#i literally love them so much................... i could write whole essays they're literally like my favourite dynamic in all of DOD

[discjude]

Yeah this is about right (as always my thoughts are in the tags so there's actually kei content there lmao)

[gu6chan]

what are they talking about...........................

[rekino2114]

Cute things the drdt girls do for you

A/n:episode 15 was pretty great, I might post my full thoughts on it and chapter 2 as a whole next week when it ends maybe

Teruko tawaki

Follows the sidewalk rule

The sidewalk rule says that when two people are walking on the sidewalk the one who is stronger and/or can take a hit better is the one who walks near the traffic, and teruko follows it...only with you

She has actually been hit by cars before because of her luck (you were very concerned when she randomly dropped that in the middle of a conversation) so protecting you from that is her main priority

She kinda does it subconsciously, gently gripping your wrist and guiding you on the right side, when you ask her why she did that she just blushes and blurts out "I don't want you to get hit by a car"

She actually did get hit when she was with you once but you were unharmed while teruko had to go to the hospital

"I'm so so sorry teru, I should have been more careful"

"Don't worry, at least you're ok, plus this isn't the worst accident that ever happened to me"

"........You're literally covered in bandages and casts"

"Yeah and?"

You start to think her luck actually works because of how she can survive stuff like that

Min jeung

Writes love letters

Min spends a lot of her time writing, be it papers, notes or her schedule. Writing is a big part of her day-to-day life, but what she loves writing the most is definitely love letters for you

Her grammar and handwriting are impeccable, even her punctuation is on point. The only way you can tell that it's a love letter and not an English essay is because of the heart drawn at the bottom

There doesn't have to be a specific reason for her to write you a letter sometimes she just feels like doing it, and you love receiving them,they're a written testament of her love for you

Sometimes they're in really cute envelopes with stamps and everything. she loves seeing your reaction to reading them

"Hello y/n, I have written this to inform you that unfortunately, I won't be able to hang out with you today as I have an important test, feel free to come to my dorm at around 7 pm though, I should have finished by then, I know I could have texted you this but a letter is more romantic don't you think?

Love you

Min jeung" ♡

P.s.:If you see Charles, do you mind telling him thanks for helping me in chemistry? He was a great help

P.p.s.:Yes, don't worry, I'll remember to take breaks, I know how you get if I don't

Arei nageishi

beats up people for you

Ok, it's more than that. It's more how she treats you compared to other people. She's way nicer to you compared to everyone else. Sure, she still teases, throws light insults at you, but you know she doesn't actually mean it...unlike with everyone else (except eden)

She's more than ok with people insulting her. She's used to it by now, and she can easily verbally abuse the person until they cry, but when someone insults you then they truly fucked up

She'll be smiling and giggling with you while the unconscious and bloody body of the person who was unfortunate or stupid enough to say anything negative about you is near her .....you didn't even know she was that strong but now you're kinda scared of her even if you know she'd never hurt you

She also kinda does it to receive compliments and praise for you, she expects you to be flattered and in awe at what she did for you, which you are, but you're also too worried about her to really compliment her

"Not everyone likes you, you're not y/n"

"Not everyone likes y/n"

"......names"

"......What?"

"Give me names bitch, I'll shut their mouth for good when I find them"

Hu jing

Makes you packed lunches

Listen, we all know how much of a mom this girl is. She practically adopted nico. and as her partner, you're definitely on the receiving end of her motherly tendencies

She scolds you when you don't clean your dorm,constantly sends you texts to make sure you're ok, and always checks during the day to make sure you've eaten enough and the best way to assure that is making you lunch herself

Everything always tastes great and incredibly fresh (definitely way better than what the school gives you), but you still feel kinda embarrassed. Even when you try to reject it, she'll try to feed you to make sure you eat. She also definitely wipes your mouth when you're finished

She also writes you a cute note saying things like "hope you have a great day, remember to stay hydrated and study hard" which......doesn't make that much sense since you always eat together in the cafeteria and she's literally standing near you as you read the note but it's so adorable you don't carea

"Come on Darling, you need to eat, don't you like what I made for you?"

"N-no it's not that hu, it's......embarrassing"

"Y/n l/n if you don't eat that, I'll make you....even if it's embarrassing, you still need to eat enough"

"......o-ok"

".....you too huh?"

"Hi nico.......yeah"

J rosales

Gives you her hoodie

Most of her classmates have seen j without her hoodie only on rare occasions, unlike you who have seen her like that multiple times

It's often when it's cold outside, j notices and takes off her hoodie to give it to you, you're very surprised and ask her if it's OK since she'll be cold too then but she just dismisses it and says that you're more important

If you compliment her on how pretty and cool she looks without it on, especially how beautiful her hair looks (I genuinely really love her hair, it looks so cool), she'll blush a lot and maybe ask for her hoodie back so she can hide her face in it (like she does in her sprite)

She'll actually start to wear her hood down more after you compliment her hair enough, because she secretly wants you to do it more but is too embarrassed to ask

"You sure about this j? Won't you get cold?"

"Nah, it's fine, if it really gets cold, I'll just put another one on"

"Cool, thanks so much babe"

"You're welcome"

".....did i mention your hair is pretty?"

"*blushes* y-yeah this is like the fifth time you said it"

"Sorry I can't help it if it's true"

Veronika grebenshchikova

Gifts you plushies

......kinda, it's more accurate to say she gifts you what once were plushies. Some have their heads ripped off, others are covered in blood with one of their eyes missing, it's creepy but sweet...in a Veronika way

Sometimes, she doesn't even give you the plushies directly. They just..... appear on your bed, the only way you can tell Veronika was the one to leave them is because only she would and could do something like this.....you still have no idea how she gets in your dorm but are too afraid to ask

She also gives you plushie and merchandise of every horror movie you can think of. One time she gave you a very haunted looking doll, like the one from Annabelle, and you could have sworn you saw it move at night

When you have movie night at your dorm (which happens very often), Veronika likes to snuggle with both you and all the plushies in your bed as you do the same, it's actually really comfortable

"*sigh* I hate group projects"

"Come on, teruko, I'm sure we'll get it done fast"

"Whatev-.......WHAT THE FUCK?"

"Oh those are the plushies Veronika gives me, aren't they cute?"

"1;NO THEY AREN'T 2: that's not what i meant.....WHY THE HELL IS VERONIKA IN YOUR ROOM?"

"Oh hi vero"

"HI darling, I just wanted to put this new plushie I got you in here"

".......the door was locked, y/n just opened it, how did you get here?"

"Oh yeah she does that, I don't know either"

"*giggle*"

"......You two are deranged"

Rose lacroix

Remembers everything about you

Ok, she remembers everything, period, but that's especially true for you. Any date that is important to you, like a birthday or a special event (like your first kiss) instantly becomes important to her too the moment you mention it, and she'll most likely give you gifts for them

Any food you like and dislike as well as any possible allergies you have are always on her mind when you're eating together, she could even order for you at restaurants if you want, she knows your tastes perfectly after all

Any gifts she gives you always is something you like, no matter if you just mentioned it once to her she remembered and got it for you, there doesn't even need to be a special date for it, sometimes she just feels like it and gifts you something

Unlike basically everything else, your information, likes, and dislikes are actually things she wants to remember and willingly keeps them in her mind. She loves you, so all of this is extremely important information to her

"Hey y/n, do you like this? I just finished painting it, take it"

"Oh it looks great, but why do you want to give it to me? It's not my birthday or anything"

"Oh no, I know, but it is your mom's birthday isn't it? I wanted to give it to her so she'd think I'm a good girlfriend"

"Oh OK....yeah it is. How did you know?"

"You told me, I think it was about.....three months ago, we were talking our families and you brought that up"

"You remembered that, that's so cool"

"Eh, I guess perfect memory comes with some pros....sometimes"

[pasta-in-the-pudding]

Warmly greet!🫰 I just came across your blog today and I'm already in love with it!🖤🖤🖤 Could I leave a request here where Puppeteer, Jason, Candy Pop and LJ have a S/O who has insecurities about not being good enough for them? Because, come on...they're supernatural, not quite human, and their S/O is a regular, weak human, at least from the S/O's point of view...

Oooh thank you, friend! Also, i never get to write for Candypop or LJ so i am excited to do it!

Thank you so much for requesting!!

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

Puppeteer

He will just kind of stare at you when you tell him those feelings

Like??? Are you kidding???

He is so obsessively in love with you that the thought of you feeling like you aren't enough for him is wild to him

Instantly he will assure you that you are more than he could ever dream of, and how much he loves you

He doesnt love you for supernatural abilities or powers, he loves you for you

Again, the thought of you not being enough for him doesn't even really comprehend in his mind

it's so insane to him that you, his most favorite person in the world who he couldn't live without, thinks that they aren't enough for him

If anything, he isn't enough for you, in his opinon

you are a literal deity walking on earth, and he is lucky enough to even witness your beauty and you think you arent enough???

Yeah, those thoughts are snuffed out rather quickly by him

He will spend the entire day going over every little thing he adores about you if he has to

Jason The Toymaker

He is just kind of confused when you express your feelings to him

"Now, what's this all about?" he asks with a pitiful look towards you

He honestly thinks that it's kind of weird that those feelings are even something humans are capable of feeling

What does he care that you don't have any weird abilities?

