#sometimes i can't even stand to look at certain characters bc of this

[heartbellamy]

you ever think about how most of clarke’s ‘friends/family’ just really didn’t give a shit about her? how even when she attempted/threatened to take her own life in front of some of them they didn’t particularly even care? i’ll forever be bitter about how this so-called ~feminist show~ hated its own female lead so much it cared more about her torment and isolation than it ever once did about her well-being or god forbid her happiness

[cursedvida]

It's really crazy to me to see the hate Mae gets, like I was reading some reviews and I can understand not liking a character but as soon as they start with the name calling their opinion is invalid to me because they have no reason to be calling her a bitch, among other things, like it just reeks of mysogyny, (it's like they just want an excuse to call women names) and seeing it coming from other girls makes it worse like..

"Oh the girl was such a bitch why did she do that 🙄" ..is it really that hard to think for a moment about the circumstances in which mae was raised?? Do they need it spell it out for them?? Like, c'mon guys do you really think that the people trapped in a bunker for generations have anything nice to teach/say about the apes?? Wes Ball please give us Mae's backstory in the sequel!! Your audience needs it bc they are out there calling Mae the real villain and saying Proximus was right 💀 (when he was literally everything Caesar hated in an ape)

Look, I'm usually a polite person when expressing my opinions, but I'm fed up with the hate towards Mae, basically because the arguments people give seem incredibly basic to me, typical of people with little to no understanding. Sometimes I doubt if these people have watched the same movie as me or maybe they have some sort of cognitive dissonance, but seriously, I find them ridiculous. Either that, or they are basically the typical comments from misogynistic guys or women with internalized misogyny who can't stand morally gray and questionable female characters.

And well, having said that, I'm going to present my doctoral thesis on this topic:

One of the things I've seen the most is people saying that Mae is evil, the true villain, or an ungrateful traitor to Noa. This argument seems quite incomprehensible to me because, even though we don't have much data about her, I believe there's something very important that explains why she acts as she does: the Proximus apes killed the people in her group, including her mother. I mean: her damn mother. If we add to that the UNDERSTANDING (I mean, you have to be very short-minded not to assume something so obvious) that she has been raised in an environment where they've probably told her all her life that the apes are the reason for all the evils of humanity and the main reason why humans live in shitty conditions, I think anyone with half a brain has enough information to understand why she does what she does.

Yes, Noa is a good guy, but he's not helping her. Noa and Mae have a common goal and decide to ally themselves momentarily to achieve that goal, which is to reach Proximus. As much as they've formed a bond throughout the story, it's not yet strong enough for Mae to set aside what she has worked for so hard. Mae not only bears the weight of humanity on her shoulders but also emotionally carries the idea that she, as the sole survivor of her group, must complete the mission at all costs. Are those who criticize her telling me that if they truly thought that with certain actions they could not only save their species but also honor their loved ones who have been killed infront their eyes, they wouldn't do them? And that they wouldn't do them for someone they've just met, no matter how much they like them? That's just not realistic, it makes no sense. We would all do the same as Mae in her situation. I mean, I have no doubts.

Another thing I love is when they say she's the "true villain" as if it weren't clear enough that she feels bad every time since she forms a bond with Raka and Noa when she does something that she knows may harm them. She feels pain for Raka's death and clearly, you can also see the conflict and remorse when she detonates the bomb. It's not something she enjoys doing, but she HAS to do it. In the final scene, even though she's carrying a gun, you can also clearly see her in conflict with herself. Clearly, she doesn't want to kill him. Clearly, she has nothing against Noa, and this is evident when she finally accepts the necklace and they even shake hands. You can't tell me that's the attitude of a villain, narratively it's not presented as such, and seeing it that way is to have understood nothing.

Mae is a complex character whose life is based on survival, she's no different from the characters we're used to loving and idolizing in other post-apocalyptic series, the difference here for me is that she's human and humans have to be bad by default and also that she's a woman. Because female characters always have to be the support, the romantic interest, or the unconditional friends of heroic male characters, and Mae is none of that. Mae is a character with her own story and ambitions that go beyond Noa's plot. Mae has her own plot, and it seems that's something that bothers people a lot.

I'm sorry, but the hate towards Mae seems very similar to the one people had for Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, which basically stemmed from people being misogynistic and hating complex and imperfect female characters, combined with how much they hate seeing protagonist characters with such human and real characteristics that they can't bear the idea of seeing themselves reflected in them.

But hey, for Sansa Stark, I would have killed, and now for Mae too. Mae haters basically DNI

[short-black-diamond]

Tokyo revengers with a muslim friend :D

part two , tr with a muslim wife

Hey guys, I just wanted to write a quick blurb on how the tokyo rev characters would react/ or have a friend who is a muslim, sth like an exchange student. It's going to be character x fem!reader mostly. Also, I am writing this for a friend who is a muslim and she wanted me to write this because "Ramadan" => fasting season for the muslims is arriving in less than five days, so yeah, happy reading!

Its sfw, with mostly platonic things but getting a little romantig and crush like for the characters and yeah, I also Indulged Hinata and Emma cuz I love Them

Also I have never really watched tokyo revengers, so I'll try to make it into headcannons:D

Warnings: cursing, stupid boys trying to be polite and whatnot

Characters: Mikey, Draken, Takemichi, Hinata, Emma, Angry, Smiley, Mitsuya, Chifuyu, Baji

---

Scenario: You moved to Japan because your parents had better salaray here and now your are here, in a new school and with many people you don't know, and of course, you are asked about the thing around your head, why you never wear pants and just long skirts, and in over all, always vanish at a certain time - multiple times a day.

...

Mikey:

man had no idea why your hair was covered

Mikey thought that you had cancer or something to be honest

when you explained him why you were wearing it, he understood. Partly.

When you also told him about ramadan and about the fasting season, mans was not having it.

"wait does that mean that you're not allowed to eat and drink anything for a whole month?!"

he was feeling pity on you (you had to explain that you'd be fasting everyday form four in the morning to the fourth praying time around 18 o'clock and that it was actually fine

then you had to explain to him that it was actually okay and that you cherished this season because you could repent to your god and beg for forgiveness for all the "sins" you committed

like girl shut up you are too pure and precious, the most you could've done is steal a lollypop when you were eight

he didn't really make a huge deal out of anything else but just freaked out at the food part bc why would you fast a whole month??

Mans just loving food and can't understand why you'd do it even when you give him valid reasons

also doesn't understand when you sometimes look at your phone before excusing yourself quickly

thinks that you have an important meeting but you return like ten minutes later? Whenever you guys meet up with the others, and you guys are doing sth from 12 to 16 o'clock, you vanish at 1 and 15 and come back shortly

Mikey doesn't like that whole dissappearing thing and just decides to follow you one day

He finds you in the girls bathroom at first and you step out after a few minutes with a wet face and socks in your hands, going into an empty classroom

As he opens the door, he sees you standing in the room on a rectangular carpet and hands folded on top of each other on your chest while facing a specific direction

he tries to analyse what you're doing but doesn't get the hang of it

then you bow with your upper body going down with your hands on your knees and straight legs in a 90° manner, stand up, raise your hands to your heads level, and lower your whole body this time, then sitting up, and bowing down again all the while muttering something

as you were doing this movement a three more times and you were at the end where you look to your right choulder and then to your left, you fold your hands in front of you and close your eyes while muttering something

Mikey just stood there, watching you as you finished...whatever you were doing and then asked you about it.

"praying five times a day? So often? and you have to wash your hands, face, ears, hair, neck, arms and feet for that?" "Yes, to be clean for my prayer. Sorry that I didn't tell you sooner.."

Assures you that it's okay, apologizes for following you and now knows why you always dissapear, but doesn't understand what you are doing at the end of your prayer

When he asks you about it, you just go: "It's called a "dua". There, I can ask god for whatever I crave and "insha allah"(=if god wills, it will happen), I will get it. I usually pray for us all to have a bright future, my family staying wealthy and healthy, my brothers finding good wives and for all kind of the living in this world to find their way to heaven."

at that, Mikey blushed a little and his eyes lit up

you were really praying for everybody and everything to be okay

his heart started beating faster when he thought about how you were praying for him too to come to heaven

As you are talking about your religion so passionately, he can't help but wonder more.

You are also very nice to him and he never heard you swear to be honest

he also asks deep questions about if he'll ever see the gates to "Jannah" (=heaven), and you answer him that he should just pray, think about his actions and weigh them from if they are rally that important to make or if he really should do that (when beating up thugs)

he wants to try fasting too but ends up forgetting after an hour and starts eating taiyaki in front of you and when you look away with a strained smile, he remembers and freaks out, quickly stuffing the food away from your gaze while apologizing

And since you give around such a calm vibe, he doesn't have the energy to fight thugs and whatnot, just wants to stay where you are and talk

Honestly feels at the most peace with you

Draken:

He actually knew about islam and that you were a muslim when looking at your hijab and long skirt as well as your jacket or long sleeved shirts which always covered your whole body except your hands and face

didn't really think that he'd get to meet a muslim tbh, let alone get a muslim friend

since you were the new transfer student from ___, he didn't really know you and what your intentions were but you were actually looking like the most peaceful person who walked on earth

thought you looked rather cute with that sweet smile and blushed when you asked him for a pen cuz you forgot your pencil case at home one time

notices that you're not eating anything one day and offers his bento to you only to decline and telling him that you were fasting

didn't really get it so he asked about it and found out that Ramadan had started the day prior and in the time zone from march, tuesday the 21st or thursday 23rd and ending on thursday the 20th on april

was really shocked cuz why would you fast when it was getting rather hot in Japan?

