#possible. i can't speak whether it actually reveals who they really are or what. i'm not a psychologist

[turtlemagnum]

when i was younger and hung out around my uncle a lot more than i do now, i remember whenever he referred to things regarding his native heritage, he always just called it "indian". called himself an indian, called the words he taught us indian, so on. since i was a little kid who didn't know any better, i didn't know that "indian" in the context of indigenous americans was a very broad, frankly bastardized term to paint a vast variety of cultures spanning two whole damn continents with one brush. it only occurred to me as i got much older than i was at the time that there'd be more than one "indian" language, and up until now since i had no idea what tribe(s) he even is i couldn't even begin to know where to look unless i found a download of every goddamn interlingual dictionary available and painstakingly checked every godddamn one for what their word for "thunder" is

the word he taught us meant thunder was hiloha. i didn't even know how to spell it until now, because he only ever said it aloud. literally just a few minutes ago, i decided to ask my grandma (his sister) if we knew what tribe(s) he belonged to. and apparently he's a mix of choctaw and makah. which gave me a lead, which led to me finding a dictionary on libgen, which led to me word searching "thunder" in the choctaw to english dictionary. it's the only word i remember him teaching us, and i'm unsure if he ever tried teaching us others. but it was his dogs name, and he was a damn good boy, so i remembered it clear as day. though, they normally shortened it to "hilo".

so, i guess what came out of this is that i now know a bit more about my uncle's heritage, and where to look for more research. so, if you're gonna have a takeaway from this, i'd appreciate it if you remembered the word "hiloha". it means thunder. and aside from being the name of a very good boy who deserves to be remembered, i think it's even more important to remember the histories, cultures, and of course the languages of all the indigenous folks who came before us and did their damndest to preserve their cultures in spite of it all.

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

EVEN MORE SPOILERS FOR SEASON 6

I figured since I already read it, I'd give my thoughts on the recent interview Astruc and Thibaudeau took part in.

Due to incompatibility with the new animation engine, SAMG will not be working on the next seasons of ‘Miraculous’. The series is now being developed entirely in France, with the integration of Dwarf Animation.

Okay, props for no more outsourcing, even if I'm not sure what this means for the other ZAG shows.

Season 6 is considered to be “a new beginning”, aside from being a new story arc. It is sometimes referred to by the writers as Season 1.

I'm sure that isn't confusing to the executives at all. Also, maybe don't imply you're starting from scratch when you're already reusing the plot of the main villain using the Butterfly Miraculous.

The writing team already has concrete ideas for how Seasons 7, 8 and 9 will begin and end. They also have ambitions to make it to a Season 12, only if the support of viewers and executives allows them to do so. With this, they emphasize the fact that they would not continue with the show if it were no longer needed or interesting.

So basically, they're planning to keep this up for as long as they can until someone pulls the plug.

The opening of the sixth season is still undecided. They are still discussing whether they will change the musical arrangement or not. Thomas also considers the possibility of making a brand-new theme song. A song has been confirmed for S6. They have the music, the arrangement and a female singer. The character remains unknown.

Imagine how funny it would be if they brought back the woman who sang for Marinette in the movie instead of having Cristina Vee sing again.

Despite leaving Paris at the end of ‘Revolution’ (5x23), Chloé Bourgeois will return in Season 6.

Putting aside all the things I've said about her "damnation arc", what is even the point of bringing her back at this point? She has no powers, no influence, no allies, and isn't a threat of any kind. This makes her not being the next Hawkmoth make even less sense, becuse she has more of a reason to hate Ladybug than Lila does.

Also, with the news that Chloe is coming back, this means that she essentially escaped punishment or at least found a way to rebound like Lila did. So that's a grand total of ZERO villains who actually got punished for their actions after five seasons. I'm starting to think Ladybug and Cat Noir really suck at their jobs.

Sebastien Thibadeau: “[Cerise] (IOTA: I'm still calling her Lila for simplicity's sake) is a villain without costume. She is a villain all the time. There is a reason why, but this reason, neither I nor Astruc will reveal to you yet.” Interviewer: “You mean you already intend to tell it?” Thomas Astruc: “Yes. And you know what, we have already told it, but you haven’t noticed.”

Translation: Ladies and gentlemen, LET'S GET READY FOR RETCOOOOOONNNNS!

Seriously, we are approaching the sixth season of this show. It has been eight years since Lila first appeared all the way back in "Volpina", and we still know nothing about her other than the fact that she has some three moms for some reason. You can't pull the whole "This is something you need to rewatch to understand!" excuse because the last two seasons hinged on breaking the rules about Sentimonsters.

Speaking of, I love how this comment about Lila accidentally implies that Gabriel never did anything evil when he wasn't Hawkmoth/Shadowmoth/Monarch. All that emotional abuse and isolation Adrien suffered was all out of love!

Thomas Astruc on Chloe redemption arc: “We put the characters in situations, and then we say to ourselves: “what would be the logic?” How would the character logically react in “such and such” a situation? And we tried, we tried everything. But every time, we say to ourselves: “if we write this, it’ll be wrong”. There’ll be no reason, it’ll come out of nowhere, the fact that she’ll face something nice and say: “Oh, I’ve been horrible, Marinette what have I done! From now on, I’ll be...” No, nonsense. I understand people’s desire for Chloe to be nice. I’d like that too. But I’d like it if in real life, people with a lot of power suddenly started doing nice things. But Chloé has no interest in changing. She has no reason to change, unfortunately.”

Ah, yes because Gabriel (Global terrorist and abusive parent), Felix (Betrayed Ladybug and temporarily wiped out all of humanity on a whim), Nathalie (Willing accomplice to Gabriel) Andre (corrupt politician and Chloe's primary enabler), Sabrina (Willing accomplice to Chloe) all had compelling reasons to change their ways.

Also, "I've been horrible, what have I done?"

MY BROTHER IN CHRIST, THAT'S HOW VIRTUALLY EVERY REDEMPTION ON THIS SHOW IS EXECUTED.

The fact that he's seriously acting like he actually wanted to write a redemption arc is insulting. Not only does it ignore all the things he's said to fans who were upset at the turn of events, but it makes no sense for him to take this stance because he's a writer. If Chloe turning a new leaf is too strange of an idea, then write an actual character arc allowing her to progress to a state where she recognizes what she's done is wrong. You control the character for God's sake! It's not like you're training a dog to stop humping the couch. You can change things to make a redemption arc possible.

In other words, Astruc is either lying to save his ass, or THIS IS WHAT THOMAS ASTRUC ACTUALLY BELIEVES about writing characters.

Sebastien Thibadeau talks about Andre's character development: In contrast to Chloe, “Andre Bourgeois evolved as a character because we had already imagined a back story. He had the potential to change, and that’s where the beautiful scene comes from — I think it’s magnificent — between Gabriel and himself on the roof of the Grand Palace, where he says: “But Gabriel, what’s become of us? We’ve forgotten the kids we used to be”. But we [writers] know what kids they used to be, and we’d like to tell the story one day, to show what young kids they were, when they were struggling through Paris and weren’t yet what you’ve come to know in the series. He’s sad about what’s happening to his daughter [Chloe], and he’s trying to change it, but he can’t. He is proof that a character can change.”

This. This right here is what cinched it for me. I've tried for years not to say it because it's a word that has been flung around a lot over these last few years, but I feel like this little snippet is enough of a reason for me to say it.

These writers are sexist.

They may not believe it, but whether they intended for it or not, they wrote a story arc where a grown man was shown to have more sympathetic qualities than his daughter. How the hell can you defend it in a way that doesn't highlight the misogyny that this show runs on?

The fact that they gush over how much "potential" Andre had right after saying how that same kind of potential wasn't enough of a reason to attempt a redemption arc with Chloe really shows how confusing their priorities are. I'm sorry to keep saying this, but for a show that takes a heavy anti-capitalist philosophy, it seems like the members of the 1% are the characters who get the most depth and sympathy... unless you're under 18 and lack a Y chromosome, that is.

A meeting will be set up in the coming weeks to decide on whether or not to make a live-action for ‘Miraculous’, Thomas Astruc reveals.

As a former Arrowverse fan, I'm willing to see this out. Not only did the Netflix One Piece series prove you can make an animated property work in live-action, Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie managed to do really well even without the usual writers behind it.

Thomas when asked about Gabriel’s wish in ‘Re-Creation’ (5x26) and whether he brought Emilie back to life: “All the answers are in the episode.”

For the love of--STOP SAYING THAT!

You keep claiming that we just need to rewatch the episode to understand things, but between the continuity errors and abandoned subplots, it's hard to tell what's important and what isn't. Either say "No comment" or give us an honest answer.

If people are still confused about how the season ended after almost a year, and you keep giving answers like this:

Maybe you need to change the way you tell the story.

Astruc when asked about ‘The Supreme’: “Oh, if only you knew... Nothing we do is meaningless.”

Sebastien Thibadeau on Season 7: “Once you’ve seen the start of season 7, I can swear you’ll watch season 6 a second time. That’s all I can say.”

Because it'll make Season 6 look like a masterpiece by comparison?

Thomas Astruc on the worldbuilding: There are Kwamis and Renlings, what makes you think there aren’t others [creatures]?

I swear, by the time we get to Season 10, we're going to get stuff like aliens, demons and talking mushrooms, or at least something ludicrous like that.

Zoe had a love at first sight when she met Marinette in ‘Sole Crusher’ (4x07), they confirm.

Of course! That's why it wasn't framed any differently from something like the umbrella scene and Zoe showed absolutely no signs of attraction to Marinette! It's genius!

Executives had Thomas write several alternative concepts for ‘Miraculous’, very different from what we know today or even the early PV. Among them, “a concept where Ladybug is the head of a group of superheroines, like Sailor Moon. There was no love story.”

Can you imagine a world without the Love Square?

The script writers’ favorite episode is ‘Simpleman’ (4x19) as it represents a personal, work and family attachment. Marinette’s grandfather, Roland Dupain, is inspired by Thomas Astruc’s grandfather.

