#it actually makes me so emotional to think about

[luna-azzurra]

Ways I Show a Character Who Believes They’re the Villain in Everyone Else’s Story

╰ Behavioral Red Flags

They assume the worst intentions in themselves, even when they act out of love. They brought you coffee? Probably just guilt. They helped you move? Must be manipulating you so you "owe" them later. (They just care. But they can't believe that's true.)

They over-apologize for existing. You bump into them and somehow they’re the ones apologizing, looking like they've personally inconvenienced your entire bloodline.

They self-monitor everything. Every joke they make. Every word they say. Every look they give. Constant little glances at people's faces, desperate for signs that they’ve messed up again.

They let people treat them badly because they think they deserve it. Rudeness? Sure. Being overlooked? Of course. Public humiliation? Absolutely par for the course. Standing up for themselves feels wrong, like a thief demanding a refund.

They preemptively distance themselves when things get good. Got a close friendship brewing? Time to pull away before they find out I'm terrible. New romance? Better end it now before they hate me.

They assume jokes about "bad people" are secretly about them. "You know those selfish jerks who never change?" someone says. Their inner monologue: That’s me. They mean me.

They play up their flaws. Self-deprecating humor, but not cute self-roasting, deep, almost aggressive, like they’re trying to hand you the knife before you even think about stabbing.

They struggle to accept forgiveness. Apologizing feels natural. Being forgiven feels alien. Like wearing shoes on the wrong feet.

╰ Thought Patterns That Wreck Them

"Even when I try to do the right thing, I mess it up." Trying doesn't absolve them. Trying just delays the inevitable hurt they’ll cause someone else."People are nice to me because they don't know who I really am." Kindness isn't acceptance to them — it's a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode when the "truth" comes out.

"If someone is angry at me, they must be right." They don't even question it. Anger directed at them must be justified. They deserve it.

"If I succeed, it's by accident. If I fail, it's because I suck." Zero credit for wins. Full credit for losses. The math of their self-esteem is so rigged it should be illegal.

"If I ask for help, I'm manipulating people." Needing something feels like emotional blackmail in their mind. Better to suffer in silence than risk "forcing" someone to care.

╰ The Tiny Physical Tells

Laughing after their own serious statements, as if to soften the blow of speaking honestly.

Keeping their hands visible when talking (subconscious "I'm not a threat" behavior).

Flinching when someone raises their voice, even if it’s not directed at them.

Making themselves physically smaller—shoulders hunched, arms crossed, shrinking into themselves like they can disappear if they just try hard enough.

Dropping eye contact when complimented.

Holding their breath without realizing it when waiting for someone's reaction.

╰The Relationships They Gravitate Toward (And Why):

Fixer-Upper Friendships: They think they have to earn affection by being useful, by helping, by being "the strong one."

Unbalanced Dynamics: They let people use them because "at least I'm being helpful, even if they don't actually care about me."

Romantic Partners Who Validate Their Worst Fears: They often fall for people who treat them like they’re a burden—because it matches the script in their head.

Or... Relationships That Terrify Them: Because if someone genuinely loves them, they’re always waiting for the moment that person "wakes up" and sees the "monster" they believe themselves to be.

╰ How They Might Heal (If They’re Lucky)

(And if the author isn’t an emotional sadist. 👀)

A relationship where mistakes are allowed, not punished.

Someone calling them out, not for being bad, but for being unkind to themselves.

Tiny acts of trust that stick over time, slowly poisoning the idea that they’re inherently toxic.

Learning that being flawed and being villainous are not the same damn thing.

Being told, over and over, "You don't have to earn love by being perfect."

[morganbritton132]

There’s a knock at his door and Eddie opens it to - “Ahoy, sailor.”

“Yeah, yeah, yuck it up,” Steve rolls his eyes, gesturing to his sailor uniform. “I look dumb. Do you have weed?”

He doesn’t actually and won’t until Rick gets some tomorrow but - “Not to sell, but you can smoke some of mine with me.”

“…or I can buy it off you?”

“No can do, sailor,” Eddie grins. “This is your only option.”

“Fine.”

Fifteen minutes later and…Eddie should’ve given him another option.

Now he has Steve Harrington dressed like an ice cream sailor really high and weepy on his couch. He’s sniffling and teary eyed about missing ‘the little guy.’

And yeah. It sucks for your dog to go missing and maybe the weed is bring some of that emotion to the surface but what is Eddie supposed to do here?

He tries, “I think, um. I think that Dustin will probably come back. They typically come back.”

Unless they go missing in the woods like his neighbor’s dogs did a couple years ago, Eddie thinks privately but doesn’t say that. He just awkwardly rubs Steve’s shoulder and says, “He’ll be back before you know it.”

“You’re right,” Steve nods, wiping at his teary eyes. “I’m just tired an’ I miss him. He’s probably having a lot of fun…He’s probably not even taking care of his curls.”

Jesus, Eddie hopes someone finds this goddamn poodle soon. He doesn’t want to experience Steve Harrington crying ever again.

He vaguely heard something about attracting your missing pets with your scent and suggests, “Maybe you can put a sock or something outside.”

That makes no sense to Steve but he nods anyways. Dustin’s always doing weirdo science experiments so, “He’s probably like that.”

[demon-of-side-quest-hell]

by “Flawed” I'm gonna assume you mean a character with flaws addressed by the plot, and not flawed as in poorly handled by the plot for this, but I accept that I could still explode for misinterpreting it.

Anyways Rhyme Ortega, Rhyme Ortega was such a shocking character for me to find that I think is great, At least at the time, I encountered Rhyme right at the start of when I began making a concerted effort to give female characters in media more leeway than I have been conditioned to give them instinctively,

And because of that Rhyme was essentially the first female character that I put alot of brain power into, because she's incredible and when I allowed myself to think about her on the same level as male characters I understood that.

Rhyme is the daughter of the of the highest tier most politically powerful people, and she was raised from birth to one day carry on that legacy, so you can immediately see that she's got a lot of internalized classism, and a lack of understanding of life for people who aren't rich and powerful like her family.

Then she's been made to think that she's allowed to do anything if it's for the betterment of herself or her family including ruin the lives of 4 other people for no other reason than they stood in her way to higher power, and then because she messed up and accidentally got her mom locked in super coma jail, she developed anxieties about letting anyone else but her deal with problems, because she wants to help people so fucking bad, she really really does, so she thinks she's the only possible person to handle any situation and no one else can know what her plans are because everyone else will mess it up

And her dad doesn't even pick up that these are problems, when she steals his magic power he's just like “Fuck you for stealing my power but congrats on being such a girlboss!”

Anyways so because she's the only one allowed to deal with problems she's incredibly closed off to people about her emotions and shit, until when she meets Mini, who Rhyme as part of her own goals in becoming a powerful political figure like her dad expects of her, Rhyme has to bring Mini up from the lower class into the middle class.

I'm trying not to explain the CKC specific systems of society and approximate them to real world society so this is understandable, but the classes aren't based on Money they're essentially castes that once born into you can basically only go down in rank if you fuck up, like really really really badly, but the only way to move from the middle class to upper class is by somehow making someone of the lower class ascend to the middle class (Ascend is the actual term used in CKC)

[Warning the following is based mostly on my headcanon and personal interpretations of the lore and plot of CKC, I'll say when we're back to full canon.]

So to ascend Mini up it's implied by the game that she basically HAS to open up to Mini about herself, because she cannot ever understand how to help Mini if she doesn't allow herself to be vulnerable around Mini.

And so Mini is the first person Rhyme opens up to in YEARS, and she develops feelings for Mini, because Mini is the first person who has ever understood Rhyme, both because Rhyme is the first person Mini has let into her life, but also because they bond over their hatred of their respective parental figures, their distaste for various systems of society, and just general things like media and music and things of that nature.

[Back to 100% Bonafide Canon]

Eventually, Mini rises even further, and is able to be the same class level as Rhyme, and it's at this moment that Rhyme actually asks Mini out and they start dating, and during the time where we see this relationship, it's a very genuinely sweet and fun thing.

Eventually, Mini is "descended", aka, she fucked up big time and got her status in the hierarchy demoted all the way back to the bottom, and what do you think Rhyme does when she sees Mini in this state?

Mini who she personally helped ascend, Mini who she took the initiative to ask out, Mini who is the one who knows Rhyme the most deeply that anyone ever has

Rhyme dumps her ass!!!!!!

Rhyme ain't allowed to be seen dating someone of the lower class!!!!!!!!

