#his cat really is killing his reputation LMAO

[royalarchivist]

This man is NOT beating the catboy allegations.

[bonefall]

So, I'm writing an essay on the whole STATE of misogyny in WC for one of my university classes, and I was wondering if I could ask you a couple of things! No pressure of course, please feel free to say no!

A) Could I reference your good takes with appropriate harvard referencing and links back to your blog?

B) Are there any specific moments from the books that you think should be covered the most?

C) The end result will be a visual essay, so it's like those fun infographics people on Tumblr make on like ADHD and stuff, so when it's done, would you like to be tagged to read it?

(Sorry for anon, I'm nervous lmao, but if you'd be more comfortable I'll resend this off anon)

AAY good topic! You've got a lot to work with. Absolutely feel free to reference anything I've written, and tag me when you're done.

While you're here and about to write something so legitimate, I'm also going to recommend you check out Sunnyfall's video on gender in Warrior Cats. She breaks down the arcs into numbers, directly comparing the amount of lines mollies have to toms, and examining the archetypes women are usually allowed to be.

I think it's a must-have citation in a paper about WC misogyny.

...and, I think it's insightful to look at the WCRP Forum thread about the video. Note how the respondents immediately come into the thread to complain about how the video is too long so they didn't watch it, dismissing Sunnyfall as not being entertaining enough to hold their attention, even whining that she starts with statistics to prove her point, which I'm convinced she did exactly because they would have cried that she "had no evidence" if she didn't.

I am not a scholar, so I don't know how to document or prove that the books have an impact on the audience outside of anecdotes. But I think if you do write a section about fandom, it would be worth mentioning the in-universe and metatextual apologia for Ashfur and its reflection in the real world discourse, the authorial killing of Ferncloud because of fan complains, and the utter defensiveness against the discussion of misogyny you see outside of Tumblr.

You may also want to check out Cheek by Jowl, a collection of 8 essays about sexism in xenofiction by Ursula K. Le Guin. There's a very unique manifestation of authorial bias in animal fiction, having a lot to do with how the author views "the natural world," and it's worth understanding even though Warrior Cats are so heavily anthropomorphized.

So... Warrior Cats Misogyny

I think discussing individual instances can be helpful, but I'd implore you to keep in mind what's REALLY bad about WC's misogyny is framing and the bigger picture.

Bumble's death is shocking and insulting, but it's not just that she died. It's that the POV Gray Wing sees her as a fat, useless bitch who took his mate so she deserves to be dragged back to a domestic abuser, and he's right because the writers love him so much. It's that Bumble's torture and killing only factors into how it's going to hurt a man's reputation.

It's how Clear Sky hitting, emotionally manipulating, or killing the following women,

Bright Stream (pressured into leaving her home and family)

Storm (controlled her movements and yelled at her in public)

Misty (killed for land, children stolen)

Bumble (beaten unconscious, blamed nonsensically on a fox)

Alder (child abuse, hit when she refused to attack her brother)

Falling Feather (scratched on the face, subjected to public abuse and humiliation)

Tall Shadow (thrown into murderous crowd, attacked on-sight in heaven)

Rainswept Flower ("blacked out" in anger and murdered in cold blood)

Moth Flight (scratched on the face for saying denying medical treatment is mean, taken hostage in retaliation against mother for the death of his own child, which he caused)

Willow Tail (eyes gouged out for "stirring up trouble")

Is seen as totally understandable, forgivable, or not even questioned at all, when killing Gray Wing in an act of rage would have been "one step too far" with the ridiculous Star Line.

"Kill me and live with the memory, and then let the stars know it would only matter if a single one of your murder victims was a man."

It's the way that fathers who physically abuse their kids out of their ego (Clear Sky, Sandgorse, Crowfeather) aren't treated anywhere near the same level of narrative disgust and revulsion the series has for "bad moms", even if they're displaying symptoms of a post-partum mood disorder (depression, anxiety, and rage), an umbrella of mental illnesses 20% of all new mothers experience but are heavily stigmatized with (Sparkpelt, Palebird, Lizardstripe).

It's Crookedstar's Promise giving him two evil maternal figures in a single book, while bending over backwards to make every man in a position of power still look likeable in spite of the fact they're enabling Rainflower's abuse. Leader Hailstar is soso sorry that he has to change Stormkit's name for some reason, in spite of leaders being unaccountable dictators the other 99% of the time, and Deputy Shellheart functionally does nothing to stop his own son from being abused or even do much parenting before or after the fact.

It's the way men's parental struggles are seen sympathetically, and they don't have to "pay for it" like their female counterparts (Crookedstar's PPD vs Sparkpelt's PPD, how Daisy and Cinders are held responsible for Smoky and Whisper being deadbeats, Yellowfang's endless guilt for killing her son vs Onestar's purpose in life to kill his own), even to the point where a father doesn't have to have raised their kids at all to have a magical innate emotional connection to them (Tree's father Root, Tom the Wifebeater, Tigerstar and Hawkfrost).

It's less speaking lines and agency for female characters, being reduced to accessories in the lives of their mates and babies, women getting less diversity in their personalities, with even major ex-POV characters eventually becoming "sweet mom" tropes.

You could zoom in on any one of these examples and have an amoeba try to argue with you that "Oh THIS makes sense because X" or "Ah well my headcanon perfectly explains this thing" or "MY mother/girlfriend was abusive/toxic/neglectful and I've decided that you are personally attacking ME by having issues with how a character was written or utilized," but the beleaguered point,

That I keep trying to hammer in, over and over, across books worth of posts,

Is that these are trends. More than just a couple one-off examples. It's the fabric that has been woven over years, showing a lack of interest in, or even active prejudice of, women on behalf of the writers.

LONG STANDING trends, which have only gotten worse as the series progressed. From Yellowfang being harshly punished with a born evil son who ruins her life in TPB and the mistreatment of Squirrelpaw that begins in TNP, all the way up to the 7 Fridgenings of DOTC and Sparkpelt's PPD being a major character motivator for her son Nightheart.

So, I would stress that in your paper, and structure it less as "the Sparkpelt slide" and "the Yellowfang slide," and more as "The paternal vs maternal abuse" slide, and "the violence against women" slide. They're really big issues, there's tons of examples for each individual thing.

Anyway to leave off on a funny, look at this scene in Darkest Hour that I find unreasonably hilarious,

"Everyone who matters to me; my truest friend, my sensible and loyal warrior, the wisest deputy I've ever known, and 2 women." -Firestar, glorious idiot

He can't even think of a single trait for either of them what the hell does "formidable pair" mean lmaooo, when I finished a reread about a year ago this line killed me on impact.

[coquitokisses]

Trusting Again | chapter 005: escaping

Word count: 1771

a/n: we’re back to Cat’s pov lmao sorry

series masterlist • previous chapter • next chapter

It’s been two and a half exhausting weeks. Right now I’m just laying on the floor with not much to do, obviously, just looking at the ceiling. But on some side notes, I spent my birthday in prison. Big 20 locked up in an underwater prison, that was fun.

I was almost falling asleep when I heard some noises from outside the cells that definitely woke me up.

“Sam?” I called him as I sat up

“I heard it too.” He replied

I couldn’t really hear very well since I think the whole point of being locked in here is exactly that. But I then heard the door open and I just assumed it was the guards.. I’m kinda hungry tho.

I heard my cell door opening and when I looked up, I saw Bucky. Yeah, I’m just as shocked as you are.

“You know,” he cleared his throat “I don’t think this suits you very well.”

“Oh yeah? And what suits me exactly?” I crossed my legs

“I can think of a few things.” He said reaching down and helping me stand up

“You know, this isn’t gonna help your reputation any more, soldat.” I said

“Well that’s a risk I’m willing to take.” He shrugged and I saw a little smile forming on his lips

A very small smile.

I walked out of my cell and the rest of the guys were out too, including Wanda. Steve was also there, obviously.

“Are we.. good?” Bucky asked me

“Well that depends” I looked at him “You’re gonna try and kill me again?”

“Don’t tempt me, darling.” He raised his eyebrows and I chuckled

“Are you okay?” Steve came up to me

“I am.” I nodded

“Happy belated birthday, by the way.” he shrugged with a small smile

“Happy belated birthday to you too.” I rolled my eyes laughing

No, we don’t have the same birthday, mine is just a few days after his.

“Sorry for letting you spend it here, I’ll make it up to you.” He told me

“It’s alright” I shrugged “My neighbor was pretty chatty.”

“She was the chatty one.” Sam said and I chuckled

“Ross is probably gonna come soon so we gotta get out of here.” Steve told us

“I hope you brought us some clothes.” I told him

“Well.. we can talk about that in the jet.” he said

I looked at Wanda and I immediately walked over to her.