Okay, either Astruc had a complicated relationship with his grandpa or he's been dead for years. While I understand that older generations have outdated views (for example, my great-grandmother yelled at me for saying I wanted to learn Japanese because "They tried to kill us!"), the fact that a caricture of a grumpy old man was based on his grandpa is a little concerning.

Also, between this and Sabine being based off an old flame of his, this only makes the theory that Chloe is based off a real person Astruc knew more plausible.

Astruc: “This is why our work is so difficult. We have to manage to bring in this generation of younger ones, and at the same time, we have to satisfy the generation that was here before and that grows with the series.”

First, if you're trying to please older fans, maybe don't get into fights with them on Twitter.

Second, you made a thread after "Simpleman" aired where you insulted fans for not getting the "meta" element to the episode and compared them to the character you just said was based on your grandfather.

You've also been burning away a lot of the older fans' goodwill over the years. Trust me, I have a few examples.

Despite sharing a similar appearance, the symbol on Nino’s T-shirt is not related to Hack-San.

Okay, is this a fan theory I missed back when Season 4 was airing? Why would anyone draw that conclusion?

Thomas Astruc talks about Season 6: “I’ll say it sincerely, I was very doubtful at the end of Season 5. I said to myself: “if we were to continue, how would we exceed?” Well, we did. It’s been a great season. The new writers have brought us a lot of great stuff. All the episodes we’ve written in Season 6 are fabulous. Each episode is on point, there is no unnecessary lines. All the scenes are really interesting, really well-crafted.”

Translation: Tons of filler, bad comedy, reused Akumas, and more Love Square drama that we're trying to claim hasn't been done before.

Thomas when asked if Marinette will get akumatized: “We never give any information about what may or may not happen.”

JUST. SAY. NO. COMMENT.

There are many important details throughout the series that no one has noticed. Thomas says that when we see the next seasons, we’ll think, “Oh, the writers had it all planned.”

You know, like how Season 3 established that Sentimonsters can be sent out of control by Cataclysm a few episodes before Adrien, a Sentimonster, gets hit by a Cataclysm and is affected in a different way. It was all planned from the beginning.

The Ladybug PV was an animation test and was not intended to be public. Jeremy Zag decided to leak it himself.

Honestly? Dick move on Zag's part. You have to wonder how pissed off Astruc was.

According to Thomas Astruc, what the ‘Miraculous’ series is today represents only 5% of what he wrote in the original bible he presented to Jeremy Zag. “The universe has evolved a lot since. I don’t know if the ideas I put there will be reused someday. It was very extensive.”

Thomas Astruc and Sebastien Thibadeau discuss the parallels between Marinette and Gabriel: Astruc: “Gabriel’s personal back story is the cause of his misery, not his will. And above all, it creates a beautiful mirror with Marinette, which is what’s interesting. They both have a lot of love for Adrien, they’re both designers, they both have a Miraculous, but it’s other choices.” Thibadeau: “That’s what makes it a great hero-villain contrast. Even if they don’t know it from the start, they have a real point in common. As we see at the end of Season 5, they both love Adrien. Except there’s one who does it by doing the right thing, and then there’s another who does it by doing the wrong thing, hurting people, to get there.”

And the one who did the wrong thing by hurting people ended up winning. What does that say about the contrast?

------------------------------------------------------------------

And that's it for the interview. I have to say Season 6 does not look pretty so far.

[stxrslut]

SWEET RELIEF ˚୨୧⋆.

summary;  john b has been holding out all day, so when you tell him to wait another few minutes before you have sex, he decided not to. the consequences can be faced when you come to them

content; piss

“johnbee,” you speak happily against his lips as he kisses you greedily. his hand grips at your ass and pulls you down onto him. you can tell what he wants. “woah, wait a minute,” you giggle at his urgency, “I gotta go pee first.” 

“uh uh.” he murmurs, “no.. stay here.. c’mon. stay here.” he urges, pulling you back down when you try to climb off of him.  

you giggle again, “jeez, have you got no patience?” you sit up, grinning down at him. he’s hard as a rock, you can feel it under you. you can’t really blame him, he woke up horny, he was horny all day, he’s horny now. you’d had things to do all day, now is the first chance you’ve had to attend to him.

you’re both on the couch, the sun is setting through the window, creating a natural dim in light, really setting the mood in stone.

“I have been waiting hours!” he smiles, letting his head flop back in drama, “you’re really going to make me wait longer? really baby? I do so much for you.” 

he sits up again, grabbing you and kissing on your neck with great affection. you laugh again, god, who knew your boyfriend could be so needy. “one minute john b. one minute!” 

he doesn’t release his grip, “no.. stay.. c’mon mama please.” oh, he did that. he’s doing that. he used the name and now he’s looking up at you with those stupid big puppy dog eyes that he uses so rarely. 

you sigh wearily, “fine, I’ll stay. but if I pee on you then you only have yourself to blame.” you joke. it’s meant as a complete joke, you’re not even desperate. the possibility that you might actually pee barely occurs to you at this point in time.

john b grins, leaning back and beginning to undo his pants to reveal tented boxers, and when he pulls those down it reveals his dick. thick and veiny, he looks ready to nut already, the tip glossy and visibly sensitive.

you smile and lower down with his help. he lets out a guttural groan of appreciation, head falling back on his pillow and eyes rolling. he’d been needing this all day, the poor guy. 

“ohh john b,” you groan as you begin to move your hips. it feels good for you too, he is huge after all, and you would be lying if you said that extra bit of pressure in your bladder isn’t helping. 

it goes as it always does, you start out strong, you ride till your heart's content, feeling every bit of pleasure and giving him every bit of it back. as you go on he has to start helping you out, you’re getting tired. 

his hands are on your hips, rocking you back and forth as you keep your hands on his chest to support yourself sitting up. there is so much pleasure coursing through you, but there’s also something else. 

a growing pressure in your bladder, one that surely wouldn’t be there if you’d actually gone to the bathroom before starting like you normally do. as it gets bigger and more desperate you really do try to keep the need in, not wanting to cut this moment short. 

unfortunately you feel as though you can’t wait, “john b stop.. I'm sorry.. I need to pee.” you try to slow yourself to a stop, but it’s hard with his hands so firm on your hips, making you move whether you like it or not. he's so much stronger than you, you really can't fight it.

“uh uh,” he grunts, not breaking the gaze that he’s making right into your eyes, brows furrowed in concentration and deep feeling, “you can wait. m’nearly done.” 

“seriously john b.. I’m gonna pee..” this has all taken a quick turn, you’re suddenly filled with anxiety and desperation to run off right now and relieve yourself in private. 

“then do it.” he says bluntly, still not stopping his movements, “if you’re so desperate then you can do it right here.” 

oh god. you can feel it coming. it’s almost like his words motivated your body to become even more in need of relief. you try to hold it off, you really do. but at the end of the day, he told you to do it. 

your face scrunches up as you finally allow yourself to relax. immediately you feel the warm liquid trickling down your legs. with the relaxation of your muscles brings the ability for you to also have another type of release, one more pleasurable. 

so there you are, with a newfound burst of energy, grinding your hips down as you piss all over your boyfriend's dick. it’s disgusting, but in that erotic kind of way that makes it the hottest thing ever. 

john b cums too, shooting a load up inside of you. his face furrows in pleasure for a moment before he exhales heavily, recovering from his climax at the same time as you. 

no matter how gross that was, you have to admit, it was some fucking good sex.

[anonymous-dentist]

It's been a couple of days since the last QSMP lore stream and merch drop, and there have been two DRASTICALLY different responses from the fandom:

What the fuck oh my god why did they do this what the fuck >:( I'm very angry >:( I'm on twitter btw

Yayyy omg the Lore is back!!! :D :D :D Fuck twitter btw

I've seen SO MANY passive-aggressive posts coming from users on this website that are all saying something along the lines of, "I'm happy that the server is getting back on its feet! The eggs aren't in a coma btw, they're just out of service (looks at angry twitter users who can't get over the fact that things aren't being solved immediately)."

And, really, I think almost everybody on this website has missed the reasons why other fans are upset over the recent lore stream and the merch drop. They think it's all just whining about how things haven't been solved immediately, but it's really actually all about how things don't seem to have been solved at all.

See, the thing with the Egg Lore Stream was that, uh. None of the admins currently on hold know whether or not they have a job, including known egg admin Ryan. You might know them as Sunny's Actor, and they were pretty taken aback when Egg Lore was revealed to be happening last Saturday... without Ryan, or seemingly any other known admins whatsoever, knowing. And Ryan isn't a former employee, they're a current employee. They haven't been let go.

Ryan, and other current employees, have all been stating that communication between the QSMP higher-ups and the other admins hasn't gotten better at all. Nobody knows if they even still have jobs because the only way they find that out? Through livestreams.

Ryan, and any other suspended egg admins sticking around, only found out that they aren't, like, fired because of a goddamn lore stream.

And for former admins? It's interesting how the admin team put Pomme and Dapper in the little coma machine despite Pomme's actor, Lumi, and the French all saying that they'd rather Pomme die than get replaced, and Lumi isn't going back to the server. And Dapper's admin, Shade, isn't going back without Lumi.

So imagine being them and finding out through this stream that, oh, wow, you're just going to be replaced. An entire language group is quite possibly going to be lost, but it's fine! Actors can just be replaced, right?

Just like how Twitter admins can be replaced by a bot after being fired in the middle of the night with no warning.

Oh, and shall we mention how it seems that the whole Money Thing isn't going anywhere? How we had a paid writer admin come out and say that even after the changes were starting to be made internally that the higher-ups changed the writer's description of the Pomme figure to be as soulless as possible, because if there's one thing the QSMP admin team seems to have, it's a grudge against the French. But then, remember? The writer said that, despite being paid for February and being promised to get paid for March, that they haven't been paid? And they don't think they ever will be?