when you told him your reasons, he didn't really seem satisfied with your answers but accepted it when it was your religion

also asked himself whenever you left randomly and returned in the span of 20 minutes

so he asked and you told him that you were just praying

he also didn't understand and just looked it up on his phone and then he read the story about how the humans much earlier should have actually prayed 50 or 55 times a day, but one prophet asked for god to reduce it to five times, and so, you were praying every day in the morning, noon, afternoon, evening and night

bro couldn't understand how you could do that, he can't even brush his teeth twice a day

Then he does more research about your religion and finds out that muslims shouldn't/weren't allowed to get a tattoo

he deflates at that, his heart squeezing painfully at the though of you rejecting him for the tattoo on the side of his head and his hairstyle overall

suddenly doesn't wants to have bald sides, thinks about letting his hair grow

he also starts panicking if you'll ever think about dating him in the first place

aside from his love life crisis, actually thinks it's pretty cool that you're just happily living out to your religion and develops a big crush on you

cuz like, you're actually pretty nice, sweet, calm and polite

tries to fast with you but gives up after a week

then you praise him for doing such a great job he gains courage again

only completes another week but still happy, congratulating you for fasting through the hole month

Takemichi:

Never heard of Islam, always in his own little world with spending time with toman, hanging out with his friends and trying to study

so when he sees you, bro was bamboozled

what is that? a-a hijam? Hijaaaaa? Hijab! Ah, now he got it! no he didn't

Is one of the kids who surrounds you at the start of the day and asks questions about that cloth hiding your hair and you answer with a smile

asks you various things about your religion and why you never yell when you are getting bullied or just fight them

"Because Allah will praise me for not raising my fists against those who don't know better than to start a fight."

Bro was mesmerized by those wise words and tries not to engage in fights that much

also used the excuse on some thugs and he just left them dumbfounded

one of them even cried after Takemichi quoted your words

his life just got a lot more easier from then on

one time he got called "the philosoph of Japan" for that and he just snickered to himself

occasionally invites you to hang out with toman but you only agree when Emma or Hinata or any other girl is there too

when asked why, you answered him that you were neither allowed to be alone with a bunch of guys- only with your brothers or father

and that you also didn't feel really that comfy around so many boys

from then on, always asks the girls and then you if you'd like to come sometime, also reduces his meetup with the boys from half of the toman gang to just him, mikey, Draken, smiley, angry, mitsuya, chifuyu and Baji

Hinata:

Thinks you look very pretty

like honestly, you have such a pretty smile and you are also so calm about everything

Your customised school uniform is also very cute, and your casual clothes fit your personality perfectly

you don't really wear tight stuff, more like wide shirts and skirts which don't give away your body form

she honestly doesn't even know herself if you're thin or thick, and she doesn't really care either, cuz what counts is the PERSONALITY

when you get bullied by the other girls for covering your hair and wearing "baggy", you either laugh along with them or ignore them

When she asked you why you didn't do anything against it, you simply answered: "Allah warned us to watch our mouths around snakes, otherwise you'll taste the venom and become a one yourself." (ok allah never said that I just added it for dramatic-ness)

Sis was amazed and took -just like Takemichi- your advice to heart

when she got bullied then sometimes, she just ignored the bullies like you and didn't think about their rude words

girl had an easier life from then on

also finds it cute how you are not trying to raise attantion on yourself, only engaging in conversation when another party starts it

highkey wants to protect you

is protecting you actually

Emma:

When Emma saw you for the first time, she honestly thought you were some kind of model

The way your face looked like with sweet plump lips, thick eyebrows and long eyelashes and make up kept to a minimum

and you also wore stylish clothes, despite wearing that cloth on your head and covering everything up except your face and hands

thought you were one of the most beautiful girls she had seen

wants your fashion style

and like the others, she asked about that whole religious thing and you also answered her with a smile and soft voice

sister is lowkey developing a protection sense for you but can't help but look at you like a grown up

you're just...so mature for your age that in her sentences, she sometimes let's "older sister" slip out a few times on accident

tries to act all mature too from now on but can't help but crave a few things like sweets

doesn't understand the amount of tea you drink everyday

Angry (Souya):

When he saw you, boy was so confused but also mesmerized by the amount of rizz you had

no but like when he saw you, he thought of you as very gorgeous-which you are!

poor baby boy was too shy to start talking to you, but he wanted to know why you were even wearing stuff like that.. n-not that it was bad! you look amazing! Just...why?

We can not forget that all these boys are lowkey dumb so i imagine that he might have an ounce of what your religion is, but also not more than that

luckily-or unlickily for him, because when his brother sees him trying to start a conversation with you, smiley knows that angry is nervous and most possibly developing a crush on you

so he embarrasses his brother as much as possible

aside from that, you could be complimenting his baby blue hair and he'd become a blushing mess and stuttering out a quiet "th-thank you...!", with not being able to stand eyecontact or even your gaze on him

also doesn't really get that whole fasting thing, like, are you happy that you're not eating? will you be okay to not eat at all from morning till night?

poor baby is concerned about your health :( <3

tries to participate to get a feeling on how it'd be to not eat anything for a day

boy was exhausted by lunchtime

how could you live like it was no problem???

wanted to buy himself food but stopped when he remembered that he should be fasting

his stomach growled very loudly in disagreement in class the whole day and bro was in pain

he also had sport with you, but you were only sweating lightly while he was ringing for air

stormed into the bathroom to drink water form tap, but no drinking either so he didn't drink and just sat by the sink, thirsty as hell

felt like he'd pass out

when you found him, you gave him a water bottle and ordered him to drink, scolding him when he explained that he wanted to try fasting too

"Souya, you know that I've been doing that since I was eight, and aside from the fasting month, I usually also fast monday's and thursday's."

bro was flabbergasted, cuz why would you fast voluntarily??

"It's so that I can catch up to the times I was unable to fast." What you meant by that was that when muslim girls and women are on their period, they are either unable to fast or pray, but you forgot to share that info with him out of embarrassment for even thinking about bringing it up

angry doesn't really understand but doesn't want to pry either

tries to be as polite and touch you as little as possible

lowkey wants to ask you out but doesn't know if it's okay when looking into your religious mind

Smiley (Nahoya):

Ah yes, another dummy

thought that you were just a normal girl who had some sickness

nonetheless, started becoming friends with you cuz you were really nice and sweet

bro didn't understand that whole praying thing

When you explained, he asked in the end what you were mumbling, and when you said that you were reciting "sura" verses in arabic, bro was livid

"So you can speak arabic?" "yes/ no, sadly"

gets more interested in you and your precious religion

asks you about all that tea you're consuming with a close-eyed smile, and you said that you really loved black tea (chai tea..? I have no idea how to spell that)

gave it a try and fell in love with the tea

Also tries to participate in it, but looses it the moment his stomach growls

tries the other day but also only succeeds halfway

going on a rampage on how well you were doing despite not eating anything at all

tries again for the third time but gives into the food again when he was missing three hours until he could break the fasting

mans just loving food too much

also you have his respect cuz you're like, not really bothered by the lack of food in your tummy???

Mitsuya:

Like Emma, bro is mesmerized by your beauty and thought you were a model too

likes the sweet little emboidments on your scarf and skirt, inspires him to designing similar clothes to yours for a little more diversity

asked you where you got it from and when you mentioned the shop's/company's name, bro searched it up and was having a heart attack

the places you were shopping from were having the best looking clothes he's ever seen

from elegant to pastel coloured to prideful looking hijabs, niqabs and other types of shawls

or skirts and dresses and shirts with amazing cotton quality and sweet little logos

when he talks to you, he can't help but wonder why you never really looked him in the eyes or how calm your voice was

lowkey thought you hated him

but baby for what could you hate him!?!?

When he searched on google, he found out the reason

girls should not get in touch with boys

so he was a little more than arms length away from you

somehow fell in love when with the sight of you when he saw you staying by the traffic lights while the wind blowed and your hijab and skirt were swaying beautifully with the wind

tries to get to know you even better and finds out that you love children (my friend's family has aunts with three to seven kids and she herself is a child of four)

tries to woo you by meeting up with the girls, boys, and his little sisters

his sisters fall in love with you, complimenting your headshawl and you coo and giggle at their preciousness and he falls in love with you even more when he sees you interact with them so peacefully

googles or asks into chatgbt what type of guy a muslim girl shouldn't date and he saw that muslim boys shouldn't wear tattoos or piercings, he grabbed his one piercing and the side of his head in horror

was lowkey depressed for a while

Chifuyu:

Bro was not getting it

you were a muslim? but other muslim girls don't even go that far as you to wear long clothes and a headshawl

anyways, he found it nice of you to share your notes in class and fell in love with your handwriting

it was so...well, cursive, but straight, and as if you'd have to adapt form an oriental language to the asian one

bro didn't want ot give you your notes back but remembered that he could just take a pic

one time, he saw you petting a cat and it was honestly the cutest sight he's ever seen, cuz when you stroked one cat, another came and then another one and in the end, you were surrounded by cats and every single one demanded headpats

He went over to you to pet some of the cats too and asked you about them

"Oh, it's just...I really love cats. they're very cute"

'and so are you', but he never voiced out that thought, instead opting to just pet the cats next to you

lowkey planned the wedding for you guys cuz you were just so pretty and you treated cats with such big respect

bro was mad inlove

when you were fasting, Chifuyu was concerned just like Angry and asked you if you were okay every hour

one time you were holding your head with a frown and boy was he scared

"You need something? Water? Uh- that-th-that tea you always drink?? Uhhh, want sushi!?"

You just reassured him that it was sometimes like this when you didn't feel so good and you had migraine sometimes or you didn't feel well

Baji:

he thought that muslims were terrorists, cuz he played many racist games without thinking deeper into it, like cmon he's like what, thirteen? fourteen?