But that's the thing

Seen is the operative word.

When we see Rhyme again, and the topic is pressed, she's angry, she tries to make sure people knew that she was the one to make the choice, that she thinks this was indeed the right choice, and it's a fucking lie! She's lying to herself! She's so upset about the loss she explodes, metaphorically, and then, when she sees that Mini has moved on and found someone who won't dump her for the classist bullshit of this society, explodes. literally.

Don't worry she gets better though, and when all is said and done, Rhyme is EVIDENTLY still not over it.

Rhyme hates the fuck out of hanging out with Mini's new friends.

Rhyme is so uncomfortable showing up to events where Mini is because she just wants to avoid it all, she doesn't want to think about Mini, she's content just knowing that Mini is happy and then wallowing alone in her room taking care of instruments, but the thing is, Mini actually understands that Rhyme has like 0 fucking social life, and so Mini invites Rhyme to these things because who else will? Who else is gonna stick their neck out for Rhyme, is vouch for Rhyme's better traits, will hype Rhyme up when she needs it?

[Another "this is my interpretation of canon, but isn't explicitly stated in the text" segment real quick]

Rhyme does her damnedest to try and help people, that's all she ever wants, is to be helpful, she wants to do the "right" thing. I believe in part, Rhyme tries so hard to do whatever is "right" because she wants to work back for every single harm she's done. I think for as confident, snarky, and holier-than-thou she presents herself as, she beats herself up for every single mistake, she knows in her head that it was morally wrong to dump her girlfriend on a whim because she can't be dating someone of low standing, but she thinks that she NEEDS to so she can keep the power she needs to, honestly, do fuck all with because who would've guessed it! The masters tools will never dismantle the masters house!

Rhyme messed up once, while she was a child. Caused her mother to banished away into a prison that no one would free her from. Could they free her if they wanted? Yes. Will they? No. Because Rhyme's mother spoke out, against the establishment, against the hierarchy, against the classism present in society, and covertly at that, and so when Rhyme innocently brought up some of these things to others, simply wanting to know about the situation, wanting people to explain to her why things are, they made an example of Rhyme's mother. Why yes, not even the highest of class people are safe if they pose even a shred of danger to society.

So Rhyme helps maintain society, stands to the side and glances away when she disagrees with how things are ran, firstly because Rhyme as a person of high standing has to uphold the status quo, especially as she has the power to do the opposite, and secondarily, if the system collapses, she will have no excuses for the actions she has already done, and there will no longer be any justifications she can tell herself every night.

And once Mini (and others) destroy the hierarchy, I think Rhyme understands all of that, if she didn't already.

[Personal readings of text over again, can you tell that Rhyme is one of my favorite characters in fiction?]

Thank you to anyone reading this, I have waited for a while to just gush about Rhyme, I think she's underutilized by the series, and that her one episode as the protagonist is the worst episode of the entire series (Not because of Rhyme, Rhyme's the highlight of the episode for me but that should be a given)

STOP this is the feminism checkpoint. you have to comment something you like about a flawed female character. or explode

[himasgod]

Hi!

How are you? I hope you're okay. Well, this is the first time I've asked you for something, so I hope I'm doing the right thing… Anyways.

How about a story where the only way to Yuu/reader's heart is through food, but not just any kind of food, but homemade food, not fast food, not restaurant food, just homemade food? Imagine the boys discovering, either through a casual conversation with the reader or through Grim, that the only way to your heart is through food, because, for you, food represents a form of love, one in which feelings and emotions come out transparently and sincerely.

This story could be for both dorms and overblot + kalim, just thinking about the food the boys will prepare makes me hungry.

I hope my request didn't bother you, and I apologize for any spelling errors. Have a nice day/afternoon/evening.

Bye!

OVERBLOTS + KALIM X READER

Where they find out that the way to your heart is through home-cooked food.

When he hears from Kalim—loudly—that the only way to your heart is through homemade food, Jamil nearly drops his spoon.

"What? Yuu likes homemade food? Like, emotionally likes it?? Like—falling in love likes it??"

He wants to scream. Because food is his thing. Cooking is his chore, his comfort, his language—but he’s never done it for love. Always for duty. Always because someone expected it.

Now, the idea that you’d cherish a meal he made with intention—just for you—makes his heart skip a beat and his stomach twist.

So he stays up late one night in the Scarabia kitchen, making a dish his father once made for his mother during festival season: stuffed vine leaves with lemon, turmeric rice, and sweet tahini-drizzled dates.

The moment he places it in front of you, he does not meet your eyes.

“This isn’t a big deal,” he mutters. “It’s just something I made. You can throw it out if it’s not your taste.”

But then you try it. And close your eyes. And smile.

“This tastes like someone missed me before I even left.”

Jamil stops.

You look up at him gently. “Did you make this with your heart?”

His voice is low. Raw. “…I don’t know how to make it any other way.”

Malleus doesn’t understand at first.

“You prefer homemade food… over grand feasts? Even over royal delicacies?”

You nod. “Because homemade food carries emotion. If someone makes something with love, you can feel it in the taste. It tells you you’re cared for.”

Malleus becomes quiet after that. Thoughtful.

That night, he visits Lilia.

“…May I ask you to teach me to cook something… simple?”

The next few nights are a saga. Things are burned. The Diasomnnia kitchen is almost destroyed. Sebek has a meltdown. But Malleus persists.

Eventually, he brings you a single, quiet offering: a small bowl of barley porridge sweetened with honey and fruits—a common fae breakfast.

“It was my mother’s favorite,” he says softly. “Lilia told me she usually made it, once, before she… before the end. I’ve never tasted it. Until now.”

You sip the warm spoonful, and your throat closes up with feeling.

“Malleus,” you whisper, voice trembling, “this… is beautiful.”

His gaze softens—more tender than you’ve ever seen it.

“If food is a way to your heart, then allow me to offer mine first. One dish at a time.”

“Oh! You like homemade food? THAT’S AMAZING!! I love making food for people!!”

Kalim’s the one who runs full speed toward your love language without hesitation. He doesn’t even blink. His whole soul lights up with the idea of cooking for you—not because it’s a strategy, but because it’s pure joy.

He shows up the next day with a whole spread: lamb biryani, stuffed flatbreads, saffron rice with raisins, and a homemade rosewater dessert. Everything’s hand-cooked with a little too much enthusiasm and not enough restraint (he may have set off the dorm smoke alarms three times).

He watches you dig in like it’s the best moment of his entire life.

“You actually like it?!”

“It’s… incredible,” you say between bites. “Wait, did you make all this yourself?”

“I had some help from Jamil, but I really tried to do the important parts!” He leans in, grinning. “I wanted you to know I care. With every bite.”

You're about to respond when he just blurts out: “I’d cook for you every day forever if you let me!”

You choke. Grim laughs. Kalim beams. Jamil sighs in the background.

He panics. Absolutely loses it when he hears from Grim that you only open up to people who feed you something homemade.

"They must be joking—homemade, here, in NRC? That’s entirely unsanitary without proper kitchen regulations! You can’t just cook anything—"

He gets flustered. Because what if you don’t like his food? What if it’s improper? What if it has a lot of sugar?

Lots of sugar...

But you mention once, offhandedly, that your favorite kind of food is when someone makes something they ate growing up. A comfort dish. Something from childhood. And that makes Riddle think of strawberry tarts. Before everything changed.

So he makes you one. Follows the old recipe not from his mother’s strict cookbook, but from memory.

When he hands it to you, it’s in a porcelain dish with little red ribbon tied around it.

He doesn’t look at you directly when you taste it. But your eyes light up, and your expression softens, and Riddle feels something in his chest crack wide open.

“You made this just for me?”

“…Yes. I thought… well, if it’s your love language, then it should be done right, shouldn’t it?”

And suddenly, he’s not as scared of breaking the rules as he used to be—at least, not if it means winning your heart.

Internal screaming.

He overhears it from Ortho, who cheerfully tells him, “Yuu says food is their love language! Homemade food especially! You should make them something!”

SYSTEM ERROR: PANIC MODE ACTIVATED

“ME?! Cook?! Are you trying to make me perish in fire and humiliation?!”

Idia spends three days researching recipes on deep cooking forums and “how to not burn your dorm down”.

He programs a tiny kitchen assistant bot. He tries and fails to make something edible five times.

But eventually… he remembers a meal he used to eat: miso-butter ramen with soft egg and nori strips. Something warm and soft and kind. So he makes it. Shaking the whole time. Heart racing.

