#i was honestly wary at first bc i wasn't sure if just seeing the same interface all the time would be too boring but it's not at all

[itsmespicaa]

Thank you for explaining more about the Lambo twins from other continuities! :D it's a treat to read and understand more about how they are in other continuities since I'm only familiar with the basic characteristics of them and now I have another question since you seem to know a lot about them but do you have hcs about them in general and perhaps any relationships hcs (I don't mean just romantic ones) they could have with other characters besides each other. I'm familiar with sunstreaker being a gladiator and artist in one part and sideswipe being a trader and racer something like that in another lol sorry if this is a long ask 😅

hey no need to apologize!! i love getting long asks like these hehe because they let me yap about them<3 and it makes me happy to know that i got to tell you more about them in other continuities!! It's just really fascinating how different they are

alright so honestly I tend to hyperfixate more on the relationship between the siblings BUT...I do have some thoughts regarding their relationship with other characters specifically in TF One (I'm gonna limit it to this continuity bc I'm still brainrotting over it for my fic lmao).

Ironhide: He's one of the older miners (not the oldest tho) who's been taking care of his fellow miners, delegating himself to stay in the fifth tier even though he's capable of being promoted bc he much preferred being able to oversee his friends closer and acting as a mentor figure. This includes that brat Sunstreaker who always seems to get himself into trouble and his twin Sideswipe, the two constantly bickering and needing to be separated at times which is where he comes in. He's one of the few bots Sunstreaker consider as a friend (or acquaintances at best) and one of the very few who can occasionally get through Sunstreaker's thick skull.

Ratchet: A freshly graduated medic from Iacon who spends a lot of his free time in his private clinic near the miners' barracks to get away from the stuffy upper class bots and their demands. He ended up patching Sunstreaker a lot due to his tendency to get into fights with other bots in the ring or simply the unavoidable mining accidents the supervisors seem to love putting him into. Sunstreaker would slowly grow less wary of him and even open up, but due to Ratchet's duties at his actual work in the Iacon Hospital, he couldn't always be there for them either. But he tries, and that's hopefully enough.

Arcee: Sideswipe and Arcee go way back, having met each other the first day they came online after their medical check up. They hit it off instantly, and with their teamwork flawless and efficient, they were also almost always assigned to the same team. They're best friends in the most literal sense possible, always having each other's back and hanging out together after work, sometimes alongside others like Red Alert, Ironhide and Firestar. Post-war, the two continued to fight side by side on the front lines, especially after the twins were separated into different divisions.

Bluestreak: Sunstreaker was the last person anyone would want to wilingly approach but...Bluestreak did for some reason. He would ramble and Sunstreaker would listen, and that's pretty much their dynamic whenever they do see each other. He and Sideswipe weren't particularly close but they hit it off easily, not to mention their love for playing games. His nervous chattiness and tendency to ramble didn't bother either of the twin, and he cherishes the friendship they have.

Smokescreen: Sideswipe wasn't one to refuse a challenge, especially if it meant having the chance to double his money...even if it meant losing his credits in one (or a couple of) Smokescreen's gambling dens. Sunstreaker on the other hand would much rather spend his meager credits on his cleaning solvents and art supplies...but Sides would sometimes manage to get him to lend a few of his credits when he's dry. He always made sure he paid them back though (or else).

Red Alert: He and Sideswipe apparently shared the same mold during the forging of their bodies, and their mutual friends even joked that they were siblings due to their competitive streaks at the arcades (Red Alert always won tho). Red Alert's paranoid streak was a bit annoying to Sideswipe, but it did come in handy whenever he had to sneakily pull of a prank, knowing that Red would alert him before any supervisors would come anywhere near him.

D-16: Neither Sunstreaker nor Sideswipe were close to D-16 and Orion Pax, but D-16 had something in common with Sunstreaker, and that was having a tough plating that could withstand more than the average bot. D-16 was on the quiet side just like Sunstreaker, but unlike D-16 who would obey the rules and stay silent when their supervisors would shout at them, Sunstreaker could not care less and tend to do the barest minimum required of him, not quite snarking back but anyone could see he did not give a damn. They were rarely put together in a team but when they did, they would simply leave each other be. Post-Megatron...Sunstreaker wondered who would've won back then had they fought each other in the underground rings.

Mirage: Post-war, Sunstreaker would end up at some point in the same squadron as Mirage in Spec-Ops under Jazz's lead. Their relationship at the start is rocky at best due to their clashing personalities, especially with Mirage being a cogged bot from the start compared with Sunstreaker who used to be a miner, their former class difference causing tension to build around them, the two refusing to trust each other and making Jazz's life miserable with the in-fighting. But after a certain incident, they would be forced to learn to trust one another and maybe even warm up to each other.