When I tell you that he was just looking at you with a big frown, his fangs accentuating the downwards-turned corners of his mouth

he honestly expected some kind of ugly and scary looking guy whose face was covered up and who'd be throwing his backpack somewhere into the classroom and then running away while laughing evilly

like, baji...NO-

when he sees you, his idea of the religion does a 360°

like, how can games represent muslims in such a bad way when there was such a sweet girl with a headshawl around her head cutely introducing herself with that soft smile and calm voice???

thought ramadan was a relative of yours at first

didn't believe you when you said you'd be fasting for a whole month

bro was looking at you with suspicion written all over his face

Baji didn't really understand your religion

"so you fast to get a feeling on how the poor people must have felt like?" "Yes :D"

"Why are you washing yourself so often?" "To pray :D"

"Why aren't you eating anything?" "I'm fasting :D"

Then, a few weeks later

"What are you drinking???" "Black tea :D"

bro was concerned on a whole other level

desperately wants to know if you have a second head like that one guy in harry potter

or if you have short or long hair

like, chill, you will tell him what you're willing to spill

unlike the others, he actually fights the ones who try to bully you, but before he can land a hit, your voice echoes in an angry echo through the classroom, hallway, and his soul

He lets go of the bitch who tried to talk shit about you behind your back and it runs of like the rat it is

baji faces you with a deep frown, asking you why you stopped him, cuz he was defending you

"The one's who try to make the living of other people miserable will end up with the worst life."

Bro didn't fight anybody that day

you got my man really into thinking, huh?

anyways, tries to get on your good side because he thinks that you might not like him for getting violent, and you hate violence, but you cherished that he stood up for you

wants to know if you really are fasting or if you're secretely eating something from time ot time

bro is just suspicious like that :/

BONUS: It was the end of the fasting month and you invited the ones closest to you over at your pace for them to taste what you and your mother (/and sisters) cooked or baked. when the doorbell rang, you went over and opened it, happy to see that all your friends had made it. "Come in guys! Before the food gets cold!"

And none of the kids didn't want to be told twice. Baji and Mikey were the first ones to take of their shoes and followed after you like eager puppies, with Chifuyu and Takemichi running after them a little clumsily. Angry and Smiley went with no haste while Draken, Mityua, Emma and Hinata were wandering around your sweet home where there were no family pictures, but more like, arabic terms or big paintings of landscapes or a forest with a house or a sea in the forest.

When they all arrived in the dining room, they couldn't believe their eyes; sure, there were other kids present from your siblings' side, but there was enough for everybody.

You quickly served the table for everyone, giving them either juice, tea, water or sprite and cake, other, homecooked meals and the best of all: Dates.

"They look weird.", Baji stated. Smiley and Draken confirmed with a nod.

"Why are they so soft, yet so firm?", Chifuyu asked, while he, Angry and Takemichi inspected the weird fruit in childish wonder.

"And they are really sweet?", Mikey asked, squinting his eyes at the treat. Emma and Hinata, and even Mitsuya were giving each other uneasy glances while you just nodded eagerly.

"C'Mon guys, I also always eat sushi and whatnot with you, just give it a try!"

And so they bite in. Mikey is the first one ot moan in delight, closely followed by Baji who gave out a satisfied groan and the others also hummed their new found love for the nice fruit.

Baji and Mikey end up taking three packages with them while the others take one or two of the dates you offered. in the end, everybody got to take something to eat with them and they were all happy that they got to be your friends.

They were all glad that you introduced your religion to them, if not, they'd never have understood you and maybe thought that you might be a weirdo.

"You'll invite us next year again, right?", Mikey asked, a hopeful glimmer in his eyes to which you nodded reassuringly. "Yes, of course! You guys are my best friends!", at that, all the boys had a pained expression on their face.

Well, seems like they'll have to be more gentleman-like from now on.

---

Hey guys? How was that? I am also fasting alongside my friend and it's actually pretty fun! Sure, you might feel very hungry from time to time, but it's really worth it in the end!

Should I make a part two out of that? If yes, please tell me in the comment or via asking box for who I should write next.

Read you in the next post!

[thegeminisage]

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA ECHOES OF WISDOM FINAL VERDICT

SHORT VERSION: minor nitpicks but rad as hell

LONG VERSION:

what i loved about eow:

zelda getting her own adventure, FINALLY. it matters so much to me <3

the thinking aspect of it. i'm used to trying a puzzle a few times and then looking it up if i can't get it, but eow made me WANT to throw myself at the wall until something clicked. it made solving puzzles even more satisfying than in link games, somehow. though i had my initial concerns over not getting a "real" sword, i didn't really miss it until the final fight, and most of the time, i went out of my way to avoid using it if possible, because i wanted to be creative. in fact, even while playing, i looked forward to being able to watch other peoples playthroughs to see how they tackled certain puzzles differently from me. it's so fitting to who zelda is in the lore that it's crazy to me she wasn't een in the original concept - she just fits so PERFECTLY here, as if they'd designed it for her from the ground up.

the way link mattered in the story without stealing the stage (everywhere except the final boss, which i have mixed feelings on). i know that link's function is to act as a stand-in for us, but in this project especially, it's nice to see him get some personality - i think he's earned it!

i ALSO really loved, of course, the final dungeon and working together with link to solve puzzles. the last zelda co-op game we had was four swords where everybody had the same abilities bc they were all link, but what if we had one with link and zelda where they had different abilities? it was so exciting and rewarding to finally get to work with link after all the mystery surrounding him and the fights with his evil duplicate.

the stilled realm stuff was incredible. i had so much fun in the rifts i wish there had been more of them. picking your way around that fucked up landscape is great

being able to cheat your way around any landscape is great also. like i can get to hebra from the ground with enough platbooms, i can jump over tree barriers, etc. it made me feel like a master of the world.

i liked tri! not the most standout companion, but they were just confused enough about basic emotion and nonplussed about things in general to be funny and make me fond

in fact, most of the secondary characters were a lot of fun. i was pretty neutral on wright and lefte and the gerudo ladies, but the zora leaders, impa and lueberry, and of course, conde - they were all fantastic. zelda's dad not being shitty for once was a really nice touch, too.

loved all the callbacks to other games - the deku scrubs, the river vs sea zoras, volvagia, big blue pig ganon even though he sin't my fav

speaking of, i'm not mad about the lore either. it fits with what we know so far and it was GREAT to hear from the three goddesses again when it's been like 20-something years. i was kinda mad when they got shunted aside for hylia and i'm glad nintendo is bringing them into co-existence again

most of the time the music was just okay but when it was good it was REALLY fucking good.

overall, the story was absolutely charming, filled with mostly fun characters and environments and a creative mechanic and a world i cared about saving. none of that feeling i got from totk sometimes where i went "wait, what?" or "this is bullshit!" except maybe when the goron had to break the picture of his dead dad lol.

what i did not love about eow:

my absolute #1 main complaint is the quality of life bs. i should NOT have to go through so many dialogue boxes for a task that is repetitive. minigames that have a 20-second time limit where i spend almost as much time skipping thru the dialogue to try again? come on. smoothies? the dojo? these are things we do dozens, perhaps hundreds of times per playthrough. there is NO NEED to make it that tedious. i would have had a LOT of fun experimenting with smoothies if it hadn't been so tedious, but instead i went out of my way to avoid using them because i was dreading having to sit through the animations and dialogue boxes for more. and there's no quick retry for minigames, either. for the dojo where one misstep means you'll have to start over, all you can do is quit early and then go through the dialogue ALL. OVER. AGAIN. it is 2024!!! surely when they played the game they got annoyed by this too! what are we doing!

similarly, while i didn't hate the slidey menu as much as everyone else cuz i got pretty good at skimming it, it's still nuts to me that they couldn't come up with anything better, perhaps involving some sort of category. sometimes i want platforming echoes and sometimes i want combat ones. separate them!!

while the final boss was FANTASTIC in mood and presentation, my echoes and automatons being kind of useless + me being denied a sword made me feel like i had nothing to do but run around and dodge and watch link and my lynel fight the boss. this is a tricky one because i'm not sure what could possibly be changed to make me a more active participant and still leave link his sword (his presence elevated it so much - much like zelda's does in final fights against ganon), but it felt just an inch to the left from perfect for me

automatons in general - i was really hype for them, but most of them don't even move around on their own, and they're so slow a fast-paced combat sitch will obliterate them instantly. which would have been PERFECT for the final boss where i wanted a more direct means of attack, but they'd get toasted before i had a chance to wind them up. JUST removing the winding element would have improved these greatly without any other change at all, but it's another quality of life thing

the horse was also useless, but the horses have been useless in every game since majora's mask, and even in majora's mask it's iffy.

the world DID feel a little small sometimes, but i think that's the natural result of being able to cheat your way around it - and i wouldn't change that.

finally, the music - most of the music for the overworld sections was boring, where the dungeon music occasionally had more character. i was a little disappointed there wasn't more of the old melodies aside from little snatches of them here and there. i definitely understand composers wanting to do something new, but if their new something is this atmospheric, unhummable stuff...that just doesn't feel like a zelda score, you know? that said, again: when it was good, it was GREAT. that final boss fucking rocked.

overall this made me SOOOO ready for an oracle or minish cap remake from grezzo and absolutely RABID for zelda to have her own 3D adventure someday. they thought it wasn't possible but it ABSOLUTELY is, and the co-op sections near the end were especially wonderful and something i'd love to see in a mainline title someday. yes, this game was flawed, but it wasn't flawed the way totk was, it was overall a great joy to play and well worth both my time and money. there's very little i would change.

and, on a mushy real life note, echoes of wisdom did also help me get through the 15-day power outage after hurricane helene...i started the game just before the hurricane hit and finished it just after i got my power back, so helene kind of defined the experience of playing it for me. i'll never forget sitting in my dark bedroom with all the windows open and the generators going outside and my switch just propped up on my monitor stand, surrounded by battery packs, my only light from flashlights or candles, trying to help the time pass and enjoy the game while keeping a clooose eye on my battery life. it was one of the very, very few things i could look forward to in an uncomplicated way every day, and having something to keep me going was vital to my not just going nuts. zelda games usually seem to come out when i need them most! and i'm grateful to her too <3

[artistsfuneral]

The Witcher Scrubs AU 🏥

I know I said this AU is stupidly big and now you may see why, bc this is just me talking about the first few main characters not even the storyline, so: p.2 will be linked here

.🏥.

