#idk I really haven’t thought it out beyond this

[desertduality]

Au where Grian and Scar meet in space prison. Scar for being a smuggler/scrapper and Grian for thievery or something. They get put in the same cell. Grian immediately is trying to plan an escape, to which Scar is No Help, and he gets frustrated thinking he’s ended up with the worst cellmate in the galaxy.

Then Etho and Bdubs and Gem blast through the outer wall and break them out of their cell, and Grian realizes that Scar wasn’t helping with his plan because he’d already had one. He’d just been waiting on his crew.

[raiiny-bay]

had an idea for yet another big project…

[sunburnacoustic]

No post-gig IG post from Muse after Rock Werchter. Silence from photographers too. They’re not pleased about what happened last night huh.

[the-boy-meets-evil]

you're mine | c.sc

you thought you had finally gotten the upper hand on seungcheol. you were wrong. pairing: idol!seungcheol x fem!reader genre: idol!au | smut, pwp rating: explicit | minors DNI warnings: this is mostly just smut so take that how you will, reader is kinda bratty, scoups is possessive, slight dom undertones (? idk i don't usually write this), swearing, kissing, biting, marking, restraints, sensory deprivation (blindfold), fingering, brief mention of a hand job, slight nipple play, use of a pet name (baby, pretty girl), oral sex (f. receiving), vaginal penetration, protected sex, i think that's it but let me know if i missed anything word count: ~3.5k

a/n: idk what to say, this kind of got away from me lol. credit/blame to @seungkwansphd for putting the idea in my head and scoups for whatever bullshit he was on in macao. it was supposed to be a drabble and this isn't what i'd normally write so go easy on me. unbeta'd and mostly unedited. thank you to my baby @playmetheclassics / @classicscreations for the last minute banner and divider!

You’ve never been much of a brat with anyone else. It just isn’t something that crossed your mind. Why would you want to rile someone up on purpose? Why would you want to get under their skin just to see their response? Why would you want to do the opposite of what they asked? So no, it hasn’t crossed your mind.

Until Seungcheol. 

Until you met the man that made you want to cause problems. The man that made you discover a lot of things you didn’t know about yourself. The man that had you from the moment he told you that he was going to go easy on you. You didn’t realize then, but you were fucked. Talk about being in over your head. 

He really did start easy, in hindsight. And he let you get away with things you didn’t even realize. Thought you had the upper hand, actually. How many ways can one person be wrong? You don’t have the answer beyond knowing it’s a lot. 

You love the moments that Seungcheol lets you think you’re in control. You know now that’s all it is. Pretend. He’s always the one actually pulling the strings. And you’re always the one trying to press his buttons, press your luck, gain some ground. 

Today’s test? You want to mark him up. You want to leave your claim on him, but you know you can’t make it obvious. Don’t feel like you can push his buttons quite that hard. So even though you want to mark up his neck, you settle for his chest. You keep telling him that it’s getting too big anyway. Just who is he trying to impress?

Seungcheol is lying in your bed, one arm tucked behind his head and eyes closed. You know he’s not asleep, though, know he’s just enjoying a minute of peace before he has to leave and return to the chaos. And you know now is the best time because he really does have to go soon. It’s the best time to be able to get him and win, even if just for a moment, because there’s a lot of things he’ll do. A lot of things you still haven’t learned. But he’ll never be late. Never miss a schedule or leave his members waiting. 

So you adjust your position under the premise of stretching, not really sure if he buys the act but also not really caring. You push yourself up and quickly swing a leg over his thighs, feel them clench under you quickly as you’re settling on top of them.

“And just who are you working out for?” you challenge, quirking an eyebrow.

“I don’t hear you complaining,” is his only answer as he opens his eyes to look up at you. 

“Maybe I don’t want everyone else to see how good you look,” you pout.

“Maybe you should behave yourself then,” he retorts and you huff.

“I’m pretty sure you prefer it when I don’t,” you say.

You lean forward to kiss him before he can answer, lips meeting softly as his hands move up your thighs to grip your hips. He’s anchoring you to him and you know he’s mentally counting how much time he actually has. But you don’t want to give him that chance, don’t want to give up the tiny bit of control this position and the element of surprise have given you. You get the smallest bit of satisfaction when you break the kiss and he follows your lips. It’s not the time to get distracted, though, not now. So you kiss down his neck, suck just enough to earn a hiss out of him without it being enough to leave a mark. Not there at least. 

When you get to his chest, the muscles in his thighs tighten again. On purpose, you think, to distract you. It’s hard to ignore too, especially when his hands grip your hips harder. When you can tell he’s trying to throw you off.

“Baby,” he whines and you know that whine, know that it’s designed to distract.

All you do is hum against his chest as you continue to kiss across it and down his stomach. His moans are low, the kind that really get to you. The kind where you know he’s enjoying himself even if he’s not fully in control. You kiss back up to his chest and can feel his breaths as you go.

“What are you going to do now, baby?” he asks. You hear the confidence in his voice. The confidence that usually makes you stutter.

Not today, though. You suddenly suck the skin of his chest into your mouth. Seunghcheol hisses in the most satisfying way at the combination of pleasure and pain. His fingers dig into your skin where they hold you in place, making you hum into his skin. It just makes you keep going, managing to suck two marks into his skin before his alarm goes off. 

Without needing to be told, you slide off of him and allow him to get out of the bed. You know he doesn’t want to leave, but you know he’ll be back. Know that he’s got to keep to his schedule or he won’t be able to come over at all. After he’s pulled his shirt back on and gathered his things, he comes to stand in front of where you’re sitting at the edge of the bed. His kiss is soft, at odds with yours from moments ago.

“Listen carefully,” he whispers into your ear in that low voice. “I expect you to be waiting in bed when I text you that I’m headed back.”

“Is that so?” you challenge.

“Yes, pretty girl,” he says.

“And if I’m not?” you press.

“You’ll find out,” he answers.

That alone sends a shiver down your spine. You always want him to come back, never feel like you’ve had quite enough, but this is something even more. You’re looking forward to it. 

The text comes a little later than you’re expecting saying that he’s on his way back over. And it comes without an apology for the lateness (though Jeonghan had texted you earlier to let you know things were running long). No, this text just comes with a reminder that expects you to be waiting for him in bed. He’ll let himself in.

It gives you too good of a chance, one you don’t want to pass up. He’s expecting you to listen, especially after you marked him earlier. But you’ve been waiting for this. And you’re not going to listen. 

Ten minutes later, you hear the key turn in the lock and you sit further back into the couch wearing only one of his t-shirts he’s left behind and underwear. Maybe you’ll get to see a little of his control slipping. 

His eyes are on you the second he’s through the door, narrowing at the open defiance. Seungcheol is serious as he regards you sitting there. It’s like he’s waiting for you to break first and confident you will. It makes you fidget a little in your seat, which seems to be enough for him.

“I asked you to be waiting in bed,” he says.

“I know,” you respond without missing a beat. “I guess I’m not so good at following directions.”

“And what do you think I should do?” He’s more so asking himself the question than you.

“Whatever you want,” you answer anyway. He raises an eyebrow.

“Careful what you ask for, pretty girl,” he warns. 

“I think I can handle it.” It comes out just as bold as you mean for it to.

“We’ll see about that,” he says without missing a beat. “Follow me.”

Every part of you wants to protest, wants to keep pushing him further to see what happens. But your curiosity is also piqued and you really want to see what it is that he’s planning now. That must be why you let the intrusive thought win and follow him back into your bedroom where you find him already reaching into the drawer of your nightstand. The same drawer that he filled so you were always ready.

“Are you going to behave now and get on the bed like I asked?” Seungcheol asks with his back still to you.

“I’m not sure,” you say and smirk at the way it makes him turn around.

“Oh you’re not?” he asks. 

“What’s in it for me if I start listening? Who’s going to rile you up?” you fire back at him.

“You like seeing me riled up,” he notes.

“Of course I do,” you offer.

He closes the space between you in a matter of steps and crushes his lips against yours to prevent another retort. The surprise gives way to desire as you wind your arms around his neck. You’re not even that surprised when he grabs you and lifts you up to deposit you onto the bed, despite the gasp that falls from your lips. He puts a knee between your legs and kisses you hard again before he breaks the kiss to pull off your shirt. You reach to remove your underwear and he stops your hands.

“Leave those,” he says before getting off the bed.

His back is to you again as he looks for something in the drawer. You have to squeeze your legs together when he turns back to you with silk scarves in his hands. But then he’s silently asking your permission before attaching each wrist to the headboard and you’re nodding even as you’re squirming. It’s not until you realize he’s still got something in his hands that you remember he promised you’d find out what happens when you don’t listen.

“What’s that for, Cheol?” you ask as he straddles your lap.

“I told you that you’d find out,” he answers and leans forward so his lips are nearly on your ear. “You don’t get to see what I’m doing. Just remember the word to use if it’s too much.”

That makes you swallow hard. You’ve talked about sensory deprivation and explored it a little, but you’ve never been blindfolded from the start. And part of you thinks that he’s going to leave this on you the entire time. A reminder of who’s actually calling the shots. He’s still gentle when he secures it behind your head, so careful that he doesn’t get any of your hair caught. You blink your eyes when it’s in place without it making much of a difference. You’re not totally blinded, but you might as well be. You can barely make out a shadow.

The next thing you’re aware of is Seungcheol’s lips against your neck, carefully trailing kisses that make you want to press into him. His thumb brushes across your nipple and you whimper, earning a chuckle out of him. Not being able to see is making everything feel a lot bigger. Just making it feel a lot more. There’s no knowing where his hands or mouth will be next and it’s turning you on. Making you want everything all at once.

Seunghcheol drags your nipple between his teeth and you arch into him, careful not to pull too hard against the restraints. The hand he runs down your side as he continues to tease your nipple should tickle, would under any other circumstances. It doesn’t this time, though. 

“Are you going to listen to me next time?” he murmurs against your skin.

“I don’t know,” you manage between a moan. Your nipples are so sensitive.

“What was that?” he asks before he returns to kissing along the underside of your breast while his hand massages the other.

“I said I don’t know,” you repeat, fighting against the answer he wants.

“I guess the blindfold stays on,” he muses. 

With that, he works his way down your stomach, leaving a trail of kisses mixed with goosebumps from the warmth of his breath. Part of you wants to anticipate his moves and you open your legs, just slightly. He chuckles so quietly that you think usually you wouldn’t hear it. Except now everything sounds louder. You feel him remove his lips from your body, feel the bed shift from him moving somehow, and then feel his lips make contact with your skin again. But he’s kissing down from your knee, completely avoiding the place you want him the most. Even your moans and squirming do nothing to make him move on from kissing along your calf.

“Please baby,” you beg. 

“Please what?” he asks, smirk clear in his voice. 

“I need you,” you answer.

“Do you?” is all he asks 

“Yes, Seungcheol, please,” you whine.

“Are you going to listen next time?” he wonders. He runs a finger up your inner thigh, stopping just shy of the material separating you from what you need most.

“Cheol,” you plead.

“Are you?” he repeats. This time he moves your underwear to the side and runs a single finger between your folds. It’s over entirely too fast. “So wet.” 

“Fuck, yes Cheol, whatever you want, I just fucking need you,” you beg again. 

His answer comes in the form of pulling your underwear down swiftly, leaving you naked before him. He runs his finger along your folds again, collecting some of the wetness there. You’re so hyper aware of him that you’re moaning from the barest touch, moaning when you feel his fingers pull away again. But then you feel him move around you and he licks into you without warning, spreading your folds with his fingers to get his tongue deeper.

“Fuck, baby, fuuuuck,” you yell. 

You want to have your hands in his stupid blond hair, the hair he knew was going to drive you crazy. Want to hold his face between your thighs. So you lightly squeeze your thighs together instead and he moans into your cunt. It’s annoying, actually, how good he’s always been at going down on you because just the thought of it makes you agree to damn near anything. 

Everything just feels that much more intense. Usually you love the sight of Seungcheol between your legs. Love to watch the way his head moves, love to see the way his hair falls, love the way the muscles move. Still do. But damn there’s something about not knowing what’s coming that’s making it that much hotter. 

Seconds later his mouth moves up your clit and your back arches into his mouth again. He follows it by sliding a finger inside you and you really think you see stars. Hearing the way he moans into you along with the way his fingers move is almost too much. You don’t need to see anything, he’s setting your entire body on fire. When he slides a second finger in and hooks them to hit you just right, you scream out again. 

He pulls his mouth away. “Oh, do you like that?”

