#people manipulate him and take advantage of him and misunderstand him

[unusual-ly]

Today’s movie on the Halloween list was Edward Scissorhands and god all I can think whenever I watch it is how good an analogy it is for autism

[magnecalliope]

Branzy is not some innocent waif by any means, but I feel like everyone misunderstands the ways in which he matches Clown’s freak. Particularly, they want to subvert what they view as the architypical dynamic between Branzy and Clown without any real regard to how Branzy's personality actually meshes with Clown's. They recognize that Clown’s intimidation of Branzy is surface level, but don’t seem to grasp what’s going on below that to give Branzy his own edge over Clown.

Branzy is a homicidal maniac in his own right, and certainly has aspirations of being the kind of murder machine that Clown is, but he just does not have the fighting skill to back it up, nor was he a particularly skilled engineer when he first joined Lifesteal. At his core, Branzy is a coward. He gravitates towards whichever player or team he thinks is going to protect him, and he'll stroke their ego to get in their good graces. He gets by on his charisma and charm.

Clown, despite having a clear advantage over Branzy, still frequently comes across as uncomfortable with Branzy's attention, while also craving it and seeking it out. He's also a deeply reserved individual. Even when he's emoting he's still very quiet and even tempered. He plays his cards close to his chest. He's a loner. He has his reputation in part because he's unreadable and intimidating. He was coming off of a season where he hadn't died a single time. He’s an unstoppable force without an immovable object.

So here's the scenario: You're a stoic assassin. Usually you like to work alone. Other people slow you down. But you want revenge and you want to execute it in a particular manner that just happens to be outside of your wheelhouse. You have to team up with someone, and it just so happens you know someone with passable talent and a common enemy. You can tell he's afraid of you, and he should be, because he can't even beat Spepticle in a fight, how would he ever take on you?

But he's also... strangely affectionate. You box him in and he lets you, even as he's shaking with fright. You flirt and he flirts back. You're used to letting your reputation speak for itself, but here he is singing your praises to anyone who will listen. He puts all the credit for the collaboration on you, and downplays his own contribution. He sticks around even after you've exacted your revenge, and he still has nothing but good things to say about you, no matter how much you push and prod and scare and tease.

The fundamental difference between Branzy and Clown is vulnerability. Branzy has had no choice but to embrace his, while Clown has done everything in his power to excise it from himself entirely. Branzy allows himself to have big emotions and Clown barely speaks above a whisper at any given moment. When it comes to a fight, of course there isn’t much that can scare Minecraft’s Deadliest Assassin. But Clown has no idea how to navigate emotions, while emotions are Branzy’s greatest asset. People relate to Branzy, they trust him, and he uses it to manipulate them right into their traps. He can trick others’ emotionally as easily as Clown can cut them down with his sword. His relationship with Clown was made on the foundation of betrayal; he sacrificed his alliance with Vitalasy for Clown's protection. It was more important to him to stay on Clown's good side than remain loyal to his previous team, and this is because he felt, with 100% certainty, that Clown offered him more than Vitalasy did. And Vitalasy never saw it coming. 

That’s what makes Branzy so terrifying to Clown. Because he trusts Branzy. He lets his guard down around Branzy. He lets himself be vulnerable with Branzy. What if Branzy’s just manipulating him too? Or worse. 

What if he’s not?

[auseyre]

One of my favorite quotes is “everything in life is about sex, except sex. Sex is about power.” Misattributed to Oscar Wilde.

Vegas absolutely understands this idea. When he tells Pete, “A guy like you, it’s no  fun if you don’t give in” It’s not about consent at all, it’s about power and manipulation. We already know that Vegas is willing to engage in some level of SA because we saw it on-screen, with Porsche, so it’s a bullshit idea that consent is that important to him.��

In Pete’s case, though, there’s no power in him raping Pete. He already has him held hostage, under his control. There’s a chance Pete wouldn’t even fight back, just considering it another form of torture. 

No, Vegas feels vulnerable and angry and that won’t do. He tries to get Pete to back off, with aggression — “You think it serves me right, huh?” and instead, Pete offers him sympathy and understanding. So Vegas defaults to what he does best  — manipulation  — to regain a feeling of power. You can see the change here, from the “real Vegas” he’s been showing Pete, to the fake one.

He manipulates Pete, first by saying that Pete likes him moody and angry. By implying his behavior turns Pete on, it takes the weakness out of his actions. Then he manipulates him by giving him a choice. If he can get Pete aroused and thinking about sex with Vegas of his own free will, he gets the ultimate power rush. Lusting after Vegas is a betrayal of Pete’s commitment to the major family in a way that Pete eating and even Pete staying by his side when Khun Spikes dies is not. Eating is for survival and compassion is for the other person.

I think he was genuinely surprised when Pete kissed him though. He’s gotten what he wanted. He feels like he has the upper hand back and he can leave cock of the walk once more. He underestimates and misunderstands Pete every step of the way — because he’s not used to dealing with people who aren’t playing a game at all times — and this is a perfect example. He tells Pete not to hold it in, and he doesn’t. 

There’s no advantage to Pete choosing Vegas in this, unlike Tawan, or Ken, who are at least partially looking out for themselves when they betray Kinn. Choosing to have sex with Vegas was solely for Pete. That was Vegas, owning Pete’s desire. That was Pete’s desire for Vegas being more important than anything else.

By making Pete choose him though, Vegas gets caught up in his own snare. For maybe the first time in his entire life, Vegas isn’t second, isn’t also a means to an end. And when Pete gives in, it’s not tentative, not hesitant, not holding back something to have an ace in the hole. Pete offers him everything, and that feeling consumes him as well as Pete. And that’s how Vegas, despite his manipulations, gets captured by the game.  

[animeyanderelover]

This is my second ask

What would Hyuuga Natsuhiko, Minamoto Teru, Wei Liu, Tatsuya Himuro, Reo Mibuchi, Yuuma Isogai, Nagisa Shiota, Tadaomi Karasuma, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko, and Tachihara Shunzen( the older brother) with a darling that is nice to everyone else but politely declines to interact with them. Ik there are a lot of characters but could you make it a bit suggestive at the end like when the reader is confronted it's past their breaking point so they aren't down for excuses, it's fine if not! Ty!!

I genuinely think that you are the first person who named me so many characters I have never written for before in one request. Not that you'll see me complaining though.

Tw: Yandere themes, possessive behavior, obsession, delusional mindset, stalking, clinginess, manipulation, threats, guilt-tripping,jealousy, violence,abduction, suggestive themes at the end of some of those

Tags: @shumidehiro @leveyani @izanami78

Avoidance

Liu Wei

🟣​Surely there must be a massive misunderstanding somewhere, although Liu struggles to decipher what it is that has caused such a rift between the two of you before he even had the chance to get to know you better. It is most misunfortunate, especially since the tall boy is not oblivious to his rapidly expanding feelings for you. Perhaps he has done something to offend you, unintentionally that is due to his lack of knowledge about Japan, or maybe you are just freaked out because of his height. All those excuses are immediately accepted in his mind yet a glaringly obvious thing never once seems to cross his mind. That maybe, just maybe, it is his highly unsettling behavior that has left a lingering bad impression and his refusal to back down only proves that point further. There is no escape from those dark eyes that always spot you no matter what you do or where you try to hide, his height only giving him a bigger advantage to easily find you. There is no escape from him either as you constantly find him trailing after you with that apathetic look on his face and it is quite frightening that he isn't even attempting to defend his actions, his gaze locked on your when you glance at him in disbelief and fear.

🟣​His feelings are no secret to Liu but whether he recognises them to be anything potentially obsessive is an entire new chapter after all. In that matter the exchange student finds himself in a rather delusional mindset after all. All is still new for him in this country after all and his feelings fall into the same category, as something new he has to learn and to discover. Gullible as always, he follows the few advices he has gotten from his teammates and parents in multiple attempts to get closer to you and to get to know you better. He follows you around, his eyes constantly try to meet yours and he approaches you whenever he can yet his naivete is abused over and over again as you always decline everything politely and come up with a reasonable excuse on the spot, one he accepts. For a while this seems to work but it doesn't take long for the bitterness to fester inside of him. Dark eyes condemn the people you keep around you as the green-eyed monster known as jealousy awakens inside of him. He doesn't understand what it is they do right that he doesn't and never one to hold back, he finds himself approaching those people boldly and bluntly asking them what it is that they do that he doesn't.

🟣​He scares your friends and you know about that yet he clearly doesn't feel a thing. He just wishes you would notice his dedication and earnestness as he tries everything he is told to break the wall between the two of you yet you only pull further and further away from you. The festering feeling only continues growing as he notices how you avoid him, a mixture of continuous heartbreak and flaring frustration spurring his darker instincts on. It may not show on his face as he wears a very neutral expression most of the time but he vents the bitterness out on people around him and your close friends and acquaintances are often on the receiving end of that developing temper of his. It is highly unpleasant as they find themselves as constant victims of his cold glares and harsh words as he expresses his dissatisfaction with the situation at hand. He hates this all, if he has to be very blunt. All he wants is to get to know you better yet you brush him aside every single time and he doesn't even know what it is he has done wrong in the first place. You have to tell him. How is he supposed to know what he is doing wrong? He is in a country that isn't his home and those feelings are new for him too.

🟣​You feel rather anxious when you leave school only to find Liu following you one day, not even bothering to hide it. No matter how much you increase your pace, his large steps easily catch up and from the corner of your eyes you can see how he gets closer and closer to you. A huge hand grabs your shoulders and forces you to stop as his deadpan voice asks you if you could give him a moment. There is a growing unease on your mind, your eyes darting around as you try to come up with an excuse yet he cuts you off bluntly, his gaze heavy on your form as he tells you that he will only need a few minutes. Your heart can only pound against your chest as you inspect him warily. There is nothing that could have prepared you for the unexpected horror seeping through you when his lips suddenly smash against yours, his other hand seizing your nape to push your mouth against his own. Dreadful seconds pass before he finally releases you and admits his feelings to you, seemingly unfazed by the forceful kiss he just submitted you to. His eyes are filled with dark determination as he informs you that he intends to be much more direct with his feelings for you from now on.

Himuro Tatsuya

◾️Himuro has had his eyes on you for a while now, long enough to recognise that there is definitely a real interest he has in you. The handsome boy is quite observant of his own feelings though so he will have it figured out soon that an interest is quite understating what is going on in his heart right now. Tatsuya hides his obsession smoothly though as no one would suspect anything. His self-control doesn't mean that he plans to give you up though as he plans to court you and win you over for himself, whether it is because or in spite of his obsession is a blurry line though. The attitude he is met with when he approaches you is rather disheartening though. Tatsuya has observed you for a longer while now and he has observed you long enough to notice the inconsistency in your behavior around him in comparison to other people. You have always been a very kind and open-hearted person but it is glaringly obvious that you choose to avoid him as you always have a polite excuse in store when he is the one who asks for your time. There is a distance you wish to uphold between him and you and whilst it hurts Himuro, he initially tries to see what it is that may have triggered this.

◾️Maybe it is his popularity that has led you to see the need to not interact with him as you may think of him as insincere and a playboy or simply fear potential jealousy that his fangirls may direct at you. If that should be true, he is more than determined to prove you wrong. Aware that he shouldn't be too pushy in order to not come over as desperate nor annoying though, he goes for a more subtle approach. You are always among the first people he greets when he sees you and there are always things like your favorite snacks or drinks he brings with him occasionally to give them to you, especially if it's a rather hot day will he act like your personal vending machine. As a member of the Student Council he always keeps you informed about current updates and often likes to ask for your opinion on subjects, even taking them into consideration. There is a cunning air to it all though as you find yourself being more involved with him, especially when he starts socialising more with classmates and friends of yours. Himuro knows what he is doing though as he spies on you by befriending your own friends, treating them secretly more as a mean to achieve his goal quicker.

◾️There is a sleeping monster made out of envy and insecurity hiding behind his poker face though, one that grows quite restless the more time passes. Anyone else would have already fallen for him or would have at least shown some signs of attraction yet you are still as fleeting as the day he first met you. What is he doing wrong? Nothing, he includes after a good while of self-reflecting. He has done nothing that could have roused your suspicion or that could have made you feel uncomfortable around him. He has always been only helpful and kind to you. With this possibility out of the way, his mind drifts towards another one that has him instantly on edge. Perhaps he hasn't enough for you. It is this idea that fills him with growing jealousy as a bitterness he has always had against naturally talented people appears. He starts cracking and you see that on the day he catches you with Murasakibara, chatting in a carefree manner. You've never done that with him. The shock on your face is evident when he storms over, his normally stoic expression twisted by hurt and anger that he barely manages to swallow down when he reaches you two and separates you two, his heart poisoned.

◾️It is irrational jealousy that leads you into the unfortunate situation of being indirectly betrayed by your own friends whose assistance he requests and they fall easily for his charm as they help to set you two up, unaware of what is about to occur. There are cracks on the surface as his eyes contrast his usual poker face, the growing anger and jealousy almost palpable. It is the very moment you dare to voice yet another excuse that finally makes the thread snap and all the bitterness and anger erupts, clearly visible on his face. His frustration and resentfulness is audible as he asks you what it is that he would have to do to be finally worthy of your time, eyes ablaze as he stares at you. As soon as you take one step back, he takes one forward until you find yourself pressed against the wall. There are tears in your eyes yet he is far too caught up in his own pain to care too much. You don't even get another chance to beg him to let you go as the moment your lips part, he instantly silences you with an impulsive kiss, hands pushing you harder against the wall as he presses himself against your body in a desperate manner, only pulling away when he tastes salty tears, whether they are yours or his he does not know.

