#i was definetely thinking abt

[sxlver-raven]

Nono, you see, it's logical to say character A is in love with character B, even when the setting doesn't allow them to be. And it's also logical for them to only have a close friendship. Both interpretations work, but why does romantic always seem to be the preferred choice?

It has nothing to do with the 'I love you' s vs the 'I'm in love with you' s, it's not even about whether or not there's kissing. With real people, even when you're incredibly close with someone, you can still tell the difference between a platonic and romantic relationship, although that line can often get blurry and hard to see. And yet, how could someone who'd go to hell and back for their friend still see that line so clearly and decide they're not in love with anyone?

It's because they know they aren't attracted to that person in that way. You want to kiss them, you want to tell them you're in love with them, or you don't.

Characters don't have that consciousness. The only thing that guides them is our consciousness and ideas.

Characters are fluid in that way.

But, no, sit down, I'm not done--two things: characters exist within a limited time frame and, oftentimes, romantic relationships are seen as superior to platonic relationships. Bc you only get one soulmate, right? While friendships happen all the time.

Now, I'm not gonna get into whether that should be the status quo, but nonetheless, it's that way for many people, myself included.

And when you see a character being so close with another one--whether it's because they're willing to die for each other, because they trust each other so much more than anyone else, or because they went through traumatizing events together, etc.--then obviously, your mind will guide them to a scenario where they're in love, where they're soulmates, regardless of what the author wanted. You see that special connection and want to differentiate it from all the friendships. "It's more than that. More than friends." And you can't really agree with the story writer bc that character only gets so many chances at having a soulmate. You won't see who character A will meet in 20 years. You won't see it if they miraculously meet their soulmate the day right after the epilogue.

So, you want them to be in that special relationship that's much more than the friendships with the other characters, you can give those characters that because it's not like they'll tell you, "hmm, I don't actually think about kissing B all the time,", and your characters exist within one story, within one limited time frame. Character B might as well be their soulmate, bc as far as anyone knows, there is no one else they could be closer with.

[magnoliamyrrh]

especially bc if theres one thing speaking to ppl on complicated subjects has taught me, and actually getting across to them, is that actually, yea. often times being able to talk and rationalize and keep your cool achieves 3000% more than yelling, screaming, insulting, or anything else does. oh, it sure is harder. oh, its an emotional toll. and you really wanna just call them stupid or tell them to fuck off. but the changes of getting somewhere are much better

there are people which will not change. there are ppl which do not want to hear. there are people which are set to remain in their ways..... but many people are capable of change. maybe people are capable of growth..... and i think... ultimately many ppl wanna be "good," whatever good means in their eyes. and playing off of that to your advantage helps

[bumbleblurr]

hot take I don't think idw comics prowl is copaganda like are they not clearly demonstrating that guy is a shithead at every chance they get .

[woolydemon]

Oh if we're on the topic of trans klavier, what do you think about she/her he/him klavier

REAL. ITS REAL. TO ME <3

klavier is such an any pronouns kind of guy y'know,

[tchaikovskym]

Did you know there are a bazillion enzymes and hormones and neurotransmitters and cells and anatomical structures involved in digestion and metabolism and they are all swimming in a soup in my head and I feel like hitting my head against a wall

[bread-is-my-life]

HEHEHEHEHEHHGHGESG YOU DREW IT LET'S GOO

After the Stainmight talk™

[ink-ghoul]

u said after the session youd tell us more abt the skin right? hiiiii pls i need to hear abt this man ^_^

uuhhhh i forgor i had these asks uhhhh LAST MINUTE BREAKDOWN BEFORE THE FINALE

I definetely didn't put this together at 11pm ghhgjgjh no no ....

Anyways, these are pretty much all my intentions with the design, of course you're free to do whatever, artists interpretations are always fun and lovely to see

I think these are my fave work so far because I had room to add more details due to the theme of his role in this season, anything trader/western/magical related calls for all sorts of wares

NOTES BY ME <3

With the Red Life one it isn't to different from the themes of the Green / Yellow I just changed the color palette to be evil but still having accents of color and a couple changes to how his shawl is arranged. The resemblance to LL!Scar is intentional, but I feel LL is Sad-evil and SL is Unhinged-evil, let him bring chaos.

[mightbebobbie]

I've been thinking more abt one piece college au, thanks to @maybe-a-bi-witch for opening my eyes to the thousand sunny being a bar/cafe... here r my thoughts so far (I'm definetely gonna draw this at some point..)

