, taking their sister along with her. As it would turn out, with Lycans on the rise she saw an opportunity and ran. Nik guesses she thought her ex-husband had already asserted too much influence over Ethan and Nik so they were left behind. There were stories that the Alpha took an interest in her, which sent their father pretty much further over the edge so next few years would be hell for the brothers. 

Nik and Ethan were each other’s stone during those formative years, but eventually their mother reached out to Ethan offering him a way out, leaving Nik behind once again. It was first of many brutal hits to come that Nik would have to learn to deal with.

Enraged by the fact she took his firstborn, Nik’s father tracked down their sister, and as retaliation, took her away from her mother and the Lycans. Nik saw her only briefly, exchanging barely a few words before she was sold off to god knows where. Seeing what his father was truly capable of doing, Nik escaped Houston, his mind set on finding and saving his sister. 

He’d spend the next few years bouncing around, erasing his traces along the way as he perfected his skills and looked for his sister - using his rage and determination as a driving force. 

Things would come to a halt though, when the news of his brother’s death reached him somehow. Apparently, their father had no problem driving a knife through his son’s heart the first chance he got. Broken and in disbelief, Nik flew back to Houston. 

He laid low for a while, before finally feeling prepared enough to strike down his father. That didn’t go down as well as he’d hoped, considering his Reaper friends got involved - but Nik was content enough with the damage he’d done. This was his first try after all. 

This was a catalyst for the Lycans’ Alpha to reach out to Nik - it seemed that out of the bunch, he was the only one left, and he was borderline insane with rage and hatred he harboured against his father and the Reapers. Which was exactly the kind of thing that was of interest for Alpha. 

He’d spend his late teenage years and early adulthood with the Lycans, being trained as one of their own, rising through the ranks, being subtly groomed by the alpha. He’d meet a girl in those years, a stubborn reporter he would fall madly in love with, and he’d probably tell you those were his ‘happy’ years. 

But his father wasn’t done yet - he eventually had Nik’s girlfriend beaten to a pulp, left do die in a dark, damp alley so that all Nik could do in the end, was say goodbye to her by the hospital bed and then go out to seek his revenge. 

It seriously messed him up, but he also seemed completely unable to rest until he tracked his father down and set fire to the house he was staying in. A cruel way to go, considering he knew of his father’s fear of fire - but Nik was long past caring. 

The rest was history. The Alpha continued to groom him to eventually become his successor but their time would be cut short by an illness that started tormenting the old man. A vote was cast, and though Nik got the majority - he didn’t get all the votes like the Alpha had hoped. Main concern among the deciding betas was Nik’s age - they were of the opinion that he was too young to take on such a responsibility. 

Though slightly reluctant, after the old Alpha abdicated about a year ago - Nik rose to the occasion and took his place as the new Alpha, and has been working out just what kind of leader he’s meant to be for the past year. 

[yxcnghq-blog]

good fuckin yard my guys gals and non binary pals !! i’m admin c and this is my messy disaster gay problem child jooseok. below the cut you’re gonna find out a loT about his tragic ass and if you hit the like button if i haven’t already, i’ll hit you up for plotting !! i’ll give a few ideas of connections on the end of this too since i’m gonna update and redo his plot page sfngn bUT let it be known i also mun aurora, euchan and emrys so i may have also messaged you for plotting on one of those acc’s, if so don’t worry i will ensure to give you the chance to plot with all my babies !! without further ado: 

jooseok is the son of a mob family, they’re very well established in the criminal world. his parents are yeong dami and yeong joohyuk. however it is dami who actually runs the game and is the head bitch in charge shall we say, not to bring feminist agenda joo to life but as u can imagine due to this he has hella respect for women esp his mother bc of the strength he observed in her growing up. he thinks women are stronger and better at survival bc of learning through his ma and being trained by her. 

so he was raised of course in the family gang, raised in crime and never really knew any other way to live. when he reached seventeen he was initiated officially into the gang meaning his role became more full time and his responsibility became larger. he dropped out of college after his first two years there to accomodate for this and so his education wasn’t the finest but he was homeschooled for a long time before he got too old as the gang considered it and he no longer had time for it. plus he was of the belief he knew enough about how the world worked through the observation of the good and ugly alone. 

he does have a younger sister who he considers his entire world and he also has a brother of around the same age as him. the family dynamic is a little complex, he’d kill without hesitation for both his siblings despite the fact that his brother and himself often don’t agree or see eye to eye on anything, they bicker and give each other shit but they’d never turn their backs on each other. these are wanted connections i will eventually put on the list so they can be filled out also. 

he’s considered an infiltrator and a double agent as his main job titles for the gang so right now he works undercover in the police force helping the wrongly accused escape a life of jail time and prove their innocence when the justice system fails them. occasionally he’s put in charge of strategy too and he is very very respected within the gang for being the youngest and yet the most skilled who rose to his tasks very quickly for his age and became the best at what he does at an alarmingly quick rate, he’s actually pretty well known for having the reputation of being the youngest to climb the ranks and gain status like this. 

he could actually have been the boss of the gang with the amount of tasks and dirty work he takes on

HOWEVER...

jooseok has a huge secret and this is that recently he’s started attending college again and taken on night classes to study law and learn more about the police force so he can become a genuine crime detective. he is also undertaking training for the police force. 

the lifestyle and career of the police force has always been his dream and his goal but with his limited education it was never something he could achieve alongside his gang life. this is why he jumped at the chance to at least do something undercover with the police and despite playing dirty cop, use it to do something good, vigilante like if you will. 

