#is something that has potential since they've known each other for a long fucking time

[thewhumpcaretaker]

What r ur thoughts on HopelesslyDevoted(Chidi x Vincent)? :3 they’re sooo doomed bodyguard x boss yaoi

I HAVE. SO MANY. THOUGHTS.

Once again you poisoned my brain, thank you. Ever since that gorgeous fic...dang. Well, now I can yap about it!

TW: mentions of drug use and an abusive family, and NSFW stuff

Okay so first of all, let's think about the nature of a personal bodyguard in the JW universe. This is not just anyone who has the necessary qualifications. This has to be someone who is willing to die for you and who absolutely will not betray. (I believe Gianna picked Cassian for that reason but that's another story). So Chidi did something for Vincent that proved he would be loyal to the death.

What did he do? I think he was a Myrmadon who was serving under Vincent's father, back when Vincent was younger (around college-age). So they've known each other for a long time - it's actually sort of a friends-to-lovers situation. He was around Vincent, but not allowed to speak to him most of the time - or at least, it would have been awkward to do so. He just watched him from afar and became very fond of him, and they talked occasionally. At some point, perhaps during an attack by a rival family, Chidi was ordered to focus on defending property or another De Gramont family member but he disobeyed and saved Vincent's life instead. You could even go so far as to say that he saved Vincent's life instead of his father's - that would be a lot of drama. In any case, he expected to be executed for what he did, but instead, Vincent made him his personal bodyguard.

Why is Chidi so in love loyal? Because he's thoroughly charmed by Vincent. He admires him in every way. Here is a man who's breathtakingly beautiful, wildly charismatic, intelligent, talented...don't get him started on it honestly, because he could praise Vincent forever. Vincent is also more social than Chidi could ever be (this is very much an extrovert-adopts-an-introvert situation). He sees Vincent's more potentially negative characteristics too, such as his pride and arrogance, but doesn't see them as flaws. He's also one of the few people who has really seen what Vincent has been through on a personal level. They don't often talk about it, but he witnessed Vincent being mistreated by his family pretty frequently and it made him massively protective. He gets why his bien-aimé is like this.

How did Vincent fall in love? Initially, Vincent mistreated Chidi a lot. He saw someone who was hopelessly devoted to him and thought, "What a fool. Well, at least I can use him." He never did anything really awful, but he was generally rude and mocking, didn't give Chidi any breaks when working, exploded at him in anger, that kind of thing. But over time, little moments of vulnerability happened that a bodyguard inevitably sees. Being tired after a long day. Getting sick. Breaking down after an argument. And Chidi always went out of his way to make sure Vincent was comfortable in moments like that. Vincent slowly started to notice. He also noticed things that he admired about Chidi - his calmness, his determination, his emotional intelligence, his skills with not just fighting, but also cooking and even sewing (idk why but I think he likes to sew and sewed a button back on for Vincent during a fashion emergency at some point). Eventually Vincent started to wonder and secretly hope that there could be something between them, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything - it would mean too much to him to have someone who genuinely cares for him. He didn't dare to confess his feelings and test whether it was true.

So instead he started fucking him, oops! Just casually. For fun. Because they're both hot. Definitely nothing more than that...next thing you know, they're married.

Miscellaneous Things:

They’re both good at fencing and sometimes they spar together. Chidi always lets Vincent win.

Chidi always reminds Vincent that it’s his job to take care of his health in all ways, including mentally and in terms of keeping him clean from drugs.

Chidi service top!!!!

Their relationship is part of the reason why the High Table is so queer accepting - Vincent is the most influential member other than the Elder himself, and he wasn’t going to put up with any nonsense about him and Chidi being together - happy pride!!

[ithoughticouldwrite]

Can we get Larissa and Marilyn relationship headcanons, please, if no one has asked already?

Maybe how it started and other general relationship stuff?

Note: Going to preface this with the fact that I don’t ship this, however, I do enjoy the ship. Small difference. This doesn’t mean don’t ask me about it though!

And this will likely go more into au territory as, in my opinion, it wouldn’t work that well within the canon of the show unless quite a few things changed. Now that I’ve said all of that, let’s get into it.

Larissa Weems x Marilyn Thornhill Headcanons/ Rambles (w/ spoilers)

Larissa hired Marilyn at first just as an attempt to foster good relationships between outcasts and normies, Nevermore Academy and Jericho. Marilyn would’ve known this.

As the principal Larissa wouldn’t be able to just ignore Marilyn like the rest of the faculty appears to do, so all of the beginning interactions are pretty forced.

One hell of a slowburn. Oh my gods. This is not a relationship that just happens. You're here for the long haul or you're not here at all. (I'm probably gonna speed through it tho cause this a hc/ ramble post, not an entire fic lol)

Marilyn just wants Larissa to like her and genuinely accept her. Sure she's accepted as a teacher but again...that's mostly just for other reasons.

They both develop a respect for the other's work ethic and determination over time though and that's...it, for awhile.

It's likely that it's that mutual respect that leads to a somewhat stable friendship.

Somewhat stable friendship leads to more mutual trust, which leads to actual friendship, and in turn leads conversations not work related. Personal subjects. Learning about each other. You know, typical gateway stuff to either being just best friends or one wanting the other to push them against the wall and kis-....nevermind.