Thousand Sunny: Bar, Cafe and apartment complex

Going Merry: University

Grand Line: the city they live in (East blue, red line etc are different areas of the city!)

everyone stays the same, I don't wanna change any of the characters so chopper is still a human reindeer and jinbe is still a Fishman etc, all that changes is the setting, which is very much the same as our world.

- garp is a police officer who wants luffy to become one too, gave him "study money" to attend university

- luffy spent the money on a deposit in the thousand sunny apartment complex, where he met usopp and zoro, his new roommates. he got a job as a "waiter" at the thousand sunny bar/cafe

-usopp studies creative writing, zoro studies anatomy and myology, and does kendo as a part of his program

-across the hall lives sanji, the culinary arts student, and chopper, the young prodigy who studies medicine.

- nami lives on the floor above the boys, alone. she studies cartography and takes meteorology on the side, and is extremely good with money

- Franky and Robin live together on the ground floor, the apartment behind the Thousand Sunny Bar and Cafe, which Franky owns and operates.

- Robin is a subsistute history teacher at the Going Merry University, but she is originally an archeologist

- brook is the main form of entertainment and is responsible for the live music in the thousand sunny. He lives across the hall from nami.

- jinbe is a marine biologist, and lives on the top floor.

Luffy likes to bring his massive friend group around town to search for the One Piece, an urban legend in their city.... they visit abandoned places, forests and lots of strange people !

[senbbonzakura]

Main 3 favourite artists/bands they listen to? And how many minutes on Spotify wrapped?

🦅🦅🦅

(Love your blog btw 🫶)

OKAY THIS ONE ACTUALLY HAS ME MOTIVATED TO DO IT. THANK U SMMM <33 ALSOOO, i dont rlly listen to many bands (FOR NOW) so forgive me for not many suggestions....

⋆ MAIN 3'S FAV ARTISTS :

✩ — STAN !

hmm here goes the classic nirvana and his fav song is serve the servants + dumb

mcr andddd his fav song might be destroya + i never told you what i do for a living

deftones, cherry waves + passenger + knife prty

ptv, caraphernelia + the boy who could fly + disasterology

get scared, start to fall + dont you dare forget the sun

sometimes arctic monkeys if hes feeling like it, teddy picker + cigarette smoker fiona + r u mine

he has MANY minutes on spotify wrapped. he listens to music every time he even can

okay idk if thats many but lemme say 46k minutes

✩ — KYLE !

the classic the cure

guys, he does NOT listen to taylor swift.

probably thinks that it would be gay asf

tbh idk what could he listen to..

maybe arctic monkeys too??

idk bro he seems like a plain guy so im sayin arctic monkeys im sorry😭

doesnt listen much but at the same time not not at all

ill say 15-20k..

ONCE AGAIN I REPEAT IDK IF THATS MUCH OR NOT

also thats so random but HE WOULD LOOK SO FIRE WITH HEADPHONES ON

✩ — KENNY !

we all heard abt juggalo kenny

love that, his fav is halls of illusions + imma kill u + what is a juggalo

but now hear me out

i already said that in another post but WHAT ABR MSI KENNY ??

this guy would DEFINETELY listen to msi

not tolerate rheir actions tho

his fav would be either married alive + this hurts

or the classic shut me up

he likes listening to misic but he simply sometimes just forgets it exists😭

15-25k

stans and kennys ones is literally my msic taste LMAOOO

[marinettesaltprompts]

May I offer another deconstruction of a Maribat trope? More specifically the one where a Batboy comes to Dupont, immediately hits it off with Mari & helps expose/ruin everyone and they live happily ever after!

You can't tell me they wouldn't take (1) look at Gabe & immediately have him as a prime suspect. Thus, maybe Tim, Jason, Dick or Damian goes for 'study overseas' & Gabriel graciously offer to let them stay with him for the business connections.

Cue them also immediately picking up on the rancid vibes of Lila, Bustier, Damocles BUT ALSO Marinette bcz surprise! They know how to spot a stalker! They also know how to remain objective & actually investigate. They point out to Adrien that the high road approach is wrong but still take into account that (1) his upbringing conditioned him to be passive & (2) Mari didn't tell him abt the threats and from what they've seen, Adrien definitely would've have let that slide.