joo can’t keep his secret forever though, his gang are getting wind of what’s going on and soon he’s going to have to go into hiding. despite the gang being his family, hits will be issued on him until he is eliminated and killed. simply put he is considered a traitor the minute he gives up gang life, and he knows far too much to simply be allowed to walk free possibly giving away all their secrets and intel. because it is a family business there are severe consequences for him turning away from what is considered his duty and responsibility.

joo = big be gay, do crime type energy. he’s abrasive and amoral but he’s also nurturing and naturally smart and talented at everything he puts his passion into. he’s resourceful and crazy adaptable and he’s equal parts a protector as much as he is a fighter. he can be broody and blunt but he can also be witty and hilarious with his dark sense of humor and somewhat messed up mind and moral code. if you’re considered close to jooseok then he’ll kill half the population of daegu easy with his own hands with no worries so long as you’re safe. 

he worked undercover in america for a year so he can speak english and went by the shortened name of jo over there but most people call him seok or ong in korea to shorten his name to a nickname. he’s fluent in his english, jooseok is well known for being a quick learner in every area if u know what i mean *side eyes*

can be a bit of a fuckboy but has a big heart deep down despite it all, just keeps it concealed because of past toxic relationships and the belief taught into him from early on that any attachment to anything you don’t owe it to, would only result in weakness and vulnerability. and you don’t want people to know you have weaknesses when you do what jooseok does. *coughs* for this reason he has had a lot of pining and unrequited love situations *coughs* 

he’s not that close with his parents, he keeps a strictly professional relationship with them mostly but his mum is his idol for her mentality and attitude to life. though he wishes he could achieve more than what she allowed for him to be a part of. wishes he could be normal. 

OTHER LIL HEADCANONS: 

joo joined the gang officially at seventeen when the initiation process took place and this was the time he met hyunjin ( @phyunjinn​ ) also known as his best friend and right hand man. they quickly became partners in the gang for everything, if joo had business to deal with especially the dangerous kind then nate would be by his side, acting as his protection for anyone who dared cross him and likewise he would give the same back. think kinda like alec and jace i guess as a good example with the whole parabatai bond aspect. they fight the best when they’re fighting together, and if one of them died, a huge piece of the other would die with them. 

at first joo actually refused to talk to nate cause he’s a lil shit and he didn’t get why it should be important but dami urged her son, pointing out they were of similar ages and being initiated at the same time and it was important to have someone he could talk to and rely on like that. so he sidled his way over eventually and pretty easily and nonplussed like made a best friend out of the other male. they grew to have a secret code of trust between them, joo learning sign language for the male to put him at ease and also ordering the rest of the gang did the same despite complaints he quickly shut that shit down arguing they needed to be able to communicate with nate in his way to ensure his safety faster if need ever be. ( but for him personally, he learnt because he wanted to be able to talk to nate in the way that comes most naturally to the male ) 

in college he’s considered a soft jock type, heart of gold but he’s very physically attractive and a bit of a heart throb and definitely considered sporty despite also being very musically driven. 

PLOT IDEAS: 

joo needs some college friends, musically talented people he can consider study buddies, he was actually almost an idol once when he nearly signed on with a company because of how musically talented he is as a producer and songwriter - typically he only writes for close friends and always ensures the lyrics feel truthful and genuine to his friend’s stories but yeah give me people he is encouraged by with that and just able to be himself with. 

friends from america potentially as well

other criminal underground kinda connections bc u know keeps business thriving to link up with other famously dangerous people and work together. 

i would so love a good cop,bad cop type thing where someone who he’s on the police force with or is also training to be in the police force with him is genuine and legit and knows he isn’t and is kinda like shunning tf outta him for it but also trying to teach him how to be better without even realizing it and sort of having their mind changed on how simple good and bad is bc actually there is kind of a grey area which joo belonged to. 

ex’s of course 

as much as i love friends who don’t know about joo’s other life, i’d also love some friends who did and were hella concerned bc like siren noises what is this boi doing he’s gonna get himself killed and does he even cAre bc he fuckin should

roomies plssss 

enemies and rivals are always welcome too maybe ppl who dislike him for turning away from the crime life and going straight or whatever rlly i also rlly like the idea of someone who sort of admired him and has a personal grudge bc he was so good at being a criminal and he made such a legacy and then he just abandoned it and they feel he wasted it or something

[madrut16]

Tell us about your BB MC 😋

Thanks for the ask! You have no idea how much I wanted someone to ask about her (she's my favorite canon version and with all of my add ons). For those who don't know, my Bloodbound MC is Isabel Martinez.

How tall are they?

I'm going off of my face claim, Eiza González (I know everyone uses her for Priya but I really love her for Isabel and this MC face) who is 5'8". It definitely helps when she wants to look intimidating, esp when she wears high heels.

How do they tend to dress?

Her style is very classy chic with light and pastel colors and some neutrals as well.

Do they like how they look?

As a child she used to be very insecure about her height because she's always been taller than a lot of the girls but she eventually learned to embrace it and use it as a strength. Also she has some left over general insecurities from when she was with Derek (her horrible ex) who put her down a lot and made her feel super unconfident about herself including her appearance. But over the past year since leaving him she's worked really hard to regain that confidence and now she's really starting to love herself and realize her worth.

Are they an only child or do they have siblings?

