#i think both options are appealing tbh? in their own ways

[mymarifae]

does anyone want to join me on the aventurine/argenti train. it's got all the perks of being as funny as any other argenti ship - especially given the random absurdity of their first meeting. what the hell was argenti doing in the depths of the nihility? who even knows anymore man. but like also i think it has the potential to be really sweet?

aventurine hasn't let anyone In since his sister died. he's long since forgotten how to Trust, and Love, and how to BE Loved. and this, combined with enormous amounts of survivor's guilt and trauma and being treated as an object, has really done a number on his self-esteem. he doesn't act like it (because he's learned that it's dangerous to be vulnerable; it's the one gamble he's not willing to take), but 2.1 gave us that glimpse into his inner dialogue and it is Bad in there

between his conversation with acheron, the note veritas left for him, and finding a sense of closure in the apparition of his younger self, he's on track to becoming better. we can see it in the way he pretty much immediately reaches out to the trailblazer to get some things off his chest once he gets his phone working again. and the way he's accepting what is basically a form of therapy from the doctors of chaos. but his self-hatred has been building up for years, and it's going to take a long time to unpack and unlearn all of that

so like, in comes argenti, right? he's a loud show-off, but he is SO earnest. he sees the beauty in everything and everyone. he's kind, and gentle, and so full of love. he also comes off as a bit... lonely to me? he's spent so much of his life chasing after idrila's shadow, and only catching a glimpse of them in his many near-death experiences (and isn't that something to think about...........). he's not like, secretly miserable or faking or anything - i think his exuberance is 1000% genuine. but humans are social creatures; everyone wants and requires at least some form of closeness and intimacy. to have a love to pursue in This realm... someone he can see and hold without needing to have one foot in an early grave . i think that would be good for him. that's all

anyway, it's clear that argenti was pretty enchanted by aventurine

like yeah that's kind of just how he talks normally but !?@,%&#& that's a lot of awfully romantic things to say about one specific person out of the several you apparently rescued (??????? god i love this guy he makes no sense. literally why are you even here bud). it seems that aventurine's more subdued state left an impression on him too, and well wouldn't it be pretty in character for him to start popping in randomly... as he does, because he can apparently just go wherever the fuck he wants. to check on this sad yet oh so beautiful peacock.. to try to bring a true smile to his face... to show him how kind and beautiful the universe can be......

i think aventurine might have a hard time laughing off offers of comfort and company and the beginnings of a courtship if it comes from someone like argenti. this man couldn't be disingenuous if he tried. he doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve as much as he rips it out of his chest to show you. it'll be a learning curve regardless - aventurine is too used to needing to constantly prove his worth to keep anyone around and to keep them from hurting him

but do you see it. do you see the vision. do you see how Sweet this could be. aventurine is about to receive more roses than he'll know what to do with

[inchidentally]

About teammate relationships being pr. Do you think this pr teammate relationships are also a part of football?

I'm so sorry I'm a fake sports fan so apart from F1 and hockey I don't know anything about other sports!

and like just to say honestly the PR thing is SO overblown about F1 bc the teams actually love a rivalry so long as the cars don't end up in the wall. it's great PR and usually is great for pushing and motivating their drivers. I think recency bias has made ppl think that DTS/DR/Liberty Media basically post-Bernie F1 has had some major overhaul in wanting friendly personalities and friendships etc but it's just not the case. F1 is inherently not a "friendly" looking sport bc it's incredibly elitist, woven deep into extremely uhhhh not PC and human rights-violating political establishments and public as well as private business - and to simply gain entrance to F1 requires millions poured into just one driver's career at each stage of their racing career. and tbh even the drivers who've gone for sponsorships outside of racing are choosing luxury brands etc so they're not needing to appeal to the general public.

there are maybe three drivers who are wanting an image that appeals to the wider public but the rest are absolutely fine with for the most part being openly remote and private or strategically showing just enough to the public to seem open but actually remaining very private. it's absolutely nothing like team sports and honestly not even similar to most other racing bc up until Liberty it was a walled city of a sport. PR is truly optional and scandals/salaciousness/fighting will always generates way more engagement and press attention than friendships and wholesomeness. F1 is entirely finance-driven (even moreso than other sports where public affection is any kind of priority) and if PR friendships or a friendly image meant literally anything then you wouldn't have drivers getting dropped from the sport mid-season or PR-darlings waiting in the wings after F2 in favor of F1 nepo hires and drivers who bring major regional or corporate sway with them.

backmarker teams like St-ke and W-lliams utilize PR more simply bc they need to keep sponsors happy and it's easier for drivers who are barely even aiming for points to have no tensions or public scrutiny to make it uncomfortable.

it's why I always point to how - regardless of what their private relationship is - CS and CL have always been fully on the same wavelength about their image as teammates in terms of managing what the public sees and how to negotiate periods of tension. weirdly enough they're the only case of two teammates actually utilizing their joint PR skillfully and intentionally BUT that being the case because a genuine friendship and respect runs through it. if they fully disliked or were even just disinterested in each other then they wouldn't bother and would run with the rivalry with the occasional bit of social media thrown in. Ferrari especially doesn't give a fuck if the public think they're "friendly" or "relatable" as a brand lsdfgsljafgljsagfsaljf. the C2 stuff has been a great unexpected little addition but they'd have been just as happy if they agreed to do a few stiff little challenges and the occasional ad but otherwise hated each other.

which is what's funny abt seeing the wild sht going on bc ppl can't grasp LN and OP having a solid and respectful working relationship but totally different approaches to PR. LN is open about how he's wanted to build his brand and his own company and the double edged sword of being such a public and accessible figure - PR for him is both a nightmare and savior bc the more extreme and blindly devoted of his fans are actually the biggest threat to his peace of mind and public identity. they start to take over his public perception w their opinions being so amplified by sheer numbers and insane devotion.

which is why someone like OP who represents a much more typical F1 driver who sees this as his career for as long as he can have it and PR as just a necessary evil that you hire a person for, ends up making those insane fans misinterpret THAT approach as some kind of devious Machiavellian PR... instead of literally being the opposite. he's literally said that he's ok or at least resigned to having to be a public figure as a part of the job and therefore also public about certain other people/things in his private life, but he draws the lines firm and very very reserved even from his own fans. esp when compared to someone like DR and LN and CS who at least appear extremely accessible to fans.

which is why in a totally different way, the LN/OP partnership works just as strongly as CS/CL one - bc OP doesn't care about publicity beyond Mark's advice and his sm person's requests and LN is already having to perform an extremely precarious PR dance w too many of his fans feeling v comfortable and entitled to him to the point where they make bold statements and opinions about his innermost thoughts and mental health as if speaking on his behalf. poor MaxF regularly has to help him run that gauntlet by subtly reminding fans about boundaries and that yes LN is indeed capable of experiencing emotions in rational ways !! and that he's fully capable of gaining perspective after the heat of a race !! and that fans deciding to run hate campaigns against people on Lando's behalf is not healthy or sane behavior !! (again, said much more subtly and skillfully than that)

then you've got OP who was hated the second he arrived in F1 on behalf of fan-favorite DR, got a brief respite while he was still notably behind LN, and now has gone back to being hated on behalf of fan-favorite LN. his mom is a fully random bit of fan popularity but even there, she's not consistent with it and doesn't go to races or otherwise make her life or feelings known publicly. there's zero "strategy". she doesn't defend him or coddle him and is known for lovingly roasting him. even choosing the RFP for an interview was hilarious bc she went w an outlet that makes gags about her son and favors the drivers she also likes and apart from saying how she raises her kids to be decent and kind she didn't say anything that particularly "sold" OP bc she just admitted he's weird (in a good way!!) but not naturally super emotive or sentimental. it's not the kind of stuff a mum who was PR-instructed or trying to make the public blindly adore her son would say. it's a very Aussie down-to-earth not-the-end-of-the-world approach to her son chasing an insane career that frankly stresses her out most of the time bc it's so dangerous.

whereas LN has had publicity following his life since he was small and it was decided that his dad would represent the family publicly but everyone else would be visible but otherwise private. the same strategy was applied to all of LN's friendships bc some were like MaxF who didn't mind being public facing and then a lot of them are visible but not known beyond their names. but it's so easy to see what a non-stop crazy dance LN has to do with his PR bc just when it feels like it's within his control, the delulu over intense fans latch onto smth and start flooding comment sections and crossing lines and assuming they have his blessing w all of it.

which is why it's perfect that OP is so inaccessible and relatively remote/uninvested in a public image bc having the hivemind of a rabid fanbase against him can never strike too deep or too personal since fans have never been permitted to any of those parts of OP's life. (I mean, technically they could ofc get even worse than this but then we're into legal action and race ban territory)

and it's also why they've both been so smart to adopt OP's methods when it comes to their relationship as teammates and pull all of their downtime and private conversations out of the public eye and and only mention them in passing. bc in the same way, whatever insanity fans project onto their relationship will never hit too personal bc they don't have access to any of it. CS/CL choose to make a lot available to fans bc they both know how to control and work that into being beneficial but not damaging. LN/OP choose to keep a lot private bc a large part of LN's fanbase is extremely unwieldy and OP has no interest in pandering to PR beyond strictly necessary. if they had to negotiate both of their images throughout all of this it would be complete chao.

and it's ironic bc the fans currently engaged in the online warfare against OP don't at all see the parallel w how LN was treated by DR's fanbase when they were teammates - and how those two were friends at the same time as frequently being at odds within the team etc. but I mean to be that kind of fan you're not capable of seeing that kind of behavior pattern ig ?? idk I couldn't fathom gunning so hard for men let alone rich men so I'll never understand !

aaaaaanyway tl;dr the notion of PR in F1 is negligible and a lot of fans are very very confused about when they're actually being blatantly pandered to and when a relationship or driver is being genuine lasfgsjlagfljg

[pastel-rights]

Do you have any favorite sona designs?

... actually, I do have my biases towards different sona designs, yeah. Especially since I've drawn so many of them and I just have a collection of the official council-approved sonas. I can name a few under the cut~

Let's see... this IS in a somewhat particular order tbh? Not least favorite bias to most favorite bias but... I DO have my favorite sonas, both lore-wise and design-wise. You'll see as I get further down that I DO say "so and so is my third/second/most favorite" or whatever but the beginning bit is just. YOU. you know. Well, that's enough of that, let's actually get into this, huh.

I think the first sona I want to mention is Blackwail actually! ( Originally designed by @paperbcy )

Blackwail is Yuu's sona, and I've always had a certain affinity towards their sona, even if I didn't get the chance to draw them a ton. I loved their purple and red color palette a lot, and they were always just really delightful to draw in any capacity. They were always just... a lot of fun. And their different AU variants were always so silly, especially Whitewail and Doodlewail...

Of course, I can't talk about Blackwail without mentioning their right-hand protagonist, Nerissa! Nerissa isn't a sona technically speaking, but rather, she is an in-universe character Blackwail created! And ough she's so pretty I'm SKJEDFNKSJDFNKSJDNF /j

I think a good shoutout here would be their hospital variants? I like them a ton, but... not so MUCH they get their own spot. But they are very pretty variant designs and I do feel they are worth the mention.

...

I think the next sona worth mentioning is Pins' two personas!! Personally, me? I love the Eel Sona, she's always been my favorite out of the two sonas, so I'll mostly be talking about her. ( Originally designed by @one0p1nk )

Miss Eel is just sO PRETTY. I love her. Mwah. I want to give her a kiss (on the cheek) (respectfully) (and with permission)

Okay so enough of that, but I just really love what Miss Eel has going on with her palette and design... I really love those purples and the pops of white and pink. I also just love the butler-like vibes Miss Eel has going on, and the characterization of Miss Eel is just sooo good. Pins usually goes with the pink version of her sons (Miss Vampire) and usually that's the version you will see me draw most times but let it be KNOWN Miss Eel has a special place in my heart.

Miss Eel doesn't have a ton of lore unfortunately so she won kind of based on aesthetic appeal (and dream world shenanigans) over some other options inside my folder of sonas... hehe...

...

The next one is going to be... Linzer! ( Originally designed by yours truly )

I love myself a bad bitch with red hair I won't even lie to you.

Linzer makes her way onto this list for a few reasons. Design-wise, she's mostly neutral colors with this pretty red color for her hair. Lore-wise, she's an author who's responsible for stories such as "The Emerald Masquerade", "The Theatre of Darkness", and "The DECORA Incident" to name a few. She's supposed to be the version of me who runs Essence and AU lore!

I don't know what it is in particular that I adore about Linzer specifically, I just kind of enjoy Linzer as a whole in general, more than some of the other sonas. She's also just a bad bitch in general so. bonus points!!