“Hi.” I put my hands on her arms

“Hi.” She sighed relieved and pulled me into a hug

“Oh, you’re giving me a hug?” I said teasing her.. and kinda surprised too, I’m usually the one who has to hug her first

“Shut up.” She said hugging me tighter and I laughed

“How are you?” I asked pulling away from her

“I’m better now.” She replied as we followed Steve to get out of there

We got to the jet and Natasha was there, which kinda surprised me, to be honest.

“You’re here.” I looked at her

“What? You thought I was gonna leave you guys rotting in there?” She said

“What about Tony?”

“Well.. I don’t think he wants to see me.” She shrugged

“Yeah, makes sense.” I winced and she chuckled

“Here, I brought some clothes for you girls.” She handed me a bag

“You’re an angel.” I grabbed the bag and inside, there were some leggings and t shirts for me and Wanda

We got out of there and talked about what we were gonna do next. We were gonna drop Scott and Clint back in United States and as for the rest of us.. well, we’re still figuring out what we’re gonna do.

(…)

Hours later, we’ve already left Scott in California and we just got to Clint’s house.

“Are you guys gonna be okay?” He asked looking at us

“Yeah.” Steve nodded letting out a sigh “I think we’re gonna be just fine.”

“And you?” He looked at me

“What about me?” I asked

“What are you planning on doing?”

“Well I think I still need to figure that out.” I replied and he squinted “Why?“

“I think you deserve a decent and normal life now that we kinda got out of this mess, you deserve a break.” He said

“You sound like Nat.” I looked at her and they both laughed “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

“And take that break, will you?”

“I’ll try, dad.” I rolled my eyes laughing

We said our goodbyes to Clint and then we left. By the way, before we left Scott, we met up Vision and him and Wanda are gonna stay in Scotland so that’s our next stop.

“You know,” Wanda sat next to me “Now that I'm getting a good look at him, he is very cute.” She whispered tilting her head towards Bucky and I looked at him

“I told you.” I smiled and we both giggled

“What are you gonna do? Where are you gonna go?” She asked

“Well, I still need to decide that.”

“Well wherever she’s going, she’s not gonna be alone, that’s for sure.” Sam’s voice made both of us look at him

“You wanna come with me?” I cocked an eyebrow at him

“Well you need someone to look after you.” He shrugged

I giggled. “I can take care of myself.”

“We know you can, but I think it’s best if you have some company.” Steve spoke

“Oh so this was your idea?” I looked at him

“Sort of.” He looked at me with a small smile “Don’t blame me for worrying about the safety of the youngest on the team.”

I rolled my eyes. “Alright, fine.” I looked back at Sam “Any places in mind?”

“I don’t know.. I heard Cuba is great.”

“You wanna go to Cuba?” I asked

“Why not?” He shrugged “You’ve lived in the Caribbean before.”

“I have, it was a little over a decade, but yeah.”

“And you know spanish so I think we’re gonna be okay.” He said “What do you say?”

“Well Cuba sounds great.” I nodded

“And it’ll only be for a few months, right?”

“Yeah, just a few months.”

(…)

“Are you gonna be okay?” Wanda asked

“Yeah, don't worry about me.”

“I'm sorry, but that's impossible.”

“I'll be fine and besides, I'm not gonna be alone.” I shrugged and she looked over at Sam

“You better take good care of her.” She told him

“Of course I will.” He nodded passing his arm over my shoulders

“Keep in touch.” Steve told her “Both of you.”

“We will, Captain.” Vision nodded

“I guess we'll see you in a few months?” Wanda said

“Of course.” I nodded and she gave me a hug “I love you, red.”

“And I love you.” She pulled away and gave me a smile

Well, it's us five now.

“So where are you guys going?” I looked at Steve

“I don't know.” He sighed “Russia doesn't sound too bad when I got two translators with me.” He looked at Bucky and Natasha

“Maybe we should go to the Caribbean too.. just in case anything happens, of course.” Bucky replied “It's closer.”

“Ow, you're worried about us? That’s cute.” I pouted teasing him and Steve chuckled

“Never mind.” He rolled his eyes “Russia sounds perfect.”

“Russia doesn’t sound too bad.” Natasha added

(...)

*lets’s fast forward to Cuba, fuck it*

“So I guess this is it.” Steve said

“Yeah.” We nodded

“We’ll see you in a few months.” He said “Be careful.”

“We’re always careful, Cap.” I replied

“And keep in touch, please.”

“Of course.” Sam nodded

“Send us a postcard from wherever you decide to go.” I told him

“We will.” He chuckled

“Can I have a hug?” I asked

“You’re asking me for a hug?” He raised an eyebrow at me as he opened his arms

“Yeah, I think I am.” I nodded hugging him

“A hug it’s great.” He rested his head on mine

“I love you.” I pulled away from him “Even if it seems like I don’t sometimes.”

“I know you do.” He smiled “And I love you too, bubs.”

“And I’m sorry about what I did.” I winced

“It’s alright, I don’t think I could’ve been mad at you for too long anyway.”

“Of course you couldn’t.” I rolled my eyes and he chuckled “Call us when you get to your destination.”

“Of course.” He nodded

“And you..” I looked at Nat “Keep an eye on him, will you?”

“You don’t even have to tell me.” She smiled “Call if anything happens.”

I nodded. “I will, don’t worry.” I said “I’ll bring you a souvenir next time we see each other.”

She chuckled. “That’ll be great, I’ll get one for you too.”

“So,” I looked at Bucky “I guess this is it.”

“I guess it is.” He nodded

“Well.. see you in a few months, stranger.”

“I certainly hope so.” He smiled

I gave him a small smile before I got off the jet with Sam.

“So,” he let out a sigh “This is gonna be our lives for the next few months.”

“Yup.” I nodded “We’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, I know.”

+++

*let’s say it’s been like 2 or 3 weeks*

“I love this weather, honestly.” Sam said from the balcony “It’s amazing.”

We’re living in an apartment that’s actually close to the beach. Natasha ended up giving us the number of someone she knows that could help us get settled. So we have an apartment, we have passports, we have different ID’s and we’re basically just trying to lay low.

“It is.” I walked out to the balcony “Here.” I handed him his cup of coffee

“Thanks.” He said “Is Puerto Rico anything like this?”

“It’s similar.” I nodded

“That could be our next stop.” He said and I looked at him “Would you wanna go?”

“Well it would be amazing, actually, but considering that Puerto Rico is kinda part of the United States, I don’t think it’ll be a good idea.”

“Well you got a point.”

“Have you talked to Steve?” I asked taking a sip of my coffee

“No, other than when they got to Moscow.”

I just nodded in response. Natasha ended up going to Finland by herself, although she did said that it was just temporary and it was probably most likely that she would end up going to Russia with Steve.

I’m not gonna lie, I’m not feeling like a hundred percent okay, but I guess I’ll feel better with time.. hopefully.

“Wanna go to that little coffee shop we saw yesterday to get breakfast?” He asked

“Yeah, let’s go.” I nodded

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[whetstonefires]

I hope you're having an excellent day 😊😊😊 What about Wei Wuxian as Naruto?

Thanks! It was pretty good. I organized my embroidery floss and took advantage of being alone in the building to dance around like a maniac for about 20 minutes. My cat hated it. My knees aren't sure they approve either.

Wei Wuxian as Naruto has a lot going for it right out the gate. Orphaned sunshine boy protagonist types, now we're cooking with propane. They're even both fox coded!

However, at the risk of stating the obvious, if Wei Wuxian were Naruto he wouldn't be Naruto anymore. That is. Fundamental to Wei Wuxian is that he is brilliant and talented and he damn well knows it. He would excel without effort in ninja school--not as much as he did in Jiang Sect unless he unlike Naruto was still getting personal mentoring in honor of his late father, but still.

Difference is, when this Wei Wuxian slacks off in class and the teacher tries to embarrass him, if he reels off the correct answer and then reinvents senjutsu from first principles in a creepy-sounding way for a lark just to show off, the teacher is not going to think that he's just like his annoying late mother. (Though he'll still have one. Kushina and Cangse Sanren are fairly similar Dead Mom archetypes too.)

The teacher is going to think things like, no real child would say that shit and I'm expected to teach the monster fox that killed my family basic ninjutsu I hate this I hate this we're all gonna die.

So basically this Wei Wuxian gets his Yiling Laozu reputation mod as part of the starter pack. I don't think he'd handle it super gracefully! But not the worst, either.

Not even as badly as he did in the actual version, probably, on account of he doesn't know his own dark secret. So he can't self-isolate to protect it. Though him pulling away from people once he does learn would be cool.

