#thanks anon sorry this is so rambling!

[bropunzeling]

i think the research u do for fics is insane... thinking deeply about the logistics of soulbond/omegaverse/cisswap mattdrai where they invoke a partner clause like... policy writing IS fanfiction actually... would u ever consider diving into the logistics of the partner clause...

hello anon! what a funny/good question haha. this got uh long so under the cut are some thoughts about that (also, like, spoilers for linger if anyone cares)

want to set the table by saying (a) im SO not a lawyer, law school VERY not for me, i know a lot of lawyers and they all terrify me (affectionate) and (b) i do not really do much research beyond my ongoing love affair with hockey reference dot com (and stuff to inform characterization ofc!) -- but i think the existence of the idea of these like, bond clauses (explicit in the omegaverse one, may come up if i write more soulbond) comes from a general question that i think about whenever im writing an au concept which is: how would this one wacky change (people have another form of sexual presentation! people can have half physical half mental all emotional connections to another person!) influence other aspects of life besides me smashing my ken dolls together?

obviously the trappings are fun - reality tv! inane pop songs! if people can get bonded do they also have weddings? how does this influence pbs documentaries. but i often think about things from a public policy perspective because it's what i know lol. and with those examples in particular, my thought process was -- here's this thing that can romantically and sexually entangle people, but there's also a physical component. bonding in omegaverse or soulbonds often changes you/has some sort of tangible impact if you’re separated -- you get bond sick, your heat cycle changes, that sort of thing. there would probably be some sort of sociopolitical movement to protect those social structures because you can't have people getting physically fucked up if they aren't allowed to follow/bring a partner with them! maybe it was a given in many cultures and laws developed to formalize social structures. maybe in the us there's some sort of landmark federal legislation to provide greater protections in the 60s and 70s. maybe the un has a body of international standards.

and in any/all of those cases, it would be something that would get bargained in something like a sports cba because in a world where these kinds of intense bonds are possible between members of your same-gender league, inEVITABLY capitalism will run up against those off ice bonds, and people would feel strongly about keeping their partner with them!

also in linger specifically, i knew i wanted the main conflict to be this sort of, matthew vs his body, matthew vs his identity as an omega/what he perceives being an omega to mean, matthew's desire for independence and control vs his desire for physical and emotional connection and leon. and when i was first trying to figure out my way into a plot (especially how to handle The Trade) and spitballing on twitter, a friend was like what if alpha/omega relationships were a really big deal legally? and the idea of bond rights sprung out of that because it was the perfect narrative tool to be like, here is this tangible economic and occupational consequence if matthew gets bonded. here is a real thing that will happen that will cause him to lose that sense of control over his own life. here is the Threat that is always sitting in the back of his mind. and even though it hopefully comes across that like, leon doesn't think of their relationship that way, he wouldn't actually force matthew to stay close if matthew didn't want to, matthew doesn't know that! he's seen bond rights used before! he doesn't want it to be him! and then that really drives the conflict of the story, because he sees holding himself apart from leon as this way to achieve not just emotional independence and self-control, but also very literally control over his own career.

so yeah idk! world building! not only does it provide color and depth but hopefully it can drive conflict and plot as well!

(also tbc there is no such partner clause in the girl!leon verse, they are just being very savvy about contracts and cap capacity and eventually gonna finangle their way to the same team through guile and playing hardball)

[rattkachuk]

Hello! Hope you are having a good day.

So I have a question for you, just ignore when you don't feel like answering.

I came to Mattdrai via the enemies/rivals to lovers tag and then got sucked into hockey. I really like the fanon take on Leon, fav character, fanon Matthew was fine but way too woobified and infantilized in so many fics. So my surprise when I started to watch games, interviews etc. Public Matthew is so confident, so loving, awesome family to back him up, especially Brady, hot as hell, sexy way of playing hockey, amazing public persona. Loved and respected by his team, beyond hockey.

Then Leon. His only trait seems to be that he's pissy which I can appreciate but it seems that he's just a downright mean, arrogant guy with a superiority complex (see that interview when he puts Silovs down.) I don't find him stoic at all but he's just seems boring and bland and yeah, pissy. It doesn't seem like he has fun or likes his team a lot or is liked by them (Connor aside and his skills aside.) His friendship with Connor seems the only endearing or likeable thing. He even looks good in a bland way and his hockey is while it's so skillful it's not hot and also I wonder why his dirty plays aren't called out more often.

So what do I miss? Where does great fanon Leon come from? Why is he written mostly so superior to Matthew and where comes the "his team likes Leon so much but Matthew is an outcast in his own team come from?) It's so far from what I gather from old and new interviews or games and I have watched a lot, also German interviews. I really would like to like Leon, shipping them had been more fun when I didn't find his public self so jarring. What do I not see what everyone else seems to get?

Sorry for the long ask! Have a great day and thank you

first off thank you for such a thought out ask! i don't get to dive into things like this a lot outside of writing fic and it got my brain gears going.

to get right into the bulk of this ask: i get what you are saying about leon. that can be the way he comes off for sure, and look everything i'm gonna say? i'm talking out of my ass here. i don't claim to know anything about him as a person besides what's publicly presented, and i don't have much right to theorize about why he is the way that he is, but i'd be lying if i said i didn't think about it. how would i write rpf otherwise, right 💀

i think he cares a lot. and i think sometimes he gets so wrapped up in things, how things should be, how he should be performing, etc, and when it doesn't go a certain way he gets frustrated and snarky (eg, pissy comments and such). but i don't see that being bad necessarily, especially when it's seems to come from such a team oriented state of mind. which, i dont think he dislikes his team at all? i think if anything, he has a sort of blind faith in his team, and that's the only context i could see a 'superiority complex' making sense in. and yah maybe a little misplaced at times, but ultimately i think it comes from believing so fully in his team and not seeing that come to fruition. he really does not seem to care about his individual performance much at all, so how self obsessed can he be? when i think about leon i just see someone that is ultimately very passionate and committed to the game he plays. i'm also curious to know where you get the vibe that his team doesn't like him? simply because i never got that impression from any of the other oilers, they all seem like they're obsessed with him.