"Even when you are old and grey I will still love you. I will love you when you are in pain, and I will love you when you are happy. You being human makes no difference to me, because I love you. Even when you breathe your last breath, your soul will live on with me in the form of my favorite doll I will keep on a special shelf, pristine and upkept"

He's kind of a helpless romantic lol

Bro gave you a whole essay

anyways, he literally could not care less if you are magical or not, he's just thinks you're neat <33

CandyPop

He kind of thinks its funny that you think that

He will snort and look at you like you're joking "why??"

"You shouldn't feel that way. It's pointless to. Because you and I both know that no matter what, I still love you. I wouldn't be with you if I didn't like you at least a little bit"

He will joke around with you and make you try to feel good about being human

You are allowed to go pretty much wherever you please without being called a demon, he can't

Your squishy flesh human body is quite sustainable on its own, being able to morph and adapt to extreme situations, which he thinks is neat

And his personal favorite about humans, specifically you, you have such a wide array of expressing yourself! You have emotions, art, studies, etc

He loves you being human and you not liking being human is strange to him

Laughing Jack

He understands the insecurity

He can't say he's ever felt it, because he gives literally no fucks, but he understands

He will do whatever you want him to do about it, really

Lord knows he doesn't know what to do

If you wanna rant, he'll listen

If you wanna just be doted on, that's what he'll do

Whatever makes you feel better

Honestly, he does find it a little peculiar that you don't like being human

Like, if he could be 5'10", wear whatever he wants, do whatever he wants, go whatever he wants, etc, he'd be soooo happy

His 7'6" ass could never

[tiredofthehumanlife]

Blaise Zabini hcs

flavor: fluffy and smutish but they're separated so you won't get jump scared

fluffy

literally liked you since 2cend year

saw you in herbology and was like “I may be 13 but that's the love of my life”

all his friends were goofing around with him bc he was too anxious to actually talk to you

He never even made eye contact with you he was too scared

and then you just appeared next to his seat at dinner and handed him a letter

you asked him out in your letter in the best way a second-year student can and he was bullied so hard by his friends bc he was flustered 24/7

Eventually, as your one-month anniversary turned into 6 and then a year his friends cared less and less

you guys just kept going and they just got accustomed to you two just being together it was like “Where are our parents” and then they found you both sitting in the commonroom just sitting in silence together and they're like “Aha we’ve found them”

like you've become a package deal

you guys are the healthiest relationship on the entire planet

you're perfect

he's your number one supporter no matter what you could kill a man and he'd be like “Yeah baby whatever you want”

you could walk out wearing only a belt and he'd be like “Oh fuck them up do a spin hell yeah you look bomb oh shit hell yeah baby”

He will listen to you talking about your favorite flavor of candle wax for years he just loves you soooooooo much

rates your burps you guys have been together since you were 13 years old you grew together and so it's just like nothing is gross anymore bc like “and?”

so far you have not gotten a 10 but you're working on it

you have gotten a 9.25 though so you are getting there

You guys are so stable in your relationship that even if someone does flirt with you or him the other is just like “Okay? And?”’ Like Draco will be like “Your boyfriend got flirted with today” and you're like “Alright. Hey also did you do that essay or like what?”

biter

he's a tad rabid you'll both be sitting next to each other minding your own business and he'll just lean over and bite your shoulder

and when you're like ? he's like “It's cuteness aggression, it's natural. Read a book every now and then”

once you saw how much he enjoyed quidditch and so you tried out, broke your arm, and decided not to do sports anymore

Blaise was super stressed out the entire time you were in the hospital wing he pacing constantly and muttering

He makes your breakfast plate every morning while you're passed out on his shoulder

you have so many inside jokes that have you two almost pissing yourself from laughter and everyone else is just glaring at you

impromptu dancing in sync is a bit frequent between you two

you'll get stuck in a hallway doing that “Oh they'll go that way so I should go this way” but you both go in the same direction thing and he'll just pull you in and you both waltz out of the situation before just walking off in opposite directions like nothing happened

he's literally perfect the best boy in the whole world

He listens to all your rants all the way through and takes notes

one time Draco asked if Blaise knew anything about your friends and Blaise pulled out one of those corkboards with the red yarn

he's like perposterly good at history of magic

massive lover of study dates and nap dates

your grades skyrocket every time you ask for his help stg

spoils you rotten his mother is a breadwinner dude she bathes in 100-dollar bills

also he is a total mommas boy he sends his mom a letter every single day

when you did meet her you were like “Aha so that's where his good looks come from” Pansy heavily thirsted over her she was actively asking Blaise how old she was like “Mm that's not that big of an age difference” and Blaise was like “You're not rich enough babe cut your losses and end with dignity”

you guys are passing letters

he will be writing out love poems and handing them to you while stealing a piece of bacon off your plate

he's so deeply in love with you and has been for so long that he just like gives no shits anymore

yeah he gets all wimpy and lovey-dovey around you of course he would what are talking about dude

if anyone is like “Dude you're pussywhipped” or whatevs yk ppl hate Simps yadaa yada hell just be like “Yeah? and? which one of us in in the committed relationship again?”

god he is so-

he's just such a loverboy

he remembers every anniversary, holiday, birthday, and the day you first made eye contact with him, every time there's something important going on with you he remembers

he has your friends' birthdays memorized better than you do

his job is trophy husband and that's about as far as he goes(I'm lying he's so DTDTUYUgfADXZaSFDFZjcADFAGYUA ZXDJADHJKYJWAEMQC DFSIN)

he's so funny You're giggling all the time

nsfw(ish)

tits guy unless you don't have tits then he's all over your ass dude

this one time you guys were relaxing in his dorm as one does and Draco walked in and you were straight up just shirtless laying back against Blaise and he was just holding your tits (he's self-soothing its fine) and you guys were just like “hey:)” “hi:) how was your test” Draco just turned around and left

if he ever sees you laying down on your stomach he's flinging himself to you as fast as he can so he can use your ass as his pillow

you think he's weird though when he does that so you're like “Dude what if I fart” and he's like “Why do you have to rain on my parade?” And he continues to do it bc like that's his home<3

every time you walk past him he slaps your ass

you threatened to stab him once because he did it out of habit in front of a teacher and both got detention

he oddly talks dirty quite well however he always does it at the worst of times

You'll be mid-conversation about Enzo’s grades and he'll lean over and whisper the filthiest thing in your ear and you're just like “:/ who raised you?”

munch when he got older he went through a beard phase and shit was bleached 24/7 it was basically platinum

grabbing your ass if you breathe a little differently like the only time hell stop is if his hands are cut off

he likes leaving the door unlocked just cause “babe someone could walk in that makes it 10x more exciting” “I wish you'd shut the fuck up sometimes”

is so used to you shaking ass on him at the randomist of times he's learned how double task so he’ll fully be standing next to Lorenzo and explaining something to him while Pansy is showing you her new playlist and you find a song you like and you’re like “Where is boyfriend the shaking of ass must commenece” and he continues to explain everything to Lorenzeo while you do

:)

[dangerouslypassiveaggressive]

A Terribly Organized Almost-Essay About Suzanne Collins and Why I Think She Writes

Lukewarm take because it's been years, but here it goes: if there's anything I've learned over the years, it's that Suzanne Collins is not a people pleaser. (The author, at least. I don't know her personally lol). And she be pleasing the people, that's not what I mean! I just kept hearing the same question being asked over and over again. "Why Snow? Why him?? Why not anybody else? Really?? A prequel about HIM??" It really made me think.

And don't get me wrong! I'd slash someone's tires for a Finnick prequel just like the next person (Suzanne please!), but that has never been the point of her writing. The Hunger Games novels, and by extension, the prequel book The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, aren't just fun fiction reads. Yeah, they're gripping. The world-building is superb. Young people are at the center of it. And all these characteristics are great, but the thing that draws us in, that keeps us consuming her media like hungry little caterpillars, is that they are, time and time again, a captivating and accurate criticism, analysis, and deconstruction of the broken systems society experiences in the real world. I can only speak from my own experience as a Mexican American woman in the United States, so take all of this with a grain of salt.

The Capitol is colorful and fun and interesting and horrible and sadistic. And it is all those things because it is a symbol of our own real-world 1%, except our own glittering Capitol members here in the real world feed us the hope that we may reach their status if we only work hard enough for long enough. The Hunger Games system never makes that claim. In fact, they are fed the narrative that the system only works because they're stuck where they are. Suzanne Collins is taking everything one step further in her writing because it is a type of satire, a critique of the things we already know. So as an author, she blows it out of proportion so that her reader will say "look at this! How ridiculous! How would someone let the system treat them this way!" And it is ridiculous, it's downright laughable that an entire society, an entire country, would let itself be oppressed in such a cruel way by just a few people in charge instead of rising up and- oh wow, yeah, I see it. She wrote about us.