He'd probably have forged slightly stronger social ties rather sooner than Naruto did, even if he was just as neglected and radioactive; Wei Wuxian doesn't care what people think of him nearly as much as Naruto does, but in some ways he's a more genuinely social person, and he's got much better social intuition, so it's easier for him to figure out what people want and either do that or not do that on purpose.

He'd have at least a bunch of casual friends. Mostly civilians, and other kids from ninja school whose parents told them not to play with him but they did anyway.

Wei Wuxian cannot do therapy no jutsu. He does not have that ability to confront and exist with emotional discomfort or that intensity of interest in what is going on with other people.

He does however have some level of Friendship Beam Attack (the plot to some extent hinges utterly on how effectively it hit Wen Ning) and it would presumably be more effective, in a shounen context.

But that's the thing, Wei Wuxian isn't really built to confront shounen manga style problems. Or, well, he is, but he's overbuilt for them; they're his bread and butter. One of Naruto's key motifs, early on at least before we got into the heavy power creep, is not being a genius.

Wei Wuxian, by definition, is a genius. He is the kind of guy who walks up to shounen manga sorts of problems scaled to what ought to be his level, handles them, and goes 'what, like it's hard?'

Wei Wuxian is designed to be destroyed not by external threats but by his own loyalties, politics, and lies. (Which was a point of confluence with Itachi I didn't really touch on because the flow was so different lmao.)

He's also, otoh, designed to be destroyed. Naruto is designed to start off artificially low and climb steadily up toward heaven. (Ymmv on how this worked out but he sure did escalate.)

You have to pick which schema to apply when performing the fusion--I mean, it's not either-or, the whole deal with Wei Wuxian is he goes through the entire arc of a tragedy and then comes back to life and stars in a romcom. These things can superimpose and stack. But there are structural decisions that have to be made early.

So anyway, Wei Wuxian as Naruto is not going to enter the Genin Team phase of life with the same priorities, even if he has largely conducted himself about the same way hitherto. 'Proving himself' so 'people will accept him' is not a motive that works for this character--you basically have to give him actual precious people earlier just to get him to care about attaining ninja rank at all.

Otherwise he would probably much rather loaf his way through his teens stealing jutsu and making trouble. Which is the well-adjusted reaction to the idea of becoming a child soldier, like. He likes recognition but 'showing off' is a reason he does dumb fun things, not difficult high-commitment ones. He's like if Shikamaru had ADHD and no parents.

Being twelve is going to make him dumber, but I can't see it making him not the kind of person who stops caring about his marks in school if the teacher is hostile.

If Wei Wuxian here isn't acting out of appreciation for the Hokage raising him, or something like that, you have to give him a practical motive to enter military service like 'Konoha stops supporting orphans out of the public purse at thirteen so he's got to get some kind of job and ninja is the least boring option' which. Is significantly less like either Naruto or Wei Wuxian in terms of reasons to do anything, and starts getting into solidly OC territory.

The whole fact that Konoha's worldbuilding centers around an attempt to move away from decentralized clannish social organization and promote the idea of shared, communal social institutions and (in theory) civil society, and the ways this does and does not work out for people especially considering it is still a relatively small military dictatorship, honestly interfaces super interestingly with how, in Mo Dao Zu Shi, one of the underlying challenges backstopping all character choice is that there is no feasible alternative to the clan system, and you have to pick a family-faction to depend upon and submit yourself to, or face the world with no safety net.

Like. Huh.

.....Kishimoto is honestly unusually-for-shounen well-grounded in the genres he's riffing on tbh, for all my bitching there were some very good reasons his work found such success; I would have liked to see what kind of story he produced without the insane pressures of the Weekly part of Weekly Shounen Jump. I wonder if he'll ever publish again. For all I know he already is lmao.

So anyway, however we manage it we get Wei Wuxian on his genin team with like. Lan Wangji and Mianmian or whoever. Actually that's hilarious. Yeah, make it lwj and lqy, both of them so done with his shit.

Setting up some wild role-reversal here--Lan Wangji being the one to go Away and Wei Wuxian asking him to stay? Or Naruto-person leaving into the dark, and Sasuke-person remaining and calling for him to come back? Either way. Getting some inversion. Tasty.

Where does this leave Jiang Cheng, though? Because in a lot of ways Uchiha 'Deuteragonist by Editorial Mandate' Sasuke is straddling both roles.

In many ways Wangxian is much more like if Naruto had an endgame romance with Neji. Which is a great ship tbh, I saw very little of it back in the day?? In a series with a smaller cast or with less Sasuke Creep (not sasuke being a creep, it's like power creep) it would probably have done numbers.

...Naruto going away for that timeskip really limited his opportunity to make connections in the village huh.

I guess it depends on the kind of narrative you're trying to put together. On one hand, you can do Jiang Fengmian as the rather-more-involved Third Hokage, with Jiang Cheng as an aged-up Konohamaru kind of figure. And then Jiang Yanli is standing in as both Iruka and. I know I know the ramen guy's name. Ichiraku. Soup! XD Emotionally significant soup!

But with a different backstory than either lmao. Kurama very possibly killed Yu Ziyuan in this universe, though I can't visualize her as a midwife.

[[[Why do I have so much Naruto lore on tap, there is no life value in knowing Sarutobi Hiruzen's wife was at ground zero of the Kyuubi attack because she was the expert overseeing Uzumaki Kushina's childbirth a;kdj;lafdks. I do not remember the things I was actually studying in high school nearly this well.]]]

(Actually Jin Ling is Konohamaru and Jiang Cheng is aged-down Asuma. But whatever.)

And in this case Wei Wuxian's genin team is Lan Wangji and Mianmian under idk who. Lan Qiren, possibly, although he seems more the Ebisu type. Lan Xichen? (It's not like he can serve as a plausible Itachi. Can you imagine.) Actual Kakashi, possibly; we can't replace everyone with mdzs characters; the cast sizes don't square.

Kakashi training Wei Wuxian is very funny to think about. He deserves this.

Or on the other hand for a different pacing and focus, the genin team is him, Jiang Cheng, and Jiang Yanli under Jiang Fengmian, who dies sometime after or probably during the climax of the chuunin exams. And Sarutobi stays Hokage, and probably doesn't die during the chuunin exams. And we aim for a Naruto/Neji kind of romance storyline lol.

What is the Lan Wangji equivalent of Neji exposing his caged bird seal in front of god and everybody and ranting (it is very unclear at what effective volume though you'd think the proctors would have shut him up if he could be heard from the stadium seating that shit was sedition) about his traumatic backstory and the deep injustices in his family's system of hierarchy? I'm gonna say Not That.

Wei Wuxian versus Lan Wangji important ideological-conflict bonding duel in the Chuunin exam finals sounds excellent though.

Either way Wei Wuxian is going to get much more thoroughly involved in the ugly ninja politics than Naruto ever did, and he's going to hate it so so bad and at least temporarily lose so so so hard. A likely story element is he becomes troublesome enough he winds up having to flee the village ahead of a scheme by Danzou to (fatally) rip the Kyuubi out of him and implant it in some thoroughly conditioned ROOT kid.

Maybe Wen Ning?? Idk. I'm mostly saying this because Wen Ning 1) canonically gets Victimized and Transformed and 2) shares some notes with Sai. And this means he's leaving, in part, for Wen Ning, which ties into some plot and character stuff from their original narrative. You could make it work.

Also him taking the replacement human sacrifice with him when he books it would be hysterical.

Anyway he's branded a missing nin and it is, canonically, illegal for him to tell anyone who doesn't already know about the kyuubi thing, so both Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji are appropriately what the fucking fuck and receive no adequate answer. This is a workable plot element.

Either the Jiangs or the Lans are the Uchiha, here, which has its own story value, lots of fun to be had. Gotta engineer a way he's protecting Jiang Cheng--does Danzou want to make him the jinchuuriki? Is Orochimaru or his replacement making a play for Jiang Cheng's bloodline limit, whatever it is, fun if it's eyeballs, and Wei Wuxian bargains to give him a jinchuuriki instead? Hmmm.

You want an inside and an outside threat, the obvious viper and the political spider, so you can silo information and make sure nobody entirely knows what's going on.

If it's Jiang Cheng who's assigned the role of bloodline limit macguffin, I have the very wicked urge to cast Yu Ziyuan as some combination of Itachi and Obito. Very Vader kind of effect.

Jin Guangyao as Kabuto, excellent, I need that innocent smile and those torture skills. This may require making Jin Guangshan much smarter than he really is just to fill out the ranks, or again you can keep Danzou as himself.

Tsunade is amusingly enough occupying an overlapping Baoshan Sanren and Wen Qing position; given one of them impersonated the other that time you'd have to do something with that. She's also got some Yu Ziyuan vibe up ofc. Tsunade just contains an entire franchise's supply of girlboss tbh.