And no, they don't bring Mari into the fold bcz they overheard her complaining to Alya abt Adrien's sudden divergence from the private schedule she somehow got her hands on? How she was going to sabotage a random girl for winking at Adrien teasingly?? How they're gonna have a family & hamsters??? And how she expects everyone to listen to her bcz she's their 'Everyday LB'???

Yeah, no. And if they find out she's the actual LB, still NO.

Bcz they see how much of a mess everything is. How she keeps CN out of the loop, expecting him to be the distraction, the goofy sidekick & meatshield. How that applies to the rest of her 'team' who aren't given consistent training. How she makes herself the lynchpin for everything.

More importantly, they see how underutilized CN is. So they take him under their wing in & out of the mask. Experimenting with his Cataclysm & enhanced senses, showing him the darker nitty-gritty places where the downtrodden go to be forgotten, how to act instead of react & assert himself in ways that matter. CN gains popularity as others note how proactive he is in stopping pettier crimes outside of akumas, how he takes the trouble to visit past victims & lend them an ear, etc.

How he & the other vigilante work even better than him & LB.

Naturally, she throws a fit, thinking they're trying to 'undermine' her. Nevermind that they've made more progress in the past month than she ever did in almost 2 years. When she tries to demand CN hand over his miraculous, he refuses, done with her bossiness, & she declares him a 'traitor'.

Cue Mari getting a restraining order & more blogs pointing out the unfair power dynamic of the hero duo. In the end, HM isn't even defeated with a bang but a whimper as CN & the Batboy knock Gabe out before he transforms, send evidence to the police and leave. LB is now left alone to explain to Paris what happened & deal with the fact that they now think she's either incompetent or a glory hound who purposely didn't do her job to milk the attention while Marinette is ALSO blamed for the fallout at Dupont bcz she's as complicit as the rest of them.

CN & Adrien disappear from Paris and maybe the Teen Titans gain a new member. One who's treated as an equal, a friend & after a while, family.

(Idk, for some reason, him joining the Titans sounds more plausible than the Batfam. Thoughts?)

I definetely think the Titans would be a better group for Adrien in terms of social growth because of the variety of people in that group, but the Batfamily is definetely a close second. It doesn't hurt that he's the closest thing to a Batfamily character outside of the costume (we'll just say that he's Selina's nephew ;) )

Lovely post btw!

[dinosaur-in-a-spaceship]

grover's presence in future seasons

do you guys think that the writers will make sure to keep grover as a consistent part of the show in future seasons, giving the fact that grover appears less and less troughout the books and that we barely see the trio together in the rest of the series?

with the flexibility and addition of new scenes we been having so far, and considering how amazing aryan is as grover and how strong is the chemistry and friendship (in and out of the show) between the trio, i think and really hope that the writers and rick make a case for it. i also hope that the fandom pushes this idea, im really worried abt the possibility of grover/aryan not being a regular in future seasons, becoming only a special appearance.

in my opinion, the writing and editing still have space to get a lot better as time goes by. but the cast is excellent, especially walker, leah and aryan. i feel like they completely understand their characters and the dynamics between the three of them so well, the casting in general is definetely my fav part of the show and the trio is where the heart of the show really is.

[coniangray]

No bc what was the point of this?

ik the lab reached out to him cus they figured he knows the kids and therefore lead them (and probably their target: el) back to them.

But that doesnt quite add up to the timeline, does it...

I think there was another reason they reached out to him. They were probably planning this for a while now, even before s1 started, and tought clarke was the perfect link to the kids and eleven, but why?

Clarke might be connected to vecna and there is proof.

Either hes one of his followers or simply another puppet or a coverup pawn. I havent really thought this through but i do believe hes heavily involved also thanks to @liebstie (bubble) on twitter who gave me food for thought.

The suspicion began when he first saw el, and his reactions were extremely similar to billys in s3 after seeing her for the first time

hell even their expressions are similar

something something they both looked like they recognized el.

Another scene that kinda bugs me about his arc is this:

Look at his expressions, hes definetely hiding something, He knows theres a gate, and he knows how to get there thats why he didnt tell them the entire truth.

These were also foreshadowing the uds effect in the mest seasons, the "swallow us whole" part covering season 5.

