#go figure my fav character is the one that doesn't even have a canon full body design

[umbraljxrk]

Chibi Katagawa Jr! My fav blorbo from the Borderlands series <3

[casurlaub]

Please don't expect consistent (and continuous) posting

(Look after yourselves!)

Hi!

I feel the need to make one of those intro posts because recently a few blogs started following me that seem to be more into the fanon interpretation of things, and I don't want anybody to get the wrong ideas about what to expect from this blog.

About me... I'm 29, she/her, pan/bi (I don't care which label), and demi (my, it took me so long to figure that out).. I used to be a judge but dropped out because of a myriad of reasons but mainly because of... well, depression. I cannot, for the life of me, remember how many letters there are in the alphabet, I love carrots but they make me nauseous, and my socks are more holes than fabric.

So... let's move to the important stuff.. JK sucks, and parts of the canon suck too - like the house elf stuff and her naming "skills" which are very telling, her fat shaming, and the anti-trans shit that is even written into the original source material. But for the most part, the characterization isn't one of them. So on this blog, I will defend the canon version of characters, flaws and all.

To make myself clear: hc characters as trans and writing characters as gay etc is great and I fully support that. What I mind, however, is the heteronormative, mysoginistic cliches we keep seeing under the guise of 'progressive' queer ships. If you not only change their gender or their height but also their personalities so that they fit heteronormative stereotypes that's problematic. Same goes for the casual racism going on in this fandom. Portraying non-white people as huge, buff guys with anger-issues is - you guessed it - problematic!

What to expect from this blog:

Me applauding the many great people out there. Do you even know how great you are???

Me geeking out, especially about the characters and ships I love most (and sometimes writing/sharing anti-posts about my own favs when I'm too fed up with the fanon version of them).

Me writing long-ass metas at two in the morning because that one post was the final straw.

Me brain-vomiting stuff into the void of the internet that really no one asked for and no one cares about.

Me ranting and contradicting myself.

Nuance - or at least, I try. But I'm just a person with biases, and I read the books through the lens of my own experiences, so yeah. And of course there's always a range, even when sticking to canon.

(I say I care about nuance, but you'll find me swaying to full-force apologism the next second - get used to it, I'm a hypocrite).

Some writing. Here's my ao3. I'm also working on a long wolfstar fic starting in 1971 and carrying all the way through to 1998. It's solely from Remus' s POV and I'm trying to pay attention to everything (!) in canon so that it makes sense with all the scenes we see in the books - although I wouldn't call wolfstar canon. I think itl'l be around 900k-1 million words in the end. Right now I'm at 950k but I need to add stuff, cut stuff and just generally work through it. I plan on starting to post it before I turn 30 (which will be in mid-December).

Remus/Sirius will always be my OTP, and I've made a post about why I think they make sense even from a canon perspective and with their canon personalities (not saying they are canon, but don't tell me I haven't read the books). But I do feel the need to point out that I disagree with most of the depictions I see nowadays in this fandom as the characters I fell in love with are barely recognoizable. I prefer post-PoA wolfstar (or AUs), but I think Hogwarts wolfstar can work. It's just indefinitely more difficult to make it work with their canon personalities. Btw, me loving wolfstar doesn't mean I negate the co-dependency James and Sirius have going on - which is obviously canon. I also love James and Sirius so much.

As for other ships... I love Scorbus, Jily, Hinny, Romione and Grindelore. And I love a whole bunch of characters regardless of any ships, including but not limited to Ron, Dumbledore, Ginny, Fleur, Luna, McGonagall, Hermione and Scorpius. And I'm not anti Tonks - I'm just anti Remadora because I think they both deserve better. But it is what it is, jk wrote that and for what it's worth I do think Remus loved her in some way.

I can get very passionate about fictional characters, but I'm an adult, and I know they're fictional. And I believe I can take criticism, so if there's anything on your mind...

It's always my personal opinion I'm talking about; I don't think I'm some kind of hp authority, but that goes without saying.

What not to expect from this blog:

Art (I reblog, of course, but you don't want me to draw, believe me).

Dumbledore hate / Remus hate (don't confuse with criticism, I'm all for criticism). No ATYD hate either. I have my issues with it, but it's not the author's fault it has become the fandom's new rulebook.

Me dumbing down James and Sirius, etc.

Me abandoning James and Peter. But, sorry not sorry (and wolfstar aside), I will keep pushing my "Remus and Sirius were close friends at Hogwarts" agenda (but as were Remus and James, obviously, and Remus and Peter, and so on, with James and Sirius being inseparable).

Jegulus/Slytherin skittles stuff. If that's your thing, that's fine, but it isn't mine.

Me keeping it short.

I'm always happy to discuss stuff! :)

Most important information for last, right? If I speak ill about Remus, it is always with the most love possible. I keep saying Sirius is my favorite character, but he has a lot of fans out there, and avoidant, self-loathing, passive-aggressive, manipulative, ruthless, but also smart, brave, kind, loyal, empathetic, thoughtful and selfless (yes, you read that correctly) Remus holds a special place in my heart.

[katyspersonal]

Let’s talk about Adeline for once!

1. Do you project onto this character?

11. How did you “fall in love” with this character?

19. Does this character serve as a stress ball/ security blanket for you? Something you run to after a bad day to feel safe or happier?

Her!! 🌊 (Asks from this ( x ) as game)

1) Do you project onto this character?