...

This one might come as a surprise to you guys but... I think Satoru and Nihil are my third favorite sonas...??????

Especially if you know the beef I have outwardly with Satoru himself and how MEAN he is to my poor poor wife... He's actually really chill and fun behind closed doors. And he's really funny (he needs to stop calling me babygirl though /j) and I think this sona just captures their vibes really well... a little too well actually... it's giving "silly little freak" actually. I also like his secondary form a ton, ngl??? His secondary form technically has a different name but that's for later (not EVER /j)

As for Nihil, unfortunately, those two are kind of just "do not separate" coded. I really like Nihil lore wise and design wise, which is why she's so high up among the several dozen sonas. You might think these two are new, and you'd be. half wrong??? Satoru is new, yeah, but Nihil has been around for a while now, she just finally got herself officially drawn alongside Satoru.

Enter: The Boundary Walker.

That's Nihil's title! She's present in a lot of AUs and concepts (as well as the world where my ocs all originate from), but always on the outside, looking in. She's a record keeper and the main manifestation of an entity known as "The Nihility", which is where her name originates from.

and like, the lore these two have is it's own whole thing that also kind of got them all the way up here but that isn't what you came to hear so.

...

Okay so. Don't be mad. But my second favorite sona... isn't just one. But rather, everyone from the Halloween sona set. But if I had to choose just one, then.......... these two. Specifically, Joe. (The one on the left side in purple)

Simply put... these two are the highest up here because they are based on video game hackers! The purple and green color schemes the two of them has going on has always been one of my favorite schemes, but Joe in specific is based on a galaxy, and galaxies are one of my favorite things in the world to color...

I also just really love the asymmetry in the design, it's all over their design. I also think Klai's complimenting design just really adds to Joe's Halloween design?? Joe's design in a mix of light colors with a pop of neon purple, while Klai's is more the opposite, dark and neon with a pop of light green and white. Alongside these, they both have the other's signature color somewhere in their design and. God, I love it when designs compliment each other heheh.

As for them lore wise... chaotic hackers... chaotic hackers for life... look at them... this IS favoritism at its finest...

Joe and Klai just have really nice base sonas in GENERAL anyways so... I simply put a trick or treat spin on them and if Halloween isn't my favorite holiday <3

...

oh we're at number one already??? wow. damn.

so you might be wondering HOW did I get all the way up here to my number one, my FAVORITE sona, the sona to SLAY all other sonas... without even ONE of my wife's several sonas appearing??? It's baffling, I know!

Do I just not love my wife enough? Have I BETRAYED MY MUSE.

...

no lmao

Tae has so many really nice and really pretty sonas, like Tama, Tazai, Jason and more. And honestly, it was kind of hard to choose just one Tae sona since, there's so many and they're all so pretty...

And I hate to disappoint everyone by saying that it isn't Tazai and Yabel taking the number one spot.

It's surprising, yeah. From the amount of stuff I've drawn of them to their complete character lore to just how much I love Tazai (for better or for. worse.) and while he's quite far up there... I could never fully say he was my favorite sona. Not just of Tae's but out of everyone total.

And yeah, Yabel is a really fun sona both lore-wise and to draw but she was never my favorite of my own sonas either. But still I can't deny the facts those two would always be the most well-known and most popular sonas I've ever created and I probably ever WILL create.

Everyone knows their name, their faces, their personalities, and who they are as sonas. As people.

They are well known and well-loved for a reason.

......... but they aren't my favorite. Sorry if you bet money on them even appearing in this list /j

But, uh. my favorite sona of all time is actually someone I hate drawing lmao. Funnily enough. There isn't anything wrong with his design per say, I just struggled with it a lot... so it always put me a little off of drawing him again.

I've drawn this sona a total of... one time... (well technically twice because I JUST drew him today specifically for this ask when I realized I didn't have ANY other art of him... but that doesn't really count to me) which speaks to the testimony of whatever the FUCK he's got going on lmao. Every sona on this list has been drawn at least three times (with the Halloween sonas being an exception) so to only be drawn once... seemed a little dramatic for the number one spot...

Insert, the number one spot and the pain in my ass.

this guy.

...

yeah. /lh

There's a multitude of reasons I gave him this top spot... but if I had to give just one right now... it's something many of the others here on this list kind of lack to be honest?

... I just think he's silly! He's just generally (hehe, general) a lot of fun no matter what situation he is in, and he just has a really sweet and pleasant personality??? Like... he's just a guy. Everyone else has so MANY thoughts behind their eyes...

but this is just the look of a man who loves his wife

Everything about this sona (he doesn't technically have a name...) is just... really soft. He looks as sweet and soft as he actually is and he's just. really pleasant to look at????

I kind of just want to give him a kiss on the cheek he's so pretty. aaaaaaa.

He's always got this soft, almost dream-like expression that you just don't get with most sonas. Like, it isn't JUST tae sonas, no it's ALL of my sonas.

I don't know what it is, I can't really explain it without getting into the lore and the aus and his secondary variant and this post is already super long so you'll just have to take him as IS.

[leastdatablebracket]

ROUND 3, MATCH 16

Propaganda under the cut!

Kenshin Uesugi

Propaganda

He is a cold calculating bloodthirsty warlord, who is also a yandere and overly jealous. Also is obsessed with MC's friend Sasuke, where he both loves and constantly threatens to kill Sasuke.

Cullen Rutherford

Propaganda

stupid racist cop creep whose fans cry about how hes "changed" and "you can't judge him he was addicted to magic drugs" nah he still chose to be a racist cop and abuse his power over innocent people and i hate him. the writers making him romanceable in da:i after how blatantly horrible he was in da:o and da:2 is baffling but i guess they had to appeal to the part of their audience who watch those "mafia boyfriend" videos on tiktok or whatever

He's creepy in origins, though still 100% willing to kill the female mage pc he's crushing on, as well as all the other mages trapped in the circle with him. He's the second-in-command in an even worse circle in 2, listening to and defending the increasingly obviously insane meredith until literally the end. He's one of the people still pushing for the circle system by inquisition, and yes he's going through withdrawals and working through the traumas of previous games. And to be brutally honest his was the first romance i took and while i don't remember much from it, its not worth all the girls going absolutely nuts over knockoff terrible alistair.

He's basically a cop who thinks being born a certain way can revoke personhood and by Inquisition still thinks mages are monsters to be controlled, not people. He gets a fairy tale cutesy romance that focuses on his personal struggles with addiction while showing absolutely no regard to the atrocities he committed and still thinks were justified. He can be romanced BY A MAGE and his actions and beliefs are just glossed over. He believes mages are 'not people like you (Hawke) and me', but if the Warden was a female mage he canonically had a crush on her and would deliberately hang around her despite the fact that he was her *jailer*. If that Warden romanced Leliana, there is war table dialogue in which he pesters Leliana for news of his 'former' crush despite her repeated statement that she doesn't want to talk to him about her. All this shitty behavior and lack of introspection gets swept under the rug by the game, not even giving the PC the chance to really challenge his beliefs. Like damn even Fenris could apologize when he lashed out due to past trauma with mages, and if anyone has a reason to hate mages it's Fenris. If you want an ex Templar hottie Alistair is RIGHT THERE. Tbh I know Cullen is a popular romance and I'm not here to tell anyone what they can or can't do or like in a video game, I'm just saying I think he is deeply undateable

Spends the first two games as an antagonist, fervently devoted to the cause of subjugating mages, then a bunch of "character development" happens off screen and the games treat him like he's completely reformed. However he's actions make it clear he still sees mages as dangerous and lesser. Not to mention if you romance him with an elf he doesn't pay your culture more than lip service respect like most of the devout characters 

He was a total villain in the first two games who was violently prejudiced against mages and uses one single bad experience as an excuse for it (a bad experience that is pretty much exactly what he in his job subjected graduating apprentices to, mind you, but this is never brought up). Now he says he's changed, but his words and actions say otherwise. He still distrusts mages, sympathises with the rebel Templars trying to kill them, and he never owns up to the terrible stuff he did and helped others do in the past two games. He totally knew what Meredith was doing and says he doesn't, and he still tries to defend her intentions. And you have no option to call him out on it. If you romance him as a mage, he angsts about how he might have seen you as subhuman in the past but NOW you're one of the good ones, and when you ask him if he'll kill you if you get possessed, he dodges the question. And the PC is written as being almost sad that she's a mage? Like 'can you love me despite what I am??' Also if Leliana romanced a female mage PC in the first game who is still alive, he asks her creepy questions about their relationship. Fitting considering his original purpose was to be creepy to the female mage Warden. 

I hate him and want to cause chaos. Plus his VA is an asshole.

Cop

I think you covered almost everything but don't forget that beautiful moment in DA2 - Act 2 where you find out some templars had a petition to lobotomize all mages and Meredith, THE HARDCORE TEMPLAR LEADER, rejects it, but Cullen says they got a point. Despite the fact that we just found out that those templars were using lobotomy (or the threat of) to rape people and get away with it. And then Cullen in DA:I is whining that anything that happened it's not his fault because Meredith kept the worse away form him so he didn't know, but also that anyway Meredith had a point and did what she had to do. Meredith does not go mad until Act 3, before she was of sound mind and Culllen was her second in command BECAUSE he hated mages as much as (or even more) than her. What the FUCK did she even hide from you, Cullen. Oh, but he changed! Because the writers make A VICTIM OF THE TEMPLARS say so. And anyway he only says so BECAUSE HE READS MINDS not because Cullen did anything to show it. Also the narrative wants to sympathise with Cullen for his drug problems while Cullen is openly attacking the only other character with the same problem for...having the same problem. And he's the antagonist, so there were OTHER things Cullen could be mad about. But he is mad about the drug problem. Also I'm not an expert on writing characters with addictions but he is an addict only when it's time to have a cut scene where you pity him. Otherwise it has zero impacts on everything else.

[sentientgopro]

Hey y'all, not exactly active on here, especially when talking about myself, but I really need to get some shit off my chest right now. I had a couple realisations yesterday that culminated in some shit I never thought I would be saying or thinking.

I never thought I could be anything but straight. I liked women, so I mustve been straight. Im definately an advocate for everyone giving their gender true consideration, even when most will come out the other side cis, and confidently so, as did I.

Then I realised I didn't like women in the way most straight guys do. Afer clearing up some prior misconceptions about Aromanticism and asexuality, I realised those two labels fit me perfectly. But sometimes I wonder why I still feel a certain way about girls. There's just something about the way they look that's appealing to me, even if I dont find girls attractive...

Oh shit. That wasn't attraction. That was envy.

So that train of thought kind of went from 0 to 10 real fucking fast. This realisation brought to my attention feelings that Ive had for a good while, but have passed off as r/196 induced brainrot. Besides, and this is the biggest thing that stopped me realising this earlier, I dont feel that who I am now is wrong. I look in the mirror, and I see myself. But I've only recently kinda grasped the concept that being trans isn't all about dysphoria, having dysphoria is not always the way to tell. Although I dont think being a man is wrong, fucking hell, being a girl would be much better. And it feels so fucking weird actually typing that.

But what I'm saying is, atleast for the time being, I could manage to just not do anything. Which is for the better seeing as my parents would start screaming at me for saying anything remotely in the direction of being an ally. And I live on TERF Island. Transitioning would be an absolute pain in the ass, especially right now, so it kinda feels like why bother when the way I am doesnt really feel wrong. Transitioning could be quite dangerous and have big risks, it kinda just feels like I dont need that shit in my life, Im already running on fumes and a list of people I need to outlive. I usually hold a mindset of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", but this usually applies to binary things, like if my team wins using the same strat a few times in a row in CS, "Do it again, ain't broke, don't fix", but this is not nearly as binary as that, this isn't a win/loss.

Something that is both comforting and a little concerning is that no matter what, there is atleast a 2 year hold on this. I should be able to go to uni after that and start living my own life, but as of right now, doing something like transitioning is NOT an option. Ive got a 2 year long planning phase and Ive kinda just been taking stock tbh. I don't think "that" period of my life hit too hard, Im still skinny (Yeah, ik skinny =/= feminine but its better than being buff imo) kinda fuckin tall, if my growth follows the same as my brother did which it is so far Im gonna be like 6'3 by the end of that 2 years (6'1 now) so thats probably gonna be more of a mild annoyance than a genuine problem. My voice varies ALOT, I can have a pretty damn low voice, and a bit of a higher pitch, it naturally varies, I normally find I talk in a higher pitch when I'm happier and lower when Im trying to appear more... normal? idk, theres probably somrthing to think about in that.