“Fuuuuu- oh my god Cheol, yes yes,” you manage.

“Who fucks you the best, baby?” Seungcheol asks. “Hm? Who does this pussy belong to?” 

It’s honestly into cocky territory and you don’t care. Didn’t realize it was this much of a turn on for him to be possessive over you like this. Didn’t realize how much you wanted to be his, even if it’s confined to these four walls. 

“I’m waiting,” he says, stilling his fingers inside you.

“It’s yours, Cheol, I’m yours,” you whimper.

His fingers start moving again and he doesn’t answer until you feel his mouth on yours, taste yourself on his tongue. He’s catching every moan with his mouth, pushing you to let go, urging you forward. Part of you wants to pull away, knows that he must feel you clenching around his fingers, but doesn’t move his lips from yours. Catches the screams you want to let loose and guides you as you come around his fingers.

Your breathing is still coming back to normal as you feel Seungcheol untying your wrists, massaging each one as he does so. The last thing he does is remove the scarf covering your eyes and you blink even at the low light in the bedroom. His gaze is soft but confident. He knows how hard he just made you come, yet still wants to make sure you’re okay.

“Can we do that again some time?” you wonder and he chuckles.

“I guess it wasn’t a punishment,” he notes.

“Oh no, I’ve definitely learned my lesson,” you tease and he rolls his eyes but there’s nothing behind it.

“Hm,” is all he says.

He’s sitting up on the bed next to you, one hand lightly stroking his cock. You’re not sure when he took off his clothes but just getting you off clearly turned him on. Without even thinking about it, you’re moving to straddle his thighs. His eyes watch you intently as you spit into your hand and move his aside. Your strokes are slow and he lets his head fall back, eyes closing. It’s not often that he lets you set the pace like this, so you’re going to enjoy it while you can. When you run your thumb over the tip, you watch the way the muscles in his stomach contract. And you know his patience is wearing out.

“Enough,” he says and reaches over to the nightstand for a condom. He’s ripping it open with his teeth and then rolling it on the next second.

Seungcheol reaches out to pull you toward him and you realize he’s not planning on moving. No, he’s planning on you riding him. Which is fine by you since you already went this long without being able to see him. You try to lower yourself down slowly because he’s big and as many times as you’ve fucked him, you’re still never quite ready. But he has other plans and pulls you down in one motion.

“Fuck,” you draw out.

“I don’t wanna wait anymore,” he says in that low voice that shoots straight to your core. 

You’re not sure which of you moves first with his hands guiding you as you fuck yourself on him. One of his hands slides up your back and into your hair, pulling it so you arch into him. The new angle has a string of words mixed with moans flying out of your mouth. And it makes it easier for him to pull your nipple between his teeth again. Except this time he doesn’t focus on your nipple. This time he moves to the skin at the side of your breast, sucking hard. Much harder than you sucked earlier. Definitely hard enough to leave a mark. Fucker.

That thought flies out when he snaps his hips into you suddenly, quickening the pace and angling so he’s hitting exactly where you need him too. Each thrust stretches you out and brings you closer to another orgasm. You don’t even register that you’re sensitive from the first. Seungcheol pulls at your hair again and focuses on your exposed neck, a constant contrast of pain and pleasure. He kisses up and down the base before he lands at your pulse point right below your jaw. 

“Cheol fuck,” you yell as he sucks another mark into your skin. Another mark reminding you that you’re his. 

“Are you close, baby?” he asks when he finishes marking you. “Gonna come for me again?”

“Yes, fuck, yes, I’m so close,” you whine out. 

Seungcheol removes his hand from your hair to put both hands on your hips, anchoring you in place while he takes over thrusting into you. You know he must be close too with the way his brow furrows and the way he stutters.

“Fuck baby, come for me, I want to feel you come,” he urges.

It’s all you need and you’re releasing again, a string of fucks leaving your lips as he comes right after you. You try to carefully move through his release before collapsing down on his lap with him still inside you. You lean your head forward onto his shoulder to try and steady your breaths. He kisses lightly along your shoulder, hands trailing absently across your skin.

You like every version of Seungcheol, but you think this version, in the immediate aftermath of fucking him, might be your favorite. The contrast of how soft his touches are does things to your heart that you’re not entirely sure you want to admit. Not to yourself at least.

After another long moment, you gently pull yourself off him and flop back onto your side of the bed. You feel, rather than see, him get off the bed and assume he’s walking off to the bathroom. When he returns with a washcloth a minute later, you’re running your fingers absently along the mark you’re sure he left below your jaw.

“Just in case you forget,” he says before he runs the wet cloth along your skin.

“Forget what?” you question.

“That you’re my girl,” he says. “You can try to be cute and mark my chest or be friends with my members like Jeonghan. But you’re mine.”

“Yes sir,” you say and appreciate the way his eyes darken. Maybe he’s not done with you for the night yet. 

thank you for reading, let me know your thoughts <3

[weirdmageddon]

why i think aradia and john work so well

(with some stuff i’ve been wanting to yap about for ages)

have you guys ever given arajohn / johnradia (idk if its popular enough to even have a standardized ship name) any thought …? i know it seems kind of out of left field. i’ve considered it and i think its. really really good. i have a bunch of thoughts to unpack. come join me. and maybe grab a snack or something because i didn’t realize how much i'd actually have to say about this

(fantastic art by skeletood)

the other day i made a tweet that did rather well where i said, “john and aradia shouldve talked more. its so simple but i like how she actually earnestly answers his questions. so many characters in this comic are so mean to john for just wanting to know more give him a break”

putting it out there now im not big about shipping for the sake of shipping. there needs to be real chemistry. i need to sense that as a reason why two characters would potentially be a good influence on each other. i never knew why i was always so obstinate about this because it’s fictional and not materially hurting anyone, but i think it might be because i’m not sure how to justify it or explain it if not.

i strongly believe john and aradia would have had it made out for them if circumstances allowed it. (what i mean by “ship” or “johnradia” extends to any kind of interpersonal dynamic, even if just a good friendship. it doesnt even have to be romantic, just some sort of dynamic with them.)

unfortunately aradia originally committed herself to staying out of trolling the kids over their timelines, so john and aradia never talked until year 3 on the ship in the dream bubbles but they never had a truly proper one-on-one without outside meddling. i think if john knew aradia better and her story beforehand, she had more time to explain herself and her history, he wouldnt have been unsettled. and also of course if his experience with the trolls didn’t suck so bad because he already had expectations for how antagonizing most of them were.

i found people’s sentiments about johnradia elsewhere too. i remembered that they were both on the song art for ascend, and searched ao3 to see how many fics have been written to gauge how substaintial it’s been in the homestuck fandom. only 17 of them turned up. but the people who do talk about it are either curious about it or really do like it, and that interested me.

clearly it’s pretty niche character relationship to be depicted in any fanwork and i can understand why. despite being so small, from what ive seen it seems universally agreed upon to be nice. i haven’t seen a single person object to it. what ive seen falls into two categories: “wow i didnt think about this before but i actually dig it” or “(starving) finally some good fucking food”

the pattern im seeing is that people think it’s “random”, but i disagree. there is something there substantiating it even if they’re unable to articulate it.

the fanfic these comments are from is chronology of wind. that fic is really, really good, and sadly unfinished. i have more abstract reasons to believe why aradia and john would be good in theory, so actually seeing someone else actually make something with them helped me read it in action, to get a more tangible feel of the dynamic beyond what we have in canon.

i wouldn’t normally make claims about a relationship with regard to homestuck canon by looking at their relationship in a fanfic, because i think you all know by now i am very nitpicky about accurate characterization, and it does not go unnoticed by me when people get it right because for some reason it feels like a one in a million thing (even though it really shouldn’t be?). so this was a special case. the tone was completely consistent with canon. this fic is so in-character i’d basically consider it an extension of canon. to me it’s like they took the same characters and plopped them into this scenario to see how they’d interact. guys… i love that stuff so much. i love fanfiction or fanworks that depict realistic extensions of canon and stays true to the energy and tone of the source, but deepens it. there isn’t enough of it imo. i want to see more of it.

anyway, what i read of their conversations in that fic basically aligned with what i was thinking in my head about what i’d expect it to be like. i was able to compare how aradia and john talked to how aradia and the other characters interacted, their comparative attitudes towards each other—how they’re treated by others compared to how they treat each other.

have you noticed john and aradia’s communication values are both based on sincerity, being in the proper know, treating people fairly, and thanklessly taking on the necessary work that “must be done” in order to have what they really want — a good time that feels meaningful? and they accomplish this without any adjustment in how they talk to each other.

john is always subtly (or not-so-subtly) asking the people around him to answer him soberly and to the point so he knows whats going on and what that means for what his options are. he needs to know to what end he will be applying his absurd energetic drive into making shit happen. aradia honors his time before john can even become uncomfortable with the amount of time being eaten up by conversation. contrast this with rose, who seems to go on for a while with prose-like conversational adornments. in dire situations that need rapid explanation and definitive answers so he knows what to do, this is really the last thing he needs. aradia doesnt waste john’s time. she answers all his questions, and does it politely to boot. his time talking to her doesn't feel wasted.

john's impatience with this sort of nonsense is also why i can’t see something like dirkjohn working out, for example. to me it feels like @entropicbias also deeply understands this on some level because i literally couldn’t have demonstrated what i mean by it any better myself than that. i'm gonna have to to hit him up about how much i genuinely respect that like tbh hes one of the few i absolutely trust to handle writing and depicting these characters in situations and their interpersonal dynamics. and also care about doing their characterization justice as much as me.

of course people are still entitled to like whatever they like, ship whatever they want to. i dont care. but i just don’t think it would work from the perspective of the minds of the canon characters, how they generally think and approach situations. and i can already tell people might ask me how do i know this? what makes me an expert? i’m not more than anyone else is (although i have been called a "characterization expert" from my friends), but i do know that i can pick up on the energetic chemistry between people, including characters, honestly precognitively, without even thinking? like if it’s stiff or tense or awkward, if people aren’t free to express themselves uninhibitedly, if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable. i can sense this almost instantly. it’s something that’s a visceral feeling in my body i cant express and i have to rationalize it after the fact. like i’m doing now in fact writing this big analysis.

> listen to me talk about my special interest boy

for the next section to make sense, you probably want to read this post. i initially started writing it within this post to explain but there was so much brewing i had to explain the context that it turned into something i wanted to post on its own terms.

> okaaaaaayyyyy i read all that

thank you, really. my main point is using the conceptual tools provided by this system to expIain why aradia and john feel nice together and why i’ve seen people positively perceive the idea of a relationship between them even if it seems “random”.

framing them in this system, it wouldn’t be random! there’s a good reason they seem to fit nicely. this is because john and aradia have complementary forms of information metabolism. information metabolism is talked about in this section.

Jung’s psychic types are the types of cognition, or intelligence. But it would probably be easiest to call them types of IM [information metabolism], since the main difference between the types of people lies in their exchange of information with the external world.

Aushra Augusta, Commentary on Jung’s Typology and Introduction to Information Metabolism

aradia megido’s type of information metabolism (otherwise known as a TIM) is LII. john egbert’s TIM is ESE.

aradia and john’s types are duals. you can read more about what that entails here. in theory, their interactions would reflect the duality dynamic. reading chronology of wind, that one really in-character fic that explored their dynamic made me excited because they do!

michael pierce gave an overview of his impression of the characteristics of this intertype dynamic. despite only rough knowledge in socionics while he wrote this, his understanding of duality was spot on to me from my experience and others and i wanted to share it here. (fittingly, i believe he is also LII.)