Kiiiiinda...? a whole lot Although it would be more appropriate to say that I see myself in her than project, because the more relatable bits are "canon", actually xD She is a weird one out amongst the patients to not be scared of horrors of the Deep Sea but desire them, she is guilty of neglecting/not getting Maria's advice of going a more sparing road towards the Stars but then sorta gets it when Kos reveals the same advice to her in inhuman language, and she is so nervous about no longer being in contact with the horrors... I know all of this very intimately. (Mental health TMI warning) Heck, I am the type that gets nervous when hallucinations, voices or 'presences' are absent for a while because I have this deep belief I've failed as a human being and only by being in contact with "horrors" my life can have some meaning :^)

I'd say 'projection' bit comes through how I interpret her motivations! "Grooming" of Blood Saints IS a translation error and in the original the word is used to say "prepare"(as in medical procedure), but it doesn't exclude some sort of emotional manipulation, just makes it a choice rather than direct lore. But nope! I took Adeline as a volunteer in experiments, coming from her own depression (and even insanity), not listening to advices or warnings of people that wished better fate to her and trusting a guy who was obviously full of shit cultist because she is Just Like That and having a good time with horrors not because her sense of self-worth was reduced by Healing Church, but because she never had one.. Blood Saint era, I think, was her willing to sacrifice something about her to help people. Laurence benefitted from that, not created that! I am guilty of all this, so now she is too :> In other words, she has agency because I do.

11) How did you "fall in love" with this character?

It actually took me some time! And I actually feel ashamed of how 'selfish' my reasoning was :') I always liked her enough, but she raised so far in the top of my favs when I figured her connection to 'Sea' theme, yeah. Right after I properly analyzed it via Miyazaki's bad post-BB hangover in DS3. Hhhyhhhghj Basically, figuring we did have spiritual connection with this character 'activated' my brain to notice and focus on everything else about her. And I've found soooo many things.. I brought back the "Points of interests about Adeline" analysis just recently and so you probably believe me x)

19) Does this character serve as a stress ball/ security blanket for you? Something you run to after a bad day to feel safe or happier?

Oh, absolutely! Whenever I scrutinize how far I've spiraled and it gives me feelings of self-hatred, I do find comfort in knowing that "I am just like Saint Adeline for reeeeal!!!!!1! XD". ......representation matters....? And comfort character term especially fits, because in most cases I focus on her when I have a bad day! (Don't worry and send me DMs when I do post about her though! Like I said, she DOES make me feel better already!)

[frostbounddevotion]

My personal written Eulogy to Gojo and my VERY BRIEF take on the final chapter: and what I hope to share with Gojo fans.

Im grieving, and I'm upset. Theories about Gojo and the analogies, etc, make me almost mad. A possible reality i DO NOT want to think about. The more I read, the more im like

*Gege's writing needs work. Maybe a novel series on his own own time? Maybe he can "fix" it when his health is better and the pressure doesn't break him down?*

This is all so depressing. The disappointment is insurmountable. Gojo was used and abused in canon, some would even argue irl by Gege to promote the series. The fact that Gojo wasn't recognized or formally acknowledged is hard for the fans, really hard (and Gojo isn't my #1 bias/fav so please don't say it only affects Gojo stans), and it gives an air of vunerable feelings and unprocessed emotions. What makes me more upset is the very last panel. It seems like the entire journey was a waste.

Many will defend the ending, and many more will ciriticise it, but I can still acknowledge and respect why it ended the way it did while still being upset. Neither experience lives in a vacuum.

In my own little way, I'm going to mourn and commemorate Gojo's passing. Stories, fictional or not, still provide very real and (parasocial) experiences. So here we go:

Gojo was a flawed character. Very much like people in real life. We tend to romanticize the dead, overlooking our flaws. When I remember a loved one who's passed, I start with their flaws.

Gojo was an annoying, inconsiderate character who sometimes was cold and callous to other's experiences/feelings. He's a big fat inconvenience at times and generally makes others feel unimportant or small. Much hubris lies within him.

However, he had lead a very hard and selfless life from beggining to the end. From his first heartbeat to his last breath. And that should be considered when addressing his behavior. He was seen for what he can do, not for what he loved and enjoyed. His identity outside the 6 eyes and infinity was secondary. His worth in the jujutsu world came not from the relationships he could have formed, but the strength in his abilities. This experience isn't unique in the jujutsu world, as many other sorcerers walked away and tried to start their own life. But when this world and role becomes your identity and reason for your existence, it becomes even harder to escape.

I think many of us can relate to that. The burdens of our own thoughts and opinions of others can gravely impact our identity. Our beliefs, values, and sense of self worth affects the way we interact with the world around us.

Despite being used, propped up for others benefit, and his body being used as a means for an end WITHOUT even a thank you, recognition, or appreciation for the person behind it is foul. From fighting the school to protect his students,To making his life purpose for children to ENJOY their youth (and breaking cycles), to 14-21 hours of sleep a week being his life without complaint, just to be blamed of all that is wrong in jujutsu's way of life but still getting every job done, and his only semblance of an understanding relationshionship being ripped away by the world that gives you meaning.... geeze.... and this man still chooses to smile. To live everyday with that much goofy adhd energy without taking his resentment out of someone or something (*unlikegetocough*) takes STRENGTH and RESILIENCE. It takes GRACE. It takes SELFESS SACRIFICE.

These feelings are something I struggle with everyday. Gojo became a singlr parental figure to a 6 yr old boy as a teen. He took it in stride. My little boy is the same age now. My little one (FJO) is.... on the spectrum and has a cocktail disorders that make living in this world hard. He's angry. He is defiant. He is full of love and potential. Being a parent to FJO is isolating, immensely difficult, rarely rewarding, and time consuming especially in a world who doesn't respect or bother to understand him. And I have schools afraid of me because I held them accountable for not doing their job.

