#partly for the obvious reasons but also in the ways he interacts with other people

[lollyposp]

okay im only slightly going insane right now about how MUCH i adore the way agatha is being portrayed in agatha all along. she's this awesome mix of horrible and sympathetic BUT not in the way that excuses everything she does. like, the other witches dislike her for good reason and even when agatha is nice to them or they realise she's got her own issues too like, that doesn't change what she's done in the past to get her reputation.

but ALSO it's so obvious that 90% or something of Agatha's personality is either a facade or an exaggeration of her bitterness because after everything we know of that's happened to her ("i can be good" "no you cannot", her son dying and rio's obvious involvement in that) it's like. how can she love. how can she trust when those she loved made her feel betrayed, or she lost them, or even both.

i think the first clue that a lot of her personality is a facade was the whole "just blast me" situation, because to me it felt like "well yeah Agatha's clearly nasty but how much of that is because she needs to annoy people into trying to kill her so she can grab their magic?" but I hadn't quite realised that there could be more to it than that

but episode 4 had SO MANY examples. i mean, Agatha's entire "no fucks given" attitude just fizzles out when the teen is dying and i feel like even the other witches picked up on it, like jen was clearly stunned by Agatha's grief as well as by Teen's condition. and then her sitting with Teen until he woke up, not even taking her eyes off him but as soon as he wakes up she pretends she just Happened to check on him Just as he woke up and that she didn't stay there the entire time.

and don't even GET ME STARTED on everything else. the scene at the fire where she very clearly struggled through having a positive interaction with the other witches?? and also the whole "she is my scar" but if i think too much about that i will actually go insane.

the scene that REALLY hasn't left my head all day is the scene where rio tells agatha that Teen isn't hers. ALL THE PROPS to kathryn hahn here she's an INCREDIBLE actress, but the way agatha just says NOTHING and slowly puts on a smile....😦 i was watching the episode with my housemates and the only thing i could say to them was "i literally saw the moment she put her act back on". because for all that agatha is so brash and loud, and no matter how much she might seek conflict with others, she runs away from all her emotional pain because it's too much for her to bear. because how do you even move on from the woman you loved being at least partly complicit in your son's death? whether agatha really DID trade him for the dark hold and regretted it immediately or whether the rumour IS just a rumour and nick and the dark hold aren't connected at all, RIO still is connected to either of those ideas.

(honestly as it stands right now im in whatever camp believes he WAS traded for the darkhold, but agatha somehow didn't realise he would be traded until after it was too late, because i feel like it's what explains her actions in WV and her hallucination the most. also it makes rio's actions all the more painful to agatha because it would have been a mistake she didn't mean to make, and rio would not budge even with that knowledge and OUCH. but that's neither here nor there)

honestly this whole incoherent essay was just to say that i love Agatha's character. i love that the question surrounding her isn't really "is she good or evil?" or even "can she be good?". i feel like it's clear there IS a good person in agatha but because she's ignored it for so long (some of that is probably due to the darkhold) the question kind of becomes "does it matter that she's got good inside her if she refuses to show it?". she's so firmly in the morally grey camp that while i do kind of want her to have a redemption arc and to have a whole found family thing go on, i honestly don't see it happening and i also at the same time DON'T want her to be redeemed when she's so interesting because she's this person who clearly has the capacity to be good and chooses not to out of pride and fear of being vulnerable and all the trauma she's accumulated.

oh i completely forgot to mention that im also obsessed with the sound booth scene???? i honestly can't figure out if she's just shit stirring when she projects her and rio's conversation for the fun of it, or if it's like a fucked up agatha way of trying to protect her new coven by giving them reasons to distrust rio and be wary of her, specifically because she thinks rio will betray her/betray them and reap them. I can't figure it out. it might even be both.

anyway live laugh love agatha

[riding-the-sunset-bird]

I'm still riding a high from Baxter Week last month so I just wanted to gush about how much I adore Baxter and his DLC! No specific rhyme or reason, but it is a nice break from my usual dives into the code!

Also, I won't be saying anything negative about Cove nor Derek; I don't need nor want to do that. I'll be comparing them to Baxter, but only for contrast/showing the skillfully written differences between them (example: Cove does [x] and Baxter does [y] to account for multiple player preferences).

(might go without saying, but there will be spoilers for basically his entire DLC)

The Background

I actually had no interest in Baxter when my MC first met him in the game. He was fine, I was neutral, but what it came down to was that I was one of Those People who just wanted time with Cove and excluded others (if it's not obvious, I always got a cold Cove unless I used the Cove Creator).

That all changed, funnily enough, during the Cove Wedding DLC. On a whim, I agreed to let Baxter give my MC dance lessons and prodded him on his disappearance after Step 3. Getting a hint of Baxter's underlying problems piqued my interest and I'd had the Baxter DLC downloaded before I even hit the reception!

After the Cove Wedding DLC was over, I rolled back to a save right before Soiree and got to romancing.

Zero regrets.

The Setup

As a character, Baxter is so beautifully designed as both a contrast to Cove and someone to fill out the gaps that Cove and Derek leave. He also completes the "comfort level" of love interests that I had in my head, where the MC can be whatever they want but each guy seems to have a particular comfort level themselves (Cove being Nervous, Derek being more Relaxed, and Baxter being Direct).

When if comes to their actual engagement through the family, Baxter has only brief mentions of his parents, Cove's story is partly connected to his parents whilst still giving focus to one-on-one time, and Derek's family is front-and-center to his conflict. It's all about how much time a player wants to invest in the character versus the time they want to spend with others.

Likewise, Baxter's route features a relationship that ends and gets back together again, Cove's route is a relationship where he and the MC always live close to each other, and Derek's route is a long-distance relationship past Step 2 and before Step 4.

Baxter's undeniably a controversial character, I imagine due to possibly being based on the "playboy" type, which tends to be someone who flirts with anyone they find attractive whether the recipient likes it or not, won't take "no" for an answer, and lies to their dates that they're serious about them when they actually don't care for them at all.

The game cleverly subverts this right out of the gate when Baxter first meets Cove and the MC. Baxter does find the two attractive and initially flirts with the both of them (a great start to confirming that he's pan), but backs off and apologizes the moment he notices that Cove is uncomfortable. He adds as well that he wouldn't mind having a summer fling, but that it's not his core reason for wanting to get to know and spend time with them.

So already, the player is made aware that he's forward but considerate, takes Cove's discomfort more seriously than even the usual residents of Sunset Bird (who enjoy teasing him into embarrassment), and has non-serious flings with a priority on simply having fun connections over the course of his time with them.

He, like Cove, will only propose a relationship with the MC in Step 3 if the MC expresses interest first (the only difference being that the MC expresses the interest in Cove to "the game" while talking to Lee, whereas the MC expresses interest in Baxter by talking to Baxter directly).

This gives the MC a powerful opportunity, as Baxter is a character that the player has the most options in interacting with. He begins as a total stranger, similar to Cove, and the player can decide whether he stays that way or becomes more than that. Even down to the optional moments he appears in, the MC only has to interact with him in Hang and Late Shift, both of which lets them avoid further interaction by going home early and rejecting his invitation to his house/telling him not to come to their workplace respectively. The only mandatory instances of seeing him are the Step 3 intro, a brief goodbye in the ending, Hang, and the very beginning of Late Shift.

Whether it be strangers, friends, friends that fell in love after they met again, a friendship or fling that started well and ended horribly, a fling that turned into genuine feelings in the end, or two people that love each other all the way through, Baxter's route can do it all. In Step 4 as well, the MC can choose to be calm, professional, upset, or angry about seeing Baxter again, which all lead to different conversations/narration with him, and the end of Step 3 makes him the only love interest where there can be a technical "break up."

This is also a rare occasion where the MC, due to Cove not being a fan of Baxter, can form a relationship outside of their normal range. Baxter doesn't live in Sunset Bird and isn't connected to anyone the MC knows - neither Cove's nor the MC's friends and family - at the time of meeting him, fitting the narrative of the MC starting to look at things beyond their little neighborhood and even the people they're close with. It can be further emphasized in Soiree where the MC starts to gain a bit of independence and can end up dancing with a younger Baxter, foreshadowing that little peek into the wider world from a mysterious stranger who's there and then gone.

Something else that's fascinating is that Baxter, due to him leaving at the end of Step 3 and meeting the MC again during Step 4, is the only love interest where players see virtually all of the MC's interactions with him. It does leave out the gaps that Cove and Derek have that can be neatly filled with headcanons, but that ultimately depends on what the player prefers. Point being is that the MC's experiences are the player's experiences when it comes to Baxter: whatever time they spend with him, the player also spends with him.

So already, the setup for Baxter and his route are really strong for me, but the content of his DLC isn't limited to just him.

The Content

Baxter's DLC introduces a total of two new characters and extra content for Terry and Miranda, both of which were absolutely welcomed by me. I was hyper-focused on Cove in the base game, but the Baxter DLC made me appreciate the other characters more.

Even the moms, who already got plenty of screen time, are shown to be rather nosy and gossip-y in Sightseeing (something not showcased overly until then), which ends up being the perfect encouragement towards the MC learning more about Baxter. Then, if the MC meets the requirements and agrees to Baxter's fling, Noelani in particular is stunned into silence. If the MC was upset with Baxter over what happened, then both moms will show a rare coldness to him as well.

These are all things one would miss out on with other interests, due to how the whirlwind relationship and drama in Baxter's route are designed.

Then there's Terry, who becomes Baxter's friend more directly in the DLC whether Baxter is convinced of that or not, and is given more to do in every best way. Baxter's version of Hang allows for more focus on Terry's relationship with Miranda, partly with more hints towards his crush on her but also seeing Terry interact with someone who's "like him." Cove and Miranda are described as "shy" and the MC can be equally as much, allowing for new facets of Terry's character to come through by Baxter's being there.

Even after Baxter goes no contact and Step 4 makes the shift to focus on his relationship with the MC, Terry's friendship with him isn't forgotten: Baxter laments that Terry isn't calling him by his affectionate nickname for him anymore.

Terry getting attention from being Baxter's friend doesn't exclude Miranda from getting any either; far from it. If anything, she gets more than Terry, both with an expansion on her family in the form of her brother (and eventual brother-in-law) plus a moment dedicated to giving her a birthday party. As if that weren't enough, she gets a mini-plot in Step 4 concerning her relationship with Terry and her role in his life.

Seeing more of Terry and Miranda was in every way a case of "thing I didn't know I needed until I had it." Maybe it was the Cove tunnel vision that persisted for so long, but when I first got to re-experience Terry and Miranda in Baxter's version of Hang, it was great and I was so happy any time they were on-screen.

They aren't given extra time just for the sake of it either; they're expertly woven into the overarching story of Step 3 and the themes of Step 4.

Step 3 centers on adulthood with the MC and their friends growing up and having to face the fear of growing apart. The step already does a good job at keeping that a focus, but Planning expands on it in a way that feels almost criminal not to have in the base game. The already high stakes feel even higher when put up against the last birthday party they'll be able to plan before everyone goes off on their own.