Now we have the famous duality relationship: in a nutshell, this role is characterized by two traits: 1) a very close psychological distance or intimacy, and 2) a great ease of interacting with each other. It is sometimes described how meeting one's dual can be the event of a lifetime, because it inspires aspects in each party's character that they had never expressed before: the pair may even drop out of society for a time in order to focus on just each other, and to explore themselves through interaction with each other. The curious thing in this relationship is that these parties are rather different in outlook, and when they are not actually interacting as potential friends it's probably more likely for them to dislike or mistrust each other because of how different they are. […] However, when they are able to interact normally, it is a strange and wonderful discovery to realize that the interaction is unexpectedly smooth and invigorating. It's hard for people to describe, but as I understand it: while both parties recognize their differences on the surface, these differences are created by a root structure that coincides perfectly with each other, so that the differences on the surface are entirely complementary and cause no friction at all.

it’s also meaningful to consider that the structure of my own psyche is LII as well. so i’ve got a bit of a bias towards aradia and john.. not in the sense that what i actually say about them is personally biased, but that the bias is moreso my personal attention to people and characters of these two types in particular to see how my own experiences are reflected in them. i really do feel of a reflection of my own thought and work process in aradia and in the more abstract sense she is like an extension of myself. when people say they like aradia as a character i get secondhand joy from that because shares certain specific traits with me. of course i am still my own person though.

these are some of the most apt profiles i've found for these types at a glance. again, think about these characters as you read these descriptions. [from here (ESE / LII)]

ESE (Ethical-sensory extrovert) - john

The trademark quality of this type is a focus on socializing and guiding social situations and interactions so that the people involved can have fun and enjoy themselves. ESEs are typically in the middle of what is happening socially and know about the latest events and what people think and feel about them. They are skilled at bringing people together in fun and interesting ways and making everyone feel actively involved. Their friends know them as people who love life and feel most at home in social situations surrounded by other fun people. In their pursuit of fun-oriented and stimulating social interactions, ESEs typically neglect to structure their own thought processes and views in a way that would help them know exactly what they think and why. They are receptive to others’ attempts to help them introduce more structure and logical consistency in their life and thinking processes. They gravitate most to people who open up to fun and emotional interaction easily, yet are also skilled at systematizing thoughts and views and explaining ideological matters.

LII (Logical-intuitive introvert) - aradia

The trademark quality of this type is a focus on logical, structured thought and generating true assertions and views. LIIs are typically strict thinkers who are concerned that everything fits together in a logical way. They are skilled at understanding, generating, and criticizing logical arguments and instilling their views in the people around them. Their friends know them as people with well-organized thoughts and opinions who know what they think and can elucidate their ideas to others. In their pursuit of logical understanding, LIIs typically neglect their external social interactions and activities that would help them lighten up and experience a connection with other people. They are receptive to others’ attempts to create these fun and lighthearted situations for them. They gravitate most to people who are interested in their opinions and understanding of things, but are also skilled at organizing social interactions and creating a sense of emotional unity.

ive recently consciously experienced the feeling of duality for the first time since i've been communicating with my mom's high school classmate, and it is definitely a real thing. i even remember mom pointing out she noticed when we were all talking on the phone over a year ago that i perked up whenever he said stuff. here is how i explained it:

its bonkers how only once i experience something for myself i’m able to explain in detail what makes it so great based on what my impressions about it were because i tend to have a peculiar way of describing the qualities of an experience. my specialty is deep precision in my analogies for what it’s like. so now i can tell you how conversations with your dual feel… heres the status report. it’s weightless. its so strange. like the topic conversation stretches into infinity that you can pick right back up at any time. it’s hazy and unfocused but still pleasant (unless you’re particularly self-conscious and need to unlearn hiding your true self). but the best parts of it come when you have a specific issue or insecurity that comes with being your most natural self that the world seems to misunderstand about you, or just not give you what you don't even know you’ve been looking for. i think you might mutually intimidate each other at first because you're lowkey both expecting to be made fun of for your inadequacy with certain types of information that the other is nuanced with (and you’re not), but it never comes. you don't feel like what your dual wants in life is wrong. your dual seems so talented in all the ways you hope to shine but you’re always unsure of. for the introvert (me) wishing they felt their own active presence as an object (Se, Ne, Te, Fe) like the extravert does. for the extravert, wishing they felt their own relationships with other objects (Si, Ni, Ti, Fi) like the introvert does. any other intertype relationship (ITR) vs. duality is like the difference between 99% and 100% totality of a solar eclipse, except it’s the level of understanding with another person, like the eclipsing of your own information metabolism with theirs. of course there are other things that influence how well your relationship with this person goes, but i am talking strictly about when it comes to basic communication, the level of understanding you share. sometimes it might feel like you dont have much to talk about or the topic is unfocused, because you two ARE opposites in many ways after all, especially at a glance (domain of interests usually come with specific macroelements. theories about thought structures—like socionics, for instance—are in the domain of intuition, while physical interests and experiences are in the domain of sensorics.) i’m LII in the NT club (researchers) and my dual ESE in the SF club (social-communicative). so they’re constantly providing you with information from their own niche in life that you may be entirely unfamiliar with, but for some reason still interests and relaxes you to hear. you might not feel like you have a lot to say about the topic since but you are fully amazed by this person’s activity. it also makes you feel more sure of yourself and more confident that people truly appreciate and need your natural abilities.

> let’s break it down

here’s some lightly modified descriptions of the information blocks in LII and ESE's information metabolism models from pyatnitsky so you can get an overarching impression of how their type contributes to the informational sphere. i added some of my own adjustments and borrowed some sentences from stratiyevskaya's descriptions. additionally, you can click on the name of the block for an explanation of the role it plays.

i put about a week’s work into these collages but my goal with them was to actually show where i think these information blocks are most pertinent in these characters specifically and where they apply so it’s not just some abstract thing, just as supplementary examples as needed. (for the meaning of these information elements individually you can refer to cysia’s document.)

LII (Logical-intuitive introvert)

EGO (-Ti? -> -Ne!). Analytical thinking. They are well aware of the interrelationships of some objects or phenomena with others, and what laws are in effect or not in effect. On the basis of a comprehensive analysis, they put forward insights about the global essence of specific objects and phenomena, their possibilities. They acutely charge the situation with potential energy. For every situation, there is an archetype.

Super-EGO (-Fi? -> -Se!). Normative ideas about relationships between people and ways to get out of unpleasant ethical situations. Understands ethics as founded on the principles of fairness; to do to one side of the equation that you do to the other. Volitional manifestations in order to protect their living space are carried out only on the basis of personal experience. Because of the limited opportunities to fight back, they react painfully to attempts of any interference in his life. Does not respond to any arbitrary crudeness or volitional pressuring. Does not compromise goals, stubbornly clings to them. Avoids direct confrontation if possible, would rather talk civilly and earnestly. Uses their naturally strong sense of the conditioning of objects over time to avoid collisions with their material interests. Due to this, they may appear as someone with very little weaknesses.

Super-ID (+Fe -> +Si?) Attracts information about a good mood, a specific positive state, or a feeling. They would like to think that they can eliminate serious inconveniences, make the environment around them more comfortable. This skill needs to be evaluated. They are unconsciously activated when there is a need to make the environment more comfortable, which should lead to a better state, raise the mood at least in the immediate environment. In friendly, comfortable, and informal company, their cool exterior thaws and they start lighting up with joviality.

ID (+Te! → +Ni?). Has developed guidelines and methods that relate to specific practical activities, technological effectiveness, and resource use. Spontaneously feels the correct allocation of resources over time, which allows them to effectively solve tasks at an unhurried pace. This pace is deeply rational in nature.

ESE (Ethical-sensory extrovert)

EGO (+Fe! -> +Si?). Perception of the world is fundamentally emotional. Feels the emotional atmosphere well in any situation, knows the relevance of the way of expression, the place and weight (importance) of the internal state in each situation. Flexible approach to solving problems of managing and expressing emotions. They show bright emotionality both negative and positive. Creatively produces around themself comfort, coziness, conveniently arranges space, surrounds others with beautiful things, changing thereby the general condition and mood. Usually opinionated about their tastes.

(wow i really went all out on that this one that tumblr wont even display it in full resolution, so here. john just has so many more lines to choose from, sorry!)

Super-EGO (+Te! -> +Ni?). Practical and technological thinking is tightly based on acquired knowledge and patterns of solving similar problems. Methods of business activity in both general and specific areas are selected based on the opinion of reputable sources, or adjusted to one of the mastered templates. Predicting specific changes in the sphere of their interests is carried out only on the basis of personal experience. He is not able to compare his own method of forecasting with others, so he is sensitive to criticism of poor timing or deadlines, does not like situations that feel like a waste of his time; he is lost in connection with negative events. Guided by purely personal experience, he chooses specific times and deadlines for various tasks with a normative understanding of business activity in general.

Super-ID (-Ti? -> -Ne!). Attracts information about the order, specific logical relationships in the field of activity or interests. Needs someone to suggest specific ways to make connections between phenomena, patterns, and rules. Tries to be reasonable himself, even though he knows that this is not characteristic of him. Sometimes he openly talks of his actions that were poorly reasoned through, as if inviting other people to laugh at his thoughtlessness. The ordering and systematization of thought opens up a new way of understanding of events that are happening around him, as well as new prospects, potential, and capabilities. He likes to think that he understands the essence of a situation and lights up with new ideas. This skill needs to be evaluated. It is unconsciously activated when it is necessary to create order, clear consistency and clarity on a particular issue, especially if their abilities are recognized.

ID (-Fi? -> -Se!). Involuntarily keeps track of communications in their social circle. Without hesitation, they use a variety of ways to establish and maintain relationships that have been developed in his personal practice. Good relationships are important for personal inner confidence in a situation. To prevent unfavorable relationships, they are inclined, often without even realizing it, to act with pressure, forcing a showdown, forcing the partner to change the relationship for the better. Frequently demonstrates his resoluteness, persistence, and purposefulness, as if proposing his behavior as a model for imitation. Usually tells in much detail what obstacles were created before him, and how he overcame them, what he was told in response, and what he replied with, and so on and in the like.

(full res)

you might be able to see already how they would complement each other's thought process nicely. here are some descriptions of what the communication between these types is like:

+Fe! : program function of ESE and dual-seeking function of LII

The ESE periodically tells emotionally charged "program" function stories, telling of how somebody has acted and what they have done. The main orientation of ESE's leading ethical program is: "No one should be offended." The LII carefully listens to these statements, and, demonstrating a full understanding of these issues, develops logical basis for them, e.g. in calm persuasive voice he explains how the ESE has acted justly and fairly. The effusion of turbulent emotions coming from the ESE is counterbalanced by their absorption by the LII, who breaks them down into fragments by asking clarifying questions of the ESE.

-Ti? : dual-seeking function of ESE and program function of LII

The ESE is tuned to accepting information when it's relayed in clear logical form. He issues requests for logical explanations delivered from a point of view of generalized rules underpinning specific life events, which he receives from the LII, who delivers clear unambiguous interpretations, places the dots over all "i's", and demonstrates good understanding of problems that are of concern to the ESE. Not receiving information of this kind, the ESE begins making demands of those around him to be "intelligent" and understand the reasons of his actions.

-Ne! : activating function of ESE and creative function of LII

The ESE feels uncomfortable if he doesn't extend his help to people who are in need of it. His subconscious orientation is: "care and guard the talented", be kind and attentive towards other people. The LII usually meets such criteria by proving in action his aptitude at uncovering hidden capabilities, winning trust, passing on the knowledge. The ESE creates supportive conditions for people who are capable but lacking in assertive "push-through" qualities, among whom the LII finds himself, and a special work regime that protects such individuals from overloads on sensing functions. Newly discovered possibilities inspire and promote the pragmatic and business-oriented activities of the ESE. He can support a new undertaking or initiative with an enormous amount of energy and enthusiasm, light up by new ideas. Only the LII is able to, even having a vague general notion about the subject, construct a developed theory or idea of any issue. This theory shows to be promising in the process of its concrete application within its field.

+Si? : creative function of ESE and activating function of LII

LII tries to take care of their well-being, but may gravitate towards demonstrative asceticism, exhaust himself with work, studies, or exercise. The ESE periodically takes care of creating an environment that "charges" the LII with pleasant sensations: a reception of guests, a good meal, a visit to a theater or a concert, an interesting trip, and so on. At the same time the ESE takes pleasure in this himself.

+Te! : role function of ESE and observing function of LII

The role function of the ESE manifests as business-oriented activity and initiative, supplying interesting information, provision with material assistance to those who are in need, general restlessness and fussy busyness. This function is normative, i.e. the ESE seeks to comply with the norms and accepted ways of doing things. The nuancing of the understanding of these norms, i.e. introduction of activities that go beyond them, is possible only by considering LII's advice and recommendations. The LII serves as a director of this function, adjusting its workings by advocating the necessity of practical application of some beneficial ideas, rejection of useless though spectacular ideas, and the need to ensure standards of life not below average by rejection of equalization.

+Ni? : vulnerable function of ESE and demonstrative function of LII

The ESE poorly feels the flow of time, both physical, which manifests as running late and poor distribution of his strengths over time, and historical, which manifests as poor ability to anticipate consequences of actions and tendency for traditional ways of solving problems. The ESE finds it difficult to make radical choices. The LII fully takes this aspect onto his shoulders. He has an unconscious ability to distribute activities in time, thereby avoiding work stress and overloads, and is capable of making a radical choice. The LII is able to calmly wait and in the necessary moment get to work when the wasteful fussiness of the ESE reaches its critical point.