Parenting is complicated. You end up losing your identity, freedom, and sense of self when you do it alone with no resources. And that's for healthy parents with neurotyical children. Add the fact that the parent I were raised for being "amazing, smart, and worthwhile as long as you meet these standards that we set in place to satisfy us and thats all you're good for" to then you feel like you were robbed of your life. That you were emotionally abused by those who were supposed to love and care for you and your youth robbed for the benefit of your guardians. Only for your life to change and be robbed of your sense of self once again. My body (i am born female) is a vessel for others, my career is for the approval of others, my time and energy with about 4 hrs of asleep if given to other's, my money and savings is spent on others. I don't want my child or others to feel the way I felt when i was little, but it's hard when you remain unhealed. I was chronically bitter.

Im not saying gojo and I the same. But as someone with no blood family and role models, what i take away from Gojo is to that it's OK to have flaws, confidence, and sacrifice. Because to someone else, I am or may be their everything. In their little world, I am Gojo to them. The one who's doing it all. And for their sake, I should be smiling. I should never let FJO see how much I'm suffering (no worries I'm in therapy. I'm getting the help I need). I want to be better for him. I want to be the best version of myself I can be. It's ok that this part of my life is thankless. It's not about reward or recognition or what others placed on me. Sometimes it's just THIS WAY, and if I am to do this, I should do it well.

I will honor Gojo in the way I parent. In the way I carry myself. In the way I interact with others around me. I will protect like the vulnerable under my care like he did. Sacrifice like he did. Expect nothing like he did (in the best way possible). Do my best to break generational cycles like he did.

Gee. One more thing about his ending. The way everyone just moved on without acknowledging Gojo's body or person and almost forgotten... brought memories of my safety net; my Grandmother. Whom died and had a funeral, and i video chatted once before she was gone. I never properly finished grieving her. I never got a chance to attend her funeral. Never was able to visit her burial. (I live across the country). I cried for 2 days and moved on because losing her was too hard to process, and i had other things to do. I felt like I disrespected her, and the manga resurfaced these feelings. I was able to be self-aware enough that I saw my grandmother in how Gojo's ending was all handled. I was now able to process that.

I had no role models. All I had was anime, fiction, and some school teachers. I'm grateful for Gojo's character. May i use these stories to become a better person. A better *me*. The JJK experience was fun. :) let's see what happens in the anime community from here.

Thanks for reading,

Alex

[imminent-danger-came]

What are your least favorite lmk characters?

(lmk is one of the few shows where I think 'least favorite' is actually a fitting description. Most of the cast just have such fun and unique personalities, so it‘s pretty difficult to actively dislike any of them imo!)

(not counting cop out answers like the Goldfish Demon)

I‘ve sat here for an hour trying to figure out which characters I would pick myself. I‘ve genuinely never thought about it before, that‘s how GOOD this show is 😆

Like- the Host Girl low-key feels like cheating. (Again- I don‘t dislike her but she doesn’t really have a CANON personality. Everything about her is purely fanon and hinges on her being Macaque‘s generic cute daughter.)

Not sure if Mo counts either. He doesn’t really rise in the rankings through virtue of being a cat for me. Most of the time there just isn‘t much for him to do.

I physically CANNOT pick someone from the main cast or the brotherhood- that hurts just thinking about it. ALL WOMEN ARE QUEENS (I have soft spot for Chang‘e in particular!). And even the characters we’re supposed to dislike are such a blast on screen! The Mayor was so fun! And Lady Bone Demon? As a least favorite? NEVER.

I guess by process of elimination my least fav is Syntax? That‘s the closest to a reoccurring character I can get.

IDK. Maybe you have a character that comes to mind immediately 🤔

I'm going to argue that there is some interesting stuff with Mo, and I may sound the way the pepe silvia guy looks, but that's okay. Anyways, episode 2x03 shows Mo's devotion/loyalty to Sandy, which on it's own isn't really much, but it's the fact that Mo is the one to bring sandy back in 4x06. Pigsy's big heartfelt speech doesn't do the trick, but Mo giving Sandy unconditional love does. And boy, is there something there! Like, "You said it Mo! The world may be full of darkness, but to let the light shine, all we need to do is stand together!" Girl, what is going on between Mo and Sandy! Mo get's a pass from me not by virtue of being a cat (I'm actually a dog person, I got 4 puppies), but by virtue of loving Sandy. We have so much in common.

But yeah! There really isn't a character I dislike in this show. I love everyone a lot, and most characters, even if they don't have interesting stuff going on are a blast to watch on screen.

I'm someone who is legitimately a fan of the Jade Emperor because of his one cool speech and subsequent death on screen. "Heh. And I suppose you think that person is you? How is it you come to stand before me today Azure, was there a point where you questioned it? Or were you too oblivious with your own delusion to realize that you were a mere piece in someone else's game. You may try Azure, the throne will be yours, but if you think I'll gift it freely, you are mistaken." Coolest shit ever. Big fan.

But. And I'm sorry to everyone, but I'd say Jin and Yin are my least favorites. I know. The gold and silver demons everyone loves. Like, they're fine, they're entertaining, they have a lovely placeholder as a manifestation of a simpler time, but that's also just kinda all they are. And they don't need to be anything else! It just also solidifies them as my least favorites asdfadsf. I'm sorry boys.