Who could possibly stand in for Jiraiya, nobody, but at the same time. Wei Wuxian (with internal sapient asshole nuke) apprenticing under Jiraiya of the Sannin sounds like enough problem-creating goofy jackass genius clown energy in one place to open a singularity. That's too much. No narrative could survive.

Anyway someone please feel free to write this, I am intrigued but also will 100percent never ever put in the time it would take to realize any version of this concept.

[asmallmoon333]

In Time Speaks, in the fourth life, if Watari had used one of the pages L had to kill Light before L could, ahem, help him realize his desires, how long do you think it would've taken Light to let L live again? L seems pretty sure that Light would've never let him live again, but I think Light would've gotten bored again fairly quickly, especially when he knew that L remembered when no one else did. How many lives would it have taken Light to give in again?

Interesting question, and the answer is a wonderful exploration of their characters and perceptions of reality! Cause you're right, and L was wrong here. L's perception was flawed because he didn't understand just how much Light had missed him, since in L's PoV, Light killed him twice (life 1 & 2) and then disregarded him the third time (life 3). L didn't really think Light cared about him much at all, and after the 4th life imprisonment, he was sure Light would let pure hate overcome all else.

Now for answer! Which ended up being a very long AU of my own story lmao. I will never write this tho, it seems way too emotionally exhausting. So let's thank Naked Character Development that I don't have to. Short answer: Three. Light would have killed him in three more lifetimes before he'd calm down. But those three lives would have sealed their fates.

Long answer (WARNINGS: Mature content, as in violence):

The first time, Light would have killed him out of pure rage and spite, not much thought would gone into it, L would be dead as soon as Light got his memories back. Light would feel validated at having gotten revenge, but he'd also quickly regret that it was over that quickly. He'd feel hollow, but tell himself it's because L got off too easy. He'd become bored of that lifetime quickly.

The second time, Light would make it more personal and painful. He'd ruin L's life and reputation before killing him, but he'd also do this fairly quickly, because he would (correctly) assume that if L had the chance to get his hands on Light, it would be right back into the cage. This time, with no Watari. Light wouldn't risk it. The key fact here? Light has no idea it takes L three weeks to get his own memories back, so he'd think he was on a much tighter deadline and would have to act without foreplanning. No time to re-think, to calm down. He'd assume that L would be able to reach him with a simple phone call, and then it would be game over. Light would realize too late, when no retribution came, that he'd been wrong. But by then it would be too late to change everything, it would all be written down in the book. L's death would be....uh...very not nice. Light would live to regret this in a different and more intense way, and his denial would now be worn thin. He'd be much lonelier at the end of this lifetime, feeling the loss more permanently than ever before. He knows he's made a mistake.

The third time, Light would have a plan to play with L for a much longer time. By this point he already knows he would miss L, he's acknowledged it, but it's too late now for any return. So he would still write L's name at a fixed time, one much longer in the future. By this point he thinks there's no turning back, so Light have once more embraced the slippery slope. By this point, L's emotions would be much less tender and he'd be way more ruthless to Light. If he got his hands on Light, it's game over, torture and execution style. No more hesitation. This is a complete bitter enemies story now, because you can only go so far before all potential of future trust is gone. This is the Bad End. Light knows this too, so he would have planned this all meticulously to avoid any retribution while still indulging in the game that he's realized too late is what he really wanted. Light's goal here would be to turn the tables of cat and mouse, with the intent to imprison L in return. For what ultimate purpose? Light will deny anything but revenge. But L's certainly not going to take this lying down. It would end in death one way or another. Again, bad end.

And after all that? Light would kinda calm down (finally) cause he would reach a state of "....now what?" and have a long-overdue moment of self-reflection. He'd know that this is never what he wanted at all, but sees no way out. From a writing perspective, it's Death Note all over again, in spirit if not literally. This is kinda the Eternal Hell End lol. Or maybe not, maybe they'd work it out eventually. They've certainly got time to try.

[crestoflames]

I know you love to talk about your boy, so Reese for the Ask game

it’s so true, I’ve been called out lol

1: sexuality headcanon: bisexual, as all of scarlet hollow is oops! all bisexuals. i also can see him as demisexual? but that might be my demisexual ass projecting lmao. also he’s 100% a switch

2: otp: Reese x MC or Reese x Kaneeka (Reneeka). honestly love both of them so much. Reese x MC just because duh, I love him a lot and I really like his relationship with my specific MC, and Reese and Kaneeka because I’m a sucker for friends to lovers and I really like that she’s so defensive of him and they clearly care about each other a lot.

3: brotp: Stella and Reese! I love their friendship so much and I’ve had fun exploring it in the fic I’m writing. Stella is the most enthusiastic wingwoman ever and all she wants is Reese to be happy. As an introvert, it can help to have a persistent extrovert friend that still checks in on you even if you’ve been in a situation where you can’t really hang out with people at the moment. So I like that depiction of their friendship, and I think Reese does truly appreciate having Stella as a friend who continues to check in on him.

4: notp: Dr. Kelly x Reese. Just no.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head: idk why i’m blanking on this. ummmm. this is more of a joint headcanon, but in universes where Reese and the MC don’t get together, he has a crush on Kaneeka, and the painting she “stole” from him was actually one he was painting for her at one point but never got a chance to give it to her properly. I know he says he doesn’t usually make art for other people but I believe he did it just this once okay. lol. I swear I usually have more Reese headcanons but I’m blanking today.

6: favorite line from this character: “MC gets me. This is a cat I can jive with.” so iconic and i fell for this corny weirdo right away

7: one way in which I relate to this character: chronically ill introvert with very little relationship experience who missed out on typical young adult/teen experiences due to being sick for large swaths of high school. we would bond a lot over that and he would never judge me for my inexperience. also just the way he gets passionate and infodumps about his interests is so similar to me, I would love to just sit with him and we can infodump to each other lol.

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: uhhh not much? less of something about him in particular but more of just being known as a huge fan of his. reesemancers have a Reputation™️ as very overzealous and passionate and I would say I have definitely contributed to that lmao. OH! the part where he bolts from Wayne in the obedient ending is definitely second-hand embarrassment inducing, even if I understand why he did it. it’s just very funny and kind of ridiculous that he’s so unhinged and on an ego trip in that ending but as soon as he sees Wayne he’s like “NOPE, I’M OUT”. also I do agree with people that eating his mom as his way to kill her makes me kind of uncomfortable just as a concept, but the art is great and I find cannibalism being used as symbolism or metaphor in a piece of art to be very interesting. (gained more appreciation for it after watching Yellowjackets)

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave? problematic cinnamon roll? if that’s a thing? lol. he killed people but i think it’s funny and hot /j

[decepti-thots]

sorry lily you activated my trap card

timeline wise, it seems to me that realistically, his previous periods being conjunxed must have overlapped with his time at the New Institute. even if we assume he was largely friendless/unsociable there, he must have had coworkers. (well we know he did; brainstorm! but you know. other coworkers.) the odds seem to me to be that they would know. of course, what they know would depend more on your idea about what chromedome's social life there looked like. maybe noone was close enough to him they wanted to pry too hard about the sudden death of a conjunx chromedome stopped mentioning almost as soon as the funeral ended. that could, to coworkers too intimidated by the creepy morbid mnemosurgeon with no friends to make small talk, read less as 'oh shit he wiped his memory' and more 'damn that guy is COLD, that's so weird'. and i like the idea that this gives rise to this little weird inappropriate not-quite-betting-pool as to whether chromedome is killing them off or just cursed, lmao. brainstorm puts his bet in for 'cursed' and tells everyone that if they mention anything about the whole shitshow where chromedome can hear, he'll use them all as test dummies in his next ethics review.

especially if it's really unusual for cybertronians to remarry, which logic suggests is likely given what we know about how rare conjunxes seem to be. i mean! it must look so... weird to people who have been around long enough to be like. "hang on. this guy got married three times, what???"

