#thank you anon!! this was nEAT!!

[egophiliac]

What do you like about the Diasomnia boys if I may ask?

I always love hearing about the different reasons people enjoy characters.

I mean, c'mon. he has split custody over Sebek okay

also, Lilia in particular has maybe the best timeskip character development of all time

[allastoredeer]

Just had a hilarious thought.

Yes, Alastor is attracted to power. But his coming to that realization was not prompted by Lucifer or even Vox.

It was seeing Zestial!

Imagine: He first arrives in Hell, and he's still building up for his big reveal, and then sees Zestial putting on some impressive power display and was like: Oh.

Z was his first aesthetic crush. Thankfully a passing one, but it explains why he respects him so much.

It puts a whole new spin on his reaction to Zestial appearing in front of him on the street in Episode 3. Then his immediate order for the EggBois to shush, despite barely tolerating them before. "Shut up, he needs to think I'm cool."

Okay, okay, okay, I got, like, 3 messages side by side the other day (including this one), that involves Vox as well, and I've been super sick the last few days, so I read this in my migraine, dehydrated addled state and cooked up an entire backstory with Alastor and Vox, which includes Alastor's attraction to power (and his previous attraction to Zestial), and his falling out with Vox, and why they are what they are, and Velvette was in there somewhere, but now that I'm not longer sick I only have fragments of that glorious, complex, multi-faceted, super emotionally charged relationship, and I'm pretty sure most of it spawned from this.

That's all to say, I am so so SO fucking on board with Alastor's first crush being Zestial because when I watched episode three when it aired, and saw them interact, my first thought was "I ship it."

Literally, I shipped Alastor/Zestial before StaticRadio or AppleRadio. Alestial was my first Hazbin ship 😂 So this is just dasdfjlnsaklfjna YESSSSSSSSSS

"Shut up, he needs to think I'm cool." It's okay, Alastor. Zestial thinks your the coolest. Your the most entertaining Overlord on the block. He told me himself.

[necrotic-nephilim]

any opinions on joker junior!tim/jason?

oh my GOD yes-

Joker Junior!Tim is one of my guilty pleasures. i'm *obsessed* with the concept, i think it's so horrifying in such an intriguing way. it's tricky to work into the main timeline, but that's sort of the fun of it, bc generally you have two routes: Joker Junior happened to Tim when he was Robin and he's since moved on and continued to be Robin then Red Robin. or it happened to him as Red Robin and is a current thing that the characters in the fic are dealing with. and both are good.

because there's endless potential of how to do it with JayTIm. does Jason save Tim, does Jason *know* in the first place, if it happens after Jason is back as Red Hood how does he react, etc. i've read it in fics and i love every version.

but i think i'm intrigued by the idea of Joker Junior happening before Jason comes back as Red Hood and he finds out about it and he's *pissed*. like infinitely more pissed than he would've been. but his anger isn't in protection of Tim, it's at Bruce for not learning, for letting this happen again. and for making a brainwashed child have to kill Joker because *again*, Bruce couldn't do it. the point isn't about if Joker is alive or dead. it's that *Bruce* didn't kill Joker and Jason's death didn't mean enough to Bruce to stop Joker before he did it again. because Joker Junior really is the proof Jason needs to shove in Bruce's face about child sidekicks and Robins and Joker. and since Jason didn't exist in the universe where Joker Junior happened, we never saw a real comparison of the two. but i think if they happened in the same universe, it makes what Joker does to Tim far more purposeful. because now he knows he can kill a Robin and *get away with it*. so he wants to push it. how do you top *killing Robin*? like, if that doesn't get to Batman *what does*? Joker Junior seems like the perfectly reasonable next progression. if a dead Robin doesn't break the Bat, then breaking Robin beyond recognition seems even bigger. and Joker trying to get Tim to kill Bruce as Joker Junior would likely be Joker just seeing if Bruce would let it happen. could Bruce bring himself to stop Tim? and of course Joker doesn't find out bc Tim kills him instead, but it's such a fun question.

and so, i think Jason would *know* his death in a way, caused this. Joker did that to Tim because he didn't get enough of a rise out of Bruce for killing Jason. if Bruce had *just* killed the Joker, none of this would've happened. another kid wouldn't be irrevocably fucked up.