Suzanne Collins just organized everything neatly into boxes- well, districts. Because every district comes with some form of product that they manufacture, but much more importantly: a class. We go in order from 1-13. District 1 manufactures luxury items and District 2 makes weapons (but mostly trains Peacekeepers), so they have the most privilege and wealth. On the other end, Districts 11 and 12 are the agricultural and coal mining districts, respectively. That's back-breaking work. Not to mention District 11 puts kids as young as 12 to work, and District 12 is poverty-stricken and starving. "But what about District 13?" You may ask, "They make nuclear weapons! Why aren't they up there with 2?" Fantastic question. If we know, and the people of Panem know, that the hierarchy is very clearly set by literal number order, why would one of the most powerful and competent districts be given more power and be put at the top? Placing them at the end lets them believe that they aren't powerful or competent. I mean, jeez, look at 12 and they're before 13? I wouldn't believe I could make it on my own either. (We know now that's not how things go down, but it's a clever power move regardless.)

But after all this, would it hurt Suzanne to give us a single book just for fun?

Yes, I believe it would, that's the whole point. We're not meant to fall for the Peeta/Katniss/Gale love triangle. We're not meant to be interested in Finnick's secrets and early life. We're not meant to want to know the morbid details of how Haymitch won his Games (with double the contestants! Ooh. Aah.) We're meant to be horrified at every turn, at every story. We're meant to ask ourselves how things got so bad, how anyone let this happen. Suzanne Collins has written wonderfully fleshed out characters that grip us and make us want to know more, but the point has never been them or even their loved ones. It was never about Katniss or Prim or Peeta or Finnick or Annie. It's always been about the systems that let this story happen, and where Suzanne got her inspiration: the very real lives we lead. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes shows us the same thing.

So why Coriolanus Snow? Because he is the catalyst to a broken system that only serves the powerful. If Suzanne were to write a novel about any of our much more beloved characters, then she would be writing the exact same book over and over about the same oppression happening in the same system. She does not write for the sake of bringing her very well-written characters to life, but to flesh out the poverty, the starvation, the power struggles, the horrors they experience. We know this because she writes a lot of her characters as symbols. (Coin, for instance, as the symbol for a power-hungry figurehead, or Prim as the innocent during war.)

Snow is living in a slightly different biome than what we know from The Hunger Games series. He has to make sacrifices and decisions for him and his family, but it's different. It is a view and critique from the inside looking in. This is not Katniss getting to experience the Capitol for the first time and understanding just how terribly unfair everything is. This is someone who is very aware of the way things work and playing the game to stay in power and keep their privilege. Not only that, but it's someone who feels entitled to all of it. In this novel, Suzanne plays around with power and people's position in it. What if a mad scientist was in charge? What if the creator of the thing that brought a semblance of peace was just as horrified as the reader? How far is one person willing to go for power? What if we saw the dawn of a world we're already familiar with?

So I hope she keeps writing, because I love seeing our world through her eyes and the parallels she writes from our world to hers of the injustices happening every day. Even though we'll probably never get the stories we crave, but that's okay. Keep putting those kids through hell, Suzanne.

[thisbarbiereallylikesbirds]

Aly do u prefer yoshi + splinter being the same character or separate? could u rank the yoshis/splinters from your least favorite to most favorite? thank u!

Good question!!

Personally, I prefer it when they're the same character, it's just more interesting in my opinion. Now, that's not to say that Splinters that start out as a rat can't have cool backstories (I actually really like 03 Splinter's), but I always find myself more intrigued if they used to be human. It really allows the writers to dig into what it would be like for someone to suddenly not be human anymore. Plus the idea of a guy getting turned into a rat and then turning around and being like "I guess the only course of action is to raise four turtles in the sewers" is really funny to me. It definitely takes a specific person for that to be their first course of action.

And, of course, if he was human first that means he probably had a close relationship with Tang Shen. I wrote an entire essay on why she's such an interesting character to me so I won't get into that here, but getting to hear about her from a primary (and often biased) source is really fun. I love characters that haunt the narrative.

Now I've only ever seen Rise, 03, and MM/Tales in full. I've seen a few episodes of 2012 but 87, the comics, and all other iterations aren't gonna be included since I don't know enough about them.

Rise Splinter. What can I say. I made the Nameless Trio just to put this idiot and his friends in situations and watch how they react. His past with the Hamato Clan, the whole Lou Jitsu era, and the Battle Nexus era are all super interesting to me, plus I love reading and writing little fics where this man who had no intention of ever even interacting with a child suddenly has to raise four of them. While he's not always the best father (or the best person if we're being so real) it's clear that he loves his kids.

03 Splinter. This guy is just...the sweetest I can't even. In my opinion he's the best dad out of all the Splinters (at least the ones I've seen). I mean he literally used to be a rat, and yet is a good father even by human standards (it's my personal head canon that he had a rat family before at some point so he does have practice raising kids, but still). I love how Yoshi would just bring him literally everywhere, I love how much he cares. He's just great.

2012 Splinter. Now I know some people really hate this guy, and like I said early I haven't seen the whole series. However. This man has a cheese phone and runs on a wheel. He committed to the bit and I have to respect that. Plus, his whole backstory with Karai and Shen is super interesting to me. And in my opinion Splinter and Shredder being brothers is an elite choice. The obvious favoritism of his children isn't great, but I can appreciate a complex character.

Mutant Mayhem/Tales Splinter. I'm gonna be so honest I don't know if we've really seen enough of this guy for me to have a super concrete opinion on him. In my review of TOTTMNT I did talk about how annoying it was to have him just speak vermin, and I do still stand by that. That being said, I don't hate him. It's obvious that he cares about his kids and wants the best for him. I've seen some theories that maybe he was lying about his past and used to be Hamato Yoshi. Personally I don't buy it, but due to my personal preferences I do kinda hope that's the case lol.

This ended up being a lot longer than i thought it would be!! I hope you enjoyed me rambling about the old rat man.

Thanks for the ask!!

[bookishjules]

wait i just realized that izzy won’t be anyone’s suggenes :(((( jace needs to do some charity work and pick her to be his

izzy is close to everyone in the gang (except maybe magnus) but everyone has someone they’re closer to :( she’s the heart of the group fr

gosh.. i mean it's one thing to not be any of her best friends'/siblings' suggenes, but the implication of that?? ouch :( like obviously simon is exempt from the "everyone has someone they're closer to" because she and clary are on pretty equal footing in that regard, but he's literally the one she'll be marrying. like.. gosh i wish i could reference my own fics without feeling conceited.. but basically there's this thought i've explored before about izzy comparing her marriage to what it must feel like to have a parabatai. just bc she's never had someone THAT close.

i think that's something (among many) that the show really didn't understand. having clary ask izzy to be her parabatai is kinda counterintuitive to izzy's whole role in the story. a character who acts as glue the way izzy's does isn't usually meant to be anyone's best friend. and it's important that the character whose needs she's sometimes the only one to put first is the one most commonly and repeatedly viewed as an outcast.

she really is placed so much at the center of their little gang. it's amazing how much her role in the narrative is defined by her heart. everyone else has demons and enemies and expectations, but izzy is positioned at the heart, battling it out with the things that make them human more than anything (in the shape of the narrative i mean). grief and forgiveness and anxiety and love. not that everyone else isn't dealing with these things, but they play out prominently for her, tying all the rest of the gang together with that heart ..i don't think i'm saying this right. but i really think i could write a whole essay on this topic and i don't want it to get to long-winded

(also as an aside, i do think izzy is close with magnus. i think there's an ease about the way they interact and talk about and to one another that implies that. they have some things in common that go beyond their mutual love for alec, and add that to mutual respect.. i mean she's definitely not at the top of the list for him, but there is something to be said about that bil/sil relationship imo)

[galaxysupreme17]

AU - The Study Session Scheme

Y/n = Your Name

Rio Vidal x daughter!reader!

The sound of pages turning and soft mumbling filled the Kaplans' cozy living room as Y/n and Billy worked through their study materials. Agatha's English class was no joke, and an upcoming in-class essay loomed over them. Both teens were determined to be prepared. Y/n sat cross-legged on the plush carpet, her notebook sprawled in front of her, while Billy was draped dramatically over the couch, his textbook balanced on his knees.

"Okay," Billy said, tapping his pen against his chin. "Let's run through potential themes again. If Agatha's giving us 'identity' as one of the prompts, you know she will want something deep. Like, existential crisis-level deep."

Y/n snorted, flipping through her own notes. "Great. I'll write, 'Who am I?' fifty times and see if I get extra credit for creativity."

Billy laughed, but his expression turned thoughtful as he set his notebook aside. "Speaking of identity," he started, his voice taking on a tone that Y/n instantly recognized as suspicious, "I've been thinking about your mom."

Y/n froze mid-highlight, her eyes narrowing. "What about her?"

"Okay, hear me out," Billy said, sitting up and leaning forward, his enthusiasm practically radiating off him. "Rio and Ms. Harkness would be perfect together."

"What?" Y/n blinked, genuinely startled. "No. Absolutely not."

Billy raised his hands in mock surrender. "Just listen. They're both super smart, super cool, and, let's be honest, Ms. Harkness could use a little happiness in her life. She's got that 'mysterious loner' vibe, but your mom? She's the kind of person who could break through that."

Y/n rolled her eyes, trying to focus back on her notes. "Billy, this is not happening. My mom doesn't need me meddling in her love life."

"But it's not meddling," Billy argued, scooting closer. "It's... facilitating destiny."

"That's literally meddling," Y/n shot back. "And what makes you think they'd even like each other? Agatha's my teacher, Billy. She'd kill me if she found out I was scheming behind her back."