(also, prowl has got to know right. it's one of those things that is never mentioned (likely not even consciously considered) but ever since i realised that has indelibly coloured my view on their interactions. like he MUST know.)

my big thing is. did he ever tell rewind? we see brainstorm tell chromedome. and then later, rewind 2.0 comes aboard. we never get any actual indication chromedome... mentions it. or that he doesn't! we never find out! i am insane about this.

tl;dr agreed i think cd unknowingly having a reputation as a murderous vamp maneater when he's a sad wet cat of a war criminal IRL is so FUCKING funny

How many people know about Chromedome's previous conjunxes, do you think? The possibility that he has a reputation as a black widow and has NO idea is very appealing to me

[iguessigotta]

Ooo wait, so we have kitty cat Dark but what about puppy Dark? I can imagine him being a suck up 🐶

hey! thank you for the ask! I'm so happy people like my Cat!Dark 🥺 ok this has been floating around in my head all day today, let's see if I can make something coherent lmao

so you know how most dogs are really excitable and LOVE people, but some dogs pick like 1 or 2 people and no one else is allowed near them without threat of bodily harm? guess which group Dark fits in

you are, obviously, his person. no one will harm or upset his person if he has a say in it. not to be dramatic but he'd die for you. or kill someone. please don't let him. he'll fuckin do it

(Wilford is, again, included in the group of people Dark approves of. though with the two of them, it's less protective and caring vibes, and more feral and.......have you ever seen 2 just....really dumb dogs....just going apeshit. running around, barking and growling and snarling, claws and teeth everywhere, looking like they're gonna kill each other, but they're just goofing around. havin a good time. playin with their pal. it's rare, but these two are sometimes like that. it's likely because they're the only people they can let loose with without fear of actually hurting each other. if you're lucky you might get to actually witness Dark and Wilford goofing off once or twice - quite the feat given how careful these two are about when/where they throw down. Dark has a reputation as an irritable, no-fun-allowed kind of guy to uphold, you know)

Dark has been known to growl occasionally. but not always angrily. he does it in the same way Rottweilers will growl or make happy grumbling sounds

he doesn't always realize he's doing it. usually it'll happen when the two of you are spending some quiet time together, curled up on the couch or relaxing in bed. it starts as a contented sigh that turns into a deep rumbling as his arms subtly tighten around you

Dark will also growl when he's upset or in pain. if you listen closely the next time he gets into an argument with someone, you'll hear that familiar rumbling coming from him

he almost never realizes he's doing it, which is....it's really fucking cute.........please don't tease him about it

he seems to have like a sixth sense for you and your emotional state. like he can feel your moods in the air, no matter how hard you've worked to hide it. feeling down/angry? he won't call you out or confront you about it (unless you're in crisis obviously) but he will do a few small things to help improve your mood

small things like: gifts! sharing his favorite stuff with you! food!

you're not sure how he does it, but Dark always seems to have food on hand right when you're hungry enough to complain. is he able to sense it? or does he just walk around with snacks in his pockets, just in case?

having a rough day, and you're on the brink of tears when you get home? when he greets you with his normal "welcome home" hug, he'll hang on a little tighter, a little longer. later, when you're sitting on the couch, decompressing with a favorite movie/show, Dark just might come up behind you and drape one of his jackets or sweatshirts or his favorite blanket over your shoulders, smiling softly as you sigh and lean into his hands. speaking of leaning....

leaning on people. large dogs especially tend to lean on people (i've never understood why they do it, but it's real cute) and Dark is no exception. he doesn't just walk up and drop his full weight on you though, he's more subtle than that

if the two of you are standing next to each other for whatever reason, expect him to slowly lean into you, until you're practically glued together. shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, he usually won't put his arm around you when doing this, because it's meant to be a covert way for him to show affection. no one can tease him about being soft if no one ever sees it. big brain moves

[bougiebutchbitch]

your art is amazing and i think you just sent me headfirst right back into the naruto rabbit hole lmao ^^;; anyway, what do you think of a favorite headcanon of mine that kakashi has really big chakra reserves after losing the sharingan? no pressure to reply tho

AGREED VERY HARD

He's been 'Kakashi of the sharingan' for so long. 'The copy-cat ninja'. Literally the only non-Uchiha to use an incredibly powerful bloodline technique. That's his calling card - it's what his reputation was built on. It's what allows him to use his chidori. Pretty badass, right?

Of course, most folks don't see the constant drain it puts on his energy. I don't think even we as the audience fully appreciate how dangerous it is, despite the whole 'Kakashi faints after every battle' gag - until that fight with Pein where it LITERALLY KILLS HIM.

It can create a black hole to another dimension and drag anything in, but it's a black hole in him, too.

It's eating him slowly. I mean, this damn eye kills Uchiha eventually. The clan who naturally possess the dojutsu! It's fucking incredible he lasted as long as he did!

Losing his sharingan is the best thing that could happen to him. It allows him to unlock his full chakra potential, and create a reputation for himself separate to that of the Uchiha clan.

Of course, Kakashi can't see it.

I mean, he literally gets promoted to lead a country RIGHT after losing his infamous dojutsu, and his signiture technique! We see in the novel how much that left him doubting himself. He's not someone who ever thought of himself as 'the best person' to lead Konoha in the first place - now he thinks he's weak, too; despite literally everyone assuring him that he's more than just the sharingan.

It's such a beautiful growth arc for him to realise that his worth as a soldier, a leader and a human isn't intrinsically linked to the sharingan. Even if a lot of it happens 'offscreen'!

But losing the sharingan is a big moment of Emotional Thematic Resonance, too. Kakashi built his entire life and personality around the memory of Obito - a memory that physically manifests in his implanted eye.

Then he loses the sharingan and Obito (again) - and, more critically, loses his idolising view of Obito as his hero. He has to rebuild from scratch, coming to terms with the lighthearted parts of his personality he consciously copied in Obito's memory. Obito made him an infinitely better person - but at the cost of becoming a villain himself. I get the sense Kakashi still doesn't wholly think it was worth it - just like he's not entirely sure what he's worth, without his sharingan.

His slow self-development and growing respect for his own powers, mirrors him developing a more mature and nuanced view of his relationship with Obito, and starting to move on.

Thank you for giving me the chance to ramble!

[wint-er]

Riordanverse Character Headcanons P1 Percy Jackson

He is a Person Of Colour, whether, Latino, Black, Desi, Pasfica, you can chose. 

The Bi-est, fucking Bisexual ever to exist.

He’s got really long eyelashes

Right handed, like he can’t do shit with his left hand.

Say it with me everyone This boy has PTSD from fight a war when he was 16, from Gabe, from Tartarus, everyone trying to kill him, just everything tbh

Actually really likes being read to, just hates having to read himself, there is always and audio book on somewhere in the background of Annabeth and his apartment

Cooks so freaking well, this is Sally Jackson’s kid guys, come on

Likes to catch up with Nico and Thalia and mock Jason and Hazel for not fitting the big 2 kids vibe, Emo, Punk and Skater, Then Jason who’s Stereotypical white boy, golden reputation etc and Hazel who is a literally Horse girl. (This was while Jason was alive now they just catch up to share stories and cause chaos)

Low-key had a crush on Beckendorf 

Did not, never did, never will, have/had a crush on Luke. If you need me to justifiably this let me know and I will go on a rant lmao

Studies psychology in uni because he watched a documentary on it and thought it was fascinating

Fucking loves spaghetti bolognese 

Likes the song, Twin Sized Mattress By The Front Bottoms, He couldn’t tell you why, he just does.

Contrary to popular belief Blue isn’t his favourite colour. Blue has a special place in his heart but his favourite colour is Grey, originally it was because his elderly neighbour had a grey cat that he would play with when he was young and the neighbour would let him hang out at their place while Sally was out but then he met Annabeth and now it’s because he’s a simp and could spend hours staring at her eyes.

He was really close with said neighbour and when they died (During the summer before BotL) He was devastated and went to their funeral, He was actually in their will and he got to keep a few things of theirs(I’ll probably write a oneshot of this)

Has played Minecraft since it first came out and gets really excited whenever a new update comes out.

He got Annabeth into it because of the building and now they play together whenever they feel like de-stressing.

He’s a stress baker, Annabeth will come home and the kitchen is full of muffins and cookies.

[creepyscritches]

genuinely heart broken cat witchers have that hair cut and aren't like a group of witchers who wear cat ears so 40 year old cat man could be real in the witcher series... I waited so long for those images to load,,,,,,,,,,,

I am so sorry you waited on those images shsgsh

If it's any consolation, the comics are NOT canon and the Cats are actually pretty cool! They were rumored to train non-humans and women and were originally born from a bunch of rebellious witcher students breaking away from their masters. Every school is already on the brink of extinction when Geralt is a boy, so there's no real opportunity to explore them in the plot from the POVs heavily relied on for exposition, but we get cool snippets of their lost history.

The Cats had a reputation of being pretty ruthless and cruel from the common people's POV. They weren't really known to take any kinda bullshit laying down. Here's an interesting quote from Season of Storms (generally accepted as not canon in most regards though):

"And to remind you of witchers who didn't shrink from robbery. Who didn't hesitate to work as hired assassins. Am I to remind you of the psychopaths who wore medallions with a cat's head, and who were also amused by the killing wrought around them?"