as for Jason's opinions on Tim specifically, i think it's fun if Tim retires from vigilante work entirely after the incident. (with Steph taking over as Robin for a much longer and more significant period instead of just getting fridged) because Tim has very black and white morals so knowing he killed someone, even under the influence of Joker venom, he'd immediately put down the cape, suggest Steph to take up his mantle and quietly retire. he knows what he's capable of now, pushed to the edge and it scares him. i think it's fun if it scares him *because* he was lucid. if he was truly under the brainwashing control, he would've killed Bruce. but he didn't. he had a moment of clarity, and decided to kill the Joker. and he knows that was *him*, not Joker Junior. he made that decision and now, he lives with it.

which means Jason would be almost pissed off by Tim, at first. because they're reacting to their trauma *wildly* differently. Jason wants blood for blood, vengeance, war, and to make Gotham feel his wrath. but Tim just wants to. disappear. quietly vanish and live a quiet life, even refusing to run comms. Jason doesn't understand how TIm doesn't share the anger and passion Jason has for justice. he knows what Tim is capable of and so does Tim, so why doesn't Tim lean into it? why doesn't he take back control? bc this is letting the Joker win, to Jason. after all, Jason is the guy who took Joker's old name to prove a point. and now he's facing another person broken by Joker who just. is a normal guy. i'd love to write Jason forcibly dragging Tim back into the superhero life, trying to trigger the worst out of him and wanting to find kinship in Tim. because that's another part of it- this is someone else who might actually understand Jason's experiences and Jason just wants to not be alone. he wants someone else who gets what it feels like. so he makes Tim face the trauma Tim is running from and pushes and pushes until Tim snaps. i think it could be fun.

don't get me wrong, i love softer JJ!Tim in JayTim stuff just as much, where Jason is more protective and they bond and end up really close and taking care of each other because of it. but i'd love to lean into the fucked up nature of it. for Jason to want to rip Tim open and see just how much of the Joker is left inside of him. for Jason to be obsessed with the other Robin that Joker broke. for Jason to be even angrier at Bruce because of it all. there's endless potential and it will forever remain my guilty pleasure for JayTim.

[henarikat]

Can you tell us more about your farmer? What is she like how does she meet mr qi how do they fall in love? Tell us everything!!!!

Omg the girl of all time?? You want to hear about my silly little guy?? And her blue man aaaaaa??? I have suddenly forgotten all of the lore I've ever conceived for them oh my goodness but um uh.... i will put it under a spoiler bc it'll probably be dumb and ramblyyyyy and I will absolutely regret posting in 5 seconds if I don't lmao

I guess, her dad is like the CEO of Joja or whatever, some really intense and high-up position. Idk anything about corporations. And he gets her a job after she graduates from college, she has some "dumb" (by his standards) artsy degree that he deems relevant enough to give her a very easy but very high-paying receptionist job. She doesn't have to do anything except for field calls and usually customers don't make it that far calling, so it's usually like... business deals or something. She also has to get donuts and lunch and coffee for the office, which, whatever. And anyway, she meets this guy and he seems cool. He works for her dad and he gets,,, close to her. And she gets,,, close to him. And anyway, it turns out he was using her for like, access to her dad/insider information about the company and then the night he dramatically breaks up with her, she feels like a FOOL and she cannot go back to work the next day. She remembers her dead grandfather's farm and the deed he sent her, so she spends the night packing up her things and leaves for the train station first thing in the morning, no word to anyone!!!! Obviously her dad is SO MAD and he just like... pulls her inheritance? Is that a thing that happens? Idk. And anyway, he doesn't talk to her ever again. She is very depressed when she gets to the valley and she's used to drinking every weekend in zuzu so she... kind of... drinks a lot?? every day?? she gets really close with shane, and they hook up once just before his heart event on the cliffs and after that, they both decide they're better off as friends, at least until they can both get clean. joja ends up firing him because he's so sick after he stops drinking and she hires him to work for her and pays him what he made a joja in a week for just a day's worth of work, so it's beneficial for him! She makes friends with Leah also because they both love art and Leah also majored in the same silly thing that Nora did and funny enough, that guy that Nora "dated" was Leah's ex. Crazy world we live in. Uhhhh and no one really has any romantic interest in Nora, they all sort of pair themselves up with each other?? Harvey has a silly crush on her (bc I hc Maru to be sort of an acespec lesbian in Nora's world), but she is not interested and doesn't want to break harveys strict doctor/patient rule anyway, even if she were. Uh and then 5 years into her stay in the valley, she gets a package with a note attached. I am a hopeless romantic, personallyyyyyy, so like, in my HC Mr Qi never sent her on any quests. He saw her on his screens when she arrived in the valley and he was like oh....ok um wow ok she's going to ruin my life cool cool cooooool. he was so infatuated with her aaaaaa. he never sent her on the quest for the battery or the rainbow shell for his club card, he didn't wait for her on floor 100 in the skull caverns. he coooouldn't. he tried to distract himself with flings, but even still, he could not stop thinking of her. so finally, he invited her to the casino to meet him. he sent her a gorgeous fitted gown and shoes and flowers and!!! and she came!! to meet him! and she was not scared of him or intimidated by him (she didn't even know who he was to be fair) and she thought he was cuuuuute aaaa. and I made up some heart events for him and them and I just!! they're my silly guys they mean everything to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And anyway here is a really cheesy dumb art I drew also because I’m stupid and I love them 😩