BONUS:

HE KNOWS. He knows abt the lab definetly and he also knows about vecna. hes iffy, i can tell but like i cant yet tell if hes under vecnas control or working with him. Now we havent seen him interacting with brenner at all, which leads me to think this:

What if something happened to force him into a connection with vecna, one different than wills or billys, that actually led the lab lady reach out to him and keep an eye on him?? We know she was sent by brenner, and the whole newsletter thing was bs to coverup why exacly they needed him, Clarke is suspicious at all times, as if hes tiptoeing onto what information hes allowed to share about the gates and the upside down.

My theory is that clarke is somehow paraleling both snape and slughorn from harry potter, as vecna paralels tom riddle/ voldermort. He could have helped him in the past since he was presumably always hyperfixating on science, and maybe they had to exchange services of some sort, i havent seen the play so idk if he was involved at all.

Plus this scene where he told them about finneas' injury is also most likely heavily involved in his arc

And then the camera pans from focusing to will, and then max.. which foreshadowed her injury in st4.

[bad-ads]

coronabeth and ianthe occupy my mind 24/7 but sometimes i feel like kinda weird talking abt them and their relationship bc i am firmly in the camp that they definitely have a weird romantic and sexual incest thing going on which can come across really weird if ppl dont know or understand tlt. like yeah i think they are definetely incestous and i want to talk about, but not bc i ship it or soemthing, but more so bc i think that its heavily implied throughout the book, deeply consistent with tlt’s themes and deepens a lot of exploration of their chatacters

[angelicyoongie]

hi ^^

I'm finally more concretely baaaack!! & I finally found time to properly dedicate to your amazing work!!

how are u doing? summer basically finishing so I hope you'll enter last days of summer/early autumn well rested, healthy & w/ no regrets <333

I finally caught up to Abundance & i'm soooo happyyy, i've missed this fic soo much xd

every ch left me w/ so many thoughts, sooo much excitement & just an overall sense of satisfaction at how smooth & rewarding your writing style & narration style are!

so i may ramble a lil bit abt it now if u don't mind XD (u don't have to read all of it or reply btw, no pressure ;D )

1st of all i wanna recognise how usually it's harder to keep tabs on multiple characters, even more if they are all important & heavily involved in the plot (esp in ff that are poly or w/ multiple different kinds of relationships & relations between characters ) but you've done nothing but a great job at handling this! each character gets their time, their moments, their own space & pace for development & involvement in the plot & it all feels very balanced!

definetely not in order '^^

i also wanna scream at the idea of the pack-mark?? i thought i loved already the hybrid concept but this just elevated it o the next level! & the difference in the mark being platonic or romantic & it being also different from the concept of mate-mark?? i can't wait to see how this puzzle piece fits into the canines arrangement in the future

returning to the 1st point, to strenghten my love w/ your writing style there's also the way u write the mc!! istg i'm this close to start crushing on her instead lmaoo. no but the way u wrote her feels way more natural & genuine than an air-head type or a perfect-never-makes-mistakes literal angel type, she feels like an actual proper developed character that is human & obvi makes mistakes but that is also a good person that has a pretty strong sense of responsability/duty, is very mature & level headed (finally an mc that doesn't behave/think like a 12 y.o lmao). i love how even tho she still learning & doesn't know everything already, she always tries to take the better choice either based on her judgement or by seeking to learn more abt the hybrids by asking them directly, w/out shame or fear to ask them abt themselves & hybrids in general.

wrds cannot emphasize enough how grateful i am that she’s not simply just flustered all the time & getting ping-ponged by the guys, she is her own person 1st & takes srsly her own responsibilities & actually wants to treat them as just any other human person while also accommodating & recognising their diff hybrid needs instead of just being all a condescending “omg, they’r so hot, omg their so cute” all the time. she wants to learn & respect their natural instincts & doesn’t fault them 4 having them but also wants them to wrk through the ones that may be harmful to others around them.

onto the last point above, i can't help but appreciate the constant in the story of hybrids not being able to simply wish away their strongest instincts or miraculously gain control over them simply bc of their love 4 mc’s .NO, there is an actual learning curve & episodes of dealing w/ shame,guilt & sense of helplessness, of predators feeling uncomfortable at feeling or having felt certain instincts as their relations w/ the preys change & evolve( as an example)

but at the same time in the build up of the story, the hybrids instincts are never used as plot device to excuse/justify actions that cross the limit (incidents/hybrid on hybrid crimes, agression, violence & the fact that even tho jin & jk were in rut/pre-rut, they were still adamant abt respecting mc boundaries & consent & not " get their way" & simply blame it on “instinct”bs .-. that was refreshing to see lmao)