Honestly idk, theres no real end point to this, I just wanted to talk about this somewhere. As much as I never saw myself being in this position, I use r/196, play ULTRAKILL, and Study Computer Science and want to continue it as a career path, cmon, it was only ever a matter of time, this was inevitable.

[natimiles]

OH YEAH, I GOT AN RANDOM IDEA.

You know that hc you did with some of the ikevamp boys being a brother figure? I can't help, but wonder how they react to MC falling in love with a woman who's extra hands at the bar Arthur and Theo frequent.

I'm so tempted to write this myself, but I honestly have no clue how they'll react other than Dazai and Arthur are gonna be menaces in their own way. idk... THIS CAN'T LEAVE MY MIND.

I was trying hard to come up with hcs for it, but... I couldn't :') But I can ramble about it! HASIUEHAS.

I think they'd all be pretty cool about it, honestly.

I'll give Arthur two options: 1. if he's a brother figure, he'll do everything he can to make sure you're happy; he will chase who tries to talk bad about you and your girl. Expect double dates, you and your girl, Arthur and his partner. 2. if he's not a brother figure, he's still hitting on you; he'll ask for a threesome on a daily basis.

The rest of them, let's assume it's a brother-like relationship only:

Isaac will blush, he didn't know this things could happen. But he won't have a problem with it. He just needs to get used to the idea.

Mozart and Theo will be overprotective and petty, it doesn't matter who you date.

Vincent will be okay. He's an angel and he's happy when you're happy.

Maybe Jean would have a problem, but he's a religious boy from a medieval era. He'll try to understand it though, if that's what makes you happy. Just give him time. He will pray for your soul.

Napoleon loading screen says "both men and women alike have fallen prey to his appeal". Need I say more?

Dazai will probably smile and say "oh, congrats!" I'm not really familiar writing him, tbh HASUIEHSAUIHEAS

[vriskacircus]

vriska for vriskasweep! also jade and/or terezi if you want to ^_^!!

(I'm bad at remembering exact lines so for 6 ill give you a moment instead)

VRISKA MY GIRL #vriskasweepisrealinourhearts

1: vriska serket is the bisexual murdergirl ever. maybe not the one we need but definitely the one we deserve

2: vrisrezi is the only option. nothing else exists they are everything. they are the blueprint. if girls arent killing each other are they even really in love

3: vriska and egbert. i think their earlier interactions are very sweet and in my soul i think that they should become friends again. also vriska and arquiusprite? she loves that fucker and its hilarious

4: vristav. i love my girl but thats a hard Nope.

5: i think her ears are asymmetrical and it makes her glasses really uncomfortable to wear. also she makes weird noises all the time and it freaks egbert specifically out. everyone else got used to it

6: Vriska vs. (Vriska) is so good to me. recognition of the self (derogatory)

7: i too need to be the center of everything ever or die. also me 🤝 vriska: relating to people really weirdly. i dont know whats wrong with us but it is the same thing

8: everything about how she treats tavros. her other crimes are girlbossing but that shits not cool bestie

9: cinnamon roll, obviously. the Most problematic fave

jade

1: aspec of some kind but idk the specifics and i dont think she does either

2: im a davejade fan sorry do u still love me /lh karkat can come over on thursdays or smth

3: jade and feferi! they should have gotten to talk more i love the weirdgirls (my class is also witch and i believe in witch solidarity)

4: i dont really have one other than like. actually gross and illegal shit but that goes for every character

5: i think she'd be a fantastic singer. get that girl a karaoke machine! dont make bacon within a 50 mile radius she will teleport to you and eat it out of the pan

6: [S]: Cascade is the coolest thing anyone has ever done.

7: she is so so lonely. and a doggirl but in the tragic way.

8: jade has never done anything embarrassing in her life she is the coolest

9: CINNAMON ROLL! THE CINNAMON ROLL...

terepy pipes

1: she is also bisexual i dont make the rules

2: see vriska

3: dave motherfucking strider. on a less canon interactions note i think it should become friends with jane. detective and blind justice? girlboy who makes food and girlthing who loves to taste? theyre made to be besties

4: gamrezi. i also dont like terezi/egbert much but thats more me just not getting the appeal than a visceral negative reaction

5: she/it pronouns and also hoards neos but ive spent too long on this post already so just imagine any set of neopronouns and she probably uses it. she likes to tell everyone she's the pronoun dragon. of course you have teal blood and pronouns.

6: ok i Do have a quote for it. "TH3 PROS3CUT1ON S33S NO CO1N. SH3'S BL1ND, R3M3MB3R?!" she's a little fucked up tbh

7: ok this one was weirdly hard. we both have huge stuffed animal collections though

8: it thinks it looks so fucking cool drawing its own chalk outline to die in. and she's not wrong, but she is Such a fucking nerd.

9: problematic fave but i support womens wrongs

[lemonhemlock]

I also doubt the kids aren't Aegon's but why do people think those who want the children to be Aemond's want it so "a son for a son" makes sense? Or want to justify it? It doesn't make sense no matter who the father is. It's child murder ffs. Nothing justifies that. I despise how the debate always comes down to B&C and the crap Daemon did. Tbh people also forget show!Aegon literally got the worst characterization on the Green side including the fact that was willing to run away and leave everything behind including his wife and the trueborn kids he allegedly loves. I know I'll be pissing some people off by going off even further on this one since it's a very unpopular take to have on the Green side but Helaena's line that he ignores her except "when he's drunk" doesn't sound very good either and the implications aren't very...appealing, to say the least. Like who would want to endure their drunk's husband's attention? No one. I don't claim to know what the writers really intended when they put this line in the show, but given Aegon's overall characterization in the show I kind of doubt it's anything positive.

However, like you pointed out, I'm sure there will be some retconning going on, if you can call it that, in S2 in the sense that Aegon will still have a harrowing reaction to Jaehaerys' murder.

Anyway the argument that Helaena's children being Aemond's justifies B&C and the other argument that making them Aemond's somehow hurts Aegon's character (most Greens seem to point this out even in the case the kids are still his because they don't want Helaena to cheat) doesn't make much sense but I get why people think this though. Even if he's their uncle he can still have the same reaction like Daeron did when he found out about Maelor in the book, like you said.

ultimately i think there's a lot of wiggle room to play around with helaegond and their dynamics in a way that remains true to their personalities and has them hitting the same plot beats

aegon & aemond both going to blast for those children, loving them as their own regardless of their parentage, being consumed with feelings of guilt and revenge on their behalf, all the while being terrible people who delve into a lot of darkness, isn't something i find mutually-exclusive. i think it adds depth and character in a v easily-achievable way, as caring about children is a very popular trait with the audience, that would instantly elevate the biggest arseholes, without the writers even having to put it any tremendous amount of work. they don't even need a lot of screen time to establish this, so i would definitely keep it in mind as an option in their stead. (again, not saying this is what is going to materialize in the end onscreen)

(add daeron to the mix, too, re: sacking of bitterbridge)

being drawn to innocence and committing terrible acts in the name of protecting it is also a very common trope in fiction, easily-understandable and digestible for the average viewer

[more on debunking daemon's justification for b&c here, before anyone asks :))]

[cabeswaterdrowned]

andrew nico and blue classic

Hi sorry I got to the asks for this so late this one took a long time, I actually realized I had the opportunity to post it on your birthday but I didn’t quite manage but anyway consider this a belated birthday present if my rambling tangents qualify as such to you <33

Blue Sargent

three facts about them from my personal headcanons: 1) her favorite musical is Wicked and she identified with Elphaba 2) I think she has some sensory issues which is why she’s so particular about certain textures of clothing, food etc. and I definitely like to read her as neurodivergent 3) I hc her as non-white in Maura’s side I especially like picturing her as desi which you could say is projection and you’d be right, but generally I think of her as a brown girl.

a reason they suck: her judgmental streak is real, and she’s very proud and yes these things together can influence her towards being a bit of a hypocrite.

a reason they are great: Idk how to pick just one thing I am infamously Not normal about this girl she remains my favorite ya book girl to this day.. But I really love how passionate Blue is and also how kind of self-possessed she is about her own feelings, she’s very in tune with her own individuality and what she desires out of life: seeing the world, exploring, finding ways to help make the world better, having her own path that she determines not a set destiny, wanting lasting meaningful relationships and friendships that are maybe more intense than is technically healthy etc. she searches for something more and doesn’t entirely know how to get there/what that path is but she’s intent on carving out that path for herself and finding that knowledge, and then the area she’s least in tune with herself about is like, romance and particularly the way to feel about Gansey in the first few books which I really like as a dichotomy ((and it’s part of why Bluesey reads like a lesbian narrative cough)), that passionate nature is also what allows her to be extremely loving and brave and creative and I generally love that about her. Also this is an unpopular opinion but the way she thinks and her personality does feel like a very real teenage girl, I think Maggie did a good job writing her voice in that department and that wasn’t ever a problem with how she wrote Blue the problem with how she wrote her was, as I say later, the fact that Maggie wasn’t interested in the follow-through of her arc/how Blue’s personality which was very fleshed out, would change/develop outside of happening to develop certain relationships. Oh I also love how curious she is I love character who constantly want to know what is up with everything which will continue to be a theme in the other asks … I’ll quit while I’m ahead here I love her but also really am due for a reread which is why this is coming out so incoherently.

a reason I relate to them: I relate a lot to her mindset of loving whimsical things but striving to be practical in my pursuit of whimsy, I also just relate to a lot of her personality (besides how brave/risk-taking she can be which is not me at all lmao) and thought processes she’s one of the chars I most identify with in fiction generally… and a lot of it can be tied to the fact we’re both 4w5’s tbh. I also was raised mainly by multiple maternal figures I strive to emulate and grew up not thinking well of male authority figures <3

(what I consider to be) the top tier otp/ot3 for that character: for otp it’s Bluesey obviously my parents who raised me… I really really love Blue x Noah too but it’s more elite tier. Imfor ot3 there are actually 3 options which I find really appealing I think Gansey/Blue/Noah Blue/Gansey/Henry and Blue/Gansey/Adam all have excellent ot3 potential but I’m going to go with the latter because it’s the messiest option and I like to have fun. Three incredibly fucked up bisexuals who were obsessed w each other in thematically fascinating ways.

five things that never happened to that character that I believe should have happened: 1. I loved the parts of Bllb that focused on Blue learning about her powers with Gwenllian and that dynamic as a vehicle for her becoming in tune with being a mirror/witch should have continued as a storyline in TRK the way Adam and Ronan’s abilities continued to be relevant to the story, the conclusion to the arc could’ve still been Blue learning about the Artemis-tree situation but i wanted more reflection from her on what these powers are going to mean for her going forward and not just “oh yeah I guess it makes sense I’m part tree” 2. Her arc towards becoming less judgmental shouldn’t have just been “I guess I need to not be so mean to rich white boys” I wish she had actually gotten to grapple with her mindsets about class and gender more, and obviously I adore her dynamics with the boys and the 300 Fox way ladies but I wanted her . 3) I love Maura but I kind of wish Blue had been allowed to be mad at her about disappearing at the end of TDT for longer after she had come back (her moments of anger before Maura gets back are incredible I love her interactions with Calla when they both are missing her too), especially since Bllb is when Persephone and Jesse die and the anticipation of Gansey’s loss are really building and getting to Blue so I think it would be really natural for her to double down on transferring those emotions to her mother who is safe for her to be mad at. 4) I do kind of like that Artemis himself wasn’t that relevant to Blue when he showed up lol, but I still think Blue should have gotten to actually know him and deal with some of her feelings about being abandoned by him that were definitely There in earlier books. She could get to let out her feelings and get to know him a little and then still feel unimpressed by him / that he’s not a real guardian figure to her the way Maura Calla and Jimmi are and Persephone was. That would work for me <3 5) Generally TRK failed to resolve what Blue was going to do with her future aside from the Bluesey/Sarchengsey of it all (both of which I love but come on) I haven’t read Greywaren yet but I am glad there was some lip service to that and it made decent sense for her char. (Also should be said that my last reread of the first two books was in 2019 so while I like to think of myself as a Blue expert still my memory of some things might not be that sharp.)

five people that character never fell in love with and why

1)Adam —- I actually do like Blue/Adam it’s

the type of pairing where hindsight made me appreciate it more and find it more interesting as it exists in the story. Blue not falling for Adam had multiple factors so it’s hard to pinpoint just one, part of it was definitely that for Blue liking Adam better than Gansey went hand in hand with the idea of her as someone who wasn’t bound to a specific fate, and that wasn’t fair to him (Adam also had reasons to fixate on Blue that weren’t fair to her but this isn’t about his side of things, even though that also added to creating a distance within their relationship which is part of why), so part of it is based on the circumstances around their relationship, also I don’t think necessarily that they’re incompatible romantically personality wise but they definitely both honed in on certain similarities between them and assumed that would mean perfect compatibility when that wasn’t the case. In a different storyline maybe they could’ve gotten there, within the timeline and structure of the story not really.