beyond hockey, i see a caring, sweet, kindhearted individual. anytime i see a picture or vid of him interacting with bowie, or even the things his girlfriend posts about him, the comments he leaves for people on ig, and yah of course in the way he talks/acts around connor, i see fragments of someone soooo different than the little two minute post game interviews (which, can we judge any hockey player on those? i think they all hate them dfkjgsd). it's not always something i actively go digging for or have examples of the top of my head, but i do see it, and it definitely goes into creating the version of leon that i have in my mind.

hey, and, he's a silly guy!!! please, i know the reputation is pissy and humourless, ESPECIALLY in fic, but that man is so funny. so many random offhanded comments that make me pause and then laugh. a different sense of humour but it's so there. i love the sandcastle vid from the asg last year and feel like it's a good example of that, all sunburnt and happy. also hey, big man in tune with his fear of the ocean? love that. that little vid of him dancing on the ice earlier this season, those halloween photos where he's dressed as a monkey, every time he talks to a kid. hell, seeing him in warmups and watching the way he takes time to interact fans?? loveee watching warmups but i'd never had a player actually acknowledge my existence before leon!

also i really enjoy his personality on the ice, i like the rat behaviour and the sassy comments that he makes to other players/refs, i like the bitch moves, and i like his hockey too. i think his game is dependable and like you said skillful, and while maybe not the most creative, the sureness and the technical aspect it is hot to me. so my thoughts on everything are probably skewed in that regard.

anyways this was just a whole lot of rambling about why i find him interesting, endearing even, but i understand the perception you have. i don't like some players that other people love, just cause i cant see what they see. and honestly that's sometimes just the way it is! if you don't like leon, maybe u just don't like him and thats fine.

disclaimer that i have only been on hockeyblr for a couple years, and really didn't spare many thoughts for leon til the beginning of the 22/23 season. truthfully i'm hardly the person to ask about leon imo, but of course i have thoughts anyways! if someone else with more knowledge reads my bit of rambling here, please feel free to chime in and add your voice to this!

and side note, ofc, i have to touch on this bc who would i be if i'm not one to talk about matthew; in the way of m.tkachuk, i think that in the early days of mattdrai it was maybe a fair take away during his time with the flames (minus the woobifying). even though he was loved so much here and had some fucking times, and i think the team was mostly good to him (player wise if not regarding management, that is), i see such a stark difference now that he's on the panthers. he seems much happier and more confident, and obviously he's clicking with the cats on another level, and i do see a shift in how he's been portrayed in fics since tbh.

[dykedvonte]

what do you think Danse does to keep himself busy after blind betrayal, specifically if he's living in sanctuary? I just love your takes on him a lot haha

I think Danse is very lost in any settlement but especially Sanctuary. It was the first and very close-knit at that with the small group the Sole Survivor founded it with. Each time they would invite a new companion to live there it was like adding a pillar to the community and represented what the Minute Men stood for when it came ot uniting and protecting the commonwealth as one. I am not going to say it's cliquey, in fact I feel like SoSu and Preston/Sturges would go out of their way to make newcomers feel welcome but for Danse that is very different.

He (from my playthrough experience) is one of the later companions. I ran around a lot and got a good portion of the companions and their quest before act one was done. He is also one of the few companions who openly thinks lowly of life in the commonwealth and certain citizens (if not all citizens to an extent). He did not introduce himself to Sanctuary to make friends or roots. So when he gets stuck there under the SoSu's "orders" (not letting him rot in sorrow in some random bunker) he doesn't have any comfort or companionship, in fact, I think he has more tensions and beef tbh.

I imagine the first weeks or even a month or two were rough. I don't think it is stated enough that like Danse went to that bunker intending to follow Brotherhood protocols and kill himself. SoSu may have convinced him not to in the moment but with someone like Danse, so rigid and stuck in an ideology even after it spits in his face, it's not unlikely he has a weird guilt about being alive at first. It doesn't help that I know in my heart that a few of the more petty or insensitive companions or settlers would tease him about it (playful meanness) thinking he was adjusting well (or not caring) to the Sanctuary life and coming to terms with his identity. Sometimes they go too far and it's easy to tell he's gotten back into the headspace, looking at his reflection, trying to remember concrete dates for his memories, etc..

I have this head canon that SoSu recognized this pattern as they had to have immense survivor's guilt (especially after being in Kellogs brain) about surviving the vault. They had the same idea about making things "fair" for the other vault dwellers and Shaun was the only thing between them and those thoughts for a while. For the first weeks it was a lot of SoSu monitoring him and making sure he was adjusting and not falling back into that thinking, y'know the whole "I am a disgrace and abomination against the Brotherhood and humanity. The only thing I can do to no longer sully the honor of either is to kill mys-" Like stopping that with minor distractions.

It would be a lot of small work and building projects and patrols for lost scavengers or to make sure no one is stalking the place. It's nice for him for a while, he's getting social interaction and he's not dead in the eyes of at least one Brotherhood member, especially one of as high rank as the SoSu. But it's also really unhealthy. Danse was trained and raised in a militaristic pseudo-religious faction. As much as there seemed to be casualness towards comrades there was a strict structure and order. He shoves the SoSu into that role and probably gets nick-named as their shadow during this period.

They are his only goal as he has nothing else and it shows bad. The rest of the settlement notices he trails after them and only really does his own thing when it's part of a task he was doing for, with or assigned by the Sole survivor. It's not an obsession with them specifically but he has lost his entire understanding of life and this is the one thing that stayed concrete. He does what he's asked of because following the Sole survivor has at least kept him belonging somewhere and why mess that up?

I am sure SoSu is not oblivious and is actively trying to figure out how to get Danse to start socializing and trying to actually settle into the community but for the time being Danse would treat himself like the machine he perceives himself as; Overworking himself as he believes machines don't need the same amount of rest, isolating himself and mostly trying to not have a mental breakdown every time he get into the power armor that is very much not his issued Brotherhood of Steel tech. He openly does this in respect of the General who hates it and makes everyone else uncomfortable.

this was very long just to say I think Danse just works himself to the bone all day and purposely puts thoughts in his already fragile psyche that everyone hates him and only tolerates his presence to not seem Synth-phobic and the Sole survivor's favor.