Billy grinned, unperturbed. "She wouldn't have to know. And come on, you've seen the way she talks about literature-it's like watching someone come alive. She's so passionate and... I don't know, fiery. Your mom's all warmth and energy. They'd balance each other out perfectly."

Y/n sighed, pressing her palms against her face. "Why do I even let you talk me into these things?"

"Because you know I'm right," Billy said, nudging her shoulder with his. "And because you love your mom and want her to be happy. Imagine how great it would be if she had someone to share all her corny jokes and amazing cooking with. Someone who actually gets her."

Y/n peeked at him through her fingers, her resolve wavering. "You're way too good at this, you know that?"

"I'll take that as a yes." Billy grinned triumphantly, flipping open his notebook. "So, here's what I'm thinking: we invite Ms. Harkness over for coffee under the guise of needing extra study help. That's step one."

"Step one?" Y/n groaned. "There's a whole plan?"

"Of course!" Billy said, his eyes lighting up. "Step two is orchestrating some 'chance' encounters. You know, like bumping into each other at the coffee shop or the library."

"Billy," Y/n said, trying to inject some reason into the conversation, "this is ridiculous. And if it blows up in our faces, you're taking the fall."

"Deal," Billy said without hesitation. "But it won't blow up. Trust me, Y/n. Your mom and Ms. Harkness are going to thank us when this all works out."

Y/n shook her head, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"Yep," Billy replied, leaning back against the couch. "But I'm also a genius matchmaker. You'll see."

As they returned to their study session, Y/n couldn't shake the feeling that this was a terrible idea. But as much as she hated to admit it, a small part of her couldn't help but hope Billy was right.

The next morning, Y/n dragged herself into school, already dreading Billy's next move.

"Alright," Billy said, sidling up to her as they walked down the hallway. "Today's the day."

"The day for what?" Y/n asked, pretending she didn't know exactly what he meant.

Billy rolled his eyes. "The day we execute Step One of Operation Matchmaker."

"Billy, no," Y/n groaned. "My mom won't fall for whatever ridiculous scheme you've cooked up, and neither is Ms. Harkness. She's too smart for this."

"Exactly," Billy said, undeterred. "That's why we need a flawless plan. Lucky for you, I've already thought of everything."

"That's not reassuring."

Billy ignored her. "So, I told Ms. Harkness yesterday that we needed a little extra help with our essays. She said she'd be happy to stay after school and go over some pointers. All we have to do is ensure your mom picks us up afterward."

Y/n stopped dead in her tracks. "You're kidding."

"Nope," Billy said, grinning. "And once they meet, sparks are going to fly. Trust me."

Y/n groaned, resuming her walk. "This is a terrible idea. My mom will think it's weird, and Ms. Harkness will think we're insane."

"Or," Billy countered, "your mom and Ms. Harkness will hit it off, go out for coffee, and thank me in their wedding toast. You're welcome."

Y/n shot him a glare. "If this backfires, I'm throwing you under the bus."

That afternoon, Y/n sat stiffly in Agatha's classroom, pretending to focus on her essay notes. Billy, however, was as relaxed as ever, grinning like a cat with a canary.

"So," Billy said, leaning back in his chair as Agatha reviewed his outline. "How's the neighborhood treating you, Ms. Harkness?"

Agatha glanced up, adjusting her glasses. "The neighborhood? Oh, it's quite nice. Peaceful, for the most part. The people are friendly, and it's... quaint."

"Yeah," Billy said, nodding sagely. "Quaint's a good word. Speaking of neighbors, isn't it funny how you live right next door to Y/n and her mom?"

Y/n froze, glaring at Billy. Subtle, Billy. Real subtle.

Agatha raised an eyebrow but smiled. "Yes, I've seen them around. Your mom is lovely, Y/n. Very gracious and polite."

Y/n mumbled, "Thanks," while furiously scribbling nonsense in her notebook to avoid meeting her teacher's gaze.

Billy wasn't done. "You know, Ms. Harkness, you and Rio should totally hang out sometime. Like, maybe over coffee or something? You two seem like you'd get along."

Agatha tilted her head, giving Billy a bemused look. "Is that so?"

"Oh, definitely," Billy said, nodding enthusiastically. "You're both smart, cultured... into books and stuff. It's a match made in neighborly heaven."

Y/n finally snapped her pencil in half, drawing Agatha's attention.

"Are you alright, dear?" Agatha asked, clearly suppressing a laugh.

"Fine," Y/n muttered. "Totally fine. Billy's just... full of ideas today."

Agatha chuckled, standing up and gathering her notes. "Well, it's nice to hear such glowing recommendations. But I think your mom and I are already on friendly terms. No need for elaborate setups."

Billy shot Y/n a triumphant smirk as Agatha turned to her desk. Y/n glared daggers at him, mouthing, Drop it.

After the session, Rio arrived at the school right on time. Y/n braced herself as her mom walked into the classroom, her usual composed demeanor making Y/n wish she could vanish.

"Hi, Agatha," Rio said with a smile. "Thanks for staying late with the kids. Y/n mentioned you've been helping them prep for their essay test."

"Of course," Agatha replied, matching her neighbor's warm tone. "They've been working hard. Billy, in particular, has... enthusiasm."

Billy grinned. "You know it."

Rio chuckled, glancing at Y/n, who was studiously avoiding eye contact. "Well, we appreciate it. Maybe I should return the favor sometime. You're welcome to stop by if you ever need a cup of coffee or a break from grading papers."

Y/n's head snapped up. What?!

"That's very kind of you," Agatha said, her expression softening. "I might just take you up on that."

Billy elbowed Y/n triumphantly, earning himself a whispered, "I'm going to kill you."

"Why don't we walk out together?" Rio suggested, gesturing toward the door.

The four of them left the classroom, Billy practically skipping as they reached the parking lot.

Later that evening, Billy's grin stretched ear to ear as he FaceTimed Y/n from his room.

"Did you see that?!" he crowed. "Step One: executed to perfection. Your mom basically invited her over!"

Y/n flopped back on her bed, groaning. "It wasn't a plan. She was just being polite."

"Polite?!" Billy scoffed. "That was a window of opportunity. Now, all we have to do is nudge them a little closer. What if you 'accidentally' invite Ms. Harkness over while your mom's baking something? Boom-instant bonding over cookies."

"I'm not sabotaging my kitchen for your dumb plan."

Billy smirked. "Fine. Then I'll do it myself. Don't worry, Y/n. Love is on its way."

Y/n groaned, burying her face in her pillow. "I hate you."

"Love you too, bestie," Billy said, already scheming his next move.

The following days were a blur of school, homework, and Billy's relentless scheming. Y/n tried her best to keep him in check, but her so-called best friend was like an unstoppable matchmaking machine. Every time she saw him, he had a new "brilliant" idea for how to bring Agatha and Rio closer together.

On Friday, Y/n was halfway through a study session in the kitchen when Rio walked in, her hands dusted with flour. She was humming softly to herself, a melody Y/n recognized as an old Spanish tune from her childhood.

"Whatcha baking, Mom?" Y/n asked, grateful for the distraction from her notes.

"Conchas," Rio said, flashing her daughter a smile. "I thought I'd bring some to the neighbors. It's been a while since we've shared anything."

Y/n froze. "Which neighbors?"

Rio shrugged. "The Kaplans, of course. And maybe Agatha, if she's home."

Y/n tried to keep her face neutral, but her heart started pounding. Billy's obnoxious voice echoed in her head: "Boom-instant bonding over cookies." She swore he'd willed this into existence.

"Need any help?" Y/n offered her voice a little too eager.

Rio raised an eyebrow. "You? Wanting to help in the kitchen? What's the catch?"

"No catch!" Y/n said quickly, grabbing an apron from the hook on the wall. "I just... want to spend some time with you. That's all."

Rio chuckled, shaking her head. "Alright, mija. Grab the extra rolling pin."

An hour later, a fresh batch of conchas cooled on the counter. The kitchen smelled like cinnamon and sugar, and Y/n had to admit the pastries looked amazing.

Rio carefully arranged a few into a basket, wrapping it with a colorful cloth. "Alright, I'll drop these off at the Kaplans' first. Want to come with me?"

Y/n hesitated. If she went with her mom, she could maybe steer the conversation away from Billy's ridiculous matchmaking plans. But if she stayed behind, there was no telling what might happen if Rio and Agatha ended up chatting alone.

"Uh, sure," Y/n said, grabbing her jacket.

When they arrived at the Kaplans' house, Billy answered the door almost immediately, his face lighting up when he saw the basket.

"Mrs. Vidal! You shouldn't have!" he said, dramatically clutching his chest.

"Don't be so dramatic," Rio said with a laugh. "It's just a little something to share."

Billy winked at Y/n. "Speaking of sharing, how about some gossip? Anything exciting happening on your street?"

Y/n rolled her eyes. "We're leaving now. Bye, Billy."

"Wait!" Billy called as she dragged Rio away. "Don't forget about cookies!"

The walk to Agatha's house felt like an eternity. Y/n mentally prepared herself for the possibility of awkward small talk-or worse, Billy's influence somehow reappeared.

Rio knocked on Agatha's door, and Y/n held her breath as it swung open.

