#or you could've just pivoted to making it more about the friend group as a whole and their dynamics

[indi-glo-archive]

i feel like if you think writing/thinking about teenagers having sex is icky you should maybe just not write a coming of age story about teenagers that very heavily centers their relationship and exploration of their sexuality

[kooki914]

I know this may sound like a silly question, but specifically for the undertale version of Asgore: what coud a partner do to help him become more assertive? Asking because I'm planning to ship him with an OC and I still despise how basically in the ending Toriel gets to verbally tear intro him and he doesn't bother to defend himself (specially with the "just get one soul and leave to kill 6 more ppl to break the barrier" wich she coud have done herself but refused to while living inside her own little bubble ignoring the suffering of her fellos monsters, I undestand she was grieving but I feel it coud have been done without making her seem on the right and nobody speaking agaist her). I also know that by doing this he may appear out of character or that "he changed just for his partner", but knowing that a partner can help you to change for the better while highliting you best personality traits, and I was wondering wich coud be the most coherent way (my plan is for them to spend at least 5 years together, and that Asgore also helps his parter change for the better since they arrive having strong biases agaist monsters).

I don't think this is a silly question at all! It's something I've tackled somewhat in my Spadesgore fics, the idea that someone's habits rub off on Asgore and what can seem like a negative change to outsiders (him being more closed off and assertive) is actually a positive one in the long run because he actually, y'know, gets a spine and stops putting other people's needs above his own.

With Undertale specifically it's a VERY complicated question because I feel like step 1 of any Asgore development in Undertale is that he needs to fully face the brunt of his actions. I'm actually somewhat of the opposite opinion to you about the "confrontation" between him and Toriel, I think the narrative very clearly spells out that his "violence when you're faced with violence" response was the INCORRECT one (while Toriel choosing pacifism in the face of a bloodthirsty nation was, arguably, the least morally dubious choice any character could've made), but Asgore never... confronted the root of that problem? He essentially got a slap on the wrist for the murder of 6 children, and while that WAS narratively satisfying for a game about forgiveness and letting go of the past, I think a bit of self-discipline is in order for Asgore, post the events of the game. Him confronting HIMSELF rather than relying on someone else to do it for him is kind of pivotal to that, in my opinion, because this isn't something a relationship can mend FOR him. Let me elaborate.

WARNING - since this post is analyzing Asgore, there's implications of suicidal ideation, but it's not discussed at length. And, fair warning, this post is less "proper character analysis" and more "wayward speculation based on narrative beats for the sake of shipping" <3

While Asgore is the type of person to feel borderline incomplete when not in a relationship with someone (see: all of his behavior in Deltarune; and in Undertale the way he just Stops Speaking once it's clear Toriel wants nothing to do with him, it's like he's just entirely shut himself out of the conversation as if he has nothing to offer anymore, only ever speaking in vague platitudes until the final boss is defeated and he's osmosed into the friend group), contrary to what he thinks a relationship Won't Fix Him NOR his issues around self-worth. It's something he has to tackle on his own because, if he enters another relationship without doing so, he's gonna end up in the same cycle of trying to impress his partner, exhausting himself, and putting his partner between a rock and a hard place because he's both extremely emotionally needy while NEVER communicating his needs properly, closing himself off while desperate for intimacy.

It's borderline masochistic, his tendencies to just passively wait for outsiders to judge, reward, punish, and practically command his every action. It's why he's kind of a bad leader? He's community oriented, but in that way where he wants to please everyone instead of enacting lasting change, because (I think) he can't really envision a greater good because he's got anxiety up the ass. He's REactive rather than ACTIVE, and while that's typically not THAT big of a deal (again, his Deltarune self as an example of how you can have a normal-ish life even with that weird mentality), when you're put in the position of a leader and then refuse to make conscious choices out of a fear of hurting someone, you're inevitably going to hurt Everyone, which is exactly what happened in Undertale. I guess an easy way to make Asgore a little more self-assured is, paradoxically, give him less power. This may seem antithetical, but if he's allowed to, like, sit and breathe for a minute without everything resting on his shoulders, and small, inconsequential decisions are up to him without the title of "King" looming over him, it might make him feel more confident in THOSE choices, specifically. This doesn't fix the core issue, though, more just gives him a safety net where he can hide from his royal problems with someone who sees him as more than just his title and duty, which is valid (and honestly really cozy and cute), but I'm here to break people and put them back together, so strap in.

You mentioned your OC is a human who has a lot of bias against monsters initially, so allow me to run (a mile) with that for a minute. You probably already have a meetcute in mind for them, but it's honestly a really good setup, I can't help but throw my two (or three) cents into it. It forces our POV character (the OC) to go through considerable change throughout the events of the narrative (whether you fic this or not you've already implemented character development into your romance plot and I Adore that), and in turn a changing perspective on Asgore himself. Try to think of things a human might hold him accountable for, justly or otherwise, someone who heard of mythical monsters and a terrible king who slays children. Your OC might start off somewhat siding with Toriel at first (as she was the only monster who attempted to SAVE humans rather than kill them), but gradually grow to sympathise with Asgore once they get to know him, not just because he's a walking pity party but because that human and Asgore might have more in common than they first thought. (This is where I run out of info on your OC and can't really fill in the blanks LMAO go wild with this part. It can be something as simple as gardening or something as deep rooted and psychological as "the need to please other people in order to feel like you're worth anyone's time". Bonus points if it's both and the gardening is symbolic of the psychological issues.)

From Asgore's perspective, though, this would be utterly baffling. To this day, I don't doubt he somewhat idolises Toriel, he clearly still longs to be close with her, so to see someone (a HUMAN no less) stop empathising with her feelings and instead side with his own? He'd think they're nuts! ... But also, it'd be deeply validating in that guilty-pleasure kind of way (guilty because he doesn't think he deserves redemption). It actually starts turning gears in his head, though... If someone in a position like that, someone belonging to a nation he's hurt so badly, can see the GOOD in him and try to nurture a bond with him despite it all... doesn't it mean he's genuinely worth something? Even if he himself can't see it yet?

(This is, you may note, similar to what happens with Frisk in most fan-plots, but also highlights where I think Asgore's "redemption" in Undertale falls a bit short on the character level. Frisk never really gets to spend time with Asgore, since it's narratively irrelevant whether they like the guy or not, because the point of their conflict is that Frisk refuses to kill him, and refuses to be killed BY him. It's a conflict that re-states the core moral of the game, while also partly dismissing a genuine bond between the characters because it's necessary for it to stay vague for them to properly represent the narrative forces that they do (humanity and monster-kind). The popular fanon is that Asgore adopts Frisk similarly to the way Toriel does, but, in the game there's literally nothing to support that. The equally valid interpretation is that Frisk sees Asgore as just Some Guy they're lukewarm with for the sake of not kickstarting another monster-human war, even if they genuinely don't like him on a personal level, just like Toriel doesn't anymore. Because, again, there's nothing in the game to support Frisk being besties with literally EVERYONE, they just hang out with monsters sometimes and Don't Kill Them, it's not a high bar.)

IF you don't want to take the angle of your OC siding with Toriel (if the monster bias is THAT bad in the beginning), I'd instead propose really hammering home the monster hatred. Just by existing, by being someone hostile to Asgore over something he DIDN'T expect to get hostility over (the fact that he's a monster, and not the fact that he's a murderer) would maybe make him question why he WANTED to be told he was irredeemable, and why it's so strange to receive that input for the wrong reasons. Maybe he tries convincing the human that, actually, monsters are good and HE'S the one who's to blame for everything bad, and when he's brushed off with "no all monsters suck" it just baffles him more. Bonus points if later on it hits him like a truck that your OC developing feelings for HIM specifically made them get over their monster hatred. He thinks it's a case of "if you learn to love the worst of something you'll love the best too" but then has to come face to face with the idea that he ISN'T the worst of monster kind! That they actually prefer HIS company over other monsters! And not even for superficial reasons! And maybe there's still prejudices to overcome with the human, but they're trying FOR him, not in spite of him, and it's yet another little sign from the heavens to Asgore that maybe, just maybe, he's not as irredeemable as he thought.

Another potential avenue, that's less directly correlated with shipping, is to give him a kid that is his responsibility alone to take care of. Whether that be a literal adopted child, or a kid he has to impromptu take care of for a while, I feel like having someone (anyone, really) other than himself to provide for sort of nudges his priorities back in place (even if it doesn't really dismantle the core of his issues). (My reasoning for this being a potential avenue is how much Asgore's let himself go in Deltarune when no-one lives with him, juxtaposed to his well-maintained house in Undertale where he's constantly taking visitors and patiently waiting for his wife to come back.) Something small and defenseless that depends on him for support and protection is something that could really make him realise how much his well-being actually means in the grand scheme of things, that even if it isn't pleasant he has to stand his ground if only for the sake of this child that depends on him for literally everything (which was, incidentally, also his motivation for starting the war in the first place - avenging the children he failed to protect with a fiery vengeance as the only concrete decision he made in his time as king (that we know of)).

Maybe the point of contact/conflict between your OC and Asgore in this scenario is someone who doesn't believe he should be allowed to take care of a child (what with the 6 dead in his basement), and while the feud may start as mild, it might get more and more out of hand and forces Asgore to actually put his foot down and Demand custody rather than ask politely, maybe because the kid in question trusts him and nobody else for backstory reasons, or because they're literally His Kid (Chara slots in really well into this role IMO but you don't have to go with that route if you don't want to tackle revival shenaniganery). This is, imo, much harder to execute in literary form? (If you're not gonna fic this, ignore this part) It bumps up the conflict from slowburn to full on enemies-to-lovers, even if it speedruns the process of Asgore getting a spine, and if you can pull that off hats off to you but I always struggle with proper enemies to lovers with no intermediary of "friends" in between.

IN ANY CASE, past the "will they - won't they" phase, once they're actually together, I'd suggest your OC lightly nudge Asgore into that self-assuredness he's desperately missing, and moreover I suggest it not be on purpose. While it's probably the healthier option to talk to your partner if they're having self-esteem issues, this is fiction and I love drama, if you expected anything else you came to the wrong person, and ALSO this is Asgore we're talking about. He's the king of "never talk about my emotions, ever" so even if something is brought to the forefront he'd probably just apologise and privately cry about it without fixing literally anything. It would be more impactful (imo) if Asgore chose to adopt some of the habits of his partner without him being prodded over it, or pushed into it. At first, small things, like actually asking for the pickles in his order himself (/ref, meme), but slowly it might evolve into him realising just how much he's been neglecting himself. Scenario example of what I mean - his partner has actual self-preservation instincts and can help themself when in a tough spot, and Asgore is caught off guard when that same kindness is offered to him (as the king of monsters, his subjects revered him so heavily they kind of forgot he can actually get hurt or might need help with otherwise ordinary things, and Asgore stopped helping himself along the way because of it).

A different scenario might be something benign, like an insult or backhanded compliment Asgore brushes off, but his partner doesn't. Asgore might hold the (correct) position that, as a political figure, there's literally no point in trying to stave off every insult or mean opinion, and (incorrectly) asserts it doesn't have an effect on him overall. Because, in reality, it DOES stick. He has a hard time shaking off disapproval and hatred when he's carrying around so much guilt (juxtaposed to how genuinely confident he seems in Gerson's stories of Asgore before his children fell down and before Toriel left, when Asgore could ACTUALLY roll with the punches and not mind public embarrassment because the opinion of the masses didn't matter to him as much as it does now), and maybe his partner can point out to him that he seems weirdly more fixated on the actual Contents of the insult than they do. Where they just didn't like someone's tone or intent, Asgore's actually focusing on What they said, and it's a clear indication of the way he compartmentalises and somewhat takes in every criticism he's ever received. Because depression and low self esteem just does that to a motherfucker sometimes.