There's definitely more but I'll leave it at that for now ahaha I hope this is more than enough! If you have any questions about someone in particular feel free to send me another ask ;D

[uncanny-tranny]

Alas, you're experiencing the unfortunate stigma of "maleness=inherent aggression" that the cis love to peddle. As an AMAB nb person, i see you, and i assure you you're no more "aggressive" than you ever were "bc testosterone".

The frustrating reality is, if a cis person (often, in my personal experience, cis white women) see you as male, and they don't like what you're doing or how you're doing it, a lot of them will accuse you of being "aggressive" in order to force compliance.

It's a sickening behavior that takes advantage of the increased accountability we as a society hold toward shitty men nowadays, and twists it to simultaneously manipulate others, and mask the behavior of shitty people that aren't men or amab.

I'm not trying to imply that everyone's trying to manipulate you, and some people might genuinely be working off of trauma/survival instincts to come to a conclusion. Unfortunately it can be difficult to tell if you haven't dealt with such before.

I will say, be wary of misogynists masking their hatred for women in a supposed "concern for men". As I'm sure you probably know, anyone making broad claims about "women are lying snakes that want to ruin men's lives" are not your friends, and just want to create likeminded mobs of shitheads for their echo chambers.

Please do your best not to take any claims of aggression personally unless it turns out that the worst is true. And if so, please stay strong and be safe if you decide to confront over it. Keeping records and screenshots of arguments/disagreements will be your best friend in situations like those.

I'm sorry that this has started for you now, but know you aren't alone. There are many people with these same experiences, and are more than willing to help.

-A Friendly AMAB Enby

(apologies if ive jumped the gun, i saw your post in my recommended and ive got strong feelings about situations like that so i wanted to throw my hat in the ring with advice and commisseration as someone with lived experience)

This was definitely something I was prepared for before transition - that people would interpret me in different ways because of their baggage. Honestly, though, it was really weird to see the same people who knew me pre-medical transition and post-medical transition interpreted me wildly differently than just a few months ago. I think that's why I had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't because I had become a violent, aggressive Male™ in the span of a bit over a year.

I will say that many people have a ton of gender-based baggage that they may or may not apply to you based on their interpretation of you. That has nothing to do with you, like, ninety percent of the time, and while it can be annoying and you deserve the space to voice that, just know that you are likely not what instigated that. The idea that "men are inherently violent" is a gender essentialist idea I really hope we can move on from precisely because I've seen it used too often for abuse apologia. It does nobody a service to do this, it certainly doesn't prevent abuse because it doesn't tell you what abuse is in the first place, and how to be alert for instances of it.

Gender essentialism doesn't help anybody, least of all trans people who often have a very different relationship with gender and imposed gender than many people (which is also why sex essentialism doesn't work for most of us). It's really weird to impose one's biases onto a completely seperate person, though I do realize that's something most people do unconsciously. Be critical of the idea that any gender has essentialist, intrinsic characteristics that Define Every Experience and Every Action They Do. Be weary of the idea that only one gender can be abusers and aggressive. Those rhetorical devices are often used to cover up abuse in itself.

[dreamdaddymorpheus]

okay your dark! morpheus headcanons have me down bad, i absolutely love it. This might be a long one bc i have many things to say: firstly i have a question!! So in this au, are other characters like lucienne and matthew aware that morpheus is dark? do they look the other way though they don't agree with it, or are they in the mindset that if it's him it's okay? Do they even consider him to be dark at all? or is that something you're leaving up to each reader's individual interpretation?

I have a little headcanon of my own of like the first time morpheus asks for a kiss for her to dream of her friends and family, reader immediately turns it down. But it's because reader's never had her first kiss. But when time passes and she just misses them all so much and her emotions regarding morpheus are so mixed that she agrees to it. To reader's surprise, he's so gentle with it. Not to say he isn't filled with desire. The kiss being needy, desperate. Slow and deep. Even with the gentleness you can feel the possession in his actions. With every bite, every hot press of lips, every swipe of the tongue, its as if he's nonverbally saying "mine" over and over again.

I also imagine that when you're in his lap, he's doing things like holding your hand, playing with your hair, or mindlessly playing with your fingers as he conducts his business. Twisting locks of your hair with his finger as he whispers something against the shell of your ear that makes you laugh and smile. And once his acts of affection are being reciprocated, oh he's even more entranced with you than before. If you sit on his lap of your own volition he's definitely going to spoil you rotten.

Also I'm imaging like, what it morpheus wasn't always dark? What if there was a reason he become so possessive? Like Desire of the endless meddling in his life to the point where Morpheus becomes obsessive with his lovers, specifically reader?

Long story short, I'm very into the idea of dark morpheus, being so obsessed with reader it defies all logic and reason. It transcends rationality. Being so consumed with reader its making him do things that doesn't make him all that different from his nightmares. I'l really like what you've presented in your headcanons, and it's something I definitely would love to see explored more!! You're a very talented writer and you really know how to reel the readers in and are engaging from the get-go!!