Marilyn has these thoughts first, for sure, but it's early and she can tell that these feelings are not reciprocated.

Larissa knows something is up but given that they're friends now, probably best friends, she doesn't pry. It'd feel wrong, and it's not like the feelings are getting in the way of either of their jobs so...eh.

Marilyn feels like she's walking on thin ice and as though as any significant mistake could undo all of the progress made between the two women, and included in that list of potential mistakes is confessing that she thinks she fallen for Larissa. She hasn't at this point it's more of an infatuation but still.

Marilyn's infatuation dies down eventually but it leaves behind genuine love.

Larissa would start to reciprocate this love before realizing that she's getting genuinely close to someone (again) and no matter if we go with her and Gomez, Morticia, or both, she's going to be resistant to the new whatever their relationship is becoming no matter what.

So she distances herself, going back to primarily professional interactions, which makes Marilyn worry she's fucked up. She hasn't but she's worried about it.

When Wednesday shows up they both have to put whatever mess they've got going on off to the side to make sure shit doesn't hit the fan, which fails, but still.

Shit hitting the fan actually pushes them to interact with each other more which, in turn, leads to them having to acknowledge their feelings for each other.

It all comes to a head at the Rave'N when Marilyn asks Larissa if she was excited about hers, and of course Larissa opens up about only remembering disappointment since Gomez chose to ask Morticia to it and not her....and then, y'know, ✨murder✨ happened.

They talk a little bit more and Larissa can almost swear the punch has been spiked, so she asks Marilyn to watch it for a bit while she goes somewhere else in the room to watch the students.

The whole paint revenge happens and of course Larissa is distraught, and everyone goes back to their dorms while she waits for the police and Noble to figure out what happened and why it happened.

Once all of that is figured out she'd go back to her office/room, still upset. (sidenote: I'm convinced that her bedroom is connected to her office).

After Marilyn gets back from everything with Eugene and Wednesday she goes to tell Larissa about what just happened as best she can.

Now Larissa is surprised that anyone came to her office at this time of night, as everyone was undoubtedly still shaken up from the events of the night. She's happy to see Marilyn though, almost happy enough to get up and hug her. She didn't see the other woman at all during the final events of the night and was worried she'd been the monster's next victim.

Professionalism? Yeah that's thrown out the window here as Marilyn decides her paperwork can wait and ,although she'd feel bad for interrupting Larissa doing her own paperwork, it wouldn't stop her from rushing over and hugging the other.

They'd probably hug for so long that Larissa lets Marilyn sit down on her lap just so she can hold her closer, professional relationship be damned.

The stress of the night and the relief of seeing each other would probably make them confess their feelings to each other.

It feels like forever passes before they let go of each other, going to their respective bedrooms, and calling it a night (well after Larissa finishes her paperwork. She ain't letting that go unfinished).

The next day whenever the both of them has a chance, they talk about the night before to figure out if they both meant what they said. If they in Larissa's office, which they probably are, they share a cautious kiss, not actually kissing until they're sure the other is okay with/ wants it.

Larissa does have to work through her own feelings of being in love with a normie, and Marilyn with an outcast, but they work through them both on their own and together.

General Relationship Things

Y'know that picture of one woman straddling the other while doing her makeup? Larissa is on the bottom and Marilyn is straddling her.

Lots of romantic stuff behind closed doors in order to keep a professional appearance on the outside...although they smile more at each other than in other teachers.

They do each other's hair. I'm right and I know it.

Sitting in each other's offices while one does paperwork and such, and the other grades homework.

Matching. Pajamas. Idk why or how but that thought just fit them.

Dates out in Jericho disguised as work meetings with a different atmosphere.

Late night walks together, and definitely some kisses as long as no students are around.

Promise. Rings.

They definitely have those magnetic necklaces that connect with each other to form a heart. I considered bracelets but it'd be much easier to hide a necklace with their outfits.

Larissa listening to Marilyn ramble and infodump about plants.

Marilyn listening to Larissa talk about various famous outcasts throughout history.

They know each other's Weathervane orders in case only one of them has the time to go out to it.

Extra Thoughts

Now there's definitely an area of conflict here, and it's the fact that Marilyn Thornhill is Laurel Gates, an outcast hating bigot. If we roll with that thought, and her plans for Nevermore with Tyler Galpin/the Hyde and Joseph Crackstone, who's to say she wouldn't be prepared to betray her own feelings for the beliefs she was raised with? That she wouldn't stab Larissa anyway and push down the guilt, crying before going to target Wednesday and the rest of the kids at the academy?

She could also decide not to go through with her plans after all, after a lot thinking, but still kill Noble Walker as he was about to uncover her secrets anyway. Sure the prophecy can't happen is Wednesday isn't there, but it also can't happen if Marilyn decides that she doesn't want to do it. Tyler wouldn't be able to force her to do anything either as he's under her control.

I don't think she'd come clean to Larissa about anything either, choosing to keep everything in the dark. It'd be easier that way.

Although let's say Laurel Gates is someone that Marilyn is working with instead. Under this idea Tyler could be a Nevermore student (if Hyde's aren't banned, obviously) and Marilyn unlocked him for his own safety, and she could've simply been manipulated into helping with the plan. Marilyn subtly outs her for this, leaving evidence where Wednesday can obviously find it and put things together.