Isabel has one actual sibling, Gabriel who's three years younger than she is and is at culinary school in Texas. She is also related to my TRR MC Delilah who is three years older. They're biologically cousins on her dad's side but consider each other sisters because Delilah's parents died after getting hit by a drunk driver when she was 10 and Isabel's parents assumed custody. So, Delilah is really attached to all of them but is really close with Isabel who helped her out the most in dealing with the deaths of her parents.

Are they a morning person or a night owl?

Isabel is a night owl for sure. It's a good thing she loves coffee because she needs it after waking up. This allowed her to adjust to Adrian's schedule and become somewhat nocturnal without much difficulty.

Are they a cat person or a dog person?

Both! She honestly can't pick one or the other. Because she grew up on a farm, she had two dogs, two indoor cats, three barn cats, a horse, and a bunch of livestock animals. It was practically a zoo. When she saves enough money and gets a big enough place, she wants to adopt one of each because she misses having them around now that she's in New York.

Got any favorite foods?

She's a major foodie in general so she enjoys most types but she especially likes southern and Mexican food because they're from a side of her family and she's grown up with it. She really enjoys anything fried, seafood, and garlic which is an obvious problem sometimes with Adrian. She's definitely had to cut back on how much she consumes. But, it also becomes her way of punishment whenever she's mad at him and she'll just eat so much garlic so that he can't get super close to her until whatever she's peeved about is resolved.

How about favorite drinks?

For the alcoholic kind she likes a lot of different things but her favorites are wine (every type depending on what she's eating and mood) and whiskey for when she wants something stronger. Her non-alcoholic favorites are Coca-Cola and super sweet lemonade.

What are their favorite movies/tv shows?

For movies she tends to like historical ones (history nerd), good adaptations of books, musicals, and certain action flicks. Her faves include the Night at the Museum series, To Kill a Mockingbird, Indiana Jones, the Post, and The Darkest Hour. She is kind of a movie buff but isn't obsessed.

For tv shows her favorites include a lot of vampire/supernatural ones such as Shadowhunters, Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and Grimm. She also loves a couple crime and procedural shows like Criminal Minds and Sherlock.

Do they have any hidden talents?

She does have some. She used to do Track and Field in high school and she also competed in dance and she still has a lot of moves from it. She can also sing pretty well which is why she loves kareoke so much. She also can play the piano pretty decently since she took lessons from elementary school all the way through to 12th grade (something Adrian finds out in an upcoming fic).

Do they believe in love at first sight?

While she's pretty optimistic and idealistic with her head in the clouds, she doesn't necessarily believe this. She can know that someone is her type and can develop crushes and feelings at first sight but that true love takes at least some time. It comes pretty quickly for her but not as soon as she meets someone. She needs to get to know someone first.

Who is their love interest?

Adrian if you couldn't tell by the times I've mentioned him above. Because she's such a history lover and intellectual she was immediately drawn to his love for that as well. She also believes that despite what Gaius has said about him and his actions at the club, etc that while he does have a layer of darkness that he can overcome it and that deep down he's ultimately a good person.

She also has a lot of platonic love for the others and she's becoming super close to all of them.

What are they afraid of?

She isn't really afraid of many things, especially after everything with Derek and becoming involved with the vampires. She's discovered a new, courageous side of her and has done things she never thought she would. But, she is afraid of failure and letting people down which is a lingering side affect of being with Derek that she'll probably always have with her. It's part of what makes her such a workaholic and perfectionist.

What are their guilty pleasures?

Again, the garlic can kind of count for this because she feels bad when she eats a lot of it around her vampire friends (unless she's mad). Also, sour candy especially sour gummy worms bc they're really unhealthy but she's addicted to them.

What was their dream job as a kid? Is it still their dream?

At first in elementary and middle school her dream job was President of the US and/or politician bc even then she was a low-key feminist and wanted to break glass ceilings. Then, in high school is when she first wanted to a career in business and to become a CEO or top executive. She loved the idea of getting to brainstorm and help run a company and make it better.

Have they ever broken a bone?

Quite a few times. As a kid she was pretty reckless and adventurous which led to injury prone hobbies. She's broken each arm and her nose twice, as well as her collarbone and leg once. And she's sprained her ankle and received a lot of bruises, cuts and black eyes.

Seriously, she found herself in the ER so many times, her parents still hang it over her head.

Have they ever broken the law?

The actual law, only for minor offenses like speeding tickets and one underage party where she found herself detained until her parents could come get her. In school, she had a huge phase when she was younger where she would get into fights to defend Gabe who got teased a lot or when boys said she couldn't do something bc she was a girl.

Even after she grew out of it by the time high school rolled around she wouldn't hesitate to intervene and verbally tell them off when he first came out and some students would call him horrible things. She scared them so much that eventually she went with Gabe everywhere and they didn't dare touch him.

Three random facts:

She's been managing things since high school when she ran a Taco stand with her brother Gabe where she took care of the logistics and sales while he made the food and it was really successful. Looking back it's still one of her favorite memories from her childhood.

She really loves reading classic literature especially Shakespeare. Her favorite works of his include Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and Richard III.

She also has a huge musical theatre obsession after going to watch all of the ones Gabe and Delilah were in. Her favorite thing to do since moving to New York is going to see the shows on Broadway. She tries to save up so that she can attend at least two each year.

Sorry this is so long and I accidentally posted this unfinished early. This basically became an essay about Isabel (and Adrian somewhat) so, hopefully you're still reading!

