#there's headcanons and there is coming up with your own character lore because it isn't a story based game...

[daigah]

being into a online competitive first person shooter primarily for the characters/lore is so embarrassing cuz like when I mention I like valorant someone will ask, "what rank are you?" and its like "ummmm I'm stuck bronze II but I can tell you about my Cysova headcanons"

[redr0sewrites]

omg lowkey having a shitass day and i’m too tired to write for my comfort character and your my fav so 😭😭 literally just any fluffy vox headcanons. literally any! could be only one paragraph IDC i just think it’s so cute how you write him 🙏🙏

OFCCCC!!!!! heres some hcs ab vox comforting u after a long day ♥️

🥀 Cw: none, just fluff!

vox is no stranger to long, tiring days. he's had his fair share of shitty work days and when he comes home to see you exhausted, he immediately notices what's wrong.

vox is very goofy, he's good at reading people and can immediately know if someone's upset, but it's how he reacts that throws him off. like he'll notice something is wrong but won't know how to respond.

he's so used to manipulating people (such as valentino) or just shoving down his own emotions to put on a persona that he isn't great at verbally comforting someone, but his actions make up for it.

he pulls you onto his lap and will run his hand up and down your back to soothe you. while his claws are sharp, he would never hurt you with them, and its much more of a ticklish sensation then anything

speaking of, vox loves it when you laugh. if you're pissed at someone in particular, he will definitely make fun of them to help cheer you up. don't be surprised if they "disappear".... he is an overlord after all. he'd only do this if you want him too tho

vox claims he isn't insecure, but in reality he knows exactly how it feels to feel shitty about everything around you. he's surprisingly empathetic, if you're in a relationship with him he definitely cares about you a lot and i genuinely see him being upset in the situation that you're upset

if you cry, vox may be a little awkward but will go to get you a glass of water. he'll also dim the light of his screen to make sure he doesn't give you a headache and, if you're really upset or tired, he may even take the day off of work to comfort you

vox is the type to turn on soft music when you're sad and pull you into a slow dance right in the middle of your apartment. he doesn't care that you're bleary eyed and that you keep stepping on his feet, he doesn't care that its sappy or that it makes him seem vulnerable to care about you so much. as long as he gets to see you smile and giggle as you both clumsily swirl around eachother, he's content in staying in this moment forever.

if you're ever angry/frustrated and take it out on him, he may be a little pissy but he can take it, especially if you feel really bad afterwards. he doesn't take it to heart if you have a bad day and snap at him, hell, he does it all the time. he may be a little pouty if you don't apologize but don't worry he'll get over it in a few minutes once he sees how tired you are

while vox is a little chaotic, he's a genuinely good person to vent too because he will literally always agree with you no matter what. you murder someone? its their fault for walking into your knife. he absolutely supports your rights (and wrongs) no matter what

he's also a pretty good listener in general because he just. listens. he doesn't give unnecessary input, he doesn't try to play devils advocate, he just listens and shows interest in what you have to say and comforts you when necessary. he doesn't see why thats such a big deal, but he genuinely is a pretty decent listener.

vox is also a yapper though, if you need to get your mind off of your day just tell him and he'll start explaining the most random things to you. oh, you had something really embarrassing happen today and you want to forget about it? well now you're going to listen to 500 shark facts while also hearing the entire princess bride lore. sorry not sorry.

vox would find the shittiest movie with the worst cgi imaginable for you both to watch after a long day, he loves curling up with you on the couch and making fun of horribly animated graphics together

i also think he's (secretly) a fan of corny romance films and/or romcoms, and would want to recreate cute scenes with you (but would literally never tell you that) so you both may end up watching cutesy romance movies too

(this is the song i had in mind bc its soo vox, so u can listen to this for the "full experience")

"aw c'mon bub, don't tell me your too mopey to dance?" vox extended his hand to you, yet his smile was a little more forced than usual. his eyes were wide on his screen, almost concerned about the teats staining your cheeks.

"m' fine voxy.." you mutter, turning away. "it was just a bad day." vox pouts, grabbing your chin and forcing you to look at him.

"trust me, this will make you feel better," he assured, pulling you to your feet. vox snapped his fingers and a bright, upbeat tune began to play in the background. pulling you in close, vox twirled you around before stepping back, switching to a simple slow dance.

you can't help a soft smile from creeping onto your face as vox continues to exaggeratedly spin and pull you around. hell, if anyone could see you both now, they'd be shocked.

"who knew that the overlord of technology was such a sap?" you giggle, pulling vox down by his tie to give him a kiss, and he chuckles in response. vox pouts, yet his eyes crinkle a bit as a genuine smile graces his features. "only for you!!".

i saw this and immediately opened my drafts 🫡 it is a CRIME that i haven't written any vox fluff when he's literally one of my fav pookies. i have literally only written smut for him 😭 anyways, i hope this made ur day at least a bit better!!!! sending lots of love ur way ♥️♥️♥️♥️

also i am SO honored to be called ur favorite bc hello??? ur my favorite too?????

[starcurtain]

Your post about Alhaitham, Aranara lore, and the issue of fandoms confusing canon with social media promotion was so good!

I have some questions. I only entered the fandom a year ago, and I still haven't caught up on all the events I missed (though I am caught up on archon quests and most character quests). If you have time, could you please share any other examples you have of people popularizing a headcanon and pretending like it's canon?

I have a theory of one. I've noticed a lot of fics portraying Kaeya, Rosaria, and Venti are all drinking buddies at Angel's Share. And as much as I love the idea, I'm not sure I can find a canon source for this. I made a post asking about this once, and the only thing anyone gave me was that cutscene towards the end of the first Windblume. But that only shows Kaeya and Rosaria drinking together; Venti isn't there. Am I right that the three of them being drinking buddies is just fanon?

Thank you!!

I admittedly started playing Genshin a little later than some, so I missed out on many of the original Mondstadt events. Although I've tried to catch up on them via cutscenes and summaries, there are some nuances I'm surely missing, so it's a bit harder for me to judge based on earlier stuff. However, it seems fairly unlikely that Venti and Kaeya are actually good drinking buddies, for a couple reasons:

Even when they are in the same bar, they don't even speak directly to each other, let alone drink together. During Jean's birthday event, both Venti and Kaeya come to Jean's party at the Angel's Share, but once the alcohol starts flowing, Venti sits at the bar with Diluc, while Kaeya goes off to drink in the corner by himself.

Presumably, if they were actual drinking buddies, they would have sat together.

There's also the fact that Kaeya and Venti's relationship seems to be somewhat catty, especially earlier in Genshin's story.

In the 1.4 Windblume event, Paimon literally says that Venti and Kaeya's conversation has devolved into a "coercion contest" where they're both trying to get the better of each other. It's not aggressive and it's largely played for jokes, but it's also not Genshin's typical "I'll do anything for you because you're my friend" level of niceness.

Even way back in the 1.4 Windblume, there are some lines, especially from Kaeya, that are very loaded (and Venti gets his own digs in too lol):

I, for one, think it's pretty much impossible that Kaeya hasn't known Venti's identity all along; Kaeya's entire early character hinges around just knowing way the hell more than anyone else in Mondstadt (with little explanation for how, in some cases). With that in mind, Kaeya--a Khaenri'ahn--asking Venti--an archon--if he's willing to take Kaeya on as a student is a pretty heavy statement.

This scene leads into the one where Kaeya (supposedly) writes a poem in hilichurlian that could be read as a threat toward Venti. There's some debate whether that is actually true and whether Kaeya intended it that way, but the ambiguity still suggests Kaeya knows Venti's true identity and is, at the very least, testing the waters and pushing the envelop to see how far Barbatos will tolerate an "enemy" in his territory.

Even all the way to Kaeya's hangout, Venti and Kaeya's interactions are definitely sarcastic and a bit (humorously) snide, with Kaeya unsubtly using the fact that he knows Venti's secret identity to manipulate Venti into helping with the choir project. (Venti gets his digs here too though, reminding Kaeya about the hate poem he so "kindly" wrote back in 1.4 lol!)

Kaeya even goes out of his way to bring Diona to the song-writing efforts, specifically to trigger Venti's cat allergy and force Venti into having to deal with song lyrics about hating alcohol. 😂

So, up until at least this hangout, I'd say that Kaeya really didn't have too great of a relationship with Venti. He wasn't directly antagonistic to him or anything, but they definitely didn't come across as close friends, and there were enough blatant hints to suggest that Kaeya doesn't view himself as a follower of Mondstadt's archon.

It seems likely (to me at least) that Kaeya would have inherited a natural standoffishness toward archons in general alongside his father's huge expectations that Kaeya serve as Khaenri'ah's hope, a blend of "I'm supposed to hate you because I know what you did to my country" and "I'm uncomfortable that you know my true identity; you might take action against me like the archons took action against Khaenri'ahns in the past." I don't think Kaeya ever actually personally hated Venti, but there is a tension between himself and Venti that isn't necessarily present in Kaeya's other connections (Albedo, Klee, Jean, Lisa, etc.) throughout Mondstadt.

On Venti's side, I think that people forget that Venti is incredibly sensitive to the feelings of the people of Mondstadt and does literally everything in his power to ensure that his people live joyous, free, and happy lives. He clearly knows of Kaeya's background--and probably even his situation with still lingering connections to Khaenri'ah and the Abyss--so I find it extremely unlikely that Venti would have asserted himself in Kaeya's space and tried to force a friendship with someone who would have good reason to distrust archons. I think he would have respected Kaeya's need for distance and avoided trying to get too close.

However, being the incredible sweetheart that he is (the best archon of them all, FIGHT ME), Venti ends this branch of Kaeya's hangout with a truly heartwarming message:

This is Venti literally telling Kaeya "I know you're not a believer, and I know you're struggling with your loyalties between Khaenri'ah and Mondstadt. I know you're still not really sure what your destiny is and into what darkness it might lead you--but at the end of your journey, I will be here to welcome you home."