He doesn’t give it to you in person. He leaves it outside your door in a sleek bento box with an embarrassed little note:

“⚠️ WARNING: Contains feelings. Eat at your own risk. Is this too much cringe?–Idia”

You eat it. It’s clumsy but perfect. And you text him one word after:

“Home. <3”

He doesn't respond for a full ten minutes because he’s lying on the floor having a full-blown meltdown—but it’s the good kind.

Later that night, you find a pixel heart flashing on your phone.

You say homemade food equals love, and Vil hears:

“If it’s made with thought, emotion, and care… that’s what matters to me most.”

At first, he’s horrified. Not because he disagrees—but because he's never allowed himself to cook anything imperfect. For Vil, food is calories, presentation, discipline. Feelings? That’s… far too vulnerable.

But then he sees you. The way your whole face lights up when Grim gives you a sloppy sandwich he threw together with help from Trey. The little smile you get when someone talks about their family recipe.

He starts thinking: Have I ever cooked for someone without a camera crew or an aesthetic in mind?

So he visits Epel’s family cookbook. He goes rustic. Unpolished. Just him. He tries to recreate something his father made for him when he was young and sick: potato soup with dill and cream.

When he brings it to you, it’s in a plain ceramic bowl. No garnish. No edible flowers.

He clears his throat. “It’s… not glamorous. But it’s mine.”

You take one spoonful and exhale like you’re home.

“Vil,” you murmur, eyes shining, “this tastes like someone wanted me to feel safe.”

He’s silent for a long time before saying softly, “That’s exactly why I made it.”

At first? He scoffs. "Tch. Food? That's easy." But when you clarify—not takeout, not dining hall food, definitely not something a servant made—his expression falters.

“Homemade food,” you say quietly one afternoon, helping Grim finish his bowl of stew. “You can tell when someone put care into something. It’s… honest.”

Leona doesn’t say much in response. But that night, he sits awake in the botanical garden, tail flicking. The next few days, he’s just gone. Vanished between classes. Ruggie says he’s been in the kitchen wing of the dorms. That’s weird. No one ever uses those.

Eventually, he shows up with something in a wrapped container. It smells like a dish from the Sunset Savanna— stew, if you're not mistaken.

Leona thrusts it toward you. “Here. Eat it. Or don’t. I don’t care.”

But he watches. He definitely cares. You taste it. It’s a little salty, a little smoky. The meat’s tender. The spices are strong but familiar. It’s clearly not professional quality—but it’s his. You glance at him, and for once, he doesn’t look smug. He looks nervous.

“It’s… perfect,” you say softly. “You made this?”

Leona shrugs, ears twitching. “Told ya. Easy.”

But the smile tugging at the corners of his lips gives him away.

Azul takes this personally. He prides himself on having everything—the Mostro Lounge, the service, the charm, the business sense. And yet, you don't fall for any of that?

“Oh no, no. They want homemade food? I can do that,” he mutters, spiraling into business-planning mode.

At first, he thinks he can buy it. Hire a good chef to cook in the Lounge’s back kitchen. But when he tests the idea with you, you immediately frown.

“…Did you make this?”

Azul’s face freezes.

“Homemade means from the heart, Azul.”

The next time he tries, he doesn’t tell you. But he spends hours in the kitchen, burning his fingers, cursing the oven, covered in flour. Jade walks in, offers to help. Azul glares. “This is something I need to do myself.”

Eventually, he presents you with a beautifully imperfect serving of seaweed soup and grilled rootfish—a Coral Sea traditional dish.

“It was something my grandmother used to make,” he says softly, hands trembling as you take a spoonful.

You blink, surprised. “It tastes like the ocean. But… comforting.”

Azul exhales, suddenly sheepish. “That’s exactly what she used to say.”

You smile, eyes warm. “Thank you. This means more than you know.”

[kysstar]

SNAP OUT OF IT | JEONG YUNHO

pairing : : jeong yunho x fem!reader

synopsis : : you’ve been stuck in a rut after a brutal breakup, and yunho — your best friend who’s always secretly loved you — is trying to pull you out of it. only now, his smiles are hiding a new tension neither of you can ignore.

genre : : friends to lovers

warnings : : breakup, angst, hurt comfort

word count : : 0.5k

[ series masterlist ]

—You stopped counting the days after ten. The dishes in the sink aren’t yours, technically — they belonged to another version of you, one who used to care about stuff like clean forks and scented candles and not crying in the cereal aisle. That girl left with him. What’s left is someone you don’t really recognize. You move through the days like you’re underwater, everything dulled and muffled. You reply to texts late, if at all. Except Yunho’s. You don’t have it in you to ignore him.

He’s been dropping by more. Always with a reason. Food, an excuse, maybe a dumb joke he “had” to tell you in person. And today, it's your favorite drink in one hand and a bag of pastries in the other, like he’s bribing the sadness out of you. You let him in without a word. He doesn’t comment on your ratty sweatshirt or the state of the living room, just sets the bag down and makes himself comfortable like always.

“You gonna tell me what’s going on, or am I supposed to guess?” he asks, like it’s casual. Like he hasn’t been walking around your emotional landmine for weeks.

You shrug. “What’s there to say? He left. It sucked. Now it sucks less. Just still sucks a little.”

“That’s a lot of sucks.”

“Welcome to my TED Talk.”

“You ever think,” he starts, eyes fixed on you like he’s willing you to actually hear him this time, “that maybe he couldn’t love you right because he never really saw you? Not the real you.”

And it’s annoying how right he is. The guy who left — he liked the idea of you. The curated version. You’d been editing yourself for so long, you forgot what the real thing looked like. Yunho, though... he always called out your shit. Always pushed you when you wanted to shut down. You hated it, but you needed it.

You stare at the condensation gathering on your glass. “And you think you do?”

His voice doesn’t waver. “I know I do.”

It lands like a dropped glass—sharp and sudden, impossible to ignore. You laugh, but it’s thin. “Don’t say stuff like that.”

“Why not?” he says, leaning in. “You already know. You’ve always known.”

Your heart stutters, and you hate how true it is. How you’ve dodged this—him—for years. Because it was easier to keep him at arm’s length than to risk losing the one person who never walked away.

“Yunho,” you start, voice brittle, but he cuts you off.

“I’m not asking for anything,” he says. “I just want you back. The real you. The one who used to yell at me for stealing your fries and made playlists for moods you didn’t have names for.”

He puts on one of those old playlists you made in college, the ones with dumb titles.

He pulls you off the couch, makes you dance barefoot on the living room rug even though you protest, even though your laugh cracks halfway through. You haven’t danced in months. You forgot how easy it is to move when someone’s holding on to you like he’s never letting go.

You wished you could stay like this forever, with your head resting on his shoulder and Yunho's arms around you as he slowly swayed back and forth.

Later, when your head’s on his chest and his fingers are tracing patterns on your back, you whisper, “I think I’m starting to feel normal again.”

He kisses your forehead. “That’s all I wanted.”

© kysstar

[edvervain]

This only took me all night, but it was so much fun! (Please pardon any spelling errors, I only sorta tried to make sure I was double checking everyone's names and such.)

Where in the Thedas is your Rook from?

As far as he knows, Tevinter, that’s where all of his earliest memories are and where he grew up.

What is your character's alignment?

Good aligned, neutral to chaotic, depending on the day

Race and subclass?

Qunari Mage; he has no refinement or finesse, so he doesn’t really have a subclass (It's Spellblade)

If your Rook was a companion, where would they be found?

Rivain, with the Lords of Fortune

What emotion did they usually pick?

Good, rarely sarcastic. Unless they’re in Tevinter, then it’s defensive/aggressive across the board

What companion are you platonically close with?

Harding - they travelled together long enough to grow fairly close before she was so hardline antagonistic toward Lucanis right after they rescued him from a torture dungeon. Rook can all to easily imagine someone having said that to Isabela about him when she was coaxing him out of the wreckage of the ship she found him on.

Bellara - she’s very nonthreatening and was an instant favorite, he finds her chatter very soothing and her flighty mannerisms are very disarming.

Romantically close with?

Lucanis - he’s kind and soft, and lets Rook have control, which is what he needs 

(Also Spite will happily take all that control back when Rook starts spiraling)

Who are they suspicious of?

Neve - You can’t trust a mage from Tevinter (she’s making headway though).

Does your Rook get along with their chosen Faction?

For the most part, yes. They all have proven themselves to Isabela and if Isabela trusts them, then Rook does, too.