Jaskier, Priscilla and Valdo are all the new interns, aka JD, Turk and Elliot, but the three of them have all known each other from college and actually applied for KMH (Kaer Morhen Hospital) at the same time in hopes of staying together. All three of them are very close-knit friends, but Priscilla is more of a Mom friend for the group while Jaskier and Valdo have this weird thing going on where their rivalry comes with some heavy sexual tension, meaning during college they've been the on-and-off couple that everyone knew about and surprisingly they're still friends (thanks to Priscilla and their rivalry) but for now they give off heavy “divorced couple” vibes, kind of like Perry and Jordan, but not aaaaas season one toxic. Given is, Valdo will judge and comment on every single thing Jaskier does (especially later when he has a crush on Geralt) and Jaskier will walk around drawing devil horns on every imagine somebody has of Valdo (figuratively and literally).

.🏥.

In the beginning Priscilla would be more of a background-ish supportive character, like I said the Mom friend, who keeps their friend group together, helps Jaskier and Valdo whenever they're troubled, is one of the very few people that isn't immediately scared of Geralt and is usually very level headed (thanks to dealing with her two best friends all the time), even in stressful situations. She will have to go through the usual workplace harassment, being a female doctor and all, for example by patients calling her nurse and wanting a “real” doctor or others telling her she should work less so she can find someone to marry and have kids with.

And although Priscilla usually manages to deal with all of this incredibly professionally, she sometimes gets fed up and just says the darndest, mot scariest things ever. (“Dr. Marx' shift doesn't start until 2pm today and I just can't seem to find any of the male nurses. If you should refuse treatment I can, of course, stand here and wait until someone comes to help us out, but I'm afraid you'll experience cardiac arrest much sooner. Don't worry though, our mortician is male.”) Later on she will have to deal with watching Jaskier and Valdo getting better and better at their job while she starts to struggle in the ICU. As it turns out she's amazing in the ER though. And at the end of the “show” she'd definitely be one of the head doctors in the ER (if that's a thing).

.🏥.

Valdo, much like Jaskier, is one of those rich kids. His grandparents were doctors, his parents were doctors, he is a doctor. He doesn't really have a say in that, but unlike Jaskier, he doesn't mind it that much. He's very easily persuaded by wealth and fame, but he's actually a pretty decent guy underneath his “Daddy's favorite child” persona. He's really smart and has a great eye for figuring out what's wrong with people. But he's very squeamish when it comes to bodily fluids that aren't blood. (It's Geralt's favorite way of punishing him, after he's been an ass.) He will often come off as snobbish, but he honestly just doesn't notice that not everyone grew up with a personal chef. He immediately will know that he said something weird when Priscilla gives him a certain look that he often describes as blank disbelieve. (-_-') Valdo is- Well he's pretty obsessed with Jaskier to be honest. The thing is, Jaskier was his first true love and now he's kinda stuck gatekeeping Jaskier. He doesn't do it intentionally, he's not that much of an ass, it's just kind of part of his perfectionism. Along the lines of “I am perfect at everything I do, but I wasn't good enough to make Jaskier happy, so nobody is good enough for him.” Like I said though, it's very much unintentional and Jaskier has no idea what is going on, but Priscilla watches from afar, shaking her head in disbelieve. (The good thing about Valdo's gatekeeping is, that it has actually protected Jaskier from many stupid mistakes.) This obviously creates a lot of conflict between Jaskier and Valdo (even though they don't fully understand why) and it keeps happening again and again until one day, still at the beginning of Geralt and Jaskier's relationship, when Geralt gets (rightfully) fed up with Valdo's constant bickering. (They're planning on going on a date and when Jaskier asks when/where they're going Geralt will snap at him saying “I don't know, why don't we ask Marx for permission first?!” - “What?” And then Geralt will fall into an angry rant that opens Jaskier's eyes, who then goes to Priscilla who confirms it all and then he will sit down with Valdo and they'll have a long, heart-wrenching talk about it.)

Valdo being somewhat unable to connect with his patients and colleagues on a social level is ironically a really good thing, because while he's definitely not unfriendly, he doesn't take everything to heart. Unlike Jaskier is a lot better at dealing with the fact that they can't always save everyone.

.🏥.

Now Jaskier is obviously our main character, our JD.

As I already said, like Valdo he's one of the rich kids, but he has a way better understanding of the world than Valdo. He's also the oldest sibling and the only boy, meaning he has three younger sisters who he adores. Him becoming a doctor was entirely his parents idea and decision and since becoming a musician was not “acceptable” he kind of went with it, grateful that his parents paid for everything during his college years. In the beginning it really shows that he's not as passionate about this job as some of the others. He's incredibly smart and has absolutely no problem with studying and remembering everything (lucky him) but he's lacking enthusiasm (which is why Geralt initially can't stand him). His first couple of weeks at KMH are very tiring to him. Not because he's messing up a lot of things or isn't brave enough to take action, but because to him it's a very depressing and unfulfilling job and Geralt (and a few other people) seem to be constantly judging and downgrading him. He even thinks of quitting his job altogether, but Priscilla and Valdo stop him. It's only after a particular case where he helps to save the life of a patient he really connected with that he starts to understand how important this job actually is and how much it means. After that he also starts to understand Geralt and his serious attitude a lot better.

He always will have a bit of a problem seeing himself as a doctor, because he initially didn't want to be, but every day he wakes up and tries his best. He's really good at connecting with people, like JD he actually cares for them a lot and will meet many people that'll change his life. He struggles a lot when he isn't able to help someone and sometimes falls a bit too easily into his old “does this even matter?” way of thinking. It gets better with time though, and his friends and his sisters tend to get him out of that particular headspace rather easily. Especially Abby, his youngest. She's 12, like Ciri, a ray of sunshine and plays a big role in his life and kind of idolizes Jaskier a lot. She's rather independent and will visit Jaskier at the hospital or at home whenever she feels like it.

Unlike JD and Perry, Jaskier doesn't really have that much of a mentor, trainee relationship with Geralt, although Jaskier certainly has the same need to prove himself to Geralt. But Jaskier also thinks Geralt is incredibly sexy in his white coat and without it and when he's helping people and when he's arguing with Lambert and when he's berating Jaskier and when- Yeah- Jaskier very quickly develops a huge crush for Geralt after he went through his “do I really want to be a doctor” phase. Doesn't really help that Geralt treats him a bit more kinder after he noticed Jaskier found his will to help others and now sometimes even smiles when Jaskier is in the same room at him!

(and I really want to post this now so I can go watch Haikyuu before bed, so I will add the rest later lol)

[daybreakrising]

8. Name any three things about the rpc that bother you. & 9.What is your opinion on exclusivity? Do you practice it? Why / why not?

the be honest meme

8. Name any three things about the rpc that bother you.

okay i'm gonna keep these short if possible but:

1) first one has to be the absolute utter lack of communication. not even just for anything negative, either - people just simply... don't talk to each other about anything. for example: want to explore a potential ship with someone? don't wait for a person to pick up hints or vibes, because many of us simply won't pick up on them. just approach someone with the idea. the worst that's gonna happen is they'll turn you down (hopefully politely) and then you can seek out someone else who might be down for it. simple. easy. just talk to people about things. "but i'm anxious" we're all fckn anxious that's why we're here.

and to tack onto this bc i was gonna make it its own thing but it's down to communication still: the fact you can be blocked forever just bc you briefly interacted with someone a person has an issue with. and yes, i'm adding this bc it's happened to me - is still happening to me. doesn't matter that i don't talk to that person at all anymore, doesn't matter that i haven't been in their circle for months, doesn't even matter that i wasn't even that close with them in the first place - i'm forever blocked bc of a brief association and it's ridiculous, frankly. and i understand wanting to curate your space a certain way if you want to avoid a specific person appearing in your vicinity in any way (and i'll come back to this topic for the second question, bc i stand by someone's right to choose how they curate their own space), but it again comes down to communication. blocking someone forever removes that chance to communicate. it's like you've sentenced them - but even prisoners get parole hearings. and yes, sometimes you block someone for something and then never think about them again, but when you are an instant block on any blog someone then makes? when you haven't even done anything to this person directly or weren't even aware of them? when you haven't even done anything wrong? that feels real shit, guys. don't do it to people.

2) this is a big one for me but: the way some people in the rpc treat villainous characters, or characters who have otherwise done Terrible Things. now, listen, i get wanting to explore "what ifs" and even potential redemptions, and that's fine, but unless you are going completely au (which i don't always agree with, especially if the Terrible Thing or them being a bad person is intrinsically tied to their story, but for the sake of this-) then you cannot, cannot, act like they weren't a horrible person or did terrible things, or that those things don't matter anymore. you cannot expect characters - especially anyone they might have wronged - to just change their opinions for nothing. & i detest villain apologists with my entire soul. you cannot excuse their behaviour (though you can explain it - two very different things). you cannot "redeem" them by going: hey, it doesn't matter that they did all these terrible things, because they're chill now! look at these nice things they've done! no, if you want your character to be redeemed, you've gotta fckn work for it, and you've gotta accept that it might not be possible - or that, at least, there will be characters who will never accept they've changed even if they have.

if you can't handle a villain being a villain, then don't write one.