Venti tells Kaeya that Kaeya is a son of Mondstadt and that the Anemo Archon loves and will protect him just as he loves and protects every one of his true people.

So no, I don't think we have any reliable evidence in game that Kaeya and Venti are actually drinking buddies up to this point in the story--however, I think it's possible we could see this change in the future! Kaeya just needs to know (and accept!) that he is loved!

...As for other instances of fanon replacing canon, this post is already long enough, so I'll save them for another day. Someone ask me about what I think of the fanon surrounding Kaeya and Diluc's situation or something, I guess! 😆

[molinaesque]

Okay I mentioned that I had a bunch of Raphael thoughts and basically made a whole essay (in literally no actual format, this is just me vomiting out parsing thoughts and using it when lore dumping onto my friends). This is written based off of stuff you find in the game, some Wiki diving and my own thoughts.

Feel free to hit me up with some topics that we can talk about. And remember, these involve are my own thoughts and headcanons at the end of the day, so please act normally and don't come at me with pitchforks just because I have something that doesn't align with your specific HC.

A Prince's Tale: The Story of Raphael

In the universe of Faerûn, there exists a heaven and hell, or in this case the Heavens and the Hells. There are the Nine Hells of Baator, all ruled and lorded over by various archdevils. Raphael is the son of the ruler of the eighth circle of Hell, the archdevil, Mephistopheles. Raphael is a cambion which consists of a fiend and a mortal. Cambions then are considered "results of unnatural and unholy communion". In Raphael's case it's a bit more complicated because the fiend in this equation isn't just some lower being like an incubus or some other demon but a true Devil, making Raphael leagues above, both in power and rank, other typical Cambions, just purely due to his association and blood of being Mephistopheles' offspring.

The system in the Hells is extremely rigid and hierarchical (it's a system that has been upheld for eons. Many of the systems that make up the universe of D&D are as deeply rigid and rooted). Many of the themes of the characters of Baldur's Gate 3 consist of them either repeating the cycle or breaking its hold, which in the D&D verse is an extremely hard thing to do because of how long standing these systems are. In regards to the Hells, it works like a pyramid. The top of the food chain and order are the archdevils. There are many archdevils that reside and rule over each circle of the Hells, one however rules all and lives in the Ninth circle, Nessus; Asmodeus.

So what does Raphael want? The integral key item and centerpiece of the main plotline of BG3 dubbed only as 'The Crown', created by Karsus. Karsus was a very powerful, most would say perhaps THE most powerful wizard who ever lived. An archwizard/demi-god responsible for creating and casting a spell that would steal the power of a deity and transfer it to the archwizard who casted it. Eventually, this was a mistake, for one of the responsibilities of the deity of magic was to regulate the flow of magic to and from all beings, spells, and magic items in the world. He did not have the ability to do so properly, causing magic to surge and fluctuate, threatening that balance. This caused the flying cities of Netheril to plummet to the earth. The last thing Karsus sees is his entire civilization being destroyed because of his actions. This will be known as 'Karsus' Folly'.

Raphael tells you about this story and how he was there to witness it happen all those years ago. He wanted the Crown to himself but it was stolen and put into hiding. He later finds out that Mephistopheles, his father was the one responsible for stealing it. Now, here's a way to explain the fucked up power levels and why it plays so much of a factor especially in the Nine Hells. I mentioned how Raphael is not a typical Cambion, BUT even though he is technically a prince by birthright and a half true devil, it doesn't make a difference under the likes of archdevils like his father (who doesn't help at all with Raphael's behaviour because Mephistopheles is a MEGA asshole. I mean, there's a reason why Raphael never utilised his name to invoke influence and power, doesn't even call him father, that's how much he hates him. You only find out about it through Haarlep. He even had another child, a daughter, who he cared more about by making her a trusted double-agent against one of his rivals. Meanwhile, he treats Raphael like nothing and acts as if he doesn't exist for the most part). Basically, unless you are an archdevil in the Hells, you are never TRULY free. As power, literally = freedom in the Hells. Raphael realises this and so began his lifelong ambition to get that power. That came with the events of Karsus' Folly. Realising that this is the opportunity and power Raphael needed, he attempts to steal it only for it to be taken by none other than his own father. Now, you think "ah Mephistopheles wants that power for himself, right?" No. Here is how far apart the levels of power are between beings like Mephistopheles (beings such as archdevils/archwizards/demi-gods/gods/etc) and beings like Raphael, who is already a pretty substantial and powerful Devil by his own right.

Raphael has been coveting the Crown and its power for 10 centuries, a thousand years, essentially. It's his one source that can possibly give him the chance of taking even more control of the Hells and ultimately make him TRULY a free devil. It's his life's mission that has been going on until he's practically in his middle age in devil years (his human appearance showcases this, and we also see a younger Raphael in his devil form with Haarlep). Half of his (immortal) life. It is very crucial and important to him.

And yet… to Mephistopheles, it's just a souvenir. A trinket. Or as Raphael puts it, "a museum piece".

This, undoubtedly angered Raphael so much and made his hatred towards his father even more so (Raphael mentioned how he raged for a decade, understandably). The fact that not only does his father treat him as if he doesn't exist, but to add insult to injury, did this while mocking him by not taking him seriously. One of the things he did was to send an incubus, Haarlep, made and glamoured to be an exact copy of Raphael, to distract him. It could also be seen as a message of "here is my gift to you and it is one of the only few things that will ever be 'truly' yours; a copy of yourself". Raphael would have been the first image that Haarlep acquired, thus why the constant form that you see him with is of Raphael (Haarlep tells you this if you kill him and speak to his corpse). Haarlep's corpse also tells you that "Raphael only loves himself." I wonder why. Haarlep also has a contract that requires him to obtain 1000 souls (the runes on his harness have been translated to the number '1000') in order to be free. This is why the archivist in House of Hope tells you that special guests can reside in the boudoir, as this is a primary way for Haarlep to collect more souls. If you sleep with him, and allow him to have your heart and soul, you die. If you promise your body only, you live but he now has a full copy of you entirely. Additionally, we know Gortash was sold to be in Raphael's services when he was a boy. We know that Gortash and the other Chosen eventually stole the Crown from Mephistopheles' vault. What's interesting is if you explore the House of Hope, you can find a portal to the eighth circle of Hell, Cania, where Mephistopheles resides. I believe that Gortash utilized this to obtain the Crown. Imagine the sheer rage and embarrassment Raphael had to endure because of this. Not only did the Crown get snatched from under him once but TWICE. Once by his father, and then later by a boy who was under his charge. I can completely imagine Mephistopheles utilising that as additional ammo and lording that over Raphael's head.

In pertaining to Raphael's character and behavior, all of this explains additionally as to why Raphael is the way he is. It's selfish, insecure behavior that also explains the portraits he surrounds himself with. Notice how all the paintings are of his true form. He also has many lines of dialogue depending on what you pick during your various meetings where he truly gets angry. One of these lines is him shouting "I AM NO MORTAL" when you simply ask why he would succeed where Karsus had failed (which is ironic because, my guy, you are part mortal, so was Karsus but he was very powerful for many other reasons other than pure association and blood. Raphael even tells you how foolish of a notion it would be if you suggest that you could take the Crown for yourself, telling you that archdevils, wizards, and gods have worn the Crown, "it would tear you apart" he warns you). The portraits of his Devil form in House of Hope surrounding him is a way of constant reminder to himself of what he wants to be associated with. He HATES that he is part mortal (he has showcased his disdain for the mortal realm very clearly during your encounter in House of Hope) and wants to see himself as only a Devil. To say that dude's got major issues and complexes is a huge understatement. He's a deeply insecure being who's controlling and manipulative (most of it stemming from his father and his predicament of essentially living a half-life), but he's also a pragmatic, self-aware character. He's very much the epitome of Lawful Evil. If the players choose to only see him as a one note character who's just "self-centered and evil", you can. That's the beauty of Baldur's Gate. These things are true,but you can also add on top of that when you choose to find out and explore for more lore and characterization.

Interestingly, the way he treats someone who opposes him compared to those who don't are very stark in contrast. You see it with the prime examples of Hope (naming the house after her due to her being the one soul who he cannot convert and have on his team completely) and of her sister Korilla, who has mentioned that she loves being in service of Raphael completely as he has treated her with respect and given her more freedom than her previous master ever did, who in her own words, "constantly would beat me and feed me scraps". "Better to be free in the Hells than go begging in the Heavens", she tells you. She's also not blindly following Raphael or under any thrall. In fact she makes light of him and his antics to you completely of her own volition. She made a bet with Raphael whether you would survive and get to Baldur's Gate (which Raphael bet FOR you to succeed btw). You can find the Five Soul Coins they bet for in the safe hidden behind the portrait in HoH. And she doesn't sing his praises completely, saying that she's more skeptical of you than Raphael is and is fearful of how wrong he would be banking everything on you, saying "Raphael can be so very wrong". She basically tells you that Raphael won't shut up about you. She also tells you that Raphael is, in her own words, "by no means altruistic" and argues that Raphael truly wants to not have the world destroyed because it would simply mean, as she puts it "the boss did the balance sheets. No world, no souls". In fact, she BEGS you to reconsider if you didn't take the deal in the first place.