Overall there's also a sort of... tricky line to tread when trying to write around/through one of the character's defining flaws. Asgore was always described as a pushover, so what are you really left with when trying to override that fatal flaw that makes him what he is? This sort of trope, "your strongest attribute is your biggest weakness", stems all the way back from ancient Greece because its a GOLDEN trope, and when making fan content I think there's an interesting line that can be drawn. Asgore's best quality is his friendliness and approachable-ness, so how do we NOT diminish that while actually diminishing the FLAW part of that core character trait? Maybe Asgore's more confident and self-assured now that he has a partner that supports him basically unconditionally, but ALSO he still cracks under pressure easily and gives into demands if pressed enough. Maybe he stands his ground more and can actually tell people off without being a total pushover, but ALSO he ends up feeling a lot of guilt over doing so and maybe regresses back into old habits soon after.

Because, again, a relationship won't fix him, and to me that's part of the appeal. Instead of finding someone to "make him whole", it's more about finding someone that's gonna be there for him during the good and the bad days, someone who maybe fills in for some of the traits he lacks, but never overrides what makes him who he is. Because, let's be honest, him being a pushover is probably what allows him to properly consider a relationship with someone who started off so heavily biased against him. Having little self esteem paved the way for him to not dismiss this person outright, opening his arms to someone who started off with genuine hatred towards him, and it's not a good habit(!!), but it's woven into his vary nature as a character, and I always find it interesting to see that push and pull between progress and loving even the bad parts of someone's personality. Again, especially because it's fiction, there's a lot to explore when it comes to that line of thinking, "do I want to make you better or am I trying to change a fundamental part of you"? I don't think Asgore would be abandoning his nature by having a spine and not taking shit from literally everyone, BUT it might be a line of thinking HE falls back on, because he's had literally hundreds of years of this habit built up, it's gonna be hard to make any progress without immediately taking two steps back again. Especially because it's Asgore, he's basically a smiling boulder that refuses to move or change (and I say that affectionately).

TL;DR:

I think finding a way to instill a sense of Inherent Worth in Asgore is a good way to shake him into being a little more assertive. It's what I did in my own fics (and a lot of this post was me re-treading the same ideas with different characters to pair Asgore with), and the premise of someone who dislikes him from the get-go but learns to love him in time is (in my opinion) the best vessel to do that through. Because, if this person, who means a lot to him, can get over their biases and love him, (like ACTUALLY love him, not the way his subjects love their king, but the way a person loves another person) doesn't that mean there's worth to him being himself, and not just what people expect of him? Is the fact that he's beloved by someone he loves not reason enough to try and survive another day, and thrive in the long run?

It's difficult to instill worth in a character that's had hundreds of years of literal and figurative dehumanization on his hands, but it has to start with small things. Him being more than just a king. Then, him being more than just a friend, more than just a person you're eventually going to grow tired of or disgusted with, and eventually someone who doesn't need constant approval to feel like he's allowed to breathe. Small kindnesses go a long way, and if he starts to see himself in someone he wants to protect, or ends up in a position where he's being provided for by someone he loves, it can build up those ideas of worth and (ironically) independence, because it's less about pleasing a crowd and more about Not Dying because he's actually not that bad to have around in the first place.

[moralesmilesanhour]

Thank you for sharing that post on Gwen because I thought it was just me who didn't like that they made her such a big part of Miles story...like this is supposed to be HIS story and HIS journey of being spiderman , he should've been the sole focus and her story should've been it's own seperate thing instead of tying it to his...but it's like you can't say anything because then her stans are gonna come crying about the Gwen hate and her poor white woman pain (and not even focus on what Miles went through or even the hate Margo and Jess get that's far more horrific than what Gwen receives )

Yeah I would've loved a solo Gwen film! I don't hate her, I hate what they chose to do with her story and that's what folks arent getting lol. (long ass post under the cut I tried so hard not to rant but I failed)

The people reducing criticism of the writers' choice to make Gwen SO important on a meta level to "Gwen hate" are honestly missing the point.

Literally everyone in this film has had a rough go at it, but somehow it's always Miles' pain that gets pushed aside whenever it comes to discussions about Gwen or Miguel or whichever nonblack character people have latched onto (I say nonblack bc it's clear people only give a shit about Hobie on a surface level).

Not only does Miles' story suffer (what do we actually know about him and his world beyond "hey look it's Brooklyn" and his issues w his parents?), but hers does too because they shoved all of that information into a series of flashbacks and cuts to her world. As a result, it feels like we don't know enough about either characters' respective relationships.

But the most IMPORTANT part that people like to gloss over is the choice to make a WHITE WOMAN as pivotal to Miles' character development as they did.

Everyone has already said their piece on the betrayal, but I actually want to zoom out a bit.

Like I said before, this movie feels like it wanted to be...something else. From jump, we see that Hobie instantly takes an interest in wanting to protect Miles and steer him away from joining Spider Society because he knows they will not have his best interests in mind.

He is not the only character that goes against Miguel (the FIRST time 🙄) to protect Miles, though.

Margo, the one Black female character in Miles' age group, looks at him while he's running from Miguel and decides to send him home (or what she thought was his home) instead of turning him in.

The movie even tells us that Margo is supposed to be a part of Miles' story too when they first see each other! Why else would she help someone she just met???

What I'm trying to say is, this movie has a ton of racial subtext woven into it. And it CLEARLY wants you to know that. Hobie and Pavitr even share a common hatred for Britain and it's not by accident!

And YET! It's the white characters that get sooo much development and exploration! Even though both Peter B and Gwen end up being the ones that momentarily betray Miles because they have both been convinced that suffering (even preventable suffering) is necessary and central to who Spider-Man is.

Idk my thoughts are so messy lol. I don't hate the movie and i understand that there was a lot of bullshit happening behind the scenes that may have also impacted the story. But there's just so many directions that it could've gone in...? IDK IDK sjfhdksk

My hope for Beyond the Spiderverse is that the movie will take all of these little nuggets that they dropped and give us some pay-off, in order to drive home the idea that:

A) Spider-Man is not defined by his trauma or arbitrary "canon events" (obvious jab at comic book fans lol)

B) Spider-Man is not defined by isolation. He is allowed to have friends and deserves community

Anyways rant over ✌🏾

[urlocalrambler]

heyy, ko !! i've been great, just been enjoying the rare UK summer weather haha.

you raised a lot of great points, and i wanted to take my time in trying to re-arrange my own thoughts and analysis of the enigma that is damon torrance. honestly, i think damon is probably the best written DN character for how pen went out of their way to complete his character arc. in some ways, the entire DN series is an exploration into damon's psyche, his roots, his troubles– he is ALWAYS pivotal in every book, damon is never thrust into the background, he is centre-stage to the bitter end. there is no point where a critical moment or chance to dive into his head is ignored by pen, they take the bait and we get plentiful damon insights as a result...

which, well, whether that's something to be enjoyed, or disliked, is down to the reader and their opinions on damon. still, the fact remains that damon is pen's most well-written character (even if he may not be my personal favourite, or a character that i find particularly likeable), damon is DEVILS NIGHT, he embodies its key concepts and philosophy to the core.

damon craved freedom from all forms of confines (societal, familial, etc– this dude was the king of breaking social contracts, and he owned it). damon, like you indicated, was a hurt person who would easily hurt other people in a bid to bury his own pain. damon created the drama and he provoked fear and anticipation in the group, because the other horsemen had limits/lines, but they were never truly sure if damon actually had any. in some ways, it's a testament to the fact that none of the horsemen really knew all of who damon was, they got hints, but then they were also constantly fed misdirections by damon who did want to feel *big and bad* because maybe, by being the worst villain then no one would be able to hurt him again.

I think in the end of corrupt and through hideaway, he was guided by this principle – i'll be their villain if i can't be their friend, he couldn't stand the thought of being *nothing* to the horsemen, and he wanted to hurt them before they hurt him worse, he wanted to stay in their orbit to a point where he was willing to cross lines to ensure it. being forgotten by them was probably one of his worst fears, he was codependant as hell in a way that you only realise when you look deeper into his actions and words, they were always guided by the fact that damon needed the horsemen to stay, he needed them to be with him, and he feared being without them the most, that's why he stayed in Thunder Bay, it's why he hated the idea of college, and its probably why he revelled in devil's night and making idle suggestions of group murder 💀 damon, at that point, could've been and could've gone anywhere and he would've been happy so long as he had the horsemen by his side.

whenever i crave DN content, my mind swerves to wanting emmy or banks content, it aches for more characterisation to be given regarding kai, michael, and will who still have so much mystery surrounding them and are (in some ways) mere archetypes with no tangible personal arcs that are fully explored and resolved, their struggles are touched on, but they're either quickly shuttled away or resolved only midway by the end of their books. though, of course, this is a rant for another time. but for damon ?? we know his entire past trauma, we know his family history well, we get dramatic reveals for him, we can also see his kind of parody of a redemption arc, albeit not a true one. because let's be real... damon had some regrets, but he wasn't particularly sorry for much. he was always a character who accepted that he was fucked up and made everyone deal with it. damon never apologised for being as he was and he didn't particularly care about collateral damage until it affected his bonds with the few people he cared for. damon was selfish, the epitome of individualistic, he was a there's no use crying over spilled milk guy to the end and that was mostly only because he was the one spilling the milk and causing mayhem.

and because, you're a fellow fruits baskets fan— you know how we talked about emmy being like rin sohma ?? damon and shigure sohma are definitely chips off the old block.

I don't know if you've answered this query before, but I'd love to hear your opinion on one of the most controversial devil's night's characters... Damon Torrance.

He's a very divisive character in the fandom and for good reason. Yet, Damon arguably has the highest importance in the series due to how he is both an instigator of many key events, and he is also the character connecting a lot of relationships links and plot threads together.

In particular, I think Damon's relationships with both Will and Banks are fascinating to think about. Two people that he did dirty in the series (Will in Corrupt, Banks all through hideaway), yet he also claimed to love both to the point of insanity. It's an interesting paradox, yet for Damon character, it does make perfect sense that love and suffering are entwined for a good while.

Heyy! Adri, how are you? hope you're good.

I have talked some about Damon, certainly received and responded to plenty of rants about him, but don’t remember if I’ve ever had a question specifically about him like this.

If you are ever curious, I am usually pretty good with my tags, so you could search ‘#damon torrance’ but that might not bring up everything. And it's probably not as fun as my #will grayson iii tag, but what can you do? (most of the good stuff is in the tags)

Anyway. I probably don’t understand Damon very well. I’d like to think I do, but the truth his way of thinking is sort of an anomaly to me. Which is probably for the best.

He gets a lot of hype for being so dark and mysterious. But I wasn’t impressed with him? He just seemed to me to be the king of sad and mean, and a lot of his darkness felt like posturing. This isn’t to discredit what he went through, but… I just didn’t get the vibe that "dark" is who he really is. I think he was just hurt, and once that pain had been addressed, he seemed okay? He's not normal by any means, but then none of the these characters are, and I think that's the point.

However, much like everything with DN, I like the concept of Damon more than the execution. He is the driving force behind the serious, and most of the time, the group is either reacting to actions Damon took, or ones he might take. It seems that he’s the foundation of the group, and everything goes through him or is linked by him. On the one hand, I think this is great. I love the idea that these characters are so intrinsically connected. But I hate that Damon seems to be the only character this exists for. I hate that it seems like he’s the glue, without which this group would eventually fall apart. A true found/chosen family feels different. Each character is a piece of the puzzle, which together creates the final image.

I also think his relationships with Will and Banks are the most compelling for his story arc. Likewise, Banks and Will being the two he did the worst to is so interesting, because it’s an insane concept to wrap your head around. He was so focused on “saving” them, that he caused them seemingly irreversible pain and suffering. His claws were dug in so deep; he wasn’t just drawing blood, he was tearing them apart. There was a part of him that would rather see Banks and Will dead than alive and happy without him. He needed them to need him, because without them… there was nothing good left.

And speaking of goodness, in a weird way, he was “saving” them by trying to keep them innocent, away from anything dark and painful, almost to their own detriment. It’s like he wanted to take anything good left in him and pour it into them, to keep it safe.

What I wished for Damon, if he had to be in this role (and as we’ve spoken about before), was that he was a true guardian of the group. Always watching, always suspecting, always ready. I’ve also written about his relationship with Emory, and how I think those two should be the ones who know when things just need to get done and do it. No debating, no questioning about the method or the “right time.” Just quietly handle whatever problem comes up. I really do see him as somewhat of an enforcer. I remember in Corrupt, when Michael was talking about Damon’s playing style:

“He rarely thought about anything he did, and if someone put a wall in his way – justified or not – he came in swinging without hesitation or regret. This had been a useful quality on our high school basketball team. His reputation spread, and just the sight of him by the opposite team had them pissing themselves.”

This version of Damon is my favorite Damon. I understand he had to grow up. He needed to start thinking seriously about things. But a Damon that had this sort of backbone that also planned his moves? That’s dangerous. He just didn’t seem to have any of this drive or seriousness in Nightfall, which was a bit of a let-down.

I also have a post discussing the Damon and Christiane issue (which basically says Rika’s right, but she needs to mind her own business anyway). I used to think Damon was just being stubborn because PD needed him to be so he and Rika can fight, but after thinking about it, he has every right not to want his children around Christiane.

Overall, I think what this serious is desperately missing is an understanding of out each character interacts and relates to each other character. We have the most understanding with Damon. And yet, after Corrupt and then Damon’s redemption, I’m still unclear how he and Michael interact. Michael’s the leader, but is Damon really a follower? Is he happy to let Michael lead now that he’s gotten everything he wanted, or is it like “I let him lead because I can’t be bothered.” I don’t know. Strangely, I think we would understand Damon better if we also had better insight to the other characters.

Let's see, some more fun facts...

I've previously stated that instead of weird group sex to be the "initiation" into their "gang", everyone should get the chance to stab Damon and if they can do it, they're in. I stand by that.

When I hear NF, I think of Damon most of the time. Occasionally, it's Will.

I headcanon that weddings are weird in Thunder Bay because when their old schoolmates invite the town locals to their wedding, local business owner Damon Torrance shows up with his (2) two previously unknown sisters, conveniently married to his best friends, and his (1) one and only business partner that's married to his other best friend. That first year, nobody focused on the brides and it ruined everything.

I also headcanon that Damon wasn't supposed to be in the literature class with Will and Emory in NF. He was supposed to be in whatever class he had with the lit teacher from the beginning of KS, but he wanted to be with his friends and none of the staff had the energy to stop him.

I think Damon being good with kids actually fits his character really well, and I like that it was included (dude, he threw out his entire build and started over when he learned the kid like pirates just because. This is a man who cherishes children, no matter how gruff he is about it.). I wish it had been made clear that this is a unique trait for him, but it seems that the whole group just magically knows how to parent or has kids perfectly suited to their style of parenting.

I would have liked to know that he and Banks develop a healthy, separate relationship as they grow up, but still remain close enough to understand each other without much conversation. They naturally grow apart as their lives turn towards their families, but they can still keep their root systems.

I don't have anymore at the moment. And I hope this answered your questions... I'm not quite sure. But I'm also up to discuss certain points! Thanks for stopping in!

-ko

[compassionatereminders]

Hi Erin! Long time no see... I'm not sending this to ask advice or anything, just wanted to get this off my chest because i feel so unwell whenever i think about this and want to know which one is more likely: a) me genuinely connecting the dots vs b) me making shit up... But like. if this bothers u in any way or is somehow in conflict w the rules of the blog, pls feel free to delete..

Disclaimer I'm often very paranoid and anxious when it comes to interpersonal relationships, especially friendships. I feel like I often see "patterns" and "tells" that aren't really there, that other people tell me aren't there. For one, i have this friend group and we have a sort of group chat together. Occasionally though, i would leave it when I feel overwhelmed and returned whenever i feel better.

I noticed that one person would talk more whenever I'm not there and it irked me a little bc i couldn't think of having done anything that could've possibly made them uncomfortable. I also noticed that this person and my other friends i regularly talk to have a separate gc which is. Normal but i couldn't shake off the feeling that they had to make it bc i made them so uncomfortable just for being there.

Recently on a brief emotional moment i unloaded a bit and was told off by them and their friend bc i was saying negative stuff without a warning or sth. So i just deleted them instead bc it was easier and i didn't know what to tag stuff like "i personally don't think my life is worth living" and like made a server wide apology and everything and i suggested i can just leave bc clearly i kept making everyone uncomfortable again and again but everyone insisted i didn't? And told me to stop apologizing and they were all so nice about it and told me to trust that they're being genuine when they say they like having me around and that i didn't make anyone uncomfortable... though this person didn't say a word...

Then like hours later i got an anonymous ask that said I "make everyone uncomfortable." and when i asked them to elaborate they didn't send anything more... So i was like. Hm. Ok. So what is the truth? It's funny bc i didn't say a single peep about making anyone uncomfortable on the account where i got that ask... So my anxiety brain just immediately pivoted to the worst and thought it had been an inside job. And that everyone knows and they're just covering for this person or something. Wow i sound completely batshit now. I just think the worst of everyone... Even now i still feel like I'm just getting in everyone's way and they're all just being nice to me to be charitable/spare my feelings...

It honestly sounds like you're being paranoid and I don't think it is actually that deep and I'm saying that as someone who experiences paranoia myself. That being said, a group chat generally isn't the place to drop your suicidal thoughts and that likely did make some people uncomfortable, honestly speaking. And it probably didn't get less uncomfortable when you started hating on yourself for making them uncomfortable. Like if that's how you use that chat then there's a good chance some of them are uncomfortable with your behavior. BUT this doesn't mean that you're a bad person or that they hate you or that you don't deserve love. It just mean you gotta think a bit more before you vent and that maybe you should save some of your issues for more private conversations with people who actually consented to listen.

[feartheliiving]

🧟   ――――          RICK  HAD  MOMENTS  OF  SEEING  SO  MUCH  OF  HER  MOTHER  IN  KAT.  rick  knew  that  andrea  would  be  so  proud  of  the  woman  she  had  become,  even  through  all  the  hardships  they've  gone  through  and  the  people  they  lost.  it  was  comforting  to  see  just  how  strong  she's  become.  she's  an  inspiration  to  him  and  the  group,  pivotal.  he  wanted  to  make  sure  she  was  safe  because  of  that.  she  was  more  important  than  she  ever  could  know.  he  chuckled  softly,         ❛     wish  i  did,  though.  i  miss  readin'.  carl  and  i   —       ❜      he  stopped  for  a  moment,  still  finding  it  difficult  to  speak  about  his  son,  but  it  was  hard  not  to  when  all  he  ever  thought  about  was  him.  he  sighed  softly,        ❛      used  to  read  books  with  carl,  mostly  comics       ❜     he  finished,  keeping  his  eyes  on  the  road  as  they  drove.

HE  NODDED  AT  KAT'S  WORDS,        ❛      amy's  got  great  taste.  wish  i  got  t'  know  yer  aunt  better.  she  was  a  nice  girl,  from  what  i  remember.  yer  mother  loved  her  very  much,       ❜     he  replied,  looking  over  at  her  briefly  to  offer  a  soft  smile.  there  were  a  lot  of  people  in  their  group  that  he  had  wished  he  could've  had  the  chance  to  get  to  know  better,  to  become  better  friends  with.  amy  was  definitely  one  of  them.  she  had  died  of  a  gruesome  death  she  did  not  deserve  and  back  then,  he  wished  he  was  able  to  do  more  to  protect  her  so  her  and  andrea  didn't  have  to  go  through  that  pain.  flashes  of  the  painful  memory  flooded  his  mind  briefly,  but  he  was  brought  back  when  kat  began  to  speak  again.         ❛     you  should,  we  oughta  make  a  book  club  or  somethin'.  somethin'  normal.       ❜

"me too," it felt good to know that she could keep up. she hadn't always known she could, but now she did and she was. more so, she was even having a little fun right now. she nodded, "right, i knew that." of course he didn't have time to read when he was making sure they made it through the winter, and the next after that.

pride and prejudice brought forth memories she hadn't uncovered in a long time. "i haven't read it, but amy used to really like it." her aunt had always loved romance novels and movies and had promised to share all her favorites with kat when the time came. she'd started before everything had gone to shit, but they hadn't gotten around to pride and prejudice. and then her aunt had died and kat had forgotten all about the things they used to bond over because they were much too busy. "i would really like to read it when we get back."