And how they thought they would be fired for speaking to their friends, aka former admins?

I think that quite legitimately every admin that has come out after leaving the company, or who is still part of the company but who still made a statement anyway, has said that they hope that the QSMP can continue because they believe in the project, but they don't know if it will because nothing seems to be changing behind the scenes.

But, yeah, sure, okay, say it's all just people whining about how change hasn't been immediate. It's people just complaining about the lore! They need to grow up, right? They need to touch grass? Right?

But, well. Being critical is absolutely vital. Does that mean people should harass the admins? Absolutely not. But that does mean that people should be like, "Hey, so why is the admin team still being so shady?"

Things can't be fixed immediately, but it's been over a month. The problems with communication are still continuing! They haven't stopped! It's just that nobody on this website is listening to the admins anymore.

Trusting ccs is fine and all, but keep in mind that they didn't know what was going on before, either. With the general lack of transparency still going on behind the scenes, how would they know if it's all been fixed now?

[jazzmckay]

been replaying da2 as a mage again, i'm still in act 1, and it really sunk in this time that cullen can learn that hawke is a mage as early as mid-act 1, during the quest "enemies among us", when wilmod is revealed to be an abomination and cullen & hawke fight together. at this point, hawke is just a random unknown (or hawke can have bethany / anders / merrill in the party, and cullen can witness them fighting too) yet cullen doesn't comment on it, or presumably tell meredith about it, because at this stage of the game, meredith has literally no reason to spare hawke. they have no status, and have done nothing especially major for kirkwall / the templars, other than this exact quest, i suppose, but it certainly does bethany no good if a non-mage hawke doesn't take her to the deep roads.

obviously there's the fact that hawke is a video game protagonist and therefore the game can only really work if they get more leeway than anyone else unless the writers are willing to add in a whole additional quest just for mages specifically, or to tailor every subsequent quest around the fact that hawke is an apostate. a lot of cullen and meredith's lack of action re: mage!hawke can be chalked up to that, but it's more satisfying, narratively, to consider that cullen does not perceive hawke or their companions as dangerous apostates that need to be apprehended.

i find cullen so fascinating in da2, even at the start before things are really falling apart enough for him to take a stand, because even when he has no idea who hawke is, even when hawke shows up and uses magic at his side like 10 seconds after they meet, cullen is receptive to what hawke has to say about mages. in my first playthrough, i played blue hawke, this time i'm playing purple hawke, and even while i sarcastically introduced myself with something along the lines of "oh, templars are torturing their own now, too?" cullen doesn't actually get defensive in the face of hawke's blatant instigation. he's focused on his duty and explains what he's doing with no real heat. (and i love that while he acts aggressive with wilmod originally, after the fact, he says he only needed to scare wilmod into telling the truth and that wilmod "needed to believe it was genuine", which of course isn't really an excuse for treating someone aggressively, but it says so much about cullen and his preferred methods. bad cop, so to speak, not actually intending harm until they have no choice.)

then when you return to the gallows later to wrap up the quest, this is when cullen's infamous "mages can't be treated like people" line appears, but in the context of cullen literally just finding out hawke is an apostate and doing nothing about it, it rings so hollow, like he's speaking out of fear (because of what he experienced in kinloch hold, which he does bring up during this quest) or regurgitating chantry / templar order propaganda whether he truly believes it deep down or not. he's been told that mages are dangerous since he was a child, and he's been hurt by abominations, it's so easy for him to just fall back on that rhetoric. even when faced with evidence to the contrary, people who have been manipulated / indoctrinated are, at first, quick to refuse the scary new implications and grasp onto the safety of what they've been taught to believe.

and hawke can flat out say "you're wrong". they can remind cullen that they're a mage. cullen is absolutely still confident in what he's been taught, but he also doesn't get angry, he's actually receptive to what hawke says. it realistically wouldn't be possible for him to immediately understand that the chantry is entirely wrong and just shed all the ideas he's had hammered into him from childhood, but you can see already that he's open to eventually changing his mind. personally, i like that it's a slow progression. it's more realistic and satisfying. i really like that hawke can get through to him as the acts go on, and your dialogue with him is rewarded in the end. i like that he can know hawke is an apostate but not turn on them. cullen has a lot to mentally sort through and i really enjoy watching him grow, not just in this game, but following into dai.

[lucent-nargacuga]

been thinking a lot about utdr today and I felt the need to debunk/provide alternate explanations some popular theories/interpretations surrounding gaster. I'll probably accidentally misquote/misremember things since I don't have screenshots on hand at the moment, but I'll update this post once I have them

ok. first one. "beware the man who speaks in hands" is about gaster

I can see where y'all are coming from! the wingdings text includes hands. this extremely popular theory does have some evidence supporting it.

however.

deltarune chapter 2 introduced a character we all know and love- spamton. if the player fights him as a secret boss, you'll notice that somewhere in the fight he turns his hands into phones. he even announces that he has this ability.

while it's still possible that gaster is the "man who speaks in hands", it's most likely spamton that the riverperson is talking about!

second one. "beware the man from another world" is gaster

this one could be about pretty much anyone... some people think it could be about sans or papyrus, but it could be about so sorry, or even toby fox himself. it's certainly about someone from outside of the world of undertale.

so why am I including it here? we don't really know where gaster came from, but as far as I'm aware, there's nothing that states he came from outside the world of undertale. he did shatter across space and time, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's from "another world". safe to say, it's impossible to determine who the "man from another world" the riverperson mentions is.

third one! somewhere, there's this quote that I can't quite recall, but it mentions a crack under or by someone's eye, and the crack making them appear like they are crying. many believe it's about gaster too.

the mysteryman sprite (which is commonly believed to be gaster, but again, it's not confirmed) does indeed have a facial marking that looks like either a crack or a stream of tears... but then there's asriel dreemurr.

in at least one of asriel's forms when you fight him as a boss at the end of the true pacifist route, he has two lines under his eyes that look a lot like tears. hell, he even actually cries! it's hard to say whether that line about the crack under or by someone's eye making them look like they're crying is about the mysteryman or asriel, but given what happens in the true pacifist route, I personally believe it's actually about asriel.

this one isn't about gaster, but I figured I'd put it here anyway. this is the theory that annoys me the most- mettaton created the neo body in deltarune.

first of all... as far as I'm aware, there's no evidence for this. at all. yes, we know that in undertale, alphys created mettaton neo, but in deltarune, alphys likely doesn't even know who mettaton is! while it is possible that mettaton may have designed a neo body, it's never even hinted at in the game (correct me if I'm wrong).

however, in asriel and kris' shared bedroom, interacting with asriel's computer reveals that he designed a final boss for a video game. the boss is described as a "giant creature with rainbow wings". this, of course, is an obvious reference of the absolute god of hyperdeath, but the boss is also apparently poorly drawn (like in mspaint) and... "it never saw the light of day". sounds familiar?

there's much more evidence pointing to asriel being the neo body's creator than mettaton.

(I read most of these theories somewhere on tumblr about two years ago but have since forgotten who wrote them, if someone can link the original posts to me I'd appreciate it!)

[thefourchimes]

🍌🍈

Wasn't able to answer this last night as I had passed out and then I got really busy the whole day today, whoops, my bad about that, but here we go!

🍌 In your opinion, what’s the funniest joke/reference/pun you’ve made in a fic?

Ooooh...well, as mentioned in the previous ask, I haven't actually posted anything for Encanto yet, and while I probably have a lot of possible choices from my other fandoms, I can't remember any from the others off the top of my head atm oof

Plus most of my stuff is angst instead of crack AHSFUIHAFS but I'll do my best

So yes, a joke/reference/pun I've made for a fic...I honestly have a few in mind right now for Encanto, ones from the 233 page AU, but if I say it now, it'll lose its magic when I hopefully post it AHSFUHASF

I'll probably just mention this one scene I had written for the one All of Us Are Dead fic I have, one that still makes me laugh every time I reread it:

It probably doesn't help that my sense of humor sucks but it's funny to me at least HASUFHASF

My bad if I wasn't really able to answer this properly 😅

🍈 Who’s your blorbo and what are some of your favorite headcanons/ideas about them that repeatedly show up in your fics? Free pass to rant about blorbo opinions.

Ah, this question <3

I don't think I made it too obvious as to who my blorbo is before, besides a few posts and the fact that I love all the cool sisters so much, so yeah, guess it's time to "reveal" it

It's Isabela

I remember watching Encanto again all those months ago, the moment where my hyperfixation was about to rear its head and grab me by the throat, never letting go

As that was happening, the feral, chaotic, and unhinged cactus gremlin sister decided to jump me too

I can't remember exactly when I knew she was my favorite, but I just knew that she already was before I even fully realized it

I had WECID on repeat for a long while at one point

I think her exploring herself after everything hit me hard, I relate to her so much in a way, ngl... (except the hilarious thing is that I'm not even Isabela in this case, I'm the youngest out of my three siblings so I'm technically Mirabel in a sense ASHFIASF)

But anyway, I digress, my thoughts on her (along with my ideas for her that pop up in fics—er, will pop up anyway) are so wild that I'm not too sure on how to write it down in paragraph form, plus it probably won't be anything new since someone else in the fandom has probably already mentioned these, but I guess we keep going with it in a chaotic and wild way, true to Isabela's character (apologies in advance for the explosion of thoughts—except also not really sorry):

She's chaos incarnate, a force of nature that is so very extra and so petty as hell but it's okay because we love it sm

We don't get to see it all as much though because of her mask, but that just makes me even happier since she gets to be free post movie

She's acrobatic and athletic as seen in WECID, not to mention her skill with vine swinging, but that doesn't mean she didn't get at least a bit of clumsy genes from Agustin in some way, she just hides it pretty well due to her mask of perfection

She's always colorful and changing colors every time, experimenting with all the possibilities and she changes the color of her hair strand a lot too

