#like I GOT all my headcanons from the source somewhat AND from my own silly brain...

[dootznbootz]

This is so important to me, like sincerely. And I know that's gonna sound wild coming from me especially with how I write MY Pen.

Because Penelope shouldn't have to be seen as a violent "Fighter girl" in order for her story to be important to people. Women should not have to be a warrior in order to be respected.

Because like, while yes, she has her violent thoughts and prayers towards the suitors from the Odyssey and such, that doesn't mean she actually will do that as it goes against the laws of Xenia AND even if she could manage to take down 108 men singlehandedly, she'd still have to deal with their families being like "um, where's our son??"

Also, the Odyssey takes place in the Mycenaean Era and women definitely did not learn to fight then. And folks definitely shouldn't be viewing like, "Spartan women" as more "badass" and/or more important than women from other regions and/or do not wish to fight.

In all honesty, like, it's so impressive that she was able to hold the suitors off for three years with her weaving shroud, and who knows if she could have pulled it off longer if Melantho hadn't spilled the beans.

Sorry to prattle on in your post OP <3 It's just that you're right and this is important to me. I'm noticing this pattern of "She's from Sparta! Therefore that means that she is a warrior!" when that's.... not necessarily the case. And even though I do have my Penelope be a lil buff gal, that's not based on that she's Spartan, that's based on some small parts of the text and mostly my own self-indulgent joyous whimsy :3

Can we get something straight here about Penelope and this whole “Spartan” thing?

Sure, we all know Penelope was from Sparta (well, technically), and we’ve all seen enough 300-inspired pop culture nonsense to think that every Spartan woman must be some spear-wielding, leather-clad, muscle-bound badass. So let’s clear that up once and for all: Penelope was absolutely not that type of Spartan. In fact, that vision of Spartan women is more of a modern fantasy than an actual reflection of Spartan society, and Penelope herself would probably laugh in your face if you tried to pin her down to that archetype.

First off, let’s talk about what it actually meant to be Spartan. Yes, Spartan women had a reputation for being strong, but we need to understand that strength wasn’t defined by throwing a spear or taking down enemies with a shield. Spartan women were celebrated for their physical health and were tasked with producing strong offspring to build the next generation of warriors. They were also responsible for the running of the household when their husbands were off fighting in wars, which meant managing estates, controlling property, and overseeing the everyday operations of Spartan life. So, while Spartan women were not helpless, they weren’t exactly wandering around with weapons, challenging every person who crossed them, either. Penelope’s version of Spartan strength was a little more intellectual, shall we say. For twenty years, while Odysseus was “getting lost” (as one does), Penelope faced down a horde of suitors who were camped out in her house, constantly pressuring her to choose a new husband. Did she pull out a spear and kill them all? No. That’s not what spartan women did. Did she start a war? Absolutely not. Instead, she employed the ultimate weapon: patience. She weaved and un-wove a shroud for years as a stalling tactic, keeping the suitors at bay. Sure, there’s no sword involved, but let’s be real: that takes more cunning than any weapon ever could. Spartan women are not known for fighting, but for surviving.

Penelope’s Spartan roots may have given her the ability to endure, to manage her household, and to outsmart the suitors who had overrun Ithaca, but we’re missing the point if we think that means she was out there battling it out like a heroine from some action flick. Her version of strength was mental, not physical. Instead of wielding a spear, Penelope wielded her intellect, her wit, and her ability to play the long game. If you’re expecting Penelope to start slaying suitors left and right, or charging into battle with a sword in hand, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

Pop culture would love to turn Penelope into a spear-wielding warrior queen, but the actual historical context is far more subtle and far more impressive. She was Spartan in the most meaningful sense of the word: resilient, strategic, and damn clever. Penelope did not need muscles at all. She had the power of endurance — something a spear can’t give you.

[thousand-winters]

Ask game 🛼🍄🍬🥐🧩!

Hello, friend!!! I hope life has been treating you kindly lately 💖

🛼 ⇢ Describe your latest wip with five emojis

Going to use literally the last document I opened for this but: 😟🏃🏰🛌😢

🍄 ⇢ Share a headcanon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

I have a little hc that during the period of time between Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, while Ike was kinda getting used to being the leader of the Greil mercenaries in peace times, sometimes he would get too stressed and irritable, so Soren would do something about it.

The "something" in question being going to him like "Ike, I have something very important to report" and while Ike's kinda only half paying attention, immersed as he is in his own head, Soren will just say a shitty joke in a deadpan. "Why did the chicken cross the road?" sort of dumb joke.

He doesn't even think they're funny, but they make Ike snort in disbelief and, since he knows Soren isn't the type to randomly crack jokes all of a sudden, he can tell what he's doing. Those times always end on a smile and a "thank you, Soren".

🍬 ⇢ Post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

I didn't really think this was an unpopular opinion but I see it somewhat often around, the idea that Hunter killed people during his time as Golden Guard and I really don't agree with it. I feel like if Belos had made him do that, Hunter would have cracked so much earlier because his compassionate nature would be at odds with the act itself, even if he had been told they were bad people. He couldn't even get himself to catch Luz in Hunting Palismen, so I think he would have let a shit ton of people go and Belos wouldn't have taken that kindly.

At most, I can see him unfortunately being involved in someone getting killed in the same way he was with the palismen he handed Belos; aka, him possibly capturing people and those people ending up dead or petrified. But I really, really don't think he ever killed someone himself, and in the case of capturing wild witches and such, I feel like that would have to be a very special occasion too (I feel like lowkey Belos probably always had a certain wariness that his grimwalkers would run off with a wild witch or such, especially if Caleb wasn't the only one who did through his messed up story of brotherly murder and clonation)

���� ⇢ Name one internet reference that will always make you laugh 

Oh, my god, there was this meme in Spanish (very unsure if it also exists in English because it's from those monkey puppets that are memes but I never watched the source material of that properly so no idea) that went like: student character goes to present their teacher with a medical justification for missing class while saying something like "I got sick but I'm better now", teacher goes "it says here you got hit by a car and died" and then the student says "wow, science really advances, right?"

I don't think it has the same punch with me saying like this as seeing the thing but for some reason it cracked me up so much when I saw it. Now sometimes if someone asked what happened to me for whatever reason, half the time I go "I got hit by a car and died" and then laugh, which is probably not the best thing to say without context lmao 😭 I don't do it unless it's in a silly kind of context tho, don't worry.

My sister also sometimes will explain things by going "science really advances" and I die every fucking time too.

🧩 ⇢ What will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

1st person POVs, I'm so sorry, I just can't do it 😔 It causes such a visceral reaction of second hand embarrassment in me even if there's no actual embarrassing content in the description. I just cannot do it, it's even worse for me than paragraphs with no space between them or such, depending on the day I can power through those but the 1st person? Nope.

Thank you for the questions!!! From this ask game

[shipcestuous]

Binged an anime called Bungo Stray Dogs the other day (super-powered detectives vs super-powered mafia tale)... might actually not have binged it, except... woop, surprise heavy bro/sis incest hinting in the 2nd and 3rd ep... on the side of the 'good guys' no less! And checking your tags I haven't seen it brought up there (unless I missed it somehow).

The MC, new to the detectives, after seeing new associates Junichiro Tanizaki and his sister Naomi being super affectionate is a bit confused after learning they're siblings and basically told by the boss "You'll drop this subject if you know what's good for you."

It may not be worth watching the show JUST for them, to be fair: The brother's a semi-major recurring character, but the siblings as a pair are only really interacting in something like 6-7 of the 40ish episodes of the series, but almost every time they give off serious 'in a relationship' vibes, often outright hinting at sexual escapades, they live together, never have any romantic interest with anyone else, and there are occasional lines along the line of  "For my sister, I would burn the whole world." So I'd personally call it all-but-confirmed? I don't know, maybe your own standards are tighter. And it could be the sister's got a serious brother complex that the brother knows is weird and is uncomfortable about but isn't calling a stop to as long as it's just flirting (to me it reads more that the brother's just more aware how unacceptable it's considered and so is only bothered by her PUBLIC flirtiness). 

But, it's an anime based on an ongoing manga, and it's possible there's some yet-unrevealed-twist, that I'm not aware of, and (upon doing some quick googling) even some fan theories along those lines, which I'll explain:

One of the gimmicks of the series is that most of the characters are named for famous writers, often with super-powers that somehow connect to their work, and with other characteristics that relate to the author's life (sometimes more minor characters are named for subtler literary references to fictional characters - this is the case with Naomi, who is named for a character written by the real Junichiro Tanizaki). Tanizaki (I'm no expert in Japanese literature here so I'm summarizing what I could piece together from my surface level googling): Tanizaki is generally known for writing tales of sexual obsession, and as far as I could tell incest isn't anything he's known for writing or living. The Naomi from the story was more a general 'older man/younger woman' where she later takes the dominant role, and, apparently, in that story, to allay suspicions, the two did pretend to be cousins for a time. So, I've gathered that some people, uncomfortable with the incest vibes, have theorized that somehow they're only pretending to be bro/sis. But I don't buy it, and there's a danger in diving too deep into the original authors lives/works for meaning since it's telling a story of detectives and mafia with super powers and there's so much that DOESN'T line up. So to me it's just as likely that the author just wanted to include a bro/sis incesty relationship and gave the sister the name of one of the brother's fictional characters, for fun, and that's what all the in-series evidence points to so far.

It is played somewhat for humor, and the humor of the show is decidedly odd enough that I could see 'happy incestuous bro/sister' fitting in more than some of their attempts at being silly (they also have one character, named for an author that did eventually kill themselves, be obsessed with suicide and actually attempting several times over the course of the series... but, you know, it's played for laughs rather than tragedy)

So there's a lot of caveats, but I still thought it deserved pointing out. In many ways this is kind of a rare case where the source explicitly states they're 100% blood siblings (Naomi does, at any rate) and strongly hints they're lovers, but people have wild conspiracy-board headcanons where they're NOT, when I'm more familiar with the opposite.