If anyone wants to ask about another MC, if I have enough brainstormed about them I'll be happy to answer it too. 😘❤️

[kariachi]

Okay, because I’m proud of what I’ve got so far and don’t know when or if it’ll get finished- have 3400 words of WIP.

Kevin is getting married off, they’re still working on the ‘to whom’ portion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It all began, as these things do, with dinner at his mother’s. Nothing special, just Kevin, his mother, his girl, which really, he supposed, was why this was when things started getting serious.

“So,” his mother had said, midway through the meal, “I’ve been thinking that we should try for Looma.” It hadn’t come out of nowhere- fuck, his last birthday had included the line ‘there’s applications by the door, if you want to marry him get yours back to me by the end of the week’- but still Kevin paused in his eating, going so far as to set down his fork. Gwen paused at his side, eyes narrowing.

“Mom, I’d have to fight Looma to get her. And win.”

“You could win easy.” She, meanwhile, had not stopped eating and took a moment to finish a bite of stew before turning to Gwen. “You’d like her, she’s a good kid, competitive.”

“Looma is intense to say the least,” Kevin countered, “with a short fuse and strong ego.” His mother shrugged.

“Okay, she’d learn to like her.” Glancing Gwen’s way, Kevin rolled his eyes and groaned in the traditional ‘mothers, can’t live with ‘em, invested too much money to kill ‘em’ manner. Gwen just looked confused, face scrunched like she thought someone was up to something. Which was probably true, but that had nothing to do with the conversation at hand.

“Can I just clarify,” she asked, glancing between them, “what are we talking about?”

“Marriage candidates, Gwendolyn, keep up.”

“Mom, be nice.” One of the greatest remaining issues of his life, somehow his family liked Gwen less than Gwen’s mother liked him- and he’d set her son up with Argit! As if to prove this fact, his mother rolled her eyes much like he just had.

“Alright. We’re discussing who Kevin’s marrying.” And attention back to Kevin. “Looma’s a catch, even Luka and your cousins agree.” Kevin huffed.

“What if we don’t want to move to Khoros? You know she’d expect it.”

“It’s a great planet, wonderful food.”

“Lots of sand.”

“Rich culture.”

“Also giant spiders.”

“Stop! Stop.” Hands held between the two, palms outward, Gwen looked between them, eyes still narrowed and lips set in a frown. Eventually her gaze settled on Kevin’s mother. “What am I, chopped liver?” There was an opening there, and Kevin glared at his mother before she could take advantage of it. She continued on like she’d never planned to.

“You didn’t get an application in,” she said simply. “If Kevin wants to marry you it’ll have to be on his own time. Meanwhile, we’re getting him some good spouses.” Now Gwen was the one huffing.

“You can’t really have expected me to fill that out, it was over Christmas, and my birthday right after!” And foot, mouth, the snowball of disapproval ever grew. Kevin’s face fell into his hands as his mother finally set her spoon down with a glower.

“Oh, I’m sorry, is my son not worth wasting two hours of your precious holiday time-”

~~~

“I cannot believe your mother, and you just went along with it!” This was the struggle he faced when it came to spending time with Gwen and his relatives together- in the end, he had to deal with all of them.

“Babe, I’ve been expecting my family to be involved in my love life my entire life. If anything the fact they’re looking to get me multiple spouses this young says a lot about my desirability. At my age Kay had like five offers. And she included you in the conversation! Forward progress!” Kevin flashed a grin that was met with nothing but pure scowl.

“And you were going to discuss this with me, when?” Wait, stop, what? Huh? Kevin’s face scrunched in confusion.

“I have? Multiple times?” Gwen continued to scowl. “When we started dating I told you my family was going to arrange at least one marriage for me and you’d have to share, you were cool. I told you when they started getting offers, you were cool. You were there while three of my siblings got married off, you were cool. My family passed out marriage applications at my last birthday. You were cool. Excuse me for assuming, you know, you were cool. We need to hash out details, but that wasn’t really a priority until now and I don’t know if you’ve noticed but we’re busy people.” The scowl remained, but she stopped aiming it directly at the side of his head. Instead she leaned back in her seat and turned it out the passenger window.

“I wasn’t even on her damn list.” It took effort for Kevin not to sigh, something he was half sure would get him killed.

“You can’t be surprised,” he said, “my family doesn’t like you and you didn’t fill out an application.” The scowl deepened and came for him again.

“It was due over Christmas!” This time he didn’t even bother trying to hide the groan.

“Gwen, please, you just finished arguing with my mother over this.”

“It’s true! I was set up to fail!”

“G. Babe.” He was this close. “I swear to Zak, if you try to have this argument again I will drop you off at Feli’s. She will gladly spend the next three hours telling you how big a fuck-up you are and how you don’t deserve me.”

“Kevin…”

“She’ll gloat.” Gwen scowled at him for another long minute, then turned back to the window.

“Have I mentioned how much of a bitch she is?”

“Nearly as often as she says that about you.”

~~~

“So, your ma made a very nice offer-”

“Oh fuck.” Kevin groaned, going limp under his car. “Don’t tell Gwen.”

“Aw, but Earthboy, I was hoping to rent a billboard and everything. ‘Kevin Ethan Levin-Jones’s mother offered him to me’ in big bold print. Was down to choosing the color.”

“Do not,” he repeated, sticking a pointing finger out in Argit’s direction, “tell Gwen. She’s already in enough of a mood about this whole thing. Surprised I haven’t heard from Ben yet.”