She makes and discovers and explores all kinds of plants (ones she keeps track of to know what they are and what they can do), but we all know she has a soft spot for cacti <3

She knows a lot about flower and plant language, whether already having knowledge during the movie or learning after

She loves her family so much that she would and has sacrificed her happiness for them, that's something I admire so much but am also sad about because she really loves her family that she wants them happy even if she can't be happy, ow—

This seems to be a consensus the fandom has: she's one of the ones who will most likely murder someone and will kill for her siblings, very protective of her sisters and her family <3

Speaking of which, she has a ridiculously overpowered gift, one she has just as ridiculous control over as well, that I cackle and shake my head every time when someone just underestimates her and her gift

We know how she wants to be free but is feeling trapped as she's forced into perfection, half due to her own making and half due to others boxing her in, so there are lots of fake smiles and pretending on her part, but that does mean she's a pretty good actress considering she had everyone fooled for so long

I fucking love her bonds and relationships with her sisters and her cousins, but, as my PFP is indicating, especially the cool sisters

They weren't close with each other for several reasons for a long while, not even mentioning the strained relationship between her and Mirabel, but to see them have the chance to connect again and make up for everything was done and all that happened after the events of the movie? I love it so much aaaaaa

She teases the hell out of them in various ways, that's for sure, the sister vibes are so real <33

But that doesn't mean the cousins are left out here, ofc, the exploration of dynamics is always so nice and fun to see

I love all the grandkids so much <33333

I want to keep going so badly but I feel like I'd never finish this ask if I do AUISFHUIASHF plus I'm very sure I forgot something, but oof 😔

Ngl, this was me the entire time I was trying to answer this question:

Isabela <33

yep, that tracks HASFUIAHSF but yeah, thanks for the ask!! :DD <33

[iamthespineofmybook]

So, I've been listening to Trope Talks again (I do that a lot), and I had recently been in a conversation about Harry Potter fanworks, and whether we (the participants in said conversation) still interact with them. And these two things have come together in my head to start formulating Better Wizarding World idea.

So, first off, magic in this setting has no power level kind of thing. One is either magical, non-magical, or anti-magical, and which one it is is purely genetic. The world is mostly the same because all sides of any given conflict had a general mix of all three in each society, though the number of visible magic users would vary depending on the society they were in; you're not gonna say you have magic if the law says people with magic will be killed.

This lends itself retroactively to making magic something that only shows up after puberty, because social pressure caused an evolutionary shift so that only magical people who didn't reveal themselves during the emotional period that is childhood and puberty survived.

The way I've set up the genetic side of things is via three markers: M1, M0, and M-1. If someone's got two M1s, they have magic. If someone has two M-1s, they have antimagic. Everyone else doesn't have either. People who are antimagical are indistinguishable from nonmagical people until they come into contact with magic, whereupon they act like Kamijou Touma of A Certain Magical Index, except it's their whole body, rather than just the right hand, automatically and completely negating all the magic (but still susceptible to secondary effects).

Also, there's a lot more acceptance of queer people in magical groups in part because of magic's ability to let people be who they want to be. Transformation magic helps trans people, but it also is the reason for the legend of werewolves because even Ancient Greece and Ireland and such had furries.

Speaking of transformation, modern science in this world determined that being transformed by magic does not actually alter your genetic structure or how your body reacts to things, so you can transform into your gender, but it won't get rid of your peanut allergy nor will becoming a wolfperson give you a theobromine allergy.

As for the modern era, magic people actually are more visible in part because they can just say they're cosplaying or their videos have really good special effects. It's also not technically a hidden world so much as a low-key world; magic exists in about an eighth or so of the population (not a hard number, I'm still thinking on that one), but it can't do miracles (I should probably think of a maximum power one spell can produce as a hard cap for everyone. No Wandas or Zatannas here). In fact, overdoing it can kill the person doing it.

I also don't really have a plot. I have two ideas: one antimagical person is extremely angry that they can't interact with magic at all and is gathering antimagical followers to fight about it, but that feels too... racism parallel-y for my comfort.

The other idea is a basic slice of life story, it's just that there's magic involved and the protagonist is learning all about it thanks to the surreptitious "does this 16-year-old have magic" test done at school that opens up a whole new world of possibilities for what they can do with their life.

[onewomancitadel]

Okay nvm I did have a V9 thought which is that they specifically gave us information that Summer Rose is more complicated than at first glance (woohoo) and not a simple Madonna (woohoo!) and was lying to Tai (oh yes) and her children (>:)) and most of all Raven knew (YES), despite Raven having apparently abandoned her team by this point. Summer and Raven are implied to both have difficult relationships with motherhood, Summer's just better at faking it. The contrast between Summer, who is partly fraudulent, versus Raven, who's lying to herself about her cowardice but who has the capacity to admit she could not act as a mother is extremely fucking yummy.

But that they still kept in contact.

But then the question I have to wonder structurally is why this specific information was given to us now (Ruby's vision of Summer is shattered; she's freed from her false self) and why what actually happened afterwards was concealed to us. We've already been given the information from previous volumes: this was Summer's last mission, and per V8, this is when Salem figured out how to make Grimm-human abominations.

So we effectively know what happened next, but what's happened next has been related through many-hand accounts, through implication from the Hound, then through magical vision which is as good as an objective account but without emotional perspective. Which basically means we need a firsthand account of what has likely happened to Summer until we meet Summer herself.

Raven's return is inevitable. It has to happen. She's the Spring Maiden, her redemption arc is probably going to eventuate in some fashion, and other than Salem she probably knows what happened. So the question is whether Raven comes out from the shadows and admits what she knows or not. It seems likely just based on how the information has been conveyed.

But I also think that R/WBY is doing something interesting with accounts of events and perspective (most prominently in V9 where they have to piece together Alyx's story), but this idea was first introduced with Ozlem and it was explored again with characters like Adam (uses his backstory to manipulate Blake) and Cinder (her backstory is used to manipulate her, and we're the ones who are shown directly what happened whilst the main cast don't know).

The deconstruction of Summer Rose is fully taking place (it has probably happened physically to boot) and the transformation of her character based on accounts of her is really interesting. I think this is absolutely setting up an emotional account of Ozma and Salem's understanding of their conflict and generally speaking I think it is very likely someone will figure out what happened to Cinder. How the relation of stories actually transform characters and their role in the narrative is definitely being played with. It's thematically fitting.

I also think this is why the Ozlem reveal - whilst being an 'objective' account of sorts - minimises the emotional experience. What do Ozma and Salem think of each other? There's set-up there.

To circle back to Raven, her return on this topic seems near-inevitable. That she's the guardian of Knowledge who has been hoarding this truth makes sense. I was obviously wrong about her return in the underworld, but she has played a part in the disillusionment and maybe that's the direction they're heading. 'Raven has to return at some point' is certainly a safer conclusion than the one I was previously speculating about.

The key is when and what can possibly go wrong that her return would necessitate. I previously speculated that the redemption arcs of Maidens would mirror the cycle of the seasons, so Raven's return would need to happen before the endgame Summer Maiden eventuates and has or had her own redemption arc. That's a pretty broad speculation and it's really dependent upon the timing of Raven. It might be that I'm wrong.

Knowing Salem can't be killed fundamentally alters the story. Raven relating what happened to Summer changes Summer and it's part of changing Raven, too.

[enamouredless]

(I sent this yesterday after my first ask but I don't think you got it, my wifi was bad.) No I get it, I agree that just because actors speak positively or lightheartedly about it, doesn't mean byler is endgame / Will gets a perfect happy ending. I know everyone always says "Don't compare them to other shows/ships" but. It really truly would not be the first time something like this happened and I would be extremely disappointed but not that surprised. Imo, giving a tragic character a tragic (or just meh) ending is bad, but the duffers might think it's peak television. Or maybe they are the kind of people who think Will not getting the guy is "just realistic". And actors could just say what they're told to, what fits the current vibe or whatever. Idk. I won't know until I have seen s5 myself. Byler and happy Will make narrative sense to me but that doesn't really mean much. I'm v curious about all your predictions now, what do you think is most likely gonna happen to everyone?

I honestly can't be certain about anything, tbh I try not to think too much abt S5 bc if I do I'll set expectations for myself that'll never end up happening lmao but if I'm talking in a positive the best I can see realistically go down is some sort of weird ambiguous gay ending? think something like Sam and Frodo.. in a more negative way I feel like all the events of these season do matter whether we like them or not, the lie abt the painting is going to be revealed and just like will said at rinkomania when mike finds out abt it he's gonna be mad and they'll def argue (the only good thing I can hope out of this is will getting the last word in an argument for once lol) like.. I'm not sure how big of a storyline this will be, I can definitely see vecna trying to use this all for his advantage to try to get will on his side, and honestly? If he's in a bad state emotionally I can see him being persuaded, ''my life started the day we find you in the woods'' remember? Vecna is definitely bringing that back lmao

I feel like this whole season was just building up ammunition to try to get will to break or snap or something next season(and I'm soooo not looking forward to seeing this tbh this season was already enough angst to last me a lifetime) but like despite all of this, Im like 100% that henry and will are meant to be character foils of each other, so whatever happens I think will end up going against him bc at the end of the day o don't think the duffers spent 4 seasons showing how selfless and kind will is to just end up straight up turning him into a villain, also how homophobic that would be....

Also m*leven side note I have no idea what's in store for them, idk how a love confession led by a lie is meant to be a good thing for them (and not any lie btw, wills feelings disguised as elevens) in my head this is something that should doom the entire relationship + the fact that max died during the monologue (just like Nancy and barb) but in reality the only thing this will do is just something to set up some conflict for them for the season just so they have something to argue about before they end up getting back together towards the end of the season like they always do... there's also the weird looming idea of marriage that makes my skin crawl but as much as I hate it I feel like it might be an actual possibility 😐 like I'm soooo serious if this happens I'm not watching S5 at all

There's more stuff that I think that might happen in s5 especially with all the time references they have been making throughout the show but if I get into that this answer will be 500 pages long so I'll also expect to be something time related, maybe even time manipulation especially related to will, I can also see vecna try to give him the opportunity to go back so none of this would've happened and he could've been able to live a normal life but will like the angel he is would tell him no and to fuck off, but this is more leaning into a full on theory based on nothing so idk what's the likelihood of it happening lol, thanks for the ask btw!!