Would all that information coming to light hurt Marilyn's relationship with Larissa? Without a doubt, however, since Marilyn was manipulated into things I can see them going to therapy about it separately and together until they've moved past it. Larissa would also pull some strings so Tyler is expelled for murdering people, as a favor to Marilyn and for Tyler's late mother, regardless of whether or not she knew her personally.

I wrote this all in one go. No editing.

Thanks for ask anon!

[fangzeronos]

Fires and Starlight Ch. 4

Shallura/Kacxa/Punk

Krolia watched as the Lions flew off, sighing as she set the knife in her belt. She walked back into the cave and walked over to the wall, pulling the other Blades’ knives out of the wall, laying them on a ripped piece of curtain.

 “You know that’s useless,” she heard. Krolia let her eyes drift over to Kolivan who was stoking a fire. “It’s useless to gather those Blades. They’ll never react for anyone again.”

 “So?” Krolia asked. “Just because they won’t react to their owners, does not mean we cannot make a grave for each of our friends, Kolivan. Our fallen Brothers. We can’t let their deaths be plaques on a madman’s wall.”

 Kolivan fell silent. He stared into the fire and added a few more small planks, sighing softly. “We thought you two were dead,” he said. “We searched the area the Castle was last seen for a phoeb, hoping to find something. When we didn’t…we declared you and Keith dead, hung a memorial for the both of you in the base. Sylis, he spoke highly of Keith. Said he was one of the best partners on any mission he’d ever had. Everyone…everyone spoke of you like you were a god, Krolia. Their deaths…I heard several saying “Krolia, watch for us in the Spirit’s embrace” as they died. I can’t…imagine what they thought when you didn’t greet them.”

 Krolia sighed softly, picking up Sylis’ knife and sitting beside Kolivan, staring into the fire. “Kolivan…I am sorry. We didn’t expect to be sent three deca-phoebes into the future. When the rifts closed, we thought it was all normal until Acxa—”

 “Pah. The general of Lotor’s? That little girl has no business helping the Coalition. She deserves to die like the rest of the Empire,” Kolivan said, shaking his head.

 “She saved our lives on Zethrid’s ship, Kolivan. She and Keith…are the best damn partners I’ve ever seen since you and I were—” Krolia stopped, her hands clenched. “You can’t get your disdain and hatred for the Empire unclouded from your eyes, old friend. Acxa is one of the few people in this Universe I would still trust.”

 “Who were the rest?” Kolivan asked.

 “Sylis, Kess, Aliu, Prita, Thace, Ulaz, Antok, Vekt, Wiju, Haik. My brothers in arms in the Blades, Kolivan. And you,” Krolia said. “Or did you forget the two hundred deca-phoebes we spent together when you trained me to be a Blade?” She put her hand on Kolivan’s arm, sighing softly. “Kolivan. We’re all that’s left. You, me, Keith. We have to bring the Blades back.”

 “How?” Kolivan asked.

 “The same way we started them,” she said. “Together. These knives will react for others. It’s happened in the past. Our brothers and sisters’ legacies will live on, but…they can’t without our help.” She turned and moved her hand, putting it on Kolivan’s cheek. “Please. I can’t…I can’t do this without you, Kolivan.”

 Kolivan sighed softly. He knew Krolia was right, but after the last three deca-phoebes he wasn’t sure he’d be an effective leader anymore. “Can we even do this, Krolia?” he asked. “Find the men and women that can fill our ranks again and help stop the Empire? It’s in shambles after Lotor’s disappearance.”

 “We can, Kolivan,” Krolia whispered. “We have to. The Paladins need our strength.” Standing up, she walked back over to the wall and continued pulling the blades out and wrapping them. “So many fallen brothers and sisters. We will make sure your legacies live on.”

 Over the next months, with recruiting new members into the Blades, Krolia and Kolivan made their way to Earth, seeing Sendak’s ship fall from the atmosphere. Making her way into the hospital when she found out from Commander Holt where her son was, Krolia walked in like she owned the place, nobody daring to mess with the clearly worried and angry pair coming through the halls.

 Sitting on the edge of Keith’s bed and taking her son’s hand, Kolivan moved and sat against the window. “Wake up,” Krolia whispered, rubbing Keith’s hand. “You’re not allowed to die yet, you hear me? You’ve got a life to live, Keith. You don’t get to leave me yet.”

 Kolivan smiled softly, reaching over and taking Krolia’s hand and squeezing softly. “He’ll be fine, my dear,” he said. “He’s stubborn like his mother is.”

 Krolia smiled softly, squeezing Kolivan’s hand back and nodded. “That is a quiznaking fact,” she said. “And he’s hardheaded like Texas was. And like you.”

Standing up, Kolivan walked over and wrapped his arm around Krolia’s shoulders, kissing her head. “He wouldn’t be one of our top Blades if he wasn’t hardheaded. He’s more determination in one hand then most of our Blades do in their entire body. I’m glad he’s alright. For a while, it felt like Keith was the closest thing I had to a son.”

 “And now he is your son,” Krolia said with a gentle smile, leaning up and kissing Kolivan softly. “Which is something we’ll have to discuss with him.”