“Give them time.” Kevin returned to his tinkering with another groan.

“What’d you say? When she offered?”

“I told her I was flattered- I mean look at you- but I’d have to talk to Ken about it before I made a decision.”

“Okay,” Kevin said, nodding, “that makes sense. Things going good with him?”

“Great.” He couldn’t see it, but he could hear and practically feel the smile on his old friend’s face. “He might say yes you know. Feels guilty about it ‘cause you’re dating his sister but he does think you’re a nice piece.” Chuckling, Kevin shook his head.

“Of course he does. Fuck that’d make it worse- not only does my family like you more than her, but her brother gets a chance at a hunk of me via you?”

“Well in your family’s defense, I don’t like Red either.”

“Yeah, because you’re incompatible brands of asshole.”

“Come on, Kev, you can’t blame them. If nothing else this is the girl whose immediate reaction to Feli was passive-aggressive implications of attempted boyfriend snatching.” Fuck, if there was a moment he never wanted to remember.

“You don’t know pain until you’re trying to get a word in edgewise for introductions, and your girlfriend is unwittingly accusing your sister of incest, and your sister is just letting her dig her own grave.” He heaved a short, tired laugh. “You shoulda been there though, the look on Gwen’s face when I finally got to tell her who she was talking to- Priceless.” Argit chuckled.

“Oh I know, Feli has described it to me in detail. She’s described it to a lot of us in detail. I think she’s gonna get a painting done of it, hang it above her mantle.” That, sounded like something just about any of his sisters would do, and a few of his brothers. Kevin silently vowed to keep an eye out for such things.

“Just, give me a heads up when you two come to a decision, before you talk to anyone.”

“Sure thing, Kev.”

~~~

Alan appeared to be having some sort’ve crisis, laying on his couch, staring up at the ceiling. He’d been like this since before Kevin’d showed up, looking forward to an afternoon with his niblings, and the only sign he’d moved in the hours since was the half a sandwich he knew nobody else had made for him. In true younger sibling fashion his brothers and sister didn’t seem to much notice, just rolling their eyes when they saw he was still there and dispersing through the house.

Kevin was so proud.

“Alright, Shortstack,” he asked, leaning over the back of the couch, “what’s eating you?” It took a moment for Alan to respond.

“I’m next.”

“Next?”

“Once you’re married off.” Ah. Okay. That explained that. Kevin purred at him.

“You’ve got time you know. Not like wedding bells are ringing tomorrow.”

“Yeah, it’s just…” Alan sighed. “The future. It looms. College and marriage and kids-” Finally he moved, hauling himself up on his elbows just enough to have to crane his neck to look Kevin in the eye “-do I even want kids?” Kevin shrugged.

“Do you?”

“I don’t even know right now.” And there he went, collapsing back down. “Guess I should figure that out.”

“Don’t rush yourself. Like I said, you’ve got time.” What had been a soft smile turned toothy. “Don’t think Cooper’s figured that out either.” Alan looked at him, lips tugging into a smile.

“You guys are going to try to get Cooper for me? He’s not exactly…” He gave a little half shrug, which Kevin mirrored.

“Oh we’re gonna have much higher standards for everyone else, trust me, but the kid’s going places, he gets on with the family, and the two of you have been practically melting every time you’re around each other for over a year.”

“What can I say,” Alan said, smile morphing into a grin, “he lights a fire in me.”

“Boooo.” Kevin gave the pun a solid two thumbs down, followed by a quick exchange of raspberries. Puns or no, it was always nice to see one of his niblings smiling. “At least make puns based on each other, damn.” Alan blew another raspberry and shook his head.

“How are you not freaking out?”

“Honestly, Shortstack,” Kevin answered with a shrug, “I think I might just be numb to change at this point.”

~~~

He wasn’t really. Numb to change. He just had a million different ways to distract himself from the potential negatives of a situation, especially when the situation was like this, where he knew those negatives were unlikely to come to pass. After all, his family loved him, was maybe a little too overprotective if he was honest, and even if they did mess up and get him somebody awful, he’d have other spouses to turn to and also eviscerating would probably happen.

His mom was really good at eviscerating.

She was where he got it from.

But one’s brain never listened to logic if it could try to panic, especially not if you were mentally ill, so distractions it was. Such as, for instance, baking, his favorite form of cooking for it’s more exacting, technical requirements. Today he had Manny keeping him company while he worked. Ostensibly he was there to taste test things, make sure they weren’t poisoned, which Kevin had warned him was a bad move because he had various breads and pastries with long proofing times planned, but he’d insisted.

In the end Kevin had made a batch of maple blondies for him to munch on, something Manny was doing with gusto while watching him force bagel dough to submit to his will.

“‘ey ‘ev?”

“I know it’s good, dude, but swallow before you choke.” He couldn’t see the man sat behind him, but he heard him swallow and blow a raspberry at him before continuing.

“How’s the marriage arranging going?” And there went plans of distractions.

“It goes. Why, what’s up?”

“Nothing much, just, heard there was some drama going on.”

“What? No. There’s some Tennyson Drama trying to horn in on Levin Drama territory, but I have five older sisters hovering, there will be drama only over their dead bodies.” Manny chuckled.

“Thank fuck, was worried for a minute there. I, uh, may have filled out an application, so...” He didn’t stop kneading, not immediately, but Kevin turned that information over in his head. Manny had filled out an application. Manny, who had known him since they were babies and so really should’ve known better, had applied for a position as his husband. His girlfriend had not.

