#like I think it's such a great detail I've added to my Hawke

[melviships]

Anders absent-mindedly stroking Mayhem's nails and noticing the cuticles are caked with something sapphire, the same shade as the inside of their lips.

So putting two and two together he tries to voice his observation until they shut him down with "No." "No what ?" "No, I'm not a mage."

And he decides to demonstrate 'he already knew this, his question was actually why' in the gayest way possible by sticking his thumb in their mouth and pulling back their lip, lipstick staining his knuckles as he rubs the delicate flesh there- cobalt and indigo like the sky at dusk. "Why is it you, a non-mage, are drinking lyrium potions ?"

[ticklenight]

Pumpkin

The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm orange hue over the city. It was one of those rare peaceful evenings where both Dabi and Hawks found themselves with nothing to do but enjoy each other's company. The crisp autumn air was filled with the smell of falling leaves, and the sounds of children laughing as they raced by, excited for the approaching Halloween festivities.

Hawks had been buzzing with excitement all week about something—something he hadn't quite shared with Dabi yet. They were lounging in their shared apartment, a cozy place filled with hints of their personalities; Dabi’s dark aesthetic was softened by Hawks' penchant for vibrant colours and cozy spaces.

As they settled on the couch, Hawks leaned in closer, brushing his wing against Dabi's arm.

"Hey, babe," Hawks began, a playful grin on his lips, "I've got a fun idea for us tonight."

Dabi raised a sceptical eyebrow, eyes narrowing slightly. "If it's one of your crazy pranks, I'm not in the mood," he warned, though there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

Hawks chuckled. "No pranks, I promise," he said, his golden eyes lighting up with excitement. "I thought we could carve pumpkins together!"

Dabi blinked. "Pumpkins?" He said the word like it was something foreign and strange.

"Yeah! You know, for Halloween," Hawks explained. He gestured toward the kitchen, where two large pumpkins sat on the counter, their round, smooth surfaces just waiting to be turned into works of art.

Dabi scoffed, rolling his eyes. "And what exactly makes you think I'd be into something like that?"

Hawks pouted playfully, poking Dabi’s cheek. "Come on, it’ll be fun! And besides," he added, leaning in closer with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "I bet I can carve a better pumpkin than you."

Dabi’s expression shifted instantly. He leaned back, looking at Hawks with a smirk. "Oh, is that a challenge?"

"Maybe," Hawks teased, winking at him.

Dabi couldn’t resist a competitive spark, especially when it came to Hawks. He huffed, standing up and heading to the kitchen, pulling the pumpkins closer to the table. "Fine," he said. "But don’t cry when you lose."

Hawks laughed, clapping his hands together. "Yes! This is going to be great!" He pulled out a set of carving tools from one of the kitchen drawers, placing them on the table with a flourish.

Dabi eyed the tools, picking up a knife and inspecting it. "Alright, so what are we carving?"

Hawks grinned, clearly pleased Dabi was getting into the spirit of things. "We’re going to carve each other!" he declared proudly.

Dabi’s eyebrow shot up. "Each other? Like, our faces?"

"Yep!" Hawks replied, already rolling up his sleeves. "It’s only fair, and it’ll be a test of how well we really know each other's features."

Dabi chuckled, shaking his head. "You’re ridiculous, birdbrain."

"And you love it," Hawks shot back, sticking his tongue out.

Dabi didn’t respond with words, just a smirk that made Hawks’ heart skip a beat.

They set to work, both intensely focused on their pumpkins. Hawks took a deep breath, trying to concentrate as he sketched out the rough outline of Dabi’s face on his pumpkin. The sharp jawline, the smirk that always got to him—he wanted to get it just right. He glanced over at Dabi, who was already carving with precise, steady hands.

The way Dabi’s dark hair fell over his eyes as he focused was enough to make Hawks' breath hitch. He tried to shake the thought away, but it was hard to ignore how attractive Dabi looked when he was focused. His tongue darted out slightly as he concentrated, working carefully on every little detail.