Then, Step 4 balances Terry putting forth so much effort for Miranda with her worrying that she's not doing enough for him. She doesn't need to worry, obviously (Terry loves her for every reason), but with Step 4 focusing so much on relationships, self-reflection, and trying to make up for past mistakes (both real and perceived), it's just a cherry on top of an already fantastic story.

Meanwhile, Jude and Scott, despite only appearing for Step 4, are easily some of my favorite characters in the game. They're adorable, they can be sweet with not just Miranda but the MC too (the player has the option for the MC to see them like honorary family/big brothers), and the way the groom's cake ultimately ties into helping bring Baxter and the MC closer again while serving as a callback to Planning is perfection. One may think little of Miranda's initial mention of them (probably assuming that it's just a little bit of character introduction to show that she has family who has things going on), but it all comes together in the end.

The DLC additionally has a potential bonus (depending on player preference) in that it is benefited by most other DLCs. The other DLCs are not required to enjoy it, but they add that little bit of extra flavor.

The Step 2 DLC adds Birthday and Soiree. Birthday is Miranda's birthday party when she's fourteen and before she officially becomes the MC's friend, meaning you get the development of seeing the difference in the MC's and Cove's investment in her party then versus now, as well as how her taste in parties has grown. Soiree allows the MC to possibly meet Baxter earlier than Step 3 and add to the "fate"/"destiny" angle if the player so desires.

The Step 3 DLC obviously allows for more Baxter in general with Boating and Late Shift, the former showing a much needed reaction from Lee if the MC is dating him at the time. It's also a good "starter DLC" for people who aren't sure about Baxter, allowing them to choose to interact with him if they want to get to know him more (as I mentioned before).

Derek's DLC lets the player meet Baxter in a different way during Soiree, something that can be brought back up with Derek in Step 3 and then again in Step 4 (to which he'll joke about the MC's meetings with Baxter in five year increments).

Even Cove's Wedding DLC can have advantage, bringing a soft conclusion to Baxter's story for those who don't want to play Baxter's Step 4 but still care for him, and/or something more dramatic following how he ends off Step 3 with the MC.

So one doesn't just get Baxter content; there's quality content from others and it can be further added to with other DLCs.

Not that the Baxter content isn't worth it all by itself either because I adore this man.

The Man

I'm a simple woman. Give me an intelligent man with simultaneously zero braincells and I am in.

I don't even like "playboy" type characters normally, but Baxter is actually charming and tries to make things clear to the MC from the beginning. He falters during the Step 3 ending but not because he was trying to keep it a secret; he genuinely didn't expect the MC to try to press him and deemed himself unworthy of their company.

I'd seen more than enough of rich boy plots where the rich boy is a perfect do-no-wrong type and it's everyone else's problem that they don't like him. Baxter, however, is a flawed character who not everyone is going to like (which is absolutely 100% fine and valid) and him being rich is not just something that influenced his self-esteem but also what he ultimately gives up despite having relied on that financial safety net for his whole life, showing a deeper sense of awareness as he got older.

I don't normally like fate/destiny stories either, as they often feel as though they're taking agency from one or both characters involved (in terms of forcing them to love/be in a relationship with each other), but Baxter's route isn't like that. It's the player's choice to have that dance in Soiree (which they can just as easily turn down), their choice to form a closer relationship with Baxter outside of the disinterested Cove, and their choice to choose Baxter's Step 4 when they have already one guaranteed "safe" option in Cove's Step 4 and a potential other "safe" choice in Derek's Step 4 if they have Derek's DLC.

The player is the fate, which coincidentally went into my first playthrough, as my MC was initially designed for Cove yet ended up being perfect for Baxter.

Baxter is so absolutely delightful and absolutely stupid at the same time. From his openness to be questioned by the MC followed by this assumption that he's like a stranger to them (meanwhile the MC and Cove being best friends/crushes right out of the gate if the player so chooses), to him talking about the play he and the MC go to while not seeing the obvious parallel to his own issues, to openly admitting that he doesn't want to leave the MC while making the decision himself to go no contact.

He unconvincingly uses the cupcakes as an excuse to not get more intimate with MC, he wants so badly to spend time with the MC that he's willing to risk letting them see him in his useless morning state (and is surprised when it goes wrong, at least in his mind), and tries to convince himself to not stay attached to the MC during Step 4 despite being unable to help constantly reminiscing on their time together.

At his core, he's a funny, charismatic sweetheart who wants to be loved, to be touched, to have someone in his life (even just a friend) that he can make happy, but his upbringing and deep-seeded insecurities make him cynical to the idea of being in a genuine relationship with someone. This causes him to constantly sabotage himself before he can make any progress. It's why he can prefer flings: he can use his money to make a passionate, pleasant time with his temporary partner, but not so long that he feels they'll find something disappointing in him.

Low-risk, high-reward.

This, of course, ultimately backfires by the end of Step 3, and it's perfectly structured to set him up for Step 4. The brilliant foreshadowing of him being skilled with planning events in a pinch, to Jude and Scott's long-distance relationship and Baxter claiming that they won't stay together, to Baxter insisting that it's unlikely for he and the MC to meet again (made funnier if they'd already met again before, if the MC saw him in Soiree), then Step 4 hitting where he's not only a wedding planner planning Jude and Scott's wedding, but accidentally/unconsciously putting himself into situations where he's "stuck" with the MC.

That starting instant where Baxter reacts to the MC in the restaurant, initially shocked and then having to bring himself back into a professional persona, apologizing for his immature self but sticking to only focusing on the wedding?

Not just a wonderfully-written hint to the player as to what they're in for, but very much a "I'm not stuck in here with you, you're stuck in here with me," situation. It's all about making Baxter as uncomfortable as possible so he can reflect, flying in the face of his thought that he could control everything and project what he thought about himself onto others. He can give advice to other people, but refuses to give the same to himself because he held himself to an impossible standard.

Once he finally figures that out, he's feels extremely guilty and apologetic towards the MC and everyone else. Him unloading all of his emotional baggage and work to do better is so satisfying after seeing it affect him in key moments like Drinks, Planning, the Step 3 ending, and finally Step 4. Underneath the facade he (weakly) attempts to put up for himself is a teasing gentleman who hates mornings, wants to see everyone around him be happy, and feels blessed just to simply have a relationship with the MC (real or temporary).

This isn't even talking about Baxter's perspective from a meta standpoint, adding layers on top of what's already there in the canon and adding even further when considering Baxter's appearance in the sidequel Our Life: Now & Forever.

The MC can learn in Sightseeing that Baxter had a crush on a kid who was doing ballet lessons while he did ballroom. Those who know anything about Now & Forever know that this is kid is Qiu, who's one of the two potential love interests there. Naturally, Baxter wouldn't have had a chance with them, as the only person Qiu can possibly fall for is the Now & Forever MC.

Baxter confesses in Step 4 that he's naturally drawn to the people who are "wanted by everyone else," which translates to Qiu (who is widely popular during Now & Forever's Step 1) and the MC (who is liked by most characters in the game and automatically crushed on by at least Derek). In the Cove Wedding DLC specifically, he adds that he is simply someone whereas Cove is the one.

Because here's the thing: in the eyes of the base game, he's not wrong. Cove is the game's focus, taking an active role in every step and being the first that the MC meets out of the potential love interests. He's the only love interest in the base game and his Step 4 is not just free, but the default.

Meanwhile, Baxter is just someone. He's a person who shows up in Sunset Bird for a single step - only showing up thrice - and then is entirely gone without his own Step 4. His DLC costs more than any of Cove's Step DLCs and the player already knows Cove, already has spent two steps with him, thus has far less incentive to get Baxter's DLC over Cove's own Step DLCs.

Then, despite Baxter appearing once in Cove's Step 2 DLC and twice in Cove's Step 3 DLC, most players won't experience the former (either due to focusing on Cove or not wanting to dance) and Baxter can be largely excluded in the latter if he happened to leave a bad first impression on the player.

And let's take it a step further. While Derek, like Baxter, doesn't have a Wedding DLC like Cove does, Derek can get into a marriage pact with the MC as early as Step 2, he can be dating the MC throughout nearly all of his Step 4, and the MC can agree to them moving in together before the ending.

Baxter has none of that. His DLC's story is steeped in drama and the earliest the MC can properly get together with him is after the wedding. There's no chance at a proposal (such as what can happen with Cove's Step 4, where they MC can date and then propose within an equally short timespan), no opportunity to move in with him, nothing.

He takes time, work, and actual money to get into a relationship with, whether platonic or romantic. It's a level of investment that not everyone would be willing to put in for someone, especially when only one Step 4 can be chosen out of the whole bunch.

Baxter's insecurities come from a very real place. His parents treated him like a child, all while expecting him to behave like someone their age, and they deliberately picked a town for him to go to that was near the ocean he feared (where it was unlikely for there to be people his age around) to keep him in check. In his mind, he's "broken" and incapable of being with anyone long-term.

Furthering that, there's a joke he makes about "being too late" if the MC and Cove are in a relationship by the time he appears, back when he wouldn't have considered himself a worthy partner anyway (also a bit of out-of-universe humor over how the MC couldn't get together with him whether they wanted to or not, due to being unable to break up with Cove). Despite that, he's pleased as punch to see the MC dating/married to Cove and hopes the best for them regardless of his potential attraction.

Baxter puts forth so much effort to try and make the MC's last summer in Sunset Bird memorable with the thought that he won't be seeing them ever again. The potential relationship he can have with them is the most stable he's ever had and it scares him when they make him feel wanted and important. All the while, he's convinced that the MC's friends and family are "better" than him and he'll only bore the MC if he remains in contact with them.

With his DLC, the MC - the player - get to prove him wrong: an MC who is liked by everyone and loved by up to three different interests, but end up choosing him in the end. Cove and Derek are "easy" and the MC has undoubtedly spent more time with them in comparison to Baxter - who would feel that either guy could make the MC happier than he could - but they have the chance to show that he is the one that makes them happy.

Baxter is so absolutely amazed to be in a relationship with the MC that he willingly takes in all the shocked reactions and potential backlash from everyone else due to his five years of going no contact. He's regretful when he finds himself back in old habits and eager not just to message the MC multiple times per day after they return home, but also to take time off to go visit them after his Step 4 is over.

I think that makes for an incredibly special experience: to have someone who comes last out of the three possibilities, doubts his true potential, and eventually realizes how misguided he is. It's not about who got the most time with the MC, or who got "dibs" on meeting them first, or what can be accomplished the quickest in their time with them.

It's about the MC forming a bond with someone, picking him despite the difficulties/limitations because they love him that much, the work he's willing to put into it in return, and finally the happiness that comes out of it.

For those reasons and even more, the Baxter DLC is by far my favorite.