[blindmagdalena]

If homie ever had to wear civilian clothes (he chooses the style) how do you think he'd dress?

if he had to dress down from his suit, there would be a lot of structured clothing. shirts with high collars and shoulder seams that sit high and help him to look broader. jackets with shoulder pads and chest pockets.

i feel like he's so used to the padding of his suit, he would end up layering a lot to feel more comfortable. a button-up under a cashmere sweater under a jacket.

he's definitely not a band tees and jeans kind of guy. he's wearing clothing that give him PRESENCE. he would want to get as close as possible to the look and feel that his suit achieves. probably wears his pants tucked into a nice pair of boots.

also, it's gonna have to be well made. quality fabrics, nothing that's too loud or that tickles his skin. he has sensory issues and i stick by that.

[tangledinink]

kayson,, holy shit,,, what a set of updates,, youve made my wholeass week hfjshcjkdjf stabilise is killing me gemini was amusing ballad of casey jones was beautifully coloured tmwn was also v amusing n swanagello devastating you are a pillar of glorious content in this community and deserve the world!! slee well n drink water n rest n make sure you don’t do too much!!!!!!! we all think you are pretty neat!!!

I HAD TO PROVE I COULD DO IT.

[fatedroses]

NOOOOOO Blueberry Grandpa!! 🥺🥺🥺 Atticus (and Regent by extension) is such an interesting character. Especially with his complecated relationships with what seems like everyone. I can see why Tsukiko loves her Dad so much. He's so kind and caring despite everything.

:D I'm glad to hear you enjoy old mr.blueberry!

I'm also gonna put this here because I felt like talking a bit more about him as a character:

I started writing Atticus because I wanted to explore pre-imperial and early imperial Garlemald with a character that lived through the brunt of some of the early conflicts (i.e, the reaper society, the home-front war, and the beginning of Solus' reign). Because a lot of the pre-history and subtext caught my eye while I was looking into lore.

He is a character I define almost primarily for the compassion and love he has for others, with Regent balancing him out by being an embodiment of his loyalty, determination, and sense of justice. And I've enjoyed writing him keeping that sense of self, even as it often puts him at odds with those he cares about. For Atticus, to pay the kindness he had gotten from those he had lost forward was the only way he knew of to keep that spark of their memory alive, and in how he thinks of himself, it is how he mentally prevents himself from becoming the man that took his village and his family from him in the first place.

The other main thing I wanted to explore with him is that he is, in archetype, a previous generation non-azem warrior of light, and the concept of him growing up and being from a place like Garlemald and the struggles that came with it because of how his motivations deviated from a lot of his kin.

Also in part because I thought it would be a least a little amusing for Emet to get attached to Atticus only to realize way too late that Hydaelyn had "gotten to him first". (Cue a man angrily shaking his fist towards the earth LOL)

[plusultraetc]

interested to know what u think abt erasercloud as a ship … im a emic otp kinda guy so i have it easy LOL

🤝I am definitely an erasermic otp kinda gal (I am tied to the mast of this ship like Odysseus except I actually want to be here), but I think erasercloud is really cute!! And Painful :')

tbh I did read this ask and literally have to sit there like 'what DO I think of erasercloud as a ship???' bc I only ever really think about them as friends? Obv their dynamic is so compelling, romantic or platonic. It's about the belief. It's about the remembering. It's about the love, persevering. It's about how Shirakumo was one of the first people who really, vocally believed in Aizawa, and now Aizawa is one of the only people who believes in him. (That he's still here. That there's still hope.) It's about how they only knew each other for a short time, but the impact they had on each other is so important. Life-changing.