Agatha stood in the doorway, her usual confident demeanor softening into a warm smile when she saw who it was. "Rio, Y/n. What a pleasant surprise."

"I hope we're not interrupting," Rio said, holding out the basket. "I baked some conchas and thought you might enjoy a few."

Agatha's eyes lit up as she accepted the basket. "Thank you. That's very kind of you. Please, come in."

Y/n reluctantly followed her mom inside, and the cozy atmosphere of Agatha's home immediately made her feel out of place. Books were stacked neatly on almost every surface, and the faint scent of lavender lingered in the air.

Agatha set the basket on the counter and turned to Rio. "Would you like some tea? I was just about to make a pot."

Rio smiled. "That sounds lovely."

Y/n stared at them, torn between panic and disbelief as they chatted like old friends. Agatha asked about the recipe for the conchas, and Rio told her stories about learning to bake as a child.

It wasn't until Agatha laughed-a genuine, carefree laugh-that Y/n realized Billy might actually have been onto something.

"Well, I should let you get back to your evening," Rio said after finishing her tea. "Thank you for having us, Agatha."

"The pleasure was mine," Agatha replied, walking them to the door. "And thank you again for the conchas. They're delightful."

As they stepped outside, Y/n glanced over her shoulder to see Agatha watching them with a small smile.

"You two seemed to hit it off," Y/n said casually as they walked home.

Rio shrugged, her expression unreadable. "She's a very interesting woman."

Y/n didn't know what to make of that, but she couldn't help feeling a little hopeful. Maybe Billy wasn't entirely insane after all.

Of course, she wasn't about to tell him that.

The next morning, Y/n groaned when her phone buzzed with a FaceTime call from Billy.

"Good news!" Billy said the moment she picked up. "I heard from my mom that Ms. Harkness loved the conchas. She even called your mom 'charming.'"

Y/n sighed, flopping back onto her bed. "I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?"

"Nope," Billy said, his grin practically glowing through the screen. "Now, onto Step Two..."

Y/n groaned, but despite herself, she couldn't stop the small smile that crept onto her face.

A couple of weeks later, the morning sun cast a golden glow over the quiet suburban street as Rio Vidal stepped outside to retrieve the mail. She tugged her cardigan tighter against the crisp air, savoring the stillness. These peaceful moments were rare, and Rio had learned to appreciate them after her divorce and the big move.

As she sifted through bills and junk mail, a voice called out, interrupting her thoughts.

"Morning, Rio."

She glanced up to see Agatha Harkness walking by, her dark coat swishing dramatically with each step. The signature smirk on Agatha's face made Rio's heart do an embarrassing flip.

"Morning, Agatha," Rio replied, trying to sound casual as she tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

Agatha slowed her pace, pausing near the gate to Rio's yard. "You're up early. I take it the chaos upstairs hasn't started yet?"

Rio chuckled. "Not yet, but give it time. Teenagers and FaceTime marathons are a dangerous combination."

Agatha laughed, her gaze lingering on Rio. Their flirtation had been building for months, with each interaction filled with teasing remarks and meaningful glances. But for once, Rio decided to be bold.

"Actually, Agatha," Rio began, her tone turning serious, "are you free tonight? I was thinking... maybe we could have dinner?"

Agatha arched an eyebrow, clearly surprised but not displeased. "Dinner, huh? Are you asking me out, Vidal?"

"Maybe I am," Rio said, her confidence bolstered by Agatha's playful tone.

Agatha's smirk softened into a genuine smile. "I'd love to. Pick me up at seven?"

Rio grinned. "It's a date."

The day passed quickly, with Rio busy working from home while Y/n holed up in her room, laughing and chatting with Kate and Yelena on FaceTime. Every so often, Rio would hear bursts of laughter echo through the house and couldn't help but smile. The move had been tough on both of them, but Y/n's friends made her adjustment easier.

Around mid-afternoon, Rio found herself pacing in her room, second-guessing her decision. Should I tell Y/n about the date? She chewed her lip as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. "What's the worst that could happen?" she muttered to herself.

Finally deciding to let the chips fall where they may, Rio began getting ready. She traded her casual sweater and jeans for a sleek black dress, curled her hair, and applied makeup.

Upstairs, Y/n flopped onto her bed, laptop perched precariously on her knees as Kate and Yelena cackled on-screen.

"Okay, so picture this," Kate said between giggles. "Y/n, as an undercover spy, trying to blend in during a mission but wearing the worst possible outfit-like neon green camo or something."

"Please, she'd make it fashion," Yelena snickered.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Y/n retorted with mock indignation.

Suddenly, a creak from downstairs caught her attention. She glanced at her door, curiosity piqued. "Hold on, guys," she said, scooping up her laptop. "My mom's up to something."

Kate and Yelena leaned closer to their cameras. "Ooh, this sounds juicy," Kate teased.

Y/n padded downstairs and peeked into her mom's room. Her jaw nearly hit the floor when she saw Rio standing in front of the mirror, adjusting her earrings and looking way too glamorous for an ordinary evening.

"Mom?" Y/n asked, stepping inside.

Rio spun around, caught off guard. "Oh! Hey, sweetheart. What's up?"

Kate and Yelena's voices rang out from the laptop. "She looks amazing! What's the occasion?"

Y/n raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, Mom, what's going on? You're all dressed up."

Rio hesitated, her gaze flickering between her daughter and the laptop screen. "Well, uh... I have a date."

"A DATE?!" the three teens exclaimed in unison, Y/n's voice loudest of all.

"Mom!" Y/n stared at her mother, wide-eyed. "With who? When? How long has this been going on?"

Rio held up her hands defensively. "Okay, okay, calm down. It's just one date. And it's with Agatha."

The room fell silent for half a second before Yelena and Kate erupted into cheers.

Yelena burst out laughing. "You mean to tell me your mom is going on a date with your English teacher? This is gold!"

Kate chimed in. "This is iconic. Agatha is awesome! I mean, she's, like, way better than any of our other teachers."

"Not helping!" Y/n exclaimed, burying her face in her hands.

Rio couldn't help but laugh softly, shaking her head. "Well, for the record, I didn't plan on dating your English teacher. It just... happened."

Before Y/n could respond, the doorbell rang. Rio glanced at the clock. "That's her. I'll see you later, sweetheart."

"Oh, no, you don't!" Y/n grabbed her laptop and bolted for the door, Kate and Yelena's faces still onscreen.

When Y/n flung the door open, there stood Agatha, looking sharp in a tailored navy blazer.

"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite teenager," Agatha said with a wink. "What's with the audience?"

Kate and Yelena chimed in simultaneously. "Hi, Agatha!"

Agatha chuckled. "Hello, troublemakers. Should I be worried about what you've been telling Y/n?"

"Not as worried as you should be about us setting a curfew," Kate quipped.

"That's right," Yelena added. "Have her home by ten. No later!"

Agatha smirked, tilting her head toward Rio, who had just appeared behind Y/n. "Looks like your entourage has spoken. Shall we?"

Rio rolled her eyes, leaning down to kiss Y/n on the forehead. "Behave while I'm gone, okay?"

Y/n groaned dramatically but smiled. "Fine. Have fun, I guess. But seriously, Mom, don't make this a regular thing."

As Rio and Agatha walked to the car, Y/n closed the door and turned back to her friends.

"Well, that happened," she said, flopping onto the couch.

Half an hour after Rio and Agatha left for their date. Y/n, Kate, and Yelena were still on FaceTime, sprawled out on Y/n's bed and laughing hysterically at some story Yelena recounted about her latest escapade in New York.

"So Clint walks in, takes one look at the mess we made, and says, 'I'm too old for this,' and just walks right back out!" Kate finished, practically crying with laughter.

Yelena wiped a tear from her eye. "Classic Clint. He's like a dad to you but also done with all of us."

Before Y/n could reply, the doorbell rang again, followed by frantic knocking.

"What the heck?" Y/n muttered, grabbing her laptop and heading for the door. "Hold on, guys. Someone's about to break the door down."

She opened the door to find Billy, red-faced and wide-eyed, breathing heavily like he had run the whole way to her house.

"Billy? What's wrong?" Y/n asked, confused.

Billy burst into the living room, waving his arms dramatically. "You are NOT going to believe what I just saw!"

Y/n closed the door and turned to him, her brow furrowed. "Okay, calm down. What's going on?"

Billy paced in a circle, still catching his breath. "I was downtown, you know, grabbing food with Tommy, and we passed this restaurant, and I SWEAR I saw your mom having dinner with Ms. Harkness!"

Kate and Yelena, still on the laptop screen, immediately started laughing.

"Wait," Billy said, suddenly noticing their faces. "Why are they laughing? Why are YOU laughing? Did you know about this?"

Y/n shrugged, trying not to smirk. "Yeah, Billy. We know."

Billy froze, his jaw-dropping. "What?! How long have you known? Why didn't you tell me?"

Kate grinned. "We found out like, what, 45 minutes ago? When Rio was getting ready?"

"Yep," Yelena chimed in. "And Y/n's been internally screaming ever since. Isn't it great?"

Billy threw his hands up. "Great? GREAT? This is insane! Your mom is out on a date with our English teacher! Do you know how awkward that's going to be in class on Monday?"

"Tell me about it," Y/n groaned, flopping onto the couch. "But it's not like I can stop them. They're both adults."

Billy collapsed into the chair across from her, his head in his hands. "This is wild. How did we not see this coming? Agatha's been dropping hints in class for months about having a 'special someone.'"

Kate leaned closer to the camera, eyes wide. "Wait-what? She has?"

"Yeah!" Billy said, sitting up. "She's always mentioning how she likes 'strong, independent women' or talking about someone who 'makes her laugh.' And now it all makes sense."

Yelena laughed. "Wow, she was literally describing Rio this whole time. Amazing."

Y/n groaned again. "Okay, can we stop analyzing my mom's love life? I'm trying to process this nightmare one step at a time."

Billy smirked. "Fine, fine. But I'm still not over this. Do you think they will become, like, a thing?"

Y/n sighed, rolling her eyes. "Knowing my mom? Probably. But honestly, if she's happy, I guess that's what matters."

Kate grinned. "Look at you being mature about it."

"Don't push it," Y/n warned, throwing a pillow at the laptop.

The group burst out laughing, the initial shock finally fading into something resembling acceptance or at least as close as Y/n would get that night.

[shinesurge]

I, for one, would love to read your thoughts on comics vs novels.

A similar bugbear I have is the conflation or comics and animation, two mediums that are both lamentably infantilized. In my opinion we've seen this more in the past twenty years with the mainstream acceptance of anime in the US, the idea that comics are just a storyboard for animation, or just an ancillary tie in.

Utterly foolish.

Hard same about the lack of respect for animation AND viewing comics as a jumping off point for more """legitimate""" forms of art, that's a whole different conversation but UGH ughgjsldjf. Guillermo Del Toro has a lot of good stuff to say about it and he's smarter than I am hehe

ANYWAY I reserve the right to come back and write another essay on this later when I have more time and stamina but my opinion here mostly boils down to the difference between looking at a picture and reading a word, right

In prose, as an author, I have room to take time and use the EXACT words I want to communicate. Those words have definitions, and while I can already hear poets (and my fellow english majors i'm sure) complaining that words are extremely malleable and context dependent, ultimately they DO have definitions no matter what because the writer chose them.

Like, okay, Phineas is looking at Ulrich and I go, in a scene where Phineas is leading, "Ulrich's face is unreadable." It doesn't MATTER what other ways you could read that, I THE AUTHOR have indicated that the thing to take away from this is "Phineas cannot get information from Ulrich's face." Ultimately there's no other way to interpret that sentence in that context, literally just by virtue of having to describe the interaction with words that have definitions I have dictated what I want the takeaway to be. We can discuss that decision all day long, but it IS a concrete aspect that can only ever be concrete, and it must be acknowledged in any analysis; jumping to prose is WILD because I suddenly have infinitely more influence over the audience. Not an inherently bad thing! It is a feature of the medium! BUT

In a comic (IGNORING the thousand billion framing/coloring/lighting/paneling/layout decisions that could multiply the context) this scene would probably be the audience looking at two characters from the outside, with zero concrete guidance from me the author for how exactly to interpret the interaction. Every single reader who looks at those panels could find something different about the art to extrapolate different data from and ALL of their findings could be correct. Looking at their expressions could feel different to everybody, maybe she CAN read his face and still feels confused, maybe she DOES get it and is choosing not to share for reasons. Could be anything!!

And again, listen listen to me I respect prose SO so much and I am not saying at all that it isn't an equally complex and nuanced medium worth analyzing. I went to school specifically for this, almost ALL my biggest artistic influences are prose writers. This is apples and oranges don't anybody dare take this as me putting down writing as art. My point here is I am goddamn tired of comics not getting their due as an extremely complex form of art on its own from anybody anywhere, audiences or publishers or critics or (it often feels like) anyone besides us freaks who are masochistic enough to make them. It's the single most frustrating thing I've encountered in my career and I have no idea what to do about it tbh.

Tangentially, I'm also sick of people going "no totally, comics ARE art. I read Watchmen AND Sandman :)" or like, trotting out some harrowing black and white autobio. Those are fine! It's FINE, I love Sandman, but please fucking god I am begging people to consider newer comics and more varied art styles too, additional good comics HAVE been produced in the last 20 years, and also comics aren't ONLY worth something when they're either working hard to downplay the fact that they're cartoons or dealing with fully realistic heavy topics (or in Sandman's case, allowed a pass because Gaiman is a respected enough creator to be allowed to do his thing).

I'm just tired dude I love comics so much and I believe in telling stories with them that are allowed to be just as weird and varied as stories any other format. We shouldn't have to constantly justify our existence to everybody before we even get to discuss the art itself, I'm so fucking frustrated lmao

[darkbluekies]

YES CASTLE IN THE SKY🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 It truly sets a standard for ROMANCEEEEEEEEE omg I watched on NYE last year literally altered my brain chemistry FOR REAL pls talk all the talk about my ears are open and my eyes are ready

also I did young Sophie in her green :>

AAAAA I FEEL LIKE NO ONE HAS WATCHED IT

this is going to be a whole essay

First of all, the plot is so sad, so beautiful, so perfect. The theme/message is so important. "The world can't live without love". Hatred and hunger for power will never get you anywhere but bad places. I'm not the biggest fantasy fan, and i feel like this movie balances fantasy and reality well. It's like "this could happen ... very unlikely but maybe" and i like those types.

Although we do not know much about Sheeta and Pazu, we can tell that they're vulnerable and search for someone to hold onto. I love how Pazu, who have nothing and have all reason to be selfish, quickly steps in to protect and take care of Sheeta after realizing that she's in danger. He's so selfless and caring. The way they keep close and care for each other so quickly is so sweet. ESPECIALLY the scene after Pazu rescues Sheeta from the burning building and lets her cry against his shoulder, telling her that "everything is alright now".

What I like about the characters, especially sheeta and pazu, is that they feel so real, somehow. Pazu is masculine and Sheeta is feminine, but none of them are exagerated, which i feel like some characters can be. Pazu shows emotions, even cries, and Sheeta fights with armed men. They compliment each other well.

Although not specified in the movie, I do think that their relationship could be romantic. At the stage of the movie, they're still friends, but i think that after the movie, their relationship could become romantic. It might just be me, but i do feel like that there could be something there, at least for the future.

And then we have the antagonists behaviour. I have always written in a style that I can't explain to people. I have never seen it anywhere but Laputa. It's where the capturer treats their prisoner almost ... well? Like in the movie, Muska gives Sheeta a big room with this king-bed, new dresses and almost cares for her. It's a manipulative move that feels so extremely dangerous. The feeling of sitting and just looking out, seeing everything that you want but not being able to reach it. The hopelessness, fear, sadness ... i love to write about it.

This movie plays around with the feelings I love to explore. A character who is trapped by someone more powerful and knows about it, but isn't treated "bad". I don't know how to explain it. If you've watched it, i think you'll get it!

The ending too, wonderful. The fact that the movie starts out with bright and nice colors with hopeful and "childish" characters ends with them being serious and mature.

The music is wonderful, the drawing/scenes, the colors, everything is so beautifully made in this movie. It is my absolute favorite movie of all time ... along with Titanic.

My favorite Studio Ghibli movies are:

Laputa Castle in the sky

2. When Marnie was there (one where i can ramble on like this for too, so if you want to i would love to ramble as well)

3. From upon Poppy Hill

4. Spirited Away

5. Howl's moving castle

[deadgirlwalking91]

So, I recently completed tyftv (in only two days)! It’s ALL fantastic. I do think it’s especially impressive how well you write Adam. What we see of him in season one left things about his deeper characterization heavily up to interpretation. In the show, I would possibly argue that Lute’s characterization is more clear and concrete than Adam’s. Yet, every line you’ve written for him is believable and seamless with what we know about him. In canon, we may never know if Adam was Just A Dick™️ or if there was more going on with him. But you’ve taken his character, kept him consistent, and elaborated on him all without making him out of character. Could you talk a little about your thought process when writing him? Like, what made it difficult, what made it fun, etc? I’m really curious! ❤️

Hey Anon!

Thank you so much 🥹 that's so kind, and I'm really glad to hear that you enjoyed TYFTV! And that feedback on Adam... that's just made my day, really. Thank you ❤️ and these kinds of questions are so much fun to answer, so I appreciate you sending it in! Warning, this is long af, so answer under the cut.

So, full disclosure—I found Adam really tricky to write at first. Canonically, all we got was this loudmouth, quick-tempered, genocidal fratboy who, in his dying moments, showed a glimpse of softness.

That's kiiiiinda it.

Which, in a way, was a bit of a blessing because I could take his character and go wherever I wanted with him. What I was worried about though, was turning him into a caricature of what we saw in the show, because honestly, that would be something I'd personally find really cringy to read, so I didn't want to write that.

So, I leaned into the idea that he was, well...bored. Bored enough with the Exterminations that he put no effort into them (hence Sera coming down on him about them), bored with his personal life—but doing absolutely nothing to change anything.

The other part was hiding behind the mask. Look, canonically there's nothing to indicate he has any kind of insecurities about his appearance (I mean, Lucifer makes a jab about letting himself go when they're fighting, but it'd be safe to assume that's weight and not feature related). However, he had such an ego in the show, it seemed fitting to play on that and think, 'well, this dude is so proud of the fact that he started all of humanity, all dicks descended from him blah blah, you'd imagine under the mask he'd be this absolute God of a human'...