Are they proficient in playing any instruments?

No, but they really enjoy listening to music, it’s another kind of magic entirely. 

Weapon of choice?

Dagger, but he can’t help the licks of flame or lashes of lightning that it trails.

What is their orientation?

Gay as a rainbow.

What are their thoughts on killing? Is it a necessary evil or do they enjoy it?

He doesn't have a lot of moral lines; killing isn’t one of them. He can and will eagerly kill anyone who is abusing anyone else, but he’s more likely to spiral if their abuse is targeting him. (Outright attacking isn't abuse, that's just a fight and that's easy.)

What hobbies does your Rook have?

Uhm… 

What NPCs do they like? Which one's do they dislike?

Likes Ashur - The firm but gentle resolve, the deep husky voice, the slow cadence like he’s making sure you understand him even if he’s pretty sure you’re well on the way to melting into a little puddle of goo - wait, what? 

Likes Holden - He’s easy to talk to and supportive without being long suffering, it’s probably from practicing on Mila.

Dislikes Cida Ciconia - she feels utterly cold, like she’d eat you as soon as look at you; especially when Rook met her directly instead of just seeing her around her performances, she looked at him like he was a piece of candy and she didn’t much care how he felt about the possibility of being eaten.

Do they have a favorite creature in the Thedas?

Dragons are so cool! (Wyverns are sick as fuck also!)

Do they enjoy life as an adventurer?

The low pressure kind he was doing with Lords of Fortune - yes. The high pressure kind where he’s failing to save the world - no, very much not having a good time.

What would your Rook be doing if they weren't recruited by Varric?

He would probably be very much still having a good time as a Lord of Fortune. They would have worked something out with the Rivaini nobles. 

How do you think they'll meet their end?

Probably jumping into a fight he can’t actually win on behalf of someone that is in trouble.

Would they side with Solas or fight him?

Fight him. All day, every day, any place, any time. He's just another arrogant prick of a mage that 'abhors blood magic' - unless it's convenient.

What is your Rook's favorite ability?

The ability that slices the Fade open and release crows and lightning. (HC)It was inspired by Lucanis and Spite.

What languages is your character fluent in?

Trade

Tevene

Working on Rivaini

What do they do after an absolute crisis?

It depends on the flavor of crisis.

Standard issue crisis: nothing, it’s just a Tuesday, did anyone get hurt? Let’s make sure all the people are okay, then we’ll tend to the looting!

Personal crisis: did it involve poking his past with a sharp stick? Hold on to your hats, we’re spiraling! Mental health down the drain! Crashing hard with choking panic attacks and vivid PTSD Flashbacks that drop him in the middle of past trauma he has to claw himself out of! Those are worse in the Lighthouse - the Fade seems to enhance things like that.

Does your character believe in the afterlife?

MMmm… maybe? Emmrich makes a good case for it. 

What specialization best represents your Rook?

Lightning shit is right up his alley, sparks sizzle on his fingertips with the least bit of effort, the Crow Spellblade is an obvious choice. And the wrong one. That’s his preferred specialization to use, but the one that represents him? That’s going to be the Shadow Dragon Evoker. This fucker grew up in Tevinter, despite his distaste for the reminder. That’s where he learned his control under the harshest conditions, and where his magic took shape. Being tied out like a suckling pig to be bled on an altar of old stone frozen by magic so your blood thickens and doesn’t spill everywhere, anything other then impactful and you’re wrong.

What animal best represents your Rook? 

He’s never really spent time around animals and would probably have no ready answer for this, but it’s going to be the mabari. He’s never met one and wouldn’t know what to do if given any dog, but he’s got the same ‘dogged’ loyalty. Once he has his teeth in something he refuses to let go until it’s dead and if his person is in trouble you better believe he'll be going for the throat in 0.7 seconds.

What was their life like before the events of Veilguard?

Fairly simple, he trusted Isabella, and Rowan was helping him maintain control of his magic and learn more between missions.

Is your character the de facto leader of the party? Or do they consider someone else to be the leader?

Isabela tells him he has the makings of a good leader, he’s not sure he believes it. He led several smaller missions though, and then the one where he ended up killing the Ravani noble who was close enough to the throne to bring some serious heat down. By his count, he thinks it all went down pretty well. If anyone had stepped up and said "No way am I listening to this freak, I'm in charge!" He may have actually gone along with it as long as things are going according to plan. But Verric was one of his people and the second the playbook goes, nope, Verric's goal is out the window, Rook is seeing red.

If you could choose a different faction for your Rook, which one would they have joined and why?

Once he believes the Shadow Dragons are actually working to free slaves and clog up blood magic users and the crueler magisters, he thinks sometimes of what might have been different for him if he’d been one of the slaves they freed. He doesn’t hold it against them, his master wasn’t a big enough fish to have warranted that kind of effort, either politically to remove a powerful opponent or morally to free enough slaves to make an impact. He understands why they didn’t strike his master’s mansion. He does wonder how it would have changed his life if they had though.

What's your favorite thing about your Rook?

He’s got so much trauma and needs to be in control all the time or he spirals. Lucanis is willing to let him have all the control he wants, but Spite makes him face his (figurative) demons and guards him from the (literal) demons they draw. He's still a mage at the end of the day, no matter how much he protests.

Rook Questionnaire

inspired by @cassieuncaged's BG3 Character Development Questions but for Rook instead!

1: Where in the Thedas is your Rook from?

2: What is your character's alignment?

3: Race and subclass?

4: If your Rook was a companion, where would they be found?

5: What emotion did they usually pick?

6: What companion are you platonically close with?

7: Romantically close with?

8: Who are they suspicious of?

9: Does your Rook get along with their chosen Faction?

10: Are they proficient in playing any instruments?

11: Weapon of choice?

12: What is their orientation?

13: What are their thoughts on killing? Is it a necessary evil or do they enjoy it?

14: What hobbies does your Rook have?

15: What NPCs do they like? Which one's do they dislike?

16: Do they have a favorite creature in the Thedas?

17: Do they enjoy life as an adventurer?

18: What would your Rook be doing if they weren't recruited by Varric?

19: How do you think they'll meet their end?

20: Would they side with Solas or fight him?

21: What is your Rook's favorite ability?

22: What languages is your character fluent in?

23: What do they do after an absolute crisis?

24: Does your character believe in the afterlife?

25: What specialization best represents your Rook?

26: What animal best represents your Rook?

27: What was their life like before the events of Veilguard?

28: Is your character the de facto leader of the party? Or do they consider someone else to be the leader?

29: If you could choose a different faction for your Rook, which one would they have joined and why?

30: What's your favorite thing about your Rook?

[kxsagi]

hihii can i req reader that is like academically smart but is also very naive at the same time?? reader would probably fall for the most obvious clickbait or something feel free to do with any bllk characters (especially sae 💋💋) thank youu but also feel free to ignore this if you don't want it

“𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐦”

a/n: i read rage bait instead of click bait after writing everything, but decided to keep it since it’s still fitting 😭

ft. isagi yoichi, itoshi rin, kaiser michael, itoshi sae, shidou ryusei, nagi seishiro, mikage reo, karasu tabito

isagi yoichi

“you’re literally smarter than me, so why are you fighting with an anime profile picture?” 

you’re writing a full essay in the comments under a rage bait post that says “math is fake and only lazy people like numbers.” 

“love. they want you to argue. that’s the whole point. it’s bait.” 

you, while typing aggressively: “it’s the principle.” 

isagi literally has to pry the phone out of your hands. 

“they’re trolling. why are you citing academic sources in a thread about flat earth?” 

alternates between being impressed and deeply concerned. 

“you’re so smart it’s scary. and yet, you just fell for a post that said ‘gravity is a scam made by the big ladder.’” 

will still throw slurs under his fake account at anyone that tries to come after you. 

itoshi rin

“get off the internet. log off. i’m blocking you from twitter.” 

you: reading a post that says “the mitochondria isn’t real.” 

also you: seeing red. 

he watches you scroll past rage bait like, “no... don't take the bait... dammit.” 

“you know better. you literally know better.” 

gets mad with you but refuses to engage. 

he’s just staring at you spiraling over a troll who said “logic is fake” and muttering, “wtf is wrong with this generation.” 

turns off your wifi like a concerned parent. 

“you’re not arguing with someone named @cattboysupreme69. go read a book.” 

kaiser michael

“you’re falling for rage bait again, huh? i love this dumb little hobby of yours.” 

finds it hilarious that you get so fired up over random garbage takes. 

literally records you pacing and ranting about how “emotions are valid sources of decision making, actually.” 