[emmalovesfitzloved]

Who are your fav characters, and why ? And favourit ship/s ?

Eeeeek finally getting round to this lovely ask by the smartiest @imabitchforjemcarstairs hehehe

I have answered this lovely q, and here is the link for the full unhinged answer for the "why" them, hehe.

But the TLDR just for fire rapid answers is:

Favourite characters:

Alastair

Will/Tessa (tie)

Thomas

Matthew

Kitty and Jessa tie

Malec (if allowed a sixth place)

Top Ships:

Thomastair

Wessa

Kitty

Jemma

Malec

(lots of cheating with the ties, but im going to be honest, i can't choose frfr)

Now to enjoy this read and not make and make this answer half assed, I will be original and give my two cents on the topic of Wessa vs. Jessa i haven't had the time to chat about until now. So technically you didn't ask for this lol but i feel like we love Jem and this is a perfect opportunity to give an essay responce on the whole shindig :)

So scooch in for me @imabitchforjemcarstairs we need a chat ;) .

On the topic of Jessa vs. Wessa vs. Herongraystairs in TID:

I think I liked them a lot especially in TID, but i think that the lack of Jem POV makes it hard to really understand what's going inside in his head. And i think the relationship as a ship in writing, suffers from it, especially when we have Will's POV. And that rather, the decisions that 'metamorph' in their relationship is out of Jessa's hands, but a response to the events CC convienently plops in, not allowing any of these three characters decided eyes wide open their fate. Which imo, is a cop out. Let's breakdown the sneaky manipulative writing CC did ;)

I recently reread TID (for about the 10th time now, as one does during the christmas season lol) and found that even during the Herongraystairs arc, it felt like the writing gave more bonding and more to Wessa than Jessa. I call this in romance novels the, "convincing period", where the author in those formative chapters has to convince the reader that these two individuals should be in a ship. CC convinced us on Wessa bc they were into each other since day 0 when Will saved her from the Twin sisters, had so many hobbies in common and shared the same common struggles of figuring out who they want to be in this world (Will struggling w/ his identity and curse and Tessa as a weird hybrid warlock who constantly gets gaslit her who life). So the convincing is done well there i think we can all agree on that pretty easily.

For Jem and Tessa, it seems as if Tessa always defaulted to him because he was a failsafe from Will. And i don't mean that negatively, but in that, he was brilliant, light, elegant, poised and studied and that is literally sexy as hell lol. LIKE COME ON, HE MADE MUSIC ON HIS VIOLIN FOR HERRR. THAT'S HELLA ROMANTIC. And is very "show don't tell" when it comes to his love, my fav trope. He is very clear, which at the time, was the opposite of Will. So that in of itself is attractive to Tessa. But it's a canon event, that she went into the engagement collaterally in book 2, bc Will constantly kept deflecting what they had. She wouldn't have explored a relationship with Jem, if it weren't for Will's deflections. This is literally a canon event. And Tessa wanted to explore what she had with Jem bc he was very decided and less flakey than Will. Which tbh makes utter sense to me!

But as you can see, later on, once Jem leaves the silent brothers, the way i interpreted this is that, Jem and Tessa became a thing bc of the history they have, the loyalty they have to the trio friendship group and bc Tessa doesn't have Will anymore. It's giving very much "begin again" by Taylor Swift Vibes (not too much but yk kinda that aesthetic). And what I'm trying to say, is that I read the Jessa relationship at a disadvantage when up against Wessa. I think CC would have benefited writing Jessa and Wessa independent, and not collaterally contigent on the happenings of what was going on with the status of the other relationship. And then, on Wessa's side in response to Jem leaving for the Silent Brothers, they didn't want to get together in Book 3, bc Will didn't want to take his best mate's girl away bc his best mate never asks anything of Will and he's also high key dying.

It’s unfair that Wessa happened bc Will felt like there was a curse which gave way for Jessa’s engagement, and conversely, it’s unfair that Wessa only got together once the silent brothers made Jem one of them. So again, the autonomy of these characters are not happening 'authentically' but are happening bc of circumstances.

There is also the accidental (ig) trope that Jem with his illness he was given which in political theory we call, “the children are dying” trope. Which means, you give blanket equity or veto power to someone irrespective of the context of deserving because they are “closer to death” than anyone else. This is THE DRIVING FORCE, of why everyone acts the way they do around poor Jem and it drives him, and us the readers crazy, rightfully so. Jem and Will become friends, not because Will at first fr liked Jem as a person or thought he was a talented shadowhunter, but “because he was dying”, blanket permission for friendship. Tessa was kind to Jem at first because, you guessed it, blanket permission because he is closer to death than she is. They get engaged despite not knowing each other for a long time, conveniently for Jem because, yes, he’s close to death. So much of autonomy is once again stripped from characters around Jem, because most of their actions are respective to his illness. Which is polite, lovely, but it rightfully upsets Jem because he is still a person. Not a a make a wish kid nor a charity case. This was touched on briefly when he said he didn’t want a nurse out of Tessa but a wife. This wasn’t morally delved into deeply save for Tessa’s answer “no I fr like u dude wdym” but than her actions proceed to default back to the “children are dying” complex around him. And we’re only freed from this trope finally once Jem has lived basically the immortal life and is a very changed person after silent brotherhood.