2)Noah —- Literally Noah said it himself it’s because he’s not alive… yet at the same time from what we know of Noah pre-death he didn’t sound like someone Blue would like much at all, so that makes the whole “I’d ask you out if I was alive.” “I’d say yes.” thing even more tragic, although Blue very much does mean it for the Noah that is right now if He could live.

3)Ronan — this is just on here because I needed more people lol I actually wasn’t sure who to put after Adam. But Blue could never be attracted to Ronan because she likes a particular flavor of fruity pathetic boys like she likes fruity nerdy and pathetic not fruity Ronan is fruity but isn’t the right kind of pathetic for her at all he’s too harsh and fiery, and similar to Blue herself but not in a way that attracts her at all.

4)Kavinsky — She hated him and would never interact with him willingly there’s really not much depth I can add here. Also the way he spoke to her in their one scene in tdt was disgusting the fact for a long time there were parts of the fandom that cared way more about him and the dream pack than Blue and the 300 fox way women Grrr

5)Helen — This is my crack pairing that I felt passionately about in the year 2013 she didn’t fall in love with Helen simply because she didn’t get the chance to. But I think she could’ve if they met like 5 years post series and Blue hadn’t met Gansey yet so.

Andrew Minyard

three facts about them from my personal headcanons: 1. He’s a fan of horror media specifically slasher films (also old movies in general but that’s canon from some of the things he’s referenced in dialogue) 2. Only half a headcanon/generally this is very based on the texts but I do think Nora is right about him being bipolar (something she says in the E.C. But it was a while ago so she used out dated terminology) and based on meta I’ve read from people more well-versed in the subject than myself and far more than Nora, I agree that he’s Bipolar II and has C-PTSD, and is also probably on the autism spectrum. 3. He says his favorite color is black but it is actually blue (like Neil’s eyes lol)

a reason they suck: I mean if I met him in real life I would definitely be bothered by how inflexible his judgements of the world and other people are and by his inclination for violence, but narratively I’m more than fine with all those things tbh.

a reason they are great: am going to refrain from writing an essay here and just mention a few qualities I really like about him: extreme loyalty and protectiveness towards his ‘people’, incredibly intelligent and perceptive in how he reads people and situations, always driven to seek knowledge as a means of controlling circumstances for those he cares about and himself but also just because he’s a nosy bitch, and then I have a hard time explaining some other things especially since you haven’t finished the series but I just think the way he works as a character is fascinating I’m obsessed with his brain. Thinking about him a lot also makes me miserable sometimes in a good way. I also think he’s one of the funniest characters ever. I’ll stop talking now he really contains multitudes to Me.

a reason I relate to them: honestly abandonment issues and emotional repression..Also like the way he always want to know everyone’s business but doesn’t actually like to talk to people (non-medicated) is a mood.

(what I consider to be) the top tier otp/ot3 for that character: Andreil and Kandrew I honestly can’t choose because Andreil is THEE ship and Kandrew is My ship obsession and I consider those two separate categories in a sense, my approach with Pynch and Adansey is similar tbh. And for ot3 Kandreil <33 very non-controversial.

five things that never happened to that character that I believe should have happened: 1) getting on proper meds suited to his actual diagnosis would be nice 2) I want him and Nicky to figure out new approaches in their relationship and generally work to have a better one 3) I think it would be cool if like Neil he later switched his major to something he actually was interested, especially like the idea of him as a film major or a psych major

five people that character never fell in love with and why

1)Roland — So this is a dynamic/character where I have one reaction based on information from the books + extra content (which is basically @ Roland get a job stay away from him!) , and Andrew’s pov of the dynamic is a bit different from mine so I’m focusing on this question from Andrew’s pov. I think Andrew liked Roland because he’s charming and easy to like and treated him like a peer not a kid (which is part of the problem) but it was a shallow kind of liking which was why Andrew saw Roland as a “safe” outlet to explore his sexuality, because there was no risk of him getting too attached which was safer to him emotionally and meant that when Roland tried to overstep his boundaries Andrew didn’t have an emotional weakness for it and could shut it down, and not a massive amount of trust existed but more trust than potentially he would have with other people. Also I kind of think that part of why he was drawn to (/vulnerable to) Roland specifically had something to do with Roland as someone so tied to Nicky, and while Nicky and Aaron were in getting closer and Andrew was placing himself in the protector-not-family role and also everything that happened with the court/meds Andrew would feel flattered / get a type of validation from being able to attract Roland and be chosen over Nicky in a sense, and get a kind of satisfaction successfully keeping it a secret. Honestly I think Roland is for Andrew what Wren is for Spencer in a way (which makes Nicky the Melissa technically), so that kind of itself explains why Andrew doesn’t love him.

2)Matt — I think that Andrew Does find Matt attractive (and is annoyed about it) esp in moments where Matt loses his cool more ex. when he’s picking a fight, is really protective etc. but he would never develop deeper feelings both because of the way they interact based on the structure of the team, the role Andrew played pre series in Matt going to rehab (I don’t remember if this is explained in book 1 or 2 so idk if you read about that yet) etc. and aside from all that Matt just has too conventional a view on morality and is just too close to normal for Andrew to ever be interested enough. However in different storylines pre and during the series or if they met when they were younger I could see them having a fling even if canon-wise it would be out of the question for both.

3)Jeremy — Other than the obvious that they haven’t had nearly enough contact, Andrew would just never be into someone that bubbly and nice they’d never be compatible, and unlike Matt I don’t even think Andrew sees or would under any circumstances see any sort of edge to Jeremy that could make him a bit compelling. And I think it’s vice versa too they don’t dislike each other (Jeremy doesn’t seem to dislike anyone) but they’re not for each other at all. There’s one place where this pairing could happen at all and it’s in the sex dreams yk Kevin has had about it Lolz.

4)Jean — again the thing about contact and then I think across the board in canon and any version of post canon timeline for Kevin and Neil centric reasons Andrew would always hate him. I’m unsure how I think they’d interact if they met outside the parameters of the series, in a Raven Andrew Au I do think Andrew and Jean would have been close while Andrew and Kevin would decidedly Not be close, I don’t really think Andrew would ever view Jean romantically in those circumstances though.

5)Seth — like with Kavinsky this is low hanging fruit Andrew hated him and would never interact with him willingly.

Nico Di Angelo

three facts about them from my personal headcanons: 1. Rick is incorrect about Nico and Reyna not spending time together post boo he’s just insane for that. Nico is constantly spending time at Camp Jupiter to hang out with his sister and his pseudo sister and his brother in law who he likes to scare half to death for fun imo 2. I think he’d really enjoy things like MBTI and astrology he likes sorting and categorizing things and being a nerd see: Mythomagic 3. In addition to his Aquarius sun he’s a Scorpio moon, not decided on his rising yet

a reason they suck: I was completely drawing a blank because I can’t think of anything I dislike about him but then I remembered the tsats excerpts so I guess just being cringe in those is his biggest crime to date. Like I could say the holding grudges thing but honestly I’m a Taurus I get it

a reason they are great: He’s so smart and knowledgable and resourceful and resilient and I love that he’s so powerful while constantly underestimated, he’s also just. He has a complicated moral compass which makes him interesting and I really like that, but fundamentally he’s very loving.

a reason I relate to them: tbh you can copy paste what I said for Andrew p much + additionally when rereading last year I did connect with the way his grief is constantly present in his character post end of ttc, a lot actually :/.

(what I consider to be) the top tier otp/ot3 for that character: I resent this a little but Jason/Nico is definitely the most appealing one to me based on canon content. And for ot3 I Was having fun last year with reimagining part of hoo as a Leo-Jason-Nico love triangle, and Valdangelo has so much untapped potential so definitely the three of them.

five things that never happened to that character that I believe should have happened: 1) for the fact that chb is prejudiced against him to be acknowledged and not dismissed, I’m okay with there being some grey area in terms of him isolating himself because of trauma and that also being a factor, but not him being blamed for the alienation he experiences which is territory canon gets into at times 2) his final scene with Percy in BOO should have been more impactful and less of a joke and we should have gotten a sense of how they’ll mend their friendship 3) what I said before about Reyna and Hazel being largely involved with him getting to feel at home at camp and him clearly visiting them a lot 4) I want it acknowledged that Hades and the Furies and maybe Persephone must have tutored him because he dropped out of school in 5th grade I want to get insight on that experience. Which I fully believe happened but not 100% sure Rick does so counting it 5) I really like the Dionysus therapy thing but Chiron should be made to feel ashamed for his passivity and letting Nico be homeless in pjo

five people that character never fell in love with and why

1)Leo — Rick was simply too much of a coward to let them interact and have the arc of figuring out how compatible they would be.

2)Jason — I think Nico would be resistant to the idea of letting himself *go there* emotionally with another “hero” archetype in the timeline of canon bcs of the Percy thing. I do believe he had some latent attraction to Jason (him comparing Will’s and Jason’s looks in BOO is… telling lmao) and ofc definitely cared for him but it would have taken a while for love-level feelings to develop, though i definitely think they could have since Nico is the opposite of Andrew in that sense that he likes nice heroic boys only lol, and they definitely have points of connection so plenty of potential there. In the timeline of canon there’s way more evidence of Jason having strong romantic feelings/actually being smitten re: Nico which like I said I think was ultimately a good thing that made the dynamic a stand out compared to the status quo of both chars other dynamics, and also just a lot more palatable to me personally since my relationship with Jason as a char is … complicated lol, and I definitely would have Strongly resented a dynamic where the reverse was true in introduction.

3)Frank — he’s dating Hazel and age probably other things too .

4)Apollo — Okay so he definitely had a crush on him in TTC I don’t want that to be true but it is… BOO restated it too in a way…anyway though he would never fall in love with Apollo he hates his actual cocky personality (he’s fond of Lester/Apollo too but it’s the way you’d be fond of a really smelly and badly behaved dog tbh).

5)Octavian — because Octavian’s a little bitch Nico doesn’t have a lot of standards (bcs of the abandonment issues) but he does have Some standards.

[delighted-mirage]

YEAHHH this is so GOOD I love it sm it does make a lot of sense.

I think also like. the fact she was also offstage/off the youtube screen during steph’s and pete’s song could also imply a scene where it’s grace alone with the lords in black.

like think about it. they don’t want a stupid joke of a sacrifice like steph’s phone in the first place despite it literally being her most treasured possession, aka her ticket to freedom from an overbearing and pressuring dad and for most teens, it is meant literally when their phone is their most precious item. like that’s an actual sacrifice. but the lords don’t take it. in fact they’re insulted by the fact she even offered something so trivial. so why is grace’s joke taken in a different way instead of being rejected? like 1) it’s a joke 2) it’s pleasurable for her and actually satisfies something she wants 3) it’s not something that causes any actual damage to the world or brings another apocalypse. no reason to take grace’s chastity as a sacrifice at face value.

so I think, just as a hc, she was actually making a deal with the lords in black. they already know she’s desperate, paranoid, devout, and willing to sell anyone out to save her own skin as seen when she goes to the cops. she’s a selfish hungry person looking for a way to end this but also more importantly she’s looking for power. at the beginning of the show she’s campaigning to take the homecoming dance down for her own personal beliefs and self righteousness despite everyone hating her for it bc she is literally trying to control a big part of their own teenage lives. she’s self righteous enough that at this point anything she believes in is morally justified so like max (even in the beginning as a human with his self righteously enforced code of “coolness” and pecking order) , she can do anything she wants so long as it enforces her own order.

now all of this is already implied in the musical and its ending with grace going after people using the lords’ power. it implies basically that 1) grace losing her chastity and the sacrifice deal itself was actually a trick. in any scenario, one of the three would’ve become a bloodthirsty killer working for the lords too. they get rid of max but yk they fill in. or 2) grace made an explicit deal to join the lords in exchange for killing max. she either doesn’t know what’s going to happen to her or does.