[blindmagdalena]

really obsessed with soulmate au’s recently and it got me thinking… what if john’s soulmate was part of the boys? a girl trying to kill him with an entire group of people also trying to kill him… and he’s fated to her? could picture him finding out and just putting his hands on his hips while turning his back to her and doing that click chuckle thing. just in utter disbelief but it is definitely on track for fate’s little play with him and his life lolol

Oohhh, you know, I've never played much with the soulmate au concept, but this struck me just right because I can so clearly see the slow, building meltdown that strikes him when that reveal drops.

The mirthless laugh, shaking his head, the hapless gesture to the ceiling before his hands drop. "Of course. Of course it's you. Why wouldn't it be? I mean—Christ, it makes sense, doesn't it? Every single person who was supposed to love me has-has fucked it, so why—" he keeps cutting into this escalating, unsettling laughter. There's nothing funny about it: you're sure that you're watching someone lose the last shred of their sanity in real time. "Why would my 'soulmate'-", he says, miming big, dramatic quotation marks. "-be any different?" That manic grin has shifted into tight baring of his teeth, a vicious sneer. He closes in on you, stands so near you can feel the heat of his breath when he hisses, "I should put you in the fucking dirt with the rest of them."

It should be terrifying, but it's hard to focus on anything other than the glassiness of his eyes. The sheer devastating heartbreak of it all, telegraphed clear as day in the way he carries himself. His eyes flare red, sizzling up the tears before they can fall. "And then you really will be all alone," you say. Maybe it's the hopelessness of the moment, maybe it's the shock of learning for yourself that he's supposed to be your one and only, but you feel numb. Frayed in a way you didn't know you could be. The crimson light of his eyes disappears in an instant, revealing surprise, followed by a wounded kind of look, before that familiar seething rage returns. "We'll see about that."

[nordickies]

Your takes on the various relationships between the Nordics are so good that I can’t help but asking you about Denmark and Sweden! Do you think they might have a relationship that gives them something they can’t get from anyone else? Can they be open with each other considering their long rivalry?

To me, they're "old men" with lots of life wisdom and experience on their back. But they're still the same rebellious rascals who don't know how to express their love for each other through words. While they're the traditional heads of the family, they seem to regress to their irresponsible teenage selves, who will wrestle and prank each other when put into the same room.

Needless to say, they have had quite the journey. Their different personalities, goals, and perspectives caused them quite a deep rift in the past, but they have never despised each other; their feud was just the only way to let out their frustrations about their circumstances. In their most vulnerable, emotional state, they felt hurt and betrayed by the other, leading to grudges. But they never wanted to bring their brother down. They only wanted the other to understand their pain and how unfair they felt about their situation. To make them feel even an ounce of the pain they have felt. But even with all the fighting, they had a deep unspoken trust and care for each other; they were just pissed that the other didn't see it.

Sweden has always had a strong will, and he needs to walk his own path on his own accord, or he'll get rowdy. He has always had the drive to make something great out of himself, and perhaps in his youth, this manifested as jealousy for Denmark. Den always seemed to be one step ahead. Perhaps it always felt like nothing escaped Den; he knew everyone's secrets, and you couldn't hide anything from him. And imagine how much that must have annoyed angsty teenage Sweden. He doesn't like to be told what to do, but the Dane always had an opinion on anything he did (and he still does). Sweden needed to learn to ignore it and not let it get under his skin, but he sometimes still struggles with it. Something about Denmark explicitly pointing out his flaws hurt more than anything else.

Meanwhile, Sweden's thick-headedness has always frustrated Denmark to no end. Swe can't accept help or consider he may be wrong at times; it's his black-and-white thinking on certain aspects. In his youth, Sweden did things the hard way - just so that he could oppose Denmark. Perhaps the Dane feels he needs to get Swe to loosen up. Denmark doesn't understand why Sweden can't just let him help. He doesn't understand why doing things on his own is so important to him. Denmark also finds Sweden rather dramatic; mistakes and oversights can make Swe blow things out of proportion and cause friction with his friends. To him, the Swede is just a younger brother who thinks too highly of himself and can be too self-centered at times, which he isn't afraid to point out.

Speaking of which, Denmark is really just a typical older brother. He will call Sweden names and embarrass him for a lifetime, push or forcefully hug him, hide and steal his things - constantly testing Sweden's patience to the limit. But it's only Den who can do this; he wouldn't tolerate anyone else outside the family annoying Sweden. However, Sweden isn't without his flaws either. He certainly likes to growl back at Denmark, but he manages to do it so discreetly that he never gets the blame. That's pretty much Swe's tactic: seek attention and sympathy points from others whenever Denmark is annoying him. He usually turns people against Denmark and blames him for everything, even when Den has had nothing to do with it. Who else would get the blame but the oldest sibling, anyway? Still, Sweden gets extremely defensive if someone pesters his brother and steps in if someone is seeking a fight with him, surprising everyone else

The brothers recognize they're acting childish and harsh, but they can't explain why they keep doing it. Maybe Denmark and Sweden don't nag or yell at others, so naturally, they do it with each other. But they can also be unapologetically themselves. Den and Swe don't care if they are annoying or bothersome to the other; more than anything, they deserve it! They have seen each other's worst sides and put up with it all, meaning nothing can shatter their bond anymore. And it's oddly comforting, in a way. They still test each other and quarrel about incidental things but find comfort in each other's company anyway. All the work they had to put into accepting each other and trying to understand the other's perspective has paid off. Deep down, they have immense respect for their brother. In their youth, they never really considered that their interests and goals were so surprisingly similar.

They both like slow living, as neither is as adventurous as Norway or as adrenaline-seeking as Finland. They want their slow mornings and take a moment to read the morning news. Take their deserved breaks at work and get home early to cozy up. Perhaps their ideal day is just sitting for coffee and watching the world go by. Spend a moment staring at construction projects downtown and pondering about them. They walk around the park and talk about the various projects they need to finish around the house, how the roof should be fixed and the grass should be mowed. At the same time, they do not shy away from brutal honesty and expressing their opinions about each other. In brotherly fashion, they play together, piss each other off, cheat during games, steal each others' food, seek sincere advice, scold each other, and make sacrifices when the other needs them.