[oraclemoontarot]

interesting is it possible to do marks view of being an idol so far? i do find it hard to believe that idols csn be humble and appreciative because people put idols on a pedestal and im guessing some of them do have big egos at times but in readings theres definitely a few that surprise me. so i wonder with mark being a foreigner how he felt having to adjust from being a normal canadian to being an idol thats known and how does he feel about not having too much privacy in general? hes defo one of the ones i like out of nct but im not fully crazy about that group for obvious reasons.

can I just say, this is probably one of the most interesting questions/reading requests I have received as of yet. Thank you so much for requesting this ! here's your reading

mark lee's view on being an idol so far ⭑.ᐟ tarot reading

cards pulled: king of wands, lovers, star, nine of cups, judgment, six of pentacles, ace of pentacles, three of cups, fool, seven of cups, sun

Mark definitely has a lot of love for his career, it's like his calling for him. There's a strong sense of destiny here, as though this was the path carved for him already - yet somehow partly a wish come true. The love here is quite strong that I can't quite put into words, there's this deep sense of gratitude; my heart feels full just thinking about it. The love here turns into passion that he expresses through his craft and the work he puts in, which doesn't always feel like work, more like indulging in his hobbies and interests.

There's a sense here that, the older he gets, the more of an appreciation he holds for it and, because of this gratitude and the love he received from fans etc., the best way for him to return it is by releasing music and putting in that effort. He seems quite big on giving and receiving and expressing gratitude, at least in both this and the previous reading I've done of Mark. He seems to hold a lot of appreciation for all of the small victories and achievements, all the small interactions, moments, and goals of his and his team. He feels that, through following down this path, many opportunities have been given to him or, at the very least, been made possible. Especially in terms of networking and friendships.

Mark seems to understand his place in the world, the industry, and within who he is as a person and idol. There's quite a lot of depth within him and, through being an idol, he seems to have come to a strong understanding of himself - in terms of self-discovery. He started to have quite a lot of confidence in who he is, who he wants to be, and what he wants to put out to the world. There's a lot of thought here and I find myself just typing a lot really quickly. It may have been that he struggled with his identity for quite some time and only recently came to discover who Mark really is.

Again, the fool card came out. Mark is never beating the 'represented by the fool' allegations 😭 In this case, he still feels there's a lot to discover within this career - could also be solely within music and his identity. And, paired with the seven of cups, he feels like there's so much he wants to do, so many concepts he wants to try, people to meet, music to make. I think he genuinely gets excited just thinking about it and he may have moments of inspiration at night where he starts writing lyrics or discussing ideas with members or staff etc.

Mark genuinely does only think of the positives, at least here within this reading. There are moments where he may be overwhelmed; feeling a lot of eyes on him. But, he seems to have mostly come to terms with it now, it doesn't seem to bother him as much as it used to. For him, he understands both the good and the bad within the industry, and the pros and the cons of being a celebrity himself. However, music seems to be a strong passion for him and he wouldn't have it any other way. Another reason as to why he can handle certain pressures is the support he has from his members - it seems like he has some pretty strong relationships here, at least two or more, who help relieve some of the heavy weight on his shoulders.

The overall energy here being the sun is such a lovely way to close the reading. He is incredibly happy about being an idol - there's a sense of warmth here, and it emphasises how much it feels like destiny played a role and he couldn't really imagine what else he would have been doing in life if not for this.

[leonawriter]

Hakukaiao still in my head every time I think of a plot revolving around Kaito because if I have a plot for him that's focused on the Ekoda group then Hakuba is going to be the detective he's going to be interacting with the most, not Conan/Shinichi. And Kaito will be going to school and seeing Aoko and Akako on a daily basis.

So. If something happens with Hakuba in terms of Kid-related incidents (be they crime related or relationship related) then Aoko is going to notice.

I had a thought earlier of Kaito seeing something happen to Hakuba during a heist and getting worried when he's not at school the next day and going over to his place to check out what's up (and annoy him) and like. Of COURSE Aoko's going to come with! Hakuba's her friend too!

So then we have-

Hakuba slowly getting attached to and realising he's attached to Kaito, and acting on that (often with subtleties, such as deliberately not stating obvious conclusions about Kid's identity that he's come up with), and at the same time still keeping Kid's identity from Aoko while being her friend.

Kaito being fond of Hakuba, drawn in by the rivalry and challenge and sense of push-and-pull but also the sense of being seen and the terrifying, mortifying ordeal of being known. Emotions? Healthy ways of dealing with them? What are those? All he knows are Poker Face, and Cannot Be Close With Anyone. He's thought of kissing Aoko before but he's Kid, who she hates, and that makes it feel impossible.

Aoko already knowing she likes Kaito and honestly she's also already willing to step back if she thinks that someone better than her and prettier than her and more "suited" to Kaito has their eye on him, let alone if he likes them back, because she wants Kaito to be happy and look cool more than she wants for her own happiness. So if she sees him with Hakuba she'd feel sad and like she should really step back but they're both her friends and she wants them both to be happy, doesn't she?

Hakuba and Kaito have their rivalry. Kaito and Aoko have their childhood friend thing, and have been crushing on each other since they were kids - they just haven't grown out of the tsun stage. Hakuba and Aoko are friends partly because of Kaito - both because they understand how difficult he is, and also how amazing he is, and yet also because they both worry over him. They're also friends because Hakuba can see how Aoko is attractive and someone he'd actually want to go on a date with. Aoko also pays attention to Hakuba as a person, not as a result of his family connections, or anything else.

All in all it's an OT3 where I feel that it doesn't matter which of them is in the room, or which one has walked out of the room for whatever reason, there won't be any moments where two people are just silent because they don't know how to connect or what to say.

[wrongcaitlyn]

With Apollo bound to come out with a new album at some point, would he ever return to the touring/concert aspect of singing? Or would he just stick to helping Nico out with those aspects, or even have someone else perform his songs for him/record a live music version so people could still sort of have that experience? And we already know that the listening party would be amazing 🥳

OKAY SO first yea i think it's pretty obvious by now that apollo will eventually come out with new music!!! (which i am SO extremely excited for, like his album has actually been on repeat over the past few months. it may be my favorite album from the entire tyt universe, sorry nico </33)

but as for tour, i honestly can't see himself ever going on tour again. it's two very conflicting opinions, because on one hand, he's a very flashy person and likes being under the spotlight! that's the entire reason he's going back into music after all, it's something he's always been very clear about. but on the other hand, he has some very bad experiences with being on tour, and even though he managed nico's tour and would be in charge of the tour himself, he'd still probably feel uncomfortable doing that sort of thing himself, and exposing *himself* in front of an audience again. he hasn't had all good positive fan interactions, hasn't had good experiences being on tour itself, and hasn't always enjoyed being on stage.

so that being said, i don't think i could see him ever returning to the stage as a sort of "eras tour" thing, and going back to singing his old music - one thing that i always thought of is that taylor has a connection to her old music, it's her life, it's the whole reason she decided to rerecord them in the first place. but in apollo's perspective, he's almost ashamed of the past music? not really, but it's not HIM. it's a facade, someone who he had been forced to act like, and he holds no personal connection to that music - he'd probably rather they be scrapped completely, but he can't do that.

so i don't think he'd ever sing any of his old songs live again, but i do think that smaller performances, possibly a festival, and maybe like an award show performance or something, would be done with his new music. things like the tiny desk concert, a small listening party, and some acoustic shows like nico's og haunted ones are some of the smaller things he'd do, but i also could see him headlining coachella or lollapalooza or smth!! it def seems like his vibe, and it'd also be less pressure of being an "entirely him" thing. i don't think he'd feel as expected to sing all of his old hits either.

i ALSO do think that he would release things like the voice memos that taylor does,,, except they're from all the way back in the early 2000s. when he eventually releases his new music, it's gonna be a blend of things he's written recently and stuff he wrote a long time ago. i think he'd feel some kind of pride in releasing those old voice memos/first drafts of songs and show that they really did come from him all those years ago!

so those are the things i could see apollo doing live, but i doubt that he'd want to schedule a full tour or anything - partly bc of bad experiences but also partly bc he's a full time dad! and even if all his kids r at college or having jobs, i think that will's heart attack also impacted him a lot. he doesn't want to be far away or traveling all the time anymore,,, and who knows,,, maybe he has a partner,,, bf,,, husband(??) that he'd like to spend more time with rather than touring <33

oh and he's running a record label and is still a full-time producer as well LMAO

thank u for this ask!!!

[robininthelabyrinth]

So, I've been staring at the wall for a while, then I had a bit of thoughts:

1- Did LQR, at any point (maybe even currently) dislike talking to people/socializing? This idea really stuck with me right now because I've been silently reviewing his childhood in mind (unconsciously, so now I think I need help) and I realized that he didn't really interact much with people as a kid. The most he did was with his teachers (which is, obviously, not much), or kids his age who I don't think really liked him much. In that case, socializing came to him as a change. I bet he really struggled with it. What age was he when he was forced out of his comfort zone and into the world of socializing? Was it just a while before his brother's seclusion, after he started doing his work; or was it even before? Or maybe when he took over the position?

2- Crazy how LQR had VITAL factors to be a troublemaker as child, namely the fact that he most likely (tell me if I'm wrong?) was running around the sect the way LWJ and LXC has been doing lately and the lack of attention which children typically seek so much. TERRIBLE lack of attention – the kind which leads kids to misbehaving just so they could get some. Yet went in the complete different direction. (And, love him as he is, I still can't help but feel that the Lans deserve to deal with a little hellion just so they can realize how trash their raising of a child is.)

3- I have this blurry memory of remembering something about baby LQR hiding somewhere near the ladies doing the laundry in the cloud recesses, and I thought: could this have something to do with his socializing? Was he curious about it and wanted to listen to the ladies as they conversed? Or did he just appreciate being close to people without being addressed/entering their field of attention?

4- Then I thought back to LQR's tendency to overwork, and wait – does it also have something to do with his childhood? Exerting himself and doing too much as a kid to earn a word of praise from his father? Til the point that it became a routine?

5- There's how LQR keeps on pointing out how similar he and LWJ are, it's hard to not forget that little LWJ and little LQR don't really have similar personalities. I feel like the reason why they seem (and are) so alike is the fact that they both are on the spectrum, and it's how the more unusual things that LQR does LWJ also does, so everyone would draw the connection pretty quickly. But – little LWJ is so confident, not very verbal most likely because he doesn't see the point, and has terribly solid foundations. Little LQR, on the other hand... I might even say insecure for obvious reasons, very shy and conservative and that's why he probably wasn't very talkative, and DEFINITELY had no one to give him that foundation.

6- LQR not liking to be the centre of attention might have also stemmed partly from the fact that it's a CHANGE. Nobody paid him any heed as a kid, so why should they now? Especially since when they DID pay some attention, they probably only judged his tendencies and demanded he cuts them off (moving a certain way, for example)?

7- AND Last but not least, moment of realization that LQR would most probably start considering Nightless city as his home after a while BECAUSE he did so DECADES ago as a child in an unhealthy environment mostly by his own!!

(Also, forgot to add this in the last comment. But LQR hurrying after WRH without even properly saluting the Wen wives is just so hilarious. Like, the man was so embarrassed he even forgot his manners.)