“schatz, you’re a valedictorian. why are you beefing with someone who said ‘plants don’t have feelings so vegans are evil’?” 

fully encourages it for fun. 

“no, no, quote them. let’s go viral.” 

brags to his teammates like, “my girl’s a genius and also beefing with half of conspiracy tik tok. goals.” 

secretly reports every troll you argue with behind the scenes. he’s protective in a petty, passive-aggressive way. 

itoshi sae

“this is why i hate people. and also why you shouldn’t be online unsupervised.” 

you fell into a rage trap that said “women don’t belong in STEM.” 

sae, watching you rage-type a dissertation just said, “block them and move on.” 

you: “no. they need to be educated.” 

he takes your phone. 

“they don’t. they have 12 followers and use comic sans unironically.” 

quietly annoyed but impressed that you always come with facts. 

lowkey reads your arguments later and thinks, “damn. my girl snapped.” 

would absolutely start threatening people if they get too bold with you. 

“she might be arguing like it’s a thesis defense, but if any of you make her cry, i’m breaking your nose.” 

shidou ryusei

“babe, you’re smart as hell, but you’re also fighting with rage bait like it personally insulted your dog.” 

thinks it’s hilarious. 

“they said books are just dead trees. you really gonna let that slide?” 

you: frothing with rage “i will not let that slide.” 

shidou: eating popcorn and hyping you up “go off, professor! educate their ass!” 

he will 100% jump in and start trolling with you. 

“yo, babe, say something about their spelling. that always pisses ‘em off.” 

gives you an award when you get someone to delete their comment. 

“queen behavior. love that for you.” 

nagi seishiro

“can we not. like ever. please.” 

the most done every time you scream: “WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE SUN ISN’T A STAR AND IT’S A PLANET?!” 

he just wants to play games, not watch you get into a 14-comment back-and-forth with a dude named @trumpfan420. 

“you’re literally a genius. why are you arguing with people who think australia doesn’t exist?” 

lies on your lap and sighs dramatically. 

“you’re lucky you’re cute when you’re mad.” 

secretly proud of how well you school people, though. 

once tried to help you argue but got bored after one sentence. 

“i told them ‘L’ and left.” 

mikage reo

“you’re academically brilliant. and also very online. it’s like watching an intellectual gladiator fight trolls.” 

every time he hears “REO. THEY SAID SHAKESPEARE WAS MID.” he already knows what’s happening. 

you’re pacing around the house, typing furiously, quoting sonnets and throwing in stats. 

“you’re smarter than the entire room but still letting a 14-year-old with a controversial hot take ruin your night.” 

he makes tea and sits beside you while you rage. 

“need a bibliography link, baby?” 

lowkey brags to others: “yeah my girl just flamed a whole subreddit with APA formatting.” 

you’re his little chaos genius and he loves it. 

“you’re going to be a nobel prize winner and twitter’s most feared debater at the same time.” 

karasu tabito

“you’re out here fighting for your life against rage bait and i’m living for it.” 

watches you with popcorn like it’s live TV. 

“ohhh here they go. someone said philosophy is just overpriced poetry. let’s gooo.” 

he fully instigates sometimes. 

“babe, someone said gravity isn’t real. thoughts?” 

you start ranting, and he just grins like an agent of chaos. 

“why are you like this?” 

“why are you like this?” 

says he’ll block the trolls for you. ends up ratioing them with memes instead. 

y’all are the duo that trolls the trolls and then drops a full essay for fun. 

if anyone dares say “women can’t argue,” karasu just goes, “you sure about that?” and lets you annihilate them in 5k characters. 

© 𝐤𝐱𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐢

[cantpickyourgenre]

deleted scene from the season in MY mind is that Buck is so pleased with the fact that Ravi asked HIM to go out for drinks the second time that he calls Maddie after and is like, "MADDIE! I made an actual FRIEND, I think! He asked ME to go out and asked for MY advice. And I only slightly REFERENCED Eddie. I did NOT say his name." and Maddie is genuinely very proud of him. It actually makes her a little emotional because she loves Buck so, so much. So she wipes her eyes and she says, "ahhh, I'm so glad! He'll be your new best friend in no time!" Buck chuckles and says, "well no, I doubt my heart will ever do jumping jacks when Ravi's around. My mouth has literally never gone dry when he accidentally brushes my arm either. Plus, I've never had a sex dream about him. So definitely NOT my new best friend." and Maddie just hangs up and texts him "sometimes I think I hit the wrong person with a hammer." and Buck just sends back "????"

[eldritchx]

Helluva Boss is not progressive, not only is its portrayal of queer people incredibly questionable but the female characters are treated like garbage. The show is so incredibly misogynistic, so is the fandom and it's incredibly exhausting.

All the women's plotlines revolve around men, their stories are in the men's perspective and/or sparked because of a man. None of their personalities, back stories, conflicts, etc. are in a woman's perspective. I understand this show has a large amount of male characters but that's no excuse.

The male characters are allowed to have their emotions raw, exposed and artistically written/drawn. Yet the women can't do any of that. We get pieces of backstory, it's never in their perspective either.

Now, I don't want to hear any excuses about how we just need to wait. It's been years and our main female characters are one-dimensional compared to the men.

This isn't a "man-bad" post, I'm just commenting on how the women just revolve around the men and nothing else. As well as the general sexist writing of the series.

Do I think Vivian intentionally writes women this way? No, I hope not. I just think she has no idea how to write women whatsoever. As well as characters in general.

↓ I'll be giving my thoughts of all the female characters below, if you have any issues or critique feel free to tell me as long as it's civil. I will bring up topics of sexual assault, misogyny, abuse & other canon-typical themes.

Stella

Stella is a one-dimensional, insufferable moral scapegoat. She's a charcuterie of an abusive wife, she's such a poor villain that Vivian made Andrealphus (which is basically male Stella) to process the plot instead of her because she's nothing but a hysterical idiot. The only way Stella could have affected the story was if she were a man.

She's basically deemed "pure evil", we only get her story through Stolas' perspective, her character is incredibly lackluster and stereotypical. Like a majority of women in the series she has anger issues and physically abused the main (usually male) character.

A lot of people excuse her poor writing as something we need to wait for. But it's been two seasons and she's supposedly the main villain, yet we don't get a crumb of basic characterization and she's overshadowed by her brother because Vivian refuses to let women do things without another man in the picture.

She's written to be stupid, angry, nonsensical, bratty and loud. We rarely get to see her be an actual villain and scenes with Stolas (or even Octavia). We know nothing about her because she's just there to scream for the reader's enjoyment. Stella has potential, but since she is female, she is reduced to just a bitter wife and nothing more.

Millie

A lot of people have already critiqued Millie already, but I'm still going to put my perspective here. Millie is a character that only exists for men. She's Moxxie's husband and Blitzø's best friend.

In her supposed episodes, it revolved around men. Her conflict with insecurity in Unhappy Campers is sparkled by Moxxie, her anger and eventual backstory reveal happens because of Blitzø. Not once do we get her raw perspective unless another man is in the mix.

In Ghostfuckers, Millie isn't possessed, we don't get her perspective when separated, she's there to just comfort Blitzø and give crumbs of her character just for him. Mille has plenty of opportunity to be fleshed out but she's never given the chance to just have an episode for herself.

Not to mention the pregnancy plot line. Instead of exploring her self loathing, anger or even something new. They decide to make her pregnant because of course they would. One of the time woman fighters is just reduced to baby drama, which we all know will revolve around Moxxie and eventually get forgotten by the main plot in favor of the pointless melodrama.

Millie has anger issues, which is a running trait in all these days women. I can't help but think that the constant angry personality is just leaning into the "hysterical woman" trope. Millie's frustrations in Sinmas aren't the source of genuinely interesting conflict but hormones and that's just insulting.

She doesn't even get to talk in Mastermind, her husband does. What the hell? The angry, passionate woman doesn't argue once? Oh my God.

Loona is another case of wasted potential. She was born as a Hellhound, which gave her a rough upbringing. And her conflict with her trauma could have been good if the show treated it as something serious. She's a victim of trafficking and her physical abuse / anger is played off for laughs. Instead of fleshing out their character she's just a "bitchy woman" who makes fun of Moxxie for being fat for no reason.