I think they still struggle a bit with vulnerability, and when they have troubles, they both turn to Norway's advice out of old habits. It just feels easier opening up to him for some reason. Den and Swe have needed to learn and respect each other's differences and rebuild the trust they have lost so many times. It's just a matter of daring to open up and get out of their comfort zones, forcing themselves to understand the other's point of view.

They share a special kind of experienced wisdom none of the other Nordics have quite attained. Life took them on two different roads, but they found each other in the end. As much as they wanted to differentiate from each other in their youth, they were united by their similarities and kinship by the end. It just required a lot of maturing from both of them. Maybe uniting after their past grudges is the most significant accomplishment, and thus, their relationship nowadays means a lot to both of them (even if they won't admit it).

Other relationship breakdowns Norway/Denmark II Norway/Sweden

[amoneki-ramblings]

Also, your 'Amon stays in the CCG and works with Haise' AU is fantastic and should have been canon. Poor Amon misses Eyepatch terribly (he still has QUESTIONS damnit!) but doesn't want to get Haise (or Akira) in trouble, so he can't really say much, but he and Haise get suspicious of the CCG being corrupted. They investigate together, but they have to be discreet and they HATE IT, the CCG is supposed to represent justice! Inner!Kaneki drops hints and nags Haise in the background constantly.

YESSSSS GOD AMON AND HAISE NOT INTERACTING IN :RE WAS SUCH A MISSED OPPORTUNITY TO ME I WAS SO GENUINELY SURPRISED WHEN THEY NEVER DID

In the context of my AU I think Amon would feel so let down by the emergence of the Quinx project. He's spent all this time investigating the CCG's suspicious sides and almost uncovered what they were really aiming to do and then it just gets. Announced, just like that. That they're putting ghoul organs in people to use as weapons. It feels wrong. Everything clicks terribly into place. But he can't say anything. And Eyepatch is gone already (or so he Thinks) It all feels anti-climatic, somehow.

Then he meets this new investigator, who shakes his hand and greets him cheerily. He's being mentored by Akira. They are to treat him as a human unless he loses control, to which they'll treat him as a ghoul. It's Eyepatch. It's Haise Sasaki. Amon has to stomach the thought of both working with him and potentially having to "erase" him if he remembers who he is. He likes Haise, even if he's different from Eyepatch, but Haise might not be around forever, for one reason or another. He's never had to kill a co-worker or friend before. (I think, similar to Akira in canon :re Amon would be assigned a big role in leading squads when the CCG has to keep Haise under control. It only makes sense, he's done significant damage to him before, in half-kakuja form no less, and managed to escape this guy even without a weapon. And he's also like, one of the Only Guys who has ever killed a ghoul with his bare hands before.) Still though, the thought of killing Haise, whether it be with a quinque through the heart or the snap of a neck, is nauseating.

The CCG higher-ups are suspicious, obviously, because Amon is the only one who truly knows Everything about Eyepatch, and he might screw with Haise's memories. They're keeping an eye on him and make sure they don't get too close, unless Amon needs to confront Haise, since Haise, even when losing control, just can't seem to hurt him. Not really at least (if it ever does happen he feels So Guilty) ((Also sidenote but Haise probably visibly winces when he first meets Amon. His head hurts and he's not sure why. He feels melancholic and he doesn't know why. He feels a flood of relief. But he doesn't know why. He likes Amon a lot and wants to get to know him. The white-haired ghoul in his head seems particularly fixated on him, won't stop looking at him. Haise somehow knew Amon's name before he was even told what it was. He surmises that it's just because Amon is so well-known in general. (He knows, deep down, that it might be more than just that)))

Haise has small recollections of memories, but he can't tell anyone, obviously. Sometimes he has nightmares of flower fields and battles under the rain. When he and Amon get closer he tells him a little about them. "It's probably nothing" he laughs, unsure, but Amon knows what they really mean. He sees Eyepatch in Haise and it hurts terribly. He fears the chance that he'll never get to ask the questions he had, almost as much as he fears the chance that one day he suddenly will. The answers he's wanted for so long are so close that they are literally standing right next to him, yet they're so far.

As things move forward they definitely try to investigate and figure out the CCG's corrupt system together. But they have to be careful, on the outside co-workers (including Akira) make comments about how close they are and what a good team they make but within the inner-workings of the CCG they have their careful eyes on them. Maybe Akira's a little weary about it, tells Amon as such sometime and Amon says he knows (but there are things he can't tell even her.) Maybe one time Haise and Amon talk briefly, maybe after or during Haise losing control of himself and he says something and it sounds hauntingly like Eyepatch. Haise had looked at him differently during that moment. His voice sounded different. It was pained, but not in the physical sense. Maybe it wasn't Haise at all, actually.

Haise has a dream once about a man shouting asking him if he really is just a ghoul. Somehow he doesn't feel like it's for him. (But surely it means something to Kaneki Ken). Maybe, like in that comic I drew, Kaneki is incredibly relieved that Amon is alive, but also terribly jealous that all he can do is watch from the shadows LOL

Ough sorry I got SO carried away I've just been meaning to list out some of the details of my AU thoughts for AGES this has been living rent free in my mind for MONTHS it's one of my favorite thoughts Ever

It's insane, how many parallels are setup between Kaneki/Haise and Amon, yet Haise and Amon never meet once, even though Amon is foreshadowed constantly during :re. To be fair there is so much going on in :re already but still, man. Man,

[k4pp4-8]

Is there anything you wished the Show Ok. Ko Lets Be Heroes focused more on? Whether it be a character, relationship, arc, villain ect?

OH BOY THERE'S SO MUCH I WANTED TO SEE

1. FIRST OF ALL I REALLY wish they had more time to focus on the big reveal because I waited since season for them to talk about the whole POINT situation and when they finally DO reveal laserblast's identity it's completely rushed. This is such an emotional plot line for MULTIPLE characters yet we only see a fraction of it! LIKE PLEEAAAAASE I WANT TO SEE MORE OF HOW THIS AFFECTED CAROL!!! What she went through is so tragic, she lost her love, her dream, her friends, AND she had to raise the child of her dead lover alone. And yet she stayed strong through all of it and became the best mom ever. (Carol I love you plz marry me)

ALSO I WILL NEVER GET OVER THE FACT THAT WE DON'T SEE GAR'S REACTION TO THE REVEAL!! He literally blamed himself for laserblast's death, who was his teammate, his best friend's lover AND K.O's father. Just imagine how he felt like knowing K.O looked up to him as a father figure while thinking it's his fault K.O doesn't have a dad???