So WTF to do right? Seems like CC built up amazing grounds and complications in these characters, but what to do right? How can she wrap this up in a nice bow? Well CC went naturally via the occam's razor route, which is: Jem becomes a literal monk giving him 'immortality', so circumstantially, the only option JUST SO HAPPENS that Will and Tessa can be together. Again, its not a decision Tessa makes, its a problem that solves itself for Tessa. She goes with Will for now, and maybe in the future, she will go with Jem if he ever leave the silent brothers.

Which again, imo is a bit of a cop out. But CC didn't allow Tessa to put her big girl panties and choose a man. But one thing is clear, which is CC didn't write Will and Jem equal from the start. And it is very clear that Will was written from the beginning as the forbidden love and chosen one. Which is extremely unfair to Jem bc there is so much we could have learned and gained from a Jem pairing that DIDN'T happen bc of the circumstances of Wessa not working out. I truly think that Jem was written with an unfair disadvantage. Like i said, One bc his POV hasn't ever been explored that well. and Two, bc all of Tessa's choices weren't made bc she willed them, but bc CC wrote the circumstances in to take away the choice for her.

Now what I do think is right, is that Jessa, both being immortal are together later on in Shadowhunter Canon. I love Mina and I love what they can be for each other. They make each other happy. And for anyone who says that you can have only 1 love in ur life has a very romantic judeo-catholic view on things XD. U can have many loves in ur life, and each of them can be independent from each other. Love is not mutually exclusive. How is it that you can love unbundently and feel equal love for your multiple pets and children, but not find it in yourself to love more than 2 men? It is entirely possible. And so I do think there is room for Jessa, even if Wessa happened first. And I don't think it is disrespectful or cheating to remarry or find another love after one has ended.

I read criticism about them and how they don't live up to the same version as they were in TID, but i think living hundreds of years does that to you. And i don't think it's the fault of anyone in the pairing to 'bring out' the best in the other, but they can also be very changed people from when they were young. This criticism that they aren't great together later on in life is rooted in their own way of dealing with immortality AND THEN each other. I think what is a pity is that it isn't explored as well as Magnus's immortality has shaped his life which i think again, puts Jessa at a disadvantage. Magnus' continuity as I explained before is given a wider girth than Jessa which is why he is my preferred immortal. But then again, what would Magnus do, if he was immortal forever with his ship? He would be a very changed person he wouldn’t be his own comedic relief that’s for sure. In fact, Camille was not wrong when she said that immortality changes your relationship greatly. Where she fucked up was treating poor babygirl Magnus like shit just in general lol, and being immortal doesn't mean u have to be an asshole. I think immortality truly did a number on Jem and Tessa, irrespective of each other and has not a lot to do with Jem or how he treats her, but a lot about how how Tessa and Jem are quite literally a hundreds of year old great grandma and gramdpa hahahahaha.

But if Will were still alive or immortal like Tessa, would Tessa still be with him now that she has the option of being with Jem forever? Again, we are stripped away from that option because the circumstances decided over the characters. But I do think she would still chose Will.

Final question is, would Herongraystairs actually work? The answer in CC's eyes and again, the occam's razor answer is obviously 'yes'. In fact Tessa herself in Book 3 said it is entirely possible to be in love with 2 people at once and I think poly relationships are a beautiful thing. But is it the easiest and first answer, or is it the TRUE answer? Again, that we will never know bc Tessa's decisions on this matter are in response to the environment she is in, not because she truly believes it.

It is very clear that Will is written all across Tessa's mind in Book 1, and is what she thinks about 24/7. There were times where i was like, "girl just go up to him and JUST EXPLODE UR FEELS ON HIM UR GIVING ME A HEADACHE". But the plot just so conveniently every time they had a moment alone, would get 'interrupted' and the moment was gone. Only after in response to this mess of a situationship, did she go for Jem bc of his ease and what he represented (which we talked about before^) but it wasn't equally organic. It was in response to what happened with Will. Truly we all know, that Tessa would not have even considered Jem, if Will and Tessa decided to be a couple and engage by book 1. And I hate that Jessa read to me as second best, instead of a true, equal 1st place like Wessa. Which is would have to be, in order to have a Herongraystairs. I don't like that CC made Jessa collateral, but tbh i think she didn't know how to chose in the making of TID. So instead of choosing or rewriting the relationship so that both ships were dealt with equally, she made the events of the plot decide for the characters instead.

In defence of CC, a lot of our lives happens in response to our surroundings and circumstances instead of pure Free Will. Which might ironically make Jessa and Wessa and Herongraystairs even more realistic than maybe the idyllic cleanly chosen choices. Life moves fast and we can barely respond to it in time. And what matters most at the end, is that all three of these characters love each other dearly and would be there for each other no matter what. However, the way the plot was almost TOO conveniently choosing everything instead of the characters making hand on heart choices, swings us back to being a bit too unrealistic.

I truly, really love Jessa and I would marry Jem myself lol, but I really disliked the way it wasn't dealt with fairly. I am happy that they end up together at the end, I just didn't like the way they went about it. I would be more sold on Herongraystairs if it was dealt with more evenly instead of the other side of the poly v, instead of being collaterally contingent to the happenings of Wessa. Who knows, CC said that Jessa will re-encounter Will again and not in shadowhunter heaven so i wonder if there is any ability to clean this all up. But bc of the way CC wrote Jessa over how i WISHED she wrote them, Jessa is not in the top 5 ships for me unfortunately. It's def top 10 (and for sure over Clare lol) probablly like 7th place but not top 5. I think there are other relationships in the Shadowhunter fandom that are written a lot more cleanly where the characters are given by CC more autonomy in their choices which makes it easier to follow along. Not to mention get their POVs.