Mibuchi Reo

🌃​Mibuchi Reo is a rather interesting case as he is simultanously rather uptight yet also quite open about his feelings. Affectionate with the nicknames he chooses to call you by and the infatuated glances he gives you, the moment people like Hayama even dare to point it out to him, Mibuchi becomes rather displeased and quickly starts chastising him with an annoyed glare on his face. He isn't one to deny his own feelings of course but he is rather sensitive when other people point it out to him, especially those he knows would only give him a headache. You see, he is a rather possessive man who would like to hoard you for himself without people constantly interfering and pointing the obvious out. This is only further amplified when he comes to realise that you are quite set on the irrational decision to avoid him no matter what. Your smile is almost, but only almost, as sickenly sweet as his own when he approaches you when you are alone as he feels more inclined to be open about his affection. Very open. You leave him alone rather stunned after the first time as you hurry away without making it look like you are running away, his pointed glare adding to your nervousness.

🌃​He does not take it well at all and this is quite obvious to his teammates. He is brooding the entire time, deep in thought as a sigh escapes his lips more than once during training. Hayama and Nebuya use that chance in an attempt to get under his skin by teasing him but they get more than they asked for when normally gentle eyes stare at them creepily as he reminds them with a lopsided grin on his face that he would appreciate it if they wouldn't make fun of his personal problems since he does not appreciate it at all. They keep quiet for the rest of the training whilst he does his best to not dwell on it, at least not during practice with Akashi. He tries his luck again the next day, although much to his dismay he isn't able to catch you alone this time which is why he tones his affection significantly down, although it is still quite obvious to the untrained eye that he is rather besotted with you. Once again he finds himseld being indirectly rejected by you, this time in front of all your friends. It is a blow to his feelings as much as it is to his ego but he forces himself to not show any of his hurt feelings. Not in front of other people. It almost looks convincing if you wouldn't know better.

🌃​There is no Reo for you the next few days as he doesn't seek you out but it doesn't really ease your nerves that much. He makes an effort to act fairly normal the following days, although he really has to strain his eyes to not let his gaze wander to you and to immerse himself in sweet, little daydreams. Oh, if only you'd know how much you torment him with your rejection. You truly do not know what you are creating, do you? He can just sense the unease radiating off of you when he catches you all by yourself again, the gentleness in his eyes once again accompanied by this sweetly obsessive glimmer he only shows when he is alone with you. Your heart is pounding as you do your best to politely decline his request once again. Your skin is prickling when his smile twists into something comparable to what you'd see in a horror movie. The silence is crushing you yet he lets you bathing in it on purpose before he suddenly lifts his index finger, not dropping his grin as he stares at you. For a moment you wish he would just chastise you for rejecting him again, to say anything to ease you. You can only fret in cold sweat when he instead leaves you wordlessly as you try to figure out what his gesture just meant.

🌃​Days pass by without any incident yet it feels more akin to the calm before the dreaded storm which doesn't allow you a moment of peace. You almost feel tempted to approach Mibuchi yourself and it takes a lot of concentration to stop yourself from begging him to stop. Then he appears behind you nearly a week later and you nearly die of the heart attack you receive when his fingers tentatively grace your sides. The question he asks you in that same sweet tone that day is the same one he has already asked you before and never before have you shot him down faster, barely able to keep your tone steady as you ask him pleadingly to stop his behavior around you as you even bow your head. In hindsight you would have prepared that infatuated expression over the blank coldness on his face when you straighten your back again. You quickly bow out of the situation, or at least try to do so. His long arm reaches for you and tugs you with force back though, the unexpected surprise causing you to stumble against his back. Both of his arms tighten tighten around your form, his face suddenly in the crook of your neck as he takes deep whiffs of your scent before you feel his lips against the skin.

Shibusawa Tatsuhiko

💎​Shibusawa has long grown bored of the world and the people inside of it. Nothing surprises nor excites him anymore, his life a dull one where the only thing he can do is collect riches and gifts as a short-lived game to entertain himself with. Your existence finally breaks that gray cycle he has found himself in for years. There is a warm buzz in his heart when he indulges in thoughts of you and a pleasant shudder in his body when he gets close to you, his hands always trying to reach out for you and to touch you to feel that electrical tingle as soon as his skin connects with yours. The excessive habit of his to hoard treasure in various forms extends to you now as well as Shibusawa wishes to hoard and keep you for himself, the most valuable gem he could over possess one that lives and breathes. Obviously he is not blind to the way you always pull away from him when he wants to ask you to spend time with him, the slight discomfort hidden behind your polite exterior glaringly obvious to his trained eye. He could end it all of course as he has all the needed tools at his hands to simply whisk you away within the same hour but he refuses to use them.

💎​There is thrill in his chest after all, his heart feeling like it is beating for the first time vigorously in his chest again after years of having fallen into a sad rhythm of boredom. It would be so easy to simply take you but instead Shibusawa decides to play along with the goal to win your heart over through his own effort. He has always the choice to abduct you after all, he can effort to play around and engage in this cute game of yours. Every information he gains, he tries to figure out by himself instead of letting other people do the work. Everything feels much sweeter when he sees it with his own eyes after all instead of only reading it on a white file. His obsession truly yearns to devour everything and he throws himself at every new discovery like a starved animal and in a way his heart and soul are indeed starved. Starved for anything to fill the emptiness, an emptiness you so effortlessly mend and all that without being aware of it. Your dismissive behavior whenever he asks for your time may be a tiny bit disheartening but he is too much in love with the challenge to end everything already. There is so much to learn, so much to discover about you after all.

💎​A man of his intellect notices even small details easily, although if he is not someone you like keeping close to you. It deeply unnerves you how much he has picked up on after only a while of knowing you as he can even point out the little habits and ticks of you that you show without consciously being aware of it. The excessive knowledge you think he shouldn't have about you is a faraway cry from what he is feeling. It isn't enough. Tatsuhiko knows that there is still so much left that he doesn't know about you and with each passing day the urge to find out what he hasn't seen yet grows stronger and stronger. It is then that your polite decline every time he suggests that you two could spend some time together starts bothering him. You deprive him of something that is worth more to him than all the gold and jewels he has hoarded somewhere, prevent him from filling the gap in his heart that starts aching the moment your presence disappears. Hollow desperation claws at his chest, something Shibusawa is not used to feel at all and he does not need long before arriving at the conclusion that he does not enjoy this all-consuming emptiness he feels. Perhaps the time has finally come.

💎​You have a hard time figuring out how he even found your address when he rings one night on your door and gracefully moves his way around you before you can even think about closing the door. Your body posture is wary and ready to attack until he decides to finally confess all the grief he feels in his heart in disturbing ways as he expresses his morbid desire to strip you of all your secrets because only then will he feel whole again. Unfortunately you want to keep those secrets to yourself and as much fun as this game has been, it is time for him to collect his treasure. You're fully prepared to fight and run away but his reflexes are far too fast as he pulls out a syringe and injects something into your arm. The effects only take seconds to show as you suddenly go down on your knees, your legs losing all of their strength. He drags you to the couch and you can barely gather the strength to weakly flail around before your heaved up. His voice is soothing and calm as he tells you that the effects will disappear after a few hours, his fingers dancing over your body before suddenly starting to remove your shirt gently. A few hours is more than enough time to satiate some of his curiosity after all.

Tachihara Shunzen

🟫​A quiet aura and calm expression do not always have to imply that someone is doing well as sorrow and trauma come in various forms. Shunzen's pain is a parasite, one that silently feasts on his flesh on the inside whilst he pretends to be okay on the outside. War does not have winners and losers after all, it leaves everyone with either death or wounds that will never heal, whether those are physical ones or mental ones. Worst of all is that no one would truly understand the horror that has him at times still breaking out in cold sweat, not unless they saw and felt the same horrifying images he had to go through. No one deserves to go through what he went through either so Shunzen hides away the pain, allowing it to rot his flesh away from the inside. His obsession for you is only another bug eating away at him as he does the same thing he has always done since the war ended. Burrying everything that he shouldn't bother others with away somewhere deep inside. Initially it seems to work like it has always done but soon the feeling festers and cracks slowly start to appear within the wall he has carefully built. He doesn't know whether that is a good or a bad thing.

🟫Years of war have made him cautious and warily of his surroundings, have sharpened his senses and given him the ability to assess information at a quicker pace. You do not want to spend time with him for some reason but he knows that it isn't because you are a bad person. He has seen how kind and patient you are with other people, he knows how nice you are to his younger brother from the stories he always tells him about you. Knowing that though bears the question why you single him out as much as you do. Perhaps it is because you have some information about his past as a soldier, it isn't uncommon for former soldiers to end up being made into outsiders. He won't deny that he has done some terrible things but on a battlefield the kind hearts are always the first ones to die as it is either living or dying in a war and he was able to live, thanks to a little girl. He reasons with himself though as he decides to simply stay content for now by observing you and keeping an eye out for you, always alert for any danger that could happen to you at any time. Old habits are hard to shake off after all, especially when they determined whether he'd live to see another day or not.

🟫Initial humbleness to respect your choice fades away with time though as he can feel the obsession crawling around inside his chest, spreading like a virus as it robs him of his control. There is a silent demand echoing around in his head that gets harder to ignore as time passes. He deserves your kindness just as much as everyone else. No, he especially deserves it after the living hell he had to go through. He served and fought for his own country, for people like you. Doesn't he deserve more respect and kindness than that? The desperation tugging at his heartstrings is hard to ignore as those thoughts grow louder and louder inside of his head, almost deafening him at times. Fissures appear all over his heart and mind, forcing the feelings he has been trying to ignore to resurface and clawing at his crumbling walls in demand to be let out. Images flash before his eyes, his ears are ringing and every breath starts stinging as if he has just inhaled smoke. Words are unable to leave his mouth as he seeks you out, hands slightly shaking as his eyes silently beg for you to help him. He needs someone right now and his heart would never settle for anyone else than you. You pretend like you don't see him though.

🟫That's when the wall shatters and everything that has been rotting away in his heart is finally unleashed. He's drowning with each new wave that overcomes him, left alone to navigate through all of it. It doesn't have to be that way though... It shouldn't have to be. Shunzen has always been someone whose character has been almost too dainty for everything he went through but it is only on that night that you see his true self. All of emotions are worn on his face, his feelings raw and bleeding out of his eyes in form of salty tears. Cold sweat is covering every inch of his body, his eyes inspecting you with a newfound desperation as if you are the oasis in the desert. There is a familiar ringing in his ears again, every flicker of light triggering memories of explosions around him. His steps are surprisingly fast for someone who is trembling as much as he does as he reaches out for you, embracing you tightly as your words don't even reach him amongst all the other noises he hears. Guilt stirs awake inside of you only to be dimmed the moment his lips find yours in a messy kiss, his arms pressing you tightly against his body. That's when he finally finds silence within his mind and heart.

Shiota Nagisa

🐍​Nagisa is already an individual who is secretly fighting with a low self-esteem as neither his grades have ever stood out nor anything else about him. Even his own mother has expressed occasionally that she has wished for a girl but got a boy instead, although over the years his relationship with her majorly improved. It is this low opinion that has been installed into every crevice of his body that prevents him from daring to get any closer to you initially. Your kindness is what has always attracted him to you yet he fears that he might become the exception. There is no valid proof for this thesis of his but the anxiety is a chain that binds nevertheless. The blue-haired boy is always found around you but never with you. Skills he has learned from his precious sensei are used to stalk you and so skillfully that no one even notices. Nagisa blends in effortlessly, hides from your sight even if he might be closer than you would ever be comfortable to find out. He's in trees, bushes or even trailing right behind you as he enjoys your smile and your laughter from a safe distance. It is a needless torture he subjects himself willingly too though as his longing for you only grows the longer he stalks you.

🐍​It takes a lot of courage from is part and fillip from his friends before he finally decides to ask you if you would like to hang out with him. Multiple times he has found himself standing close to you only to shy away in the last moment when your gaze met his. In hindsight it would have been better for his sanity if he would have done the same again. Lots of things would have been better than seeing the look in your eyes when he asks you if you'd like to go on a date with him. The surprise, the pity and then the guilt as you already know your answer. No amount of politeness from your side could soften the blow as a heart far too fragile for someone with his skills is shattered into little pieces. There is a telling stinging in his eyes as he mumbles an apology for having bothered you before he disappears, the pain he is in in that moment indescribable. He shouldn't have expected anything else though. This was bound to happen. What was he even thinking in the first place? He is not everyone after all. Days fly by as he doesn't show himself in front of you anymore. He fears that he would break down again if you were to spot him and give him that same pitying look.

🐍​His stalking tendencies increase though as a result of avoiding you directly. It doesn't save him from the pain but it is preferable to the other option. Insecurities only heighten as he wonders every day and night what other people have that he doesn't only to beat himself down as he knows that others have always stood out more than he did. That hasn't changed even after graduating middle school. Even as he tells himself this over and over again though, the pain still stays. Jealousy has rarely been something that can be simply ignored after all as Nagisa knows what it is his heart wants. Why can't you spend some time with him? What would he have to do? He can change himself for you if you want him to! Caught up in his won desperation, he is too blinded to realise that it is this toxic mindset that only pushes you farther away from him. It is quite the dangerous game both of you are playing, although you are the one who is in the most danger. You see Nagisa cracking and crumbling, wonder if it is only your anxious imagination that sometimes catches glimpses of him as you walk around outside. A tiny part of you feels horrible but your fear is stronger than your guilt.