...but, as we all saw in Episode 8, he was literally just a dude. You'd pass guys like him on the street daily. I felt like that would eat at him, and so the idea of him not showing his face was kinda born from that. And then, if people knew what he really looked like, no one would think he was all that special or important.

Those two concepts were what I based his character around when we meet him at the start of the fic, and gets delved into more in chapter 3, when Sera tells him he has a year to get his shit together. Throw in his stick-in-the-mud lieutenant who has gone over his head to Sera in order to change things up and yeah, he's not in a great place.

(holy shit this is turning into an essay that is probably not very structured or coherent; I am SO sorry 😂)

What I found really fun about writing him though was how Lute got under his skin. Initially, he liked riling her up because she'd be quick to give him a reaction—which of course, he'd feed off, and the stakes were low where he could piss her off and not worry.

But then she had to mention the whole mask thing, didn't she? Suddenly, the stakes became much higher for Adam, not just because she'd uncovered something that made him uncomfortable but she challenged him. That's what kept him coming back for more, because all of a sudden he wasn't bored anymore.

Aaaaand that's where the real fun began for me 😂 it was probably also the turning point where I really started to enjoy writing his character. I love the idea of him having these little losses of control with Lute because she'd managed to get under his skin—moments like the two chapters at the bar, or the time he snapped when he ran that first bath for her and she was being a bit of a brat. Like, yes, she's challenging him, but for a dude who's facade is slipping because of her, that's also slightly terrifying!

God, that whole week at his apartment was a fucking blast to write. Especially as we started to see the side of him that actually gave a shit about Lute. It was kinda subtle at first (draping the blanket over her while she napped, making sure she was tucked into bed, etc) but as time went on, I think the impact of the gestures grew (like building that home gym, suggesting Vaggie come keep her company—despite knowing she hates him, being a bit of a comfort for Lute as she went through her own feels).

Holy fuck this post is going forever (and I still have more to say lol whoops) so if you want a part 2 that delves more into the unmasking and beyond, let me know, otherwise if you've had enough of my ramblings I totally understand 😂😂😂

I LOVED this ask though Anon, thank you so so much! ❤️

[not-poignant]

Hi! I apologize if you've spoken abt this already, bur how come ruts aren't really a thing in the UtR verse? Anton mentioned he's never had one, and they're very rare - is there a biological reason for it? Did Gary ever have one? (Starting to see what he is like during regular sex, I feel like he'd commit actual murder-by-cock during ruts fjfnfjnfjf) Anyway, love your writing to bits!!

Hi anon!

So I'm gonna write an essay, buckle up (I always write an essay on this stuff, I can't help it, I signed a contract at birth that said I would)

Firstly, ruts are sort of a 'new invention' in the omegaverse landscape. And by new I mean I'm really old and some people don't remember omegaverse without it. But I sure do! Only omegas went into heat, because heat indicated hyperfertility, and alphas were already hyperfertile without a rut. That was the whole point. You know, that's why they make such a perfect match. Hyperfertile mate meet hyperfertile mate.

They didn't need a rut.

Ruts came along later, and honestly in most of the fiction I've read that have them, ruts are very rarely written, and are often more like a threat hanging in the background. A sort of 'lol make sure you have food and water because like people go to hospital if they're in rut / heat at the same time.' Literal just about fuck-or-die situation. Or fuck-and-die. Probably more like fuck-and-who-cares-about-anything-else.

Anyone who has ever fucked a lot in a marathon session knows that eventually you just need carbs. *coughs*

Ruts are conceptually a TON of fun to think about. It's like authors went 'you know what hyperfertile alphas need? Something like a heat, that also makes them completely out of control.'

The thing is... alphas could already go completely out of control around an omega for a lot of reasons. It happened in fated mates stories. It happened in 'an omega is in heat and I just can't help it' (oh bless all those noncon omegaverse stories we have which are literally 'you just smelled so good you had to be mine'). A lot of the things ruts are supposed to achieve, already can easily be achieved in omegaverse.

Conceptually, ruts can be interesting as 'the alpha is also super vulnerable and helpless and needy during this time' but it's almost never written that way and it's not how I like to think about it. And in terms of worldbuilding, the places where it's made the most sense has almost always been as a dystopian thing that's almost dreaded by both the alphas and omegas (and everyone else) alike, and is just as much likely to be controlled by suppressants as heats, because no one likes to turn into an Automatic robot rapist. (Even though that's basically what many alphas become if they smell an omega in heat, I'm not saying ruts are the Department of Redundancy Deparment or anything, but they're a little bit like City of Redundancy in the shire of Redundancy population Already Covered In General Omegaverse tropes in the country of But It's Fun Anyway continent of Redundant.)

I love reading stories with rut worldbuilding but I have to suspend my disbelief so hard. And I know, I know, you kind of have to do that with omegaverse anyway, but there just comes a point where it's like 'but...the heat...triggers a response in alphas...thats mean a rut...is not needed...because that's what the heat does.' In some ways it takes some power and strength away from the symbolism of the omega's heat (romantically it's very interesting as the trope that renders the often hypermasculine character as so helpless to the omega that they basically have to have sex with them (guess what a rut is? Same same not different! Okay it can be different. It's often not though.))

As a result, I personally like worldbuilding that differentiates a general alpha response to an omega's heat, to a rut. And therefore if a rut is the more extreme version of a general 'must fuck' alpha response, it's likely to go pretty not...great. Much like unfulfilled heats are often characterised as agonising, I like to think of ruts are potentially very fatal. (Warning! Warning! The hypermasculinity levels are critical, boss! He's gonna blow! This time his heart! Not his cock!)

The worldbuilding mentioned in the chapter you're referring to - in the Underline the Rainbow universe - states that ruts are vestigial. It's killed too many alphas who have experienced it.

It basically knocked itself out of the genetic line, in the same way that peak alphas are going the same way because people just don't do great living like that in a functional society.

Also consider the...setting of the story if you will. This is a place where we're rehabilitating omegas and helping them recover from extreme trauma. The professional response to 'I go into rut all the time' alpha companion candidates is 'see a health professional, you can never ever ever ever ever be a companion here, because we...care about our omegas, and don't think your rut takes precedent over their health during a heat. Go away.'

None of these alphas go into rut! None of them should! It would be terrible from a story perspective (I mean, for me. I'm writing trauma recovery).

The only alpha on the grounds who potentially could go into rut is Caleb, I think he has the disposition for it. And I think it would be speedily suppressed with heavy doses of medication for the safety of any omega near him.

The thing that really frustrates me from a worldbuilding perspective is that in some ways, heats make sense. It's a fertile period for an animal that cannot afford the physiological cost of being that fertile all the time. That's it. In humans who already have menstrual cycles (which create fertility windows so the woman or person with the uterus doesn't have to be consistently fertile the same amount all the time), this makes actual biological sense.

Ruts in omegaverse don't even mean what they mean in nature, it's so frustrating. In nature, ruts are sort of connected to mates, but not about fucking them endlessly most of the time. It's about competing with rivals. Going into rut is marking your territory, attacking fellow stags (sometimes to the death), and keeping hold of your herd or flock. This makes...much less biological sense. It's not how it's written in fiction most of the time, and it's really just 'what if heat but alpha.' I'd love if ruts were 'HHH I have to FIGHT every ALPHA I SEE to the DEATH or at least MEASURE MY HEIGHT against HIS or SHOUT to see whose VOICE is LOUDER we are DICK MEASURING NOW my dick is BIGGER I am going to FUCK AN OMEGA IN TRIUMPH. YOU! THERE! COME HERE! No wait where are you going? Stop running!' That's... that's the world I want to live in sdalkfjsaflksaj

I have no problems with that, most omegaverse is just pure mindless pornography for fun, or very thin worldbuilding for fun, and orgasms are had by many and it achieves it's purpose.

But I can't justify something like that making sense in the Underline the Rainbow as a thing these characters experience. I like it as a 'oh this used to happen but we couldn't just go around killing each other and also we died so...' I'm pretty sure it's taught about in schools, lol. In the same way that alphas dueling each other to the death is now pretty much illegal in most places, some things you either just culturally change for the betterment of society (which is...literally the purpose of Hillview), and some things you X out of your own genetic lineages because the thing itself kills you.

Since ruts are in most serious omegaverses presented as extreme events, and alphas are already hyperfertile (in worlds where betas exist), they're just redundant.

Fun in PWPs, and fun for angst, but not the kind of angst I'm personally going for.

Thanks for coming to my really-not-a-TED Talk! :D

(Er so no, Gary has never gone into rut).

(In webtoon Define the Relationship one of the alphas goes into rut but because he's like a submissive alpha he basically needs to be fucked like he's in heat by another alpha and I just actually do kind of love the subversion of 'what if heat but alpha' where it's like 'no literally what if they have to be knotted and they have a whole bunch of shame about that.' But almost no one is writing it that way so aslkfjdsa)

[xerith-42]

Any thoughts on Zoeymau ????? 😉😉

This excerpt from my video essay really summarizes it perfectly

Like they're literally married. Out of all the Mau ships I think Zoeymau has the most actually solid content that isn't explicitly meant to be "shipping content." Y'know how every time there's a Garmau moment, it's a moment? The whole story stops so these two can have a romantic interaction, and while it effects the story, it does kind of interrupt it sometimes. And this goes for Laurmau and Aarmau, the whole point of them interacting is to build up this romantic tension between her and whichever guard she's seducing this time.

Zoeymau doesn't have that problem. It's all just there in the story and it doesn't interrupt anything. Zoey clearly cares for Aphmau, and it gets deeper and deeper as time goes on. I mean, you could say "Oh she just moved into Aphmau's house because she didn't have one and wanted to help care for Levin cause she likes taking care of kids." But why would you say that when the answer of "Zoey is in love with her and wants to live the dream of having a family with her" is RIGHT THERE!!

It's not in your face romantic content like it is with the others, it's definitely more subtle, but the love these two have for each other is there. So much so that whenever I write them, I don't even think about them being romantic with one another, they just are. It's natural for them to be around one another and it's no wonder. I mean, if you had an immortal bisexual living in your basement who takes care of your adopted kids, you're telling me you wouldn't kiss her??

And I'll be 100% honest with you, I don't think Zoey would have given up her immortality for anyone else in the group. She did that for Aphmau and Aphmau alone. These two are so gay and so in love it's not even funny. I love them sm.

[sobeksewerrat]

✨and🏳️‍🌈 with Hazbin for the ask game

(Also do I have permission to rant about Alastor to you. I hate that fucker so much.)

(yes you do. Please do it actually)

Note: added the cut cos I ended up yapping

✨what draws you towards your hyperfixation? what is interesting about it?

Tough one. Honestly part of it is that I cannot control my AuDHD and part of it is that it has a lot of potential and possible ideas?? I find myself to be more attached to media I can play around with, only God knows how many TMF fanfics, wips and AUs I used to have, and Hazbin is perfect for that.

Besides, I would consider myself to be religious and I'm quite interested in stories based on mythology and religion, and the core concept of Hazbin intrigued me as a Muslim (funfact! In Islam hell is temporary for most people iirc LMFAO). Also, what better way to explore my religious trauma?!

And it's chock-full of potentially interesting characters and dynamics that go unexplored, so that ties back into the first point.

And last but not least, I tend to be a fan of objectively bad and/or very controversial stuff (*coughs* danganronpa, mlb, Jeff the killer-)

I could yap forever about my love-hate relationship with Hazbin but I think I should stop here for now.

🏳️‍🌈do you have any headcanons (lgbt, race, neuro, etc) that are important to you?

YES!! TOO MANY ACTUALLY!!! Here are some of my faves :3

Adam is SWANA, mostly projecting but all abrahamic religions originated from the SWANA region soooo (obviously the term SWANA and the region prolly didn't exist when Adam was first created but shush) And my Eve is black BTW!

Transmasc Adam!! This headcannon is so, so important to me. So important I created multiple AUs with lore documents about it. I could write an essay about why I headcannon him as that. Multiple, actually.

Albino Lute!! I hc they're SWANA too (and Heavenborn, don't ask how, idk either) , but they have albinism (her natural eye colour is very light blue, they wear gold contacts).

NONBINARY LUTE WITH SHE/THEY PRONOUNS ‼‼‼

the exorcists, mainly Lute n Vaggie, as Adam's daughters (biologically or otherwise)!! I can't live without that headcannon and I'm so fucking upset there's not enough content about it out there

Autistic Lute and Cain (my oc at least). They inherited it from Adam. And Eve has anxiety, we've established that. She also has OCD. Trust me. And ADHD Abel. And Vaggie with PTSD (they all have it but her especially

AroAce Charlie and Angel Dust!! Ik they're bi and gay respectively, but who says they can't be both?

AroAce Lesbian Lute too.

Asexual Adam!! I already wrote an essay as to why I hc that but since then the hc expanded and I can write a better, updated one. Won't be as lengthy as my hypothetical trans Adam one, but still full of yapping. 

Adam wears his mask not out of insecurity (for the most part) or protection (that thing is LED, it ain't protective) but because he was recognised by one of his children during the first Extermination (even though he had already transitioned by then). Let's just say that didn't turn out well, and Adam was unresponsive for days. 

Adam is genuinely afraid of most things, even silly stuff to us like the dark. Because even though us modern people have the privilege of artificial lights, not living in the wild, medicine, etc.- he didn't. He was literally a caveman. A fever could kill anyone in his family. The night meant being at risk of being eaten. Water can and will kill you because of the bazillion bacteria inside. Winter meant death if you didn't have a fire going 24/7 or covered yourself up with anything. But, he hides his fears because he thinks they're fucking embarrassing (even though it's very clearly untreated trauma)

Adam loves his kids, truly. He fucked up A LOT (killed thousands of them and the whole Vaggie situation), but that doesn't mean he hates them.he just learned not to get attached to them. 

ADAM ‼ HAS ‼ ABANDONMENT ‼ ISSUES‼

Adam lowkey feels he doesn't deserve his spot in Heaven.

I literally came up with this like an hour or two ago with @an-theduckin but Adam actually did believe in redemption once and tried to advocate for it. Till he didn't. Wonder why that is 👀 (got a fic idea I won't finish. Dw abt it)

Adam gaining weight as a form of healing‼ I imagine he was deathly skinny on Earth due to food insecurity, and even though he improved after they invented agriculture and got better at hunting, he was still clearly unhealthy (and popping out the entire human population at the time didn't help). And also he just likes his appearance this way (fuck you Lucifer and your stupid fat joke)

ADAM LOVED HIS WIFE!!! SHE LOVED HIM TOO!!! OH MY GOD GUYS PLEASE GET IT RIGHT.

In a perfect world, Adam would've been Charlie's uncle/father figure. 

Lute and Vaggie cared about each other, things just kind of…well, yk how it ended. Lute has immense amounts of guilt over the whole situation, but they'll never admit it. Especially not after Vaggie started being involved the Lucifer's fucking daughter. 

Adam's secretly a feminist. I'm not even gonna elaborate, figure out my reasoning yourself. 

Vaggie grieved Adam and her fallen sisters after they died in the finale. Of course, she'll never admit it. (I HAVE A FIC WIP ABOUT THIS I HOPE TO FINISH SOMEDAY!!)

Gamer and Fandom kid Lute. This hc means so so much to me! I originally stole it from @bluexjayy ! They're really into cringey fandoms too (mainly danganronpa, FNAF, undertale and the creepypasta fandom- probably mlp too). Secretly writes fanfiction.

I have SO MANY hcs for Stan and I's Cain, Abel and Eve but I doubt anybody wants to hear them sooo

Redhead Lilith. It was ginger in Eden, turned blood red when she became a sinner. She dyes it blonde.

Annnddddd I think I should stop now oh my god I'm so sorry for yapping again Thanks for the ask though!! Please feel free to rant about Alastor.

[domesticated-whores]

[ minor spoilers for apology tour, lowkey badmouthing stolitz, ranting and rambling ]

It's hard out here for HB fans that aren't Stolitz shippers, ngl. I get that it was a Stolitz centered episode because that's where the story is right now, but could I please have the tiniest scrap of something unrelated thrown in? No?

Glad I got to see Verosika at least, my girl fr. Always happy to know more about her, even if it's literally always only in reference to her relationship with Blitzø. Like, massive side character so whatever. I want more of her preferably without direct reference to that, but I get it story-wise.

But I so do not like Stolitz personally, so kinda sucks that that's the main plot right now and also that they're absolutely going to work it out. Like, I don't utterly despise the ship so I do even enjoy bits of it as b-plot or background noise, but not as the focus of the episode.

I find the dynamic so boring. I don't really like the idea of it working out. I think "these two characters just do not naturally go together no matter how much they try and heal and work on it, and that's okay, because sometimes people (even people that are attracted to each other, even people that do love each other in some way!!) don't work out, and that's fine!!" is a lot more interesting (and meaningful to me, personally) than "true love and hard work overcome all traumas and differences and romance has to prevail in the end!!" and, while I respect people disagreeing with me, that's what Stolitz feels like a LOT of the time.

Like, Stolas needs friends fr. Friends that he makes FULLY outside of a transactional setting. He needs some kind of social circle, so I'm so hoping that he'll actually get that from Verosika's party. I hope that continues and he makes friends and date and shit and it isn't all thrown away as him going "well, I was upset so I was using these people as a distraction and as someone to listen, but I don't really care about any of them and will drop them the second things get better" because if any chance for him to make legitimate bonds with others is dropped as something that doesn't matter or something that he doesn't need after he's in a relationship I will fucking scream.

I could write an essay about how I feel about Stolitz as a whole, maybe I will later idk, because my feelings ARE very mixed. However, I don't think they should end up together. I think similar has been done a million times in media and (while I'm not coming for HB for realistic takes) it isn't realistic, the idealism and fantasy of the dynamic has been so overdone that it would be such a breath of fresh air if they didn't get together because at least that would be interesting and unexpected and probably the healthiest to pull off. And I know it isn't going to go in that direction, so I kind of hate to see it at all, ESPECIALLY as the ONLY thing being offered in an episode. Again, they work as b-plot and background noise, when you can just accept how iffy and annoying it is.