Loona

All I wanted was for Loona to evolve and grow into a better character instead of her development either being off screen or ending in one episode. Her childish behavior and aggression is annoying to see because we really have no reason to like her. She's rude, hurts her supportive father and insults her colleagues. A few seconds of her backstory in Blitzø's perspective doesn't do much. Why don't we see how Loona is feeling in her eyes? Why do we need to understand Loona in a man's backstory?

Her lack of socializing could have been interesting to watch but it's all skipped over and established off screen proven by Sinmas despite it being essential to her character.

She's a survivor and making connections is obviously hard for her — yet we don't see her grow? It's all so quickly concluded. I doubt Vivian actually cares about Loona's development because she immediately becomes a respectful daughter to Blitzø after one episode (yes, I know he almost got executed and she probably realized how much she really cared. But Blitzø is an assassin and has probably nearly died multiple times).

Loona is just a nothing character, her writing is rushed and she pretty much just exists for merch bait. There's nothing special about her and her character was made for Blitzø's story.

Verosika

Not much to say about Verosika, other than she's a plot device. She's just a bitter ex and I don't understand why we should care or feel sympathetic towards her because she literally sexually assaults Moxxie with her friends (which is also played as a joke). She's just Blitzø's ex-girlfriend and that's about it.

I will give the writing credit for giving her perspective on the relationship, but she's only giving her piece for Blitzø and his development. Verosika just exists to taunt or help Blitzø — not act as an actual character. We don't even see Vortex talking about her whatsoever or even a hint of their dynamic.

She's angry, rude and swears like a sailor of course. Her anti-Blitzø party was hilarious because it was the worst written part of the show. Blitzø just hooked up with demons and didn't want anymore, yet Verisoka who is a popular popstar and succubi probably does the same thing and it's fine by the narrative.

The only true committed relationship Blitzø had with Verosika was with her so I'm not sure why they decided to villianize Blitzø for not wanting romance by making Verisoka an unhinged, creepy stalker who hunts down "ex-partners" for a former boyfriend who wanted to remain single.

She's just a pointless character, the fact we know more about her than Millie (a main character) is madness.

Barbie Wire

Where do I even begin? She's apparently the most important figure in Blitzø's life yet she's rarely mentioned, exists in one episode and that's it. Apparently she was cut out of the fire scene in Oops which is crazy considering their mother dies.

And again, she only exists because it's Blitzø's plotline. She's only brought up because of Blitzø and we don't even see her perspective on the matter. Even if she's a side character, if she's so important to Blitzø we should get a proper flashback with her; which we didn't even receive in The Circus.

Another bitter, angry woman to add to the list. There really is a pattern. Also her creepiness towards teenagers is also really weird. I just dislike her in general, what a waste. Nothing but a woman that's relevant when the man's development finds it necessary.

Other Women

-> A good chunk of the mothers in this show die for the men. Do we see their perspective? Do we see their character? No, they're just made to die off for the male characters because what else are they good for.

-> Additionally, I don't have an issue with Sally Mae. I think she's a neat side character but she barely affects the plot and yet she has a ton of merch. It's not a problem but why? I'm glad Sally Mae is a woman and we see her perspective, as well as her dynamic around Mille (finally) but she's kinda just there.

-> Beelzebub is another generic party girl. I find it really weird they try to show the personification of overindulgence to an unhealthy degree and a slave owner as a fun, spunky lady who just wants everyone to have fun! I am glad she doesn't revolve around men and is her own person but this agenda that she's a good person is just ridiculous. Beelzebub probably sold Vortex as property and signed him away, yet they're seen as a cute couple.

My Final Thoughts:

This show is sexist as fuck. And I'm tired of people excusing it. It doesn't matter if your show is male centered or focusing on men, you don't neglect your women and just make them exist for the male characters. I don't think Viv is some evil mastermind, but she needs to write characters better and understand women.

[lumieresdreams]

an: self-indulgent thoughts from an underweight and mentally unstable caleb enjoyer <'3. this was also inspired with one of his notifs saying "your takeout is here. is that all you're eating? let me whip up something quick for you"

cw: ED mention, hurt/comfort, there's fluff somewhere i think, use of 'you', follows canon loosely

it's been years since the peak of your worst struggles back in school, all the stress from making sure you keep your grades up while trying to find your place in a society that seemed to change on a dime right before your eyes was overwhelming. from the get-go, everything has always felt impermanent, like anything and everything can disappear easily, so when you do get a hold of something that's tangible and consistent, you hold onto it for dear life.

one of which was caleb. he's seen you through most of it, if not all of your lowest lows. he was there when you cried about having to break things off with your first best friend, or how someone was mean to you unintentionally when you were already having an emotional field day, or about that one exam that you feared you'd trash so much so that you had an anxiety attack in his arms.

one unhealthy coping mechanism that came out of this was saving eating meals for another day, it came about unintentionally. a missed meal because you were so tired from school and socializing that you slept the night away, eating at a weird time, prioritizing homework over preparing food... this pattern wouldn't go unnoticed by caleb's keen eye, he always had a habit of giving you tight hugs once in a while to squeeze a laugh out of you when you're being playful together, and he could feel the physical difference, no matter how big or small.

the next time you came home, the place smelt of a freshly cooked dinner that came from the kitchen, but before you could even take a step towards the source, caleb pulled you aside and gently reminded you that you can rely on him. that he understands that you're an adult now, but he'll always be in your corner when you need him and as simple as it was, that was enough to bring you to tears. you found yourself gently sobbing into caleb's shirt, gripping onto him as your cries made your body tremble in his arms.

then and only then did you finally find the courage to let him know about the lack of appetite you've grown accustomed to lately and how it feels so wrong, that you didn't want any part of this. caleb listened and cooed at you softly, gently rocking you both from side to side to help you regulate your emotions, making noises of confirmation here and there to let you know he's listening. this was a norm back then and no matter how many times it happened, caleb will always be there to pick up your broken pieces and hug you back into shape. then offer you his heavenly cooking for comfort right after.

so why is it now, years later, was the same ailment coming back to haunt you? you've graduated, found a job you like that cares about your own wellbeing, you have friends that you can actually genuinely claim as close to you, and caleb is back in your life. unbeknownst to you, it was actually the last reason that stressed you out. he was gone for so long, someone you thought would always be in your life disappeared and that basically shattered your entire world. with the time he was absent, you've started overworking while also agreeing to going out with friends after, leaving you with barely any room to even think about food unless the hangout involved it.

when caleb came back and discovered this returning habit of yours, he was heartbroken. he immediately fell back to being your caretaker, making your favorite food, offering you small snacks, as well as sneaking in a small packet of snacks in your uniform once in a while. his quiet yet proactive encouragement and apology made you feel emotional, having breakdowns in your lonesome multiple times, sometimes even at your workplace bathroom when you finally find a snack in your bag or work uniform.

and once you have free time to visit him in skyhaven, it feels like having to relearn to be around caleb again. was it okay to hug him? tease him? pinch his cheek even? would that be weird? this would happen for the first few times you spend time alone together, every single time caleb would give you the time and space to feel comfortable enough to give him affection, and every single visit to each other's place you find these old and comforting habits easier to do again.

little by little, food would stop becoming unappetizing again, not with how mouthwatering caleb would make them. he helped you work your way back from snacking all day, to full on meals throughout a long span of time, making sure it was never rushed. and overtime, you find yourself cheering up again. despite the complexities of caleb's current situation as colonel, having him around and a call away in case of emergencies feels just right, as if your world was being bandaged up and put together again.

[copperbadge]

In order to write the second-to-last scene I had to finish in the chefs novel, which is actually a blog entry Simon makes about foods that people cook when they're emotional, I was researching complicated recipes that require a lot of focus. The idea is that if you are extremely sad, you make an extremely complicated recipe and you're distracted -- and if the recipe doesn't come out, well, you were already sad, now you can wallow in your new failure as well.

I won't spoil what I ended up choosing, but looking up recipes that people think are difficult or complicated was...kind of an interesting moment. A lot of the sites are obviously cribbing from each other (using the same phrasing, etc) but even so, most of the lists of "difficult" recipes are things I've tried without knowing they're supposed to be difficult, or haven't actually found to be super difficult.

That's not to be "What, like it's hard?" about it all -- sometimes I've failed to make the recipes properly, for sure. But like...I've made croissants, I've made macarons -- admittedly macarons are a little harder than meringues but not that much. Consomme and cream sauces just need patience. Deboning a chicken does require knowledge and skill with a knife but that's the hardest part of making turducken, although admittedly turducken is a lot of ongoing work until you pop it in the oven.