 Kolivan smiled against Krolia’s lips. “In time, my dear. In time,” he said. “For now, let him rest and wake on his own. He’s had a long fight, and a war like that has earned him some well-deserved rest.”

 The two senior members of the Blades knew that in time, Keith would wake and be surprised by their presence, and Krolia was determined to sit and wait for the day her son’s eyes opened, something she enjoyed immensely when he was a baby. She moved and set his knife on the bedside table, leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on Keith’s forehead.

 “You’ve done well,” she whispered. “I’m so proud of you.”

[neversetyoufree]

On a more serious note about Domi and Noé and blood drinking, I do think there's something really interesting with how seeing memories (and the lack thereof) kinda symbolizes the state of genuine understanding and emotional intimacy between them.

The whole thing between Domi and Noé, after all, is that they're best friends. They've known each other since they were little kids, and due to his isolation, Domi seems to be Noé's only true close friend before Vanitas. He tells her everything, and she knows him better than anyone else.

However, despite their closeness, there is a lot of strange tension and miscommunication between them. They're both still hung up on the death of Louis (and what happened between them in the aftermath), but they're trying as hard as they can to act as though they've moved on from him. And there's also, of course, the issue of Domi's crush.

Then, with that backdrop, we have the blood drinking, and the particular way that Noé is drawn to Dominique. To put it in her words, Noé wants Domi's blood "simply because it isn't the first time he's had it." She appeals to him because he wants to drink blood, and he can drink hers without having to look at her memories. More specifically, he's comfortable drinking her blood because he's already done it before, and thus already had a look inside her head.

When Noé bites somebody and sees their memories, it creates a profound amount of intimacy between them. He's able to target what he looks for, like he did with Amelia, but he also has the potential to see every secret somebody has ever kept—every traumatic moment that's defined their life. It gives him the opportunity to truly understand someone in a way that few others ever could. And I think the way he relates this ability to his closest companions is emblematic of his relationships with them.

Vanitas is somebody that interests Noé. A huge driving force of their relationship is Noé's desire to unravel and understand him, even though Vanitas doesn't think he wants that understanding, and their relationship to Noé biting him reflects that. Noé desperately wants to bite Vanitas, but Vani will not let him.

Conversely, with Dominique, I think Noé has been (subconsciously, at least) running from understanding for a long time, and his relationship with drinking her blood reflects that.

On a fundamental level, Noé does not understand Domi. He's utterly oblivious toward her romantic feelings for him, and in his patented "let the problems slide off as though they don't exist" way, he's spent years not processing how fucked her relationship to him and Louis still is. He's been calling himself her dear friend, completely unaware that the person he knows and loves most is suicidal.

But how does he let this happen? How does he go so long by her side without ever looking deeper and catching a glimpse of her many problems? Because it is very easy to avoid understanding someone when you tell yourself that you already know them well. Vanitas begins as a stranger, so Noé has reason to look deeper at and examine him, but it's easy to tell himself that he doesn't have that same reason for Dominique.

He "doesn't need" to seek to understand her because she's already his best friend. He already "understands" her. He doesn't look at her memories because he's already drunk her blood, and thus already been inside her head.

And once again, I'm reminded of why Noé is drawn to Domi's blood in the first place. He's able to bite her without seeing her memories, and in doing so, he's able to avoid a part of himself that he deeply dislikes. His aversion to biting new people isn't just out of respect for others' boundaries, after all, but also out of a deep-seated discomfort with his own status as Archiviste. He always introduces himself with just his first name, and he seems vaguely uncomfortable whenever someone reveals his heritage, let alone when he's called upon to use his abilities. And more than that, we know from his little post-rejection flashback in chapter 23 that he's been directly made to feel strange and deviant as a kid because of his power.

Being made to acknowledge that he's an Archiviste makes Noé feel bad about himself, and so Domi provides him an opportunity to get something he wants (blood) without being made to confront that badness. And I think the overall nature of their relationship, the way he sort of ghosts along her surface without ever looking deeper, functions in much the same way.

If he were to ever truly examine Dominique and his relationship with her, there's a lot that could cause Noé some major distress. We get a good bit of this when Misha reveals that she wishes she'd died instead of Louis, and even though there are other things contributing to his reaction, it's clear that Noé is horrified by that revelation. He hates that someone he cares about feels that way, and if he looks any deeper into her, there's a lot more anguish to come.

After all, I think Noé is yet to come to terms with his own part in the mess of the Noé/Louis/Domi triangle. Because as much as he loves Domi as her own person, and as much as he's horrified by the suggestion he'd prefer her death, I do think there's a part of him that takes her as a substitute for her brother. His flashing to the memory of drinking Louis's blood right before he asks for hers makes it pretty clear that his relationship with Domi is filling a Louis-shaped hole in his life. And there is no way that untangling the mess of "my friend thinks I want to replace her with her dead brother, and I don't, because that's horrible, but I do sometimes see her as a substitute for him" can come without considerable pain.

So once again, the way that Noé approaches Domi's blood is also the way he approaches his relationship with her as a whole. He likes to drink her blood because he can have the physical intimacy (and good-tasting blood) without being forced to confront a part of himself that makes him uncomfortable. He likes his tenuously balanced friendship with her because he can have the benefits of a wonderful best friend without being forced to confront a part of himself (how unhealthy the foundations of their relationship really are) that would cause him great discomfort.