(Oh, and there's another villainous character who has a very perverted seeming relationship with an underage girl with heavy (pervy)-father/daughter vibes that I can't get more into without spoilers, I guess, except to say that the girl is also named for a fictional character in the villain's-namesake's-work, but the girl in that question wasn't underage AFAICT, which again goes to show that a) not everything matches and b) the creator might like kink and especially incest vibes.

-----

Hi, Anon!

Thank you so much for this detailed description of Naomi and Junichirou. This anime has come up before under "Bungou Stray Dogs" which is probably why you couldn't find it, but in any case, that was when the anime was still pretty new, and the asks about it never had much details, so this message was very very welcome.

It's a shame these two don't play a larger role in the series, but maybe that is what allows us to have all the goodness. I'd say these two are canon, even if there's technically a little room for doubt. I guess we can't be sure what we have gotten until the series is over, but for now it's looking pretty good.

Thanks so much!

[recurring-polynya]

So you ever try to wrap your brain around Yachiru being Kenpachi's zanpakutō? It seems to violate all known (manga-canon) mechanics.

So, to be honest, that particular plot twist hit the note in my head that says “Yes, this is pleasing and not entirely unexpected to me!” I think it’s the fact that the idea of his zanpakutou being embodied this whole time made more sense than ::gestures vaguely at all of Yachiru:: this.

I don’t exactly remember, but I think I may have been spoiled on this one--I got spoiled on a lot of the Bleach endgame, and that always affects the way a plot twist lands, so please take my opinion with that grain of salt.

I think there were a lot of hints along the way-- that although Yachiru is very, very strong and somewhat bloodthirsty herself, she always seems more interested in seeing Zaraki gets the fights that he wants, and watching them raptly, deeply invested in his happiness. She doesn’t actually act like a child, she acts like someone would expect a child to act-- mischievous and silly, but she does not grow and explore or, most importantly, assert her personhood, the way a real person does. She never seeks to grow stronger, or to fight for herself. She wears the lieutenant’s badge and goes to the meetings, which she neither complains about, nor takes any interest in. A real child would either not put up with this shit, or seek to be taken seriously in this role (try to imagine young Byakuya, for example, being named a lieutenant). Most importantly: She is constantly trying to give him directions and they end up lost every time. We thought it was a running gag, but it was a metaphor.

It also seems to me that the other child characters in Bleach grow and age at times when their powers are developing. We see Rukia, Renji, Gin, Rangiku, and Shuuhei as powerless children, and then they age to teens when their powers develop. Toshirou is definitely seen as a smaller child in his Rukongai flashbacks, and it’s implied that he is currently at in impasse with his powers, having difficulty with the upper levels of his bankai. Even so, though his body is stuck in an adolescent state, he has the faculties and personality of an adult. Yachiru, if I am figuring things correctly, is older than Rukia and Renji. It seems like she must be an enormous outlier in the Bleach universe, and it’s frankly weird that, say, Yamamoto wouldn’t take a greater interest in her (unless he knows exactly what she is, and I suspect that both he and Unohana both do).

Unless I’ve missed something, we hardly know anything about zanpakutou-spirit dynamics within the Bleach manga canon. As far as I know, we only ever see two-- Zangetsu and Zabimaru. I think it’s safe to say that Zangetsu already violates all known normal mechanics. I also want to point out that I was a lot more pissed when Zangetsu turned out to be Yhwach (or whatever that was, please no one explain it to me I don’t want to think about it). It was telescoped well enough, but it poisoned a character who had always been there for Ichigo as a mentor and source of strength and it gave me the same yucky feeling as when they killed off Han Solo-- I do not like this. This does not feel right or enhance the story.

We don’t get a whole lot of Zabimaru either-- they can manifest on their own, and do so in order to bother Renji. They seem to be a fairly simplistic being-- they want to fight and be strong and are impatient with Renji’s (very reasonable) desire to take a minute to think things out.

Nobody asked, but I feel like it might be helpful if I unleashed my personal headcanon on Where Zanpakutou Come From. In the Zanpakutou Spirits Arc, the episodes are prefaced with a voiceover that says that zanpakutou are born and die with their shinigami, and I am sorry, anime filler arc, I reject this. One of my favorite Bleach phrases, which seems like it should it could have come from some angsty hurt-comfort fanfic, is “There are no ghosts in Soul Society.” (it actually came from a filler arc episode where Ikkaku, Nanao and Hanatarou get lost in the sewer). But I think there are! When shinigami are killed and reborn in the Living World, presumably, it is as a normal human with no powers. I like to think that some essence of their power and their zanpakutou are left behind, free-floating, nameless, formless, but with some distillation of the principles that guided their shinigami’s life. This ur-zanpakutou attaches itself to a young, spiritually strong person, and becomes intertwined with their soul. They develop a form based on the thoughts and memories and hopes and fears of their shinigami, and their names and specific powers are born of the union of zanpakutou and shinigami. Noble souls often get zanpakutou passed down from previous generations, who take the form of a grandparent, or form that their grandparents zanpakutou had. For kids from the Rukon, I think that most zanpakutou spirits takes the form of a barely remembered mother from the Living World, or a particularly frightening woodcut from a favorite storybook. As an aside, this theory also explains why almost every Rukongonian shinigami we see died as a child-- it’s easier for a free floating zanpakutou spirit to bond with a child’s developing psyche. It’s also a reminder of one more way that Zaraki himself is an outlier.

Zaraki is a really messed-up guy, I think we’re all on the same page there. Like, he just really needs a shit-ton of therapy, I can’t even start. He was a feral murder-child, and I think he saw Unohana as a mother-figure who rejected him. Unlike Ichigo, who needs a wise, experienced mentor to guide him through his warrior journey, Zaraki needs validation that he is a Normal Guy with Normal Murder Thoughts and Feelings, so his subconscious shapes his zanpakutou into another feral murder-child to love him and be his family. Zaraki doesn’t know how little girls act-- pink hair seems good? Stuffy people hate kids, right? It makes perfect sense that Yachiru would go fuck around with Byakuya. Zaraki finds all of Yachiru’s antics hilarious-- the names she makes up for people, the way she climbs all over Ichigo, her general proclivity for going ham. Zaraki is an incredibly simplistic person. My favorite Zaraki parts of Bleach are where you think he is about to get real deep and have some sort of insight, and it turns out to be “I’m gonna stab you, but I’m gonna use both hands” or this entire problem-solving process I’ve pasted in below, which ends in him finding Tousen by letting Tousen stab him. He’s just stupid, bless his heart, and having a murder gremlin for a guiding light just... tracks?

The weirdest thing about Yachiru is that she has her own zanpakutou. I spent about 10 minutes thinking about it, though, and decided that she’s just a recursion, and that the weird feeling I get thinking about her is exactly the way I feel about writing a function that calls itself, and I find that little paradoxical frisson to be kinda cool, actually. The second weirdest thing about Yachiru is that there does not seem to be any connection, thematically, between Yachiru and Nozarashi. After he finally learns his sword’s name, I would have liked to see Zaraki have a trip to his inner world (like Ichigo does, in the midst of battle) where he meets an adult spirit who has qualities of both Yachirus (which he absolutely does not recognize) and that there is some interesting explanation of Nozarashi’s special abilities. To be honest, I couldn’t even remember what they were. Kenpachi has always been one of the strongest Bleach characters and so much about him is just iconic, and then his bankai was just completely bland and unmemorable, with no symbolism whatsoever. Lame.

[faulty-writes]

Could I request a continuation of those hikkikomori headcanons, please? Where after a lot of persistence, dedication and more than a few tears, it finally works out between the boys and the reader? Sorry, but I'm a sucker for angst and then a happy ending!

Previous headcanons for this can be found here. 

Despite the fact you continued to ignore his gifts and notes, it seemed that Izuku wouldn’t let up. You had grown so frustrated at this point, you decided to wake early one morning to catch him in the act. In a way it was entertaining, yet almost strange. Was Izuku actually giving you something to do? You tried shaking your head of those thoughts and remained standing at your front door, waiting for the famous hero student. He was easy to spot, given he had that familiar green crowl around him, however, it was more entertaining to see the look on his face knowing you caught him red-handed. But, unlike before, you actually accepted the gift he was yet again going to leave at your doorstep. 

You didn’t want to admit that perhaps Izuku was slowly working his way into your heart, you actually found yourself looking forward to seeing him. That is, until the day he insisted you leave your home. “W-What?” you questioned with wide eyes, to which Midoriya only smiled and held out his hand. “I know it’s a little scary, but as a hero, I would never let anything happen to you. After all, we are...s-soulmates. Please, just give it, give m-me a chance.” he spoke softly and you knew from his tone he wasn’t lying. This was the start of the many times you’d grab his hand and allow him to lead you wherever he chose. 

Eventually, you found warmth in his company and though you hated to admit it, perhaps Izuku was your soulmate. When you were near him, you could feel that connection he spoke of. It was like a tingle, maybe a lightning bolt. But, it only increased when you closed the distance between Izuku and yourself. On occasion, the green-haired hero would stay with you, sometimes for a day, sometimes for a few hours. Most of the time, you two would be sitting on the couch watching a movie or something on TV. On occasion, your hand would brush his and you’d feel butterflies, other times, he would grab your hand and intertwine your fingers. You had gotten used to the way your heart sped up whenever he touched you and when you looked into his eyes, you began to feel a sense of home. 

“Come on, it’s okay to say it.” Izuku urged one day, despite the fact you had tried to deny it. Maybe it was your soulmate calling, maybe it was your own choice. But, you found yourself falling in love and he knew it. “You already know how I feel...a-about you, so now...now it’s your turn,” he said as his thumb stroked over your knuckles, you latched onto your bottom lip. Chewing it for a long moment before hesitantly looking him in the eye. “I...I think...I l-love you.” your heart skipped a beat as those words left your mouth, what happened to you, and could you blame Izuku? 

Since the day you chose to invite Tamaki into your apartment, essentially into your life. Things had changed and part of you was frustrated. You knew what quirk Tamaki possessed, but you couldn’t explain what force or power had you agreeing to give the hero your phone number. It was strange, hearing your phone vibrate every now and again. Yet, you tried to fight the smile on your face whenever you saw those texts from Tamaki, usually, they were something sweet. Something he knew wouldn’t push you away, sometimes he simply asked how your day was or if you had eaten. Part of you was disgusted, another part couldn’t help but feel as though his actions were sincere and that he truly cared. 