First, thank you so much!! This was honestly so sweet and I’m sorry it took me this long to reply. I didn’t want to rush my response because I genuinely appreciated the amount of thought that went into this! <3

Second, to answer your first question – I do think Lucienne is aware of how dark Morpheus is in this AU, she’s known him for as long as she’s been alive. She doesn’t exactly approve, but in the same way she doesn’t approve of him going to the waking world as much as he does. Like him kidnapping a human is not great, but what can you do kind of way lmao. Matthew on the other hand is still new to this and the ways of his king. Not to mention he was also human so he’s more outraged about it than Lucienne. But, again, what can you do? He would be more sympathetic to the reader’s cause and would try his best to help her in any capacity but would be wary and mindful that he doesn’t step out of line. He’s seen what Morpheus’ has done to those who has defied him.

I absolutely adore your headcanons! It is exactly what I had in mind, minus the first kiss but that’s a great addition!

As for the catalyst for Dark!Morpheus, I would say his failed human relationships lmao I’m not sure if you read the previous instalment of Don’t Blame Me, but basically, I said Morpheus learned a lot from loving humans who would later abandon him despite his devotion. So by the time he meets you, he’s already learned his lesson and decided to just take you and place you in this little bubble where no one can take you or make you leave him. I’d also like to think he sees you, to some extent, as some kind of compensation for his suffering under Roderick Burgess. Like, okay, humans screwed him over but he’ll forgive them if they let him take you and make you his wife lmao

Thank you for your sweet, sweet words! Your far too generous!

[huxianposts]

you finished royal 👀 thoughts?

I'm p sure i'll be parroting the same things that were echoed back when the FIRST round of p5r spoilers were circulating, so I'm going to put my thoughts under the read more just in case (also this is so long bc i have so much to say dslkfjasdlf). but yeah, while there ARE some positives, I'm warning y'all for the negatives-- so don't like don't read <3

1st thought: wow. so. That is ...a game, alright. Yeah.

2nd: how did a convoluted game become so much more nuts...?

3rd: I'm so damn sad lmao?

following the first thought: The UI was pretty neat and insane, I think the graphics were great and properly enhanced, the voice acting was PHENOMENAL, the music was pretty nice esp when vanilla was balls to the walls insane in its initial execution.

I was initially wary of the new characters, just bc it takes me a while to warm up to anyone new, ESP when it's from an already established game with its base plot and characters. I still wouldn't say Sumire/Maruki are my faves, but I also think if they were in any other game, I WOULD love them. I already think they're interesting, Maruki's characterization both vexes and fulfills me in the fact that the narrative really built him in a way that makes sense-- i was initially not a big fan of this guy bc he came off patronizing even tho he was clearly running away from his own pain-- BUT THE NARRATIVE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT and actually DID something about it, so honestly, yeah, that was fulfilling in the end just bc the bar is low and Atlus has dropped the ball so many times before lol I think Sumire is interesting. A lot of my initial wariness of her lied in the Kasumi-persona-- and when that was finally revealed that, hey! That's not really her! Yeah, I warmed up. Still think Atlus tremendously dropped the ball on her though, but I'll go into that in the second thought.

The new (needed) Akechi stuff was great. It was so fucking needed!!! That is the one area of this game that I will stand up and hoot for because it fleshed him out in a way that felt meaningful; I loved seeing his anger and the raw quality to his characterization. Not that there wasn't that in vanilla, but there was actually SPACE for him in this game, and that was soooooo good. He felt like a person full of literal depth that you can tangibly touch, rather than these flickers in vanilla that felt lacking. I was invested in his confidant in p5r, and while the 'feral' quality to him was kinda over the top in Maruki's dungeon-- his furious desire for autonomy was so in line with character trajectory from being manipulated and used by Shido-- like, wow, I AM OBSERVING, I AM SEEING, I AM LOOKING, I AM INTERESTED, I WANT BETTER FOR YOU. Yeah anyway, he was the one real good part in p5r, and that's why thoughts 2 and 3 are gonna be a thing.

going into the second thought: i seriously do NOT remember most of the spoilers from 2020, and I think that's a combination from naturally shit memory, 2021 being an extremely horrific year for me that impacted everything, and just the spoilers at the time being so insane I didn't want to truly believe it until I witnessed for myself. And well. I witnessed. Even if it took like, 2 years. lol. but how the hell did an already convoluted game become even more bloated and honestly... kind of unnecessary?