And also every other POINT member's lives were immensly affected by laserblast's death, like Rippy roo who dedicated years of her life trying to find a way to bring him back or Greyman trying to make a hero people could look up to or Foxtail still holding a grudge against Gar for what happened. I reaaally wanna know how they would react to knowing not only their friend is alive but he is also a successful villain.

2. Another thing I REALLY wanted to see was Rad and Dendy's relationship actually being explored! I used to think her "obsession" with Rad was nothing more than a gag but I saw that there was supposed to be an episode explaining that "she looked up to Rad because he's unashamed of who he is even though he comes from he considered as unusual family background." AND IT JUST MAKES SO MUCH SENSE!!!! I think that would've been an amazing way to explore both of their characters.

Also it's pretty ironic because Rad IS ashamed of who he is! Since day one he's been hiding things he loves and acting like a jerk to cover up his insecurities. I think Dendy telling him she looks up to him would've encouraged him to change the way he acts just like in the "Radical rescue" episode, when he tells K.O he doesn't want him to imitate his bad behavior.

3. Now we're getting to the REAL interesting part. BOXBOTS!!!! LISTEN I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THEM BUT I'M GONNA TRY TO MAKE IT SHORT AND UNDERSTABLE.

I REALLYYY wish we had more moments of vulnerabilty with them. Pretty much every single one of their scene is comedic and, while I do ADORE the comedy, I still wish they were taken more seriously. Like their whole situation is really tragic in many ways yet it's completely ignored. I know it's a mostly light hearted show but the boxbots are never given a genuine moment that felt like their feelings were taken seriously. It's probably just me who's wayyyy too attached to them but my favorite moments are when we get to see the more "human" side of them. Like when they act like an actual family, playing board games, having dinner together, hanging out, or bickering like siblings

I wish they explored how being robots affects them and the way everyone treats them. It's like robots are not considered like "real people" to some degree. We already know that in the okko universe being a certain species will change the way people perceive you and treat you (ie aliens and kappas) and it's shown to be a bad thing when it happens to Rad and Dendy, but when the bots are treated badly it's always seen as a joke and brushed bc you know , they're robots so who cares. There's like an implication that all robots are inherently bad because they're robots, K.O even said Mr.logic was "one of the good ones" implying he's just an exception (also it's crazy that he actually said that sentence and no one batted an eye)

And finally the ONE thing I really REEAALLYYY wanted to see more of is *drum rolls* LORD COWBOY DARRELL (who could've seen that coming)

LISTEN THERE WAS SOOOOOOOOO MUCH POTENTIAL THERE IT ACTUALLY MAKES ME CRAZY JUST THINKING ABOUT IT I WISH I WAS EXAGGERATING!!! Like for the first time we actually see boxman suffer the consequences of his actions, his kids FINALLY stand up to him after being treated like crap 24/7 and then he's forgiven in episode two??? And we don't even see how this affects the other bots!! Like Raymond and Shannon also loved boxman but they seemingly didn't hesitate to side with Darrell over him. I wish they explored how they chose their brother over their father who they were absolutely devoted to since birth.

I was actually disappointed to see Darrell forgive him SO easily and all the character development he could've had was thrown out the window in two seconds!!!! We actually get a glimpse of Darrell's potential but it's all forgotten as soon as Boxman becomes the boss again

I loved seeing Darrell actually fight back for once because he is one of the characters who gets mistreated the MOST by the whole cast. Half of his scenes are just him getting beat up and insulted, he's always treated like an idiot or a joke character so it was incredibly satisfying to see him actually stand up for himself and take charge. Like yeah he is goofy as hell and very immature and I love that about him! But when he became Lord Cowboy Darrell we actually got to see a whole new side of him. He was cunning and smart and resourceful and it KILLS me that we never got see that side of him again. I wish people aknowledged how competent and mature he can be instead of treating him like an actual child. I actually hate how infantilized he is sometimes

Anyway I could go on and on and on forever about the boxbots but that's just a few things i wish the show focused more on, there's probably more but I can't remember them rn

[flamingtoads]

Thank you so much for all the Athena love. Some times it feels like folks try to say they love/are interested in her character but never follow it up. Bobby is great of course but he already gets a lot of individual screen time and Athena doesn’t get treated as well. Also I love them together and I know they’re like the fandom mom and dad couple but I find them interesting and sexy on their own and some people apparently just either shy away from thinking of them like that or don’t think they’re sorry creative effort. Just thank you for giving me some hope after years loving them deeply and feeling like not enough people get it. Especially Athena. I just love her so much. Sorry this might be a weird message but it feels like I’ve spent years starving and you’re finally offering good food.

You're welcome!! I'm glad you enjoy the Athena love! I agree Bobby is great, he's very dear to me! But Athena (also Karen) have my heart <3 She's such a wonderful and interesting character and I adore her! I don't want to go on a ramble but like omg she's so passionate and has this softness about her! Also not to mention it is Angela Bassett, like...?! I don't care what she's in if she's in it I'm about it. Bobby and Athena are so fun and their relationship is just really something and I want them to be their happy kinky selves and solve crime, y'know? I hope we all get more Athena content! (You'll most definitely be getting more content from me!)

[loadinghellsing]

i wanna know more about the 1400-2000 au for andercard. sounds like 600 years of delicious mutual pining and repressed feelings to me

They met when they were kids, Anderson being younger then Alucard by two months and two inches taller.

Alexander's an orphan stowaway on the merchant ships, and Vlad the prince of Wallachia. They became close friends, Vlad helped him figure out how to get to Rome, with the promise that he'd visit when Wallachia is at peace. Shortly after Anderson left, Vlad was made prisoner of the Ottoman Empire.