(link bc this is getting long lol)

On a less-emo note, I also think that Shirakumo is just a super likable character, and in-universe, I can totally see him being the kind of person that like... everyone has a little bit of a crush on. Like we've all met one of Those People. Maybe I'm a little biased, bc in undergrad I was embarrassingly smitten with a very funny, very social person who, what do you know, would NOT let me be in my little reclusive introvert bubble. I can say from experience that being singled out by a person like that is very. uwu. you know how it is. ANYWAY even in a world where they're not together I could very easily see little bby Aizawa having a fleeting crush on Shirakumo for a reason like that. TL;DR cute ship if you smile through the pain!!

(I also know that a lot of Marvel fans ship Captain America and the Winter Soldier and isn't that,, kiiind of what's going on with Aizawa and Kurogiri?? So there's that!)

[venomroad]

can I just say I love all your silly comics of the blackbeard pirates SO MUCH! the one where laffitte makes a big meal and shiryu just walks away with a drink is probably my favorite. also the way you draw stronger is so cute!

Uoowaoahhhhh, I'm so glad you enjoy them and told me a favourite issue, that means so,so much!!! 🥺🥺💓💓💓💓💓 I want to draw more Strongers but I gotta practice more and do him justice 😤

Thank you so much for reading and supporting!!

[j0kers-light]

Hi Chaos! I love the idea of J being bad at math 😆 Me personally I think he’d be good with numbers and stuff (even though he has to double check himself with basic addition lol, there’s too much going on in his brain for him to focus). But I do think he’d struggle to read a little bit. He’s not illiterate obviously, but sometimes the words don’t come to him immediately. Like he’d have to sound it out a few times, especially complicated words. It’s really noticeable when he tries to read out loud. He doesn’t read fluently and he pauses a lot. I’m imagining y/n asking him to read her a bedtime story and he gets all embarrassed because he can’t read that well. (Kinda like in Beauty and the Beast 😭)

I’m sorry I didn’t not mean to ramble lmao

- 🍄

Beloved 🍄 you’ve returned!

Never apologize! I’m gonna ramble back at you! 🖤✨

I think Joker is just bad with money since he rarely uses it to buy things. How is he supposed to know what a nickel is? He just steal whatever he wants, there’s no need for him to know how to count it 🙄 our cute wittle idiot

Wait until he finds about international currency. Anyhoo..

I agree; with a hyperactive brain like his, simple tasks tend to trip him up. Like math.

Make no mistake. I’m not saying he’s challenged 😭 far from it actually. Our baby is smarT!

OOOOOH MYYYYYYYY GOSSSSH! Joker stressing larger words like per•suas•sive•ly because he struggles to enunciate words, is a secret theory of mine.

Hear me out! I am a fast reader! I’ll read a thicc book in a day however I SUCK AT READING OUT LOUD. Don’t ask me to, I ain’t doing it.

Joker can read, duh, but like me, our diction is trash. It’s because our brain is reading the text faster than our vocal cords can produce. That’s the problem.

Enter Y/n, with copious amounts of patience. You’re a walking thesaurus for J!

You read to Joker every night and teach him how to adopt a manageable reading flow so he can follow along verbally. And you help him how to say different words correctly.

You help him practice reading aloud (because you secretly love listening to his voice) and you reward him with kisses when he reads a chapter without stuttering.

He’s doing better with his pronunciation and pacing yet he prefers when you read to him.

[not-poignant]

Pia hi I love Stain that Won't Dissolve so much if you wrote 200 chapters of Alex and Sebastian talking I would turn up and want to read 200 more thanks for making my Sunday morning really neat like the Marge meme

You know what I might actually be 400 years old but let me get out the old millennial meme maker and

It's 12.12am here on an extremely early early Monday morning because WHAT IS TIME but I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter and that you're enjoying the story!

And like anon I'm SO glad you like characters talking because BOY DO I HAVE SO MUCH CHARACTERS TALKING TO COME my genre is 'two broken boys talk in a room and eventually have a happy ending because of it' but also with sex sometimes and a plot in the background sdlakjfasd

[sashkapi]

I’m really curious about your kendall perkins headcanons

(Yes, You can add headcanons of her with a character like kick)

I'm sorry, I've been putting this one for later because AAAAAAA I HAVE MANY AAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Ok here's some

Sometime after "Detained!" she started to basically weaponize her teachers pet status. Teachers, adults and most authority would listen to her because they see her as "Perfect little angel who can do no wrong". And ooh boy does she do wrong

She is "bitter friends" with Mouth. They're kinda like colleagues who constantly exchange goods and services. Kendall mostly asks him for different stuff to get her way while Mouth simply asks for homework or getting him out of the detention or additional schoolwork

This one is silly but every book in a local library? She red them all

She likes to write novels and fanfictions as a hobby, but also hides that fact because she thinks it's below her to "indulge in such stupid time waste". But she can't help herself. (And most stories she writes are adventure/romance by genre)

Despite hiding her writing hobby, she researches for her stories like crazy. Girl has a lot of misc knowledge to the point she is borderline wikipedia personification

Connected to her teachers pet status and friendship with Mouth - she is quite feared in school and that's because of the rumor that she straight up expelled a guy for crossing her. Yes, Mouth distributed that rumor, so almost everyone in school is at least wary of her (but then there is this ONE DAREDEVIL-)

The reason Kick isn't afraid of her is because they both know that he's way to stubborn to go down without a fight and he wins most of those (also hey, Kendall being threatening? Kinda attractive of her. But he hates her, guys, don- DON'T GET ANY IDEAS)

She actually wanted to stay friends with Ronaldo after their break up but he was too heartbroken and she she was being a hot head. They both are bitter about the way things went. (Although they do become friends much later)

She also used Luigi Vendetta's services to try to stop Linnie to pick up on her. It also didn't work for long.

The reason Kendall named Hansel "Hansel" despite it being a male name and her cat being a girl is because her dad got both her and Linnie cats and they named them "Hansel and Gretel". Ironically, Gretel is a boy. Yeah, they didn't check their kittens' genders before naming them.

Ok I'll stop here jjdjdjskkxjvjkcj

[skeletalheartattack]

I think it’s a pretty good funny bit for the Skeleton to switch to a living bird icon in Scary month

truthfully, it was completely coincidental that Gelato's been my icon this entire month, but i gotta admit. it's a pretty funny juxtaposition for me to do it during this month in specific.

[imminent-danger-came]

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1071331247466491995/1137439972350234674/Screenshot_20230804-233345-281.png

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1071331247466491995/1137439972819992718/Screenshot_20230805-143153-907.png

Same star maybe?

Originally I was gonna say probably not, but then I noticed the swirl:

So...yes. I'm going to say it probably is the same star!

The first star is above/outside of "everything that has ever happened" (aka what is recorded on the scroll of memory), and the second star with Wukong is only seen because reality is breaking apart (aka we start to see what is 'outside of everything', above what anyone even has any memory of).

[mutalune]

What do u think about aoyama from bnha? :)

I’ve been out of the bnha circle for awhile, but I always liked him!!! He was one of the characters that seemed like he would’ve been a great friend to Izuku even if circumstances had been different and Izuku had never gone to UA, if that makes sense? Like whether Izuku had a quirk that destroyed his body similar to Aoyama or Izuku was still quirkless, I just see Aoyama as wanting to be his friend tbh. I vaguely remember reading a fic where he and Izuku were friends and I loved that dynamic a lot

I saw some posts about him being revealed as the traitor recently and I wasn’t too surprised to hear it, he was almost pointedly inconspicuous as a character and there wasn’t as much deep-diving into his backstory as the other 1-A students’ when we were first learning about them. I think he’s a neat character especially with that context, and with the reveal I think there’s great potential for some damn good angst and hurt/comfort fics tbh

(Also: as a girlie with chronic stomach issues, I’m always gonna stan a tummy-hurty king 👑✨)

[linklethehistorian]

Linkle, I must know, what are your thoughts on Mori as a character? His actions and motivations?? Id love to hear your opinion, btw that last chapter of cherish was great!! I loved it so much!!!

Ahhh hello there, anon, thank you so much! 🥺😭💕💖🥰 It’s such an honor to get a message like this from someone who is reading the fic. 💕🥺💖🥰💕🥺💖🥰 I’m so glad you liked Chapter 12; it definitely has one of my own personal favorite scenes, tbh (but I won’t take up your time talking about that right now lol). Having a fan base for Cherish is truly lovely; I’m so blessed by each and every one of you. 🥺💖

As for your question, I’m always happy to share!

Before I say anything at all on my opinion, though, I’m first going to make it clear that I am completely setting aside that one…particular matter that has been discussed to death by the fandom for the moment, because I fear far too many people tend to forget that it is entirely possible to make any remotely positive commentary on a fictional character without that actually somehow meaning you condone his alleged…preferences. For the people in the back that need to hear this out loud to be set at ease: I in absolutely no way do.

Now with that out of the way for a bit, let’s talk about the rest of Mori. I’ll throw it under the cut, though, both for length and for potential spoilers of multiple light novels (Dark Era, Fifteen, Storm Bringer, etc.) and obviously the manga up to his last appearance in current arc. Oh and obviously the typical Mori-related trigger subjects. Yeah.

Honestly, on a general note, these days I think Mori as a character is super cool; I’m not sure where precisely I’d rate him on the list of characters because I honestly like nearly every character in BSD and think they’re pretty awesomely written, but on a general scale of 1 to 10, he’s a very solid 8 or 9 for me.

My first introduction to him was…admittedly not at all the best possible representation of him.

When I first joined the fandom, I began my journey through the series by watching the anime adaption of Dark Era, at the behest of a dear friend who said I would be best off doing so before I watched the rest of the show (of which there were only two seasons at the time) and then reading the manga, in order to get the best and most meaningful experience; it is not something I remotely regret, and in honesty, I would probably wholeheartedly recommend any new people to do the same, if they intended to start with the anime. Regardless, though, this decision did have the impact of making me immediately strongly dislike Mori as a person from the very start, given what he did to the orphans, Oda, and Dazai by extension.

Really, I wouldn’t say that I came to see him in any particular shades of grey motivation-wise until I watched the episode titled Double Black, in which there was the first reference of what would have become of the Port Mafia and Yokohama as a whole had he not usurped the throne to the organization so many years ago.

After that, I began to look at him with a bit more understanding and curiosity, horrible and ruthless though his nature may still mostly have been. Fifteen (specifically the light novel, NOT the anime) — which it should be said, I think is the best existing canon representation of Mori in terms of giving us a good look at his thoughts and motivations — only amplified that outlook and interest for me, and I think it alone is largely to thank for why I enjoy him as a character as much as I do in current time.

Although he’s definitely not someone I’d feel particularly comfortable writing an entire story solely around — as I don’t believe I’m expert nor absurdly passionate enough to do so compared to some genuine Mori fans that I know are out there out there — I nevertheless really, really do enjoy writing him, especially in Cherish (which is only the second time I’ve written him, if I’m honest — at least, in anything I’d consider publishing, anyway).

There’s just so much potential in him plot and personality-wise; he is incredibly flexible of a person in terms of his thoughts, mannerisms, motivations, and actions, which makes it super fun to explore and play around with when telling a story. I’d say he easily has one of the most fun personalities among the BSD ensemble, purely because of utterly unpredictable it can be; on one hand, he has moments where (at least outwardly) is capable of being extremely friendly, outgoing, generous and unassuming, and yet on the other, he is very much always inwardly observant of all that is going on around him and capable of quickly switching to being cold, calculating, and openly cruel at the drop of a hat. But even then, usually, his cruelty doesn’t come in the form of physical violence; it’s often emotional manipulation, intimidation, taking your fears and weaknesses and using them against you to get him whatever he feels he needs in the present moment. Sometimes, it isn’t even outwardly visible that the switch of gears happened; he knows how to poison you in the sweetest and most unassuming yet effective way possible — whether that poison is literal or metaphorical. He’s definitely the kind of person who could sing you to sing to sleep every night and kiss your cheek every morning even as he’s secretly plotting your demise. lol

That being said, I think a lot of the fandom, in their hatred for him as a person, tends to mischaracterize him a lot, rather than looking at it objectively. I’ve seen a lot of fics and general fandom takes that portray him as a sadistic person who is cruel simply for the sake of being cruel and does terrible things to others purely for the enjoyment factor, but that is 100% not who Mori is; canonically, Mori does what he does mostly, if not entirely, out of what he feels is necessity as the leader of the organization. Now, I’m not saying there may not be parts of him that enjoy certain things he does — it’s certainly more than possible, and even highly probable — but his actions as godfather are driven by achieving what he feels is the optimal solution, not by personal pleasure and amusement; as a matter of fact, in Fifteen, he even made it clear when speaking to Chuuya that he fully acknowledges a lot of what he does is morally reprehensible — he just feels that it is his duty to commit these atrocities for the ‘greater good’ of the organization, and that the end therefore justifies the means.

The thing is, there is a character in BSD who is exactly the way this portion of the fandom characterizes Mori, and he was even a member of the Port Mafia, so if people really wanted to canonically explore this dynamic of a character who wholly gets off on tormenting people, causing suffering and probing others’ heads rather than doing it as just a business practice, they absolutely could still do it and be true to canon by writing about said other character; it’s just that it’s not a convenient truth that a lot of the fandom wants or likes to face — because that would mean acknowledging that it was everyone’s beloved Dazai and not the oh-so-despised Mori who used to think in such a sick and twisted way during his days in the criminal underworld.

Granted, some people do write both characters very well and very accurately, and I applaud them, but I do find it frustrating when the fandom reduces either Mori to this purely evil, sadistic villain who is bad just for the sake of being bad, because he is so much more interesting as he truly is in canon.

It’s this dichotomy where his dedication to the overall well-being of his people and company is admirable and even understandable, yet at the same time his individual actions when you look at them from a moral perspective are pretty much all morally reprehensible in some way, shape, or form — if not in every way. The same is true of his time in the army; as a general concept, his desire to protect Japan during the Great War was on the whole admirable and understandable, we know that he was well-meaning about it, but at the same time, no matter how desperate the situation was, what he did to Yosano and his entire army was absolutely disgusting and unacceptable — especially because it came so easily to him to do it and he made no apologies for it nor expressed any guilt over the suffering he caused later on.

Do I think Mori is, on the whole, a good person? Absolutely not. Do I think that he sometimes has the best of intentions in mind with his schemes? In the grander scheme of things, yes; it’s just that he mostly doesn’t care who or how many he has to hurt to achieve that so long as it’s slightly less than his net gain from doing it, which in turn cancels out things enough to prevent him from ever being labeled as being or acting as a “good person” at any moment.

I think the best, most objective description of him is to say that he’s pragmatic and ruthless.

…And then obviously there’s the part that everyone in the fandom discusses to death — about the main universe version of him being into little girls. Not a whole lot to say about that; it’s gross, it’s wrong, it’s unforgivable, it’s morally reprehensible, and it’s chilling and disturbing and it definitely completely disqualifies him from being labeled a good person even if he had been able to earn that title from something he did somewhere along the way.

That being said — and I know this is probably going to be controversial to a lot of the fandom, so let me say upfront that I’m not saying that that isn’t 100% a valid and understandable reading of who he is and the way he feels based on all the evidence throughout the series, nor am I trying to convince anyone otherwise — purely because it is fiction and therefore all made up to begin with, at least for my own personal comfort, I typically choose in my own personal readings to just look at him as someone with a particular weakness for little girls because he’s fatherly — although I make no effort to claim that to be the objective truth, nor does such interpretation affect or influence any of my writings in any way; it’s simply the way I prefer to engage with BSD on my own personal time — outside of my writings.

As a matter of fact, in my one fic, Bittersweet Belief, he was intentionally written with the intention of being portrayed as a groomer, and in Cherish, his ‘tastes’ will be portrayed no less nor more suspicious than how they are in canon, and therefore it will never be fully, directly addressed, but may be interpreted however you wish.

I do not need people coming to me providing evidence of why they believe there is no way to look at it differently, as again, I am not arguing that it is objectively untrue in any way that Mori is written to be a pedo in BSD, and when in public spaces among other people talking about it I don’t even try to say otherwise, much less convince anyone of it. I understand fandom etiquette and I am not trying to erase anything about him from others’ perceptions in order to make him more “likable”. I am just engaging with BSD, whenever I am personally reading it and watching it, in the way that is more comfortable for me. Nothing more, nothing less.

Anyway, yeah, Mori’s a super fun character to write and observe in the BSD world! I think there’s a lot of depth to him and he’s very well-written — probably among my top past antagonists purely for the super interesting personality and the purely pragmatic outlook to life and business.