the trimester happened but IT DIDN'T REALLY? like, how roundabout do you have to go to just say, "nothing changed for MC in the end", like, bro??? I didn't spend an extra 30 ish hours just to end up back whence I came-- prison. The moment Lavenza said hey, all the work and pain and struggles you underwent will mean nothing because it WASN'T REAL IN THE REAL REALITY when you chose to fight the school counselor-- my god. My blood pressure. So. Akira still goes to prison. And now it's just, framed in such a nasty way of-- because everyone was essentially mind zombified by Maruki's tentacles (SERIOUSLY, ATLUS, SERIOUSLY?? I get he's a counselor BUT WHY), TECHNICALLY everyone and their mom left Akira to uh. Stagnate in prison. For almost 2 months. They essentially forgot him there. And yeah, I UNDERSTAND that everyone was mind zombified and weren't really acting in a way that was befitting of their care for p5 protag-- but how was it in vanilla, the moment the team finds out that Akira sacrificed himself, they spent the ensuing month advocating and finding evidence just to set him free!! Including his adult confidants!! And we somehow managed to set him free within 10 days of waking up in p5r??? It just feels shoehorned in, and again, kinda wtf bc Iwai's thing during Akira's imprisonment (if you max him out) is: "I have connections in the prison system that can ensure the teen that helped me can be safe and looked after." But uh. In p5r apparently, Akira doesn't get that protection for the apparent 1 ish months in prison. So. Again, I GET that Akira wasn't TECHNICALLY in prison the entire time, but reality bs aside where one's real or one's not-- it just leaves a nasty taste in my mouth about his situation.

going on the Sumire situation: why did Atlus. Do that. To her. In any other game, she would be my home slice, my baby girl, my rotten soldier, my sweet cheese-- but in this one.... what was her point? Besides being collateral for Maruki's story? It sounds really sucky of me to say it, and ofc no one has to agree with my opinions because they're just that-- but I am so resentful of the way Atlus utilized her. Like the OPENING scene where she somehow follows the team undetected into Sae's dungeon (not to mention, HOW THO, SHE JUST AWAKENED, SHE HAS NEVER REALLY PRACTICED, AND SHE'S FENDING OFF LEVEL 40-50 SHADOWS LIKE NOBODY'S BUSINESS??? BUT THEN GETS BODIED IN MARUKI'S DUNGEON? WHAT'S GOING ON HERE) and 'saves' Joker and then just. dips??? That scene.... did nothing for Joker in the end? He still gets captured, still gets the everloving shit beat out of him, interrogated, etc etc. And then comes Shido's palace, and the team. Just doesn't. Invite her along. Even though, JUDGING FROM HER SKILLS DEMONSTRATED IN SAE'S PALACE, she should be perfect for the Shido heist-- but bc Vanilla was so damn completed, Atlus couldn't bother to implement her meaningfully in that dungeon. And like, her confidant is honestly interesting-- I didn't MEAN to actually care about her, because again, it takes a lot for me to warm up to new characters-- I liked her exploration in grief, in being her own person, hell, I even GET her Minnie Mouse thing to Joker's Mickey Mouse. I get it. I just dislike Atlus implementing her in core scenes that narratively.... doesn't mean anything IF YOU DON'T ACCESS TRIMESTER.

And even when you do-- it's all about Maruki. His research. His powers. His own pain. Sumire was collateral in him realizing himself, his potential, his distortion. It feels like a disservice to her. Because if you take her out of the plot-- what impact was there? Joker still goes to jail. Maruki would've still distorted reality due to his own pains and Yaldabaoth giving him the juice to do magic hand wavey stuff. It just. Seems so ugh, and highlights Atlus pandering to dudebros wanting another 'waifu' to boost their self-insert's ego. And sure, Sumire ISN'T necessarily a phantom thief-- she doesn't identify as such-- but the way her everything is centered solely around interactions with joker feels aughhh, bc it's juxtaposed against scenes where everyone's involved and being friendly to someone they don't know/feel close to besides "oh hey, another student like us and she knows Joker so that's cool", I'm getting tone shift whiplash; it makes everyone feel somehow more shallow in their own interactions-- and that's painful bc for all its faults, vanilla at least emphasized the close energy the team had for each other (YES, AKECHI INCLUDED BC FOR ALL HIS ANIMOSITY WITH THE TEAM, TWAS KINDA FUNNY). For a character that was utilized in so many core scenes with no actual high stakes impact with her presence, the fact that so many of her scenes were unskippable made the pacing grating, because WHY. the one thing I remember the director(?) saying that royal was all about the new characters-- but damn, i didn't expect that to be true lmao. the cast was large enough, so how did adding more to the salad not make anyone think-- hey, this might be a bit much. esp if the things that happened to joker largely didn't change.