I cannot wait for your own lovely essay on our fav Jem @imabitchforjemcarstairs ! I hope my re-mentioning of it doesn't come across as antsy or like i'm trying to 'remind you' passively lol. Which would be awfully rude. As you can tell, I took my time to reply to this one :). My intention is one of pure excitement, fandom-ing over it and showing support.

art credit: @giannyfili on instagram

[cantalooprat]

The Supporting Male Character Just Wants to Be a Tool Man

What I Liked

sweet sweet text, sweet sweet couple, it's full of sweet powdery sugar with some rock sugar hidden inside

a fully supportive cp with their own individual lives, responsibilities, hopes and dreams

han cheng as a parody of the classic overbearing ceo trope---he has the capital and the position to...almost be one, except he's really too sweet to be one. i love him tbh he's the most oppressed ceo-type gong i've ever read. the way his big bro teases him so mercilessly, the way his friends bet like "u think he's gna come back to buy the gift?" "oh yeah definitely" "let's wait for him to come back" like the dude can't catch a break sometimes lmao it's amazing. i just love how he has a healthy social circle even though his "potential love interests" are shit, and with shen qingshu coming to him, he literally has a perfect social circle hehe

shen qingshu as the classic transmigrated individual meant to be the canon fodder and tries his best to be one except the big boss ends up falling for him instead... he's also very fun to read. like at the core he doesn't have any malicious intentions against anyone in the book, in fact he just wants to live peacefully, but people just keep picking at him and that's why he... sort of harmlessly retaliates. in fact it's actually han cheng who keeps dealing the finishing blow, shen qingshu just tries to mind his own business.

they r just the sweetest rly i love mutual pampering i love how they behave like a couple even before they both realize how much they love each other i love the sourness when shen qingshu wants han cheng to get together with the og shou bc he thinks it's the best thing he can do to bring happiness to han cheng, the one who's been the best to him in this unknown world, and when he does realize that no, the og shou is also no good, and that han cheng is happiest when he's with him, they start to be a cp for real and it's just endless dog food after that

ig my favorite genre is mindless romcom huh

one of my fav moments is the first cny when shen qingshu wants to spend it w bai xuege bc he was invited n han cheng was just irrationally jealous and wouldn't let him but then han cheng realized how selfish he was being and then lets shen qingshu, but then shen qingshu was all like, thats ok, anyway he doesn't have much attachment to this world and the people in it, and if he couldn't spent it w han cheng, it's okay even if he were alone. but han cheng came to him anyway, and he was just so so happy and i was also like nghhhhhh so sweet so sweet

another fav moment is when han yu figured out car god was han cheng and han cheng spoke abt how he wanted to just stay as an anonymous fan bc sometimes validation from outsiders is more important than a lover, n he wants shen qingshu to have his own social circle and support system outside him so he can also feel his own worth and i was just so touched, he rly loves shen qingshu so much. tbh in danmei usually the gong makes or breaks my decision to read and han cheng def is S-tier in making me stay

speaking of han yu, HAN YU!!!! han yu livens up every single scene he appears in i can't stress how much i love it when he appears. he actually gave a legit golden cage for han cheng n shen qingshu lmao

im also irrationally invested in cui hao and want more scenes of him and want him to be happy... it was kind of a surprise that he n his gold master stayed together at the end, i feel like these two also have the potential to have their own story...

the "transmigrated back to his own world" part at the end... it was very very sweet, the sweetest way to end this story, that they were able to meet again and remain in love even though literally everyone else is looking at them going wtf this is too fast r u 2 right in the head?????

also: the unexpected side ship of han yu/shen qing, can i have a whole book abt them can i can i

there r actually so many more things i liked, like how chengqing were alrdy acting like a couple so obliviously even b4 they both realized they loved each other so so much, and how yuqing had an unexpected past encounter and how fate brought them back together, and how i teared up when it was mentioned that in the "book world" han cheng left first then a couple hours later shen qingshu followed him... this is rly eternal love, i love chengqing, someone adapt this wn to an audio drama n hire 大C as the main theme singer!!!!

What I Disliked

not quite dislike but things do get somewhat less exciting after they get together somehow. there's this insane manic energy when they just started out esp when they acted in all sorts of crazy adlibs that i rly liked, and after they got together it was mostly smooth sailing and kind of random descriptions of netizens reacting to their love

Notes

i mtled like from ch 180 to ch 272 im that invested in this wn

[birdmomblogs]

Who's your fav out of the chain??

Hello Anon,

I’m finally getting around to this :D

I list most of my faves in my bio but I'm just going to assume you want full details so let me shift into awooga mode. List below the cut!

I have top 3 favourites in the chain: Warriors, Wind and Four in that order.

***

1. Warriors is my number one fave. I love the fanon characterization of him being real fruity and a bit of a himbo but it's the canon characterization of him that really tickles my fancy. He's intelligent and strategic in battle of course but more than that he acts as a big brother figure in the chain. The Sunset arc is probably the best representation of his personality so far:

This mans ZOOMS to help Wolfie not even knowing they were Twi but instead under the assumption that this Wolf was an important ally to Twi. Like, HELLO??? His captainship is really *mwah* chef's kiss, here.