Kevin half-collapsed over the counter, shoulders shaking as he struggled not to laugh.

“Hey!” He was glowering at him when Kevin turned to look at him, and the Ossy raised his hands in surrender.

“Not laughing at you, promise!” he said. “Wasn’t expecting you to be the only person I know of who put in an application.” Though in thinking about it he certainly wasn’t against the idea. He just, hadn’t known there was any interest there. And his siblings and parents liked him, especial Val, so maybe he was in with a shot…

Manny shrugged.

“You’re smart, you cook, and sometimes, if you squint, you’re almost cute. Figured I may as well give it a shot.” He bit into another blondie, pointedly chewing and swallowing before he continued. “Who else is on the list?”

“Don’t know.” Kevin shrugged as he spoke and returned to his work. “Right now I know of three people who’ve been options, including you, and to hear some of my family speak it’s a long list. Family’ll pick out who they think are the top candidates, then I’ll get to say which ones I like the sound of, and then they’ll see about making final choices and getting things arranged based on that. Unless of course you’re Argit or Looma, at which point you apparently just get handed me on a plate.”

“Argit’s my competition? I’m a shoe-in.”

“Argit and Princess Looma.”

“…well fuck.” Grinning toothily, Kevin looked over his shoulder at him.

“Luckily, you’re almost cute too, that’s gonna earn you some points.”

Manny proceeded to drown himself in the blondies.

~~~

“Alright, all your options, ready to go!” To say Kevin was nervous, sitting there watching Luka reenter the kitchen with a stack of files, would’ve been a serious understatement.

Today of all days he was keenly aware of where he was- in a home he’d seen more of, when his father was alive, then he’d seen his mother’s, talking to a man who’d had more a role in his early raising than anyone related by blood. Luka was his father’s longest standing spouse, the only one who had followed him to Earth, and it was no secret that half his siblings had been given the information on their potential spouses right where he sat now. Right where things felt most like home. At an old, old table stained, scorched, scratched by the use of every child from his eldest brother to his youngest nephew, files were placed down by the same clawed hand that carded through so many’s hair.

Kevin tamped down his nerves to exchange a smile with him.

There were a lot of files. Some traitor part of his brain said it wasn’t that many, but he shut it down before it could give him a number. It was more than four, it was too damn many.

“I take it I’m popular,” he half-asked half-nervously chuckled, fidgeting with them. Luka took a seat next to him, tail resting supportively against his leg.

“Well, you know a God, you hang out with a Hero, your father was a High Prince and a Hero, you’re a Hero and also one of the most powerful members of our species even at your young age. So, yeah.” He nodded. “You could say you’re a little popular. We narrowed it down to the best prospects and the ones we thought you’d enjoy the most.”

“Huh.” Kevin nodded back. Letting out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding, he began to sort through the pile.

“Remember, you don’t need to make a decision today. Take some time, weigh your options.”

“I know…” He did not recognize the majority of these people, though he supposed that was to be expected. Despite not having his attention, Luka carried on in the calm tone of someone who had been through this ten times counting his own experience in Kevin’s shoes.

“We haven’t heard back from Argit, so we’ve kept him in there just in case. And that one, Prince Hunter Alba Rhon, very well bred, supposedly has a great sense of humor, loves to read.” More nodding from Kevin.

“Looma and Manny are still in, huh?” Luka chuckled, not unkindly, and leaned back in his chair.

“He doesn’t have much to his name, but he’s a good kid from some good families, and he’d complement you well. Looma, well she’s just you with a shorter fuse, more limbs, and an inheritance.” Taking a moment to blow a raspberry at his, fuck what number was it at this point? at his not-first-father, Kevin set Looma’s file off to the side. Whether that was his keep or discard pile he didn’t know yet.

“I really don’t want to move to Khoros. All my stuff is here.” With a fond look, Luka ruffled his hair.

“We don’t want you to move to Khoros either, but Eva will do what she can to get you the kingdom she thinks you deserve. Plus, your father is proof enough that long distance marriages can work.”

“Dad was a fucking miracle.”

“Language.” Kevin opened his mouth- “Don’t you dare.” -and closed it again. He took and released another deep breath.

“How am I supposed to do this, anyway,” he asked. The pile of files felt… daunting.

“Listen, Little Monster-” Kevin rolled his eyes at the old nickname, it’d bothered him for a while, but he’d mellowed back into it. “-don’t worry about anything to do with their clans, breeding, connections. That’s for the rest of us to worry about. All you have to do, is read the files and pick the ones you think you would get along best with.” The look Luka got was suspicious, but he smiled on.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

There were too damn many files there. Kevin had time, but he didn’t feel like he did and there were too damn many files there. For a third time, he sighed, and moved Argit and Manny’s files onto Looma’s.

“Alright, where should I start?”

 ~~~

He’d gone through the files. It’d taken him five thousand years (two weeks) but he’d done it.

“Managed to cut the list down by seventy-four percent!” Helen raised a brow at him, then looked back at the stack of files on his desk. Kevin could see her doing the math in her head.

“You had twenty-three options?” Her tone was incredulous, like she couldn’t believe her math. Kevin didn’t blame her.

“Yeah. But! I have it down to six now!”

“Damn.” In a flash Helen had stood up, grabbed the files, and returned to her spot on his bed. “How many are you supposed to narrow it down to?” With a shrug, Kevin flopped onto his back.