ALSO, AKECHI, MY FUCKING GOD. why did they DO that to him????? His confidant? fantastic. His increased presence in the game? Needed and also good. but then you end up with, "uwu he's actually still dead in reality.... or is he ;)" situation?? Like WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT ABOUT. it feels so disrespectful, and I honestly do not understand the direction they went with this besides kicking the protagonist down even more with emotional damage while also spitting MORE on Akechi's second apparent demise, like how the hell was this okay. yeah, no wonder the bad ending was so fucking juicy in comparison to the 'true' ending. miss me with that shit!!! nothing apparently changed!!!! why!!!!!! HE WANTED TO HAVE A CHOICE!!! BUT NOW WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THAT REALLY IS HIS CHOICE OR A FIGMENT OF AKIRA'S WISH, AND I'M SO GRATED

there are also other little tidbits that made go "why", like, the increased Morgana-Ryuji friendship scenes. Which, HELL YEAH??? FRIENDSHIP IN MY GAME? but then it's juxtaposed against OG vanilla scenes where they fight and split-- and it's so emotionally jarring and makes no fucking sense because in vanilla, it makes sense why Morgana would dip-- he and Ryuji had an unstable friendship fraught with self-doubt and projection on each other with no immediate desire to try to understand the other-- Vanilla made those ugh moments a whole ass point of Morgana feeling like he didn't belong, and giving him reason to leave. Now, in Royal, they have more friendship scenes that emotionally feels good, but narratively makes Morgana and Ryuji seem more dick-ish and irrational in the break up sequence. like, WHY ATLUS

going into my third thought: yeah, i'm so emotionally sad? About Akira? I don't even know how to articulate this properly, but. Again, it feels so nasty to see this character continue to go through it™, but it feels nastier to see how now in the end, the adults continue to fail him, and place the onus of responsibility on his shoulders.

the trimester was about helping Maruki and saving him.

Akira still goes to prison, and he CHOSE it, but did he really when his environment and the adults failed him into having to make that choice?

He's going back to his hometown, but the stereotypes will still persist, even with the new evidence of innocence, but hey, he can handle it.

and so much more. It's all about how "oh, akira is strong, he can handle it, he can get through this, he got this", but it feels so gross. Because he started the game alone, and in the end, he... leaves alone. Physically and emotionally, too.

Like i both LOVE and hate how everyone splits their own ways. I think, yeah, following the reality theme-- that IS realistic, and goal-wise, feels fulfilling in that regard. But in the other sense: this is a game about manifesting your soulsona into punching shitty adults, why tf are we leaving our MC alone again??? What drew me to vanilla p5 was just. How inherently alone everyone felt. Everyone was so damn alone, so damn lonely. And then they found each other. THEY FOUND EACH OTHER. the whole world might be against them, but that's okay because they're together. So now in the true ending of p5r, there's this... resigned feeling. Of accepting and moving away, of reintegrating in an unfair society that would look away from the most vulnerable and harmed. and it feels 'mature', it feels 'realistic', it feels 'normal'. And I both love and hate it. I love it for its acknowledgment of wanting to grow more than just being a phantom thief, but I hate it for how in the end, everyone felt so emotionally distant. I couldn't recognize them the same.

Akira started the story alone, and he somehow leaves more alone and distant. And again, it's that piece of "nothing changed". Akira might've changed, and I guess, that is the most important part bc his situation hasn't necessarily changed-- but why did it have to feel so much more lonely this time around? You give this boy a group of people he loves and who loves him back-- and suddenly, everyone's fucking gone. It just feels so painful, watching him board that damn train, still wearing glasses and smiling. a hundred plus hours of this game... and for what? his story was about pain, and now he gets more pain? who approved of this message?

overall: I think largely, p5r further highlighted the weaknesses shown in vanilla, and how convoluted and kinda stupid the plot was, i.e., society remaining largely the same even after Shido. Nothing really changed, besides MC's perception of the world-- and yes, I guess that's fine, that's powerful too in its way. But for a theme about "Rebellion™", p5r didn't.... have to keep hammering the WHY DEVIATING FROM SOCIETY IS BAD ACTUALLY message. That's so gross, man. I think p5r was fun to play and revisit, but ultimately the experience made me feel like a clown and made me lowkey hate the cast, and i never want to experience that split second of hate ever again <3

[emetkoto]

how is Eme's relationship with the other scions? (besides Urianger obviously)

im glad you asked! :) Spoilers for basically every pack including ARR

Thancred

Eme likes Thancred...enough? She's always been at least a little bit frustrated with him for one reason or another, but she considers him a friend at the very least. In ARR it was his womanizer act, it was kind of off-putting and made her a bit uncomfortable tbh? HW and SB she just found him really hard to interact with since he was brooding all the time and didnt have any witty banter to offer anymore and in ShB she wanted to beat his ass for treating Ryne like that at first...by the end of it all he had his character development finally and she warmed up to him a bit more!

Y'shtola

Besties they are BESTIES they are. best friends :) Eme grew up surrounded by female miqote in her village so she's very comfortable around them and buddied up to Y'shtola super fast and they became regular ol gal pals <3 pre-Emeanger they definitely got drunk a few times and maybe kissed and maybe explored each other's bodies yknow, casually ;) but fr Y'shtola is probably the non-Urianger person Eme trusts most! She always confides in her and looks to her for advice and they just generally have fun together!