And a lot of this, even most of it, isn't even conscious on Noé's part. He is anything but callous, and I don't think he'd avoid examining a friend's pain to protect his own heart on purpose, but he is also completely unable to confront his own traumas. Anything but the very worst of what happened with Louis, which is simply too big an anguish to ignore, glances off of him like it doesn't exist. So the same mental walls that keep him from noticing when he should be bothered by others' treatment of him also keep him from noticing what's wrong with Dominique, and he continues on in a state of perpetual ignorance.

Noé's unhealthy coping mechanisms keep him from understanding his dearest friend, but in the same way that he can only drink her blood without seeing because he's been drinking it since they were kids, he can only get away with not looking closely at her because they're already best friends.

[mintmoth]

We all know that Kalim is a literal sunshine baby with the biggest heart and the cutest, sweetest smile (for which, of course, we absolutely adore him). But I'm wondering, what do you think is the ONE thing that gets Kalim REALLY angry? And what do you think the other's reactions to that would be? (Especially Jamil, like has he ever seen Kalim hit his limit before or would this be a first-time experience for him too?)

Honestly I think the number one way to make Kalim genuinely angry is to endanger his friends. Like I know we had this happen with Jamil in book 4 but he was in shock of it all initially, and also Jamil himself is Kalim's closest friend so he was mostly just.. really concerned with Jamil and wanting him to be safe

VAGUE SPOILERS FOR THE END OF BOOK 5

So we do get to see Kalim genuinely alarmed and angry at the end of book 5 after one of his friends has their life endangered in a potentially very fatal way. And YEAH he's speaking urgently with a lower and flatter tone because Kalim is incredibly angry about the entire incident (until things progress and that anger turns to fear)

BUT it just really makes me feel like that's the one big thing that would make him outwardly show himself being angry. His friends being in genuine danger, be it by their own reckless hands or by another's. Kalim is a character who is intensely fueled by his care and compassion for others, and a lot of what he does is motivated directly from that. It's one of the strongest parts to him, which is funny because so many other characters see this as nothing more then a weakness of his

He's a character who's acutely aware that he could die at any time and has had more then enough brushes with death to be INCREDIBLY traumatized- but he just copes with this by being really focused on the Here and Now. He wants to have fun and make people happy and meet everything and everyone with a smile. The people he loves and their happiness are something he treats with a lot of importance, and thus their wellbeing and safety being threatened being something that would set him off just?? Makes sense to me??

As far as other people reacting to him actually being angry I think it's just that alarmed surprise you get when someone sweet finally snaps lmao. It makes you really take them seriously more then anything. Though Jamil has definitely seen Kalim angry before, especially with how long they've known each other- but I also feel like Kalim tends to also soften around Jamil, which we do also see after he gets angry in book 5, since as soon as Jamil shows up Kalim is back to speaking in his usual tone, though he's still alarmed. Despite everything that they've been through Jamil is someone who Kalim finds comforting and reassuring just by being near

But yeah fuck with his friends and he'll fuck you up (if you're not his friend too lmao)

[autumn-foxfire]

What Im thinking about today: BNHA n stigmatization of psychology.

The thing is, we as humans are very ready to help each other (most of the time). Thats why we try to rehabilitate prisoners, thats why we volunteer, thats why proffesions such as doctors, social workers and psychologists etc exist. I think we talked here before how most villains in the series havent been failed by heroes, they've been failed by societal safety nets that were meant to catch ppl like them, just like social workers try to catch endangered kids and psychologists try to catch people with mental problems.

Now i study psychology so ill concentrate on that. Obviously it depends from place to place but mental care is still very often looked down upon as 'something for crazy people.' I have personal expirience with that as when i suggested to my dad that maybe he should look into a psychologist too (after my brother started going to one) cuz he has some issues that he could use a hand dealing with, his response was 'what? But im not crazy'. I study psychology and he still often makes jokes about me treating crazy people in the future. I interviewd a school psychologist for a class and she told us that one of the first things she has to do in a school is get students to relax and feel comfortable coming to her with problems cuz there is a very clear stigma in everyones mind that asking for help with your mental problems is something bad, something wrong, something that means you are crazy, wierd, other and people do fear that stigmatization. Going to a psychologist doesnt mean you are crazy, it means you are having problems that you cant deal with on your own and that you need proffesional help with. Nothing more, nothing less. Those problems can be depression or they can be helping you to deal with lingering emotions from your divorce. Big or small, psychology is simply there to give you support and tools you need to feel good again. You wouldnt stigmatize someone for going to the doctor for a soar throat or cancer so you shouldnt stigmatize someone seeking p much the same help for mental illness.

But people still do because things ingrained in society are very very hard to uproot and things are going for the better with every generation but its a painfully slow process and there is no telling how many people fall through that net because they dont seek help when they still can because they think 'im not crazy im not gonna go to those mumbo junbo psychologist that mess with your head' which is very much like going 'im not gonna go to a doctor for my infected wound, they would mess with my body'. Untreated infections spread and get worse and people fall through.