One could argue that Raphael residing in Avernus and having him in proximity of mortals more in comparison to the deeper levels of the Hells, gave him more perspective. He even tells you he doesn't want Baldur's Gate to be destroyed. He tells you, fondly, he couldn't possibly want that to happen because the city is "an object lesson of moral excess". Why would he want a huge primary source of deals and contracts for him gone. If you explore the House of Hope, many of his deals range from complex, twisted deals to simple, straightforward ones with no caveats (for example there is a debtor who tells you that he sold his soul for enough money to keep his family well fed. Done. No trickery. That was the end of it. Even the architect of Moonrise Towers attested to Raphael keeping his word and defeating Ketheric's forces way back then). In Raphael's own words, "I'm a man of my word" and he wasn't lying. There's a reason why he has practically a 99.9% conversion rate (his one big failure being Hope and why he's so obsessed with converting her is because he truly cannot understand how one can be so pure of a soul. She's a puzzle, and Raphael HATES it when he can't figure something out). If you're wondering why can't Raphael (or any other devil) force or lie about the contracts they have made, well that's literally by design. Asmodeus created a law that bars devils from doing so, and devils will get punished severely would they ever take advantage of that. That's also why devils have to be extra sneaky when being contractors because if they die, it doesn't matter. The contracts they made while still alive still stays intact until they are completed. Meanwhile, the contract just gets given to another devil. When Raphael tells you in HoH if you asked him for no more bloodshed, he tells you "you've given me no choice". He means this, as it would mean both you AND he would be punished regardless if he were to let it be.

Mol is another example of a straightforward transaction. He wasn't lying when he said he'll keep Mol safe from harm in exchange for becoming her patron. It's not for something nebulous like "she has to become the leader of the guild in the next 20 years" or something extreme, it was just "I'll be your patron in return for your safety and security". He sees her as a long standing investment. Raphael mentioned that he hates children, but there is ONE thing he values above all else and admires when he recognizes it. "Ambition." He tells you he sees that in Mol during the meeting at Last Light Inn. It's also believable that he sees himself in Mol (especially his younger self) and thought "I respect it and I get another easy contract. Win-win". The dude loves underdog stories since his own is practically one as well. In fact, Mol doesn't like it when you treat her condescendingly. If you remember the chess scene in Last Light Inn, there are ways she can lose but also various ways she can win (and no, you don't have to only pick helping her cheat for this to work). If you help her cheat, she wins. If you help her by giving her an offensive strategy, she wins (in fact Raphael knows that she cheated, and if she won legitimately, even comments about the move and stating that it's a legit maneuver in chess and praises Mol for it saying that it's "exactly what I would've done"). Either way, Raphael praises your suggestions when Mol leaves. If however, you don't offer advice, or tell Mol to be defensive, she looses, prompting Raphael to comment on how being non committal or weak will not help Mol in the long run. If you stole her contract, she doesn't mind it too much BUT if you killed Raphael and told her about it, she will HATE you. Hating how you killed her patron, "Big Raph" as she calls him, that would ensure her safety and security as long as she's under contract. It's another additional interesting subplot that doesn't really have anything to do with the grand scheme of the game, but adds even more layers to already fascinating characters.

This dichotomy is what makes Raphael a very complex and interesting character. He's a devil who wants Ultimate Power, make no mistake, but he also is pragmatic enough to realise that he does not want another "Karsus' Folly". In fact, he could have easily just done an Emperor to gain your trust wholeheartedly and then turn on you the moment you have the Crown. It would have been easier for him. But he chose to bank on you being a long term investment maybe even beyond the Crown, meeting you head on and reveal his true nature to you from the first meeting. If you listen to everything he tells you, he never actually lies, he omits things here and there, but he never lies to you (in fact if you become even more on his team, there is a line where he straight up tells you that he "likes you"). It's a similar relationship with Korilla, in that she has complete free will but is for his team. He mentions that he does not like it when people beg or kiss his ass (there are many examples of this, his conversation with Voss for one and also whenever you choose dialogue options that make you seem like a spineless whimp). He even tells you at points that he likes the way you do things (even if they're a bit unorthodox), and if you took his contract but chose to break it (or just stole the hammer, it's the same regardless), it makes it even more personal because he genuinely was shocked to find that you were the one breaking into his house. This is one of the few times we see Raphael truly angry. No fancy words, no charm, no smarmyness. Just anger and even sheer disappointment that you chose to, in his own words, "become like Karsus, disregarding everything and burning your world to ash" (remember, Raphael truly believes that his method with the hammer and Orpheus is the ONLY way to defeat the brain, that's the unfortunate part of obsessing and planning for this goal for so long that he truly believes there are no other alternatives. He mentions in one of his diaries that he has planned a dozen ways to obtain the Crown, but he concludes that there is only one way for it to actually work and it involves Orpheus, hence the creation and naming of "The Orphic Hammer". There's even a book about its creation in HoH). Hell, even one of the dialogue options where you say "there's no need for more bloodshed", you would think he'd just be like "HAHAHA evil dialogue, i planned this all along, you're nothing, blah blah" but instead he actually says in his own words, "I have no choice" because we know that breaking contracts means death, and death means he has to collect your soul. Even if you didn't sign the contract and break in, he still genuinely did not think you would go so far as to do such a thing especially with the offer he made to you. He basically blames you for being too proud to do such a thing.

Even when you don't take his contract at all, when you meet up with the Emperor again in the Astral Prism during the battle against the Netherbrain, choosing to betray the Emperor will cause Raphael to appear for a final time. Does he just offer you the contract again? Yes. But not before scolding you for being an idiot and genuinely being pissed off at you for not taking his deal to free Orpheus. He even tells you in his own words, "we could have been allies, partners… FRIENDS!" If you try to beg him for help, he shouts at you, saying how you are in no position to make demands anymore because of your reckless actions. You made your bed, you have to recognise it. If you still refuse his offer, he doesn't try to force you, or twist your arm in any way… he just tells you, quote, "Goodbye. It's been unforgettable" (which is his way of saying "i won't forget you… but i also won't forget how much of a fucking blind idiot you were) and then leaves you forever. If you take the deal, he tells you it's no longer as equals anymore, you are now considered a lowly servant to him. He genuinely wanted you to be partners, but doing all of this basically leads him to conclude that you aren't worth it anymore. The way the writers chose to have the Emperor and Raphael parallel each other but in different ways is genius. They are two sides of the same coin. Both want true freedom, both try to manipulate Tav, the main characters for their own cause, both are extremely pragmatic and set in their own ways and goals. The irony is that instead of portraying Raphael as this pure scheming, one note character - is flipped on it's head by making him honestly, one of the most truthful characters in the game. It's just that he's a Devil. As Korilla states when you ask her back at the brothel, "why can't Raphael just be clear with me if we are on the same team?" she tells you as if explaining that the sky is blue…

"He's a Devil. It's in his nature. He has to make his dues."

This speaks of how ancient and deeply rooted these laws and systems work in their universe. Typically, characters says stuff like this to be hyperbolic/dramatic. But in the case of Raphael as a Devil, she means this literally, as souls keep the Hells functionable, and as we know by now, souls = power, and more power = more freedom.

Now, to address the epilogue and what happens if you do make the pact with him and delivered upon your promise. He comes to you and tells you that he and his forces are already taking over Avernus and overthrew Zariel. He tells you that he has various archdevils already coming to him to make concessions, his father included. He also tells you that he'll be knocking on your door soon. This is open to interpretation, but remember he has sworn to you during your deal that he would never use the Crown on a mortal (trust me, with his obsession with the Hells and how he envisioned on ruling it, in his own words "more order, efficiency, and control", he is definitely more interested in dominating the Hells only, it's too much work anyhow to be interested in anything else. Also he swore to you as part of the contract, he literally cannot break this, if he does, it's immediate punishment for him, so he's not lying). So, more than likely, he finds you to be a very important potential ally to further work with in the future. Also, depending on how early you signed the contract, his tone/line can be interpreted VERY differently.

Now here's the most interesting part… if you aren't familliar with D&D lore, that epilogue would lead you to believe "oh damn he's going to be ruler of the Nine Hells just like he wanted, good for him", but that's easier said than done. Because not only the deeper the Hells go, the more powerful these archdevils will be. I have no trepidation about him defeating them or them conceding to him, that's already happening. The one obstacle he truly needs to worry about… is the keeper of the Ninth Hell, the ruler of all the Nine Hells of Baator, Asmodeus. The creator and overlord himself. Just to give you a concept of how the power levels work in D&D… level 12 and above, are almost levels of godhood. Think the likes of Hercules. At the level Asmodeus is at, however, a former deity (speculative) and creator of the laws and system that permits the balance of life and the universe itself, Raphael even with the Crown will have… a VERY slim chance of overruling him. At the very least he could take over the other realms or instill his way of order and control, and appeal to Asmodeus, because funny enough, Asmodeus' personality and behaviour and goals is VERY similar and akin to Raphael's (Asmodeus is the primal embodiment of Lawful Evil and a supreme strategist of unparalleled skill. He's good at warfare but even better at words, planning, and subterfuge). Another thing is Raphael might even change his own mind, because Asmodeus isn't just the ruler of the Hells, his primary existence is to keep the balance of life and death and the existing universe in check. I personally don't see Raphael being interested in such a huge responsibility but that's another topic for another day.

Another fun fact, many of the characters in D&D are existing characters in various cultural stories/mythologies. Many of the archdevils included with the likes of Mephistopheles, Baalzebub, Mammon, and yes even Asmodeus. The writers most likely looked to biblical texts for inspiration of Raphael, but the irony is they took the one famous character in Christian biblical text, Raphael, who is not a devil, but an archangel and then flipped that character on its head. One of archangel Raphael's most famous stories is literally called, 'the Battle Against Asmodeus', where Raphael fights against Asmodeus, a fallen cherub and dubbed, "personal adversary" of Raphael. What's even cooler? The battle was not one of might, but of intelligence, wisdom and influence. Exactly like how D&D's own Raphael and Asmodeus operate. Raphael certainly takes more after Asmodeus than he does his own father.