-Fi? : ignoring function of ESE and role function of LII

On this function the ESE gives advice and makes demands concerning the creation of appropriate psychological distances in form of proper behavior, courtesy and politeness, denouncing rudeness and boorishness. In this manner, the ESE adjusts LII's role function, which in itself contains a set of large psychological distances: a sullen stubborn look, unsociability, etc. With such fine-tuning it becomes easier for the LII to come into contact with people, whereby he becomes more animated, resolves many of his ethical problems that previously frightened him, gains greater insight into human relationships and a more accurate understanding as to whose side to take in situations of conflict.

-Se! : demonstrative function of ESE and vulnerable function of LII

The LII finds it very difficult to exert pressure on other people from his own will and initiative, especially in cases when he needs to attain something for himself. He finds this difficult to do - to press ahead in certain situations, to gather all the required paperwork, to stand in lines and queues, to petition for his own interests, even the ones that are of vital importance to him. He finds it difficult to push a person away, to sharply refuse someone, to quarrel loudly and defend his rights, to put an end to relations that have exhausted themselves. The ESE doesn't directly affect this function, i.e. he doesn't verbally criticize and teach the LII on this aspect, but takes over its functioning completely. The ESE exerts a constant, sometimes intrusive and imposing pressure on other people if there is a need to achieve something, to defend justice and demand fair treatment, to protect interests of those who are close and dear to him. The ESE goes to the right jurisdictions, inspires people around him and directs them towards work and purposeful activity, keeps up a high pace of life himself, and breaks off relations with those who don't deserve trust.

and some miscellaneous excerpts from literature i liked a lot. (i can't remember the sources i used since i've been working on this on and off, for the past week and i was just spilling things onto the post. i think stratiyevskaya?):

Mood - that’s what matters in this dyad - emotions and feelings. Anything that suppresses and overshadows good mood is considered unethical in this dyad and is strongly condemned.

The ESE does not allow the LII to limit him in the possibilities of consuming the amount of pleasures and joys, which he considers to be necessary and sufficient. Fortunately, both partners in the dyad - LII and ESE - are obstinate and unyielding. Both are demanding, unwilling (and not allowing anyone else) to lower the bar of their requirements, unable to give in and make concessions (especially in anything that is of principle for themselves). Both know how to make their partner reckon with their interests and insist on the fulfillment of their demands.

LII is impressed by the emotional generosity of ESE and his spiritual responsiveness. All this finds the deepest understanding in LII, since he is tuned to the same priorities and values. For his part, ESE admires the ability of LII to speak clearly and definitely on every issue. ESE is struck by the harmony of the reasoning of LII, the amazing clarity, accuracy and laconicism of his statements. To ESE it seems that for LII, there is nothing incomprehensible in this world; he can give a comprehensive explanation on every issue. And everything that ESE thought about before is gradually being built into a definite and clear system of views, which he can now very freely and naturally present. Confusion and chaos in his worldview gradually gives way to a stable logical order, as if someone patient and careful was sorting all his thoughts into shelves. Such clarity inspires and activates ESE; he begins to see some prospects for himself, new opportunities. His energy and activity, in addition to emotional and ethical expression, also receives sensory realization: ESE begins to take care of LII and carefully looks after him. If LII is a colleague with whom ESE is especially pleasant to communicate with, he begins to treat him with something tasty, homemade; will make some small, but beautiful and necessary gift (for example: new cologne or a warm scarf).

> okay that's great and all but when are we talking about john and aradia specifically?

yes, that was the point of this post. i just had to build all that up first so i could walk you through my thoughts in a fully substantiated way.

considering chronology of wind again, john doesnt realize it but he needs aradias frankness and insight. even if she’s unable to explicate on vague things, she states the reason why instead of making him feel stupid (it would create a doomed timeline) but thats all john needs to hear. she is self-effacing and only tells him the truth, and we know other people can take advantage of john’s suggestibility in this way. aradia tells john who is or isnt trustworthy, what actions would be useful/necessary and which ones wont, without any selfish personal motive a la vriska or terezi.

^ (juuuust the record my nitpicky ass doesn’t agree with the truth of the classpect interpretation on behalf of the author in the last bit BUT that is beside the point here. the point is that she is answering john’s question in a way that is meaningful for him)

aradia doesnt realize it but she needs john’s friendy goofiness to brighten her up because she is surrounded by people who antagonize her when she’s literally not even trying to get under anyones skin. everybody gets frustrated at her “spooky nonsense” because theyre afraid of their own mortality, basically telling her to put a lid on it because thinking about hard truths makes THEM personally uncomfortable. but to her it’s always just been a fact of life. plugging your ears to reality is ignorance, but at the same time that doesn’t mean there’s no meaning in anything. she wants to help people see this and she dedicates herself to becoming a psychopomp for the deceased and earnestly trying to make people feel emotionally and physically comfortable in their situation through exploring their memories.

john isn’t hostile towards her. by being herself she is immediately able to earn john’s trust when they initially talk. this is also true in canon; the one time they talked when john initially comes up to her, saying “can i ask you something? seem reasonable, and pretty nice.” unfortunately he asked her the one question she didn’t have much to say about, and i can’t blame him for expecting all the troll girls to be basically insane at that point. but i don’t think aradia is insane. yes she is odd, but i think it’s evident that she has a good head on her shoulders with knowledge of the way the universe around her works, and in the end wants to simply bask in watching it play out. i think she deserves to get childishly excited about it, especially considering she was dead for most of her developmental years.

aside from getting his answers answered, john shows curiosity about her and her species and even care about her well-being and state. this naturally comes from their conversation’s ebb and flow. aradia tells this straightforwardly, without bells and whistles and without trying to trick him, unlike the other trolls who seem keen on well..trolling him.. and providing him with unclear answers to those sorts things. maybe aside from vriska, but she did have a little bit of an attitude about it wherein her and john’s dynamic felt uneven or off-rhythm, with a large psychological distance. it’s a different feeling with aradia, however. they exchange information on the same rhythm and so are able to achieve a closer psychological distance in communication.

there are no judgments coming from aradia about john being “stupid”. she doesn’t underestimate him. it’s not just that john wants to understand (although he does), but he needs to understand what he is doing. aradia compliments john about the traits he possesses that allow him to be effective. i guess in a way i’m doing the same thing with john right now.

john is so mobile and strung along by being the action hero going from place to place as a can-do deliveryboy that he never has time to reflect on his losses, think through them, and accept them.

literally who else is more qualified in all of homestuck than aradia for talking to john about these things?

on top of all of this, they have objectively significant connections beyond just mutual self-realization in a way i think could've been fleshed out. there is potential here.

for a story, i can think of a way that a conversation between them could plausibly happen using the systems established in homestuck's mythology. in canon, we see that john never met aradia until year 3 on the golden battleship in the dream bubbles when he goes to sleep.

but john still dreamt out in the furthest ring. that means during those 3 years it was possible for john to have had a dream with her in it, or at least aradiabot. i know john didn't know aradia's name beforehand but let's just explore the possibility that they could have had met before that. remember that all these aradiabots were once this person.

aradia had obtained john's crosbytop, his dads hat, and his wallet quite a while before their sgrub session. theres your entry

imagine john seeing that

memories of dear old dad get stirred up through the link of seeing those items

the dream bubble transforms

john is forced to stand in his memories and explore grief and the meaning of life with aradia

physically being in the space around him would definitely help john reflect easier i think because it will force him to actually exist within the space and talk to someone, taking some time out for this. he wanted to know if anything could've been done or if he was just too late to save them. i know aradia would be able help him slow down and introspect. don't forget the opportunities created by the properties of these spaces that are glubbed out in the furthest ring by the horrorterrors that meld the labyrinthine time and space of their surroundings to the memories of the people and finding others through common points in memory. i would imagine that objects known by multiple people would provide a common point in memory to bring them together.

The bubbles allow the players of Sburb/Sgrub who have lost a life to continue dreaming. The reality constructed in the bubbles is a combination of the memories of everyone inside the bubble accessible to any who has learned the bubble's nature. According to Aradia, it would be quite difficult to exit a bubble to get into a new one, however someone inside a bubble can travel to another one through common points in memory, taking their own memories with them to be integrated into the new bubble. These memories mix and combine, but in general, no new memories are created. Additionally, the bubbles store the consciousness of a player who has lost their dream selves and their original selves, making them double as a form of afterlife; the player is then capable of accessing the memory of anyone else who has gained access to the bubbles. Living players, who have lost or become their dream selves, appear in the dream bubbles when they are asleep. It is in this fashion that the bubbles can be used as meeting places between the dead and the living; even those from alternate universes and doomed timelines can be found in a bubble. Furthermore, in addition to memories, the bubbles can to some extent reflect the thoughts of a player. Beyond that, the bubbles can also behave similarly to Skaia's clouds, showing things that are in some way relevant to the player - such as when coin-flip Dave saw alpha Dave grieving over Bro's corpse - something he was not aware of before being shown it by a bubble.

physically reflect the thoughts of the player…… rubs hands

john and aradia share points in memory related to those objects, and to top it all of they are directly related to john's dad on the same day he died, while aradia grew up with them as bizarre alien artifacts from an archeological dig. the memories are more emotionally charged for john, and i think that distinction would probably be relevant to them both.

to be honest i think after speaking with him for a bit she would readily tell john that she regrets not talking to the kids from the universe her team created sooner before she died, but is glad that she can in the afterlife. in canon, alpha aradia told a doomed dave, "i think its absurd i never introduced myself to you in all that time i spent moping around the lab. guess i wasnt in a very good mood".

now not all the aradiabots would know who john is, because the trolls only found out about the humans once they created the genesis frog and hid out in the lab in the veil from jack who infiltrated their session. the aradiabot in the lab was the last one that survived. so if any one of them would know who john is, it would be the aradiabot that exploded. aradia's dream self ascended to god tier in jack noir's rampage on trolls' derse and took those memories with her which we can assume is what made the last aradiabot explode. its known that any original copy that dies when another rises up becomes a ghost and lives on in the dream bubbles, which would include her. a doomed aradiabot we see in the comic, which was the one that originally landed to alternia in the past, becomes more lighthearted after she dies, a bit more like her alive counterpart.

oh yeah, and the more obvious surface-level connections to top it off? ghostbusters? john ain't afraid of no ghost girl. john would be genuinely interested in what aradia living as a ghost irl on her planet and not as a gaming abstraction in the furthest ring would be like. i imagine she would be able to explain the subjective experience and that she had to prototype herself into the kernelsprite order for her server player to see her. there's also no way john hasn't seen a movie as classic as indiana jones and judging from her poster i can imagine he probably thinks it's sweet that aradia's strife specibus whipkind is a reflection of her own personal tastes, interests and hobbies.

so yeah i've just been chewing on all of this and thinking about it but i know i needed to just get this out there somehow. obviously since i spent two weeks putting this post together i'd be happy to hear your thoughts

[vspin]

Astarion should have had a post-Araj conversation (that doesn’t lock in the romance) AND the unprompted confession 

You might have noticed that Patch 3 changed Astarion’s romance progression a bit. Previously, if you had entered Moonrise and had high enough approval with Astarion, he would approach the MC at a long rest and confess his manipulations and growing feelings towards the player character.  It’s such a beautiful scene and is so well acted. Now that confession is tied to after you kill Yurgir and if you haven’t talked to Araj in Moonrise. 

I actually kind of like his confession being tied to progressing his personal quest, and if you think about it an early admission in Act 2 does seem kind of quick based on his past/struggles. 

Buuut, I am disappointed that if you talk to Araj early-on you can lock in the romance then and you won’t get the unprompted confession later on, because I think that scene is much stronger from a ROMANCE and partnership perspective. 

Araj Conversation

The post-Araj conversation is an amazing moment for Astarion’s development and arc. His realization that he never stopped acting like a slave. His decision to stand up for himself and advocate for what he wants. It’s so powerful. It’s a critical moment for Astarion and his journey to be free from Cazador.

Honestly, I think tying it to the romance really cheapens it and creates an initially one-sided dynamic for his romance.  

These are the dialogue options after he thanks you:

The first 3 options lead to him opening up more about his feelings and this line: 

After this, if you want to progress the romance you tell him you care for him and it leads to the hug scene/whatever option you want. 

BUT HE NEVER MENTIONS MANIPULATING YOU and that he's developed feelings. Hello Astarion!? I feel like that's kinda important to the dynamic here! With these options, poor Tav is left in the dark because it doesn’t come up again really.