I just finished TWN's second season (what a slog.... 😬) and I'm baffled that NO ONE explained that Coën is NOT an actual Wolf??? He's actually a Gryphon! Kaer Seren was sacked--they didn't wanna share their library so the mages wiped them out :(--and he was left homeless. He's spending his very first winter with the Wolves when Geralt arrives with Ciri. Coën and Ciri have a very sweet relationship in the books bc they're BOTH new kids and neither really feel like Kaer Morhen is their home yet.

Idk! I just really like how nuanced and uniquely challenged each school of witcher is. Yeah, Geralt gets chased out of villages and is refused water from wells etc etc but no one who hires him is ALSO thinking "I'd better kill this guy when he's done so he doesn't pillage the locals afterwards". Wolves are pretty middle ground suspicious. God save him if he was a Viper.

The Bears were APESHIT... They were the rugged and wild witchers in Skellige before they disbanded. And they did NOT care for each other at all. The Wolves are their complete opposite. Bears meeting while on the Path would often end in violent bloodshed. Like...beta fish witchers discovering someone else is in their tank, kinda lmao. Wild.

There's ALSO a school somewhere along the eastern seas (we don't know the fortress' name unfortunately) that cranked out Cranes that used early GUNS baby!!! Playing games of Extreme Duck Hunt out here with a fucking musket and a giant cockatrice lmao 🦆🔫

The source material is SO much more fun and rewarding than what TWN threw together. An honest adaptation would've actually been WAY MORE FUN.....and there'd have been opportunity to remove some of Sapkowski's freak moments with Ciri and women in general 😬 Astounding that TWN added new stuff that WAS WORSE??????? HELLO????

[bonefall]

I was never able to really get a feel for Leafpool's personality in the books, especially since she's always contrasted with Squirrelflight who has a pretty consistent personality (at least for Warriors standards). She's kind of like Hollyleaf where they change her personality depending on what they want to happen in the plot I think. How do you approach writing her? I'm really fond of your Spottedleaf, so I was wonder if Leafpool has any fun quirks like her.

[ID: Leafpool from Warrior Cats. She is chunky, has a mane, and green eyes. Her stripes are horizontal.]

I approach Leafpool as being VERY tired. Her life is characterized as never really being in control of her own fate, being punished for any simple pleasures she takes tenfold, so I write her as becoming very defeatist. Poor girl.

Because Leafpool is never in REAL control, somehow, it gives her this air that she's in total control. You can't scare her. StarClan can tell her that her kids are cursed, Hollyleaf can tell her to kill herself, Bramblestar can jump in front of her and snarl, she's never more than briefly phased. "Yeah sure this may as well happen."

In a way, she's almost the total opposite of Jayfeather, who never met a rule he wasn't willing to punch. It is interesting that each one of the Three has a unique relationship to the fate that chains up Leafpool.

Allows herself to love Mothpaw... war breaks out and Moth has to return to RiverClan.

Tries to warn Squilf about Brambleclaw in spite of StarClan wanting them to be together, first fight with her sister ever.

Runs off with Crowfeather, returns home to find out her mentor died before she could say goodbye.

Gives birth, allows Squilf to take them, eventually gets threatened by Hollyleaf.

(side note: i am considering leafpool's name being an honor title, with her old name being Leafstripe, and Squirrelpaw failing two assessments just like Nightheart)

But a big change in my rewrite is that the dramatic scenes that aren't consistent with that resigned sorrow go to Crowfeather. He's a complete and utter ham. Leafpool isn't out here trying to name Hollykit 'Crowkit' or confessing her unwavering love for him in front of his wife and child, THAT is Crowfeather making an ass of HIMSELF in front of that wife and child lmao.

Leaf's feelings are more complicated and repressed. Hard life.

On the bright side though, there ARE changes from canon so that the Clan has more nuanced feelings about her instead of her whole life being a nonstop beatdown.

Most of ThunderClan, which heavily leans Fire Alone, agrees that Leafpool did the right thing by giving her kits to Squilf to invoke the Queen's Rights. Sure she lapsed, but Fire Alone cats are softer on the Cleric's Vow in general.

Bramblestar demoting her in Cruel Season has a VERY mixed reception. It's Leafpool!! Leafpool Moonpool!!!

Her death many years later in the Sister Raid actually tanks Bramblestar's reputation. It was seen as cruel, pointless, and avoidable, and they lost a very popular and experienced Cleric.

(side note again: still considering how the 'unclear sign' plot beat is going to go in my rewrite, because i cannot imagine jayfeather not just lying about that. "yeah yeah yeah they said yes bramblestar, im supposed to heal this cat obviously. move.")

Misc Design Stuff:

She's got a mane that you can see on Dovewing too, since Dove is Leaf's grandchild now.

Like Sandstorm, uncle Longtail, and grandpaw Runningwind, Leafpool's stripes are horizontal.

I'm still doing research into what she has specifically, but Bonefall Leafpool is intersex. Those are stud jowls.

Considering the cat version of PCOS because it explains a lot; weight gain, a receding hairline that could be shared with Lionblaze, the jowls as a facial hair parallel, difficult pregnancy, etc.

Still doing my research though.

And lastly, Mothpool is endgame in this Rewrite. They can never be together officially, but it's about the yearning. It's about finding freedom with your escapist fantasy partner or being in shackles with your true love. She chose the CHAINS.

[nedsseveredhead]

1, 9, 13, 14, 22 for hyzenthlay? or 4, 5, 15, 16 for luci?

Have Both!!

Hyzenthlay (art by @lavenderarts !)

What is their color palette? Depending on the timeline- pre shadow bringers its a lot of natural colors, greens and browns! Post shadowbringers is white, gold, and other neutrals!

9. If your OC were to imagine their idyllic life (realistically or otherwise) what would it be like? Adventuring with her husband and her friends with no more high stakes beyond maybe friendly competition. Being a healer during several end of the world events is exhausting!

13. Is your character bilingual or multilingual? Which language are they most comfortable in or prefer using? How did they come to learn them? Admittedly I'm not sure how final fantasy handles language. In theory, she is. She was raised by Sylphs, and they theoretically would have their own language. They at least have their own way of speaking, if not something entirely separate. She learned "common" later in life when brought to Gridania.

14. Do they have an accent? How do they or others think of it? Yes! Its very slight but its there. She also sometimes slips back into speaking the way Sylphs do, referring to herself as "this one" and so on! I think its such a slight difference that most people don't notice it. Aymeric thinks its cute though lmao

22. What is some advice or guidance they received that had a big impact on their lives or outlook? Was it a positive or negative impact? Being referred to as a Beast by multiple people is a through line of her character. She basically grew up 'feral,' to Gridanian standards. But she doesnt think she did. She grew up defending the sylphs from wood warders and others that encroached on their lands. Sometimes that meant fighting tooth and claw! She was given the moniker 'Beast of the Black Shroud' but she never seriously hurt anyone. She became a healer but to some the reputation still stuck... and eventually when fighting Zenos, his calling to her 'his beast' and so forth didn't help. EW spoilers for those playing but me and my friend changed the final duty, she doesnt kill Zenos. Her best friend, the companion shes closest to Miko does. And he tells her after everything she doesn't have to kill. That he'll carry that burden for her. And that meant everything to her.

Luci (Art by @caelanod !)

4. If your OC likes art, talk about which piece they would love best. I don't know if I'd really consider Luci a patron of the arts! He does however like to watch his husband build machinery but I think thats more so like... watching that man's arms. Art, you know?

5. What character from myth or fairytale best represents them? God I pondered this for like ten minutes I know theres gotta be something but I can't think of it right now,, If I think of one later I'll come back and edit asdf

15. What is a common misconception about your OC? (Alternatively, what do people assume about them which is either incorrect or misconstrued?) Many people in Ul'Dah think (or maybe thought, now) that Luci was cold, mean, unpersonable. He is a very private person, he doesn't like people touching him, and he has a mean resting face. But anyone who knows him knows hes fiercely loyal, open to his friends, very loving. You just have to approach him like a cat, you know? Respect his boundaries.

16. What trait do they find most attractive/appealing about others? Hmmm... Sincereity, I think. The one who really opened him up to making friends was Emoni Rhun (my friends WoL). And that happened because she was so sincerely... good. All that kindness and expecting nothing in return. He had been used and manipulated so much in his youth he'd forgotten people could be like that.

{Romanticism: Original Character Ask Game}

{ Characters }

[theyreonlynoodlesmike]

lost boys (separately) play fighting with their s/o? love your work by the way!

I'm having a depression episode rn but for some reason I saw this and was like- yes. This I can do. I think it's because of how cute this would actually be.

The Lost Boys x Play-fighting Their S/O

David

You wanna play fight David? David? David? Rip you, I guess.