🐍​That is how you awake one night abruptly, you initially don't know why yourself. Much to your horror when you turn on the bedside lamp, you find Nagisa standing at the end of your bed, staring at you with a foreign gleam in those blue eyes. You want to let out a scream but you are barely able to open your lips before he's suddenly kneeling above you, one of his hands muffling the sound of your scream. Your body goes deadly rigid when you stare directly into those empty eyes, barely recognising Nagisa as it almost looks like he is a different person now. His voice is quiet yet eerily intense as he warns you to keep quiet as he removes his hand from your mouth. You barely dare to breathe when he withdraws himself from your form, your heartbeat playing a frightened melody in your chest. You're too afraid to even look at him as you gaze at your sweaty palms before his voice speaks up again. The more vulnerable and shaking tone he uses sounds much more like the person you know as he asks why you had to always ignore him. You don't get to answer though, darkness flooding your vision as he knocks you out. A pair of warm lips is the last thing you feel before passing out.

Isogai Yuma

🟤​Even when Yuma spent his time being made into an outsider during middle school, his kind and considerate nature never faded away throughout it all as he instead made new friends he still keeps in contact with years later. It is the warmhearted nature in you that attracts him to you as well as he admires you. Always honest and staying true to your feelings, you never miss out to express your own opinion and emotions clearly without losing your head. Yuma is quite content to just watch you for a while, his admiration steadily growing as he sees more and more of your heart you openly carry on your sleeves. Soon he finds himself longing for more than to just simply observe you throughout your day at work. Unlike his former blue-haired classmate though, Isogai goes through no such troubles as a low self-confidence. Instead he approaches you kindly and welcoming, acting on his wish to get to know you better and to spend more time with you. There are no signs that he is pushing anything though as he knows that he shouldn't force any more meaningful relationship on you as your consens is something he values which is why he wants to see how you feel about him.

🟤​Isogai is no fool though and soon it becomes obvious that this is getting nowhere. You never attempt to deepen the relationship between the two of you beyond the one of friendly co-workers who can chat throughout the day. Taking notice of that, Yuma decides to switch positions and to be the one who tries the first step. He asks you out when both of you are alone, realistic yet distracted by his beating heart. You can only give him an apologetic smile as you decline his offer and merely tell him that you feel flattered but do not have the time and interest to think about a serious relationship. Yuma can only do his best attempts to hide his hurt feelings but respects your decision nevertheless. Somehow he expected such a reply from you for some reasons. As much as it hurts him to admit, it is quite obvious that your interest in him has always been rather limited and you only find yourself spending that much time with him because both of you work together in the same job as often as you do. There is a clear line you have drawn though, one that doesn't want him as anything more than the acquaintance at work. A decision that isn't all that welcming in Isogai's eyes.

🟤​He has always been quite beloved with the ladies and he still is but he has never allowed himself to think of him as something better just because he looks good and has the considerate and gentle character to match his appearance. With everything that is going on involving you though, he starts wondering what exactly it is about him specifically that has you acting so uptight. After all you do not have the same problem with other people you work with or call your friends. No, it is only him and it is a terrible feeling to see how everyone is given your kindness yet he is the only one who is somehow left behind. He has been trying to get some answers from you, hasn't given up to ask you every once in a while after hoping that you have had enough time to consider and forget but your answer in its core has never changed, only the excuses you use. Something sparks within him every time you give him a new excuse to avoid him as politely as possible and it slowly alters him. No, rather it adds something that he has never felt or thought before. It is new and frightening but feeds off of his growing frustration and confusion every time another lie leaves your lips.

🟤​Yuma finds himself eventually doing something he has never done before. He actively uses your friends to his advantage to get a chance to have time with you alone as he just wishes to talk to you without running away. They are easily charmed by him and whilst a part of him feels guilty, another part of him has gotten quite relentless. The betrayal in your eyes is hard to miss when he appears whilst your friends drag you somewhere only to leave you as soon as he is there, their giggles fueling your anger as they are oblivious to the situation. Through gritted teeth you excuse yourself as you turn around with every intention to leave only to be left perplexed by his fast movements as he blocks the path before locking the door, throwing the key away. his eyes have lost part of their kind glow as he reminds you that he just wishes to talk to you. There is a tension surrounding you which differs from the normally warm aura that is always where he is. When you slowly back away from him, his hands suddenly grab your arms and panic trails up and down your spine, the air turning even more prickly, clearly out of patience by now. Sit down and calm down. He just wants to talk with you.

Karasuma Tadaoi

⬛​Karasuma has one notable weakness and that is his terrible density. Clearly he hasn't even grasped the full extent of his emotions for you yet even if he is already acting on them. His eyes are always on you the moment he enters his field of vision and he never really lets you out of his sight the moment that happens either. His entire exterior is quite tough and intimidating so under his gaze you always feel rather pressured but are too nervous to speak up. Eventually he always takes notice of your growing fear and withdraws his gaze, his eyebrows furrowed as he wonders what just overcame him to stare so indecently at you for such a long time. There is no denial that he catches himself multiple times more staring at you. As an agent, a highly respected one at that, he has a considerable amount of influence and power and partially he uses that, although he does not see the malicious intentions behind it. He likes to keep tabs on you, although you are neither a threat nor are you in any danger. Karasuma himself has a hard time understanding yet why he is doing all of that. If he had to make an accurate guess though, it would probably be that it helps him to feel more relaxed.

⬛​He isn't as ignorant to never figure it out though. Somewhere along the line is the realisation that he has feelings for you, although he must admit that the extent of those feelings is rather concerning. He keeps a distance from you after he has solved the puzzle finally, doesn't try to get involved with anything that involves you all in an attempt to rid himself of those dark urges. For the first time he is stuck in a situation where he can't do something even if he puts his mind to it though. There is shame and frustration swirling around all within him as his focus is dwindling much to his annoyance. Eventually he has to come to the realisation that nothing good will come out of all of this and that instead the most convenient way seems to do what he has been doing before, only that now he should actually try to make an effort to get to know you better. He is dressed well when he finally approaches you, his mind focused as if this were a mission. If he is hurt or surprised when you decline his offer for a shared cup of coffee together, he doesn't show it. His face doesn't give anything away and somehow that only makes you more anxious as you have no way to read him or his current thoughts and feelings.

⬛​It is quite hard for Karasuma to decipher how exactly he feels after your rejection. He wonders if it was his own fault as he has been told quite often before that he has a rather intimidating appearance and even if he is dense when it comes to love, he is rather skilled to spot the signs of anxiety and stress your body shows when you are aware that his presence is close, even if you try to be polite about it all. Pinning this down as the problem that has to be solved, Karasuma approaches everything still with the efficiency as if it would be an important mission. He determines what you like and what he can do to have you feel more at ease when around him. There is a lot of effort and even you can sense that as he tries to soften his expression when around you and rids his voice of any overly harsh tone when he talks to you. Still, your decision to not get involved deeply with him seems to stay the same and for the first time in his life he finds himself annoyed by someone else's professionalism. He knows that he has no right to force you into anything with him yet there is a growing possessive urge within him, one that only gets fueled every time you avoid him again.

⬛​When you receive an order for him as he wishes to see you in his office, your heartbeat goes almost through the roof as the tension between the two of you has been nothing short of suffocating since a longer while now. Still, orders are orders and so you find yourself sitting in his office after a while. The silence is thick enough that you could cut it with a knife if you had one as he just sits in front of you, dark eyes inspecting you whilst he lets you soak in the heavy tension. Then, out of the blue with unfiltered words, he expresses his interest in you. You nearly choke on the air. Obviously you have had suspicions of your own but you never expected Karasuma of all people to be so direct about it. The not so romantic confession is immediately followed by a request for you to be officially his. At this you find yourself in utter shock as you thought that you had made your opinion already quite clear. Even if he is your superior, you have no intention to keep quiet about this. At least those are the plans until both of his hands smother you suddenly, his gaze darker than you remembered as he corrects himself. This was no request. This was a demand.

Hyuuga Natsuhiko

🔴​Natsuhiko's motives have always been on the more dubious side as he seems to choose his sides based on the shallow reason of what interests him at the moment. This seems to align nicely with his motives for hanging out with you initially. You just happen to have caught his interest and Natsuhiko is rather persistent with his attempts to get to know you. Your declines and rejections are rather familiar to him by now as he has already asked you countless times for your time and dates yet he is always met with the same polite smile as you once again put him down. It is quite hard to determine whether to feel pity for him for being such a perpetual fool or for you as you are the one suffering from such a dense admirer of yours. It all may seem harmless at the surface but feelings have already begun to blossom in Natsuhiko's chest as his interest in you only deepens in spite of your clear demeanor that you hold no interest in him that would go any further than suggesting that both of you are something more than classmates. If it would have been anyone else, they would have probably given up by now. Natsuhiko isn't everyone else though and his obsession only pushes him to go further.

🔴​So obsessed is he in fact that your sugar-coated words of rejection do not even bother him much anymore. He desires your attention above anything else, no matter how minimal it may be. Whenever you reject him, you pay attention to him. You give him that deceptive smile that still looks beautiful even though he is aware that it isn't sincere and your gaze is focused on his. Whether you share his mindset or not, in Hyuuga's mind in those moments you belong completely to him as you never pay as much attention to him as in those moments. His heart is always beating inside his chest after such moments as he yearns for your attention again. He regularly confesses to you after that to savor that sweet moment where he is all you focus on yet unfortunately this feeling passes too fast for him to fully indulge in it. This is the main reason why he increases his clingy antics by a lot as he yearns for more attention from you. There is always a rather nonchalant air around him when he follows you around, seemingly indifferent to the fact that you can clearly see him. Even confronting him about his creepy behavior doesn't deter him the least as he instead gets excited that you look at him.

🔴​Do not think that he is oblivious. He might appear lazy at times but he isn't as stupid and sleezy as some may believe him to be. Of course he knows that his behavior would scare some and he clearly notices that it gets under your nerves too. It's just that he doesn't really care about it that much as long as you give him the attention he desires, even if it is negative one. In fact you only encourage him to keep going if you turn around as it confirms to him that he can gain your focus if he annoys you by following you around and always watching you. Despite his grander knowledge of the current situation, Natsuhiko does like daydreaming about you when he has the time, especially when he can watch you and you either ignore him or haven't noticed him yet. Just maybe there is a slice of delusion somewhere within him as he does believe that those daydreams will be reality one day. He just has to make sure that you focus on him more. Much more than you are doing now as your mind is still filled with school and other things. His mind on the other hand is clouded with everything involving you and he would appreciate if you would think about him as much as he thinks about you.

🔴​Ultimately it is simply not enough for him. The scrappy slivers of attention from you are far from what he truly desires and it only gets worse because he sees everyday how willingly you give other people the attention and affection he would like for himself. A reckless decision pays off though when he manages to convince Tsukasa ro assist him so that he can have you for himself without your friends or anyone else around. There are no ulterior motives though as he doesn't even intend to pressure you into a relationship with him. He might do that another time. For now he is just relishing in the fact that there is only you and him, his heart pounding with giddiness even as you ask him what just happened and where everyone else has suddenly gone. His eyes drink it all in though, your slight fear that you hide behind a courageous mask as you confront him and demand this time to know what just happened because clearly Hyuuga is in on something that you aren't. So close. You are so close to him, your eyes glaring at him yet your poor attempts to intimidate him do the complete opposite as his excitement gets the better of him and lips clash against your own in a reckless and messy kiss.

Minamoto Teru

💛​By all accounts, Teru has his hands rather full. He is the president of the Student Council, always ranks first amongst all students in school and then there is also his secret occupation as an exorcist that most students do not know about. There are lots of duties loaded on his young shoulders yet he manages to do them all and still makes time for you. He is not one to deny his feelings because even if he would, he isn't sure if he could with the way they have already spun out of all control. An obsession is the last thing he would have expected to happen to him yet here he is as all of his thoughts and feelings suddenly revolve around you as if you were the sun. Credit is given where credit is due though, he hides it exceptionally well behind his normally calm and kind attitude. Secretly he likes to keep an eye out for you though as he is most familiar with the supernatural lurking around every corner of the school which does give him a strong protective vein that is at times hard to ignore, especially when he senses something that is dangerously close to your classroom. There is more attention he gives you as time passes and the initial shock melts away and he slowly starts embracing his obsession.

💛​It is around the same time that he starts considering that he should start to seriously woo you. Now that the shame and guilt have been replaced by a gradual acceptance of his feelings, the possessive core of his starts acting up ever so slightly. Teru knows that he would never get over it if someone else were to date you and whilst he isn't just yet sure how exactly he would react, he can already tell that it wouldn't be pleasant. Better prevent a problem before it can even happen rather than fixing it. As much as he doesn't want to be conceited about his reputation, he goes into this all with a fair amount of confidence. He works hard and it always shows after all. As polite as you may try to be though, you aren't fooling Teru. He has perceptive eyes that notice the little twitches in your face and the way you fidget with your hands when he is around you. For reasons he is not sure about yet himself, his presence makes you uncomfortable. The signal you give out silently whenever he asks if he can walk you home or if you'd like him to help you with schoolwork due to his exceeding grades is obvious. You do not wish to get to know him any better and would prefer to keep your distance.