Now, if you pick the last option: Why sleep with me?

You get these lines: 

(His face lmao, smug little bastard)

His line delivery here is interesting. He’s very matter-of-fact about it. He’s like “duh! I was using you and it was easy”. 

Depending on how you're RPing your MC this pretty rough lol. A naive and good-hearted Tav may have actually thought there was something there. 

And these are the dialogue options to respond to it. That’s it. No pushback from Tav. They can end things, just be friends, or progress the relationship. Idk it’s just not my favorite. 

Unprompted Confession

Compare that to the unprompted confession. 

He approaches Tav. He confesses the manipulation and what I think is super important he is THINKING about Tav’s feelings: “You deserve something real.” 

And what I love is that Tav can choose to immediately confess their feelings or push back a little here: 

I think this is a much better dynamic between potential partners. Options 2 + 3 really give more context to his feelings and also allows Astarion to reiterate his positive feelings towards MC. 

Up until this point in the relationship, the MC has given a lot to Astarion, and Astarion hasn’t given much back beyond sex. Tav has listened to Astarion open up about Cazador, protected him from the monster hunter, helped with his scars, the mirror conversation, let him drink from them (potentially), and supported the endeavor with Raphael. 

I think this conversation is Astarion acknowledging all that and him giving something back in return by being honest with his feelings, even if there is a chance he’ll get nothing out of it. 

I think this why people love the Durge x Astarion romance so much because it offers more give and take between the two, and depending on which confession scene you get with Tav it is a very one-sided dynamic in comparison.

The second scene a MUCH better foundation for something to develop between the two in my opinion.

Final Thoughts

I think the Araj scene should happen regardless but with the romance portion omitted. Of course, I think Astarion should still break up with MC if they made him drink, force him to have sex, or give Tav an option to end it as well if this isn't something they want to involve themselves in. 

Then, I think you should get the actual confession after defeating Yurgir. I think it makes sense that after Tav has advocated for Astarion’s autonomy and helped with his scars he realizes his feelings. 

Big thanks to these Youtube channels here and here for the screenshots. My saves are a mess and I didnt want to fight with it.

[chthonicarcher]

Hello!! I've been a fan of your art and writing for a while now, and I wanted you to know your works a big inspiration and comfort to me!! Anywho, thoughts on Davebot and Commander Vantas :]

first of all, wow, thank you so much!! that’s so kind <3

mkay so...

the thing is,

sigh. so. okay.

okay listen—

OKAY THE FIRST THING I GOTTA SAY, and I mean this ought to go *without* saying but I’m still just going to say it: this is all JUST MY OPINION!! it’s subjective, I’m not saying other people are wrong just bc we may happen to disagree about this!

TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, though, I only really engage with “beyond canon” or “dubious canon” or “post-canon” content in the way I’m doing right here, which is to say, drawing silly requests to dress up CKat as Hatsune Miku or whatever. or sometimes drawing something featuring meat or candy DaveKat specifically for my dear friend bug, who loves the epilogues and HS2, and still has a lot of hope for a happy DaveKat ending in *both* timelines. (love you bug, love your optimism, and I hope for your sake that HS2 doesn’t disappoint!)

because **MY** opinion of all that is that it sucks and shouldn’t exist, lol. sorry!! I hate its very existence! I ignore it and I mostly avoid it because it upsets me deeply, and I only engage (very shallowly) with the elements I can fully get behind, which usually means “cool outfits” or “cool designs.” Davebot looks real cool, man! that’s about all I can say about him without wanting to vomit!! his very existence makes me sad as fuck and I hate it, idk what else to tell you. I hate that even though that story goes out of its way to point out how non-canon it is, just by nature of being an officially sanctioned product it kinda IS canon, and the fans sure treat it that way, and I’m not even saying they’re wrong. if Hussie wanted the epilogues to actually be treated like fanfic maybe they shouldn’t’ve attached their name, man, idk.

anyway, I know drawing CKat and Davebot as just silly little guys without actually fully engaging with/reading post-canon sorta makes me part of “the problem,” like those “fans” of Homestuck who don’t understand it at all bc they HAVEN’T READ IT yet insist on making art about it that misunderstands the characters? but tbh I just don’t like or respect post-canon stuff in the same way I like and respect the original work. to me it is fanfic, and not even like a good one that I would bookmark or download a PDF of, lol. sorry if this disappoints you! I still think the designs are cool ✌️

[a-mel0n]

This stupid "Your Name" Bucktommy AU won't leave my brain, and while I don't have enough faith in my writing skills to actually write the damn thing (and it would be my first fanfic... ever?? and that's a project that seems a bit too big for me lmao), I DID write down what I'm picturing some of the "rules" Buck and Tommy have for each other while in the other's body. Mostly just for fun. (Because Tommy would be switching in 2006, the iPhone does not exist yet, so all of his notes are written in an actual physical journal. All of Buck's notes would be on the Notes app of his phone)

TOMMY: 1) Evan, stop running into burning buildings when you don’t have to while in my body. If I wake up in a hospital bed for the fifth time this month, I might actually lose it.

its part of the job to save as many ppl as possible. also u don’t even feel the pain when i get injured in ur body.

You’re right, I don’t. Unfortunately, the pain from having a wooden beam fall on you doesn't just magically go away when we swap. Just... be more careful? Please?

fine. i’ll try and keep ur hospital visits to a minimum.

2) Can you stop flirting with people on calls? Or at the very least give them your number and not mine? In the last week alone my contact list has nearly doubled because you keep giving people my number. 

dude its not my fault you’re more popular while i’m you. just think of it as me being ur wingman! how u dont have a girlfriend is beyond me btw. hot chicks love firefighters and ur a good looking dude

Jesus Christ, Evan. For the last time, I’m single by choice.

3) Don’t shower while in my body

already dont

4) Don’t go to the bathroom while in my body 

done

5) In fact, unless you’re at work, don’t change any of my clothes while in my body. 

fair

6) Do you really need to spend so much of my paychecks on cooking supplies? I have enough pots and pans already. 

whats the point of a pantry if its half empty. be thankful ur getting actual food now via my leftovers instead of the utter tragedy that was the state of ur fridge when we first started swapping places.

7) Don’t make a scene while at work. 

your boss sucks ass and his stupid orders are going to get people killed. im not gonna listen to him if hes making bad calls while lives are on the line

Evan.

8) Don’t pick up the phone when my dad calls.

got it

BUCK: 1) quit going to eddie’s basketball pickup games. he keeps inviting me while i’m in my own body and its getting harder and harder to come up with excuses as to why i can’t go. it's kinda awkward.

I thought you’d be more grateful, Evan. You’re the coolest guy on the court when I’m you. 

2) are you making movie references when ur me? bc chim keeps asking when i got so “cultured” and the other day maddie asked when i watched the princess bride. 

You haven’t seen the Princess Bride? I’m leaving you a surprise for tomorrow. Check your couch when you wake up. 

did you spend my OWN money on a dvd??? i don’t even own a dvd player. i own every streaming service imaginable.

3) keep the finger guns to a minimum?? idk why you do them so much but both hen and chim have said smth abt it

4) if u get a call from someone called connor or kameron on my phone just let it go to voicemail its personal stuff and i'll deal with it

Evan, you could have told me you agreed to be a sperm donor yourself. Finding out because Connor and Kameron showed up at the fire house was more of a shock than finding out over these memos would have been. 

they did what?????

5) don’t talk to my parents

Done.

6) No rule about undressing? 

dude idc. i’m not gonna stop you from taking a piss in my body if u need to. as long as you like. don’t have sex with someone while you’re me? oh wait hang on i DO have a rule about undressing

7) DON’T HAVE ANY RANDOM HOOK UPS IN MY BODY. 

Wasn’t planning on it, but good to know. 

[ririban]

I really cannot fully explain just how much The Case Files of Jeweler Richard means to me. I will never not be grateful about having come across it when I did. Like, I’m from India, and India isn’t the best place to actually be exposed to what being queer means. For the longest time I didn’t even know that the acronym went beyond the letter T. The word aromantic meant nothing to me because it wasn’t a word I knew. All I knew was that when my friends were getting crushes and dating, I was desperately trying to find new excuses for why I didn’t have anyone I was interested in. Because “I don’t want to be in a relationship” was an answer that earned me strange looks.

I did eventually learn that something called aromanticism exists by the time I went to college, but I never really bothered to learn what that entailed. Then I met a friend who happened to be asexual, and she pointed out that based on what I told her, I might be aroace. And I thought about it for a while, but wasn’t really convinced. More importantly, the idea of sticking a label to myself kinda scared me because it felt like it was something irreversible.

And then Jeweler Richard happened. I really enjoyed the first episode, even shed a couple of tears. The inclusion of a canon lesbian character in the second episode was a pleasant surprise (I did not know about Tatsuki back then. Present day me is annoyed we never got to see her in the anime). But it went from an anime I simply enjoyed to a story I absolutely fell in love with in episode 8: The Angel's Aquamarine. This was the episode in which we first found out about Tanimoto’s views on romance, and I found myself understanding where she was coming from. Online people were discussing how she came off as aromantic, and that made me think again. But, again, “sticking” that label to me wasn’t something I was comfortable with.

That changed when I came across a certain passage in volume 6. For those of you who haven’t read the novel yet and are okay with spoilers, Tanimoto visits Étranger after being invited by Seigi. There she has a conversation with Richard, during which he tells her this:

“Humans are creatures that can only recognize the present moment as reality. But that present changes, moment by moment. For example, someone who was bisexual in their twenties might decide to identify as heterosexual in their thirties. Or someone who considered themself heterosexual at age seventeen might realize that they’re gay at age twenty-five. Someone who may have considered themself polyamorous and open to relationships with anyone might feel as though they’ve met their soulmate at age fifty-five and become monogamous. Of course, this isn’t true of everyone—but from a statistical perspective, changes of this nature aren’t at all unusual. It’s just like how, if left to their own devices, our hair and nails will continue to grow.”

The reason I was scared of declaring myself as aro was because I worried that it was something I’d never be able to take back. That becoming aro to the people around me wouldn’t allow me to one day say, “no, I don’t think I actually am aromantic”. I would’ve rather stayed in a state of being confused than make a decision I couldn’t undo. But then Richard told Tanimoto that it’s fine. It’s fine to change your mind later on. That a label isn’t fixed to you, and isn’t something you have to carry throughout your life if it’s something you no longer identify with. And idk if I can even begin to explain how important that was to me. Because those were the words I needed.

It’s okay that I’m not interested in being in a relationship. It’s okay if I call myself aro. It’s okay for me to no longer make up excuses because a simple “I’m not interested in dating” is enough. This is a comparison that only Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint fans will get, but The Case Files of Jeweler Richard is to me what Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse is to Kim Dokja. JR did not save my life in the way that TWSA did for Kim Dokja, but it had a bigger impact on my life than any other story. I’d like to believe that the love I have for JR is similar to the love Dokja holds for TWSA.

As a final point, this confidence in myself and my identity isn’t all that JR gave me. Another important thing that happened in my life thanks to it is that I made many lovely friends in the fandom 💕

[vigilskeep]

Hi Harker! So I'm playing da2 for the first time after following you for years, and I really like what you've talked about before setting up tactics so that your siblings/romance/etc respond to come and protect you when under attack or below x health. Would you mind explaining how you do that? Idk if I'm missing something but these tactics options don't seem to be very extensive 🥴

it’s hard to do anything incredibly specific, “protect me if i’m under x health” might be beyond it, but: inputting Enemy Attacking: Hawke -> Attack will have them go for anyone coming after you. you can also input more specific commands for if Enemy Attacking: Hawke, like with my archer i’ve been having bethany or merrill cast horror to take anyone trying to attack me out of play for a bit. you could probably also have fenris or isabela use something like taunt or across the bow to draw the enemy’s attention from you, that would be cute. whatever takes ur fancy!!

(the above is not just fun storytelling it’s actual good tactics. protect ur squishies)

actually, you could probably use da2’s ‘Use current condition for next tactic’ action, which i haven’t taken advantage of before, to do something more specific. i wonder if you input ‘Hawke: Health <50% -> Use current condition for next tactic’ and then ‘Enemy Attacking: Hawke -> Attack’, maybe you really could have them particularly come to your aid if you’re already hurt. i’ve never tried this but food for thought!