And then the big brother moments he has in Sunset got me sobbing. He keeps a lighthearted attitude for Twilight, which in my opinion was to distract him from whatever trauma his wounds were currently suffering. He doesn't act this way out of ego which some may interpret this as. To me, this really just shows his experience and skills in handling these types of situations... But then they are also joking around like brothers would. It’s so <3333333

BUT THEN MORE IMPORTANTLY HIS INTERACTIONS WITH WIND??? BESTIE... HELLO??? THE HAIR RUFFLE??? CUTIES! (See more cute pics here). I also just have so much appreciation for the fact that Warriors still treats Wind as the kid he deserves to be... but then I see that Wars still respects the fact that Wind is a hero and is entirely capable like the rest of them.

My last point for Warriors is that he's just so handsome, for Hylia's sake!!! I lovw him!!! Okay??? 💙 (collage images from here)

***

2. Wind is a close second or honestly probably tied for first since my views on Warriors and Wind are so intrinsically linked with their brotherly dynamic. Any content I can get of Wind spending time with Warriors is something I will FEAST on. I need more. I need to be fed!

Wind reminds me a lot of my nephew who is the same age as him so I’m a bit endeared to Wind in that way. My nephew lives in the Canadian Maritimes so his love of all things related to nature, the ocean, boating and sea life and his dream to be a fisherman when he grows up is just so Wind. Because of all this, I see him as a direct parallel to Wind and can imagine what interacting with our LU boy would be like.

My nephew genuinely acts like this:

May be an unpopular opinion but I genuinely still think that Wind deserves to be treated like a kid because the others never really got that privilege before they grew up. I think it's incredibly unfair to expect Wind to relive his cycle of trauma with the expectations and duties of being the hero. Let him be a kid no matter his protests... at least sometimes. I will die on this hill.

He’s also just a very sweet and adorable boy. I guess it’s my mature and parental attitude saying this but he shouldn’t have to grow up so fast. I mean this as there’s a difference between treating him like an adult and treating him like a kid that is skilled and has gone through a lot. I just want him to be happy and will protect my blorbo at all costs as if he was another nephew of mine 🧡 (collage images from here) 

***

3. Four is my last fave! The Four Swords manga was my introduction to the Legend of Zelda fandom so they hold a special place in my heart because of that. Four is an incredibly interesting character to me. He’s cool, level-headed, a bit sassy, sensitive, mysterious, ambiguous... *pats Four on the head*, this fella can fit so much character in himself.

I guess it’s the mystery that I find so interesting. Four hasn’t had a big spotlight yet. Honestly, his only real moment has been the last couple Sunset updates and because of this there has been so many fan interpretations of him and I LOVE the variety of it. Is he a kid? Is he an adult? How do the colours work? etc. etc. ALSO HIS MINISH STUFF??? WHEN WILL WE GET TO SEE THAT? I AM SO INTRIGUED! I genuinely can’t wait to learn more! He has so many secret powers. I just really want to know how they will be used in the story. It’s the mystery and my childhood bias, anon.

Anyways, here’s some pics of the short king himself, Four our beloved 💙💚💜❤️  (collage images from here)

***

If anyone read this whole post through, thank you for listening to me mutter on about my blorbos. I would be happy to do so again!

Lots of love, Birdo 💛💛💛

[mxtcha-tea]

Hyperspecific Headcanons with Kamomedai <3

✎genre; crack, fluff, whatever you want really

✎chef note; thanks to me making too many doodles and incorrect quotes about Bessho and Tokura, I now present you this mess, enjoy.

this is kinda funny, but their coach purposely put the water refills outside on top of a small hill under the big tree (kinda reminds me of the one in the training camp arc)

So, when they need to refill, they have to jog up the hill to get some water and they've complained about it ever since

It's not that high but with them being tired after the practice they did, it sure does felt like an eternity getting up there

Sometimes Hoshiumi and Gao races on who could get there faster while the rest are slumped while walking up

But don't worry, when they finally get there, the wind is enough to cool them back down

And now, it became their resting place after practice (no matter how many times they've complained about going up hill to even rest there)

One time they broke it

They broke the water refill, and had to fix it back up before their coach sees the mess and try to figure an excuse on why there's no water left inside and there's a crack on it

Bessho and Tokura are basically best friends but it's more one sided

Tokura lowkey highkey hates Bessho and no one knows why exactly

Maybe it's their 1st years problem or something but Tokura's just like that with Bessho and Bessho couldn't seem more concerned about the hate he's receiving

He's just fine with it wth (they're one sided frenemies in conclusion)

Kanbayashi's good at cooking and you cannot change my mind

Sometimes he makes some treats for his teammates, going to their classes during lunch hour and giving them each small boxes of the food

He cares about his teammates whether it's on or off court really

Everyone likes Suwa

Hoshiumi doesn't really look like a person who has a schedule but he actually does, but for fridays only

Why you may ask?

Because that's the day where he visits Hirugami and see his dog

Anyway, the schedule is like this;

7am-8am: wake up and do morning preps, 8.30am-3.45pm: school and volley practices

4pm-4.50pm: MEET THE DOG [in full caps and bolded] and lastly, 5pm: go back home and sleep

It's as simple as that for a simple man like him, who likes to pet Hirugami's dog

Tokura is actually smarter than anyone expected (maybe somewhere in class 5 or 6)

and him and Bessho sometimes study together even tho Bessho is kinda smart himself

It's what the team call, 'a bonding moment' between these two

Meanwhile, at the Liam's household, he's practically yelling at Bessho for wanting to eat instant ramen every second (they did eat instant ramen after that)

Suwa gets along well with Kita after their match together and both of the team has to get along with each other when their captains form a friendship

(Much to their dismay, but they'll have to be friendly anyway)

And not suprised coming from Tokura, he likes Riseki more than Bessho and ask if they could trade Riseki with Bessho