About two decades later Vlad sends a request to the Vatican requesting for reinforcements. Even though Vlad's request was ignored by the church, Anderson hears about it and returns to Wallachia

The AU is roughly 550 years of Anderson pining and 425 years of Alucard pining (Alucard realized a century after his death)

Additional Note: Anderson has long hair for the first few centuries

(frequently has colorful ribbons and strings braided through it thanks to the kids in town)

[yabagofmilfs]

directors commentary for "of use" please! obsessed with the all the little details of the universe/society in that fic!

of use is one of those situations as a writer where things just kind of happened without me putting a lot of thought into it. so this commentary will be mostly reverse engineering as i made very few conscious decisions in the writing process lol.

when i first started thinking about the story that became the rabbit heart series, it was much grimier and i had one particular scene in mind that i really wanted to write. the rabbit heart series became something much different in tone as i started writing it, and though the scene i had in mind will live on in a different context, i still thought about the grimier version all the time. so here we are. :)

as far as world-building—lol, idk man. as i said in the notes, this was truly a vibes only operation. i think the pack/team hierarchy is a bit like a reverse clownfish situation, where the most dominant player becomes the alpha/captain and develops a knot, and the team drafts a compatible omega for the alpha who can be shared with the team to promote bonding / as a reward. i think some of this can dovetail into the breeding program concepts i've talked about.

sid is OOC in some pretty significant ways haha, but there are aspects of him i drew on for this characterization—he's very team oriented, the poster boy for logo on the front > name on the back, and he has a deep need to belong and develop close-knit relationships with his teammates. those qualities were pretty easy to transmute into a character who'd been groomed from birth to be a tool / resource for a team, both with his body and his skill on the ice.

and his obsession with geno helps too.

Geno smiles at him and dips his head, and Sid lets his mouth go soft and open, sighing happily when Geno licks into him. Despite the pack scent still warm on his skin, the taste of captain and alpha is all he can register. He closes his eyes and lets it wash over him, feeling the adrenaline of the game drain away and going sleepy and lax in Geno’s hold.

geno's scent has a drugging effect on sid that the rest of the team's doesn't. the others smell like pack, safe and almost familial, but geno smells like alpha. because of this, geno's kept his distance from sid.

Sid shrugs and rubs his face against Geno’s chest. His scent is always so strong after a game, even across the room, but Sid’s never gotten to experience it with his nose tucked into his alpha’s sweaty base layers. It makes it hard to concentrate on anything else.

he's not as tactile as the rest of the team—he'll rub his wrists over sid's neck before a game to scent mark him, but he makes sure to keep a clear boundary between them for several reasons: 1) they need sid lucid enough to play on a regular basis, 2) he's the captain of a team mid-rebuild and he's doing what he can to take care of and motivate his pack

But Geno is a good alpha; he makes sure the rest of the pack is taken care of first–gives them Sid as a reward for a good game, or a motivation if they’re in a slump, or sometimes just because Sid needs it.

and 3) i think because he needs sid to keep playing for them, and if he has him too often he might not be able to fight the urge to breed him. there's also a possessive streak that geno probably has to be careful about. sid is his, and he's chosen to share him with the team but when he decides to keep sid for himself he makes sure that no one else will be able to touch him until geno's done.

Geno makes a pleased rumbling sound and sinks his teeth into the thin skin over Sid’s jugular in one decisive movement. Not deep enough to cut a bond into his neck, only to claim.

It makes all the air in Sid’s lungs rush out on a jagged whimper, turns his knees to water to know that even if the mark will fade in a few days, while he wears it no one else will touch him. He belongs only to Geno.

sharing with the team/pack is very different than sharing with outsiders. geno is very protective of sid, from a physical standpoint

[...]the most Geno’s ever done is suck an angry bruise high on his throat above his neck guard if a game is getting chippy or he’s being targeted.

“Wow, that’s quite a mark,” one of the press guys says. “I assume that’s yours?” Geno makes a displeased growl and cups his big hand over Sid’s throat, blocking it from view.

and also when it comes to the way people talk about him. he's not pushing back on societal norms—he doesn't think of sid or omegas any differently than the press (and neither does sid)—but he wants to make it clear that sid's worked very hard for his achievements and he's important to the team.

“He’s work hard, you know. Always stay after practice if no one need him, always think about game, you know, like how to get better. Sometimes annoying, the guys like trying to get dick wet and Sid is talk about power play.” Geno laughs and the press laughs with him, and Sid feels a kernel of warmth kindle in his belly.

i like having this conversation from sid's POV—he's an outsider in the conversation, they're talking around him, and he's most reacting to geno. he feels warm because geno is laughing about something he did. sid is totally accepting of his role on the team. he wants to play hockey, it's important to him to work hard and be the best at it, but being the team and geno's omega is of equal importance. he tries just as hard to be good for them.

“What would you say is the best quality he brings to the team?” a woman asks. Whits yells from across the room, “His mouth!” They all laugh again, and Sid preens. It’s easy to let someone fuck his hole, but sucking cock takes skill. He’s worked hard to be good at it.

He doesn’t remember much of the last knotting, it’d happened so abruptly and had been so shocking he’d immediately lost his grip on time. He wants to savor every moment of this one, commit it to memory and hold it inside him until he earns it again.

sid wants to earn geno's knot, and by extension his pups, just as much as he wants to earn the cup.

“Win me a Cup, I breed you on center ice in front of everyone,” Geno says, his voice full of promise. “Okay,” Sid says. He can do that. That’s an achievable goal. He thinks in two, maybe three years he can have what he wants.

someday i'd love to write a prequel about the draft and a sequel of sid getting bred, but it took me two weeks just to do this so. let's not set expectations too high lol.

[helinyetille]

Schnaul girly here :) looks like Schneider is even throwing him a little air kiss in the first gif 😍 that would have been THE opportunity for Paul to sneak a quick smooch (if he's quick enough) 😁 absolutely love this little moment. Schneider radiates so much joy. I would either melt or completely tense up if Paul were to give me a massage like that 🤣 he's just vibing. I love me some Paulchard, but as Schneider is my favourite, this is just a joy to see him get some love ❤️

Dear anon, dearest Schnaul girlie! ✨ Wherefore art thou incognito?

No, seriously, you guys gotta stop spoiling me! How am I supposed to go on with my responsibilities today when you all got me thinking and daydreaming about these two lovely dorks?