[technodromes]

[♗] Bishop is torn right now behind the cute smile. He has missed the compliment and gentle touches a little more than he ever wanted to admit. For Utrom, being kind and gentle to each other is normal. Sometimes he would like to be at home and among his kind for all these soft little cuddles. He really likes this, and he can't deny that he wants to lean into the touch, even leave his suit to be closer to SR. The gentle brushing elicits a soft purring from the Utrom, although just for a short moment. Bishop also struggles now with guilt for actually feeling that way. After all, he is spending a lot of time on Earth and other places for great reasons. What he's doing is important. He helps maintain intergalactic peace not just for Earth's sake, but also for Dimension X. He would never give up his spot at the Utrom Council and the EFP. Never. These innocent yearnings though, are here. And right now, he is even more on the fence about whether he should suppress them or give in a little. Just to cuddle with his friend for a bit like he would with a fellow Utrom...

But is SR even really himself right now? He appears to be a man of duty like himself, working hard to keep his world a peaceful and safe place. Would he really just invite his new colleague here to exchange a moment of tenderness? The painful realization hits Bishop that revealing himself like this was a mistake. He stands by what he said though, and will be without his suit within the Citadel in the future. Right now though, it seems like they're both aching for a moment like this in secret but can't because of their sworn duties. Allowing this right now wouldn't be right. Not while SR seems out of it, anyway. Slowly, the Utrom pulls his tentacle back and gently holds the guard's gloved hand now with its tip. He knows now, it is his responsibility to resist. But he just can't bring himself to push SR's hand away just yet.

"I– I can't, SR. It wouldn't be right. It's not like I don't want to–" His eyes are still locked with Rick's as he speaks, and there is this genuine faint longing lingering in them. "– but, I believe you're under the influence of something right now. And we– we both are bound to our duties. I value you already as a great and faithful friend and comrade." Maybe surprisingly so, considering all the terrible experiences he went through with 'the other' Rick. But ever since meeting an alternative Subprime too, Bishop is very open to believing that in other dimensions complete other versions of someone exist. Possibly even more so right now. He is genuinely happy to have found a friend who's also a like-minded spirit. It's not illogical to have strong feelings for him maybe, but not like this. "I really don't want to jeopardize that friendship with you only because I'm– missing these little cuddles. It would be selfish of me."

Rick feels his own lips curling in a grin in response to the smile that curled the Utrom's mouth. He couldn't tell what was making his stomach flatter the most, being the cause of that cute expression or said expression in itself.

For the greatest of the time they had spent together, the alien had been serious or, at most, a little awkward and uncertain. He had never seen him as relax and open as he was now and he couldn't help finding it terribly endearing.

And that adorable reaction to his clumsy compliment? He could have sworn that his heart had done a little flip at that.

SR opens his mouth, even if he doesn't have a reply to that hesitant "thank you", but luckily he's not given the chance to embarrass himself once again because the moment Bishop's tentacle touching his skin, he forgets what he was about to say.

"Y-Yeah. I'm alright," he answers, the words coming out in just a little more than a whisper. He moves his face, nuzzling against the slick appendage and pushing it to land on his jaw. "E-Even better now."

With just a hint of hesitation, he raises a gloved hand, resting it against the Utrom's cheek, thumb brushing the spot underneath the other's bottom lip. His breath itches as he finds that he can't look away from those yellow-green eyes, the temptation to lean in growing stronger with every breath.

[rosyjuly]

bee meet cute ideas buzzing around my head:

so we know that after abu dhabi, lewis hid from the world in colorado. what if, fuelled by anxiety about leaving his safe bubble for the 22 season, he impulse buys a little place in a little town in switzerland. it’s isolated, it’s got mountains, no one there knows him - it’s basically the same, right?

initially he does use it as a hideaway. the car is bad, the results aren’t coming, and everyone wants to talk about last season. after imola, he goes straight there, doesn’t even bother going back to his place in monaco.

but time moves on, and he heals, and the season starts improving, and he keeps going back. he stops hiding in the house and starts venturing into town. people raise their heads as he goes by. he doesn’t know if it’s because they recognise him or because he stands out - either as (let’s be real) the only black person in the little swiss town or just because he’s a new person. but, after they raise their heads, they nod. then they smile. and after a couple times, they greet him as he goes into town and stops by the bakery for fresh bread as a little treat to himself. the guy at the till speaks decent english, so they start to make small talk, eventually even medium talk. turns out he just works at the counter, and the mysterious baker remains a mystery. lewis thought he glimpsed him in the back once, while he was telling the counter guy how he misses good pastries since he went vegan. the next week, there’s a small batch of vegan raspberry danishes there.

one day on his walk back from town, he sees a table set up in a front garden. the small jars laid out on it are filled with honey. someone has doodles little bees buzzing about on the lids. there’s a sign that lewis has to use his phone to translate, telling him it’s from a local hive, and a small box for donations to reinvest in setting up more hives. lewis takes one, drops the only note he has in his wallet into the box, and tries the honey it with his bread the next morning.

it’s perfect. it tastes like switzerland, like the green and the mountains, like his new world he’s making for himself. the next time he sees the stand of jars, he buys an extra one to give to angela, and donates an unreal amount. the third time he sees the stand, he goes to pick up his jars and remembers an article he saw on twitter about whether honey was actually vegan. he wishes he’d read the article instead of just scrolling past the headline in a brief quiet moment between practices. he’s lingering there for at least five minutes, torn because his googling hasn’t made the issue any clearer. then a voice calls out from inside the house:

and then the actual meet cute happens. sorry for just dumping all this in your asks. it feels got away from me and i had to put it somewhere

anon i'm on the verge of actual tears, you really wrote all this and sent it to me :( and it's so perfect? i love every single word of it? "t’s perfect. it tastes like switzerland, like the green and the mountains, like his new world he’s making for himself." hello? i gasped when i read this part, this is such beautiful imagery. truly i can't do it justice but i shall try because i am SO grateful :(

the cottage is close enough to monaco that he can just pack up a duffel bag in the morning and be there early afternoon. roscoe loves it, loves the garden where he can chase after butterflies. lewis does his yoga on the soft green grass. it's grounding, in a way. he tries to spend as little time online as possible.

he goes to the bakery -- it sells wonderful sourdough and the rye bread isn't half bad either. once he pops in in the morning and brings a loaf for miles who's competing in [insert european country for some international tournament], who's delighted to have it toasted and with hummus after he wins (i know nothing of fencing i'm so sorry everyone).

the quick glimpse of the baker, if it's even them, reveals nothing more than a copper glint from the corner of his eye, but the next time he comes, the clerk is SO happy to see him, immediately pointing out the raspberry danishes -- also, lewis probably hasn't been there in a week or so due to a race, meaning that mystery baker has made the pastries every day ever since in the hopes that lewis would show up :(

the small doodles on the jar... and the note is signed off with a smiley with an actual nose: :-) he only has a 20 euro bill but it feels like a fair trade when he tries it the next morning with his vegan butter (omg anon you and me both like clicking our togues, trying to calculate with a cocked head how lewis would feel about whether honey is actually vegan... nobody tell us please. let us live in wistful ignorance). and then the voice calls out and by the gate, a scruffy man stands, the wind picking up stray strands of his curly hair. his name is sebastian he's beautiful in an unruly, earnest way, like combing his hair is the least of his priorities. it suits him somehow. sebastian's soft spoken and funny, invites lewis into his garden and shows him the hives, and somehow it feels like he's almost showing off. they have a discussion about whether it's exploitation -- the way sebastian's eyes glitter when he talks about his bees, it doesn't feel like it is. they sit on sebastian's porch and drink homemade lemonade and then sebastian brings out these soft vegan pretzels with sunflower seeds on top and lewis tells him that it's even better than the ones he gets from the town bakery and somehow that's what makes sebastian blush, his lovely cheeks coloring pink.

[secret-kpoplibrary]

The Prince's First Love Pt. 8

Pairing: Prince!Namjoon x Reader

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings: This chapter is the big dramatic reveal so- tensions are high ig

Genre: angsty with a fluffy ending

Summary: You've been working at the palace for much of your adult life, under specific instructions from The King. That is to stay as far from the prince as you can manage and certainly not to speak to him. Above all, you are never allowed to tell him the truth about how you ended up here. Which is all easy enough until doing one nice thing for his little cousin gets you his attention and suddenly you're doing everything you can to keep the king's skeletons in your closet while Prince Namjoon keeps trying to open it. If you thought keeping the prince in the dark would be simple you're about to find out just how difficult the royals make your life.

***

"Lotus flower!" The prince shouts. You stop and turn around.

"Your highness?" You frown.

"My lotus flower. You're Meadow. I-it's you." Namjoon says.

"What are you talking about Namjoon?" Annalise frowns.

"Why would you never tell me?" Namjoon looks at you.

"I- I couldn't."

"You knew. You knew this whole time and didn't say anything."

"I really couldn't tell you." You say slowly.

"No- I need more than that from you."

"Am I missing something here?" Annalise asks putting herself directly in front of Namjoon.

"It's her. The friend I told you about that I met in the field as a child. It's her- she's been here this whole time."

"The one who disappeared one day?" Annalise asks.

"Yes. I can't believe I didn't notice all this time. I should've known from that day in our meadow." Namjoon exasperates.

"It was my meadow first." You grit out.

"Y/n- why didn't you say anything?" Annalise asks.

"All that time you spent trying to convince me to forget about her- telling me I'd never see her again and you were right in front of me the entire time. How could you?" Namjoon glares at you.

"Can we- maybe not do this here?" You ask.

"I deserve an explanation."

"And I will give you one but not here. You've already said enough to get me beheaded." You grimace.

"What?" He frowns.

"We need to continue this conversation somewhere else. Somewhere more private. I've said it a hundred times the walls have ears." You grit out.

"I'm sure you have somewhere in mind." He gestures for you to lead the way.

"Now?"

"Yes now."

"But- Lady Annalise and I-"

"I'm sure Lady Annalise can spare you for a few moments."

"Actually I'd be much more comfortable if you had this conversation with me present." Annalise speaks up.

"I understand that Lady Annalise but this is a conversation we need to have in private." Namjoon says.

"You can't possibly expect me to be okay with that?" Annalise frowns.

"Whether you're okay with it or not you're going to have to accept it."

"Your highness- that's insensitive. I understand that you're upset but Annalise is not responsible for that and even if you're mad at me you should at least still show her compassion." You say. Namjoon takes a deep breath.

"Annalise- I promise I- we will explain everything to you afterwards but I'd really like to understand what's going on first before having to discuss it with other people so I need to speak to y/n alone." Namjoon explains. Annalise looks between the two of you several times before she speaks again.

"Fine. But I expect an explanation." She huffs.

"You'll get one. Y/n?" Namjoon gestures to you. You exit the palace and lead Namjoon through the gardens to a secluded area.

"I'm sorry for lying to you but I really didn't have a choice." You tell him.

"There's always a choice."

"Not when the king threatens to kill your entire family to maintain control of his son." 

"Wait- what?"

"I told you keeping my origin a secret wasn't a personal choice, it was a matter of my family's safety. When I was thirteen your father came to my home because he found out we were friends. He told me we could never see each other again. Of course, I thought- if we were never to see each other again he would have told you the same but, he never did so- I continued to meet with you in the meadow, because it was my meadow and I didn't wanna give it up. He returned a few months later and told me if I ever spoke to you again he would raise my entire village and that since I couldn't follow directions he would take me from my parents on the day I turned eighteen. And on my eighteenth birthday, he did just that. Brought me to the palace and told me if I ever told you the truth I'd find my family's heads on pikes to greet me at the guillotine."

"No- you can't be serious." Namjoon looks shocked.

"No? Then ask yourself why would I disappear without a word of goodbye, appear in the palace five years later only to hide from you and practically beg you to forget about me when we finally cross paths again? You've always known your father was a cruel man. It's why you ran away so often. Why you ran to me! Don't tell me you suddenly believe his cruelty couldn't possibly reach so far." You glare at him.

"I just don't understand how our friendship could cause him to react so severely."

"He's punished people for less. Your father doesn't believe compassion is a word to be used in regards to a king and befriending a commoner will teach you compassion the king fears he cannot metaphorically beat out of you."

"This was much too far I mean- he destroyed one of the most important relationships I've ever had because he thought it would make me a bad king?!"

"Namjoon he's done worse. He's ruthless, raised by a ruthless king of course he'd intend to make you the same. Your mother's death only made it easier. You can't say anything to him Namjoon. He'd kill me, he'd kill my whole family. This has to remain between us."

"Y/n I can't just stay quiet about this. You and your family are in danger because of me. I have to talk to him." Namjoon frowns.

"No- you can't. Namjoon I mean it, it'll ruin everything. We can tell Lady Annalise but you can't go talking to the king he won't listen to you. If you show even the slightest sign of caring about me-"

"I do care about you." He cuts you off.

"You can't. What part of that is unclear to you?!" You huff.

"I don't understand how you can be so nonchalant about this."

"I've spent years dealing with this Namjoon. I know this is all new to you but I've been coping since I was thirteen so excuse me if I'm not one for the theatrics anymore. I've accepted all of this." You wave dismissively.

"But what if we could fix it?"

"What if we make it worse? The situation is already very precarious. The king takes care of my family and anything you do could result in their suffering. I'm not willing to take that risk Namjoon."

"Not even for a chance at your own happiness?"

"My happiness depends on the safety of my family. Do not pose a threat to that Namjoon I'm serious. Even if the king doesn't kill me anything happens to my family because of you and you lose me forever." You tell him. Namjoon sighs and pulls you towards him.

"You're so stubborn." He says kissing the top of your head.

"Your highness I-" You trail as you feel your cheeks heat.

"I won't speak to my father. But I hope you know I can't marry Annalise now."

"You have to. The king would start asking questions you can't answer. You have to continue as if you don't know who I am it's the only way."

"How can I when you've come back to me?"

"I haven't. We still can't be together, that hasn't changed. Everything I told you is still true."

"Annalise wouldn't even go for it."

"I'm sure once we explain everything to her she'll understand." You say.

"You can't possibly expect her to just go along with marrying a man who is in love with another and one so close."

"Namjoon you don't love me. You barely even know me. I mean- it's been years seen we've actually known each other things have changed. You've changed I've changed."

"Sure we aren't the kids we were when we met but I've known since we were 9 and 10 that you were the only person I'd want to spend my life with." Namjoon says.

"I offered you something normal."

"If that's what you want to call it fine but y/n you mean more to me than anyone I've ever met. You were the only person who ever knew the real me and liked me for who I was."

"Now just wait a minute Annalise really cares about you, you know."

"Maybe so, and I care for her too but, there are things you know about me- things you were there to support me through that- at least for me created a bond that I can't replicate with Lady Annalise."

"Namjoon- our friendship was very important to me, but those years are long behind us. Look- right now I think we should talk to Annalise so we can make a plan on how to move forward."

"You're so-"

"Calculating I know. I have to be. Both because of my proximity to the king and because there are lives at stake here. This is what your father worried about because of our friendship. You're so kind, which is wonderful but it's making this whole thing harder on you. Come, let's go find Annalise." You say heading out of the garden and back towards the palace. You make your way to Annalise's room with Namjoon in tow. When you enter the room she stands.

"You're back." She says looking at you both.

"Yes and we need to talk about what we're going to do now." You nod.

"What we're going to do?" She frowns.

"You're going to want to have a seat for this one Lis-" Namjoon tells her. Annalise takes a seat and you launch full scale into the story, everything from how you and Namjoon met as kids to essentially now.

"Wow, so that's the big secret." She blinks when you finally finish.

"Yes I hope you can understand why I wouldn't tell you before."

"Yeah there's no way I could've kept all of that a secret from Namjoon. I'm surprised you were able to."

"I didn't have a choice- I needed to protect my family. I still do." You say.

"Which leads to the next crazy part of all this-"

"We aren't done with crazy?" Annalise cuts Namjoon off with her question.

"With y/n crazy never ends." Namjoon scoffs.

"Hello?! You're the one who thought talking to your father was a good idea. I think if anyone in this room is crazy it's not me." You retort.

"I think you're both crazy but can we get back on topic here? What's this about the next crazy thing?" Annalise looks at you both.

"Y/n thinks we should still get married." Namjoon says.

"You have to. The king won't just allow you out of your engagement and you can't give him the reason for wanting out, my family is still very much in danger because of this and now that Namjoon knows it's even more important that the king stays in the dark! I've already broken the terms of our agreement he could kill them for this alone." You explain.

"I just think there has to be another solution to this than-"

"I'm not quite sure why any of this should change our engagement status actually. Why wouldn't we still be getting married Namjoon?" Annalise frowns at him.

"Exactly Namjoon- why should it change anything regarding your engagement?" You glare at him.

"I just wish you'd let me talk to my father about any of this." He sighs.

"Namjoon you can't do that. She's told you already that the king said he would kill them if you ever learned the truth about her being here. Why would talking to him do anything except aggravate an already delicate situation?" Annalise crosses her arms.

"At least you understand." You sigh. "I've been trying to tell him this for weeks now- before he even knew who I was. He never lets anything go." You scoff.

"I'm sorry I refuse to believe that there aren't other options here than pretending nothing has changed."

"Namjoon the rules are different for people like me and y/n- sometimes we don't have choices because we don't make the rules. Y/n even more so than me- at least my family is wealthy enough to make a few of our own but certainly not enough to always have other options." Annalise explains.

"I'm outnumbered." Namjoon says with a headshake.

"You are- and if you say anything to the king, Namjoon I will never forgive you. It won't matter if I live or die you will never see me again. I mean it."

"I've already told you I won't speak to him- that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it." He huffs.

"If you're not going to be happy about it fine but be upset quietly- there's no point in complaining about what we cannot change. I made my peace with all this years ago and all you'll do is bring those feelings back." You sigh.

"Namjoon please, do not make this harder on y/n, she's already going through a lot. Just do what she asks." Annalise says sympathetically.

"Fine. I'll leave things as they are. You're both clearly set on this so no point in arguing." Namjoon throws his hands up.

"Maybe I should have told you all of this sooner Annalise then we wouldn't be in this mess." You joke, crossing your arms. Annalise laughs and Namjoon's mouth drops open with fake indignation. For the time being it seems like all is right with the world and you feel like you can rest. You can only hope that it lasts.

***

Part 8/???

[yjwhatif]

With the semi/cryptic confirmation of Ed and Barts relationship in the series I have a question:

Do you think everyone knows about them (in world) or do you think they’re keeping it secret from some?

It’s just a thought that’s been in my head recently. It is most likely fuelled by the whole drama of G&B not being able to depict a “specific character” (it’s definitely Bart) as gay. They’ve had to hide the relationship from their audience - because of ridiculous reasons - but there are still moments that bring up the question - Are they? Before the reveals from AskGreg, I kinda thought- well they are clearly not together yet, but perhaps they both have feelings for one another and are just waiting for the other to make the next move because they’re nervous idiots who don’t want to have read the situation wrong — all while their friends are like - seriously guys? just get together already. Kinda like they did in s1 with Wally and Artemis - and I guess early Supermartian as well - which I would have been okay with... though with the likelihood of there being at least another two year time skip you’d probably have missed the getting together moment - which would kinda suck. Anyway. With the information about the chances being they were supposed to clearly be in a relationship throughout S3 — which makes the whole structuring of ILLUSIONS just make sense — it’s got me viewing their moments with a whole new energy. Also, I saw this post by Greg —

And let me just clarify, I have no idea if this is actually referencing the Ed and Bart stuff, it might not be (probably isn't). This is purely me speculating.