“There’s not really a set number. One to three to start with, maybe? And I should probably run them by Gwen.”

“I think,” Helen said, “she would toss all of them.” It was a good bet. “She feeling any better about all this?”

“I, really don’t think so? She keeps changing the topic when I bring it up, but she’s been moodier than normal. And I haven’t heard anything from Ben about it.” That was the scary part. He’d expected Ben to call him and bitch him out on his cousin’s behalf weeks ago, but no. Things had been, not really normal but there’d been less ‘you’re being an asshole’ then he normally got when Gwen was upset about something involving him.

He’d have to ask Argit if Ken talked to them.

Either way, Helen did not look enthused by his answer.

“Yeah, that can’t be a good sign.” Kevin tossed her a shaky grin.

“Cross your fingers for me?”

“Gladly.”

[sparkles-and-trash]

SKAM! South Park AU

trash note: oh my god I spent waaay too much time on this jesus christ, but I’m not even sorry for this lol, but a while back I got an anon asking about how I thought SP would be like in SKAM format, and I rambled a bit about it but since then I’ve been binging both SKAM and SP and I’ve been thinking about his a lot, like a lot a lot, so I needed to get it out of my system hah

Season 1: Stan

Parallels:

Stan - Eva Wendy - Jonas Kenny - Noora (sort of)

The season starts with showing bits and pieces of Stan and Wendy during their junior year in high school. they’ve been dating since they were kids and everyone thinks they’re the perfect couple. Stan also has the perfect friend group in Kyle, Kenny, Butters and Cartman, and even tho his father is a bit of a drunk idiot, his parents still care about him, and his life is generally pretty good.

The season progresses and we start seeing pretty soon tho that things aren’t as perfect as they seem, mainly Stan’s relationship with Wendy and his self image. It’s also clear that Stan is a little too much like his father when it comes to drinking. Wendy is driven and confident, while Stan is unsure of just about everything in his life, from his relationship to his sexuality to his hopes and dreams, to who he really is and want to be.

Soon, Stan thinks Wendy is having an affair with his best friend, Kyle, who is much more like Wendy than he is, they’re on the debate team together, as well as a bunch of AP classes and they’re in respective sports team, Wendy is on the girls volleyball team and Kyle is amazing at basket. They’ve been friendly for a while, but as Stan starts to draw back from both of them due to his issues, they start worrying and therefor talking and hanging out more. 

Season climaxes at a party where Stan gets drunk and cheats on Wendy with a random girl, but starts crying right after, and Kenny, who’s been a constant calm and supporting, but a little taken for granted, presence for Stan up until now, finds him, and talks him trough a bunch of the stuff he’s been going trough. Stan, confused as ever, tries to kiss Kenny, who just calmly smiles, tells him that now is not the time, and that Stan needs to have a serious talk with Wendy. 

Season ends nearing Christmas, with drama following the party as someone saw Stan kissing Kenny, and rumors of Stan being gay starts flowing, and Stan with a lot of help from Kenny and Kyle, comes to terms with the fact that he is bisexual. 

Wendy is of course hurt and sad, but she tries to talk to him and be supportive, which takes Stan by total surprise. They end up having a big talk and breaking up, mutually agreeing and both still sad, but Stan needs to take time to be on his own and be with his friend and explore his sexuality, and he and Wendy seriously wants to stay friends. 

Season 2: Kenny

Parallels:

Kenny - Noora (kinda) The themes, but only slightly so not that much really

Season starts at school, a couple of months into the spring semester of the kids junior year, and it’s just normal banter and talk with the boys, but things kinda focuses on Kenny, and we kinda see how he’s more of a observer and commentator in the group. 

Kenny is, from last season, known as the guy in his group that always seems to have the answer, he’s calm and confident, but not cocky, seemingly knows everyone, but nobody really seems to know him that well, except his closest friends. We see that he works at Tweeks parents coffee shop, and even tho he clearly likes the job, Tweek comments that Kenny’s working almost every day and asks about how he has time for school etc, Kenny jokes it off tho. 

Pretty soon in the season a party happens, and we see how Kenny is the one in the group that gets hit on most, by both girls and boys, but never really shows any interest in doing anything about that, to Kyle and Cartmans big dismay, as they call him out on it, trying to get him to explain why the hell he won’t take advantage of the situation, to which Kenny usually just laughs off or makes a witty comment about the two others being virgins. 

The next day we see Kenny at home, and learn that his homelife is pretty complicated. His parents are both in jail, and his quiet older brother, Kevin, is the one taking care of the family financially and officially, by working two jobs and being Kenny and their younger sister, Karens, legal guardians, and Kenny is basically raising Karen, by himself. We also see his room, covered in polariods from the old camera he always carries around, pictures of friends, stranger and landscape, giving us an idea he’s good at observing and capturing peoples essence quickly. 

During a Friday, in which the other boys are at a party trying to get laid as usual, Kenny is home alone with Karen, watching a movie and just chilling, to which the boys keeps texting him and telling him he sucks for being lame etc. Karen herself confronts Kenny about why he’s staying in with her instead of going out with his friends, and he honestly says he likes hanging with her, and that he doesn’t have time to party and date and stuff like the others because he have more responsibility than them, but hurries to assure her it’s all good with jokes etc, like always. 

Season nears the climax when Karen takes it on herself to talk with Kennys friends about how he’s been working so much and how much stress he’s been under, and the boys are kinda shocked to find out how bad things are for Kenny at home, because he’s always so good at hiding stuff and pretending he’s happy when he’s around them. 