Speaking of which, what about his father? Raphael mentions that he was there amongst the midst of other archdevils coming to Raphael to make concessions. Raphael is smart enough to know, though, that his father is not there solely out of "you did it, my boy" or anything like that, or perceiving him as a true threat still. Besides knowing how Raphael is seen by Mephistopheles, back at the diabolisk shop, there is an orb charmed to keep an eye on Raphael at all times. If you had defeated him in House of Hope, you will witness Mephistopheles holding the broken body of Raphael over his mouth and eating him. It's a nod to 'Saturn/Kronos eating his son(s)'. Basically, if you chose this ending for Raphael, you close the circle and end this story of Jacobean tragedy of an underdog prince who has been seeking validation and freedom from the sheer inescapable nature of the Hells and it's systems. In a way Raphael also has the same themes of your other companions who are also trying to navigate their fates. Whether to repeat that cycle in perpetuity or break free of it, it all hinges upon your choices throughout this journey of Baldur's Gate 3. Basically, Mephistopheles is just waiting patiently to witness his own son's downfall should he become overzealous and overtly ambitious, before swooping in to consume his son and all that additional power for himself, power that he doesn't even need, mind you. He's just there for the vibes, and to add even more pressure on his son. Parents, amirite?

If you're on team Raphael (like me) and gave him the ending he wants, the only thing I can really say is "Good luck, little prince. I'm actually rooting for you. You're going to need it."

Will our little princeling be able to break out of his own cycle and come out on top? Will Raphael be able to even get to the ninth circle let alone confront Asmodeus? Will Raphael finally get one over his dear ol' dad? Will Raphael ever get to finally make due on his promise ("I'm a man of my word"), and have that wine with Tav?

Hard to say, for his journey is just beginning.

[crymzin-gutz]

Paranormal Investigators Club members interactions with Tobi. -Headcanons-

Tobi belongs to @heartfullofleeches . Go check out their blog, I can't not recommend their stuff. Their characters are amazing and I absolutely love them!

'Ello. This is my first time using Tumblr to post anything, so apologies if the formatting or anything is off. I don't really know what I'm doing. ^^; Anyways- heartfullofleeches' OC, Tobi, has been infecting my brain for the longest of time. Especially the thought of them interacting with my own group of ghost hunter OCs; Alice, Maxwell, Charlie, and Albert. So, with their permission, Imma be posting some headcanons I've come up for them. I might also post a short fanfic or two about this concept as well, but first I'd have to come up with what it'd be about. So that might be a thing, might not. Anyways- headcanons are below. ^^

-The Paranormal Investigator Club (P.I.C) members probably first meet Tobi one of two ways- either Charlie 'forces' Tobi to join their club when seeing this man, who looked as if they were lost, wandering the halls. Or, Tobi kinda just...materializes within the P.I club room one day. And Maxwell and Charlie just assume he's meant to be there. Congregates Tobs, you're apart of P.I.C now.

-Unlike Charlie, and -somewhat- Maxwell, Alice and Albert are both a bit more wary of the unexpected new member. Especially since Alice and Albert can tell that Tobi isn't human. :|

-Alice and Albert are both Unrested Souls. -(Technically, Alice -and possibly Albert?- is classified as a Sleepwalking Soul and not as an Unrested Soul. But for convince, and not having to drop a bunch of lore and world stuff that you guys didn't ask for onto you guys, we'll just be classifying them both as Unrested Souls for this.) Because of this, the two are able to sense that Tobi isn't human. Tobi is probably able to tell that Alice and Albert aren't 'human' either. Or atleast, that they aren't living humans.

-Alice and Albert both have the same unnerved, fight-or-flight response to Tobi, at first. The type of being that Tobi is, is defiantly a predator to both of them. With them -Tobi- eating ghosts for lunch and all.

-Tobi's secret about not being human doesn't stay a secret for long. Maybe, at most, a month or two. As stated prior, Alice and Albert immediately know that something is off, and it doesn't take them long to figure out that they aren't human. And, while it may take Max and Charlie a bit longer -if Tobi insists that Alice doesn't tell them-, once the two accidentally come across him eating a ghost....yeah...it's fine though. They got pretty accustomed to paranormal beings being real pretty quickly after meeting Alice.

-Charlie constantly asks Tobi to describe what ghost's, or whatever type of Unrested Soul he ate, tastes like. They -Tobi- gets a full on questionnaire after he eats. Sobs.

-There has been a few times that Charlie has started asking Tobi questions about how they taste, while he was in the middle of eating. Like full on, he'd be mid-bite and Charlie will just plop down next to him and be like, "How would you describe your meal tonight?"

-Max is hard of hearing. And wears a hearing-aid to help him hear. However- there are times that he either can't wear them -they died or he lost them-, or he simply wants a break from them. Because of this, his friends have come up with a list of other ways for them to communicate with Max without having to verbally speak. I'm bringing this up because, I imagine that as soon as it is noticed that Tobi can't, or just doesn't want to (because of the whole human's cant hear them speak without passing out), Charlie just shows him the list. And asks them what will work the best for him.

-If Tobi wants to learn sign langue, Maxwell would more than happy to teach them and help him learn.

-I don't know if Tobi has a place of his own. But if he doesn't, and at-least in this context, I can see him moving in with Albert and Max in their shared apartment. The three have such strong roommate vibes in my head. I don't know. They just do. (They defiantly also have strong bromance chemistry. Jk jk....unless...)

-Frenemies dynamic between Tobi and Albert. One-sided or not, these two freaks -(/pos)- have the gayest frenemies dynamic known to man. The type to want to kill each other, but also wanting the other one to be alive so that they can see them achieve their dreams and what not.

-They, Tobi and Albert, have gotten drunk -(can Tobi get drunk???)- and ended up waking up the next morning sharing the couch. They make a deal as to not speak about it. Whatever happened -it was nothing, they just were both too drunk to make it to their individual beds- will be token to their graves.

-Albert and Tobi fight over the title of 'cameraman'. They either end up sharing the role, or they have split custody like a couple of divorced parents.

Albert: It's my turn with our child.

Tobi: *'Stares' at Albert before turning their back to him. Still holding the camera in his hands.*

Albert: ??? What do you mean no, dude?! Gimme the fucking camera!

Tobi: *Holding his hand out of Albert's reach. Using his other hand to push Albert back, his hand pushing against Albert's forehead.* >:|

Albert: Don't make me get Max!

Tobi: *Reluctantly, and clearly not wanting to, gives Albert the camera.* >:(

-They probably don't mean to, but Tobi causes disturbances to Max's hearing-aid. Low buzzing, or painful high pitched beeping if Tobi is loosing control of himself.

-Max gets the worse of Tobi's effects on humans; headaches, nosebleeds, getting dizzy and almost blacking out, ect.

-Alice occasionally lets Tobi tag along with them on their jobs. If she is especially drained from non-stop work, or just can't be bothered to properly exercise an Unrested Soul she just lets Tobi eat it. It's like a lil' treat for him. :3 And it's less work that Alice has to do. So it's a win-win.

-Charlie is very big on physical contact. It's a major love langue of theirs. So, Tobi is gonna have to adapt to it. Charlie will respect his boundaries...to an extent. But she is also the type to try and push his friends boundaries if she thinks it won't necessarily bring any harm to them. So they may be slightly less affectionate with Tobi, she will try to get him to be more comfortable with her.

-Once, and if, Tobi gets more comfortable with Charlie, they are climbing them like a tree. That or pulling them down to her height with a side-arm hug around their shoulders. Charlie gives out bear hugs. And sadly, she doesn't know how not to rough house a bit while giving affection.

-Charlie tried taking Tobi’s hat once. They woke up a bit later from a nap they don’t remember taking. Alice informs them of how uncomfortable he had made Tobi, and immediately Charlie felt bad about it. They apologize as soon as they see him the next day.

-They all have movie nights once a month. Tobi is put in charge of choosing the film...that was until he had them watch a cursed movie -forgetting that Max and Charlie are still affected by curses-. Tobi was put in time-out while Alice took care of the ghost. Tobi is now in charge of making sure the couch is comfy enough. -He's not trusted with preparing the snacks either.-

[chaostroberry1]

Can I get a fluff of Beelzebub with Dom!M!Reader? I want them as a married couple which the gods saw as strange because usually divine beings do not marry nor is faithful to their partner, i just need something sweet from my fav❤️

(Dom as in taking the leads in the relationship/the husband roles. I also just realize how many people asking for Beelzebub after scrolling through your acc and i was like- nahh i can't blame them but i do hope you're not uncomfortable writing the same character again😭)

Yes!!! 💕 I can, thank you for your request! I was getting bored doing nothing until I found this request and I am excited as hell to write 😌 I don't know whether this is headcanons or story since it isn't specified, so I'll do both.

Beelzebub × Dom!husband! reader

Story and (separate)hc's below! Story comes first, skip it if you want only the hcs. Note : I will still use the same (m/n) lore from all my beelzebub writings, which explains why he's unaffected by Beelzebub's curse - Here

Here's a free scrap pic btw!‼️↓

Mini story↓

Believe it or not, no matter what you do, divine beings just simply take what they want and leave. This has been shown multiple times (take zues for example). That is why many look away whenever catching the eye of a divine being is brought up.

But that doesn't matter now that you and Beelzebub are together. Your relationship together is basic proof of loyalty and love. Not just something driven by lust and beauty. Which even the gods found as odd.

What even drove your relationship to be so perfect? There are so many times where you two would get stares from them, many curious if it was really that perfect. There had to be some sort of sacrifice made..or maybe a few lives lost! Or one of you just wanted to use the other for his own benefit. But no. None of their guesses were right.

It was just pure love.