My reading of this is they got told they couldn’t depict Bart as gay pretty late on and that specifically affected ILLUSIONS where they likely intended to confirm the relationship with that first shot - the kiss on the cheek moment. Even now that moment is just odd - because it’s there but it’s not - because technically there is no actual kiss… which I think is absolutely the point. It plants the seed without actually breaking any rules - all by keeping the momentum but removing the specific kiss frame. It’s the only moment that I feel is explicit in saying they are in a relationship - everything else you can just read into and imply there’s something - but they technically don’t confirm anything.

The whole thing is actually quite interesting - despite the reasoning for it being totally ridiculous. By keeping/showing what they did... People notice it. People talk about it. People reflect on it. More people talk about it. People writing. Make. Create. Discuss it. An entire audience is formed who want and support it. It’s a whole thing now because people noticed it and generated a positive response to it - and that was before all the AskGreg information. The whole reason YJ got a season 3 is because the fans fought to get it back. Enough people talked about it - and kept talking about it - to convince TPTB that the show should come back. Greg and Brandon know this. They know the power the fans have and maybe they hoped that power would help them again in freeing Bart from these ridiculous restrictions. #letbartoutofthecloset

Obviously, we can't know until S4 is released whether G&B got the permission to confirm Bart's sexuality the way they envisioned - but maybe the responses that came during the release of 3b were enough to convince TPTB that they were fighting a losing battle. But who knows, people in power can be very stubborn at times, so we will just have to see what we get. Fingers crossed they eased up though - and not just because of the Ed/Bart relationship (which I am obviously a fan of -- it's fine if not everyone is) - but because these restrictions on LGBTQ+ content shouldn't be a thing and need to stop -- there is just no validity in them.

Anyhow. despite their not being allowed to officially confirm the relationship, Greg's comment about Ed's having a boyfriend they can't name basically confirms the fact without technically breaking any rules again. Masterfully done Wiesman. With this, it implies the pair are in fact dating during S3 which brings us back to the original question... but who knows??

With the comments of Virgil during ILLUSIONS, it's easy to assume their friends do in fact know. They also seem to have no problem being close and interacting with one another whilst in the presence of others -- that is, except for one moment...

Ever since the first time I saw this episode (ELDER WISDOM) I have always found this moment strange - because Ed seems to get kinda awkward when Barry comes to check on Bart. (Or that's how I see it at least.) He realises Flash is standing there and immediately pulls his head down averting his gaze -- almost like he doesn't want to be seen by the elder. But why? Does Barry not know about the pair -- or maybe he doesn't know about Bart and Ed thinks their current closeness is too revealing -- who's to say Bart's even fully out to the world yet -- who's to say either of them are? We certainly don't since we weren't allowed to be shown. We can't know until we know - so until then we can play the speculation game while we wait.

Bart is certainly a bit of a secret keeper when it comes to being himself. I'm still convinced the Bart we see onscreen is merely his interpretation of what he thinks people expect from a speedster in this time. We saw 'real' Bart, he was snarky and cynical and nothing like the Bart we've had for the past two seasons. He said it himself - he's playing a character - and I don't think he knows how to break out of it - not while the possibility exists that it might hurt those he's grown to care about. Bart wants to be seen a certain way to avoid acknowledging the truth of the past - if people see him as happy and smiley, then no one will question him on things he doesn't want to talk about. The problem with that is you can't hide yourself forever - cracks begin to form and eventually, the truth comes out whether you want it to or not. So who knows how comfortable Bart is revealing any of his true self to those he cares about. Maybe his relationship with Ed will be the thing that finally helps him find comfort in being himself, whilst also trusting others to still accept him as himself... and maybe getting him that bit of therapy he really needs.

This brings us to Eduardo… First, can I just say it made me so happy to see Greg’s confirmation of Ed being gay - though it is slightly annoying that he was robbed of his explicit onscreen reveal in S3 thanks to the drama with Bart. His whole relationship to his powers in S2 to S3 fits the representation of coming to terms with your sexuality/identity from a very negative point of view. Feeling like it’s something that needs fixing or needs to be “cured” - to then finding the light and freedom in accepting yourself for you. His growth between seasons is brilliant. He understands the hate and insecurity the teens are feeling because he felt it himself. He does all he can to help them because he never felt he got that help when he needed it - and no one deserves to feel worse for being who they are. Obviously, the things he talks about are framed in the context of dealing with/accepting the meta-gene - yet there are certain moments where it seems he’s saying more than that…

All of which got me wondering - why did Ed originally runaway? It certainly wasn’t because of the meta-abilities he did not yet have. All he’s ever said on the subject was he thought he wanted to be with his father - the man it seems he barely had a relationship with. No, I think Ed has been running from himself for a long time and his dad just happened to be an actual direction for him to aim for. The way he speaks about his wanting to be “cured” and “praying to get rid of his powers” suggests an upbringing around religion and traditional ideas of there being a ‘normal/proper’ way to be — while anything that doesn’t fit that way is treated as other or something that needs to be changed or 'fixed'. Maybe he ran to avoid being found out and run the risk of being ostracised by those he loved. Or maybe he was found out and leaving wasn’t entirely his choice*. If this was the case, I can certainly imagine him not wanting to come out to his dad for fear of his reaction and completely losing all chance of that father-son relationship they’re both trying so hard to keep. It can seem easier to live in secret than risk the reality of loss. So while the meta-gene likely wasn’t the main thing he was angry about in S2, it was able to become a physical thing he could blame and focus his anger on - without having to think about where his issues truly lied… Though with a bit of time it also became the thing he was comfortable conveying his feelings through...

“I’ve learned to accept, even love my meta-abilities”

I love this line so much and it’s all because of the delivery by Freddy Rodrigues. There is the slightest hint of a pause before he says “meta-abilities”, which gives the impression he was about to say something else before then remembering himself and who he was talking to. Then there’s the small inflecion he put on “love”, which makes it sound like it’s the first time he’s heard himself say the words out loud. I don’t hear him talking about the gene - I hear him talking about finally accepting himself - all of himself - for the first time in maybe ever and finally feeling happy because of it. I hear growth... From being the angry 14-year-old skater who just wanted to run away and escape any way he could. To the 16-year-old councillor/Outsider jumping straight into the danger to protect and inspire those who need it. Both he and Bart are such strong characters with so much more to be seen - especially when it comes to the insecurities which lie behind their masks. They both compliment each other pretty perfectly - both powers-wise and personality-wise - meaning while they try to hide themself from others, I don't think it'll take long for them to realise they can't hide from each other.

Anywho, that’s all the speculatary nonsense I’ve got for today. This turned into such a patchwork of vaguely linkable thoughts I’ve had which barely relate to the one I started with - but that is usually how it goes. Take it as you will…

Also, completely unrelated to YJ, but Bi Tim Drake now exists in dc canon which is really cool - seeing all of the joy it’s sparked has really given me something to smile about this week… There is hope after all. 🌈

— LB ⚡️☀️

* OK so here’s a little random snapshot into the chaos of my mind— as I was writing the Ed stuff I had a scene pop into my head of Ed finally -for whatever reason- having to tell his dad that he didn’t leave his abuelo’s home - he got kicked out. His dads confused about this and asks Why? What did you do? And Ed’s like Nothing… I didn’t do anything wrong… he just… found out something. So Seniors like Found out what Eduardo? And Ed’s getting really nervous now because he doesn’t want to say it - That I, um… I’m… Senior step a fraction closer as he picks up on Ed’s anxiety but remains an appropriate distance - Son? Then after a tensening silence he finally says it - sounding the most vulnerable he has ever been - I’m gay… The silence is there again, heavy and unnerving, neither saying a word. Ed can’t move as he’s lock in his elders unreadable glare. Expecting the worse his head drops to take in the floor - anything that isn’t the disappointment ahead - he feels the urge to disappear burning up inside him - consuming him. Then just as he’s about to escape he’s suddenly grounded by a steadying hand rooting itself on his shoulder. Tentatively he lifts his gaze to witness his father, there, with nothing but love and support in his eyes - Mijo. The clamping in his chest dissipates as all the tension escapes at once, along with the breath he hadn’t realised he was holding. Ed embraces his dad and the elder embraces his son. Together. A family.

Anyway. That’s probably a load of rubbish but hey my minds full of it… but basically I really want to see a tender moment between Ed and his dad. For whatever reason. Something where Ed’s in a vulnerable state and in need of some emotional support from his father - and without hesitation his father steps up - because that’s what we haven’t seen from them yet. It would perfectly portray the strength of their relationship as father and son - despite their previous struggles - and prove that Senior is willing to support his son no matter the situation as the father - not just the scientist. Its the final step in their healing journey and I wanna see it so bad!!

[reallunargift]

gonna blabber more because yes, as unsubtle as my shippy art and tags can be, I also imagine them as quite... low-key a lot of the time. Of course there is passion and drama and conflict (SO much conflict), but the trope of looking at the one you love fondly without telling them outright how you feel is *chef's kiss* and Presságio is perfect for that and at the end of this post I talk more about it. But mostly I'll talk about Port and nyo!Spain and I don't promise much coherence, it's more of a stream of consciousness.

Ok so I think about these two a lot and while my base personality for the canonverse and nyoverse characters is the same, the way they were treated in society was not and that influenced their development and the way they interact with others.

I've said before that Port's way of expressing his feelings for Toni varied depending on whether they were on equal terms/his own power. The same is true when it comes to nyo!Spain, except I think it was easier to make his feelings clearer without having to spell them out. Because there were certain conventions to follow and expectations, and I see them taking full advantage of those.