You have to be the one to instigate it, technically. But setting is key with him. He will not play-fight on the boardwalk because he has a reputation to upkeep, and any attempts will be met with a glare. David is an asshole so he probably blew smoke in your face or something while you were at the cave and you respond by giving him a light nudge. He gives you a look, and if you nudge him again? Oh, you're done.

Play-fighting doesn't last long for him because he'll either glare at you to tell you that he's not in the mood or he's taking you down. No holding back with this dude. Will use his vampire strength to pin you down and mock you when you struggle. He does actually think it's cute to watch you try to get away and win, so he might bat you around like a cat with a mouse for a bit before he goes in for the "kill". Holds you down with both your wrists pinned, and tsks at you. "Did you really think you were gonna win, sweetheart?" He chuckles and uses his legs to pin you down, moving both your wrists to one hand.

Also, I'm sorry, but play-fights end with sexy time when with David. It riles him up and he's already got you pinned down anyways so- plus if you don't want him to end up annoyed it's better to surrender with a couple of kisses and well...

I'd say he's a 6/10 likes play-fights, it really just depends on where you are and if he's in the mood

Dwayne

The only one that's actually safe to play-fight because he doesn't use his vampire strength as an advantage. You have to start play-fights with him too though cause Dwayne isn't really a fighting type of guy

You nudge your shoulder against his, before raising up your fists playfully. Depending on where you are is how this will go. If you're on the boardwalk, he'll just raise his hands to let you punch and let you get all your energy out. Will probably eventually grab your hands and pull you in to kiss you when he's had enough, and who are you to argue that?

If you two are back at the cave, he may do a little bit of wrestling but nothing too much. He'll usually let you win by pinning him down, and, once again, he's pulling you in for a kiss to end the fight.

Though, if you're still trying to mess with him? Isn't afraid to toss you over his shoulder and just walk around with you until you calm down. He's a very patient dude and no amount of pinching his sides will get him to let you back down on your feet. After a few minutes, he'll ask, "You done?" And, if you agree, he'll let you back down and tuck you back under his arm. If you don't, sorry vampire strength means you weight nothing to him and a few hours also feels like nothing to him

He's a solid 7.5/10 for liking play-fights

Marko

One of the only two out of the boys that will actually instigate play-fights, and 90% of the time he starts it. Marko likes to fight, period, so play-fights help him get some of that energy out. It'll start with him holding up his hands for you to hit, only for him to grab your hand and start wrestling with you

Marko is the type to cheat to win, don't lie to yourselves. He's not afraid to play dirty, and he will definitely tickle you to win. He'll have you screaming with laughter while you're pinned under him

With him, play-fights can last forever. He's a really affectionate and also violent type of guy so it's the best of both worlds (lmao). It's not uncommon for you two to do it until you're completely out of breath and too tired to move

The type that if you're hitting him, he'll pick you up and throw you onto the nearest surface. Will actually teach you some wrestling moves while he fights with you, but always ends up using his vampire strength to win. Sometimes forgets how much stronger he can be then you, and sometimes he accidentally ends up kicking in his vampire instinct. Because of this, fights either stop when you call for mercy or when he starts to get nippy

Makeouts are a great way for the both of you to calm down ;)

Marko is an obvious 11/10 for liking play-fights

Paul

Play-fights are 50/50 when it comes to who starts them. For him, play-fighting is flirting. The second one of you starts it, it's very clear how it's gonna end

Paul also gets really into it though, and he is a little dangerous when it comes to play-fighting. You swear to god that this boy forgets that you're human cause the second you show signs that you wanna throw hands he's tackling you into the couch or just hoisting you up in public

Play-fighting gives him an excuse to touch you so he's completely down, and half of his "attempts" aren't even attempts to hit/pin but just attempts to grope you

Paul is the only one you can really try to run from as a type of play-fighting and if you do??? Oh HO you just unlocked a whole pandora's box for yourself. He will chase you and he will catch you. He'll be laughing the entire time and grab you by the waist only to spin you around like a ragdoll

Paul is easily riled up so you've only really been going at it for a couple of minutes before he's trying to stick his tongue down your throat, regardless of where you are. Anyways, 10/10 loves play fights

Hope you enjoyed!!!

[shepherds-of-haven]

If characters had a Game of Thrones style house banner and motto, what would they be?

Ooh, this is an interesting one!

House Bronwyn: "The Darkness Answers" or "Weapons in the Silent Night" - a silver wolf on a field of black, with a white blade piercing the background. Their house is known for operating as a kind of shadow military that influences and directs things from the shadows, and although the wolf has connotations of solitude and aloofness, they are actually extremely loyal "pack-animals" who form a tight-knit clan and unwaveringly answer the call of duty... no matter how bloody their hands may get from answering.

House Alder: "First in the Charge" or "Our Fury Shakes Them" - a gold lion roaring rampant on a field of red (so, yeah, Gryffindor I guess!). This one is fairly self-explanatory--the Alder house is known by others to produce some of the fiercest and most courageous warriors, though they also have a reputation for being brash and hot-headed. Alder soldiers are always sent in to "hold the line" and are infamous for never abandoning the field or retreating, even when it leads to certain death. "Our Fury Shakes Them" also refers to their propensity to use cannon-fire and gun blasts to destroy their enemies.

House Ironwood: "Our Roots Run Deep" or "The First, The Last, The Eternal" - a golden oak tree on a forest-green banner with a trim of autumn red. Their house is among the oldest and was once known as one of the most powerful military forces on the Continent, with a cadre of skilled Elven knights being produced by that house, but as time went on and the world changed, the house fell into semi-obscurity or became more known for its archival work and love of history, causing some to look down on it as a house of scholars. Whenever they try to invoke the promises and alliances of old, others roll their eyes at House Ironwood's unwillingness to change and adapt to the world around it. As a result, House Ironwood tends to isolate itself from other houses, swearing only to trust their own kind. Their current scion gets them into a lot of trouble for challenging an heir of a Norm house to a duel for slandering the name of House Ironwood, and then killing him in the ensuing standoff. This has led to military reprisals against House Ironwood, and they find themselves in a precarious position of being surrounded by enemies and having isolated former friends.

House Acquell: "Faith is a Shield and Love the Cure" or "Many Hearts Beating as One" - a Celtic-looking knot or a chain of hands interlocking around a heart. This house is looked down upon by more militaristic houses for being a generally trusting, pacifistic house. Its holdings are small and its lineage is quite new, but the house is beloved by its own people due to its scions working as healers, clerics, and devotees of charity, often seen among the streets of their city and passing out food and coin. House Acquell is an extremely religious house, and many of its heirs and heiresses join the Church to become priests and priestesses. The founder of the house was first canonized as a saint.

House Syndran: "Out of Cruelty, Justice" or "The Cunning Conquer" - a black crow or raven spreading its wings on a field of royal purple. This house was built on mercantile roots, but its influence now stretches far and wide, reaching into all matters of business, politics, intrigue, and even war. Its scions are famed for their ruthlessness and willingness to go completely scorched-earth on their enemies, and for their ability to lie and manipulate even nominal allies with completely straight faces. The house leader always bears a gold-capped walking cane. Although its military power is weak, it makes up for it with the host of allies under its economic control. You can always make out the Syndrans at a party by the cadre of serious-faced, dark-haired heirs staring at the proceedings like they're a play under watchful critique. Although not known for being friendly, House Syndran also prides itself on impeccable etiquette and manners.

House Trinaeste: "If I Am Not Free, Then I Am Dead" or "Many Skills, Many Virtues" - a black cat on a field of gold, with two crossed daggers in the background and a key lying at its feet. The "Many Skills, Many Virtues" motto is something of an in-joke, because this house is known for its willingness to train its heirs in even unsavory skills--such as thievery and seduction--in order to ensure their survival. Many heirs are sent to special training at a secret academy on an island south of Conte--though what they are taught there, no one but the Trinaestes knows for sure. As such, this house is shunned by many for its unorthodox values and behavior, and not much is known about the inner workings of the house itself. The heirs and heiresses all seem like empty-headed fops who love to chase skirts (or whatever article of clothing they so desire), so no one ever takes them seriously... but that's their mistake, because House Trinaeste actually has the greatest network of spymasters and intelligence operatives this world has ever seen. They apparently have a lot of bastard children or sometimes even unrelated orphans whom they happily accept into their house anyway, which is another reason why the other houses shun them. They also supposedly have some ties to seafarers and pirates as well as a fleet of ships at their disposal.