(whereas steph or pete would have just suffered in total devastation and horror, which are both acceptable options for the lords. could also be scenario 1 in that they’re so devastated, they want to kill everyone else, but I don’t personally think that would happen. they don’t actually want power they want each other and destroying the thing they love most is enough torture for one mass murderer ghost to be killed if grace wasn’t in the picture)

tbh I think the sexier option is 2. and I think it deserves a scene of grace clinging to the book and the lords still being there and singing about how much power grace could have if they joined her. she refuses. it’s the devil. but when has god ever helped her out? especially now. where is he and why can’t he kill max himself? why doesn’t he deliver you from injustice? why doesn’t he save people? why doesn’t he care about you? what if you had the power? what if you had the power to destroy all the impurities of this town and this earth for good? all it takes is a little sacrifice. god sent his holy son to be sacrificed too. isn’t it the right thing? isn’t it holy to be a savior for this world too? yes.

and she makes a sacrifice. I don’t think it’s just her “chastity”. her last name is chastity. I think it’s giving up her chastity as in giving up her life. she can never go back or live up to the ideals of her name chastity. she no longer sits on the sidelines keeping herself chaste or controlling any of her inhibitions. she loses that chastity inside herself to the lords in black and that’s what makes the sacrifice so appealing.

at this point I am reiterating the points the musical itself is already making but it’s fun to think about. I also think grace deserves a song about it or deserved some kind of scene with the lords tempting her and her Finally giving in to unlimited power and freedom. I think a scene like this would imply more of all five of the lords channeling their power through her, which would mean grace is the avatar, master of five elements (greed, insecurities, hunger, insanity, and control).

NPMD Meta:

The Lords In Black knew that Steph killing Pete would be the most devastating of the three options, which is why they pushed for it. As many people have pointed out, they probably already got her mom and Max just killed her dad, so she’d end up completely alone. In the short term, this is the most fulfilling option for completing the summoning ritual. There is no part of Steph that wants to go through with this plan.

Pete is a good second choice because there is also no part of him that would want to go through with the plan. HOWEVER, he ostensibly would still have a family after the act. Less devastating overall, but still fulfills the summoning ritual.

There is a HUGE part of Grace that absolutely wanted to do what she did (fuck Max Jagerman, and also kill Max Jagerman). She only very technically fulfilled the language of the summoning ritual. Her sacrifice was absolutely not an equivalent exchange — thus, she still owed work to the Lords in Black. Exchanging one Lord for another (i.e., Jesus for the LiB), the new ones with significantly more personal benefits, was an unwritten part of the deal. She’s still paying off her debts to the Lords in Black, and as long as she keeps finding pleasure in her work, she always will be.

Side theory: she’s most closely sworn to Nibbly. Grace hungers for power, for sex, and for murder. She literally used a food metaphor in her sexual fantasies. This also might be why the ending to NPMD is less world-ending than the previous two installments: Nibbly sustained a cult for like a century in order to have regular meals in multiple timelines, he is capable of long term planning.

[raspberryconverse]

Poly RomCom Moments: Beau #4

I met Beau #4 at Queer Poly Cocktails. I had actually connected with someone on Reddit who just moved here and had been. He had a good experience and that gave me the courage to go.

(Side note: We finally met IRL last week and then he asked me out the next day. But he's like 11 years younger than me and said he'd understand if I was too young for him. He is. And not really my type. Spouse wants to hit that though, but I don't think he's into them.)

A man saw me sheepishly walking around, trying to find some people to converse with. He invited me to sit at his table. I had a really good time talking with people and it was really a nice experience.

By the end, him, me and one other guy were still at the bar, chatting. The other guy was not really my type. He was attractive, but too talk and kinda young for me (5 years younger, I think). We all exchanged numbers so we could hang out.

I mentioned to the both of them that I was hungry and asked if they wanted to grab a bite to eat. The other guy said yes and Beau #4 bowed out. He later told me he thought I was into the other guy and decided to let him have me. I was not really thinking about either of them like that because the event isn't meant to be for dating. I was really just hungry and didn't think I had any appealing options at home. The other guy and I ended up getting tacos.

All three of us ended up at "Straight" Poly Cocktails (it's not actually called that, but it's not queer specific). A group of us, which included both the other guy and Beau #4, ended up going to another bar for one more drink after the event ended. There was a very heated discussion about Israel/Palestine that I did not want to join in on because TBH, IDK a lot about what's going on. I'll admit, I just don't have the capacity to really educate myself on it. The conflicts of the world are overwhelming to me and I already lead a fairly overwhelming life with my own problems. It's not that I don't care, I just don't have the energy to learn about the nuances of the situation.

Anyway, Beau #4 and I left first and walked to the train together. When we walked through the turnstile, he gave me a hug goodbye.

There definitely was a moment where it turned into not just a friend hug.

(gif by lousolversons)

We pulled back and he asked me if I'd like to go out sometime. I said yes. Then we kissed. And man, was it a good kiss.

He looked over my shoulder at the next trains sign.

"Looks like both our trains aren't coming for another 15 minutes..."

And literally, right after he said that, the rest of our group comes barreling through the turnstiles, including the other guy. We parted ways. Him and another person we had gone to the bar with headed to the northbound platform and me and the other guy went to the southbound one.

I texted him the next morning.

He's been really amazing. I've been going through a lot of things lately and he's been there every time with encouraging words.

And he can deadlift more than double my body weight (without being super muscly, which is definitely not my thing unless you're Kit Connor), so that's pretty fun too.

[discyours]

This is not a dig at melanez, but at the other radfems responding to you in that post abt that female body builder- Idk why they can't just say, "Yes I am wrong, Yes she looks unhealthy," like they gotta argue w you about it. Idk shit abt body building either but I can def. Tell her body is unnatural, photoshopped, and unhealthy. I don't get people sooo obsessed w thinness, even in radfem circles.

I don't think it's necessarily photoshopped tbh. You can do a lot with just angles and posing.

I think a lot of people get defensive about female body building specifically because they've also been hurt by society's obsession with thinness and they've adopted this as their escape from it. Even if they don't participate themselves, the knowledge that being small and "dainty" or chubby/thick (both sexualised in their own ways) are not the only options can be really comforting. You mean I can be a size I'm comfortable at yet be buff, be off putting to men and have my body be a reflection of the hard work I've put in? Sign me up (except not really because in the small print you're gonna have to lose your period to get shredded and men still fetishise the fuck out of fit women).

People don't know what unhealthy looks like. I'm fairly familiar with it because of a long career of anorexia but I've had people argue with me that straight up emaciated actresses with visible severe eating disorders are "naturally thin". And when you add muscle it gets even worse because people just aren't familiar with it. There's also an obsession with the appeal to nature, ie if someone's been underweight their entire life that means there's no health risks (lol no), or if a body builder at a dangerous bf% isn't using steroids to get there then there's no reason to worry.

[mercurytrinemoon]

Another post on Moon signs you can drag me for

Before we get into the actual thing, I'd like to say this post initially started as something else but ultimately, what I tried to put across is, sometimes Moon signs aren’t that easy to decipher. It’s easy to grasp overall characteristics of the signs and then learn how to identify their specific traits. But what people seem to forget it that Moon represents the deepest side of us & our inner world - it’s uncommon to really see someone’s side of it unless you really pay attention. Sometimes I’m surprised to see what someone’s Moon sign is even if I know this person well. Meaning, people usually hide that part of them - or they just simply process it internally and others can’t see their emotional reactions. It’s also uncommon for folks these days to fully express their emotional needs so it gets even trickier to pin-point their Moon characteristics. I don't think I have to mention this but, of course, your entire chart should be taken into account, as well as house placement, aspects. Personally, I like to also look at Moon's dispositor.

Let’s start from my friends, Gemini Moons, who, I feel, get a bad rep for not showing their feelings and scanning every emotion like an AI. Nah-ah. I know this one Gemini Moon whose immediate emotional reactions aren’t very cerebral in the sense of processing everything in the mind and intellectualizing it aka, what people like to label as being un-emotional. Instead her reactions are often fast (air energy) but physically expressed through Mercury (Gemini Moon’s dispositor) and Sun (overall identity) – she has them both in Aries. She’s a crybaby who can burst into tears in a matter of seconds. So she’s not something that would stereotypically be assigned to a Gemini Moon. But what I did notice is that all Gemini Moons tend to have this weird look on their face when they’re processing stuff. As if they were about to have a brain malfunction; they stop and have that specific worried look. They also like to either gossip or tell stories (either real or made up lol); they’re great with words - they can talk for hours if they feel comfortable with you. They just crave interaction and mental stimulation. Their quick reactions tend to make them effortlessly witty. Even if they’re a withdrawn Gemini type, they make up for it through social media and technology or just a quiet exploration. My shy Cancer pal with Moon in Gemini is now a brand/website designer and an instagram queen who travels the world. This is great energy for content creators in general. And don’t forget that Geminis need to have their fingers in many pies. It’s because they always have a backup plan… and they get bored easily so they need that chaos around them to feel at home. They like to have options in everything, which is kind of funny cause it’s hard for them to make up their minds and actually choose something. And they store a lot of information in their brains… I feel like it must be exhausting, no? 

On the other side of the axis, whenever I see someone with a Sagittarius Moon, I can immediately say “yup, a Sag Moon indeed” (probably thanks to my Sag stellium), meaning, they all seem the same to me. Sag Moons often find comfort in exploration - best if it’s literal travel. They always seem to need to free themselves from their surroundings, family, roots or their own culture to discover something new and exciting, even if it’s only in the imaginary words - through books, movies and other medias. Their happiness always lies somewhere else from where they currently are. Like, I think all Sagittarius Moons that I know have left their parents and went their own paths early on. And they have this yolo attitude. Just like Sagittarius Suns, they’re massive dorks, probably also obnoxious… sometimes in a REALLY annoying way. They’re either a) very wise and curious b) lil preachy and stuck up c) just plain dumb clowns with no filter. But they’re all funny. And they take things lightly, with a natural ease. This means sometimes they may offend other people just because they assume everyone’s as chill as they are; „relax! I was just kidding!” - that’s a phrase you’ll hear from them often… I mean, unless you’re a jokester yourself and you’re unmoved by their sarcastic or teasing words. They have somewhat spiritual or philosophical nature so besides making you laugh, be prepared for deep monologues. They want to believe everything will eventually fall into place. It’s also hard to bring them down - or I should say, it’s hard to make them acknowledge that they're feeling down - they always try to distract or cover it up with a joke, usually a self-depricating one. If Sagittarius Moon (or Sagittarius in general tbh) is telling you that they’re unhappy, then it’s serious.

I’ve noticed there comes a point in life for a Libra Moon where they just have enough. They’re too nice for everyone and one day they wake up and yell about how they have to do everything for everyone and everyone wants something from them and bLah bLah. Makes me think of when Bieber was this overly nice kid and then he was like “I’M NOT TAKING PICTURES WITH FANS ANYMOREEEE AAGhJFJFUWIUq”. Yup, a Libra Moon, everyone. They know how to charm and appeal to people, I think overall they’re easily liked by others. Sometimes it’s simply because they like to kiss people’s ass just to avoid being rejected. That’d be a Libra Moon’s nightmare. They like other people’s company too much. And they thrive in relationships and in a big circle of friends. What they hate is confrontations (like every other Libra placement omg). They may be good mediators when it comes to other people but if they’re involved in an argument they get sooooo passive aggressive. They just don’t know how to handle conflicts - it’s as if their nervous system wasn’t designed for emotional outbursts (because, you know, everything needs to be peaceful and harmonious Venus-style). A fussy or angry Libra Moon will suddenly get loud as they blame someone for something… and then they’ll leave the room cause they’re scared to even hear the other side of the argument. Or, alternatively, they’ll make a doormat out of themselves just to stay quiet and avoid causing any rift. And making decisions? I think it’s common for them to have two different romantic interests and feeling so dramatically torned between them *Alexa play Agony from Into the Woods*. Then when they decide, they have problems breaking the bad news to one of them.