💛​He must say that he is rather hurt as he realises this. The worst about it all is that Teru doesn't even know what it is exactly that has caused you to feel this way about him to begin with. There have been moments where he has asked you very subtly if there is something that you don't like about him but he has never gotten the answers he has hoped to receive. If he doesn't know what is wrong, he can't fix it after all. It isn't like him to simply give up of course and he still does his best to figure out what he can do to get you to trust him more but your heart seems as unmovable as a mountain as your opinion seems to have been already decided a long time ago. This does frustrate him eventually as he wonders what he has ever done to you for you to be so unwilling to even give him a chance. Nothing persuades you and gradually his heart gets venomed with dark feelings that start festering alongside with his growing frustration and pain. What is it that he is doing wrong? His young heart gets corrupted eventually as he goes through his first heartbreak with your continuous rejections. A dangerous feeling of anger sparks within him. He is not going to play the part of the hopelessly lovesick fool with you.

💛​For the first time he abuses the authority he has as he uses his position as the president of the student council to lure you to his side, all by yourself. He can already tell that you are not exactly thrilled to be here but that's alright. After today things will be different after all. You don't look overly surprised when Teru confesses his feelings to you, only a tired look on your face as you prepare yourself to let him down again. Only that he stops you by lifting his hand and stating that he knows already that you don't feel the same way he does. Confusion and the tiniest spark of hope fill you that maybe he has finally understood but it is quickly snuffed out when his his normally kind expression loses its warmth. There is a certain emptiness to his gaze that makes you uneasy as he asks you why you push him so vehemently away, blue eyes demanding an answer from you. There is no reply from you though, causing him to let out an ominous sigh as he steps closer, hands seizing your shoulders to stop you from moving away. He admits to you that he is tired of waiting for you and wants to take everything into his own hands before he leans in, his lips brushing over your own before traveling down your neck.

[incorrect-kotor-quotes]

I saw you tagged the "this is a deconstruction" post with"kotor 2." I'm curious, which version do you think it is (contempt for the genre, the genre, or contempt for the audience)? My personal first instinct would have been the 3rd, but your recent posts on the morality of star wars makes me think you might have meant the first.

All of the above.

Contempt for the genre: Kreia's rambling about the Jedi and Sith. Pieces of dialogue during the Malachor V finale where Sion and Kreia mock the Exile for thinking any dramatic reveal will explain what's happened. The Exile’s dialogue can describe turning away from the Force as a form of strength, but they’ve spent the entire game trying to return to the Force, and with good reason. The Exile isn’t better in any way, either, the only advantage was being immune to Nihilus, that’s it. Setting aside whether being a “wound in the Force” makes any sense in the setting, my favorite parts of the game involved building connections to and through the Force, then the game starts telling me the Force sucks.

The genre: for the supposed deconstruction of Star Wars, there's still a light side/dark side meter driven by pretty basic morality, and use of the dark side rots the character's flesh. There's no notable instance of dark side usage bringing a beneficial outcome, or light causing harm. The ultimate conflict is still Jedi vs Sith.

Contempt for the audience: that snide remark from Kreia on Paragus about looting bodies when that's the way to progress. The Nar Shadaa beggar incident where the player is insulted no matter which option is picked. Vrook berating the Exile for rescuing him and derailing his plan. I looked for alternatives. For an hour. There weren’t any. The game gave me one option and insulted me for taking it.

The core problem of KotOR II in general and Kreia in particular is that she cannot grasp the idea of someone seriously considering all available options and walking away disagreeing with her. It must be a sign that I’m an idiot. It confuses her that anyone would consistently choose light-side options because they agree with them, not because they’re mindlessly picking the option that’ll get the good ending. She tells me to think for myself until I do something she doesn’t like. To her fans, Kreia is a brilliant mastermind working to alter the entire structure of reality and end the worship of an unworthy deity. To me, she’s an idiotic weirdo obsessed with enacting a useless plan through transparent attempts to manipulate me, based on her own delusional self-importance and misunderstandings of how the world around her works. Reminds me a little too much of my real grandma who lives thousands of kilometers from me and I wish was further away.

My feelings on KotOR II softened over the years, but it is not the deconstruction people say it is, and it became more enjoyable when I stopped thinking of it that way.

[clavissionary-position]

Ikeprinces As Ranked By Gilbert

**Best enjoyed after reading Gil’s route. There are also spoilers of varying degrees from some sequel routes (Chev, Licht).

1. LUKE

Luke: I’m surprised I got the top spot. Don’t you and Chevvie go way back? Gilbert: That’s true, but you’re my adorable little kid brother. I’ve carried you on my back. You’ve carried me on your back. Good times. Luke: Aw, Dad… (bear-hugs Gil) Gilbert: (pouts as he struggles to breathe) Did you even… hear a word of what I said… Luke: I heard ‘kid’. That makes ya my dad, right?

2. CHEVALIER

Gilbert: So? What do you think? Chevalier: (ignores him and continues doing paperwork) Gilbert: (high-pitched voice) “Please, oh please, Gil! Please trample my country to the ground, rebuild it in your image and then run it for me!” Something like that, right? Gilbert: (dodges pebble) Ahh, sorry, sorry. It would probably be more like “Please, oh please, Eyepatch!" Gilbert: (dodges another pebble) What is going on here? Do you roll around in the garden before coming to work every day?

3. CLAVIS

Clavis: (stiff smile) I baked you one of my most sought-after creations as thanks. I’d be honored if you’d try it, Lord Gilbert. Gilbert: Hmm, it looks as unappetizing as I expected but smells delicious. Oh, and... (sniffs) ...you even infused it with my favorite poison! Clavis: Hahaha! Well, I didn’t want you to get the idea that I’d learned nothing about you during all our years working together. Gilbert: Of course, of course. Would you like to share this with me Clavis: (stiff smile) No, no, no. It’s best enjoyed alone. Please, I insist.

4. RIO

Rio: If you’re trying to use me to get to my mistress, then I’ll— Gilbert: You misunderstand me. (Sets down two plates of pain perdu and places his hand on Rio’s) I really do commiserate with you, you know. It’s not easy seeing the one you love go off to be with another man. And yet you gladly sacrifice your own happiness. As though it were someone else's joy to give away. Rio: It is. My joy belongs to my mistress. Gilbert: Hmph? Let's see. Pain perdu means ‘lost bread’, right? Poor, poor abandoned little toast, molding under the table. Gilbert: Oh, by the way. I asked the little rabbit if I could bring these to you on her behalf. (Proceeds to eat all the pain perdu himself) Rio: (smiles brightly) So I’ve heard you love exercising!

5. SILVIO

Silvio: (kicks down the door) Where's the list? Gilbert: (innocently sips tea) So you can tear it up? Did you think I didn't make copies to send to every one of your little merchant friends? Silvio: My real friends know what's up. Gilbert: What a hurtful thing to say. I’m just honoring our friendship. And buttering you up for future manipulation. Silvio: Tch. I don’t know what game you’re playing— Gilbert: Human chess. Silvio: —but I’ll buy up every damn piece before you can get your filthy little mitts on 'em. Gilbert: Hehe, splendid. (Sits back with a smile) What’s more fun than controlling someone who controls everything else?

6. KEITH

Keith: Picked me over the other guy, did ya? Gilbert: Oh, he’s on the list too, of course. But I can’t stand how much of a do-gooder he is. And besides, you’re much more fun to play with. Keith: That right? I’m usually the one doing the teasing around here, though. Gilbert: (looks around dramatically) Around here? Where only a handful of people even know you exist? Tell me, if a tree falls and no one’s there to hear it, does it make a sound? Keith: >:0

7. KEITH

Keith: (hangs head) So you know… about him… Gilbert: Ahaha, there's no need to look so down! You haven’t done anything wrong, have you? It’s all him, right? If only he’d just disappear and stop taunting you from Spot #6. Keith: N-No! I don’t want that! I don’t… think I want that… Keith: Yes, I’m sure of it. He and I can share our friends. Gilbert: (stops smiling) Sharing only works if you can fully trust the other person to not take advantage of your kindness. You may think you can do that now, but people change. Circumstances change. The galette must one day burn. Keith: :’(

8. JIN

Jin: (thoroughly unamused) How kind of you. Gilbert: Isn’t it? But you should know that I’ve got nothing against you personally. Whatever enmity there is between us stems primarily from you. If you weren’t royalty, we might have even co-brothered Luke together. Jin: (throws up in his mouth) I don’t see how that has anything to do with this. And you’re the most detested royal figurehead on the continent. Gilbert: (shrugs) I’d say I’m sorry you can’t see past that, but I’d be lying if I claimed there was anything there to be seen in the first place. Thanks for the lollypop. Jin: What? HEY—

9. SARIEL

Sariel: (stops as soon as he enters his office) What are these vermin doing here? Gilbert: (sitting in Sariel’s chair) Just a little gift I brought so I could congratulate you for making it onto my list. Would you like to do the honors? Sariel: (plucks him up by the fur) Am I to understand you’re giving me a chance to correct my oversight before you take things into your own hands? Gilbert: (brushes himself off) I expect you to do most if not all of the work since my hands are tied while I’m a visiting guest here. But I’m happy to take them under my wing if you can’t even do that much. Sariel: “Kill them, or be forced to kill them,’ is it? (glances at the tied-up assassins) I wonder which one of us they would consider a fate worse than death.

10. LEON

Leon: (glares) I take it you only stuck me on here out of diplomatic courtesy. Gilbert: Haha, maybe. But there’s something about you that’s always reminded me of someone I know. Leon: Whoever it is, I feel bad for the guy. Gilbert: (bittersweet smile) You might be right. Maybe I need to do better by him…

11. LICHT

Licht: Do I know you? Gilbert: I was wondering the same thing, to be honest. But I’ve seen you around the palace enough times that I figured I might as well throw you on here. Gilbert: Nice eyes by the way, hehe. Licht: Oh no you don’t. My only family is Nokto.

12. NOKTO

Gilbert: Oh. There are two of you. Must be nice having an identical twin. (Resting his chin in his hand) Do you two switch places a lot? Nokto: You never noticed before today? Never received a report from one of your spies about it? Gilbert: Oh no, what sort of boring activities do you think I have my spies do all day? Nokto: Well, for starters, you sure seem to have paranormal insight into the contents of our kitchen at any given moment. Gilbert: So you'd rather I left all the carrots where they are? Nokto: ...

...

.......

................

Yves: Prince Gilbert!

Gilbert: (stops but doesn’t turn around)

Yves: I saw your list, and I couldn’t help but notice—

Gilbert: No, I believe you noticed everything you were meant to.

Gilbert: (leaves to go find the little rabbit to fix his bad mood)

[cursedonyx]

Sebastian Sallow ABCs

Headcanons for our favourite freckled heathen 💚

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Holy SHIT this boi is affectionate. Constant hugs, cheek kisses, hand holding, even randomly picking you up off the floor to hug you from behind or throw you over his shoulder for shits and giggles. He’s got no problem with PDA’s and sometimes considers it a bit of a challenge to see how uncomfortable he can make others with how all over you he is. He’s a bit of a show-off and wants the entire world to know you’re his, and he’s yours.

In private, he’s just as affectionate, but considerably calmer. A moment not cuddling or kissing you is a moment wasted, and he’s particularly fond of nuzzling your neck, especially if it distracts you. He needs your attention like he needs oxygen, and he can get a little suffocating at times, but do be gentle with him if you need some space. He’s a sensitive thing, and craves your approval, even if he won’t admit it.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

The best way to describe a friendship with Sebastian is chaos. He’s enthusiastic, cheerful, playful, and daft as a brush. He isn’t afraid of embarrassing himself for comedic purposes, loses games and playful bets with grace, and is freely giving of his time and energy to those he loves. He’ll do anything for you, but he does expect some level of reciprocation, and may become a little irritated if he feels he’s not getting the same level of commitment back after some time, even if he won’t ask for it. He’s used to people taking advantage of his kindness, but not his best friends.

He takes the time to learn about you, watching you carefully and asking pointed, sometimes blunt questions, though he will respect you if you decline to discuss certain topics. He’ll find out soon enough anyway, he’s remarkably easy to talk to.

If he wants something specific from you, he will badger and pester and poke until you give in or lose your temper – trying to talk him out of it rarely works, as he’s extremely good at manipulating conversations to his benefit, precisely because of how well he knows you. Don’t misunderstand, Sebastian doesn’t mean to do this maliciously – he’s very strong-willed and firmly believes what he’s doing is right, or necessary. Losing your temper with him will bring him back to earth with a bump, and he will be extremely apologetic. He means it when he's sorry.

If you need him for anything, he’ll be there for you, regardless of whether it’s venting to him about something, asking his advice, going on an adventure, or just having a little cry. He wants to be there for you, and will be, no matter what. He’ll take the fall for you if you get into trouble, but he never outright asks to be repaid for that, trusting you to help him out when he needs it.

He’s mischievous, cheeky, and a terrible influence. He’s hilarious.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

All of the cuddles, all of the time, in any and every way imaginable. If he’s not flumped on top of you, he’s pulled you onto his chest so you can flump. His absolute favourite way to cuddle is his head on your stomach or chest, and you playing with his hair. It drives him wild, and if your relationship is at that stage, it won’t remain a cuddle for long. If you need to distract him, run your fingers through his hair, and he’ll be putty in your hands.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Loves cooking. Hates cleaning. Laundry day is the WORST. Can’t bake for shit but will float around the kitchen if you do until you let him lick the bowl, then he’ll leave you alone for ten minutes. He works best if there’s some kind of routine, and you remind him (regularly) when it’s his turn to do the dishes. He’ll grumble about it, but will do a good job. He prefers it if you do household chores together, especially if he can distract you from it, or turn it into some kind of game.