However, there were days where Tamaki didn’t contact you at all. In a way, it was a relief, but in another, you couldn’t help but find yourself missing him. You thought it was silly, after all, you were fine before he came into your life. Despite the fact he had the idea you were soulmates, something you still denied. But, it would explain the tug you felt in your heart whenever he was away. You began to find yourself worrying if he was alright, you knew he was a Pro Hero and you knew of his past heroic deeds. But, the thought of him getting hurt, it stirred some unknown emotion inside of you. 

You had underestimated just how much time hero work took away from one’s life, in fact, you were on the borderline of texting Tamaki when you heard a few knocks on your door. You thought it strange as no one tended to bother you, but when you opened the door. You had to latch onto your lip when you saw it was Tamaki. He looked slightly disheveled, his hair a mess, and he was staring at the floor. Obviously avoiding eye contact and you partly understood why, yet you couldn’t help but take a step forward and wrap your arms around him. An action that surprised him, “Uh, B-Bunny?” he questioned, but you were quick to silence him and muttered a quiet, “I...missed you.” before walking back into your apartment. 

You knew Tamaki could be emotional, but you never expected this. Those warm palms that held your hand were shaking and Tamaki had an unusual fearful look in his eye, “Uh, Tamaki...are you okay?” you questioned, and though he was nervous. He nodded and proceeded to take a deep breath before speaking, “B-Bunny...I...I k-know it’s only been a s-short time, but...I...I t-think I...I t-think I’m in...l-l-love with you!” he finished, his voice heightening in pitch. His cheeks were tinted red and he immediately dropped his hands, “Uh...s-sorry! That was...n-nevermind I...I...” you frowned, you felt the connection. Though you had been denying it, you finally let out a sigh. “Well...I guess soulmates are supposed to love each other, right?” 

Mirio sleeping against your door had become a normal occurrence, along with the fact that whenever you ventured outside your home. He’d tag along like a lost puppy dog, talking nonstop and asking you questions that you preferred not to answer. He’d always try to help you with whatever you needed. This included carrying your grocery bags, books, and such. You found it annoying at first but after a while. It became clear you were getting the Princess treatment, though you knew it was unfair to continue to allow him to do this. So, one day you invited him to your apartment. The smile on his face was brighter than the sun.

It somewhat amazed you, just how badly Mirio wanted to get to know you. He’d ask you endless questions, some you’d answer and others you kept silent about. Regardless of how you responded, he always seemed to find a way to praise you. “That’s okay sunshine! You don’t have to share anything with me. But, I still think you’re adorable and amazing. I know eventually, you’ll open up to me, no worries!” he’d always speak with a smile and part of you wondered how he could be so happy, and yet, you wondered if you were the source of his happiness.

Despite that, Mirio himself tended to be an open book. You’d never forget the moment Mirio shared the story of how he became quirkless. You knew he must have had a quirk beforehand, he was a UA student for God's sake and he had mentioned the hero course a few times. But knowing he sacrificed his quirk to save a young girl, it was beyond words. Needless to say, you had a new respect for Mirio and though you hated to think it, he was a hero in every sense of the word. Which meant there was a higher risk he wouldn’t give up on you. Deep down, you knew you didn’t want him to.

Eventually, Mirio got you to open up. Though he always brought up the fact you were soulmates, you were well-aware of this and you felt that warmth radiate in your chest whenever he was close to you. Was that the connection? “Mirio...it would never work between us,” you tried to reason with him, “I once...said you couldn’t change me and I just...don't know if I want to...” Mirio frowned before reaching over to grab your hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Sunshine, you don’t have to love me now...heck you don’t even have to love me later. You don’t even have to like me! But, you should know how I feel by now and I promise, no matter what my feelings for you will never go away.” he said, and you gasped as he pressed a soft kiss to the back of your hand.

[onbanksofadragonriver]

Varric x Merrill thoughts

This is a rarepair ship I’ve believed in ever since I saw this fabulous art a few years ago, and the fic “Perfume Shop” (in Russian) has been a major inspiration too. And then recently, @hollyand-writes got me to air my headcanons and to actually get down to writing for this ship, so here we are.

I’ll go by points, but it’s not my goal to somehow attempt to prove that this ship is or should be canon. They’re my headcanons: Don’t like, don’t ship. Also, I haven’t played DA2 in a few years, and have never played any of the DLCs, so feel free to take this with a grain of salt. All dialogue with no specifically indicated source is from the wiki.

Buckle in, this is long!

@geekalogian​, @cartadwarfwithaheartofgold​ ♥

>> Amazing banter

All the companions get frustrated by Merrill’s silly questions, though I believe half of them are actually only asked as a joke. They try to explain it or avoid the question, or sigh about Merrill’s naivete. Fenris is downright hostile to her, and Anders tends to get preachy. Aveline treats her like a child sometimes. Isabela is protective and friendly, but sometimes she sounds a bit condescending and impatient with Merrill’s innocence. 

But Varric, he gets her. He gets her silly jokes and just rolls with it, and their dialogues are a pleasure to listen to. It’s with Varric that her somewhat straight-faced, silly humour really shines, because he’s the only one to play along: about frolicking in the woods, and his resemblance to Hahren Paivel, and Bianca having a pretty name, or how his family is like fleas, or Darktown rats following the mage/templar mess, etc. He never brings up her naivete or makes her feel inadequate or as if she’s missed some context. And they’re both so relaxed around each other it’s like Varric has unlocked a whole new dimension to Merrill.

>> Protecting her freedom. The ball of twine and taking care of the gangs. 

I’ve seen meta on how Varric paying off the thugs is him infantilizing Merrill, but he does this for Anders too. It’s his way of caring about people. And also, if you see Merrill’s reaction in case Hawke doesn’t let her have the arulin’holm, you’ll see that she’s perfectly capable of realising when people are coddling her, and letting them know — in no uncertain terms — when that kind of meddling is unwelcome. (see also: Varric and his product deliveries below)

I also like to think that half of the reason “nothing ever happens” when she wanders around at night is because Merrill is a badass mage perfectly capable of taking care of herself. One of her default starting spells is rock armour, and when Hawke meets her, she admits to having fought before, and having done so alone. She’s certainly capable or recognising the stupidity and danger Sister Petrice is walking in as she wanders around Lowtown, and that’s in broad daylight. 

Also, I’m thinking Varric must have put that protection in place after news of some incidents reached his ears, because it’s not something he does by default to other party members who’re new to Kirkwall. So perhaps it is, or was necessary at some point. On the other hand, perhaps Merrill is totally taking care of herself, and the thugs are not even trying to attack her, they’re just enjoying ripping off Varric :P

I like to think that the Viscount’s gardens were an honest mistake and Merrill did cut down on wandering there after Varric’s comment.

The ball of twine is interesting. Her closest friends in the gang seem to be Hawke, Isabela and Varric, but only Varric actually gives her a tool enabling her to find her way around the confusing human city. I don’t know what others did. Did they expect Merrill to just stay in the Alienage if there was nobody to accompany her around the city? Or did they expect her to find her own way through trial and error? Varric gives her a weird, but apparently functional tool for navigating the city until she learns her own way.

And the common motif between ensuring safe streets, an access to gardens and the ball of twine, is how Varric is safeguarding Merrill’s freedom. She’s Dalish, used to living under open sky, travelling from place to place. She’s used to green, growing things and wandering about as she pleases. And she’s used to doing magic freely and in ways that she herself believes appropriate. Now she’s stuck in a barely hospitable alienage of a city with a strong templar and slaver presence, and Varric doesn’t have the heart to scold her and limit her freedom even more. 

Considering Varric is part of the ascendant group in Merchant Guild, who believe in leaving behind Orzammar’s strict caste system and traditions and embracing surface life instead, looks like Merrill’s freedom speaks to something deep in Varric’s own beliefs and values, nonchalant as he seems.

>> Trying to take care of her. Delivering produce.

This gives me feels. First, Varric noticed that something was off. Maybe he missed her showing up at the Hanged Man, maybe he went to visit her. Either way, he noticed that she wasn’t going out, not even to the market. It’s funny to imagine Varric standing in the market scratching his head about what actually goes into food preparation, but more probably he initially just threw some money at the problem, sending someone shopping for her. And then he checked up and saw she’s still not going out. And then he tries to talk her into going for a walk, to get fresh air.

And again this is something I’ve read as coddling and infantilizing, but — when Merrill is clearly not in a mood for teasing, she rebukes him politely: “I’m not a plant, Varric.” She’s not harsh as in case with Hawke and arulin’holm. When Varric leaves, she admits: “Varric is... very sweet. Frequently infuriating and a terrible busybody, but sweet.”

Which at first read as... Merrill not reciprocating Varric’s feelings for her? But on a second thought: what if Merrill is the oblivious one? Not only to Varric’s caring but about her own feelings for him? What if she never considered Varric romantically because she always thought she’d end up with a Dalish partner, and then she becomes friends with Hawke and starts opening up to the idea that what if she takes a human lover? And falling in love with a dwarf has not even crossed her mind yet? (Look lower, queen.)

Because when Merrill cares, she helps people: waters their plants or repairs ancient artifacts. Part of her potentially falling in love with Hawke is due to how they help her, how they have her back. Varric and Merrill have the same love language. I choose to think of it as a mystery, why Merrill is not canonically head over heels for Varric. Maybe she’s so used to his confident, handsome self boasting about all the female attention he gets that she thinks she’s out of his league and has friendzoned herself :P

Additionally, I believe “sweet” and “infuriating” is something that the gang could equally attribute to Merrill herself. Pot calling kettle black? :D

>> Opinions on magic

Varric largely doesn’t have an opinion on Merrill being a mage, a blood mage, or whatever. He’s not afraid, because he has other, more pressing concerns, like Merchant’s Guild breathing down his neck and sending assassins, and when he does mention Merrill’s blood magic being “evil” it sounds like a rehearsed thing that might cause him headache due to other people getting their knickers in a twist over it.