I love character analysis like this XDDD do send me any future staring at the wall thoughts! This is also what I randomly ponder :D

answers and more random LQR headcanons below the cut to save people's dashes:

1 – I certainly headcanon that LQR definitely does not like socializing. When you’re the Weird Kid (in LQR’s case, due to a mix of status, family isolation, and being non-neurotypical) and you don’t understand people very well, it’s really hard to connect with people, and socializing is a completely mystery. Why are they talking about what they talk about? Why do they not like what you’re talking about? Why are there unwritten rules for conversations you constantly seem to be messing up but no one will explain to you how or how to avoid doing it in the future? On the other hand, he was lonely and *wanted* to connect with others, but he felt like he was bad at it, so he was really self-conscious and reserved and had an unsteady temper that he couldn’t fully control. And despite all of that, because of the family he was born into, he was forced to be a politician – a job that requires and in part hinges on socializing. Not ideal!

Personally, my read on it is that he started getting pushed into doing more in his teens, when his teachers essentially gave up on him ever developing social skills naturally and started going “this guy is going to represent our sect whether he likes it or not, we need to start putting him into leadership positions”. Some of which were actually really good for LQR – for instance, I see him becoming an assistant teacher around age 15-16, responsible for modeling good behavior to his peers, mentoring those in need of help, and teaching junior class (a bit like I imagine LWJ to have been doing for LQR). He is actually a good leader, even though he’s not much for socializing, and having a formal position gave him comfort and confidence, so that helped a lot. From there, he started also doing more support work for sect leadership (again, a bit like what LXC would have been doing with LQR: talking about what the sect is doing with elders, hearing reports about visits to other sects, making suggestions and listening to guidance, making decisions in their absence, etc.), though in LQR’s case, the slow creep of increasing duties suddenly started to ramp up more rapidly than would have been normal because of the combination of his father stepping away from sect leadership and then, a little later, his brother getting distracted by HKX. He’s supposed to be the back-up sect leader, and for one reason or another he’s suddenly doing a lot more of that, getting overworked and stressed – and then suddenly he’s acting sect leader for real, and the workload goes even more insane.

It's a lot better than what NMJ had to go through, since LQR was an adult and had some experience doing sect leader things already (and, you know, was not at war with another sect or dealing with internal succession rivalries), but it was still came as a terrible shock.

2 – LQR absolutely had the lack of supervision necessary to be a troublemaker, and unfortunately for him, was probably sometimes seen as *being* a troublemaker in the way non-neurotypical kids often are. He was even more socially tone-deaf as a child: he’d start talking about one of his interests and not stop, he’d follow people around, he wouldn’t understand hints, he’d sometimes get overwhelmed and have meltdowns (often misread as temper tantrums)…luckily his main hyperfixation was with the Lan sect rules, which made his behavior more acceptable than it might have been otherwise, but it also gave him a reputation for being fussy. Like a little kid that yells “keep both hands on the wheel while driving” every single time you so much as scratch your nose – cute, but also annoying.

3 – LQR is totally one of those cats that likes to chill in the vicinity of people. No, don’t pet him or talk to him or pick him up, he just wants to sit and be *near* you.

4 – Hard work was probably one of the only ways LQR could get attention, so yeah, he definitely has some drive to work himself too hard that comes from childhood.

5 – yes, this!!! LWJ and LQR have similar mannerisms (including autistic traits), but their personalities are in fact completely different! LWJ is Precious Baby™, doted upon and allowed to get away with just about anything (right up until he commits actual literal crimes, and even then my headcanon is that his punishment was meant to keep him safe from *worse*). He had a lot more freedom to explore who he is and how he wants to behave, rather than LQR who is always trying to meet a particular standard, not always successfully, and who has a much more unsteady temper as a result.

6 – I do think that LQR had more of a steady shift to being more in the center of attention over time, but he’s used to prioritizing the sect over himself so it’s still weird for people to pay attention to him for *his* sake, rather than because of sect reasons.

7 – :D

[the-s1lly-corner]

knd villains crushing on the reader

something something more group post shenanigans, might use this prompt for other fandoms as well! toiletnator already had this prompt done for him, you can find it in the masterlist!

characters: father, knightbrace, cuppa joe, spankulot, stickybeard

notes: reader is gn

cws: none

father

jealous man, he can get a bit worked up if someone steals you away or tries to make a move on you

luckily he doesnt wait long to try to make any moves on you, opting to try to ask you out fairly quickly... and its only partly caused by that jealousy! the main reason being he doesnt want to wait, he just wants an answer to he can react accordingly!

leaves you gifts in the meantime, dont ask why hes buying you so many things he just wants to is all! yes yes thats the reason

definitely the type to stare at you with his mouth hanging open like a fool if you do something that really gets to him- though the only indication to you that hes doing it is his pipe nearly falling onto the floor

hes a little bit like a cat about it, though... initiates but hardly reciprocates if you return the energy before things get more serious

mostly due to him not knowing how to full react to receiving your affection because of inner issues but thats another post for another day

spankulot

so so so obvious, he does the hand shakey thing after you two interact and hes giddy the entire interaction even if he tries to act casual

uses any excuse he can to hang around with you- do you want him to go to the store with you? he can carry things! are you a villain, and if so do you want to work with him on something? please please say yes!

talks about you a lot, he probably gets eye rolls from the other villains

he can get a little bashful but i dont think it would take him long to try to ask you out on a date, his eagerness gets the better of him and shushes his nerves

looks at you with so much love in his eyes

knightbrace

similar to father in the way that "hes like a cat", but that may be mostly due to his vigilante style... he approaches you only occasionally

his love language is reminding you to take care of yourself- mostly your teeth but he reminds you to take care of the rest of your body!

pretty normal about his feelings, though i can easily see him suppressing them so he can focus on his work.. things will likely end up building up as you make him fall harder

will only confess his feelings to you if push comes to shove- like something happens to you that gives him a good scare, or you ask him out yourself

slowburn with some denial, my beloved

stickybeard

very VERY open about his feelings for you, even outright flirting with you to your face! he cracks jokes about it too to try to get a smile from you

the most confident in himself, he wastes no time to ask you out on a date

leaves you your favorite candy because it made him think of you

hes not as chatty about it as spankulot- the other villains know but sticky isnt going to talk their ears off about you

once more, hes very forward and confident about the entire thing- its hard not to fall for that charm!

cuppa joe

hes very confident about stickybeard, but honestly? i think he might actually be the most confident and forward- hes got the charm, hes got the charisma- he can make it work!

loaded just like father so hes going to get you "just because" gifts to try to get on your good side

bro would literally dedicate a coffee blend/drink to you just to get his feelings across, thats some real love right there

also openly flirts with you, he cracks some jokes but a majority of his lines are just outright telling you that he thinks you're "a pretty little thing" and that he wants to spend more time with you

some people might actually think you're already dating thanks to him being so open about it

[changeling-rin]

What's your favorite quote that describes each member of the chain?

(Including sequels and Oc's)

-Moon

Small problem, I don't really have favorite quotes? And I certainly don't have 30+ of them to assign to 30+ characters

I can, however, list my favorite line(s) of dialogue for them all! The ones who've had dialogue, at any rate, for the rest I may just use memes

DIALOGUE LINES

Gen: "One of these days, I'm going to learn from my past actions and not go to investigate everything that goes 'bump' when I'm not looking... But today is not that day." “I’d like to preface this interaction by stating that I am not interested in eating you.”

Speck: "I am having the strangest day."

The Four: "Vaati, uh... he didn't have much of a plan, as far as we can tell. We really just think he wanted to get married."

Ocarina: "I feel like he should concern me more. But for some reason he doesn't, and now I'm concerned about why I'm not more concerned."

Mask: "I just realized – you're me and I'm you. We just insulted ourselves and then agreed on it." “Good news, I bring therapy in the form of a fluffy dog.”

Dusk: "Personally, I just accept the weirdness and go with it. That way when a woman-bird pops out of a pot in the middle of a frozen arctic mountain on the kitchen floor of a Yeti's mansion and offers to let you use her as an item, you can just smile and nod."

Red: “But it's nicely relevant to you and your adventure and not at all a really obvious tie-in to your mode of transportation!” “You close up right now or I'm gonna smack the black right off your umbra!”

Green: "And I'm not going to tell you who's losing, partly because I don't think this is that kind of argument, but mostly because I think you're going to immediately join the winning side after I tell you who they are."

Blue: "WHAT!? WHAT'S HAPPENING AND WHO NEEDS PUNCHING!?"

Vio: "As far as I can tell, we end up wherever we need to be next. I'm suspecting divine intervention, but 'temporal shenanigans' are also in the running as a viable explanation."

Lore: "I resent being called a 'regular people'." "I demand the proper amount of hatred and villainous one-liners!"

Realm: "Eh, wouldn't be the weirdest place. Once I had to get my shield out of a Like-Like that was inside a Lynel that was inside a Dragon." "I know what happened, I accidentally tried to get somewhere on efficient transport. I'll be sure to face the other way and think about where we came from next time."

Sketch: “...You live in the stronghold of an Evil Overlord.”

Wind: "Have you by any chance seen a giant squid? I need to destroy it to save a pirate princess and a whale god. ...That made a lot more sense in my head."

Steam: “Right. Okay. I'm about to do something stupid and probably extremely dangerous with the vague hope that it won't kill me. Cool.”

Shadow: "I do what I want.” “He’s not dead yet and I’m going to fix that.”

MEMES AS SUBSTITUTION FOR DIALOGUE LINES

Oni: I've only had the Chain for a day and a half, but if anything happened to them I would kill everybody in the vicinity and then myself.

Rune: My vibe is like, hey you could probably pour soup into my lap and I'll apologize to you.

Lux: I'm going to punch your face! IN THE FACE!

Lyric: Everybody do the Flop! *collapses*

RSE: Stakataka Time

Wraith: I see dead people

Codex: If I were a better person, I'd ignore you and go on with my life. But I'm not.

Archive: Citizens of Hyrule, I stand before you because if I was behind you, you couldn't see me.

Mini: I am very small. And I have no money. So you can imagine the kind of stress I am under.

[aluckiicoin]

𝘒𝘕𝘖𝘞𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘠𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘗𝘈𝘙𝘛𝘕𝘌𝘙 𝘞𝘌𝘓𝘓 𝘊𝘈𝘕 𝘗𝘖𝘛𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘐𝘈𝘓𝘓𝘠 𝘔𝘈𝘒𝘌 𝘞𝘙𝘐𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘛𝘖𝘎𝘌𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘙 𝘈 𝘓𝘖𝘛 𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘐𝘌𝘙.

REPOST DO NOT REBLOG !!

NAME: I'm Skullbert, Skullymania or just Skully

PRONOUNS : he/him

PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION : you can try to reach out to me through tumblr msgs but I have abysmal social skills and I don't really feel comfortable talking to people any time (though I will do so regardless). And worst of all, I can interact with a maximum of 3 people at the same time without getting overwhelmed.