Dabi noticed Hawks staring and looked up, raising an eyebrow. "What, already impressed by my skills?" he teased.

Hawks blinked, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks. "N-No! I was just—uh, I was checking out the competition," he stammered, quickly looking back down at his own pumpkin.

Dabi chuckled, enjoying the flustered look on Hawks’ face. "Yeah? Well, you’d better focus on your own pumpkin if you don’t want to lose," he said, smirking.

Hawks narrowed his eyes playfully. "Oh, I’m focusing alright," he muttered, sticking his tongue out slightly as he made a careful cut.

Dabi’s heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t sure why, but every time Hawks did that thing—sticking his tongue out a bit when he was concentrating—it made his chest feel tight, like he was about to have a heart attack. It was such a simple, silly thing, but it was also one of those little quirks that made Hawks so endearing to him.

Dabi shook his head, trying to focus on his own carving. He was determined to get Hawks' expression just right—those bright, mischievous eyes, the smirk that could light up a room, and, of course, the wild tufts of hair that defied gravity. As he carved, he found himself smiling without realizing it.

Hawks glanced over and caught the smile. "Hey, what’s got you grinning like that?" he asked, a teasing lilt to his voice.

Dabi huffed, his expression quickly shifting back to his usual smirk. "Just imagining how your face is going to look when you lose," he said smoothly.

Hawks laughed. "Oh, is that so? Well, we’ll see about that!"

The two of them continued carving, occasionally stealing glances at each other. Hawks found it hard to focus whenever he looked up and saw Dabi, his heart doing little flips in his chest. And Dabi was having an equally tough time every time he saw Hawks' tongue peeking out as he concentrated. It was a wonder either of them got any work done at all.

Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably only about an hour and a half, they both sat back, wiping their hands on towels and surveying their masterpieces.

"Alright," Hawks said, grinning. "On three, we reveal them. One... two... three!"

They both turned their pumpkins to face each other, revealing their creations.

Hawks had managed to capture Dabi’s features impressively well. The carved pumpkin had a sharp, angular face with a distinct smirk and carefully cut hair lines to represent Dabi’s wild, spiky hair. The most striking part was the way Hawks had carved around the scars, using the pumpkin’s texture to make it look like Dabi's signature burns. It was rough but incredibly expressive.

Dabi, on the other hand, had put in a surprising amount of effort into his carving of Hawks. The pumpkin had a cheeky grin and wide eyes that seemed to sparkle even in the dim light of the room. Dabi had even managed to carve the lines of Hawks' hair with a surprising level of detail, giving it that fluffy, almost unruly look Hawks often had. And on top of that, he’d carved little feather shapes around the edges, like Hawks' wings.

They both stared at each other’s pumpkins, eyes wide.

"Wow," Hawks breathed, genuinely impressed. "Dabi, this is amazing!"

Dabi smirked, though there was a hint of a blush on his cheeks. "Yours is... not bad either," he admitted. "You really got my scars right."

Hawks grinned, puffing out his chest proudly. "I told you I was going to win," he teased.

Dabi rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. You think this is winning?" He gestured to Hawks’ pumpkin. "Mine’s clearly better."

Hawks gasped in mock offense. "You wish! Look at yours—it’s got feathers and everything!"

Dabi chuckled, reaching out and pulling Hawks into a playful headlock, ruffling his hair. "Alright, alright, maybe we’ll call it a draw," he said.

Hawks laughed, wriggling free from Dabi’s grip and wrapping his arms around him instead. "Fine, a draw," he agreed, pressing a kiss to Dabi’s cheek. "But we both know I’m the real winner here."

Dabi huffed, though there was a softness in his eyes as he looked at Hawks. "You’re such a dork," he muttered, but he was smiling as he said it.

Hawks beamed up at him. "Yeah, but I’m *your* dork," he said.

Dabi couldn’t argue with that. He pulled Hawks closer, their foreheads touching, and for a moment, the world outside didn’t exist. It was just the two of them, wrapped in each other's arms, the warmth of the moment sinking into their bones.