This is what leads me back to bnha. We dont know exactly how long the world of quirks existed, i think i saw a post breaking it down to be for about 100-300 years but for the life of me i cant remember. We know its not terribly long. 100 years may seem long until you remember a single human can live to 100 years old. Now my question is, if a science such as psychology that has been present since like ancient greeks n egypt n stuff can still be stigmatized.

How accepted would quirk counseling be?

Lets not forget that quirks were heavily discriminated against in the begining, treated as monsterous and the other and the acceptence of them is still something fresh and more extreme mutations still face hate groups. Like its completly canon that there are people alive now in bnha whos parents or grandparents faced discrimination or died because of quirk discrimination (cough redestro cough).

Imagine being Togas parents.

Your child displays a quirk like that. You still have in memory your parent or grandparent who was discriminated and monsterized because of a similar quirk. Quirk counceling exists but why should you take your daughter there. Shes not a monster, this isnt something you should get someone else involved with, its a family matter and what do those counselors know anyway, they will treat your daughter as a monster and make everything worse. You can handle this yourself, you can teach her to supress it. Shes not a monster.

The wound festers.

This especially goes hard for japan whos big on the keeping things in the family aspect and not discracing the family. The stigma is still fresh in the memory and you dont want to be that family whos kid goes to quirk counseling. You shut the doors, you shut the windows, you deal with it within the family.

I think that while quirk counseling exists in bnha, it would most likely be seen as something thats shameful to atend, a admitance that you dont have control over your own quirk. Your friends might say 'what the fuck man why are you going there, you arent a monster' even if a quirk that has negative effects should be treated as shortsighted eyes that need glasses. Just because it doesnt function well, doesnt mean its bad. But well stigmatization of disabled is a whole nother thing our society also has problems with and that also connects to bnha (cough aoyama cough). I think thats why its so easy for people in bnha to fall through those safety nets. I do belive they exist but they are new, probably not the most super effective as most new things tend to be and are probably looked down upon.

And hate to break it to shiggy and the crew but thats the kind of a problem that can only be fixed my longterm education and normalization of asking for help rather then burning the systhem to the ground.

I hope that made sense i always get a little loopy with my points when i write a long one fgdgff

No, it makes sense.

Mental health is still stigmatized everywhere, even here in the UK where we’re supposed to have some of the best health care available (which is debatable). To bring something a little personal into this, my flatmates and I were playing a guessing game where I had to describe a word with other descriptions being taboo (in my case it was headache) and as my flatmates know I suffer from chronic headaches, I said as a clue that it was something I get often. Well, a flatmate who was a little tipsy at the time who knows about my depression shouted depression to my other shocked flatmates (I didn’t mind, in fact I found it hilarious). But after we had all calmed down, one of my flatmates said something that stuck with me: “Maybe you shouldn’t overshare things”.

Now, I don’t see telling people I have depression as something I’m oversharing. It’s not private, it’s a mental health condition I suffer from that can kill me if it goes unchecked (before starting medication again, I was very suicidal). In fact, it benefits both me and my flatmates to know that I have depression just in case. And yet it was viewed as something that I was “oversharing”.

This attitude has only arisen because people treat mental health as something that is shameful and should only be known among family members. In fact, I had no clue that DASS (a disability service in uni) was actually also for mental health issues because we’ve been raised with people treating mental health as something “in our heads” and so isn’t as important as physical disabilities, it was only until my uni pointed out that it was there for every condition, physical and mental.

The point I’m making is that I can totally see mental health in BNHA be treated as a shameful secret. Japan doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to mental health anyway (don’t they have some of the highest suicide rates?) so it wouldn’t surprise me if the BNHA universe is the same. In fact, the only mental health issues we’ve seen in BNHA currently are the extreme examples of it such as Twice and Dabi’s mania.

I would love to see Horikoshi delve a little more into quirk counselling and the potential stigma behind it. I know it’s been brought up once or twice (UA treats it as something normal but as teachers who see mental health issues all the time, it’s no wonder that they do) but not enough in my opinion when it’s probably one of the most important stop gaps between making villains.

I don’t have much hope, admittedly, but it would be something fun to explore in fanon too!

[alicesloane13]

okay so your answer about the coping mechanisms and how they've figured it out but it took a lot of fights to get there (100% agree) made me suddenly want to ask about the angsty relationship asks. but not all of them, if you don't want, just the first 10-15 or whatever. :)

Had to break out my laptop and glasses for this one. 

1. do they have a lot of arguments? if so, over what?

They don’t argue a lot most of the time. Once they start though it seems like it’s one thing on top of the next. Neither mean to do it, but they both tend to keep score. Their fights always spiral into past mistakes and arguments etc. 

2. who apologizes first? in what way? is it hard for either of them to apologize?

Not in the beginning, but once they’re comfortable and settled: Emily apologizes with words. Andy apologizes in actions. Andy doesn’t like admitting that she’s wrong. Emily always apologizes first because of her own insecurities. 

3. which one has more insecurities? over what?

Emily does. Andy has a good supportive family so even when she struggles she has a strong foundation. Emily has been on her own for a while now. Both family wise and friend wise. She has very little faith that she can make a relationship work. It’s not just relationship insecurities though. She has a lot of insecurities about herself in general too. 