He’d love to settle down with the right person, but only after a year or two of adventuring and exploring the world with you.

He’s indifferent about children. Honestly, he’d really rather not, he wants you all to himself, all the time, and he’s traumatised by his parents’ deaths and how he was treated growing up. Knowing how dangerous the world can be (and how much trouble you two can find yourselves in), he doesn’t want to risk having children, only for you, or him, to die. He knows how that feels and doesn’t want any more children to suffer it. But, if it’s what you want, he’ll eventually agree, and will be a caring father, even if he does miss the time when it was just you two.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Being the fiery guy he is, there would be an argument. You’d have to do something pretty major for him to want to leave you, and he’d be devastated. Emotional. Shouting, and probably crying with rage and pain. He’d storm out, and he wouldn’t come back. He’d be heartbroken, but his pride wouldn’t let him return. If you want a chance at having him back, you’d need to go after him, but he’s stubborn. Even if it hurts him, if you hurt him enough for him to want to leave, his decision would be final.

F = Fiancé(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married? How would they propose?)

Seb tends to let his heart rule his head, and if he’s in love with you, he’s going to want that to be forever. He would want to marry you as soon as he was able to, regardless of whether or not he can afford to. Hell, he’d make you a ring of woven grass if that’s all he could manage, and to him, once it’s on your finger it would be more precious than diamond. He’d try and do the right thing, saving up and getting you a band of gold and gems, making sure he can support you, trying to plan the perfect proposal with Ominis’ help, but knowing him, “will you marry me?” will be at the forefront of his mind for months leading up to the actual event, and chances are he’ll blurt it out way ahead of time.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

He’s a firecracker, and sometimes forgets his own strength. He will try to be gentle and is extremely good at comforting you if you need it, but he can be pretty rough physically, without meaning to. If you’re arguing, he’ll say things in the heat of the moment that he doesn’t necessarily mean, and will regret it immediately. If he’s calm, he’s the gentlest person you’ve ever met.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

He’s pretty touch-starved, and craves hugs from those he loves. He’ll accept hugs from those he doesn’t know so well, but he’s less keen. The first time you hug him will stick out in his memory as much as your first kiss, especially if you initiate. He’ll take the chance to hug you whenever he can, and his hugs are surprisingly tender. He loves resting his head on yours, or on your shoulder, and letting his weight rest against you if you’re strong enough to hold him.

I = Intimacy (How do they like to be intimate? Any preferences/kinks?)

Sebastian can best be described as a submissive-leaning-switch. As much as he loves to please you, he can’t help but lose his mind when you take control, swiftly devolving into a begging, whimpering, desperate mess. This is a side he only shows to you. On occasion, especially if you’ve spent the day teasing him and winding him up, he will be ferocious and take what he wants the moment he’s able.

He fully understands the word ‘no,’ however, even if he’s moments away from sliding into you, he will stop, as difficult as he finds it.

He’s open to exploring with you, save for the more extreme kinks. He’s not adverse to being restrained, and he’s almost embarrassed to admit how much he loves your hand on his throat.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

He’s a freckled little green-eyed monster, this one. He won’t ever try and stop you talking to other people, and tries to see any flirting as playful banter. But, it doesn’t take much for him to see things as going too far, and he’ll always blame the other person you’re talking to, getting cross with them and encouraging you away, complaining about them as soon as they’re out of earshot. If someone oversteps their boundaries, he would hex them without a second’s thought, or, if he actually does take a moment to think, he’ll challenge them to a duel.

If you’ve been deliberately flirting to make him jealous, consider it mission accomplished. He will either whisk you away to make out with you or sleep with you to mark his territory, or he’ll sulk, and petulantly find someone else to flirt with until you get jealous. With his charm, it’s very easy for him to do.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

If you looked up the word ‘passionate’ in the dictionary, you’d see a picture of Sebastian. He loves bringing you close to him and holding you tight, tracing his lips over yours before moving over your cheek and down your neck. A quick peck will leave him breathless and wanting more, and he’ll take it if he’s got the chance. Your lips are his favourite thing to kiss, and if you’re intimate, he’ll lose his mind if you kiss his hips.

L = Love (When do they say ‘I love you?’ How are they as a romantic partner?)

When Sebastian falls, he falls hard. You take up every spare inch of his mind, often pushing aside other matters. He always wants to know how you are, where you are, who you’re with, and wants to be with you every moment of the day. He’ll be carefree and playful, doing everything he can to make you smile. If he makes you laugh hard enough that no sounds come out, he considers it an achievement and will strut around like a proud pigeon for the rest of the day.

Passion is Sebastian’s middle name, and this extends to him as a romantic partner. He loves like a wildfire, bright and fierce, all consuming. It can be exhausting, but he does appreciate the softer moments with you, and adores laying his head in your lap, or on your chest so you can play with his hair. If he’s not said it before, he’s nervous about telling you he loves you, just in case he’s made a mistake, and he’s got it wrong, and you don’t feel the same way. But he'll say it regardless, most likely in the heat of the moment, when you’ve fought off a band of goblins, or when he climaxes with you. He makes sure to tell you at least once a day, to make sure you know, and hearing you say it to him makes him grin and giggle like a kid.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

This one is NOT a morning person. He hates waking up before eleven, and even then, it’s a struggle to get out of bed, especially if you’re with him. He wants to be snuggled up to you, halfway between sleeping and waking, forever. His favourite part of the day is when you’re sleepily nuzzling and cuddling.

If he’s forced to get up, he’s happy to just fall into his clothes and go about his day, preferring to shower and such before bed. He occasionally skips breakfast in favour of an extra half an hour in bed.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Sebastian is often up until the wee hours, reading and researching his latest passion. He appreciates the quiet and the still the night brings, and tends to be more active from 5pm onwards. If you’re a night owl too, he’ll relish being able to lean against you as he reads, and he adores it when you drift off in his arms, to the point he’ll toss his book aside and just hold you. If you’re more of a morning person, he’ll make an effort to keep to your routine, but if he's in bed before eleven he’ll be awake for hours, tossing and turning and unable to settle, unless you wear him out.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

He’s pretty open about most things, but when it comes to his childhood, especially with Solomon, he doesn’t talk about it much. If he does, he tends to speak of it as though he’s struggling with a difficult colleague, distancing himself from the relationship without realising it.

If you’re romantically linked, he will eventually open up to you about what he suffered. It’ll take a moment or two for him to get going, lots of false starts and uncertain words, but then it’ll all come tumbling out in a rush. He’ll speak for hours without realising it about all he went through, jumping ahead in the timeline, or back, depending on how the memories hit him. He may get jumbled, telling the story of one event, then switching to another because he's just remembered it, then falling back to the original story. Such is the way with trauma.

Any advice you give him in overcoming what he endured will be met with acceptance, and a willingness to try. He may become frustrated if it doesn’t work immediately, but he’s not one to give up, and he will see results eventually, finding it easier to accept what happened to him wasn’t his fault.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Hotheaded AF. Easily annoyed, easily angered, but just as quick to cool down. Will occasionally say things he regrets in the heat of the moment if he’s rowing with someone he loves, and against an enemy, he can be very cool-headed, but his anger will still take over and he can be quite violent. He gets frustrated easily, especially if he’s trying to do something important, and the results just aren’t showing, but he won’t give up. If anything, the frustration just makes him more determined until his goal consumes him. Best to head him off early or distract him.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Sebastian has a very good memory for detail, considering the amount of time he spends researching. He’ll often surprise you by bringing up some tiny thing you told him years ago, something you may have even forgotten yourself. He can be distractible and distant if he’s caught up in something, but you’re important enough to him for him to set whatever he’s involved with aside, and he’ll remember what you need him to.

That said, if he needs to remember something he really, really doesn’t want to do (like going to visit your horrible great aunt felicia or going to the dentist) he’ll quite conveniently ‘forget’ and plan something else.

R = Remember (What is their favourite moment in your relationship?)

He couldn’t pick if you asked him. Everything about you is precious to him. But, if push came to shove, he’d remember all the times you stood by him, stuck your neck out for him and supported him when no one else did. The moment he realised he was in love with you will stand out in his mind until his last day.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Sebastian is wildly protective of you, and will often try to get in front of you if you’re battling poachers or other enemies, even if you’re a more powerful fighter. His protectiveness can border on possessiveness, and he’ll get angry if you’re hurt, throwing out ideas of revenge that won’t really go anywhere. He’d wrap you up in cotton wool if he could, but at the same time, he adores the danger the pair of you get into, especially as it’s quite the aphrodisiac for him once you’re both victorious and safe.

If you get protective of him, it’s a little confusing for him at first, but he quickly adapts to loving how much you care. He’s rarely had that before, and it means the world to him that you’d stand up for him.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Sebastian puts a surprising amount of effort into his dates and gifts, trying to make each experience unique and special. That said, once he finds a formula that works, he tends to stick with it, varying it up a little here and there. When it comes to you, no effort is too much, but he never goes overboard, understanding that too much can be off-putting.

He’ll always see something through to the end, regardless of the task, unless it’s something he truly wants to avoid doing, and then you’ll have a very difficult job in finding him until he thinks the ‘danger’ has passed.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Personal space? What’s that? Sebastian’s visceral need to be with you at all times can be suffocating, and you get the feeling he’d follow you to the loo if you let him. He understands the need for personal space, and alone time, and he’ll respect it if you put your foot down, but he needs reassurance that you’re still his, he’s still yours, and you’re not asking to be apart from him because you’re growing tired of him.

He’s very nosy, and if he thinks you’re hiding something, he’ll pester and pry for an answer, especially if he’s worried about you. It all comes from a place of love, but his insecurities, growing up as a twin and his love of knowledge makes him want to know everything.

Jealousy: Sebastian’s jealousy can be overbearing at times, and he doesn’t even know he’s doing it. A gentle, but firm conversation is needed to make sure he learns to respect your boundaries. Credit to him, once he knows what your boundaries are, he will respect them.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

He’s cute and he knows it. Sebastian’ll make an effort with his appearance, of course, but only to the point to make sure his hair is brushed, his teeth are clean and his shirt’s not inside out. He’s got a kind of casual grace, and with his frame, everything seems to suit him. He does care what you think of him, though, and if you tell him something looks good on him, you can bet your bottom dollar he’ll be wearing whatever it is until it’s worn to threads. Compliments on his appearance mean a lot more coming from you.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

His world would end without you. If he lost you, for whatever reason, he would spend the rest of his life trying to find a way to bring you back, even if you die. And if anyone could succeed in this regard, it would be Sebastian.

X = Xtra (Random headcanons for them)

He won’t admit it, but he’d do anything for a bar of Honeydukes’ Best Chocolate. Think Scooby Doo and Scooby Snacks – it’s that level of ‘I want that in my tummy.’

Despite everything he’s been through, he’s resolutely cheerful, to the point it’s almost unhealthy. If he trusts you enough to cry in front of you, that’s a sign you’ve found a friend or lover for life – he doesn’t even cry in front of Ominis.

His bond with Anne mimics the usual twintuition – they have a way of knowing what the other is thinking, feeling or doing, even if they’re apart, which is partly why he was so desperate to cure her, he could literally feel the pain she was experiencing; knowing it was so much worse for her than the small twinges he'd occasionally get made him almost mad with fear for her.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

You’d need Anne’s approval – if Sebastian’s twin doesn’t like you, that’s going to be a problem. He trusts her opinion. If you don’t like her, he’ll lose interest faster than if you’d shat directly on the dining room table.

Sebastian’s always up for a joke and banter, but he doesn’t like cruel humour that’s designed to upset someone else to make others laugh. Bullies make him angry, and he doesn’t want anything to do with a bully.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Sebastian’s sleep is troubled, especially after Solomon, and considering that it's pretty much established that he didn't have his own bed in the cottage (though this has enabled him to fall asleep literally anywhere). His childhood is full of trauma, losing his parents, the abuse he suffered at Solomon’s hands, Anne’s curse… as he tends to push things down and try and be cheerful, this comes out in nightmares. He occasionally wakes up screaming, even though he tries to pretend it doesn’t happen. He sleeps better when you’re holding him, and if he manages to process his trauma, he’ll sleep through the night. He falls asleep very easily, but he’s a light sleeper and will wake up regularly.

[bastart13]

The generals reincarnate into better people like the Witch Queen and teleport back to the fantasy world. How do you see it going?

Pfft oh my god, that's a wild image

Ralph voice: "Ha ha, I'm in danger..."