NAME OF MUSE(s) : Say hello to Aventurine. Though I also have a Blade, my OC Hyena, and a whole collection of other canon and oc characters hidden on a barely finished blog that will likely never see the day of light.

BEST EXPERIENCE : I can't decide. Though one of my favourite things might be how confused people are when Hyena suddenly starts to 'make sense'. Or if when they realize that my fucked up way of writing anything of him doesn't apply to my writing in general.

RP PET PEEVES / DEALBREAKERS :

For whatever reason I can't even explain myself I dislike it when asks get reblogged. Like that big grey box at the beginning of a rp/conversation just grinds my gears the wrong way.

Otherwise I don't really have Dealbreakers, except for the obvious. No one but me gets to decide which emotions my characters feel unless your muse can put them under a spell that is.

A minor other thing would be, that it would be really nice if people cut their post but that's not really a dealbreaker either. It just makes finding ANYTHING on the dashboard so much harder.

MUSE PREFERENCES:

if that's supposed to be which kind of characters I usually write then the answer is a firm – well, almost anything, except female characters. I have a surplus of ones that are either complete and utter idiot himbos, act like they're idiots or traumatized people who are somehow kept together by nothing but spite and anger.

If this is about what I usually RP. It's mostly anything but smut. Somehow those interactions usually make people disappear xD

My rps always tend to end up with angst and pain though.

PLOTS OR MEMES : both, though I usually say – wing it, let's see where it goes. Plotting can be fun as a general direction, like – where you want to go. But I've seen people trying to orchestrate every single interaction and I have far too little control over my muses to conform to that.

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES : I'll say both but somehow I always end up writing so much even though I try not to.

BEST TIME TO WRITE : Whenever I shouldn't because I have something more important to do. Like sleep, or clean or get ready for a meeting.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S) : partly. Otherwise it would likely be a lot harder to write them

tagged by: @grislyintentions

tagging: whoever wants to, I'll not tell anyone to talk about themselves. So take it if you feel like it

[gottagobuycheese]

Hugtober Day 8/? - Traumatized Trio Finally Get to Hug It Out, More at Midnight

A brief pause from the ORV onslaught to bring you yet another trio that knocks me dead if I think about them too hard  there are plenty of ORV vibes here though let’s be real

[ID: A greyscale piece of digital fanart depicting Yoon Hwa-pyung, Kang Gil-young, and Choi Yoon from OCN’s The Guest. The three of them stand in the middle of the drawing, hugging each other tightly. Gil-young wears a long coat and has her back to the viewer as her arms clutch Hwa-pyung’s and Yoon’s backs, holding them close as she buries her head between them. Hwa-pyung is dressed in a light flannel overshirt and dark slacks and places one arm along Gil-young’s shoulders, with his other hand barely visible around Yoon’s waist. His face is hidden from view as he presses his forehead against Gil-young. Yoon is dressed in his priest garb and wraps his arms around the other two, turning his face away from the viewer as he rests his head against Gil-young’s. /end ID]

[overlysour]

＃VARIOUS GENSHIN CHARACTERS♡ — THEM WHEN THEY’RE JEALOUS

VARIOUS GENSHIN MEN & WOMEN X READER ♡

Wanderer

He can’t help but want to savour your touches and smiles for himself but he knows he can’t keep you to himself.

You made an effort to interact with him, even with his big ego and judgemental comments. So why would you cheat on him?? What would you even get from that?

Also, his newly received anemo vision represented his freedom, so why would he take yours?

He would still be annoyed, probably rolling his eyes, glaring and overall being grumpy if he’s jealous, he’s not just gonna act like nothing is happening!

Might make a scene out of it… overall pretty petty even if you don’t get what you did wrong.

Probably ends up yelling at the person he’s jealous of after telling you someone needed help (did he throw an arrow at some stupid guy that stalks your neighbour? Yes! Was it just because he needed to distract you? Yes! (also partly because the neighbour wouldn’t shut up about how they have an admirer to you and he wanted attention)).

Aether

It really depends on the situation but he won’t act on what he deems to be unreasonable jealously. He thinks it’s unfair to act in that way when he’s been flirted with by many in front of you, though you still try not to react.

If he thinks it’s reasonable then he will act, just briefly though.

Would probably ask for help with a commission, muttering a sorry and making sure to give you a loving hug.

Understands the feeling of loosing someone very well so he’d want to still make it slightly obvious that you’re his and he’s yours.

Rosaria

Would likely threaten anyone making you uncomfortable in anyway.

If she’s just feeling jealous due to you speaking with someone closely then she absolutely won’t make a scene, though most likely asking who they were and what their relationship is with you.

Might make an excuse to walk off with you..

Overall chill but quick to threaten or drag you off.

Dottore

Doesn’t really come out of his lab much unless going to other nations for fatui missions so he wouldn’t really get the chance to watch you converse with others.

Though If he does get jealous then he’d be slightly colder to you then usual.

Petty as heck (much like many other characters but way more in a ‘I’m-gonna-kill-whoever-that-was’ type of way).

If you were his lover then he’d think high of you, meaning he’d think of stuff like ‘that measly brat doesn’t deserve someone like [Name]’

Wouldn’t make contact with the cause of his jealously, instead gaining small details about them just in case.

Quickly pulls you off, glaring at the probably already scared person.

Acts normal once away, might be the tiniest bit more affectionate.

Xiao

Understanding yet one to quickly go take out anger on any unsuspecting enemies he can find at that moment.

If it’s someone he trusts then he wouldn’t go let his anger out, instead opting to give you more affection then usual.

He doesn’t want to loose you, since he’s lost so many people over the years.

Though it wouldn’t to be death, he wonders if it’d make him feel worse knowing that he’d lost you to emotions.

Overprotective but watches from afar I guess??

Albedo

He’s well aware of human emotions but I think he’d be a little confused at first, like why was he jealous so easily? Also how is he feeling such intense feelings?

Treats it as an experiment on himself, though still making sure he’s keeping any more-than-friendly remarks off anyones tongues (he’d like to hope that you wouldn’t do that but he’s prepared to be a barrier between you two anyways)

Trusts you but won’t hesitate to send a cheeky smile at the person as he plants a kiss on your hand and you become increasingly flustered.

Ayaka

Absolutely makes no scene, she’d just feel a bit self-conscious.

If you give her lots of love then she’ll easily forget about it (though it may linger in her mind for a while no matter what).

Kind and collective, openly stating her worries with you if given encouragement or if you’re worried about her.

Venti

Honestly quite chill depending on what’s happening.

Though no matter the situation, he’ll butt in your conversation by kissing you and hugging your waist with an innocent smile.

Can be intimidating but would only ever act that way when no others can see him act like that, therefore nobody would believe the person and he’d be known as a cheerful and carefree bard!

Childe

Absolute child about it (pun not intended 😗).

He will hang onto your waist whilst he hugs your back as he glares at his source of jealously.

Acts like nothing happened afterwards, dragging you wherever suits him that he thinks you’d like.

Won’t really think about it again, only feeling the need to protect you from harm or people with the wrong intentions.

Diluc

Calm as long as it’s not much of a big deal, extremely understanding and not afraid to let people know that you two belong to each other only and any objections will be ignored.

If it’s a bigger deal then that, then he’ll keep his calm facade and act relatively normal and understanding but with a small loss of patience.

Worst case scenario, he’ll threaten them without a smile in sight.

Won’t pay much mind to what happened, only focused on perhaps kissing you on the cheek or hand a bit more.

Zhongli

A man that is genuinely not that easy to make jealous, seemingly always calm and knowledgeable.

If in a situation that he becomes jealous, he’ll kindly ask to speak with you and then express his feelings.

Would easily sort out any misunderstandings between you two.

To be continued. I will take requests on what characters people want included!

[grippingbeskar]

The Element of Surprise | Part 3

Chapter Three: The Deal

mando x f!reader

series masterlist here

warnings: none

word count: 2.4k

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

Two days of complete silence has made you realise something.

This one thing was how happy you were to be off Tatooine. Granted being held hostage in the barrack of a Mandalorian ship you snuck on to is not the way you envisaged your moving day – but nevertheless you are happy to be rid of the sand, suns and crime ridden world that was the desert planet. 

Spending 3 years there had taught you a lot – and you supposed you realised you were grateful for that too. It taught you how to make the best of a bad situation, which you were already putting in to practise in your first few days off world. 

The ‘clothes’ the Mandalorian allowed you to change into were three sizes too big, hanging off your shoulder was the beige undershirt that smelt like it hadn’t been washed since before you were ever on Tatooine, and the pants were so large you had taken an arm sling from one of the bigger guns scattered across the floor to form a makeshift belt. You kept your shoes partly because they held sentimental value – the only thing you had from your home all those years ago, and partly because the only other pair of shoes would have made it impossible to walk let alone run – which you planned to do as soon as the opportunity arose. Beside styling a worse for wear outfit, you had used the refresher way too many times. Spending hours trying to scrape three years’ worth of grime off your skin was actually… nice. You rarely felt safe enough to spend more than five minutes in the sonic showers back on Tatooine, so being able to take your time, letting the water run through your hair was one of the best feelings you imagined you would ever have. There was little in the way of soaps, but the musk, caramel smell alluding from your hair made you think about the other passenger on this ship, how he must use these too. Running your hand through your hair, you can’t help but think that his would feel the same, if he even has hair under that helmet. He must – if he has shampoo, which also means he showers, and unless he has two refreshers on this ship, he has to come down here at some point. Right?

Two days of nothing. You would think keeping a hostage would involve a little more facetime, even a look down the rabbit hole to make sure you were still alive. 

You heard occasional footsteps, the babbling or tiny scream from the baby, and the flush of the tank was the only sign of actual life. There was a few stores of food which had kept you well fed – better than what you had on Tatooine – and the refresher room had access to running water, so you guess there was no reason for him to come down here. 

There longer time went on, however, you found yourself wishing that he would.

Yes, at first you were terrified, and you still were. Mandalorian’s are notorious for their warrior style fighting, strict creed, and their ability to kill efficiently. Any story you ever heard about them involved death of some degree, and even the one dead one you saw all those years ago took down nearly one hundred trained fighters as he went. But, regardless of your better judgement, there was something about him that was almost… alluring. 

He obviously took care of that baby, it seemed comfortable, and if it was in any way force sensitive like you suspected, it could have escaped if it didn’t want to be there. That was another thing – most people, when encountering force sensitive individuals wouldn’t exactly coddle and protect them for long, and a Mandalorian wouldn’t have much of a problem  taking down a tiny baby or a clearly overpowered girl. Then there was the obvious confidence – just the way he stood told you everything you needed to know. A man with nothing to prove but every capable ability to prove it if he wanted. You thought a lot about the short interaction you had a mere forty-eight hours ago, and even when he held you up against the wall, the cool press of his armour against your lower back, and if you thought back hard enough, you even remembered feeling lower…

Footsteps above you, louder than they had been in the past two days, indicated he was moving toward the ladder, and you had two options. You could go for the guns, there was no shortage of them. That seemed like the smart option, being unarmed against someone who obviously physically stronger when there was a way to arm yourself seemed stupid.