He does acknowledge he’s distrustful of letting “dangerous people run amok” if Hawke sides with the mages in the end of DA2, but apparently he trusts Merrill enough that she knows what she’s doing and leaves it at that. He’s just sick of the whole mage/templar drama.

>> Mutual interest in what they do. 

Merrill is interested in what he does for a living, while he tries to keep her out of trouble that would come from her knowing too much. And Varric is pondering why Eluvian is a mirror, and not some other piece of furniture. Not judging each other, just — curious. Showing they are in each other’s thoughts. And I won’t go into details here, because @hollyand-writes​ has, like, ALL the receipts where Varric thinks about Merrill in DAI, but he does — a lot :) He knows her interest in history and lore, knows that news of ancient elves keeping slaves would upset her, knows she would have liked to see the Dales. He seems to be missing her a lot...

>> Priority. 

LOOK at the sequence he mentions his friends in, Merrill is No.1, while Hawke is almost an afterthought :D

Merrill: How do you do it, living in the city without picking a side? Doesn't it matter to you? Varric: Of course it does. That's why I don't take sides. Merrill: That doesn't make any sense. Varric: I've got you and Aveline, Fenris and Anders. Hawke. Isabela. I've got friends in the Circle and drinking buddies in the templars. All of them matter.

And who’s the first person that comes to Merrill’s mind when Hawke calls her pretty? Varric! :D [X]

>> Comfort in storytelling. 

Yeah, Merrill says somewhere later that she wouldn’t have made a good Keeper because she’s not good with people, but she did receive all the requisite education. She studied lore and elven legends and history, as much as is left of it anyway, and I believe that storytelling, thriving on stories, is something that she and Varric both have in common. 

Maybe she’s too shy to tell her own stories, but she’s definitely enjoying Varric’s and looking for consolation in his stories when things get rough.

Merrill: Varric, how does the story end? Varric: Which story, Daisy? Merrill: The big one. With us and Hawke, the mages and templars. Everything. Varric: You want to know before it happens? You're not worried about spoiling the surprise? Merrill: I might not see it end. Varric: You have to stick with us if you want to find out how it turns out, Daisy.

Merrill: Tell me a story, Varric. Varric: Right now? I don't think we have time, Daisy. Merrill: Maybe a very short story, then? Please? Varric: Fine. "When the cards turned, he lost." Merrill: Oh. Did it have to be so sad?

Merrill: (passing the Hanged Man):  "Do you think there's time for Varric to tell us a story while we're here?"

Merrill: I hope we win. Varric will make it a good story, I'm sure.

>> Conclusions & Future

The thing that gets me the most is how good and kind they are to each other. It’s in their teasing, their jokes, the way Varric takes care of Merrill. I love Merrill’s confidence in Varric’s storytelling talent, and I like to think Varric finds Merrill’s confident tinkering with the mirror at least a little bit hot, even if he doesn’t understand magic (Bianca is/was a brilliant engineer, and I think Varric has a bit of a competence kink :D)

I also enjoy thinking of them both as slightly out of touch with emotions: Varric ignoring his own, and Merrill oblivious to his. I like to think of what happens when Merrill realises Varric loves her: because she’s open and honest in her affections, and it would be awesome to see Varric taken by that storm. To see him openly fall for someone so different, at a first glance, but also familiar: a knowledgeable storyteller, confident in her abilities, believing in free will and freedom. 

I see them moving on together: Merrill learning to let go of the disappointment that is the unfinished eluvian, and Varric learning to let go of his lingering feelings for Bianca. Yes, the past is important for Merrill, while Varric wants to live in the moment, but the point of knowing the past, for Merrill, is to be able to move forward, and Varric certainly knows his family’s past, so I don’t see any disagreements there. If anything, Varric’s resources and connections can help Merrill get her hands on more artefacts and ancient tomes, letting her continue on her path in some other way.

It’s interesting to imagine their life together. After DAI, Varric pours his own funds into various infrastructure projects until he ends up the Viscount of Kirkwall, and Merrill is in Kirkwall too, helping the city elves. Somehow, it feels logical that at least some of those projects would be new elf housing and improvements to the alienage. 

Would they get married? Probably, because I think it would be important to Merrill, and also probably because it might be a better way to protect her, a rumoured/known blood mage, from the Chantry than if she was just the Viscount’s mistress. On the other hand, knowing Varric and his cousin Elmand, and his spy network, and his tendency to successfully evade the Merchant Guild messengers [X], it’s equally possible he’d whip up a completely fake story about how his beloved Merrill is a hatter, and leave it at that. Probably he couldn’t even be found in the Keep, instead preferring to hide out in the Hanged Man or in his wife’s house in the alienage :D

Because, in the end, I think they both enjoy doing their respective Things very much, whether it’s helping elves or writing books, and they let each other do it selflessly, even if maybe it means they can’t live together. (Because can you imagine a Viscomtesse Merrill having to host a ball? Dealing with Hightown nobles? No, I don’t think Varric would ever ask such a sacrifice of her.) But they live close, and help and support each other, and, in short, I think they’d be awesome :)

[monstersandmaw]

Poodle the Gnoll... (sfw)

Edit which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

So, @thecriticalcanuck​ has been patiently trying to get a commission off me for months for this story, and I finally had the chance to do it, so here it is.

We’ve met ‘Poodle’ before, in a snippet where he sat chatting with his friend beside a river which I can’t seem to find any more :( , and in a series of asks/idea-bouncing sessions which you can read by following the 'fluffy gnoll’ tag linked.

This story features a male gnoll, nicknamed ‘Poodle’, who ranks absolutely at the bottom of his clan because of his ridiculously fluffy coat. Humans coo over him, gnolls laugh at him and abuse him, and he has only one friend in the whole world, a mid-ranking female gnoll.

I used my previous headcanons about gnolls and their society for this one (based off hyena society), in case anyone’s curious about the social dynamics and roles etc.

Length: 3337 words Content: bullying and abuse, both verbal and physical, young orphaned child, angst, and, well, fluff.

***********************

“Oi, Poodle!”

The shout rang out but he barely had time to flinch before a pail of freezing river muck was upended over his head. The fur, which had been standing wildly on end in the stiff wind blasting across the hunting plains, became plastered to his head in seconds, and the yipping, wheezing laughter of the other gnolls carried a long way across the whispering grasses. The commotion drew a small crowd, and his heart sank. Here we go again.  

He cursed as the foul slime dripped down his face and into his bright, golden eyes.  

“That’s hilarious! Look at him!” one of them snickered, shoving the distracted, muddy gnoll over so that he landed hard on his hip, causing more laughter.

“Hey, you could use all that shit to style that fluff of yours, Poodle,” another sneered. “Give yourself a nice quiff or something!”

“Yeah, slick it back off your face. Show all the girls those pretty eyes…”

“Or don’t! Who’d want to look at you?”

The group of four females and one male paced and circled around him as though he were a wounded satyr as he rubbed the mud from his face. He bit back the habitual hurt that blossomed in his chest at their words.  

He was used to it.  

He’d always had a coat that was three times thicker and fluffier than any other gnoll, and, being a male, he ranked lower than any female in the clan, and because of his looks, he fell below all of the other males. It didn’t matter that he was damned handy with a war axe. Outside of a raiding party, he was bottom of the pile, and even during a fight he ranked pretty low.  

“Get up,” a harsh female voice snapped, and as she joined the hooting and guffawing gnolls, she cuffed him around the ear so hard he saw stars. “For fuck’s sake, look at you. Go and bathe. We have to go into town and I won’t have you stinking like the back end of a minotaur.”

He sighed. “Yes mother.”

“‘Yes mother’,” the others all parroted, still snickering.  

The high-ranking female only shook her head in disgust at the sight of her son and stalked away as he pushed himself up onto his hind legs and shuffled off towards the winding, fast-flowing brook to wash himself off. And of course, the torment didn’t end with that single bucket of sludge.  

Herah and her best friend, Zila, were apparently not satisfied with simply messing up his coat, and followed him down to the freezing water. He was struggling to rinse the disgusting slime out of his thick fur as they trotted the last few yards over to him and pounced on him while he had his head under.  

“Wash it out well and good, Poodle,” Herah snarled in his ear as she yanked him back up, sputtering and coughing.  

“No one’s going to groom you, Poodle. But we’re gracious females. We’ll offer our help…” Zila added, placing her paw-like hand on the top of his head and dunking him again.  

Water rushed into his open mouth and he began to cough and struggle, but Herah was huge. As the daughter of the clan’s lead female, she was built for brute strength, and there was no arguing with her. She and Zila were his chief tormentors.  

Beneath all the fur, he was a lithe, muscular gnoll, and might even have been an attractive prospect for one of the females, but because of his stupid pelt, he’d never attracted anything but derision and ridicule from the females, save for one.  

Herah and Zila soon grew bored with ‘washing their little puppy’ and had left him, bedraggled and gasping on the riverbank. By the time his thick, wet fur dried off, he’d be even fluffier than he had been before all this started, and from the howls and shrieks of laughter and the looks on the bullies’ faces as he approached to the camp, that had been their plan all along.  

Kira trotted over to him just as he returned, somewhat shakily, to the encampment and gave him an affectionate noogie on the top of his head. She was taller than him, but not by much. “What’s up?” she said. “What happened?”

He shrugged. “The usual.”

“You get ‘Poodled’ again?” she asked, ears flicking softly.  

He nodded.  

“Come on, a group of us is going into town. Your mum has some things she wants to trade, and I want to talk to the blacksmith to see if I can get a new axe. You want to come with me?”

“Mother says I have to come anyway. Normally she shuts me away in her tent when she has to go, so I don’t know why I’m coming along this time. Maybe she thinks a bit of light relief among the clan while the humans coo over me will be good for morale…”

Kira punched him on the arm. “Don’t let them get to you.”