4. who gets more riled up? do they show their anger? 

I think they’re both pretty fiery and would have no qualms about getting into a yelling match. As far as showing their anger... I’d rather not think about this. I think Emily would be more passive aggressive though and I’ll leave it at that. 

5. how do they hide their pain when they’re upset? do they try to hide their pain?

Andy is pretty open about her feelings and not afraid to show them. She trusts Emily and because of that, it’s easier to just be hurt or upset in front of her. Emily is a little more guarded. She tries too hard to mask what she’s feeling. This always leads to her not being able to hide it at all. She can handle stress well enough, but if she’s truly hurt... she just can’t fake that. 

6. who tries to make up first? does it work?

It depends on the fight. Andy is reluctant to ever admit she’s wrong, but when she does she goes big on the make ups. They usually work, because she’s genuinely sincere when it comes to them. The rest of the time it’s Emily. When they fight Emily’s first goal is to stop the anger. She wants to be able to talk about things or ignore them, but she hates fighting. Sometimes she makes up too much. She apologizes for things that aren’t her fault etc. Anything to just get them moving forward. Andy doesn’t always notice this, but when she does she doubles her efforts to make things right. 

7. would they hate-fuck if they were mad at one another? if they had a falling out?

I wanna say yes because that would be hot. But I don’t think so. 

8. do they hold grudges? is it hard for them to let go/forgive each other?

Andy holds grudges like there’s no tomorrow. She hates that she’s like that, but once you mess up it’s hard for her to let go of that. Emily doesn’t hold grudges as much. She just gets resentful. She especially can’t stand when there’s a double standard. There’s pretty much a running list in her head of every fight and transgression they’ve had.

9. is there something big that could potentially tear them apart if it was revealed?

I don’t think either of them would handle the other cheating very well, but I think even that they could work through. 

10. if something already happened to tear them apart, what would make them come back together? is it even possible?

Let’s assume this something is Miranda? They just genuinely like each other. Despite being pitted against each other, they want to get to know one another better. And hell, if they can survive that then very little will break their bond. 

11. what’s their favorite pass time when they’re upset?

Andy works on anything and everything. If there isn’t work to do she cleans. Emily likes to get in the tub, super hot water, maybe cry a bit. They both like walking and/or driving around aimlessly. If they’re not upset at each other than cuddles, handholding, etc. On the rare occasion, she does get really emotional and upset, Emily has been known once or twice to sit in Andy’s lap, straddling her and just cling to her, face buried in her shoulder and cry. Andy, on the other hand, likes to be in bed and held. She wants to be the little spoon though because when she’s upset and feeling vulnerable she doesn’t like being totally exposed. 

12. who do they confide in when 💩 hits the fan (besides each other)?

Since this is a very limited “world” let’s say Emily and Andy both look to Nigel for advice. He hates it and mostly just lets them talk themselves into figuring things out. He has zero interest in getting into the middle of things. Emily also talks to Serena. Andy talks to Lily. 

13. is it hard for them to talk about their feelings openly with each other? if so, is there any way that can be resolved, even in the slightest?

Not usually, unless it’s a big problem between them. LIttle stuff they can handle. They talk about their feelings pretty openly when it comes to outside stuff too. Things can always be resolved with these two, but it might take time. Andy has been in failed relationships before but has never been truly devastated. Emily has been, and because of that, she takes things very slowly. Once they're together that’s it for her though. She works through things. She doesn’t give up. 

14. who grieves more when the other is away?

Emily because she’s been alone longer. Now that she has someone, she never wants them to be gone. Andy is pouty and sad when Emily is gone, but it isn’t heavy. 

15. who misses the other more, or really thinks about them more?

Andy thinks about Emily way more. Emily is good at compartmentalizing, so she can focus on things without constantly getting wrapped up in thoughts of Andy. However, sometimes it catches her off guard and Andy pops into her head and she just gets the whole goofy first crush vibe. She loves it, even if she’d never admit it. 

16. do either of them have a special item (an article of clothing, a necklace, a 📓) that they use when they miss the other? if so, what is it? what do they do with it (read, wear, look at, smell)?

Emily has lots of comfort books. Getting lost in books makes it easier to forget about how much time has passed or how much longer she has to wait. Andy snaps photos of Emily all the time when the other girl isn’t paying attention. She likes to scroll through them when she’s missing her. There’s a lot of good ones, and she’s kept most of them for herself and no one else has seen them. 

17. who cries more? who gets more emotional in general?

Most of the time it’s Andy. She doesn’t cry much, but she does get emotional. Emily doesn’t fall apart often, but when she does it’s a lot. She’s also the one that cries through movies, holiday commercials, certain songs on the radio, etc. 

18. do either of them have the other’s stuff lying around their 🏠? 

Both, definitely. Despite having the bigger apartment, Emily spends a lot of time at Andy’s. They eventually move in together at Emily’s, but the first few months they spend more time at Andy’s. It might actually be a while before Emily even lets her see her place. 

19. how about teasing? do they tease each other while in a fight (whether it be with themselves or just general teasing)?

this one has me stumped... 

20. do either of them have any vices?

Emily’s vice is definitely chocolate. Andy... bad tv? maybe reality tv? Which Emily hates. 