You look at courtly love and all and see small gestures/gifts being taken as obvious declarations of love. Stuff that could be brushed off as "they're best friends, what a strong friendship :)" between two men or two women would be seen as clearly romantic with a man and a woman. (Of course the other side of the coin is that chances to be alone with each other were harder to come by than with regular spaport or nyo!spaport)

Also I like to imagine the reps travelling to attend royal weddings if possible because it's more opportunity for interactions, and Portugal had so many with the neighbouring kingdom that Port and nyo!Spain would have met under friendly circumstances many times. I'm especially unhinged about Manuel I and Isabel of Aragon and the sense they must have faced that holy shit this is it, they're really gonna merge the kingdoms with Miguel's birth, better start acting like the married couple you're gonna be soon. It did not go that way, of course (not until later and in different circumstances anyway), but I think here was when most of the obvious shows of love would have happened on Port's part.

I'm super worried about making spa/port ever seem like a sea of roses because it's not, and not acknowledging the bad times is the one thing that turns me off of a ship immediately, so again, there was a LOT of conflict between Port and nyo!Spain too. Things could get nasty real quick, but that's part of why I love them too, and it makes the sweet moments all the sweeter. Because ah look at what could be. It also makes the bitter moments all the more bitter. I can't explain it, but if something seems possible yet is not happening... it must be because one (or both) is choosing not to make it happen. It's a choice, a conscious refusal, and that hurts more.

But that's not the point of this post, the point of this post is to ramble about these two while my food is in the oven, but especially that specific flavour of soft and unspoken love, of Port gifting nyo!Spain a fan and the next time seeing her use it while talking to someone or other about politics and smiling to himself before doing the same. The warmth in his heart when centuries later they're all having an informal get together and it's a hot afternoon and she whips it out and fans herself while complaining about the sangría.

--

So Presságio's lyrics are actually the poem "O amor, quando se revela" by Fernando Pessoa, just with some stanzas repeating. There are quite a few musical adaptations, but Júlio Resende's piano really embodies the softness that I imagine for this trope with Port and nyo!Spain.

.

Love, when it reveals itself, Does not know how to reveal itself. It knows well* how to look at her But does not know how to speak to her.

Someone who wants to say what he** feels Does not know what to say. He speaks: it looks like he lies... He keeps quiet: it looks like he forgets...

Ah, but if she could guess If she could hear the look And if a look was enough for her To know that she is being loved!

But someone who feels a lot, keeps quiet; Someone who wants to say how much he feels Ends up with no soul nor speech Ends up alone, entirely!

But if this could tell her What I do not dare tell her, I will no longer have to speak to her Because I am speaking to her...

--

*Sabe bem can mean two things: To know well, and to taste/feel good. So this line means "(the lover) knows well how to look at her (the beloved)" and "it feels good (for the lover) to look at her (the beloved)"

**I used "he" for ease of reading because in pt the personal pronouns are dropped and using "one" seemed a little too fancy but using "they" ran the risk of making it seem like different perspectives are in play when it's all from one person's point of view.

--

And yeah, listening to it gives me the most vivid image of Port looking at nyo!Spain as she does whatever mundane little thing, sighing in mild frustration at the impossibility, and continuing staring. idk, I love yearning and so does he

Also I know I didn't really go into nyo!Spain's side much in this post, partly because the song/poem that sparked it made me think of Port's pov, but I think she's more frustrated than him lmao. Because she knows how he feels, yet it's him also doing most of the stubborn refusing, and then he has the gall to look at her like that, like they're some impossible, doomed thing.

I am once again thinking about them (PortxnyoSpa) and how perfectly salvador’s presságio fits them 😔

[no-brain-just-akutagawa]

Incoherent rambling on about Dazai's arm

Listen, I myself didn't expect my ass to end up like this but I'd be lying if I said this whole reveal didn't make me think. I started wondering about how it impacts the different aspects of Dazai's design and fan perception of him so of course I had to write a short analysis of everything that's been surrounding it and drag you into it.

No brain cells were used during the creation of this analysis.

More under the cut:

How does it impact Dazai's enjoyers?

I want to start off by saying that it's funny how people are actually divided on whether Dazai has been secretly exercising OR he has skinny twig arms. Currently, it's pretty much 50/50. Even if for now there hasn't been any consensus on which group is correct, both sides are equally enthusiastic and that's what matters. I'm not gonna use any screen shots as evidence (I'm not gonna snitch on the arm enjoyers, don't worry) so you have to believe me on this one or check it yourselves. I personally have no opinion in this regard because I don't know shit about muscles but it's been on my mind for days now and I did go down the rabbit hole so it speaks for itself.

For me, seeing a part of his arm exposed like that for the first time was actually quite surprising, because until now it has always been covered. Due to that, I interpreted it more as a character design in a similar way unrealistic anime hairstyles aren't supposed to be questioned, just accepted as they are. Not something that has any relevancy. That's why I thought we weren't going to see his skin under the bandages at all and the sight of this small part of his arm shocked me a little bit.

I like how it wasn't a dramatic reveal or anything, just him rolling up his sleeve. After 100 chapters (including the 0.5 ones too), it was so random and yet so realistic. Like irl there are mostly no grand reveals when it comes to things like tattoos or scars. People do stuff and they're visible. That's it. Obviously, it's usually more like your friend who wears contact lenses is wearing their glasses for the first time since you've met them but still, I like how Dazai showing his arm wasn't treated as a big deal by the characters. It makes me wonder how the ADA would react to this reveal.

How does it impact the consistency of Dazai's design?

Dazai usually has anywhere from 3 to 7 "big" bandage wraps throughout the manga (I'm not gonna talk about the anime because the design is slightly different) and this number isn't consistent even within the same chapter and doesn't really change (the number becomes neither bigger nor smaller over time. It's mostly consistently 3–7 wraps, so I think Harukawa pays attention to that so very cool on their part). I think there were 2 instances when there were shown more bandage wraps and they were when he was in the hospital and when he was threatening Kouyou.

Sidenote: in the Kouyou panel, he's rolling up his right sleeve, so it's possible that he wears more bandages on the right arm than on the left. I don't think it was ever explicitly stated that he wears his bandages symmetrically, so even if we collectively agreed on that, it still might be wrong. If he wears them asymmetrically, I'm gonna go feral.

What it means in practice is that we can't really argue about the number of wraps while analysing this panel as the number of wraps shown here is within the usual range, so it's realistic.

What is more, the length of the coat changes too, HOWEVER, it never goes above the elbow (besides that one instance shown below). From my observation, it doesn't even go higher than the exact point of the bandage wrap end in this chapter. If I'm correct, it will mean that there were times in the manga when the sleeve was barely covering the bandage, but usually it was down the middle part of his forearm, so no plot holes here.

I quickly want to say that as a fan of coats I love Dazai's design and the fact that his coat changes length depending on movement like coats do

How does it impact the aesthetic factor?

To begin with, we don't really know if this length is how Dazai always wears his bandages or if he's wearing them like that in the current chapter because he's in prison and they don't allow him to wear more. For the sake of my wondering, I'm gonna go with the former, but the latter is just as possible.

We don't know exactly how much skin Dazai leaves uncovered but we definitely see how much is left covered and that is at least most of his forearms and his neck probably down to his sternum [did you guys know that all vertebrate besides fish have sterna? I keep learning because of bsd] because the most unbuttoned shirt we've seen him wear is in the 4th chapter and he has bandages there.

If Dazai wears bandages for the aesthetic, it makes sense for them to only be present where people can see them.

How does it impact the functional factor?

There's obviously the idea that he wears bandages not to accidentally nullify people around him and in this case, it would make sense for him to only wear bandages where people can directly touch his skin. From what we've seen up until now, this option doesn't seem likely, but it's still my go to theory when someone asks me why Dazai wears bandages. It could be a mixture of this and what I'm about to discuss.

I think this is the part when I have to put a trigger warning because I will discuss stuff surrounding self-harming.

From what Oda said in the light novel, we can figure out that the main reason (or at least a partial reason if he really does do it for The Fashion) why Dazai wears bandages is due to the scars he has. It's important that we're never told what these scars exactly are, where they're located and how Dazai got them. It's implied that a vast majority is due to self-harm and Dazai's "clumsiness" but we've also see him get shot or stabbed multiple times so these things definitely left scars.

When it comes to self-harm, it makes sense that his scars would be located at the lower part of his forearms or somewhere we can't see them. There are some lines visible on his elbow but whether they're scars or just shadows or some other art style thing, it's hard to tell. I also want to say that whether Dazai self-harms or not doesn't change his morality. Having or not having scars doesn't make anyone more or less human. Scarring is something permanent so judging somebody's morality based on scars they can't undo is unfair. I've seen people talking about it, so I wanted to quickly share my 2 cents.

There's also the aspect of his neck and if he's hiding scars there I think it's probably either something to do with being shot/slashed there (like certain characters did in the past, not saying any names but we all know who I'm taking about) or failed hanging attempts. Both seem plausible enough so we will have to wait and see.

In conclusion

Dazai's arm reveal was a very cool event that didn't completely destroy people's vision of Dazai but at the same time raised some new questions. Right now, I'm wondering the most if his bandages are symmetrical because, as I said, I kind of accepted that they are, but this chapter made me think that maybe I shouldn't have. If Dazai wears asymmetrical bandages, I'll like his design even more because I adore this kind of asymmetry in character designs.

We still don't know the exact purpose of these bandages but if Dazai had no problem randomly showing his uncovered skin around the DOA members, it means it doesn't matter to him. Or at least it isn't that much of a big deal as it could've seem from how secretive he was before. Maybe his feelings surrounding bandages changed throught the series?

I wonder if we're going to see more of Dazai's skin in the future or if that was just a one-time thing from Asagiri and Harukawa to send us into a frenzy. If they wanted to turn us into victorian townfolks who go crazy because they've seen an ankle for the first time then they succeeded. Oh, they succeeded.