3) nothing is "canon" unless it is actually canon. is it stated clearly in whatever media it is? is it explicitly said? no? then it's not canon. i don't care how implied it is or how "-coded" something is, it's not canon (also, hate the word 'coded' bc of how it's used, but that's another salt for another day). and someone not adhereing to what you believe is "canon" does not mean they are hating on it. we are all allowed our opinions, our own headcanons. unless something is directly harmful or problematic then let people have their hcs even if they disagree with yours. and yes, i understand that for some things, canon cannot explicitly state that a character is a certain way, for example, but that's unfortunately how the world is. even so, that doesn't give you the right to dictate someone's hcs or spew hate because they don't accept your canon.

& this applies heavily to ships. your ship is not canon unless it actually is canon. and please, please, acknowledge and understand that language means different things in different cultures. language has different meanings across the same culture, sometimes. your understanding of a word isn't necessarily the understanding that was meant and it certainly doesn't give you the right to look down on or outright hate upon anyone or anything that doesn't align with your views.

9. What is your opinion on exclusivity? Do you practice it? Why / why not?

i do practice it, and here's why:

sometimes, it just makes sense. i typically only do this with ships, and only really with ships that i simply cannot see me seeking out with another person for whatever reason that is. sometimes you'll just click with someone and build a dynamic together that meets every need you've ever had for that particular combination of muses. sometimes it's a combination of muses you never expected to write. sometimes the dynamic only works with that one specific portrayal. and, sometimes, it's a dynamic you have very specific thoughts on that you can only trust this one person with.

and i get it, it does suck if you love a person's portrayal and want to pursue a particular dynamic, only to discover they're exclusive with someone. it's a bummer. but that's their right and you can't get salty over it. they've chosen to be exclusive for whatever reason and you just have to accept it, even if it sucks.

what i don't understand is the hate towards exclusivity. why shouldn't a person curate their space how they want? why is that such a terrible thing? "oh but it excludes people-" so what ???? you're not obligated to interact with anyone. if you're getting angry or upset over someone choosing to run their blog a certain way, maybe you shouldn't be here.

and to add on at the end bc i just know there's a chance someone will go "but you complained about people blocking you earlier. that's not respecting how they've chosen to curate their space" if i don't say this: please understand that is a very specific situation and is not the same thing at all. i already said that i understand why they did it and i take no issue with that at all. my issue is solely with the fact that it's still happening even though i no longer have any association with that particular person, because there's no opportunity to communicate. that's my problem with it.

[loving-family-poll]

ahh i gotta say i'm disappointed that rick/morty is losing.. i mean no, disappointment implies that i expected otherwise, it's just that i really think hikaru/kaoru is nowhere Near as compelling on any level and people are choosing them (among many other reasons. but i think these aren't insignificant) because

they know them, they were baby's first incest ship for many people lol and i respect that, and that's how polls work, the more popular will win but sometimes that saddens me because like the votes don't always speak to the actual canon and the potential of characters.. but that's also okay bc everyone has a different metric for what's interesting in fiction and what's not, there is no "X pairing CLEARLY should win". ((except for the cases where there is. i'm not saying this is a case of that but there Are obvious winners sometimes i won't deny that))

rick and morty the show has a certain look and feel and style and at one point the worst part of its audience was so loud that that's what everyone came to know it by.. that's what i knew it by before i watched some of it lmao and that alienates a lot of people, there will be votes like hmm i always thought r&m was unpleasant and stupid as hell and the other pairing is nice, good ol twincest, i'll vote for that. again it's not wrong at all to do this or to just fuckin hate an adult swim show i'm just thinking about why the incest from this show is categorically at a disadvantage fysgvy

ouran is easier to digest, appeals to a wider audience not just on the surface, not just in form but in content (of the incest ship) too 🥴 like i get it, a lot of people even in incestina circles or in freak circles don't and will never fuck with pedophilia, they can't stand csa in fiction, it's uncomfortable, it's hideous, it's deeply, deeply sad. they were never gonna win<3 but they're still giants to me. icons of incest & abuse & grooming as someone else said

.

[acehardy]

@hondagirll Tagged me to share my top 9 books, which I don't think is a physical possibility for me to do. I love books and choosing my top 9 would be a crime. There are single series that I could choose 9 books from, so instead I am going to do the top 9 that I have read this year. It'll probably be mostly YA books - I don't tend to read too many adult books bc there's too much smut for my little asexual eyes.

Make sure you check TWs before reading any of these. Some of them dealt with some pretty heavy topics.

So out of the 63 books I have read so far this year, my favs are:

They Hate Each Other by Amanda Woody - This is a mm enemies-to-lovers fake dating contemporary book. The characters (or specifically, one of the characters) was a little over the top sometimes, but I adored them. They were both dealing with so much shit and there were some really mature topics that were offset by the humor. First sentence: "Jonah Collins is dancing on my table, and I think... yes. I think I'm about to lose my shit."

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas: This is pitched as Percy Jackson meets The Hunger Games, and is the first book in a duology. This book is so diverse and so queer, and I need Aiden to release the second book as soon as humanly possible. I love all of the characters, even the ones who are little shits, and I can't wait to see how the series concludes. First sentence: "First, there was only Sol among a sea of stars."

The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes: This was a tough choice because I read both of Sonora's books this year. I loved their first book so much that I immediately picked this one up. But I sobbed so many times reading this book, it was a little ridiculous. I think it might have been my first time reading a book with an autistic main character, which I obviously need to work on correcting. First sentence: "The driver looks at me like he knows exactly what I just did."

Sparks Fly by Birdie Lynn: If you wanted to psychoanalyze me, this is another queer enemies-to-lovers, fake dating book. But this time it takes place at a magic school and also includes soulmates trope. Do I need to say more? First sentence: "Hit me with your best shot, Pham."

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli: I just know that Becky had a vendetta with this book, and I am absolutely thriving at the way she took the horrible way that she was treated online and channeled that into this book. This book examines the way that some people think there is a "correct" way to be queer, and absolutely challenges that. Let me catch Gretchen in a dark alley, I swear. First sentence: "I haven't quite unclicked my seat belt, but I'm getting there. Obviously."

The Sun and The Star by: Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro: What is a favorites list without something from the Riordanverse? I am so happy that we got a Nico-centric book, since he is one of my favorite characters. I also loved getting more information about Will Solace. I'm glad that Rick brought in a queer author to help make this book a reality and I really think their writing styles blended well together. First sentence: "Nico faced the worst decision of his life, and he was certain he was going to mess it up."

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler: This book was a lot. It was dark and gruesome and I spent the whole time completely horrified. It was also very real and unfortunately stands up too well to the test of time. I listened to this on audiobook and do I ever have some visceral memories of what I was doing when certain events in this book happened. I absolutely want to continue with the series, but that's something you have to be in the right frame of mind for. First sentence: "I had my recurring dream last night. I guess I should have expected it."

The Invisible Spy by Lisa McMann: This is the second book in The Forgotten Five series. I'll admit that I started this series because the author is the mother of the actress who plays Nancy Drew, but I genuinely enjoy these books. They're really solid middlegrade books and I enjoy the characters. Think Descendants meets superheroes. I like watching these kids come to terms with the fact that their parents maybe weren't the best people, and seeing how they deal with the moral quandary of having villains for parents. First sentence: "President Daniel Fuerte sat at his cluttered desk in the presidential office on the top floor of Magdalia Palace."

Skye Falling by Mia McKenzie: This book proves that picking something you've never heard of up on a whim can be a good thing. I desperately wanted an audiobook and I chose this off of my library's small list of queer books that were available at that moment. I had never heard of it before, but I adored this book. It tells the story of what happens when an almost 40 year old woman, who avoids conflict and personal relationships is faced with the very real product of selling her eggs at age 26. First sentence: "I'm lying very still on top of a hotel bed's rumpled sheets."

I'm not gonna tag anyone in this but if anyone does want to do the post, please tag me in it!

[gurugirl]

Hey! I came across your posts in the wild and I'm thinking of writing fics on patreon for a completely unrelated fandom, and I have a few questions:

When and how did you start writing on patreon?

How were you able to grow your platform?

Did you experience any criticism due to it being a somewhat taboo in fandom?

Any general tips?

Hi! Sure I'll try to answer as best I can :)

I started writing on Patreon in November of last year. I waited until I had a certain number of followers on Tumblr (bc this is my base audience and is where my subscribers come from) before I decided to open a patreon. I also had a couple of series already ready to go plus some one shots. So I made sure that I had a few weeks of content to post for my patrons before I advertised it. My first series I posted one part per week and the same with the other series - once the first series was done I started post the new series and did one per week. I also had some one-off one-shots and made a masterlist for patreon so it makes things easier to find.

As I mentioned in point one, I waited until I had a certain number of followers here first. That is the most important thing - to have followers here bc this is where they'll be coming from (or even Wattpad!). I occasionally tease new series or one shots here to hopefully entice new subscribers. But that's it really! I just post here sometimes about Patreon and then keep the links in my bio for anyone curious.

Criticism bc getting money for fanfic is taboo? Is that what you mean? No. No one has complained that I shouldn't be getting paid for writing fic (some might complain they can't afford it - but that's normal!). ALSO - I think it's important to distinguish the difference between actual fanfiction writing and using a person's features and name as a main character like what most of us do here in the Harry fandom. For example, in traditional fanfiction, writers will typically use the worldbuilding the original author already created (like star wars, or Harry Potter or something) and use all the characters already written, use scenarios already thought of by the original author/creator, etc. For me, while I do use Harry's name and some of his features (tho I exaggerate him a bit) the written work is my own. I write and create my own worlds, my own characters - even Harry is a different person in every one of my stories. So I'm not using another author's ideas or characters as my own so writing Harry fic is a bit different than traditional fanfiction writing (if this is even what you mean - just wanted to clarify tho!).