You know what? It totally does look like Schneider is making a kissy face at Paul! I have noticed it only after reblogging the gifs and it made me giggle and kick my feet like an idiot 🥹 And oh my god, yes, the way Schneider is just vibing, enjoying the attention from Paul while being so obviously comfortable with it and probably so used to it, is just precious. To me, they definitely look like an old married couple there (full delulu mode, sorry not sorry). It's like when one of the partners is doing their thing and the other is casually seeking out physical affection without really distracting them. Non-sexual intimacy my beloved 💔 Holy shit, Paul is such a touchy person. And the fact that Schneider basks in his affection is enough to make me feel like my heart is about to burst out of my chest.

Oh, and the boat riding. They should do it together so Paul could kick out everyone who tries to climb into their boat because Schneider seems to be too sweet to do that himself (◡‿◡✿) Let the smol chaotic one protect the big sunshine 🌈✨

[kate-bot]

OKAY SO I've gotten two asks about my Noisette cosplay AND THANK YOU SM FOR THE KIND WORDS !!!!!!!! It was sm fun to make this cos, so I will gladly explain everything I did in hopes that it might help someone else!! also both anons please share your cosplays with me when theyre done i would love to see them....

I've tried to link everything where I can, where I got stuff etc... I only rarely cosplay (although I am thinking of going as the noise in May Comiccon) and this was my biggest ever project so!! It's very trial-and-error! But without further ado

KATES EXTENSIVE(ish) GUIDE TO COSPLAYING NOISETTE FROM THE HIT GAME PIZZA TOWER!!!!!!! (warning its kinda long)

THE HAT

Okay i’m gonna be real my mum helped me so much she basically did all the sewing for me. Sewing is the fucking bane of my existence I hate doing it so much so we planned it out together and she basically executed it. Props to her for that she’s so real… She also wrote down what she did!! So i’ll just paste and colour that in for you to read!!

“The black material (seen in the above image) was originally a beanie hat that was picked apart to use as a template…

This was game changing basically. We had experimented with making the hat from scratch but it was far too difficult and we were both too stupid so we just unstitched a pre-existing hat and stole the template. The hat we cut up was one we had lying around for years so i cannot tell you where to get one from, but any beanie that is stitched together will work i guess! So I would recommend finding a hat that fits you snugly and doing the same thing!

…and the wool fabric that was utilised gave the finished product was stiff enough to be structurally sound.

I just got this from my local fabric shop, I would recommend wool over something like felt because it’s super sturdy and I was pulling on my mask a LOT.

Once sewn together, I attached a stiff card facemask to the front to help provide some structure, and to locate where the eye holes should be cut.

I think this picture shows it pretty well, my mum was able to curve the shape of the fabric to fit a pre-existing mask- we got ours from Hobbycraft, just one of those stringed white template masks yknow. We cut off the string, made the eyeholes a little bigger and just stuck it straight on!! I should mention this was pretty much all done with a sewing machine as well!

After that, we made two ears from a paper pattern, stuffed them and put some wire inside to allow them to be positioned, before sewing them onto this headband, which was then sewn into the hat. The bottom of each ear was also stitched to the crown to give it some additional stability and to secure the headband correctly in position (having fitted it on the wearer).

Yeah it was actually less of a mask and more of a headband!! That was what gave it most of the support and meant the ears would stay up, I’m not sure how it would work without it!! The ears were the only part that I could actually help with LMAO i just freehanded a little template, stuffed it, and then put in some modelling wire to make them able to be posed :)

Then it was a lot of hand sewing, and glueing the eyeholes to the mask to create a cohesive look.

AND YEAH that’s pretty much all it was! I also attached some little felt eyelashes to add to it as well. Honestly I could never come up with a step-by-step guide for the process because it was such a trial and error thing (i’d made two test-hats before we even came up with the method) but it was so fun!!

I would 100% recommend if you want the ears to stay UP to stuff them AS MUCH AS U CAN and/or put wire in them!! :) I also made some cute little bows to clip into my wig in the same fabric to make it more cohesive!! I also put a bow (and a bunny tail heheh) on the back of the dress too!!

THE DRESS

Super simple! I just found one online (okay for some reason the link has been taken off of the website, but just look up "overall dress" on google shopping and you will 100% find something super cute)- I made sure to buy the dress first, and then take it to the fabric shop to try and colourmatch the mask fabric as best as I could. Then it was just buying some big ol buttons off eBay and sewing them on!! (I could actually do that bit by myself, I'm bad at sewing but im not THAT bad)

EVERYTHING ELSE

Cute patterned knee-high socks cuz shes cute like that. Leg warmers, I think I got them both off of Amazon... Converse I got from Depop and I had wanted to buy a pair anyway so I was super stoked to get them cheap!! I chose converse over a pair of high-heels or Mary Janes just for comfort reasons, I was walking around loads at the con so... Everything else apart from the shirt was from Amazon or just. Somewhere online(I have no idea where to get fancy white gloves LOL) and the shirt was from Depop as well! I liked how frilly it was, re: Noisette is cute like that!!

oh yeah and the wig. I hate wigs it was awful. I have no idea how to style them. underneath the hat was the most awful bowl cut ever I just. It wasn't my best moment. Dont ask me about wigs please .

Also I should mention I got this bag for the cosplay (which I now use all the time cuz its so cute) because i needed space to store shit and I wanted something on-brand with her cafe... this isnt the exact link I used but I just got it off of ebay :P

PROPS

Unfortunately I don't have a lot of WIP pictures of my props but they were pretty simple to make!! The coffee cup was literally just spraypainting over a reusable coffee cup and using POSCA pen to draw on the front! Fun fact the cup says "To Peppino" because originally my boyfriend was gonna go with me as Peppino before the Cruetly Squad brainrot got to him so. YEA

And the tip jar was also pretty simple, I just painted on the lid a plastic jar (can't be glass, not allowed at ComicCon) and cut out a bit of vinyl to work as the sign. The cobweb was just hot-glued 3D printer filament, and the spider was made with foam modelling clay (literally the best thing ever if you're making small models like that) and i stuck him to the lid of the jar with Kandi string so he'd bounce around :]

AND I THINK THATS IT!! i may as well post a pic of the full cosplay since I dont think many people would have made it this far.... But I think it turned out pretty cool!! I got recognised a few times as well which was amazing!! (cropped out my bf cuz idk if he wants his face on tumblr gfhhfg)

SO YEAH!!!! if anyone has any questions please let me know.. but GOOD LUCK IN UR COSPLAY MAKING FRIENDS!!!! :D