On the other end we have Aries Moons. *deep breath* Listen, I think I’ve said enough about having Moon in Aries (or rather purely dissing it) but last time it made a bit of controversy so why not wreak even more havoc. I have a good description for this one: I will punch you but be gentle with me cause it’s easy to break my fragile heart. So basically, imagine putting Buttercup and Bubbles into one person. And honestly, I need to say this, women with this placement are just hot badasses, look at friggin Angelina Jolie. The queen of badass. The queen of hot. People say because Aries folks move quickly (literally and figuratively lol), they often get bored with whatever got them excited last week... or yesterday. Ha, yeah, right. You get their heart to open up and they’re going to have their eyes for you ONLY, like a lil puppy. Give us treats and we’ll build our world around you. But NOT in a clingy way by any means, we need our space and independence after all. My lil niece is an Aries Moon and ever since I started playing guitar with her, she became my #1 fan or something. That’s the energy. But we get easily bored with day-to-day stuff so yeah, there’s that. Innocent and clumsy yet raw in their emotions - so there’s potential to make mistakes sometimes (or a lot of times) or having this tunnel vision, like „I want this and I don’t care about anything else!”. And then excusing it with some „but the heart wants what it wants” crap (looking @ ya, Selena Gomez). They experience constant inner movement and turbulence that needs a physical outlet in order to feel satisfied. WE NEED PASSION IN OUR LIVES, OKAY?!?!?? now leave me alone

Aquarius Moons aren’t as cold as you might think. People like to describe them as if their Moons actually disappeared from their charts: dEtaCheD, uNeMotiOnaL, tHey fEeL nOtHinG. It’s just they don’t sit and dwell on things, they find solutions to the problems. If something doesn’t make them feel right, they just leave that situation. They do care about other people’s well-being, they’re very sensitive in that regard, they’re humanitarians after all. Yeah, they detach, but from their own emotions - in order to make sense of them. They may seem like snow queens sometimes (and this comes from an Aqua rising) but they’re really friendly and if you pique Aqua Moon’s interest, they’re going to be curious about you. They like new exciting things so if you’re cool enough, you have their attention. Usually they’re pretty progressive as well and can’t stand injustice. That’s why you’ll see them standing up for those who are in need. Uranian energy gives them a specific type of sharp intuition and wit. Idk they’re just cute in a quirky way. But this buzzing, fast energy is a great recipe for anxiety, over-thinking and frequent changes of heart. Similarly to Sadges, they need constant exploration and stimuli. Intelligent, people-oriented (but not people-pleasing! Look to Libras for that), individualistic. They definitely need their own space and independence. Their decision-making is fast and it’s easy for them to just say „screw it, I’m doing this”. My Aquarius Moon friend just casually decided that she’s moving to Turkey cause nothing in our city (or even country) seems interesting or helping her expand… So she was like, see ya suckers, I’m leaving.

Leo Moons shine from within. You’ll spot them from a mile away even if they’re on the shyer side. They’re all lil stars no matter their profession. Very expressive people & easily excitable. Art galleries, live shows, theater - they love a creative environment even if they don’t pursue that lifestyle themselves... One of my Leo Moon friends is an art junkie – suggest taking her to an obscure play at the local bar, a music festival, a weird museum – she’ll say yes in the blink of an eye. And she loves discussing these things. A Leo Moon may not see themselves as artistically inclined, but usually sooner or later they at least try dipping their toes in music, arts, acting, dancing... you name it. They’ll learn a simple 3-chord song on a ukulele and then play it to you in excitement. Imagine a lil kid making you a puff piece and being super proud of it. Sometimes they just need some encouragement. Remember, Leos feed off of praise, that’s their fuel. Doesn’t mean they’re all proud, egotistical people but what it does mean is that they need a lil assurance to gain their self-confidence. I lived with a Leo Sun/Moon for almost 15 years (who’s a musician btw so yeah, a classic creative Leo type) - he did have some issues lol but ego wasn’t one of them. Drama followed him everywhere but I’m pretty sure he disliked it himself. BUT, with that being said, I feel like Leo Moons tend to dramatize themselves internally. People say it’s something Virgos or Geminis would do - because of their tendency to overthink, but Leos can just go straight to a worst-case scenario in their heads simply because they exaggerate everything. So don’t be surprised to see a Leo Moon feeling down and anxious. On the bright side, be their cheerleader and they’ll give that to you in return. They need sparks and dullness kills their upbeat spirit. They need to feel their own heartbeat so the feeling of excitement is crucial for their well-being. Romantic, giving and kind. They’re fixed fire so once they’re set on something or someone, they give their all and are rather loyal.

I feel like my chart low-key tells me I should dislike Taurus Moons but I just want to melt in their arms and just stay there? Like, forever? Low maintenance but a bit slow-moving and stubborn. They won’t settle easily, at least not officially, so you need to have a lot of patience with them. They need 3 things to feel secure and at peace: physical stimuli, time and a stable place they know they can always come back to. And it’s not like all of them are total lazy homebodies, they may be active spirits & travellers but they are going to have a reallyyyyy nice cosy flat somewhere near their childhood place (gotta be be close to their moms, you know). Not necessary materialistic but they may have one thing that they collect throughout their entire life and they won’t. ever. get. rid. of. it. There needs to be at least one constant in their life - like you know when Elton John decided to go to therapy but one thing he stuck to was shopaholism? Very Taurus Moon of him. Also, they’re very affectionate. In fact, may have issues differentiating between affection and passion - this is actually something Taurus Moon and Aries Moon have in common. Pro tip - and this is in regard to all Taurus placements - don’t smell bad when you’re around them (I mean, don't smell bad in general, no one likes stinky people lol). They have a sensitive smell. Doesn’t help that they like to smell everything. EVERYTHING. I swear, Taurus, stop sticking your nose in every single thing!!! You don't need to know how that piece of utensil smells like. Jeez.

Scorpio Moon (shoutout to those who remember me accidentally calling them sporpio last time I made a post on Moons lol). I honestly don’t know what to tell you... I feel like all you hear about Scorpio Moon is 100% true, there’s nothing to debunk here. It’s the Moon of extremes. Prone to jealousy and surpressing emotions; severe trust issues; they’re instigators. I was low-key bullied by a few Scorpio Moons when I was in school so there’s that. Very secretive and private. Scorpio Moon will be like “I’m in control of the situation!!!!” and you’ll just look at them and think, yeah, right, looks like the situation is controlling you. But keep being in denial, sure. Like, don’t get me wrong, Scorpios in general can be TOTAL SWEETHEARTS OMG but ya’ll have issues. Even celebrities who have this placements... Think Beyonce or Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus... I feel like they have issues lol, especially with control and the need for everything to be perfectly the way they want it to be. To be fair, that’s probably why they’re all so influential and high status: it’s either their way or highway. They need constant reinvention; they’re the ones to wake up one day and decide they’re going through a spiritual awakening blah blah. They also like to talk about dark and shocking topics while having casual lunch with you... So like, be warned that you may end up with a depressed mood after talking to them for 10 minutes. And their mood swings... don’t even get me started on that.

I don't know where to start with Virgo Moons... I feel like they're very calculated and nit-picky but they're a lot warmer than Virgo Suns. I think I called them softies in my last Moon post. Very sweet people but prone to anxiety. You gotta experience seeing them having a heart attack over someone mixing bananas with milk or messing with their stuff that’s been put in a perfect arrangement. I saw a Virgo Moon once literally squealing shouting "YOU'RE GONNA RUIN YOUR LAPTOP WITH THAT SUPERGLUE!!!" Highly entertaining to watch, not gonna lie. Gordon Ramsay has his Moon in Virgo - it’s conjunct Uranus and Pluto so that’s an extreme but I think him being fed up with people over small inconsistencies in their food prep is a perfect example of this energy (btw his chart is hilarious, it literally explains EVERYTHING). They're VERY picky with their food as well, just as Virgo Suns tend to be. Like, they’ll only have a specific type of single origin coffee or they’ll be vegan or something. Self-critical over their work, which is a plus... except for when finishing a simple task takes them a few hours because they want to make it perfect. They take everything seriously. This of course doesn't mean they're total bores - on the contrary, Mercurial energy gives them witty approach and a talent for choosing the right words at the right time. Tho they can be a bit awkward or shy with it. Can be as bubbly as Gemini but the grounded earthy energy gives them more practical and almost nurturing nature - earth signs are providers after all and Virgo is the sign of service - helping others is like their second nature. I’ve noticed they often find comfort in devoting themselves to a choosen task - this is why if they pursue something, they’re really good at it. They’re also very likely to dissect their emotions.

I’m not a fan of water Moons in general but Pisces Moon is the best water Moon in my opinion. Maybe because I like Pisces overall. I think it’s like a tweaked Sagittarius Moon - just more internalized, withdrawn & gloomy. But unlike Sag, who has a tendency to be an adventurous optimist, Pisces likes to focus on the negatives instead. Obviously, they can be very upbeat, they’re Jupiter-ruled after all, but there’s somehing whiny about them lol. Just like Sadges, they dream big and have their standards put up sooo high but if there's not much active energy in their charts, they’re often too passive to actually fullfill any of that - or I should say, they’re stuck daydreaming about it, believing it’ll just magically manifest for them... OR they do everything with an apathetic approach. What I do like about them is that they’re funny. And really chill - sometimes to the point of coming off as confused or hazy. I feel like a lot of them would just love to sleep all day... or sit by the lake and just think about the world. Most of them are also compassionate folks - again, maybe a bit too much. Hey Pisces, you don’t have to take everything to heart, it’s okay. On the bright side, they have big imagination and the ability to disconnect and just create. I have a few Pisces Moons in the family: one’s that sleepy artistic type with grand visions, one is an asshole-ish but funny entrepreneur with a questionable work ethic and one is a witty IT guy who’s actually a workaholic and likes to shut in his own world of computers and numbers or whatever he does there... So there’s this factor of tunnel vision, escapism and, on the more negative side, being kinda iffy and almost addicted to the way they want things to be. Once they set their eyes on something it’s done deal…

My issue with Capricorn Moons is that they're often trying to be sooooo mature omg, like, loosen up a bit. It usually starts when they're in their later teens... They can be the most rebellious kid that likes to have fun and suddenly they'll be like "I'm too old for this ugh grow up" *judgmental stare*. My 18-year old niece once literally roasted my sister that she's in her 30s and still doesn't have her own place (well so do I so I guess she also indirectly roasted me as well???). And she was SO deadpan with it. Because she herself wants to be independent and start a family before turning 25. This is classic Capricorn Moon energy. They suck out joy out of everything lol. Of course, OF COURSE, it depends on the whole chart but I feel like worst-case scenario is that at one point in their life (or maybe even a few times throughout it) they go through a massive shake-up that makes them change their attitude and re-evaluate their structures. There's this multi-instrumentalist Yvette Young - she's a sweet, funny Cancer/Leo mix but her Moon is in Capricorn. She used to be a competitive pianist but the pressure that was put on her has led her to severe health issues. Like yes, she’s now an extremely talented musician - thanks to family’s expectations & a rigid schooling system (Saturn) but it did cost her a lot. She has recovered since then but I think it's a perfect example of this energy. It’s very ambitious and hardworking but emotionally demanding in the sense that you have to actually put your emotions aside in order to deal with the rest. Another thing, because Moon can be associated with family, there's often a weird dynamic surrounding this topic. I don't think I've met a Capricorn Moon that had a completely healthy and happy relationship with their fam or one of the family members. Or, alternatively, there can be a strong bond between one of them but usually created in the atmosphere of hardships.

Last but not least, Cancer Moons. I had three school friends with this placement and all of them made this sad, whiny face as they said „oh I don’t knoooow anymoreee”  when they were feeling torned or frustrated. To be fair, two of them are water Suns so for them, it added to the mushyness. All Cancer Moons I know are family people or better yet, baby people. One of those school friends is now a guidance counsellor, working with kids; the other turned her instagram into a gallery of her own child after she gave birth. So much kid content, omg. There’s also something very indecisive about them… or I should say, hesitant. They’re not very fast at making decisions. Also, what’s interesting, they’re kind of like walking libraries, they remember a lot – so they store a lot of information in their brains just like air signs but they process it in a completely different way – emotional, obviously. I think this also makes them hold grudges a lot. For them it’s more of a question of „how does it make me feel?” rather than „how valid is it?”. There’s certain stubborness in them in that regard because they don’t keep their minds open. It’s also hard for them to walk away from people and situations, like a crab pinching you with its claws – it won’t let go. Sensitive but not easy to open up; very protective of themselves and their loved ones & they tend to shut down in their crab shells. But they may crave connection and the feeling of belonging. Also very caring and with a big imagination. They’re very receptive of their environment so mood swings are a thing for them.

[dikanamai]

I'm both excited and terrified about the "Encanto franchise" thing, tbh. A lot of mixed feelings here.

Excited because yay, more content about the Madrigals! But also terrified because… what kind of content we're gonna get? Another movie? Please, no. Whatever plot they could come up with will probably mess up what they accomplished in this one. A series? Ok, but only if they choose the "slice of life" approach, because I'd say that's actually what most of us are yearning for, right? But even so, what kind of things are they gonna make canon?

I don't know, I really love when stories leave a lot of room for the fandom to explore what the original source didn't explore. Now we have a lot of headcanons about the triplets, about the relationships between the cousins and siblings, even between Bruno and his niblings. And I really like it that way, even though many people have different headcanons about the same aspects, because that's the magic of headcanons: everyone has their own and everyone's happy. Like, would I like JK Terfing to write something about The Marauders in the HP universe? Hell no. They belong to the fandom. So would I like Jared "Pedro died the same day the triplets were born" Bush to write a whole series about this family? I'm not sure, man. What if everything's horrible?