Alisaie

The little sister Eme never had <3 She loves her to death and likes to spar with her and have a good laugh at Alphinaud's expense every now and then but she does kinda worry about how hot-headed she is and how it might get her in trouble someday :( she also definitely sees that little bit of an inferiority complex she has going on and that worries her A Lot too </3 she just wants the best for her little elf sister

Alphinaud

Eme already had a younger brother but now she has an even younger one! Was very wary of him back in ARR, she just kind of did not trust him and thought he was kind of a stuck up prick (he was)....she definitely did not expect him to get humbled quite so aggressively tho and was there for him when he had his inevitable breakdown following the bloody banquet ;; since then she's grown to love him like a brother and wants to protect him and see him achieve his goals and be happy!! ofc that doesn't mean she won't pick on him every now and then with Alisaie :)

Tataru

Gossip besties, they are always sharing information about the goings-on in the realm and having a laugh at some of the things their friends have said or done! Tataru definitely manages Eme's personal finances bc she's no good at it and if she ever wants to buy something she brings Tataru to haggle for a bargain and it always works <3 Also Eme just thinks she is So Adorable and low-key tries to nudge her towards Wedge bc she just thinks they'd be so good together ok

G'raha Tia

Admires him but will never tell him that because he will break </3 she thinks very highly of him and all he did for the First and well, every other world! She could hardly believe that he was the same catboy she met all that time ago, he'd grown so much :pleading: she's working on getting to know him better and become closer friends with him, but there's a weird divide between them bc of his whole "you are amazing i am nothing compared to you" thing that makes it kind of hard to make any meaningful progress.....they're working on it slowly but surely! His one-sided familiarity with her is also smth they gotta overcome, Eme really didn't know him all that long at first but he's had hundreds of years to get to "know" her...god. its a parasocial relationship isnt it. Anyway they're friends but there's definitely some room for growth between them! Also G'raha please stop accidentally confessing your love to her she is literally married

Estinien

Honestly at first Eme thought he was kind of a dick and was not eager to work with him during HW but as the story went on she began to realize he wasn't a bad guy, he was just a bit misguided and socially inept! That didn't make getting to know him any easier obviously the man has the strongest walls possible up and Eme can only begin to peek over them but thankfully over time he lets her in a little more bc obviously she saves his life a ton and deserves that trust shes fucking EARNED it buddy....she definitely wishes he would stop by more often or at least write letters :( makes her feel like he doesn't even like her when he doesn't show up for months at a time lol. All in all a good pal, 10/10 loves his dynamic with Alphinaud, maybe could have gone without seeing him walking around covered in dragon's blood for half an expansion tho

Lyse

Besties...2! During her time as 'Yda' Eme was always very charmed by how silly and high-energy she was, it helped her stay enthusiastic about her duties at the time! Definitely 24/7 sparring partners, calling it canon that she's the one who taught Eme anything about pugilist forget that guildmaster its all Lyse babey! After Payalymo died and Lyse revealed who she really was Eme was....slightly hurt that she never told her bc she thought they were pretty damn close but ultimately she understood and didn't hold it against her! She was very proud of her growth during Stormblood and was obviously sad to see her leave the Scions but so happy for her that she was following her dreams and leading her country in recovery!

Papalymo

Eme didn't really get to know too much about Papalymo during their time as co-Scions but she enjoyed his company! He was pleasant to talk to and had a funny little voice she couldn't get enough of and she just thought it was so adorable how he and Lyse were a little team :sob: he often scolded her for encouraging Lyse but overall he saw her as a dependable teammate and respected her! His death hit her pretty hard because it was another case of...She put off getting to really know him, and then he was gone :(

Minfillia

Eme loved Minfillia honestly she thought she was so sweet and a strong dependable leader to the Scions...she looked upto her as a picture of what a hero should be! The feeling was mutual really, kind of a "omg youre so cool" "nooo you" type of thing! They chatted a lot on off-hours and Eme even picked up some mining tips from her <3 When she realized Minfillia wouldn't be coming back she was pretty upset, but ultimately came to accept that this was just how things had to be for the best ending for everyone......so needless to say she was very angry with Thancred during ShB for basically just trying to throw a whole child's life away to undo her brave sacrifice and rightfully put him in his place a few times

[kingreywrites]

Do you think Eugene was mad at Cass after she crushed him? Or more scared of her? Because I've taken some screenshots of Race to the spire, and he looks genuinely scared in these as he looks at Cass. Sure, Eugene is a tough and not easy to hurt guy, but I mean....