"hun, do you want anything? Water? Ice cream, maybe?" You spoke, your hand gently holding his own—Receiving a neutral look. "No, I'm fine." you gave him a hum, pretending to believe him, before speaking again, refusing to acknowledge that he was just 'fine'. "How about a piggy back ride? I can carry you." His face flushed in embarrassment, quickly avoiding your eyes.

"I said I'm fine."

"maybe you're cold? Have my jacket-"

"(m/n)!"

You chuckled nervously, realizing that you may have went too overboard with the acts of service. But you took good pride being his husband, there is nothing wrong with caring about your male wife. "Sorry hun, I'm very sorry." With a gentle kiss on his face, you proceeded to stroll with him, hand in hand. Oblivious to the steam that came out of his ears from all the love bombing.

Both of you unaware to the watchful eyes of odin, who had witnessed the whole thing go down, deciding to continue walking and ignore it. Jeez, younglings these days, am I right? Young love really was true.

----

"you are so beautiful, love"

Your voice echoed in his ears, a sweet whisper that never failed to put him to sleep. Your hands softly caressing his face, giving him eyes that could only be described as adoration and love. The most beautiful thing he's ever seen. "Love, I'll do all the laundry tomorrow, okay? You just lay down and rest." The voice continued, leaving him to relax better. "You don't need to.."

"Nonsense, I'll do it for you. Then I'll treat you to dinner, okay?"

His face heated up when he felt another soft kiss being planted on his lips, only encouraging him to let go, and give in to all his desires. You felt him cuddle into you even more, not wanting to leave any space for even a molecule— making you chuckle and plant another kiss on him. He felt your face bury into his neck, inhaling his scent while you embraced his body tighter. "I don't deserve you" he whispered, only to receive a small bite on his neck.

"that should be my line."

!Headcanons!

- being given the care that he so longed for, Beelzebub secretly enjoys how you coddle him so much. Even if he's so closed off from others, you are the only exception that he was willing to open up to.

- both of you would always be seen hand in hand together, like you and him were in your own little bubble of love. A mini haven, just for the two of you.

- beings of divine status, would only take, and then leave once they've gotten what they've came for. Which is lust, or other things.

- you were one hell of a protective mf whenever it came to Beelzebub. Any threat towards your relationship would vanish from the face all realms combined.

- I just know that Beelzebub is secretly a very jealous typa person whenever it comes to you. As much as he seems so nonchalant, he doesn't like it when your attention is somewhere else. Because c'mon, don't you love him?

- Whenever there's a little puddle, you'd throw your coat over the puddle, just so that he could walk without disturbances. Ignore the huge space beside the puddle, (which you both could have literally just walked on to avoid the wet space.)

- he was flabbergasted when he saw you commit such an act. Just for him.

- you'd carry him when you thought he was tired...even though his ears only perked up. You would immediately rush him to the medical room if he showed the littlest signs of being hurt...and so much more.

- did I mention that you literally fought with ten dudes, bare handed, just because one of them hit on your spouse? What the hell?

- in bed, he would be a pillow princess. Not needing to do any work at all, just being given everything he wanted! He was envied by the nymphs that someone like him got to be with you. But you shook off his worries, telling him that you'd never leave him for any of them.

- your dates were always at the best places, his place was literally full of your gifts. You buy him clothes, pretty trinkets, mini gifts, and so much more.

- zues also randomly doodles ideas on what you and Beelzebub's kids would look like, after he spot you and him kissing. (He even got Hermes approval on the ideas being good💀)

- no no, because random imagine. I know you randomly give his butt a light smack here and there, even though he wasn't even that thick. You loved to give him flirty comments whenever he was jelly, or give him so much affection and attention to the point where he felt like he would melt.

- the ring you got him was especially beautiful. Your proposal was also in only the most beautiful areas there was to exist, you really loved him.

- Even with all his venting and breakdowns on rare occasions—you were always there for him. Ready to give him some hot chocolate, snacks, water, tissues, hugs- you get the point.

- you were literally perfect. Too perfect for him.

- yet you not once, EVER, showed signs of hating him. Whenever you were frustrated or upset, you never took it out on him. There was just so much about you that made you a saint in his lonely void of darkness.

- that gave him hope. That everything was not so bad after all....as long as he had you by his side.

[dustbunnylair]

Jujutsu Kaisen And It's Popularity Giving The Fanbase a Bad Reputation (JJK Spoilers)

Jujutsu Kaisen has currently become extremely popular not just in Japan, but also in Western Countries. At first, I wasn’t too concerned about it gaining popularity, I’ve been a fan since the first season was animated so I was quite glad it was gaining a fanbase. I really didn’t care if Gojo was getting popular, that’s fine, but it started to concern me when I realized people are debating over what ships are and aren’t canon.

First off, let’s go over the definition of shipping. Shipping is when people in a fandom or fanbase of fictional media start shipping fictional characters within that fictional media. But within shipping, it is EXTREMELY important to note that shipping characters are only valid when it is fictional characters, legal, and nontoxic. This means pedophilia, incest, abusive, etc. relationships are invalid within shipping.

In Japan, the top ships are mostly illegal. Shipping minors with adults, eg; Gojo x Yuji, Gojo x Megumi, Sukuna x Megumi, Choso x Yuji (also incestual), etc. But in my opinion, specifically within the US, the top ships are probably SatoSugu (Gojo x Geto), NobaMaki (Nobara x Maki), ItaFushi (Megumi x Yuji), along with less popular ships that are more likely to be canon such as HaKira (Hakari X Kirara), and a very wholesome and canon one, ToMema (Toji x his wife)

Honestly like I said I don’t care if Gojo is popular or not, I think the only problem is that almost if not all of everyone likes him because he’s strong, which is also literally the reason people like him in JJK. I don’t really care if people sexualize him or say SOMEWHAT sexual things, I do think people take it too far within comments, but if it’s only somewhat sexual there’s really nothing you can do about it because he is 28 years old.

Gojo and Geto are very well-written characters, lore-wise. Technically they are platonic soulmates. I think the only excuse I’ve seen for people not liking SatoSugu is that Gojo is confirmed to show attraction to women, which isn’t a lie. He is attracted to an actual celebrity, Waka Inoue, or I guess, was, because he was 16-17 during his past arc. But following up that “theory” of him showing attraction to women, is that people can be attracted to both men and women, hence bisexuals, pansexuals, etc. Gojo is ALSO confirmed to be a womanizer because he is NOT loyal.

Another thing anti-SatoSugu shippers say to claim Gojo isn’t lgbtq+ or whatever, is that best friends exist.

…Because we didn’t already know that. Honestly, I think people forget headcanons exist. Headcanons are when someone believes or interprets something about a character, for example: thinking they are trans, gay, lgbtq+, neurodivergent, etc. It doesn’t mean that it is genuinely true and/or confirmed by the creator. 

And to follow up with people hating on SatoSugu, that the season 2 Gojo Past Arc argument scene, aka Geto’s last goodbye to Gojo, aka KFC break up/dumping scene. it is a real location in Shinjuku, Japan:

Not to mention that the day that they both died, December 24th, is Japan’s Valentines' Day and KFC is a meal that couples get on that day. During the afterlife scene in the Manga, chapter 236, Gojo says to Geto, “Satisfied? If you were among those patting my back... then I might've been satisfied,”. Some songs that are played and directed at Gojo and/or Geto, have very meaningful lyrics:

“Shame On Me” by Avicii (One of the two Gojo’s theme songs named by Gege)

Shame on me for lovin’ you

That’s what I get for lovin’ you;

You know I can’t live without you;

And all the things you put me through

are you baptized and born again? 

I’ma raise hell for the bitter end;

I’m a crazy little bitch in the first degree, 

shame on you for loving me.

Come Back Home by Two Door Cinema Club (One of Geto’s themes that Gege said was)

I know this isn't it

You'll hit your target someday

So now you're on your own

Won't you come back home

To see you're not that kind

And find the strength, to find the strength

To find another way

Alone Tonight by Munrai (a song specifically written for an official Geto + Gojo promotional video)

If I came to your place tonight, would you let me in?

Sakayume by King Gnu (A song played in Jujutsu Kaisen 0 portrayed towards Rika and Yuta’s relationship but also how Geto feels toward Gojo)

I'll dive into the sea of memories

And pick up the pieces of my love

And keep them in you forever.

Where Our Blue Is by Tatsuya Kitani (The first opening of Season 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen, is written from Gojo’s perspective, confirmed here: https://x.com/skanaaa_/status/1690104150045184000?s=20)

Even now, blue resides

Even now, blue remains clear

No matter the prayers or words

Though they draw near, they never reach

It's like a quiet love

In the summer-like colors running down my cheeks

The words that curse you are stuck in the back of my throat

Akari by Soushi Sakiyama (first ending for Season 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen, the lyrics “Show me your blushing face once more” is confirmed to be Gojo speaking to Geto from an interview, the interview is here

Realizing that something seemingly everywhere

Exists only here

Even trivial conversations are fine

Show me your blushing face once more

SPECIALZ by King Gnu, The letters used in the lyrics “I love you 6a6y” are speculated to likely represent Gojo and Geto, hinting at Gojo’s six eyes. the lyrics "get 1○st iπ 31" can be related to Geto and 31st October when the Shibuya Incident took place. Daiki Tsuneta later confirmed in a TV show called 日曜日の初耳学 that the lyrics were indeed intentional; in this specific manner: "get 1○＝夏油/Geto, st＝悟/Satoru, 1○ 31＝10月31日/October 31st, get 1○st iπ 31＝get lost in me(我に返る)"

n short, people think that because the fandom and/or fanbase of Jujutsu Kaisen are shipping illegal ships, over-sexualizing characters, arguing over legal/non-problematic ships, arguing what is and isn't canon, or arguing about who is and isn't gay, the Jujutsu Kaisen fandom/fanbase is slowly turning into the My Hero Academia Fandom. Honestly, it isn’t too far off, and it’s unfortunate that Jujutsu Kaisen is getting a bad reputation. Unfortunately, anything that gets popular on social media, especially TikTok, will have bad sides of the fanbase/fandom. 