in your wrld building, i really love how u handled the characterisation of the roles of prey & predator in hybrids & didn't go w/ just usual/easier expected stereotypical depictions. even tho there’s a difference between predators & prey, they still clearly have a consciousness & an important inner emotional reaction at seeing 1st person the reality of prey hybrids, they’s not just animals & they’s not just jerks/assholes, they are actual ppl that had each their own struggles, traumas & lessons & that up until now where only used to relying on their pack to survive or themselves (case of rogues etc) & drive off anybody else to stay safe but not all of them would go out of their way to hurt prey hybrids, it depends on the personal level & not all of them will be swayed off their feet & fall head over heels for the 1st prey hybrid they interact w/, w/out even getting to know them & later trust them & develop normally a closeness to them.

talking abt trust...

after the nth hurt, esp the predators(namjoon,jimin) have learned to surround themselves w/ walls & to not get attached easily & it’s very interesting to see their different inner fights in trying to let go of that while also struggling w/ the need to still feel safe & in control, 2 things that ‘till now they got by keeping to themselves & to their packs.

& although there have been multiple instances in which nj starting doubting mc or started feeling that safety slip away & started pulling back, or jimin & the others were in denial to their own feelings & pull to get closer to other hybrids outside of the pack & lower their guard, after a pretty difficult process & many mistakes it’s slowly starting to happen!! at a pace that i’m sooooo glad u actually took time & effort to develop in a way that feels very natural & curated! i’m sure that it’s not easy to write like this at all & every ch is different & sometimes the wrds don’t feel right or they don’t come etc but i’m just so incredibly happy that u continued to persevere through that in this fic bc the results are a damn masterpiece!!

ALSO,TESTIMONY TO YOUR SHARP & AMAZING WRITING SKILLS:

i nearly lost my mind at your description of nj inner turmoil w/ primary colours(blue & yellow) that clash & then merge into his confused uncomfortable state (murky green) . i literally kept re-reading that part bc it was just sooo pretty 😭

...tumblr doesn't have yellow so let's just pretend XD

& the subtle hints & nj fear of repeated rejection? i’m not sure if maybe i’m interpreting it wrong & it’s not smth that he already had to deal in the past but i’m looking forward regardless.

& the way no part of the plot gets neglected?? hello? bc while all of this is going on w/ the hybrids, mc’s life outside of this bubble is taking turn after turn w/ her wrk & it’s getting sooo interesting,soo intriguing w/ all the dots connecting & the mystery getting bigger & more rabbit-holey😍😍😍

& can i just say that i never trusted hajoon from the beginning?!!! his reaction to mc saying they don’t investigate money laundering bc it’s more of a “officer/investigator” job & him finding it amusing almost like he knows she’s technically already doing that w/ the other company but she just confirmed that the law firm can’t find the necessary info by themselves so other ppl get involved like investigators & informants …. & then the overlap of the 2 cases?? the cliffhanger?? the 3 names popping up again?? & she might have fallen into a trap & just fed hajoon the ones that might have worked w/ her to testimony against the shady company involved in hybrid trafficking... or actually hajoon found a way to frame those 3 to make it harder 4 their testimony to be believable in case they get involved to help mc w/ her case against Lim's. or maybe it's smth else entirely & i'm off my rails XD

we still don't know that much abt hajoon or mc's informant & there's always the possibility of a mole being at the law firm, maybe even somebody that knows mc closely, doesn't attract much attention & regularly looks through files,appointments & schedules�� now i'm just freely speculating off my head XD

lastly bc i don't wanna exaggerate w/ the walls of rambling (might be too late tho so srry abt that😅), i'm absolutely knees deep infatuated w/ the little details/quirks/facets of personality u give each hybrid:

namjoon's intimidating edge being softened thanks to his clumsiness & puppy-like moments, jin's softer & more attentive way of subtly asserting his role as alpha/hyung, tae's simple often straightforward natural sweetness & inclination of being curious & playful, hobi's unexpected strenght & comforting sweet personality that often acts as a damper in intense moments, jk's perseverance towards more indipendency & his struggles w/ self-worth, jimin's stark contrast between how he carries himself in front of others & his own inner insecurities & fears of abandonment, yoongi's new perspective on love & it simply adding up not substracting at admitting his crush on jin & helping jimin accept his own changes in his emotions & feelings toward the other hybrids.

i have soooo many more but i don't wanna push it😫

in the end i just hope u had lots of fun & feel proud of how this series is turning out! obvi as always no pressure & make sure to take your time & continue writing when & as long as it feels right^^

hello!! thank you so much, i'm doing well 🥺 i hope the beginning of autumn is treating you well too! i'm sorry it took me so long to reply to this ask but the truth was that i didn't want to share it just yet, lol 😭 this ask arrived in my inbox just as i was trying (and failing) to begin writing for abundance again. i kept psyching myself out, thinking that my break had been too long and i wouldn't be able to capture the essence of the characters anymore – so what was even the use of trying if i was only going to fail? but then this popped into my inbox and it just made me feel so.. seen. you pointed out and acknowledged so many aspects of the story that i love and feel proud of, and it was truly the boost i needed. i've been coming back to this almost every day as i've been writing, so i just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart 💖💖

i will say that having eight main characters is a puzzle that doesn't always line up, but i do try my best to make up for it whenever i can! if a character isn't very prominent in one ch, it's likely that they'll get more attention in the next or that i'm "saving" them for a bigger scene that needs more build up. but i'm glad you think i'm going a good job at juggling all of them, tysm :')

i always try to think of ways to add a little something extra to my stories, something that makes it feel like it's not just a direct copy of every other fic in that trope. dividing the boys into predator/prey packs and giving them different marks (platonic/romantic) was such a 'simple' but effective way of introducing a lot of drama and conflict into the story. i'm a slow burn girlie at the end of the day and i knew that the pay off of all of the packs becoming one would be that much sweeter if they actually started off truly disliking each other and not just becoming lovey dovey after two chapters.

i'm honestly so ecstatic that you love the MC so much, that makes me so happy!! it's taken some trial and error, but i've tried my best to create a MC/reader that makes realistic choices and is someone that the majority might be able to see themselves in. she's not perfect, she makes mistakes and she feels horrible when she does, but she also tries to fix things when she messes up and doesn't just expect them to work out on their own. it just doesn't make sense to have an MC that knows everything about hybrids when she's never owned one before (or really had any interest in them) so part of the challenge for her is to actually learn about their needs in relation to who they are as people and not just assume that she knows best because she's fully human.

thank you!! i've really tried to balance the human and animal part of them as much as possible in this fic. they may have instincts and knee-jerk reactions to situations that are fueled by their animal DNA but that doesn't mean that their human brain completely checks out. it was important to me to show that much like the MC, hybrids can have prejudice too, and that they can learn & grow over time. i'm so happy that you pointed out the fact that their instincts are never used to excuse their actions – that was one thing i didn't want to happen. like i said, they're just as much human as they are animal, so it's not a valid reason for them to ignore morals or boundaries.

yes! i didn't just want to slap a predator label on some of them and go "okay, you guys are scary and mean" and make the preys meek and docile for the entire story. they still have individuality and personality regardless of if they're classified as predator or prey. they have all had different experiences that have shaped them into who they are but that doesn't make them heartless or incapable of change. the predators have never noticed how much their biology affects prey hybrids until they met jinkook, so it makes sense that their guilt would eventually catch up with them when they stop thinking of the preys as competition that needs to be eliminated.

trust is a big part of this fic and it manifests in so many different ways! they're all finally beginning to open up and understand that they're safe, and i think it's especially satifisfying to see namjoon and jimin finally let their walls down :') there were times that i was worried i was going to slow but i really do think that this pace was necessary - there was just too much that needed to be unpacked and adressed for it to happen any sooner. and no, it has definitely not been easy, but it does feel more than worth it when i get such a lovely review as this 😭

i'm so happy you pointed out that scene with joon, bc i really liked using the colours to represent his emotions!! and you're not interpreting it wrong, it's definitely a big fear for him!

i know that most readers are only here for the boys and not so much the mc's work, but i really do think it adds to the story! there are some connections coming up that have been slowly been hinted at throughout the story so far, so i'm excited for that to come together soon. hajoon is very sus and you're right in not trusting him 🙈 i'm not going to say what it is exactly, but you are indeed on to something regarding the case 👀

i can't have my babies be one-dimensional! i put a lot of thought into making sure that each character had its own strengths and weaknesses and how that would affect them in different ways. truly, thank you so much for recognizing all of the hard work i've put into developing the story and the characters, it means more than you know 😭

i cannot thank you enough for leaving me such an incredible review/comment, it has made me cry (happy tears!) every time i've looked at it and it has helped me remember all of the things i loved about writing the story. i'm truly so so grateful 💖💖💖

[faraway-fields-dalekie-pola]

thinking abt it and aurelia definetely has a thing for brushing's sylwek's hair. its so soft and delicate in touch and smells like strawberries which r aurelia's favourite fruit.