Oof they would not have a fun time. Even less power and authority than the Witch Queen and they're not seducing their way out of the dungeon like MC

Lennox and Jinhai would have fun grappling with suddenly being a new species. Jinhai would be half-dissociating, half-accepting of the new ears and hair. Lennox would be openly freaking out that he's sparkling and his irises have gone. Magnus, on the other hand, has to deal with being isekaied as a middle aged man

Jinhai would... probably have the easiest time? He made enemies, but he doesn't have to manage a cult or armies and he's not known for his deception. Probably still not the most tactful, but maybe some brutal honesty will get it across that he has no idea what the fuck is going on, why is he an elf??? His story would probably be learning to commune with his animals and repair their relationship to nature while helping Reiner's retainers

Lennox's cult is the big issue. They'd probably find him wherever he ends up, forcing him to act as their leader without a clue to what he's doing. He'd be lucky if Saerys doesn't kill him on the spot, and every attempt to smooth over misunderstandings with charisma would be seen as him manipulating his enemies. Once things cool down though, he'd probably have fun learning to fly and using magic

Magnus... Magnus, buddy... He'd be lucky to get out of the dungeon without being executed. Magnus is known to lie, cheat, and take advantage of any opportunity, no matter how immoral. It would not be out of character for him to trick Reiner and his only saving grace would be his pride and desperation to get back to the normal world. I think he'd have to find a way to disband or redirect his army against the Witch Queen to earn any kind of trust

[charliewhaw]

Ooohhh what if alastor joined the V’s? That’s an interesting scenario to think about and how different alastor and Vox’s relationship would be

(I’ve thought about this a lot, but have never come to a definite conclusion on it before. Guess today is the day to do that! Also, sorry for taking so long. Been a hectic time! Things should come out smoother and faster going forward!)

Vox would pop the question easily. “Will you join me?” He knew Alastor would say ‘yes’ because how could he not? Them? Taking over Hell together? There was no other way this would go. Alastor was Vox’s perfect match. In both body and mind.

Vox was used to getting his way, in life and in the afterlife. He was used to getting everything he wanted from anyone he wanted it from. So, he would, of course, expect Alastor to fall in line and give himself to Vox. He couldn’t even imagine a scenario where ‘no’ would be an option. But Vox isn’t stupid. He knew Alastor would be a challenge to convince and conquer. It would take a lot of careful persuasion on Vox’s part, but eventually, Alastor would agree to join the Vees on the condition that he didn’t have to change his name. Vox’s solution to this was to throw an “A” into his logo’s shadow, indicating the Vees and also boldly representing the man who was both a master of shadows, and who would become a master at manipulating Vox.

Vox would reach out his hand for Alastor to take and hold, but Alastor would misunderstand and shake his hand instead. Alastor would consistently misunderstand Vox’s intentions. It would be both frustrating and endearing to Vox. Every moment with Alstor was so entertaining.

Vox would run his company as the CEO, naturally, but Alastor would be his right-hand man, whispering into Vox’s ear what he should do next. Alastor wasn’t a businessman, however. So, Vox would adjust his ideas and make them profitable. But if Alastor suggested something, you can guarantee it was going to happen. Alastor is an extremely intelligent man and Vox would have no doubt Alastor’s plans would benefit his company in the end, even if they seemed strange at the time of implementation. It would become extremely easy for Alastor to take advantage of this influence he had over Vox. The only thing Vox would refuse to do was let go of Valentino. His studios were too profitable, and it would be a shame to not be in control of one of Hell’s greatest money-makers. So, Alastor’s suggestions for killing Valentino or converting the studios into something else would be denied each and every time. Vox would then attempt to distract Alastor with some other scheme.

Vox is a man of many talents and skills: One of those skills is simping over Alastor. The man could do no wrong, and that perspective Vox held would be made obvious whenever Alastor was called out for his bullshit. You see, Alastor is a jokester. He enjoys entertaining himself. A master of shenanigans, if you will. He would find no difficulty in doing such things around the V-Tower. Specifically, to Valentino. While Alastor’s pranks would be mild to most– often involving a play on words, his pranks on Valentino would be much more… severe. He might pour oil on the staircase in Valentino’s bedroom. Or replace his eye drops with acid. Alastor would find every second of Valentino’s suffering to be highly amusing. Valentino would regularly complain to Vox, who would jump to Alastor’s defense in a heartbeat. Alastor would never be scolded. There might be a time or two that Vox would ask him, in private, to cool down the intensity of his pranks on Valentino, but Vox would make no real effort to stop Alastor’s antics.

Alastor and Vox were best friends, first and foremost. They'd spend time together, whether it was inside the V-Tower or elsewhere. Alastor enjoyed walking around town, simply to people-watch. So, that’s what Vox would enjoy too. Only, he just people-watched Alastor. If they passed by a store and Alastor’s eyes lingered on something in the window for even a second too long, Vox would be at the cash register buying said item without a second thought. Alastor particularly did this with food. Vox had come to realize, however, that anything sweet Alastor looked at was more for how pretty it appeared rather than the taste. He wouldn’t buy Alastor anything sweet.

Alastor would end up needing a separate room in the V-Tower from his bedroom just to hold the trinkets and objects Vox would buy him. He also would have his own radio studio at the top of the tower. Vox would offer him assistants and secretaries, but Alastor would refuse, preferring to be a one-man show. Anyone else simply wasn’t good enough. Alastor’s bedroom and studio would be the most old-fashioned parts of the tower. He would keep to his old ways, preferring to do things the way he liked and was comfortable with. However, he wouldn’t be unreasonably averse to modern technology.

Alastor would own a cell phone. Vox would insist he did so he could call him or text him in an emergency. Alastor would barely touch it, often forget to take it with him, wouldn't remember to charge it, and when he texts, he'd type and reply so slowly it would give Velvette a headache. Vox would introduce him to mobile games at one point, searching through the app store to find something Alastor might like. He'd come across Plague Inc. and started playing it so Al could learn how to play. Alastor would end up falling asleep, bored by the entire experience. Vox would make a note that Alastor just didn’t like cell phones like a normal person would.

Alastor would hang out with Velvette a lot. She'd hate every second of it, which would only make Alastor enjoy her company even more. On several occasions, Velvette would end up calling Vox to come get his deer, “He’s distractin’ me!” And that he would be. He'd tell her jokes and bad puns until she yelled at him to shut up.

Alastor's only interactions with Valentino would be to make snide remarks or to prank him. However, some of Valentino’s employees would come into talking range with Alastor sometimes, and Alastor, forever the talkative, charismatic gentleman he was, would attempt to engage in conversation. So long as that conversation didn’t veer into inappropriate territory, which it usually didn’t. All of Valentino’s employees understood that Alastor and Valentino hated each other and were on opposite ends of the sexual spectrum. Actually, one employee managed to name Alastor’s lack of sexual interest. This person would have been Angel Dust.

“Asexual” Angel called him the third time they ran into each other. “Excuse me?” “You’re asexual. Ya don’t like sex. Like, at all.” Alastor would be offended that Angel even brought the topic up at first, and when Angel attempted to say it was okay to be asexual and it was just a word to describe people like him, Alastor would have scared him off with a tightened grin and a thinly veiled threat. But Alastor would think about this a lot, and eventually come to terms with it. He would ask Vox about it, and Vox wouldn’t be surprised in the least bit. Alastor would hold a bit of a soft spot for Angel Dust after this, but he’d never show it or admit to it.

Alastor would still own his soul. Niffty and Husk were his favorites, and he would summon them into the tower on occasion to handle some business. He didn’t like anyone touching his stuff, but he could trust Niffty and thus, she'd be his personal maid. Husk would become a secretary of sorts. Anything Alastor didn’t want to deal with, Husk was tasked with doing. From meeting with people on Al’s behalf to running errands. Even doing paperwork. Husk would be paid in booze.

Vox got to use Husk and Niffty too. Niffty would be the only one delicate enough to dust the wires in his control room and not mess anything up. Husk would be tasked with feeding Vox’s sharks from time to time. Husk would quickly become afraid of sharks.

Vox would attend Carmilla’s meetings with Alastor; Velvette and Valentino would not. Vox would always sit next to Al, pulling his chair a bit closer to Alastor than the other overlords sat from each other. No one would mention it. It would be a common belief in Hell that Alastor and Vox were secretly a couple, but no one would dare to voice it out loud. Rosie would sit on Alastor’s other side.

After the meetings, Rosie, Vox, and Alastor would all go out to eat somewhere. Seeing as Alastor and Vox were good friends, it would be only natural for Rosie to develop a friendship with Vox as well. Whenever Alastor left the table, Rosie would prod Vox to confess his feelings to Alastor. Vox would deny he had any. Whenever Vox left the table, Rosie would prompt Alastor to tell her his thoughts on Vox. Alastor’s thoughts would always be vague but positive. Rosie could get nowhere with them.

Speaking of Alastor’s friends, Vox and Mimzy would have a bickering relationship. They’d argue a lot, but they both cared for Alastor, in their own ways. Sometimes, Alastor would get too rowdy or feral and Vox would pay Mimzy to deal with him and return him home safely. Alastor would always come home drunk, and Vox would put him to bed. He loved tucking Alastor into bed and making sure he was safe and snuggled up in his silky, hoof-print sheets. Alastor would wake up the next morning with a hangover and no memory of what happened the night before. Mimzy would also have no memory of what happened. Luckily for Vox, his placement of cameras all over the city and inside most buildings would prove useful. Once he put Alastor to bed, Vox would roam through the camera footage and watch what took place. It would always be Alastor and Mimzy drinking too much, dancing on tables, and then stumbling around, disappearing into his shadows, reappearing, looking around confused, then eventually finding his way back to the V-Tower. On days when Vox was particularly worried about Alastor, he’d watch the camera feeds in real-time, spying on Alastor’s time with Mimzy.

Alastor would enjoy being part of the Vees and Vox would be so happy to have Alastor close by. Ahh, what could’ve been!

[some-pers0n]

Okay after seeing that nuclear bad take about Albatross being a "fucking psycho", here!! Get another one of these emotional rants of mine.

Albatross is a character I think a lot of people misunderstand. I think a good chunk of the reason why this somewhat new obsession I have over him was kick-started by just how many times I saw people on Reddit or in YouTube video comments go on and on about how he was insane in the membrane and was a pure evil dragon. It reminds me of my thoughts on Orca as well, where I don't want to take her at face value and see her as this dragon who just wanted to take over the throne. That's boring. I like the idea of her being something more.

But with Albatross? We've got a lot more evidence pointing to him being more than just "crazy old dragon". Reading the text, you see that Albatross is just kinda..sad? He's miserable and I personally get the feeling that he regrets having spent decades being bossed around by Lagoon. That he's tired of being seen as this freak-show dragon who could snap at any moment. He did once all of those years ago, and now it haunts him ever since.

Lagoon (and Sapphire to an extent) and their impact on Albatross's life is one that I find extremely overlooked. I don't know how people can think Albatross had no reason to do any of this and was just "snapping because he lost all of his soul" when Lagoon literally was egging him on just minutes before the massacre happened. He was being shown like a disfigured and disturbing trophy to the SkyWings. Statues of herself built by Albatross for no other reason than to have statues of herself. Lagoon flaunted her control over him and how he could do anything for her, mentioning ideas for enchantments that'll make her immortal. When Albatross speaks up, she shuts him down. She emotionally manipulates him by bringing up Sapphire again, saying that he'll never live it down. She then goes on to say how happy she is about how Fathom is an animus, excited to finally replaced her old, snappy, and unreasonable brother.

How much more obvious can you get that Lagoon was manipulating and controlling Albatross? For god's sake we even see this in the guide as well, with Lagoon bringing up Sapphire again. Lagoon uses that one tramatic event as leverage for everything. Something that she did is now Albatross's fault forever because he swiped back. He didn't want to be beaten down and made fun of anymore. He didn't want to be tormented by them any longer.

It's a moment that haunts Albatross. He regrets it deeply. It was an accident, but Lagoon won't ever make him forget it. She used the guilt that Albatross felt and made him do anything she wanted. How could he do such a thing? Cut off his sister's talons and drive her to madness? Lagoon knew how much this incident impacted Albatross. She wanted to make sure he always knew that it was his fault. That, no matter what, he will never live down being the one to ruin Sapphire's life.

His entire life he's more or less been just a means for Lagoon to exploit. A tool for her to use whenever she wanted something. The Summer Palace was more or less a vanity project, where Lagoon could show off how she has two palaces now. I don't think he ever used animus magic for himself. The only time he acted of his own accord, he would be snapped at by Lagoon. Him being mentioned to have traumatized dragonets by setting the trees ablaze during a Talons of Power ceremony was, again, brought up by Lagoon so that she could remind him of how he's unstable and should listen to her.

Not to also mention that he was described by Fathom as kind, albiet distant and somewhat cold at times. I don't think he was evil. He was a dragon who was spat into a world that was unkind and took advantage of him at every moment. Him being different than the others was the catalyist for everything. He was told he would be nothing more than an unstable, murderous dragon who could snap at any moment.

And he did just that, didn't he?

[violetlunette]

Right, so I’m going to say something that will probably get me some flack but—I think Heinry’s worse than Rashta.

Notes:

*Anti-Heinry

*Slight defense—very slight—of Rashta

*Anti-Ergi

TRIGGER WARNING:

*Mentions of rape

Don’t misunderstand; Rashta’s actions are far worse, and she wrecked a lot of people’s lives. While I sympathize with her, I will never deny that she earned her villain status. However, all her actions were done out of desperation and ignorance.

At the start, Rasta had no idea what her presence would mean to Navier. She just thought the Emperor brought her into the family and that they would share him. And how would she? She was a slave isolated from the world and abused in every way by her owners. (And yet are portrayed as more sympathetic than her, but I digress.) On top of that, in their country, it wasn't uncommon for a kind to take a mistress. How would Rashta have known she was basically a homewrecker?

And then, it was only when others began manipulating her and Navier's brother tried to abort her child, that Rashta purposely lashed out at others to protect herself.