All things aside the over-sexualization of adult characters, shipping illegal ships, people arguing over simple legal ships, and arguing what is and isn't canon or who is and isn't gay. Shipping legal ships and having non-offensive headcanons, isn’t wrong, and it shouldn’t always be looked down upon. If someone is shipping characters way too far and telling someone to harm themselves because they don’t agree with a ship, then yes, that is something we should look down upon. Shipping can also be platonic, hence why people call Geto and Gojo both soulmates AND platonic soulmates. 

To be honest, I think the only people I’ve seen hate on SatoSugu are straight cismen or straight people in general, people who can't handle that gay ships will exist at times, and/or SuguShoko (Geto x Shoko) Shippers and GojoHime (Gojo x Utahime) Shippers. It’s fine if you disagree with it and still continue to respect other people for their opinion on the ship, but if you are just gonna talk about what is and isn’t canon I will believe you live in a world of delusion. If you wanna talk about what is and isn't canon Utahime despises Gojo, she would never get with him and Gege said Shoko would rather die than get with Geto and/or Gojo.

Thanks for listening to my yapping. Please respect others’ ships as long as it isn't a pro/comship, and just respect people in general, unfortunately, the world doesn’t do that enough, especially on social media.

[starflungwaddledee]

Hello hello!! I absolutely adore Starstruck Dee, she’s a darling!!

I hope it doesn’t sound too strange to ask, but I finished playing through Forgotten Land’s main and postgame stories, and between that and seeing all these wonderful ocs and everything… where can I learn more about the Kirby lore/timeline? Where would I even start with it?

Is it the sorta thing where the base concepts from canon are the same but everyone has their own interpretations of it?

Are Kirby and Bandee kids?? Younger adults? Is it a Rayman situation where they grow up over the course of their games?

I know I sound very uneducated but I really really want to learn!

hi there! thank you so so much! 🥺 i'm so happy that you like her!

this isn't strange to ask at all, and you don't sound uneducated! i'm thrilled to answer for you and if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to reach out!

i'm popping all of this under a read more just because it got very long!

topics covered: the joys of 30+ years of breadcrumb lore delivery, the diverse headcanons of a very creative community, and recommendations on where to step off from if Forgotten Land was your first kirby experience

to be honest kirby "lore" is enormous and sprawling and has been spread out in tiny little crumbs across multiple platforms and medias for over three decades. if you're poking around in tumblr fandom as a starting point, one of the reasons it can be so hard to figure out what's what is because a lot of folks pick one aspect (early game dynamics, ancient anime lore, the mirror world, niche subgames, etc etc) and hyper-focus to their hearts content!

one of the nicest parts about kirby is that the lore, while comprehensive and really cool, is very very open for interpretation. the fandom is very creative, and build all their own niches and headcanons based on the bare bones that we were given in canon, and it's wonderful to see!

for this reason though, i would actually recommend (and this was my personal experience, though only incidentally) you stay outside of the fandom for a bit and formulate all your own preferred headcanons and thoughts, rather than being influenced by others right out the gate. then you can come into fandom and see brand new takes that might surprise you, and hopefully find some folks who have come to the same niche conclusions as you!

a good starting point is Wikirby, and for games specifically their series list is very helpful. it shows you the mainline games, considered 'game canon', and the smaller titles in chronological order. this is often used by folks as a sort of "timeline" for the lore, though again it's totally flexible

forgotten land in particular was an unforgettable (ha!), incredibly beautiful and cinematic game, as well as the series' first foray into 3D gameplay rather than side scrolling platformer.

if you're looking for an active suggestion for which game to play next and you want a similar experience with familiar characters, (and you don't want to do a full chronological playthrough-- this would take you a long time; i should know, i've been working on mine for months!), i would recommend that you try Return To Dream Land Deluxe.

RTDLDX is a scene-for-scene remake of an older chronological game from the modern era of storytelling with a whole additional storyline, so it's a good place to start, and it's also available for the switch which i'm guessing you must have! you'll find familiar characters in there (Kirby, Bandee, King Dedede, and Meta Knight), multiplayer mode, recognisable copy abilities, and an engaging story-- read as little ahead of time if you haven't already so that it can surprise and delight you!

Star Allies is the other mainline game available for the switch, and it was made as a kind of love letter to the series up until that point. it honours dozens of characters who appeared in previous games and is chock full of nostalgia and uncharacteristically blatant lore drops, but in my opinion you'll enjoy it much more if you have at least a passing idea of who all the allies are!

if you're looking for something other than games, i highly recommend this tumblr masterlist for translations of the light novels! other medias you can check out are the anime and the various mangas. all three of these are quite different to the games, and can be considered to have their own separate canons; some folks prefer one over the other, or will mix and match elements from all medias! some even like to bring in "lore" from the real life kirby cafes!

kirby as a creative playground is diverse and really beautiful; it's the only franchise i have ever created for and fandom i have participated in actually, because i've not seen another quite like it. if you're interested in being creative yourself, i do strongly recommend that you play around in your own sandbox (or with one or two friends who are also discovering kirby) for a little while first to get a feel for what you like!

i hope you'll have a fun time interacting with the franchise, and if you play any of the other games i really hope you love them!! if you want any other suggestions, feel free to reach out!

as for the question of ages, you'll find this question in particular gets western fandom a little more riled up than most. none of the characters have any canonically stated ages, and in japanese remarkably few have genders. kirby himself is specifically intended to be projected on by the player! technically, that could make kirby your age, and your gender, if you so wish!

japanese fandom generally focuses on a very wide range of characters and interconnected relationships, even including a lot of common enemy characters, and considers most of the characters to be of comparable ages; either all teens or all adults. western fandom focuses quite a lot on the much beloved meta knight and dedede partnership, and subsequently-- as romance centric fandoms do-- likes to play around with the idea of kirby and bandee as their kids or wards.

fandom will offer you everything in this regard; far future AUs, baby adoption AUs, even AUs where meta knight and dedede are children while kirby and bandee are adults! it's really entirely up to you, and my number one suggestion is to always be respectful and kind towards everyone's creative headcanons, even if they do not align with your own.

for me, i naturally project onto player characters, and so i always saw kirby and bandee as similar in age to myself. as such, because i'm an adult, they've always been adults to me, and i do like to imagine that they have grown from young adults to full adults over the course of the series! i actually was quite shocked to learn that a lot of tumblr folks thought of them as kids, but that's the fun of joining fandom the way i did, and why i recommend it! bake your own cake, and then hop online and find a million others of all different flavours you can try!

[ekdsc]

I love all your transfemme shinji stuff!!! Is it something you picked up from watching the show, or just your own personal headcanon? (I just wanna hear more lore about her tbh)

Alright, so I took a surprisingly long time to think about a response to this that didn't come off as the messiest answer ever. The short version is - both.

I think that, even sticking only to official media both in terms of canon and IRL comments from people who worked on the series, Shinji is the best accidental transfem character ever created. None of it (?) is intentional, but there's zero stretches that need to be made to interpret her as so, at least in my opinion. I could genuinely write an essay as to why I think this way (and frankly I will if prompted), but I'll just share my favourite example for now:

In an interview with main Evangelion character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto at the end of volume 2 of his manga version of the series, he briefly discusses designing characters, starting with Shinji. He first describes Shinji's hair as that of a "boyish young girl", and follows up by explaining how heavily based on Nadia (from Gainax's first TV series) her design is - leading to my favourite quote, "...in concrete terms, his eyes are a girl's eyes."

A girl's eyes trapped in a boy's body. I'm not sure how 1:1 Viz's translation is with his original quote, but fuck if this series isn't amazing at accidentally churning out trans metaphors (and that isn't even touching on the fact that a major component of Shinji's character is being forced to pilot a body she don't want to because the adults in her life say that’s what’s right and building her sense of identity around hating being forced to do so)!!

All that yapping aside, when you see me drawing her it's 99.9% likely to be my little headcanon AU based on episode 26's alt continuity with some... obvious tinkering. If you're willing to subject yourself to a bit of fanfiction, I'm writing an ongoing fic that demonstrates it far better than I ever could explain. It also has pretty pictures!

Apologies for the long response, this has essentially opened up whatever the Pandora's Box equivalent is for my special interests.

[bitethedevil]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love 💚

I have only written three longer fics, so some of them will be oneshots

Living with The Devil You Know (AO3 Link):

It's probably my favorite that I've done. It's getting rather long but we are nearing the end soon. It's at 14 chapters right now. It was supposed to be a very light-hearted fic but it has turned pretty dark.

Summary: Tav broke their agreement by handing the Crown of Karsus to Mystra instead of Raphael. Not only that, but she also robbed his house and killed his incubus. Raphael is patient and he is determined to get his revenge. Tav gets chained to the House of Hope with constructs similar to those of Prince Orpheus'. When her friends eventually come to save her and brings him back his Orphic Hammer, Raphael will kill each and every one of them in front of her before claiming what is rightfully his: her soul...

…Tav isn't too bothered. She will figure something out eventually. Until then she just has to find a way to live peacefully with a devil.

The Devil's Dinner Party (AO3 Link):

This one has a special place in my heart because it was the first fic I ever showed anyone! It has a bit of a dark twist that I won't spoil too much. It's three chapters and it's a finished work.