But then you looked over at the freezer, and the various bodies, 4 in total, lined up along the wall reminded you of his promise if you shot at him again, and suddenly you thought better off unarmed.

It was too late to make another decision as the ladder dropped and the Mandalorian descended to find you standing in the middle of the hallway, frozen in place.

He stood facing you, unmoving, and you began to wonder if this was some kind of game he played with all his hostages, or he was just socially awkward. Understandably not wanting to make conversation with your hostage, you got that, but the staring made you feel like he was assessing you, and not being able to read his face made it all the more mysterious. 

“I was wondering when you were going to break and come down here” you broke the silence, worried you just stand and stare at each other for hours if you didn’t speak first. 

“Were landing tomorrow. Thought you would need to get-“he faulters, and you see his helmet drop slightly, staring at the belt you crafted, currently tied in a bow around your hips, and if you didn’t know any better you would say you saw his shoulders lift slightly, as if stifling a laugh. You suddenly became defensive of your craftsmanship – it’s not as if he left you with many options.

“Well, considering I left everything I’ve ever owned back on a planet that is two and half days away, I had to make do with your-“you gestured at the clothes you had pulled together “-stuff.”

“You got on someone’s ship, planned to get a free ride off planet, and didn’t bring anything with you?” His head shifts to the other side, and you swallow any remaining fear you held onto as you see a way out.

“I wasn’t trying to get a free ride! I was just-“you stop, realising that it’s probably better to say you were just sneaking onto your ship rather than trying to steal from him, but he doesn’t interject, just waits, leaning slightly on his right leg, waiting for you to finish digging the hole you just started. “-I had a ship, and it broke, I- I crashed it, years ago, but Ive been trying to rebuild it, but im not a very good mechanic so it was taking longer than I thought and I was coming back in to town and I knew you, well not you, but someone was repairing a ship here so I thought-“ you trailed off again, but he just stared. It was relentless. You let out a sigh. “- I was going to take it. Parts. From your ship.”

You stood there, in the middle of the room, avoiding what would be classed as eye-contact by looking anywhere but towards the giant figure currently assessing you, and you were sure he was considering whether or not he was going to kill you right now, or draw it out until you reached your unknown destination.

He takes two steps forward, nearly covering the entire distance between you, and you stumble to take half a step back, although it does nothing to make up for his giant steps, boxing you in between to crates on either side of you. You were sure he was going to interrogate you, and there was a small part of you that was scared he would throw you in the freezer just because you pissed him off, but he catches you off guard, and looks to his left, as if checking no one else is listening, even though you are hyper aware that it is just the two of you in this giant ship. 

“That thing you did. With the kid. How did you do that?” It comes out less demanding that you expect, and you swallow before you answer him. You haven’t thought about your abilities in so long you don’t know exactly how to answer him, and years of hiding any connection to the force has you stumbling for the right words. You look up, trying to figure out how much you can reveal to satisfy him, while not giving him anything he can use against you.

“I don’t know, really. Its just something that happens, when I meet people like your kid. I cant really control it, sometimes it just kind of takes over.” You weren’t lying, but you were downplaying, sort of. Your father taught you how to use the Force in a way that benefits you, but you still have a very loose grasp on control, and any attempt to perform anything bigger than a minor enhancement is practically impossible.

“He does.. things. Things I can’t explain. Do you know how he does it?” he sounds almost concerned, and it lights a small fire in your stomach you can’t quite identify. 

“Hes sensitive” you say, hoping he isn’t going to make you say it. You have no idea who this guy is under the helmet, and you are suddenly very aware of that.

“Well, I mean he cries sometimes if hes hungry but hes only a baby so I don’t-“

“No! No that – “you can’t help but laugh a little bit at his cluelessness, and it makes you feel safe enough that you continue “- the Force. Hes sensitive to the Force.” You haven’t thought about his face much, but you wish you could see his now as he takes in what you just said. He steps forward, close enough that you can hear his quiet breathing through the modulator, and you almost think you missed it.

“Like the Jedi? Hes a Jedi?” he whispers, and at least he knows some of the danger that the baby and you now might be in.

“Well, no. Hes untrained, and still a kid. When they used to train, in the temples, then he could have trained and became one, sure. But no, not a Jedi.” As if sensing he was the topic of conversation, the little baby waddles underneath the Mandalorian’s feet, looking up at you from the group. He steps back to pick him up, and you realise how close he was standing only when he moves away.

“Do you know where to find Jedi?” The Mandalorian asks, taking a ball out of his pocket and handing it to the baby, who is still looking at you.

“I don’t think anyone does. The few that are still out there probably know how to hide by now.” You don’t need to explain the dangers of being a Jedi to him, everyone knows how viciously they were hunted in the past few years, and any surviving Jedi and force sensitives have either gone into hiding or are damn good at pretending.

“Can you help him?” he asks, and you laugh.

“Me? In what world would I be qualified to teach a youngling? I can hardly-“Something about being around this makes you speak without thinking, barely stopping in time to realise this is your way out “-Well, I could probably help him in a way? Until you find a real Jedi?” If you play your cards right, you could get a ride all the way to Naboo with the ultimate bodyguard.

He takes his time to consider, looking you up and down, and you feel slightly insecure under his gaze. You know what you look like, hardly a stand in for a Jedi master, but you want him to think you can do it. You stand a little straighter before you catch yourself. Why do you care what he thinks you look like? Still, you fix your posture and wait for him to talk first – which from previous experience could take all night.

“Okay. If you can help him, I’ll help you.” This time you tilt your head. Help You? “If you can train him to use his powers, I’ll help you with your ship.” Hes going to help rebuild your ship?

“You cant be serious. You’ll really help me with my ship if I just teach him the basics? Because that’s all I know. The very basics. Like baby shit.” You suddenly feel incredibly unqualified. Training younglings was something you would have loved to do, become a Jedi master and train others to connect with the world around them – but that was a different world, and you never even mastered it yourself. The last thing you needed was to be in debt to a Mandalorian.

“Well he needs that, hes a baby. But if we find a Jedi before we go back to Tatooine, ill be dropping you off at the nearest planet and you’ll have to make your way from there.” It’s the most you’ve heard him talk in one go, and the protectiveness in his tone almost makes you forget he just said he’d dump you at the first sign of a Jedi. 

“So, do we have a deal?” You realise you haven’t answered, and you nod. With that he turns to go back up the ladder.

“Hey. I will probably need some – um, clothes and stuff. Considering.” You gesture to your clothes and here him exhale, the second time you think you’ve caught him laughing. 

“We’re landing tomorrow. We can get some supplies there. Some clothes that… fit.” He says, and once again you catch yourself imagining his face, smirking slightly at your ridiculous outfit.

“Okay, but where is it that we are landing?” You’ve been flying for two days, but with no windows and a horrible sense of direction, you could have been flying in circles.

“Coruscant. Picking up a bounty.” With that the ladder disappears behind him as he returns to the cockpit, leaving you stuck down here like a hostage, and you wonder if you just imagined the whole conversation. 

It definitely felt like a dream, to you at least. 

.....

taglist:

@avatarkanemi​

[sanzu-sanzu-sanzu]

songs about toxic people 7*

Sanzu Haruchiyo X Reader

Summary: In which you are Bonten’s No. 2 and Sanzu is No. 3. Almost ten years of being stuck working together means you’re both bound to pick up on each other’s idiosyncrasies, yeah?

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*IMPORTANT NOTE: this is more like an interlude/bonus chapter actually centering more on misc bonten x reader Gen! interactions. it still ties in with the whole story, it’s just there’s less to zero sanzu in this one cus the focus will be more on the other bonten haha, so if you’re here exclusively for sanzu x reader, you may skip this if you like! 😬  

it’s just i got these headcanons that idk what to do with and also they are somewhat short 😭

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chapter 1 / chapter 2 / chapter 3 / chapter 4 / chapter 5 / chapter 6

chapter 7: We may not be a perfect family but we love each other (until we don’t) - koko

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Koko thinks of cats when he thinks of you; partly from the circumstances of your first meeting, partly ‘cause of the way you sort of simply glide in and out of rooms quietly with the stealth and fluidity of one.

(Although Sanzu had insisted he thought more of ghosts and wraiths, a comment which Koko only made light of even though he wasn’t wrong.)

She even kinda fights like a feline, he’d told Inupi one time all those years ago, as he thought of the way your lithe and minimal movements were always able to take bigger guys down along with the quiet ferocity to match.

Maybe she learns from all the cats back in the shrine, Inupi responded—a joke, essentially, in his own terms. Koko suppressed a smile: cat and dog, you and her, maybe that’s why you two get along so well went his own, sad attempt at humor, because you and your second-in-command were obviously very close and very unlike cats and dogs. The joke, however, sadly did not seem to land, and Inupi’s forehead only creased, his expression dumbfounded.

That’s not how it works.

Koko never forgets the day you were first introduced by Mikey. It’s at the back of Toman’s abandoned shrine, at the edge of the thick forest surrounding the area, that their new leader had said they’ll be meeting Black Dragon’s temporary captain. He never specified what anyone would be doing in the forest at this hour in the afternoon, and neither him nor Inupi had asked, but then there you were: in your bare feet and in your school uniform, attempting to move a big pot of plant from one spot of land to another, your expression almost annoyed. (At the pot, most likely, which did not seem to budge.)

Mikey called your attention still a few meters afar:

“Hey. Whatcha up to—”

in a tone that very clearly did not seem to intend to place whatever you were up to above this particular Toman business at the moment, so really, it would not have made any difference whether you answered or not. Which you didn’t, only glancing at your president once—not with the angry expression, at least—before continuing with your ordeal.

The pot nudged just a tiny bit.

Only when Mikey finally stopped right in front of you and you noticed Koko’s and Inupi’s figures behind him did you finally stand straight, looking at Mikey quizzically. “What’s up?” Quick nods to Inupi and him. “Hello.”

Mikey briefly introduced all of you and proceeded to explain that you were to be formally placed as the Black Dragon’s new captain today, to which your eyes slightly widened.

“Oh, I thought you said tomorrow.”

Mikey hesitated at first but then shrugged. “Hm, they came here already today so I thought might as well. Come on, it’ll be quick.”

You narrowed your eyes at him and then to his two quiet companions but then so agreed anyway, and as Mikey ushered you in front nobody else aside from Koko seemed to notice your lack of shoes. You’d only taken a few steps ahead when you tugged at the sleeve of Mikey’s coat, making him pause.

“I don’t have my Toman jacket,” which was obvious but was not what Koko was expecting for you to say, if he were to be honest.

Mikey looked at you blankly. “Well, where is it?”

“Well, something happened to it,” was your only vague response, but then you turned your head to where you just came from making all three boys follow suit. On a wooden bench slightly obscured by the plants were a family of cats consisting of a mother and her kittens, all sleeping peacefully in a cozy pile on top of your balled up Toman jacket.