Which causes a big fight at the court (Tokura, you can't trade Bessho smh)

Nozawa may seem calm to most people at their school, but he's a bit of a hot headed person himself

Don't worry tho, cause kanbayashi's there to calm him down

If he can restrain him fast enough, because if he didn't, it's either a big ruckus inside the gym, someone ending up with a broken bone or someone straight up dead (pick your choice)

(this is canon) but Bessho and Gao are homies and it shows

Gao too sometimes annoy Tokura because it makes Bessho feel better and he might join the annoying process

(someone please save Tokura)

Speaking of Tokura (what, is Tokura my fav kamomedai character now? Maybe) other than Suwa, he have high respect for Hirugami and view him as a big brother figure

I think Tokura is an only child so that's why he looks up to Hirugami and you know what, Hirugami also see him as a little brother

It's a very comforting scene to see when they're being platonically affectionate with each other

Whether it's about talking about their practice to basic questions like "have you eaten yet?" "I hope you're doing fine" and so on

Hoshiumi, Gao and Bessho have a rock-paper-scissors thing they've been doing for weeks repetitively and it's getting everyone insane

Suwa is favorited by every old ladies on his radar (just like Kita) and he doesn't mind it at all cause he likes spending time or talking to them too

I see you're drinking the respect juice Suwa

Actually, let's be honest here, Suwa's prolly the only person that's on the same level of Kita (I wanna see a competition about this)

Because who wouldn't love him?

We all love a well mannered man that respect others with a personality of a REAL role model with good grades, and also loved by old women and old men

Suwa for president

(I wanna make more hcs but my motivation juice ran out)

In conclusions, Kamomedai is like a family

With the 2nd years as DOGS, the 3rd years as the owners of the dogs

And the 1st years as childs of the owners of the dogs

Y'know like a one big family

I would say seagulls but dogs kinda fit it a lot more, thanks Gao Hakuba and Hoshiumi Korai

[gyroshrike]

Terezi?

For the “Send me a character and I’ll tell you...” ask game

My NOTP for them - It's hard to say a real notp for Terezi. She goes so well with almost any character. I guess the closest would be flushed Vriska♥️Terezi? I don't mind and even really enjoy them pitch and I can do pale, but I really don't vibe with them flushed. I also have zero interest in Johnrezi, but it's not a bad ship, it just doesn't have any appeal to me.

My BROTP for them - Vriska and Terezi are definitely up there as a favorite brotp. @overtrolled put it really well. I just feel like they’re cosmically linked. They need each other. They're a part of each other. It just doesn't need to be romantic.

Another favorite is Gamzee and Terezi. I LOVE them being really good bros. They had a few cute logs back before they played sgrub and Terezi obviously thought Gamzee was a real sweet guy. Plus, I love them as quadrant corners to Karkat. Troll in-laws, hell yeah. Miracle Child has some of THE best Gamzee and Terezi friendship I have seen and it's the best fuck you to canon ever.

My OTP for them - FLUSHED DAVE♥️KARKAT♥️TEREZIIIIIIII. I would absolutely commit vile crimes for this ship. I would tear shit up for this ship. Karkat and Terezi cared about each other so much and they had this awesome pining going on, but Dave and Terezi were just top tier meme team and they vibed so well. Then of course davekat is extremely good so. It just makes sense to put them all together 😌 And I can't get over the imagery of two knights and a dragon fksmdslslchd

My second choice pairing for them would probably just be flushed Karkat♥️Terezi, but if that's too close to the otp, then I'll go pale Sollux♦️Terezi. Love me some pale solrezi. Honestly, solkarezi is really good too, with them being some crazy mash of flushed and pale.

My fluffy pairing for them would probably not be a ship, but some mixture of Terezi, Nepeta, and Tavros being nerdy and roleplaying or appreciating animals. Tavros perhaps communicating with Terezi’s lusus in her egg and relaying messages back and forth. I know Terezi can communicate with her while sleeping, but I figured it’d be meaningful to her for Tavros to offer that. They three of them would just be the absolute cutest little pile of cuties to ever cute.

My angsty pairing for them, if I had to pick a ship I haven’t already, would probably beee... pitch Gamzee♠️Terezi? Like, an actual kismessitude though. Them two not getting along makes me so sad and the circumstances where they would become pitch would not be very happy ones. :c

My favorite poly ship for them are ones I’ve already mentioned, eheheh, and I don’t really have too many others I’m interested in for Terezi off the top of my head. OH HELLO. I ALMOST FORGOT MY FAV ASH SHIP:

If I don't fully indulge with bffs Gamzee and Terezi in an AU, then I love me some ashen Gamzee♣️Rose♣️Terezi when it comes to more canon compliant material. With how upset over his qudrants Gamzee was in openbound? Plus it being post murderstuck? PLUS Rose having to deal with some of the most difficult trolls? I feel like there's a whole slew of really delicious angst just waiting there. A Gamzee afraid of losing Karkat, a Terezi lost in her guilt over killing Vriska, and both tearing into each other in some ugly, misdirected pitch flirting, Rose would absolutely have her hands full and probably get a kick out of it. I also love the idea of Rose just seeing it as a fun social learning experience "oooh troll quadrants and getting to play therapist" type thing, but then she really starts to understand the depth of the bonds ashen relationships have and she really comes to care so much for both of them.

My weirdest pairing for them... I don’t know if I have one? I actually don’t have a lot of Terezi ships I realize. LIke, pretty much any ship gets better if you add Terezi, but idk if I personally have any I really care for?