21. what’s the thing they miss most about each other?

Have a safe place they can let their guard down and just be themselves.

22. what’s their go-to breakup/angst song?

Okay, I’m stealing this one from a real-life thing... but it’s “Come What May” from Moulin Rouge. Because even when they’re fighting they know that they can get through it. 

23. who’s more jealous?

Emily!

24. who is the first to forgive?

Andy. Once she does forgive it’s real. It may take a lot to get there though. Emily has a tendency to make Andy work for forgiveness--mainly an insecurity testing kinda thing. 

25. what’s the one deal breaker for either of them (lack of communication, fear of commitment, etc)?

lying

26. who would take longer to let go? do they ever really “let go”?

Andy. She never REALLY let’s go--even though she hates that about herself. Emily has taught her that the best way for someone like Andy to do this is to make new memories over the bad ones. If they fight or something bad happens... they find a way to overlap that memory with something positive. 

27. which is more 😨 of confrontation?

It depends on the fight. Andy is scared if she thinks Emily is gonna lose her shit. Emily is scared if she thinks she might really lose Andy.  

28. who’s the first to distance themselves (if either)?

They both do it for different reasons. Emily distances herself if she thinks she’s about to be hurt. Andy distances herself if she thinks she’s going to say something to hurt Emily. 

29. who’s more patient? is it hard to break that patience

Andy is more patient. It takes a LOT to break it. 

30. who’s the first to blame themselves?

Emily. She’s insecure. There’s probably some backstory here that I’m building up, but idk what that is just yet. 

31. who’s more likely to do something out of spite?

Emily. She hates herself for it, but she’s been trapped in the Runway lifestyle for so long that it just happens sometimes without her even thinking about it. She would NEVER truly sabotage or hurt someone though. 

32. who would be the first to say they hate the other? would they mean it?

Emily. Not at all. 

33. who worries more?

Emily worries ALL the time, but it’s just the way she functions. Andy is the one that worries about the more serious things. She also is affected by it more because she only worries when there’s something big. 

34. what scent reminds them of the other?

The smell of rain reminds Andy of Emily. Emily thinks of Andy when she smells certain perfumes because Nigel is always giving her new things to try. Most of the stuff Emily already knows, but she swears it smells different on Andy

35. do they have any regrets (regarding the other, or just in general)?

They both mainly just regret how easily manipulated they were by Miranda. They regret not standing up for themselves and each other more. Emily has a lot of regrets about how she’s spent her life.

36. who’s quicker to walk away if a situation gets heated?

Andy. She bolts. Emily has times when she gives Andy the silent treatment, but she doesn’t walk away. 

37. who is more prone to anger?

Emily is more prone to quick anger. Andy is more prone to lingering anger. 

38. who cries more in an argument? do either of them 😭?

Emily. She cries any time things get super emotional. 

39. does it take a lot for it to get to the point of yelling?

No. They’re both pretty passionate, and while the situations may not come up often if things get serious so do they. 

40. who sleeps on the 🛋️? can either of them 💤 without the other?

They struggle to sleep without each other. Emily hated sleeping together at first, but now she’s gotten used to it. When Andy is in bed with her, Emily is all sprawled out, half on top of her etc. If Andy isn’t there, Emily tends to curl up in a small ball and sleep like that. Andy sleeps okay if Emily isn’t there, but she always steals Emily’s pillow or something to hold onto. 

41. who’s more likely to protect the other?

Emily can slay someone with words alone and would do so in the blink of an eye, but she knows Andy can stand on her own. Andy is protective over Emily in all ways. Whether Emily can defend herself or not, Andy is always there and ready to go. 

42. if one of them gets injured, who worries more?

Emily keeps a calmer head because she goes into instant planning mode. She looks at the situation and figures out what she can do. Instantly, she’s making plans and directing things etc. Andy gets helpless when things go wrong so she worries more than anything. She kind of just shuts down and focusses on worry and fear. 

43. who would be more 😨 of the other’s death/harm?

Equal

44. who ends up yelling first? are they always yelling when arguing, or do neither of them yell at all?

Emily raises her voice out of a need to be heard. Andy raises to match. They don’t usually yell though. 

45. who would be more likely to save who?

It would really depend on the situation. 

46. who stays up at night brooding?

Emily. She’s a night owl by nature. She’s just been conditioned to be a morning person. 

47. who has more dreams/nightmares about the other?

Andy dreams a lot, but Emily has a lot of nightmares. 

48. who comforts who after a bad dream/event?

Andy comforts Emily. She’s literally the only one Emily will allow to comfort her in any situation, but especially waking up scared. 

49. do they think about each other a lot? does it affect their performance/schoolwork?

It definitely affects their work when they’re working together. The rest of the time things are pretty okay. Emily is generally too busy to stop and daydream, and Andy is usually far too invested and engaged in what she’s working on to daydream.

50. if one of them were to come back after a long time, who would come to who? would it go well? would the other person take them back?

This one is really hard. Only because I’m having some very strong feels about the second book... I’m going to say that Andy would come back to Emily. It wouldn’t go well at first. It would take a LOT of work on Andy’s part to get Emily back. 

Sorry for how redundant some of these may seem. I feel like I kind of just kept saying the same things. Hopefully, it’s not disappointing.