1. He did tell her he had a strict rule about dying in the same place twice, and while I know Cass didn't take it serious(she probably didn't even listen) and Eugene joked about his trauma again, I still think it'd kinda terrify him, he knows she is Gothel's daughter and yes, that makes mo difference, because she wasn't raised by her, but I bet he got flashbacks as Cass clenched her fist, since he remembers the other time a woman had tried killing him in that tower(well, Gothel succeeded)

2 C'mon, its his first real birthday and he almost dies on it? Wow Cass, nice birthday present!

3. Him being used against Rapunzel? Thats his worst nightmare, he hates it. He didn't know what would happen if Rapunzel agreed to whatever Cass wanted, he didn't know what she wanted. He didn't know what would happen to Rapunzel, just like back in the tower on Rapunzel's 18th birthday. And I don't think he really would've expected Cass to go that far

4. Imagine watching a person you see as your sister walking up to you, gripping your chin, being ready to squeeze you until you die, crushing your body just to get your partner to fight her like omg

Sorry for my rant I just think it's more deep than others do 😂

I can imagine Eugene actually being quite nervous about seeing Cass again after she did that to him, but I'm sure Cass apologized for it properly bc if not, I'll shift to Corona and 🧍🏻‍♀️🤛🏻

I love Cass but omg, not to mention that she drugged and kidnapped a child and tried to kill Rapunzel several times lmao she was really on drugs in S3 or smt 💀💀

I love using your ask box as a diary as you can probably tell

gdhhdjd it's okay please use it as a diary I love getting asks!

My answer is... gonna be pretty similar to what I was saying yesterday about his fight with the Brotherhood, which is that in universe, I honestly think he's fine. A little more wary, yes, maybe for a while, but not entirely traumatised by the event. I think the worst part for him was what you said in 3, which is being used as leverage against Rapunzel, because her getting hurt because of him scares him way more than him getting hurt at all, so he'd brush off what happened to him easily while still being mad over Rapunzel being in danger (but since Rapunzel didn't get hurt and even won that fight, I think it'd pass too. He's probably gonna try to make sure it can't happen again)

Now the thing is, as something that could happen between two real human beings, these events ARE traumatising, and definitely could make anyone scared. It is a terrible thing to go through, but like... Eugene getting thrown into a wall by Varian's automaton in SOTS is traumatising too, you know? Or him nearly getting killed by Edmund in Destinies Collide, or even him falling into a pit of snakes in Vigor The Visionary, etc etc etc. Like there are plenty of events in TTS which are fine by cartoon logic, and absolutely not fine in the real world, and this is one of them. It can definitely be interesting to delve into this more realistically, while being aware that all in all, in context, it is presented as bad but not traumatisingly bad

About Cass and apologies, I... wish they got enough time to make her interact with anyone else than Rapunzel in the finale. I'm not asking for her to go grovelling for forgiveness from door to door but just... one discussion, or at least one thing suggesting they had one. I wish more time was spent on the after of her villain arc, even with Rapunzel, because I think apologies should have gone both ways, and it could have been nice to have other conversations like with Cap or Adira! (Adira would have been great imo because their issues date back from s2, and I think it would have been cool to see Cass making amends with her, accepting that maybe they aren't friends (yet?) but they respect each other. Just, I think it could have shown that Cass is also in a better place mentally, and that she's ready to start her journey while not being hung up on the past)

Actually I'm okay with it not happening with Eugene btw! I think in the end he's more or less ready to refer to Rapunzel in this, and forgive her as long as Rapunzel does, because I think most of the anger he expresses is not really about Cass' actions and more about how she's hurting Rapunzel (see the very beginning of NTLP 😬). I do think they would need to rebuild trust between them but I don't think he'd be all that upset for himself, it's more like they spent one year apart, changed a lot as individuals, and they weren't BFF to begin with, so their relationship is far from being really solid at that point

SORRY I'M RAMBLING GHSJDJD i have a LOT of thoughts about the way one can approach trauma in cartoon characters, and what factors are important to keep in mind. While I'm here I'd also say be wary of very biased and dramatised formulations like "Cass drugged a minor" to say "Cass gave Varian truth serum", because it's obviously said in a way to make you think of Cass as this evil, nearly predatory woman when in the context of the episode it's truly... not a big deal, and not meant to be taken as such. It lasts like one minute? And I know when I first read Cass drugged a minor I was like "what when where???" because it's definitely reframing it to make it sound unforgivable gshjdkd

That's why I keep insisting on balancing cartoon logic/real world logic btw, because I know I have a lot of feelings about Eugene, but I also don't want to completely villainize other characters for his sake! It's all interesting to read about in fanworks, but sometimes it turns into character bashing and it's less fun to read 😅

[skzmp3]

so i had a stray kids as tower of god characters series planned...

and well i keep trying to find clips and plan it but it's going way slower than i wanted. considering tower of god is like. a year old at this point, i don't think i'll ever complete the series, but i really wanted to share my thoughts because i was so proud of (most) of the pairs i made!

so with further ado, check out stray kids as tower of god characters! you don't really need to know tower of god to understand, bc i'll explain the characters below!