They stood there for a while, holding each other as the sun set completely, leaving them in the soft glow of their carved pumpkins.

Hawks pulled back slightly, looking into Dabi’s eyes with a smile. "Hey," he whispered, "this was fun."

Dabi nodded, brushing a strand of Hawks’ hair out of his face. "Yeah," he admitted softly. "It was."

Hawks’ grin widened, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Happy Halloween, Dabi."

Dabi leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to Hawks' lips. "Happy Halloween, birdbrain."

And with that, they stood together, surrounded by the glow of their pumpkin carvings, knowing that, for tonight, at least, they had carved out a little slice of happiness just for themselves.

[pausegame]

I finished 🥲🥲🥲 spoilery thoughts under cut 🥲💜

I liked it a lot. I think for different reasons I might like it more than Inquisition and Origins, which I love for their own charms. The stories in both of those were epic in scale and had very big, heroic narratives. The strengths of Veilguard are definitely the tightly woven story and the characters.

My only nitpicks are few UI things, like I wish I could turn on subtitles for ambient dialogue only, move them to the top of the screen like in Inquisition, etc. I wish I could go back and tweak my Inquisitor. I think the language is sometimes too modern and breaks immersion. I think some messages could've added a fantasy flair to make them feel less modern and highlight how the values are already there in Thedas.

I wish a lot of little things, but they don't make the game bad by any means.

I think the story is made more intimate in how it focuses on the Veilguard members, even though the plot is the end of the world. I think the way its written, it side-stepped the lack of The Keep pretty well, although I feel like the codex entries could make use of those details, but it's not too bad since the plot is essentially There's A Lot Going On Right Now.

I think Rook is a wonderful protagonist and the story crafted for them makes them a better character than most BioWare protagonists. Not stronger or more badass* but a better character.

Rook is so normal. Humble and repeatedly humbled. Capable and strong but not The Strongest. Commander Shepard is a stone cold badass and doesn't have time to doubt their actions, but Rook is riddled with them. The Warden is the ultimate badass and the fandom collectively jokes that they would've finished kicking Corypheus's ass in a few minutes, which is why they're always absent from subsequent games. Hawke is that character 🙄 the snarky smartass who is "an underdog" but somehow walks stuff off and I'm never concerned that they'll die because Plot Armor and Sarcasm, very much a product of their time. The Inquisitor is the other Chosen One sort of character, who survives until the end and there's really only one point of high stakes for their story: Haven.

Veilguard feels like Haven happens on crack, repeatedly and in succession. Rook struggles. Rook isn't even the one to kill Ghilhin'nan — it's a team effort, and the killing blow belongs to Lucanis. Rook isn't the one to take the hit for the archdemon, it's Davrin. Bellara or Neve are the ones who are instrumental in saving Solas. Rook is just the thing Elgar'nan is swatting around.

During the fight with Ghilhin'nan I genuinely thought I had fucked up so bad I would have to watch my child die after I failed to save her entire team. Getting them all back was exhilarating and stressful, and the good fortune was immediately met with some bad.

Rook feels the most alive, rich with flaws, weaknesses, with a support system that is more thoroughly integrated into the story to be necessary than I've seen BioWare do. I've only had my Rook for about 8 days and I love her so much.

I chose not to trick Solas. I chose not to fight him. I chose the nicest option because my little Lavellan showed up to convince her you-were-my-brother-Anakin-I-loved-you dumpster fire of an old friend not to, even though that wasn't enough. If Varric had died in front of her I think she would want to slit his throat personally, though. The kids have a mind of their own, but she was always a bit of a sap.

Being nice to Solas was the safe choice. There wasn't a guarantee it would work, given I had my Rook err to the side of necessary caution, but it was better than having a raging god trapped somewhere. Placating the big bad. Still deserves to be kicked in the nuts though. That last little fucking lie? My god. Great character. Absolute dick.