“Easy for you to say,” he snarled, lifting his lip slightly in a gesture that would never have been tolerated amongst the other females. His best - and only - friend merely laughed and slung an arm around him, nuzzling her wet, blunt nose into his ear and eliciting a high, silly laugh from him in response.  

As he’d predicted, the harsh prairie winds whipped his soft fur up into a mass of dandelion fluff by the time the small contingent arrived at the nearest town. Ordinarily, the arrival of eight or so gnolls at a human settlement would have sparked panic, but this clan was known here, and had agreed not to raid the inhabitants, in exchange for the right to trade and some degree of protection for them from other neighbouring clans.  

The two friends followed the rest of the group into the backwater town, and while his mother and a few of the other high ranking females took themselves off to barter for better weapons from the blacksmith, the pair waited by the fountain at the centre of the town. Hierarchy was everything, and, whether at war or trade, the elite got the first pick of everything.  

Lingering in the shadows, two females were watching him and occasionally yipping and laughing. He kept one large, rounded ear locked onto them, listening as they gossipped amongst themselves.  

“They’re doing it again,” he muttered softly to Zila out of the side of his mouth.

“What?”

“Herah and Zila… they’re making bets on how long it’ll take for a human to coo at me.”

“Oh fuck them,” she growled, but no sooner had she said it than a pair of human women began pointing at him and covering their mouths in a poorly veiled attempt at hiding their giggles.  

He flicked a piece of gravel into the well and turned away.  

As he turned, he caught sight of a human girl in a ragged, faded dress, with bare feet and dirty hair. Something lurched in his chest at the sight of someone so vulnerable wandering around on her own. The other gnolls spotted her a second later.  

They dropped to all fours and began to whoop and yip as they advanced. He didn’t think they’d actually hurt her, but the look on her face told him that she didn’t know that. He’d been in that girl’s position before. He knew what it felt like to have two full-grown females advancing on him, licking their teeth and laughing softly.  

Instinctively he made a step towards them but Kira grabbed his arm. “Leave it,” she warned. “It’s not worth it, and they’ll tear you to pieces. You’re not protected by the treaty; she is.”

“I don’t care,” he said, yanking his arm free. “It’s wrong. They can pick on me all they like, but she’s…” he choked a little. “She’s just a kid, Kira.”

Kira’s face softened, and he made a split second decision.  

Dropping to all fours too, he trotted over to them and circled round in front of the advancing females and behind the girl. He sat down beside her like a huge guard dog, ignoring the way it instantly demeaned himself further in their eyes, and stared straight at the females.  

Taken by surprise by his gesture of absolute defiance, they drew up short. “What’s this, Poodle?” Herah asked in a soft, dangerous drawl. He fought off a shudder of fear.  

The little girl heard the nickname, however, and giggled, all fear forgotten. “Poodle!” she exclaimed and grabbed hold of his arm, hugging him and pressing her mud-smeared cheek against the soft fur and snuggling him. “Poodle,” she repeated, almost like a prayer.

The gesture sent something soft and protective shivering through him in a way he’d never experienced before. Male gnolls were fairly well known for being the broody, protective ones, while the females were aggressive, warmongering protectors, but he’d never felt anything like that; no desire to mate, no desire to raise a brood of pups, and yet, confronted with this small, helpless human who found his fur a source of comfort instead of ridicule, he felt that feeling surge in him. He blinked, fighting the unexpected prickle of tears. It was a brotherly, even paternal, kind of protection that he’d never experienced, and it lent him strength.  

He stared the females down hard. On this, he would not back down. “Pick on someone your own size,” he growled. “There’s no sport to be had here.”

“Well, well.” Herah lowered herself down slowly onto her haunches and tilted her head, smiling humorlessly, and her friend, Zila, took a step closer to him, lips curled, canines showing.  

“Careful, Poodle,” she crooned in a low voice. “You’re courting more than just ordinary trouble if you keep this up.”

The little girl let go of him and, putting herself between the two gnolls, she crossed her arms across her chest, pouting and staring up at the female. “Leave Poodle alone,” she squeaked. “He’s a nice friend.”

Herah burst out laughing so hard she toppled over sideways, one hind leg kicking. “Oh my fuck,” she swore. “That’s precious. That’s so fucking precious. You just got told off by a fucking human pup, Zila!”

Zila took exception to that and launched herself at her friend, and the two began to scrap in a cloud of snarls and dust.

Taking the opportunity, he stood up and took a step away. Halting suddenly, he glanced down at the little girl and saw her wide eyes staring up at him. A heartbeat later he found himself saying, “Come on. Let’s leave them to it.”

Before he could turn and walk away, she slid her hand into his leathery palm and squeezed her fingers around his index finger. Tears swam in his eyes but he swallowed them down and led her quietly away from the fighting females.  

Kira stood by the fountain still, her ears pricked forwards and a dumbstruck look on her face, but she was no longer alone; she’d been joined by a male human.  

“Getting yourself into trouble again, I see, Elsie…” he chuckled at the child. “Ah, it’s a shame she’s got no one to look out for her.”

“What?” the gnoll asked, his grip tightening on her hand slightly.  

The man nodded. “Yeah,” he said heavily. “She’s nearly four years old, but her folks died a little while back and she just sort of… drifts from home to home. No one has the time or the funds to support her really.”

Kira turned her head as the group of females left the blacksmith’s, and she said, “They’ve finished. Come on, let’s go. Leave her…”

He shook his head. “You want to come with us?” he asked, and Elsie nodded.

“I love Garrett!” she giggled. “He gives me cookies sometimes.”

The fighting gnolls gave a snarl and the child cowered slightly, scuttling around to his other side.  

“You can’t keep her,” Kira hissed.  

“I know,” he retorted. “But while they’re there, I can’t just…”  

His friend sighed. “You’re too gentle, sweetheart,” she said.  

The blacksmith’s was empty in the wake of the small trading party, but the half-orc was still standing there and watching their approach from his doorway. “Well, well, Elsie,” he said when he saw the three of them. “You’ve charmed yourself a new friend, have you?”

“Poodle is my friend,” she said proudly, and, embarrassed, his rounded ears swivelled back to lie flat against his fluffy head.  

“Poodle, eh?” the blacksmith chuckled, looking the gnoll up and down. “Well, I’ve met stranger folk than you. What can I do for you?”

While Kira headed off with Garrett to look at the remaining selection of war-axes, Elsie reached her hands up and demanded, “Pick me up, Poodle!”  

He swallowed thickly. How could something so defenceless and so… so useless be so… endearing. Was this what it felt like to be a ‘proper’ male in the clan? To have his protective and nurturing instincts toyed with by the innocence of little ones? Acting on those instincts, he stooped and picked her up, settling her down on his hip and letting her sink her fingers into the thick fur of his mane. He was wearing his usual leather jerkin, but her explorative hands reached for his curved, sensitive ears, and she laughed wildly when he flicked one out of her tickling fingertips. He found a little smile on his own muzzle, and her hands then found that, and began to play with the soft, fuzzy velvet of his dark nose and lips, poking and pulling at him.

“Stop that, you pesky little scrap,” he chuckled as she yanked his ear again.  

Kira returned a while later to find him sitting with her in his lap on the floor at the foot of an anvil, whittling a little dog out of a spare piece of kindling with his belt knife. It wasn’t a whittling knife, so it wasn’t the cleanest of sculptures, but her friend had always had an artistic flare.  

She paused and watched him until he eventually looked up at her. Kira took half a step back at the look on his face. She’d never seen him look like that. Gone was the haunted look, the hunted, jumpy glances, the humiliation and torment. He looked soft and sweet, and truly happy. She swallowed the lump in her throat and sighed. Her own female urge to protect her friend suddenly intensified.  

As if responding to that, he tilted his head and whined a wordless question at her.  

She smiled and shook her head. “What are you making?” she asked, coming over and adding, “Mind if I sit too?”

Garrett looked out of the doorway into his workshop but didn’t interfere. The half-orc left them to it, pleased that Elsie was finally getting some attention.  

“I’m making her a little poodle,” he said.  

Kira leaned her cheek against his shoulder and murmured, “You could leave, you know?”

He stiffened at that, the knife falling quiet in his hands. He drew a deep breath and then let it go gently. Elsie was looking at the half-formed sculpture that lay across his palm and started to fiddle with it, her fingertips tracing the outline of the figurine. Then she yawned openly. “I could,” he said. “But… you mean, with her? Fuck, Kira, I’m a nobody. What would I do with a child? I don’t know how to raise a gnoll, let alone a human.”

Kira shrugged. “I think you’d do alright. You’ve got the empathy, you know. I think you’re the first person who’s really understood her. Or maybe she’s the first person who’s really understood you…”

He looked up at her and blinked. “Come on,” he murmured. “You get me…”

She nuzzled his ear the way he liked. “Mostly, but… I’ve never been alone the way you have. I’m a female. I have rank -”

“Despite hanging around with me,” he joked.  

Kira didn’t laugh. “Yeah. And that sucks. Your parents have practically disowned you, you’re the clan’s whipping boy, and you’re miserable. Think about it… alright?”

Elsie sighed and he felt her weight sink against his chest. She yawned again and leaned further into the warmth of his body. He murmured her name, but she was closing her eyes already. “No, no, no,” he said. “Don’t…”

He looked up and found that Garrett had returned, clearly wanting the use of his forge back.  

“Where does she live?” he asked, keeping his rough voice low and quiet.  

“She sleeps at the temple,” he said. “The priestess takes care of her mostly. When she’s got time…”

“I’ll take her back then.”

Kira took the half-finished figurine from him and slipped his belt knife back into the sheath for him, and he stood carefully. The action slightly dislodged Elsie, but she shuffled and clung to him. He looked up at Kira and said, “I… I can’t…”

“C’mon,” she said, nodding a grateful farewell at Garrett, who returned the gesture and watched the strange trio leave his workshop and head towards the temple at the far end of the town. Kira looked at the way he held her and said, “Buddy, you’re a natural at this. They missed a trick back at the clan with you…”

He smiled. “I’ve never… I mean…” he swallowed.  

“Playing house, Poodle?” a shout rang out across the street, and he froze, tail stiffening. “Happy families?”