[ratwife77]

Soda angst because I was called to do this?

idk what warnings there are for this but this is kind of just his anxiety building and stuff.. just be careful reading

ao3 link

I don’t know how to describe it. After work, I’d been going home, hitching a ride with Steve. The usual, but what was different? Tensions had been high with Darry and Pony, and I guess work had been busy.. But there was no reason for my hands to be shaking, or for my breath coming up short. It was stupid for me to feel so tense. Whenever I took in a breath, it wasn’t enough, and I was beginning to feel dizzy. I don’t know how to explain it, but I kind of felt floaty too, like the one time I’d been drunk. Not quite there, y’know? It was a bad cycle, freaking out more over the trouble I was having breathing, seeming to get worse. Steve gave me a strange look, opened his mouth to ask, but he seemed to not have thought before he did it. He didn’t know what to say, and I didn’t either. But he tried, because he knew something was deeply wrong. “Soda.. are you.. okay?”

Steve was my safe place, but I didn’t want to drop it all on him. I wouldn’t, I decided. I nodded, sure that I couldn’t fake it if my voice was wobbling. Knowing I was faking, he didn’t say anything for a moment. “You don’t have to tell me. Just.. you’re acting weird.” Nervously, he looked at me and back at the road. His eyebrows came together and his whole face scrunched with a concern that made my stomach hurt. Tapping the steering wheel with his pointer finger, he made a wrong turn. Quickly, I realized that he probably shouldn’t have been driving- don’t get me wrong, he was the best in the gang, but he wasn’t focused. I didn’t want to get in an auto wreck like my parents did. My head was foggy, but not enough to not feel the danger in that. “Pull over, Steve.” My voice was quieter and shakier than I would’ve liked, but it came. It made me feel like a little kid again, tiny.

In seconds, he’d pulled over.

“I.. um.. I’m not..” The words weren’t coming, and I realized my hands were sweaty and tremblin’, showing my nerves to the world. Damn. Desperately, I tried to wipe them off. “I can’t.. breathe right.” I felt my throat getting tight, pressure building too high. Couldn’t swallow, and I knew what was coming. I made a strange sound, then I was rocked forward, sobbing. Why? Why was I even doing that? Everything was fine. Steve looked beyond nervous, unsure, but then his features morphed to something more calm, confident. Probably an act, but it made me feel a bit better. He didn’t know what the hell to say, and I sure didn’t either. Suddenly, his hand went to my back, and he slowly rubbed it. He wasn’t one for affection, or touching at all, but he was comforting then. After considering for a second, he slowly pulled me into a hug, and I was crying on his shoulder. I’m not sure how long it lasted, but I came off of whatever it was eventually, and I whispered a quiet but genuine, “Thank you.”

Steve, trying to make light of the moment and calm me down, said, “Anytime.. but next time, you’ll have to pay me.. I’m thinking of starting a business for crying on my shoulder.” Shakily, I let out a laugh, but it turned into a cackle, and we both laughed until we didn’t know what it was about anymore.

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

honestly guys idk if this is in character, Soda isn’t really my favorite so I haven’t really got a firm grasp on his character

[milkb0nny]

okie dokie i gotta request a sam x fem!reader where shes sams age but hits it off with dean? (strictly platonic between d+r) shes just a lot of fun at a karaoke bar or something? or maybe she beats dean in a game of pool(up to you) but just her flirting till she gets to sam and then she actually enjoys talking to him, they spend the night chatting about everything and anything. (maybe she invites him over to her place but like for a movie cuz dean took some blonde chick back to their motel??) idk up to you❤

Pumpkin Soup

Sam Winchester x fem!reader

Summary: While you spent a lovely night at a karaoke bar, playing truth or dare with some people your age, you got to know Dean Winchester. His funny attitude immediately captivated you, wanting you to become closer friends to the chaotic, hot-headed man. Though after a few drinks and games, his brother joined the group. Sam had previously investigated in a current case, decided to enjoy himself afterwards though. That was the moment you met a man who went beyond your expectations. The gentle charm of Sam trapped you in. In order to learn more about Sam, you accepted his offer to cook pumpkin soup at his current place. However, Dean wouldn’t come along the two of you, as he enjoyed the company of another woman. You didn’t mind though…

Note: Thank you for your request! I’m all in for Sam requests, as I really love him a lot. This idea is absolutely wholesome and I decided to throw some autumn vibes into it. After all, it’s October and I love pumpkins. :)

Warnings: implied sexual activity of Dean, reader thinking abt uncomfortable men back in her past

word count: …

As the karaoke bar pulsed with energy on that memorable Friday night, little did you know that a game of truth or dare would lead you to meet two extraordinary men, each with their own captivating charm. You never thought that a harmless party evening could change your life, and especially your view on two specific men.

You had joined a group of people, some of them went to the same college as you and with others you were already familiar. You’re for sure not a mere party girl, but you enjoyed the company of many happy people around you. It wasn’t the alcohol you loved to consume when you went out - it was the exciting thrill of meeting new people who could make your life way more colorful. In all honesty, among all the positive experiences, you crossed paths with uncomfortable men as well. Luckily, this night you got spared with the overly pushy men and instead got blessed by a kind and enthusiastic man.

During a traditional, spirited game of truth or dare, you were more or less forced to flirt with him. Surely, the stranger was handsome, but you didn’t feel any sparkling or tingling sensations while teasing the male. All in all, the atmosphere was electric, filled with a lot of laughter and buzzing music. After about half an hour of people telling others their most embarrassing moments of their lives and participating in surprisingly stupid dares, you decided to grasp some hair. The karaoke bar had a balcony, where you headed with a tequila in your hand. During your hunt for oxygen, a familiar deep voice rang through your ears.

“Hello there, beautiful,” he chimed in, delivering a flirtatious remark that drew a grin from you as you leaned casually on the balcony fence.

“What’s up? Haven’t you got enough of me?” you teased, keeping a watchful eye on him. For a brief moment, you feared he might become pushy, but your concerns were swiftly dispelled by his response.

Dean's striking green eyes traveled up and down your face, revealing a hint of genuine concern that softened his usually confident features.

“No, I haven’t. But in all honesty, I got a little worried since you left the group without telling anyone. Not that anything happens to you”, he replied softly, keeping a respectful distance between you. You were taken aback by his genuine worry, and it made you feel a bit self-conscious, prompting you to avert your gaze from his as you tried to hide your flustered face.

“You don’t have to, I can take care of myself,” you responded, and despite the seemingly cold statement, Dean understood that you valued your independence.

Again, his low voice met your ears, “Your name was y/n, right? You’re hella funny!” Dean changed the topic, offering some comic relief and lightening the atmosphere between you. You quickly picked up on his cues, expressing how his humor had brightened your evening. Your conversation with Dean flowed naturally, and you found his humor and carefree attitude irresistibly magnetic. He had the kind of infectious charisma that could turn any gathering into a wild adventure. Dean Winchester was a captivating mix of chill, cocky, and respectful of boundaries, and it was a rare pleasure to engage in a conversation with no underlying sexual tension. The man’s name was Dean Winchester.

After the private and endearing chat, both of you rejoined the group, which was now deep into the revelry fueled by alcohol and other substances. As the night wore on, a new figure entered the scene, a tall, handsome brunette who immediately gravitated toward you and Dean. He seemed slightly out of place amidst the intoxicated chaos, yet he appeared to find a measure of enjoyment in the surroundings. You quickly learned he was none other than Dean's brother, Sam Winchester. Sam had been previously engrossed in investigating a perplexing case, but now he had decided to take a break and enjoy the evening's festivities. Though he wasn't usually the party type, he occasionally sought a change of pace.

Meeting Sam, you quickly realized he was unlike what you had expected. In stark contrast to his hot-headed and impulsive brother, Sam exuded a gentle charm that immediately captivated you. He spoke thoughtfully, using intriguing vocabulary, and while he seemed a bit reserved and addressed Dean more often, you sensed a hint of shyness in him. His deep, expressive eyes held a sense of mystery, and his warm smile made you feel at ease. Sam was an entirely different kind of captivating, and you couldn't help but want to get to know him better.

„Do you want a drink?“ you inquired, hoping to initiate a connection between the two of you. Dean, ever the flirt, immediately picked up on your subtle intentions and moved on to a new companion who seemed to enjoy his playful company—a blonde woman with a delightful sense of humor. Sam's gaze now lingered on you for a few moments longer than before.

„Sure, I‘m in,“ he replied, a soft smile laced over his lips. You were really beautiful which is why he couldn‘t help but admire your facial features. To Sam, you appeared utterly stunning, surpassing every other woman he had ever come across.

The two of you made your way to the bar, and he ordered his usual: a beer. As you reached for your wallet to pay for your drinks, the courteous man was a step ahead, already covering the tab for both of you. Caught pleasantly off guard, you flashed him a grateful smile. „Thanks. I‘m y/n!“

„My pleasure, call me Sam,“ he inquired, straightening his posture. „Seems like you get along quite well with my brother.“

„Yeah, though he comes off like he only wants that one thing, haha,“ you joked, met by a soft chuckle from Sam‘s side. The corners of his lips curved up as you spoke, and the warmth of his smile sent a swarm of butterflies fluttering in your stomach. Sam was undeniably handsome

Sam picked his brother up again, replying to your statement, „I get what you mean. He occupies the room more enough when we have to share one.“ he admitted, a hint of amusement in his tone.

„Oh, are you like travelers or something?“ You asked, curious about his life. Sam owned such a special charm that you rarely had met in your life, especially in men. His impeccable manners and pure kindness, devoid of ulterior motives, were refreshingly genuine. You couldn't help but feel drawn to him.

„You could say that, yeah. We’re usually on the road for quite some time and finish a job here and there. Similar to freelancers.“

Sam explained, and your eyes widened with excitement. Traveling and exploring new places was a goal you shared, and the idea of their adventurous lifestyle piqued your curiosity. „Woah, that’s cool. Do you see a lot of exciting stuff on the road?“

While he had indeed witnessed many thrilling experiences—some he wished he hadn't—there were times when he longed for a quieter existence. „Uh, yeah. I appreciate staying at a place for a little longer too though, I must say it can get very tiring.“

„Oh, that’s sad to hear,“ you sympathized. Your mind was struck on Sam and he very much seemed like he enjoyed your conversation. The hours passed as you shared funny stories from your past, confessing to your middle school clumsiness while Sam regaled you with amusing anecdotes about Dean. Sharing embarrassing secrets fostered a connection between you two. Somehow you wanted to stay in his company. You started to love his awkwardness little by little.

Unexpectedly, he suggested you both head back to his place to cook pumpkin soup—a proposition you found both intriguing and charming. It was a far cry from the typical advances you'd encountered in the past, and you couldn't resist the chance to spend more time with this enigmatic man. Unfortunately, Dean stopped by, the lovely woman in his arms.

„Well, who do we have here?“ Dean quipped, grinning at Sam. "I'll be taking this wonderful lady with me tonight, just so you know."

„No, Dean. You can‘t always ignore that I share that room too-,“ Sam began to protest before Dean cut him off with a smirk.

„Sure I can.“ He replied, leaving the karaoke bar accompanied by the woman.

Sam sighed, his offer thwarted by his older brother once again. "I'm sorry, I have to—" he started to explain. But this time, your cheerful voice interjected.

„No worries. We can head to my place. I‘m sure you’ll love it there.“ You invited the tall man to your place. You were touched by his charming smile in response. He nodded and stood up, thanking the bartender for his excellent service before following you.

The evening turned into a relaxing, cozy night with a man you never thought could exist so perfectly. The gentle charm of Sam and the promise of getting to know him on a more personal level made you momentarily forget about Dean's absence. There was something undeniably intriguing about the Winchester brothers, and you were eager to explore the depths of Sam's persona, all while cooking a warm and comforting meal together.

Finally, about 3am in the morning, you shared your usual lonely living room with Sam, eating the most delicious pumpkin soup you ever had.

[insufferableprotagonistpoll]

Round 3

Propaganda why Ross Geller is insufferable:

He blames everyone else for everything despite it often being his fault, so he never improves. Not even a little.

He’s Mental Geller

Many many reasons. I haven’t even watched that much of friends and I have a burning hatred of Ross. There is general stuff such as homophobia and misogyny (at one stage he stops his son playing with a Barbie because it’s a “girls toy”) but also other stuff such as anger issues, narcissism and other toxic behaviour. Why he is consider a quirky funny member of the group and not a dangerous guy who needs to be excommunicated is beyond me. I hate ross

Propaganda why Y/N is insufferable:

I WOULD NOT FUCKING SAY THAT. they're always so bland and passive, idk how anyone could pretend to be them in the stories. and on the rare occasion someone does give them a bit of personality ITS JUST AN OC. GIVE THEM A NAME. I'd rather read about a thought out oc than a bland y/n.