I ended up putting Bellara in danger but I think the story works beautifully if she's the one to be taken by Elgar'nan, if Neve can even be taken by him, given my choices. Bellara's line where she tells him he isn't her god was just!! Absolutely beautiful. She's such a fighter and a sweetheart. I hated seeing her hurt but she was just so brave.

Ended up losing Harding, and I wonder if choosing to harden her persona would have saved her. I think I'll try on my replay 😭 Both dwarves who started the story died in my case. I want to know what that means for the dwarven people, if she even died at all. They said no DLC but honestly I hope a Hunt for Harding situation happens, or she just turns up in the next game like Valta. The dwarves got the shortest stick this game, which is sad because they are so incredibly interesting and tragic 😭

Overall, definitely adding it to my Top 10 games, maybe even Top 5. I don't have a concrete list but Inquisition was up there, and now Veilguard is too. Time to replay lol 💜✨

[bbq-hawks-wings]

Chapter 267 Review

So, there's a lot to get into this chapter that has absolutely nothing to do with Hawks but still has me

But we'll get to that, so let's go over the main plot, new/confirmed insights into Hawks' character/background, and finally insights into Dabi.

Main Plot

Key Observations:

Shiguraki's (not the PLF's) assets have been mobilized - Nomu, Gigantomachia, etc.

I point out Gigantomachia in particular because of the focus on his radio meaning that whoever gave him and the Nomu orders to mobilize:

Is Shigaraki himself

Is All-For-One

Or is someone with equivalent authority given by one of them.

I believe it's Shigaraki himself, but we'll find out soon.

Endeavor and Tokoyami swoop in the save the day for Hawks and Mirko.

I'm getting Tokoyami ice cream after this. Heck, might even take him to Disneyland he's earned it!!! We got confirmation that he and Hawks had started hanging out one-on-one during his internships (presumably after convincing Hawks to actually take him seriously) and do have a solid connection. This makes me very happy. Hawks does have someone he can genuinely call his friend - and in this time Tokoyami is possibly one of the best people he could have by his side, though not because of his prowess or whatever. I believe there's a strong thread in the overall plot of the next generation saving their predecessors, and Tokoyami specifically coming to Hawks' aid continues to confirm that. I have more speculations but will keep them to myself unless others specifically want to hear them.

Twice likely is dead. I have opinions circling this, but none of it will do much good until I see this conflict finished or have more, very specific information.

We'll get to this when we get to Dabi, but I can't help but wonder if Dabi hadn't ambushed Hawks if Jin would still be alive. On his own, Hawks didn't need to kill Jin to keep him at bay; but the moment Dabi entered the picture Hawks had a choice to make and locked it in. Toga has also had a fake-out death to miraculously come back, but I think it's safe to assume the worst for Jin. I really wish it didn't happen, but tactically I understand why it did.

Insights into Hawks

I would both die and kill for baby Keigo without hesitation.

Just look at him!

Protecc at all costs!!! Oh, he's so precious! But this brings me to my next point.

Hawks has been trained to be a hero who wins when the focus should have been on a hero who saves.

This one I don't necessarily blame Hawks himself for. Over and over and over and over again Hawks has shown to be a person who not only tries to save as great a majority as possible, but to stack the odds as high as he can in his favor to include as many as possible. He seeks to minimize suffering though he knows he can't save everyone. His focus is people in need first and going head to head with villains second. Which brings me to point #2.

His views on a future where heroes can breathe.

This is not rooted in a desire to not work, and I'd dare say not even to escape the Commission. He wants a place where people feel at peace. Tying in with the anime, it added details/sentiments that weren't mentioned or specified in the manga such as calling out Stain by name. We know he's been watching public opinion and sentiments surrounding heroes for a long time, and it doesn't seem like he swings to the extreme of abolishing heroes completely; but he does seem to agree the people need a symbol of peace - a paragon - to aspire to and emulate. He also seems to believe that this symbol should be able to inspire others given his even-clearer indication in the latest anime episode that Endeavor was his personal inspiration and now this flashback in the manga.

This seems to be directly in opposition to Dabi and what we now know about him.