Summary: Tav accepts Raphael’s invitation to a dinner party after she had handed him the Crown of Karsus. None of her companions show up, so it is just her, Raphael, and a bunch of Raphael’s favored clients. Raphael is suspiciously kind to her, but everything might not be as perfect as it seems

More Than Our Fathers (AO3 Link)

I love writing this one so much. It's a Raphael x Demigoddess!Reader fic. It's probably my most planned work to date and I have read so much lore for this one. It is still ongoing but there are currently four chapters.

Summary: It was in the years after the Fall of Netheril that fate decided to push the two of you together: the daughter of the God of Divination and the son of the Archdevil of the Eighth. An unlikely pair, but you learned throughout the years that you had more in common than you thought: you were both driven by ambition and you both longed to become more than what your fathers made you.

A Portrait of a Cambion (AO3 Link)

This was a 'character study turned fic'-kind of situation. It is basically my headcanon about why Haarlep is with Raphael and why he hates his father. It's a story of how he once loved someone and how he learned the consequences of getting distracted by those feelings. It's a oneshot. (Fun fact: I consider it as canon in Living with The Devil You Know too, and when Raphael tells Tav about his previous love, this story is what he is talking about.)

Summary: Raphael rejects his icky mortal feelings for Tav because he remembers what happens when one is distracted by matters of the heart. He reminisces about a woman who taught him how to paint and who stole his non-existent heart over a thousand years ago.

Good Little Mouse

This is just pure depraved smut but I really liked writing it. It's pretty short. It is also pretty fucked up so remember to read the warnings.

Summary: Reader/Tav did not give Raphael the Crown but it ended up in his hands anyway. You become Raphael's pet as revenge and he uses the Crown of Karsus on you to keep you docile.

(Thank you so much for the ask! I love the idea of spreading self-love like this. It can be hard to remember to appreciate one's own work I feel like.)

[sothasil]

hi! so, first of all, i love your khajiit art, it's awesome to see someone expanding on khajiit lore in such a thoughtful and interesting way. second of all, i have been looking for ages for any information on marriage in khajiit culture and i have found little. obviously there ARE marriages in elsweyr, but i wanna know traditions: what clothes are worn, what kinds of rings are exchanged, if any, what foods are eaten, etc. but i cant find anything! do you have opinions on this? i'd love to hear!

thank you very much! i can't help with official lore sources (since ESO came out i stopped following that :')) but i do have my own headcanons on the matter!

marriages are a big deal when it involves the linking of two notable families/clans. in the northern regions, where clans are more important to everyday life and social structure, notable members marrying are grounds for large celebrations and larger amounts of discourse between family heads. expected topics include with whom the family will live, how both spouses fit the clan's skill and values and of course, how [insert party currently talking] is better than [insert the other clan involved]

marriages are more important by the greater families union they provide than other aspects surrounding the actual individuals. as a strongly communal society, to khajiit, marrying is first and foremost to officialize your relationship with a partner in relation to what that means for your families. the formation of elsweyr itself under that name happened with a marriage, and that historical example is propped up by some as what should be the cultural standard.

when a marriage does happen, it's a huge party. both sides of the couple's family come over to show off and have fun. it's a good occasion to meet other people and demonstrate the skills and power of you and your clan. as with all big parties, there will be guests who have nothing to do with either families coming too! those party crashers can just come for fun, but some attend to make connections and deals while taking advantage of the events.

romance, sex and having kids are not that tied to the concept. for marriages between important people, if they do have kids matters a lot but it's not that linked to the marriage in itself. khajiit are not very strict when it comes to why and how you have your lovers. it isn't a shame to have sex outside of marriage (including if you end up with kids), and if you are indeed married and want a lover, the big deal won't be ruining a sanctity of marriage, but more what your partner thinks of it. it is however considered unsightly to marry someone you do not have some feelings for, as well as marrying your friend for each other's benefits. again, greater family above all

who was there when it happens and how much you talk about your union are probably the most important factors for officializing it all. divorce isn't really a thing because khajiit aren't bureaucratic. if your marriage falls apart, it's up to you to make it clear you are ending it and face the likely familial backlash. it is however completely acceptable to marry several times - if your spouse is gone, if you find a better one... if that latter case applies and both sides don't remarry, the one who doesn't might get a bad rep. marriages between more than two people aren't a social norm, and while you might have a clan mother who celebrates that, it is rare and polyamoursly inclined khajiit tend to not marry at all and just stay lifelong lovers with their partners.

The only place in my personal khajiit musings where I explored marriage was for my own characters - Ma'Jahrann's parents, Elaahni and Qa'Husar. In those two, each hails from a very different culture - Elaahni is from a more traditionalist mid-sized Anequina clan, and Qa'Husar is from the southern parts with a more cosmopolitan structure, born to a small immediate family who dissolved as he grew up. Their marriage was a bit of a deal when it happened. Elaahni was a local celebrity and her family didn't see too kindly the nobody from those big humid cities marrying their daughter. Qa'Husar himself had to face acquiring a gigantic extended family overnight which he had no experience with. Both ended up fucking off to a smaller town where they settled on an in-between of living a settled lifestyle close with the local community, with Elaahni's close relatives visiting when they saw fit.

[until-another-one-comes]

On one hand, I’m excited for story mode. On the other hand, I just know there’s gonna be discourse amongst the fans because once they reveal how the characters are actually like, they’re gonna be mad because it won’t fit their headcanons, especially Francis. I’m positive that those Francis fans who simp over him for his looks are not gonna be happy that he’s not some dom daddy. If they reveal that Francis is just some regular guy, some batshit insane serial killer or some dubious guy, I just know they’re not gonna be happy. This applies to every character in the game. To be fair, the game doesn’t reveal much about the lore of their characters so they have nothing to build off of.

It’s kinda like in The Amazing Digital Circus where fans are upset that Jax is some asshole when it’s the entire point. Characters have flaws for a reason and it’s Nacho sama’s story.

Lately, I've been very hesitant to indulge in my headcanons and other intrepretations because I'm really worried I'd get too attached to something that will later turn out to be VASTLY different in canon. I already feel this way about Francis/Nacha and I confess- I'd be very very sad if Francis and Steven won't have any positive interactions at all in any future updates, even though theres NO obligation at all for Nacho-sama to have them interact.

Sorry I know that was off topic but I just wanted to get that off my chest.

Anyways- yeah, there might be discourse, but I don't think there would be too much of it because from what I've seen most people are chill, and I'm pretty sure most of them would just continue doing their own thing regardless of whether or not canon would debunk their headcanons or aus or intrepretations or whatever.

(sorry for repeating myself but if francis/nacha are canonly divorced and have a strained relationship I would simply plug my ears and close my eyes and carry on blissfully with my fantasy of them being in love. no. I refuse to accept that leave me be)

As for the Francis fans who simp for him hard, ehhhhhh I don't think they'd really care if he turns out to be just Some Guy (aka, my favorite version of him) cuz like, if they're already portraying him as a buff dom daddy or whatever I don't think any amount of canon story would stop them from continuing that WKDIFNJC.

And from what I've seen, there really isn't a really POPULAR headcanon among the fandom, everyone has their own intrepretation for every characters which lessens the chance of any serious discourse happening when we get story mode. The only really popular 'fanon' intrepretation I've seen is Angus being a Shady Guy.

So yeah TLDR: I understand your concern, but don't worry I'm sure the fandom would be chill with whatever Nacho-sama will come up for these characters. While I have my own headcanon and intrepretation I cherish dearly I'm open and willing to accept whatever story mode will bring to us. And if I don't, no big deal, I'll just stick to my own thing and I'm sure most people feel the same way. It's all good!

Sidenote: The only thing that would make me kind of upset if it turns out to be canon is if Izaack/Steven is a douchebag, but thats it.

[hauntedtotem]

I really like your hc on why the doppels look the way they do. Do you have any theories/headcanon as to why 42 looks like that? Or the Steven doppel with the taped on paper face? That one's my fave, he's so silly

Based on both the Sticky Note and Brain Steven doppelgangers, I hc that Steven has some extreme paranoia issues that he hides from the public, pretending to be fine.

More specifically, my Steven has undiagnosed schizophrenia (did that even have a diagnosis in the 1950s?)- but he can't open up about it to anyone because if people find out he's been seeing things, he'll get discharged from the Air Force immediately.

The Note doppelganger symbolizes how he wears a mask, not wanting anyone to know his sub-par mental state. "He is Fine :)" after all, because if he wasn't he would loose his career.

The Brain doppelganger symbolizes his paranoia, the way he sometimes gets stuck in his own head and how his eyes dart nervously to every corner or shadow where something could be hiding.

Imo the hallucinations aren't anything too extreme, shadows flickering, and thinking he always sees someone behind him, or peaking around corners, stuff like that.

But in a world with doppelgangers lurking around, he has to be cautious, he can't just brush them off because "what if this one's real". The paranoia that comes with it is a blessing and a curse, it makes him keep his guard up almost 24/7

He's good at keeping a poker face, not letting it get to him too much, but there are definitely good days and bad days to it. Being a little jumpy isn't too suspicious, but if he reacts too obviously to a hallucination- he's scared people finding out, not just because the risk of losing his positIon but also the stigma that would come with it.

One of the reasons he likes being a pilot is there's very little places in the sky for something to hide and jump out at him, real or fake.

Also not to plug my ficlet 2 asks in a row, but there is an excerpt about Steven so I have a good excuse to lol

"a pilot who's mind races with endless possibilities and visions of death, who's witnessed carnage both of reality and illusion. Behind a stone faced facade and obscuring shades, paranoia clutches the mind and eyes dart nervously towards every shadow. The constant nagging of adrenaline and panic being held trapped behind an un-moving mask. An all consuming mind, seeing danger at every corner, only ever knowing peace while in the emptiness of the skies"

As for 42, I just see him as an Easter egg character so idk how to interpret him into the lore atm. 42 is simply the answer to Everything lol /ref

[rjschoicesstuff]

i see your joy at art requests, and i see your attempts to go one day without drawing the ID gang -> soI'm gonna come on in here and complicate matters by offering you my beloved little disaster: my ID MC Luca 🖤

I'd love to see your take on them if you want to!