As the story went on, she was abused mentally and emotionally by everyone around her and gaslighted. She only believed one person was on her side, but he was the one behind all her pain and more. (Fuck you Ergi! I hope he gets stabbed with a yeevil fork and tossed out with the rest of the shit.)

I’m not saying she shouldn’t have been accountable, as she should have and was. And Navier's attitude towards her was justified. 

However, Heinry pulled a lot of shit as well, but unlike Rashta, he not only didn’t need to, but he knew better.

The western kingdom was not under threat from the Eastern empire, nor was his kingdom in need of anything. Heinry was just greedy. He was even going to take Navier as a political prisoner to make her fall in love with him through Stockholm. The only reason he didn’t is because of the divorce and Navier proposing marriage to him.

Then there’s his actions towards Krista. 

While not an innocent bird, I don’t think she crossed a moral line that earned her final fate. If I recall right, the worst she did was let a rumor spread. She didn’t even try to take advantage of Heinry when he was under the love potion and passed out on her lap. Yet, he forced her into suicide and had her remaining family spit on her memory. (Good job looking after your brother’s widowed wife, bird shit.)

And when you think about it, Heinry’s partly responsible for everything Rashta has done as he manipulated her through Ergi. Don’t get me wrong, Ergi’s actions are his own, but Heinry is the one who gave him the orders and helped. True, the former would have done what he did without the latter, but Heinry was the one to put him in the position to do so.

And on top of he spent a decade participating in rape by tricking girls into sleeping with him. (What they did is called buddy swap. Look it up yourself for details.)

And again, unlike Rashta, Heinry, a royal Prince raised with a royal education and more, knew better. He knew his actions were harmful and selfish but did it anyway for greed. And, again, there was no need for his actions. The Western kingdom was flourishing and under no threat from any other nation. They were said to be equal in power to the Empire, they just didn't have the name for--reasons.

Heinry wasn’t in a desperate situation where he was worried he would lose everything if he didn’t act, unlike Rashta. Worse, being a man of the world and not a slave, Heinry was well aware of the ramifications of his choices and that people would be hurt. Yet, despite all he did and unlike Rashta, he was never held accountable for anything. Why? Because he's the male lead, who's close to Navier. They get away with everything.

To sum it all up;

While Rashta's crimes were arguably worse, they were done out of ignorance, manipulation of several parties, and desperation. She had no idea what else to do other than what she did, and her choices were limited due to her gender, status, and knowledge.

Heinry’s actions were out of selfishness, greed, and of his own free will. No one pushed him to do anything, he CHOSE to even though he didn’t have to and had several options before him. Had he stayed his hand, he wouldn’t have lost anything. And again, through Ergi, he manipulated Rashta, so Heinrey has a hand in her crimes, as well.

He had choices and several options, and he chose the ones that hurt others. Yet was never held accountable for any of it and was even rewarded for being a terrible person. 

And that’s why I find him worse than Rashta.

[lokiina]

I wasn't gonna do it. But I'm gonna do it.

I'm gonna kjhdkfjghdkfjg

If you don't want character spoilers I'm slapping this under a readmore but I need to cry a lil about Gale.

So many people just think he's annoying or Solas 2.0 and that's kdghdfkjgh

if it's not coherent I apologize I need to word vomit.

!! also some mental health related TWs ahead as a warning !!

THIS MAN IS SO DEEPLY DEPRESSED. His self worth is so low and it's so heart wrenching to listen to and the writing is incredible.

(A lot of the characters in this game deal directly with like Gods and the abusive relationships they have with them but this is for Gale specifically. Everyone's got their own mess that's it's own thing. )

Holy fucking shit. I don't know if you get some of the dialog options I have gotten if you don't actively romance him but omfg. Man openly admitted to being suicidal so you talking him out of blowing himself up while everyone else including the last love his life is saying "kill yourself" is such a big big deal. Even if the end result is being framed as help. It's not. It's more manipulation and down right fucking EVIL.

His relationship with Mystra is messed up, the power imbalance is fuckin wild and if anyone out of this is expecting a goddess to be the victim when she was clearly a manipulator is unreal. Their situation he was just trying desperately to prove his worth to her and her essentially stringing him along until he wasn't of any use anymore. He wanted Mystra to see him as equal to her, and nothing he ever did was enough for her. Cuz she did not care about him. If it was a proper relationship and she actually loved him back he wouldn't have had to try to continuously prove himself.

He was taken advantage of through his relationship and his entire self worth has been shattered. Now he's not entirely without fault through some of it and acknowledges where he screwed up himself.

When you offer to find another way for him that doesn't end up in him exploding, you kick a lil spark back into him and as someone who's fuckin struggled with self worth and depression. I feel for him so hard. Sometimes it does take another person simply acknowledging your worth to be that lil spark. It doesn't even have to be in a romantic sense.

This man is high key autistic coded. Everything about the way he loves so purely, misses cues on certain things and misunderstands and needs direct clarification on stuff. Ask him about his special interest, magic. The gloom drops in these moments. It's fuckin precious as hell to see him light up.

The writing in this game is fucking phenomenal and I just. I have a lot of deep feels on this whole thing. Every character has so many lil layers to them and I wanna just smooch the whole dev team.

Anyway. He's my fav character out of this chaotic game and I just. I will protect this silly wizard with my life. He deserves good things. Fuck his haters.

I wanna go get some comfy fluffy art of him and my boy.

[csuitebitches]

Book Review: Book 2: The Art of Everyday Assertiveness (a 9-part series by Patrick King, “Be Confident and Fearless.”)

Book one review here.

I found this book had 20% of the content from the first book so I’ve avoided putting the same things again and again in this review.

Forward identifies these overwhelming feelings as the three underlying components in emotional blackmail: fear, obligation, and guilt (FOG).

The four types of blackmail:

1. The punisher’s threat occurs when the victim receives this message from the perpetrator: “Do what I want, or you will suffer negative consequences.”

2. The self-punisher’s threat takes advantage of the victim’s sense of guilt by sending the message, “Do what I want, or I will make myself suffer negative consequences.” Often this scenario includes high drama.

3. Closely related to the self-punisher’s threat is the sufferer’s threat. Rather than the threat of self-harm, the manipulator in this situation says, “Do what I want, or I will suffer negative consequences from the outside.” Consequences are external and not self-inflicted.

4. The final form of emotional blackmail is identified as the tantalizer’s threat. Rather than threatening a negative consequence, the perpetrator sends the message, “Do what I want, and you might enjoy positive consequences.”

-

The key to avoiding victimization is by taking time and learning to recognize feelings of fear, obligation, and guilt. This can be achieved by asking a few very simple questions:

“Am I not asserting myself by my own free will? Is this truly what I want, or is there a reason related to fear, obligation, or guilt?”

“Am I acting out of anxiety or excitement?”

-

Asking for help:

1. Ask and then stop talking.

Don’t follow up your ask with things like “only if you want”, “its up to you” etc.

2. Create a win win.

When asking for something from the other person, ask yourself:

- Are their needs being considered?

- How can this request benefit them?

- Is this a good time to make such a request?

- If the tables were turned, how would I view this request?

3. Make it easy.

Do not expect people to go out of their way in order for you to request a favor. Instead of your natural inclination to hedge with “Can we meet? Only if you have time,” you can substitute it with “Can we meet? Lunch is on me at your favorite sandwich place.” The key here is to make your ask smaller than it needs to be so it will be better received, and easier to squeeze out.

4. Offer clear cut options

if you are asking for someone to watch your dog, offer to take him to their place or let them stay at your place and use your building’s gym facilities while you are out of town. Also, make sure they have a way to say no without feeling guilty in case they cannot or do not want to do what you have asked.

5. Be direct.

Don’t have any ulterior moves. Express the ask as it is in your mind.

6. Be specific

Don’t ask vague, open ended questions. Inform them where they can exactly help you.

7. If someone says no, don’t be disheartened.

-

Types of assertion:

1. Empathic: acknowledge their feelings, appreciate them but be firm with your stance.

2. Consequence: a last resort if someone has made you reach the end of your tolerance. State what they did; how it made you feel; and the consequence of them not apologising/ taking responsibility.

3. Negative feelings: describe their (unwanted/ unjust) behaviour objectively, directly and specifically. Tell them how it impacted your describe your feelings as exactly as you can. State your preferred behaviour. “When you didn’t show up at the date we had planned, I had to cancel our reservations and felt embarrassed and hurt. In the future, could you just call me if you can’t make it?”

4. Discrepancy: when something happens due to a misunderstanding, lack of follow ups or unclear inventions. “I thought we were meeting for coffee at noon. Was I mistaken?”

-

In a 2010 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers analyzed people’s reactions to selfish versus generous actions in a game about rewards. They found that instead of appreciating the generous players, these were actually as equally disliked as the selfish ones. You may have tried taking on the dirty jobs nobody else wants or paying a bar tab at a work party in the hope it would endear you to a group. This is actually likely to have the opposite effect; your extreme generosity makes people just as uncomfortable as the selfish people who make life more difficult or refuse to contribute.

-

University of Notre Dame Researchers in 2011 found that disagreeable employees earned more than their agreeable counterparts. Disagreeable men earned 18% more than agreeable men. Agreeableness is a more socially expected norm in women, but disagreeable women still earned 5% more than the agreeable women, and these agreeable women lagged far behind the disagreeable men.

-

Communication styles: figure out your pattern in order to break it:

1. Passive

- low self esteem

- Dont express opinions or desires

- Avoidant

- Anger can build up quietly over time and then erupt

- Weak eye contact

- Bad posture

- Dont understand their own needs

2. Aggressive

- verbal, physical violence

- Put their own needs before others

- Overbearing

- Intense eye contact

- Poor listeners

- Impulsive

- Criticises 24/7

3. Passive aggressive

- appear to be “fine” but are not fine inside

- Sarcastic often

- Alienate themselves

- Sabotage

4. Assertive

- speaking up for themselves

- Clear

- Direct

- Good listeners

- High self esteem

- Open, relaxed body language

- Can navigate any situation without resentment, anger or loss of control

The passive communicator says, “People walk all over me,” and “No one cares how I feel about this.”

The aggressive communicator says, “I always get what I want—whatever it takes,” and “You’re worthless; you owe me.”

The passive-aggressive communicator says, “That’s fine . . . (That’s what you think),” and “They’ll see what happens to people who cross me.”

The assertive communicator says, “We’re both entitled to respectfully express our opinion,” and “I’m responsible for myself and no one owes me anything.”

-

Before you start to apologize, stop and ask yourself two questions:

“Did I actually do something wrong?”

And if not, “Did I really want to communicate that I think I did?”

If you over apologise, ask yourself:

1. What’s the first reaction you have when someone tells you no?

2. Was advocating on your own behalf off-limits in your family? Was it encouraged?

3. When you were younger, was it acceptable to speak up and share your opinion?

4. What other major experiences shaped your outlook regarding asserting yourself and respecting authority, particularly at the workplace?

-

Confronting a dominant personality doesn’t have to be combative. Simply ask, “Are you open for feedback on this?” If they say yes, which most people will, you can start by saying, “I tend to think of these things from a different perspective.” It keeps the conversation neutral. You’re not attacking their point of view. Instead, you’re just sharing yours.

-

Dr. Beth Polin, an assistant professor of management at Eastern Kentucky University and coauthor of The Art of the Apology, defines an apology as a statement that includes one or more of six components:

1. An expression of regret: This is the actual “I’m sorry” statement.

2. An explanation: This is a clarification of what happened, not a justification.

3. An acknowledgment of responsibility: In other words, owning up to your mistakes.

4. A declaration of repentance: For example, “I truly regret what I did.”

5. An offer of repair: “Maybe I can turn this around.”

6. A request for forgiveness: “I know I messed up, but I’m truly sorry and I’m asking your forgiveness.”

-

Assertiveness action plan:

1. Write down the times in your life where you have not felt assertive (been laughed at, walked all over, taken advantage of, etc)

2. Write down how you reacted (can be good/ bad/ neutral)

3. Write down the healthy response you would’ve given in that situation

4. Write a list of what you should avoid using from your internal dialogue or with other people. Also write a list of phrases that you feel more comfortable with that are also assertive.

- the author has a full schedule/ plan for 26 days on the assertiveness action plan with exercises. I didnt include everything, but i included things that I feel I can do.

[queersouthasian]

I have seen quite some people being confused about what was Charlie's plan or what he even intended to do, so here is the proper step by step explanation:

P.S : all of this is based on the show, nothing is influenced from the novel.

•Before (kind of) meeting Babe:

As Charlie had mentioned in ep 7, something I had stated before in some other post, his plan was not that extensive. Charlie while being in Tony's space came to know about all the shit he does including babe being the number one target and how Tony had an Enigma going after Babe. He jumped in thinking he would keep an eye on Tony while living with Babe or around babe and would find information about that Enigma too. He wanted to do everything alone but much to his concern,Jeff wanted to help. Anyways. His plan was to be around babe, keep on track with tony 'cause he knew he would find better information of what he is trying to do if he is near babe since babe is the target, find out about that enigma and eventually inform babe about everything when the right time comes. His plan was not to fall for babe or make babe fall either. It is his natural caretaker instict that made him want to save babe. He can't just live his life knowing that someone was in extreme danger. A part of me now believes he was not even supposed to take babe's powers either. He didn't know that babe would hire "boys" to have sex with, that's why he recommends him being his servant, 'cause his plan was to leave later when the time comes, and being "servant" would serve the purpose of being near Babe, BUT was genuinely taken aback when babe wanted to have sex. He was now worried 'cause how is he supposed to be intimate with babe without taking away his powers??? That's why he hesitated before touching babe, remember when he first put his hand on babe's face, he hesitated right there, he also gulped. He was worried and concerned, rather panicking 'cause he knows what happens when he touches. But the entire show is literally, "you can't have A and B, one has to go", so Charlie either had to leave or stay. Telling the truth was not the option 'cause babe wouldn't listen. Babe during that time was being heavily influenced by way, so why would he even think Charlie was telling the truth about his intentions? 'cause atp he was a literal stranger to him.

•After ep 7:

Charlie's plan was severely ruined by Kim, unintentionally, but it did happen. Kim revealing Charlie's main secret disrupted the whole plan. Charlie was not supposed to tell Babe all that before anything happened 'cause the result will be disastrous and we saw that. For babe, along with way 's hypnotism/manipulation, Charlie's secret/lie was a "betrayal" 'cause he didn't know the cause of it until Charlie told him. Here the plan was, when the right time would come, he would have revealed everything 'cause by then Babe would have first handed seen/witnessed/understood the reason, but this reveal being so soon, with the cause being so unclear made Charlie look like a traitor. That's why he had spill everything, every detail. Here, we see something else as well. Charlie had fallen so deeply for babe until now, he could not bare the thought of babe hating him, misunderstanding him. That's why he repeatedly goes after babe, to his very home, to let babe know the truth. He even tells everything about the absorption. He knows babe may never want to see him again, that's why he gulps and hesitates before saying. Babe could have never found out why his senses were gone, but he can't keep babe in dark anymore. If the truth was out, he needed to clear thing out, to atleast let babe know, Charlie would never take advantage of him. When babe turns his back, we see Charlie being terrified, he doesn't even look like that near Tony. He is TERRIFIED babe would hate him. So the hesitation, those unshed tears, the "I can die for you" 'cause AT THAT MOMENT, he was like fuck the plans, if babe wants his powers back, he will get it. Since the truth is out, and he couldn't still find the enigma, atleast let him give back babe's powers, 'cause babe is his priority. And Babe refusing that made Charlie give that genuine smile. It's the way Charlie has this relaxed face when he hugs babe, it's the face of someone who has been misunderstood for so long, finally having someone love him, understand him. The face of relaxation that his love doesn't hate him, would not leave him.

•Fake death:

This one came out later. When CharlieBabe started fighting together, now Charlie openly being able to protect babe, Jeff says if they continue to do that, they all will be killed. Listen, this was Jeff's analogy, he thinks that if they continue to go after tony, they all will die a brutal death. He also tells Charlie that Tony would kidnap him. This "kidnap" thing confirmed that Tony's target has been successfully shifted from Babe to Charlie. But Tony doesn't know that Charlie's powers are absorption and that he can return the powers once dead, so he, for the first time, gives complete responsibility to do something/prepare something that would help him fake his death. He wanted Jeff to look out for this, maybe because he knew since Jeff ran away before, he has some connections 'cause how or where did he live during that time?? Also he just wanted to protect babe, keep him safe and comfort him especially after whatever way did and we all know he blames himself for not doubting way before.

•After "Death" :

With the help of the drugs we see Charlie not only removing his powers but obviously being able to give babe's powers back. But babe going after Tony as a form of revenge is definitely something Charlie got to know through Jeff. One thing is clear that when Jeff gets kidnapped, Charlie calls him too, as usual, maybe to inform him that "uncle" is babe's dad and since Kenta had given away the phone to those boys, definitely they picked up, and since they picked up they definitely informed Charlie how they got the phone. Obviously Charlie connects the dots and goes in to save Jeff, but I believe when he entered the building the first thing he notices is Babe being beaten up, and Charlie being Charlie, enraged that they hurt babe, immediately jump in to save babe, that's why the look he had when he looked at Babe had concern but also grief and guilt, a "fuck I missed you sm", so in my opinion, even this sudden meeting was not a part of the plan. (Obviously the next ep has more information or may be not, so either I am right about this or absolutely wrong lmao)

Jeff and the timeline of his future sightings:

This goes like this:

Now, I remember someone saying how Charlie wanting to "change" future makes the future happen. And that's something interesting to think of, but that's not it. Charlie did not "Change" the future, he "Altered" it. Playing with time is dangerous, so the outcome maybe the same, but the cause can be different.

The "Death on Racetrack" car which was overturned was number "83", exactly the car Charlie was in, BUT in that vision, we all see the person laying face to the ground and blood everywhere. But that's not what happened to Charlie. If Charlie was the one who was supposed to be in the crash, in the "83" car, then the result and cause of THAT accident was different.

Babe going to avenge for Charlie would have been constant but the cause was different and most definitely the result would be. In the vision, we didn't see Alan, we do see CharlieBabe, with a gun pointed at them, but we see Tony with a sword attacking them, killing jeff. We also see Winner killed and Babe crying wounded. Don't know if the last two would happen, and if does what's the cause? But one thing is sure, that the result is altered. In their version, there is a shootout, and Kenta is the one who caught Alan and Jeff, we also see Pete and Way being involved. The future is unchanged, but Charlie's plan to alter it does infact work, he changes a version where they all loose to where they all can survive, where there is a hope to survive.

Also the "kidnap" thing, that would have happened, but in their version, they stated the plan to Tony, thus manipulating the outcome.

[cocktailjjrs]

Why does everyone hate Mori soo much!!!!

The show would be soo bland without his sorry ass interfering every now and then.

I actually like the way his character is presented!

(No hate please, if you don't like mori feel free to skip)

So I've been doing a bit research and kinda a character study for a fic i'm writing. And ofc Mori has a part in it.

And so, i go on and look through all his scenes. Read through a few fics to see his interactions with other characters. And do a bit on character analysis as a whole.

It baffles me how people just downright hate him or plain misunderstand his Character as whole.

Like, i don't usually try to defend characters online because everyone has their reasons and rationale, but the whole thing with Mori seems so absurd to me, because we've seen the villains do soo much worse!

Canonically speaking, while he has done some bad shit, he's not the worst in the series either!!!

BSD has always taken the 'it can't get any worse than this' phase and proved it wrong. Mori was supposed to be 1st/2nd season's antagonist.

And no, i don't mean to say that he is not evil. He is downright evil, a mastermind through and through. He's the Port Mafia's boss for gods sake, the most dangerous underground organization, he has a reputation to live up to!

Yes, he is a calculating bastard. He measures each and every move and knows about warfare in depth, and he wields his knowledge as a weapon very well.

Is he a paedophile? Maybe. It's been implied once or twice (if i'm not wrong)

Was his treatment of yosano wrong? Definitely! and he is an ass for that!

But he is SUPPOSED to be an ASS!!! That's the whole point of that character! And i believe those are the character that bring sooo much excitement to the storyline!

But everyone seem to have misunderstood his character soo much or just doesn't want to see the whole picture. And I used to think Chuuya was misunderstood!!!

You remember, when in 15, Dazai was given his first mission as a PM member and that time Mori said 15!Dazai reminded him of himself?

Now think back to what 15!Dazai was -

a teen

suicide maniac

a genius who has never been surprised

manipulative freak

acting carefree and harmless but having a killing intent hidden in plain sight

Now put it in this perspective,

Mori had a life before war that we have no idea about. He was a doctor. He was desperate to win the war by any means, even if it included bringing a child in the military camp, even if it meant keeping a death loop going on and on, even if it meant permanently traumatizing the soldiers.

But WHY?

Mori, as it has been stated multiple times, is someone who is always calculating and rational. He does not let his emotions overtake his decision making, thus making him cold towards others. But there must be a reason why he turned out to be so.

After war, he started working underground, creating a neutral zone for criminals. He knew Natsume sensei before that time. I always wounder why would Natsume entrust his vision to someone like Mori (along with Fukuzawa), if he was really a lost case.

After the whole fight with Fukuzawa over Yosano; he turned to take control of Port Mafia. Maybe he wanted to take Yosano with him then, to create an army of unstoppable ability users.

But the war was over. Then why would he need to do that?

Mori is one of those few characters whose backstory is not at all known to us. I can only think of Dazai and Fyodor other than him with no clear backstory. This makes him a dangerous wild card in a lot of situations. We saw that with Tachihara and Verlaine (completely different circumstances but instead of killing them he kept them close)

But then i read fics that depict him as feral and unhinged, portraying him as a predator who took advantage of poor poor Chuuya and/or Dazai, making them do horrible stuff without their consent.

Like, DID WE EVEN WATCH THE SAME SHOW?

Dazai and Chuuya have been unhinged wayyyy BEFORE they met each other or Mori.

Dazai is not some soft kid, who was physically and sexually assaulted, he was not made to behave tough with Akutagawa. And he certainly was not afraid of Mori. Does Dazai have PTSD related to Mori? Maybe, but in regards to Oda's death. That's it.

Chuuya is not someone who would sit still and take punishment from scalpels and whatnot because he fucked up a mission. Mori is not a fool to send Chuuya on a death mission just because he is afraid he'll take his place or to spite Dazai.

Does this bring a rather angst narrative to Soukoku? Yes it does. Does it make sense? if it's cannon compliant, no it does not!

Soukoku does not need Mori to be the bad guy to come together!

(i think he is no 1 Soukoku shipper himself)

He is not soft but he is not unhinged either. He knows how the ways of war work and he knows there can be no emotions involved if you have to win the war.

You don't always get such characters who are so morally grey, they do everything bad, they are supposed to be evil but still, the plot will be lost without them. Mori is such a great example of that.

Wanting to have peace and staying by the rightful path is all well and good. But where there is light, there will be darkness (because it's definition itself says its absence of light, so you can't exactly have one without the other). And without anyone to keep a check on that darkness, it will consume all.

Without Mori taking over Port Mafia, if we recollect how the previous boss had lead, Yokohama would have been way too bloodier and chaotic than it is now.

Plus, i don't think if Mori was such a bad boss, all of Port Mafia would jump in to protect him against agency during the Cannibalism arc. Hell, even if the grunts did not have a say in it, the executives and commanders did. And we saw them all - Chuuya, Kouyou, Kajii, Black Lizards; hell even Akutagawa and Higuchi were there! And that fight was after he had insisted no altercations with the agency.

My point is, can i have a normal representation of such a great character?

[the-eeveekins]

The 10th Day of G-Witch: If I Could Take One Step Toward You

First off, shout out to this mobile suit shown getting beaten in the first 5 seconds of the episode by Guel in the flashback. It is, AFAIK, the ONLY suit in the show to not even have an entry in the "Other MS" section of the G-Witch website. I don't even think it has an official name listed anywhere in any G-Witch materials.

I love the conflict between Miorine & Shaddiq in this episode and how it leads to it's conclusion. Shaddiq likes Miorine but is scared of losing her, and knowing how much she despises the Holder system and being forced to marry someone from the group, he thinks he can stay above it all and stay on her good side if he stays out of it (except to swoop in at the last minute to save her from Guel, and be her hero). But he completely misunderstands Miorine, who doesn't see him as a romantic partner, but does see him as a friend; a friend she wishes would help her OUT of the situation, not work it to his advantage.

Even here, she correctly realizes that Shaddiq is manipulating the system in a way that he thinks will benefit them both, but in a way that still undermines her autonomy and decisions. And in sheer defiance of his actions that continue to show is complete lack of trust in her, she challenges him to a duel even with the deck stacked against her.

In this scene where we see Miorine planning for the duel using tomatoes, she even calls out Shaddiq's behavior to his face, and it's telling that Shaddiq doesn't think he's treating her like an object, just because he's not like the other men in the group.

Suletta's unwavering trust in Miorine vs. Shaddiq's lack of trust in anyone but himself. Again, even with Suletta, Shaddiq thinks he knows what's best for Miorine and can convince her to side with him.

And Suletta completely rejects him with full belief in Miorine, something Shaddiq lacks.

The duel against Grassley House might be my favorite battle in the whole series. It's incredibly exciting, wonderfully choreographed and has one of the most dramatic moments in the show with Aerial reaching Permet Score 6. Suletta finally gets to show off her stuff, this time fully on her own, and perfectly manages a 6v1 situation long enough to draw Shaddiq into Miorine's trap. We even get to see the rarely used beam blade function of the Aerial's rifle used with clinical proficiency.

I love the way they showed Prospera staring at the Beguir-Pentes of Grassley. There's no way she doesn't remember the Beguir-Beu from Folkvangr. And while the tear here is probably for Eri growing one step closer to freedom, I also think there's a bit of catharsis in seeing her daughters overcome the Antidote system and the successor of the suit that killed her husband.

I know a lot of people read romantic intent in these lines, and certainly from Shaddiq, there is. But I don't take Miorine's "Too little, too late" to mean it's too late to be with her romantically (because she was never interested in him that way), but it was too late to try and help her through the Holder system and be the friend she desperately needed. She now has Suletta, someone who she loves and trusts, who came to aid without any ulterior motives or expectations, and who explicitly trusts her. Two things Shaddiq wasn't willing to do when she needed it the most from him.

And as we see later in the series, he still doesn't fully respect her even after this.

BONUS: Suletta doing the equivalent of emote dancing on Shaddiq's body will never not be hilarious to me. ALSO, she remembered that Miorine had this broadcast everywhere and is trying her best to advertise for the company, she's such a good girl.