Reading up on the ones I haven't tried, like aspics, baked Alaska, and souffles, makes me want to try them. It's true I'm not great with gelatin that doesn't come in a box with a recipe for jigglers on the side, and Italian meringue is more difficult than French, and well -- souffle? Dans cette economie?? -- but still. Could be fun to take a swing at them.

That said, I think I'll hold off until life is a little less hectic.

(My personal "complicated cookery" Everest? Panettone. I am terrible with sourdoughs.)

[innvmorati]

˙ . ꒷ 🦎️ . ˙—TOO COMMON MISTAKES

( my opinion on how writers write Mikage Reo )

We can talk about how many writers have idealized Reo in a rather misguided way. The vast majority of fanfics, headcanons, and one-shots, especially those centered around fluff or even angst with fluff, follow a repetitive and shallow pattern: Reo as the perfect boyfriend, sweet, thoughtful, and spoiling his partner with money and luxury. However, this portrayal is not only simplistic, but it also completely distorts what the manga and Nagi's spin-off actually show us about Reo's true personality and mindset, and how his relationships and attitudes evolve throughout the story.

Reo is not the modern-day prince many fans want to see. In fact, the canon material makes this very clear when it shows his backstory, where unhealthy attitudes and questionable thoughts on his part are evident.

The relationship he has with Nagi at the beginning wasn’t as pure or "romantic" as many interpret it. Reo is interested in him, not for who he is, but for what he can do. He sees him as a "treasure," a tool to achieve glory. In other words, he didn’t perceive him as a person but as a means to fulfill his dream. At that time, Nagi was more of an investment than a real bond. Over time, he did develop a strong attachment, but this too is problematic: Reo wants Nagi by his side, not because he understands what Nagi needs or desires, but because it hurts him to lose what he considers his.

He was a spoiled child throughout his childhood. While this doesn’t justify his behavior, it makes it more understandable. He grew up in a bubble where he always got what he wanted, until he was confronted with the reality that not everything would be granted to him. This way of thinking is especially evident at the beginning of his friendship with Nagi and during the first and second selections in Blue Lock, when Nagi decides to leave him to join Isagi. Although Reo matures over time, there are still moments when it's clear he gets emotionally stuck due to his dependence on Nagi, which makes him fall behind and end up being dragged along by him.

Let's be honest: without Chris's pass to Reo in the match against Barcha, not only would Nagi have been eliminated, but also Reo. He was so focused on keeping up with Nagi, so determined to prove something to him, that he didn’t shine on his own. Several times during the matches of Machine's against others, it was clear that his game still depended too much on the emotional state of his friendship with Nagi. That final play where he scores the goal doesn’t come from him; it comes because someone else (Chris) gives him an opportunity that, honestly, he hadn’t earned on his own initiative. This is where it becomes apparent that he still struggles to detach from the role of the "player who revolves around Nagi."

This pattern repeats constantly, and it was so obvious that even those from Barcha — especially Bachira and Otoya — noticed it and used it against him. That’s what I mean when I say he gets dragged along by Nagi.

That's why portraying Reo as the devoted, emotionally attached boyfriend who only spoils his partner with gifts ends up being an interpretation that overlooks key aspects of his character. It's not just about reducing his personality to the way he's idealized, but about understanding him in all his complexity. And it's precisely that complexity that makes him interesting, not some hollow romantic ideal.

I want to clarify that this is just my personal opinion. I absolutely love Reo, but in a way, it’s strange to see how his personality is almost always misunderstood. Given that he avoided dating girls or, in general, thought that people only approached him for his money, it seems to me that he’s often misinterpreted. Anyway, as I said, this is just my opinion, and I could be wrong, or not. I leave it to your judgment. I’d also love to know what you think.

[lordofmydestiny]

This is something I genuinely think so much about when it comes to the show

It wants to say now that things are different that it was always meant to be that way but it doesn't change the 'lesson' those episodes were trying to teach, especially when they were written in an episodic format.

Chloe is the biggest example of this, if the show was always going to give her a damnation arc, what's with all of her episodes in S2 giving the opposite message?

But I actually wanna talk about it in terms of Adrien because of how it's so telling.

In Glaciator, despite Ladybug giving him a very firm "No, I do not have feelings for you." Chat Noir, and by extension Adrien does not take this rejection AT ALL.

Instead when he goes to get ice cream, Andre tells him to hold onto those feelings because it's 'true' and that 'true love wins in the end.'

And I bring this up to say, they have used that to justify what is at worst, sexual harassment.

Like when Chat tries to steal a kiss from Ladybug twice in Prime Queen alongside that episode just bombarding us with snippets going "SEE THEY'RE MADE FOR EACH OTHER" and Chat going along with this and egging Nadia on because Ladybug's feelings don't matter because they're the destined couple and all that crap. Or the time that Chat was being incredibly passive aggressive in Frozer to the point Ladybug has to remind him that she rejected him. This was a problem since the very start of the show, remember in Copycat he was so jealous he lied to a guy saying he and Ladybug were a thing and yet Ladybug was the one who had to apologize because she didn't make it to the statue unveiling?

Yet suddenly in S4 and especially S5 (forgive me, I have not properly rewatched those seasons because I want to take my own notes on it) they suddenly spin it around and say oh that was TOTALLY bad, that we totally did not intentionally write Chat Noir to be that way and more important frame it as the correct way to take it. Because Chat is always so sad when he's rejected, he got so sad his deadbeat dad noticed, look how sad he is! Meanwhile no thought is given to Ladybug regarding all this and in fact she's portrayed as the unreasonably upset woman because she doesn't like that people are forcing her together with a man who cannot take no for an answer.

Chat Noir had been sexually harassing Ladybug for three seasons, but only NOW, NOW is it portrayed as a 'bad thing.'

The thing about writing is that it evolves as we evolve, and when we become different people and grow, so does our writing. But in MLB's case, it doesn't feel like the writers look back and saw "Ok we kinda messed this up, let's do something with it." but rather just brush it all under the rug and say "It was always a problem IDK why you act like it wasn't." (This is especially in terms of Chloe, even though I don't think any of her 'redemption arc' episodes are good you can't just point at the end of Despair Bear when Adrien says "She'll never change" when she goes back to being nasty to people and say it was always planned out when that was treated as a joke, but I just think it's the worst with Chat because of how they refuse to acknowledge how genuinely awful that is for Ladybug and how they portrayed her as the 'angry emotional woman')

I do appreciate how the writers acknowledge it was bad in S5, but it doesn't erase all the damage it causes in a show geared towards girls telling them basically it's ok if a guy treats them this way because it just means he likes you.

The show has a massive "Show don't tell" problem where they will tell us one thing but show another thing entirely.

For example, did you know Adrien is also a victim of lowkey sexual harassment?

But before S4, they'll act like Adrien is such good friends with Chloe but.... we never see that. Chloe is always invading his personal space to the point that it was in the opening of the show.

This is actually something they have against Chloe, the fact she was NEVER shown to be a good friend to Adrien, is always handsy and acting entitled to him, but they NEVER use that because they never saw it as a creepy behavior. (Which I think is the reason Chat is always harassing Ladybug, and Marinette being a creep is peak comedy to them) instead when Adrien confronts her in S4 it's about how she treats everyone else, and not him.

The point I'm trying to make is, these writers very very clearly have these certain views, and no matter how much thought they put into the show, those views ALWAYS seep through and quite frankly it's the biggest problem with the show because the more you dig under this the more problematic things you find.

I keep seeing people try to convince themselves that the ending of S5 was written to be eerie on purpose, that we're not supposed to think Gabriel is a hero, and that the writers will totally rip the rug out from underneath everyone, but "happy" endings that are actually a total horror show are a staple of Miraculous.

In The Bubbler, Marinette lets Gabriel take credit for a gift she made because, even though holding onto false hope is Adrien's fatal flaw.

In Darkblade, Tikki encourages Marinette to pile more on her plate than she can realistically deal with, because "if you want something, you have to try to make it work".

In Queen Wasp, Marinette encourages Chloé to bond with her mother, even though looking up to that trash fire of a woman is why Chloé is the way she is in the first place.

I could go on and on.

None of these things were ever framed as the wrong thing to do, and even if the writers were planning for that, the show has been on for almost a decade. A kid who was in the target audience for this show when these episodes came out will be old enough to drive by the time the writers finally get to this supposed payoff.

We have five seasons of precedent for this, not to mention the writers' own commentary on the finale.