Insights into Dabi

Let's start with his views of Stain - assuming he's a Todoroki (are you kidding me, Horikoshi?! A blacked out speech bubble?!?!?!?) - it would make a lot of sense how he would latch onto this figure who sought out personally punishing "fake heroes" with death. Endeavor has put through his family through enough suffering that most people who heard about it would consider death a merciful punishment. The lasting effects left over from the decades of abuse have left deep scars on each and every last member of the family. It also makes sense why he personally would not count All Might as a hero where Stain did because the abuse he suffered was an indirect result of All Might's prominence.

Considering how hard Endeavor pushed Dabi I would not be surprised if the inability to cry is not only a literal, physical scar of abuse; but potentially symbolic of another intangible inability to properly express, process, and relieve negative emotion:

Antisocial Personality Disorder.

This is a SERIOUS claim to make, so please understand I don't make it lightly; and I genuinely hope to be wrong because it doesn't bode well for anyone in Dabi's immediate social circle - especially the most vulnerable members of the League of Villains.

I need to be very clear, APD is not an "all or nothing" condition, and those who suffer from it can feel empathy and remorse to varying degrees depending on the individual. It's possible he may have had some kind of personal connection with members of the League, but his specific word choice is troubling. Compound this with the fact that he exhibits most of the major symptoms, has a history that puts him significantly at risk, and his current living/social condition aggravates his condition and complicates his ability to get treatment; and it makes at least a compelling argument. I can't be the first person to theorize this about Dabi, but this was the final piece of evidence that secured it as likely to be canon in my own mind.

I say this not to paint him as pure evil - in fact, he's still very much a victim of his father's abuse who desperately needs help - but to say that it makes it significantly harder to save him or rehabilitate him. I also want to bring up that it may make Twice's demise even more tragic and frame it in a new light that makes things worse.

If Dabi truly does not care about Jin as a person, there's a solid chance he did not climb those stairs to protect Jin but to get revenge on Keigo. Dabi could have been argued to be clever and managing his resources by opening fire on Hawks and Jin with the assumption Hawks would save him; but if he does have APD it's more likely he was acting impulsively and without regard to Jin's safety - that Jin remaining unburnt was a happy afterthought.

This is my biggest takeaway from this chapter and is both troubling and tragic if it's true. Those emotionally vulnerable members of the League like Spinner and Toga (who just watched her best friend die in her arms) are at risk of being manipulated up to and including giving up their lives just like Jin in the sake of Dabi single-mindedly getting his own revenge. I've said the League is fractured at its roots, but this is a much worse way of it falling apart of that's indeed the way we're going.

Jin likely would still be okay if Dabi had not stepped in. Hawks would have been able to restrain him and keep him from using his quirk without needing to resort to deadly force. Once Dabi entered the picture he not only put Hawks in a more desperate situation to actually need deadly force but emboldened Jin to keep fighting - and like a self-fulling prophecy neither side gave up until one of them died. At least for me now, there's a sense of empty loss and helplessness in it.

Nobody gets a gold star. Nobody deserves a pat on the back. This is the vicious wheel turning and hurting over and over again until it eventually crumbles under its own weight. We see seeds of hope in the reinforcements coming to aid in hours of need (like heroes should), but we're going to have to wait until next week to see the fallout.

I'm still open to talking about the chapter in asks if anyone is up for it, but I think this is probably the best I have to offer in a single post minus the fact that Keigo likely knows that Touya Todoroki did exist and is presumed dead. He can put the pieces together and it will be bitter when Endeavor eventually rejoins the main fray.