Herah and Zila were stalking down the road, and they’d gathered a few of the others too.  

Kira braced herself beside her best friend, and Elsie stirred in his arms, waking as the tension rolled through the group. “Poodle?” she murmured.  

“Shh, it’s alright,” he said gently. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

With the innocent faith of a small child, she believed him and turned her face from the others, burying it in the thick mane around his neck.  

“No gnoll wants to mate with you,” Zila jeered, “Not even Kira here, so you’ll, what, steal a human child?”

“It’s not even stealing,” Herah cackled. “They told me that one wants that one. He’s literally just picking up the trash.”

Something snapped in him then and, unthinkingly, he handed Elsie to Kira. His lips curled back and his hackles rose. “Say that again and I will kill you,” he said. “I mean it.”

His hand found the haft of his axe and he shifted the weight of it, ready.  

Herah actually faltered. They’d seen the way males could get when defending the pups, but admittedly, that was over gnoll pups; clan pups. This was new for them.  

Kira murmured something softly to him and he twitched his ear. “What?”

“Leave it. It’s not worth it. If you get hurt, you won’t be able to see the priestess and ask if you can take care of her.”  

The steady gaze and sound advice of his life-long best friend filtered slowly through the pounding rage in his skull and he finally nodded curtly, returning the axe to its holster. Elsie was nervous, her eyes wide, but he took her gently back from Kira and turned to Herah.  

“I’m leaving.”

He turned his back on his clan, the folks who had made his life a misery, and, with one final look at Kira, one final smile, he added, “Thank you.”

“I love you,” she said. “Take care of yourself, and her, alright? Don’t vanish forever…”

“I promise.”

With his back to the red disk of the setting sun, he made his way to the temple. The priestess was more than happy for him to take the child, deciding that she’d rather keep the temple offerings to feed her own habits than feed the girl, and he continued on his way out of the other side of the village into the quiet evening.  

“Poodle?” she asked sleepily. “Where are we going?”

“You know that’s not my name, little one?” he chuckled fondly as she yawned, settling herself more comfortably into his arms.  

“What’s your name?”  

As the sun sank below the hills, he paused. Turning into the very last rays of red light, he looked back. “Aten. My name is Aten.”

************************************

If you like gnolls, you can read Brenn’s story here: Male gnoll/hyena boy (Brenn) x female reader Part One (nsfw) Part Two (sfw ish) Part Three (sfw) Part Four (nsfw) Part Five (nsfw) Part Six/Epilogue (sfw)

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[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S2 Ep 44-45: Kaiba Hallucinates a Dead Woman and Then no One Talked About it???

So, for the record, I am writing a little bit to the future here because I did make a little bit of buffer. And this episode had a Hella Random Thing in it and I just want y’all to know I try to create an authentic reading experience--although it’s not like a blind riffing, I clearly watched each episode twice to make the caps and write all this stuff--and I do it one episode at a time so you get a somewhat close to a realistic live cap experience, but like, believe me when I say I did not see this coming.

At all.

At all.

And if any of you were watching this at home and saw this happening then you are lying OR you have been writing a very creative fanfic and this fever dream was also shared by that one guy on this writing staff who really really really stans Seto Kaiba. Lets dive into it, shall we?

Things start out pretty normal, as we are yet tucking another hospitalized person into Kaiba’s floating coma ward.

I’m starting to notice that this room also has sheets which just means when they got to Bakura, they just didn’t feel like tucking that nasty boy in. They looked at him covered in blood and grime and whatever other sweaty layers are all over Bakura and were like “None of us like Kaiba, but we don’t want to do that to his linens.”

And then the episode starts with Joey literally saying this

Now in the actual line of the show, Serenity stayed behind because she wanted to be strong for Mai, a lady she looked up to so much for all of 3 hours. She also said that her brother’s strength inspired her to have the courage to stay well below deck and whatever the hell nonsense was going on up there.

I mean courage is a word you could use to describe it, I would just call it common sense.

Also, look at this Christmas miracle.

I like that someone on the animation team was like “How else are they going to know that Mai isn’t wearing the disk? Draw it on the table. We have to.” and then bam there it is. That is one super random detail.

(more under the cut)

At the top of the blimp, they’ve decided to give Marik a little bit more space.

The Yuge crew must’ve looked at this situation and been all “I can stand next to Marik, or I can appear to root for Kaiba.” And they made their choice.

Below deck we get to see one of my favorite things, that’s right, it’s fake UI for TV shows.

these look like windows you pull up in Maya when you’re trying to find the right vertex or something. Maybe that’s what inspired all this? I dunno, it’s very silly that he would need the same image of a card twice, and that he would need one flipped and in wireframe. Especially since all they're doing is translating a language.

Or maybe he’s just been dogging Kaiba for half an hour before this episode started? Who knows, but honestly, I kinda have to side with Kaiba on this one, moving Mai would be a bad choice since there’s doctors--right there--but like...they should land the blimp though. Like the blimp with a murderer on it maybe needs to land at some point?

But never mind that, there’s cards to be played.

Or...not played.

It takes Ishizu so long to show up that Roland almost cancelled the game and I was so ready to not have to watch a card duel. I was so ready for that to be the canonical end of Ishizu but of course that didn’t happen.

PS, Marik is permanently glowing now.

Kaiba still doesn’t believe in magic and this guy has a constant third eye. So did Yugi all of last duel and Kaiba was just like “I don’t get your weird fashion” and tbh that’s a fair assumption to make.

To be fair, they probably only have once source of not cursed jewelry living underground, and it’s probably why their so matchy-matchy. Like, we all have that one Aunt (I was that one Aunt for a little while) with an Etsy shop and way too much inventory that they just give away to family every birthday and holiday. Judging by how much jewelry these two are wearing, their one Aunt isn’t doing so hot selling her merch.

Anyway, Marik’s good side makes an attempt to reach out and it doesn’t get him very far.

Honestly, when you look at it, there’s more people here from Kaiba’s extremely close school class than there is from the Ishtar family. And they don’t even know that Odion is also related. Sort of calling the kettle black here.

Again, ancient Egyptian Samurai with Yugioh cards would have been one hell of a spinoff with so many problems, where is that anime?

So, the game begins, between a mostly-neutral-antagonist and a protagonist who has done nothing but lock herself in her room in the dark for about 1/4 of a season. I have literally no idea who I’m supposed to be rooting for. Neither does anyone on the show.

Things went about as well as you’d expect dueling a psychic, because Kaiba has learned absolutely nothing from dueling Pegasus.

*Mokuba still has the whistle*

Anyway, because Ishizu can read the future, she knew she’d be going up against a dude who relies on very big strong dragons, so she straight up removed every strong card from his deck, leaving only six cards. 

It’s at this point that he only really has one option, to play a Blue Eyes White dragon, which he had in his hand still, or to play the God Card Obelisk which I think was still on field? Again I don’t pay too much attention to the duels but the big thing is that he’s gonna use Obelisk, so Ishizu cursed it so it would hella kill him.

Much like any of the God Cards have done thus far. The worst cards. These are the worst cards and at this point no one should want them anymore. But youknow, hubris.

This is all pretty run of the mill since every time Kaiba duels, he gets hella dunked on, but then...this happens out of absolutely no where.

WHAT?

SHOW.

The least dateable guy in Yugioh!? How is it Kaiba--a past version of him mind you--but a shirtless Kaiba who’s got some lady draped across his arms like he’s gotta model for the cover of a Harlequin romance novel for old ladies? Which...I can arrange that.

Why--out of all of these boys, was it this one that has something the most resembling a fully formed relationship? More so than Tristan, more so than Yugi, more so than whatever was going on with Joey last episode.

What!?

WHAT?

This came out of no where like a jump scare!

And like, here’s the thing, if Kaiba was your slice of pie from the weird ass hair dessert tray that is Yugioh’s selection of husbands, that’s fine. Ship away. But like, imagine with me here, you have a boyfriend--and if you don’t like boys that only adds to this experience--you have a boyfriend and he has the most normal hair of anyone you know, and that’s really great. But his voice ALWAYS sounds like he’s announcing an NBC cop drama. Like you’re eating dinner and he’s like “Can we watch the food channel?” like he’s solid snake.

You’d kill him. You’d kill him way before you end up dead draped across his arms in some weird flashback. You’d straight up kill him.

Sorry, I just made him a lot more attractive for half of you. Whatever, my plan backfired.

But, despite...how...he is, now Seto has one of the most tragic of all the relationships on this show, up there with Pegasus and his dead wife. And so like, I turned to my bro and was like “WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT WHAT JUST HAPPENED??”

Cuz this show that has very, very little dating in it. A show that has had no physical kissing unless you count that time Pegasus macked a ghost. A show where someone almost got married to someone they never dated in their life and they shrugged it off. A show that had Mai and Joey friendzoning the hell out of eachother rather than admit any sort of crush. A show where Tea and Yugi went on a date but then I guess forgot that happened 20 episodes ago and are now in permanent friend limbo. (Tea and Yugi so far having the most realistic dating experience tbh.)

This is just straight up here’s a picture of past Seto, and his dead wife is here too, no explanation! Have fun digesting that!

(wouldn’t have noticed they forgot to finish Yugi’s necklace if I hadn’t done the cap. hm. So fast I blinked and missed it until I wrote this copy.)

And like, I’m making it seem in these caps as if these characters talked about what I just witnessed in any degree and straight up they didn’t. Of course they didn’t. Kaiba didn’t want to discuss this crazy ass thing that happened. Just me. I am the only one that’s talking about this in 2019. Just me.

So I turn to my bro and was like “you have to tell me what just happened” and bro was like

“Sorry to disappoint you but...I’m pretty sure that dead girl never comes up again.” and then he kind of continued “I’m pretty sure Kaiba sacrificed his one true love in order to get his Blue Eyes.” and I realized “Bro, is this just a headcanon you made up? Are you telling me your spicy Seto Kaiba fanfic as if it’s true just like that one time you told me that Yugi’s Grandpa ate a guy in Egypt and I believed you for 30 episodes?” and bro was like “Mmmmmm It’s probably a headcanon. I’m pretty sure they dropped Kaiba’s dead girlfriend plotline completely off the face of the Earth. Like a LOT of plotlines from s2, Rach, don’t get attached.”