They clog up the tumblr tags

They exist and that’s really upsetting

I would not fucking say that

You, the reader, get to join the tournament!

More propaganda for Y/N

Anti propaganda

[kaledya]

hey there!

I just want to say that I adore your artwork and have been following it for a while, and i am obsessed with your character Serenity. I had a couple questions about her, if you don’t mind answering.

How did she feel about WW2, since she was alive when that war happened? Since she was a doctor, did she volunteer to join as a war physician? i know in the united states women weren’t allowed to go to the front lines, but they were allowed to serve from home as doctors and nurses.

I guess i just am wondering if that war had any affect on Serenity and her personality, maybe as a way of cementing her feelings about humanity and the evil humans are capable of. I mean with the Holocaust in Germany and then the Nuclear Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, that was a dark moment in history.

I also wanted to ask how Serenity feels about herself as a person, especially in the present while she’s in hell. Does reuniting with Alastor make her look back on her life and reflect on the person she has become since his death? Does she have any desire deep down to actually be redeemed?

Last one, i promise-

Does Serenity confide in Constantine at all once they become better friends about her insecurities. Does she trust Constantine?

idk sorry these have been bouncing around in my head for a while. Serenity fascinates me as a character, and after your World’s Greatest Actor animatic I haven’t been able to get her out of my head.

anyway your art is beautiful and i hope you have a wonderful day 💚

HOWDY!!! First of all, I'm so glad to hear that you like my work!And thank you for loving Serenity🌸🌸

And thanks for your questions! It's my pleasure to answer!

As you said,Serenity did not go to war because they did not send women to the front lines at that time.But she tries to help the war veterans, the wounded, or the soldiers who are traumatized after the war, as much as she can in her region.

Even though she could not take part in the war, she helped soldiers who still needed care after the war.After all, war leaves mental wounds as much as it leaves physical wounds.

And the Second World War included evil and inhumane crimes beyond human comprehension.

-

Certainly, as you say, World War II is a very dark page in human history and

Serenity was also affected by it. She saw how evil humanity in general could be.I don't want to go into detail here, but you already know, whether it was experiments, genocide or mass murders, World War II showed what kind of evil humanity is.

And Serenity was someone who had heard a lot of the stories of the soldiers she took cared of.(Some soldiers were choosing doctors to talk to because they really couldn't handle this burden and didn't want to say anything to their families.)

And these stories really disgusted her with humanity to some extent. She knew humanity might be disgusted, but such war crimes? There was no mercy for anyone, not even children.

As one of the rare Doctors in that area at that time, Serenity took care of so many people and heard so many stories, sometimes these stories kept her awake at night.

--

Serenity doesn't think she good person.And she has a lot of regrets for the things she did in the past.

I write the story of Serenity in detail, I will try to include a piece from there, but I will be clear.

At night, Serenity was killing criminals who could not be punished before justice, she was neither providing her own justice, she thought what she was doing was right, until some events showed her this.

What if not all of the people she killed were as pure evil as she thought, maybe they did what they did because they had to, because they had no other choice? What does it make you when you kill people who would stop what they were doing the first chance they got?How many different children felt the pain that she felt when she felt she had lost her father? Because of her?

And Serenity found and killed the hunter who killed Alastor.Seriously, was that guy a bad man? Did he deserve to die? Or had Serenity's anger blinded her? Did she killed an innocent person. Maybe it was an accident? Who knows.

"No, No no I've made the right decision, but am I the monster here? No, no, seriously, there were bastards who deserved to die. If they lived, they would harm many more people.But other than them, the people I killed was it all as bad as I thought? Were there any chances of being rescued with help?"

+And Serenity hated killing people, she was really disturbed by the blood on her hands and she was tired, sometimes she couldn't recognize herself when she looked in the mirror.And she was tired of the wounds she received. She was a someone who hated pain, but every part of her body hurt.

And Serenity lied a lot to keep what she did secret, even to her loved ones.Being strong she suppressed and repressed her personality to continue what she was doing When she finally killed someone and feel nothing, she felt disgusted with herself again.Okay, the people she killed were vile people, but after all, she killed someone, shouldn't she have to feel something?

----The part I talked about------

"Serenity is a light gray character who does not intend evil in her actions or actively do evil just for the fun of it.

She does what needs to be done.

Serenity was confident in what she was doing because the people she killed were members of the crime orgazion and they had killed people and done some really awful things, so she had no regrets about killing them.

She felt like he had to do it, and the thing that affected her the most was when things didn't go as planned on a hunt, and she got into a hand-to-hand fight with the other guy, and Serenty was really about to lose, and at the last minute he stabbed the guy in the lung and ran away until she recovered. It bothered her a lot to watch the man slowly die, but it was nothing yet. While looking for any valuable information on the man, she found a letter with a photo in it. The letter was sent by the man's daughter and the daughter asked when her father was coming home and that she missed him.

and in it they sent him a photo and he replied with half a letter saying that he would come back when he had earned enough money and that he missed them very much.

Serenity felt really awful when she saw this, she researched the man, he was someone who had been involved in a lot of crime, but he had done it to make money, he had taken this path to support his family and he wanted to get out of this path at the first opportunity, and Serenity killed this man. Was she really doing justice, she gave those children the same pain she had experienced, she had taken their father away from them, was she justified in what she did, did she have the right to decide who died and who lived, could she blame them if someone tried to come and kill her for revenge tomorrow?

She set out on this journey to kill monsters, but now she's a monster herself. Were the other people she killed besides this man completely evil, yes, maybe most of them were, but not all of them.

This was one of the events that affected Serenity deeply and she really hated herself and the work she did after this event.

---------- end-----------

But Serenity didn't stop what she was doing, because there were still people she had to destroy, so it didn't matter how disgusting she was anymore.It wasn't about her, there were countless people who would be harmed if she didn't do what she did. And it had already begun, there was no way to turn back. And if there was hell, she had already reserved a place for herself there.

In short, Serenity helped many innocent people in her life, but she also harmed some of them.she is not proud of everything she does, but she tries to live with it.

SHe thinks She totally deserves to be in hell. Yes, she may have done good, but she affected some people's lives badly and she thinks it is good that she is punished for it.

-

As for the meeting between Alastor and Serenity.There are reasons why Alastor doesn't recognize Serenity, other than Serenity's appearance changing.Serenity is someone who has changed a lot since Alastor died. Alastor last saw her when she was 17 years old, and although the person in front of him now has similarities with the person he saw before, they are just as much Different

So, while Serenity was trying to reconnect with Alastor, she realized how much she had changed.

Serenity thinks she doesn't deserve to be Redeemed. She's already used to Hell and she thinks she definitely doesn't deserve Heaven. And there are people in hell that she love, she dont want to leave them.But still want to try if it is possible. She is there not for himself but to watch those around her and maybe help them on their journey. The reason she went to the hotel was to get to know Charlie and help her achieve her goal. Help someone who is trying to do something she couldn't do while she was alive.

---

Hell is a terrible place to trust anyone, and Serenity knows this. The only person Serenity trusts is her clan,but she is the one who raised them.

But over time, Serenity began to trust Constantine.

Constantine is different from the others in hell Serenity knows that Constantine is true to his word and knows that he will not betray her.Because Constantine has no reason to do such a thing.

The two currently have a 7 years-long partnership and a friendship that has been slowly building, and they both respect that.According to Serenity, in his own way, Constantine seriously showed Serenity that he cared about her.

In short, Constantine is now one of the rare people outside of Serenity's clan that she trusts and calls him friend, and she really cares about Constantine and loves spending time with him. And she trusts him because she knows Constantine will not betray her.

---

First of all, thank you for your questions and I hope I answered well! (Sorry for the length) And I'm so happy to hear that you really like Serenity! And the World's greatest actor animation is my favorite too It beautifully summarizes the identity crisis that Serenity is experiencing and her contradiction with herself and her relationship with the people around her.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!❤️❤️❤️ And wish you a good day too!🌸🌸

[hawkinshighdropout]

The Weigh Down.

Pairing: Eddie Munson x (female) Reader

Summary: You are working on overdrive at all times, pushing yourself beyond your limits as keeping busy was the only way you could keep those negative thoughts at bay. It all comes crashing down around you when another panic attack hits, your boyfriend Eddie tries to sail you through the storm.

Warnings: No major warnings, the theme of this is mental health and anxiety so if that triggers you, please give this a miss. This is just angst/fluff content. Unless you count a couple of curse words as needing a warning? Idk, I haven’t written fanfics in like 8 years so I’m a little rusty…

Note/Request: Requested by anonymous. “Hi!! I loved your fic ab Eddie with the s/o with anxiety and just shutting down it really hit home for me. Recently I’ve been working myself too hard and not taking any breaks and I know I have been, but I feel useless if I’m not doing something. When I’m not doing anything it sends me into a panic attack. Could you write something ab Eddie with a gf who goes thru this sorta thing? It would be such a comfort to me to imagine Eddie helping his love through an anxiety attack. If you’re not comfortable writing it no worries at all! but if you are thank you so much in advance 💜”

Word Count: 2k

Send me prompts to write about!

“Babe, will you sit down?!” Eddie groans, looking up from his magazine to see you scurrying around the room of his trailer as you tidy up after yourselves.

Eddie normally lived in a bit of a mess, and you learned to deal with it, but times like these when your anxiety was already high? You had to busy yourself with cleaning as a distraction. You just needed a mindless task to be getting on with to keep you out of your own head for a little while.

His voice crackles through the mild disassociation, causing you to look across at him with a puzzled look on your face, hands currently in the process of throwing away his recycling into the designated sack in your other palm.

Stopping in your tracks, mid motion of throwing away a bottle, you huff. “Ed, this place is a mess, the least I could do is clean some of it up, it’s getting ridiculous.”

“That can be done another day, you don’t need to always be doing something, you can just sit back and relax, it’s not a crime.” Eddie rolls his eyes fondly, closing his magazine and focusing across at you whilst you stay frozen in time.

“I need to get it done now!” you snap, completely unintentionally.

Eddie looked up at you with wide eyes, you never snapped at him. The room suddenly became filled with tension and Eddie felt as if he was now needing to walk on eggshells to avoid pissing you off any further.

Slowly raising from the bed, he takes the couple of steps towards you to close the gap, choosing his words carefully before he cupped your cheek to comfort you.

“What’s this all about, hm?” he asks tenderly, searching your eyes for an explanation.

It took seconds before your eyes filled with tears and Eddie’s arms suddenly wrapped around your own in a supportive embrace, shushing you affectionately as he pressed multiple kisses to the very top of your head. He still had no idea what was going on, it had gone zero to one hundred in seconds, but he figured he would support you now, ask questions later.

His fingers cupping the back of your head as his fingernails would scratch your scalp lovingly, you grip the sides of his shirt to make sure he didn’t pull away, rubbish bag dropping to your feet in an instant.

Your sudden crying only got worse from there, you hiccup, get all snotty, hyperventilate a little and truly struggle to breathe or grasp onto full sentences at all. You knew this routine, it was the start of your panic attack rearing it’s complex head. You had seen the warning signs the past couple of hours, the dissociation, the mood swings, the fidgeting, the increased levels of resting anxiety, all of which had come to this violent crescendo.

Eddie had witnessed this before, he was used to assisting you through them, but they didn’t ever not catch him by surprise. You were good at masking them or masking the build up to them at least, you couldn’t hide the main event.

“I’m only good for something when I’m being helpful…” you manage to hiccup out after a short amount of time, your words stinging his chest as he truly felt for you, squeezing you tighter.

“That’s not true, sweetheart. You’re great the way you are, even if you’re just sitting about and giving yourself the time and space to relax. You have a crazy intense schedule, you don’t need to come home and work overdrive, you’re going to burn out… Like this,” he mumbles into your hair.

“But, things need to be done, Eddie! I need to get them done!” you cry out in despair.

“Baby, they will get done. Just not right now, and not by you.” He comforts you, doing his best to make sure that he isn’t being too dismissive and making things worse for you.

“I’m only useful when I’m being useful,” you whimper, face hidden in his chest.

“Honey, listen to me. You need to stop putting the value of your worth on the level of your productivity. You have a lot on your plate at all times, wearing yourself into the ground isn’t going to benefit anyone. Do you really think I wanna see you getting worked up like this over a few water bottles? No. You need to go to school, yes. You need to do homework, yes. You need to eat, shower, drink water, yes. Those are the things you have to do, anything else? Those things can wait, those things aren’t meant to be sink or swim, anything outside of the things that keep you alive are optional.” He coos, stroking your back in soothing circles.