(warning: spoilers for the series! nothing major about the plot, but more about the characters themselves! i'll put pictures of the characters as well!

just as an additional disclaimer: this is all based off the anime only. i haven't read the webtoon yet, only saw the anime because my brother was interested and i wanted to watch with him.)

bang chan as khun aguero agnes

bang chan as khun aguero agnes

this is best explained with this quote - “Imma protect Stray Kids, do it for the squad, do it for the team!” like chan, khun is a natural-born leader, and does everything in his power to protect his team. he's very outspoken and does things his way regardless of what the people in charge of the test does (much like how chan does what he wants regardless of jype lol). khun is very smart and analytical, thinking two steps ahead of what the smartest move is in the game, much like how I'm so sure chan has stray kids career moves planned out for like the next five years already. but like seriously, just watch tower of god and tell me khun isn't chan in anime form.

lee minho as endorsi jahad

she's highly ambitious and confident in herself, much like how minho is extrememly self-assured, not allowing others to sway his opinion. i related her story to how minho saw bts performing and wanted to someday be on the stage like them, and worked his way through all the hardships to get there. endorsi's story is the same, where she had a goal in mind and did everything she could to get to the end (tho... her ways were way more violent than minho's...) endorsi is definitely more manipulative and sinister, but i always admired her in the anime because of how she knew those traits about herself but still continued the way she was - much like how minho won't let anyone stop him from doing what he enjoys (snow filters, anyone?)

seo changbin as rak wraithraiser

listen rak throws a spear changbin is spearb i got nothing else. okay that's sort of a lie l o l. when i first made this list, i wasn't sure who changbin should be and was planning to make this as like a joke. but really, changbin in a way does portray a lot of what rak does. rak has a clear goal in mind and everything he does is towards that goal. likewise, while i don't doubt that the other 7 are dedicated to making good music and growing as artists, changbin really embodies the saying "music is my life" the most of them all, where he will give it all towards his music releases. (also - rak has it out for khun much like how changbin and chan are always playfully bickering, but at the end of the day, they respect each other and work together well.)

+ the picture is misleading on purpose l o l. look up other pictures of rak and you'll know what i mean :))

hwang hyunjin as hatz

honestly when i saw hatz first i only thought of how pretty he was. but watching the series, hatz is more than just a pretty anime boy - in the same way that hyunjin is more than his visual. they're both super dedicated to their craft (hatz with his swordsmanship and hyunjin with his dancing), and both worked hard to get where they are. in the anime, hatz is at first very wary and guarded around the others (they honestly all are by nature of the tests), but he grows to be one of the most loyal to the team as he gets more friendly with them, to the point of going up against a ranker alone to ensure his team advances. in a similar manner, I've always felt that besides chan, hyunjin is most protective of stray kids, and is the most loyal to the stray kids brand.

han jisung as phonsekai laure

sleepy bois™ l o l. but like, don't let that fool you. laure is sleeping for like half the series, but the other half he's blowing everyone away with his explosive talent. i would argue that laure is the most powerful of all these characters (at least in the anime!), because you wouldn't suspect it from his demeanor, but when he reveals his power it comes almost out of nowhere. likewise, jisung is called their ace for a reason - that even with how young he might be, he is so talented it's almost ridiculous to see. they're both the hidden powerhouse of their respective teams.

felix as shibisu

shibisu is so full of love for his team - like how felix is literally the biggest ot8 supporter out there. he's always hyping everyone up and confident in their skills even if they aren't. the thing about both shibisu and felix is that sometimes their own talents are written off. shibisu is almost seen as like a joke in the series, because the others don't see him as talented as they are, and that he got in because he got lucky and found the right teammates. but shibisu deserves to be in the tower test as much as everyone else is, much like how felix deserves to be in stray kids as much as the rest are. and they both do have so much talent, with more just being revealed as the series/time goes on.

kim seungmin as anaak jahad

i love anaak so much, because like. we don't know exactly how strong she really is. she may seem small and not as big a threat, but really, behind the stoic facade is so much power. for me, pre-levanter era seungmin was the same - not necessarily seen as a complete powerhouse but rather as someone who was a good support to the more core members of stray kids. but really, seungmin stepped into the primary vocal role so well from levanter on, and every single day we just see him surprising us with exactly how much talent he has hidden away. (also - endorsi and anaak hate each other but also they don't, so like basically. minho and seungmin.)

yang jeongin as baam

anyone who watches tower of god and stans stray kids probably saw this coming haha. baam is the main character of tower of god, and in the beginning, he's seen as this super weak and unassuming character, with an impression of being small and not as strong as the others, only getting through because of luck. but really, much like khun saw the great amount of potential in him, the rest of stray kids saw how much jeongin would grow with the right guidance, and gave it to him to turn him into the idol he is today.