So, because Kaiba believes that his.......dragon.......told him to play a dragon, Kaiba sacrifices his Obelisk to play a dragon--thus removing the Obelisk curse.

So if it’s strongly suggested that Kaiba’s love for this dragon is youknow, an equivalent to the devotion you would have a for a dead wife you have cradled in your arms, then -- has Kaiba been dating this dragon the whole time? Is that what the show just seriously suggested to me with this juxtaposition? Because I am an illustrator and if I wanted to make someone look like they had an intense and complicated relationship with a playing card, that is how I would draw it. Just saying.

And like for serious, how is it that Yugioh keeps writing it’s own fanfic? Like, is this dragon infused with the spirit of his dead wife? Is that why his reincarnation has this weird fixation with the Blue Eyes White Dragon? OMG this is absolutely ridiculous, I can’t believe I’m considering that Kaiba was literally married to what is now his paper card of a dragon. Of which he has 3 of.

Clearly I am thinking way too much about this.

I mean to be fair, Kaiba did save Tea that one time. He also took out a helicopter and a crane at the same time but Tea was just fine.

Oh boy.

That was so freakin random. Well...I’m glad that Kaiba got back together with the dragon. They had sort of a breakup at the beginning of the season and now KaibaxDragon is back in full swing. Good for them.

This was the only guy smart enough not to play a God Card, PS. This guy. I guess if Seto fell in a plot coma the entire tourney would be essentially over, so...it had to happen this way.

But dead wife, amiright?

Here’s a link to read from S1 Ep1

And PS in case you don’t know about the Billionaires and Baby’s books that have--I swear to you, like 400 books in the series--please admire the billionaires and babies books. Never read them. But I like to spread the news of these completely insane and real book covers wherever I go.

[straane]

yuna & flaws.

this is a subject I briefly kinda hinted at in my tuna post & found myself wanting to properly tackle. I've occasionally seen criticism of Yuna's character dismissing her as "the perfect woman" with no manifest flaws or the sorta faux "acing that job interview" type of flaws such as working too hard, being too selfless, being too kind etc. that are basically strengths masquerading as weaknesses and only really add to her inhuman excellence. and literally there's this one NPC chillin at the Moonflow that gives this highly refined character analysis: "Yuna embodies perfection". well, let's break this thing down, shall we?

and before I start, let it be known that I personally genuinely adore flawed characters, doesn't matter what type of flaws; it's something that to me, recommends a character and gets me invested in their story & struggles so yeah basically the bigger the human disaster and the more varied their range of f**kup the greater my fondness of them – and at the same time I'm a big fan of virtuous, noble-minded, goody-good sorta heroes so it's not really an anti-hero/anti-villain thing either. LOVE the latter lot as well but it's not like they own flaws if you know what I mean

someone'll ask me why i like x and i'm like off the top of my head they're just so dumb and completely obnoxious and  mediocre at everything i love it

so what I'm saying is me talking yuna & flaws is actually a great compliment to her & an expression of my abundant love & adoration

so let's address her

1. workaholic tendencies/excessive selflessness/excessive kindness. so are these real defects or sneaky supplemental strengths or the sly ploys of employee hopefuls? well I might as well fully embrace that metaphor and assert that throughout the pilgrimage, Yuna is actually doing a sort of prolonged large-scale job interview. I mean, she already got the job – business card says 'fully-fledged summoner' – yay – but what she's really shooting for is 'Spira's ray of light', an all-around national hero figure and constant 24/7 source of inspiration, comfort & consolation (not to mention hands-on aid) symbol of hope & salvation etc etc. AND eventual concrete salvation lol. basically, yes, she is aiming for an inhuman standard. there's a lot of internal & external pressure on her, she's constantly hyper-aware of her very demanding role as a summoner and to some extent putting on a performance – not really putting on an act (because damn right this girl is all kinds of compassionate and altruistic and noble and loving) but suppressing her individual rather more free-spirited & fun nature (that we see flashes of in FFX and an entire character arc built around in FFX-2)

perhaps you've met someone like this – some of them get quite good at keeping up the facade of perfection and self-sufficiency. Yuna at least is smart enough to show some transparency every now and then (like when she urges Shelinda not to put herself down, noting she's a beginner too). if she didn't, I don't think we'd like her as much. BUT even when she does, you can tell she's still quite conscious and cautious of her word choices and appearance and behavior and I actually think Hedy Burress's slow and pensive delivery is perfect here and beautifully underlines this aspect of her character. 

2. excessive self-reliance/overconfidence/internal arrogance. her own words, "oh no, I was... overconfident." (btw, I really love it when characters show self-awareness of their faults, subverts a lot of ‘cool’ character tropes) so basically, tho Yuna would have us believe otherwise – I think the whole summoner thing has gotten to her head a tad. not externally – she looks, sounds, feels, smells and tastes all kinds of humble and modest, especially next to the likes of Dona – but is it all just a part of her 'daughter of Braska and future savior and relentless champion of goodness and hope' veneer? consider her actions, and you'll see she often overestimates her own abilities. yuna: "stand back! I'll summon!" seymour: "gurl pls" she outright refuses to share absolutely world-shatteringly important and critical information about Seymour with her guardians; instead lies to their faces, and comes up with a thoughtless plan to confront him herself (and then do what? ‘stop’ him? she fails to send him several times even in the presence of her guardians and when she goes to face him at Macalania Temple he ain't even dead yet lol) and basically starts a domino chain of events that eventually puts them all in extreme danger. now, one might wonder, a) does she truly think so little of her guardians – people mostly older and more experienced than her; whose literal full-time job it is to keep her safe from any and all danger – and their ability to handle unexpected twists and turns (AURON??? LULU??? come ON Yunie) that she would not trust them with this info and thought they'd only get in the way and genuinely thinks her oh-so-thorough-A+++ plans superior to anything they might have to contribute? unlikely. even Auron makes this observation. b) was she only graciously trying to protect said literal professional protectors? that's her own (initial) interpretation of the events, I'm sure. c) is there maybe an element of arrogance/pursuit of heroism/overestimation of own capability involved? glory-seeking might be a bit of a stretch, but seeing as in Spira in general there's this collective image of summoners as heroes and saviors and near superhuman beings... is she starting to, maybe just a little, believe the hype? I'm sorry but it makes me laugh everytime when I think of Yuna telling herself that 'sure i'll just go have a little chat with alleged murderer and maybe marry him if I have to, what could go wrong?? sure I have access to these six trusted friends and capable guardians all ready to jump off a cliff if I asked but this is really no biggie' it’s like that part in Frozen where Kristoff roasts Anna like “that’s your plan? talking to your sister??” except it’s much worse

(also my headcanon is that if that nosy temple attendant hadn't unearthed Jyscal’s sphere, Tidus would've, lol dude knows no shame or boundaries.)  

3. insecurity/craving positive feedback. ok, I'm cheating, these aren't flaws, and we all experience them. but I do think they are oft-overlooked aspects of her character and I also want to bring them up to emphasize that they can and very often do co-exist with overconfidence/extreme self-reliance (pushing us to prove ourselves etc.) 30 seconds into her first ever interaction with Tidus, she has an extremely strong positive response to his throwaway markedly non-expert compliment on her first aeon, and she immediately proceeds to ask this, again, completely clueless outsider whether he thinks she can become High Summoner (lmao that part just kills me he just nods like he just learned the word earlier that day and she's like -deep breath- 'this means so much to me') idk, that scene just always gave me the vibe that she kinda really needed to hear those words and I won't go as far as to say she craves attention/adoration cuz again, clearly she has very altruistic motives behind her chosen profession but that bit is not the only time she shows a sense of insecurity/desire for validation/acknowledgement. her first words after her first sending, to the first person she sees? "hope I did okay"(altho she's not making it all about her given that she is crying too and thus actually breaking her summoner 'pillar of strength' code)

her insecurity also leads to her mimicking others at times, like in the Eternal Calm prologue you get the sense that she feels that the “same as always” Yuna isn’t good enough (Rikku does sorta take the wrong tone there) and this results in her imitating her cousin with all that “oh poopie” silliness and at times kinda trying too hard to act more edgy/assertive (at least that’s my interpretation of her X-2 characterization ALTHO it also leads to very positive and much-needed character development) 

4. limited empathy/wanting things her way/and yes, sometimes making it all about her, there i said it. so yeah, if we take empathetic to mean nice and friendly, then yes, Yuna is obviously empathetic. but if we go with the actual definition as in "empathy = the ability to put yourself in another person's position / understand their feelings/experiences" I think she wayyyy struggles. heck, I think Lulu is the more empathetic of the two. let me explain. take any time Yuna & Tidus talk about Jecht. they more or less immediately come to the conclusion that they are in fact referring to the same person (at least she certainly does), yet Yuna never quite appreciates Tidus's perception of/history with Jecht, his own father. she is quick to protest his bashing with her own memory of a "kind and gentle man" (which is no less true/valid) and doesn't really seem to know how to handle the subject in conversation when his experiences so wildly clash with her own. even when she accurately perceives that he's hurting in Luca, she doesn't even try to inquire what's wrong or ask if there's anything she can do, but instead immediately relates his (unspecified and in actuality very specific and severe sort of) pain to her own experiences as a summoner and starts pushing onto him her own somewhat unhealthy if surprisingly fun coping techniques (thank you Yuna, for single-handedly bringing about the Greatest Scene ™ in FF history which I unironically adore). when she pep talks Shelinda (a great display of her kindness and thoughtfulness, as well as inability to understand other people's differing experiences and their nuances), again, she never asks her to elaborate on her situation but instead draws parallels to her own situation as a fledgling summoner. ('people are counting on me. oh and i'm sure they're counting on you too') neither does she ever ask Tidus what he wants to do in Spira, she asks him to be her guardian. even after her wish is granted (to be fair, it's what he found himself wanting as well) she checks with him whether he'll follow her all the way to Zanarkand, and when Tidus gives a very melancholy reply pointing out his own somewhat depressing reasons for the journey ('yea gotta see if my hometown's still there, it's probably not tho'), she makes this happy little noise. like... that's her takeaway. she clearly has a vision of how she wants things to play out and expects people to accommodate, whether she wants them there or not. ('I want him nearby' vs. 'I have to do this crazy stupid thing and I have to do it alone') contrast this with Lulu, who quite unlike Yuna, doesn't immediately become enamored with Tidus and his Zanarkand and his relation to a person she cherishes; but nevertheless starts helping him out immediately by educating him on Spiran customs/history (if that's not empathy/placing self in another person's position, idk what is) 

5. naivete/hesitation to question established truths I think I addressed this one in my MBTI post and my eyes are getting tired. she also eventually manages to completely flip this one around and make it into one of her strengths without losing a sense of idealism and optimism, what a heroine 

so anyway

-exits minefield- 

-immediately returns- basically feel free to disagree and/or point out any factual errors/aspects of her character that I missed, whether positive or negative. basically this is my personal interpretation of the character and as I said, pretty much my love letter to her

OR you could add to these (join the Yuna roast we have cookies bwahahaa)

[slinkhvrd]

Under the cut is my full application for Wendy, minus the ooc info!

app triggers: anxiety, drugs.