[lord-explosion-baku]

hello!! i just wanna say that ur writing is absolutely incredible and honestly one of the best writers I've ever seen! Can you share any writers that you enjoy reading too? its hard finding writers that write stories lips you do :(( anyways i love your stories and i hope this motivates you more?? idk if this is motivating enough haha i just love your writing and i wanna see more TT ILY

Oh shoot, oh heck. It’s so late but I’ll try to put together a decent amount of list for ya! It’s a little difficult because I can get competitive and obscenely jealous of other writers’ skill so I do have the habit of not drinking from the same creek I dip my toes into, (idk if that’s an idiom or if it’s close enough to an idiom that already exists but it’s here now and you can’t stop it.) but I am trying to get over that because comparing your work is silly and it’s really only hinderance in the end.

okay so a LIST (in no particular order) (and these are for people who I am pretty certain are still active with writing for BNHA? If I’m wrong, lol I’m sorry? they’ve got content nonetheless!)

@bnhascribbles woof woof. This writer right here is relentless. She makes me!! FEEL things whether is be a disgusting amount of tooth rotting fluff or utter shock and heartbreak. Scribbles has the ability to shatter my world in one simple scene since she’s SO GREAT at conveying emotion, and I’m going to physically fight her someday. I should mention that when she writes angst, there’s a certain amount of finality to those scenarios, and it’s like offputting in a way that can make you become addicted to the hurt.

@perpetual-bed-head: HELLO! Reading her stuff is like taking a vacation. Instead of laying in bed suffering, I’m suddenly very much with my best boy and he’s making me feel good, and special, and cute! Cece puts a lot of work into her work and when lever I get the privilege of reading it, I’m always awestruck. There’s also always an odd amount of symbolism that goes into her work (let’s say, being a little too intimate with Midoriya, it’s hinted that at least the concept of All Might present as well, and that just has me ROFLing [do the kids still use ROFL? Idk. I’m not going to continue it but for Cece, it’s important]) her stuff is hot and cute at the same time which is muy importanté!

@bakugou-tm I think I’m always going to be a fool in love with this writer. Like no joke, if my love for Bakugou is ever straying, I’d really just have to go back to her page and be all “oh that’s right, he’s HOT!” She really has characterization down and that’s!!! So important! Seriously reading her work is exactly like a real life Bakugou dating sim and that really should be enough to get you there, bro.

@quirkfics just seriously incredible work and there’s an endless amount of content on there ama! This writer is VERY good a writing a scene with just the right amount of detail even if it’s just a shorter piece and every time they do, I’m BLOWN away! They also write NSFW work for gender neutral readers which is seriously admirable (I don’t know if some of the other artists ive mentioned do it do not, I just know that with quirkfics, it sticks out.)

@bluesimba AHHHH???!!!?? Ahhhhh???? Listen, okay, I don’t know if I have the right words to illustrate just how great their work is?? Detail is obviously important to me so when it comes to bluesimba’s writing it’s like??? God, the simplest thing (sitting at a table with Hawks while he tells you that he bought twitter simply because it’s a bird themed website for example) while using the right amount of elemental design seriously has me soft. I discovered them when I was free ling down and a friend sent me a few of their one shots to cheer me up and boy did that get the job done!!

@dee-madwriter ooooof. If you like unconventional scenarios as much as I do, you should definitely head to Dee’s page. Dee is a really great outside-of-the-box writer, and by that I mean, in her writing I see ideas that I’ve never even thought of before which is cool in itself and then adding that certain spicy element in there? Muy bien. Dee also writes for multiple fandoms (again, I’m not sure if the other artists ive mentioned do as well, but you know) so it’s nice to see that certain amount of flare in other mediums as well!

I’m gonna go to sleep and finish this in the morning

It’s the morning

@weebsinstash more unconditional scenarios but goodness gracious some of her stuff is exactly my cup of tea. Weeb writes for so many characters too and she has me eyeballing people I probably wouldn’t have to begin with if not for her.

@lady-bakuhoe honestly, I don’t even know what to say. She’s doing kinktober and as far as I know, they gotten most of not all days down so far, so you literally just gotta pop onto her page and see the magnificence for what it is, dood. It’s GOOD!

Kerrrrrffff I’m sorry if this is a short list. I know I’m a fan of other writers but Idk how active some of them are and I don’t?? Talk to very many people on here?? I’m a hermit crab... HIZZAHT!