It'll still be a Disney thing, so I'm sure they'll keep it low key, but they'll have to make some decisions anyway. I personally would get super upset if they give Bruno a love interest, for example (so I hope they reserve that kind of content for the Madrigal grandkids and leave the old uncle alone with his rats and his family). But the thing that worries me the most is how much weight Mirabel is gonna have as main character. I mean, a series would be the perfect excuse to make the story actually choral (I'm not sure if it's said this way in English? When a story doesn't have a single protagonist, but a group of people with the same relevance?). If they keep everything revolving around Mirabel and just Mirabel, making her the fav daughter, the fav sister, the fav nieta, the fav cousin, the fav niece… urgh. Pepa's family will keep its side-character syndrome? Their relationships between each other and with Bruno and the cool colors family will be set aside because the focus will be always on Mirabel? I love Mira, but that would be… sad. And also a waste, imho. I don't want the characters existing just around Mirabel and her actions, because everyone has their own story. Let Pepa and Bruno catch up after 10 years of being apart and reminisce about the previous 40 years they spent together. Show me Isa and Loli being besties. Let the older grandkids catch up with their tío. Honestly, I don't wanna live in a world where Dolores and Isa aren't Bruno's favorite nieces, LOL. It would feel just… wrong XD

But the most important thing is: if they're not gonna keep the story Colombian af, what's even the point? I'm very, very afraid of the hypothetical USA-fication of Encanto's tone to make it more appealing or easier to produce as fast food for the audience, with random plots made in USA copypasted from any other random D+ show. That would be awful and utterly heartbreaking.

The more I think about it, the more I believe the better option would be a series of shorts, just picking funny moments of the past and present of the family, as if they were telling us stories of their lives. Something simple that allows them to keep the original tone of Encanto and still leaves room for the fandom to create.

[braindead-virtually-tv]

You've been making jokes, but I genuinely want to know what you think of the whole Punk situation

Oh yeesh, this is gonna be a whole thing.

I'd like to pre-face this by saying, no one is going to know what went on backstage this weekend for 100% other than the people involved, reports from 'sources' and second hand accounts are never going to accurate and can be easily twisted.

I should probably also explain that I have no attachment to Punk, nostalgic or otherwise. He was around when I did watch wrestling years ago, I liked him but he was far from any sort of favourite. By the time of the Pipebomb & Summer of Punk I had completely tuned out of wrestling. The next time I had actually heard CM Punk's name was during his, less than stellar, UFC run.

If this is not a work, which to other people's annoyence is the stance I believe, then I don't think it really surprises me. Punk's always been like this in one way or another. Now, don't get me wrong, I am confident that some of his grievances he has aired about his time in WWE were true. You'll never catch me flanking for a company, no matter the company. However I take issue with the fact that he wasn't 'pushed enough'. Man held that top title for ages, was insanely over and the top guy for while. The whole thing over other stars, namely Cena & The Rock main eventing WM is moot to me. We the wrestling community, are a niche group. We were never, and never will be, WWEs target audience. WWEs income doesn't come from the likes of us, so why try and make a, notably very fickle community, happy? No matter who was in that supposed top spot at that time was always going to have to play second fiddle to two Legends who has more mainstream appeal than literally anyone else. To pile on comments that Punk had made through the years, his claims that he was mistreated by WWEs doctors were proven in court to be at best, exaggerated and at worst, false.

Punk has made his bed appealing to the niche community of those who think their smarter than the business. Fans who read Dirtsheets, know the history and in some small cases think they know the industry better than industry professionals. Maybe to Punk's detriment, it's went to his head and drank the Koolaid of the IWC. It lead to an entitled attitude that for a small part isn't unwarranted, he's always been talented, but has made him quite the egomaniac.

I actually tuned in to that first Rampage where Punk returned. And for a good five minutes I was in awe. It seemed like an amazing moment.

Until he opened his mouth.

Instead of having an amazing return, he chose again to appeal to the people who've been feeding his ego and it was clearly evident that this man hadn't changed. And instead of wanting to be in AEW because he loved wrestling so much, as he claimed, he was there for spite and spite alone. It was clear to me that the people around him wouldn't benefit from having this long-awaited star in this company and Punk would stop at nothing to 'stick it to the man'.

There are people in AEW who have been negatively affected by Punk, both previous to his start with the company and during it.

So to be honest, I'm not surprised something like this hasn't happened earlier. This is my own opinion and baseless speculation, but I think Cody Rhodes saw the writing on the wall.

I think AEW's lack of structure doesn't help this either. In hopes of setting themselves apart from their competitors, they've stuck too many cooks in the kitchen so to speak. And that, only three years in, is coming to bite them in the ass.

The second option, the one that is a little less likely to me, is that this is all a work. Which tbh, I think is a lot worse for AEWs standing.

It would be very easy to put the blame on one man if this was all not a work. But for this to be a work AEW are putting themselves in the position to look like absolute fools. AEW have had a success in way by making some stories feel all that more real by blending kayfabe and reality. Which can be an amazing thing if done right. However making your company look like the inmates run the asylum is driving even their more devoted part of their fan base away. It gets to a point where you think, 'Is this all worth it for a cheap pop?'. And even if it was a work, it goes to show that Punk will continue to want to overshadow everyone else to the apparent detriment of others. Ironically becoming something he had previously denounced.

So yeah that's all I've got on the Punk situation. I'm probably gonna get some flack but I don't think I've ever really shied away from my own opinion for the sake of others. This was nearly an fucking essay though, so other than making light-hearted joke, this is probably the last time I'm going to speak on this (but don't quote me on that).

[violetwolfraven]

Willie Headcanons

So I actually came up with this like a month ago and forgot to post it. Anyway enjoy my headcanons about our favorite sk8er boi. Be ready for feels.

Tw: death, car accident mention, emotional manipulation.

...

In my mind, Willie had a good relationship with his parents. They were supportive and everything. They both loved Willie very much.

And Willie has youngest child energy so I’m saying he has a sister who’s 2 years older and a brother who’s 5 years older. Their names are Delilah and Austin.

AND ALL THREE OF THEM ARE ADRENALINE JUNKIES.

Seriously imagine the worst possible combination of head empty only skateboarding and you’ve got Willie, Delilah, and Austin.

Austin started skating when he was 7 and got Delilah hooked on it a year later.

Their parents kinda didn’t like the idea of it but those two had already started teaching Willie basic stuff by the time he was 3.

But... the other two had other interests. Delilah was into art (painting) and Austin played piano (like, really well).

For Willie, skateboarding was his thing. And it always was.

He had fun with it when his big brother would put his hands on his and teach him to play a bit, or his sister would give him some paint and a spare canvas and they’d doodle together, but it wasn’t like skating.

As far as I’ve seen (which admittedly isn’t that far) it’s widely accepted that Willie has ADHD so I’m leaning into that here.

And Willie inherited his brain from his dad, who had a bad experience with meds and so wouldn’t let any of his kids go through it.

So Willie grew up unmedicated but probably better off for the time period. His dad taught him coping mechanisms. Him and Austin. Delilah didn’t inherit it but she was taught to empathize with her brothers and recognize when they needed her help with something.

She’s a badass who can and does beat up anybody who’s mean to her brothers for missing social cues.

But anyway while Austin had piano (and skating as a side thing) Willie got even more hooked on skateboarding than either of his siblings because his brain latched onto it from a young age and couldn’t let go.

We all have our outlets. The chaos in our brains has to go somewhere. For Willie it goes into skating.

When he’s young he and his siblings will skateboard to school and then after school they’ll skate all around Hollywood for hours.

They do their homework in random McDonalds and Denny’s and tbh become local cryptid customers. Like they’re just these 3 super friendly skater siblings who tip really well and visit every fast food place within a 20 mile radius of their house with varying frequency.

They also find e v e r y skatepark, empty pool, and vacant lot in that 20 mile radius that they can possibly find.

Their parents have to bail them out of jail for trespassing and the occasional vandalism every so often.

Sometimes one of them has stuff to do and it’s just two of them out skating but if two of them are busy the other one never goes out alone cause it’s dangerous. We’ll get back to that later.

So anyway when they’re 17, 14, and 12, Delilah comes out as a lesbian.

And the family is supportive of course because they’re a good family.

But her coming out gets Willie thinking. About how some of his friends have crushes on girls but he just... doesn’t see the appeal.

Like he has a couple friends who are girls and they’re great and he likes hanging out with them at recess but he doesn’t get the hype. They’re just more friends. So he doesn’t really see what his big sister is so interested in either.

In my mind Willie actually is from around the same time as the boys (dying in like 1999) so one day while nobody else in their house is home he and Delilah are watching Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Willie’s again wondering why people think Leia is so hot cause she’s cool and all but Luke is right there and he looks really good and—

Willie: I think I might be gay.

Delilah: Yeah I know.

They talk about it and Willie does decide to tell the rest of the family but he’s a bit wary about anyone else because he saw how some of Delilah’s friends turned on her after she came out. He doesn’t want that to happen to him.

He does end up telling a few of his friends but he doesn’t quite not care what people think of him the way his big sister does.

Austin is the only straight one and he’s like. So awkward about it but in a sweet way.

Austin: So, Britney Spears is hot, right?

Delilah: Stop.

And

Austin: So I saw you hanging around Chris the other day are you two..?

Willie: ...no...???

Austin: Cool, yeah I didn’t think so. Just had to make sure. Not that I’m doubting your ability to get boys but I’d have to shovel talk him if you were.

Willie: If I ever do get a boyfriend, please don’t.

He tries. He’s a himbo if that wasn’t clear. Where did you think Willie learned it?

So anyway fast forward a couple years and they’re 22, 19, and 17. Austin and Delilah are both in college and Willie’s the last one left at home and things between their parents start getting... tense.

Like they don’t fight exactly but they’ve fallen out of love and things are awkward.

Even Austin and Delilah can tell and they’re only home on breaks and some weekends but for Willie it’s right there and he’s watching it happen. He has no option but to see.

They used to have a rule that they don’t go skating alone because it’s dangerous but Willie just can’t make himself stay home so he goes out skateboarding.

At first it’s never too far from home or anywhere where there’s too much traffic but as things get increasingly awkward at home he goes out farther and farther, chasing the adrenaline high he used to get from going anywhere and everywhere every day after school with his siblings.

Then his parents officially tell him they’re getting divorced and

And it’s not like he couldn’t see it coming, but... it still hurts.

And neither of his siblings are coming home any time soon so

So he goes out skating on his own, way too far from home. He keeps going until he doesn’t even know where he is anymore.

He isn’t really paying attention the way he should but that’s not why he runs into trouble.

The driver of that red pickup is drunk and he rounds the corner out of nowhere.

If Delilah or Austin had been there they could have yelled for Willie to jump out of the way, or maybe up on the hood so the impact wouldn’t be as bad, but he’s alone.

So he gets hit, and the car was going fast enough that he’s dead before he even hits the pavement.

After that there’s a lot of confusion but once Willie figures out he’s a ghost... it’s too painful to think about going home, so he just... doesn’t.

He doesn’t want to see his family mourning him, so he just distracts himself, skating everywhere he couldn’t before without getting busted.

Plus some old routes where he used to go with Delilah and Austin, just for something that’s familiar but not too familiar.

He’s on one of those more familiar routes a few weeks after his death when he’s skating down Sunset Boulevard one night, singing along to Toxic by Britney Spears blasting from a nearby club and a man dressed in a purple suit comments on how he’s got a good voice.

Honestly Willie is just so relieved to have someone to talk to that he forgets about stranger danger completely.

Plus he recognizes an Elder Gay in Caleb and assumes he can trust him because the Elder Gays he met at pride that one time he went with Delilah were so nice and understanding of how reassuring it was to see queer people of older generations who got a happy ending.

Caleb barely even has to try. He just lets this 17-year-old obviously-queer ghost rant at him for a few minutes, asks a few questions and finds out that he also can play piano, and convinces him to come to the Hollywood Ghost Club the next night.

From there it’s not like Willie has anyone to save him so of course he has to join the club.

At first he’s completely alone because the other performers scare him almost as much as Caleb does.

Then slowly, he sees how they give him space because they know he’s scared of them. How they turn a blind eye when he leaves the club without permission. How they don’t critique his mistakes with the same sarcasm they show each other.

Willie starts to realize that the other performers are doing their best to look out for him, and he starts being less afraid.

They’re all too concerned with their own survival to really protect him but if they draw some attention to themselves occasionally so Caleb doesn’t notice Willie being slow to pick up some tricky choreography, that’s not too risky.

The others are all like 21 at the youngest and they really don’t appreciate Caleb tricking a literal child into working for him no matter how talented said child is. (Cause Willie is good at singing and piano. It’s just not his passion.)