I hopeee I did them justice aaa

This prompted me to finally start reading SICSIG when I got the request, because I've been meaning to! And this was a good way to get to know more about Luca before drawing them, I thought. I'm an Extremely Slow Reader but I'm at chapter 14 now! More thoughts and stuff under the cut cause it's unrelated to the request lol

Ok bear with me cause I'm not a good with words and usually my feedback on things doesn't go further than 'yay I love this' because of that + shyness haha 😭

I've really been enjoying SICSIG aaa, I've read ID a lot of times to the point where it didn't Hit The Same Anymore I guess. And this was such a breath of fresh air cause I don't know what's gonna happen and stuff lol. I love that it's like a retelling of the og ID and it's been fun comparing it to my own headcanons and what's like similar and what's different and how Luca reacts to stuff vs how canon mc and Ripley do. And I love that a lot of the side characters also get more personality and backstory and that there's more explanation about how the hunting is done and stuff (and I also like your take on that) + also just new, different lore like the vampiric gifts and stuff, which is rly cool. I'm really excited to see the direction it'll all go!

I loveee ID sm and I love seeing people's versions of the story and mc and their relationship with Cas and Gabe and how everyone still really manages to do their own thing with it. I really like Luca, I like how he interacts with Cas and Gabe and he's funny! And how they can stand up for themselves. And I always have a bit of a soft spot for characters with ADHD cause same lol. And Ripley would like them too, probably haha.

Oh also a funny coincidence I noticed is that, taking Luca's birthday in account, SICSIG takes place in 2015-2016 (if im doing the math right idk) and I imagine my version of ID taking place in 2016-2017. And him and Ripley almost have the same birthday, january 5 1997 for Luca and january 9 1998 for Ripley, I hope me comparing stuff isn't annoying haha 😭

[betweenlands]

[ID: Two asks from my inbox. The first is from @12u3ie and reads "Drop the essay, Solar /nf". The second is from @artisticgryfess and reads "wait no tell me about joe being technos hels". /End ID]

holy shit you guys i'm not even a hermitcraft or dsmp blog rn. fair enough this is a longstanding conspiracy theory of mine, though. ok, so. Joe Is Techno's Hels, the not-an-essay (mainly because i'm not going to cite SHIT, this is PURELY in the realm of headcanon/theory except if i explicitly indicate something is supported by canon)

so, the joke theory starts like this: back when hermitcraft/dsmp crossovers were first getting popular, there were a lot of crack theories about "hels!joe is technoblade" because... well, a lot of factors. they're both loosely english majors (i know joe is a history major just humor me), both slightly strange guys who operate by their own logic, both have somewhat similar (ish?) accents, both have a very deadpan sense of humor and incredible delivery on that deadpan, and most of all both of them Cannot Be Killed In A Way That Matters.

however, i am your local Hels Analyst, no like seriously there's so much weird shit about helsknight we haven't discussed yet, and one (implied? this is a theory but i feel it holds water) thing that's always been key to me about Hels versions is... they represent bad traits present in the original individual. whether or not those bad traits are the Objectively Bad ones or the traits the original self-identifies as bad is pretty up in the air right now (welsknight come off anon i just need you to tell me if helsknight likes pineapple on pizza it is absolutely fucking critical to our understanding of hels lore) but we'll be going with the latter, for reasons i'll explain later and by later i mean right now.

so! assuming there are hels versions of more players than just welsknight (i cannot stress enough how much we technically don't know this in canon -- it can reasonably be extrapolated but we really aren't sure!), that brings up an interesting issue with techno being joe's hels.

joe is not a particularly violent person.

"well solar," you say, "what does that have to do with techno being joe's hels?"

"well, strawman i have made up to make this long-ass post more visually broken-up and less formal-feeling," i reply, "hels versions of players only exhibit traits that are present in the original person." and this is confirmed canon, by the way -- wels himself has explicitly cited specific ways he can sometimes suck that are directly visible in the way helsknight acts!

so. joe is not a particularly violent person, and... okay yes listen i know there's a lot of very good writing on how technoblade isn't entirely 100% down for violence all the time and maybe wants to peacefully retire, okay. i get it. i am not calling techno a murder machine all i'm saying is that one of them enjoys pvp enough that he helped train other people and the other one is recording as he always does from nashville tennessee. i am a variety mcyt blogger and the only dsmp essay i have ever written before now is about how the tftsmp metaplot parallels redstoner. just bear with me.

imo joe also exhibits a lot of self-awareness about his own bad qualities as a character, and none of those traits are really... present in technoblade? but here's where it gets interesting.

i am no genius and certainly no master c!technoblade analyst, but if we assume technoblade trained to become a fighter and identified certain of his traits as being Not Ideal for someone who focuses on pvp and being a strong pigman, we can. kind of see those traits in joe, even if we can assume technoblade has learned enough to stop displaying those traits:

will commit to the bit even if it's inconvenient for him

obnoxious about whatever form of literature is closest to him

will start quoting from that work of literature to fit the situation even when it totally doesn't fit the situation

zero bloodlust and an active need to avoid direct conflict; a tendency towards pacifism even

malicious compliance

perfectly timed awful timing

overwhelming amounts of Just Some Guy and also English Major energy

exceedingly stubborn and would rather go through a problem than around it; will also see a tunnel through a mountain and climb over the hill instead

and. hm! yeah that feels like a joe hills description. you could make a joe hills out of this. add to that the fact that both of them refuse to die, but technoblade never dies whereas joe conquers death by dying over and over and coming back repeatedly out of sheer spite -- yeah i'd say joe could very easily be seen as the hels of the two.

and if Hels, the dimension, is the hostile and horrible place that helsknight claims it is -- where "everyone's unyielding and everyone there rebels" -- well, only one of them has a (mostly) canonical backstory that involves struggling through a hellish landscape designed by a hostile architect who wishes to cause pain and suffering. and it's not technoblade.

[wraith-caller]

If it is ok to ask for other characters... How about the Hoslow brothers and/or Fia?

it certainly is!!

Fia was answered here. As for the Hoslows, I will admit to not being as well versed in them, so any Hoslow heads out there, feel free to correct me if i get some lore wrong!! Diallos: favorite thing about them: His sorta bravado he hides behind and how fragile he is underneath. You really get the 'pampered baby of the family' vibe with him but then you also see how being relegated to this position has impacted him and left him feeling sorta useless in comparison to his brother.

least favorite thing about them: That we don't get to learn HOW he found the jar town lol it's in a pretty obscure location that takes some serious cliff scaling to get to!

favorite line: "After much internal debate, I've come to realise revenge is not the answer. According to Lady Tanith, I've got the stuff of champions. And champions, ironic as it is, are oft forced to walk a tainted path. It hit me like a bolt from the blue that my former thoughts were simple naiveté." I like how you can so clearly see Tanith's manipulations at work even though Diallos can't see it himself, and even thinks it's a "realisation" he made on his own. It's so pitiful and also relatable that someone grieving this loss, and who is already struggling with insecurities about their worth, is so malleable in the right hands.

brOTP: Him and Lanya. I prefer them as feeling basically like siblings, given they've known each other since childhood and grew up with each other. I like the idea of them just always at each other's sides and getting into all sorts of trouble.

OTP Hmm that's a tough one bc I can only think up awful toxic pairings lmao Bernahl/Diallos or Tanith/Diallos would both be so terrible in a good way imo. The abuse of power and imbalance, and manipulation of a vulnerable person in an emotionally difficult time, all the while they know they plan to kill his brother.

nOTP Diallos/Lanya.

random headcanon: He's actually an exceptional swordsman but is so determined to live up to the standards of his house that he insists on using the whips, which he's not as good with.

unpopular opinion The theory that him and Juno are Numen simply bc Diallos drops a Numen's rune on death. Runes are strength, and his whole storyline is about him doubting his own strength only to pull through and die for a noble cause in the end. Imo, the Numen's rune is symbolic of that, not literal.

song i associate with them Hold Your Colour by Pendulum

favorite picture of them

Any time he's with the jars is cute!! Again a pic from zlofsky.

Juno: favorite thing about them: his humility in saying he doesn't consider himself a champion, I guess. given that he may have been seeking the Elden Throne, it would be a nice trait for a lord to have.

least favorite thing about them: that he didn't get to have any dialog or much connection to Diallos' quest.

favorite line: "I have already walked many a road drenched in blood, yet never would I consider myself a champion." Only because it's literally his only line lol

brOTP: I mentioned in the Darian post that it'd be cool to see these two together. They both seem duty-oriented, and have a younger sibling(though Devin's barely much younger...) that they seem somewhat protective of. Their vastly different backgrounds would make them interesting to pair together.

OTP Hard to say since he's so sparse. Random ships that come to mind are Juno/Latenna, Juno/Istvahn, Juno/Vyke. If I wasn't already wedded to Nepheli/Roderika, maybe he'd go well with Roderika.

nOTP: Probably Juno/Lanya for similar reasons I wouldn't be into Diallos/Lanya.

random headcanon: He resents his father for how he treats Diallos. While he isn't abusive necessarily, he definitely pays less attention to Diallos' accomplishments and focuses more of his efforts on Juno, the apparent heir. This is why Juno kinda picks up the slack and would rather Diallos not have to bloody his hands anyway.

unpopular opinion: I'm unfamiliar with any opinions on them, and so don't know what would be unpopular haha

song i associate with them: first thing to come to mind is Mr. Lonely, esp the version by Angel Olsen & Emile Mosseri

favorite picture of them:

A cool action shot from zlofsky!!