IC INFORMATION

CHARACTERS NAME:

Wendy Mi-Jun Slinkhard

SECONDARY CHOICE:

Pssh.

CHANGES:

Nothing I created this binch

THREE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE TRAITS:

creative

Wendy has always been creative: when she was young, she started writing about princesses and dragons, doodled on the kitchen floor ( much to her parents’ dislike ) and invented songs to sing with friends. As she’s grown older, Wendy has been developing these skills, having dreams of becoming a published author or successful journalist. She’s not only creative in this sense, but also in her thinking: Wendy is very open-minded and adaptable, and often things of original directions to take things into.

noble

This is the reason why Wendy was sorted into Gryffindor — her nobility. She’s got quite good morals and shows this on most things she does. She cares about people around them, is able to be courageous if it means it’ll do people good and doesn’t have any other motives beside believing it’s the right thing to do and to be; to be honest, honourable and brave.

allocentric

Wendy puts other people’s feelings in front of her own and this mostly because she’s kind. She’s always been kind, never had any reason to lose her kindness and this trait is one that really sculpts her as a person — Wendy likes to think of the big picture, likes to philosophise about humanity as a whole and because of this can be selfless and allocentric. She wants people to be okay, and will compromise her own worries to help others.

insecure

While Wendy is quite authentic and doesn’t often compromise who she is because it’s easier, she is insecure. Many things about herself she questions – her appearance, her personality, her skills – and she tends to worry too much about this. It’s something she wants to work on, definitely, but it’s hard to find a place to start.

escapist

She often feels overwhelmed with the world, often feels trapped in her own mind and Wendy has developed a real talent in escaping these things. This, by writing, for example, but also by being allocentric, which was mentioned before. Wendy likes keeping busy, but isn’t necessarily a hard worker and so spends her time doing things that aren’t too energy consuming but still distract her mind.

indecisive

She’s very good at considering her options, but not good at choosing between them. This links back to her insecurity: Wendy often wants to do things, but doesn’t know if she can do them, or if she really wants them in the first place. You see this in her uncertainty about the role in the war she wants to play, but also when she was to pick an ice cream flavour or which clothe to wear.

THREE HEADCANONS:

writing & other creative shizzle

I honestly feel bad for the people who share a dorm with Wendy. She’s, after all, quite a scatterbrain, and her creativity comes in bursts of energy. When these hit, she starts to write down her ideas on sticky notes and the first notebook she finds, and she doesn’t stop until the burst has passed.

Wendy writes a lot. A lot-a lot. She writes poetry and fiction, and here and there some mock articles on topics that interest her, and every now and then an essay for school. It’s something that calms her, something that brings her peace of mind, but at the same time something that makes her feel powerful and energetic, something that makes her mind wide and open and allows her to discover things she mightn’t discover in real life.

Besides that, Wendy also really enjoys painting, and if she has the time she does it quite often. Through her father, she has gotten into muggle painters and she holds a lot of respect for each and every one of them. Her favourites are Monet and Van Gogh.

anxiety

It’s currently undiagnosed, as Wendy has never much talked to anyone about it who might steer her into the direction of finding help, but she suffers from general anxiety disorder. It’s something that started when she was quite young and something she has found her own ways of dealing with — some more healthy ( turning it into creativity ) than the other ( smoking weed ).

hair

Wendy started dyeing her hair a deep auburn red this summer. She simply loves the colour, thinks it’s warm and welcoming, and she’s grown very fond of it over the past year. She does it with muggle dye, something her father’s sister helped her with. Beside that, Wendy enjoys wearing her hair in buns and can often be found braiding her hair while in class — it’s silly, perhaps, but she really loves her hair.

SHIPS/ANTI SHIPS:

I am a chemistry kinda gal

ALLIANCE:

Equality/Neutral.

Wendy’s indecisive and at this point doesn’t know where she stands. She cares deeply about humanity and wants to see the world change for the better, wants to see discrimination and the source of this war disappear. However, she’s merely sixteen and still has one and a half year to go at Hogwarts, and so it’s fine she hasn’t made up her mind. She knows she stands behind the fight against the Death Eaters, knows she’s fully against their cause, but whether she’s made to fight, she’s not sure of.

BIOGRAPHY

Born as the second and youngest Slinkhard child, Wendy was bound to grow up open-minded and kind. Her parents were bright and ambitious people, people who cared much for their children and gave them what they needed. Her mother, a witch, taught them things about the world she’d grown up in, and her father, a muggle in turn taught them about his world. Wendy and her brother grew up happy and feeling complete, and while it was mostly the four of them against the world (as her father’s adoptive parents had long passed, and her mother’s family still lived in Korea), it was right. Her childhood was simple, but good, and Wendy is very loyal to her family. Something settled into her being, though, as she grew up. It nestled in her bones and didn’t let her go, didn’t let her sneak away. Wendy had always been soft, had always been quick to question herself, but this was different. This was moments of sheer panic, of fully believing that she wouldn’t make it, of anxiety distracting her from classes and conversations. Somewhere along the line, Wendy got lost in her mind, and she didn’t know why, when or how it happened. It could be blamed on her upbringing, which was while good, somewhat sheltered: Wendy was rarely in touch with bad things, and found it shocking to arrive at Hogwarts, where people weren’t necessarily kind or openminded, like she was. The school’s environment could an can often be incredibly different to the ease and safety she was used to at home. Being surrounded fellow students who use slurs with extreme casualty is something Wendy struggled with in her first years, and still does. Wendy started to escape from her own mind. This, she did by diving more into her interest for art. She started writing more, followed the art and music programs, doodled on her essays and listened to different kinds of music. They were a comfort, a way for her to relax. Another was by putting her needs behind those of others. This both because Wendy is genuinely quite goodhearted, but also in a more selfish way: helping others, listening to their issues and problems makes her forget about her own troubles. Lastly, Wendy has taken to drugs. Weed, mostly, because it’s in her eyes quite harmless and not too big a deal, but she’s growing dependent on calming draughts. Like mentioned before, Wendy is goodhearted. Her compassion is great, her empathy levels high, and these things might be her downfall, for every death or disappearance in the papers make her heart ache. It’s a good trait though, one she has learned to value, as so many people are losing their kindness and genuineness. The war genuinely frightens Wendy, but she’s noble and selfless, and somewhere she does have that courageous streak of a Gryffindor and she feels that fighting would be right. Whether she’s made for war, however, she’s not sure — Wendy feels like a fragile being most of the time, and knows there’s much she needs to improve before she’ll be able to truly fight.

BONUS INFO!

PATRONUS:

The seagull.

                              The patronus of a seagull represents, as                               with most bird patronuses, a very creative                               mind. These people can soar intellectually,                               because they tend to see things in a different                               light. They have goals which they focus on,                               and at times they can be blind to other things                               and people around them because they are so                               set on this one thing. Their social range varies,                               but whether or not they prefer to speak with                               others, they do enjoy being around them a                               good bit of the time. They are good channelers                               of energy, and can fuel their creativity and drive                               even further by channeling the energy of others                               without even realizing they are doing so.

BOGGART:

Fire. Wendy never liked fire, the thought of burning to live being something that scared her when she read about witch burning as a child and still continues to frighten her. Her Boggart would just take form of fire, and a lot of it. Fire is uncontrollable and hot and can destroy so much, and Wendy finds it silly that she’s frightened of it, but it is how it is.

WAND:

Sycamore wood, Unicorn hair core, ten inches and surprisingly swishy.

WHAT DID THEY BRING IN THEIR TRUNK TO HOGWARTS? (FAVORITE POSSESSIONS):

Her notebooks. Notebooks on notebooks on notebooks, some full, some half filled, some completely empty. Some have a special intent( there’s one, for example, in which she jots down her worries so she can try and rationalise them, and another one filled with story ideas, and another one filled with combinations of words she came up with, another one filled with beautiful words she admires, one filled with doodles of faces she’s seen or dreamed up, and go on and on and on ).

Her brushes and paint. Wendy likes the paint and brushes at school, but these are her own and they are just better.

DID THEY BRING A FURRY FRIEND?

A red cat, called Snap. Because ginger snaps. HAHA. Terrible.

CHARACTER PLAYLIST:

Chef’Special — Birds. I wish I was from a broken home To explain the fact that I’m cold and alone But my family’s gold, So it’s probably just my own fault again

Sarah — Fleetwood Mac. (idk i just think wendy listens to this) Said, Sara You’re the poet in my heart Never change Never stop

New ways — Daughter Oh I need New ways to waste my time I need new ways To waste my time

I know it’s over - The Smiths If you’re so funny Then why are you on your own tonight? And if you’re so clever Then why are you on your own tonight? If you’re so very entertaining Then why are you on your own tonight? If you’re so very good looking Why do you sleep alone tonight?

ANYTHING ELSE?

Her pinboard.