Kyle and Stan, worried and with good intentions, decides to tell their parents, and their parents immediately starts worrying, esp the moms, and when Stan and Kyle tries to talk to Kenny and offer help, he gets very upset and feels likes he’s been betrayed with his friends talking about his issues behind his back, and when they mention that their mothers want to help he totally freaks out.  

After some days with isolation and stress, Butters finally manages to talk to Kenny, with help from Karen letting him into Kennys room, and they end up having a pretty long and serious talk, and Kenny admits that about a year ago the Child Services was involved and almost split the three up, but Kevin managed to convince them to let them stay together, but that they’re still under the radar, and that’s why he’s so stressed about people finding out, he’s super worried about anyone talking to CS and Karen being taken away. Butters manages to get Kenny to talk to the others, and with a lot of awkward apologizing and bro punches to the shoulders, things starts to go back to normal. 

Season ends with Stan and Kyles mothers promising to be there if Kenny needs help with Karen when he and Kevin works and the boys helps out in every way they can, and even tho he still finds it hard, Kenny is starting to learn how to accept help, and opening up more to his friends. 

Season 3: Bebe

parallels:

Bebe / Isak Red / Even Wendy / Jonas

So this is obv the season with most parallels to the original Norwegian season, but I’m still gonna change a bunch so buckle up gals and pals 

Season starts at a big party at Stans house, where we see the two boy gangs smoking week and laughing, others from the school in various states of drukeness, before we see Bebe, a tall, beautiful blonde, being chatted up by a tall, dark and handsome guy in a varsity jacket, while we see Clyde Donovan glaring jealously in the background. 

Bebe is Wendy’s best friend and up until now we have mainly seen her as a fierce supporter of Wendy all trough the whole deal with Stan, which was pretty hard on Wendy, of course. Bebe is known for being beautiful and popular, esp with the boys, and she hooks up with different guys a lot, but isn’t slutshamed because that’s stupid and nobody should do that anymore okay great 

When the Wendy and Bebe arrives at school the following Monday, they’re talking about how Bebe is struggling with the fact that her other best friend, the school’s baseball and lacrosse star, and the most popular guy in school, Clyde, who we’ve seen a little of in the earlier seasons, is hopelessly in love with her, while Bebe does not feel the same way. In the middle of her rant to Wendy, she drifts off when she sees a new girl walking through the hallway and Bebe stares at her in famous SKAM slo-mo action. 

The girl is pretty, and remarkable and from the second Bebe lays eyes on her she knows she’s fucked. The girl have long, thick, dark red hair, wears a short, but classy red dress and have classic, red lips, and to Bebe she’s just... perfection. Wendy manages to break Bebe out of her trance, and tells her she needs to go to a debate club meeting.  

Bebe hurries to see if she can spot the girl again, but she seems to be gone, and instead Bebe is approached by a lanky boy with messy, blonde hair and clear green eyes, grinning like a madman and twitching slightly. When Bebe asks Tweek what the hell he’s grinning about, he hints that he saw he drooling at the new girl, who he reveals is his boyfriend, Craig Tucker’s, cousin. They knew her as kids, but she moved away around sixth grade, but she just moved back. Bebe just states that she’s not gay, and walks away. 

As the season progresses, Bebe gets to know the girl, Red, trough Craig, and they start hanging out a bit in private, usually sneaking away at parties to hook up, but they also start hanging out more in private, really getting to know each other, and after a while Bebe realizes she’s having real feelings for this girl, and while Bebe is trying to deal with all of this, Clyde walks in on her and Red hooking up during a party.

Heartbroken, Clyde outs Bebe and Red to the whole party, and Bebe flees the party. Soon the whole school seems to know, and Bebe is left to deal with her parents, her friends and the rest of the school, reacting to the news. She soon learns that the people she was most worried about, like her parents and Wendy, are very accepting and sweet, while the ones who’s being problematic isn’t homophobic in the way she expected, but are all treating her like some mix of porn star and caged animal, and she really, really hates it. 

Bebe, frustrated and angry, cuts of Red and tries to put her life back together, starting with a big talk with Stan, who got outed in a way himself a year back, and then she has a long conversation with Tweek and Craig, at first about peoples expectations to you when you come out and the horrible feeling of being a show to people in town because of it. Then they talk about Clyde, and while both the boys and Bebe are still really upset with him, bebe admis to missing her bff. She decides to talk to him, and he agrees to meet up and talk.

When they meet up it’s pretty tense, sad and awkward, and while Clyde apologizes right away, trough tears, Bebe still struggles pretty hard to forgive him. After a lot of talking they get to an okay point, but Bebe tells him they still have a way to go. Then she sighs and says she really misses Red, who she cut off after everything got out, and Clyde stats putting a plan in motion to getting the girls to talk. 

The season ends with Clyde’s elaborate plan, involving everyone from Kenny, Stan, Kyle, Butters and Cartman, to Wendy and Tweek and Craig, and it does not according to plan, at all, and Red is kinda reluctant to forgive Bebe right away, but when Clyde starts crying hysterically and apologizing wildly, she agrees that the shit that happened was indeed Clyde’s fault, and that Bebe’s reaction was fair considering the situation. 

Cue happy ending kiss and all the gay feels. 

Season 4: ???

coming soon hopefully I just can’t really figure this one out 100% or 50% or 20% because there’s a thousand people I wanna make it about and jfhsdghfgdfshgf