General tips? Just be sure, again, to stack up your following here on tumblr - don't leave your followers here on tumblr high and dry once you move to Patreon - at least at first. You'll want to continue to kind of nourish the followers and hopefully gain subscribers. I had continual gain until about 2 1/2 months ago and since I've been at it for about a year I figure I've gotten to a bit of a plateau with subscribership (I'm definitely grateful for all of my paid subscribers and never imagined I'd have so many). Once you get some momentum on Patreon keep writing and stay consistent. I think 2-3 posts per week is good enough for most people to want to pay for a subscription. Also, i recommend continuing to read other fic or published novels to expand your writing chops. Sometimes we can get stuck in a rut with the way we write and it's good to see what other people enjoy reading. I'm not saying change your writing voice, it's just useful to grow as a writer. We like doing things a certain way but sometimes it's helpful to look outside of the box and consider that just bc we like our own style doesn't mean we can't make it better for our readers. AND! Try and get a thick skin quick bc you will not please everyone. You can write the best thing you've ever written and you'll get someone who cancels bc they can't stand it. Don't let the criticism get to you. I have people cancel who mark their exit surveys saying they didn't like my content - always stings but at the end of the day, it's just the way this kind of thing goes!

Hope any of this helped you hon!

xoxo

[romani-loves-xanthos]

Sometimes staring into the void has perks, afterall the void actually ficking listens to my rambles and genuinely cares about said rambles and stories a d worlds that I've made up in my head. The void like my rambles and chaos and such.

Like who is gonna listen with genuine interest as I talk about my many character and worlds that I've been building around for years and such. Most people don't have time to listen to the short version let alone actually show interest. I can tell when people actually care or are just listening in the hopes ill shut up faster or ya know dont ficking care and are trying to get me to stop talking by showing disinterest.

The void like my random bullshit and I know this bc I asked it to curse my mothers luck and it did. I know this bc she can't find any disabled parking spaces as of late and thats fucking hilarious to me.

Yeah I also have to walk farther and yes im also disabled but like its funnier this way. And I dont so much have a problem walking if I keep moving (the problem is standing for long periods of time, even just a few minutes fucks me up) and I got tired of my mother not realizing her taking half an hour looking at things and waffling back and forth just to decide to get both or neither causes me to be unable to walk hence why I usually go off on my own or sit down somewhere. She always gets mad im not there to exploit as a tie breaker between choices and acts all huffy abt it bc shes a bitch.

Now the void is better at being a parent then her bc the void doesn't even try to manipulate me, unlike her, and genuinely just likes my presence and all. My mother however is a manipulative whore of a bitchass mother. She tries to make me say she's "such a good mother and surely the best mother of all time" (she's not obviously) and all this random prompting i don't follow and so I just "agree" with her by saying "sure" or "yeah" and the like. She hates that I "hate" saying "I love you" (I don't like saying it bc its a lie and im trying not to lie as much as I used to and so avoiding saying it by sticking to only certain lies instead and avoiding saying things that are lies makes it feel better) and so she tries to make me say it. I refuse.

I just wanna stare into the void and scream and cry and tear myself apart but I dont bc im trying to be better than before. Im trying.its hard but im trying. And talking to the void helps.

[heartc0ffin]

*sees an ask game* Allow me to jump on the opportunity~

📝,💞,💘 and 💌 for your Black Butler s/i!

By the way, I remember sending you a similar ask about the lore behind your selfship with Undertaker… about a year ago, during summer. I don’t think I ever saw the reply… Did you answer it and I somehow missed it, or did it get lost in your drafts?

– villain-in-love

Yes, I definitely received it! It's been in my drafts on my old account, still about halfway through being answered :'3 Then I went through a weird life change and a bunch of my interests changed for a while. But now I'm slowly focusing on my Black Butler insert again sometimes, I still want to get around to answering it! I was just struggling for a while to answer it because I wasn't as fixated on them as I used to be. But I will defo get around to posting them because you brought up a lot of great points and questions!

Also little sidenote, this does contain some manga spoilers, specifically with certain events that are on-going.

📝: How would your story in canon go? How would you influence the events of the original story?

It's a bit of a WIP because I haven't totally figured that out yet, and it subject to change as the manga progresses! This manga's plot is so massive at this point, but I really want to fit my s/i's arc in with canon as much as I can. I can see it being shown in two ways... One being their place in the overall story (working with Undertaker and his plans) and the other perhaps being a look into their backstory before they met Undertaker, and how they came to be (which is still so messy and needs a lot of work bc I'm unhappy with it :'D). Kind of like with Finny, Mey-Rin and Baldroy got.

But yeah... As I said, it's complicated rn because of how massive the plot of Black Butler has gotten. But I think my s/i does have stronger roles in certain arcs, like the Book of the Atlantic, the school arc, ect. There, they might start showing how they have a hand in Undertaker's plans.

If I had to grossly generalise it right now for the sake of this question, they're heavily involved with the 4 Stars/Lords. Particularly, they work as a sort of guardian for Lord Vega, similar to how Undertaker is like a 'guardian' for Lord Sirius/R!Ciel.

💞: Aside from with your f/o, who else would you commonly be shipped with? Why?

This is quite interesting, I've never thought about this before! I had a relationship chart with my s/i and the other Kuro characters that I don't think I ever posted...? (Maybe I can update it and post it). But I'm looking through it because I think it would be quite helpful for this particular question...

While I don't see my s/i being exactly interested in anyone else romantically besides Undertaker in their story, if I had to look at it from a purely fandom perspective... I would say perhaps they'd be shipped with other grim reapers, Ran-Mao, or maybe even Gregory Violet.

I say this because in the grim reapers case, it's pretty self-explanatory. Chances are my s/i would have to have common run-ins with the other grim reapers since they're working with Undertaker. And this way, I think there's bound to be a chance of her building some sort of relationship with the other grim reapers, whether it be platonic, or more than that. Or in a most-likely case... rivalry.

I actually had an on-going inside joke with an irl friend about Ronald in particular. Basically, for a long time I didn't like Ronald for some reason, I can't remember why *shrugs*. But it started this joke about Ronald perhaps flirting with my s/i or showing interest in her, but it's completely one-sided. My s/i can't stand him tbh lmao, she'd shut him down completely.

As for Ran-Mao and Gregory... My s/i does admire Ran-Mao for her strength and skills, so this could blossom at some point into a small crush on my s/i's end - but I don't think Ran-Mao would necessarily return the same feelings or even know about my s/i's crush on her. And while in my s/i's 'canon' story they never like Gregory Violet in a romantic sense, they both share a lot of common ground and build a platonic friendship in the school arc at some point. I think I could see a fanbase dubbing that as 'shipping material,' but again, I wouldn't consider it ever actually being anything more than friends.

💘: Why would people love your ship? Why would people dislike your ship? How might it start debates?

I think people would be very split on the topic. On one side, I can see people perhaps liking it because my s/i represents hope, and new start for Undertaker. He's been amongst humans for so long, and working on his reanimated corpse plan for decades. I think he's actually very miserable despite his cheery facade... He's been isolated, not just from most people, but from supernatural forces as well (like the other grim reapers). So when my s/i comes into his life and they eventually start seeing him past this wall he's built for himself... his vulnerability, his past, what motivates him, ect... I think they'd really start to build a connection, even if Undertaker denies it himself. It would lead to an internal conflict where Undertaker might start questioning his plans, and want to focus on building a new life for himself with my s/i.

I think Undertaker wants to believe that my s/i is more like a tool in the grand scheme of his plans. Another person he is indifferent towards and will discard once he achieves his goal. But there would be little moments that contradict this. Like him rescuing them in extreme moments of danger, refusing to abandon them by a split-second, even though it might have looked like he was going to, and even if it put him at great risk. Because in actuality, even if he himself doesn't want to acknowledge it, they're becoming more and more important and valuable to him. And I think those moments would be what people might find interesting about their relationship. Because on one hand you've got an antagonist/grim reaper who is old enough to think he's seen it all, and who probably thinks hardly anything can get to him now. And on the other hand, someone who has extreme abandonment issues and relies on him, and could perhaps bring out those 'human' emotions in him that he thought he'd forgotten long ago.

But as for the other side... I think I can see people disliking the ship too, of course, for a few reasons. But I think the main complaint would be that it 'gets in the way' of the Undertaker x Claudia Phantomhive ship. And I've actually had run-ins with actual fans like this since being in the fandom for the last 10 years. People who are mean to self shippers/oc x canon for this exact reason (not naming names ofc but... *coughs*).

Listen, I totally get the reasoning behind this theory and if you ship them, that's cool. But you know what? IMO Undertaker deserves to be happy and have a new relationship. Why should he have to obsess over an old relationship that led to his misery, destruction and the countless deaths/sacrifices of other people? Why should he stew in his own self-hate and do nothing think over this past relationships mistakes? The answer is... he doesn't have to. There are literally no rules saying he can't. Him being in a relationship and building something new with someone else doesn't take away anything from his past relationship with Claudia.

Anyways, sorry, I'm getting heated so I'll leave this can of worms to be opened for another day. I just have a lot of feelings about this topic because of run-ins with toxic fans in the past lol. It's still something that agitates me.

💌: How would your dynamic be portrayed? What might people focus on most? Any misconceptions?

I think they're dynamic shifts through the course of the story, and is often messy and lop-sided tbh. With Undertaker, you can expect anything but a linear relationship.

I think in the beginning, it very much starts off with my self insert relying on him and needing him to survive (abandonment issues go hard). But as the story progresses, it will gradually switch around between them needing him, to him needing them.

I think misconceptions would pop up because this change would be subtle and might not be noticed by some. My s/i would grow more confident, but I think it would be like a 'blink and you'll miss it' kind of way since they're naturally mostly passive and quiet. If that makes any sense. They don't suddenly become out-spoken or an unbeatable force. But they pick up on Undertaker's vulnerabilities and traces of humanity in him that are still left as they grow a deeper connection to him. I think they'd actually be smarter than most give them credit for, especially when picking up on the emotions of others. Undertaker would perhaps have moments where he reaches out to them, and seeks out them for help, instead of the other way around. But because it would be subtle, people might think that my s/i just constantly relies on Undertaker throughout their entire character arc, which isn't true.

[rotisseries]

this isn't like, a problem with bylers, I LOVE all the analysis and stuff, but whenever people ask this question, they're usually asking like. byler proof for dummies type of thing, and the MOST chill things I've seen as a response is like. byler/lumax parallels and "look at how mike acts" stuff. often people will bring up parallels to other media and in depth analysis of small actions and words and blue meets yellow in the west and YES. I KNOW. THIS IS THE SHIT THAT SHOWS US THAT BYLER IS HAPPENING. I KNOW.

BUT. that's not byler proof for dummies. all of that? all of the analysis of character actions? all of the shot for shot recreations of other couple moments? all of the music choices and background items and lighting? sorry. but that isn't going to convince a GA member. "why the fuck not?" you may ask. and the answer is, sometimes it will. if you have someone who already sees it as a possibility and likes hearing media analysis, this can be convincing. it worked on my mom.

but there's plenty of people for whom this won't pierce the heteronormativity veil. and plenty of people who take the show at face value and aren't gonna want to hear your 45 minute ramble about those things, and even if you can bring up these points while cutting down on time, they're still not gonna listen. all of this is still technically things up for interpretation, it's debatable how deep these things are meant to be, especially with GA members who just straight up don't know how detail oriented the duffers are, or how detail oriented MOST film is. they won't buy this, when what you need is uncontestable evidence.

"look at how mike acts" your 46 yr old heterosexual father is absolutely going to look you in the eye, tell you you're projecting, and say that straight men just act like this. anything else is probably gonna be "looking too deep into it". what WILL work though? pretty much only pointing out the tropes and cliches involved and how they work lmao. my brother will look me in the eye and say "guys are just like that" if I bring up mike's airport hug, but he stands powerless in the face of "why tf would they drag it out for 5 seasons if he gets rejected. who writes a slowburn rejection?" bc I'm right! he's literally never seen a slow burn rejection!

things like mike's airport hug are something that's up to interpretation! (as all meanings of character actions are, some interpretations being clearer than others) if he's blinded by heteronormativity, or just arguing with me for fun, he can ignore this point! sure there are instances in stories of a sudden lack of physical intimacy meaning feelings have changed, but it's not a consistent thing in every story and in what way the feelings have changed also differs from story to story. it's not an established trope or cliche, it's a character choice that can be interpreted to mean a certain thing. but slow burn and rejected love stories both have very clear setups and story beats that aren't questioned and do contradict each other. he's never seen a slowburn rejection and he never will. he knows this, and he can't argue with this point!! you need things like that

someone says "hey guys what's the most easily and instantly compelling piece of byler evidence for convincing GA friends/family members?" and every byler online answers with the most critical thinking required, digging deep, roundabout shit possible

[iraprince]

Hi Ira! Do you have any tips for drawing characters in perspective/foreshortening? I’ve been trying to learn recently but I keep feeling like the characters end up way out of proportion.

sure! it's a complex thing that i'm sure other ppl have covered more thoroughly/coherently than i have, but i can try to throw together some quick notes on the stuff i tend to keep in mind.

the first one is one i'm sure you already know about and that everyone is sick of hearing but i'm reiterating it anyway bc it's just that important: REFERENCE!!! ref ref ref!!!! even though the intent is often to exaggerate or stylize well past what ref can offer, it's still a great way to train yourself and to start to build up a kind of visual library in your head of how certain body parts tend to behave in perspective, what overlaps look like and how to stylize them, etc. if you can't find reference that suits what you're drawing, try to take it yourself -- this can be tricky w foreshortened poses but if u have a housemate etc who can help you it's worth it. (i always feel kind of goofy when i'm taking my own ref but like, nobody ever has to see it. do it for the art)

the thing w ref tho, and i think this comes out with exaggerated posing/foreshortening even more often than usual, is sometimes u can really faithfully follow ref and stuff STILL looks bad/wonky/just OFF -- because sometimes in real life things just look dumb! that's how it is! that's when it becomes our job to just fudge it, and a reliable way to do that is by returning to basic construction.

so here's an example of a wip layout where i had to figure out a bunch of bodies in perspective. the camera is above the group, looking down at the central figure -- that central figure laying on the floor is not foreshortened, because it's laying flat and kind of directly facing the "camera," but all the figures standing up around it have to be foreshortened bc their heads are much closer to the viewer than their feet. when you think of them as just a bunch of complex bodies, that is really overwhelming.

what helped me a lot was to remember that you can put basically ANYTHING into perspective if you shove it into a box! then you can use those boxes -- which are MUCH easier to accurately draw in perspective -- as a guideline, and basically make sure everybody's respective body parts "fit" into those cubes.

you can do this in conjuction with using perspective rulers/setting up vanishing points/etc, but with enough practice you can just eyeball it and you'll already find yourself way ahead in terms of simplifying stuff and giving yourself guidelines. this is also really helpful with more complex poses -- in this case, the figure in the top right is standing pretty square, with all the different segments of her body facing forward, but hopefully you can imagine how breaking the body into boxes like this can help immensely in cases where, for example, the shoulders are twisting one way and the hips are twisting another, etc. simplifying all these different parts of the body (which are frequently putting themselves into DIFFERENT perspective by moving independently from each other) as boxes or other simple shapes stacked on top of each other lets you organize things visually and figure stuff out one piece at a time, instead of the mental nightmare of "oh my god i have to draw all this wiggly organic stuff all at different points in space"

here's another example. i freehanded this one, but i can try to kind of retroactively break down what i try to keep in mind when drawing stuff like this; a lot of it boils down to just trying to be consistent about how different body parts relate to each other + how that's all framed from the viewer's pov (stylized below as a camera angle):

it helps a lot to think of exaggeration in size as just a tool you're using to tell the viewer how close something is to the "camera." (if you've ever struggled to draw a leg in forshortening because the ankle is thinner than the thigh and trying to honor "closer thing = bigger" while still keeping that in proportion -- this is where using basic shapes in perspective helps!)

i'm struggling a little to explain it in words so i hope the diagram helps; basically, dole out the heaviest foreshortening to the parts that "deserve" it most (are coming most aggressively toward the viewer/"camera"), and worry about it less on body parts that aren't doing anything crazy (for example, in the main image, the torso's relationship to the camera is pretty neutral, so the body is drawn without much foreshortening or exaggeration. in the little camera angle diagram i drew in the top left, though, the body IS heavily foreshortened, because viewed from the front in this pose the head + torso would be sticking out straight ahead.)

this is a way more loosey-goosey approach than the boxes in perspective of the first example; i found this pose less difficult than a multi-character situation so i was winging it. is the "perspective" of this body probably correct? i'm like 99% sure it isn't. but 99% of illustration is just making sure things LOOK right, not necessarily actually DRAWING them right, and you can gloss over a LOT if you just try to make sure the spatial logic in your drawings is like, more or less consistent. once you've tricked the eye of the viewer into being like "sure, i buy that one leg is further back than the other and we're looking UP" or "yeah, it looks like we are looking DOWN at the tops of these character's heads", you can pretty much get away with murder in terms of actual perspective/anatomy, esp if u have a very stylized art style. be brave!!!!

[bemylord]

ᴊᴜᴊᴜᴛꜱᴜ ᴋᴀɪꜱᴇɴ ʙᴏʏꜱ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴄʟɪɴɢʏ ʙᴏʏꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜱ/ᴏ

characters: yuuji, megumi, toji, satoru, kento, sukuna.

warnings: nothing actually but sukuna. aged up.

a/n: i already made s/o being clingy where s/o got into 'argument' with the characters. today is almost similar, only their reaction to the fact that you always need attention. or they being clingy.

ɪᴛᴀᴅᴏʀɪ ʏᴜᴜᴊɪ:

you and yuuji are too needy buns.

whenever both of you may cuddle - you cuddle.

to be honest, yuuji is freaky amazing as you always need some physical contact - whether it's a momentary kiss on the cheek or you get a chance to ruffle his pink hair, he's always happy as a child.

the one who would be happy to be the little or big spoon - what's the difference anyway? both of you will be stuck together like a sandwich, so he doesn't care whom to be.

you wake him up with ticklish and playful kisses in the neck area. 'mm, y/n, why don't you kiss my lips'

yuuji being himself annoying after training or mission, sluggishly jumping under the blanket, pulling you closer. 'kisses. i wanna kisses. y/n, you kissed me only once today!'

when itadori is tired, his clinginess [?] indicator rises rapidly, demanding a lot of attention.

if you half-mutter 'i wanna cuddle' or 'yuujii~ let's watch a movie together.' expect him to combine these two acts into one, cuddling you on the couch while watching the show.

kissing as a pleasant surprise <3

ꜰᴜꜱʜɪɢᴜʀᴏ ᴍᴇɢᴜᴍɪ:

megumi isn't good at showing his emotions.

he wouldn't call himself pesky yet calling himself a little-eager-to-get-your-attention man.

megumi likes when you sneak under his cardigan to get extra kisses from him, feeling the warmth radiating from his body.

he likes spending evenings playing computer games with you, he gives in to you to see your radiant smile and your smug look. 'yes, gumi-gumi, it was i who won you.' 'but the loser gets a dozen kisses.'

you guys sometimes walk in the park near to the dorms with his shikigami dogs. although the dogs don't need a walk but watching as to how you pet and play with them, megumi couldn't reject it.

it melts fushiguro as you ruffle his naughty hair, as he lays on your knees on the couch.

he likes the way you gradually but confidently melt his heart with kisses in the morning.

i think megumi's a manifestation of love would be cute, little gifts like a bar of chocolate.

ꜱᴀᴛᴏʀᴜ ɢᴏᴊᴏᴜ:

i think you and gojou annoy the others. cause you're the kind of couple that takes selfies at any second. in the middle of a fight with a dangerous curse - you'll post it on instagram. do you have a new haircut? gojo takes a million photos and puts the best one on his lock screen.

i'm certain he'd be the clingiest in the couple.

and when i said the clingiest i mean it.

and naturally, you're both so cocky - he can kiss you all over the place while you hug him from behind 24/7.

at the home, you always do everything together, it may seem you can't keep your hands off each other.

he likes to tease you while you are his mini-copy.

actually, gojo lives to tease you.

you might think that gojo is acting more clingy than you are - he's like a spy following in your footsteps, trying to get all your attention. 'your lips are in the wrong place.' '??' 'they should be right on my lips.'

and more such foolish jokes from gojo.

ɴᴀɴᴀᴍɪ ᴋᴇɴᴛᴏ:

the first phrase would be: 'darling, i have to finish my report.'

the second would be: 'don't go away, just.. could you massage my shoulders?'

kento loves when you came to his desk to rest him a bit by doing a massage or cup his face with your small palms, coating cheeks with small smooches.

you and kento love to bake bread or try to cook something new.

while cooking, there's a lot, no, a hell of a lot of kissing and uncomplicated dancing - he has both hands on your belly, standing behind you, kissing the top of your head.

nanami isn't good at making food, yet certainly good at kissing.

sunday morning you spend by cooking new recipes, the day you spend by eating the food, whilst the evening..

you're cuddling. just cuddle. hugs in the bed or the bathroom.

if that is might be counted as the clinginess the sorcerer likes to call you darling and never miss the chance to show how much he loves you.

ʀʏᴏᴍᴇɴ ꜱᴜᴋᴜɴᴀ:

you are the one sukuna allows to sit on his throne.

actually, he will do everything for you, only for you.

he allows you to cup his tattoed face with your palms, tantalizingly staring at his mouth yet no kissing the enticing lips. 'don't tease me, girl.'

with one finger he connected your lips, kissing eagerly you.

on the one hand, he gets sooo furious when you ain't coming at his domain after a mission. on another hand, it excites him - he obviously knows how much you needed his embrace.

like toji, he won't admit he also is clingy.

can't describe sukuna being a clingy type around you, but definitely needs your arms around his neck as he takes you to bed.

well, he.. secretly l-likes, when you grab his face in your palms with all your sincere love, kissing the tip of his nose. he wrinkles, because you are so funny. 'i know you need something more than kisses.'

ꜰᴜꜱʜɪɢᴜʀᴏ ᴛᴏᴊɪ:

yeah, i've replaced toji to the end bc, i've something to say.

toji fushiguro is disgruntled and angry when you ask him to kiss you for the hundredth time on the day.

once toji called a demanding puppy, you didn't talk with him for two days, as the man is used to fall asleep to your barely audible mumbling.

toji was irritated when saw you fall asleep on the couch. he's already used to being hugged in his sleep, what the hell?

although toji will deny the fact he loves when you're being pesky and annoying and also bothersome by kissing his face.

nevertheless, the thing you've started to notice as you didn't give him good night or good morning kiss, the sorcerer killer will be grumpy.

no! of course, he isn't clingy. never. well, it's one percent of toji being clingy. okay, fine, it's two but not more! 'give me the goodnight kiss.' 'ask more politely, toji.'

he tsks, bringing you closer and kissing you with undisguised greed. after all, it's your fault - you didn't give toji his kiss.

↳ back to the main game menu.

kudos and reblogs are welcome <3

[bdoubleowo]

Please post more about Cats,,, I need your opinions on Cats 1998

My opinions on Cats 1998 are as follows:

Banger musical. Cats 2019 fucked up everything that made it work

It's not really a story so much as a performance. If you enter Cats looking for like. the average plot beats of a musical you'll be disappointed. All the plot happens at the end. I once saw it described as like. What all the enemies in Bowsers Castle do until Mario shows up. They sing about themselves n have fun and then a protagonist appears and does their thing. I can't remember what video said it? it was probably Sideways.

The makeup is cool as hell

I hate the "cat people in the eyes" that are the logo for the musical.

It looks even worse in the beginning of the recording because they're way too close together.

Rum Tum "I'm gonna sing an entire song about how FUCKING COOL this guy is" Tugger and Mr. "I'm so cool I pretend I'm unaffected by The Hot Boy's charms but I actually react like the queens do in the background at the end of his song when the other toms seem only interested in emulating his sex appeal" Mistoffelees were one hundred percent dating.

I'm furious the version on YouTube has black bars on the bottom of the video so I can't even watch it full screen. Normally that only happens with ultrawide videos (I have an ultrawide monitor) but no this just hates me specifically. Why would you put black bars on the bottom. YouTube you can upload videos to any ratio what the hell.

If i had watched this as a child i am certain I'd be a wholeass furry.

Except this musical is. so sexual. who is showing it to children and why. there's a fucking cat orgy. Rum Tum Tugger??? what the hell.

The choreography in this movie makes me go bonkers. I was gonna go "especially this song" but then i kept thinking of more examples.

I actually avoided watching it in full for a while after getting into Cats because I knew. The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles had some choice lines about. Chinese people. which! yikes! It's apparently changed in more modern adaptations but. still. yikes dude.

Absolutely obsessed with Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. The cats themselves and the song.

Absolutely hate that its entirely unclear which cats are related. Like you'd assume Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer are siblings bc they look identical but some people like to take the "Character's romantic interest is them but Girl™️" approach and assume they're dating. i guess. and there's no canon so. And some people ship Demeter and Bombalurina but others call them sisters!!!!! It's hell!!

I wanna animate this so fucking bad. so bad. Macavaty and Skimbleshanks particularly. As cats. well like maybe anthro cats sometimes but still work as Normal Cats. like you know how in mlp the horse legs do not move like normal horse legs like they can't do that. like that. but maybe with the ability to stand up straight.

Though actually. surprisingly. I'd want to use the 2019 Skimbleshanks specifically because the begining is a solo instead of a chorus. I like the idea of Munkustrap hopping around weaving between human legs all bustling about the train station talking about how they can't find Skimbleshanks.

[ruthlesslistener]

Hello! Anon who’s comfort characters is Lurien here!

Would you be able to spare a Lurien headcanon you have perhaps?

Thank you for your time :D

Oh for sure anon! He's going to come up more frequently in the next chapters of Until Dawn Shall Break, so he's been on my mind recently. Have a few misc headcanons that I've been toying around with as of late

-Despite being a butterfly, Lurien does not know how to fly and has no real desire to learn. This isn't because he's afraid of heights or anything, but is because he's never seen the point of trying. He's lived in the City of Tears pretty much all his life, so the ease of transit and the frequent downpours meant that flying wasn't really a necessary skill to learn. As such, his wings are almost always in a limp, clothlike state, and are somewhat wrinkled because of it, usually only perking up when in states of extreme arousal like fear or anger- which embarrasses him greatly, because all those colours flaring out at once is somewhat of a gaudy, undignified show in his eyes (My headcanon for how moth/butterfly wings work is that hemolymph and other fluids can be consciously pumped into the wings or drawn out to keep them taught/flight-ready or limp and blanketlight to prevent damage; pair this with the fact that butterfly wings are usually folded together against the back, and you can see why they wouldn't really be seen much on him)

-Despite being rather prone to anxiety, bouts of melancholy, and states of disassociation, he generally appears very put-together and mysterious from the outside, which renders him a very imposing figure to those who don't know him. Pair that with his tendency to stand very still, stare, and say very little during conversations with people he's not comfortable with, and, well, you get someone who seems just as formidable as the King even if he's typically frozen in a state of panic during social gatherings

-The fluff that covers his whole body grows continuously and requires continuous trimming to keep him even somewhat butterfly-shaped, with his fur being the thickest around his shoulders/chest, along his upper back, neck, and head, and around his wrists and ankles. If you're not afraid of insects, I highly recommend looking up a picture of a jewelmark butterfly, because these mfers look like they're made out of pipe cleaners

-When comfortable around certain people, the mysterious, silent Lurien mask drops away to reveal someone who is dryly sarcastic, prone to bouts of exasperation, has an unfortunately soft, empathetic heart, and is deeply passionate about art and keeping the people of Hallownest safe. He's also a huge magic nerd and likes to doodle spell-glyphs in his free time to see if he can incorporate them into his art, which can sometimes backfire on him

-He's not really a stickler for rules, he just tends to act like he has a stick up his ass because he's terrified of the consequences of fucking up a social transaction.

-I personally headcanon him to be in the upper thirties and early forties age-wise. He is, however, several centuries old in actuality because those who are close to the Pale King receive the gift of conventional mortality simply bc PK is a 'bond to one person and never to others again' sorta guy. I can't give you an exact number, I just have him marked down as 'starting to have hit his physical and fertility decline marker beforehand' bc my brain works in stages vs numbers lol

-Unlike in the wild, the butterflies in the world of Hollow Knight tend to have very large families where young are raised communally by various aunts, uncles, and trusted family friends, so Lurien, as an introverted outcast, somewhat suffers from these tenancies. Half of his depression and disassociation comes from him not being able to identify when he needs to seek out socialization and then when to withdraw before being overwhelmed

-This social nature also means that he ended up quite fond of PK's kids despite his rampant fear of children/Hornet, because even if he shoved his crush to the side in favor of saving Hallownest, that doesn't stop his social butterfly brain from going 'children of my beloved are mine to watch over', even if he was shit at it. Where my Lurien and Hollow mentorship fics at