You stay silent and let him talk, taking long and shallow breaths as you were trying to soothe the hyperventilating and to calm down your breathing. You always appreciated his kind words, but you couldn’t think rationally in times like these. Attacks like this just trap your rational thought in a wooden box and throw away the key, leaving only fear and dizziness to remain, it was debilitating.

“Do you have a list of the things you needed to do today?” he asks, pulling back to look down at you, kissing your forehead in the process as you give a small nod.

“Can I see the list please, sweetheart?” he asks, another nod from you. You retract one hand from around him to fish a small notepad page from your pocket, passing it to your boyfriend and giving him the chance to read it over.

“Okay, so what we’re gonna do is this; you are going to get in my bed, put on my shirt ‘cause I know it soothes you, and you’re gonna listen to the mixtape I made you and I’ll bring you the ice pack to hug just like we practise, yes? I’ll get these chores all tended to, you just sit back and take a breather, okay?” he offers, cupping your chin in his hands and tilting your head up before pecking your lips lightly.

“No, Ed. I… I need to do them,” you whimper, “I don’t want you doing everything for me, then I’ll just feel like more of a burden sitting here whilst you work your ass off, just… let me” you plead.

“Baby girl, no. Listen to me, okay? I will take care of this list, you take care of your pretty little self, okay? The world isn’t going to crumble just because a Munson has been put in charge of a checklist, I’m perfectly capable.” He offers a smug grin, tugging a quiet giggle from you.

You were too exhausted to put up much of a fight, once all the adrenalines had left your body it made you feel depleted and drained. A massive part of you still wanted to argue your case and be the one to complete the tasks you intended, but you knew that in this state that you would only become more worked up and flustered, worsening your cycle.

Eddie went to his closet and tugged out one of his shirts that you adored, assisting you in changing out of your own and into his, guiding you back towards his bed. Tucking you in under the sheets, he disappears for a moment before coming back with an ice pack, placing it on the centre of your chest, a trick he learned to aid the relief of tension during panic attacks like this. Scooping up your Walkman, Eddie changes the cassette to be one filled with your favourite tunes, placing it on your head and hitting play as he kissed your forehead.

He promises to be back shortly, starting the process of cleaning down your checklist. Things included were sort recycling, get more groceries, return study books to the library, and get out the new ones you needed, get a tire change on the van you and Eddie shared, and finally? Make dinner for you both. He could see why you were overwhelmed, you considered all of these small tasks such a large priority that of course back-to-back these would sound daunting to anyone needing to complete them.

Many hours pass before Eddie is coming back through the front door of the trailer, you were sleeping peacefully thanks to the weight of the world that Eddie had removed from your shoulders earlier on. He had done everything on your checklist, it might have taken him longer than you could have done it in, but you weren’t even going to mention that you were just so grateful that he had come and saved the day.

“Wakey wakey, sleepy head.” He whispers as he shuts the bedroom door behind himself, setting his pile of goods on the end of the bed as he tugs off his jacket to get comfortable.

With a reluctant groan, you blink your eyes open and glance in the direction of your man, who was only illuminated by the streetlights seeping through the window. Sitting up in your bed, you place the now-warm ice pack on the nightstand and rub the sleep out of your eyes, yawning a little as you smile tiredly at your excited puppy of a human.

“Okay, so, listen up!” he starts, clapping his palms together just once to get your attention with a grin on his lips, he was clearly very proud of himself, “I took your books back to the library and got the ones you need for class,” he starts, patting the small pile he placed on the bed, “tires are all fixed up, recycling is all outside to be collected, I got a small amount of groceries to keep us going until you are mentally up for coming with me to pick things, annnnnnd,” he says the last word in prolonged sing-song tone, “I got pizza!”

Your stomach groans when you see that there’s a large pizza box at the end of the bed next to the books he had gotten for you, not having had time to eat today due to the stress and sickness you felt, you were glad he had found a good option for dinner.

“You really did it all, hm?” you ask, in mild disbelief that he was able to get through every single task without even calling you once to query something. He nods, sliding the books closer to allow you to read the titles, proving they were the right ones, the corners of your lips curling up into a fond smile.

“Yup! We Munsons are adaptable and reliable!” he laughs to himself, eliciting a giggle from you.

“Thank you, Eddie… Really, thank you.” You start, but he interrupts you with a few sweet kisses to your lips. He didn’t do things for the praise and recognition, he just wanted to ease your struggles and take care of you.

“Hush, princess. I’d do anything for you.” He smiles, kissing you once more.

Your face was bright red from his attention, truly you should be used to it now, but you weren’t ever going to get used to the fact that your boyfriend was a borderline saint. You watch as he’s moving the books somewhere safer, tugging off his jeans and slipping into bed alongside you before he settles the pizza box across both of your laps.

“…. Extra pineapple?” you query about the pizza in front of you.

“Yes, my gorgeous little weirdo, it has extra pineapple.” He snorts, kissing your cheek before he tears off a slice for each of you, tapping the tips of the pizza together in a ‘cheers/toast’ kind of way, making you giggle before you sink your teeth into it with a content groan.

“I love you, Munson.” Your mouth full as you smile brightly up at him.

“Right back at ya, doll.” He smiles, nudging his shoulder with your own fondly.

[auspicioustidings]

Hi!! So I absolutely love your little fanfic ‘Kiss In Payment’ it’s the most darling thing ever!

I don’t know if your taking suggestions, but I had the cutest idea for a continuation prompt!

Maybe one of the characters like Kate Lasswell or maybe John Price gets the reader some candy or sweets and makes sure to gift it to them in front of the others characters, and the reader is just soo happy and bubbly because they haven’t been gifted sweets for awhile!

And then maybe it becomes a cute little competition where the characters keep giving the reader new sweets and the reader is just so happy to accept all of them!

And you know continue to give them sweet and shy little kisses to the characters, I think it would be so funny if the characters get all blushy and flustered yet so prideful when the reader accepts their gifts and gives them kisses!

Idk I just had the random idea and I thought you would do the most amazing job to write it! 💕🌟

You are adorable birdie and I can only hope I have done this idea justice! This had not been proof read at all, sorry 🫠

Art of Warfare

Words: 1.7k

It was really a declaration of all out war. Absolute provocation is what it was, unjustifiable, would make the Geneva Convention cry.

“I didn't even know they did these anymore John!” you cried in absolute delight at the little ton of lemon drops that Price had just put on the counter for you.

They were so nostalgic, you remembered growing up there was always a tin in the front of the car. God you hadn't seen one of these tins since you were a kid. You had mentioned them in passing weeks ago, for him to have not only remembered but hunted them down for you? If you weren't already fairly certain you were in love with this man then the final nail was really in the coffin now.

You couldn't hold in your gratitude, launching yourself into his arms, your own looping around his neck and he spun you around with a laugh. His hat got knocked off by the force but he didn't really mind, he was too busy trying to fight the ferocious blush trying to glow on the tops of his cheeks.

“They're only lemon drops luv, I'll get you a hundred more tins if you want them” he said as he stopped spinning you and let you down to rest your tiptoes on his feet, his arms holding your waist.

Your brain was turning to a puddle this close to him and you tucked your face into his shoulder, hoping that if you weren't looking at him it might make things easier. Only now you could smell him, that deep cigar smoke mixed with a woody cologne that was just so perfectly John Price.

He knew that he couldn't keep you here forever with your breath so close to his throat and your body pressed to his without it having noticeable effect on him, but he took what he could get in the meantime, rubbing his jaw against your head and shooting a mean spirited grin of victory over to the others.

Well if that is how he wanted to play it he wouldn't be able to complain when his team proved just how well he had taught them the art of warfare.

-

Soap was prepared, he had a mission and he was going to execute. He had not considered the presence of a filthy traitor in his midst. This was beyond what was tolerable, this was such a bitter betrayal that he thought he may never trust again.

“I knew you would love them mi corazon, I wonder what you think would work for payment.”

You laughed and put down the box of chilli covered mango slices that you were incredibly excited to try so you could press a shy peck to his lips. It was still nerve wracking every time you worked up the courage to kiss someone but you tried your hardest not to immediately look away, instead just smiling sweetly up at him.

Rudy was absolute toast. He could not keep it together at all with you looking at him like that right after kissing him. He had mostly been joking, too used to Los Vaqueros where they would have laughed and repaid him by spear tackling him and wrestling him on the ground if he had made a comment like that.

Soap was livid and hoped Rudy simply melted into the ground so he could cover him in paper towels and then throw those paper towels into the sea. The man was only here because Soap had asked him for Mexican candy with the express intention that he would be the one to give it to you. And Rudy had went and stabbed him right in the back so he could get a sweet little kiss from you.

He didn't even deserve it either! If Soap had been the one on the receiving end he'd have played with you like he was so sure you would like, licked at your lips until you let him inside. It got him flustered just thinking about how cute and flustered you would be about it.

In the end you went off about your day and him and Rudy were stuck there locked in place for the next the minutes trying to calm down.

"She is a good kisser hermano."

"Away an' biel yer heid."

-

Ghost did not hate Johnny, he could never really hate Johnny. But if he didn't finish the job next time he was going to find Ghost an unforgiving Lieutenant.

He bristled watching Philip bloody Graves of all people explaining the different types of pralines in the stupid little box you were looking at with such glee. He should have known it wouldn't be long until he would come sniffing back around after he had met you the first time. That big Austrian has been useless at pretending to be your boyfriend to warn him off, man was too flustered for it to ever seem real.

It should have been him. If they had let Ghost “fake” date you then he could guarantee Graves would not be smiling at you the way he was doing. He would not have shown up in what Ghost could tell was probably his nicest jeans and shirt to try and charm you with his stupid “lil darlin’”s.

“Better watch sweetheart, don't want to contaminate your counter with any peanuts.”

You turned to see Simon and then panicked a little, thinking he was absolutely right. You'd need to stash these away in your living space immediately and not have them around the kitchen at all. They were properly boxed up but to be safe you'd need to deep clean.

Graves could only glower at how you immediately went into kitchen hygiene mode, thanking him politely in a rush before clearing away his gift to another room. Was it so terrible of him to want one soft little thing for himself?

“Ghost.”

“Graves.”

Neither budged, the attention of the whole shop firmly on the silent showdown between these two men as they glared daggers at one another, only to snap immediately into fondness when you returned before you could see their animosity.

“I'm really excited to try them later! Simon did you want tea?”

Ah screw it, he couldn't really help himself. Graves watched with no end of jealously and the rest of the shop watched with no end of fond amusement as Simon pulled you in and kissed you hard and fast, leaving you absolutely spinning with the explosion of butterflies in your stomach.

You only barely managed not to faint, going bright red and mumbling about getting his tea right away before stumbling your way to the kitchen.

“Ghost, that was not nice.”

“But it was satisfying.”

–

Honestly Farah could not believe how brainless her silly boys got from such simple affection from you. At least she was sort of keeping it together, but Alex and Gaz were just gone.

Kyle had filled them in when they had come to visit, told them all about the silent little war happening since Price had gotten you those lemon drops. She had been the one to propose they work as a team on this. Unlike Soap and Rudy, they could share.

Alex and Kyle had wanted to go for some expensive box of something, Farah knew better. You didn't actually care what you were being given, it was the fact that they were thinking of you that made you smile. So even though it was just a packet of werther's originals, you had been delighted. You treated it in the same level as you and when Keegan had brought you some handmade chocolate from the States (and swiftly denied to anyone that he had given you a gift at all), when Gromsko bought one of pretty much every Polish candy on the market it seemed like, when Calisto had travelled straight from Paris to give you macarons straight from her favourite bakery (Farah had to keep an eye on that one, she was sly as anything when it came to you).

She had moved out of the way to let you through yourself into a hug with the boys first, one arm over each of them. When you pressed your lips to Gaz's cheek, and then Alex's? Oh they were gone, totally turned to goo and gripping at each other to try and not let the cuteness aggression take over lest they attack you.

That was the plan after all, meant when you turned to thank Farah she not only had a captive audience, but they were helpless to do anything but watch as she turned her head to accept her kiss on the lips.

Farah really never met a war she wasn't determined to win.

–

It took the whole weekend and a boatload of help from the book club and (surprisingly) the D&D group, but you could not wait to give all your homemade little treats out. Maybe you'd earn some kisses of your own.