[casper4lesbians]

what kind of music do you think cas likes? i was like "what if he was into stuff like lana del rey?" but i think that he'd be into those cheesy love songs... like if he discovered filipino music he'd LOVE the romantic songs

OMG IVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT HIS MUSIC TASTE

i’ve talked with other fans and we’ve agreed he’d experiment with different varieties of music since he never completely got the chance to do so before; he was too busy being the grim reaper.

now that he’s no longer bound to 1 role for the entirety of his life… he’d explore. and the different genres of music represents the newfound freedom he experiences, how he’s no longer bound to one responsibility for the rest of his life

but i think eventually, he’d become infatuated with romantic songs, like you said. it not only represents how he’s finally finding himself as himself (and not being controlled by others) but also. His love for MC. anytime he listens to any cheesy pop song (no matter how old or sometimes unrelated) he finds a way to connect it back to MC. i even have a playlist for songs casper would like/remind me of him. it’s here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/72dvGzi6A8Z7xoibjRQdPT?si=zWH6BdXFTi-uMl94GNVW6g&pi=u-0P1kPEsDRzaM

hope this answers ur question anon! feel free to ask more!!!

[humbuns]

Hi i'm shy so I'm putting this on anon BUT i just need you to know that your tsumugi is one of my favorite tsumugi's of all time. You just draw him so perfectly??? His curls in particular look so right and it makes me so happy when I see him on my dash or one of my mutuals sends me your art. I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY!!!

sobs first off, i'm overwhelmed that you regard my version of tsumugi so highly and that ppl are sharing it around !! it makes me want to combust into dust a little /pos

second, would you believe me if i told you i have observed tsumugi's hair so much that i actually have a favorite part lmao

i think i'm biased though bc i adore curly/wavy hair so much and i have an excuse to make it seem like waves for no reason so tsumugi is my current outlet of enjoyment rn (they get all the attention)

[lu-sn]

what do you see as the most likely thing pete does post canon? is he involved in the family business? does he have a job outside the mafia? are he and vegas both retired?

let's assume vegas has recovered as much as he can from the shooting and that he's done whatever he needs to do to get himself and his family out from under korn's thumb. so we're talking deep post-canon.

if vegas is still in the mafia somehow — in any capacity — i have no doubt that pete will function as his right hand. (or left hand. hell, both.) he's definitely got the skill set for it, and i think he would really enjoy it! it's a perfect outlet for his brand of undying loyalty, and he gets to bestow that loyalty upon someone who is equally insane about him and who will let him beat up as many people as he wants ❤️

but i don't want that for them. i think vegas in particular deserves that soft epilogue — a chance at the life he could have had all along without his father hovering behind him. so let's imagine vegas has found something to do with his time that hits that perfect balance of high stakes and high fulfillment and very very high odds of survival. pete is very happy for him, and also the tiniest bit bereft. unlike vegas, pete needs something physical.

so pete is ambling back from the grocery store, idly wondering whether he needs to be trying to do something with all of his free time, when he stumbles upon some sort of scuffle just waiting to break out in a dank alleyway. and pete manages to spot a kid in there, far too young, definitely biting off more he can chew, definitely about to get his ass beat, and — well. pete's been itching for a fight anyway.

pete hikes up his pha khao ma and lays everyone in that alley flat, and once most everyone has scampered away with their tails between their legs, the kid stares at pete, and scowls at him, and sneers out a "didn't think i asked, old man."

here's the thing. i don't think pete has any sort of affinity or good hand with kids. he's probably the type to get walked over by most teenagers (exhibit A: macau during canon). but there's a particular category of kid that i think pete would immediately have the upper hand on; surly, prone to anger, snippy, sad underneath all of that. in short, kids who are a mini-vegas 😂

(somewhere not so far away, vegas is crouched in front of his vegetable patch, suddenly feeling very annoyed, and has no idea why 😌)

so pete smiles pleasantly, says "better work on your stance then," picks up his groceries and starts walking away — only for this kid to catch up to him and go "i guess you're good enough, so you might as well teach me."

this post is already long 😅 basically, this kid will not stop pestering pete, and pete somehow ends up training the kid on a daily basis in their backyard, and happens to unleash a lot of life advice that this kid is very desperately in need of (e.g. "knowing how to fight isn't worth anything if you don't know which fights you shouldn't pick"). and he notices some other kids peeking through the fencing watching them, so he sighs a deep sigh and tells them they might as well come in.

some of these kids remind him too much of vegas — or of himself. he finds himself wanting good things for them, wanting to help them be just a little bit happier — which is the kind of help neither he nor vegas received when they were younger.

he ends up being pretty damn good at it.

so pete is giving a bunch of kids a safe space and a healthy outlet for their anger, totally by accident. to answer your question, anon, i guess that makes him a community youth counselor 😂

vegas finds this all kind of bemusing, and is more than a little tilted that pete seems to be attracting all of the little vegases in a 30km radius, but hey! he gets to shovel his cooking into more mouths now! he's totally in denial about how much he enjoys that.

(much later, pete abruptly sits up from where he's resting his head in vegas's lap, and he exclaims, "did i accidentally start a gang???"

vegas considers this for a long moment, shrugs, goes "maybe we should have stayed in the mafia after all.")

[kibo-ichiro]

Who’s your favorite ML in isekai manhwa and why is it Callisto?

P.S I know you didn’t ask but I had to gush. I love Callisto cuz of how chaotic and original he is. In other manhwa you have men suddenly falling for a gal cuz the former villainess is now suddenly nice. He on the other hand is just so reckless and unpredictable with no former relationship to the FL that I just HAD to note it

By all means, gush away anon! I don’t mind, this is a Callisto stan blog.

The first time I saw Callisto, I thought, “He’s gonna be my new favorite character isn’t he?” Blonde, covered in blonde, and a little bit of a bastard is just my type lol. He’s easily the funniest character in the manhua to me, I’m never not grinning whenever he shows up. Plus morally grey men who would burn the world down for the one they love is also right up my alley. The way he trusts and believes in Penelope is so endearing.

We’d be here all day if I tried to list off all the things I love about Callisto, so I’ll just leave it on this note:

Callisto:

Me: