#the only thing he doesn't have in common with me

[zodiac-blood]

Like as someone who would definitely fall under the category of "is asexual with no sexual attraction but still does it anyway" I completely understand the notion of "hey it's nice to understand that not all ace people are sex repulsed" but also as someone who also considers themself gay (in a mlm way) (in a tertiary attraction kinda way) and has a girlfriend its like. But I've never seen anyone say any of the gay men in media I relate to can also date women without feeling attracted to them. Its like.... So??? Give me a reason aroaces are the only time there are exceptions that are respected that ISN'T just the the amatonormative idea of ""dating & sex is just natural"" and that allowing this exception means people can still center their stories around dating and sex.

This probably is because allo queers, even if being queer, can still abide by the amatonormative idea of "everyone needs to want/pursue a relationship and (romantic&sexual) love is the most important feeling", so even if yes, a gay man is not abiding by the cishet standards of attraction he can still have a "normal" love story of falling in love and pursuing that interest. Also additionally that aroaces fall outside of the "sexuality binary" (the weird idea that the only sexualities are "exclusive attraction to men" and "exclusive attraction to women" and that anything outside of that is not valid) A romance & sex repulsed Aroace cannot fufil any part of the amatonormative expectation and so exceptions are only allowed in the case that it makes the most important thing about their life still center around romance and sexuality. (Of course- exceptions aren't normally allowed like the fact no one gets I can be gay and have a girlfriend but that exceptions not accepted because it doesn't fit the sexuality binary)

Cause like. Most Allos can understand/relate to the concept of not feeling attracted to a certain gender (like het men don't feel attracted to men but can understand the concept of a gay man not feeling attracted to women under the basis of "its like me but reversed") but they don't have any point of easy reference to relate to no attraction at all so they don't really even try. If they can't relate to it then they don't feel the need to change their worldview to allow it.

Anyway as I said; I would fall under the category of "aroace that is in a relationship" (and not even because of the tertiary attraction) so I totally understand there are people who are like me. And yes I think having that sort of relationship is valid- I mean I'm literally living in one- but its very telling that every aroace character always has this same exact debate but you don't see ANY discussion about biromantic homosexuals or any form of split attraction and dating without attraction in allo characters.

Unfortunately I don't know that many canonically aroace characters- other than Percy (canon ace and Jello said she may also be aro) & Howie (aroace) from Epithet Erased and Lilith (aroace) from the Owl House. Didn't get into toh fan spaces so idk about that but I know I definitely have seen posts about shipping Howie and Percy (sometimes together bc of their rivalry - but other ships are more common.) And yeah Percy is only stated to be ace and "potentially aro" and not explicitly aroace- still definitely have seen many a Percy x Howie or explicitly sexual Ramsey x Percy / Zora x Percy going around so :v

Even if I am in a relationship the way I go about my relationship is a lot different than what allos go through- yet every time in fiction an aroace character is in a relationship its written exactly how allo relationships are. (Though I tend to be romance repulsed so I don't read much of that anyway lol). I do love that other aros who are more romance favourable than me like to write/draw relationships that fit how they live- but when allos write/draw it a lot of time they don't take care in actually considering how that would absolutely affect the dynamic or that there are some characters that just don't want any sort of romantic or sexual relationship at all.

I'm probably going to end up writing my own post abt this further so I don't derail but; also the whole idea of "split attraction and the ability to be not sexually attracted but not sex repulsed in a relationship is only an asexual thing" and not just like. A broad attraction thing that anyone can experience. Definitely is also aided by &/ partially the cause of these exceptions only being applied to aroace folk.

-Toby (they/them) & Bias (he/they)

the way fandoms are desperate to make all aroace characters romance and sex positive but then dont do anything remotely similar to any other identity is astounding. hmm i wonder why

PLEASE dont derail this about shipping characters of other identities please let this one post be about an aroace struggle

[memientom0ri]

Similarities between Inhun/457 and Hannigram; personal analysis of the attitudes that connect these characters 💭

Starting with actor Lee Byung Hun's face. I don't even need to go into details...

• Villain disguised as a hero;

Inho/001 x Hannibal Lecter

Both wear a good guy disguise to get close to and mentally and psychologically manipulate their "target" of obsession, taking actions to impress and defend the target that sometimes make us question their villainy towards the good guy.

Both Inho and Hannibal seem to be desperately searching for a trace of understanding and similarity in someone towards themselves. Hannibal became obsessed with Will when he saw this similarity in him (both characters misunderstood by society, mentally broken and with difficulties in expressing and understanding their own emotions), and just like the cannibal, Inho saw something similar in Gihun, therefore, feeling the need to, somehow, get close to him to keep him under his control.

"But Inho and Gihun are completely different", yes, just like Hannibal and Will; that doesn't stop the characters from identifying with each other psychologically.

In my opinion, Inho saw in Gihun an ambition and confidence that piqued his interest. "But Gihun is not ambitious or self-centered" No, he is not, not materially speaking. Gihun's ambition comes from the will he has over the things he sets out to do. He is ambitious about what he wants and this ambition is accompanied by a hyper-empathy bordering on masochism, considering that Gihun returned to the game not only because of his desire to end it, but because of the guilt of having survived when people died, because of the desire to prevent other deaths. This hyper-empathy also shows up in other scenes, and this is where Will comes in.

• The hyper-empathetic good guy;

Will Graham × Seong Gihun

Unlike Will's hyper-empathy, which manifests itself through his ability to put himself in the Assassin's shoes and mentally experience the murders, Gihun's empathy is blatant, making us feel a little angry and uncomfortable with the situations in which 456 puts himself by thinking more about others than about himself. A scene that left me in agony was in season 2, in the first game, where he runs from the safe area to pick up a man who was shot in the leg. The man would have been killed anyway, but he insisted on picking him up with less than 30 seconds to go.

Unlike 456's blatant empathy, which almost makes him seem naive in several scenes (like when he gives his only extra ammunition to Inho to save himself in the future), Will's empathy is more "dark" and firm. Will doesn't trust people easily, much less Hannibal, while 456 trusts Inho/001 right away and from the first contact they are inseparable.

• Jealousy, Control and Possessiveness

I think that after their faces, these are the characteristics that Hannibal and Inho have most in common. Neither of them want their good boys to have anyone other than themselves. We can see Hannibal eliminating the people who get close to Will throughout the series, but with Inho, we follow the stages and moments of this jealousy until it reaches its peak (the final episode that resembles Mizumono). Inho observed Gihun's interactions with Jungbae (Gihun's longtime friend) in silence, just processing each moment and creating a mental bomb that would explode in the future (like when Jungbae made Gihun laugh, at night in the dorms, and the scene cuts to 001 listening under the bed in total DISGUST).

• Mizumono

Both villains analyzed here need to control their targets of obsession, manipulating them and trying to build a home in their heads, and when they realize they have been "betrayed", that's when the bomb explodes.

Hannibal felt betrayed by Will when he learned that he was helping in a plan against him behind his back (but we know that Will was so confused about his feelings and morality that he didn't even know who to go with), and then killed Abgail in front of him after a heartbreaking speech.

Inho felt betrayed by Gihun when, during a shootout in the player vs. soldier attack, Gihun said he would go inside to find the way out. Inho asked: "Shall I go with you?", and Gihun simply said that Jungbae would go with him. Later, Jungbae asks 456 why he chose him and not 001 who is more skilled with weapons, and Gihun answers that he chose him because they are friends. The next scene suggests that Inho, disappointed, listened behind the communicator, but we don't know if the communicators were on or not...

It's worth noting the expression on Inho's face when Gihun said that Jungbae was the one who would...

(POOR GUY 456 APOLOGIZE TO HIM AND TAKE HIM WITH YOU NOW

The Mizumono between 456 and 001 happens thanks to this event, when, later, after putting on his masked Boss costume, Inho goes to Gihun and Jungbae on the stairs. Just like Hannibal, he says heartbroken words (less dramatic and more angry) and eliminates Jungbae in front of Gihun.

Both killed people close and important to their targets out of possessiveness and hurt, out of a sick and incomprehensible feeling of betrayal; feelings that only they understand.

How can little sweet creatures like this be so DESTRUCTIVE.

There doesn't seem to be a need and mutual dependence in 457 like there is in Hannigram (at least not yet, there's still one season left), the obsession and interest come from Inho, but there is a notable chemistry and tension, smiles and exchanges of OBVIOUS glances.

I know that Hannigram is complex and very intense, I'm not making an extremely serious comparison, but rather recording some points that I observed and since I love both couples, I wanted to do this. The depth of the characters is obviously different, we're just making a fan observation here. ♡

[the-badger-mole]

Clouds, Fog and Mists

The scholars and archeologists that Aang had been working with had come out of their museum basements and dimly lit studies with a wealth of Air Nomad histories and artifacts that had been lost during the war. Aang now had access to recipes he hadn't tasted in years, scrolls that gave historical context to the things he had just begun learning at age 12, and objects he had never seen, but was excited to learn the use of. At 22, he was just now learning that the Air Nomads had a variety of subcultures and customs he'd never encountered, even though he had visited every Air Temple that existed back then.

"Did you know..." became as common to his vocabulary as "hello" and "custard tart". Every day, he approached his wife with some new bit of lore he'd learned.

"Did you know that the Southern Air Nomads had a Festival of Remembrance?" he'd excitedly asked as Katara was hanging the laundry out to try. She was only half listening while she tried to keep Bumi, their nearly three year old son out of the basket of wet sheets, but she gave a polite hum of encouragement.

"For a whole week," Aang continued needing no further prompting, "no one was allowed to play music or speak. They even wore velvet over their feet so their footsteps wouldn't be too loud. Then, at the end of it, there was a huge party! Loud as anything with music and plays and games. I think I remember going one of those ending parties, but I didn't know about the vow of silence before it."

"That's fascinating, sweetie," Katara said, rubbing her heavy belly with a look of discomfort. She was seven months along with their second child, and this one was very active. "Bumi, last warning. Do not touch the clean clothes!"

"Okay, Mommy!" Bumi said before swatting at one of the sheets Katara had hung on the line. She sighed and turned to her husband.

"Can you take him?" she asked. "I'm tired, and I'd like to take a nap after I finish this."

"Oh," Aang said reluctantly. "I was going to have an afternoon session with the Acolytes. I'm dying to tell them what I've been learning."

"Aang, please?" Katara sagged tiredly, taking Bumi's hand and pulling him away from all her hard work.

"Alright," Aang sighed. "I'll watch him for a bit. Come on, Bumi! Let's go practice some air katas! I want you to be ready when your airbending kicks in!"

-:-:-:-:-:-

All Air Nomads were airbenders. That's what Aang had always been taught. He had to account for late bloomers, of course, but at age four, going on five, if Bumi was going to be an airbender, there would've been signs by now. Kya was a lost cause. She had started waterbending just before her second birthday, and despite the fact that her father was the Avatar, there was no chance that she would inherit the ability to control more than one element.

"Well, maybe it's not true that all Air Nomads were benders," Katara said with a shrug. "After all, not every Water Tribesman is a waterbender, and not everyone in the Earth Kingdom is an earthbender."

"It's different," Aang insisted. "The monks told me that all Air Nomads were benders because we have a unique connection with our spirituality." Katara didn't quite manage to hide her annoyance from him.

"Then explain our kids," she said. "Unless you're the first Air Nomad in history to have children with a non-Air Nomad, someone somewhere got something wrong." Aang went quiet after that. He had no response.

"Just because the Air Nomads may have had children with people from other nations doesn't mean that their children were Air Nomads," an acolyte named Qiao said. She was one of the most apt and studious of Aang's Air Acolytes, and they had spent many hours together pouring over the newly discovered texts. Sometimes, Aang thought that she had a better grasp of Air Nomad culture than even he did.

"I suppose....I suppose that's true," Aang said thoughtfully, taking a sip of his tea.

"The Air Nomads were mostly not monogamous," Qiao pointed out. "I'm sure there were a lot of Nomads who had understandings with their lovers from other nations. Especially among the Air Acolytes of the day."

Aang pondered that for the rest of the day. Then the next. Then the rest of the week before he finally approached Katara. He found her by the fountain with Kya and Bumi. Kya was busy making imperfect little shapes with the water while Katara was teaching Bumi how to put his hair into a warrior's wolf tail.

"You look just like your uncle Sokka," she laughed, pressing a kiss on her son's cheek. "I bet you'll be a great warrior just like him, too." That twisted Aang's gut uncomfortably. He cleared his throat to get Katara's attention.

"Hey, sweetie," he said.

"Hey," Katara smiled at him. "We're just about to have story time. Do you want to stick around for How Umiak Rowed Her Boat to the Stars?"

"Oh, um..."Aang shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Sure. I was just...thinking of something."

"Yeah?" Katara raised her brow at him. "What?"

"I was just thinking of how all the Air Nomads were benders." Katara didn't bother trying to hide her disgusted snort or the rolling of her eyes.

"Okay, and?" she huffed. "Did you draw any new conclusions?"

"I can't have been the only Air Nomad to have children with someone from a different culture," he said. Katara stared at him blankly for a long moment.

"I told you that," she responded finally. "It's just now sinking in?'

"No, I understood you," Aang told her. He kicked at the ground. There was a loose pebble under his toe and he focused on rolling it back and forth. "It's just...well, the Air Nomads, they weren't strictly monogamous."

"Monogamous," Katara scoffed. "That's a big word for you." Aang bristled a bit at that, but he took a breath and let it go.

"I was just reading," Aang said with a shrug. "It occurred to me that maybe because the Air Nomads weren't monogamous, they just didn't bring their non-bending kids into the Air Nomad society." Katara looked up at Aang with her eyes wide.

"That's awful!" she said. "So because their kids didn't bend the right elements, they had to be cut off from one of their parents?"

"No, I'm sure it wasn't as bad as all that-" Aang started to protest.

"What exactly are you saying, Aang?" There was a dangerous edge to Katara's voice. A warning.

"Nothing, nothing!" he scrambled back, tripping over his tongue, trying to call back his words, and cursing himself for trying to bring up the subject without a plan. Katara eyed him coldly. She was angry and trying not to show it.

"It's time for lunch," she told her children. "Let's go inside and fix something to eat."

"But Mommy," Bumi protested. "I want to hear about Umiak!" Katara turned to him with a tight smile.

"That's okay, sweetie," she said. "I'll tell you while you help me fix lunch." With one last scowl at Aang, she took Bumi's hand and swung Kya up onto her hip and went inside.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Aang felt vindicated when it was discovered that he and Qiao were right. The Air Nomads would often leave non-airbending children with their non-Nomad parents. Sometimes the Air Nomad parent would stay with their non-Nomad partners and build a life with them and their children (something he made a note to tell Katara about). Then it was discovered that they were only partially right.

Some of the Air Nomads stayed and raised mixed heritage families. Some left their non-airbending children behind with their non-Nomad partners. That was expected. Reasonable, even. What Aang was not expecting, however, were the accounts of non-airbending children being given away. Some were adopted, and those adoptions were traceable through documents and letters. Others were sold. Those transactions were traceable, too. By most accounts, those children went into indentured servitude and many of them learned trades and were able to start businesses once their indenture was up. Aang tried to focus on the positives. Katara, however, was horrified.

"What right did they have to sell those children into...into slavery?" she demanded hotly while they were getting ready for bed.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Aang insisted. "After all, the Air Nomads wouldn't have put children into situations where they could've been hurt."

"Yes," Katara sneered. "I'm sure their new owners were very gentle with their exploitation."

"That isn't fair!" Aang protested. "Do you know how difficult it would've been for those kids to live among the Nomads?"

"Probably about as easy as it's been for our kids." Katara glared at Aang meaningly. He felt his cheeks heat as he looked away, pretending not to understand.

Bumi was going on eight now, and Kya was five. They were both old enough to ask questions about why it was so difficult for them to move around their own home. Katara and the Acolytes had an easier time being adults and able to maneuver obstacles that short legs and small hands couldn't without help, but it was still a regular challenge to get around the Air Temple for them. Aang was in the process of building a complex near Republic City where non-airbending Acolytes could live and learn with more ease, but it wouldn't be ready for anyone to move into for another year or so. It would be safer for children with no airbending ability, too. Aang glanced over at Katara from the corner of his eye, at the soft swell of her stomach, already showing signs of pregnancy at her second month.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Tenzin was the last of Aang's children with Katara, and the only airbender. When he was almost one, he airbent for the first time, and Aang couldn't stop celebrating for an entire week. When Tenzin was two, the first of the burial mounds were discovered.

Archaeologists working at the mostly restored Northern Air Temple found it at the base of the mountain. There were several layers to the grave, suggesting generations' worth of use. Most of the bones were small. Infant and toddler sized. The largest bones were about the size of an average eight year old. The bones were all jumbled together, as if they had been tossed in a heap. Some of them wore the clothes they were buried in, but most of the bones were too broken to hang on to any frabric. There were also no signs of any shrouds or anything indicating that they had been given any of the customary funeral rites of the Air Nomads. The fact that they were found at the base of the mountain in itself was unusual. All the different groups of Air Nomads had their own unique funeral customs, but one thing that remained the same was that they were laid to rest as close to the sky as possible.

When the first reports of how the children came to be at the base of the mountain came out, Aang was certain it was the rankest propaganda. None of the Air Nomads, no matter how stringent they were about non-airbenders living among them, would ever harm a child. For a while, he seemed to be right, as all the proof was from secondary and tertiary sources.

"Lies the Fire Nation used to justify genocide," Aang said confidently.

"But how did the children get there?" Katara asked. Aang had no answer for her. Yet. There must have been a good one, though. Maybe a plague had run through the Air Temple, forcing them to bury the bodies at the bottom of the mountain to prevent contamination, or something equally tragic. Aang began talking to the archaeologists about giving the bones a proper burial as soon as they could be sorted. The count at that time was 700 bodies in the pile and there were still so many more to go.

A few months after that, the oldest of the Air Nomad accounts were uncovered. It went back a good 300 years, and it spoke about a surplus of infants born without the gift of airbending. There were too many to be disposed of the normal ways, and many of the non-bending parents were unwilling or unable to raise the children themselves. The anonymous monk wrote of a meeting to discuss the crisis. They wouldn't be able to care for so many that couldn't get around the temple, or travel with the Nomads. There was a food shortage. A water shortage. An everything shortage. So the head monk suggested giving the children to the air. That had been the first time the practice had been recorded, near as anyone could tell. But some of the bones were older than that.

That's what they called it. It sounded lovely. Poetic even. In practice, though, the babies were carried to the edge of the temple grounds and held in the air. A short prayer was said for the souls of the children, and then they just...let go. They were so high up, they probably couldn't hear the children hit the ground.

The public began to call them the Fog Children. They were babies born to Air Nomad parents, but without airbending abilities themselves. People clung to the term and it soon spread all over the world in hushed whispers. Aang hated it. Katara hated it. It was the only thing they could agree on by that time.

"It isn't fair!" Aang bemoaned. "It's like people are using it to justify the Fire Nation killing all the Air Nomads."

"If it bothers you so much," Katara said after she'd put the kids to bed, "then speak up! Condemn what they did."

"I do!" Aang insisted. He had protested, loudly that all of the Air Nomads shouldn't be judged by what one fringe sect did.

"Not just them," Katara said. "All of it. It's just like with the Fire Nation. Remember what Zuko said? You can't expect to move forward without acknowledging the past. All of it was wrong. The Air Nomads treated their non-bending children as if they had no value. Condemn the adoptions and abandonings and the selling of the children!"

"How is it my responsibility to make up for all of that?" Aang demanded.

"You're the only one left," Katara reminded him, trying to be gentle. "I'm not saying you have to call the Air Nomads monsters. They did something wrong. They were human. You can acknowledge that and commit to being better than that."

"How?"

"Start with your children."

It had been a frequent argument between Katara and Aang how Aang treated their children. Bumi was 13 now, well on his way to becoming a man. Kya was 11 and Tenzin was five. Often, Katara would quiz Aang on his children- what Kya's favorite color was, or the name of Bumi's best friend. Aang could admit that he was correct about Tenzin more often than the others, but it was only because Aang had so much he had to teach his youngest. Katara should've understood that. After all, there were things she did with Kya that she couldn't do with Bumi or Tenzin.

"It's not the same," Katara told him. Aang could never remember why, though.

For the next year or so, Aang spent much of his time doing damage control. He did his best to separate the practices at the Northern Air Temple and the particular sect of Air Nomad culture that grew around it from the rest of the Air Nomads. Every criticism of the culture was met sharply by Aang's rebuttals and justifications. Penning article after article espousing the virtues of the Air Nomads at large became his full time job, and obsession. It took him two weeks to notice that Katara had left with all three of his children, and another month for him to find the letter Katara had left in his bedside table telling him she was seeking a divorce.

He got Tenzin three months of the year. It was all he could manage, being completely unused to parenting alone. Aang taught his son what he could of airbending and the Nomad philosophy he could in that time, and did his best to ignore the people whispering fog children in the same breath as his oldest children.

[satvpsandowns]

Chains as a symbol of football and identity in Blue Lock's covers

I know cover analysis are too common, for some even annoyingly common, but bear with me, I had some free time and decided to give it a try. I haven't read the recent "state of art" of the chain interpretations so if I say something already said, I apologize.

Feel free to disagree and add your takes in the comments!

(Featuring Snuffy's quotes and analysis of Lorenzo, Sae, Rin, Hiori, Yukimiya, Zantetsu, Kaiser and Ness' covers)

If you lose soccer, what will you have left?

Snuffy said this to the Ubers team in ch. 214.

The chains in the Blue Lock covers have multiple interpretations so far. I consider the chain to be football and the identity the player forged around the sport, whether it was for salvation or damnation, the sense of self and the prove of existence is wrapped around the chain: the football and who the player is on the pitch.

Take Lorenzo's for example, he bit his chain. Snuffy found him on the streets and taught him to play soccer to save his future, to change his life. His bitten chain relates to his ace-eater persona. He's a defender, the only one we've seen so far that is comfortable with his position. (Aiku still kind of wavered). His football and his identity revolve around his goal of eating the striker's attempts at surpassing his defensive third.

Sae has one of the most interesting chains: from the collar to some short length it's falling apart, it's not rustiness, it's progressive deterioration. My take is that the breaking piece of the chain represents his earlier time at RE AL youth club. We know he let go of the striker position and thus the final broken link represents his fight with Rin in that snowy night. I interpret this scene as Sae's breking point. Rin is a genius, he doesn't understand Sae's struggle and, maybe, jealousy. From there, the chain solidifies back but with way more quality (the golden color) and so the chain continues to move. Sae's identity is nothing but football, as stated in his EB profile. He has absolutely nothing going on besides football, something normal for high performance athletes. But the curious and sad thing here is that he's implied to be a "talented learner", someone who had to struggle, like Isagi, against geniuses before finding his rooting in the midfielder position where he has thrived up to stardom.

The chain broke at some point but it restored itself with new material, from Sae Itoshi striker and Rin's partner, to Sae Itoshi RE AL star midfielder.

In contrast with Sae's chain, there's Rin's.

Holding the chain where Sae's was broken. His identity, his football, still revolves around his brother and their former partnership he can't let go yet. Also, the chain is not moving.

Hiori's cover presents the chain as damnation. The chain doesn't flow like the majority, it's short and held with indifference. It's an absolute burden for Hiori, the weight of expectations, the impossibility of building an honest identity around a sport you never liked to begin with.

Yukimiya's chain also lacks movement. Football for Yukimiya is like a timebomb, the chain doesn't flow because there's nowhere to, Yuki has no future but the immediate moment because of his illness. His whole self is being concentrated in the short-term results.

Ego's cover, on the other hand, solidifies my point: the tension of the four pulled chains means the hold the sport has on Ego. We've seen nothing so far about his relationship with Noa and geniuses. His whole self is football. Without it, the sudden break of chains, after being held with such force, will annihilate his identity like a loser in a game of tug-of-war.

Zantetsu's chain also represents his childish form that made him the player he is. Fast, no time for wavering, that's for adults, just follow the flow and enjoy. Tell him what to do in the pitch, he'll do it, as long as he enjoys it.

Kaiser's chain is fully made of glass, his identity and the football he plays has become his everything, him and football player Kaiser are one and the same. That's why it's so easy to break Kaiser, his whole self is fragile because he put all the eggs in one basket. That's why Isagi surpassing him terrifies him and why he's so obsessive. Taking into account his backstory, where for him there was nothing but malice in the world, he found comfort in replicating it and doing harm to others. Only the love he desperately seeks can replace the glass with some other material idk.

Will you be able to love yourself when you are no longer viewed as a genius?

Ness' chain is my favorite aesthetically. From the collar up to the piece at the back of his head there are no roses, a simple chain in movement. The start of the vines that entangle with the chain is concealed behind his head. From there on, Kaiser's influence became the reason why Ness kept playing football and believing in magic. His sense of self is wrapped in the acceptance Kaiser gave him, Kaiser basically told him he was good the way he was, something his family always disapproved. He has yet to discover his true self as a player: playing for his original ego: the search of magic.

Also, we've seen Ness play without Kaiser, excel in his childhood's soccer team to the point of being invited to BM tryouts. I hope we'll see him rekindle his original dream.

Before you are a football player, you are a person, regardless of whether you are talented or not. So value your life.

Who are they without their chains? Who are they without their talent, without football? Well, just themselves, and it's up to them to value that.

And you? 🫵

Do you have something that chains your identity like football does to this characters?

Mine is probably my field in Academia LMAO. What am I without academic validation? I guess I need to work it out too....

[cynthiav06]

Ok, so I am HOWLING with laughter.

So, have you heard? People are comparing Percy and Annabeth to................Odysseus and Penelope.

When I heard this, you don't know how funny it was to me. I almost choked on my spit. LMAOOOOOOOOOOO

Penelope would NEVER hit or insult Odysseus. She doesn't play mind games with him and they communicate properly.

Odysseus and Penelope are not toxic. Percabeth is.

Also, Rick Riordan is LEAGUES worse than Homer. Like, the guy cannot even compare to the ACTUAL GREEK POET.

And people are actually comparing the two.

Percy Jackson IS good at times, but it will NEVER compare to Homer's compositions. Literally never.

TBH that's just my personal opinion.

Also, Homer actually composed many of the Greek epics that we still read today.

I get why people would want to compare them, but there is no comparison, really. It's so fucking funny to me.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on Percabeth compared to Odysseus and Penelope?

That comparison alone has ruined the New Year for me. It's an insult to the Odyssey. Hell, it's an insult to the recently released Ithaca Saga of Epic the Musical.

But seriously, are these things actually being said? Cause that puts Percabeth stans from delusional category to brain dead.

Homer's Iliad and The Odyssey are one of history's most reputed myths of all time. And the primary source of Greek mythology for many people. I am certain Rick himself referred Homer's works for ideas and references. Even Riordan himself would be ashamed to compare his writing to Homer, in even the slightest manner.

Now to Odysseus and Penelope; the greatest couple of all time, truly and undeniably. The orignal eternal love. Even Hera, the goddess of marriage and family, considers Odysseus and Penelope's marriage bed sacred. Which Odysseus carved out of a living tree as a symbol of their undying love and so that it could never be moved.

Odysseus crawled through hell to get to Penelope and Telemachus. He survived and won the 10 year long Trojan war, defeated/ tricked a Cyclops, countless mythical monsters, Circe, Calypso, and even Zeus himself and at last Poseidon. That alone is beyond comprehension. Because Odysseus isn't a demigod or any specially blessed being. No, he is just an ordinary mortal, a genius mortal, one trained by the wisdom goddess but an ordinary mortal all the same. Yes, he is one of a kind genius, but these are literally eldritch creatures compared to him.

Let me put it this way, Odysseus is the OG Batman. He is who all smart fictional human characters aspire to be.

The Odyssey is literally about the all transcending power of human will. Of Odysseus's sheer fucking will to get back home, to his wife and son. That's it. A common desire of a common man, yet so miraculously burning and indomitable in Odysseus's mind that it alone outshines his extraordinary genius.

He quite literally died on his way there. Had to hitch a ride through the Underworld and then some.

Then he had to sacrifice his ENTIRE CREW, HIS FRIENDS, HIS COMRADES to get back to Ithaca. Mind you, Odysseus had the record of getting every single one of his 600 men alive out of Trojan War. The only one to have done so. And he had to lose some to the tragedies and then WILLINGLY SACRIFICE others to get back to Penelope.

I don't think there are words enough to encapsulate Odysseus's dedication.

Now Penelope. The thing is, she is just as bloody impressive. The Queen of Ithaca and a Spartan Princess, she is also one of a kind. Throughout Odysseus's departure and the suitors' invasion , not five, not ten, 108 SUITORS, Penelope held her own, keeping the castle, her son Telemachus and herself secure. All the while, raising Telemachus and running the kingdom on her own as well.

She tricked the suitors into an eternally futile game of trying to lift Odysseus's bow and shoot with it. Tricked them by telling them she was weaving Odysseus's shroud, which, when finished, would signify that she is picking a new husband. Each day, she would weave for all suitors to see, and each night, she would unravel the shroud. All in an attempt to stall. Among the many other ways, she did so. Including STEADFASTLY DENYING EACH AND EVERY SUITOR CONSTANTLY FOR YEARS AS THEY ASKED FOR HER HAND, NEVER ONCE LOSING HOPE OR FAITH IN ODYSSEUS.

When Odysseus returns, disguised as a beggar, she not only immediately recognizes him but subtly helps him in killing the suitors, which then Odysseus and Telemachus proceed to do.

All 108 suitors dead in a night. Add that to 600 men under Odysseus's command. 708 lives murdered and then some all for Odysseus and Penelope to reunite.

And this is me abridging the whole thing. Imagine the struggle, the suffering, the mental and physical trauma. 20 years straight. You can't fathom it.

I don't think I have words enough to state how repulsively disrespectfully wretched this comparison is. I would use an analogy, but it's so horrendous that I don't think there's one that suffices.

I literally have more than half the posts dedicated to dismantling the delusion of percabeth being a perfect ship, so I won't preach to the choir, but I mean one of their Fatal Flaw is Hubris and the other has Personal Loyalty. Go figure.

If that isn't enough, Percy jumped in Tartarus for Annabeth. She fell, but Percy jumped, among the many other ways he has saved her from countless deaths. And Annabeth offers him what in return? It would have been alright if she gave him nothing in return, but somehow, the situation is EVEN WORSE.

Physical and mental demeaning. Toxic and controlling attitude and of course BLAMING HIM FOR GETTING KIDNAPPED AND HAVING HIS MEMORY WIPED BY A GODDESS. WOW, THAT SOUNDS SO SIMILAR TO PENELOPE AND ODYSSEUS.

Not to mention, Penelope accepted her husband, as he was. Even after being so completely changed by his tragic journey that he was quite literally NO LONGER HIMSELF.

And Percy when had to CHOKE AKHYLS WHO WAS DEFINITELY GOING TO KILL HIM AND ANNABETH, WAS KILLING HIM AND ANNABETH, OUT OF SELF DEFENSE AND SHE BLAMES HIM AND FORCES HIM TO PROMISE NOT TO USE HIS POWERS TO DEFEND HIMSELF???

WHAT THE FUCK??? And sure it would have ignorable had it not had any long term effects. BUT NO PERCY ALMOST KILLS HIMSELF OUT OF KEEPING HIS PROMISE TO ANNABETH.

Call them whatever the hell you want but DON'T EVER COMPARE THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO ODYSSEUS AND PENELOPE.

PERCY DESERVES INFINITELY BETTER THAN ANNABETH. Enough said, really.

[dollya-robinprotector]

I’d still like to know what you consider copying if you’re willing to answer! ^_^

I just look back and realize you asked about "artstyle", which I don't really have an answer for. I believe artstyles are meant to be "adapted" and "improved" and there's nothing too definite to be called "copy artstyle" for those who genuinely want to learn. Ah, but there are still some shitty examples, so follow me down on this...

For example: Rei17, is known for being an absolutely massive A-hole and treating people like shit, but also a legend for having the most magical use of colors, lighting and composition, along with a perfect dynamic for anatomy.

That is to say: an "Artsyle" is made up of many elements. One cannot copy an artstyle if one can't copy everything that artstyle is made of, and that's a LOT of work, especially to copy a master of masters like Rei17. Instead, they mimic some fractions, that make things easier. But then that's not "copy artstyle" anymore, that's "copy concept", "copy color", "copy composition", etc... and suddenly it's not really very "copy" anymore because when we break it down, those fractions becomes "knowledge" that's really "learn-able":

For example: Turn out Rei17's color skill is a very clever use of color theory and by learning about it, many and many other artists can also use it so vividly, without even looking remotely like Rei17's "artsyle"

Taro-K from TamoTaro

Or you can have some cases who tried to mimic everything - the entire artstyle, and fail miserably. For example, this artist I know from some time ago:

left: copy works from that artist and right: original works from Rei17

above: copy works from that artist and below: original works from Rei17

Now, this is called traight-up copy too, I think you can see why:

left: copy work from that artist and right: original work from Rei17

this artist also copied Azling

and once again failed miserably because he lacked the knowledge and didn't understand the fundamentals behind the drawing :)

Now that I saw those messy lines without a horizon line or focal points again it indeed reminded me of something.... ah!

Now, joke aside, I honestly cannot give more insight into this problem since I'm not exactly too keen on just one artstyle myself. BUT I know it when someone learned from my "concept", "paneling", or shits like that, and especially my "designs".

I remember one time there was an artist, who appeared on tumblr dot com one day, and drew their Whitney with the exact choker tattoo I gave my Whitney, with the exact 4 little triangles on the side too. And when I reached out to them and said I was more than happy to let them use my design, but they needed to know the "lore" behind it, they admitted that they saw my drawings on the top tag and just thought it was a common thing, and despite my efforts to communicate, they never reply again, and then fade away with all their drawings......

Mystery...

Recently, I reached out to some artists I've noticed were kinda of copying or referencing my works, and to my relief, they all admitted their wrongs and were willing to make up for it. For example, when I put a drawing that references my work, side-by-side with my drawings like this, do you see the issue?

This case is not the only one, but it is the mildest of the conversations I have had in the past few days addressing almost the same issues. I've asked the artist for permission to use this drawing as an example of obvious referencing.

yup, they admitted they learned from my work but did not ask because they were "shy and afraid of asking because that would bother" me.

And to that, I say: "ALWAYS REACH OUT AND ASK FOR CONSENT FIRST". If you can ask, just ask. If given permission, wonderful! And if not, oh wew I just avoided upsetting my fav artist any further! Or if the artist doesn't respond: oh I should still be respectful and give them the credit. Do it, be respectful, and give credit to your source of learning because confrontation is never a nice thing to face.

And if you want to ask about copy and heavy ref in Designing, especially Character design, I think that'll have to be for another day because I'm so tired now U_U) I hope this post can clear up something and give someone who needs it some insights

And remember: ALWAYS ASK FOR CONSENT AND GIVE CREDIT!

[makerofmadness]

ok so: Beast-Ancients Swap AU but actually the Beasts messed up the timeline and made it one

(I will explain I swear-) The following sprite edits and designs were a collaborative effort of me and @driftwoodmfb

(Lily's design and edit is not finished yet, and Ssalt isn't getting one until that character is released-)

general shoutouts to Driftwood for collaborating with me on this in a lot of aspects btw she's the mvp of this whole project

I am Very bad at concise descriptions but basically: "5v5 climactic final showdown occurs but the bad guys win and then the group consensus on what to all do together to compromise thanks to slightly different priorities is 'Hey we all really hate the ancients now so let's just like. Screw them over' so they basically used their combined virtues' powers or something (look all of this I came up with just to justify the AU's actual concept) to like reset and alter the timeline to swap their places with the ancients basically. and then they kinda accidentally get redemption arc'd in the process. Meanwhile the og ancients... are not happy"

I'm def gonna post more about these guys in the future (and also I like. Encourage people to send asks because I need enrichment dndndnmd! I have a ton of stuff sitting around about them and I love talking about them- so. Here's my attempt at an overview (I. Suck at being concise this took all day to not make way too long dndndndm):

Shadow Milk Cookie - Calls himself the Dark Moon Magician. He's quite braggadocious and more than a little mischievous, quite the show-off too, but he has a good heart down there (nowadays). Though he has often had to be badgered by the Light of Truth into actually telling the truth on things...

Eternal Sugar Cookie - You'll meet them someday. Just not now.

Mystic Flour Cookie - Her face and voice do not do much to express how much she despises the Cookie she used to be, and the Cookie she still sees whenever she looks in the mirror. She is the most eager to come clean to her Cookies, but something is holding her back... she decides to save it for when she has finally repented enough by her standards, to earn her position as queen. It's never enough.

Burning Spice Cookie - For the kingdom he rules, you may (or may not) be surprised seeing how little he cares for material riches. To him, lived experiences are the most precious things- hence why he's always looking for a good fight. Or to just have fun with those close to him- which is not many as he has had a history of issues- after all, transient things fall to time, but the impressions they leave can last up to forever...

Silent Salt Cookie - The fallen hero. It wasn't supposed to happen again. They all knew it could happen, they agreed to prevent it. Why did they make the same mistake...?

Pure Vanilla Cookie - The embodiment of the most common lie. He can string Cookies up to make them move and speak against their wills. He does this to himself often, when he grows tired. He is very ashamed of what he has become, but no matter, he will be fine once he regains the light of Truth, and exposes the truth of this world to all Cookiekind...

Hollyberry Cookie - Berry juice is a comfort to her, such is why she had wished so badly to drown her mind and all her pain in it. She is... frankly, harmless the way she is now. She doesn't have the power, pride or energy to fight. Her heart is just as full of love as it's always been, even if her mind's gone fluffy as frosting. So much that even being in a permanent stupor won't stop her from missing her family, still...

Dark Cacao Cookie - As he describes himself fully, an empty vessel without a will of his own, whose only goal is to carry out the will of fate. He will play his part in this story, for he knows there is no other way. After all, they'd tried to resist already, and it was all in vain. He is cold, empty, such was his resolve: to be unburdened by feeling, so that he would feel no pain...

Golden Cheese Cookie - Calls herself the Demonic Goddess. When she gets upset, she tends to fly into fits of destruction- which she has become very, very good at causing. She laughs it off, she laughs a lot in general, but she really does not like what she's become. However, she is still the same greedy Cookie as she always was, and still wants nothing more than to annihilate the ones who had displaced her and her friends and take back what is rightfully hers...

White Lily Cookie - Founder of the Lily Kingdom. She is a stern, serious figure who tries to keep everything under her control. She quickly silences those who tell her what she does not wish to hear untrue, unkind, or unnecessary things. She does not get very openly emotional often, and tends to address everyone with the same attitude even if it's her friends. (They can generally tell when she means well). She plans to silence all lies from Cookies' mouths, especially regarding who the "Heroes" and "Beasts" are...

(i. Never mentioned the name of the AU itself the whole time in this post did I? Ok uh that's Immemorial Interchange btw if I ever say that or II then I'm talking about this thing for future reference XD)

Edit: I have a tag on my blog for the au and I just kinda post whatever I feel like. Hope y'all can enjoy this I'm probably gonna be dumping a lot of stuff I've held on to. And I would love it if people send asks X3

[aishangotome]

Azel Radwan: Chapter 17

Chapter 16 Letter

Thank you @passthechloroform for providing the video for this chapter!

♡———♡

The dress that the maids, who now serve me with a sense of urgency unlike when we first met, prepared for me was woven with moons and stars, perhaps in deference to the Living God.

(This dress is truly lovely.)

I can't help but look down at myself whenever I get the chance, admiring the night sky dress.

The fabric itself subtly shines depending on the light, and I'm amazed by the dressmaking technique, which is different from Rhodolite's.

Silvio: They've prepared somethin' quite fine for you. As expected of a woman favored by God.

Silvio, who is accompanying me to the evening party as my escort, also seems to notice the meaning of my gaze and shows a mischievous smile at the corner of his mouth.

Emma: I'm not favored. As you saw during the day, I'm just an easy mark.

Silvio: Don't say that about yourself. Do those two know that you're in debt?

Emma: No. I didn't want to worry them...

(In that respect, it's easier to talk to Silvio because we have an appropriate distance between us.)

The prince of Benitoite doesn't worry excessively about me and maintains his position as a bystander.

Emma: Speaking of which, I haven't seen Clavis and Luke today.

Silvio: That pleasure-seeker has a lot of connections. He's probably drinking somewhere.

(I wonder if he's gathering information about the Triple Alliance.)

Silvio receives two glasses from a waiter and offers one of them to me.

Silvio: Here, you should drink too.

Emma: Thank you.

Silvio: But I won't take care of ya if you get drunk.

Emma: I certainly wouldn't cause you that much trouble, Prince Silvio.

(...Hmm, this is rich and delicious.)

While wetting my throat, I listen to the surroundings.

Nobleman: The riot the other day? Ah, that will soon be a past event we can laugh about.

Nobleman: As long as the Living God is alive, we'll be fine no matter what happens.

Noblewoman: These days, there are diviners for tourists, right? That's why divinations have become inaccurate.

Noblewoman: The Living God's blessings are only for the people of our own country...

Noblewoman: People from other countries are having some kind of influence.

Nobleman: The Living God's residence is supposed to be a sacred sanctuary, but it seems that people other than God's messengers are going in and out.

Nobleman: Even the favored girl aside, the sanctuary should be a sacred ground that must not be defiled, right?

Nobleman: Isn't the recent instability due to those disrespectful people who are violating the sacred?

(It seems like there are a lot of opinions and speculations about the situation in Tanzanite.)

(The common thing is that everyone believes in the Living God.)

(Even if divination has become inaccurate, faith doesn't crumble so easily.)

(At least the nobles attending the evening party are unwavering.)

???: Are you enjoying yourself?

Turning towards the familiar voice, His Majesty the King has come all the way to me.

I panic because I should be the one to greet him, but Enis smiles cheerfully, not seeming to mind at all.

Enis: You spoke to the Living God, didn't you? Let me thank you again.

Emma: But in the end, I couldn't bring him... I'm sorry.

Enis: No, I expected as much. If the Living God were to attend the evening party, it would truly be an omen of a cataclysmic event.

Enis: When he was a child, he often attended evening parties, his eyes sparkling at the delicious food...

Enis: But he stopped attending after a certain point.

Silvio: Oh, that's news to me. Did something happen?

The casual question created an inexplicable silence.

(...)

Enis: ...I'm sorry. Let's stop this conversation.

Enis: Because the Living God wouldn't want it.

(...Enis's expression is strained. Maybe the reason he doesn't attend the evening parties is more complicated than we think.)

Enis, as if nothing had happened, boldly drains the alcohol he was holding.

Enis: It's my turn to show you my sincerity, but it's a little inconvenient to talk about it here.

Enis: Let's meet in the throne room after the evening party.

Leaving only those words, Enis immediately headed to the seat prepared for the king and returned to chatting with the nobles.

Emma: ...That was an intriguing conversation.

Silvio: Ask him yourself.

Emma: It'll cost you.

Silvio: If you flirt with him, he might accidentally let it slip.

Emma: I don't think so.

Silvio: Ha, if you're serious, then I might understand God better than you.

(...)

Silvio: Woman, want to make a bet?

Silvio takes a sip of his alcohol and places the empty glass on the table.

Silvio: On whether the Living God will come to the evening party or not.

Emma: He clearly said he wouldn't come. Judging from the way Enis said it, I don't think he'll come either.

Silvio: Well then, I'll bet that he will come.

Silvio: How about the loser gives the winner a "special service ticket"?

Emma: ...Please forget about that already.

Silvio: Don't order me around.

(Why is he so confident?)

(Even though the odds are against him.)

Silvio: Unlike the last bet with God, I have a good chance of winnin' this time.

Emma: Specifically why?

Silvio: I told you, right? God favors ya.

Silvio: If a woman he favors dresses up and goes to an evenin' party, he normally wouldn't be able to stay calm.

Emma: ...I also said it already, didn't I? That I'm just an easy mark.

Silvio: That guy ain't the kind of good-natured person who would let just an easy mark live in his temple.

(Silvio seems to be implying that Azel's interest in me is genuine...)

I know better than anyone that it's impossible.

Emma: I'll probably win this bet.

Silvio: Keep telling yourself that. I have to start thinkin' about what I'll have yado.

(...Even though I think it's impossible, I can't calm down.)

I finish my drink and gently place the glass on the table.

(But if... if God really does appear at the evening party, then that's...)

In the distance, a heavy door opens with a loud sound.

At that moment, the noise dies down as if everyone has fallen into a dream.

(...That's...)

As if in response, the corners of Silvio's mouth lift.

Azel: I apologize for the interruption. Please don't mind me and continue your pleasant conversation.

Azel: I don't intend to spoil this enjoyable time.

Someone's agitation, someone's joy, someone's astonishment disappear into a world without sound.

The sacred being that has transformed the venue gives a compassionate smile and a benevolent gaze to all the people.

(...That's unfair.)

Enis: Living God...

Ennis rushes towards Azel with a flustered look.

It seems he really didn't expect him to come, and the word "astonishment" suits Enis perfectly right now.

Azel: Why are you so surprised? You called me, didn't you, Enis?

Azel: It's not bad to mingle and talk with everyone in a lively place once in a while.

Azel: Especially now, there are many people who are feeling uneasy, right? I hope my presence will be a source of support for everyone.

Enis: ...We are grateful for your compassion.

(The main character of the evening party has changed.)

From His Majesty the King to Azel--the participants, awakened from their dream-like state, gradually surround God.

Perhaps because he rarely appears in public, God is very popular.

Azel listens to the voices of the people without losing his smile.

Even though I know that he is a greedy, ill-natured God, I can't sense a shred of that.

(Even the people who were anxious earlier, and those who were voicing their complaints... everyone has a peaceful expression now.)

(As expected, God is great.)

Only Silvio and I are not surrounding Azel.

We move away from the crowd and engrave the image of God in our eyes from afar.

Silvio: You, prepare the service ticket, okay?

Emma: ...I don't understand.

Silvio: A loss is a loss. I said he would come, didn't I?

Emma: I admit defeat, but... what do you think he said to me at first?

Emma: He said, "Don't fall in love with me."

Silvio: Ah... he has terrible luck with women too. I understand how he feels.

Emma: After saying that himself, to come to the evening party...

Emma: I think it's really not right.

(If Silvio's guess is correct...)

Come to think of it, even though Azel doesn't mean to, he has a strangely unworldly air about him, and there have been many times when he's made my heart skip a beat.

(His lack of self-awareness is really troublesome. He's intelligent, but he's somehow clueless when it comes to dealing with people...)

As the one being toyed with, I can't stay calm.

Silvio: You can just ignore him. Or have you fallen for God too?

Emma: ...! No. I'm just lamenting the absurdity of it all.

Silvio: Ha, even your ears are red.

Emma: I drank some alcohol.

(...I'm just a little flustered.)

(That's all.)

Silvio teasingly pokes my ear, and I reflexively brush it away.

I glare at him, knowing it's disrespectful, and Silvio shifts his gaze, not at me--but further behind me...

Azel: Prince Silvio, are you enjoying our country's evening party?

(--...!?)

Before I knew it, God, who should have been surrounded by people, was standing behind me.

He places his hands on both my shoulders, and I jump in an exaggerated way.

Silvio: You should entertain the others instead of me. Everyone is eager to talk to ya, aren't they?

Azel: Of course, I'll talk to them, but...

Azel: Emma, could you bring me a drink other than alcohol?

(...His voice is gentle, but...)

I secretly gasp, feeling an inexplicable pressure.

Emma: Are you... not good with alcohol?

Azel: No. It's just that a God doesn't drink alcohol.

(...I see.)

Emma: I'll bring it right away.

Silvio: Ask a maid.

Azel: Emma is right next to me. Please.

(This is awkward.)

I rush away from Azel as if fleeing and look for a drink.

(Let's see, drinks other than alcohol...)

-

Azel: By the way, there's someone I'd like to introduce to Prince Silvio.

Azel: He's a rising star in our country's economic world, and will surely become a great merchant who will generate enormous wealth.

Azel: I think it wouldn't be a bad idea for Prince Silvio to make a connection with him now.

Silvio: For God to personally introduce someone? You're bein' awfully kind today.

Azel: I'm always kind to you, Prince Silvio.

Silvio: Ha, your intentions are obvious.

Azel: I suppose so. I just told you verbally.

Silvio: ...Well, fine. I'll let ya off the hook this time.

Silvio: I don't want to overdo it and earn your displeasure.

-

(...Found it.)

When I return with a container of water, Silvio has started drinking his second glass of alcohol with a young man.

Emma: Prince Azel.

Azel: Thank you.

Azel, receiving the water, looks at me for a moment as if he wants to say something, then turns his back.

Azel: Silvio seems busy, so you should go somewhere else.

Azel: Well then, I'll be going.

Azel returns to the circle of people and resumes his conversation.

Silvio also seems to be in a business discussion, and I'm left alone.

(...It seems like he only called out to me to separate me from Silvio.)

(No, I hope I'm just overthinking it.)

(If not...)

(God is too sinful.)

-

Azel: Ah, damn it, I can't take this anymore.

As soon as the evening party ends, Azel starts cursing.

He ignored me at the venue, but as soon as it was over, he caught me and dragged me into a guest room.

Emma: That's my line.

(I was planning to gather information at the venue, but I ended up being distracted by Azel.)

Azel: ...Are you angry about something?

Emma: Do you have any idea why I might be?

Azel: There's no way I would.

Emma: ...

Azel: Don't look at me with those reproachful eyes. Speak.

Emma: It's nothing. Please don't worry about it.

Azel: ...No, I can't help but worry...

Azel: In the first place, you're the one...

Azel, sitting on a long sofa by the window, points at me mercilessly.

Azel: What do you think you're doing, flirting with another man in public when you're obsessed with God?

Emma: I wasn't trying to flirt...

Azel: Yes, you were flirting. If you say that wasn't flirting, then what is?

(...Did I look that close to Silvio in Azel's eyes?)

Azel: If you get along with other men, the people around you might get the wrong idea and think you're no longer God's property.

Azel: It will only lead to trouble, so don't create unnecessary sparks.

(He has a point, but...)

Emma: Prince Azel... could you be jealous--

Azel: It's news to me that you have any value to be jealous of.

Azel overlaps my words as if to erase them.

His compassionate smile is nowhere to be found now.

Emma: Then why did you come to the evening party?

(I want a convincing explanation.)

Azel: I couldn't ignore it if Silvio was going to participate, could I?

Azel: There was also someone I wanted to introduce to him for future purposes.

Emma: During the day, you were adamant about refusing.

Azel: I thought the wall repairs would take a long time, so I sent you away, but they finished earlier than expected, and I had free time.

Emma: ...

Azel: Ah, and also...

Azel puts his hand in his pocket and takes out a piece of paper.

(Ah, I forgot to collect that.)

In my line of sight, the free service ticket is waved back and forth.

Azel: I thought I'd take this after all.

Azel: You seem like the type who wouldn't listen even if you were in debt, right?

Azel: It's not a bad idea to have a ticket on hand to make you absolutely obey me at such times.

Emma: ...Promise you won't misuse it?

Azel: Me, misuse it? That's absurd.

(Maybe that was careless...)

Azel: Anyway, there were various advantages to showing up this time.

Azel: ...Judging from your face, Prince Silvio must have put some nonsense in your head...

Azel: Don't flatter yourself. I only act for my own benefit.

Azel: Certainly not because I was dissatisfied with Silvio being your escort, or because I was interested in your dress...!

Azel: It's not for those reasons, so don't misunderstand.

Emma: I-I understand.

(But... why won't he meet my eyes?)

At first, I thought it was my imagination, but when I deliberately try to make eye contact, he blatantly avoids it.

Emma: ...Prince Azel?

Azel: I'm tired.

Emma: Is there a connection?

Azel: There is. Don't make me waste my energy on strange things.

(Being this unnatural makes me suspicious again.)

(Azel not meeting my eyes means he either has something to hide or he's embarrassed.)

Azel: Besides, why don't you get changed?

Azel looks out the window sulkily.

Emma: Of course, I'll change, but... I'm going to see Enis now.

Azel: Huh?

Emma: He might already be waiting for me, so I'll go ahead.

I turn around with lingering thoughts, but he quickly grabs my hand.

Azel: ...At night, alone?

Emma: Yes, alone.

Azel: Are you stupid? Enis is the master of the harem.

Emma: But you said that Enis is the best person to ask about the prophecy of the end...

Azel: That's true, but it's not.

(W-what does that mean?)

Just as silence falls, Azel stands up, scratching his hair.

Azel: I remembered something I need to do.

Emma: ...With Enis?

Azel: I couldn't talk to him properly at the evening party.

Emma: ...

Azel: What?

Emma: You're jealous after all--

I immediately cover my cheek with my hand, taking a defensive stance.

As expected, Azel's hand, which was about to pinch my cheek, is left hanging in the air.

(I won't fall for the same trick twice.)

Finally, I make proper eye contact with Azel.

His mystical eyes, filled with stars, are narrowed more unhappily than I expected--

Azel: ...Is that wrong?

.

.

.

Chapter 18

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Holy CRAP I was going to stop translating after Ch 16 for today, but I was way too intrigued with Silvio trying to make Azel jealous. My heart was beating out of my chest during this whole chapter omg I love jealous Azel!!!!

[sanguineterrain]

sanne, did i think i'd be thrown back into my criminal minds obsession in 2024? no but i fear you may have convinced me. anyway! going to the bau christmas party with spencer and getting caught under the mistletoe. morgan's cheering you on and everyone's staring so you settle things with a quick peck on the cheek and try and get through the rest of the party without thinking too hard about how nice that felt. the party's winding down and he's walking you out only the two of you get caught under the mistletoe again.

not really a request or anything, just a thought that won't let me go.

xoxo @sunnie-angel

it's past christmas but wtev this idea was too good 🙏💕 spencer x fem!reader

****

"Hey," you say, gently bumping Spencer's shoulder. "Found you."

He looks up, confused. "I wasn't hiding."

"I know. Just needed a break, right?"

The great thing about Spencer is that you both understand the need to take a moment when you're overstimulated. And something you two have in common is that parties can overwhelm you.

"Yeah," he says, seemingly relieved that he doesn't have to defend himself. "Just needed a break."

"I can go if you'd like. I won't tell anyone you're camped out here."

He shakes his head. "No, that's alright. You're nice to be around. I don't, uh..." He's searching for the right words. You're sure he'll find them. Spencer always does. "I don't feel like I have to put on a show with you."

"You don't," you say. "The others would understand too, though."

He shrugs. You leave it at that.

Spencer's tucked himself in a chair in Rossi's giant den. In his lap is a book titled in German. You bend down to read the cover. He tilts it for you to see.

"Brüder Grimm," you say. "Of course you know German."

Spencer hums noncommittally, ever modest. "Not well. I've been trying to get better. Reading children's books is a good way to learn, actually. The simple verb tenses make for a decent first step."

You lean against the arm of the adjacent sofa. "Spencer, you astound me."

He smiles, bright and sweet. "Thanks."

Agh. That smile cuts right through you. When are you ever going to shake this crush?

"Eggnog?" you ask, nodding at his mug.

"Oh, no, this is cider. I'm not good with alcohol, and I've seen how much rum goes into Rossi's eggnog." Spencer presses his lips together. "I'm trying not to make any decisions I'll regret tonight."

You laugh. "A good choice."

"Yeah."

"Well, I can get you a refill," you say.

Spencer stands. You follow him.

"That's okay. I'll go with you. I wanted another one of JJ's brownies. Have you had them?"

"No, I haven't."

"You have to try one," he says seriously. "She used science to make them perfect. And they are perfect."

"Is that your professional opinion, Doctor?"

Spencer laughs quietly, his head ducking close to yours. It makes your heart thunder in your chest.

"If the CDC let me, I'd vouch for them on national news."

You're headed to the kitchen, side by side, when Derek suddenly turns the corner and knocks into Spencer, causing him to bump you. You reach out a hand to steady Spencer.

"Sorry," he says to you, before irritably turning to Derek. "Morgan, what—"

"Sorry, pretty boy," Derek says with a glittering grin, clearly tipsy. "Totally my fault. I spill anything on you?"

"Not this time," Spencer says, and there's clearly a story behind that.

Derek just laughs. "You disappeared on us." He looks at you. "But it seems like you found him."

"I was in the den reading," Spencer cuts in, effectively stopping that train of thought.

Derek almost seems disappointed. "Oh." Then his eyes drift behind you, and the gleam returns. "Oh-ho-ho, what have we here?"

He points above your heads, and there, taped to the wall sconce, is a sprig of mistletoe.

Your stomach swoops. Spencer looks at you, eyes wide. As if you have any more of an idea on how to handle this.

Derek, meanwhile, is slinking up to you both like a panther. "You know what that means."

You roll your eyes. "Grow up. Where does it say that kissing under the mistletoe is compulsory?"

"Ah, so you're chicken," he says. "Garcia!"

And there's Penelope, equally if not more tipsy, rounding the corner, followed by Emily. Penelope sees Spencer and waves, then blows a kiss at you.

"Hi, guys!" she says, a touch too loud.

"Sweetheart, you see that? Rules are rules, right?" Derek says, pointing at the mistletoe.

Penelope takes a second to understand, and then she lights up. "Oh, definitely! Slip her some tongue, Reid!"

"Garcia!" Spencer says, scandalized. He turns to you, ears pink. "I wouldn't—"

"I know," you say, equally mortified by what is happening. Are you that transparent?

"Come on," Emily says, goading, the traitor. She smiles at you knowingly. "Give him some sugar. He'll be a changed man."

You glare at her. "As I was saying, mistletoe means nothing. Spencer doesn't even celebrate Christmas."

"Religiously, no, but the origins of Christmas festivities aren't rooted in Christianity—"

"Doesn't matter! You're just making excuses. Reid's blushing, and you're fidgeting," Derek says happily. Jackass.

"I'm not blushing," Spencer says indignantly, and you're too panicked to check.

"Yeah, sure. C'mon, just do it, Reid. In the spirit of the season," Derek says.

"It's just a kiss!" Penelope says too loud.

Impulsively, you turn your head and lean in. Whatever, right? You can be adults and kiss the coworker who you have a ginormous crush on all in the name of a ridiculous holiday tradition. That's what adults do.

You're aiming for Spencer's cheek. But he must see you in his periphery and turn on instinct.

You miss.

Your audience cheers. You kiss Spencer's mouth for about three seconds before you realize your mistake and you reel back, apology on your lips.

"I'm so—"

"Alright, that's what I'm talking about!" Derek says, whooping. "My man!"

"My woman!" Penelope adds, giving you a thumbs up. Emily just smiles that smug smile.

You sigh exasperatedly. "Alright, show's over. Give it a rest."

Derek obeys, arrogant as hell. They all leave you be. You turn to Spencer again and pull him into the den, desperate to apologize away from prying ears. You're hot with embarrassment and the reality that four profilers just watched you kiss the man who you've been trying to hide your crush on for ages.

"Spencer, really, I'm so sorry. I meant to kiss your cheek."

He nods, pressing his lips together. "Yeah, I figured that about a second in. It's okay."

"Are you sure? If I made you uncomfortable..."

"You didn't. Honestly. There's no one else I'd rather be peer pressured into kissing under the mistletoe," he says matter-of-factly.

You laugh, relieved. Spencer smiles.

"Okay, fair enough," you say. "Thanks for being a good sport."

He shrugs. "Usually, that's the best way to stop Morgan's antics. Still want that brownie?"

"Yes," you say, both happy and not that Spencer's able to move past it so quickly. You follow him into the kitchen.

Because now you know. You know the shape of Spencer's lips and how they fit against your shape. You know and you can't forget.

The rest of the night, you're nervous. You try to put your head back into the party. The team starts a game of charades and you play, but you can't stop stealing looks at Spencer. He's never looking in your direction, though, and an icy feeling overtakes you, a chill you can't shake.

The party's winding down when ugly fate rears its head and you can't shut your dumb mouth.

Spencer's at the top of the stairs and you're two steps below him. He's gotten his coat from the bedroom and you're headed to get yours.

And there, on the banister, is a sprig of mistletoe.

You realize too late that Spencer must've seen it (Spencer sees everything) and chose not to mention it. You don't make the connection until after you speak.

"Suppose we're due for another kiss, huh?" you say, smiling.

Spencer glances at it with a pinch in his brow. "Oh. Um—"

"Sorry." You shake your head. "That was a—a stupid joke! Ha. Forget it."

You start to turn away, this giant house suddenly feeling too small. Spencer catches your wrist.

It's barely an obstacle. You could easily pull away. You don't. How can you?

"I don't want to kiss you under the mistletoe," Spencer says, and the words sink like a rock in your stomach. You've never known Spencer to be cruel. You can't believe he's trying to hurt you, even now.

"Yeah." You pull your wrist out of his grip. "O-okay. I got it, Spencer."

"No, wait!"

Spencer's hand goes to your arm this time, and why is he doing this? He bends slightly, too tall when he's two steps away.

"Can you come to the top of the stairs? Please? I don't want you to fall," he says.

You stay on the stairs, back to him. His hand is still on your arm. "You don't want to kiss me."

"I only want to kiss you if you want to kiss me," he says. "Not because of a silly holiday ritual."

You look at Spencer. He gives you that sweet, cow-eyed look, nervous and pleading at once.

You take his hand and walk up the stairs, leading him away. You go down the dim hallway, where there's no mistletoe, no eggnog, nothing to blame. It's just you and Spencer and something you both want.

"Okay?" you ask, afraid he might still run. It's hard to turn back from a kiss you want.

Spencer locks your fingers with his, holds your cheek, and kisses you for more than three seconds.

[angelltheninth]

First Time Meeting The Obey Me Brothers

Pairing: Lucifer, Mammon, Leviathan, Satan, Asmodeus, Beelzebub, Belphegor x Reader

Tags: fluff, teasing, first meeting, hand kisses, flirting, taking a nap, being spoiled, school council

Ko-Fi | Rules | Fandoms and Characters

A/N: The demon brothers give me so many feelings that I can only express in text form.

Lucifer is your student council vice president and you met him when you first got to his office. He didn't think too much of you, yeah you had good grades, you were pretty and popular with the rest of the students but those traits won't be enough to charm him. With him you'll have to prove you're a hard worker and take things seriously if you want any kind of praise from him.

Mammon meets you at the shopping mall when he sees you looking at some earrings. They're pretty so you must have good taste, which also means you'd have no problem hanging out with him eventually. He buys the earrings and they're the first gift he ever gives you when you get into a relationship. Now he wouldn't spend money on just anyone so you better cherish those.

Leviathan doesn't meet you in person until later on but rather over the online game you both play. You start chatting more and more and over time the games become less about the game itself and more about the two of you spending time together and getting to know each other better. When he first meets you in person he gets a little defensive over the teasing, a little different than when he's online.

Satan actually meets you at the library when he's checking out some books. He realizes you work there part-time and starts visiting even more often just to see you. Not like he's hiding it either, he 's being openly flirty, asking you where certain books are even though he knows and kisses your hand every time you hand him a book. Eventually he does ask you to hang out outside of work.

Asmodeus meets you on the first day of school and he immediately starts flirting with you. Walks you to class, he asks you to lunch, he tells you about the school and how it works but he is more on guard when you're around his brothers. Does all he can to charm you as much as possible, but also his crush isn't superficial. Not anymore at least, not when he gets to know you so much better.

Beelzebub first sees you sitting alone at the café he frequents and likes to eat at. The more he sees you the more he realizes you're always alone there so one day he asks if he can sit with you because the café is pretty busy and full that day. You start talking and soon enough it becomes common for the two of you to sit together. The staff also notices and bring you special couples drinks and snacks.

Belphegor wasn't awake when you first met him because he was taking a nap at the time, in one of the empty classrooms. Startled awake he thinks you're gonna rat him out but you found his sleeping face so cute that you can't bring yourself to do it. While he doesn't like you're calling him cute he appreciates you not telling on him. Not only that time but also every week after.

[roryacker]

I love hybrid AUs. I dunno what it is, my current theory is it's just a weird autism trait, I won't get into that for now, but I just really like the idea of taking humans and giving them animal traits and instincts. I have. SO many headcanons lemme tell you.

I like to think of hybrids as a good mix of animalistic and human in behavior, most of the appeal for me is the behavior so I mean. That's a given.

so here's a bunch of my ideas for a Hybrid AU :) I'll probably utilize this for writing about them later on

• I like to think of Soap as a rough collie hybrid. Fluffy, herding dog, Scottish, and I feel like their fur lends well to his lil mohawk thing he's got goin on.

• Absolute menace. 100% he herds anyone and everyone he can get his hands on, primarily prey hybrids. Gaz is one of his most common herding targets, he tries to herd Ghost sometimes but usually gets nipped at for it, and Price is exempt from such instincts.

• Gaz is a deer hybrid, I think he'd look cool with antlers, specifically a red deer. Bucks are strong, man. He just gives me ungulate vibes most of the time idk what it is.

• He usually tolerates Soap's herding. :)

• Price could be lots of things. I've found that I'm actually quite fond of him just being a normal dude who sees the value in hybrids (and treating them like people) so I'll probably go with that. Otherwise I suppose another dog or something could work. Rotts are big and angry but also have a very unintimidating smile so maybe them? They're super good working dogs so. Still I'll mostly stick with the human idea.

• Ghost always depends on what I'm looking for really. Sometimes Wolf if I want the wild vibe, sometimes Dog because he just reminds me of a grumpy working dog. Definitely a GSD hybrid. I do prefer writing him as a dog hybrid anyways so I'll stick with that.

• Shepherds are technically a herding breed, but Ghost lacks any herding instincts and finds Soap's irritating. Best-case they're useful for gathering up the team in a mission to prevent unnecessary separation, though, and it's amusing to watch him weave around folks barking and snapping his teeth at people to get them to stay in line. Sometimes Ghost tolerates it, and sometimes he nips at him to get him to stop.

• I feel like outside of combat Ghost and Soap have a habit of wrestling. Like how real dogs tend to, yknow. You leave them alone for one second and suddenly someone's arm is in someone else's mouth, there's growling, it looks like they're fighting, and the only thing saying otherwise is the wagging tails and the lack of any blood or fur anywhere. It's how they bond

• Price definitely made an effort to not get any hunting hybrids because he'd rather not have infighting thanks to Gaz looking huntable, thank you. It's not even worry that Gaz would get hurt given the fact bucks pack such a punch, he just doesn't want to deal with all that tension.

• Feral, Domestic, Tame, and Wild all mean different things. A Domestic hybrid can be Feral and a Wild hybrid can be Tame, etc. It's mostly rooted in real-life terms, think feral housecats.

• Feral refers to temperament and handleability, it's a term that can change over time based on treatment. Tame is the same but flipped; so a Feral hybrid is harder to handle and acts more like their animal counterpart due to a lack of (positive) human contact, while Tame hybrids seem more intelligent in comparison just due to being easier to handle and better at communicating. Neither are fully unable to communicate by default, but personal traits can mean either are, if that makes any sense.

• Wild vs. Domestic is entirely about the species; a wolf or lion hybrid is wild, while a dog or housecat hybrid is domestic. This one's as simple as finding out if the species they're considered a hybrid of is domesticated or not. If they are, Domestic, if not, Wild. This term cannot change over time, but like their real-animal counterparts, Wild hybrids can be domesticated over time via selective breeding (it won't do much, but it is possible) and Domestic hybrids can slowly regain Wild traits only if multiple generations are exposed to conditions where they need it. So, selective breeding, but backwards. This practice is heavily discouraged as it just leads to unnecessary confusion and hybrid breeding is considered pretty cruel.

• "Hybrids" are not a literal hybrid of human and animal, because that's just kind of weird, but humans with a mutation that closely resembles certain animals. This phenomenon has only been properly recorded as of late, maybe a couple centuries, but there are implications that it might have existed earlier in history and just been ignored, seen as taboo, etc etc.

• There's a few different rules to which hybrids get what treatment. It's not uncommon for any and all hybrids to have a handler, and one handler can be in control of multiple hybrids, but they're not required to live together, and it's more like an emergency contact/trainer/guardian than an owner or something of the sort.

• It is, however, different for Wild and Feral hybrids. Tame Domestic hybrids are not required to have a handler, but Feral Domestic hybrids are at least supposed to have a trainer or therapist or something of the sort. With Wild hybrids it depends on the specific species, smaller Wilds are usually fine, especially if they seem harmless, herbivores tend to be exempt due to stereotypes, and most omnivores are fine, but medium-large carnivores and all Feral hybrids are required to have a handler and in some places required to live with them and be accompanied by them to most places. Wild carnivore hybrids are usually considered more dangerous, also due to stereotypes.

• Again, in certain places, Wild carnivores are expected to wear a muzzle and be properly handled (physical restraint in the form of a leash or the handler just being close enough and able to handle them), but this is mostly a private property/commercial spaces thing that depends on the exact place. Think like how a Petco or something (ew) might let you bring in your little dog or something, maybe a cat, but probably won't let you bring in a big rottweiler or something of the sort, depending on the location. Or how in some locations specific stores will let you bring in a pet as long as they're handled well, but others only allow in service dogs.

• This is very intentionally inhumane, as given how the real world functions I feel like yes we would base how we treat folks with carnivore-oriented traits on how we personify those animals in our minds. Going further I also imagine some places are permitted to bar certain species entirely, and species that are viewed as "unappealing" and violent (hyenas, coyotes and maybe jackals, probably foxes and raccoons in some areas, etc etc) tend to show up on this list a lot.

• Probably lots of folks advocating against this, but it sticks around like a tick because plenty of people are just little cowards about it and don't want the change. I imagine most herbivore hybrids are also against it because what's stopping them from being mistreated in the same way next, so it's mostly a non-hybrid thing.

• How much someone resembles their real-animal counterpart depends on content! This is a term seen in some real-world hybrids, most often I see it in wolfdogs as they're very easily hybridized and their offspring can breed. However, rather than being based on that, because again they're not actually hybrids it's more of a form of mimicry, it's based on the genetics deciding how much of their species they look and act like. I like to think there's a specific set of genes that causes this, and 1-2 traits that factor into how the traits look and how the behavior and instincts develop. Someone who's relatively low-content doesn't look much like the species if at all, and doesn't act much like them, while someone who's high-content will have a lot of the animal's traits and are more likely to fall into that Feral state due to how their brain is built. It isn't set in stone, but more of a big scale.

• Most of TF141 are pretty in the middle of that scale. Ghost is the highest content, Soap isn't far behind, and Gaz is about in the middle, maybe a bit below.

• Nikolai could be a human and I like the idea of normal guy Nikolai BUT he's russian, and to that I suggest: Russian Wolfhound, aka the Borzoi, because I love Borzois they're the best. And greyhounds but Borzoi is a Russian breed :) their fur reminds me a bit of his hair as well

• I just. Really like Borzois, man. I was SO excited when they started gaining popularity a while back, I know it was because of a silly joke but screw it man!! They got more love!!! Smooch smooch Borzois my beloved. They're a sighthound breed as well, and honestly, I feel like that just fits him somehow.

I have tons more but I'll leave it here because I got stuff to do, rambling over take my funky animalfolk and go

[mscloud]

I Wanna read PIDW

Honest to god my feed has been full of so many analyses of the scum villain characters, who are detailed and roundabout, however, we see it threw the lens of the scum villain and Shen Yuan's knowledge of budget cut version PIDW. LIKE DON'T GET ME WRONG To me scum villain is a masterpiece at exploring characters and motives. Still, SCUM VILLAIN IS THE SURFACE, its detailed but our narrator is completely unreliable Shen Yuan doesn't even know himself or his own sexuality, for pretty much the whole story almost until the end not only does he still perceive everybody as a "Character" undermining of the feelings of the man who he fell in love with Luo binghe but he's too dense to actually see more around him, Shen yuan is smart, he was going into university and read hundreds of chapters of PIDW in one sitting (and probably other books too) however he was obviously still young, he was 21 when he transmigrated and he doesn't have enough common sense to perceive the emotions of real people to a deep extent, he was also a sheltered child who spent most of his time inside, HE NEEDED LUO BINGHE TO KISS/ASSAULT HIM TO REALISED HE LOVED HIM yet scum villain (in my opinion) is still a masterpiece of a novel.

Scum Villain ends with the readers knowing the glimpse into Shen Yuan and Luo binghe's lives is over yet their lives characters are still continuing so:

my thoughts are what happened next and what would happen if Scum Villain never happened? and PIDW (the real story) happened?

Honestly, it doesn't have to be a danmei or love story for me to fall in love with it. THERE IS SO MUCH GOING ON IN SCUM VILLIAN we don't even see!!

What happened with Zhuzhi Lang and Luo Binghe all we know is that they fought randomly BUT THERE is MORE TO AND WE KNOW IT, ZHUZHI LANG PROBABLY REACTED BADLY TO SEEING SOMEONE HER FACE we know that Zhushi Lang is a bit stupid and morally gray and luo binghe can be toxic and cruel so what exactly happened?

LIU QINGE FOUGHT FOR 5 YEARS WITH LUO BINGHE FOR SHEN QINGQIU BODY but you telling me he was doing it for honor and not love, that he never saw binghe cry? that he never got close to getting his body?

TIANLANG JUN FOUGHT TOOTH AND NAIL FOR 20 YEARS TO STAY CONSCIOUS IN HIS ROTTING BODY YOUR TELLING ME HE DIED OFF-SCREEN AND JUST DISAPPEARED THAT ZHUZHI LANG HEAVENLY DEMON HALF-BREED JUST FADED AWAY WITH HIM? I understand Luo binghe has the main character Halo/plot armor but Tianlang Jun is supposed to be a challenge and heavenly demons don't just die like that.

and all these questions are from scum villain setting imagine the REAL PIDW:

Luo binghe a child who had lost both his mom's birth and adoptive gets taken in and abused by his Shizun projecting his abuse onto someone who reminds him of his abuser after years of dealing with this he meets Meng Mo who teaches him demonic cultivation in secret, later at the immortal alliance conflict he is discovered to be a half breed and is thrown into the abyss (practically hell) in there he learns how to master his powers and starts to head out as he is now a true demon lord.

without the half-baked harem and romance subplots it sounds like an interesting but normal story OKAY NOW ADD ALL THE CONTEXT AND STORY IMPLICATIONS FROM SCUM VILLIAN WITHOUT THE ROMANCE AND TELL ME THIS ISN'T THIS MOST INTERESTING THING YOU EVER HEARD?

SHANG QINGHUA WAS A GENIUS who was held back by a horrible fanbase and need for money HE HAD A GREAT STORY AND A CAST OF 3 DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERS AND THE FACT THAT LUO BINGHE ENDED UP ALONE in his original story BOGGLES MY MIND CAUSE WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN CAUSE FROM MY UNDERSTANDING:

the beginning of the story is kinda the same (at least that's what I'm assuming I don't know what he was cooking ) but then he just ends up going threw a different path NOT TO MENTION binghe is unstable in most universes (when I say most mean them two we saw in the story but nonetheless) his childhood trauma; abandonment issues and feelings of responsibility towards his adoptive mother's death shapes the luo binghe's mindset and depending on how Shen Qingqiu treats him shows the fate of the world and his understanding of himself what he went threw and how he sees people so what was the difference (and just so you know I'm gonna ignore all romance because it doesn't matter as binghe didn't give a fuck about his wives in the first place they were just playing things for binghe amusement and give him affection and attention)

What was the thing that made the REAL Luo Binghe go down a path of despair and complete loneliness? instead of searching for love or replacements.

WE WILL NEVER KNOW.

[lina-linny]

skz as kotlc characters 🤔🤔

Who the skz member would be in keeper of the lost cities

Note: ok, ok i got a bit too excited over this!! I just finished reading unreavled and omg!! I love keefe!!! Anyway... i had this in my mind a while ago but never actually wrote it because i'm not sure if many people will like this... (or even know kotlc) so thank you for the request. 💕

Bang chan would be Sophie. Why did I only just realize that the two of them are simply the same person? Sophie is an obvious choice for chan, as she is the leader of her group just like him. They both lead their members with a lot of empathy and understanding for their problems, but in serious situations they react with a certain strength and determination. They often put their needs second. This could also be due to their self-doubt. Their insecurities also motivate them to work tirelessly on themselves. And they both have the worst insomnia ever! Arg, it fits so well.

Minho is tam. They're both very calm and exude a certain serenity. Sometimes they seem reserved or shy, especially with strangers. in interviews, lee know is not a person who has to push himself to the center of attention and is content to observe the situation. In addition, they both express their affection more subtly because they have difficulty expressing it with words. Instead, they show it through gestures or actions. (acts of service bitches!)

I think Changbin could be Keefe... The two are similar in that they are often the center of attention due to their humor and high energy, which they use to lighten up situations. Changbin manages to write and produce profound lyrics and songs. Just like keefe, he is very creative and dares to speak openly about his feelings and thoughts.

Hyunjin and linh. Elegant, introverted, empathic, creative, the urge to be recognized for something else, than a beautiful face?! Yep Hyunjin is linh. Like?!?! She has a painting room, ok?! It matches so well i don't even have to explain.

Han is Dex. They are both clumsy AS HELL! sorry, but the number of times Han spilled his drinks is proof enough. And yet they are way too creative and talented! When one of them is bored, a new masterpiece is created on the side. Han writes a banger song that's far too good and Dex invents some technical thing that can solve all the elves' problems... And Dex is really loyal to his friends, who are almost like a second family to him, like Jisung.

Felix is a social butterfly, the sunshine everyone adores and a professional at socializing. Like jensi, he is popular and loves to talk as much as he loves to listen. Sometimes he just won't stop ramling but he always makes sure that everyone is happy and comfortable.

Seungmin: sandor Hear me out!!! Somehow the two of them have a lot in common...ok?! I'm not crazy... Seungmin tends to be very perfectionist like sandor, especially when it comes to Sophie's protection. They are also both very professional and always want to improve their skills but never forget, what they already can. And last but not least, both always keep a calm head in stressful or serious situations. (Ok, I realized myself that this doesn't fit 100%... but I couldn't think of anyone better for seungmin).

I.n = biana = Twin where have you been? Biana is the fashion princess of Foxfire. She loves going shopping, putting on make up and giving her less fashoinable friends make overs. Pretty Jeongin coded, don't you think...? She is very confident and charming but always babied by everyone, what annoys her pretty much some times. (like Jeongin... just saying...)They are both very optimistic, cheerful and tend to light up the room.

[golden-redhead]

*takes a deep breath* LISTEN--

I like Arcane's storytelling so much, but this is such a painful side effect of how fast-paced it is that it hurts to think about sometimes. There's a reason why everyone wishes season 2 had a little more room to breathe and tell the story.

The fact that we only get, like, 2-3 interactions between these two this season is absolutely criminal. And I would be fine with that if it was for narrative purposes only, because the truth is that they CAN'T interact if we want this story to work. Arcane is all about tragedy and a huge part of their individual arcs and tragedies in season 2 is that they have to be separated and isolated from their loved ones. They need to complete that journey and to do so, losing their support systems was essential. What bothers me, though, is that it would have been so much more impactful if we still saw them thinking about the other, missing the good old days of being friends and acknowleding the loss of someone they considered close enough to be a sibling. Not only would it truly cement just how much they were robbed of as a consequence of everything that happened in season 1, but it would also make their stories so much better.

Jayce not being there for Cait is essential for her allowing Ambessa so much power over her and the city. He knows how it feels to be under all this pressure, to suddenly be given all this power and become a symbol that people look up to. If he was there, not even as a politician or scientist, but simply as a friend, things would have been so different.

So, yes, it was imperrative to keep these two apart from the storytelling standpoint. The problem is, the narrative doesn't really make use of it!

At no point is Cait shown expressing concern over her life-long friend who suddenly disappeared and is likely dead. It actually feels a bit like a slap to the face that the only person who expresses frustration or ANY sort of opinion about his disappearance, is Ambessa. Like, Caitlyn is RIGHT THERE! And we get NOTHING?? No acknowledgement, not even a line in passing? HOW? WHY?? It's not like we needed much, either, because even in season 1 their friendship is presented very briefly, through a few short scenes that are more snippets than anything else. BUT, the thing is that they are enough for us to understand what kind of dynamic they have and that they are close.

Aside from that one scene in episode 1, season 2 entirely lacks any meaningful interactions between these two, even though the fact that both of them grew up relatively friendless and only had each other to rely on despite no common interests, different social standing AND a pretty big age gap informs us so much about who they are as people. It says so much about both Jayce and Caitlyn, regardless of how brief these scenes are. This total erasure of their bond irks me so much, because it's not just lack of interaction but lack of even a passing thought about how the other is doing or what is happening to them. Which goes against what we know about them, because both of them are portrayed as highly empathetic and caring people. Like, there's a difference between not interacting due to narrative-related purposes, which is valid? But it's another thing entirely to almost erase any evidence of their close friendship and never even hint at its existence despite previously establishing it as Kind Of A Big Deal. Their episode 1 scene is very nice and I loved it, but it's not enough? And also, I would just really like to see Cait caring about Jayce. We see in a lot of ways in season 1 just how much he valued her friendship but I think it would be nice to see her acting caring and protective over him, too, especially now that they are both closer in age and in position. You know... As a treat.

Jayce and Caitlyn not having an emotionally charged dramatic scene hugging will forever be my villain origin story

[334iwatchshit]

tugs you close by your shirt collar

you may think youre nice but you are NOT oliver wolf !!

[forgettable-au]

FORGETTABLE-AU (page 82-85)

THAT LAZYBONES!!

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