#i cant think of anyone else’s who i’m dying over i know there’s a SHIT ton more but yeah

[cheesus-doodles]

bro i’m so desperate for a shion fanfic or scenarios like i haven’t seen much shion fanfics and i NEED it and i’m obsessed with your works literally i keep rereading them whenever i cant find any good fanfics 😭

come and get your man shion anon 😤 i got you - have some hcs!

Masterlist

‎‎‎

Yandere BFF Shion HCs

best way to describe this man as a yandere bestfriend would be like having a puppy, albeit an overly eager and rather mouthy puppy

thinking of where you could possibly meet this boy and I honestly doubt you would ever find him within two miles of a school

most likely you two would have met before Shion became part of the Black Dragons, because he would have been too obsessed with the gang and Izana after that

fastest way to anyone's heart is through their stomach, so you probably met him waiting in line for crepes at a food cart, though waiting in line would probably be pushing facts by quite a bit

this blond boy instead would have made his way straight to the front of the queue demanding to be served first because he was hungry and he wanted food right now, and on any normal given day, no one would dare speak up

what was respect and conformity again? not anything that Shion knows or gives a shit about

unfortunately for this delinquent, you were apart of the queue that day, and you were absolutely not having it

marched up to him, grabbing him by his ear and giving it a good twist - asking him what did he think he was doing, if he did not see everyone else waiting in line, and if he didn't think that they were all hungry too

dragging him still by his ear to the back of the line chiding him the whole way, making him join right at the end before returning to your spot in the queue

could hear a pin drop in that area, but it didn't seem like you noticed

everyone else around was sure you were going to be absolutely pummeled after that little stunt - did you not see that he was a delinquent, what with that dyed hair, ferocious face tattoos and multiple ear piercings?

surprisingly enough, against their fear, all Shion did was respectfully wait in line till it was his turn, collected his crepe and then made his way to a bench under the shade of a tree to enjoy his food

you joined him at the bench, your own uneaten crepe still in hand and your huffiness completely gone - you had been waiting for him since you had gotten your food earlier

Shion was no doubt huffy himself now though

just who did you think you were telling him what to do??

but he didn't chase you off since he kinda admired your courage and your no nonsense behavior, and you seemed kinda interesting, so he very kindly let you continue to sit un-pummeled next to him

and that was how the two of you first became friends

Shion found himself hanging around you more and more, mostly because despite the fact that he is loud, rude and lack any semblance of respect, you obviously didn't mind

one of the few civilians/non-delinquents that didn't fear him in the slightest, and he appreciated the normal friendship that he seldom got to enjoy

and of course, he liked that you were one of the few could put him in his place with a good tongue lashing and maybe a twist of his ear when you needed to do so

more like this blond boy let you put him in his place because anyone would get beaten in the ground before they can touch him, but still

he likes it :)

you'll be surprised to find Shion turning up at your school to attend classes, because he isn't a student at your school

but you'll still welcome him to join because you know that your new friend barely attends classes at all, and if it took you being there for him to attend, then so be it

all the other students keep a good distance away from you

the two of you quickly become best friends when you realize both of you shared a favorite show, and the two of you start to invite the other over to catch the latest episode at each other's houses

and you would of course help Shion with his homework (if any), while he just bugs you to do something more fun while you are trying to do yours

Shion has always come across to me as a very insecure person; he looks up greatly to Izana, possibly because he had been trained and chosen to be his successor

depends very heavily on getting Izana's approval to feel good about his work and life in general, but now that you were a part of his life, some of that clinginess gets shifted over to you

and that was when the yandere tendencies start

you were an average student with an average number of friends

and this blond boy absolutely hates it when your attention is off of him for any reason whatsoever - you should be focused on him and him alone

he was the only one that deserved (needed) your validation to feel anything like himself

no hesitation at all to beat into a pulp anyone he feels is a threat to his friendship and relationship with you - after all, it's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission

you would be no doubt very pissed, but nothing that Shion can't solve

would make up some lie that they were bullies/rival delinquents which you would be very suspicious of, but this baby boy would secretly be pleased that your attention was back on him, even if you were angry and scolding him

definitely introduces you to Izana once he joins Black Dragons, as well as everyone else

yet at the same time, Shion would be so eager to earn your approval, like he did from Izana

shows off his bike to you the moment he got it, his gang jacket, and even his knuckle duster collection

though he will fib a little and say that they were only for collection purposes - you know he fights but didn't think he would use anything but his fists

and surprisingly, his completed homework as well (you were always so impressed when he did those)

would be the sort of wanted to show you off to everyone and anyone that would listen - so proud that you were his bestfriend

100% a crier around you (and only you)

it takes a lot of time and a hell lot more of trust from Shion to ever open up to you, because firstly, he has this reputation he needs to maintain of being the "Mad Dog", and he would never show any vulnerability where there is even a possibility that it could be leaked out

and secondly, Shion is really just very shy about emotions and has bad emotional regulation skills - usually he wildly swings from raging to neutral and back and forth, but obviously with a best friend a wider rage is needed and this boy has no idea what to do

but once he does, this baby boy cannot stop crying, especially when shit happens in his life

morphs into a crybaby the moment you two are alone and in the privacy of your/his room with double locked doors

needs the comfort and attention from you to make the booboos go away

knows that you would never let the fact that he cries on your lap leak out, even though you make fun of him from time to time when no one is listening

would deny, deny, deny, but would never get mad at you for teasing him because he is such a softie when it comes to you

you are the both halves that Shion needs in his life - a firm hand when needed and comforting and kind at all other times

would never want to let you go no matter what - you had earned yourself the loyalty of the Mad Dog that you weren't allowed to ever relinquish

[andvys]

Robin hasn’t come to see you, she didn’t apologize and she didn’t say goodbye either, not in person and not on the phone. It broke your heart a little, despite what happened, you still consider her your best friend even if you aren’t hers anymore.

okay fuck you then robin 🤨 nance is my girl now 🫶

A smile appears on your face as Eddie starts playing the next song, he winks at you as he mouths ‘for you, baby.’ 

uhuhu we get songs now?? i love being a rockstars gf

“I’m Drew,” he says as he holds his hand out for you.

oh hell no drew i can see he's the one who's gonna catch my hands

He licks his lips, chuckling, “you’re kind of a bitch, you know that right?”

you're kind of asking for a whooping bro 🤨

He leans closer to you and puts the half empty bottle on the table before he places his cold hand on your thigh.

HELL NO WHAT IS THIS BITCH DOING

This guy is shorter than Drew but he definitely packs more muscles than him and Steve.

not him and his little pitbull 😭

The bartender looks at you in confusion as you walk towards him, “you got a gun?” you ask.

DAMN OKAY THATS VERY JAMES BOND OF HER

The older man nods, turning to look at Drew, he glares at him, “get your ass up, we’re leaving.”

yes you better be creep 💅

“You need to see a doctor,” you mumble, you avoid looking into his eyes as you cup his cheeks, eying the wounds, “you might have a concussion.”

this man has experienced so many ass whooping idk how he doesn't have concussions all the time

But god, Steve wants you so bad.

well what can i say... we're just irresistible like that 😌

“Oh, don’t worry, it wasn't the first time someone called me that,” you say as you briefly look into his eyes.

OOOOOOOOO TELL HIM GIRL!!

“I don’t think you ever loved me, Steve. You are just scared of ending up alone. You always knew that it wouldn’t work out with any of your girls and you knew how much I loved you, you knew you would never be alone with me there,” you say, trying to blink the tears away.

oof the call out 🤭

“I-I was scared to end up like him… my father. I didn’t want to hurt you the way he hurt my mom, he constantly cheats on her, I didn’t want to do the same to you when we’d start dating. I-I thought that if I did all of this now, then I wouldn’t feel the urge to be with anyone else later on. But, I didn’t realize that I was already hurting you.”

bro.... that's even worse steve 😭😭

Tears fall from his eyes, his eyes show nothing but sadness and heartbreak but he nods in understanding and he gives you a sad smile, “I get it,” he whispers, “I’m sorry for everything.”

i mean... karma? 😳

“I don’t forgive you.”

OH SHIT SHE IS RUTHLESS HAHA

“I… I don’t love you anymore, Steve.”

SHE JUST KEEPS GOING BRO

He kisses your forehead, letting his lips linger for a moment as he closes his eyes.

oh how bad he fumbled huh 🤭

Everybody leaves him.

now he can feel like y/n 😙

“Shit baby…. you wanna make me a real daddy huh?”

eeeeeEEXUCE ME 😳😳😳

“We could make things work, you know?” he whispers. 

SORRY?????

ANDY... what is going on in that gorgeous mind of yours huh? 🤭 CANT WAIT FOR MORE I AM ADDICTED

I'M DYING OVER THE "not him and his little pitbull" I FUCKING CANT LMFAOO

And omg ikr? He always ends up in the worst fights but walks away with just scratches and bruises 😭

R finally stood up for herself and told him off 😌

He definitely lost a goooood thing here

And hhehehe Eddie for sure wants to be a daddy 😏 & the last line might not be what you think........

I'm so happy you like it so much 🥺❤️

[winderlylandchime]

1/2 We are finally at 4x11!! I’m sorry that I’m only now back in your inbox but unfortunately i am on a straight mans schedule lol. He also had a few rough days with his recovery this week so he’s just now getting back to his normal self (no joke, the doctor actually said to him ‘i can tell youre not okay because you haven’t said anything about that guy yet.’ So im glad to know that’s the way to test him now) and because he’s been feeling like shit until today, he was rewatching old episodes to feel “comfort”. Anyway: The episode starts with Drew refusing to do the shoot ‘ohhhh Brian looks good. I forgot about the early 2000s and everyone wearing popped collars that was fun, i should bring that back. so Drew is being a little bitch? Imagine telling Brian that youre shy in just your underwear. (The scene cuts to everyone in their underwear and the man is dying out of laugher) this is something only Brian would come up with. I fucking love this. Only Brian Kinney’ ‘I don’t know how I feel about Emmett and Drew. I hate the idea of Emy being kept a secret. My baby deserves better’ Lindsay and Sam just came on tv ‘FUCK NO! I FORGOT ABOUT THIS SHIT. Can he fuck off and can she…i dont know do something else besides piss me off?’ The whole time he’s watching the Linds/Sam scene with a grossed out expression on his face. Like he smelled something really bad. And we are at the Linds and Brian scene ‘shes CRYING ABOUT IT TO BRIAN?! It makes no sense and it makes all the sense but its funny because she also judges Brian at times. THEY FUCKED?! Why would Brian ever fuck her? Or any woman? Is that why she has such a weird crush on him? Are they learning about bisexuality? (brian says that one line) wait what? What do you mean not at the same time? I thought thats the whole bi schtick’ ‘michael as a dad is actually fun. I like him like this. HUNTER IS DATING?! Oh my god! Who’s the lucky guy? HUNTER HAS A BOYFRIEND’ and we are at the scene where Em and Deb go to the ball ‘ohhhhh girl you look beautiful! Carl, come on dump that girl and go back to Debbie! Now I want them back’ ‘Why are there bikes all over the club? What the fuck is going on? What the fuck is Liberty Ride? JUSTIN SHOWED HIS DICK FOR A THOUSAND DOLLARS! THIS IS THE MAN I LOVE! Why are Melanie and Ben always in the center of events and being in charge? Whats up with that? *looks at me all happily* this one time i got a medal for participating in a marathon because i accidentally joined them when i missed my path. So i could totally do this ride. THERES BRIAN! Ha, Brian hates this charity money dude. So does he hate anyone that thinks theyre better than him OR can he read people really well (Melanie comes up to ask if Brian is bothering that guy) can she fuck off? This is the type of shit that pisses me the fuck off about her.’ THE HUNTER BEING WITH A GIRL SCENE IS UP!!!! ‘Is that hunter? GET IT BOY! Finally he is being a teenager and making out with boys in a car safely for free…*said in a most shocking voice ever* GIRLS?! SHES A GIRLS?! Isnt he gay? Wait what? Is he bi? Is it a parallel with Lindsay like they both figure out theyre bi? (The girls says shes given blowjob twice) you cant tell me that a part of him isn’t fighting the urge to offer tips’ *pauses tv just as Mel and Linds are on screen* ‘ugh. Hey, how come Justin never worked with Lindsay at the gallery? Wouldn’t that make sense? Like him getting a job at a gallery would be fun. Basically what I’m saying is throw this whole Lindsay and that creep storyline away and give me Blondie making art’ ‘ITS BRIAN! He looks much more healthier. Looks like the radiation stopped kicking his ass or did they forget about that plot? *leans back and puts his hands behind his head* Brian IS thee most successful gay business man. Oh this dude really wants money. I don’t trust him. *looks at me* and yes, it is because Brian doesn’t trust him. Fuck this guy, he has no clue who he’s fucking with. DESTROY HIM BRIAN’

I’m sorry to hear he’s not been doing well! Watching comfort episodes of a show is legit a fan response to feeling under the weather.

Brian coming up with everyone being in the underwear is 100% hilarious and also something that would not ever happen today. Can you imagine, in 2023, the Me Too response to that scene?

“I hate the idea of Emy being kept a secret” I think he’s going to appreciate that Peter is gay.

Also, ughhhh that scene “not at the same time” like bisexuality exists and the biphobia on this show is so strong that rather than have Lindsay be bi, they turned her into a terrible person.

HA! And Hunter could have been bi too. There could have been an entire bisexuality story arc involving Lindsay and Hunter but the writers were cowards. Maybe he can write a fanfic about it!

He will get his way in S5 when Justin has a show at Lindsay’s gallery… and maybe he will wish he never asked about Justin being involved with Lindsay’s gallery. That turtleneck gives me violinist flashbacks.

I love the JUSTIN SHOWED HIS DICK FOR A THOUSAND DOLLARS, THIS IS THE MAN THAT I LOVE. And DESTROY HIM BRIAN.

[lamothla]

I’m just going to complain here because i dont have a lot of followers so i’m just gonna use this site as my diary. My week has gone to shit

My dog, who has lung cancer, broke a tooth unbeknownst to me until now and its infected. She’s on antibiotics now but my boss recommends that she gets that tooth pulled. She only has one fully functional lung and i’m terrified of her dying under anesthesia

I got passed up for a promotion. Ive worked at my hospital for ten years as of next saturday. I am over-qualified for the position, but they gave it to my coworker who has only been there for four years and is truthfully less qualified. I cant even vent to anyone else because she is also my friend and i dont want her to feel guilty, or worse, pity me.

Now i have to make the decision of leaving my comfortable job for a new opportunity, because ive hit a brick wall at this place and i dont think i can work beneath someone who is not qualified to do the job that i applied for

My car is trying to die as well. Im currently waiting to hear back from the mechanic to see if it’s ONLY a $400 problem, or if the whole engine block needs to be replaced

Fellas i am going through it right now and i dont know if i’ll be okay

[lunarsap]

J for the self-ship game!

OOOOOO HAHAHA OKAY OKAY OKAY OKAY ALRIGHT SO BOOM LOOK

sokka: YES like… he’s the type to be like “nah, it doesn’t bother me” but his gut is churning and seeing me be handsy (figs/ holding people/ holding hands) with people (bc i’m bc affectionate/ as affectionate as people are comfortable with) and he doesn’t know why. he just knows he’d rather i sit with my legs across HIM lay my head on HIS shoulder stuff like that!! he isn’t like aggressive or like mean about it he just wouldn’t know what he’s feeling is conseidered jealousy i think like this prob makes no sense but he sees jealousy to be the stereotypical “oh i want it but you have it 😠” even though i’m fully his, so this confuses his brain me thinks . id think when he gets jealous he would definitely pull me more to his side be like oddly clingy and then later on i’d probably feel him being weird and ask him to tell me why he was acting like that, i think he’d for sure be frustrated but he’s do his best to tell me what’s wrong

hakkai: mmm yes and no? another one who probably doesn’t fully understand that what he’s feeling is jealousy, hed be more prone to feeling it as sadness more that irritation or anger, he’d prob pull away from me and step off for himself to think ab why he’s upset seeing me do something and i’d most likely come to him and ask if he’s mad at me and which would turn into “no i thought you were mad at me, why did you just hold my hand instead” 🥺 i’m a big baby too but yeah heheh AH i love he

connie: he says no but he’s like a 50/50 i feel like he’d understand that i’m just naturally touchy and wouldn’t be too upset but for some reason if it was with jean i feel like that would set him off, he’d scare himself too bc he didn’t. think he cared that that’s how i was, when he pulled me aside with a smile and i look at him like he’s the craziest mf ive ever met he’d look down at me, smile and say in his words “the little handshake shit y’all made is enough no?” mf eye is lowk twitching and shit, he always told himself he’d never be one for not speaking up ab shit that irks him so i feel like we’d both kinda need to step to the side or back to the car to talk bc i’m sure this goofy mf was acting weird and overly touchy and funnily enough equally standoffish side eyeing him and me for no reason bc he’s A BABY WHO CANT USE HIS BIG BOY WORDS TILL I GET MAD and then he’s like “well😔 okay so..”

souya: he kills people when he’s upset so….. HAHA okay i see him as SUCJ. a big fuckin mix of maisies “sleepy6lue” and his canon self soooo assuming he’s around 19/20 he’s like at a calmer stage of life, i think he would no but he’d ask me calmly to not do something and if i didn’t understand where he was coming from he’d pull me to the side and explain what he means, he’d never say something from a possessive pov to me at least i think he’s a very sweet soft boy he just isn’t afraid to speak his mind

yuuji : mmm i wanna say no? i feel like we’d both be pretty oblivious to someone flirting with either one of us bc we know we’re here with eachother. but if he were he’d immediately put an end to that shit he’s like not afraid to make other mfs feel awkward i feel😭😭 shoulder check a mf and be like “nahh man don’t do that shit again alright?” staring niggas down and then immediately turn around and give me the softest doe eyes and kiss my forehead grab my hand and have me walk away with him. point being he’d be more upset with the person than me HAHA

That’s not to say the other ones blame me at all i just feel like i’m already lowk oblivious being around yuuji will 100% make it worse

[dappledpaintbrush]

Blumiere and Dimentio are the same person and I’m tired of the plot trying to pretend theyre not.

Y’all I love this game and all but why were Mimi and Chunks not only still loyal to Blumiere but also said not one bad thing about him after finding out he was going to kill them despite the fact they were trying to help him this whole time and were the only mfs that cared about him- but Dimentio did the exact same thing and they hit him with a car

Like this is a genuine question I’ve been a fan for over a decade and I’m still like huh😭 about their logic. “We won’t let dimentio get away with this!” Or whatever she said- MIMI SWEETHEART BLECK DID THE EXACT SAME THING

Like if Bleck wanted to die whatever but it would’ve done so much for his character if he was like “hey the people who genuinely care for me and are trying to help me destroy everything and think they’re going to be spared? Huh! maybe I should actually spare them and create a new world for them but I still croak” unless he couldn’t create dimensions at all and was lying? But didn’t Dimentio do it with only the power of the chaos heart or am I stupid. So could Bleck have done it too? Idk maybe we could’ve had a scene where like “hey dimentio master of dimensions LOL I was kidding btw I cant do shit. Make a world for y’all whatever but I’m gonna die” and I’m pretty sure dimentio would’ve been like alright (lying, still wants a world just for him) but idk. Anyways Nintendo having Count Bleck still trying to kill his minions after everything they did for him really messed up his character and went against the writers intentions of trying to make Bleck a tragic villain but Dimentio purely evil and accidentally made them the EXACT SAME person and I just wish they could’ve handled it better because his arc could’ve been nearly perfect.

Not ONLYYY that, but he wanted to kill all worlds because he lost Timpani. Yet. There she is. Right there. And he KNOWS THAT. YET. HE KEEPS FIGHTING. KNOWING THAT IF HE WINS THE WOMAN HE WAS TRYING TO END LIFE FOR BECAUSE SHE DIED IS ALIVE AND HES JUST GOING TO ACTUALLY KILL HER. But then after they beat the shit out of him he says “kill me and stop the void- if you’re alive, it gives me peace” WHY DIDNT YOU SAY THAT THE SECOND SHE FLEW INTO THE ROOM. Maybe he was in a state of madness. But idk I’ve never seen anyone else talk about it

“But dappledpaintbrush, at least Bleck had the motivation of his one true love dying and Dimentio was just a bitch” *twitches finger back and forth while going AH, AH, AH, AH, AH* We have the very high possibility of Dimentio’s whole family fucking dying and his sister turning into like a demon according to Carson. So in game canon there is a POSSIBILITY (cause that story can be interpreted a lot of ways) that BOTH of them had tragic backstories that POSSIBLY was BOTH of their motivations to destroy all worlds. Yet Blumiere gets treated like a poor little meow meow by the characters and the clown doesn’t. Then again I don’t think the clown ever talked about it. Maybe it’s just my own experience, but I feel like the writing still tried to push the narrative that Bleck is less terrible than Dimentio.

And hey let’s say Dimentio is only a descendant of the Pixl Creator and he’s doing this for no reason other than for lols. Both of them STILL tried to destroy all worlds and only Bleck had a change of heart after Tippi returned… yet still tried to enable the Void after finding out she’s alive? Both of them lied to, betrayed, and tried to MURDER their ENTIRE TEAM. Earlier, I said “(the writers) trying to make Bleck a tragic villain but Dimentio purely evil and accidentally made them the EXACT SAME person” and this can go two ways- the first option, or making both of them tragic characters. If the writers genuinely thought this through and genuinely wanted us to pry into the lore to conclude Dimentio and Bleck are not that different, sending one to his dream world with his dream girl and the other to actual super mario hell doesn’t help their intention

And Blumiere is such an amazing concept for a character and he STILL IS, but wow the writers could’ve done so much more. Even a cutscene of him deciding the spare the minions could’ve meant SO MUCH and it really sucks nothing ever happened. With or without the “both had a tragic backstory” interpretation, there isn’t much that puts a clear line between Dimentio and Bleck’s characters. The game tries to make us think the line is there, but it really isn’t. At least not in my own interpretation of the writing. Idk lol. End of rant

[dylanobrienisbatman]

The main problem with the whole mal vs the darkling thing in regards to being possessive (or really when it comes to any of their traits) is the fact that throughout, the darkling is clearly framed as the villain and his actions reflect that, whereas Mal as supposed to be the good guy and best romantic partner for Alina, and yet he has all these awful character traits and tendencies. So its less about how awful the Bad Guy is (since he's supposed to be), and more about how awful the person that we're supposed to believe is the best option for Alina is. I don't ship either, just my two cents.

Okay well... two things. First, your comment about "its less about how awful the bad guy is, since he's supposed to be", takes every comment I've made about Darkles out of context, which seems fitting since everything Darklina's spout about Mal is out of context. Him being the Bad Guy is fine, and if you like him AS A VILLAIN, and acknowledge all the bad shit he does, then my posts aren't for you. I think he's a very interesting villain, and a lot of the terrible shit he does that I have to keep making posts about make him a good villain, the problem is when the terrible shit the "Bad Guy" does is romanticized and viewed as the reasons why Alina SHOULD have picked him. So, don't assume everyone gets that "hes supposed to be awful". The point my post was making is that Darklina's love to call Mal possessive, but then turn around and act like Darkles literally enslaving her in somehow sexy and romantic. It's fucking not, and it's transparent as hell that y'all romanticize and sexualize the actually possessive character, and then project false character traits onto Mal. It's so transparent, it's almost funny.

But, more importantly, to your second, very wrong point, I wonder how much of the narrative about Mal having "awful character traits and tendencies" is actually a commentary on Mal as a character, or is it just Darklina's lying about things Mal has done and everyone accepting that misinterpretation as canon. Because, if were making a list...

Fuck boy - False! Mal was not a fuck boy! He was an attractive teenager who hooked up with consenting girls his age when he could, and he was not in a relationship during that time. Alina had never told him how she felt, so he is not beholden to her. (Also, nobody seems to have an issue with the fact that Darkles hooked up with Zoya in the show, that doesn't make HIM a fuckboy... interesting) (also also, nobody seems to discuss Darkles literally sexually assaulting Alina, and lying and manipulating her to get her to be physically intimate with him so he can use her... double interesting).

Slut Shames Alina - FALSE! The ever favourite callout line from Darklina's "He's all over you" isn't him slut shaming her. First, he has no idea what their relationship is like at that point, but more importantly, he is making an observation of her status in the little palace and how she has become his tool. He has dressed her up in his colors, made her put on a show for his benefit, and has created a situation where Alina appears to be his. Mal is noting that after months of searching for her, believing she was being hurt, tortured, or worse, when he arrives to save her, she looks like the Darkling's pet. (and, even if he WAS angry because he perceived them to be romantically involved, boy just spent months fighting for his life, lost multiple friends, and almost died to find her, all while coming to the realisation that he was in love with her, and then he shows up, after not hearing from her for months... I'd be pissed as hell too.) Important Note: He even acknowledges that what he said was wrong and tries to apologise, before Alina tells him that he was right. (Shadow and Bone, pg. 286). He also then apologizes, completely unprompted, for what he said. (Shadow and Bone, pg. 297).

Fat Shames Alina - False! This one is particularly laughable to me, because its one of the Darklina arguments that falls apart the second you actually read the scene. They are running for their lives in the forest, and Mal has to hunt and gather to feed them. He is noting that Alina's appetite has increased since he last saw her, and he makes a joke (ya know, how you do with friends) about how it would be easier to keep her fed if she still had her more meager appetite from before. He makes no comment on her weight, or her size, and he is not actually commenting on her appetite in a negative way, he is just acknowledging that it's a lot more work for him now that she eats more. Right before he says the line, the quote even proves that he isn't shaming her or thinking badly of her: "With a bemused expression, he watched as I gobbled down my portion and then sighed, still hungry". He is noting a change in her, and complaining that its made more work for him. If you think thats the same as fat shaming, well... thats a you problem.

Hates Alina's Powers - FALSE!!!! How to begin... do we talk about it was Mal's idea to hunt the stag in S&B, because he knew she needed it to be more powerful so she could stop the darkling? Do we talk about how he vowed to find the firebird for her, even though he was terrified of what all that power would do to her? Do we talk about how he literally died so she could achieve the power she needed to save the world? Or maybe we could talk about how he believed in her power more than anyone else, like when everyone was making bets about her abilities with the Cut and he knew she'd go further and better than anyone else expected her too, or when he tells her that he was never afraid of her powers, only what seeking all that power would do to her (which is literally the theme of the books, that power corrupts and seeking unmatched power can destroy you)? Mal being afraid of what is going to happen to Alina, being protective of her and worrying over her, is not the same as him hating her powers. He exists to help remind Alina of the themes of the story, and to guide her into maintaining her humanity.

Abusive - ... Do I even need to explain this one? Must I deign an explanation as to why this favourite Darklina lie is so fucking stupid, and also totally hypocrisy? No? Because we all know Darkles is actually the abusive one and they're trying to project their own shit onto Mal to further their abuse apologist agenda? Cool. Moving on.

Possessive of Alina - False! Throughout the entire series, Mal is quite literally the opposite of possessive, but yall just cant read. Not only does he quite literally step out of the way and allow Nikolai to court Alina without argument, which is the most direct example of him not being possessive, he also spends two full books believing, and repeatedly saying over and over and over, that they can't be together because he is not good enough for her. Mal believes, fully, that Alina deserves more than him, better than him, because he's just a tracker and a soldier, just a regular man with nothing to offer her but his love and his protection, and she is a Saint and should be a Queen. Possessiveness is the wish to own and control someone, it is literally the opposite of Mal believing that he's not good enough and doing everything he can to ensure that Alina achieves everything and gets everything he believes she is owed. A possessive character would not tell her to tell him to leave because he has nothing he can offer her, no title or land or country or crown. A possessive character would not promise to be the blade in her hand, because he believed he had nothing but the blood he could spill to offer her.

Angry - True! Yeah, omg, you caught us, Mal is ANGRY! Heaven forbid a teenager who is traumatized beyond belief and has to give up everything in his life, his position in the military (he deserted for her), his friends and the job he loved (Mikhail and Dubrov died for him, and he can't be a tracker in the army... because he deserted... for Alina), and, most importantly, he has to give up Alina (she should be Queen, he believes, and he has to give up the future he imagined with the girl he loves, who he was pretty sure loved him back, because she's a saint and queen and he's just a man), and more, is ANGRY. He has to be the one to find the amplifiers that he knows will end up hurting her, because thats what she needs to save the world. He has to sit by while Nikolai treats him like the dirt on his shoe and tries to woo Alina for his own personal gain (because Nikoalai did not love Alina. Maybe he came to care for her, but he proposed and spent all of S&S trying to get her to marry him when it was obvious they were not in love. He straight up says its so that the next King of Ravka can be married to the Sun Summoner. It's a power grab.) and he can't do anything about it. So yeah, Mal is angry. And yeah, sometimes he's even angry at Alina, just like sometimes she's angry at him. But they always find their way back, always apologize and try to be better for each other, and if you think anger is a toxic trait, and not simply a natural human emotion, might I suggest touching some fucking grass?

Idk why you thought I'd stand for Mal slander on my blog, cuz I will not. So, I'm gonna stop there, because I have shit to do today, but I really do wonder how much of Mal's 'toxic' or 'terrible' traits, that make him such a 'bad' love interest for Alina, really comes from Darklina's who refuse to actually read the text critically at all, and instead take everything he does and says out of context to further their agenda that Alina should have ended up as the Darkling's fucking slave forever, because thats the "girl power feminist" ending somehow. Mal supports her, loves her, sacrifices for her at every turn, and does everything he can do, to the point of literally dying for her, to ensure that she can defeat Darkles and save the world. He protects her, and when they end up happy and safe together on the orphange that they've rebuilt to help the children that were victims of Darkles war and genocide, he spends his days bringing her tea and cakes and flowers, kissing her silly under the stairs in the view of all the teachers, and calling her names like beauty, beloved, cherished, my heart for the rest of their ordinary life together, if love can ever be called that.

[ryvgvji]

Can you do the banning sex for 3 weeks thing with haikyuu characters tendou and anyone else🥰 please and thank you if you actually do it

yessir! i can! hope you enjoy

(apologies for any grammar errors. and sorry if this is sloppy. and the late answer 😅 <3)

✰ characters: Tendou Satori, Kuroo Tetsuro, Sawamura Daichi, Oikawa Tooru

✰ their reaction to being banned from sex for three weeks

Tendou Satori

Tendou, Tendou, Tendou

he probably, mostly likely end up in the situation because he thought it would be a good idea to play a prank on you

he thought the prank was harmless but you were ready to go to jail

you had went out for the day with your friends to get dolled up by them as a treat

they brought you to get hair, nails and makeup done. they even bought you some new clothes

now for you to come home and walk through your front door, you weren’t expecting to have water get dumped on your head

mouth agape you saw your red hair boyfriend peeping around the corner with his hand over his mouth doubled over laughing 

“what the actual fuck Tendou!!” you yelled at your boyfriend who was still laughing. your hair that you had just gotten done was now wet and so was your clothes as well as the bag of more clothes in your hands. not to mention the water was freezing cold. oh how you wanted to beat the living shit out of him. 

you placed the soaked bags down on the ground taking off your shoes placing on the shoe rack. you walk in the direction of your boyfriend who watched you as he wiped the tear from his eye. walking straight past him you shoved his arm that he tried to touch you with, continuing on your journey to the bathroom. once you got to the bathroom, you started striping from your clothes. as turn around you see Tendou leaning against the door frame with his hands in his pockets eyeing you up and down. as he reached out to touch you, you slapped his hand away. “don’t touch me.” you said sternly. “come on beautiful, don’t be like that please.” he whine. his reaches out again, wrapping his arms around you nuzzling his face in your neck.

you sighed unraveling his arms from around your waist. “no Tendou, i’m still mad at you. you got my clothes and hair wet. you don’t do that shit bruh.” you shake your head. “beautiful it was prank i’m sorry.” he sighed. you shrugged, “i don’t care. because of you little prank, you just earned yourself no sex.” you said nonchalant. you heard him choke. “what?” “yeah no sex, for three weeks.” he pouted. “babe, you know that i won’t last.” you sarcastically gasped at him. “oh no, what every shall we do.” you rolled your eyes. “that sounds like a you problem.” you laughed. you pushed him out the bathroom getting ready to shower. “bye~”

as the weeks went by, Tendou could feel himself slowly dying. with you constantly walking around the house in teasing wardrobes, you were making it very hard for him to function properly. he would would try and touch sometime while your not looking but you’d always catch him somehow. now that it was the final day of his punishment he decided that we was gonna make it up to you by taking you out on a nice, lovely date before bring you back home and having his way with you. once back in the comfort of your shared house, he dashes to the bedroom with you in his arms. “let me treat you right tonight beautiful.” 

Kuroo Tetsuro

let’s just say the when it comes to being a tease, Kuroo is your guy

you and him went out to a restaurant

the whole night Kuroo has been eyeing you like a predator would with their prey  

he coots his chair closer to you resting his hand atop of your thigh

just then the waiter comes to serve you 

he would trace circles over your skin, moving further and further up until he got to his most prized possession

he’d slyly massage you through the fabric of the clothing you were wearing as you spoke to the waiter, breathing a bit heavy

you accidentally out a moan when he slid your panties to the side dipping a finger inside of you. this made the waiter look at you with a confused expression

“i cant believe you did that.” you hissed at your boyfriend in the car. he had embarrassed you in front of the waiter that served you two at the restaurant. now your all hot and flustered and it’s all because of that handsome devil of a man that was seated in the drivers seat with his hand laid on your thigh. oh, two can definitely play that game.

when you two finally arrived at the house you waste no time on pushing over to the couch. you straddle his waist taking off the shirt that he wore along with your own before placing a heated kiss to his lips. his hands found themselves on your ass giving it light squeezes. pulling away, you reach up and undo your bra taking it off and throwing it somewhere. “damn..” he breathes out. you lean in sucking lightly on his neck, grazing your teeth over his pulse. he makes a low groan pulling you plush against him. you reach behind you for his hands as you whisper in his ear, “because you teased me at the restaurant, now you suffer babe.” you look him in the eyes. “no sex for three weeks.” you pecked his lips getting off his lap, picking up your clothes and walking away.

for the next week, Kuroo was losing his mind. he craved for you, all of you. he wanted to touch you, make love with you, show you who you belong to and that you were only his. and with your personality, you weren’t making it any easier. it killed him everytime you’d walk by and tease him by swaying your hips or make suggestive remarks. he was about to risk it all. as the last day of his punishment came to an end, once he got home from work he took a shower and immediately went to the bedroom to see you. although you were sleeping, that didn’t stop him. he would kiss up and down your body leaving love bites in his wake as well until you woke up. “your up. i think it’s time for you punishment now, gorgeous.”

Daichi Sawamura

you and Daichi were invite to a party that was being held by a close friend

at the party many games and drinks were being done

you’ve done everything from taking a shot to body shots with Daichi

to close down the night, the last game you played was beer pingpong

it was you against Daichi , and to make it more interesting you made a bet

“if i win this, i have something in mind for you.” you smirked picking up your last ball. Daichi smiles and crossed his arm, “what if you don’t?” “then i do whatever you want baby.” you say as you spoke a seductive tone towards your boyfriend.

aiming for the last cup on Daichi’s sides, you threw a ping pong ball. it bounced off the table into the cup. you wooed as everybody clapped and cheered. walking over to opposite side of the table where Daichi was, you wrapped your arms around his neck placed a light kiss to his lips. “prepare yourself baby,” you leaned in to whisper “no sex for three weeks.” you could have sworn that you could feel Daichi’s body tense up. you just smile before walking away from him.

as days went by, everything was fine. Daichi was really just chillin’, he wasn’t really fazed by it. he didn’t really care much for sex but there were times were he wanted to just pick you up and go to the bedroom. he had to keep his composure. after the second week, that’s when he started to yearn for you. he wouldn’t say anything to you but you could tell. so you teased him. in any possible way that you could think of. on the final day of this bet, Daichi seemed calm, chill if you would say. once night hits, he goes absolutely feral. he wants what’s his and he’s gonna have it. he will take care of you. “are you ready bambi?”

Oikawa Tooru

Oikawa having a flirtatious personality wasn’t a problem for you

BUT!

if it wasn’t direct towards you , you were ready to fight

at one of his volleyball games a group of girls came up to him saying how hot he was and how they would love to take him on a date

this of course got you a bit upset but you know your boyfriend wouldn’t do that to you

oh boy were you wrong

he had the audacity to flirt back and say “i would love to go on a date” and wink at them

you immediately walked over to them and dragged oikawa by his ear away from the girls

“are you dumb?” you questioned Oikawa. he was kinda taken back from the way you said it. he clutched his chest and looked at you with a supposed hurt expression. “well that isn’t a very nice way to talk to your boyfriend.” was this boy for real? you could almost fuck the boy up right now. “nice my ass.” you rolled your eyes and kissed your teeth. he chuckled. “your very funny y/n-chan and that’s why i love you.” he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you onto his lap. “you are fucking amazing lil cutie.” he leaned in and attempted to kiss you but before he could you put your hands to his lips. “nope,” you started. “since you wanna be flirting, you could go talk to wanna your hoes. cause i ain’t with it.” you got off his lap. “oh and before i forget, no sex for you for three weeks.” you say as you walk away somewhere in the house

Oikawa had no idea what to do. this was the first time that you’ve ever put him on punishment, well let’s real here, there has been a couple of times that you punished him before, but never like this. it’s never been this extreme. this was driving him mad. honestly, he has just been a horny bastard the entire time and he just could not keep his hands to himself. slapping your ass, kissing your neck, anything to get you to give in and let him have his way with you. but your not that easy. as the last day of punishment rolls around, he doesn’t wait. he can’t wait. immediately, your woken from your sleep by the feeling of someone kissing on your inner thighs. when you look down your greeted by dark brown eyes looking up at you. “now, now, i’ve been waiting, if not very patiently. so i believe that i earned myself a reward. so come here, you lil cutie.”

[featherfur]

I’m going to try and make sense with this so bear with me: I think a lot of untapped angst potential in fic is the reality of Jiang Cheng being the older one now and visibly more mature because Wei Wuxian died at 20? 19? And he wasn’t exactly maturing in the ghost realm during that considering he doesn’t remember it. Now he’s definitely matured via trauma but that’s not the same thing. And now they’re 16x on the wrong wave length.

Under the read more because uh, I go into detail

Now put Jiang Cheng in the same room as Wei Wuxian and they’re both 12, atleast in the beginning. But Jiang Cheng had his previously homicidal insane brother show up right next to his nephew after insulting his mom (who’s death he inadvertently led too) so JC (for me atleast) can be forgiven a bit for not being happy and wanting to kick his ass and thinking he may still be insane because an Okay Wei Wuxian Would Not Insult Shijie or His Nephew. Especially since JC not only didn’t tell the entire world that his brother was back, left him with Jin Ling, only yelled at him a bit and scared him via dog and— (I’m going to shut up here because that isn’t my point but man I could go on). JC had a lot of issues and he yells at Wei Wuxian to the point one wants to offer him a cough drop.

But post Temple JC? Who watched him walk away sadly and knows that Wei Wuxian is no longer unstable and thinks he doesn’t want to be his brother anymore? That’s so much wonderful angst because that means Wei Wuxian will not be greeted by Jiang Cheng his Shidi anymore.

He will be met with Sect Leader Jiang who clawed his way up from nothing but a baby in his right, a stack of spreadsheets on his left and the most feral disciples around that he has to protect. This Sect Leader who doesn’t have time to go around hunting Wei Wuxian down to harass him. Sect Leader Jiang who barely even greets Wei Wuxian when he visits because he has shit to do. He has audits and taxes and those damn merchants are complaining, he has to up the wages of the seamstresses that make the robes of his sect with so many protection talismans and find a way to convince Sect Leader Ouyang to stop fine-ing the caravans that deliver the goods. He has to organize the celebrations and make sure everyone’s safe during flooding season. That’s not even counting how he has to train and monitor his disciples and night hunts and the political hellscape!

But Wei Wuxian!! He doesn’t know that. He doesn’t know everything that Jiang Cheng has been taking care of or that he’s just seriously that busy. He thinks he’s being ignored and pushed away and mocked when Jiang Cheng walks by with a quick “Master Wei” and runs off! Because how could Jiang Cheng treat him like that when Wei Wuxian is clearly trying to reconnect. Every offer of night hunting his declined unless it was planned then already and when they do get together Jiang Cheng ignores him! Why is Wei Wuxian even trying!? What’s the point of Jiang Cheng can’t stand him but why can’t he stop trying either??

Meanwhile during those hunts Jiang Cheng is trying to keep an eye on his brother, his twelve disciples, Jin Ling and his entourage, Wei Wuxian’s Lan ducklings, that random Ouyang kid who apparently imprinted on Jin Ling, figure out what they’re hunting, mentally running the math for the cost of the inns for all of them, going through each of the attending Jiang disciples’ personal likes and deciding on whether to buy their favorite snacks or something else as a ‘thank you for not dying’ as has become accidental custom, trying to figure out if it’s weird to get Jin Ling and his friends something nice (CLEARLY he has to get the Ouyang kid something, he apparently has no other friends considering how often he’s just hanging around Lotus pier whenever Jin Ling swings by), and trying to think of he has any other disciples night hunting within a 50 mile radius he should fly out to check on before he sleeps!

Clearly Wei Wuxian just doesn’t care about the Jiang sect and wants to just be annoying but Jiang Cheng is busy! Cant he see that Jiang Cheng is only available on Mondays and Tuesdays during the odd months and Wednesday through Saturday on the even? It’s very clear when Jiang Cheng has time! Why can’t his brother just respect that not everyone has the free time to do whatever the hell they want? Is he flaunting it?!? How dare he!

It’s a giant mess and it only gets worse because Jiang Cheng is diplomatic, he knows how to bow his head when he’s overpowered (though he rarely is nowadays) or when the outcome isn’t worth it. So he doesn’t want to start a fight with Lan Wangji and from there the entire Lan Sect! He’s been holding his tongue for years he can keep doing it, especially if his brother’s happiness is on the line. He can ignore Lan Wangji being rude, he can ignore the dark looks, hell if he thinks Wei Wuxian’s position is threatened at the LAN’s he’ll even play real fucking nice so that Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen won’t do anything to his brother. He did it for Yanli he’ll do it now. (Also added bonus of now Sizhui has started to warm up to him and so he has to be extra polite so his new nephew doesn’t hate him and his free nephew [Jingyi] doesn’t light a building on fire in revenge for someone looking at Hanguang-Jun wrong). He might have snapped at Hanguang-Jun when shit was going down but now Lan Xichen is in seclusion and Jiang Cheng can’t piss odd Lan Wangji no matter how much he wants to chuck a beehive at his head

But Wei Wuxian doesn’t it take it that way! He just sees his brother suddenly calling him Master Wei and won’t interact with him during meetings or before or after and he’s acting so cold towards Lan Zhan! He’s staring right through his brother in law and keeps acting like he doesn’t exist and the only time in the last month Jiang Cheng sought him out was!! To ask!! If he!! COULD HIRE WEI WUXIAN?!? NOT EVEN TO SAY HI OR CHECK ON HIM OR FINALLY ANSWER HIS LETTERS BUT TO ASK HIM TO CREATE TALISMANS FOR THEIR CLOTHES! (Of course he said yes though because hey money and it’s actually fun chatting with the seamstresses) but that’s all his shidi cares about?? What Wei Wuxian can do for him? He doesn’t care about Wei Wuxian at all! Why does Jiang Cheng keep hating him, he thought they were atleast neutral but he keeps going further and further away!!! Wei Wuxian is hurting and his little brother wants nothing to do with him!

Neither of them are IN the wrong but they’re both wrong.

It takes until someone, probably Lan Xichen or Nie Huiasang, points out that “Wei Wuxian… He’s not your shidi anymore, he’s your Sect Leader well a Sect Leader… he’s a Sect Leader to one of the biggest Sects, he’s busy it’s tax season. I wouldn’t want to interact with anyone either.”

Meanwhile Jin Ling or a random slightly more insane then the rest Jiang disciple interrupts Jiang Cheng’s lunch to go “Okay you’re making this worse on literally everyone, Wei Wuxian is clearly trying to make this work why are you being mean? He’s trying!” (Or much more polite for the disciple)

They have to meet up and actually talk things through and honestly *that* only works because Lan Xichen grabs them both by their metaphorical ears and sits them down because “I would like my brother in law, both of them, to stop crying to me because they can’t talk. So now we’re going to learn to communicate and if either of you makes this weird I WILL just start fluting my way out of it and you’ll feel bad.” (Actually he just sits them down together while and he and Jiang Cheng have to go over payments for the next batch of trades and Wei Wuxian passes out on Jiang Cheng halfway through and when he wakes up he swears to never bother him on a work day because that was the worst moment of his life and they end up repairing enough to start the trek to being brothers again

[fallout-drabbles-n-stuff]

Companions and their mental health statuses?

(Wrote this while listening to a Spotify playlist named "going absolutely fucking apeshit" anyway- I'm gonna split this up by what I think character wise...and then my experiences with these seggsy bitches in game bc boy, it's been wild)

Cait:

•Sufferer of severe trauma throughout her life.

•Shit just gets worse

•Fights for her life and has a strong love for psycho before a special someone convinced her she is worthy of being loved

•Trust issues out the wazoo..for sadly, good reasons.

•Maybe not the worst on the list, but definitely up there.

In game experience...

•GOD DAMN FALLOUT VERSION OF LYDIA- like seriously? Gtfo the doorway! I'm getting blown up!

•Hates everyone and everything except sole and breaking the law.

Curie:

•Actually not all that bad...except for secret abandonment issues.

•Usually masks it by burying herself in research.

•As far as these poor bastards go, she's probably one of the most mentally stable- which is scary.

In game experience.....

•Sweet Frenchie with asshole pets.

(I don't travel with her often 🥲)

Danse:

Pre-Blind Betrayal-

•Confirmed sufferer of PTSD

•Blames himself for the death of several team members.

•Evidence points towards un-talked about alcoholism.

•Seems to be attracted to power armour..

•Not very good but not the worst on this list..

Post-Blind Betrayal-

•Same as above but add on identity crisis times a thousand and two.

•Will literally kill himself (or let you kill him) if you don’t convince him otherwise.

In game experience....

•Fucking goes apeshit, pre or post BB

•Completely unaware of his surroundings unless it has to do with vertibirds flying over head, then it's time for guerrilla warfare. "Fate has decreed that you must die!"- he speaks, drawing a laser rifle.

•Has been caught on multiple instances doing drugs out of the drug vending machine in Nuka World despite clearly being against them.

Deacon:

•Probably one of the more mentally fucked.

•Lost his wife in front of his own eyes in a notably terrible way.

•Escapes his deep seeded pain through his elaborate schemes, justifying it by telling himself it helps his organization.

•Still feels like shit every waking minute.

•Cant really allow himself to get close to anyone because of his experiences.

In game experiences...

•Asshole

•Jumpscare king, mainly because I didn't know he changed outfits THAT often.

•Doesn't like physical affection???  Shit that actually makes sense..

•Stalker.

Gage:

•He's pretty "meh" on the sanity scale. He's ruthless, but he's entirely stable besides his attachment issues.

•Trusts too easy and hates himself for it...also tries to make himself not be that way and for the most part, it works!

•Problematic raider.

In game experience...

•Makes stupid comments at inappropriate times as though he wishes for the enemies to murder us

•Thinks that walking through walls is entirely possible and gets stuck every time I run with him

Hancock:

•The actual worst on this fine list of mentally messed up individuals.

•Self worth is just nonexistent despite being a pretty all around decent guy

•Uses drugs to cover up terrible trauma to the point of putting himself in the greatest danger just short of dying

•Oh yeah, doesn't mind death actually.

•Doesn't feel worthy of anything deep down.

in game experience...

•Shoots sole for stealing shit in the third rail

•Unhinged

•Sits for hours

Macready:

•Lost his wife in a horrific way

•Only has his son, who he is convinced is going to die sooner than later because of something he can't control

•Willing to do everything if it means caps to send to his sick child

•Doesn't really have a place to call his "home"

•Reckless and unforgiving

In game experience...

•Being nice? How dare you speak such ill language.

•Kleptomaniac

Maxson:

•Does as good as a boy his age with all of the responsibility possibly could.

•Just imagine- your dad died when you were super young. Your mother shipped your ass away. The people you loved like family died all around you. Now you're stuck in foreign land and have no fucking idea where to begin, only that you have to mobilize these fuckers you're in charge of and remain a good leader...

•Still not good enough? Okay, pile on insomnia, alcoholism, and the thought that you have no one alive that truly loves you as more than just the "elder". Oh, but you eventually got to spit out some kids somehow because you're the last of the great "Maxson" line...

•Also not exactly on the "stable" side..

In game experience...

•Stares intently down the Prydwen command deck with his hands behind his back..for hours.

•Never wants to chat :(

•Long winded and short sighted, bad combo..

Nick:

•Has to deal with not only demons that technically aren't even his, but after "reunions"- Kellogg's fucked up self haunts him. He keeps it to himself and suffers silently.

•Deals with the pain of knowing there will never be a place where is truly just himself. He's a man trapped inside of a metal cage..and yet he's not even really "that" man, is he?

•One could easily understand how he has some issues too.

In game experience...

•Cigarettes? Yes.

•Oh, Youre in a fight? Seems like a good time to tighten the bolts in my hand right about now...

•Wields a flamer like a champ.

Piper:

•Surprisingly..has the most sound mental state out of all.

•Is a little obsessive tho

•Has had to adapt to the role of sibling and parent to her younger sister, which isn't easy for anyone.

•Often delves into her work, sort of like curie, to avoid dealing with the pain of her parents no longer being there for her or nat.

In game experience..

•Hey kid, want some Nuka-Cola?

•Mayor McDonough shall die, even if it means execution by the hands of everyone else in Diamond City.

Preston:

•Has canonically admitted to considering suicide.

•Is holding onto the last threads of hope he has with a fucking death grip.

•Definitely not of the best mental state

In game experience...

•Doesn't know how to properly use furniture.

•Can hear sole coming from a mile away and is already getting the map out for the next settlement

X6-88:

•Emotions? Is that a snack?

•Seriously though, he has been "reset" so many times that sometimes-he doesn't even realize it- he doesn't even know what "he" is. Every aspect of who he is..it should be gone, he's a machine and he knows it...why does he still feel like a person?

•Short story, he hates life. He hates being held captive and being used like a damn hound to hunt down those who were smart enough to run- those of which he envied and didn't even realize he did. Hey, he's just a machine though- it's his job and he knows better than to revolt.

•Violence is the freedom he feel he has. He can kill and track in any way he wants, so long as it is successful and what the Institute deem appropriate. It's horrible, but he doesn't realize it- and at this point he doesn't care. The death of another and the way they die by his hand is just his way of expressing who he is deep down.

In game experience...

•Oi, you don't like the institue? FUCK YOU

[supercantaloupe]

on Aelwyn Abernant, the Reformed Villain Squad, and redeeming teenage antagonists

an analysis on antagonist character development in Fantasy High. spoilers through sophomore year and (mildly so) the most recent roll20 oneshot. essay under the cut bc i am very long winded

the turnaround with Aelwyn in s2 is handled so well  i cant get over it. she was such a major antagonist in the first season and just. despicable. she had no pathos. we hated this bitchy older sister who tried to kill Adaine and her friends and raise an evil dragon, and when she gets knocked on her ass and thrown in jail, we cheer.

and then s2 fucking starts saying “hey she’s in jail still if you’d like to look into that” and pursuing that thread ends up being almost as comedic an idea as it is a reluctant one; it’s also quickly shunted to the background as soon as more pressing leads present themselves, to the point where we almost forget about her until Adaine is kidnapped and then the first time you see her it’s just. viscerally upsetting.

she’s bad. she did evil. she got what she deserved.

but she already got what she deserved. last season.

she got her ass handed to her by a bunch of 14 year olds including her little sister (how embarrassing!). her plans were thwarted. she got punched in the face and made fun of. she already got her punishment.

it just……immediately registers as over-the-top Wrong to be told “hey, remember that antagonist you beat last season? she’s still being punished for that, except it’s way worse than just going to mumple.”

and there’s that reminder that like…this is a teenager. a child. who has been manipulated and abused. which is a really fascinating look at this character we used to see pretty much unilaterally as a one dimensional bitchy villain.

i mean we got a more in depth look at Penelope’s and Biz’s motivations in s1 (Penelope being the popular rich girl sorceress obviously hungry for power and the alllure of the high school clout that is being prom queen, but also we know that her having to turn on her best friend Sam Nightingale as part of the scheme was something she was reluctant and not happy to do; and Biz being that predatory incel creeper type dude besides just a nerd with computers and a lack of social graces). and they were as much willingly active in the plot as Aelwyn was. yet in s1 they really never do bother to explore Aelwyn’s motivations. i remember after watching s1 but before s2 that was one of my biggest lingering questions: why tf was Aelwyn involved?

well. she was manipulated and abused. her terrible parents raised her in an awful environment that conditioned her to Listen and Obey and Behave and Be Perfect, and then Kalina helped cinch the noose around her neck with threats and coersion into the KVS Kaper and the NMK crown debacle. she doesn’t freely choose any of it; she’s coerced, manipulated, abused.

and she already got justifiably punished for her bad actions in s1. the torture is almost literal overkill. it’s just……there’s this immediate turnaround in sympathy and view of the character. on first watch, it’s viscerally upsetting to see her getting so brutally punished for actions she already faced consequences for, and on rewatch, it makes your skin crawl to know she’s being tortured for terrible things she had little choice in carrying out. and tortured by some of the very same people who coerced her to behave terribly in the first place, to add insult to injury.

and it’s still fucking frustrating when they rescue her and her memory gets reset and she goes back to her parents because it’s like “well shit, she’s evil again, and we just wasted all that effort for nothing” but it’s also sad cause we know she’s running back to her abusers and she isn’t happy about it but doesn’t feel like she has a choice. and it’s sadder still that what eventually inevitably gets her to turn to good for good (i.e. away from her parents) is just. a full dissociative mental breakdown.

(but then she survives and it’s gonna be good!!! until Adaine dies in her fucking arms. which is. almost funny. she’s been through so much shit and that isn’t something that Brennan would have just. preplanned. like a written in plot point. no, that was just an unpredictable consequence of the battle. what a juicy fucking moment. she’s been through All That Shit™️ and has finally turned to fight for good and her sister just fully dies in front of her. yeowch)

and she turns out okay in the end. she comes out the other side alive and whole and supported by her sister and her friends, with the hope of a future and recovery. there is an acknowledgement that A) she can and will grow from her mistakes and damage, B) it’s going to be really hard, and C) the post-s2 one shots both prove that she’s doing okay now. hell, she has a whole squad now of other former-teenage-villains-turned-good-guys. she has friends now, Ragh and Zayn, with common ground, and a secret handshake and everything. they’ve all grown from the mistakes of their past into better, happier, healthier people

and about Zayn and Ragh. we’ve seen a lot of characters, protagonist and antagonist, teenage and adult, PC and NPC do some really fucked up shit and get punished for it. but why do they get happy endings? why are Aelwyn, Ragh, and Zayn the only members of the RVS and not someone else like Biz or Penelope or Dayne? 

well, the latter two are dead by then; but then again, Biz and Ragh were also killed by the Bad Kids in s1, and subsequently resurrected. (Zayn died too, but was neither killed nor revived at the Bad Kids’ hands, so i’ll get to him in a sec.) and there are plenty of adult antagonists the Bad Kids face who are killed and left that way by the Bad Kids without second thought: Johnny Spells, Coach Daybreak, Captain Wicklaw, the Abernant parents (presuming Arianwen doesn’t survive in the forest for very long, which i doubt). why do some characters get second chances while others don’t?

in the case of Zayn, his death was pretty much out of the Bad Kids’ hands, and they later found out he was manipulated by Daybreak into being bad anyway because of his sad living situation. he was a pretty minor antagonist in the scheme of things, and when we re-meet him as a ghost in the s1 epilogue, he’s pretty obviously remorseful for his actions. and dying seems like a steep enough punishment to me for the shit he did to contribute to the KVX caper; returning as a ghost, free from the trappings of his unfortunate living life, he now has the room and freedom to grow into a better person.

in the cases of Daybreak, Spells, Wicklaw, and the Abernant parents: these are bad people who should know better. these are fully grown adults who actively choose to do evil. whether they think it’s the right thing to do or not (in Daybreak’s case), whether they think it will benefit them and don’t care about anyone else (in the Abernants’ case), or whether they don’t care much at all and are just doing shit because they feel like it (in the cases of Spells and Wicklaw), these are all adults who consciously make the decision to do terrible things and hurt other people. of course Johnny Spells, who is generally a punk thief and thug, is not on the same level of bad as Angwyn, who kidnaps and tortures his own daughters for political gain, but the point remains. these fuckers should know better. they’re grown ups. they had their chances to be good and they chose not to heed them. their minds are set on bad actions and they are a continued danger to other people as long as they are alive. when they die, the Bad Kids do their damndest to make sure it stays that way.

now, in the cases of Penelope and Dayne: these are teenagers who actively chose to participate in an evil plot. Penelope, Dayne, and Biz were all fully cognizant of what they were doing trying to raise KVX back to his former power. why? well, to some extent, we can only speculate. i suspect Penelope was just one of those Regina George bitches who is rich and popular and powerful and obsessed with power and popularity within high school as if that’s the end-all-be-all of existence (which, like, when you’re currently in high school, is a somewhat understandable worldview i think). Dayne being her boyfriend and a musclehead jock probably falls into a similar line of thinking. they are actively and willingly trying to cause harm, and teenager or not, must be stopped. they’re killed, anyway, during the Climactic Battle™️ anyhow; it’s not like the Bad Kids were going to gain anything at that point by keeping them alive.

now, Biz: Biz is the creepy Nice Guy incel type, sees woman as a prize he deserves to win, yadda yadda. he does, like Penelope and Dayne, actively choose to help KVX. there might be something to be said about his motivation the Bad Kids discover after the arcade battle by detecting his thoughts (that being to upload the captured maidens from the palimpsests to “call the shots” himself) is an altered memory; whether this was his original motivation from the start or not, i’m not sure. but the Bad Kids do kill him – and then resurrect him for important, time-sensitive information. and they beat it out of him – he gets two of his fucking fingers blown off. and Riz reattaches them once they have their info, and they realize his memory is altered. of course, the Bad Kids don’t know at this point that the altered memory was something he, Penelope, and Aelwyn had planned and agreed on and done to themselves, but this points to something important in my opinion: the Bad Kids, and the narrative/show as a whole by extension, acknowledge that external manipulation affects how guilty someone is in a crime.

which brings us to Ragh. Ragh, introduced from episode 1 as the meathead jock. Ragh the archetypical one-dimensional high school bully. Ragh who works with the harvestmen in effort to (ostensibly) end the world/provoke international war. Ragh, whose low intelligence but high loyalty and internalized homophobia led him to be fully swayed and blindly led by his coach and captain, who have actively chosen to do evil. Ragh who is killed in combat by the Bad Kids and resurrected for information, not Daybreak. Ragh, who the Bad Kids realize was probably not aware of exactly what he was being made to do and how bad it really was. Ragh, who by their kindness in sparing his life and directing him on a better path, becomes a well-rounded character and an active ally to the Bad Kids during and after prom, an invaluable companion during their quest in sophomore year, and overall a really good friend and person. 

(it might also be worth considering the case of Jawbone here, too, who started out a very minor antagonist in a fight but ended up becoming a major NPC because the Bad Kids talked to him, found out he came from an unfortunate situation and set of circumstances, and showed him kindness in offering the school guidance counselor position, a kindness that isn’t really owed but given anyway and ends up changing his entire life for good.)

and then, Aelwyn, whose case is already discussed above. so, why is the RVS what it is, why them but not others?

if you’re familiar with Avatar: the Last Airbender, you’re probably familiar with Zuko’s character arc, and how it’s often lauded as a masterful example of developing a villain into a hero over the course of a narrative. what makes Zuko’s arc so well done and exceptional is that he starts out as a kid in a bad situation under the influence of bad adults seeking to do bad deeds, but he later realizes the error of those ways, actively removes himself from that situation despite the difficulty and danger in doing so, goes through a lot of shit and reflects on his past mistakes and learns from them, and then actively chooses to fight for good in the end with the help of close, trusted friends, found family. 

this, i believe, is the same in the case of Fantasy High and its treatment of the RVS. its members, like Zuko, are all teenagers who came from shitty situations and were manipulated by evil adults to do bad. they are punished for their bad actions, and they learn from their errors and mistakes. with the kindness and help of good people, friends and chosen family, they are able to escape their abusers and bad situations and grow into their own people. and they actively choose to improve themselves with that help and fight for good.

Fantasy High, through the arcs of Jawbone, Zayn, Ragh, and especially Aelwyn, asserts that it is not your fault if you come from a bad situation and are forced to behave badly as a result. it does not pretend that you are absolved of any responsibility for those actions; quite the opposite, as even though they were externally manipulated into their evil actions, all of those mentioned characters face tangible consequences for their actions and later express remorse for their mistakes. but Fantasy High also asserts that even if you have made great mistakes in your past, even if you came from a bad situation beyond your control, even if you were manipulated and abused, with care and love and support and a hell of a lot of work and effort, you can improve your situation and find good, happiness, peace, you can thrive. evil adults who should know better don’t get redeemed. teenagers who aren’t coerced but actively choose evil don’t get redeemed. but abused kids deserve another shot at happiness. with enough work, and some love and help along the way, they can get there, even from the lowest imaginable point, from rock fucking buttom. it’s possible. 

[khaleesiofalicante]

OK MY ELECTRICITY WENT BUT IM HERE WITH MY LIVE BLOG. Im also wearing a tiara i found during cleaning at 2 38 am...

LXI'S STILL HAVING THOSE DREAMS

You see, that’s how Lexi functioned. Unlike Selena who had a weekly planner with her name doodled on it, Lexi didn’t like having a schedule. She would decide what she wanted to do when she wanted it.

SAME LEXI SAME

IM SORRY IF THIS IS MSOTLY IN CAPS IM TOO EXCITED

lexi

lexi why are you in pain

what what what

whats happening

im freaking out

GEORGIA

There were six of them. Each handle in one colour of the pride flag.

gimme

THE ACADEMY

NO NO NO

these demons can talk as well.

that's what bothers me the most

CLARY STFU YOU KNOW DAMN WELL YOU FOUGHT A WAR AT 15. I know she's worried for valid reasons but im losing it right now.

calm its ok its gonna be ok

georgia collecting the ichor-

i love her so much

Lexi didn’t think it was possible, but the sight somehow made her gayer than before.

me every time i look at amy or rosa from b99

OLIVIA

“Of course you are not dying!” Lexi said severely. “Neither one of us is allowed to die before we finish binging Game of Thrones.”

with the major character death tag right there

dont make me think of georgia getting sick

dont

The bar was extremely low for shadowhunters.

yes it is

OH MULTIPLE POVS

RAFAEL

did i just sob "my child" ?

maybe i did

im so proud of him

LEAVE ME ALONE

wait but in tid sophie was over the age of ascention too

WAIT HOW OLD WAS SOPHIE AT THE AGE OF ASCENTION

WAIT OMG SOPHIE WAS YOUNG

I FORGOT ABOUT THAT

“Life is too short for bad blood,”

yeah. yeah it is

i still really like camilla

He could go to Mexico right now. His heart wanted to do it. His body screamed at him to do it.

It wasn’t the distance that was the problem. He had two warlocks at home. He had a bike. He had money to buy a plane ticket.

It wasn’t the distance at all. Rafael would walk to Mexico for her if necessary.

i screamed so loud here i was grateful for the closed door

CHAIRMAN MEOW

CYUKGUCDGYMDYUD

THE PRECIOUS CAT

WHAT IF THE MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH IS ABOUT CHAIRMAN???

“Y’all really be acting as if portals are like a bag of Cheetos!” Max pointed out seriously. “It ain’t $2.50, bro! Do you have any idea the energy it takes to make a portal? What people actually pay for it? I can’t be making portals for free. I don’t get a salary from the Clave like you do. This is how I make a living!”

SO TRUE

“I was going to say you should go stay at the institute with David,” Rafael said. “But you are right. You are not a baby. You can stay here on your-”

“On second thoughts,” Max interrupted with a grin. “I’m still a fetus in warlock years so I will go the institute.”

THEY ARE SO PRECIOUS

AHHH HE CALLED HER PRETTY THE FIRST TIME HE SAW HER

THEY WERE 7

IM SCREAMING SO MUCH RIGHT NOW

my throat hurts

JAIME MY BABY

Y'ALL I MISSED HIM SO MUCH

“All thanks to the amazing Isabelle Lightwood,” Jaime replied. “I think I am a little in love with her.”

“Who isn’t?” Rafael chuckled.

we all are in love with isabelle lightwood

no no no

where's anjali

where is she

dont fuck with me right now

why does diego look like a mess

“Diego,” the woman rasped. “She is coughing up blood again.”

no

dont

it's chapter 1

stop making me cry

THE LIGHTWOOD SIBLINGS

YUSDFGYUSDFSDGYUD

if anyone gives izzy shit for this i'll kill them

JACE STOP GOING SO FAST

“Jace, if you want to a baby so much then grow your own damn uterus,” Isabelle snapped.

TELL HIM

THIS GOES OUT TO THE WHOLE MALE POPULATION

After Georgia’s birth, they had promised each other that they would always choose the children first. If it ever came to a point, as it often did in their lives, where they had to choose between themselves and the children – they had promised each other to save the children.

dude theres a major character death here

Jace thought for a moment and then grinned at her. “No uterus. No opinion.”

“Selena has trained you well,”

selena my smart feminist child

I JUST KNOW ONE OF THE LIGHTWOOD-BANES IS DYING

AND IM NOT OK

“Do you really need those?” Alec asked, pointing at the glasses.

“No,” Jace replied. “But Clary thinks I look hot with glasses.”

“You two are ridiculous,” Alec shook his head.

Jace turned around. “Really? And your beard is for character building, is it?”

there's no use lying alec we all know why it's really there

I KNOW WHAT LEUKEMIA IS SHUT THE FUCK UP IM LOSING MY SHIT

no

no

she cant die

IF SHE DIES I WILL RAISE HELL

my throat hurts from all the shouting

“Can I get a cinnamon latte with extra cream and two sugars please?” Alec asked.

Jace raised an eyebrow.

“Magnus had a long day at the Spiral Labyrinth,” Alec explained.

“Can’t he just magic his drink?”

“Well, yes,” Alec replied. “But I like buying it for him. It’s called being a good husband.”

aww that's so sweet

THIS IS HILARIOUS

“I’m saying no one can do better than David,” Jace huffed. “He is precious.”

tru

“If you are going to be this way, things are going to be very awkward at their wedding,” Jace muttered.

“They are not getting married, Jace!”

“Do you not want them to???”

“They are nineteen!!”

“Doesn’t mean we are not allowed to think about it,” Jace pointed out. “If they get married, we will be family!”

“We are already family!” Alec all but yelled.

“Yeah, but we will be even closer!” Jace sighed happily.

“You are my parabatai!” Alec said incredulously. “My soul is literally tied to yours! How closer do you want to get?”

THIS IS AMAZING

OH MY GOD I LOVE

JACE BEING OVER PROTECTIVE OVER SELENA DATING SOMEONE IM LOSING MY SHIT

wait how old is michael

"Oh my god,” Jace gasped. “Three out of three! I win!”

“It’s not a competition, Jace!” Alec rolled his eyes.

“It is and I won,” Jace grinned. “You’re welcome, LGBTQ+ community.”

YUP JACE WON

“Can we talk about something else?” Izzy demanded. “We are not those parents who only ever talk about their children.”

Alec cleared his throat. “Right. Of course.”

“Yeah, we have lives of our own,” Jace nodded seriously.

They drove quietly for a while before they started discussing about their children’s love lives again right up until Jace pulled over at Jade Wolf.

of course...

Lily’s face was pale – paler than usual.

lily what's wrong

please lily

anjali...

lily is close to her

of course

“Then we burn all the angels,” Lily growled.

YES YES YES YES

Jace walked in that moment, sipping from his latte. “I bought donuts, y’all!”

A chuckle escaped Magnus. “Jonathan. Your timing is impeccable.”

"Is everything okay?” Jace asked, looking troubled.

“No,” Maia replied. “But at least we have donuts.”

at least they have donuts

“I love you,” he mouthed, and Alec’s heart was okay for a moment.

THE FEELS

ISABELLE

NO NO NO

NO

IZZY

PLEASE

WHY IS EVERY POV ENDING LIKE THIS

They had put on their clothes

AHEM SIR-

they grow up so fast...

no

im crying

dont please

izzy

she was poisoned

oh my god

WHO

GIVE ME NAMES RIGHT NOW

Rafael drank like a dozen a day.

understandable have a good day

OH MY GOD STOP JOKING AS A COPING MECHANISM

Im squeezing the life out of Emma (my emotional support stuffed cat) right now

seelies

the first time i heard the source was angelic my very first incstinct was seelie. I didn't wanna share it because of how absurd it sounded. but it doesn't anymore.

charlotte was poisoned by a seelie unintentionally which cost her her child

oh

OH MY GOD

NO THIS WASN'T IZZY'S COFFEE

MAGNUS GAVE IT TO HER

THIS WAS MAGNUS' COFFEE

SOMEONE WAS TRYING TO POISON HIM.

I'm losing my mind oh my god... I am so scared. Please Anjali and Isabelle please they cant...no i dont wanna think like that. tryna take deep breaths. ok. it's gonna be ok. maybe.

see ya friday!

Now I want to write lbaf while wearing a tiara. Hmmmm. I'll look for one online.

See you Friday! Also hope you had a good birthday!!!

And send pics of Emma!!!!!!!

[softxhariana]

34+35 live stream

description: ariana’s live stream before debut of 34+35 remix music video.

word count: 2.22k

A/N: little piece based off this live stream that ariana did in the countdown to her releasing the 34+35 remix music video with doja and megan. obvs not included every question but just a few fun bits and harry mentions for you x

also disclaimer, this is NOT real, if u don't wanna read about these two then don't, i’m not tryna act like they’re together it is fiction.

❤ anywayz hope u enjoy luvs xox

❖   "HELLO EVERYONE! thank u for coming to this premier,” ariana smiled sweetly at the camera, as the video cut to a shot of her for the beginning of the countdown.

“we had so much fun making this 34+35 remix video for you, and uhh, we hope you love it.” she continued, playing with her hair. no matter how long she did this for she swore she would never cease to get slightly nervous in these situations. where it was her alone, in front of a camera. but her fans made her feel at ease, and she felt she owed them something, as she hadn’t done many quarantine interviews like other celebs have.

“i thought i would come celebrate and join the countdown with you guys. which is something that I've never done before, but i’m very happy to be here and i was very excited to get some questions from you all...” she held up the sheets of twitter questions she had received, “um that i’m gonna be answering while i’m here so, i cant wait to celebrate this together and countdown and answer some of your questions!” she finished with a smile.

and it was genuine. a real smile that her fans were thrilled to see.

ariana was genuinely so happy and content with her life right now. with her family, her music, her friends, harry. harry her FIANCE!! might she add.

everything just felt perfect, and after all the shit the last couple years had thrown her way, she appreciated the break.

 she got her love back, she was making music that she fully loved, and put her whole soul into, and she had fans who had stuck with her and supported her through some of the darkest times in her life, that were now able to experience her happiness and personal growth with her. so truly, little things like this, felt like the least she could do for them.

“ohh this is a good one because its 34 35 related” she tucked her hair behind her ears, “@noirgrande said ‘ummm its just i wanna the end of 34+35 is it awww shit or nooo shit, i just wanna sing the song right”

“umm it is indeed no shit” she confirmed, smiling matter of factly at the camera before reciting the closing line of the song.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“@arianalocks1223 said ‘will we get to see the track list before the songs release?’” she paused for a second to process - which turned into a few more seconds, she was a bit slow today. she had told harry with full sincerity that she thought it was because she was getting old but he had just cracked up at her absurd statement, and told her that if that was the case he’d still think she was a milf

“you will!” she nodded with certainty, “indeed. ummm... i can tell you them now” she blurted, oops.

“i suppose thats not like... is that against the rules? can i do that?” she turned, to question scooter who was supervising off camera, not wanting to get her label mad at her for releasing too much information, something she has a tendency to do. 

after getting the nod of reassurance from him she turned back to the camera, “so out of ‘POV’, you go into, um, an interlude called ‘someone like u’. after that is a song called ‘test drive’, after that is the 34/35 remix with doja and meg” she smiles lightly, “and after that is a song called ‘worst behaviour’, and after worst behaviour is... a song called ‘main thing’...” she finishes, a shy smirk forming on her face, dimples appearing, “so that’s the tracks.” 

continuing with the countdown, ariana felt her heart warm at the love her fans were giving her and this album. she loved interacting with them and making them happy and proud of her so knowing she had done just that, was an amazing feeling.

“umm hesbloodsline... @hesbloodsline ... i’m really fond of this question because its really to the point, ‘where's the pig and where the fuck is harry?’” she smiled, holding in a laugh.

“piggy’s here, she's great, she's really doing so well and life is really good for her right now, she's really thriving and doing her thing” she ranted, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, “um, i make her big salads everyday that she likes, she's doing really great. she asked me to stop posting her as much because she's actually really offended by a lot of your jokes that you make on twitter, she asked me to have a word with you guys” she continued to joke, well aware that she probably found herself more funny than anyone else did right now.

“she doesn't like the jokes about being eaten, they really hurt her, umm yeh, and she asked me to convey that... no she’s great...” she finally decided to answer, “and harry, is on set today, so um, yeh thats where he is... but don't worry i will tell him to keep you in the loop, i’ve got you” 

ariana unconsciously let a small smile take over her glossed lips when talking about harry. he had been so excited about this new project and seeing him passionate and happy about anything he’s doing, always made her happiest.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“nicole! @nastyctrl. nicole said ‘who helped come up with the concept for the positions music video, love u sm ari’ love you so much to, i love you so much more” she paused, she loved this story,

“um this is actually a really funny story, dave and i had been going back and forth on several different concepts, and i couldn't, like... marry one... i couldn't really, like, really commit to one, i wasn't 100% sold. and it was missing a certain element of empowerment. and i kept, you know, trying to think of things that would make it more impactful cause i wasn't loving what we had...”

“anddd then me and harry were on this huge hike, and he just turned to me and was like, ‘what if you were the president?’ which was like, not at all fitting cause i was dying and complaining the whole time. but i was like,” she tried to imitate a shocked face through her smile and laughed 

“and when i called dave he was like ‘oh... kay, ill call you guys back’ and had the whole production team redo everything, and i had mimi pull completely different outfits and we completely started over cause that idea was what i was, craving and missing. and i was like, wow, thats so perfect” she smiled, shrugging her shoulders, “so yeh, honorary directing credit to harry styles, if you liked that”

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

“this is from @borderlinevinyl, who said ‘how much of the album was recorded at your little home studio?’ ummm..” she sang, looking off camera in thought, everything in quarantine had honestly just blurred into one so she was struggling to remember what exactly she recorded where,

“um... a lot of it was... i think i did parts of everything here and parts of things at tommy's i know i did, um, the final chorus ad-libs for positions at home” she began listing in her head, “i know i did all of off the table at home... i know i did the final chorus of my hair at home because we- i-” oops. she had to control the laugh threatening to leave her lips at the lack of subtlety in her correction

“-i got out of the shower and he was like ‘oh your whistles are really here right now’, and i was like y’know what... yeahh they are aren’t they” she laughed as she squinted her eyes and recited that part of the conversation, even trying to imitate his deeper accent.

she had been singing in the shower - as she always did - and harry joining her never seemed to stop her from belting out any whitney or old one direction classic she wanted to. he would even join in sometimes and they'd end up with their own mini concert, dancing around naked, shampoo and conditioner bottles in hand singing their hearts out to everything from high school musical to nicki minaj to fleetwood mac.

while it felt like too bold of statement to make as she truly revelled in and enjoyed everything they did together, showering with him was truly one of her favourite’s. whether it was steamy shower sex that had all glass surfaces in the room fogging up or letting loose and dancing and singing under the pouring water, every moment felt so intimate and sacred. it truly made her feel like they were they only people in the world. 

of course he would claim she was out singing him every time she whistled and would jokingly try to replicate the note but he was truly just in awe off the sounds that came from her mouth (in all senses of the word;)

"-and so i opened ‘my hair’ and just randomly did that” she continued, “um what else did i do here, i did the a lot of the backgrounds and ad-libs for 34+35 here, um, obvious was done at home, a lot of six-thirty was done at home”

caught in her own thoughts she only realised she had probably been droning on for too long when she caught scooters eye across the room and with a blush she shook her head as if to clear it, “this is an annoying answer, everything was kind of all over the place but i did a lot, a lot, a lot of the vocals for the album at the house" she finally finished the long answer, moving on quickly as she realised she didn't have long until the premiere and she wanted to answer as many of the questions as possible.

“ok, second last question from hannah, ever- @everdxystxless, im sorry i don't know how to pronounce that” she laughs looking up at the camera with wide eyes, not sure how exactly how she was supposed to go about pronouncing the username, 

“im sorry, um, but anyway she say’s ‘ari baby, how do you feel about harry getting to do a movie with florence pugh, we know your a big fan of hers, ps. i love you so much!’ well hannah, i love you too” she replies, as she thinks back to when harry first introduced the two, after she had gotten over the initial fangirling, the pair became amazing friends. florence struck ariana as such a genuine, loving person and they shared the same dry sense of humour. plus ariana might of been just a little obsessed with her accent - not that she would ever admit that and scare the girl off.

“and... um, yeah, it literally, made me beyond happy, i was fully like, fangirling when i met her the first time” she laughs as she plays with her hair, “she honestly, probably was like, ‘who the fuck is this girl? what is she doing?’”ariana imitated, a faux scared/weirded out look on her face, playing the part of a mildly pissed off florence - which she luckily had never been on the receiving end of, “im sure i was being the opposite of subtle about it but, no, she really truly is the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful, talented human being” she emphasises, the thought of any news outlets of fan’s trying to spin a ‘jealousy’ story about this making her internally role her eyes,

“midsommar is, like, one of my all time favourite movies, and she's amazing in it, and harry’s like so fucking lucky its crazy. so yeah, thats insane”

~~~~~~~~~

"...so yeah... thank you so much! this was so much fun!” ariana exclaimed as she wrapped up the Q&A, smiling wide at the camera, she knew her fans were going to love the music video and she couldn't wait for them to watch it, plus interacting with them in this way always made her happy.

“i love you guys, i miss you” she reminded, “i am so appreciative of everything you've done for this album, for these singles, for this music. i hope that, um, that this makes you super happy, i hope it makes you smile...we had so much fun shooting it and um, the girls are so fantastic, so i hope you love this and i hope you love the deluxe!” 

ariana didn't know how many more ways she could say thank you and express her gratitude but she still had over a minute and a half so she’d have to come up with something, even if it meant she’d sound like a broken record

“i am so thankful for everything and for the love that you've shown this music i cant even begin to articulate it properly so, thank you! i appreciate it so much” she breathed out all in one, “but anyway, the video should be starting soon, so... i hope you like it, don't refresh! it’ll be here soon... i promise... just don't refresh” she urged dramatically, she was really dragging this out, “but yeh” she got out through laughs “the video should be starting anytime now, i love you guys” she blew a kiss to the camera before moving as close to the lens as possible “byee”.

🖤 there u go!! i hope you liked it, and any feedback would always always be welcomed and so so appreciated pls and thanku x 

[i-did]

what would make renee angry in your opinion?

I had a really hard time answering this one actually. I thought about it for a while and asked a lot of my friends to see if they had any ideas, and here's what I came up with:

1) A professor or TA who is super shitty to her

Just a really shitty teacher.

as she goes through college, she’s bound to run into some assholes, and I don’t think Renee has perfect grades in the past or present. her not knowing academic terminology and feeling out of place in the college setting would make a lot of sense for a lot of the foxes, and Renee is good on putting on a smile, but she still eventually gets that one professor or TA that scoffs at her questions and “doesn’t have time for the likes of her” and the constant complete dismissal digs painfully under her skin and brings out her anger.

2) People who are intensely rude to her despite her best efforts to be as kind as she can be

Renee is patient, but we all have our limit. similar to the one above, but Renee dealing with someone who is just rude all the time and she struggles to keep reminding herself “we all have bad days, I don’t know what they’re going though.” Renee working in a coffee shop and a woman bumping into Renee and spilling her coffee on herself, only to yell at Renee for an hour, ignoring all of Renee’s pleasant customer service smiles. said customer later on becoming a regular and repeating this behavior, cutting off people in parking lots and flipping them off, Renee being kind and trying to give her a free scone only for the woman to tell her she hates scones, Renee offering something else only for the woman to tell her to shut up. that shit wears you down, and Renee still dumping her kindness onto someone every time only for it to backfire or be dismissed would make her have to take a few deep breaths in the back room before deciding, fuck it, she's cut off from active kindness, now only passible neutrality and not being aggressive is enough. 

3) someone who refuses her help

her knowing she could really make a difference, but some people just don’t want help, and she feels helpless and angry. she's not angry at the person, but the situation of them not being ready to accept help or even able to accept help makes her so frustrated she would start to grind her teeth in her sleep. She understands how it is, how hard it can be to take the first step to change or giving up pride or whatever the hurtle may be, but that doesn’t make it any easier than her thinking in her head “just let me fucking help you!!! or anyone!!! just let anyone in to help you!!!! fuck!!!” inside her head. she knows not everyone needs help or saving, but some people do, and when they shove her back, unwilling and not ready for it over and over while she’s trying to save them, she gets frustrated that she can’t.... do anything. and just has to wait. but Renee can be patient, and she’s willing to wait. 

4) Someone actively trying to wear her down and get under her skin

okay so this isn’t something that happens often, the closest Renee has really come to it is with Andrew when he first was scoping her out. but– if someone was actively trying to aggravate her, laughing at everything she said and making fun of her, pulling at her looser strings and picking at her ticks, watching to see what brought out her reaction, they could eventually do it and get under her skin. i think she wouldn’t let herself blow up at them since thats what they want, but she would silently excuse herself from the situation to take a breather. no one really does this with her, and Andrew only does this to size her up and even still his interrogation isn’t the type of harassment i’m imagining. i mean like old school bullying, not locker shoving, but the middle school girl shit that leaves emotional scars. and them being older, they’re less afraid to show it and be more straight forward mean. people don’t really do this to her tho, its too much effort to get a reaction, and when they do, its never what they would have wanted, like crying, but instead is her smile falling and then finding a way to make them feel like shit. Renee is kind, but she also knows how to play on a similar level as them, not just with fists. i HC Renee as plus size, and fuck it is hard to be different in anyway as a kid. but childhood bullying was the least of her worries and these people dont see how deep her personal self assurance has grown and how she has learned to stand with her head held high and her face serine. her and dan are quite similar in this, but dan is much more active and direct while Renee is passive in her letting it glide over her, dan has even gotten annoyed on Renee’s behalf and then annoyed that Renee was not affected and why she didn’t fight more directly back. 

5) People who are overtly cruel and she struggles to sympathize with

okay so, you ever see someone so mean and rude for zero reason to someone else and you’re just like... what the fuck??? Renee doesn’t let others get to her really, but damn.... someone going after someone else in ways that are just so uncalled for and so harshly.... it gets to her. She once watched an episode of catfish where the catfisher laughed at the girl, uncaring that he crossed so many emotional lines and manipulated people without really any care. and she wanted to throw the remote and punch the tv right where the guys face was on the paused screen. nothing like someone just, kicking someone else while their down with no mercy, or making fun of someone behind their back and them not knowing, making fun of the deaf kids voice behind his back and he doesn’t see them doing it, and she’s like, man, Fuck. You. in her head. I don’t think she was like, always a nice person, in fact, i think Renee used to very much so not be the type to sit with the alone kid at lunch but instead ignore him and think “yea he’s weird, kinda ugly” without thinking much of it. But then she decided to change, and she took everything she thought it meant to be a good person, and became that. she started sitting with the alone kid, she started doing charities, she started to smile instead of punch, and she started going to church. and so when she sees cruelness she was once passive in the face of, maybe even active in, she uses kindness. Renee is she good at using taking the high road in such a graceful way it makes others feel bad. like when she tells Nicky calmly “thats not very nice” after he jokes about Seth dying in a car crash on his way from the airport book 1, and Nicky feels like shit. it feels like shit to get called out sometimes, and while its not her goal, she does know it is an effect of it. (i don’t think she’s mad at Nicky in that scene, but she did say something since she is there to protect hers and she redraws that line in that moment, especially without Allison or Seth there yet to say fuck you themselves.)

6) Injustice and systems of oppression

for these i feel she gets more frustrated, overwhelmed, and sometimes resigned. she knows how dark and shitty the world is, but she stays up at night with her hand on her heart as she breathes deep, thinking about how... utterly fucked everything is. its pretty easy for me to HC that Renee is politically far left and has seen the dark side to lack of resources and systemic issues that are just... so overwhelming she doesn’t even know what she does as just one person. world pollution, corruption, class divide, flint water crisis, the homeless crisis, the prison system, functioning segregation in school systems, just... it all. she’s had nights after volunteering where she thinks “i did something, i did.” and she has days where she realizes “...i’m doing nothing, in the end... its all for nothing, there’s just too much.” just a bad day where she sits there, thinking about how much is wrong and wont be fixed and how ‘doomed’ things are, how broken, and she doesn’t feel at a loss, but rather this deep anger that comes from who she was before. 

7) herself. 

Her being unable to live up to her own standards. she still thinks mean things, she has mean and cruel urges, and when she has them, she remembers that she’s still a bad person trying very hard to be a good one, and she thinks she’s still a bad person at her core. she’s not self loathing with it, but she does think to herself “i’m a hypocrite.” and sits with that thought for a minute. sparring with Andrew has helped her, to balance the two sides of her in a way that feels both self indulgent and honest to her path forward. but sometimes while sitting in that church pew, she thinks of her dead mother, her dead step father, those she turned in without batting an eye, stabbing in the back to save herself, and she thinks “i should feel something.” but she doesn’t, she wasn’t sorry then and she’s not sorry now. and she thinks, “the others call Andrew a monster, and they don’t realize that i’m one too.” and she tries to muster up something deep inside her, but she cant. and it can frustrate her, how after all these actions, all those hours of beach clean up and homeless shelters and building houses in some other country and going around clapping her hands to the songs, but she’s still the person she is deep down. and it gets to her. i think her having a conversation with Neil one day, on what it means to be a real person, is she pretending who she is? is she her thoughts or her actions? which is the real her? and Neil saying, it’s all of it. every facet of the self is still the self, he is Nathaniel and Neil and Abram and every other person he has been and will be. we change but we are also always ourselves, and her actions are just as true as her thoughts. 

[feeling-uncomfy]

LOV HEADCANNONS BECAUSE THEY'RE SO AMAZING LIKE- A A H

[Half realistic because I really hurt my own feelings last time I'd rather not cry-]

[Mild sexual themes are included,]

First off, I just wanna say that when they move around from base to base, Kurogiri is on standby because Twice always forgets something. Always.

Mr. Compress has marbled something and then lost the marble, then un-marbled it only for the couch to be flipped because "oops I forgot it was big"

Spinner goes into hibernation like Asui during winters and didn't tell anyone to keep up his "cool guy" facade and almost froze to death during a solo mission during winter

It took three hours to find him, and he was buried under snow, half frozen, Dabi found him

Dabi is the Bakugo of the group, if that makes sense

He says he doesn't care but his big brother instincts are always there and he takes care of the league like they're his little siblings

Shigaraki and Spinner are gamer bfs. I don't make the rules

They met on a game before the league became a thing and ended up actually being gamer boyfriends, then they met and hated each other.

They were texting each other "I love you" while glaring at each other from across the room unaware that they were texting almost in sync

Twice cant sleep unless he's hugging something, and his hugs are to die for, so the league takes turns being his cuddle buddy and helping him sleep

Shigaraki only hugs Spinner because he cant out all five fingers on a single scale meaning no disintegration

Dabi has to literally fight Spinner into getting warmer clothes for winter

It's an unspoken rule that if Mr. Compress is sleeping, you have to keep the volume down, and try not to wake him up

Thia started when Toga pointed out to Twice that she'd never seen Mr. Compress sleep at the base, and he was always here

Twice made it his mission to keep Mr. Compress asleep for as long as possible during the day/night. And everyone just sorta joined in

Giran, I love him, but he's probably a pervert. And Twice, a loving himbo, hasn't realised that yet, we all know where this is going.

Toga and Magne went with Twice to a meeting with Giran and it ended abruptly when Toga slammed a knife down onto the table and Magne led Twice out because Giran was getting a little touchy

The league don't let Twice and Giran have much alone time, no matter how much Twice tries to convince them he's good

Also, speaking of himbo Twice, he's the first person in the league to meet Tokoyami outside of hero and villain work

Hawks got caught up in the moment, he was just so damn proud of Tokoyami and ranted to Twice about what had happened

Twice got curious and ended up accidentally stalking Tokoyami and ran into him in the mall while on a class trip.

Tokoyami was actually looking for Shouji(as mentioned the headcannon about Sho wandering) and ran into Twice, who found Shouji first

Tokoyami recognised Twice from the photos Hawks had of him on file and sprinted over

Twice and Shouji were just talking, well- it was mostly Twice and Shouji was listening politely

Tokoyami excused them and Twice lit up and talked about what Tokoyami had done and said he should be proud and Tokoyami was like "...oh- um-"

Anyways, Tokoyami dragged Shouji off and Twice went back to base, happily telling Shigaraki all about the encounter with the two of them

ALSO- Moonfish has never forgotten about the summer camp, or the flesh. Just saying.

Toga stalks everyone in class 1A. Mainly Uraraka, Asui, Todoroki and Midoryia. She stalked Shouji because she's still mad about the summer camp and Tokoyami at Mr. Compress's request

Toga sends them all letters, most are kinda harmless, some are borderline scary

Magne taught Spinner how to paint nails and do makeup and he puts it to good use after.. Overhoe

After that whole fiasco, Twice was completely blank for the next week or so. He barley left Mr. Compress's side, face blank and unmoving.

The league had never seen him so down before. So unenthusiastic, he normally bounced back from these things but...

Dabi got him to spill and Twice sobbed for a solid hour before being able to even breathe properly

Dabi hugged him through the whole thing, letting him let it all out

Spinner helped Toga through it, both of them closer to Magne

Mr. Compress hated his arm for the first while, because he couldn't feel shit and was too strong for his own good

Shigaraki kept a close eye on the people Toga stalked, for some reason

He himself left a letter to Midoryia and Tokoyami, Midoryia's was just a threat and Tokoyami's was an apology and an offer to join the league

Aziawa burned both.

Mr. Compress has accidentally stolen 1A kids before, totally an "accident"

Shigaraki and Dabi both made him give them back, but one time he actually forgot he did it and lost the marble

He assumed it was something else and un-compressed it only for Shouji to pop up in the living room

Spinner screamed and Twice jumped up and yelled about a ghost

Toga laughed her ass off and Dabi and Shigaraki raced to kill Compress first.

Compress assured them he could get the kid back in time and Shouji started freaking out because he was going to be late for school, even though upon closer inspection he seemed sick.

Shigaraki glared at Compress and Toga hopped up with a knife, and said she had an idea

So that's how Toga got into UA, Shouji was stuck with the league, before he could do anything about it he puked, so there really was no getting out of it

Dabi, Compress and Kurogiri took one look at the kid and went "fuck" and Twice almost puked at the smell(same Twice)

Kurogiri got Twice and Compress to go get medicine while Dabi went to get a thermometer and blankets while Shigaraki screamed about the carpet

Shouji was stuck on the couch for the rest of the day, and when Toga came back, melting back into herself, she flopped next to Sho and complained about the fact that a building was dropped on her

That made everyone go "nANI THE FUCK-"

Shouji just pat her head and went "Yeah I get it, you get used to it" making Dabi go "oh hell no" and plan a murder

Shouji didn't get better for a few days, getting knocked down by the sickness and once he was deemed "okay" by the league, it had been a week

Toga came home a little early, covered in blood and tears, making everyone jump

When asked what was wrong, Toga wiped her eyes and walked over to Shouji and went "You've been gone for a week and no one's noticed anything different! Do they really not care about you?!"

Shigaraki's head snapped up, Spinner choked on his cereal and Shouji went tense. No one moved for a while

Shouji stood up, said something about fresh air and walked away, Twice followed him

Shouji was in tears, making Twice feel awful and hugged him.

Oops- I didn't mean to rant about that, I'm gonna cut it off before it goes too far-

Dabi and Spinner dye their hair together, I just think Spinner's hair is dyed idk why

Twice and Hawks almost, ALMOST had a fling, but Dabi walked in and went "not today satan" and dragged Hawks away

Dabi doesn't trust Hawks, at all. Never had, never will.

So he snitches and tells Shigaraki about Tokoyami, and now if Hawks puts a toe out of line Shigaraki leans back and asks Dabi to do something, and all he needs to do is ignite his palm for Hawks to get the message

Tokoyami isn't oblivious to the threats sent his way, often when he sneezes random he looks up and goes "someone's talking about me-" and Asui and Shouji would be confused

At one point, Hawks had fucked up a mission and gotten Compress hurt, and during his next patrol with Tokoyami, Dabi followed them the whole time, and when they were in a crowd, Tokoyami was grabbed by the shoulder by Dabi, the news crew didn't get thr conversation, but they only assumed it was bad when Hawks froze and yelled "don't you dare-!"

Tokoyami was shoved to the ground and Dabi disappeared through a portal. Tokoyami was frozen, having heard the whole thing and was effectively confused.

Hawks kept a closer eye on Tokoyami from that day forward

The class did as well, all worried about their classmate

Stain, when he was around, often found himself following 1A outside of class, as he wanted to see who was considered a "hero" and who wasn't

When he was arrested, they found a list with all the names of the students in class 1A and 1B, most were crossing out, only a few were circled in green pen

On the back, it had those students addresses, with a "train the next generation" written beside it

No one wants to know what was meant by that. The names were not given to the public, but the school went into lockdown just in case

[That's it for now, they're all over the place, I know]

[casualotptrash]

Fixes to the Persona Series- Social Links

This was originally going to be the whole point 6 in my Fixes to the Persona Series post, but it was basically the same length as points 1-5 combined so I didn’t want to make the post mega-huge.

Link to the whole post about this topic.

(Spoilers for a lot of P3 things, including the plot and second awakenings) 

I’ll start off with this point, something that needs to be fixed for all of the games is that you shouldn’t only get social link points for saying what the person wants to hear. I get the train of thought that if you say what they want to hear they will like you more, but that’s not how real friendships work? Obviously you shouldn’t be saying something that offends them and think it will raise your points, but sometimes people just need to hear things?

I can think of three standout examples: Nozomi in P3 (Gourmet King), Mishima in P5, and Shinya in P5. Nozomi’s link is a hot mess in of itself, but it was very frustrating to at one point just be like “Hey can you chill?” when he’s trying to induct you into a scam/cult or whatever, and it reverses the social link. Like ok buddy fuck you too, I was just trying to say no and that you need to stop scamming people?? For Mishima in P5 (I’ll go more in depth on him in a later post), it’s just kind of strange that you can clearly see him starting to obsess about the PT’s but you can’t really tell him he needs to stop until the social link demands it. Even then, the only way to get points is pretty much to go “Wow Mishima, you’re the best! You’re the reason we exist! We love you!!!” and it just feels kind of wrong. Shinya’s is very much along the same line as that, except you basically have to do something even worse and encourage him to keep being a bully? Thankfully P5 doesn’t reverse confidants, but I probably would have done so with Shinya because I kept telling him he shouldn’t bully others until I realized how to get points with him. It just feels wrong to encourage such behavior until the character suddenly realizes they’ve been acting wrong. No shit, I’ve been trying to say that.

I think social links need quite the fix to them, but this is definitely one of them. Strong, real relationships are not just built upon telling the other person what they want to hear. 

Now I’m going to go into the structure of how social links are made and how they affect the characters. I have so much to say about this it’s not even funny. There are two major parts to this, but the second heavily ties into the first, so I’ll just go through them one at a time while trying to make sense.

The first part is that, simply put, integral character growth should not be tied to social links. The completion/tipping point of a character’s growth seems to be signified by their second awakening taking place. For example, in P3, all of the cast members awaken after a big event happens in game which causes them to grow. Most of this is them learning how to move on past the deaths of their loved ones, but still the idea remains the same. The game still has some pretty significant social links with party members too, so it’s not like the social links really suffered from this. In fact, I would say it made the social links even better, and it did this by fleshing out the characters further.

For this example, I’m going to use Akihiko’s growth from the story and social link in P3P because I feel like I know it quite well and it’s one of the best examples of this.

In the main story, it’s clear that Akihiko has a couple of problems. He’s quick to fight, reckless with his own health, and cant let go of the past. Along with these traits, he also cares very much about his friends. He considers Tartarus to be a training ground, is actually injured for the first few months of the game, scolds the MC, Junpei, and Yukari a bit for going out to the alleyway (where Shinji saved them) because it was dangerous, and desparately wants Shinji to rejoin SEES. Him and Shinji, on multiple occasions, talk about the incident where Shinji killed Ken’s mother. Akihiko says that Shinji needs to let go of the past, and Shinji echoes the same sentiment back at him.

What all of these problems step from is the death of his sister, Miki. They were both young and orphans, along with Shinji, and one day during a fire Shinji held Akihiko back from running back into the burning building. Inside the burning building was Miki, who Akihiko was trying to get to, and sadly she died in the fire (I’m pretty sure all of this isn’t revealed until P3P with his social link, but in any version of the game we find out that Miki is dead). Because of this, he felt powerless and from then on strived to be powerful enough to save those around him, which is why he’s obsessed with training to such a degree that he doesn’t care about personal harm to himself.

All of this eventually comes to a head when Shinji dies in the story, and Akihiko isn’t able to save him. At a memorial for his death, Akihiko says this:

“I was too obsessed with power. Ever since I lost Miki, that's all I've cared about. I thought that if I was strong enough, I could protect anyone. But I was wrong... And now You're gone too... I'm such an idiot. In battle, there's always a chance of dying... I knew that! But I was so focused on fighting that I didn't notice anything else! It didn't matter how tough I was! Look what happened!”

He cries for his friend, and then is reminded that this is not what Shinji would want. He would want him to keep living his life, and finally let go of the ghosts of his past. So, this is what he does. At that point, his character growth basically reaches its climax and he awakens to Caesar. This all happens in the main story of the game.

Now, how did they decide to do his social link in P3P? Personally, I think it was genius. Due to all of that growth being integral to the main story, they could not just take it out and shove it into a social link. They had to find another thing to make the social link about, and instead of making it about something pointless they connect it to the main growth in the game. (Note, this social link is only available in the FeMC route)

In general, what his social link is about mirrors his growth in the main story a lot. In the beginning, he treats the MC with an overwhelming sense of care, almost to a condescending degree. You’re always going out to eat, him saying how much you need to eat to grow strong, and jogging/running with him. Taking out the more romantic parts of the social link (although they are *chefs kiss*), eventually it progresses to the point where he asks you if you can stop being the field leader of SEES. Of course, he immediately takes this back and laments that you couldn’t just do that. You have the option to question if he thinks you arent good enough for the job, and he quickly says that the MC is capable, and he didn’t mean to imply that you werent, but he doesn’t want you to be in danger. The social link is frozen after this, as Akihiko doesn’t know how to balance his overwhelming worry and concern about the MC being hurt.  

After Shinji’s death, the social link continues and he reveals the event of Miki’s death. At one point even says he feels like he doesn’t deserve to live because she died. It’s a very sad event, but because of his resolution from the main story with Shinji’s death he is able to open up to the MC. In the end, he comes to the conclusion that he’ll never get over the anger and sadness he feels for his sister’s death, and he accepts that she is dead, but he feels guilty because he wanted to ask you to bear this burden with him. He also starts to wonder what his feelings toward the MC mean, because he is very conflicted, and admits he might be seeing Miki in you (hence the overwhelming protecting nature he has for you in the link, and slightly condescending big-brother tendencies).

In his rank 9, he admits that he was tired of losing what was important to him. He thought that it would be better not to let things get too important, rather than risk losing them. He realizes this is wrong, and says he now knows he needs to work to protect everything precious from him. If the romance route was taken then he sees you as a precious loved one, while if the romance route is not taken he likens you to the status of Miki, aka a precious sister to him.

As you can see from the synopsis, a lot of what was in the social link is directly tied into his main growth in the story, however it is also not integral to his main growth. It stems off of it, not the other way around. Whoever made the extra social links in P3P did an amazing job at doing this exact thing, perhaps because they couldn’t change the growth in the main story. Either way, it’s a perfect example of how social links should be done.

If you’re interested in watching the growth from the social link directly, here is the link: Akihiko social link rank 1-10

You might be thinking, how is this issue really that big of a problem? Akihiko was a great character before his P3P social link, so if the growth is there either way (in story or social link) then it should be fine. My answer to this is in short, as the series progressed from P3 this problem got worse to the point where it negatively impacts the characters. The reason this got worse and impacts the characters so much, especially with the ones from P5, is because of the nature of how social links are set up. Obviously, social links are optional. They have to be, because not everyone is going to finish all of them in one run. This presents the unique issue of needing to make social links meaningful, but also not necessary. I would think anyone who reads that sentence would immediately understand how those two things do not mix well, especially when almost all of the important character growth is pushed into the social link. I’ll be using the social links (party members specifically) in P5 as my example to illustrate this because they’re the best for this.

At the very best, party member confidants in P5 feel like they contribute a good bit of character development alongside the story (on the surface). At the very worst, confidants in P5 feel like they actively contradict the story. Ann is probably the best example of this, but it happens to the rest of the main cast too, to varying degrees. I’m not as familiar with Ann’s confidant as Akihiko’s, but I’m going to try and do my best.

Essentially, Ann’s confidant is about finding her passion, becoming a stronger person, and overcoming her guilt. Outside of the occasional discussions about Shiho, how strong she is, and Ann discussing how she needs to become strong for her, one of the main things you do in the confidant is help Ann use various methods to be a better model (because she comes to the conclusion that she wants to be serious about modeling, her hobby, since Shiho is trying so hard to get back to her normal life). I have played Persona 5 vanilla twice, and Royal twice, and every time I have completed Ann’s confidant. That being said, it’s kind of sad that I could do it four times and barely remember the “becoming a stronger person” and “overcoming her guilt” part of it (outside of Ann saying Shiho is strong, and Ann asking us to insult her to make her stronger). She does have a very good conclusion with Shiho, and it’s is really sweet to see them hug on the roof and everything, but other than that the main outcome of the confidant is that Ann is going to really try for her modeling career and needs to change her habits because of this. Some of those habits she changes is by eating less junk food, exercising, etc.

Here’s where the issue comes in. You go through this whole confidant and have Ann come to that conclusion, and then throughout multiple scenes (and the rest of the story) Ann adheres to none of it. It’s the most whiplash I’ve ever experienced when one day Ann says she’s going to cut the sweets, and then the next something happens in game and she’s just chowing down on all of the food. To be clear, I do not care if Ann is eating a lot of a little in the grand scheme of things. Like I said, this is just an example that illustrates the total tonal dissonance present from the social link to the main story.

The whole reason this occurs is because, like I said earlier, the confidant has to be meaningful but not necessary to the plot. This is a major problem when pretty much the whole reason for her character growth, the plot with Shiho, is in the confidant. No matter if you do the confidant or not, in the story the characters will always act as if the confidant plot has not happened at all...because they physically cannot write it into the main story as it is optional. The reason this worked with Akihiko was because he had his main growth outside of the social link, and the social link tied into his growth, and the reason this doesn’t work for the P5 cast is because their growth is set up in the opposite way. Instead of tying their main growth in the story to the confidant, the story acts as a stepping stone for their main growth in story of the confidant.

I predict some people might read what I just said and counter with the point “You cant just expect their whole personalities to change,” and they would be right, if that was what I was explaining. It’s not. Obviously base personality traits are always going to be present, but the reason for having character growth is for the characters to grow. Futaba can always be more shy and timid around others, but if you go through her whole confidant where she learns to be more independent and then later on have her go somewhere and completely shut down? That is not growth. Her change can manifest in her being shy about going somewhere new, but adapting to it a lot quicker than she did before the confidant was completed. But, like I said, because of how the confidants are set up this is just not possible.

It took this long to get here, but we finally arrive at how the second point ties in. The second point is that, because of this issue with tying in integral growth with the social link, the characters end up being very one-note in the story (if you take out the inclusion of the social link). In my opinion, P3 doesn’t really suffer from this (although there still are bland characters in that game. Sometimes the writing is just not that exciting. Sorry Fuuka, you’re better in the spinoffs), P4 suffers from it a little (Teddie talking about girls 90% of the time, Yukiko laughing at everything, Meat Chie, etc.), and P5 has the most rampant cases of this.

This doesn’t mean that the characters are not well written, it just means that the game is going to be way more enjoyable if you are able to max everyone’s social link in comparison to only maxing a few. Putting aside the gameplay benefits, I usually love my NG+ runs more than my first run because it allows me to see all of the characters so much more.

I know that all of the characters could be shoved into stereotypical boxes if we had to, but we basically don’t need to for P5. If you do not do any confidants with party members in P5, tell me how many times Ryuji shows his remorseful and caring side for the trouble he has caused the track team in the main story. Oh wait, you can’t! He’s pushed around as the proverbial butt-monkey for almost the entire game, and at least Junpei and Yosuke got some deeper interaction with the story when they were in this role. If you only experience Ryuji from the main plot, you’d probably want to throttle him with how many times he ogles at Ann, argues with Morgana, tries to pick up girls, and shouts about being a Phantom Thief and wanting fame.

I will admit, they do have some deep moments here and there, when the main story calls for it, but other than that (again, without doing the social link) the PT’s kind of have as much characterization as a piece of cardboard. This is a big problem, especially when the cast is full of great characters! I played P5 4 times, and it still isn’t my favorite cast. There are some really good characters in there, but they just could not compare to the P3 cast for me (even though P3 was filled with a lot of highs and a lot of lows). Yukari was kind of a bitch and I didn’t like her for a long time, but at least I felt something! Poor Haru is just shoved off into a corner and characterized as the “team mom but would kill you, sad her father died, also has a crush on you” for the whole game unless you do her confidant.

Jury is still out on the P4 cast, because I see a little bit of what P3 had going on and what P5 does in them. Every time Yosuke is talking about something serious or profound I get really excited, only for it to be followed up with some dumb (usually homophobic) joke. I like the extra interactions the P4 cast has in comparison to P5, but even in those situations it feels like each member is kind of cast into their stereotypical role (Teddie want pussy, Yukiko laugh, Chie meat, etc.). I imagine once I do finish P4G and get to do my NG+ I will like the cast a lot more, but only because I will be able to do all of their social links.

Despite all of this, whether a character from the game has great growth or not, you can always count on Atlus to flanderize each character into their one “defining” (aka memed) trait to hell and back in any spinoff.

Sorry, don’t mind me crying in the corner with how Akihiko was massacred from a deep character into a protein junkie.