“Oh. Okay.” Mikey only nodded like he completely understood. Without thinking about it twice, Sano Manjiro, Tokyo Manji gang’s No. 1—feared around the streets of Tokyo, bowed to no one and stepped over everyone—took off his billowing Toman coat and draped it over your shoulders. “Here, you can borrow mine,” he simply said. “I mean, you gotta look the part.”

Your mouth stretched into a grin.

Beside him, Inupi gave Koko a quick, wordless glance accompanied by that tiny, upward curve on the corner of his mouth that anyone else could’ve missed. Inupi rarely smiled at anything anymore those days—perhaps one of the reasons why this singular, initial meeting had stuck in his mind all these years. It’s one of those memories Koko always thought he could probably live without, occupying a quiet little corner in his mind which, frankly, a much more practical or life-changing memory could have occupied, if it were up to him. But then there you were with your cats and your air of schoolgirl abandon making Inupi smile, an information that he simply didn’t know what to do about.

“Alright, boss. But please, no speeches.”

This made Mikey laugh. “Can’t promise you that, I’m sorry.” It’s only after a few more steps that Mikey did finally notice your bare feet.

“Where the hell are your shoes?”

“Oh, they got wet,” you quietly said. “I was playing with the cats…” and three pairs of eyes stared at you like it wasn’t enough of an answer. “With a hose. Manjiro, I was watering the plants.”

And so you stood atop the shrine steps while addressing the men from Black Dragons, your feet bare and covered in scratches and the Toman president’s much bigger coat over your shoulders. Nobody questioned the absence of shoes—at least not out loud—not with your leader Manjiro right by your side, in his flip flops holding a half-eaten taiyaki in one hand.

The memory comes unannounced in snips and pieces some years later as another Bonten meeting ends. There’s various movements around the table by now, but then Koko catches your undivided staring as you sat across from him, your chin propped up against one hand. He ignores you for a short while as he fixes his things, until he finally decides to look up.

“Anything wrong?”

You suddenly purse your lips in a small smile amidst the gloomy and rigid air of mid-morning Monday meetings and for a moment, it’s as if Koko is thinking of another memory.

“I just realized you kinda look like my Mr. Kaku,” is all you say. The little remark makes not-your Kakucho look up from the document he’s reading without really turning his head, while Rindou who is seated beside you squints—in curiosity or amusement, Koko can’t tell. From his own right side, Takeomi is slowly angling his head as if meaning to take a better look at Koko behind his curtain of silver hair.

Mr. Kaku, of course, is your pet cat, the one with the smooth silver fur that you’d rescued from an abandoned site during an out-of-town business trip some months ago. You and your unimaginative pet naming sense landed on “Mr. Kaku,” in honor of your then-partner Kakucho who had volunteered to keep the cat inside his bag thru the doors of the hotel that didn’t allow pets. But he looks nothing like Kaku, Manjiro had quipped, earning a few grunts of approval from your ever-biased circle, but you couldn’t have been bothered so you stuck with the name.

Koko is quick to decipher that in your-speak, cat comparisons are more or less compliments and never a form of insult—not that in your mid-20s, you all haven’t already gotten above petty verbal affronts, after all. So he humors you, eyes now back to his things but with his attention still on the matter at hand. “What, is it the hair?”

“Yeah, it’s the hair,” Rindou says before you can answer, his head lolling lazily on one shoulder. “Can’t believe no one had noticed before.”

“And the eyes,” you simply nod. “They both got these nice, sharp eyes.”

Would you have named him Mr. Koko if you thought he resembled Kokonoi before? is the one lingering question that none of the men around you bother to ask.

It’s only a couple of weeks later, after another Bonten meeting, when Koko hands you a souvenir from his weekend business trip: a red cat collar with a customized pendant, a tiny enamel engraving of your Bonten tattoo. The pendant is black on one side and gold on the other, and the small gasp you let out makes every head in the room turn—the almost unfamiliar, genuine sound of delight thawing the usual morning’s stern atmosphere.

“There’s a shop right across the hotel where they make rush engravings like that.” Koko is saying casually like it’s no big deal, but he sees the expression on your face and he can’t help but grin. “Thought Mr. Kaku might like it.”

Your eyes perk up at the mention of ‘Mr. Kaku’ like Koko is the first person to ever acknowledge that Mr. Kaku doesn’t need to be named anything else apart from ‘Mr. Kaku.’ “Oh, it’s perfect, Koko. I’ll send you pictures once I make him wear it,” you say, your attention instantly back to your hands, choosing to ignore his ‘I think just one picture might be enough.’

From the other end of the room, Sanzu is making his way towards the door. “Congratulations,” he smirks as he passes by behind you, quirking one eyebrow up at Koko. “Now she won’t be shutting up about it all weekend,” because Sanzu will be spending the next three days with you over in another city to conduct business with another drug scion, of course.

Across the table, Kakucho only sighs before shaking his head. “I still wish you could’ve picked a better name for your cat,” he says—a valid complaint, Koko thinks bemusedly, now that your own Mr. Kaku looks more like a feline version of himself.

chapter 8 >

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this one goes out to my closest friends the ones who make me feel less alien

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[gay-snom]

contextualizing lwj’s coming to terms with his feelings subplot!

i wanna talk about the role of confucianism in this subplot because i think it’s something some western fans might not pick up on. basically, the sociopolitical climate of confucianism in his character arc, and a little bit about his interaction with the public image theme.

disclaimer: i’m not chinese but i do have a double minor in chinese and asian studies and have written a few papers on confucianism.

we’re gonna be talking about the novel bc i feel its a little more in-depth and nuanced than lwj’s “what is black, what is white” monologue in cql. namely the tension and misunderstanding in wwx’s first life and how lwj got his scars. i feel like it’s pretty well accepted that wwx made lwj reconsider his world view, so i’m just gonna expand on it. also i want to point out it's pretty unspoken in most of the text, but lwj is also affected by/used to explore the public image themes, as his image the is ideal confucian scholar.

confucianism is centered around the ideas of how to behave “good” in sociopolitical contexts. basically it boils down to a belief system on how society should be run. if everyone follows confucian beliefs, you will have an ideal society. the main text is the Analects, which you can read here. it’s been around for a few thousand years (like around 200 BCE ish), had a huge revival in the tang dynasty (618-907 CE). it was put on imperial exams, the emperor’s cabinet had confucian scholars, etc. this is just to say confucian values are important to historic society, especially upper-class scholars, which seems to be a role cultivators commonly fill in xianxia. here are some basic tenants:

being a gentleman/scholar/superior man (君子 jūn zǐ) : partly being learned in the arts, literature, music, poetry, etc., mostly behaving righteously and dutifully.

filial piety: usually described as obedience. it's not simply obeying everything elders tell you, it includes doing it with reverence and thankfulness for their sacrifices for you.

leading by example: if leaders/the government is righteous, the people will follow. lwj has his flock of juniors that are all strong cultivators and the lan sect is just generally known for being moral and good.

rites/rituals: a focus on politeness and holding proper ceremonies, sacrifices, and funerals

speech: there’s some great meta about the register he speaks in here, i just want to touch on think carefully before you speak, only speak sincerely, etc.

tldr; lwj is THE perfect gentleman (even his title contains the character suffix 君 -jūn, like lxc. which, while this character is not uncommon for cultivator titles, it wasn’t chosen carelessly either. also not to be confused with 尊 -zūn). seriously, look at almost all of book 10 and you'll see don't do/consume in excess, don't talk during meals, sit only when your mat is straight, etc.

okay, so Why is understanding his feelings for wwx so troublesome?

1.2 "They are few who, being filial and fraternal, are fond of offending against their superiors. There have been none, who, not liking to offend against their superiors, have been fond of stirring up confusion... Filial piety and fraternal submission! - are they not the root of all benevolent actions?"

in other words, people who are filial will never create political tension. so like, morally, wwx should be considered horrible person! he’s not only snubbed the jiang sect. he was a head disciple who undoubtedly had younger students looking up to him. and then he goes and stirs up some huge political issues! he is now a bad role model for the people below him and disrespected the people above him. lwj has an entire image to uphold, he has poured his entire life into following these rules and beliefs, and then wwx comes along. would continuing to be in wwx's life taint lwj? there are some contradicting teachings in regards to interacting with wwx:

15.4: "Do not take counsel with those who follow a different Way"

15.28: "When the multitude hates a person, you must examine them and judge for yourself. The same holds true for someone whom the multitude love."

15.36 "When it comes to being Good, defer to no one, not even your teacher."

this is part of the reason lwj had so much trouble accepting his feelings. he didn’t know how to handle this situation, making him appear distant during/directly after sunshot. if he judges wwx's intentions to be pure, it's then not wrong to be friendly with him. but wwx still is morally wrong by society's standards. now, lwj has to not only figure out his feelings, but also reconcile this with how he still thinks wwx is Not a bad person, despite everything. what if he does get "tainted" by wwx? will it hurt the reputation of his sect? that would be un-filial, right? he spent his whole life memorizing rules that are probably extremely similar to sections in the Analects, and now these mixed messages (coupled with the relatable gay panic) are overwhelming.

onto the next! there’s something unspoken in the scene where wwx discovers why lwj has the whip scars. as other posts have mentioned, lwj taking wwx back to the burial mounds and nursing him is high treason. however, this action is also extremely un-filial. also his entire image is built around being a perfect gentleman, if this were to get out to the public he would lose absolutely everything. he would be just as irreparable as wwx.

“I was worried if those from another sect found you first, WangJi would be considered your accomplice. The best scenario was his name being forever tainted, and the worst was his life being taken away right then. Thus, along with Uncle, we chose thirty three seniors who had always thought highly of WangJi... ”

there’s no way lwj didn’t know what would happen if he did this. obviously as lxc says, if this got out, he would lose basically his entire face. and even though lxc didn’t mention this, it would definitely lose a lot of face for the lan sect as well since lwj is so prominent. the decision about what elders to bring is also notable.

“...As if he knew all along he would be discovered by us, he said that there was nothing to explain, that this was it. Growing up, he had never talked back to Uncle, not even once. But for you, not only did WangJi talk back to him, he even met with his sword the cultivators from the Gusu Lan sect...”

so yeah, he obviously knew they would come for him and what the consequences would be. and he still talked back! that’s already not a good look for the lan sect. but attacking them? totally unforgivable! lwj gives up how he was raised and the importance of filial piety, what he has held on to until this major plot event. since it's basically the biggest "fuck you" to his uncle and his clan, this was not a decision he made lightly. lwj shows them he cares more about wwx and His Own ideas of right and wrong than the sect’s or society’s.

Wei WuXian dug his hands into his hair, “...I-I didn’t know... I really...”

when was the last time wwx was at a loss for words? wwx spends a few paragraphs after this lamenting how he hurt lwj, but he's not unaware of the gravity of what lwj did. it's an underlying assumption from being raised in the culture. i would argue his first instinct is "oh god he gave up what for me?" since those lamenting paragraphs are after lxc finishes speaking.