-

tak se myśle i aurelia na pewno kocha czesać włosy sylwka. są takie delikatne i mięciutke w dotyku. pachną jak truskawki.... jak jej ulubiony owoc.

[raspbeyes]

A bit more of a revised opinion on David lol

I did my intial thoughts post a while back but kinda realized that my initial impression was so different than how i see david now.

i pretty sure this has already been said, but yeah David's reveal is not really a reveal of true character but rather feels more like a breakdown in who he is

Now yeah, he definetely has got a flair for the dramatics but honestly, i think it makes sense why david would want to play up his cynical viewpoint to a cartoonish level like we see. But for all of his life, he's been playing a role that it seems he does not believe he actually deserves (as his hidden quote may allude to deep self hatred), so for once, david is truly acting out how he believes he really is

essentially, the reveal was not him being a liar, it was a reveal of how he believes himself to be a liar.

Not to mention ... and maybe this is that same denial i was saying before ep 11 that maybe david has the hopeless child secret but ... his motivation just doesn't add up to me.

His "mask" initially slipped in the prologue where he spoke about wanting to be in bed and not deal with people or wanting to come to hope's peak. Idk about u but that just feels like just being an introvert. Maybe a bit of a bitchy introvert lol but nothing that is a manipulative liar who wants to watch everyone kill each other for ... uhh ... shits and giggles???? I truly feel he is acting the part that his secret is.

So what exactly is his secret referring to as manipulative?? I think i agree with hu when i said its phrasing (For example, arturo does not seem as heartless as his secret ambiguously makes it seem, clearly very affected rather than how the secret implies callousness). I think the secret is really just referring to what his talent is. It is what we all guessed initially: He manipulates people, aka "inspires" them. He may just have the ability to manipulate using his words, but he has so far put that to good use.

But i think david never sees it that way. I recall seeing a few posts commenting how david must feel guilt/grief over the death of xander and arei, since he had gotten close to the both of them before their death. And i think that guilt is being amplified with arei's death:

A lot of people point to David's slip in ep 10 as either a sign of him being a good person or a bad person, as his way of talking can be interpreted as either.

(To recap, those who claim this proves this shows his truly good nature point out that he is truly upset abt the death of arei and he is showing his true distaste for the killer, something he wouldn't have said if he had wanted arei to die and didnt care for her like he said in ep 11. However others can mention how david speaks abt how she was in such a vulnerable state to be killed and his creepy smiling sprite sure doesnt help)

Personally i am leaning on the redeeming side, as i think david feels that arei's death proves why he's such a manipulator. We now know of the conversation (or really only a part of it judging by how arei is never answered) was likely when David first learned of his secret about him being a manipulator. David is completely silent, shuddering and unresponsive. I think that he may have at first viewed Arei as his usual routine of lifting someone up, but when we see arei actually hug him, he is caught off guard. And once he hears arei herself saying she really wanted to change for the better, david may have felt he did one good thing. Only then, arei reveals her knowledge of his secret and David is at a loss. Now, the one person who could have been helped by him now realizes his words are as hollow as he believes. So when arei begs david to respond, he cant seem to muster any words.

So when we see how he talks in ch 10, it is his own guilt and anger at himself combined with his grief to arei's death all muddied together. He had been able to help someone, but its because arei had put herself out there - a positive change he triggered - and got herself killed, david blames himself. After all, he can use people however he wants. So if they become worse off, he believes he is the reason behind it.

personally i want a more redeemable version of david since i just dont believe his supposed motivations. they just dont add up!!! moreover, with it being obvious he is not the killer, david has to now live with a supposed chapter 3 with everyone well aware of his "real" personality, so i wonder how david would feel about now actually being treated like a villain rather than a good person like he has for most his life. It might force him to realize that he might actually not be as bad as he thought he was, so maybe he'll slowly try to work up good faith with the group??? I think David has been trapped between two extremes: His morally good outward persona, and his self hatred making him believe he is irredeamable. So maybe david's development is him learning to gain a more nuanced look at himself :)

Or maybe he'll just die in chapter 3 lol and have an unresolved arc :'))