[saltwatersweets]

honestly i’m thinking so hard about the respective lies that pure vanilla and hollyberry had been trapped in.

pure vanilla was stuck in a psychological hell where his nightmares are true, his life is portrayed as much worse than it actually is, and he is constantly belittled and blamed for everything bad that happens.

meanwhile hollyberry is stuck in an eternal paradise where her and her soldiers can never be physically harmed and are always pampered and cared for, where her emotions and guilt are coddled; all they have to do is embrace sloth.

shadow milk’s and eternal sugar’s similarities are very interesting to me as well. both seem to genuinely want their respective ancient to remain by their side (of course, they only want certain versions of their ancients, not the TRUE hollyberry or pure vanilla). but while shadow milk seems to project himself onto pure vanilla to fit his own desires and make him feel the same pain he felt as the fount, eternal sugar seems to genuinely want to bring others happiness. neither of them seem to have fully renounced their previous roles as the virtues, which is interesting as well.

either way i feel like pv and holly are gonna have the worlds second most awkward chat when they get back to crispia lmao

[that-smallinjured-bowylamb]

Tbh, I wanna write smth tmrw

Like, I wanna see more NRC vs RSA with the MC being in the middle of it, and also may or may not have been the cause of it all, I SOOO WANT SOMEOME TO WRITE IT.

Like it doesn't matter if the relationship between the character's and reader's are vaguely established whether it's platonic or romantic, like. All I want rn, is more rivalry.

Where the reader is neutral and doesn't seem to be on either sides (but more likely leaning to NRC/RSA whatever the reader prefers), and is slightly biased but won't show it. Like I want a normal reader to just be pulled by the arms metaphorically and figuratively speaking. Like, some random ahh RSA prince (or any good/side character) just falls inlove (or saw reader and made assumptions they could be trapped or smth) and wanted to help the damsel in distress (but it's just stress from assignments and homework). And a whole brawl starts out and the staffs can't do shit bc it's between their students to deal with, but then somehow the headmaster of both prestigious schools, somehow got warped into the situation but are now handling it in their adult ways bc RSA staff vs NRC staff sounds so cool to me rn. Like- I want to see a parental figure and an absent parental figure confront each other. While their students are like: RSA student vs NRC student. And so on. Then reader is like chilling with popcorn in hand (or any of your favorite dish) and is just in the background (this section is for platonic reader and main cast)

But.... on the other hand...

Romantic route would be such a mess. Preferably, I'd like to think that they've yet to confess to reader but also yearn for them in some way, where it feels and sounds eternal, and maybe that emotional turmoil bc they are so emotionally constipated they can't express their feelings normally. But then the RSA students just HAD to ruin it by barging into their campus grounds and taking someone that is clearly not theirs to take. This sets up a shit ton of emotions boiling over and making the headmage worry so much to the point he even tried to help. Because either 1. The reader is probably a personal therapist and a local school crush on campus that everyone wants to have a future with, but also is the very sole reason why their sanity is still intact, because of reader's (either reluctant or not) hospitality and 'kindness' (act of kindness) or 2. Reader is still their emotional support BUT the reader has a crush on THEM and it was pretty obvious that the prefect loves (twst character) that even a blind person can see it and a deaf person can hear a declaration of an obvious lovesick fucker.

So back to platonic route, is that all their friends want them back because where tf is our problem-solver/local chaotic bastard going? No, tf you ain't going to that whitewashed and fed-rainbow version of their school. Come tf back.

[PLATONIC ROUTE]

NRC guys: give the prefect back.

RSA guys: No! You've done enough you villains! You shall not torment this poor soul no longer!

NRC guys:...a declaration of war, I see.

Reader: *doing something cuz idk what you guys do in a situation like this. For me, I'd feel overwhelmed and cry.*

[ROMANTIC ROUTE]

NRC guys: you've picked the wrong person, listen, dude, they're doing fine in our school. And please, for the sake of the sevens. DON'T touch them like that.

RSA guys: How about, no? You nefarious villains should be forbidden to touch a divine maiden like them! You evil-doers shouldn't even deserve to live! (Okay, maybe excluding Neige and Che'nya out of this, since I find it hard to imagine them saying this :>)

NRC guys:...so you've chosen war? Let our beloved prefect go so they can choose on their own, they have their own preferences, so I kindly ask of you, stop projecting your delusions on someone you barely know of.

Reader:*Maybe just watching this whole shit go down, as they are being thrown back and forth, switching schools so very often it actually makes them want to throw up. Personally, I'd crash out and slap each of the boys, especially talking abt RSA and some of the annoying NRC students. Like, bro, let me rest, chill?*

OR OR OR!!!

Maybe there is a very delusional (but sly) prince that is neither from RSA or NRC? And that, there are other schools that had heard about the Ramshackle Prefect. And is also vying for them as well???? Wouldn't it be so cool if the reader could at least pull a hot madame??? Or like a princess academy, where not all of them are necessarily girl likers (if reader is fem) or boy likers (if reader is male) like, the reader could be anyone and they still pull. (I want hot women please give me a chance 🙏🙏🙏 *glances for a quick second at most of the twsted fem OC fanarts I've seen recently.*)

Like, can someone write it down, or should I do it?

[thepencilnerd]

Hello! So I'm the same anon asking about delving more into the Robby/reader/Abbot dynamic and protective behavior. Firstly, I'd like to say thank you for giving us more details and doing such a beautiful job at it! I loved reading about how Robby and Abbot are both protective in their own ways, and how that sort of caretaking loops around to taking care of Robby in his down moments... it's just a really beautiful cycle <3. I've also re-read both that response and "seeing double" about a hundred times in the past few days, and I have some further questions from "seeing double" I'd like to ask if that's alright? If not, feel free to skip and I'll try to make the rest of this short so you're not reading an entire essay lol. 1) with the locker convo between Robby and Abbot, in your mind was that solely just them figuring out how to woo reader, or them coming to the conclusion that they'd like to try and both be in a poly relationship with reader? I feel like there's probably an obvious answer there that you spelled out perfectly, and I'm just too dumb to realize it lol. 2) with the flashback conversation with Samira and the IUD, were the guys upset about reader possibly taking out her IUD because it meant her giving up on romance? And therefore letting go of any chance of her being in a relationship with them? Yet again, probably another really obvious answer and I'm just dumb lol. 3) not a question really, but my headcanon/theory of the guys making breakfast at the end is that they would've tried to surprise reader with breakfast in bed b/c I'm a projecting romantic sap and think both of those simps would do something like that lol. 4) if I ever had a random thought of like "how would Robby and Abbot reacting to reader getting sick/passing out/having a panic attack?" or something similar can I send it in because I'm so infatuated with how you've written the triad dynamic and would love to see more, but I also don't want to be pushy and blow up your inbox lol.

babe you have no idea how much i appreciate you taking the time to reread my blurbs and send these questions, i send you all my love <333

Not dumb at all! I love that you asked this, because to me, that locker conversation wasn’t solely about strategy or timing. It was the culmination of weeks of tension, misfires, and quiet realizations on both their ends. In my mind, it was that explosion moment—where everything they’d been circling around finally cracked open. They’d both come to the same conclusion: they want you, but more than that, they care enough about you (and each other) not to let this turn into something that could hurt you. So yeah, it wasn’t just about figuring out how to woo you—it was the moment they both silently agreed to try together. To make it work as three, not two competing sides.

Yes, exactly that! The IUD thing isn’t just about sex; it’s a symbol. To them, it’s you quietly closing a door to any form of intimacy, both physical and emotional. It’s you saying, “I’m done hoping. I’m done expecting anything real.” And that hurts. Because Jack and Robby don’t just want you, they want to be that real thing for you. The safe thing. The steady thing. The one that doesn’t disappoint you like everyone else has. So when they overhear you telling Samira you’re thinking of getting it removed, it’s not the medical detail that hits them—it’s the implication. What they hear underneath all that casual, sleep-deprived banter is that you’re giving up. On romance. On the idea that someone could actually love you the way you deserve. On them before they’ve even had a chance to show you they could. And being the pro-choice kings that they are, they would never be upset about your choice to take it out. They'd support you, no matter what you decide, and would never presume to have a say in your body. That’s not who he is. But this? It's about watching someone they care about so deeply resign themself to loneliness. Robby and Jack aren't angry at you. They're just scared they're already too late.

I'm a sucker for partner waking up morning after to full breakfast cooked and prepped so absolutely

feel free to send in and i can add it to my wip!