"But he said... that he could not say with certainty whether what you did was right or wrong..."

this is something thrown around a lot in the Analects, that not even confucius can say for sure what is right or wrong. what better way to show lwj is still a perfect confucian than have him paraphrase confucius himself?

“...WangJi was a model for the disciples when he was young, and a prominent cultivator when he grew up. In his whole life he had been honest and righteous and immaculate--you were the only mistake he made!”

here’s the confirmation that the world and even his family thinks of him as a perfect gentleman, the top tier of society, and it was all thrown away for wwx. this is just so heavy. the mistake thing? thats not only because lwj is fraternizing with an enemy. lxc and the rest of the sect who knew are terrified this will forever corrupt lwj personally, not just publicly. lwj was so devoted to believing this was the right thing to do he offered up everything he had. the gravity of this decision is insane. it’s very obvious that he loves wwx, it’s just that he struggles a lot internally to accept everything that is happening.

as for helping wwx leave after the massacre, is this gentleman-ly of lwj? was it actually in-line with his image? is it more honorable to save someone who is dying, at the cost of your own health, than to look away? isn't looking away a form of resentment? i wasn't able to find a specific passage about bystander-ness, but personally i think it qualifies as "bad intentions." there is also this passage for what it's worth, originally it was about government suppression:

12.19: "...What do you say to killing the unprincipled for the good of the principled?" Confucius replied, "...why should you use killing at all?..."

lwj is always more actions than words, and he was not fucking around. his core beliefs really haven't changed, and remain very strong throughout his life. he is still righteous enough to accept his punishment, graceful enough to search for wwx's body since there was no one else to do the funeral rites (10.22/10.15), caring enough to take in a-yuan, upright enough to still spend his years going where the chaos is.

just with this one action, the audience knows he has come to terms with realizing that authority isn't always just, and neither is the public opinion/opinion of other gentlemen. he has reconciled. this is him standing for what he believes is right. this is his devotion. this is his own choice. just. poetic cinema...

anyway that's it for my first meta post! i would love to hear your thoughts, feelings, opinions, discussions, other meta ideas, whatever! thank u for reading! <3

[pitch-pearl-void]

(The borderlands anon from however long ago)

So, I finished watching the show a couple days ago, because there were a couple things that showed up consistently in fics i that I didn’t understand (blood blossoms, some of the baddies, a handful of fenton inventions, etc)

First off, I still very much prefer pitch pearl to amethyst ocean or whatever the hell it’s called

And also, do you know where pitch pearl as a ship came from? I know there’s the episode with fun and super, but is that all there really was? Or were there more early fandom headcannons that supported them as separate beings?

Hello again! Sorry this took so long, I wasn’t sure how to answer 😅

Canon did a poor job with AO. I would even say it did it dirty, but it's popular enough it doesn't need that kind of support lol. If you really want to give it a fair shake I’d recommend reading fanfiction for it, but I understand everyone’s preferences are different. I personally don’t ship it because shipping best friends is something I have real issues with, but it’s not a bad ship if you want something that’s soft and makes you feel all warm inside.

Onto pitch pearl tho!

Tbh, I’m not entirely sure myself how pitch pearl as a ship started. I don’t believe it was because of the Fun and Super episode, largely because those two are rarely used in the ship. 

I asked someone else, and they thought that moment in What You Want when Phantom was first torn from Fenton as this colorless ghost might have been what started the concept they weren’t one whole person. Because, honestly? This ship goes far, FAR back. A lot of the older fics made Phantom into a voice in Danny’s head or a spirit that could separate from him at will without the need of the Ghost Catcher in order to offer Danny comfort. They had no rules because there weren’t any set way yet. The fact that Phantom could move and think independently from Danny was enough to get people thinking. It wasn't all romantic, most of it was borderline at best. They mostly focused on hurt/comfort and self-love, finding a balance between human and ghost with the occasional kiss thrown in.

Then there’s TUE, where Danny meets his evil future self and learns that his ghost half killed his human half after merging with Plasmius. It definitely gave more credence to the idea there might be more to Danny’s ghost half than simply having ghost powers. It aired before Identity Crisis, so it set the stage with a BOOM and had a much bigger impact on the ship. Phantom being seen as his own person is a bit more credible when he’s willing to kill Danny. It helped that TUE was a VERY popular episode. It drew in a huge crowd, and everyone was curious about what made the ghost half snap like that if he’s supposed to be Danny.

Supporting that idea is that a lot of the older art and fics took a darker view of Phantom in general, seeing him as Danny’s darker half or a ghost out for revenge after being imprisoned for so long. Even the name “pitch pearl” was created with that in mind. I always thought of it as “white hair/black hair” in the same vein as AO taking inspiration from Sam’s purple eyes and Danny’s blue, but when I went searching for the origins for the name, the old explanation set Danny Fenton as white pearl and Phantom as pitch black. The reasoning for that was partly their jumpsuits pre- and post- accident, but also because Fenton is human and “pure” while Phantom is a ghost and dangerous--because without Fenton, Phantom became Dan and destroyed everything.

For obvious and somewhat personal reasons, I don’t subscribe to that. But it does make all the art where Phantom looks evil while holding Danny make sense. I don’t like dark romance, and I’m personally thrilled we moved away from such a dark beginning, but it likely had a hand in the early popularity of pitch pearl.

If I were to guess how else it started when the source has them as one person, I would say it was most likely the fanart? Putting Fenton and Phantom side-by-side has a yin-yang appeal, and when they interact in art, you get the sense that these are two characters, not one. This was really popular when the fandom was much bigger than it is now.

For instance

Save Our Soul by nycken isn't a shipping piece by any means, but it could very easily give rise to the idea, especially if someone is new to the fandom.

They did not shy away from it being a self-cest ship back then, though. The idea that Phantom wasn't Danny was there, but I don't think anyone looked for evidence in the show to support it. That seems to be something the ship has evolved into rather than something it started from, and it is honestly my favorite way to see it.

I do have many headcanons about how they aren’t the same person in canon if you're interested! There’s the out of sync transformations, the title sequence and how Super and Fun are shown to separate in the Identity Crisis episode, Vlad’s inability to clone Danny, the way Danny talks to himself, just all kinds of things! If you want to hear more about those I'd be happy to answer 😁 (they'd probably be easier too lol)

But yeah, I think it was TUE and fanart. There may have been other factors (I think this was around the time Yu-Gi-Oh and puzzleshipping was popular too) because fandom doesn't exist in a vacuum, but I really couldn't say for sure. It's a ship that means different things for everyone who ships it. I like the psychological questions when they start off as "one" (the bonded peeps version) and enjoy the aus like soooo much, but others like it only for aus, and others like it as a crack ship, and then there are even others who like it as something dangerous. Some people love it for Fun and Super in Identity Crisis because they're just fun caricatures. It's hard to find the origin point when it has so many branches lol

[adamdabbing]

Analysis of Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester:

They are well-suited.

Mr. Rochester is real, imperfect, human. He may not be right for everyone—no one is—but he was right for Jane. They perfectly balance each other.

Passion

Mr. Rochester was as impassioned as Jane was restrained; he really brought her out.

Jane needs passion—very affected by coldness. It’s why she vibed so well with Mr. Rochester, and we see her best relationship with St. John was when he was passionate abt Rosamond. Jane’s very passionate but at the same time shy/reserved. Someone else needs to free her to be passionate.

You see this when Jane liked the fact Rochester was rude and unpolished; it freed her, in her eyes, to be impolite and impassioned in turn (see first encounter in woods)(see ch 13, their first convo in Thornfield)

Compare to St. John. He was unerringly polite, and proper, and cold. Jane could never relax around him—she was too afraid of disappointing him. (Unlike Rochester)

Sense

Jane was also adept at slapping the ridiculousness out of Rochester.

Throughout the book, you see Mr. Rochester’s increasingly desperate attempts to get Jane to confess to something, anything. He is very dramatic and INsensible, which is why he concocted these roundabout ways to get Jane to confess instead of just asking her directly. He like a insecure 13 yr old who got it into his mind this was the way to do it.

Jane grounds him, keeps him from being too silly

She’s also adept at bringing Rochester out of his moods. (see end of book) She never took a lot of what he said and did to heart. She saw it for what it was rather than getting offended.

People-pleaser

Jane’s a people pleaser and server—she admits it herself. Will sacrifice her own happiness for doing what’s right. That’s why she’s genuinely happy to help Rochester at the end, and does what St. John asks to her own detriment. She needs to be needed, methinks.

Morals

Mr. Rochester also possesses grudging morals. He cares for Adele even though he doesn’t like children and she might not even be his child. He went back to save Bertha even though he had every reason not to. If I were in his situation I wouldn’t.

People may see them both as manipulative, but St. John is calculating, where Mr. Rochester is uncontrolled. Mr. Rochester is not calculating or manipulative. St John is that. Mr. Rochester actually lacks control in his life. He didn’t plan the situation—“I never meant to hide this from you”—it just spiraled out of control. Tends to run away from his problems. Ran away from Jamaica. Ran away from Thornfield. Tried pretending his own wife wasn’t existent.

Most of his manipulation and lies originate from trying to run away from his problems. This huge fault of his is also so understandable and human. Mr Rochester is a man who “errs, when he does err, through rashness and inexperience.” (quote from Brontë) What’s unique is he realizes his life is not the right way to live. He travels the world to try to figure how to right his life, and he wants Jane partially bc he realizes she helps him be a better man.

S€x

I also see a heavily s€xual side to their relationship, though this is more speculative; that despite both being not conventionally attractive, they are both very attracted to each other and it plays a large force in their relationship.

Mr. Rochester is obvious; this is the man who turned to not alcohol, gambling, or another indulgence in his despair and search for happiness, but women. This is the man who rages after being deprived a wedding night.

But Jane too—is it only a coincidence she realized her crush on Rochester after the fire incident, where they would have been the most indecent in their pajamas? And Mr. Rochester attempts to keep Jane from leaving through physical means—he kisses her, embraces her—so he would have thought it’d be somewhat effective on her.

Humor

Ugh I keep on adding stuff but their flirting is so funny omg. It’s why I firmly believe their relationship is best expressed through memes.

Mr. Rochester: JANE YOU ELF, MY GOOD ANGEL, BEAUTIFUL BRIDE AND PERFECT—

Jane: bro ur ugly

Mr. Rochester: ...THANK YOU, HONEST, PURE JANE, WHAT MORAL HIGHTS YOU REACH

And all the jokes abt Jane being some magical sprite, Jane rolling her eyes whenever Mr. R is being extra, he using the most over-the-top language all the time. Every scene they interact is just so amusing. Rochester amuses Jane. That’s partly why she likes him.

Conclusion

Rochester’s just a man trying his best, he’s very broken and often lost. He’s not my type, but I love his and Jane’s dynamic.

Ppl say Jane deserved better, but Mr. Rochester truly made Jane happy, and in the end thats all that matters.

“Come to me—come to me entirely now. Make my happiness—I will make yours.”