The twins are 22 but they died in 1925 and before that they were performing to support a younger brother who they never got to say goodbye to so maybe they see Willie as a kind of second chance.

Lyssa (what I decided to name drummer woman because I don’t know her real name if she has one) is 25 and she died in 1984. She had a daughter who’d be about Willie’s age now and... who knows? Maybe they were friends.

Fuego is 24 and from 1951 and he had a childhood best friend who enlisted and died in WWII that he thought he might get to see when he died but that boy moved on and so... well, Willie’s just a little younger than his friend was the last time he saw him.

In short Willie becomes everyone’s baby brother and they do what they can to look out for him even if they’re just as scared of Caleb as he is.

And the better adjusted Willie gets to (after)life at the HGC and the better they get to know him, the guiltier the others start to feel about him being stuck there.

Eventually a combination of guilt and worked-up courage leads Fuego tells him about the whole unfinished business thing, in hopes maybe he can figure his out and get away from Caleb.

It doesn’t take Willie long to think of his family, how hopeless he felt about the divorce, how worried he was it would change everything and then how scared he was to see his family in pain because of his death.

He realizes his unfinished business is probably seeing them. Letting himself say goodbye.

He almost gets away with it.

Caleb catches up and stops him in the driveway of his house and poofs them back to the HGC.

He convinces (gaslights) Willie into believing that saying goodbye was never his unfinished business and even if it was it’s not like it would matter because Caleb wouldn’t let him do it.

The next morning he ships the HGC out to Tokyo. They stay on the move for a long time and when they are in town, Willie is basically locked in his room.

The next time he’s allowed out in Hollywood, his parents don’t live in their old house anymore and he has no way to find them.

As a coping mechanism, he just starts making the best of a bad situation. Becoming better friends with the other ghosts. Helping soften the blow whenever someone new comes along.

None of that means he stops checking the faces of passing skaters or keeping eyes on restaurants his folks used to like, but it does mean he more or less gives up hope.

That’s what he’s doing when he bumps into Alex.

Look, Willie loves his friends at the HGC. He really does. But there’s a big difference between 17 and 20-something. Like the others will drink alcohol some nights and technically Willie was born over 21 years ago but he still feels weird enough about it that he doesn’t drink.

He hasn’t talked to anyone his age in a long time so Alex is a breath of fresh air.

Also he’s like. Really cute. And sweet. And funny. And shit, Willie’s fallen for him before he even has time to think about it.

He keeps thinking about how Alex doesn’t seem like he’d be physically capable of hurting someone on purpose so Austin would approve and every once in a while there’s that sarcasm that pops out which means he’d get along great with Delilah.

In general Alex is the kind of guy he would’ve loved to take home to meet the family. Them not included, he’s kind of... everything Willie’s missed about Hollywood in the form of one person.

Then they hang out more and Alex is still everything he’s missed but he’s also so much more than that and...

It almost feels like a part of Alex is still alive. And for the first time in years, a part of Willie feels alive, too.

They���ve known each other for like a week tops and Willie is already in love.

Not that he’s admitting that to anyone, because he’s learned the hard way that anyone you care about can be used against you.

Still... when Alex asks for help getting revenge on Bobby, he can’t bring himself to say no because he needs to keep Alex in his (after)life and the only way he knows how to do that (or to make people be nice to him in general) is to be as useful as possible.

That turns out to be a big mistake, because Caleb sees right through him in an instant, targets Alex to confirm it, then immediately starts the process to trick the boys into committing to eternity at the HGC.

Willie feels like an idiot for thinking he could actually get away with it. Doing something good for someone he cares about.

He hadn’t thought Caleb would be interested in them because he’d never actually heard them play. The assumption was that he’d make them do some small favor and then let them talk to their bandmate for 5 minutes. A clean deal where they never have to commit to anything. Willie forgot to take magic into account.

He almost manages to convince himself it was all a bad dream, but when he seeks out Alex and his friends to check on them, he can almost feel the jolts himself, and seeing Alexthem in pain feels terrible.

Willie knows that theoretically they could figure out their unfinished business and cross over, but that all depends on finding it and doing it fast enough and if they failed...

People you care about can be used against you. And Willie does not want to be used against Alex again. He doesn’t want to see Alex used against him.

So he keeps his distance, in hopes Caleb will think he lost interest. He’s pretty sure once the boys find out about the stamp they’ll hate him, anyway.

And plus, as he’s been taught by his friends at the HGC, you have to look out for yourself because no one else will do it for you. Maybe you hurt somebody by not standing up for them, but you can apologize later and hope they forgive you. You can’t apologize if you’re gone, and it’s not like it would make a difference anyway because Caleb is too powerful for anyone to beat.

The thought of how spending eternity with Alex might not be so bad even if it has to be at the HGC does come up, but ironically that’s what makes Willie decide to screw his courage to the sticking point and tell them.

Because he has seen what decades at the club has done to his friends.

They’re all great performers, and they perform happiness well even to each other, but Willie knows them enough to know how tired they all are. How they have been doing the same thing over and over again for decades and they are sick of it.

They’re young, talented tragedies lost to drug overdoses, or AIDS, or accidents, or suicide, and they should’ve gotten to rest after everything they went through in their lives. Instead, they got a curse disguised as a blessing. They got to stay on a stage, got to keep performing and soaking up applause, never got to stop.

Willie has been there a shorter time than most of them and he feels it. The exhaustion, because ghosts are supposed to haunt for a few years then figure out their unfinished business and move on. They’re not meant to be trapped for decades, used as party tricks.

A part of Alex still feels alive and being trapped in the Hollywood Ghost Club for years on end would kill that part of him.

Willie can’t let that happen, so as hard as it is...

He tells the boys what’s wrong with them. And by that hurt, betrayed look in Alex’s eyes, he’s honestly expecting him to never forgive him.

But then Alex does. And that almost hurts worse because whether he figures out his unfinished business or not, Willie doubts he’s ever going to see him again.

He honest to God almost cries when Alex hugs him because... shit, he hasn’t gotten a hug since he was breathing.

He goes back to the HGC and tries to go about his day, and keeps replaying how good it felt to have Alex’s arms around him, hoping that memory will get him through the next few decades on his own.

The ghosts at the club do actually gossip a fair amount and by this point all of them know about the 3 dead members of Sunset Curve.

So when Willie admits to Helen (what I’m calling one of the twins) that Alex hugging him was the first time he’d gotten a hug since he died, she hugs him tight for a good 20 seconds, telling him she’s sorry he has to lose him, and if Willie closes his eyes he can almost pretend it’s Delilah.

The next thing he knows, he’s locked in a closet.

Caleb comes to talk to (intimidate) him a few hours later, saying he knows what Willie did.

He’s magically locked in his room alone for a couple weeks after that and it’s essentially psychological torture.

Helen, Anna (what I decided to call the other twin), Dante, Fuego, Lyssa, and everyone else tell him not to test Caleb for the next couple years, but Willie has a heart full of love and a head full of fuck it, so he doesn’t listen.

He gives it exactly one day of being/acting scared and obedient, then goes out without permission again, fully intending to scream in a museum alone to let out all his feelings.

Remember: Willie didn’t see the Orpheum performance. He doesn’t know the boys didn’t cross over but by Caleb’s mood he has a feeling the outcome of that scenario was not in the magician’s favor.

He gets there and it’s literally this comic by the very talented @williessweatycherrysocks

He can’t stay long but he and Alex scream in each other’s faces, talk a bit, maybe sing a duet.

After that, they sneak to see each other when they can but don’t get to see much of each other for months.

It’s hard on both of them but they don’t give up on their relationship.

Through long and complicated events which I will outline later, Willie eventually gets free of the HGC, hugs his friends goodbye already making plans to take down Caleb for good to free them, too, and promptly declines an offer to stay in the Molinas’ garage.

As much as he wants to be close to Alex he’s done being confined to one place.

He still comes and visits like every day tho.

He knows a lot more about ghosting than the other boys do so he and Carlos get along amazingly like:

Carlos: So do you know who Jack the Ripper was?

Willie: No? How old do you think I am?

Carlos: I dunno but I thought it might be Caleb cause that would explain how he never got caught.

Willie, taking notes in his Things To Potentially Use To Take Caleb Down notebook: You’re a tiny genius.

No one was expecting it but everyone is in awe of how well he and Carrie get along. Between the two of them they know so much celebrity gossip. (and it’s definitely a good thing he’s on good terms with her cause she and Alex are close)

On the angsty side, Willie also bonds with Nick over how they both know how it feels to be manipulated and used by Caleb.

Also it takes a long time before he’s able to trust him, but he does get adopted into the Molina clan by Ray.

Ray reminds him a lot of his own dad, once Willie’s able to see that he’s nothing like Caleb.

Ray’s honestly just 100% happy to Dad™️ anyone who needs a dad so it works out great once Julie and the boys figure out how to make Willie visible.

But anyway back to important stuff.

Now that they don’t have to hide for any reason, Willie and Alex can both breathe a little easier. Or... they both feel better. Ghosts don’t really breathe.

Willie can finally let himself get used to feeling alive again.

The whole ghost gang goes (invisibly) to the Los Feliz Homecoming dance and maybe it should make him feel a little on-edge with the kind of club-like environment but...

He’s got Alex there, and they’re dancing to some corny pop love song from the 90s that Flynn probably put on because she knew the ghost boys would be there so how could he feel anything but safe?

For a minute it almost feels like actually being alive and there’s yellow and pink and blue lights coming from everywhere reflecting in Alex’s eyes and Willie is suddenly very aware of the fact that though they’ve been together for a long time now, they haven’t had their first kiss.

Then the Cha Cha Slide starts up and the atmosphere switches and Willie totally forgets about the whole romantic tension thing because it’s the Cha Cha Slide everybody has to dance along.

Dirty Candi performs towards the end of the night and the ghost boys cheer the loudest despite how Julie’s laughing at them. They don’t care that Carrie can’t even hear them, they’re being supportive!!!

Everybody screams even louder when Flynn runs up on stage and kisses Carrie and Willie feels a big burst of affection at how Alex shouts ABOUT TIME!

Then he gives Willie a quick hug and leaves cause he and the rest of Julie and the Phantoms have to go get set up for their performance.

Since Alex was able to flip Carrie’s hair in All Eyes on Me I’m saying that ghosts can touch lifers if they focus and believe it will happen hard enough, so the ghost gang has developed a system for alerting their non-Julie lifer friends to their presence.

So while they’re waiting in the crowd Willie taps Carrie on the shoulder like: • - - one short tap, two long taps, a Morse code ‘W’ and Carrie lets Flynn know that he’s there.

(Nick can see him too but Nick’s off somewhere with his date {one of his lacrosse teammates you know the one})

Anyway so Julie goes out and starts up the song and then the rest of the band poofs in but

Something’s unusual.

Cause it’s not Luke on the lower main vocals.

It’s

Alex

Singing while he plays the drums and fucking killing it.

Willie totally bluescreens for a second but then when he actually focuses on the lyrics...

It’s a new song about beating the odds and being with the person you love in spite of the challenges that come with them.

And yeah there are Julie elements in there, (and she’s definitely making heart eyes at Luke even as he sticks to backup vocals) because of course there are since she has to start the song up, but

But Willie might not have any formal music training, but he was at the HGC long enough to know his stuff about music and recognize different artists’ styles.

And there’s a time signature switch on the bridge that’s a little off from how Luke would write it. There’s a swing to the melody that’s a bit more ‘pop’ than the band’s usual songs. Julie’s harmony doesn’t go as high as it normally would, as if whoever wrote the song didn’t have as high of an upper range to work with as she does.

The song is so unmistakably Alex that no one else could have written it.

Flynn and Carrie are quietly making smug comments on what they bet his face looks like right now but Willie’s not listening to them.

On the last chorus, Alex fucking winks at him right before poofing out.

Willie has whiplash like how did they go from him having to psych Alex up to break into a museum even when there’s zero chance of getting caught to Alex openly flirting with him from the stage?

He poofs backstage right as the boys get back from dropping their instruments back in the Molinas’ garage and he honestly doesn’t know what he even wants to say to convey how amazing that performance was.

Then Alex just smiles at him.

Alex: So I take it you liked the song?

Willie: Can I kiss you right now?

They both kinda freeze after he blurts that out and Reggie goes wow really quietly before he and Luke poof out to give them some privacy and whoops now they’re both flustered but

Alex: Wow, didn’t expect that. That’s... um, wow. But yeah.

They kiss and it’s a total romcom moment.

And the story’s far from over, but to Willie this definitely feels like happily ever after.