House Antiqua: "The Road Not Taken" or "The World to Roam" - a golden globe on a field of deep scarlet/maroon/magenta, though from certain angles, the globe can also like the sun or moon (or all three). House Antiqua is composed of just straight up scholars. Sometimes a second son or a third daughter goes into military service or serves in a great battle and makes a distinction of themselves, but it's never on the level of an Alder, Bronwyn, Aescar, or Stormbreaker. By and large, they're known as a house of oddly-attractive, well-born nerds, more fodder for marriages and families rather than candidates that could bring about great change. They don't really get much of a say in anything among the greater houses, but that suits them just fine. They're like the classic Jane Austen-style families where they just hang out and read books and entertain visitors sometimes LMAO. They are neither very rich nor destitute; neither isolated nor up in everyone's business. They are on friendly terms with most houses, but no one takes them all that seriously when it comes to important matters like war or politics. They are known to serve as advisors and consultants in times of need, however. Many of their heirs leave the house and travel across the world using secret identities when they reach a certain age; it's something of a cliché among their inner circle. They eventually develop strong ties to House Syndran after one son casually beats the Syndran heir in chess during a party.

House Aescar: "The Wind is With Us" or "It Is Us Who Fly" - a tan flying eagle with a serpent-like staff clutched in its talons, soaring on a field of light blue. House Aescar is known for its terrifying use of theatrics in order to instill fear into the hearts of their enemies on the battlefield. They utilize war paint, war chants and screams, and unsettling war horns in order to rev up their soldiers before battle. Like House Alder, they have a reputation for not having a head for politics; they'd prefer you to just point them at the enemy and let them do their thing, and they have little patience for the trappings of politics and diplomacy. If the Continent were divided up into wards where certain houses were in charge of defending the borders from invasion, House Aescar would be the guardians of the West; House Prince, House Ironwood, and House Bronwyn would the guardians of the North; House Stormbreaker, House Trinaeste, and House Syndran would be the guardians of the South; and House Alder, House Antiqua, and House Naveen would be the guardians of the East. The fact that House Aescar is tasked with guarding the West alone is a point of pride for its heirs and scions. The youth of the house tends to be charged with going on a pilgrimage throughout their lands to observe how the common folk live. They are expected to return with worthwhile thoughts or findings about how to improve the house or its holdings, and if their opinions are interesting and well-thought-out, they are allowed a voice in the house's governing council.

House Prince: "Keepers of the North" or "Righteous in Wrath" or "Darkness Flees Our Light" - a white spear with a white shield behind it, radiating rays of light on a field of black. Not much is known about House Prince, except that its current heirs are a set of twin boys. Its military force is known for being utterly loyal, almost to the point of fanaticism, and the house has close ties to House Bronwyn due to their proximity to each other. House Prince is known among the other houses for being insistent on keeping its bloodlines pure and marrying its heirs to the Hunter scions of other close-knit families or even distant cousins, leading some to joke surreptitiously that the house is "incestuous." At one point in time, the older twin heir of the current generation disappeared for a year or two, forcing his brother to assume the guise of both twins to prevent the house from looking weaker to its outside enemies. Certain heirs of the Prince House are said to be cursed with a mysterious affliction that causes them to fall into fits of madness and rage, especially at the sight of blood, and for these reasons, many of them live in reclusive isolation in their castle, rarely seen by the outside world.

House Stormbreaker: "Thunder and Lightning" or "The Storm Stands Vigilant" or "From the Stars We Came, To the Stars We Rise" - a golden, starry ship sailing on a teal sea as lightning splits the banner in half and a dragon swims underneath the ship. House Stormbreaker is among the most sought-after houses for its explosive military prowess and strength, affording it a lot of political and negotiating power. Its heirs and scions are known to be gifted with extraordinary strength and a strange knack for avoiding almost certain death, serving with distinction as battlemasters, generals, and occasionally as knights and champions. A legendary sword is said to be passed from leader to leader, with no one but those of pure Stormbreaker blood being able to even pick the sword up. They are also known as a clan of sailors and are able to deploy their own naval fleet to defend the coastline as needed. Although they have a ferocious, proud, and hot-tempered reputation, heirs of the Stormbreaker house are sometimes not taken seriously in matters of court due to their strange pink hair. Despite this, scions of House Stormbreaker are among the most sought-after candidates for marriage, as people desire their mysterious superstrength and magic to be incorporated into their own houses. However, for reasons unknown, the House Stormbreaker is extremely strict with such marriages, and arrangements are often made three or more generations ahead of time in a careful curation of the bloodline.

House Naveen: "Gold in Peace, Steel in War" or "Not Without Thorns" - a scarlet rose on a field of lavender with two crossed rapiers in the background. House Naveen is the most powerful and influential of all of the Houses when it comes to sheer political power, rivalled only by House Syndran. Its military strength is only better than average, but its holdings, wealth, and political connections are vast and storied. Its current heiress is infamous for refusing suitors and continually denying her father's attempts to secure a marriage, focusing instead on joining chivalric orders and continually maneuvering situations in House Naveen's favor. House Naveen holds the honor of being among the last houses to continue ancient traditions such as jousting and knightly tournaments, but it's their celebrations and social occasions that the house is truly known for. The Naveens are said to employ a spy in the servants of every house aside from House Bronwyn, Prince, and Ironwood. What they do with that information, however, no one knows. On the surface, the Naveen house seems to be largely magnanimous and benign... Interestingly, they have offered an extension of aid to House Ironwood to get out of its dueling problem, but so far, House Ironwood has not given a reply.

House Naveen has also been largely matriarchal in the past, something that still informs its power structure to this day. This makes it a target of scorn by other powerful and male-led noble houses (such as House Eddon, Auberon's house), but it's something that the Naveens flaunt proudly with the rose as their insignia!

[ahjustroza]

Ok so hear me out...

Felix

Not everyone realizes how twisted Felix can be because of his cute face

Y'all my baby has taxidermies and collects some American Horror Story Coven kinda things 

Human bones? hell yea. Pickled things for science? maybe, who knows? 

He has a book written with blood people

I am not even talking about the materials used to make the book.

Also, he has mental issues as well

Now think about it

Anisa and Sage talks about how Felix acted around people when he first made an appearance in the Starsworn knights

I WILL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING BUT HANG ON WITH ME FOR A SEC

He has a problematic family with a bad reputation

Not to mention his divorced parents (are they not? they are not talking with each other often) 

His sister is a successful businesswoman as it seems but she also has her own commitment problems with her partners

Which is why she makes comments about Rime during the dinner scene 

Scylla mentions Rime as "the horny one" as I remember correctly (which I actually found funny after re-reading the killing attempts that horny ex makes against the MC while being grumpy and scary) 

Idk you but I wouldn't talk with my brother like that in front of our archmage father

Don't get me wrong I am not saying Scylla is toxic, but I am saying that the family dynamic is not really like a family from the outside

They all probably love each other a million but too stubborn to admit it out loud. Yet Felix seems troubled nonetheless

His father probably raised him in a strict magical training schedule in daily routine

Also, a cliché, but royal or noble children never gets to live their childhood at their fullest because of the strict rules and expectations their parents and the society put on them

Felix was a rebel in school because of how overwhelmed his life was like

Now, let's go back to Anisa and Sage scene-

Every child acts out what they see from elders around them while growing up

Felix was a ✨diva✨ when he first became a starsworn, not because he was a little bit of a bastard, but because this is probably how everyone at home acted like (I don't think Florian acted like that but there are servants and other people in the house as well so)

Children tend to copy everything their parents do until a certain age, if they don't copy, they still get affected mentally by other people's acts around them

He had to grow up by himself to develop his own character since his school/magic university years

He did become a sweetheart at the end but he still has his moments and he probably will carry some characteristics from his past until the day he die

Felix did try to revive his dead lover, and put some kind of demon inside his dead cat. 

It is tragically funny if you think about the cat demon

Stella is cute as hell but she is like a wolf in a sheep costume

In his bad ending, I am officially claiming that he will lose control over himself and will probably get mentally unstable (magic is all about self-control and mind stability after all)

He has family issues and probably other terrible things he experienced with necromancy (even tho he claims necromancy is judged wrongly. It is still involving the dead)

Rime will fuck with his head and MC will most likely die

(Or idk either will not be able to see Felix again or Rime will trap both of them somehow)

If not, since he can use necromancy to bring the MC back, Rime will make sure to do something to MC that will be tragic and enable Felix to revive them.

Then take Felix with himself to have a toxic relationship 

He'll manipulate him maybe/probably

Also... he is blaming himself for his lover's death and mourned for years after him

Yet another trauma and he is afraid to lose other people. He doesn't know how to deal with death

Even tho he is a necromancer.

Please don't let this baby get hurt

I am probably wrong on some parts since I wrote this after 4 cups of coffee and at 2AM lmao. (Also this is an old headcanon/ character analysis of mine so feel free to add more on this or correct me)